"These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.
—Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)
All too often Americans are seen as arrogant or prideful. Years ago, there was a book entitled The Ugly American that told of how Americans in the foreign service often perpetuated that view. It's time for a new reputation for Americans that is in line with what God desires. But before you nod in passive agreement and move on, consider where pride has seeped into your own life. It's a deep-rooted sin for us.
A spiritual revolution in America will take place when we walk in humility before God and each other. We will find ourselves in a place of receiving blessing from God when we have a contrite spirit. And we can expect revival throughout the land when the church is filled with those who tremble at His Word!
Ask the Lord to humble you this day.
Recognize the great need you have to be one who trembles at the Word of God.
DAILY PRAYER
Pray for another Great Awakening to sweep the nation as the Lord's people learn to humble themselves.
PRAY DAILY FOR THESE U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:
President Barack Obama Vice President Joe Biden Attorney General Eric Holder Chief Justice John Roberts Justice Samuel Alito Justice Anthony Kennedy
Justice Elena Kagan Justice Sonia Sotomayor Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Justice Stephen Breyer Justice Antonin Scalia Justice Clarence Thomas Contribute your own thoughts
With 40 Days to Save America winding down and Election Day near, it's more important than ever for Americans to reflect upon their relationship with God and to repent of their transgressions. read more
There is an ancient Hebrew Levitical covenant that, though only mentioned three times in the Bible, may hold the key to a great awakening in our nation. The Salt Covenant, a seemingly “minor” divine connection that’s explicitly referenced in Leviticus 2:13 and Numbers 18:19, is actually alluded to throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
In 2 Chronicles 13:5, we see the power of this ancient covenant in action. Abijah, the king of Judah, stands with his 400,000 men ready for war against Israel’s 800,000-soldier army, led by King Jeroboam. Most leaders in Abijah’s position would think again before fighting an army twice its size, yet he seizes the opportunity to warn Israel that it should reconsider attacking because of a divine covenant Judah has based on … salt. “Should you not know,” he asks, “that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?” Israel didn’t heed the warning, and as a result 500,000 of Jeroboam’s men died—the largest single-day slaughter in history to this day.
Consider what an army of New Testament, Spirit-filled believers walking in the power of this Salt Covenant could do today! We are in the mother of all spiritual battles, with our nation morally imploding before our eyes. Just as Israel sinned and forsook God, America has rejected warning after warning. We must move into intense covenant power with God. This is the time for all believers to grasp the revelation of the Salt Covenant and walk in it.
What does that look like? Throughout Scripture we find salt to be a true type of personal holiness. Jesus told us to “have salt in yourselves” (Mark 9:50). There has never been a genuine move of God that did not include the salt of personal holiness, nor will there ever be. Walking in holiness is key to experiencing the power of God in our lives. However, the Salt Covenant doesn’t just include salt; there must be a sacrifice for the salt to go on. And here is where Leviticus 2:13 establishes a powerful biblical truth: Every sacrifice must have salt on it. This is why Jesus called Himself the “bread of life” (John 6:35), going beyond what the “grain offering” mentioned in Leviticus 2:13 could ever do. He is the one and only sacrifice for sin.
The Salt Covenant joins the imputed righteousness of God with the personal righteousness that every recipient of grace has the privilege and duty to walk in. Through Christ we can walk in this divine covenant and truly be, as He called us, the “salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13) in a time when America must once again walk in covenant with God if it hopes to flourish again. read more