August 30, 2012
Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.'
It is the second to last day before September. I've been praying that this is the month of breakthrough and yet there has been no breakthrough moment. I am not healed. I am still jobless. I am still single. Today even had some downer moments in regards to ministry. I was suppose to meet with two ministry leaders today but since one could not meet, it is now postponed until further notice. Today was a downer. Although I had lunch out twice today once for lunch with an elderly woman from church, and in the evening with my family and brother's girlfriend, I had been mostly tired and drained all day. I continue to struggle with sleeplessness and have little energy. At 31, I feel almost twice that in my body. If heaven's reality is not insomnia, not tiredness, no health problems, than God's will for that on earth must be health.
If there was one positive today out of all the seemingly bad news it was that my brother was playing around at our fat monitor and checking his body fat percentage and BMI. He then wanted to know mine. It turns out I dropped ten pounds from 192 to 182 in two months and my BMI went from 27 down to 26. Both numbers are not healthy, but I am glad it is going down. It happened with not that much change. I only recently these two weeks began some light exercise and no longer eat late evening. Nevertheless, I am a mess physically. Even now I feel very low in energy. What is to be the normal Christian life?
"John the Baptist was the high water mark for all under the Old Covenant. But the least in this new era were born to surpass Him through their relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The members of our church and the students of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry often embrace this privilege.
One student named Jason was ordering a meal inside a tast-food restaurant. Not content to share Christ only with those behind the counter, he began to speak past the cashier to three men in a car at the drive up window! After receiving his food, Jason left noticing they had parked to eat. He renewed his conversation with them and saw that the man in the back seat had a broken leg. So he climbed into the car with them and invited the Holy Spirit to come.. .and He came.The man began to curse. He had no understanding about the holy /ire on his leg. They all jumped out of the car, and the injured man removed his brace and stomped his leg. He was completely healed! The three were so moved by God's goodness that they opened the trunk of their car, which was filled with illegal drugs. They dumped the narcotics onto the pavement, dancing on them and destroying them! lason brought the three men to the Alabaster House, our 24-hour prayer house, and led them to Christ. The kindness of God led them to repentance. This is the normal Christian life.
The Holy Spirit is the agent of heaven who makes these kinds of encounters possible. Not only that. He makes them the norm for those who would follow."
This story and commentary is powerful. Of those born of women, there is none greater than John the baptist says Jesus, but those who are least in the kingdom are greater than he because of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Imagine having these kinds of encounters in restaurants and on the streets. The healings and miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit we will see if this is the norm for men and women of God. It is certain we cannot produce these power encounters that radically change people's lives. It is the Holy Spirit's empowerment. I don't run with people so Spirit-filled to see these in my own life but I believe that and I personally desire for this to be my Christian experience.
"The Kingdom, the Spirit Realm
"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God lias come upon you. ""
Look at this phrase, "by the Spirit of God...the kingdom."The Holy Spirit encompasses the Kingdom. While they are not the same, they are inseparable. The Holy Spirit enforces the lordship of Jesus, marking His territory with liberty.11 The king's domain becomes evident through His work.
The second part of this verse reveals the nature of ministry. Anointed ministry causes the collision of two worlds—the world of darkness with the world of light. This passage shows the nature of deliverance. When the Kingdom of God comes upon someone, powers of darkness are forced to leave.
When a light is turned on, darkness doesn't resist. There is no debate. It doesn't stay dark for a few minutes until light finally wins. On the contrary, light is so superior to darkness that its triumph is immediate.
The Holy Spirit has no battle wounds. He bears no teethmarks from the demonic realm fighting for preeminence. Jesus is Lord, period. Those who learn how to work with the Holy Spirit actually cause the reality of His world, (His dominion), to collide with the powers of darkness that have influence over a person or situation. I he greater the manifestation of His Presence, the quicker the victory.
What I like about this passage is the centrality of God and the power of God and the sovereignty of God. The enemy seeks to destroy and to divide. Today as my dad shared about the earthquake in the Philippines and as I recall the recent flooding in that country, I am reminded of the power of the evil one to destroy lives. It breaks my heart to read of the many "natural" disasters as well as civil war going on right now in the world, The world is not at peace. Yet here in this passage it says God is sovereign over the darkness.. Now, in recent weeks I have felt growingly agnostic because I see very little evidence of God's goodness and sovereignty both in my life and in the world.
"By far the greatest gift ever received by us is the Holy Spirit Himself. Those who discover the value of His presence enter realms of intimacy with God never previously considered possible. Out of this vital relationship arises a ministry of power that formerly was only a dream. The incomprehensible becomes possible because He is with us.
/ will be with you is a promise made by God to all His servants. Moses heard it when he faced the challenge of delivering Israel from Egypt." Joshua received this promise when he led Israel into the Promised Land.12 When Gideon received the call of God to be a deliverer for Israel, God sealed it with the same promise.1' In the New Testament, this promise came to all believers through the Great Commission.14 It comes when God has required something of us that is humanly impossible. It's important to see this. It's the Presence of God that links us to the impossible. I tell our folks, He is in me for my sake, but He's upon me for yours. His presence makes anything possible!
God doesn't have to try to do supernatural things. He is supernatural. He would have to try to not be. If He is invited to a situation, we should expect nothing but supernatural invasion."
"Pastor Surprise is an apostolic leader working with Rolland and Heidi Baker of Iris Ministries in Mozambique. During an evangelistic crusade in which he was preaching, a 9-year-old girl died, which threatened to end the series of meetings. The entire village was stricken with grief. The next day Pastor Surprise went to visit the family, and the child's body was still in the hut where she had died the night before. As he was praying for the family, he happened to be holding the little girl's hand. He was not praying for her to rise from the dead, yet after a few minutes the young girl squeezed his hand. She was raised up about 12 hours after her death because someone was full of the Holy Spirit. He overflowed with the resurrection power of Jesus that filled him while he was trying to comfort the family!
A bottle is not completely full until it overflows. So it is with the Holy Spirit. Fullness is measured in overflow. When we get introspective, we restrict the flow of the Holy Spirit. We become like the Dead Sea; water flows in, but nothing flows out, and nothing can live in its stagnant waters. The Holy Spirit is released through faith and compassion, and faith and compassion are never self-centered."
"But to follow Him, we must be willing to follow off the map—to go beyond what we know. To do so successfully we must recognize His presence above all.
There is a great difference between the way Jesus did ministry and the way it typically is done today. He was completely dependent on what the Father was doing and saying. He illustrated this lifestyle after His Holy Spirit baptism. He followed the Holy Spirit's leading, even when it seemed unreasonable, which it often did.
The Church has all too often lived according to an intellectual approach to the Scriptures, void of the Holy Spirit's influence. We have programs and institutions that in no way require the Spirit of God to survive. In fact, much of what we call ministry has no safeguard in it to ensure that He is even present. When our focus is not the presence of God, we end up doing the best we can for God. Our intentions may be noble, but they are powerless in effect.
When Jason began sharing the gospel through the drive-through window of a fast-food restaurant, his actions were off the map. Yet they bore fruit for the King.
Jesus often healed after being moved with compassion. I frequently detect the leading of the Holy Spirit by recognizing His affection for someone else. Being drawn to a person through compassion usually means that there will be some realm of supernatural ministry to them—either with a word of encouragement or a miracle of healing or deliverance. Loving people is Christ's agenda, and surrender of my own agenda makes me available for His."
Prayer:
Father, sometimes I am not even sure if You are present. I am growing more and more agnostic. Today, nothing seem to go right. It is almost the end of August and still no breakthrough. There are so many impossible things in my life where I need Your help and power. You are supernatural and You are light, light that overpowers the presence of darkness. I need Your help and healing in my life. I am amazed at how You heal and bring back to life a young African girl by the power of the Holy Spirit. Where there is Your Spirit, there is life. I want Your Spirit's power and influence in my life, to bring hope and healing in my own life, and to move in faith and compassion to the many who need Your touch of grace and mercy. Father, I don't want to grow more and more agnostic. All around me, there is powerless Christianity and it is in my own life. More and more there seems to be an absence of God in the world. Father, open my eyes to Your presence and power. Help my faith to grow and not weaken.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
August 29, 2012
graying Heaven "Down
"If you want anything from God, you will have to pray into heaven. That is where it all is. If you live in the earth realm and expect to receive from God, you will never get anything!"
We learned about this principle yesterday. The idea of praying God's will into heaven. There is no arthritis in heaven and thus God's will is that there is no arthritis on earth according to the author. This seems to make sense. We see a whole lot of things on earth that are not in heaven. Sometimes it makes me wonder if it is satan who has more power than God due to all the things I see here on earth. The author opens with a powerful story of how he prayed heaven down to earth. It involves a woman who decided to set up shop with some magical practice.
"The Fourth of July Celebration was the biggest event of the year for our wonderful community. The parade, rodeo, and demolition derby were just a few of the activities that took place during the festival that lasted nearly a week.
Carnivals would also make their way to us, with rides, games, and special foods that are common at those events. One year a fortune-teller tried to get in on the celebration. She pitched her tent with the others and laid out her tarot cards, crystal ball, and other psychic paraphernalia. The devil sent her to impart the gift of demon possession to the citizens of my city. The folks in our church began to pray.
As I walked around her tent I began to declare, You don't exist in heaven; you are not to exist here. This is my town. You are here illegally. I forbid you to establish roots here! God has declared that wherever the soles of my feet tread, Cod lias given it to me. I bind you to the word of Cod that declares that I have authority over you. Be (;one! I continued to walk around the tent like Israel walked around Jericho. Nothing fell in the natural.
I did not speak these things to the woman. I didn't even do it loud enough to draw her attention. She was not my enemy nor was she my problem. The kingdom of darkness that empowered her was my target.
While she was doing her sorcery to a couple seated at her table, I stood on the other side of the tent wall, only a few feet away from the unsuspecting couple. I held my hands toward them, binding the power of hell that was intent on their destruction. I left when I felt I was done. (The hands that are surrendered to God can release the power of heaven into a situation. In the spirit world it is released like lightning.')
Even though the fair went on for many more days, she left town the next morning. The power that influenced her had been broken. She couldn't leave fast enough. It was as though the hornets of Exodus drove her out of town."
Bill Johnson had the spiritual awareness to pray against the demonic forces that had set up shop in this specific situation. His prayers were heard and the woman's powers were broken. This is a powerful illustration of how one man prayed against the forces of darkness and drove out the darkness that wanted to inhabit the place. I like how he did not see the woman as his enemy, but rather the dark forces. This is the right perspective to have.
This next passage is powerful for it speaks of the priority and power of worship. The author discusses some about how the Lord's prayer is the model of how we pray heaven down.
"The more we live as citizens of heaven, the more heaven's activities infect our lifestyles.
Worship is our number one priority in ministry. Everything else we do is to be affected by our devotion to this call. He inhabits our praise. One translation puts it this way. But You arc holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. God responds with a literal invasion of heaven to earth through the worship of the believer."
One of my sons is a worship leader. He took a friend along with his guitar to the mall to worship God. They stopped after three hours of singing and dancing before the Lord. An unsuspecting man walked through the same area where they had been worshiping God. He stopped, reached into his pocket, pulled out illegal drugs, and dropped them onto the ground. No one said anything to him about his sin. How did it happen? Heaven touched earth, and there are no illegal drugs in heaven.
We see this on a regular basis as our ministry teams go to the streets of San Francisco. We work in compassion ministries as well as overt efforts to bring the supernatural power of God into broken lives. Healing and deliverance is the norm. Sometimes this happens in the worship environment.
As His presence becomes manifest upon a worshiping people even unbelievers are brought into an encounter with God. My son and daughter have ministered to the Lord on troubled streets in San Francisco. As people walked by we saw many who manifested demons while others broke out in joyful laughter as they came into the presence of the Lord.
These things shouldn't surprise us. Look at how God responds to the praises of His people as mentioned in Isaiah 42:13: "The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies."
"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
This is the primary focus for all prayer—if it exists in heaven, it is to be loosed on earth. It's the praying Christian who looses heaven's expression here. When the believer prays according to the revealed will of God, faith is specific and focused. Faith grabs hold of that reality. Enduring faith doesn't let go. Such an invasion causes the circumstances here to line up with heaven."
God's kingdom come. This is what we pray. God's kingdom comes also in our worship as we see in this illustration. A man pulled out his illegal drugs and dropped it because he came into contact with the presence of a Holy and righteous God. We sadly do not see this kind of worship in church today at least not the churches where I have been to. I do not mean to say that the worship is not meaningful, but the worship is not filled with the powerful presence of God. It has been a long time since I went to a worship service where truly God's presence was felt, and people were brought into an encounter of God. We lack the Holy Spirit's movement in our worship services today.
"One of the most important teachings that I have ever received came from Derek Prince about thirty years ago. It was a wonderful message on praise. In it he suggested that if we only have ten minutes to pray we should spend about eight praising God. It's amazing how much we can pray for with the two minutes we have left. That illustration helped me to reinforce the priority of worship that I was learning from my pastor...my dad.
Once again, this prayer has two main objectives: (1) Minister to God out of an intimate personal relationship; and (2) bring the reality of His rulership (the Kingdom) to earth.
An outline of this Matthew 6:9-13 gives us the Kingdom approach to prayer:
1. Praise and worship
2. Praying for heaven on earth
a. Heaven's effect on material needs
b. Heaven's effect on personal relationships
c. Heaven's effect on our relationship to evil
3. Praise and worship
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "u
Granted, this verse is not in the prayer model that Jesus gave in verses 9-13. But it is in the context of His overall message of the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount. In it He establishes the priority that encompasses all Christian values and objectives. Seek His Kingdom first!
Understanding this prayer helps us to realize the intended goal of all prayer—that the Lordship of Jesus would be seen in all circumstances of life. As the Kingdom of God confronts sin, forgiveness is given and change comes to the nature that had only known how to sin. When His rule collides with disease, people are healed. When it runs into the demonized. they are set free.The Kingdom message's nature provides salvation for the whole man—spirit, soul, and body. That is the gospel of |esus Christ."
"When we pray for His Kingdom to come, we are asking Him to superimpose the rules, order, and benefits of His world over this one until this one looks like His.That's what happens when the sick are healed or the demonized are set free. His world collides with the world of darkness, and His world always wins. Our battle is always a battle for dominion—a conflict of kingdoms."
"Because my focus was still on me, there was little victory I actually could trace back to my prayers.
Travailing in prayer is not always a sign of true intercession. Many are not yet able to distinguish the difference between the burden of their own unbelief and the burden of the Lord. I now pray until I come into a place of faith for that situation.24 When that happens, my perspective on the problem changes.
I begin to see it from heaven's view. My role also changes. Instead of asking God to invade my circumstances, I begin to command the mountains to be removed in His name. It is from this place of faith (or rest) that I discover my role as the pray-er.
Pray until there's a breakthrough.Then exercise the authority given to execute His will over the circumstances at hand."
Prayer:
Father, this world is not ok. We need Your kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. So many of us face maladies of the heart and body. I pray for these mountains to be removed in Jesus name that peace and harmony within our bodies and between people can be achieved. In heaven, there are no physical or emotional maladies and You desire for us to have health in all areas, physical, emotional, and spiritual. I see all the things that are not of You here in this world. I start with my city and ask You to bring hope to this city. So many businesses are not doing well and people here seem so discouraged. Help me to see situations through Your eyes and the faith to believe You for impossible situations. I continue to face so many impossible situations in my life and I wanted August to be the breakthrough month and yet it is almost the end of August and no breakthrough is in sight. I long to see prayer like Bill Johnson who prays demonic forces out of sight. I desire to see worship and experience worship that is full of Your holy and righteous presence where people have a God encounter and are touched in a mighty way. Father, I want to experience Your healing power and touch here on earth.
graying Heaven "Down
"If you want anything from God, you will have to pray into heaven. That is where it all is. If you live in the earth realm and expect to receive from God, you will never get anything!"
We learned about this principle yesterday. The idea of praying God's will into heaven. There is no arthritis in heaven and thus God's will is that there is no arthritis on earth according to the author. This seems to make sense. We see a whole lot of things on earth that are not in heaven. Sometimes it makes me wonder if it is satan who has more power than God due to all the things I see here on earth. The author opens with a powerful story of how he prayed heaven down to earth. It involves a woman who decided to set up shop with some magical practice.
"The Fourth of July Celebration was the biggest event of the year for our wonderful community. The parade, rodeo, and demolition derby were just a few of the activities that took place during the festival that lasted nearly a week.
Carnivals would also make their way to us, with rides, games, and special foods that are common at those events. One year a fortune-teller tried to get in on the celebration. She pitched her tent with the others and laid out her tarot cards, crystal ball, and other psychic paraphernalia. The devil sent her to impart the gift of demon possession to the citizens of my city. The folks in our church began to pray.
As I walked around her tent I began to declare, You don't exist in heaven; you are not to exist here. This is my town. You are here illegally. I forbid you to establish roots here! God has declared that wherever the soles of my feet tread, Cod lias given it to me. I bind you to the word of Cod that declares that I have authority over you. Be (;one! I continued to walk around the tent like Israel walked around Jericho. Nothing fell in the natural.
I did not speak these things to the woman. I didn't even do it loud enough to draw her attention. She was not my enemy nor was she my problem. The kingdom of darkness that empowered her was my target.
While she was doing her sorcery to a couple seated at her table, I stood on the other side of the tent wall, only a few feet away from the unsuspecting couple. I held my hands toward them, binding the power of hell that was intent on their destruction. I left when I felt I was done. (The hands that are surrendered to God can release the power of heaven into a situation. In the spirit world it is released like lightning.')
Even though the fair went on for many more days, she left town the next morning. The power that influenced her had been broken. She couldn't leave fast enough. It was as though the hornets of Exodus drove her out of town."
Bill Johnson had the spiritual awareness to pray against the demonic forces that had set up shop in this specific situation. His prayers were heard and the woman's powers were broken. This is a powerful illustration of how one man prayed against the forces of darkness and drove out the darkness that wanted to inhabit the place. I like how he did not see the woman as his enemy, but rather the dark forces. This is the right perspective to have.
This next passage is powerful for it speaks of the priority and power of worship. The author discusses some about how the Lord's prayer is the model of how we pray heaven down.
"The more we live as citizens of heaven, the more heaven's activities infect our lifestyles.
Worship is our number one priority in ministry. Everything else we do is to be affected by our devotion to this call. He inhabits our praise. One translation puts it this way. But You arc holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. God responds with a literal invasion of heaven to earth through the worship of the believer."
One of my sons is a worship leader. He took a friend along with his guitar to the mall to worship God. They stopped after three hours of singing and dancing before the Lord. An unsuspecting man walked through the same area where they had been worshiping God. He stopped, reached into his pocket, pulled out illegal drugs, and dropped them onto the ground. No one said anything to him about his sin. How did it happen? Heaven touched earth, and there are no illegal drugs in heaven.
We see this on a regular basis as our ministry teams go to the streets of San Francisco. We work in compassion ministries as well as overt efforts to bring the supernatural power of God into broken lives. Healing and deliverance is the norm. Sometimes this happens in the worship environment.
As His presence becomes manifest upon a worshiping people even unbelievers are brought into an encounter with God. My son and daughter have ministered to the Lord on troubled streets in San Francisco. As people walked by we saw many who manifested demons while others broke out in joyful laughter as they came into the presence of the Lord.
These things shouldn't surprise us. Look at how God responds to the praises of His people as mentioned in Isaiah 42:13: "The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies."
"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
This is the primary focus for all prayer—if it exists in heaven, it is to be loosed on earth. It's the praying Christian who looses heaven's expression here. When the believer prays according to the revealed will of God, faith is specific and focused. Faith grabs hold of that reality. Enduring faith doesn't let go. Such an invasion causes the circumstances here to line up with heaven."
God's kingdom come. This is what we pray. God's kingdom comes also in our worship as we see in this illustration. A man pulled out his illegal drugs and dropped it because he came into contact with the presence of a Holy and righteous God. We sadly do not see this kind of worship in church today at least not the churches where I have been to. I do not mean to say that the worship is not meaningful, but the worship is not filled with the powerful presence of God. It has been a long time since I went to a worship service where truly God's presence was felt, and people were brought into an encounter of God. We lack the Holy Spirit's movement in our worship services today.
"One of the most important teachings that I have ever received came from Derek Prince about thirty years ago. It was a wonderful message on praise. In it he suggested that if we only have ten minutes to pray we should spend about eight praising God. It's amazing how much we can pray for with the two minutes we have left. That illustration helped me to reinforce the priority of worship that I was learning from my pastor...my dad.
Once again, this prayer has two main objectives: (1) Minister to God out of an intimate personal relationship; and (2) bring the reality of His rulership (the Kingdom) to earth.
An outline of this Matthew 6:9-13 gives us the Kingdom approach to prayer:
1. Praise and worship
2. Praying for heaven on earth
a. Heaven's effect on material needs
b. Heaven's effect on personal relationships
c. Heaven's effect on our relationship to evil
3. Praise and worship
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "u
Granted, this verse is not in the prayer model that Jesus gave in verses 9-13. But it is in the context of His overall message of the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount. In it He establishes the priority that encompasses all Christian values and objectives. Seek His Kingdom first!
Understanding this prayer helps us to realize the intended goal of all prayer—that the Lordship of Jesus would be seen in all circumstances of life. As the Kingdom of God confronts sin, forgiveness is given and change comes to the nature that had only known how to sin. When His rule collides with disease, people are healed. When it runs into the demonized. they are set free.The Kingdom message's nature provides salvation for the whole man—spirit, soul, and body. That is the gospel of |esus Christ."
"When we pray for His Kingdom to come, we are asking Him to superimpose the rules, order, and benefits of His world over this one until this one looks like His.That's what happens when the sick are healed or the demonized are set free. His world collides with the world of darkness, and His world always wins. Our battle is always a battle for dominion—a conflict of kingdoms."
"Because my focus was still on me, there was little victory I actually could trace back to my prayers.
Travailing in prayer is not always a sign of true intercession. Many are not yet able to distinguish the difference between the burden of their own unbelief and the burden of the Lord. I now pray until I come into a place of faith for that situation.24 When that happens, my perspective on the problem changes.
I begin to see it from heaven's view. My role also changes. Instead of asking God to invade my circumstances, I begin to command the mountains to be removed in His name. It is from this place of faith (or rest) that I discover my role as the pray-er.
Pray until there's a breakthrough.Then exercise the authority given to execute His will over the circumstances at hand."
Prayer:
Father, this world is not ok. We need Your kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. So many of us face maladies of the heart and body. I pray for these mountains to be removed in Jesus name that peace and harmony within our bodies and between people can be achieved. In heaven, there are no physical or emotional maladies and You desire for us to have health in all areas, physical, emotional, and spiritual. I see all the things that are not of You here in this world. I start with my city and ask You to bring hope to this city. So many businesses are not doing well and people here seem so discouraged. Help me to see situations through Your eyes and the faith to believe You for impossible situations. I continue to face so many impossible situations in my life and I wanted August to be the breakthrough month and yet it is almost the end of August and no breakthrough is in sight. I long to see prayer like Bill Johnson who prays demonic forces out of sight. I desire to see worship and experience worship that is full of Your holy and righteous presence where people have a God encounter and are touched in a mighty way. Father, I want to experience Your healing power and touch here on earth.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
in the Unseen
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is the mirror of the heart that reflects the realities of an unseen world—the actual substance of His Kingdom. Through the prayer of faith we arc able to pull the reality of
His world into this one. That is the function of faith.
There is an unseen world that we access through faith. We can pull the realities of God's world into this one through prayer and faith. As I consider the Hebrews passage above, I think about my health situation. My healing is the thing which I do not yet see. Faith of my healing is the substance of things hoped for. God gave me yet another dream this morning. I have not had one in regards to healing for many days if not weeks. Most of the times I either have no dreams or cannot remember them. This time it was in the dining room. I was walking with the aid of the assistive device. All of a sudden, I did not need it and I was fully healed. My mom was in the kitchen and I immediately ran to her. I have not been able to run for months. I sense that through this dream, my healing is near, but right when I woke up and did not sense any improvement, I got discouraged once again. While on this subject of faith, I had yet another dream on Friday morning, this time it was my girlfriend. We met for the first time, and embraced for the first time on the street. This too is the substance of things hoped for. I have never seen her. She lives ten thousand miles away in a country I have never visited. Somehow, some way through the dream and believing, God will provide us to be together.
"Faith has its anchor in the unseen realm. It hxes from the invisible toward the visible. Faith actualizes what it realizes. The Scriptures contrast the life of faith with the limitations of natural sight." Faith provides exes for the heart.
Jesus expects people to see from the heart. He once called a group of religious leaders hypocrites because they could discern the weather but couldn't discern the times. It's obvious why Jesus xxould prefer people to recognize the times ^spiritual climate and seasons) over natural weather conditions, but it's not quite so apparent why He xxould consider them hypocrites if they didn't.
Many of us have thought that the ability to see into the spiritual realm is more the result of a special gift than an unused potential of everyone. I remind >ou that Jesus addresses this charge to the Pharisees and Sadducees. The \-erv a(-t that they, of all people, were required to see is evidence that everyone has 'Ven given this ability. They became blind to His dominion because of their own corrupted hearts and were judged for then- unfulfilled potential.
We are born again b through faith." The born again experience enables us to see from the heart.1 A heart that doesn't see is a haul heart.' Faith was never intended onl get us into the family Rather, it is the- nature of life"
We need to see in the unseen realm. This realm is where God's power and presence lies. Right now, so many of my prayer requests are impossible, God-only works. My restoration of health, my relationships, my employment, and life purpose. The reality of these things are situated right now in the unseen. Yet, God wants us to have faith. The teachers of the law were blind to Jesus' dominion and power. They were unbelieving and hard-hearted. They treated Jesus with contempt. God forbid that I become hard-hearted and blind to Your dominion.
"God is very committed to teaching us how to see. To make this possible He gave us the Holy Spirit as a tutor. The curriculum that He uses is quite varied. But the one class we all quality for is the greatest of all Christian privileges— worship. Learning how to see is not the purpose for our worship, but it is a wonderful by-product.
Those who worship in spirit and truth, as mentioned in John 4:23-24, learn to follow the Holy Spirit's lead. His realm is called the kingdom of God. The throne of God, which becomes established upon the praises of His people,'' is the center of that Kingdom. It's in the environment of worship that we learn things that go way beyond what our intellect can grasp'"—and the greatest of these lessons is the value of His Presence. David was so affected by this that all his other exploits pale in comparison to his abandoned heart for God. We know that he learned to see into God's realm because of statements like, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." " The Presence of God affected his seeing. He would constantly practice recognizing the Presence of God. He saw God daily, not with the natural exes, but with the exes of faith. That priceless revelation was given to a worshiper.
The privilege of worship is a good beginning place for those unaccustomed to addressing some of these kinds of themes found in Scripture."
Worship is the key to seeing God and the unseen realities of His kingdom. In part, noticing nature, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea help to remind ourselves of God's creative genious. Yet, I think seeing God's presence can and does go even further. I am not totally sure what this even looks like, but the more I read, the more I hunger for this.
"The invisible realm is superior to the natural. The reality of that invisible world dominates the natural world we live in...both positively and negatively. Because the invisible is superior to the natural, faith is anchored in the unseen.
Faith lives withm the revealed will of God. When I have misconceptions of who He is and what He is like, my faith is restricted by those misconceptions. For example, if I believe that God allows sickness in order to build character, I'll not have confidence praying in most situations where healing is needed. But, if I believe that sickness is to the body what sin is to the soul, then no disease will intimidate me. Faith is much more free to develop when we truly see the heart of God as good.
The same misconceptions of God affect those who need to have faith for their own miracle. A woman who needed a miracle once told me that she felt God had allowed her sickness for a purpose. I told her that if I treated my children that way I'd be arrested for child abuse. She agreed and eventually allowed me to pray for her. After truth came into her heart, her healing came minutes later.
Unbelief is anchored in what is visible or reasonable apart from God. It honors the natural realm as superior to the invisible. The apostle Paul states that what you can see is temporal, and what you can't see is eternal. : Unbelief is faith in the inferior.
The natural realm is the anchor of unbelief. But that realm is not to be considered as evil. Rather the humble of heart recognize the hand of God through what is seen. God has created all things to speak of Him—whether it is rivers and trees, or angels and heaven. The natural realm carries the witness of His greatness...for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
This is by far one of my favorite passages yet. It paints God as a good God. We explain away healing and say maybe God has a purpose for this and I like how the author says if we believe this and apply into our children, we would be arrested for child abuse. No parent, no loving parent would purposely let their child go through unneeded pain and discomfort. No, a loving parent would do all within his or her power to help and bring healing to the child. That is the heart of the loving parent and the heart of a good God. God's will is for healing and restoration and yet the enemy comes to destroy and to defeat. The supernatural realm is by far superior to the natural and yet sometimes the realities of this world seem overwhelming. We need to pray according to the nature of God. Jesus performed many healings and never turned anyone away who wanted to be healed.
"Materialism has been thought simply to be the accumulation of goods. Although it includes that, it is much more. I can own nothing and still be materialistic. I can want nothing and be materialistic because materialism is faith m the natural as the superior reality.
We are a sensual society with a culture shaped by what is picked up through the senses. We're trained to believe only in what we see. Real faith is not living in denial of the natural realm. It the doctor says you have a tumor, it's sillx to pretend that it's not there. That's not faith. However, faith is founded on a reality that is superior to that tumor. I can acknowledge the existence of a tumor and still have faith in the provision of His stripes for my healing... I was provisionally healed 2,000 years ago. It is the product of the kingdom of heaven—a superior reality. There are no tumors in heaven, and faith brings that reality into this one.
Would satan like to inflict heaven with cancer? Of course he would. But he has no dominion there. He only has dominion here when and where man has come into agreement.
Fear of appearing to live in denial is what keeps many from faith. Why is what anyone thinks so important to you that you'd not be willing to risk all to trust God? The fear of man is very strongly associated with unbelief. Conversely, the fear of God and faith are very closely related.
People of faith are also realists. They just have their foundation in a superior reality.
Unbelief is actually faith in something other than God. He is jealous over our hearts. The one whose primary trust is in another grieves the Holv Spirit. Faith is born of the Spirit in the hearts of mankind. Faith is neither intellectual nor anti-intellectual. It is superior to the intellect."
Materialism is to believe the natural is a supernatural reality. Do I love the natural things more than the things of God? Recently, it has been like that. I think a lot about employment, a place of residence, finding a job somehow, many diet plans, and the focus recently has been on the physical and natural. Which is not to say these are not important, but I need to bring myself back to the superior value of the unseen spiritual realities of God. I like many things about this chapter but I love how the author looks at heaven for a vision of God's will. There is no arthritis or stroke or diabetes in heaven and when we say Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we pray for the elimination of disease. I never made that connection before.
"Faith is the mirror of the heart that reflects the realities of His world into ours It is the substance of the unseen realm. This xvonderful gift from God is the initial earthly manifestation of what exists in His Kingdom. It is a testimony of an invisible realm called the Kingdom of God. Through prayer we are able to pull that reality into this one—that is how faith functions.
If I go into the local pizza parlor and order a pizza, they will give me a number and a receipt. I am to place that number in a conspicuous place on the table. Sonaeone may walk in off the street and come to my table and announce that they won't give me any pizza. I'll just point to the number and tell him, Wlien pizza number 52 is done, it's mindThzt number is the substance of the pizza hoped for. If that guy tells me that my number isn't any good, I'll point to my receipt. It verifies the value of the number. When my pizza is done, the waiter will walk around looking for my number. How does the product of heaven know where to land? He looks for the substance...the number. If a question comes up over the validity of my number, my receipt, which is contained in the Bible, verifies my right to both the number and the pizza.
Heaven is not moved simply by the needs of man. It's not that God doesn't care. It was out of His great compassion that He sent Jesus.When God is moved by human need He seldom fixes the problem outright; instead, He provides Kingdom principles that when embraced correct the problems. If God was moved solely by human need then countries like India and Haiti would become the wealthiest nations in the world. It doesn't work like that. Heaven is moved by faith. Faith is the currency of heaven."
This chapter is really powerful and this is yet again another powerfull illustration with the pizza. The number is the substance of that which we hope for and will soon receive. The illustration from India is powerful also. Yet I am not sure exactly whether it fits our picture of God. Does God not care about the needs of India? There is great need in that country and Haiti. Yet, God responds to faith. India is a very religious and Hindu nation. Where is it it that we find the most faith?
"Issues such as bitterness,jealousy, and hatred qualify as the decay of the heart that invites the devil to come and give influence2"—yes, ex-en to Christians. Remember Paul's admonition to the church of Ephesus, "Neither give place to the devil."2. Fear is also a decay of the heart. It attracts the demonic in the same way as bitterness and hatred. How did the flies know where my freezer was? Through the scent of decaying meat. Fear gives off a similar scent. Like faith, fear is substance in the spiritual realm. Satan has no power except through our agreement. Fear becomes our heart's response when we come into agreement xxith his intimidating suggestions."
This chapter is really rich. I struggle with this very thing of faith and it enables satan to take away the power of my faith. I agree with his lies about myself, my future, and my God. I allow him to defeat me in my mind. Fear is the decay of the heart and is an attractant of the demonic. It is really easy to have fear and anxiety. I wake up with this many times and it is not good.
"My faith is not just an abiding faith; it is active. It is aggressive by nature. It has focus and purpose. Faith grabs hold of the reality of the Kingdom and forcefully and violently brings it into a collision with this natural one. An inferior kingdom cannot stand.
_ , „ ,l:,1ot neople tell me when I'm about to pray
One of the more common things peoF r .
for their healing is, I know God can do it. So does the devil. At best that is hope...not faith. Faith knows He will.
For one who has faith, there is nothing impossible. There are no impossibilities when there is faith...and there are no exceptions.
Sheri for instance, came forward for prayer after a wonderful meeting just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. She had suffered with Lupus for 24 years, the last four of which had gone into Pulmonary Hypertension. It had gotten so bad that she had to have an aluminum shunt placed into her heart. To this a pump was attached, which supplied the needed medication to keep her alive. Her doctor told her that without this medication she could live for only three minutes. When she walked up to me, I actually felt a presence of something I had never felt in that measure before. It was faith. I actually stood back and stared at her for a few moments realizing that I was seeing something completely new for me. As she received prayer, she fell to the ground under the power of God. When she got up I asked her how she was doing. She described a heat that was on her chest. (Heat often accompanies God's healing touch.) As she left I told her, your faith got you this one!
That was Saturday night. At 7 a.m. that following morning the Lord spoke to her saying she didn't need the medication any more.2' So she removed it. She showed up 14 hours later giving testimony of God's wonderful healing power.
"Until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."3'
Two blind men'2 who sat by the road called out to Jesus. People told them to be quiet. That only hardened their determination. They became more desperate and cried out all the louder. He called them forth and healed them saying, "The kingdom has come near you." He attributed their miracle to their faith.
A woman" who had hemorrhaged for 12 years pressed through a crowd. When she was finally able to touch the garment of Jesus, she was healed. He attributed it to her faith.
The stories of this kind are many all with similar endings—they were healed or delivered because of their faith. Faith may quietly press in, or it may cry out very loudly but it is always violent in the spirit world. It grabs hold of an invisible reality and won't let go.Taking the Kingdom by faith is the violent act that is necessary to come into what God has made available.
Faith EAn automobile may have several hundred horsepower. But the car will go nowhere until the clutch is released, connecting the power contained in the running motor and transferring that power to the wheels. So it is with faith. We have all the power of heaven behind us. But it is our faith that connects what is available to the circumstances at hand. Faith takes what is available and makes it actual.
It's not illegal to try to grow in faith. It's not wrong to seek for signs and the increase of miracles. Those are all within the rights of the believer. But learning how to pray is the task at hand. It is the only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them. And so we will examine His Model Prayer for insights on His view of prayer and the release of His dominion."
Prayer:
Father, I am presented with testimony after testimony of healing and power in Your name. Faith is the activator of Your superior spiritual realm to defeat the inferior natural one. Fear and faith cannot co-exist. Father, I am that blind man who cries loudly that You have mercy on me. I am the woman who wants to touch the edge of Your garment for healing. I thank You for these demonstrations of faith and how You reward faith. I must be grounded in the reality of Your attributes. You are good and You desire healing for us but the enemy seeks to destroy. I beliebe You for my healing and perhaps tomorrow morning will be the first day when I get up and can walk normally again and all trace of tis condition will be gone in Jesus name to the praise of Your glory. I want to see Your unseen Kingdom and to experience kingdom power. I want to believe You for the impossible and no longer have this lukewarm and shallow faith. I want to become a man of courage and to have irrational God-size faith to believe You for impossible things that can only come from Your hand. I thank You for the dream this morning of healing and believe You can and will heal very soon. I thank You for the dream last Friday where I met my girlfriend for the first time and believe some way and some how we will meet and when that happens I will be extremely happy and humbled by Your goodness and power.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is the mirror of the heart that reflects the realities of an unseen world—the actual substance of His Kingdom. Through the prayer of faith we arc able to pull the reality of
His world into this one. That is the function of faith.
There is an unseen world that we access through faith. We can pull the realities of God's world into this one through prayer and faith. As I consider the Hebrews passage above, I think about my health situation. My healing is the thing which I do not yet see. Faith of my healing is the substance of things hoped for. God gave me yet another dream this morning. I have not had one in regards to healing for many days if not weeks. Most of the times I either have no dreams or cannot remember them. This time it was in the dining room. I was walking with the aid of the assistive device. All of a sudden, I did not need it and I was fully healed. My mom was in the kitchen and I immediately ran to her. I have not been able to run for months. I sense that through this dream, my healing is near, but right when I woke up and did not sense any improvement, I got discouraged once again. While on this subject of faith, I had yet another dream on Friday morning, this time it was my girlfriend. We met for the first time, and embraced for the first time on the street. This too is the substance of things hoped for. I have never seen her. She lives ten thousand miles away in a country I have never visited. Somehow, some way through the dream and believing, God will provide us to be together.
"Faith has its anchor in the unseen realm. It hxes from the invisible toward the visible. Faith actualizes what it realizes. The Scriptures contrast the life of faith with the limitations of natural sight." Faith provides exes for the heart.
Jesus expects people to see from the heart. He once called a group of religious leaders hypocrites because they could discern the weather but couldn't discern the times. It's obvious why Jesus xxould prefer people to recognize the times ^spiritual climate and seasons) over natural weather conditions, but it's not quite so apparent why He xxould consider them hypocrites if they didn't.
Many of us have thought that the ability to see into the spiritual realm is more the result of a special gift than an unused potential of everyone. I remind >ou that Jesus addresses this charge to the Pharisees and Sadducees. The \-erv a(-t that they, of all people, were required to see is evidence that everyone has 'Ven given this ability. They became blind to His dominion because of their own corrupted hearts and were judged for then- unfulfilled potential.
We are born again b through faith." The born again experience enables us to see from the heart.1 A heart that doesn't see is a haul heart.' Faith was never intended onl get us into the family Rather, it is the- nature of life"
We need to see in the unseen realm. This realm is where God's power and presence lies. Right now, so many of my prayer requests are impossible, God-only works. My restoration of health, my relationships, my employment, and life purpose. The reality of these things are situated right now in the unseen. Yet, God wants us to have faith. The teachers of the law were blind to Jesus' dominion and power. They were unbelieving and hard-hearted. They treated Jesus with contempt. God forbid that I become hard-hearted and blind to Your dominion.
"God is very committed to teaching us how to see. To make this possible He gave us the Holy Spirit as a tutor. The curriculum that He uses is quite varied. But the one class we all quality for is the greatest of all Christian privileges— worship. Learning how to see is not the purpose for our worship, but it is a wonderful by-product.
Those who worship in spirit and truth, as mentioned in John 4:23-24, learn to follow the Holy Spirit's lead. His realm is called the kingdom of God. The throne of God, which becomes established upon the praises of His people,'' is the center of that Kingdom. It's in the environment of worship that we learn things that go way beyond what our intellect can grasp'"—and the greatest of these lessons is the value of His Presence. David was so affected by this that all his other exploits pale in comparison to his abandoned heart for God. We know that he learned to see into God's realm because of statements like, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." " The Presence of God affected his seeing. He would constantly practice recognizing the Presence of God. He saw God daily, not with the natural exes, but with the exes of faith. That priceless revelation was given to a worshiper.
The privilege of worship is a good beginning place for those unaccustomed to addressing some of these kinds of themes found in Scripture."
Worship is the key to seeing God and the unseen realities of His kingdom. In part, noticing nature, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea help to remind ourselves of God's creative genious. Yet, I think seeing God's presence can and does go even further. I am not totally sure what this even looks like, but the more I read, the more I hunger for this.
"The invisible realm is superior to the natural. The reality of that invisible world dominates the natural world we live in...both positively and negatively. Because the invisible is superior to the natural, faith is anchored in the unseen.
Faith lives withm the revealed will of God. When I have misconceptions of who He is and what He is like, my faith is restricted by those misconceptions. For example, if I believe that God allows sickness in order to build character, I'll not have confidence praying in most situations where healing is needed. But, if I believe that sickness is to the body what sin is to the soul, then no disease will intimidate me. Faith is much more free to develop when we truly see the heart of God as good.
The same misconceptions of God affect those who need to have faith for their own miracle. A woman who needed a miracle once told me that she felt God had allowed her sickness for a purpose. I told her that if I treated my children that way I'd be arrested for child abuse. She agreed and eventually allowed me to pray for her. After truth came into her heart, her healing came minutes later.
Unbelief is anchored in what is visible or reasonable apart from God. It honors the natural realm as superior to the invisible. The apostle Paul states that what you can see is temporal, and what you can't see is eternal. : Unbelief is faith in the inferior.
The natural realm is the anchor of unbelief. But that realm is not to be considered as evil. Rather the humble of heart recognize the hand of God through what is seen. God has created all things to speak of Him—whether it is rivers and trees, or angels and heaven. The natural realm carries the witness of His greatness...for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
This is by far one of my favorite passages yet. It paints God as a good God. We explain away healing and say maybe God has a purpose for this and I like how the author says if we believe this and apply into our children, we would be arrested for child abuse. No parent, no loving parent would purposely let their child go through unneeded pain and discomfort. No, a loving parent would do all within his or her power to help and bring healing to the child. That is the heart of the loving parent and the heart of a good God. God's will is for healing and restoration and yet the enemy comes to destroy and to defeat. The supernatural realm is by far superior to the natural and yet sometimes the realities of this world seem overwhelming. We need to pray according to the nature of God. Jesus performed many healings and never turned anyone away who wanted to be healed.
"Materialism has been thought simply to be the accumulation of goods. Although it includes that, it is much more. I can own nothing and still be materialistic. I can want nothing and be materialistic because materialism is faith m the natural as the superior reality.
We are a sensual society with a culture shaped by what is picked up through the senses. We're trained to believe only in what we see. Real faith is not living in denial of the natural realm. It the doctor says you have a tumor, it's sillx to pretend that it's not there. That's not faith. However, faith is founded on a reality that is superior to that tumor. I can acknowledge the existence of a tumor and still have faith in the provision of His stripes for my healing... I was provisionally healed 2,000 years ago. It is the product of the kingdom of heaven—a superior reality. There are no tumors in heaven, and faith brings that reality into this one.
Would satan like to inflict heaven with cancer? Of course he would. But he has no dominion there. He only has dominion here when and where man has come into agreement.
Fear of appearing to live in denial is what keeps many from faith. Why is what anyone thinks so important to you that you'd not be willing to risk all to trust God? The fear of man is very strongly associated with unbelief. Conversely, the fear of God and faith are very closely related.
People of faith are also realists. They just have their foundation in a superior reality.
Unbelief is actually faith in something other than God. He is jealous over our hearts. The one whose primary trust is in another grieves the Holv Spirit. Faith is born of the Spirit in the hearts of mankind. Faith is neither intellectual nor anti-intellectual. It is superior to the intellect."
Materialism is to believe the natural is a supernatural reality. Do I love the natural things more than the things of God? Recently, it has been like that. I think a lot about employment, a place of residence, finding a job somehow, many diet plans, and the focus recently has been on the physical and natural. Which is not to say these are not important, but I need to bring myself back to the superior value of the unseen spiritual realities of God. I like many things about this chapter but I love how the author looks at heaven for a vision of God's will. There is no arthritis or stroke or diabetes in heaven and when we say Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we pray for the elimination of disease. I never made that connection before.
"Faith is the mirror of the heart that reflects the realities of His world into ours It is the substance of the unseen realm. This xvonderful gift from God is the initial earthly manifestation of what exists in His Kingdom. It is a testimony of an invisible realm called the Kingdom of God. Through prayer we are able to pull that reality into this one—that is how faith functions.
If I go into the local pizza parlor and order a pizza, they will give me a number and a receipt. I am to place that number in a conspicuous place on the table. Sonaeone may walk in off the street and come to my table and announce that they won't give me any pizza. I'll just point to the number and tell him, Wlien pizza number 52 is done, it's mindThzt number is the substance of the pizza hoped for. If that guy tells me that my number isn't any good, I'll point to my receipt. It verifies the value of the number. When my pizza is done, the waiter will walk around looking for my number. How does the product of heaven know where to land? He looks for the substance...the number. If a question comes up over the validity of my number, my receipt, which is contained in the Bible, verifies my right to both the number and the pizza.
Heaven is not moved simply by the needs of man. It's not that God doesn't care. It was out of His great compassion that He sent Jesus.When God is moved by human need He seldom fixes the problem outright; instead, He provides Kingdom principles that when embraced correct the problems. If God was moved solely by human need then countries like India and Haiti would become the wealthiest nations in the world. It doesn't work like that. Heaven is moved by faith. Faith is the currency of heaven."
This chapter is really powerful and this is yet again another powerfull illustration with the pizza. The number is the substance of that which we hope for and will soon receive. The illustration from India is powerful also. Yet I am not sure exactly whether it fits our picture of God. Does God not care about the needs of India? There is great need in that country and Haiti. Yet, God responds to faith. India is a very religious and Hindu nation. Where is it it that we find the most faith?
"Issues such as bitterness,jealousy, and hatred qualify as the decay of the heart that invites the devil to come and give influence2"—yes, ex-en to Christians. Remember Paul's admonition to the church of Ephesus, "Neither give place to the devil."2. Fear is also a decay of the heart. It attracts the demonic in the same way as bitterness and hatred. How did the flies know where my freezer was? Through the scent of decaying meat. Fear gives off a similar scent. Like faith, fear is substance in the spiritual realm. Satan has no power except through our agreement. Fear becomes our heart's response when we come into agreement xxith his intimidating suggestions."
This chapter is really rich. I struggle with this very thing of faith and it enables satan to take away the power of my faith. I agree with his lies about myself, my future, and my God. I allow him to defeat me in my mind. Fear is the decay of the heart and is an attractant of the demonic. It is really easy to have fear and anxiety. I wake up with this many times and it is not good.
"My faith is not just an abiding faith; it is active. It is aggressive by nature. It has focus and purpose. Faith grabs hold of the reality of the Kingdom and forcefully and violently brings it into a collision with this natural one. An inferior kingdom cannot stand.
_ , „ ,l:,1ot neople tell me when I'm about to pray
One of the more common things peoF r .
for their healing is, I know God can do it. So does the devil. At best that is hope...not faith. Faith knows He will.
For one who has faith, there is nothing impossible. There are no impossibilities when there is faith...and there are no exceptions.
Sheri for instance, came forward for prayer after a wonderful meeting just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. She had suffered with Lupus for 24 years, the last four of which had gone into Pulmonary Hypertension. It had gotten so bad that she had to have an aluminum shunt placed into her heart. To this a pump was attached, which supplied the needed medication to keep her alive. Her doctor told her that without this medication she could live for only three minutes. When she walked up to me, I actually felt a presence of something I had never felt in that measure before. It was faith. I actually stood back and stared at her for a few moments realizing that I was seeing something completely new for me. As she received prayer, she fell to the ground under the power of God. When she got up I asked her how she was doing. She described a heat that was on her chest. (Heat often accompanies God's healing touch.) As she left I told her, your faith got you this one!
That was Saturday night. At 7 a.m. that following morning the Lord spoke to her saying she didn't need the medication any more.2' So she removed it. She showed up 14 hours later giving testimony of God's wonderful healing power.
"Until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."3'
Two blind men'2 who sat by the road called out to Jesus. People told them to be quiet. That only hardened their determination. They became more desperate and cried out all the louder. He called them forth and healed them saying, "The kingdom has come near you." He attributed their miracle to their faith.
A woman" who had hemorrhaged for 12 years pressed through a crowd. When she was finally able to touch the garment of Jesus, she was healed. He attributed it to her faith.
The stories of this kind are many all with similar endings—they were healed or delivered because of their faith. Faith may quietly press in, or it may cry out very loudly but it is always violent in the spirit world. It grabs hold of an invisible reality and won't let go.Taking the Kingdom by faith is the violent act that is necessary to come into what God has made available.
Faith EAn automobile may have several hundred horsepower. But the car will go nowhere until the clutch is released, connecting the power contained in the running motor and transferring that power to the wheels. So it is with faith. We have all the power of heaven behind us. But it is our faith that connects what is available to the circumstances at hand. Faith takes what is available and makes it actual.
It's not illegal to try to grow in faith. It's not wrong to seek for signs and the increase of miracles. Those are all within the rights of the believer. But learning how to pray is the task at hand. It is the only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them. And so we will examine His Model Prayer for insights on His view of prayer and the release of His dominion."
Prayer:
Father, I am presented with testimony after testimony of healing and power in Your name. Faith is the activator of Your superior spiritual realm to defeat the inferior natural one. Fear and faith cannot co-exist. Father, I am that blind man who cries loudly that You have mercy on me. I am the woman who wants to touch the edge of Your garment for healing. I thank You for these demonstrations of faith and how You reward faith. I must be grounded in the reality of Your attributes. You are good and You desire healing for us but the enemy seeks to destroy. I beliebe You for my healing and perhaps tomorrow morning will be the first day when I get up and can walk normally again and all trace of tis condition will be gone in Jesus name to the praise of Your glory. I want to see Your unseen Kingdom and to experience kingdom power. I want to believe You for the impossible and no longer have this lukewarm and shallow faith. I want to become a man of courage and to have irrational God-size faith to believe You for impossible things that can only come from Your hand. I thank You for the dream this morning of healing and believe You can and will heal very soon. I thank You for the dream last Friday where I met my girlfriend for the first time and believe some way and some how we will meet and when that happens I will be extremely happy and humbled by Your goodness and power.
August 27, 2012
Most Christians repent enough to get forgiven, but not enough to see the Kingdom.
This is a powerful quote that starts off this chapter. I know it applies to me. I think for many Christians, forgiveness of sins is not just the beginning of our Christian faith, but sadly, we stop there. The church lacks kingdom impact in the world and we lack power, God's power to change ourselves and our community. I think of the text where Jesus sends out the disciples and they come back excited for the miracles that were done in the name of Jesus. We lack this kingdom impact in our own lives. This chapter is about repentance.
"Israel expected their Messiah to come as the King who would rule over all other kings. And He did. But their misunderstanding of greatness in His Kingdom made it difficult tor them to grasp how He could be born xvithout earthly fanfare and become the servant of all.
They expected Him to rule with a rod of iron. In doing so they would finally have revenge on all those who had oppressed them throughout the ages. Little did they realize that His vengeance xxould not be aimed so much at the enemies of Israel as it would be toward the enemies of man: sin. the devil and his works, and the self-righteous attitudes fostered by religion.
Jesus the Messiah came...full of surprises. Only the contrite in heart could keep up with His constant coloring outside the lines and stay unoffended. His purpose was revealed in His primary message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heav-)i is at hand.'" Now there's something that caught them completely off guard: de brought His world with Him!
Repentance means much more than weeping oxer sin. or even turning 10,11 those sins to follow Cod. In tact, turning from sin us Cod is more the '¦'¦'¦iilt of true repentance than it is the actual act. Repentance means xou change our ii'i/y ,,/ thinking. And it's only in changing the way we think that we can iscovcr the focus of |esus" mmistrx' -the Kingdom."
The early Jews are not the only ones who have a wrong conception of Jesus. I think we do as well. I think it looks differently for everyone, but asking ourselves who is Jesus is a profoundly important question. Jesus was and is against self-righteousness, sin, and the works of the devil. Are these the same things that I am against. One major weakness is that I allow those lies of the enemy to weaken my faith and trust in God. I've been quite discouraged as this morning, in the middle of the night, I woke with some pain in my leg. I immediately thought, I will never be healed. Jesus does not like faithless statements like that. Yet, here I was, 2:00 in the morning being oppressed by negative thoughts. It is the battle of the mind that is so crutial. This is where repentance begins.
"the Christian lite has been harnessed to this goal, verbalized in the Lords The focus of repentance is to change our way of thinking until the pKModel Prayer: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in ence of His Kingdom fills our consciousness. The enemy's attempt to anchheaven."12 His dominion is realized when what happens here is as it is in heavour affections to the things that are visible is easily resisted when our hearts len. (This will be dealt with more thoroughly in Chapter 4.) aware of the presence of His world. Such awareness aids us in the task of bet co-laborers' with Christ.—destroying the works of the devil.' The GREATEST SERMON
If the Kingdom is here and now, then we must acknowledge it's in the inv. In Matthew, chapter 4, Jesus first declared the repentance message. People ible realm.Yet being at hand reminds us that it's also within reach. Paul said tl:ame from au ovet; bringing the sick and diseased, the tormented and handithe invisible realm is eternal, while that which is seen is only temporal/Je;:apped. Jesus healed them all.
saw e tutold Nicodemus that he'd have to be born again to see the Kingdom." Tl After the miracles He gave the most famous sermon of all time: the Sermon which is unseen can be realized only through repentance. It was as though bn the Mount. It is important to remember that this group of people just sax said, "If you don't change the way you perceive things, you'll live your wlnt-sus heal all kinds of sicknesses and perform mighty deliverances. Is it possibl life thinking that what you see in the natural is the superior reality. Withchat instead of giving commands on the new way of thinking, Jesus was actuchangmg the way you think you'll never see the world that is right in froiUllv identifying for them the transformation of heart they had just experienced? you It's My world, and it fulfills every dream you've ever had."
I love how the author says that "at hand" means it is within reach. Jesus did indeed demonstrate that the kingdom is within reach. He healed many, raised the dead, gave hope to the hopeless, and redirected the lives of the lost. God's visible attributes and power were seen in the person of Jesus. The parts of the Lord's prayer became real, His kingdom come. His will be done. God's world became visible here on earth. This is a power and reality we lack today in the church. Is the kingdom still within grasp? Can we really become colaborers with Jesus? We rarely witness genuine life change and miracles of God's ability in our own lives. Yet, as I read this text, this is what I long for. In the following passage, the author describes the clash between two kingdoms and a healing that demonstrates this clash.
"The unseen world has influence over the visible. If the people of God will not reach for the Kingdom at hand, the realm of darkness is ready to display its abiliy to influence.The good news is that "His [the Lord's] kingdom rules over all!'"'
Jesus illustrated this reality in Matthew 12:28, saying, "If I cast out demons ay the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." There ire two things to notice that will be covered more thoroughly elsewhere in this Jook. First, Jesus worked only through the Spirit of God; and second, the king- torn of God came upon someone in his deliverance. Jesus caused the collision between two worlds: the world of darkness and the world of light. Darkness "Ways gives wax- to light! And in the same way, when the dominion of God was eleased through Jesus to that man. he became free.
That same collision between light and darkness happens when the sick are 'ealed. Walter had experienced two strokes in the previous year, which left him v'thout feeling on the entire right side of his body. He showed me a horrible burn on his arm that he had suffered, not knowing he was being bui,le Conviction, one of the words used to detect faith,1" began to burn m my h^ While he was still talking I began to pray for him with my hand on his sh0lJ; der. I had to do so quickly. 1 had become aware of the Kingdom where , numbness existed. I didn't WANT to become more aware of how severe his pro[ lem was. My prayer went something like this: Father, this was Your idea. You f0l| manded us to pray for tilings to be here as they are in heaven, and I know there is, numbness there, so there shouldn't be any here. So I command in the name of Jesus [ the nerve endings to come to life. I command full restoration of feeling in tfiis body.
Soon after I started to pray he told me that he felt my hand on his short der and could even feel the fabric of my shirt with his right hand. That wot] began to collide with the world of numbness. Numbness lost.
Faith is the key to discovering the superior nature of the itwisible realm,; is the "gift of God" within to uncover. In the next chapter we'll learn how fait deals with the unseen and makes room for heaven's invasion."
Prayer:
Father, there is the clash of two kingdoms. The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of life and the kingdom of degeneration. Your kingdom is within reach. Yet, for many of us, we repent just enough to have our sins forgiven. Father, I want to see the kingdom. I want the kind of faith to see the superior nature of Your invisible realm of Your kingdom power and impact in the world. I woke up in the middle of the night to leg pain and the reality of the kingdom of darkness drew me to discouragement. I ask Father that Your kingdom rule would drive out that which is not of Your life-giving Spirit. I continue to believe and give thanks that You will heal me and that I will gain the faith to see Your superior realities in the spiritual realm.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Commission Restored
I've been wrestling with minor foot discomfort for the past couple of days. It was worse when I wore shoes at the wedding for about four hours. It started a couple of days on the kidney cleanse and so that might be the possible cause. When I was at church this morning., for the full three hours my foot felt normal but back home, the discomfort is back. I desire to see God's divine intervention in our lives. A church sister, has had pain in her wrist for four months now and there isn't anything anyone can do about it. We pray for healing and see no change in her arm. Pain and abnormalities are not part of the original design. We've been going through Genesis. We went through the fall today and what has happened since. God meant for this world to be good. Our guest pastor preached on the broken relationship between man and God and the forgiveness we have in confessing Jesus. Yet, the physical abnormalities of the fall are all around us. I continue to pray to experience God's divine intervention in my life and pray that August is the breakthrough month. I woke up this morning with no healing and yet still cling on to the hope that God still can and has healed me in the spiritual dimension. The author, (Johnson, 2003) opens with a rather controversial statement:
"Jesus could not heal the sick. Neither could He deliver the tormented from demons or raise the dead. To believe otherwise is to ignore what He said about Himself, and more importantly, to miss the purpose of His self-imposed restriction to live as a man.
Jesus Christ said of Himself, "The Son can do nothing."2 In the Greek language that word nothing has a unique meaning—it means NOTHING, just like it does in English! He had NO supernatural capabilities whatsoever! While He is 100 percent God, He chose to live with the same limitations that man would face once He was redeemed. He made that point over and over again. Jesus became the model for all who would embrace the invitation to invade the impossible in His name. He performed miracles, wonders, and signs, as a man in right relationship to God...not as God. If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if He did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue His lifestyle Recapturing this simple truth changes everything.. .and makes possible a full restoration of the ministry of Jesus in His Church."
The author believes that Jesus left us a pattern for us to bring healing and restoration of human beings. As a man, the author believes, Jesus could do nothing. It was the Holy Spirit and the Father who provided the power to heal. As such, having the access to the Father and Holy Spirit, the author believes that we can continue the ministry of Jesus. I do not doubt God can heal today and many evangelists have performed healings in the name of Jesus. What is controversial is to say that Jesus could do nothing. I think of the healing of the woman with a blood condition. She touched Jesus and was instantly healed. I think of the many times Jesus spoke and a blind man received sight. I believe Jesus was 100 percent man but also 100 percent God. I see the point the author is trying to make, but I just do not think as a man, Jesus could do nothing.
"The backbone of Kingdom authority and power is found in the commission Discovering God's original commission and purpose for mankind can help to fortify our resolve to a life of history changing significance. To find that truth we must go back to the beginning.
Man was created in the image of God and placed into the Father's ultimate expression of beauty and peace: the Garden of Eden. Outside of that garden r was a different story. It was without the order and blessing contained withir and was in great need of the touch of God's delegated one—Adam.
Adam and Eve were placed in the garden with a mission. God said, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it."3 It was God's intention tha as they bore more children, who also lived under God's rule, they would h extending the boundaries of His garden (His government) through the simplicity of their devotion to Him. The greater the number of people in righ relationship to God, the greater the impact of their leadership. This process wa to continue until the entire earth was covered with the glorious rule of Goi through man.
But in Genesis chapter 1 we discover it's not a perfect universe. Satan ha- rebelled and had been cast out of heaven, and with him a portion of the fall en angels took dominion of the earth. It's obvious why the rest of the plant' needed to be subdued—it was under the influence of darkness.' God coul have destroyed the devil and his host with a word, but instead He chose t defeat darkness through His delegated authority—those made in His iiruy-i who were lovers of God by choice."
"In redeeming man, Jesus retrieved what man had given away. From d to f throne of triumph He declared, "All authority has been given to Me in heai C1P' en and on earth. Go therefore....'"" In other words: I got it all back. Now go u an" it and reclaim mankind. In this passage Jesus fulfills the promise He made to ttnot disciples when He said, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 'nc The original plan was never aborted; it was fully realized once and for all: the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.We were then to be completely restort to His plan of ruling as a people made in His image. And as such we wou learn how to enforce the victory obtained at Calvary: "The God of peace xv u c a c ' ••- ' nib soon crush Satan under your feet. i chc We were born to rule—rule over creation, over darkness—to plunder h. and establish the rule of Jesus wherever we go by preaching the gospel of t( , Kingdom. Kingdom means: King's domain. In the original purpose of Ge . mankind ruled over creation. Now that sin has entered the world, creation 1 been infected by darkness, namely: disease, sickness, afflicting spirits, power natural disasters, demonic influence, etc. Our rule is still over creation, but in' it is focused on exposing and undoing the works of the devil. We are to U1 what we have received to reach that end."
We see today the effects of sin and the sadness and evil it leaves behind. We were originally called to rule over the earth that is to populate the world with worshipers and human beings in harmony with God and one another. We lost our rule when we gave it over to the enemy. Jesus Christ regained the authority and has given us the mission of going forth and being devoted to Kingdom mission. It makes sense. The author goes on to say that salvation does not merely mean the spiritual salvation but it is a physical salvation.
"The gospel of salvation is to touch the whole man: spirit, soul, and body, n G. Lake called this a Triune Salvation. A study on the word evil confirms intended reach of His redemption. That word is found in Matthew 6:13 V), "Deliver us from evil." The word evil represents the entire curse of sin >n man. Poneros, the Greek word for evil, came from the word pouos, mean- pain. And that word came from the root word penes, meaning poor. Look t: evil-sin, pain-sickness, and poor-poverty. Jesus destroyed the power of sin, mess, and poverty through His redemptive work on the cross. In Adam and :'s commission to subdue the earth, they xx-ere without sickness, poverty, and Now that we are restored to His original purpose, should we expect anylg less? After all, this is called the better covenant!"
The idea to undo poverty and sickness and save the whole man is a wonderful idea on paper. I want to believe in God's power to save the whole man but all around us we see poverty and sickness and the rise of degenerative diseases is rising. One in three Americans has a digestive issue. Over 70 million have some form of arthritis. One in three, myself included has some kind of sleep problems. We are living in a world of ill health. Every night I get no more than four hours total of sleep. It is so fragmented that I feel fatigue all day. Surely God did not intend for us to feel tired and unhealthy all the time. I wonder, really wonder how and when God can reverse the curse. I want so much to believe God for His power and authority to heal.
"Vision starts with identity and purpose. Through a revolution, our identity, we can think with divine purpose. Such a change begins with revelation of Him.
One of the tragedies of a weakened identity is how it affects our approve to Scripture. Many, if not most theologians, make the mistake of taking all tt good stuff contained in the prophets and sweeping it under that mysterious rt called, the Millennium. It is not my desire to debate that subject right now, Bi I do want to deal with our propensity to put oft those things that requi: courage, faith, and action to another period of time. The mistaken idea is tlu if it is good, it can't be for now.
A cornerstone in this theology is that the condition of the Church w; always be getting worse and worse; therefore, tragedy in the Church is ]t another sign of these being the last days. In a perverted sense, the weakness; the Church confirms to many that they are on the right course. The worser ing condition of the world and the Church becomes a sign to them that all well. I have many problems with that kind of thinking, but only one I'll mei tion now—it requires no faith!
We are so entrenched in unbelief that anything contrary to this worldxic is thought to be of the devil. So it is with the idea of the Church having a don mating impact before Jesus returns. It's almost as though we want to defend rl right to be small in number and make it by the skin of our teeth. Embracing belief system that requires no faith is dangerous. It is contrary to the nature God and all that the Scriptures declare. Since He plans to do above all vc cot1 ask or think, according to Ephesians 3:20, His promises by nature challenge -1 intellect and expectations. "[Jerusalem] did not consider her destiny; theretc her collapse was awesome." * The result of forgetting His promises is not o: we can afford."
Prayer:
Father, the church today is tragically weak. Every Sunday I sit in an almost empty church waiting for our extinction. It is a sad, very sad sight. During service, we are asked to pray and join hands in a cirlce, many of the people do not pray. If some do pray, it is a very short and shallow prayer. This is a church that has weak faith and it needs a shot of the Spirit's power. It is few in number and the average age is like 75. I never thought I could be in a church that seem like the end is near. I want to believe You for the impossible. We go about our lives with a safe faith and shallow walk. God, I desire so much more. I want to believe Your Word, all of it, especially the stories that tell of Your power and mass influence on the earth.. Those seem like centuries ago and I long to see Your power and influence in Your church in America. May we be people known to change this nation for Your glory and Kingdom. The church can but has not changed the culture. Rather it is changing the church. I want to believe Ephesians 3:20 that You are able to do beyond what we can ask or imagine. I pray that August is the breakthrough month for my life, for health, employment, and singleness. I want to believe you for the impossible. Father, I want to believe the truth of this verse. I want to believe that You can and will heal me possibly tomorrow.
“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Ephesians 3:20
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Christian Me
Today's ODB was very encouraging. Recently ODB has really helped me fix my eyes on God. I have included it at the very end. It talks about how God never sleeps. Because God never sleeps we can be at peace and we know He is in control. My life in this season does not appear to feel like God is in control. My health is not that great and I have yet to be anywhere near healthy. My parents have been worrying a lot about finances and I have not yet had a successful interview.
Today began as any ordinary day. I had a bit more sleep than usual. It could have been a solid eight hours had I not woken up three times in between but I went to bed after 10:00 A.M. and woke up shortly after 6:00 A.M. I long for the day when I can get at least six solid hours of sleep. I would have five hours until the wedding. So I continued reading about the Primal Diet and pondered whether it can work with me. I got a little too much into the book and soon needed to get ready to go. It had been a long time since I had worn a suit. I never knew how difficult it was to dress. It took many times longer to get dressed and felt pain while dressing. Shoes were even hard to put on as I have not been wearing shoes for three months. Already, I was not even in the card yet, and I felt discouraged with my health condition. The enemy uses these moments to distract and to defeat. I was not in the mood to go to a wedding. What is more is that we ran into much traffic. It took over an hour to travel what should have taken fifteen minutes. Many people coming from my direction were also late. I was nearly half an hour late to the wedding. I got there just in time for the end of the sermon. I was very happy the three hours I was there. I saw and talked to brothers and sisters I have not seen i n two years. They were very kind and compassionate and were concerned about my health condition. The Lord has really blessed me with good friends.
Much of this day I had been thinking of God's supernatural power. I realize most if not all my friends come from a conservative Theological stance. Even the couple today were introduced as people who enjoy the discussion of Theological doctrine. The longer I am a Christian, the more I desire to have more. Theological conservatism makes a deep spiritual emptiness in me. I hunger for more of God. I want to experience His power and presence in my life. That leads me to (Johnson, 2003). I dream of what can happen when heaven invades earth. The first chapter begins with this passage.
"It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus."
I think for far too long I have spent my time with abnormal Christians. This is not meant in any way to criticize the Christians I know. I think we as a church are conditioned to accept things as they are. We do not believe God for the impossible. We see poverty, illness, and crimes, but we don't think God can do anything to change it. We don't see God do little miracles around us so we certainly cannot believe Him for the bigger miracles. I love my conservative brothers and sisters. They are kind and compassionate men and women who value the Word of God and reflect the love of God. We, myself included have somehow become abnormal Christians. It is written into our spiritual DNA to believe God for the impossible. I never thought too much about this until I ran into four areas of my life that need divine intervention namely my health, my employment, my ministry, and my singleness. All four areas are impossible right now and I am needing to trust God for these things.
Today's chapter, and today's journey begins with a wedding. The wedding I went to was a blessing to those who went. The food, the laughs, the encouragement, the fellowship, all of that was a blessing to us. The wedding of this chapter is also a blessing to those who attend.
"On a cold and rainv Saturday, church buses were sent to the neediest parts of our city Redding, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerlv anticipated their return and prepared a meal in their honor. The needy were to be the distinguished guests of their wedding.
Ralph and Colleen met while working in our ministry to the poor. They shared a passion tor God and a love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts at fine department stores, Ralph and Colleen did so at Target; and all they put on their visit list were coats, hats, gloves, and sleeping bags. ..to be given to their guests. This was not going to be a typical wedding."
This is not a traditional wedding. The needy were the guests. The gifts were not given to the bride and groom but rather the clothing that was purchased went to the needy who attend the wedding. This was not your typical wedding and I believe that supernatural living consists of unusual Godly acts of supernatural giving. As we heard today in the sermon, the highest form of love was demonstrated by Christ. Jesus gave His life so that we didn't have to. Likewise the couple here gave sacrificially to bless the needy. I also notice the contrast between the cold and rainy weather of Redding and the hot and sunny weather of Davis. I am not complaining about Davis weather, but I think we take our weather for granted. We get a lot of warmth and sunshine and I think sometimes it makes us a little too insensitive to neediness. I believe that we think everyone is ok because it appears that we are ok.
"In our pre-wedding meeting the bride and groom encouraged me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in case He wanted to heal people during the wedding. If I received a word of knowledge tor healing, I was to stop the ceremony and pray for the sick. As a pastor I was excited to see what might happen. They had created far too great a miracle opportunity for God not to do something extraordinary."
This is a key piece of the wedding. The bride and groom did not have a structured program. This is not to criticize structured programs. I think our worship services are more pastor-run than Spirit-run. We have three songs, then a message that lasts about forty minutes.. We have a response song. It is predictable. I am convinced the Spirit of God does not work like that and is not predictable. The church today lacks power because it is not Spirit-driven but is man-driven. We need an out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in our church today. I imagine if the pastor today was a "charismatic" pastor, the ceremony would stop as my dad pushed my wheelchair into the sanctuary, and the pastor would lay his hands on my knees and pray for God's healing. I would be asked to get up from my wheelchair and walk and all would be astonished and begin to praise God for the miracle they just witnessed. There was no miracle today, and no healing. No one today believed God for the impossible. A couple today were talking to me about medical issues and we too have been conditioned to trust western medicine to solve our medical problems. We do not believe God can step into our situation.
"There is somebody here who only has 2 1/2 to ; years to live! "We had crossed a milestone. Miracles of healing had become nioij common.. .to the point that a life-threatening disease seemed more like a poten. tial miracle than it did something to fear. That in itself is a dream come true fot me—people in North America expecting something supernatural from God!
His name was Luke. Like most of the folks from the streets he and his wift Jennifer had come to the wedding because food would be served. Luke walkec with difficulty, needing the help of a cane. He wore braces on each arm, and; large brace around his neck.
Following the meal my brother Bob and I brought them into the church kitchen, asking him about the braces on each arm. He told us his problem wa; carpal tunnel syndrome. I asked him if he would take the braces off and let ui pray. He said yes. (Whenever it's possible I like to remove whatever that persor might trust in other than God.) He did so, and we laid our hands on his wrists commanding the tunnel to open and all numbness and pain to be gone. He thei; moved his hands freely, experiencing the healing he had just received.
When we asked him about his cane and the obvious problem with his leg he described how he had suffered a horrible accident. As a result he had an artificial shin and hip and had even lost half a lung. His walk was labored am painful. When the surgeons put him back together, his leg was an inch tot short. I had him sit down and encouraged both him and his wife to watch wha God was about to do. I held his legs in such a way that they could see the prob lem and would be able to recognize any change. We commanded the leg t< grow. It did. When he stood, he shifted his weight from side to side, almost .1 though he were trying on a new pair of shoes, saying,"Yeah, that's about right. The response of the unchurched is very matter of fact...and very refreshing, asked him to walk across the room, which he did gladly, without a limp am without pain. God was at work. He replaced one inch of missing bone am removed all the pain caused by Luke's accident.
rt we asked about Luke's neck. He told me he had cancer and was given ]P nf wears to live. He went on to explain that the brace was necessary
* nfrhc loss of the muscles in his neck. The brace held his head in place, because or u'>this
time a group had gathered, not to watch, but to participate. At my lest he removed the brace while another man m our church, a medical docfely held his head. As we began to pray I heard the doctor command new- muscles to grow. He called them by their Latin names. I was impressed. When we were finished, Luke turned his head from side to side. All was restored. He then placed his hand on the side of his neck and exclaimed, "The lumps are gone!"
His doctor gave him a clean bill of health, and the miracles continued long past the physical healing. Luke and Jennifer began to serve Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Within weeks Luke got a job, the first time he had worked in 17 years. Jesus heals the whole person."
When I read this healing at this wedding, my response is, "wow!" I say wow for so many reasons. First, for the obvious reason for the healing of this man with the health condition. The full and complete healing. It was done not just by the pastor but by a church member. But also wow for the faith of this church. The bride and groom believed God for healing, the people who directed Luke to see Pastor Johnson and the doctor who prayed over Luke. People had faith that God can and does heal. See also from the text that the news of this man who has this condition was something people were not scared about. It was like people knew another healing would take place. This is not like the church today in my context. We cannot and do not believe God for His miracles.
Although that kind of wedding remains unusual, our church's deliberate pursuit of the poor and the miracles are common. This story is true, and it is closer to the normal Christian life than what the Church normally experiences. The lack of miracles isn't because it is not in God's will for us. The problem exists between our ears. As a result, a transformation—a relieving of the mind— is needed, and it's only possible through a work of the Holy Spirit that typically comes upon desperate people.
The aforementioned bride and groom, although noble, are ordinarv people who serve an extravagant Father. There wasn't a great person involved, except lor Jesus. All the rest of us simply made room for God, believing Him to be good 100 percent of the time. The risk., that the bride and groom took were more than God could pass up. In the midst of this marriage celebration God invaded a home marked by hellish disease and established a testimony for His glory.
Stories of this nature are becoming the norm, and the company of people who have joined this quest for an authentic gospel—the gospel of the Kinodom— is increasing. Loving God and His people is an honor.We will no longer make tip excuses tor powerlcssness because powerlessness is inexcusable. Our mandate is simple: raise up a generation that can openly display the raw power of God".
Prayer:
Father, I thank You for men and women of great faith and testimonies like this one. I thank You that You are in control and that you do not sleep. You are an extraordinary God and I long to see Your extraordinary power and love. Raise up a generation who openly displays Your raw power to help and to heal and to bring hope to our nation. I thank You for the wedding that I went to today. The bride and groom are good friends. I love them dearly and the brothers and sisters I met today. They display Your love in tangible ways. We however are living an abnormal Christian life. We don't believe You for the impossible. I long to go to a church gathering and people be expecting that You do something extraordinary. Our meetings are predictable and man-driven. I don't mean to say they are not encouraging, but our meetings lack the power of Your Spirit. I want to know You to be a supernatural God and an extravagant Father. I desire for my wedding ceremony to be a blessing to others not just by the food or music or sharing, but that You would show up in such an amazing way that healings and life transformation would happen. Father, I hunger for more of You and more of Your power and presence. I believe You can and will heal me. I believe that You can and will provide employment for me. I believe that You can and will provide a wife for me and I thank You in advance for providing. I want to believe You are good 100 percent of the time. I make room for Your miracles and pray Father that perhaps tomorrow is the day of my healing and resurrection.
Sleepless In Heaven August 25, 2012
Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn
READ: Psalm 121
He who keeps you will not slumber. —Psalm 121:3
One of the most dangerous aspects of flying is the landing. As the aircraft gets closer to land, the air traffic is more congested, the weather on the ground may be far worse than the weather at 30,000 feet, and the runways may not be clear of other planes. So pilots rely on the air-traffic controller to coordinate all the details so that every plane can arrive without incident. Without the air-traffic controller, chaos would be certain.
Imagine, then, the panic when the pilot of an airliner full of passengers radioed the tower and got no answer. It was eventually discovered that the air-traffic controller was in fact there but sound asleep, putting pilot, passengers, and plane in great jeopardy. The good news is that the plane landed safely.
Even better news is that God, the ultimate traffic controller, neither slumbers nor sleeps. From His heavenly vantage point, He knows all that is going on in and around your life. As the psalmist notes, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber” (121:2-3).
You can count on it—God knows the impending dangers and will tirelessly direct the traffic of your life for your good and His glory (Rom. 8:28). —Joe Stowell
When trouble stalks the path we tread,
We need assurance, Lord, to know
That all our steps are being led—
That You, our God, are in control. —D. De Haan
Because God never sleeps, we can be at peace.
Today's ODB was very encouraging. Recently ODB has really helped me fix my eyes on God. I have included it at the very end. It talks about how God never sleeps. Because God never sleeps we can be at peace and we know He is in control. My life in this season does not appear to feel like God is in control. My health is not that great and I have yet to be anywhere near healthy. My parents have been worrying a lot about finances and I have not yet had a successful interview.
Today began as any ordinary day. I had a bit more sleep than usual. It could have been a solid eight hours had I not woken up three times in between but I went to bed after 10:00 A.M. and woke up shortly after 6:00 A.M. I long for the day when I can get at least six solid hours of sleep. I would have five hours until the wedding. So I continued reading about the Primal Diet and pondered whether it can work with me. I got a little too much into the book and soon needed to get ready to go. It had been a long time since I had worn a suit. I never knew how difficult it was to dress. It took many times longer to get dressed and felt pain while dressing. Shoes were even hard to put on as I have not been wearing shoes for three months. Already, I was not even in the card yet, and I felt discouraged with my health condition. The enemy uses these moments to distract and to defeat. I was not in the mood to go to a wedding. What is more is that we ran into much traffic. It took over an hour to travel what should have taken fifteen minutes. Many people coming from my direction were also late. I was nearly half an hour late to the wedding. I got there just in time for the end of the sermon. I was very happy the three hours I was there. I saw and talked to brothers and sisters I have not seen i n two years. They were very kind and compassionate and were concerned about my health condition. The Lord has really blessed me with good friends.
Much of this day I had been thinking of God's supernatural power. I realize most if not all my friends come from a conservative Theological stance. Even the couple today were introduced as people who enjoy the discussion of Theological doctrine. The longer I am a Christian, the more I desire to have more. Theological conservatism makes a deep spiritual emptiness in me. I hunger for more of God. I want to experience His power and presence in my life. That leads me to (Johnson, 2003). I dream of what can happen when heaven invades earth. The first chapter begins with this passage.
"It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus."
I think for far too long I have spent my time with abnormal Christians. This is not meant in any way to criticize the Christians I know. I think we as a church are conditioned to accept things as they are. We do not believe God for the impossible. We see poverty, illness, and crimes, but we don't think God can do anything to change it. We don't see God do little miracles around us so we certainly cannot believe Him for the bigger miracles. I love my conservative brothers and sisters. They are kind and compassionate men and women who value the Word of God and reflect the love of God. We, myself included have somehow become abnormal Christians. It is written into our spiritual DNA to believe God for the impossible. I never thought too much about this until I ran into four areas of my life that need divine intervention namely my health, my employment, my ministry, and my singleness. All four areas are impossible right now and I am needing to trust God for these things.
Today's chapter, and today's journey begins with a wedding. The wedding I went to was a blessing to those who went. The food, the laughs, the encouragement, the fellowship, all of that was a blessing to us. The wedding of this chapter is also a blessing to those who attend.
"On a cold and rainv Saturday, church buses were sent to the neediest parts of our city Redding, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerlv anticipated their return and prepared a meal in their honor. The needy were to be the distinguished guests of their wedding.
Ralph and Colleen met while working in our ministry to the poor. They shared a passion tor God and a love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts at fine department stores, Ralph and Colleen did so at Target; and all they put on their visit list were coats, hats, gloves, and sleeping bags. ..to be given to their guests. This was not going to be a typical wedding."
This is not a traditional wedding. The needy were the guests. The gifts were not given to the bride and groom but rather the clothing that was purchased went to the needy who attend the wedding. This was not your typical wedding and I believe that supernatural living consists of unusual Godly acts of supernatural giving. As we heard today in the sermon, the highest form of love was demonstrated by Christ. Jesus gave His life so that we didn't have to. Likewise the couple here gave sacrificially to bless the needy. I also notice the contrast between the cold and rainy weather of Redding and the hot and sunny weather of Davis. I am not complaining about Davis weather, but I think we take our weather for granted. We get a lot of warmth and sunshine and I think sometimes it makes us a little too insensitive to neediness. I believe that we think everyone is ok because it appears that we are ok.
"In our pre-wedding meeting the bride and groom encouraged me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in case He wanted to heal people during the wedding. If I received a word of knowledge tor healing, I was to stop the ceremony and pray for the sick. As a pastor I was excited to see what might happen. They had created far too great a miracle opportunity for God not to do something extraordinary."
This is a key piece of the wedding. The bride and groom did not have a structured program. This is not to criticize structured programs. I think our worship services are more pastor-run than Spirit-run. We have three songs, then a message that lasts about forty minutes.. We have a response song. It is predictable. I am convinced the Spirit of God does not work like that and is not predictable. The church today lacks power because it is not Spirit-driven but is man-driven. We need an out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in our church today. I imagine if the pastor today was a "charismatic" pastor, the ceremony would stop as my dad pushed my wheelchair into the sanctuary, and the pastor would lay his hands on my knees and pray for God's healing. I would be asked to get up from my wheelchair and walk and all would be astonished and begin to praise God for the miracle they just witnessed. There was no miracle today, and no healing. No one today believed God for the impossible. A couple today were talking to me about medical issues and we too have been conditioned to trust western medicine to solve our medical problems. We do not believe God can step into our situation.
"There is somebody here who only has 2 1/2 to ; years to live! "We had crossed a milestone. Miracles of healing had become nioij common.. .to the point that a life-threatening disease seemed more like a poten. tial miracle than it did something to fear. That in itself is a dream come true fot me—people in North America expecting something supernatural from God!
His name was Luke. Like most of the folks from the streets he and his wift Jennifer had come to the wedding because food would be served. Luke walkec with difficulty, needing the help of a cane. He wore braces on each arm, and; large brace around his neck.
Following the meal my brother Bob and I brought them into the church kitchen, asking him about the braces on each arm. He told us his problem wa; carpal tunnel syndrome. I asked him if he would take the braces off and let ui pray. He said yes. (Whenever it's possible I like to remove whatever that persor might trust in other than God.) He did so, and we laid our hands on his wrists commanding the tunnel to open and all numbness and pain to be gone. He thei; moved his hands freely, experiencing the healing he had just received.
When we asked him about his cane and the obvious problem with his leg he described how he had suffered a horrible accident. As a result he had an artificial shin and hip and had even lost half a lung. His walk was labored am painful. When the surgeons put him back together, his leg was an inch tot short. I had him sit down and encouraged both him and his wife to watch wha God was about to do. I held his legs in such a way that they could see the prob lem and would be able to recognize any change. We commanded the leg t< grow. It did. When he stood, he shifted his weight from side to side, almost .1 though he were trying on a new pair of shoes, saying,"Yeah, that's about right. The response of the unchurched is very matter of fact...and very refreshing, asked him to walk across the room, which he did gladly, without a limp am without pain. God was at work. He replaced one inch of missing bone am removed all the pain caused by Luke's accident.
rt we asked about Luke's neck. He told me he had cancer and was given ]P nf wears to live. He went on to explain that the brace was necessary
* nfrhc loss of the muscles in his neck. The brace held his head in place, because or u'>this
time a group had gathered, not to watch, but to participate. At my lest he removed the brace while another man m our church, a medical docfely held his head. As we began to pray I heard the doctor command new- muscles to grow. He called them by their Latin names. I was impressed. When we were finished, Luke turned his head from side to side. All was restored. He then placed his hand on the side of his neck and exclaimed, "The lumps are gone!"
His doctor gave him a clean bill of health, and the miracles continued long past the physical healing. Luke and Jennifer began to serve Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Within weeks Luke got a job, the first time he had worked in 17 years. Jesus heals the whole person."
When I read this healing at this wedding, my response is, "wow!" I say wow for so many reasons. First, for the obvious reason for the healing of this man with the health condition. The full and complete healing. It was done not just by the pastor but by a church member. But also wow for the faith of this church. The bride and groom believed God for healing, the people who directed Luke to see Pastor Johnson and the doctor who prayed over Luke. People had faith that God can and does heal. See also from the text that the news of this man who has this condition was something people were not scared about. It was like people knew another healing would take place. This is not like the church today in my context. We cannot and do not believe God for His miracles.
Although that kind of wedding remains unusual, our church's deliberate pursuit of the poor and the miracles are common. This story is true, and it is closer to the normal Christian life than what the Church normally experiences. The lack of miracles isn't because it is not in God's will for us. The problem exists between our ears. As a result, a transformation—a relieving of the mind— is needed, and it's only possible through a work of the Holy Spirit that typically comes upon desperate people.
The aforementioned bride and groom, although noble, are ordinarv people who serve an extravagant Father. There wasn't a great person involved, except lor Jesus. All the rest of us simply made room for God, believing Him to be good 100 percent of the time. The risk., that the bride and groom took were more than God could pass up. In the midst of this marriage celebration God invaded a home marked by hellish disease and established a testimony for His glory.
Stories of this nature are becoming the norm, and the company of people who have joined this quest for an authentic gospel—the gospel of the Kinodom— is increasing. Loving God and His people is an honor.We will no longer make tip excuses tor powerlcssness because powerlessness is inexcusable. Our mandate is simple: raise up a generation that can openly display the raw power of God".
Prayer:
Father, I thank You for men and women of great faith and testimonies like this one. I thank You that You are in control and that you do not sleep. You are an extraordinary God and I long to see Your extraordinary power and love. Raise up a generation who openly displays Your raw power to help and to heal and to bring hope to our nation. I thank You for the wedding that I went to today. The bride and groom are good friends. I love them dearly and the brothers and sisters I met today. They display Your love in tangible ways. We however are living an abnormal Christian life. We don't believe You for the impossible. I long to go to a church gathering and people be expecting that You do something extraordinary. Our meetings are predictable and man-driven. I don't mean to say they are not encouraging, but our meetings lack the power of Your Spirit. I want to know You to be a supernatural God and an extravagant Father. I desire for my wedding ceremony to be a blessing to others not just by the food or music or sharing, but that You would show up in such an amazing way that healings and life transformation would happen. Father, I hunger for more of You and more of Your power and presence. I believe You can and will heal me. I believe that You can and will provide employment for me. I believe that You can and will provide a wife for me and I thank You in advance for providing. I want to believe You are good 100 percent of the time. I make room for Your miracles and pray Father that perhaps tomorrow is the day of my healing and resurrection.
Sleepless In Heaven August 25, 2012
Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn
READ: Psalm 121
He who keeps you will not slumber. —Psalm 121:3
One of the most dangerous aspects of flying is the landing. As the aircraft gets closer to land, the air traffic is more congested, the weather on the ground may be far worse than the weather at 30,000 feet, and the runways may not be clear of other planes. So pilots rely on the air-traffic controller to coordinate all the details so that every plane can arrive without incident. Without the air-traffic controller, chaos would be certain.
Imagine, then, the panic when the pilot of an airliner full of passengers radioed the tower and got no answer. It was eventually discovered that the air-traffic controller was in fact there but sound asleep, putting pilot, passengers, and plane in great jeopardy. The good news is that the plane landed safely.
Even better news is that God, the ultimate traffic controller, neither slumbers nor sleeps. From His heavenly vantage point, He knows all that is going on in and around your life. As the psalmist notes, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber” (121:2-3).
You can count on it—God knows the impending dangers and will tirelessly direct the traffic of your life for your good and His glory (Rom. 8:28). —Joe Stowell
When trouble stalks the path we tread,
We need assurance, Lord, to know
That all our steps are being led—
That You, our God, are in control. —D. De Haan
Because God never sleeps, we can be at peace.
August 24, 2012
Today, sometimes the Love Worth Finding devotional has an encouraging word. It is about knowing Jesus, really knowing. The story is about a man who goes from believing the Gospel to really knowing Jesus. I believe that most Christians are in the believing stage of faith. I can read books on apologetics and be convinced in the historical Jesus and even in the truth of the Gospel. Do I really know Him? I would have to say no. I have a relationship with Jesus, but a weak one. It is not like I am too busy and do not have time with Him. I have prayed and worshiped more in these three months than I did the first five months of this year. My relationship is weak. I desire more but feel weak in my faith.
Today had been a very ordinary day. Nothing special. I took a morning and afternoon nap because I was super tired, and read up on a diet that I have been wondering about, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am not looking for lightening and earth shaking, but I feel lukewarm in my faith these days. After the LWF devotional I have a Heartlight prayer on enduring and being faithful. I have been tempted to try methods of healing that go against orthodox Christiany. There are times in this difficult season when I have desired to take my life. Although these moments are few and most often late at night when I cannot sleep, I am bothered by the fact that I feel so defeated and discouraged. My prayer today is not just to know Jesus deeper, but to remain and endure even when it feels really hopeless.
That I May Know Him
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Philippians 3:10
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
One day I was making a call on a businessman with a friend of mine. This dear man of God began giving his testimony of how the Lord saved him. But then he said something that really shocked me. I was speechless. He said, “I used to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and that He was buried and rose again. But I don’t believe it anymore.”
I was stopped dead in my tracks. Then with a smile on his face he said, “I don’t believe it anymore. Now, I know it!”
Oh, to go from believing to knowing the Savior! What a change of thought. What a change of heart. What a glorious revelation and transformation!
ACTION POINT:
Do you know Him? Really know Him today? Or do you just believe that He died, was buried, and rose again?
Praying with Paul for 08/24/2012
"Endure, Never Deny" — 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Dear Father, ever faithful God,
Thank you for my Savior, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, as preached in the gospel of your grace. Help me endure all things for the sake of that glorious message. May my words and deeds be a clear witness. May I endure everything for the sake of your elect, that they may obtain salvation and eternal glory.
Thank you that I have died with Christ and will also live with him. May I endure, so I might also reign with you. May I never deny you, so you will not deny me. And may I remain faithful to you, as you yourself are faithful.
In the name of Jesus, grant me perseverence in your love. I give you my unreserved obedience. Amen.
Today, sometimes the Love Worth Finding devotional has an encouraging word. It is about knowing Jesus, really knowing. The story is about a man who goes from believing the Gospel to really knowing Jesus. I believe that most Christians are in the believing stage of faith. I can read books on apologetics and be convinced in the historical Jesus and even in the truth of the Gospel. Do I really know Him? I would have to say no. I have a relationship with Jesus, but a weak one. It is not like I am too busy and do not have time with Him. I have prayed and worshiped more in these three months than I did the first five months of this year. My relationship is weak. I desire more but feel weak in my faith.
Today had been a very ordinary day. Nothing special. I took a morning and afternoon nap because I was super tired, and read up on a diet that I have been wondering about, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am not looking for lightening and earth shaking, but I feel lukewarm in my faith these days. After the LWF devotional I have a Heartlight prayer on enduring and being faithful. I have been tempted to try methods of healing that go against orthodox Christiany. There are times in this difficult season when I have desired to take my life. Although these moments are few and most often late at night when I cannot sleep, I am bothered by the fact that I feel so defeated and discouraged. My prayer today is not just to know Jesus deeper, but to remain and endure even when it feels really hopeless.
That I May Know Him
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Philippians 3:10
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
One day I was making a call on a businessman with a friend of mine. This dear man of God began giving his testimony of how the Lord saved him. But then he said something that really shocked me. I was speechless. He said, “I used to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and that He was buried and rose again. But I don’t believe it anymore.”
I was stopped dead in my tracks. Then with a smile on his face he said, “I don’t believe it anymore. Now, I know it!”
Oh, to go from believing to knowing the Savior! What a change of thought. What a change of heart. What a glorious revelation and transformation!
ACTION POINT:
Do you know Him? Really know Him today? Or do you just believe that He died, was buried, and rose again?
Praying with Paul for 08/24/2012
"Endure, Never Deny" — 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Dear Father, ever faithful God,
Thank you for my Savior, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, as preached in the gospel of your grace. Help me endure all things for the sake of that glorious message. May my words and deeds be a clear witness. May I endure everything for the sake of your elect, that they may obtain salvation and eternal glory.
Thank you that I have died with Christ and will also live with him. May I endure, so I might also reign with you. May I never deny you, so you will not deny me. And may I remain faithful to you, as you yourself are faithful.
In the name of Jesus, grant me perseverence in your love. I give you my unreserved obedience. Amen.
Friday, August 24, 2012
August 23, 2012
Today was a very challenging day. I felt more joint pain today than in the past two weeks. It was difficult to walk. However, my dad needed me to accompany him to see a church member in her home. The path from her driveway to her living room was only about 20-25 feet but it was a very uncomfortable walk. I am glad that we came to visit her and lunch at the restaurant, though small in portion was good. She has been at the church for over 50 years and we heard about the long history, rise and decline of this church. I've realized that I also enjoy hanging out with older Christians as well as those my own age.
My dad wanted me to order PH test strips which I did so a couple of days ago. My PH is 7.2 which is close to the ideal PH. My dad jokingly said that I am going to live to 90. However, health is not measured only by a PH number. I surely do not feel healthy today. I felt pain and discomfort in my knee. I thought I was getting better and better but today was a setback which impacted me emotionally. I might have a PH of 7.2, but using my braille tape measure, I found out I have a waist size of 39. Yes, I was surprised at this too remembering that as a college freshman I was only 31. I put on close to fifty pounds and I know now more than ever I am not at a good place. A lot of discouragement set in today. The enemy really use my feelings today to bring me way down. I long for healing, health, and spiritual vitality. Yet I am so far from these things. I pray that yesterday was the start of my life resurrection, but today was a huge step back. I do not live by feelings, but my feelings today have profoundly impacted my energy.
The devotional this morning that encouraged me touches on the Philippians 3 text about how Paul goes through his accomplishments and say he counts those things as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. The devotional closes with the idea that we need to trust God with our every need.
I don't know what book to read yet, but I want to be able to grow in my trust in God for my every need. In this difficult season, I do not see God's power and presence manifesting itself in supernatural ways. Many times I pray that I want to have a vibrant faith, almost charismatic in nature. I have spent years in conservative circles where it often appears is devoid of the Spirit's power.
Prayer:
Father, there is a song years ago I remember vaguely. It goes something like "More love. More power. More of You in my life". Father, that is my prayer. That is my desire. I don't want a lukewarm apathetic faith. I desire closeness with You, and to live supernaturally. I continue to believe You for Your healing of my body. I thank You for a PH of 7.2 but I have a waist size that is very unhealthy and far too much fat. I need Your help to become healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Today was very difficult with physical pain that had not been present in weeks. This led to discouragement and low mood. Father, You did not send Your son to die so that we live defeated and unhealthy lives. Father, Christ came so that we may live life to the fullest and my prayer today is for Your help to live the full Christian life.
How Passionate Is Our Love for the Lord?
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:25
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
When I was a little boy and I found something that didn’t belong to me, I’d say, “Finders keepers, losers weepers!”
But do you know what the apostle Paul said? “Keepers weepers, losers finders.”
He said, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:7).
Religion does not save us. Jesus saves us. And He’s calling us to not only turn from our sins, but to turn from our righteousness.
ACTION POINT:
What are you holding onto in your life that brings you security? Let it go to the glory of God! You can trust Him to provide for all your needs.
Today was a very challenging day. I felt more joint pain today than in the past two weeks. It was difficult to walk. However, my dad needed me to accompany him to see a church member in her home. The path from her driveway to her living room was only about 20-25 feet but it was a very uncomfortable walk. I am glad that we came to visit her and lunch at the restaurant, though small in portion was good. She has been at the church for over 50 years and we heard about the long history, rise and decline of this church. I've realized that I also enjoy hanging out with older Christians as well as those my own age.
My dad wanted me to order PH test strips which I did so a couple of days ago. My PH is 7.2 which is close to the ideal PH. My dad jokingly said that I am going to live to 90. However, health is not measured only by a PH number. I surely do not feel healthy today. I felt pain and discomfort in my knee. I thought I was getting better and better but today was a setback which impacted me emotionally. I might have a PH of 7.2, but using my braille tape measure, I found out I have a waist size of 39. Yes, I was surprised at this too remembering that as a college freshman I was only 31. I put on close to fifty pounds and I know now more than ever I am not at a good place. A lot of discouragement set in today. The enemy really use my feelings today to bring me way down. I long for healing, health, and spiritual vitality. Yet I am so far from these things. I pray that yesterday was the start of my life resurrection, but today was a huge step back. I do not live by feelings, but my feelings today have profoundly impacted my energy.
The devotional this morning that encouraged me touches on the Philippians 3 text about how Paul goes through his accomplishments and say he counts those things as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. The devotional closes with the idea that we need to trust God with our every need.
I don't know what book to read yet, but I want to be able to grow in my trust in God for my every need. In this difficult season, I do not see God's power and presence manifesting itself in supernatural ways. Many times I pray that I want to have a vibrant faith, almost charismatic in nature. I have spent years in conservative circles where it often appears is devoid of the Spirit's power.
Prayer:
Father, there is a song years ago I remember vaguely. It goes something like "More love. More power. More of You in my life". Father, that is my prayer. That is my desire. I don't want a lukewarm apathetic faith. I desire closeness with You, and to live supernaturally. I continue to believe You for Your healing of my body. I thank You for a PH of 7.2 but I have a waist size that is very unhealthy and far too much fat. I need Your help to become healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Today was very difficult with physical pain that had not been present in weeks. This led to discouragement and low mood. Father, You did not send Your son to die so that we live defeated and unhealthy lives. Father, Christ came so that we may live life to the fullest and my prayer today is for Your help to live the full Christian life.
How Passionate Is Our Love for the Lord?
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:25
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
When I was a little boy and I found something that didn’t belong to me, I’d say, “Finders keepers, losers weepers!”
But do you know what the apostle Paul said? “Keepers weepers, losers finders.”
He said, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:7).
Religion does not save us. Jesus saves us. And He’s calling us to not only turn from our sins, but to turn from our righteousness.
ACTION POINT:
What are you holding onto in your life that brings you security? Let it go to the glory of God! You can trust Him to provide for all your needs.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
August 22, 2012
Still pondering what book to be focusing on next.
Today, two devotionals were very encouraging this morning and I would like to share both. The first is about hiding in God during the storms of life and the second is seeing the fingerprints of God in life. I experience both today.
The enemy had me this morning. I went to sleep around 11:00 and woke up at 1:00, not able to fall back to sleep at all until after 3:00. Woke up again just before 5:30. I was so super tired and felt a cold coming on. I prayed a bit, took some vitamin C, and some Chinese anti-bacterial. It slowly decreased in symptoms over the next couple of hours.
Today was important. It was my first interview with a ministry leader heading up a disability ministry. I showed up half an hour late because of traffic. I was still feeling a cold coming on. I was super tired from lack of sleep. I felt so discouraged. Yet, God today is still good.
The meeting went well and we learned a lot about each other's heart and passion for the Lord and serving those with disabilities. This man has a big heart. I was truly edified after spending less than an hour with him. Those are rare times in my life when I feel so edified during hangouts. There are a lot of needs within the ministry and he thinks starting out with the special needs teen ministry is a good fit for me. I was just totally excited that my passion and heart and life calling had been furthered just a little bit today. When men and women lack purpose, meaning, and direction, the will to exist begins to fade. I made a meaningful connection with this ministry leader and he is giving me a chance to serve.
I think also hope stimulates immunity and healing in the body. During my meeting and after, my cold symptoms lessened and were soon gone. My joy went up big time. It was like all of a sudden I found my life calling and the opportunity and context for it. Now, there is still the application form to fill out, but even having this opportunity to interview was huge for me.
I prayed that today, Wednesday would be my life resurrection day. It felt like some hope was given just a little today. It is not to say that the entire day went well as I was still really tired, but God had been so good today and His fingerprints so evident.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for being my shelter and protector in the difficulties and storms. Thank You for Your presence and goodness in my life. When You reveal Your plan and purpose for me, hope begins to fill the darkness of my life. For many weeks, I wonder about my life direction. Thank You for the opportunity to serve and to be simply given a chance. I desire that today is only the start of my life ressurection. I am still believing for my healing, career, and life partner. I thank You that You hear me when I call and care enough to help.
Peace, Be Still
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Keep me as the apple of the eye…hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.” Psalm 17:8
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Charles Wesley was walking through the woods on a stormy day when a lightening storm broke out and the rain began to come down in torrents. A bolt of lightening flashed, and a little bird was so frightened that it flew down to Wesley and it tried to hide in his coat.
He was so moved by the scene that he wrote a song we often sing: “Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, ‘til the storm of life is past; safe unto the haven guide me, O receive my soul at last.” That’s what our Lord does. He hides us, sustains us, and keeps us.
ACTION POINT:
Are the storms of life raging around you? Hide yourself in the dark clouds—they are just the shadow of His wing.
Theory Of Everything August 22, 2012
Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn
READ: John 1:1-13
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. —Colossians 1:16
Scientists have been looking for the “Theory of Everything.” One person who thinks he found it is physicist Brian Greene, who wrote The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. Greene’s “string theory” is a complicated concept suggesting that at its tiniest level everything consists of combinations of vibrating strands, or strings. He has described his theory as “a framework with the capacity to explain every fundamental feature upon which the world is constructed.”
Over the years, thinkers from Newton to Einstein to Hawking to Greene have spent the greater portion of their lives trying to figure out how the universe works—and they have proposed fascinating theories.
In reality, for any theory to explain everything in the universe adequately it must begin and end with God. “All things . . . visible and invisible” (Col. 1:16) have their origin in Him and exist for His glory (Ps. 72:19). The first few verses of John’s gospel tell us that our Lord created the universe—and that without His hand of creation nothing would exist.
That’s why when we consider the world and everything in it, we can exclaim with Isaiah: “The whole earth is full of His glory!” (6:3). Praise His holy name! —David Egner
Our God has fashioned earth and sky,
Sun, moon, and stars beyond compare;
His workmanship we can’t deny—
His fingerprints are everywhere. —Seals
All creation is an outstretched finger pointing toward God.
Still pondering what book to be focusing on next.
Today, two devotionals were very encouraging this morning and I would like to share both. The first is about hiding in God during the storms of life and the second is seeing the fingerprints of God in life. I experience both today.
The enemy had me this morning. I went to sleep around 11:00 and woke up at 1:00, not able to fall back to sleep at all until after 3:00. Woke up again just before 5:30. I was so super tired and felt a cold coming on. I prayed a bit, took some vitamin C, and some Chinese anti-bacterial. It slowly decreased in symptoms over the next couple of hours.
Today was important. It was my first interview with a ministry leader heading up a disability ministry. I showed up half an hour late because of traffic. I was still feeling a cold coming on. I was super tired from lack of sleep. I felt so discouraged. Yet, God today is still good.
The meeting went well and we learned a lot about each other's heart and passion for the Lord and serving those with disabilities. This man has a big heart. I was truly edified after spending less than an hour with him. Those are rare times in my life when I feel so edified during hangouts. There are a lot of needs within the ministry and he thinks starting out with the special needs teen ministry is a good fit for me. I was just totally excited that my passion and heart and life calling had been furthered just a little bit today. When men and women lack purpose, meaning, and direction, the will to exist begins to fade. I made a meaningful connection with this ministry leader and he is giving me a chance to serve.
I think also hope stimulates immunity and healing in the body. During my meeting and after, my cold symptoms lessened and were soon gone. My joy went up big time. It was like all of a sudden I found my life calling and the opportunity and context for it. Now, there is still the application form to fill out, but even having this opportunity to interview was huge for me.
I prayed that today, Wednesday would be my life resurrection day. It felt like some hope was given just a little today. It is not to say that the entire day went well as I was still really tired, but God had been so good today and His fingerprints so evident.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for being my shelter and protector in the difficulties and storms. Thank You for Your presence and goodness in my life. When You reveal Your plan and purpose for me, hope begins to fill the darkness of my life. For many weeks, I wonder about my life direction. Thank You for the opportunity to serve and to be simply given a chance. I desire that today is only the start of my life ressurection. I am still believing for my healing, career, and life partner. I thank You that You hear me when I call and care enough to help.
Peace, Be Still
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Keep me as the apple of the eye…hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.” Psalm 17:8
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Charles Wesley was walking through the woods on a stormy day when a lightening storm broke out and the rain began to come down in torrents. A bolt of lightening flashed, and a little bird was so frightened that it flew down to Wesley and it tried to hide in his coat.
He was so moved by the scene that he wrote a song we often sing: “Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, ‘til the storm of life is past; safe unto the haven guide me, O receive my soul at last.” That’s what our Lord does. He hides us, sustains us, and keeps us.
ACTION POINT:
Are the storms of life raging around you? Hide yourself in the dark clouds—they are just the shadow of His wing.
Theory Of Everything August 22, 2012
Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn
READ: John 1:1-13
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. —Colossians 1:16
Scientists have been looking for the “Theory of Everything.” One person who thinks he found it is physicist Brian Greene, who wrote The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. Greene’s “string theory” is a complicated concept suggesting that at its tiniest level everything consists of combinations of vibrating strands, or strings. He has described his theory as “a framework with the capacity to explain every fundamental feature upon which the world is constructed.”
Over the years, thinkers from Newton to Einstein to Hawking to Greene have spent the greater portion of their lives trying to figure out how the universe works—and they have proposed fascinating theories.
In reality, for any theory to explain everything in the universe adequately it must begin and end with God. “All things . . . visible and invisible” (Col. 1:16) have their origin in Him and exist for His glory (Ps. 72:19). The first few verses of John’s gospel tell us that our Lord created the universe—and that without His hand of creation nothing would exist.
That’s why when we consider the world and everything in it, we can exclaim with Isaiah: “The whole earth is full of His glory!” (6:3). Praise His holy name! —David Egner
Our God has fashioned earth and sky,
Sun, moon, and stars beyond compare;
His workmanship we can’t deny—
His fingerprints are everywhere. —Seals
All creation is an outstretched finger pointing toward God.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
August 21, 2012
I have not picked out a new book but I would like to provide a transitional thought between today and the next blog. A very powerful devotional came today from Truth For Life. It is from a text in Isaiah. It is a short verse, but it is very powerful and so timely.
Nothing major happened today. My water quality test came in and the water here is 77 PPM which appears to be ok. Still, it smells funny and that is a concern. I've been trying to analyze why one week back in Sacramento led to my now physical condition and thought perhaps maybe it is the water. I don't know, and I am not sure if I can actually find out.
Getting well however has been an area of prayer for many months. I have desired for August to be the breakthrough month. It is now two thirds gone and still nothing. I've gotten discouraged a lot in this month.
I have been reading about prayer for the past many weeks. The last book was Answered Prayer Guaranteed. At times, I wonder if God hears our prayer and if He even cares about our lives. God seems quite uninterested in this particular time in my life.
God spoke so powerfuly this morning as He spoke directly to my doubts about His presence. Below is the devotional that says that God hears our prayer and we need not fear or despair in life's difficult moments. He is here. He is not silent.
Tomorrow is my first meeting with a ministry leader. Tonight, I am desiring that my life turns around tomorrow and I begin to experience my life resurrection. This is my desire that I begin to experience Christ's abundant life.
Prayer:
Father, I thank You that You spoke so timely and powerfully to me this morning. I have had so many doubts lately on whether or not You hear prayer and whether or not You care. I am powerfully reminded that we do not pray in vain. In time You answer. I believe You for my healing and thank You that very soon I will be physically well. I thank You that soon You will provide ministry and employment opportunity. I thank You that soon You will provide a marriage companion to be my help meet just as You provided for Adam. I do not see it, but I live by faith. Thank You Father for Your goodness and love.
August 21, 2012
What God Hasn't Said
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'seek me in vain.'
Isaiah 45:19
We can gain a great deal of comfort by considering what God has not said. What He has said is full of comfort and delight; but what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was what God had not said that preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for "the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven" (2 Kings 14:27). In our text we have an assurance that God will answer prayer because He "did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.'"
Those of you who are prone to self-condemnation should remember that, lest your doubts and fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no need for despair: Even the voice of conscience carries little weight if it is not seconded by the voice of God. We should tremble at what God has said! But do not allow your rambling thoughts to overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair. Many timid persons have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be something in God's decree that shuts them out from hope, but we have here a complete rebuttal of that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be decreed to wrath. "I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say [even in the secret of my unsearchable decree]... , 'Seek me in vain.'"
God has clearly revealed that He will hear the prayer of those who call upon Him, and that declaration cannot be contradicted. He has spoken so firmly, so truthfully, so righteously that there can be no room for doubt. He does not reveal His mind in unintelligible words, but He speaks plainly and positively. "Everyone who asks receives."1 Doubter, believe this sure truth—that prayer must and will be heard, and that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said to any living soul, "Seek me in vain."
1Matthew 7:8
I have not picked out a new book but I would like to provide a transitional thought between today and the next blog. A very powerful devotional came today from Truth For Life. It is from a text in Isaiah. It is a short verse, but it is very powerful and so timely.
Nothing major happened today. My water quality test came in and the water here is 77 PPM which appears to be ok. Still, it smells funny and that is a concern. I've been trying to analyze why one week back in Sacramento led to my now physical condition and thought perhaps maybe it is the water. I don't know, and I am not sure if I can actually find out.
Getting well however has been an area of prayer for many months. I have desired for August to be the breakthrough month. It is now two thirds gone and still nothing. I've gotten discouraged a lot in this month.
I have been reading about prayer for the past many weeks. The last book was Answered Prayer Guaranteed. At times, I wonder if God hears our prayer and if He even cares about our lives. God seems quite uninterested in this particular time in my life.
God spoke so powerfuly this morning as He spoke directly to my doubts about His presence. Below is the devotional that says that God hears our prayer and we need not fear or despair in life's difficult moments. He is here. He is not silent.
Tomorrow is my first meeting with a ministry leader. Tonight, I am desiring that my life turns around tomorrow and I begin to experience my life resurrection. This is my desire that I begin to experience Christ's abundant life.
Prayer:
Father, I thank You that You spoke so timely and powerfully to me this morning. I have had so many doubts lately on whether or not You hear prayer and whether or not You care. I am powerfully reminded that we do not pray in vain. In time You answer. I believe You for my healing and thank You that very soon I will be physically well. I thank You that soon You will provide ministry and employment opportunity. I thank You that soon You will provide a marriage companion to be my help meet just as You provided for Adam. I do not see it, but I live by faith. Thank You Father for Your goodness and love.
August 21, 2012
What God Hasn't Said
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'seek me in vain.'
Isaiah 45:19
We can gain a great deal of comfort by considering what God has not said. What He has said is full of comfort and delight; but what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was what God had not said that preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for "the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven" (2 Kings 14:27). In our text we have an assurance that God will answer prayer because He "did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.'"
Those of you who are prone to self-condemnation should remember that, lest your doubts and fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no need for despair: Even the voice of conscience carries little weight if it is not seconded by the voice of God. We should tremble at what God has said! But do not allow your rambling thoughts to overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair. Many timid persons have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be something in God's decree that shuts them out from hope, but we have here a complete rebuttal of that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be decreed to wrath. "I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say [even in the secret of my unsearchable decree]... , 'Seek me in vain.'"
God has clearly revealed that He will hear the prayer of those who call upon Him, and that declaration cannot be contradicted. He has spoken so firmly, so truthfully, so righteously that there can be no room for doubt. He does not reveal His mind in unintelligible words, but He speaks plainly and positively. "Everyone who asks receives."1 Doubter, believe this sure truth—that prayer must and will be heard, and that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said to any living soul, "Seek me in vain."
1Matthew 7:8
Monday, August 20, 2012
Model Prayer
Today is the very last day of this book. I have not felt the same way about this book as I did with Breakthrough Prayer. This book did not have nearly as many stories and I really like stories. There was a lot on teaching and a lot on examples of situations but very few stories. I did not look forward to the next chapter and I am not sad that I have come to the end. That is a sad thing when we feel neutral about a book. I didn't like or dislike this book. It was helpful however. It help me with my level of faith and one huge take away is to call those things which are not as though they are. The Biblical example is John 11 and when Jesus said that Lazarus was sleeping and not dead. The other thing is to believe that God has already healed me and in the meantime to thank Him for His healing. This really helps with the faith aspect. He did have some controversial things like saying the Lord's Prayer should not be prayed today and many churches would have a problem with that. He did share some stories about healing and his promises from the Bible regarding healing hit very close to home for me.
Biblical 8/10
Readable 8/10
Inspirational 8/10
Practical 9/10
total: 82%
Overall, I would recommend this book to those interested in the subject of prayer. Although there is not much by way of new insight, the teaching is practical and encouraging.
Today has been very much so an ordinary day. Nothing good nor bad. I did however receive my very first pedal exerciser in the mail today. Because I cannot do any traditional form of exercise, I need something I can sit and do and so I learned of this pedal exerciser. It seems to work fine although it does not provide very much resistence. I am not looking to bulk up and so it is fine. Other than that, nothing new today which can very well be a good thing. These days I am not looking for any surprises.
"Once you make the decision to dedicate a regular part of your life to prayer, you then have to create the time, because you can bet the devil will not allow you to "work it in." Prayer is not something that you should just fit into your schedule: it is the key factor that allows the rest of your schedule to function. There is not a professional ball team in America, whether it's football, baseball, or basketball, that does not warm up before starting a practice or the game. Couldn't they get more practice time in if they got rid of that twenty minutes of warm-ups first? Of course, but the result would be more injuries—more serious injuries. If you approach your prayer time as optional, as something to be squeezed in, then soon you will not be praying at all. Some people I know pray in the shower, which can run up a water bill, but if that's what you have to do to get away from distractions, so be it. Others pray in the Spirit in their cars. That's fine, but if you try that in English, your attention will be divided, and you'll either mess up your prayer or have an accident. I prefer praying the first thing in the morning, because it sets the tone for the whole day. Then I never get into a situation where I say, "Uh oh, I should have prayed about that!" No, the Spirit will take care of those situations.
Remember also that the devil will do his best to distract you. You will have phone calls, pet "emergencies," family interruptions, even physical discomfort or itching—anything to get you off schedule. And if the devil can get you off schedule once or twice, pretty soon he can get you off schedule every day."
I mention how this book is practical and so this chapter ends with some thoughts on how to pray and later includes a model prayer. This first thought hits home for me. I get really distracted in prayer and also when reading the Bible. I get tired, need to use the bathroom, or get interrupted. No onder why some pray in the shower. So this first idea is key. I think late at night usually is good because no one can interrupt but for me I am very tired around that time.
"1. Begin with thanksgiving.
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for all Your blessings, and for all Your gifts...
Here you might want to list the things you are thankful for—good health, a job, a nice house, a wonderful spouse or children. Whatever it is, thank God for it. Don't be in a hurry. This might take some time.
2. Confess your faith in God and His Son.
Father, I'm a believer and not a doubter. Jesus is Lord. I believe in my heart that He has been raised from the dead. And I give thanksgiving that I am born again. I'm a believer and not a doubter. Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice and that You lived a perfect life, died on the cross formed, rose from the grave for me, defeated hell and death for me, and sit at the right hand of the Father making intercession for me. Praise You, Jesus!
Don't be in a rush. You can never go wrong by praising God and His Son.
3. Pray for those in authority over you.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul tells us that we should pray for our leaders.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Paul was saying that we need to pray for all men to come into the knowledge of salvation, to give thanks, and to intercede for all those in authority over us. This is for our benefit, not theirs, so that we may lead peaceful lives. You can't have a very good prayer life if you are worried about rival gangs breaking down your doors.
During my prayer time I thank God for the president, whoever he is, the vice president, the members of the House and Senate, the Supreme Court, our governor, our mayor, and the police, judges, and fire personnel over me, that I may live in peace."
Long ago I was told about ACTs as a model for prayer. In that method it is adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and then supplication. Here, thanksgiving comes first, and adoration second. I personally think adoration comes before anything else. I need to know who I am praying to. Then I think confession and then thanksgiving. I like the ACTs model better but both ways are equally valid. Spending some time specifically on Jesus and specifically what He has done for us really helps to set a tone of gratitude and humility.
"4. Pray for revelation knowledge.
Paul also said we should pray for revelation knowledge. Pray for greater spiritual understanding, and pray that believers around the world are protected and that they may exercise their faith in peace. Pray for the spread of the gospel, that with the harvest ready, laborers are coming forth. In that vein, it's appropriate to pray that government barriers against Christianity are lifted, whether in communist countries or in Muslim countries where Christians are, to this day, enslaved. Remember, not all believers have it as well as you do! Bind the demonic spirits that are attacking Christians through governments, and loose the protective angels that they might keep believers safe and free.
5. Add your personal confession about your need.
When you are ready, next move to your personal confession about your needs and your circumstances.
Father, I believe that the things You have promised me in Your Word belong to me. I intend to know what they are. Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus! Take your hands off my body. Take your hands off my home. Take your hands off my finances. Take your hands off my children and my family, and get out of my affairs. The blood of the Lamb is over me. I belong to God. You, Satan, are not my Lord. Jesus is Lord, and He has defeated you permanently to reclaim the world and to reclaim me. I don't have to do what you say, devil. I don't have to receive what you give."
The fourth item takes on a missiological and evangelistic tone which is important in the total prayer picture. The prayer is going from big picture now to the individual with item five and praying for ourselves. I still do not understand the bind and loosing concept he is interested in and the prayer for item five takes on a charismatic tone. The words are very unlike the words we hear in conservative churches and I am not sure if anyone I know actually uses this kind of language.
The last two items are praying for our enemies and praying for our finances. These cover a lot of ground and makes sense. The very last part does not make much sense. The author says to conclude by praying in the spirit. He does not really mention what exactly this is but he says it is different from praying in English. This last part was very confusing, but I like his final paragraph and advice.
"The most important ingredient for answered prayer, of course, is to pray. You can't get practice at praying until you start to pray. The writer William F. Buckley, who at his peak would write a newspaper column every day, edit a magazine, and turn out two novels a year, was once asked how he wrote so much. Buckley said, "I get up in the morning, brush my teeth, then sit down and start to type." Prayer is the same process. Some people have a prayer closet, some have a prayer room, or some pray in bed. Wherever you pray, be sure to set aside someplace where you won't be interrupted. Remember that one of the devil's best tricks is distraction. But most of all, find a regular time to pray. No matter what, nothing must come between you and that prayer time.
Begin today. Begin right now. Start immediately finding out God's promises for you, and begin listing what He has already done. You will notice a change in your life, and I can assure you that you too can say with confidence, "God hears my prayers and answers rhem all."
Prayer:
Father. thank You for this book on prayer. Thank You that You hear and answer prayer. I believe You have healed me and thank You for Your healing. I did not ask You to heal my eyesight last time but now claim Your promise that by Christ's wounds I am healed and apply it into the situation of my eyesight. I have had my eye condition for 31 years now but want to believe from this point forward You have the power to heal my eyes. I cannot imagine a life where I can see. What would that be like? I don't even know but the thought that You can do this impossible thing already amazes me. This chapter has a model pray for us but I do not understand it all. The key piece is faith. Still today, my faith is so weak. I long desire to see Your intervention and healing become actualized. Help me to see Your works that I may testify of Your wonders to all the nations.
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