July 24, 2026

The Weapon of Prayer

Putting God to Work

You heard it said that our prayers move God; it’s true. You pray, and God gets to work orchestrating a plan to answer it. Think about that for a minute and imagine the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, wants nothing more than to hear from us and is willing to do our bidding and intervene in the affairs of people. Just the thought of that amazes me. In the same way, praying puts God to work; not praying prevents Him from working. Not including God in our lives by notpraying to Him excludes Him! If that thought doesn’t hit you hard, you might need to improve your relationship with him; praying is the way to do that.

We are so well loved that because we trust God for an answer, our prayers affect three spheres of influence: the divine, angelic, and human. God hears our ramblings and gets to work, commands His angels on our behalf, and uses humans to physically work out an answer even though our prayers are, at times, incoherent. Even if something seems minuscule, and you don’t think it’s worthy to reach out to God for, say it anyway; you never know if that tiny detail might be a step in the answer to someone else’s prayer. 

“So that prayer in itself does not interfere in earth’s affairs, but prayer in the hands of men moves God to intervene and do things, which He would not otherwise do if prayer was not used as the instrument.” E.M. Bounds

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Isaiah 64:4

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

July 23, 2026

For the next twelve days, I will be reading a book called The Weapon of Prayer by E. M. Bounds, published in 1931. I think we could all use training on this subject. I’ll give you the highlights of what I think are the essentials from each chapter. I’ve provided a link to the free book in the comments.

The Weapon of Prayer 

Prayer Essential to God 

A couple of things we need to understand are that God rules the world and that keeping up communication with Him is necessary for ourselves and the Church. 

Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; Isaiah 58:9

God wants to hear from us and petition Him about our situations. If we don’t seek Him for the things we need or desire, how will we testify to others how good He is? Prayer is sacred work that you never retire from. A praying person who keeps the needs of the Church and leaders before God is a vital and necessary part of ministry. The major players in the Bible always sought God, and He answered them. The only reason they were considered major players is that they were written about in the Bible; we are the major players in our lives, so we must seek God as they did for the health and well-being of our own lives and the lives of our family and Church. 

“Persevering prayer always wins; God yields to importunity and fidelity. He has no heart to say No to such praying as Moses did. Actually God’s purpose to destroy Israel is changed by the praying of this man of God. It is but an illustration of how much just one praying is worth in this world, and how much depends upon him.” E.M. Bounds 

Work info: Weapon of Prayer - Christian Classics Ethereal Library

July 22, 2026

Isaiah 66

Judgment is coming, and it will be fierce!

For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. Isaiah 66:16

Those that remain will go up to worship the Lord and will pass by, and be able to see all the dead bodies of those who transgressed against him. In Mark 9, Jesus says five times that the fire will not be quenched. 

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:44

Isaiah says almost the same thing:

And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Isaiah 66:24

Even though Christ followers may have to see the bodies of those whom the Lord slew, there is good news: we will also see the new heaven and new earth. Death will not be a part of our existence, and we will no longer experience sadness or pain, and the best news of all is that we will dwell with God. 

Shore up your faith in God, and surrender your life to Jesus if you haven’t already done so. It seems we are nearing the end, and if we are, you need to be ready.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:4-5

July 21, 2026

Isaiah 65

Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 65 points to something that we were never taught. Unless you sit under a preacher that goes through every book of the Bible for your entire life, you may not get the full benefit of learning all there is to know about its history or the future predictions. All that to prepare you for what I'm about to say.

Matthew Henry lived before the state of Israel existed, and here is what he says:

"The Lord God shall slay thee; he shall quite extirpate the J*ws and cut them off from being a people; they shall no longer live as a nation, nor ever be incorporated again." Matthew Henry 

He is referring to this verse: And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: Isaiah 65:15

Who are these other servants? "The children of the covenant shall no longer be called J*ws, but Christians; and to them, under that name, all the promises and privileges of the new covenant shall be secured." Matthew Henry

We are the people of this verse; Christians: I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. Isaiah 65:1

Isaiah prophesied the Millennial Reign of Jesus and what happened during that time in verses 17-26. The people lived joyfully! There was procreation, but children wouldn't die in infancy; they would live to 100 years old. There were still sinners, but they lived to 100 years old in misery. I had always believed that all the sinners would be gone, but then I always questioned why we would reign with Jesus if there was no one to reign over, so Isaiah answers this question. Also, during that time, Isaiah mentioned the lion lying down with the lamb.

Once your eyes are opened to this, you cannot unsee it!

After digging deep into the scriptures and comparing what I found in historical documents, I believe we are living in the time after Jesus' Millennial Reign, which is Satan's short season, and why I'm so interested in the historical buildings. It only makes sense that they were built during Jesus' reign because we do not have the technology to build like that today. However, Satan's time of deceiving the world is almost up, and we are being gathered as part of Jesus's army of troops to help defeat him and send him into the abyss, never to be seen again. What's next in the timeline? The final judgment of sinners and the Great White Throne judgment. Then we will live happily ever after. It's not a fairytale; it's real life. 

July 20, 2026

Isaiah 64

If you’ve ever felt remorse for your sin, yet you feel like you don’t have appropriate words to confess, then read Isaiah’s lamentation over the destruction of the temple by the Chaldeans. Isaiah saw the destruction through a prophecy, yet Jeremiah, in the Book of Lamentations, saw it firsthand and lived through it. When the Holy Spirit checks you and makes you feel sorry for your sins, and you are remorseful and want to plead for God’s forgiveness, but your words seem hollow, and you feel you need to plead with words that have deeper meaning, use Isaiah’s example. We deserve whatever God sees fit for our correction; however, he also loves us deeply and will listen to our cries for mercy if we rend our hearts, turn away from our sins, and turn our hearts back to Him. He is our loving Father and will hear our prayers; He knows what we’ve done anyway, so go to Him with a repentant heart, confess your sin, and you will likely avoid getting what you deserve. 

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6

Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Isaiah 64:9

July 19, 2026

Isaiah 63

Isaiah 63 is a vivid picture of God's power to redeem us from the enemy's clutches. In this chapter, God is depicted as a hero standing between Edom and His people, wearing a bloodstained garment from slaying their enemies, looking as red as if He had been working the winepress. 

For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. Isaiah 63:4

God grants us mercy through His lovingkindness and is willing to fight for us and release us from the enemy's clutches. Like He told Moses, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." There are times when we are useless in spiritual battles; we cry out for God's help rather than take on the enemy alone. However, we can and must sometimes advocate for ourselves, using the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus gave us, and make an effort to benefit from him, since he is within us, and to wield his power to conquer the enemy. 

And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. Isaiah 63:5

As a caution, do not try to battle the enemy if you have sin that you haven’t repented of; the enemy will use it as a legal right to continue to vex you and cause you trouble. So think before you use your battle words; seek the Lord's forgiveness, then wield that powerful sword, and watch as God avenges you. 

July 18, 2026

Isaiah 62

Isaiah can see the salvation of all that comes through the J*w, which we know was Jesus. Because of Jesus, the J*ws will no longer be looked down upon. Isaiah made it his mission to faithfully proclaim the righteousness of God until all, including the Gentiles, see salvation, and they will be considered a crown of glory. The true holy people of God did not deny Jesus as the Messiah and know that he came to them first for their salvation.  Even though most during his time on earth rejected him, and sent him to the cross. However, salvation, which was meant for all of us, came anyway. As hard as they tried, they couldn't stop him from giving the world salvation and eternal life with him as our King. If the people of that day had truly understood and listened to Isaiah's words when they were read to them, they would have known the truth about who Jesus was when he came to proclaim salvation for all. 

Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. Isaiah 62:11

July 17, 2026

Isaiah 61

Jesus himself says that Isaiah 6:1-2 is about him. He was in the temple and was handed the scroll for that day's scripture reading, and it just so happened that what he read he attributed to himself. God has perfect timing. This was right after he came out of the wilderness during his temptation. The people were angered by what he said, and they came after him, but he slipped away unscathed. What I found most interesting was that what Luke recorded and what the scripture says differ slightly. Isaiah mentions God's vengeance. Here are the verses for comparison:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; Isaiah 61:1-2

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18-19

Jesus fulfilled this scripture, and even though Jesus, according to Luke, doesn't repeat the portion that mentions vengeance, God avenged what happened to Jesus on the cross in 70AD when Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed after the Christ-followers left, and those responsible for the death of Jesus were destroyed, which was the worst tribulation than had ever been, according to Josephus' recount of history. The Roman Empire was also destroyed not long after that, though historical dates have been changed to sanitize history. We are not living in the timeline we've been told about, but we could be living in the season of deception mentioned in Revelation 20. Looking at lost technology and past buildings that could have been built during the Millennial Kingdom, we see that ever since then, the enemy has been trying to cover up the truth by searing our minds into believing his lies. Wars were strategically designed to destroy the evidence, but they were unsuccessful because those buildings are all over the world, even in small towns.

No matter what timeline we are in, Jesus is the only way to have eternal life, and that is something the enemy cannot take away from us when we accept Jesus' free gift. 

July 16, 2026

Isaiah 60

Although commentators believe portions of Isaiah 60 allude to what happened when Israel and Judah were released from their captivity in Babylon, I believe it is about the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus. 

Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. Isaiah 60:11

Could this refer to the trek to honor Jesus in the New Jerusalem, with some flying like doves and flocking to him to bring offerings?

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Isaiah 60:7-8

Those that didn't honor Jesus and make offerings to him were destroyed and left desolate, showing that not only were the saints there, but non-believers, too, and justice was served.

And injustice shall no more be heard in thy land, nor destruction nor misery in thy coasts; but thy walls shall be called Salvation, and thy gates Sculptured Work. (Benton Septuagint) Isaiah 60:18

The reason I've included the Septuagint is that, rather than calling the gates "Praise," it calls them "Sculptured Work." Was that the name, or was Isaiah defining what the gates looked like? We are inundated by artistic creations that no one seems to know how to create anymore. Could we be seeing works from the past Millennial Kingdom? Buildings of advanced technology? More than ever, we need to open our eyes to the truth. The "cathedrals" were taken over by the Roman Catholic Church, and government entities and others took over similar structures, and none of them included indoor plumbing. If an advanced civilization created these buildings, why didn't they include bathrooms?  Could it be that they didn't need them? Were these buildings healing centers? The Bible tells us everything, but wrong teachings have seared our minds. Pray for God to give you wisdom and discernment, and to open your eyes to the truth that is lying in plain sight. 

Believing any of this will not affect your salvation in Jesus, only the historical timeline.

July 15, 2026

Isaiah 58

Fasting and the Sabbath Rest

Fasting:

Fasting has become popular again, though it should never have become outdated. Fasting is known to induce autophagy, which causes our bodies to clean up dead and useless cells, which, in turn, makes our bodies healthier, especially our brains. Scripture says that our health shall spring forth speedily. It is something that God ordained for us to do because He knows how beneficial it is for our bodies, and when we dedicate it to Him, the benefits become more than for the health of our bodies; it helps us draw closer to Him. However, when dedicated to God, we must be careful not to make it about us, but honor Him and make it holy and acceptable to Him. It is more than not eating; we are to stop being mean, serve others by feeding and clothing people experiencing poverty, and bring them into our home. The benefits outweigh the imposition. Here is what the Bible says will happen when we honor Him by fasting:

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: Isaiah 58:10

There is more: to get the full benefits of fasting, we must follow what God has designed in Isaiah 58. 

Sabbath Rest:

Did Jesus wipe away the law of keeping the sabbath? No. It is still part of the Ten Commandments. If we honor God by keeping it, and not having our own way during that time, here is what scripture says:

Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 58:14

July 14, 2026

Isaiah 59

We talk about how evil this world is, yet we find it hard to do anything about it. Our hands are tied. If we speak anything remotely negative about the way our government is handling things, they find reason to cut off our speech. We think we have freedom of speech, but try to speak about the 2020 election outcome or what the pharmaceutical companies did to people during that same time frame. All communication during that time was shut down, and anyone who spoke about it was cut off and considered a conspiracy theorist, shaming them into shutting up. According to Isaiah 58, we are to make an effort to handle our situation ourselves, and if we cannot come against the evil forced upon us, then God will handle it. I don't think we've seen the recompense for this tragedy yet, and I believe that all who were involved will receive their just desserts. I'm anxious to witness the justice that God brings upon these wicked beings for all they did to the people. God's hand is not shortened that he cannot save.

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: Isaiah 59:1

Even though I don't believe we've yet seen what will happen to the wicked, I assure you that God sees and will avenge His people. The following verse is about Jesus coming in judgment because when Satan was released from his captivity, he came in like a flood, and we are dealing with that fierce evil right now. Wait for it, though: the Spirit of the LORD is coming, and his judgment is coming with him, and he will lift a standard against Satan.

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. Isaiah 59:19

July 13, 2026

Isaiah 57

If you ever need assurance of God’s help in this earthly world, I have found the verse for you:

When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain; Isaiah 57:13

Not only can we be confident of eternal life through our salvation in Jesus, but when we put our trust in God, He assures us that we will have the necessities of our secular world. However, it’s not a good idea to make secular things idols; rather, our thankfulness and gratitude to God will go a long way toward ensuring that He keeps providing for our needs and even our wants. Here is my recommendation: start with a blank book that you keep forever, and write down all of your wants and needs, whether you pray for them or not, and you will start to see God’s provisions for your life. Even write down your most materialistic wants; God hears your thoughts, but sometimes we forget what we’ve asked for or thought about, and even forget to give God the credit for everything, so we need something to refer back to, hence the need for a journal as a reminder of God’s goodness and provision. For those who love God, you will see Him pour out His blessing upon you, so make sure you thank him for everything.