via TJC
Let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. ~Amos 5:24
Father, as Kingdom Men we know that the Kingdom is at war. We know that we are not to fight our battles the way the world does. We fight with the message, the stature, the values of the Kingdom guiding us. We rise in victory because we first kneel.
Dr. King wrote that there are 4-Basic Steps in any nonviolent campaign: the collection of the facts to determine whether the injustices are alive, negotiation, self-purification and direct action.
Lord, make us carriers of the truth. Frustrate the lies and conspiracies that come from our mouths. For You are truth and the devil is the father of lies.
Lord, give us grace, humility and wisdom as we converse and exchange ideas with our neighbors. Allow genuine good will and love to establish the boundaries for all of our conversations, social media posts and actions.
Lord, give us the willingness to look in the mirror and confront the ugliness in front of us. Give us the courage to be like Paul confronting Peter when we see our brother carrying out an injustice or passively allowing one to occur. Dr. King said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. Give us steady hands as we remove the plank from our own eyes and help our brother with the speck in his.
Lord, give us the boldness to step into direct action even when we are the only ones moving forward. Though we are dressed in Your full armor, the battle still rages around us and the fiery arrows still take flight. Being hunkered down in culture’s “Devil’s Den” may be comfortable, but it’s not safe. The “protection” is a mirage. Your walking Your path in righteousness and grace is our protection. Lord, I pray that we can be counted among the righteous. We must leave our place of comfort. Lord, let us not be found absent like the righteous men in Sodom and Gomorrah, whose culture was lost not because of the deplorable actions and injustices in the city, but because 10 righteous men couldn’t be found who would demonstrate Your way and Your love.
In his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, Dr. King said America’s promissory note had been returned marked “insufficient funds.” He went on to say that “we refuse to believe the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Father, we give You glory KNOWING that it is Your bank, Your Word, and Your well that we draw upon. And it NEVER runs dry. You give in good measure, pressed down, shaken together running over, poured out into our laps. Your Will is what we desire. Father, give us the strength and endurance to pull, push, press and drag our imperfect Union toward the mark You have established in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Daily Battle Order:
Read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, and pray for the nation today.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
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