W e ' r e   m o r e   t h a n   j u s t   a   C h u r c h . . .   W e ' r e   a   F A M I L Y !

"Be The One"
Pastor Chad Carter
Excerpts from Pastor Carter's message at the
National Day of Prayer, Washington County, IN
Thursday, May 3, 2007



All   across    the    country,
people of faith in  God  are  join-
ing  together  to  call   upon   the
name of the  Lord  on  behalf  of
this nation, our elected officials,
our states and  local  communi-
ties,  our  churches  and   more,
that  the  hand  of  Almighty  God
may intervene on  our  behalf  in
this    time    of    unprecedented
moral and social decay.

I am convinced that God is
seeking, from within this gener-
ation, a people . . . a person . . .
a voice to stand up  to  be  seen
and cry loud to be heard.  I am convinced that God is looking for those who will stand up, in the midst of adversity, and stand for the things that used to be popular, but are now considered old fashioned.  I am convinced that there is much to be gained by a return to the discarded values of the past.

I am convinced that our nation, our state, our city, stands at a crossroads today.  We have a choice to make.  We can either continue in the way we have been going, which quite frankly, is not working, or we can have a change of heart, a change of mind, and go the other direction.  The change of mind that I am speaking of is a changing of direction that is found in an old-fashioned, albeit biblical, act called repentance.

Today, God is looking for those who will stand in the gap, those who will make up the hedge, those who will build a bridge across the chasm and make heaven accessible again to a hell-bound generation.

I believe with all my heart, there are still some of us who haven’t bowed to the graven images of our day!  There are some of us who refuse to submit to sin!  There are some of us who understand that our future, and the outcome of this generation, depends on whether or not we will stand up and be the one the Lord is looking for to call a nation to repentance.

Somebody say, “Be the One.”

In this short amount of time I’ve been given this morning, I want us to take our minds to the Old Testament prophet Daniel.

In Daniel chapter 6, verses 1 through 3, we find one of God’s prophets, named Daniel, at over 80 years of age, being used in his society as a pillar of the community.

The book of Daniel records that he was considered a president.  Next to the king, he held the highest political office in the land, and was the chief president of three that ruled under the king himself.

Now those of us who know anything about the Bible probably remember the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den from our early days of Sunday School or Vacation Bible School.

Daniel, was a man who had a custom that the others in his political realm could not boast.  Daniel was a believer in the Most High God.  His two other presidential contemporaries, and even the king himself, were worshipers of false pagan gods.

Sounds a little like our society today.  Here we find ourselves in a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles and a form of government based on biblical, Judeo-Christian values, and we find ourselves being overrun with political correctness and false religions, and even elected officials refusing to take their oath on the Bible from which our government was formed, and prefer to use some other paganistic book of lesser and unequal value.

Daniel was a principled man.  Daniel was a man who loved God.  Daniel was a man who put the true and living God first, above all else, and was not willing to be submissive or subservient to his paganistic political and social counterparts simply in the name of toleration and political correctness.

Daniel, found himself in such a predicament, for one reason.  He was a man of prayer.

Daniel had grown accustomed to going into his chambers three times a day, throwing open his windows, and kneeling down in the presence of His God to offer up a prayer and a praise.

We’re talking about a man here who held the second-highest position in the land, who, in the face adversity and what was poplar, decided his prayer time with his God was more important than maintaining popularity with the king and his cohorts.

I can see Daniel, withdrawing himself in the middle of the day, to go and kneel down in front of the window and cry out to God.

What was it about Daniel that got his counterparts so stirred up?  What is it about Daniel that caused his opponents to look for every means possible to take him down?

Daniel excelled at everything he did.  That’s why he was favored by the king over the other two presidents.  It made them jealous.  It made them envious of his favor.  But Daniel conducted his life above reproach.  He had nothing to hide.  He had nothing in his life his opponents could point at.

See, if you live your life right in the eyes of God, then you will have nothing to hide and your enemies will have a difficult time finding legitimate charges against you.  When they couldn’t find anything else to accuse him of, they accused him of being a praying person. When these jealous administrators couldn’t find anything about Daniel’s life to criticize, they attacked his prayer life.

Let me tell you this morning, if you face critics because of your faith and all they have to criticize you for is your stand on the Word of God, be glad about it!  If that’s all they’ve got to point at and criticize, then you’re doing pretty good.  If they show up on your doorstep on a Sunday morning, like they have mine, and point fingers, and scream names, and hold up signs saying that you hate God because you say God loves people, then clap your hands and rejoice – you’re on the right side of the line, and because they couldn’t find anything worthwhile to criticize, they criticize the truth that you stand for!  And when they criticize you for standing on the Word, you can clap and shout and rejoice, because just like He did for Daniel, God is about to fight your battle for you!

Daniel’s enemies tricked the king into signing a law that made it illegal for Daniel to pray to his God.  What did Daniel do?

Daniel 6:10:
  • “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house;  and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”


Daniel stood alone.  Daniel said, “if I have to stand alone I will.  If all else forsake God and worship a pagan God, I will still worship the true and living God.”  Daniel decided, if no one else would stand, he would be the one… he would stand alone!  Daniel continued to pray three times a day, just as he always had.  He had a disciplined prayer life.

See, our prayers are usually interrupted.  Anything you can imagine will cause you to be detracted from time spent in prayer… your schedule, phone calls, appointments, friends and family… pastors, the work of the Lord can even detract from you your time spent with the Lord of the work.

Don’t let pressures cut into our prayer time.  Pray regularly, no matter what, for prayer is your lifeline to God.  It is never right for us to give up and give in to the pressure of unbelievers...  Or the pressure of government politicos...  Or the pressure of worldly counterparts within our own ranks.

It is never right for us to compromise who we are.  It’s never right for us to know to do right, and do it not.  It’s never right for us to know what is not right, and permit it to take place anyway…  to permit is to participate, and there are just some things that we, as believers, CANNOT participate in.  Well, I guess we can, but not if we want to stay right with God.

Daniel said, “I will pray, I will praise, I will seek the face of God, regardless of who likes it or doesn’t like it.”

And we all know the story… Daniel wound up spending a night in the Lion’s Den.  But God sent an angel to shut the lion’s mouths, and when morning came, Daniel was found alive and in just as good of shape as when they threw him in there.  They brought ole’ 80 year old Daniel out and the king decreed that his God was the God that would be worshiped.

You see, the entire land benefited from Daniel’s loyalty to God.  The entire land benefited from Daniel’s faithfulness to stand for what was right!  The entire land benefited from Daniel’s faithfulness to pray.

Fast forward ahead to Daniel chapter nine, and we find Daniel in action yet again…  we find Daniel in the throws of intercession for his people, crying out to God for their deliverance…

In Daniel 9, beginning at verse 3:
  • "3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth and ashes.  4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;  5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments."


We have found ourselves in a place in this country where we have embraced what is wrong, and forsaken that which is right… we have taken it upon ourselves to call good that which God has called evil, and call evil that which God has declared is good…

  • "6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants, the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land."


God had sent many prophets to speak to his people through the years, but their messages had been ignored.  The truth must have been too painful to hear!

Let me tell you today, God has not stopped speaking!  God still speaks clearly and accurately… He speaks through the Word…  He speaks through preachers… Apostles, prophets, evangelists pastors and teachers.  He still speaks through the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes the truth He will speak hurts, and we would rather hear words that soothe our conscience, even if they are false.

Let me tell us today, we must hear from God in our land!  We must hear from God! What we hear may not be what we wanted to hear, but we must hear from God!  Don’t settle for a soothing lie that will bring harsh judgment in the end!  Accept the truth!  It will only help and bless you!

Jump down to verse 8…
  • "8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of faces (NLT says, “our faces are covered with shame”) to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers (ancestors, NLT), because we have sinned against thee.  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him;  10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.  11  Yea, all Israel (the entire nation) have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that the might not obey thy voice;  therefore the curse is poured upon us…"


From verses 12 to 16, Daniel speaks about how God continually tried to bring His people back to Himself.  Yet even after disaster struck them, they refused to obey Him.

God still uses circumstances, people around us, and His Word to bring us back to Him.  Let me ask you a question...  What would it take for God to get your attention?

In this nation, what would it take to get God’s attention?  …another 9/11?  …Another war?  …The legalization of social and moral immoralities?  …The continuous dumbing down of our children through failing public educational systems who, through a systematic subtle  indoctrination of our children, teach them to embrace everything which is contrary to those things that you believe and hold dear?

What will it take to get our attention?

Jump a few more verses ahead to verse 16:
  • "16  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem… thy holy mountain…  17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.  18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear;  open thine eyes and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name…  19  O Lord, hear;  O Lord, forgive;  O Lord, hearken and do;  defer not, for thine own sake, O my God:  for thy city and thy people are called by thy name."


The Message Bible says of verse 19, “Master, listen to us! Master, forgive us! Master, look at us and do something! Master, don't put us off!”

Daniel cried out to God on behalf of his people.  Hear the desperation in his voice. Hear the sincerity of his words.  Hear the passion in his plea.  Daniel knew how to pray, and as he prayed, he fasted, confessed his sins, and pleaded with God. He prayed with complete surrender to God and with complete openness to what God was saying to him. Daniel was crying out to the Lord.  He had a deep concern for his nation and his people.  So often our prayers are without passion…

I want to read to you what happened…  This is Daniel chapter 9, verses 20 through 23, from The Message Bible:

  • "20-21 "While I was pouring out my heart, baring my sins and the sins of my people Israel, praying my life out before my God, interceding for the holy mountain of my God—while I was absorbed in this praying, the humanlike Gabriel, the one I had seen in an earlier vision, approached me, flying in like a bird about the time of evening worship. 22-23 "He stood before me and said, 'Daniel, I have come to make things plain to you. You had no sooner started your prayer when the answer was given. And now I'm here to deliver the answer to you. You are much loved! So listen carefully to the answer, the plain meaning of what is revealed:"


I’m here today to give us good Gospel news!  If we will cry out to God, He will hear us!  If we cry out to God, He will answer us!  If we will cry out to God, the tide might just begin to turn!

In verse 19 of Daniel 9, Daniel said something very profound.  He said, “O Lord, hear;  O Lord, forgive;  O Lord, hearken and do;  defer not, for thine own sake, O my God:  for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”

He said, God, deliver us for your name’s sake!  Deliver us for the sake of your city!  Deliver us for the sake of the people that are called by your name!

Daniel’s prayer paints a pattern for those people who are called by the name of the Lord…  It’s not just to name it and claim it, and blab it and grab it…  the first thing the people of God must do IS REPENT!

2 Chronicles 7:14
  • "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."


God is searching the land for those who will stand up and say, “I’ll be the one” to stand in the gap, to make up the hedge, to build the bridge, to repent and turn, that the power of God may once again be visited upon our land!

"I’ll be the one, Lord!  I’ll be the one that stands up in Washington County.  I’ll be the one that stands up in southern Indiana.  I’ll be the one that prays for this state until it turns to God!  I’ll be the one who prays and intercedes for our nation!"

"I’ll be the one!"

Will you be the one?  Like Daniel, will you stand up, regardless of the circumstances or adversity that presents itself to you and be the one that prays…  will you be the one that gets ahold of God… will you be the one that cries loud, spares not, and says, “regardless of what I see around me… regardless of the trouble this nation is in… regardless of the insurmountable issues of our state, county and city, I WILL BE THE ONE WHO PRAYS!”

Are you going to pray?  Are you going to intercede?  Are you going to witness?  Are you going to evangelize?  Are you going to win the lost?  Are you going to be the one God can count on to not just be another pew warmer, but be the revolutionary army of the Kingdom of God that He has called and equipped you to be!

If you are, then I want you to put your hands together and bless the Lord, and declare unto God, “I will be the one!”  “I will be the one!”  “I will be the one!”





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Copyright © Pastor Chad Carter • Family Harvest Church Global Ministries






This message was also preached at Familt Harvest Church.  That service is available on DVD for a donation of $15 or CD for a donation of $7.  To order, open and print the Order Form below and follow the instructions on it:
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