God's Glory - Reflected In His Goodness!

2 Chron 5:13-14

13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
NKJV

My Comments:

We're living in a time that gets faster with every day that passes us by. I strongly believe, looking at recent events that we're in the End Times, and that we're pressing in closer to the day that Jesus will come back. 

The Bible says that Christ gave Himself for the Church, that He might present her to Himself as a Glorious Church (Ephesians 5:27). Just before He comes back, we're going to see an outburst of the manifestation of the Glory of God on the face of this earth. 

When He comes down in His Glory and His power, we'll see things happen like never before. Everything written about in the Bible; all the healings, miracles, signs and wonders; are just the warm-up to what we'll see. Even what the Church has experienced from 0 A.D to 2013 AD is nothing compared to what will take place. It's not time to look back at the past, it's time to look forward to the full manifestation of His glory!

God promised us that the earth would be filled with the knowledge of His Glory, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14)

Note in the above text that the Glory of the Lord came, after Israel stood together as one and praised Him, saying; "For He is good, for His mercy endures forever". This is significant as we can see that God's Glory will always be reflected in His goodness!

Even in Exodus, God revealed His nature as that being good; not only that, He tied His very nature of being good to His Glory! Consider the following:

Exodus 33:18-20

18 And he (Moses) said, "Please, show me Your glory."

19 Then He (God) said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

When Moses asked the Lord to show His glory, God immediately responded by saying that All His goodness will pass before Moses!

Note also in the next chapter,

Exodus 34:5-6

5 Now the LORD descended in the cloud (the Glory) and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

When the Glory of God hits this earth, we're gonna see more than just the signs and wonders, There will be an abundance of His Goodness being poured out on the earth!

When that happens, We'll declare like Israel:

"For He is good,

For His mercy endures forever,"

Prayer Habits #2

The awesome part about God is this: you may have prepared something but He can turn it around to fit His Plan, His Purpose. I actually prepared to share on another few habits I practice with regards to developing a strong prayer life, but He turned last night's prayer meeting into a Spirit-Led prayer meeting...how awesome is that :)

In any case, I thought I'd publish my notes so as to keep updating like I promised on my habits concerning prayer, so here's the next set of habits I have regarding my prayer life!

It's in point form again, easier reading! :)

Some of it may have more scripture references, I strongly encourage you to just read them, meditate on them, chew on them until you get the revelation of it.

Habit #4: Treat and rely on the Word of God as your fuel for prayer

1 John 5:14-15

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

- God's Word stands eternal -> it's forever established (Ps 119:89)

- He's always ready to perform according to His Word (Jer 1:12)

- God's Word is the same as His Will

- Praying using the Word isn't like you just skim over it in passing and just speak it out, hoping that something will happen. You have to go deep into it, meditate on it

- It's like petrol that keeps the car going. Too many times we start praying enthusiastically, but we run short of what we wanted to pray about.

- You find that when you just pray whatever comes to your head, you start to wonder whether you have that prayer answered. If you prayed using God's Word, you know you have something to base your faith on, because the Word is eternally there

- Reinhard Bonnke's revelation from God: God's Word in our mouths is exactly the same as God's Word in His mouth

- The Word was spoken (by God) that it could be written; and it was written so that it can be spoken: by us!

- Kenneth E. Hagin: when his daughter had a growth in her eye at an early age, all he did was spend time meditating on the Word for a few days before he spoke to that growth, commanding it to leave.

- Get the Word on the inside, and you'll find that it gives you the staying power to hold fast to what you prayed

- Kenneth E. Hagin: Find a scripture that covers whatever it is that you're believing God for. Meditate on it, then use it as your fuel to keep you going on.

Habit #5: When you pray using God's Word, mix faith with your prayer, believing that what you prayed using the Word works!

Heb 4:2

For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them,not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

- Just because you pray/speak the Word does not mean you don't need faith!

- You need faith for everything (Heb 11:6) "But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God)..."

- When you pray using the Word of God as your basis, believe that you have it! (Matt 21:22) Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive

- Don't doubt that the Word works, believe it! (Ja 1:6-8) 

James 1:6-8

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Strengthening Yourself - With A Song

1 Sam 30:6

6 David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
AMP

My Comments:

We all go through storms at some point in our lives. We can see that King David of Israel certainly did in the above passage. While they were out, a group of people called the Amalekites invaded where the city where they stayed and took all their families captive. When David and his men came back, David saw that the people intended to stone him, and the Bible says that he was "greatly distressed"

Notice however what he did. It is written "But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God." Thank God that for every adverse situation we have in our lives, we can always rely on a 'But' to see how to go!

It is understood that David would have strengthened himself and encouraged himself through singing out psalms about the goodness of God and how God has continually been with him and for him. By doing this, he strengthened himself to the point that he could be able to rise up and reverse that adverse situation.

Likewise we also can do the same when we have situations that seem to rise up against us. Notice what Paul encouraged the church in Ephesus:

Eph 5:18-19

18 ...but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

In the Greek, the phrase "be filled" implies a sense of being continually filled again and again, not so much of having been filled once. Paul encouraged the church to always be "being" filled with the Spirit, by speaking to each other in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. 

If David could strengthen himself in the Old Testament through singing out psalms about the goodness of God, how much more should we, being in the New Testament be able to strengthen ourselves through giving out psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that are inspired by the Holy Spirit!

Whenever I face a situation that seems to be heading down south, I always look to the Greater One who lives inside of me. I trust Him for a song that I can sing, a poem that I can give out that can strengthen myself!

I'll close with a psalm, or a poem that the Lord gave me a few days ago. I gave it the title of "Praise" as it strengthened me in the knowledge of how praise that is inspired of God and directed to God brings us the victory!

Praise

Praising Him in the morning

Praising Him in the night

Praising Him everyday

As we live in His sight

To be strong in Him

And in the power of His might

To dwell in His glory

And to walk in His Light

We will watch and see

As our enemy is put to flight!

Prayer Habits

In our weekly Tuesday prayer meeting, I had intended to share some habits I have regarding prayer and being led by the Spirit in prayer. However, we were led into praying for some things and I wasn't able to share everything I had.

Here's some of it, there's more coming.... eventually! Might as well avoid giving spiritual indigestion if I can help it! :P

It may be pretty basic, but I like what Charles Cowan, a pastor had to say:

"The secret of a strong faith is hidden in my daily routine"

Likewise, as I practiced these habits that I have, I found that my prayer life improved, tremendously

It's in point form, as if I wrote it out in blog form... it'll be like an essay :P

Habit #1: Keep a prayer notebook

Hab 2:2
Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.

- It helps you keep track of things you were led to pray out through the Spirit
- When you see things come to pass that you prayed about, you have a physical reminder that you prayed about it. It gives you the reassurance and confidence that you're hearing accurately from God
- If you know that you prayed things out that are yet to come to pass, you can remind yourself of what you prayed and remind steadfast and immovable on the promise that what you prayed WILL come to pass
- By observing the things you were led to pray about, you may find a specific pattern that God directs you in praying like you continually praying for the Church, Israel, businesses, etc

Habit #2: Expect to hear from God

John 10:2-3
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his (God's) voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

- Prayer isn't just a monologue (you just rattling out words and talking non-stop to God), it's a dialogue!
- Having a notebook ready at your side is an indicator that you're expecting to hear from God, and that you're ready to write down whatever it is that you get from Him

Habit #3: When praying in other tongues, always keep your faith active for the interpretation

1 Cor 14:13-16
13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

- Paul wrote to the church in Corinth encouraging them to believe and trust God for the interpretation to what  they prayed in tongues
- This is different from 1 Cor 12:10 in its function. 1 Cor 12:10 refers to a specific manifestation or operation of the Spirit for that particular moment. We see this from time to time in our prayer meetings. I can't turn this on  or off at my own will, it is as He wills!
- However, when I talk to God and I pray in other tongues, I can ask Him for the interpretation to what I prayed  out in tongues. It may come at that moment, it may come later, but I can trust that I will get the  interpretation to what I prayed out.

The above three habits can be best seen in the life of John G. Lake, possibly one of the greatest healing evangelists ever seen in the early 1900's. Quoting him directly as below:

I want to talk with the utmost frankness, and say to you that tongues have been to me the making of my ministry. It is that peculiar communication with God when God reveals to my soul the truth that I utter to you day by day in my ministry.

But that time of communication with me is mostly in the night. Many a time I climb out of bed, take my pencil and pad [Habit #1] and jot down the beautiful things of God, the wonderful things of God, that He talks out in my spirit and reveals to my heart. [Habit #2, Habit #3]

Prophecy: Mark Brazee

For the past three weeks, I've been stirred in my heart to pray about the Glory of God and that we're believing that His Glory will hit not only our church but the Church as a whole. I shared this in our weekly church prayer and just recently I was blessed to hear a prophecy given out by Mark Brazee from World Outreach Church Tulsa. 

In as much as it may have been meant for the church in Tulsa, and that city and that nation; I'm believing God that it'll happen over here as well! Too often times we write our own nation off as being beyond hope due to circumstances; whether politically or spiritually.

I trust that this would be a blessing. I wish to add that this was a combination of both prophecy, and tongues with the interpretation. I've highlighted the various manifestations in bold italic to make it easier to separate the parts.

Prophecy:

We're so close to the rain. We're so close. There's a sound of abundance of rain. Man you can almost close your eyes and hear the wind off in the distance, thunders of the Holy Ghost, lightnings of God flash. There's something out there, it's not that far off. Years ago it was like a bright cloud on the horizon now it's like at the door. And it's not just here but it's got to be here.

We've got tens of thousand of laborers in this city that are saying “God here am I just send me somewhere I’ll go anywhere just let me know where to go”. Well no use running until you got the right message. No use running. Jesus said tarry in Jerusalem until you're endued with power from on high. He said you got the message now go and get the power to go and preach the message with power. I believe that’s why a lot haven't been launched so far in this city because there's another step to take.

What's that, Rain.

Isn't it interesting how rain can fall and it can act like fire. Hallelujah. Light you on fire and send you to the nations. Hallelujah. And when it falls doors will open. When it falls finances will come. When it falls invitations will show up. When it falls people will suddenly know where to go.  When it falls people will begin to see themselves in other nations and they'll pack their bags and leave and never come back. When it falls people are gonna know where to go. When it falls they're gonna hear voices from foreign languages and they're gonna know “that's where I need to go”. When the glory falls. When the rain falls. It's gonna change everything. What was impossible without will be probable with. Hallelujah. Glory to God

Tongues

So lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset you. Set aside things that are holding you back. Set aside things that will get in your way when the call comes to go here, to go there. Prepare yourself and get ready to go for the cry of the harvest is coming forth and you'll find the pull of the Spirit of God will come upon you to take you places, to send you places, or to help send others to places.

Things are gonna change. There shall come drastic changes in the not too distant future. Things will change in the natural, things will change in the spiritual. And many will find themselves saying “This is what I was born for. This is what I dreamed of. This is what I was born to do. This is what I've looked for all my life".

Tongues

Well don't think “Oh The Lord couldn't use me, I made so many mistakes”. The past is gone and must be forgotten. Rise up out of the dust. Rise up out of the ashes. Rise up out of self condemnation. And realize, you're a member of the Body of Christ and you can be used by God.

And prepare yourself for what He has prepared for you, prepare yourself in the word and prepare yourself in prayer. For there must and there shall come a move of prayer.  No, not only to this nation but to this city there shall come a move of prayer. And the day will come that it will shock many. It will shock many even from other locations to see what the Spirit of God will do in this city.

Many have said they've written this place off. Many have even said it will never happen there. Many have said “Ah I'm glad to be out of there, last one out turn off the lights, ah I'm so glad to be gone”. But those that are in the know, those that are willing to go. The Spirit of God will draw men, light them up, launch them out. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Well, lets thank Him

Prophecy

And the rain shall fall. It will fall like a trickle but it will turn into a flood. It will rain. Flooding cities. Even flooding states. The rain of the Spirit of God will fall. But it will manifest in the supernatural. For yes the supernatural shall begin to rise, the tide shall rise up.

And the things you've heard of. The things you've dreamed of. The things you've petitioned the Father for. Things you've only read about in books and said oh to be alive in those days. No don't look to the past but look to the future because that was the warmup for the end.

And the things that have been done before shall be done again. There'll be diseases that some can’t even spell and they'll be healed on the spot, there'll be bodies that'll be made right. There'll be body parts that will be replaced. There will be those that will begin to see that they've never seen in their lives. Eyes will be formed where there were no eyes. Even limbs will grow where there were never any limbs. There are those that have lost parts because of cancerous attacks and it will come back not over a period of months but even over a period of hours.

And there will come times that reports will come forth and it will even be verified and documented even the dead shall be raised in this nation. And everything you've heard of in that nation, it will all come to pass and it shall be done in this nation.

There'll come a mighty harvest, a mighty rain, a mighty harvest. And churches will plant churches. And they'll plant churches. And they'll plant churches. And they'll plant churches. And churches will begin to spring up. And leadership will be raised up supernaturally fast in new churches. Leadership shall be rapidly maturing to the point to be able to go plant a work. And it will get to the place that some will say I don't know I can't find a city anywhere I can't even find a small village that doesn't have a Holy Ghost church in it somewhere. And they'll sweep the nation, and then touch the world. Hallelujah. Lord we thank you for it. Glory to God

If You Don't Have Faith, Find Friends Who Do!

Mark 2:3-5, 10-11

3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their [the four men] faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic,
11 "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
NKJV

James 5:16

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
NKJV

My Comments:

The entire passage of Mark 2:1-12 gives the account of how Jesus was teaching in, and how it was so crowded that there was literally no more space to fit anyone else. Four men came carrying a paralytic and couldn't get to Him, so what they did was climb to the roof, still carrying the paralytic; broke through the roof, and lowered him down to where Jesus was.

It says in verse 5 that Jesus saw their faith. There is no mention of the paralytic having faith at all, and by reading through the passage, we could assume that it was through the faith of the four men that he was healed.

There will always be a point in life where you find that you just don't have the faith that you can be healed; or that your breakthrough is on the way. When that happens, you're paralyzed metaphorically. In times like that, when you find that no matter how hard you try, you just can't bring yourself to exercise your faith in God that He'll see you through, find friends who can help you with their faith!

Notice what the four men did:

1. "They uncovered the roof."

For them to uncover it they obviously had to climb up to the roof to start with. And consider the possibility that they brought the paralytic with them up the roof. That takes dedication!

2. "They had broken through."

In those days, the roof would most likely have been a thatch roof, a tight layer of dead stems, straw and dried roots. It may be assumed that such a roof would have been easy to break through, except that the Greek word for "broken" is the word "exorusso" of which the root word "orusso" means to dig or to burrow into the ground. By this, we could assume that the four men took time and effort to dig through the roof!

3. "They let down the bed"

In Greek, the impression of letting down the bed is compared as to lowering oneself into a gulf or into a void. It gives the idea of being lowered very carefully. Applying that comparison to the above, it could be said that the four men lowered the bed down very carefully. They had a choice of just dropping the paralytic down, he's already paralyzed to begin with, how much worse could it get?

By the three actions of the four men, we can see that they had a lot of faith that the paralytic could be healed, hence the emphasis on how Jesus saw their faith!

James strengthens this in his letter to the Church, where he encourage the believers to "Pray for one another, that you may be healed" and concluded that sentence by declaring that the "prayer of a righteous man avails much" or it makes "tremendous power available, dynamic in its working" in the Amplified Translation.

So if you find yourself at the end of the rope, unable to hold on and you see yourself paralyzed in your faith, find friends who can stand alongside you, add their faith to what you don't have, and see your healing come to pass!

Healing And Deliverance When You Call!

Ps 107:19-21

19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
NKJV

My Comments:

We know in this passage of Scripture that one of the methods of Divine Healing that we can find in the Bible is through God sending His Word and healing us. We also know that He delivers us from all things that are not of Him.

However, note that Psalm 107:19 says that they (being the Israelites) cried out to Him, and He healed them in response to their cry! I propose that if they did not cry out to God, He may not have responded to their requests.

This can be seen throughout the Old Testament, where God moved in response to the cries of the Israelites. When they went through hardship in Egypt, it says that God heard their cries; remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and sent Moses to them (Exodus 2:23-25). Even when they sinned against God throughout the time of the Judges and they were attacked by their enemies, He raised up people who led them in response to their cries (Judges 2:18)

Likewise, in the New Testament, we see how Jesus taught His disciples, and us that we can have what we say (Mark 11:23). And that whatever we ask in prayer; if we believe, we will receive (Matthew 21:22). If we do not come to God and call on Him in times of trouble, we should not be expecting any answer to our problems!

After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended on high, we see that the principle of asking and receiving is still in effect even in the Church of Acts and beyond. James wrote to the Church, rebuking them that "You do not have, because you do not ask". All the way down through Church history up till today, we can see that God is a prayer answering God, but we have to pray first!

So just call out to God, knowing that when you call on Him, He will answer, and heal you!

Don't Just Wait For An Elder - Pray!

James 5:14-15

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
NKJV

My Comments:

James wrote that when a person is sick, he should call for the church elders and have them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of Jesus, and that he would be well as a result of such a prayer.

As much as it's written in the Bible, people have turned it into a church tradition where they say that only the church elders should come and pray for the person who has been struck with sickness. As such, there are cases where people have died as a result of their sickness before the elder could reach them.

Notice however that James writes in v15 "The prayer of faith will save the sick." I want to state my belief that we don't necessarily need to have the church elders come to pray for the sick. Going on the principle of Mark 11:22-24 where Jesus taught His disciples on having faith in God, I believe that God is no respecter of persons in regards to believing Him for Divine Healing.

Jesus also said that "Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matt 21:22). Therefore all it takes is you having faith in God's ability to heal you; that would encourage you to be able to pray that prayer of faith for yourself even in the midst of your sickness!

Call On His Name And Be Saved!

Rom 10:13

13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
NKJV

My Comments:

Paul, in writing to the Church in Rome; made this simple but strong statement that "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." To God, there is no difference between a Jew and a Gentile who stands before Him in prayer. In simple terms, He does not play favorites!

In fact, the root word for the word 'whoever' is the word 'pas'. One of its meanings is simply 'whoever'! It's that simple, that 'whoever' means 'whoever'! If a Jew calls on the Name of Jesus, they'll be saved! If we call on His Name, we'll be saved!

If you're struggling in a situation that you just can't seem to break out of, just call on the Name of Jesus and see that situation turn itself around!

On another point, the root word for 'saved' is the Greek word 'sozo' which means the following: to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):  heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.

As much as it applies to the salvation of the person's soul, have you noticed that most of its meanings have something to do with recovery of  your health? By just taking that verse as it is, you can call on the Name of the Lord if you're sick, and know that He's working on your behalf to cause you to recover from whatever health issue you're suffering from!

The topic of prayer is extensive, and it can lead into a discussion on the subject of Divine Healing and what God has so graciously provided for us in His Word regarding it. I intend to share within the next few posts on what Divine Healing is, some wrong beliefs concerning it, but most importantly; how we can believe God for Divine Healing in our bodies based on His Word.

Counting On His Goodness!

Num 23:19

19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
NKJV

2 Tim 2:13

13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
NKJV

My Comments:

The context of Numbers 22 tells the story on how King Balak of Moab; a heathen king, hires a soothsayer Balaam to curse the children of Israel, to prevent them from entering and slaughtering him and his people. Balaam attempts to do so, but ends up blessing them instead of cursing them.

However, in the midst of his prophesying, he (being Balaam) gives four descriptions of the nature of God in Numbers 23:19 that are extremely important to how we see Him in our coming to Him in prayer:

1. He does not lie.

The definition of a lie is to intentionally make a false statement that you yourself know is not true, with the intention of deceiving the person listening. God's nature is that of Truth. He will not go against His nature to deceive anybody with the objective of getting that person's heart in worship towards Him.

2. He does not repent.

The phrase 'to repent' could be rephrased as 'to change one's mind'. Thank God that He doesn't change His mind! If He did, we'd all be in serious trouble! What He decides on or purposes to do, He won't change His mind regarding it. If He decided to bless you, He won't change His mind on a whim and retract that blessing from you!

3. He does what He says.

When God says He will do something, you can count on His nature that He will do what He said He will do. The phrase 'Your word is your bond' applies to Him, because by doing so, He knows that we can have confidence in Him; that He will answer our prayers, and not just leave us hanging on a thread, wondering whether He'll do what He said.

4. What He says and does is always good.

This is basic theology that we must recognize if we want to have confidence in our Father; that what He says and does is always good. That He loves us and wants only the best for us. He is not the One who sends sickness, disease and natural disasters our way as an act of love! Jesus said that even as earthly fathers knew how to give good things to their children, how much more their Heavenly Father is able and willing to do so! [Matt 7:11, Luke 11:13]

How this applies to our prayer lives:

When you consider the above points, you have boldness to go to your Father for your requests, knowing that He won't lie to you, or that He'll change His mind. If He said He'll do it, you can stand on that promise knowing that it's already done! In fact, there are many promises in the Bible relating to whatever situation you find yourself in, whether it be related to finances, relationships, health, etc!

Not only that, He'll do what He said He'll do in His Word, and you know that it'll always be good! He won't send sicknesses, poverty or any other thing your way because what He does is always good! So just be bold to go before Him in prayer, knowing that your Father's always good!

Plug Back Into God's Power Source!

1 Cor 14:2-4

2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
NKJV

Jude 20

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
NKJV

My Comments:

The root word for 'edify' and 'build' is the word 'oikodomeo', which has the direct translation of being a 'house-builder' or to 'build a house'. In a sense, we could say that when we pray in other tongues, we're building a house for God to inhabit.

James described the tongue as beyond the ability of man to tame (James 2:8). But when we yield our tongue to God and just start to pray in other tongues, we surrender that 'unruly evil' to Him for Him to speak through us, to build our lives into something that He can work through! 

On the other hand, linguists have theorized that in modern speech, a better way of explaining the word edify would be to compare it as to 'charging a battery'. It's like you being on a cellphone with somebody and the battery's just about out. Unless you can find a power source and a charger, you'll run flat! But when you find both the charger and the power source; and you plug your cell-phone into the charger, it's a matter of time before you're able to start talking again! God is the power source, and you charge yourself up by praying in other tongues!

Likewise, in our own prayer lives, we can only talk to God so much before we run flat. When times like that happens, just open your mouth, yield your tongue to God and start to pray in that tongue you have! You'll start to charge yourself up again until you're full and ready to run!

All You Have To Do Is Just Ask!

Matt 7:7-11
 
7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
NKJV 

Matt 21:22

22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
NKJV

Mark 11:24

24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
NKJV

My Comments:

Most of the time I find we like to really complicate our own prayer lives when it comes to believing God for answers. We tend to come up with a long prayer, hoping we can somehow impress God into answering our prayers because we made it sound nice.

In God's eyes, it's really simple; just ASK Him! Speaking to His disciples, Jesus gave them (and us!) the assurance in Matt 7:11 that their Heavenly Father was much better than their earthly fathers, that even as earthly fathers knew how to give good things to their children, how much more God, being our Father in Heaven, is able to give good things to us when we ask Him!

So the next time you pray, just make it simple, and ask God as though you were asking your father for something. He is much more than your father, because He will give it!

Praying When You're Dry & Thirsty

Isa 44:3

3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring;
NKJV

Hos 6:3

3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.
NKJV

Zech 10:1

1 Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone.
NKJV

John 7:37-38

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
NKJV

My Comments:

There will be times when you find that your times of prayer and communing with God to be dry. It's like you're in a desert and you feel as though you're all dried up. I've been there. I've been through times where I found that I didn't want to pray at all, that it seemed to be the most trying time to just sit down and pray.

It's times like this that I'll start going back to the Word where God promised that He'll pour out His Spirit like the rain. Isaiah 44:3 is one such promise, where God said that if you're dry and thirsty, you more than qualify for an outpouring of the Spirit on your life!

All God said to do was just ask Him for rain, and He'll answer that request! He's more than faithful to pour His Spirit out on you afresh, and to fill you again with that joy you had in talking to Him! Jesus Himself promised that if you're thirsty, just come to Him, and He'll cause rivers of living water to flow right out of you!

So if you're thirsty, just cry out to God to pour His Spirit upon you again!

When You Pray, Look Up!

Ps 5:3

3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.
NKJV

Luke 21:28

28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
NKJV

Heb 12:2

2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
NKJV

My Comments:

When praying, as conscious as I am of my position in Christ and that I'm seated with Him and in Him; I also make it a point to know exactly where and who I'm looking at to provide the answer to what I'm asking.

Consider this, that Jesus is already seated at the right hand of the Father; and that He is above everything that has a name. What this means is that whatever problem we may be facing, it's under Him. So rather than look around at the problems, look up! Look to Him, who is the source of everything good, and who never changes!

Your answer is in Him! So just lift up your heads and rejoice because your answer is right there!

Pray From Above!

Eph 1:20-23

20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
NKJV

Eph 2:5-6

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
NKJV

My Comments:

Philip Halverson, a man used by God in prayer, said once "You never pray from earth, you pray from Heaven."

In the light of the New Testament, Paul wrote concerning the Church that it was already seated IN the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Not that it was going to be seated some day, but that it has been seated there, right now!

What this meant to me was that as far as God was concerned, the moment I believed and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, I was raised up and seated together with Jesus at the right hand of God!

When you know that you're already seated there, you would know that because all things are under His feet, therefore all things are under your feet too, because you're part of His Body!

In the light of what Brother Halverson said, when you pray from Heaven, you know that you already have the answer, and that the victory is already there! Praying from earth, all you can see is the circumstances surrounding you, and the uncountable number of problems you face but when you pray from Heaven, you're above them all!

In prayer then, when you pray, always pray with the understanding that you're already an overcomer! That you're already above everything that has a name, because you're in Him! Sin, Sickness, Poverty are all under His feet, therefore they're under your feet! Pray from Heaven and not from Earth!

Praying for Divine Utterance

Eph 6:19-20

19 [praying (v18)] and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
NKJV

Isa 50:4

4 "The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.
NKJV

1 Sam 3:19-4:1

19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD.
21 Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
NKJV

My Comments:

I generally use the verses above to stand on with regards to praying for my pastor; or for whoever the minister taking the pulpit is; in whatever church service I'm in at that moment. No matter who it is, they need words that are inspired of God; for that's the kind that will be able to minister to the people as a whole, break bondages, and set people free! (Luke 4:18-19)

There are three things I stand on with regards to the preacher in the preparation of his/her sermons:

1. That God would give him Divine Utterance; that he can boldly give out whatever is on his heart to preach. (Eph 6:19-20)
2. That he would always have a word in due season for the people hearing the Word being preached. (Isa 50:4)
3. That none of the words spoken would fall to the ground; or be empty words per se; but full of life. (1 Sa 3:19-4:1)

But at the same time, I can also boldly stand on those verses for myself! Because I know that I also need the above in my own life too! There's a world out there who may or may not step into the doors of a church, but they can still be impacted by the words that we speak! So it is a two-fold application when we stand on the Word for utterance; both for the ministers of God, and for ourselves!

Being Led By The Spirit in Prayer

Eph 6:18

18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).
AMP

Rom 8:26

26 So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
AMP

1 Cor 14:13-15

13 Therefore, the person who speaks in an [unknown] tongue should pray [for the power] to interpret and explain what he says.
14 For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive [it bears no fruit and helps nobody].
15 Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind and understanding also.
AMP

My Comments:

One of the major keys to Spirit-led prayer is just simply this: to be led by the Spirit! In writing to the Church at Ephesus (Eph 6:18), Paul exhorts them to pray at all times with 'all prayer and supplication' in the Spirit (NKJV).

The root word for 'all' is the word 'pas' which means the following: '-all manner of, as many as, every one, every way'. In essence, he was encouraging them to pray with every single type of prayer! We know that we have the prayer of faith, intercession, binding and loosing, and many other types, but the main question we should be asking is this, How do we know what to pray and at what time?

When you are led by the Spirit in prayer, you will know that what you pray is that which is needed for that particular time. As a minister once put it, "The best kind of prayer is the one that is needed at that moment".

When we're not led by the Spirit in prayer, this is what we'd probably be doing. We'd be rebuking the Devil when instead we should be praising God; or we'd be praying in tongues when we should be talking to that mountain that we're facing. It'll be the wrong kind of prayer at the wrong time!

I'm not against praying in tongues, but I've noticed that there are times when I was praying in tongues about a particular situation, and something kept poking me on the inside telling me to go another way, to command that situation to line itself up with what God's Word says in English.

Not every kind of prayer involves you praying in other tongues, although it does help you keep your spirit sensitive to what God says, and the direction you should go. I've noticed that I've prayed in tongues, then subsequently went on to praying out the interpretation of that tongue, which came right out of my spirit; then I went back into tongues, then English; and so forth. I saw another situation turn out just the way I prayed it out in English.

When we are led by the Spirit, we will know that we pray is what is needed at that time. Being led by the Spirit will always lead to the right prayer, which at the right time will almost always produce the right results!

Prayer That Comes Straight From The Heart

Rom 8:26-27

26 So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
27 And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.
AMP

John 7:38

38 He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.
AMP

Luke 6:45

45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
NKJV

My Comments:

Another area I want to share my experience on regarding Spirit-led prayer is on the area of just praying out of whatever you have in your heart, not your head.

One thing I've found about praying out of my head is this: that I tend to run out of things to pray about. And the irritating part is that I know that I'm not done praying yet; that there are some things that have to be prayed out, but because I'm using my head to pray, there's a limitation on what I can pray about with my understanding.

But, when I wait on God and check my heart; I find that there's so many more things to pray about that comes straight from my heart! Prayer that comes from the heart is just like those rivers of living waters that comes straight from the man's innermost being. In its context (John 7:38), Jesus was referring to the Promise that was given on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). But prayer works the same way!

Have you noticed that Jesus placed more emphasis on what came out of the man's heart in the Gospels? Prayer that comes from the heart is something that can't be conjured up because where men can feign holiness and come up with prayers that sound spiritual and faith-filled; what comes out of their heart shows exactly where they stand, and exactly what is in their heart.

Paul writes about how God searches the hearts of men when they pray. And that when we don't know how to pray with our natural human understanding, just trust the Holy Spirit who resides on the inside of us to help us to pray! Let that river come out from the inside of you and just let it flow!

Being A Waiter, Armed And Ready!

Isa 40:31

31 But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
NKJV

Hab 2:1-2

1 I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.
2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.
NKJV

My Comments:

Some people seem to think that 'waiting on the Lord' involves just sitting there, emptied of mind, and just hoping for God to talk to them. It's like a Que Sera Sera moment where they go "If the Lord will talk to me, He'll talk; If He doesn't, He doesn't"

Have you ever observed how waiters wait on people in the restaurants? You won't find them just lazing around, being slothful and sloppy in taking their orders. You'll find them literally standing at attention; notepad and pencil at the ready, prepared to hear and write down the orders of the diners before acting on those orders. You can almost feel the expectancy in the air.

Habakkuk is a biblical example of a waiter who waits on God. He waits for the Word that comes from God, and he writes it down, that it can be read by others who would then run with it. It's almost like he has the expectancy that "I'm going to hear from God, and I'm waiting for it. He will speak to me!"

In my own prayer life, I'm still learning to develop that same kind of attitude towards the things of God. At whatever time, I always make sure that I have at least a pencil and a paper to jot down things I get from my time in prayer.

I've noticed that in Spirit-led prayer, there's a certain pattern to what I'm led to pray for. I recommend that if you are serious about developing your own individual prayer lives, get a journal to write down things that you get from God in your times of prayer.

Over time, you'll start to take note of certain trends or patterns that God leads you to pray for. As an example, some people may be led to pray for the Church as a whole, or for certain nations, or certain ministries in the local church; anything!

It is amazing when you find yourself praying things out through the Spirit, and writing it down. And you find yourself enjoying those times of waiting on Him, that constant renewing of your spirit. And when you see what you prayed about come to pass; you're just in awe of what God's doing!

Just Give Him ALL Your Worries!

1 Peter 5:7

7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
AMP

My Comments:

In my own prayer life, another thing I found important was the act of just giving God all my worries, care and concerns; and simply refusing to take that burden up again.

In the Greek, the word 'casting' is the word 'epiripsantes' which consists of two root words, the word 'epi' and 'rhipto'. The word 'rhipto' is used to give the idea of flinging (or quickly tossing) the object. The Greek word 'epi'; when used after verbs expressing motion, indicates rest following the motion.

By putting both 'epi' and 'rhipto' together, we could look at the word 'casting' at a different angle; that being to quickly toss the care and resting after having tossed it. Some Greek scholars have said that the word 'casting' is written in the aorist participle, which denotes an act that is once and for all.

The word 'all' is the word 'pasan' which has several meanings, including 'thoroughly' and 'as many as'. If we look at the first half of 1 Peter 5:7, we could re-read it as 'quickly tossing as many cares as you have thoroughly and resting after tossing them, refusing to take them back'

Peter, in writing to the Church, emphasized that they should cast all their care upon the One who is more than able to take up their burdens. By virtue of reading it in the Greek, it gives the understanding that the moment you find yourself saddled with a worry or a care, be quick to toss it to God!

The phrase 'cares for' in the second half of 1 Peter 5:7 are two words, 'melei' and 'peri' respectively. The root word of 'melei' is the word 'melo', which means 'to be of interest to' or 'it matters to'; and the root word of 'peri' is 'peran', which could mean 'beyond, over, or farther' We could therefore look at the phrase 'for He cares for you' as 'because you matter to Him beyond all things'

Therefore, if we re-read 1 Peter 5:7 as a whole, it would read this way: 'quickly tossing as many cares as you have thoroughly and resting after tossing them, refusing to take them back because you matter to Him beyond all things'

Isn't that a joy, to know that we matter to God beyond all other things; that even when we have a worry, we quickly toss it to Him, and we won't take it back because we know that above all things, we matter to Him!