Prayer Confession Over Anxiety

I am sitting down in Your presence, Papa God, spending the night with my Most High God. I am pressing in close to You–close as I can possibly get. I’m Your little shadow–right under Your wing! I say to You, “Abba, You’re my refuge. I trust in You and I’m safe!”

That’s right…and even now, I thank You for rescuing me from hidden traps, shielding me from deadly hazards. Your huge outstretched arms are protecting me— under them I AM perfectly safe; Your arms fend off all harm. YOU LOVE ME AND I’M CERTAIN OF IT!

I will fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows (or bad news, or big bills, or negative doctors’ reports, or money worries, or even family drama) in the daytime. None of these things will cause me to lose my peace and not one ounce of sleep!

I’m not affected by fear of disease that prowls through the darkness, nor of disaster that erupts at high noon. When the enemy does his worst, YOU WILL DO YOUR BEST! When he tries to flood me with despair, YOU are my floodwall of protection and YOU ARE SHUTTING THE FLOODGATE ON DESPAIR! I am safe until the torrent subsides.

Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze me. I am standing untouched, watching it all from a distance, I watch the wicked turn into corpses, watching it on tv news, yet not being a part of it. I DON’T FEAR THAT THOSE SAME THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO ME!

Yes, Papa, because You are my refuge, the High God my very own home, evil can’t get close to me, harm can’t get through the door. You’ve ordered Your angels to guard me wherever I go…and that’s just what they’re doing! Even if I would stumble, they’ll catch me; their job is to keep me from falling. Thank you, Papa God, for having my back (and all the rest of me) covered!

There may be feisty young lions and cunning serpents lying in wait on my pathway, but You’re keeping me safe. I walk safely along just as though they’re not even there…and if they try to attack, You’re empowering me to just kick them out of my path. I will treat them as the nuisance that they are and nothing more. They will not break my spirit and they will not break my stride.

Abba, You’ve said, “If you’ll hold on to Me for dear life, I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call Me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!”

Well, that’s just what I’m doing! Thank You for getting me out of trouble, for giving me the best of care as I strive to know and trust You more. Thank You for always answering when I call, for staying right with me through thick and thin. Thank You for rescuing me and then making me feel celebrated and special…because I’m Your child and I know You love me! Thank You for quality of life, a satisfied life, and a perfect salvation which will last me all of eternity.

I am taking a deep breath now and breathing in LIFE. I receive Your Holy Spirit with every breath! I am exhaling and pushing out every negative thought. I expel any thoughts that would crowd my mind from the knowledge that YOU are in control. I clear my soul of any problem that tries to look as tall and strong as my Lord Jesus! Any idea that violates my peace, any thought that would cause me to doubt that YOU are Sovereign, I arrest, handcuff, bind, toss into jail and throw away the key!
In Jesus’ name, anxiety has no more control over my life!

(Adapted into a prayer from Psalm 91:1-16 Message and KJV translations; and also from Isaiah 59:19, John 20:22 and 2 Corinthians 10:5)

Healing: Miracle for All Ages

“ As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both to go out and to come in.” (Caleb, at age 85 – as recorded in the book of Joshua, Chapter 14)

As many of you wait for healing to manifest in your bodies, let me dispel a myth that the enemy may be trying to circulate in your reasoning. God doesn’t grant healing based on age; healing was purchased in the Atonement, and manifests in our bodies as we exercise faith to receive it. Period. God is not like our modern healthcare system–not even a government-run healthcare system! “The system” would say that you don’t deserve a new liver because you were an alcoholic. They would say that based on your age, it’s not feasible to do heart surgery or give you a transplant. At your age, cancer treatment is beyond the acceptable practice; or dementia and clogged arteries and failing kidneys are to be accepted. You need to just accept that you are approaching end-of-life and that you aren’t as worth saving as, say, a 20-year old.

Don’t be upset with them…they’re mere humans. They are working with limited know-how, resources, and only so much money. They also have some among them who are also motivated by greed; maybe even a few who would like to play God…but not all. They operate in the carnal, natural realm. They’re good; they do a whole lot of good in their element, but their scope is limited.

But! When you approach God’s throne of grace to obtain help (and health) in your time of need, God is under no such restrictions. He will hear and answer prayer whether you have 50 more years to live or 50 more hours. When you have been satisfied with your number of days, you can transition out of a healed body into eternity instead of allowing the enemy to chisel you away to nothing. Wouldn’t it be something to pass from a healthy body whose organs were viable enough to donate to the next recipient? Think about that!

If no one’s ever reinforced that with you, then hear it now! It’s a real game-changer! God will continue to invest in you when you’re 95 just like He did when you were 15, because it’s impossible to waste what comes from an infinite supply. There’s not “only so much” healing to go around. And you–yes, YOU–have the same grace to walk in it as someone younger, more productive, more socially upright, and better-insured! Don’t bow your head in shame and say, “I don’t feel right asking for healing when others are so much worse off than I am.” Ask for yourself AND for them too!

When as an “old man” receiving the commission to lead the children of Israel out of bondage, Moses presented his terrible stuttering (and the self-conscious shyness resulting from it) to God as the reason why he wasn’t an ideal candidate. The Lord cooled his jets really quick by asking, “Did I not make men’s mouths?” The same God Who makes men’s mouths just so happens to also unclog arteries, restore sight and hearing, quicken damaged limbs, dry up cancers, and repair a diabetes-ravaged pancreas! He’s perfected making something out of nothing, and He doesn’t have to wait for someone to die to give you a transplant…wait, Jesus already did that!

Don’t listen to wicked spirits who would taunt you and say, as Job’s wife did, “Why don’t you just curse God, die, and accept it!” Rather, why not approach God’s presence today, having cleared your heart of doubt, unforgiveness, secret sins, and all hindrances…and present a claim ticket for that healing which is already been provided for you. God will not make you fill out any forms, put you on a waiting list, or ask you any health-related questions. He will not grant your request based on a limited pool of resources. Your answer is only restricted by how much you are willing to ask and believe for–so do exactly what the Word says you can do. Approach His throne boldly! Walk in your full potential, in Jesus’ name!

Bamboo Bicycles or Real Revival?

Remember watching Gilligan’s Island on tv, the episodes where Professor would rig up an invention to make their Crusoe-esque lives a little easier? My favorite is “Gilligan-powered” ingenuity. Gilligan is seated on a bamboo bicycle, those skinny legs pedaling furiously to generate electricity for a radio transmitter, or to agitate a paddle wheel in a washtub full of dirty laundry, etc.

In the Body of Christ, are we pedaling bamboo bicycles to generate power? Are we mobilizing programs solely on our own strength and ambition–or even worse, based on someone else’s perceived success in harnessing revival?

We are so trend-driven when it comes to our faith, and it ought not be. It’s one thing to come away inspired by someone else’s encounter with God; but we are more than a little foolish if we think there’s some magic formula for revival, soul-winning, and restoring miracles in the Church. We saw in the 60’s and 70’s a variation of this. If Apostle so-and-so wore porkchop sideburns and he had a following, suddenly all the up-and-coming young ministers grew big goofy sideburns. They held the mic the same way he did. Pulled their lapels wayyyy out. They parted their hair on the same side, mimicked his vocal inflections, got the walk down just-so. If the evangelist had people fall out when he laid hands on them, now all the young hopefuls wanted everyone at the altar to fall out for them too! Yep, I’ve had a couple of them try to tip me over when I didn’t fall out on my own.

I’m not trying to mock our Pentecostal heritage, not at all. I celebrate it and walk in the gifts and baptismal measure of the Holy Spirit. Looking throughout the Bible, and throughout church history, however, it looks like every generation has had its bamboo bicycles on deserted islands where the power connection didn’t quite reach. Perhaps it’s not so much laziness on our part, but not actually knowing that we can have our own encounter without having to do it like so-and-so’s church, like Reverend Powerhouse, or like our godly role models. We do want the fire to fall; but we are looking in the wrong direction, hoping someone else to our left or right has perfected the template–hoping some else’s proven method will save us from having to seek God’s revelation for our own prayer and fasting model. We are trying to house the Holy Spirit in recycled plastic milk jugs instead of paying the price to become stretchable wineskins ourselves. We will try on someone else’s armor only to find out it’s too big and bulky for our own frames.

Consider this: although God changes not, He will never make Himself known to us through a boilerplate format for the encounter. When we copy someone else’s method, even if it works for that movement and season, for us it becomes dead works. And if we don’t move with the cloud by day and the fire by night, what DID once work for us will suddenly become dead works, too. How many times has the Body of Christ failed the test when the Lord called us to follow him out of a particular season on to another level? God is never going to share His glory with man. Yes, once He has moved on, we are perfectly free to stay where we are; program it up, to try to keep it all going just as before. He’ll let us. He just won’t be the source generating the energy. He will never prosper our attempts to bottle and patent and copyright His glory!

Not every church is going to be a Brownsville. Brownsville can’t even afford to be labeled a ‘Brownsville-style movement;’ for such a label has the potential to become a judgment against us. If we are blessed to have God’s visitation in a phenomenal, supernatural season, and He chooses to move us out of our oasis and back on the travel path again, there’s great danger in choosing to try to remain in the move that He’s finished anointing. I believe, and I say this with fear and great respect, that even the leaders of these great awakenings which have birthed in these last few years would tell you to keep your eyes on Jesus alone, listening to His directive–and stop trying to market a particular style of worship as being the “next new thing.” If we are blessed to be under the deluge of His outpouring, and His power should suddenly moves in a different direction; or, if we are trying furiously to bring someone else’s revival recipe to our own little corners on the globe, then we’ll just be pedaling our little bicycles like madmen, doomed to fail in our human frailty! God’s will is that all of us have a supernatural encounter with Him; but we don’t get to define the parameters for that encounter. He may manifest as wind in one setting, as rain in another, as fire in yet another, or He may manifest as that still small voice. If it’s from HIM, all of it is good! It’s HIS prerogative to define the visitation; it’s our mandate to be merely, get this, obedient.

I’ve heard some irreverent commentary even in the Body, where this or that particular movement would be rumored to be taken in error in spite of at least a timed visitation from God. Frankly, it hurts my feelings, for I believe these visitations have been very real at least as long as we have remained under God’s directive. I don’t know each individual situation, nor do I want to; but after the rumors of mighty revival movements collapsing or “fizzling out,” suddenly a teaching emerged which warned of the dangers of strange fire. Then the Body of Christ became scared of any manifestation of the Holy Ghost being labeled strange fire, and so we went back to having no fire. Neither of those polar positions is God’s intent for us individually or corporately. I’m not even sure I fully understand what constitutes “strange fire,” but I do know that if something ventures beyond Christ alone, its fruit will not and cannot remain.

I would challenge us all today to radical obedience. Obedience, not as weighed against the methods of others; but drowning out the popular theories of church growth, and getting somewhere alone with the Lord to hear what HE would have us do in order to release that anointing in our lives, in our churches, over our geographical areas. Obedience to GOD, not a new 7-step bullet point program for stirring up an awakening.

Jesus scolded Peter for worrying about John getting an easier ticket to heaven than he was getting. Jesus as much as said, “John’s encounter with me is not your business, Peter. Follow ME.” Peter didn’t want that place of being led where he didn’t want to go, to that untimely demise, that suffering, persecution, that upside-down cross. If John’s encounter involves an easier burden–if it were to be perceived that John has more favor or is looked upon by the other 12 as holier–Peter is jealous for THAT encounter. We can’t busy ourselves with what works in Australia, in Pensacola, or in the big new church on the other side of town with a coffee shop and valet parking. Praise God for moving in such notable ways in those places; we rejoice for them! We will buy their worship tapes, listen to the preaching on our CD’s, read the books and let the zeal for the house rub off on us, too–but our job is still to look to GOD ALONE for our own visitation, whatever that visitation should look like for us. I can almost guarantee that it’s going to look a lot different here in the foothills of Appalachia than it does in Sydney, than it did at Mezuzah Street or at Murphy, NC. But…if God’s the one generating the power, we won’t have to build a single program or training center to keep it going.

Obey the Lord, pure and simple. He will not let it be said that the success of His Body comes from the neck down! Know this: if you obey Him only, instead of trying to power your own movement, you will never ever be in danger of deception. You won’t have strange fire, and you won’t have no fire. You will have HIS fire. And you won’t have to grow sideburns or pedal a bamboo bike! Just saying…

Prayer Over Christian Intercessors

Ever watch a movie featuring scenes of ancient methods of battlefield engagement? You can see the soldiers march forward x number of steps, kneel, lift their rifles on command, fire at one another, and repeat; as unprotected soldiers on both sides of the battle fall dead or injured with every command to fire weapons. It’s kind of horrifying to imagine that this is the way wars were fought even on our native soil. There’s no protection, little hope of escaping a bullet or a a musket ball or a bayonet…and no resolve to the battle except total annihilation of one side or the other, or surrender. Even with some of the horrors we see in modern-day warfare, that “last one standing” type of fighting seems like an almost certain waste of lives!

I see us, as the Body of Christ, allowing our intercessors to march into battle unprotected very often; and we must change our rules of engagement immediately! Spiritual warfare is heating up, and we can’t allow those who are on the front line praying to go without a prayer covering. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “prayer warrior,” may I challenge you today to pray protection over those who are praying for you? Pray with me:

“Father, there are people who have responded to Your call to prayer on another level. These are our intercessors. Surround them with a bloodline of protection–an encircling by the powerful Blood of Jesus–as they stand in the gap for me, for Your church, and for this fallen world. Protect them and their families from disabling attacks by the enemy. Keep them healthy. Keep their minds clear of unnecessary distractions. Help them to be strengthened anew so that they might remain on the front line. When they need to take a furlow from active duty, awaken the desire to pray in other people. I pray today you would refresh them. Bless them. Bind up their wounds and enable them to return to the front line. I pray that you will protect them in every kind of engagement: hand-to-hand combat, ambush, air attacks, ground attacks, guerrilla soldiers, suicide bombers; protect them from betrayal by loved ones. Cause them to remain hidden in Christ, and shielded from every fiery dart of wickedness. Encase them with stealth and camouflage. If the enemy comes at them in one direction, cause the enemy to flee in seven directions! Cause their prayers to have a synergistic effect when combined with the prayers of others. And Father, help me to remember to pray for those who are praying for me! I declare the blessing of Isaiah 58:8 over those who are operating on all levels of intercessory prayer: ‘Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.’ Thank You for those precious people who are hard-core intercessors! May the lamp of prayer never go out in the house of the Lord! In Jesus’ name…”

MAY THIS PRAYER AND OTHERS LIKE IT DISBURSE THROUGHOUT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ALL OVER THE WORLD! RAISE A SHIELD AROUND OUR INTERCESSORS…IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE PRAY FOR OUR PRAYER WARRIORS!

Prayer Against Metastatic Cancer

I feel strongly impressed this morning to pray for those suffering with cancer. The Lord is moving me to pray specifically against metastatic cancer in any form. Nothing strikes fear in the heart of someone already afflicted with this dreadful disease like the word “metastasize.” You may ask, “well, why not just pray against cancer, period?” I can’t answer that question! I keep seeing little fragments floating around in the bloodstream when I pray, and I believe the Lord means for me to pray specifically against cancer which spreads and infects the whole body. Would you bless someone suffering with this disease by sharing this prayer with him or her? Please join with me in declaring health and healing over yourself or a loved one:

“Heavenly Father, we come before You today in the strong, all-powerful name of Jesus on behalf of those whom the enemy would afflict not once, but multiple times through cancer which grows and spreads to other organs and body parts. Father, we declare in agreement that cancer is an intruder not welcome in the body of Your children. For those who have already been diagnosed with cancer, we speak Your Word over that mass and contain it now in the Jesus’ name. We surround that diseased tissue with the sinless blood of Jesus, in which there is no death element. Disease cannot pass that sacred blood barrier. We speak to antibodies and white blood cells to attack and destroy whatever is not native to this body which was created in perfection by God Himself. We declare that cancer CANNOT hide, hibernate, or disguise itself from the blood of Jesus! We speak to our blood and command it to become an inhospitable environment where disease cannot remain. We command our blood to become alkaline to its original normal levels, rather than imbalanced and acidic, because God’s Word says that LIFE is in the blood! We declare that the very breath of God sends oxygen coursing through our bloodstream to nourish healthy cells. Our lymph nodes are not relay stations for cancer to bounce from place to place. We call to the abnormal cells in the body and say, “you must die and not multiply.” We speak a supernatural “Teflon” effect to manifest in the bones, blood, tissue, and organs which makes them impervious to metastasizing cells. Those cells have no choice but to die without finding a host to feed on. They cannot attach, they cannot feed, they cannot multiply, they cannot destroy. We activate by the words of our mouths YOUR WORD into our situation. Your Word is alive, and active, and sharper than a two-edged sword! Take Your two-edged sword deep inside of bodies, souls, and spirits; and, like a scalpel, do surgery to remove what has no right to contradict Your will for our lives! Pierce through what does not belong and root it out, we ask by the authority of Your Word! As we free Your Word to perform this operation, we release to You any attitudes, fears, unforgiveness, or unbelief which might be lurking within us. We reject them now so that disease has no legal ground to operate in our bodies!

We make some Scriptural declarations now and apply them to this situation: Proverbs 26:2 says that the curse without cause shall not come. We bind any activities set in motion through idle, undeserved, or maliciously delivered words in Jesus’ name. Jesus delivered us from the curse of the law according to Galatians 3:13. He became the cursed so that we might be freed from it. The law of the spirit of life IN HIM therefore frees us from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2) We, as children of the Most High, rest in the shadow of His wings. Any attack against us to vex Him will be dealt with by His strong and mighty right hand, because when the enemy attacks God’s children, it is an indirect attack against God Himself! Our Father is a protective and nurturing Father and He will defend us! We claim Nahum 1:9-10 over ourselves, and say that, though the enemy may have stricken once, he gets no further opportunity to afflict a second time. We know that unless we stake a claim with the Word of God, the enemy can run rampant…BUT WE HAVE JUST CALLED HIS HAND! We file a grievance against Satan and his minions now. We declare that GOD’S WORD says that Satan’s devices against us are like tangled thorns, a drunk consumed by his drink, and stubble completely withered. Satan’s devices have no hope of a successful end because we are ENFORCING what God’s Word has already declared on our behalf!

Thank You, Father, not because the demons are subject to us, but because our names are written in Your Book of Life! Yes, LIFE! Thank You, our shield and protector, our Jehovah Rapha Who heals us. Thank You that You have empowered us to call a halt to rogue activity in our bodies. We treat these temples of the Holy Spirit with respect and we steward our gift of health. As You reveal what we need to do to care better for our bodies, we WILL obey Your revelations! We receive Your healing now, and we thank You for withering, tangling, incapacitating, and killing out any disease (known or unbeknownst to us) which may try to afflict Your children. In Jesus’ name, we deactivate cancer’s power to grow and spread. Amen and Amen!”

Catching the Spirit of Prayer

You may not imagine yourself as a great person of prayer. I never did…but prayer just wouldn’t turn loose of me. My heritage of prayer came from my Granny Gladys. She would rise up every morning, way before daylight, and go into the bathroom to pray. The side of the bathtub was her altar. She had an old worn piece of notebook paper tucked into her Bible, which had names on it. Some of the names had long since faded…cried on, anointed with oil. Names were written up and down the sides, on the back, as many as she could cram onto that piece of paper. I can still see her hands…large joints from arthritis and years of hard work, folding that smudged piece of paper and putting it back away for another day. I admired her, knew what she was doing was absolutely right…but I never imagined myself being “her.” I was a free-spirit…the “don’t-hem-me-in” type; and that’s what I thought a devoted prayer life might do to me. I wanted to be on the move!

For me, however, the journey began as a sudden, growing fascination with prayer. I didn’t necessarily pray more at that point, but I couldn’t shake the interest in it as a subject. I began reading about it. I began listening to teachings on it. As I gained an understanding of what prayer really is, and of the powerful exchange which takes place in our intimate time with our Heavenly Father, I began to crave that deeper relationship. It was that craving for what praying people have with God which motivated me to go there.

Much of what I write about in my daily postings and in my blog is prayer. The reason why I talk about it to all of you so much is this: I want others to know what wonderful things are available to the person who draws close to our Father. It’s not a doom-and-gloom, all-serious, no joy, no laughter kind of thing. Not at all. At times, yes, we intercede with great urgency and solemn tone for situations; but real prayer, done daily, brings great peace and joy. It’s not beyond the possibility that you will find occasion to laugh as you share with God. His peace bubbles over in every area of my life. I love laughter, playfulness, humor, happy exchange. I can have that, because the burdens are dealt with in their right place–a private conversation with the One Who has an ability to do something about them. And interestingly, some of the greatest intercessors I know are the free-spirit, love to laugh people. They’re not walking around long-faced, in sackcloth and ashes. I shouldn’t be surprised. My Granny, who dealt with any number of difficulties in her life, always had a smile and a quick wit. You could go to her, thinking you might give her a word of encouragement, and walk way being the one encouraged.

I might add this: the spirit of prayer does fit us all, but it will look different on you than it does on me. My prayer life isn’t exactly like my grandmother’s. The time of day, where I do it, what’s being said, it’s all unique to the person God created me to be. Free-spirit that I still am, it’s more of an ongoing conversation with Him that begins first thing in the morning (and usually not at 5 AM like Granny!) and carries on throughout the day. There’s not an ending amen; instead, for me, it’s more like a “to be continued.” You may be very structured, though; same time, same place, same format may be how you are wired to pray. I say that all to say, don’t look at someone else’s prayer life and despair that yours doesn’t resemble his or hers. It won’t be the same. God wants our heart; and HOW we arrive in the place of prayer isn’t so important as THAT we arrive in the place of prayer. If you’ll simply get used to talking to Him every day, in good times and bad, you won’t associate the prayer closet with misery, weeping, wailing, and dread—where you only go when something is terribly wrong. Prayer is interaction. You’ll talk to Him, yes…but if you’ll hang out with Him and just be still, He will talk to YOU. How’s that? Sometimes prayer is even sitting in silence as you wait for Him!

Don’t be afraid to talk to Him. Don’t fear that a prayer life will smother you and be cumbersome. Don’t fear that becoming a person of prayer will overwhelm you with other people’s problems. You are just a messenger! Take the needs to Your Father…and let Him solve them. You don’t have to fix people’s problems or be able to give them advice. Just be willing to carry them to the Lord. He’ll fix them…and you’ll find yourself longing to talk to Him, not dreading it like some household chore! It’s a gift, and yes, YOU can become a person of prayer!

Eight-Ball Prayers

When I was a little kid, one of the toys which I had (probably a hand-me-down from my cousins, or something that really belonged to Karen or Lee but seemed like it was mine) was an “Eight Ball.” It was this black ball about the size of a grapefruit or bigger, filled with liquid and a die with several sides. The little die would float to the window, and its various sides would have random answers on them—sort of like the one or two-word expressions printed on those crunchy little candy Valentine hearts. So the amusement was to ask a question, shake the ball, and wait for the “answer” to appear in the window. We used to make up silly questions, like, “Will I marry such and such?” and just peal with laughter at the answers.

How often do we go to our Heavenly Father in prayer, asking for something with a preconceived notion of what we want the answer to be? At times, we even “shake the eight ball up,” hoping He’ll give us a different answer from the one we didn’t want. That works with the toy, but it doesn’t work with God.

We see various examples of people in the Bible who asked God for something multiple times, for various reasons. Gideon, a young Manasseh tribesman, placed a fleece before God. He requested a different sign each time, to confirm whether the Lord was truly calling him to be the one to break the stranglehold of idolatry off the Israelites. Paul, wanting to be free of some mystery “thorn in the flesh” malady, repeatedly asked God to remove the thorn, only to get an answer, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” David inquired of the Lord whether he and his men should go to Keilah to fight the Philistines, to which God answered, “Go…I will help you conquer them.” But because the men said they were afraid, David asked a second time; and the answer was still the same. And the result was the same as God had promised!

We all have our reasons for asking again. Perhaps, like Gideon and David, we just don’t want to act in haste. It can be a scary thing to think we’ve missed God. Or like Paul, we may feel frustrated when we keep praying for healing or change, and the problem will not budge. Or, we can even be like an Abraham who, in intercession for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, asked for the Lord’s mercy for the sake of any righteous people living there. And though Abraham kept narrowing down the number of righteous, he was not able to save the cities. God, however, did honor Abraham’s prayers, not by sparing the cities, but by having angels lead Lot and his family out of danger.

You may be in a situation today where you are coming to God with your request again, not because He has failed to answer your previous prayers, but because you are hoping for a different response. It’s not wrong to ask…in fact, we can develop great faith as we travail in prayer and have to endure a season of waiting. It is important, however, to note that God will only answer according to His Word. And, He answers according to our faith. We cannot ask Him for an answer which violates His Word, and expect Him to change what is written. That’s one reason why it’s so important to know what His Word says, and pray that Word back to Him!

John says it like this, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (I John 5:14-15 NIV) There are different types of requests, of course: times when we need the Lord to direct our steps in a certain matter; or times when we see someone careening toward destruction and we pray for God to stay the hand of death so that he or she will not die in a lost state. Keep praying! Keep asking! If the Lord delays an answer, keep your confession of faith. He operates on a timetable that is totally unlike ours. Like the unjust judge who finally grants the widow’s petition, and the sleepy neighbor who finally gets up and answers the man’s request for bread to serve an unexpected guest, the recipient of the blessing is rewarded for shameless persistence. God usually doesn’t drop a movie screen down out of heaven and give us a step-by-step preview of how He’s going to resolve our problems, but we can be sure that if we pray according to His will, He’s got us covered. Ask Him! If it’s a matter of directions, He’ll give them to you. If it’s a matter of wait and trust, that’s what we must learn to do—and above that—to obey! Don’t rush Him, don’t try to help Him work it out YOUR way, just give it to Him and turn loose of the control wheel.

In a situation where God’s answer is something other than what you’re seeking, know this: He is continually working toward the eventual good of His children. There was a reason why He required Paul to trust Him for grace rather than delivering him of the “thorn.” Perhaps Paul could have become exalted or haughty had he not had to rely on God’s continual help…or perhaps the “thorn” helped him to empathize with those who struggle. We don’t know. Still, Paul went on to write a sizeable chunk of the New Testament books, even with the condition that plagued him! God may have you situated right in the eye of the hurricane…not because He’s cruel or doesn’t love you, but because you are there to help someone else come to know Him. There are many countless people won to the Lord by the witness of someone experiencing the same difficulties as they are, but with hope and a testimony.

Learn to differentiate between requests which would be answered through a Rhema word, and those requests which can rely solely on what’s already written. Perhaps you need a “stop, go, wait, turn this way or that way,” kind of answer. He’s pleased when we involve Him in the decision-making of our every day lives; and believe me when I say, if you listen, He will speak! However, sometimes we don’t have to receive a word because we already have HIS Word…written down. A true Rhema will never contradict what God’s written Word has spoken. And, if God’s answer is “no,” honor His final say in the matter. Sometimes what we’re asking for has hidden repercussions…and God knows that! I must confess, there have been times when I didn’t ask His will because I wanted something that, deep down in my heart, I already knew He did not want for me. If we would but learn to trust Him and not lean to our own understanding (and our own foolish pursuits!)…

Lay down your Eight Ball today and just go to the Word for your answers. If your situation requires a messenger, the Lord will place a mature believer in your path to deliver it. Don’t gather an assembly of your peers to “agree” over something which He’s already said no to. If the rightly-divided Word of God, taken in context, says a particular thing about what you’re seeking, you cannot shake it up and get a different answer. Take God’s answer in faith that He has a much greater plan…one that always involves eternity and not just where you are today! He loves you, and there’s nothing random or chance about His plan!

Christmas Joy, Even When You’re Hurting

It’s hard to feel Christmas cheer if you’re still reeling over sickness or the recent loss of a loved one. Sometimes, until we heal, the full holiday effect is just too much for our wounded spirits. If the whole “Christmas experience” is overwhelming to you, try narrowing your celebration down to simple worship of God for the gift of His Son.

True Christmas is all about Him instead of us…it need be nothing more. We make it far too complicated because we center its significance on people, not God. I hear people say all the time, “Christmas is all about the kids.” Well, it isn’t. It’s about Jesus. If it’s not, we’re setting ourselves up for cruel disappointment. Kids will grow up and leave home. Sometimes loved ones die. Divorce happens. A lost job will leave your pockets empty with nothing under the tree–if you can even afford the tree! When the people and things we love leave us or let us down, it crushes our love for the season; but when we focus on Him, however, as rightly we should, other things are smaller and less significant in comparison. Please don’t despair, for paring down your expectations and shifting your priorities can make this season a time of joy again. Your return to sincere worship will not only shut out the noise of the things that cause you pain, but your Heavenly Father actually hovers close to those who praise Him.

We had a significant loss in our family several years ago; a close loved one taken unexpectedly, whose funeral was on Christmas Day. After some very difficult, painful Christmases to follow, we eventually learned that healing came when we narrowed our focus back to Jesus. In His rightful place, He set all things right again.

In most cases, we can’t avoid the other stuff entirely. There will be little kids to buy for, that kind of thing…but if you’re going through a time when the season is just too painful, don’t immerse yourself in the part that drags you down. Don’t sit and listen to sad old songs–and if memories cause you to be depressed, stay away from them until feelings aren’t so raw. Leave the photo albums on the shelf, and don’t get out those keepsake Christmas ornaments which only cause you to cry and feel heavy-hearted. There will come a day again when these things won’t weigh 500 pounds on your shoulders. It’s not sacrilegious if you choose this year not observe the Christmas built on traditions of men! You don’t have to hang lights or put up a tree, or watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” on TV in order to be observing Christmas! Don’t take yourself into the places where you haven’t healed; that’s just a punishment you don’t deserve, especially now. Take a break from that part of this season and just go back to Jesus. There’s no sadness associated with His birth, and that’s where our true celebration begins. Peace will permeate the hurt places in your life.

Make your Christmas all about Him this year (and every year), and other things will take their rightful place in the mix. With Him as the centerpiece of this holy day, you need never hate or dread Christmas again. All the other things which make it a dreadful time for some–shopping nightmares, stress, shortage of money, painful memories–these have nothing to do with Jesus. Stay focused on Him. The pure simplicity of His birth doesn’t require anything more than a grateful heart; so whatever else tries to crowd out your Christmas spirit, push it away from the center of your life and just rest, like the baby in the manger, in the infinite goodness of a God Who was willing to give His very best–for YOU.

Today’s Scripture: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 TNIV

Quietly Comes Our Rescuer

The Lord said to Elijah, “Go, stand in front of me on the mountain, and I will pass by you.” Then a very strong wind blew until it caused the mountains to fall apart and large rocks to break in front of the Lord . But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle sound. 1 Kings 17:11-12 NCV

I wonder how often when, faced with difficult situations, we imagine that God’s method of coming against our circumstances will be to “outdo” the noise of the enemy’s onslaught? Do we have expectations of Him suddenly becoming loud, boisterous, angry, violent, ostentatious as He rises to our rescue? What if we were to miss His visitation by overlooking the quiet, gentle sound that follows all the hoopla?

This particular passage of Scripture is intriguing to me, within and outside of its context. Elijah had hit a spiritual crisis after his Mount Carmel moment. The prophet who’d called down fire from heaven was now running scared from a wicked ruler who vowed to kill him. In his despair, Elijah perceived himself to be the “only one left,” and he expressed his feelings of frustration and utter aloneness to God. God revealed to him Who He is, by revealing to Elijah what He isn’t!

Now, God’s ways are so above our own, I don’t presume to know why He decided to appear to Elijah thus. We know that in some other Bible stories, the Lord did appear in a loud and frightening fashion; and yet, this particular time, His quietness was a stark contrast to the roar of what preceded Him.

All that we ever need to place our trust in is His sheer faithfulness. What He has promised in His Word, He will bring to pass. If we try to predict or even manipulate His method of coming to our rescue, we will go chasing every wild and sensational “noise” around us. How many people out there simply cannot bear not to be in the loop…and they step beyond the boundaries God has set. We see scores of people nowadays flocking to mediums and psychics to give them a “when” and a “how;” and practices which are despicable to a holy God are increasingly gaining popularity on television. Those who seek rogue answers to what He has not yet chosen to reveal operate in the polar opposite of faith: fear. Fear can drive one to the point of rebellion against the only One Who can truly help. We can never sidestep our Creator and get a good result! Knowing our fascination with appearances, the enemy is more than willing to send his deceptions to us in the big, bold, underscored—and most of all, instantaneous— “signs” that we seek. Oh, how we need to clear our heads of our expectations and just WAIT ON THE LORD.

Our Father has granted access, through His Son, for us to approach His throne boldly in our time of need! Even when our feelings are carnal, fearful, flawed, doubtful, or angry, He allows us to pour our hearts out to Him. As we invite Him into our every day lives, and develop relationship with Him through daily interaction, we also establish the deep mutual trust that enables us to communicate honestly with God. It is that regular communication that enlightens us to His nature. That regular communication also teaches us to know that God doesn’t react. He responds. He responds to FAITH.

Don’t forfeit your miracle because it appears to be too simple to be from the Lord! God doesn’t have to prove Himself bigger than our problems, stronger than our enemy. He doesn’t fight noise with more noise. When you are in a bad situation, and the chaos is deafening, you may surmise that He will show up in a big booming voice and command the storm to be still. That’s not the way He does it! When we read of Jesus calming the storm, it doesn’t say that He screamed out, “Peace, be still!” He spoke it. There was no alarm in His voice, no argumentative tone. It wasn’t the WAY He said it; rather, it was WHO said it.

You may be in dire straits today, heart pounding from anxiety. You may be looking at a clock or calendar, a financial statement or a medical report which demands something you can’t give. Your child may have gotten into some trouble that can’t be negotiated away. You may love someone who has fallen into addiction’s cruel trap, and it may make you feel powerless to help. You may even feel like crying out, “God, where ARE You?!!” Stop where you are. Take a deep breath. If tears need to fall, let them fall. He is touched by the feeling of your infirmities! Hebrews 4:15 Says it like this: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” The word for infirmities in the Greek is astheneiais…and it encompasses more than mere physical impairment. It is defined as feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty — disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness. Whatever area of your mind or body contains a frailty, He has it covered because He’s been there, done that! Because Jesus survived the experience without failing His Father, you too have hope. Think of Mary, who, after lamenting her brother Lazarus’ untimely death and Jesus’ absence, counters her emotional outburst with profound faith: “I know, Lord, that EVEN NOW, even after it’s too late in the natural to reverse what has happened, You can raise him from the dead!”

Pray with me: “Heavenly Father, You know all things already, so I stand before you without pretense. You see my dilemma. (Go ahead, be specific with the Lord now about what’s troubling you.) Your Word tells me that You are all-knowing. You also know that when the tempter attacks me in weak areas, the struggle to remain strong is more difficult. I roll my works over onto You now. I surrender my desire to fix what’s wrong by my own might…I already know it’s beyond my ability, but I also surrender that “need” to be in control. No man can pluck out of Your hand what’s been committed to Your care, so I cast my cares in this situation upon You now. I receive Your help. I allow You to lift my shoulder from the burden! I allow You to do what You know needs to be done in order to make right what is wrong. Whatever You require of me, I determine to be obedient. If You say that I must change something about myself, my habits, my associations, my affections, I surrender those to You as well. If You should will to change ME instead of overtly changing my situation, then I ask for Your grace to embrace change, knowing that all things work together for good if I love You and am called according to Your purpose. Thank You for hearing me. Thank You for even those times when You answer in a quiet, unheralded way. Your answer may not be noisy and big and grandiose…but I eagerly await the “Peace, be still,” if You should choose to merely whisper the remedy and bring it to pass! I commit to wait upon You, to trust and to faint not. Whatever You choose to do, please take Your liberty now, in Jesus’ name.”

Prayer: The Science of Moving Impossible Loads

“Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the Earth with it.” — Archimedes, 3rd Century BC, while discussing the mathematical principles of a lever, and how it can simplify a near-impossible task.

A lever is simply a movable bar that pivots on a fulcrum attached to a fixed point. The lever operates by applying forces at different distances from the fulcrum, or a pivot. The Egyptians are thought to have moved the huge stone obelisks for their monuments by the use of levers.

Did you know that you have a spiritual lever? It’s called prayer! Prayer has the ability to move things too heavy to shift in the natural realm. The Apostle Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph 6:18). “All kinds of prayers” is similar to the various placements of the fulcrum (pivoting point) of a lever. Your prayer is the lever. You, the willing servant of God, are the fulcrum. God is the effort, and the enemy is the resistance.

Depending on its pivoting point placement, prayer can accomplish various types of moving that otherwise could not be done. Think of a crowbar trying to pry something loose that’s stuck. That’s a lever with a fulcrum in the middle, and the effort and resistance on opposite sides. Sometimes in prayer, God will put you right in the middle. As you intercede, you may feel pressure on both sides.

A nutcracker is a lever that breaks a shell off by having resistance in the middle, effort on one side, and the fulcrum on the other side. God may get on one side of a situation, have you on the other side, and the two of you put the “squeeze” on a stronghold that needs broken off someone’s life. In times like this, you may not be able to see God because the enemy has your view obstructed, but keep praying. God can apply whatever pressure is needed on the enemy because He has you positioned to be a stable object to push against!

A pair of tweezers is a lever that has the effort in the middle, and the resistance and the fulcrum on opposite sides. There are times when God gets in the middle, with you and the evil one on opposite sides. The grasping motion of the tweezer helps it to pluck up deeply embedded things. In this alignment, you can see God even when you can’t see the enemy…but that’s good! God’s in the middle and because of the right placement, He can use your prayer lever to get a grip on what needs pulled out.

Have I lost you yet? We can narrow it down like this: knowing how to pray the Word accurately can bring alignment on earth with God’s will in heaven.

Through prayer, you team up with God. You willingly become a support for His will to be done. Through prayer, you can pry something loose in the spirit realm. You can break off strongholds. You can pluck something painful out of a life, or even pluck some ONE out of a dangerous situation, all through prayer. If we pray according to God’s Word, God can even use the “resistance” to work to His advantage!

As you go into this day, ask God to make you a willing “fulcrum” to accomplish His will on earth. You may not always understand the method behind His placement of you in a particular situation, but that’s ok. Remain fixed. If you’re obedient, you can stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

Scientific Fact Source: Wikipedia.com