Lifting Hands in Prayer

Communion with the Lord

When you pray, lift your hands straight up to the Lord.  Brother Yong-Doo Kim says the Lord told a member of his church, “Don’t let your arms fall down even though it’s hard. The prayer with hands lifted up high has much more power.” -- Baptize by Blazing Fire.

So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands
were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner; (Exo 17:9-15)

In battle, there was someone in the army assigned to carry a banner on a pole.  As long as he lifted up the banner, all the soldiers knew they should continue to fight.  But when the bearer let down the banner, the soldiers knew that they were being defeated. As Moses lifted up his hands to the Lord on the hill, he put his faith and trust in the Lord for Israel's victory over the enemy.  And as long as he kept his hands lifted up high, the Lord defeated the enemy.  When it became too hard and he lowered his hands, then the enemy began to prevail in the battle.  That's why Aaron and Hur had him sit down as they supported his hands for hours until the sun set.  That day, their banner was not a piece of cloth.  The Lord Himself was the banner over them who gave the victory.  And that is why Moses said, "The Lord is Our Banner."  

Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. (Psa 28:2)

So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. (Psa 63:4)

And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes. (Psa 119:48)

Lift up your hands to the sanctuary And bless the LORD. (Psa 134:2)

"Arise, cry aloud in the night At the beginning of the night watches; Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones Who are faint because of hunger At the head of every street." (Lam 2:19)

We lift up our heart and hands Toward God in heaven; (Lam 3:41)

Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Neh 8:6)

May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. (Psa 141:2)

Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. (1Ti 2:8)

So as you can see, the Scripture is full of examples of people lifting their hands to God.  It's very powerful! The Lord is very pleased when we lift up our hearts and hands to Him. As Moses said, "The Lord is Our Banner."  When you lift up your hands to Him in prayer, He will be your banner of victory over the enemy.  Let me encourage you to do that when you pray and worship.

Credit: The illustration called "Communion with the Lord" is by my daughter C.V. Lacroix.  You can find more of her fine artwork at A Brush with Life.  Photo from the "I Will Sing" album by Don Moen, recorded at the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Checklist for Revival

When I think of all the things that the Lord has given us to do, I wonder how we manage to find so much time to do other things that are not important to him.  Just think of all the things that Christians fill their weeks with, and you will see what I mean.  If you have time to sit and watch TV, news, sports, movies, play on Facebook, do video games, sit in online chat rooms, read non-Christian literature, listen to non-Christian music, talk radio, and generally waste time, then maybe you need to remind yourself of the things you should be doing.  If that's you, here is a list to get started.

As you read through the list, check off the ones that you are doing and circle the ones you are not.  Make special note of the words "every," "all," "always," "everything," and "continually," which all mean exactly what they say.

1. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength…  (1 Jn 5:3; 2 Jn 6)
2. Love your neighbor as yourself  (Mt 22:39; Mk 12:31; Lk 10:27; 1 Pe 4:8; 1 John 4:7, 11, 20:21; He 13:1)
3. Love your enemies (Mt 5:44)
4. Believe in the name of Jesus Christ  (1 Jn 3:23) 
5. Set apart Christ as Lord in your hearts  (1 Pet 3:15)
6. Keep yourself in God’s love  (Jude 21)
7. Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22; Acts 1:8; 2:38; 7:59; 8:15,19; 19:2; Mat. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33)
8. Be baptized with fire (Mat. 3:11; Lk 3:16; Mal 3:1-3).
9. Pursue love  (1 Tim 6:11)
10. Husbands love your wives  (Col 3:19)
11. Seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness  (Mt 6:33)
12. Enter through the narrow gate (Mat 7:13)
13. Make every effort to be holy (He 12:14; 2 Pet 3:11)
14. Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with the Lord  (2 Pet 3:18)
15. Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48)
16. Pursue righteousness  (1 Tim 6:11)
17. Pursue godliness  (1 Tim 6:11)
18. Pursue faith  (1 Tim 6:11)
19. Pursue endurance   (1 Tim 6:11)
20. Pursue gentleness   (1 Tim 6:11)
21. Make disciples as you go (Matt 28:19)
22. Respect those who work hard, who rule  (1 The 5:12)
23. Try to be kind to each other always  (1 The 5:15)
24. In everything, treat people the same way you want them to treat you (Mat 7:12)
25. Give thanks in all circumstances  (Col 3:15; 1 The 5:18; Eph 5:20)
26. Be joyful always; rejoice in the Lord  (1 The 5:16; Phil 3:1; 4:4)
27. Continually offer the sacrifice of praise (He 13:15)
28. Be subject to rulers and authorities, including spiritual authorities  (1 Pet 2:13; Tit 3:1; Heb 13:17)
29. Share all good things with the one who teaches you (Gal 6:6)
30. Obey your leaders  (He 13:17)
31. Imitate the faith of your leaders  (He 12:7)
32. Imitate what is good  (3 Jn 11)
33. Imitate Christ  (Phil 2:1; 1 Jn 2:6)
34. Do good  (1 Tim 6:18)
35. Devote yourself to doing what is good  (Tit 3:14)
36. Keep yourself from idols  (1 Jn 5:21)
37. Keep your life free from love of money  (He 13:5)
38. Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18)
39. Eagerly desire the spiritual gifts  (1 Col 14:1)
40. Excel in gifts that build up the church  (1 Col 14:12)
41. Be merciful to those who doubt  (Jude 22)
42. Repent and do the things you did at first  (Rev 2:5)
43. Grieve, mourn, and wail, turn your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom  (Jas 5:9)
44. Wash your hands; purify your hearts  (Js 5:8)
45. Confess your sins to each other  (Js 5:16)
46. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you (Mat 5:29)
47. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you (Mat 5:30)
48. Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (Rom 10:9)
49. Submit yourselves to God  (Js 5:7)
50. Come near to God  (Js 5:8)
51. Be baptized (Ac 2:38)
52. Do everything without complaining or arguing  (Phil 2:14)
53. When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face (Mat 6:17)
54. When you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret (Mat 6:6)
55. Pray continually  (1 The 5:17)
56. Build yourselves up and pray at all times in the Spirit  (1 Cor 4:14; Jude 20; Eph 6:18)
57. Always keep on praying for all the saints (Eph 6:18)
58. Pray for those who persecute you (Mt 5:44)
59. Ask, seek, and knock (Mt 7:7)
60. Devote yourself to prayer  (Col 4:2)
61. Pray for each other (Js 5:16)
62. In everything, by prayer, present your requests to God  (Phil 4:6)
63. Cast your anxiety on the Lord  (1 Pet 5:7)
64. Think about things that are excellent, praiseworthy  (Phil 14:8)
65. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) 
66. Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you (2 Pe 1:10)
67. Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature  (Col 3:5)
68. Rid yourselves of such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language  (Col 3:7)
69. Clothe yourself with kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness, and patience  (Col 3:12)
70. Be completely humble, show true humility toward all men  (Eph 4:2; 1 Pe 3:8; 5:5,6)
71. Bear with each other  (Col 3:13  )
72. First take the log out of your own eye (Mat 7:5)
73. Forgive whatever grievances you have against each other  (Col 3:13)
74. Teach and admonish one another  (Col 3:16)
75. Wives submit to your husbands in everything (Eph 5:24; Col 3:18)
76. Wives respect your husbands (Eph 5:33)
77. Parents bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4)
78. Children obey your parents in everything  (Col 3:20)
79. Do everything in the name of the Lord  (Col 3:17)
80. Do everything with all your heart for the Lord  (Col 3:23)
81. Pastors, preach the Word  (2 Tim 4:2)
82. Pastors, correct (2 Tim 4:2)
83. Pastors, rebuke (2 Tim 4:2)
84. Encourage one another  (Heb 3:13)
85. Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord (Eph 5:19)
86. Be peaceable  (Tit 3:2)
87. Be considerate  (Tit 3:2)
88. Remember those believers in prison as if you were their fellow inmates  (He 13:3)
89. Consider it pure joy when you face trials  (Js 1:2)
90. Be quick to listen  (Js 1:19)
91. Be slow to speak  (Js 1:19)
92. Be slow to get angry  (Js 1:19)
93. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom  (Js 2:12)
94. Let your Yes be Yes and your No, No  (Mt 5:37; Js 5:12)
95. Husbands treat your wives with respect  (1 Pet 3:7)
96. Husbands be considerate as you live with your wives  (1 Pet 3:7)
97. Live in harmony with one another  (1 Pet 3:8)
98. Be sympathetic  (1 Pet 3:8)
99. Be compassionate  (1 Pet 3:8)
100. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Mat 5:16)
101. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Pet 3:15)
102. Be clear-minded and self controlled  (1 Pet 4:7)
103. Speak as though speaking the very words of God  (1 Pet 4:11)
104. Resist the devil  (Js 5:7)  (1 Pet 5:9)
105. Endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus  (2 Tim 2:3)
106. Put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11)
107. Fight the good fight of the faith  (1 Tim 6:12)
108. Be alert  (1 Pet 5:8)
109. Be watchful  (Col 4:2)
110. Be on your guard, so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men  (2 Pet 3:17)
111. Beware of the false prophets (Mat 7:15)
112. Watch your life and doctrine closely  (1 Tim 4:16)
113. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you  (2 Tim 1:14)
114. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ  (2 Pet 3:18)
115. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need  (1 Tim 5:3)
116. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called  (1 Tim 6:12)
117. Turn away from godless chatter  (1 Tim 6:20)
118. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit (Phil 2:3
119. Regard one another as more important than yourself (Phil 2:3)
120. Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way (Mat 5:25)
121. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also (Mt 5:40)
122. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. (Mat 5:42)
123. Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Mat 6:20) 
124. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1Jo 4:1) 

While you are at it, it would be helpful to review the following list of things you should avoid:

1. Do not worry about what you will eat, drink, wear, or about tomorrow (Mt 6:31,34)
2. Do not be surprised if the world hates you  (1 Jn 3:13)
3. Do not love the world or anything in the world  (1 Jn 2:15)
4. Do not get drunk with wine (Eph 5:18)
5. Do not be partners with immoral, impure persons, covetous men, who are idolaters, or any of the sons of disobedience  (Eph 5:5-7)
6. Do not be like Cain  (1 Jn 3:12)
7. Do not be deceived  (1Co 6:9; 1Co 15:33; Gal 6:7; Jam 1:16)
8. Do not imitate what is evil  (3 Jn 11)
9. Do not be anxious about anything  (Phil 4:6)
10. Do not lie to each other  (Phil 3:9)
11. Do not be harsh with your wife  (Col 3:19)
12. Do not embitter your children  (Col 3:21)
13. Do not find fault  (Jude 16)
14. Do not harden your heart  (Heb 3:15)
15. Do not forget to entertain strangers  (Heb 13:2)
16. Do not forget to share with others  (1Ti 6:18)
17. Do not merely listen to the Word  (Js 1:22)
18. Do not show favoritism  (Js 2:1)
19. Do not slander one another  (Js 5:11)
20. Do not swear by heaven, earth, or anything else  (Js 5:12)
21. Do not use your freedom as a cover up for evil  (1 Pet 2:16)
22. Do not rebuke an older man  (1 Tim 5:1)
23. Do not be hasty in laying on of hands  (1 Tim 5:22)
24. Do not neglect your gift  (1 Tim 4:14)
25. Do not seek your own good, but the good of others  (1 Co 10:24; Phil 2:4)
26. Do not think that Jesus came to abolish the Law or the Prophets (Mt 5:17)
27. Do not resist an evil person (Mt 5:39)
28. Do not sound a trumpet before you when you give to the poor (Mt 6:2)
29. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, when you give to the poor (Mat 6:3)
30. Do not use meaningless repetition when you are praying (Mat 6:7)
31. Do not put on a gloomy face, whenever you fast, as the hypocrites do (Mat 6:16)
32. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth (Mat 6:19)
33. Do not judge so that you will not be judged. (Mat 7:1)
34. Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine (Mat 7:6) 
35. Do not believe every spirit (1Jo 4:1)

It's amazing that it can all be summed up in these two commands: "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." and "Love your neighbor as yourself."  But the Scriptural admonitions above are written to help us to put some feet to those two commands and begin to take action.

I'm sure there is much more that we could add to these lists, but this is enough to show us what is important to God, and how we should be spending our time.  I encourage you to meditate upon these lists and let them be a sort of checklist for spiritual revival in your life.  Let them be a reality check to see where you are missing the mark or falling short of what God expects. If you circled any, indicating you are not practicing them, then repent sincerely with all your heart and cry out to God for change.  Don't stop until you see the change. He will be faithful to do it and revive you once again.

Author's note: You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Salvation with Fear and Trembling

Abraham offers his son Isaac, Rembrandt

The Lord spoke to me today through these verses in the apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Phi 2:5-7)

I need to empty myself as Jesus emptied Himself, because the Word tells me to have the same attitude in myself that was also in Christ Jesus.  Self needs to be crucified and put to death as Jesus commanded.

Paul went on to write: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;” (Phi 2:12)

My salvation is not a foregone conclusion.  Just because I have given my life to Jesus does not mean I can sit back and relax now until I die, knowing I have a guarantee of eternity in heaven.  I must work out my salvation with fear and trembling. 

Fear
Why should I fear?  Because God is holy and He requires His people to live nothing less than holy lives.  He says, “Without holiness, no one shall see God.” I should fear God with a holy reverence, as I wrote about previously.  I fear Him who has the power to destroy both my body and soul in hell, as Jesus warned, "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mat 10:28).  As Luke recorded it, Jesus said, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Luk 12:5)


Trembling
Why should I tremble?  Because few people will be saved, and many people who call Jesus Lord are going to hell.  Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Mat 7:21). Many Christians merely hear the Word, but do not do what it says.  At the judgment, Jesus will tell them, “Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” I should tremble, because hell is a terrible place of unimaginable torment.  Because people are there right now experiencing its horrors that will never end.  It’s eternal and there is no way out.  Once I die, there will be no further opportunity to repent or ask the Lord for mercy.  It’s final.  So right now while I am still alive on the earth, I need to live my life with trembling.  I need to consider the realities of hell.  I need to repent daily with trembling for even the smallest sins I commit. As brother Yong-Doo Kim wrote in his book, Baptize by Blazing Fire, “A daily repentant life is the fastest and shortest route to God’s mercy and compassion.”

Working out My Salvation
Why should I work out my salvation? I should work it out, because I was saved to do good works that were created long ago for me to do.  These good works were created before the foundation of the world.  This is why I am on earth at this time.  It’s my purpose.  I must no longer live for myself to please myself, but for Him who died for me and was raised again (2 Cor 5:15).  I must work out my salvation, because faith without good deeds is useless and dead (Jas 2:14-26).  I must work for the Lord while it is yet day, for the night comes when no man can work (Jn 9:4).

Putting it All Together
My friend, let me encourage you to do the same.  Have the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus, and Empty yourself to the best of your ability.  Your salvation is not a foregone conclusion.  Just because you have confessed Jesus as your Savior does not mean you can go on living like the world or living life for yourself.

We need to fear the Lord, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.  Taking the words of Jesus, "I tell you, fear Him!"  He is holy.  Tremble before Him at the thought of what you really deserve.  We all deserve eternity in hell, a place of unimaginable and eternal torment. And once we are saved, we must be very careful to live the holy life He requires.  Without holiness, no one will see God.

When Abraham had obeyed God's command to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, just as he took the knife in his hand to kill the boy, God provided a ram that was caught in the thicket (see Rembrandt painting above).  And the Lord said through the angel, "Now I know that you fear God." (Gen 22:12). When the Lord looks at your life, can He say the same thing?

Work out your salvation, and do what the Lord has commanded you to do.  Whatever He requires of you, do it.  Be like Abraham, the man of faith, who worked out his faith with fear and trembling.  When the Lord told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, he obeyed, as depicted in the painting by Rembrandt above. 

If you want to experience God's compassion and mercy, then live a daily life of repentance.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy The Apostasy Parables and Should You Fear the Lord? You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.