Dear friend,
I cannot name an individual who was drawn to Christ apart from someone else. Somebody was living with integrity. Somebody was praying. Somebody was loving them. I also can’t think of a day in my lifetime when the world needed to be drawn to Christ more.
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept into the homes of the healthy and the unhealthy, costing each of us something—stability, loved ones, togetherness. In the midst of that global pandemic, the United States has seen deep-rooted hate and prejudice explode into brutal violence and civil unrest. I’ve heard of neighbours killing neighbours...friends betraying each other...men, women, and even children dying by suicide.
Reflecting on all this, I can’t get the Apostle John’s words out of my mind:
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much,
we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God.
But if we love each other, God lives in us,
and his love is brought to full expression in us.
(1 John 4:10–12)
Read those words carefully. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God lives in you! That means you will never be abandoned or ignored. He’s got your back.
His Spirit in you also means He will give you eyes to see the heartbreak beneath people’s actions and attitudes you otherwise couldn’t understand. It means He’s enabled you to love with HIS love. Love that forgives and drives out fear! Love that binds up wounds and sets captives free! Love that says, “Go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19)!
Does your heart long to see Canada healed from the inside out by love? If your answer is YES! you must carefully consider your role in Jesus’ Great Commission.
As a first step, get your own heart right. Ask the Lord to show you any hatred, prejudice, or unforgiveness in you, to help you choose to love and forgive and let the healing you’ve been longing to see in the world start with you. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14–15)
I discuss the process of forgiveness in my two-part series Finding Healing through Forgiveness. In the first message, “Looking Back: Clearing Away the Trash We Regret,” I turn to Joel to see how to forgive the unforgivable. In the second message, “Finding Healing through Forgiveness” from Matthew, Cynthia shares her moving testimony of how forgiving according to God’s Word enabled her to overcome a long, painful battle with depression and anger.
To help you experience the same freedom, we encourage you to listen to these two messages, available for download in our web store! And for a limited time, you can download the digital set for free using the coupon code “FORGIVE” at checkout. These messages are truly perfect for our times!
When your heart is right, commit to praying for love to transform lives in every nation. Plead with God daily for at least a month to bring restoration to humanity. Use our prayer card to support Insight for Living Canada in prayer every day. Live every day with integrity and faithfully pray several times a day like Daniel did. Don’t give up—no matter the “lions” that roar. Remember, the angel closed the mouths of Daniel’s lions...and when he emerged from that pit unscathed, the king decreed that everyone should worship Daniel’s God who “rescues and saves his people” (Daniel 6:27).
As you pray, ask the Lord how you can partner with Insight for Living Canada and use the resources He’s given you to help heal Canada from the inside out. Our ministry is committed to training Christians to proclaim God’s love and make disciples. We long to see the Lord “let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people” (Isaiah 58:6)! He has put the nation on our hearts, and we won’t stop until we have reached every person for Christ.
If your heart matches ours, pray seriously about giving to Insight for Living Canada today or becoming a Monthly Partner...then give as the Lord leads and don’t delay. The Spirit of Daniel’s God is in us! People are waiting. Let’s change it together by truly loving one another and by praying with fervour and faith for each other.
Believing in the power of prayer and love,
Charles R. Swindoll
Almighty God, we reflect on Your character
as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.
In these moments of fear, You remain perfect love.
In these unsafe days, You remain all-powerful
and able to protect. In these uncertain times,
You remain all-knowing, leading us aright.
In the unprecedented pandemic we’re facing,
You remain absolutely sovereign.
Our times are in Your hands.
Therefore, our dependence on You is total, not partial;
our need for Your forgiveness is constant, not occasional;
our gratitude for Your grace is profound, not casual;
and our love for You is deep, not shallow.
We ask that You guard and guide our leaders.
May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.
We also ask that You unite us as one body,
committed to turning our world upside down with love.
Equip us with genuine humility and heartfelt compassion.
Remind us that we are not alone,
that we are Yours, that You live in us,
and that through us, You make known
the full expression of Your love.
May that love heal our land and change our world.
In the powerful name of Jesus Christ we pray,
Amen.
