“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1; NIV).
[Please join me in prayer for our nation and world on Tuesdays this year. This post comes from a GiveHim15 post from 6/9/23.]
…”Since the birth of America, we have been modeling for the world how the human desire for freedom affects government. According to Our World in Data, in the past 300 years, the percentage of people with the freedom and privilege to elect their leaders has gone from 0% to 85%! Our founding fathers put in place a nation whose freedoms were so compelling that the entire world was changed. There are certainly variations of free elections, but the point remains: “[T]he increase of his government” is not ending; it is only increasing further.
“The freedoms that the United States has put in place will affect humanity forever. The God-given desire to be free has fueled the expansion of Jesus’ civil government for centuries, and that will now only increase as the American experiment has demonstrated what this freedom could look like.
“Here’s the point:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6–7; NIV).
“There is undoubted, uncontroversial evidence that Jesus’ government has increased over time: from a hiding handful of scared disciples, to now one-third of today’s global population, 2.8 billion believers; from literally zero civil governments aligning with the God-given desire for personal freedom, to now over 80% of global governments. Of His greatness, there will be no end.
“At the end of the passage, Isaiah prophesies: The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. This is a fascinating verse and requires its own treatment, but the word “zeal” (qinah, in Hebrew) is used only a few times in the Hebrew text. Every time the “zeal of the Lord” phrase is used, there is an absolute, 100% certainty that what is promised will occur. In some instances, we find the phrases “with great fury” and “by consuming fire.” The bottom line in the entire passage is this: As we battle for God’s will for our nation, we have His zeal behind us and in front of us, aiding our efforts. Our nation’s opportunity to be blessed by God requires the Church of Jesus Christ to stand up in this day and declare His government, to look to Him, who is the Prince of Peace, and to pursue His justice and His righteousness as individuals and as a nation.
“Pray with me:
“Lord, You have written the principles of good government upon our hearts. You have hardwired all of creation to desire freedom. As we watch the powers of darkness attempting to limit our religious freedoms and our freedom of speech in the U.S., we ask You to cause Your church to rise up in this day. Lord, cause Your Body to realize that You have a plan for government, that You desire a good government, and that Your government is based in true justice and righteousness.
“Thank You for placing within us an inextinguishable desire to be free. Thank You for the ability to look back over the centuries and see Your mighty hand move as Your government increases.
“Our decree:
“The responsibility of government rest upon the shoulders of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the INCREASE of His government. We declare that the ZEAL of the Lord ALMIGHTY will accomplish this.”
By Dave Kubal, President and CEO of Intercessors For America, https://www.givehim15.com/post/june-9-2023