Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Men of God - for the Rosebud, Day 25

Continue to pray Psalm 119:92 - If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

White expansion included the restraint of two traditional Lakota male roles: the warrior and the hunter. I post prayers for the warrior today and for the hunter tomorrow.

The Warrior

The Lakota were not first to domesticate the horse, but when horses arrived the Lakota became superb horsemen. The Lakota did not invent the gun, but when it was introduced they became proficient marksmen. Lakota warriors have always been able to take up the best available arms in defense of their people.

Today, let us pray for men on the Rosebud to take up spiritual warfare against the powers that destroy the people with suicide. We pray especially that young men will grow as spiritual warriors to the glory of God and the blessing of the people.

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. II Corinthians 10:3-5

We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. II Corinthians 6:6-10

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18

1 comment:

Alice C. Linsley said...

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.