DISCIPLINE#3 OF 12 - PRAYER

 THE BMIC BLAST: JANUARY 2025

"THINK" SERIES: PART 4 - "BRING IT IN"

"Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5)

I can tell you what's not in captivity, it is this one - we could be in the middle of the most uplifting conversation, bible passage, morning devotions, and/or prayer, and the most vile thought will appear out of nowhere. This kind of spiritual ambush is nothing new. Great men of the Faith, like the late giant of a preacher Dr. Charles Stanley and Swindoll, have both mentioned being invaded by the troll from the dark side, while we are in the most secret place with our Heavenly Father.

(There is encouraging news. What I have discovered, in my almost four-decade-long walk with King Jesus is this - the more I press into my daily exercise of prayer, praying the Scriptures and walking with Him, the less those evil thoughts are allowed to come across.  I think this happens to everyone who is maturing in the Faith, as we saturate every fiber of our being with His Word.)

So, how about this one? You may be reading an online newspaper and an image for a new diet smoothie comes across the computer screen. You are concentrating on the devastation caused by California fires, but your eyes are pulled astray and you recall some preacher in the past saying "The first look is free, but the second one is a sin". Forget the joke about some guys taking a longer first look so they don't think they are committing a sin. That too is a sin.  How about this other one - "you can't stop a bird from flying overhead and depositing something on your head, but you sure can stop him from building a nest there".

It is the same with our thoughts. Every living human being has a battle with temptation or some form of invitation to the dark side, sometimes being caught completely unaware/blindsided/bushwhacked or what have you. The believer has the upper hand in this battle, primarily because we are indwelled by the Spirit of God Who, in my case, quickens my heart rate to let me know - "get out of here now"! 

NOTE: Since these are short articles and not epistles, we may split Part 4  into two or three pieces to rightfully examine "taking every thought captive" in light of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone).

The original word, in Biblical Greek, for "bringing" is aichmalótizó which has the inference of subduing a subject, thought, or even a person (for instance the enemy on the battlefield when in combat), and then bringing it under our control. Folks, we have the power to do this thing....and do it well. If you or I receive an invitation to go out with the office gang after work, to an adult beverage establishment to celebrate somebody's birthday, no matter how much you like or respect the person - we DO have the power, authority, and absolute RIGHT to decline, turn down, nix, say no and bug out.

While not as beautiful and divinely constructed as the Paleo-Hebrew of the Old Testament, the inspired New Testament has the same power in words, that enables our neurons to fire up Critical Thinking. At this point, the "flow-chart" in our minds should kick in right away, as we remember this part of the Lord's Prayer "do not allow us to fall into temptation".

The Book of James, written by the half-brother of Jesus says in James 1:15 "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death". Let your Critical Thinking go immediately into a "what if" overdrive as in "what if you swear off the wagon and have a drink and then one too many... Then what if that loosens things up and everyone is whooping and hollering. Then God knows who could forget their morality and/or vows etc. etc....then before you know it - someone has crossed that line which is not meant to be crossed.

Before it even gets to the point where you let your guard down and potentially sin, - bring or take that flowchart in, recall every Scripture you have ever memorized, and then, resist the devil and he will flee. It is the most beautiful, liberating thing to say no to sin! You don't even get to the James 1:15 point and God is honored.

It is THAT simple.

Father, In Jesus' Strong Name, I pray that You will continue to guide, guard and protect our hearts, minds and souls, so that every living thought, action, choice and potential deed will NEVER ever bring anything but Glory to Your Name and honor and shalom to our loved ones and those whom we love. We ask these things in Your Precious and Holy Son's Name amen.

Image Courtesy FREEBIBLE IMAGES (Thank you)

MEET LEAH ROSE FISHER, TALENTED ASSYRIAN-AMERICAN

The first time I heard Leah Rose Fisher sing the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic, it was absolutely stunning as well as inspiring. Aramaic is the authentic language of the Bible, which Jesus actually spoke. The movie "Passion of the Christ" is 100% in Aramaic.

Even more impressive, speaking of things Biblical, Leah is of Assyrian descent. If the word Assyrian sounds familiar, it should. The prophet Jonah was sent to Nineveh, as recorded in the Old Testament, to preach repentance and forgiveness. Modern day Mosul in Iraq, was once Assyria. That area in what has been called Iraq for a century became Christians, and remained Christian for almost 2000 years. This was, however, before the diaspora brought on an Exodus that went all over the world. I have spoke to Americans of Assyrian descent from came to America from Iran, Iraq and other places.

Leah was born in Louisiana and now based in the tri-state New York area. According to her website, she is a New York City based singer, voice teacher, and performing artist. She attended New York University where she graduated with a Masters in Vocal Performance in Classical Voice and an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. She was honored to receive the 2013 NYU Vocal Pedagogy Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in vocal pedagogy. She currently studies in the studio of Dr. Brian Gill. Leah received a B.A. in Music and a B.A. in French at Centenary College of Louisiana where she studied in the voice studio of Dr. Gale Odom. Leah has also appeared in the popular CHOSEN series, which will be entering its Third Season very soon.

Listen to her rendition of the amazing Lord's Prayer in Aramaic here:

Visit Leah's website here and SUBSCRIBE to her YouTube channel.

We will be hearing more from her as time goes by....you may also email her with booking and other Talent related questions here: leah@leahrosefisher.com

WEBSITE: 

www.leahrosefisher.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:

www.youtube.com/leahrosefisher

www.imdb.me/leahrosefisher

www.facebook.com/leahrosefisher

www.instagram.com/leahrosefisher

PRAYER AUTHORIZED.....THEN ENERGIZED

The great men of prayer in the late 19th century were humble, yet giants of the Faith like circuit-rider Preacher Robert S. Sheffey and the prolific Christian author E.M. Bounds. Bounds is is known for his timeless works on Prayer, left behind for all believers of all ages to be encouraged....simply by reading his books!

Bounds said the following, as a man of God who had tremendous energy and passion in prayer. He said  "Prayer as spiritual energy makes way for, and brings into practical realization, the promises of God.  God's promises covers all things that pertain to life and godliness and that have to do with time and eternity".

The words "Prayer as Spiritual Energy" here is intriguing, if you think about it. Twice  in the Bible, Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 6 where this energy comes from. He says in Verse 6 in part "....pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly". Then again in Verse 18 (in part), Jesus confirms that "your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly". 

Putting aside the word "reward" here in these two verses spoken by Christ, we instead need to focus on the Person Who gives the rewards - Almighty God, Father of Lights, Heaven and Earth! This is crucial as we ramp up and fortify our prayer lives, in these uncertain days and times. It is God Himself Who looks down on His subjects (we); and empowers His children via the same Power that raised Jesus from the Dead - the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual energy comes ONLY from Him and without filter. Sin can be an obstacle, but the Energy is always available.

Therefore, one side of the equation is in place - the Holy Spirit of God, in us. He, the Spirit is a gentleman and never imposes His Will on the born-again Christian. He sits in wait to be allowed to empower and relay the fulfillment of the Promise with Which He came, when we first accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 

The other side of this equation depends entirely on us. It is incumbent upon the Christian to respond to our Generous, Gracious, Good Father with the same passion with which He has imputed to us. Our example is the Lord Jesus Whose Passion for Abba led Him to pray "Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed is Thy Name!" This manner of praying is especially beneficial to us in times of despair. When we get that scary medical report or financial disaster hits or there is a family tragedy, do we retreat and pull back our praise, love and adoration for our God? No! Ten times no!

Here is where our Spiritual Energy needs to match up to the Embedded Energy, courtesy the Holy Spirit, so that the praise and glory of God can get us through this unto victory! Here is where we prove the statement by the great prayer warrior EM Bounds to be true! Here again, is what he said in part: "Prayer as spiritual energy makes way for, and brings into practical realization, the promises of God". There it is - PRACTICAL realization of our God Who promises to never leave or forsake us. Therefore, we must not retreat but go bold with God, full of passion in our pleadings.

If we can come to that realization - that the God Who saved us, authorized us (John 1:12) to approach the Throne of Grace FREELY, then we can remain fueled with high octane Holy Ghost power towards a passionate prayer life. Then we can shout out, with dunamis - dynamic power, what the psalmist said here in Psalm 138:1-3:
138 I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing praises to You before the gods.
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.

Photo Credit Here

THE LORD'S PRAYER- THE MODEL EXPLAINED: PART 4

Give us this Day our Daily Bread

We know from life experience that tomorrow is promised to no one. In fact, the very next breath is not promised. We have all seen the brevity and futility of the pursuit of long term prosperity while ignoring the needs of the moment.

God self-exists and operates in a different kind of economy and provides accordingly.  In the western world, it is almost impossible to go hungry with all the various government programs and church outreaches in almost every city. There are obviously pockets of poverty everywhere. Still God provides for His own children…and as a result, even non-believers get benefit from the largesse of Christians. Food kitchens run by churches or religious non-profits never ask the beliefs or religion of those they serve. They just feed people. They give grace to the humble.

This is the kind of attitude we, who are called by His Name, should have towards our Heavenly Father, Who provides for our every single need. Nothing we have on this earth, is completely because of us. Every opportunity we have to earn or purchase is because of the goodness of God. He lined up that job for us. It could have gone to someone else, but He placed you and I there. James, the half-brother of our Lord Jesus tells that “Every Good and Perfect Gift is from above and comes from the Father of Lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of  turning” (James 1:17).

The Lord Himself said in Matthew 6:31-34 "31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble".

In Psalm 37:25 we see God’s shepherd boy David, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, write “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread".

In all of this, we note a few things in order to be able to pray WITH UNDERSTANDING for our daily bread:

-         * Rich, poor or in between: we are nothing without God giving us good the health and mental awareness to obtain and hold down a job and the employer to pay us.

-         * Rich, poor or in between: whether non-believer or not, everything in this world is owned by Him and we are objects of His general grace, love and compassion for all people.

-         * God always provides for His people and eventually none every goes hungry, even those in the middle of a jungle somewhere. He is our Provider.

So we pray:

Heavenly Father, most kind and gracious and loving God in Heaven, thank You that You are a good, good God Who gives good things to His beloved. Lord, You are the Creator and owner of all things. Everything in this universe belongs to You and without You, nothing lives. I am supremely grateful for Your provision for not just my life, all through my lifetime, but for providing for my family, loved ones and friends.  You owe us nothing but You gave rain, which falls equally on the just and the unjust, on those who hate you as well as those of us who love You. You have bread to the hungry and meat for the tasting. You give crops which never fail from soil which belongs to You, yet which You anoint each day with the morning dew. Your sun caused the crops to rise when the rain has watered. Thank You for the cycle of life which feeds now just our families but those around the world, who are not as fortunate to manage the land You have given Your people temporary stewardship over.  Thank You for the jobs which provide the service for which we are paid, so that we are able to not just house our families, but give them food to eat and milk to drink. Oh most Heavenly Father of Lights,  You send down delightful things from Heaven, things we do not deserve but which You bless us with any way. There are no word to express our gratitude but to thank You for daily sustenance, through all these things mentioned above. There are nothing we can say except “Thank You, Lord”, in Jesus’ Most Powerful Name, amen.

(Photo Credit Here)

THE LORD'S PRAYER- THE MODEL EXPLAINED: PART 2

Hallowed by Thy Name

We know all of the great attributes of God – He is all powerful, knows all, owns all and sees all.  2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us that “the Eyes of the Lord roam across the WHOLE earth in search of those whose hearts are loyal to Him”. There is absolutely no doubting that fact.

But the first attribute of God is His Holiness. He abhors sin. He despises it and even turned His back on His own Son – the Lord Jesus – Who had to cry out from the Cross “my God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1 and Matthew 27:46).

How do we know this? Well, the greatest Old Testament prophet, who wrote about those times as well as the End Times, was pulled up into Heaven before the Lord Himself in Isaiah Chapter 6. The first thing anyone who has had an encounter with Holy God does is this: fall down at His feet in total surrender and humility. Isaiah did it. John did it.

The next thing that happens to a man, who, in the rare occasion, is recorded to be in the fearsome Presence of Holy God is – the self-realization of one’s worthlessness to be in such a lofty place. Isaiahfalls down (Chapter 6) and knew immediately he was a sinner….that he was notworthy of being there….that he was a man of unclean lips, even as a man of Godand a prophet. We can relate to that today.  We, every one of us, use language which our forefathers – regardless of background – would never use and would even consider untoward.

The Lord took care of Isaiah’s problem with swearing and probably even blaspheming when He sent one of His emissaries to take a burning coal off the altar to cleans the prophet’s inclination towards such speech. God sends the Holy Spirit to convict you and I immediately after we say something we swore we would not say 500 times before. 

The third and important thing to note is the Worship in Heaven underscores what the ministering special angels – God’s Own Special Ops– think of the Almighty. They sign back and forth “Holy Holy Holy ….”. This is reinforced in Revelation 4 and click here to read the entire amazing chapter!

What is the connection to the practical matter of us praying to Abba Father, Who is in Heaven? The Knowledge of the Holy – the Holy One of Israel, should act as a check in our spirit as to how we approach the Lord.  Just as we do not take the Lord’s Table or communion in an unworthy manner, meaning with active sin in our lives, we need to be instinctively circumspect in our prayer, following the example of the Messiah Who gave us this prayer. In light of this, let us pray into it:

Heavenly Father, we do not deserve to even be in the same zip code as You. But You in Your love and mercy adopted us, who believe in Jesus as Lord, as Your Children. Lord we are people of unclean lips, and too many times unclean hearts and minds. Purify us, oh God, remove our sin as far as the east is from the west. Wash us with hyssop that we may be clean. Cleanse us that we may be as white as snow. May these spiritual broken bones be healed or done away with that we may stand pure and holy before You, because You are Holy. You are worthy. You are mighty. Forgive  us as we approach in true repentance and surrender all at the Foot of the Cross right now, in Jesus’ Name amen.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY BY AW TOZER FOR FREE!...DOWNLOAD AS A PDF TO TABLET ETC....

(photo credit here)

SPEAK LIFE: LESSON 7 - PRAY IN JESUS' NAME. Part 2

Prayer is an imperative from the Lord Himself and no Christian life is complete without it. The Lord Jesus said the following in Matthew  6: 5 “And you, WHEN you pray…..”. In Matthew 6:6 He said “But you, WHEN you pray…” and in Matthew 7 He also said “And WHEN you pray…”. Previously He said in Matthew 6:9 “In this manner, therefore, PRAY” (All emphasis mine). There are no “if’s”, “maybe’s” or….”do this only when you feel like it” in these major portions of the most significant teaching from the Lord Jesus – the Sermon on the Mount! In fact, He goes on to endorse fasting, in verse 19, something which many people also ignore today, unless it is for a medical procedure or something.

All of these imperatives or commands from Jesus stand true today, as it did when He said it. Jesus Christ, the Same – yesterday, today and tomorrow. So the foundational truth is we are to pray. But not just this,  the under-girding of the Christian’s prayer life and those the main truth is, “on what authority or under WHOSE authority” are we authorized or even qualified to pray?  Three things come into play when we consider the ordered measure of the Power Prayer Life which is expected of us, by the Father. 

Conversely, can you still be a Christian and not have an active, meaningful fulfilled prayer life?  Yes, and that proves itself as the permanent state of the western Christian church. The percent of prayer warriors in the average church is less than 3% after all the factors are swept out of surveys. Even less churches in the west conduct prayer services. One church leader did away with a monthly Wednesday night prayer service after two such separate hours of prayer, because he was concerned that the average 15% of the Sunday crowd would stop coming to his Wednesday night bible study. Stories like this are multifold everywhere. It is different in the persecuted countries like China, India, Pakistan all of the islamic nations, where Jesus is all our brethren there have. 

Therefore what are the pillars of the Authentic Prayer Life of the Believer, who MUST pray in Jesus' Name to be heard? I will go through several steps in this post and the next part of this most critical part in the Believer's Life.

1. QUALIFIED:
We are qualified, authorized and commissioned to pray "IN JESUS' NAME" for this reason: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). This word in this verse - "RIGHT" - is exousia, or the Power and Authority of Heaven. Thus, as we are now true adopted children of the Father, we have the duty, right and responsibility to come to Him, just as we did with our natural parents. The same is true with our own children, who have access to us as THEIR natural parents.  When our own kids go out in the world, whether they are aware of it or not, they represent us and are going under the banner of our family name. Therefore their conduct ought to reflect that truth. In essence, we are Ambassadors of Prayer. As His Ambassadors, we represent the King of Kings and are duly authorized to go back to His Throne for further instructions or for comfort and more.  Daily communication with "headquarters" is recommended to keep the flow of information, the friendship and relationship on firm fluid footing so we are functioning on all cylinders while on Kingdom business! Anyone who calls him/herself an ambassador and does not recognize or wish to acknowledge or even care to use His Name, should examine him or her self to see whom they are really representing!

2. POSITIONAL:
Because of our right standing as a true child of God, through re-birth, salvation and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are now in the following position: In Matthew 21:22, Jesus said "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, IF you have Faith. 

This is amazing. In Scripture, language, the tense of a verb and the original word actually spoken are of EXTREME significance.  This is why the translation of the Bible you read is so important. God is serious about His Word and any modern cultural fad which takes it upon itself to alter or dumb down His pure word will be held up to His Judgment one day.

- Whatever: this really means whatever or as great as any prayer request or petition you have - He will listen. That includes prayer for your relative to recover from cancer; for a young child to find her first job; for your safety on a business trip on a snowy day or for the funds to pay for the new brakes you have been needing on your car. Whatever it is - God knows and will provide.

- Ask: the original word: 'aiteo' implicitly implies the seeking of a response of an inferior person (us, mankind) from the Superior (Creator God, our Father). Would we ask a lost person to help us in finding a good commentary on understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes? Would we ask the butcher at the Shop and Stop grocery store to discern the effects of a statin drug on our cholesterol caused by eating too many cheeseburgers with bacon? No, we, who seek favor and answers and critical help go to the Only One Who can help us. This would be the Almighty God of the Universe, through Christ our Lord. 

- In Prayer: In this positional status and under the old paradigm (pre-Calvary and the Cross); the Synagogue was the main place of prayer. The Jew out in the fields or who had no access and needed to pray, had to find the nearest stream and wash himself before approaching the Lord. Since the Cross, death, burial and Resurrection of Cross, we who are saved by His Name, His Grace and forgiveness now carry the temple in our bodies. The Holy Spirit is embedded in our spirit as the guarantee of that so great a salvation, so He has made us this temple. 
Secondly, because the Spirit (Who is God the Third Person), requires spiritual cleansing, also known as Repentance. Just as you need Repentance and to be saved, you and I need daily cleansing and repentance to be sanctified. Do not listen to those who say you can live as you wish and that will be alright with God, because you said a prayer once and therefore you're a Christian! You and that person will be accountable one day before God - if there is no repentance. Status of the praying person is prime and this is a qualifying attribute, or petitions may receive scant attention.

- You will receive: The literal meaning of this world, which the English translators missed is "actively lay hold of to take or receive". Here is where the believer who prays may get discouraged. How many times have we heard "God did not answer my prayer" or "God does not like me" or "Where are you God, why aren't You listening"? We have all done a version of that, at some point in life. What is note-worthy here, is that if the answer or result does not come for your prayerful petition right away, well, then take hold of this! That is, as a dutiful authorized ambassador and child of the Savior, grab it, own it and keep going back to the Lord in prayerful submission and prayer. This is an ACTIVE verb. God owes us nothing, but through Grace, He has given us EVERYTHING, we do have to work out this growth as a believer. So what Jesus is saying here is "grab the issue", take hold and go to prayer. The persistent prayer warrior who perseveres always has the Ear of the King, Who is merciful, just, loving, kind and generous. He will listen and respond when the time is best for us.

- If you have Faith: If you and I are confident and persuade in the Saving Power of Christ to rescue us from an eternity of fire and hell, why should we not have the same belief and confident faith that He would do as He says? In this context, the pre-condition or qualifying word is this one - "believing or if you have faith".  To avoid wasting words, what this simply means is - "we must believe in order to receive"!

This is the main thing. We have the authority, we positioned to prayer, now what are the conditions and what does God say His response will be....if we ask, in Jesus Name, amen. This will be addressed next.

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SATURDAY

Think of the word "FOREVER" and we think "never-ending" or infinity.We like to write love songs which tell the object of our true love "I will love you forever"....or the old country song asks, tongue in cheek "How long is Forever....this time"!!


If you look at the last few words of the LORD's PRAYER, you may understand why I am spending so much time on one sentence. We are in Day 4 of this one phrase! Today we look at what modern readers call "FOREVER" but which the English translators of the Bible recognize as literal...and these are two words: "FOR EVER"!

Matthew 6: 8-13:

Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
      Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
      Give us this day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.
    And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.

We see here, the Lord Jesus actually used two words "for ever" and not "FOREVER".  While they are synonyms, the literal phrase has more impact for the following reason:
FOR: EIS (The Original Greek) ...meaning into, in, unto, to, upon, towards, for or among.
EVER: AION (The Original Greek)...meaning an age, a cycle (of time), especially of the present age as contrasted with the future age, and of one of a series of ages stretching to infinity.


Jesus is more intentional about the Majesty, Mighty and Mystery of His and our Father in Heaven than just a flippant throwaway line in a song about "forever". Get this again - EIS AION - the Lord MEANS that all of these awesome attributes of God are for a cycle or period of time, from Eternity past and not just NOW, but into the future as far as infinity...AND BEYOND! (Incidentally, we get the word 'eon' or 'aeon' from this Greek word, to describe a long period of time.)


Wrap your mind around this for a few minutes and it will but thrill and awe you, just how long and GREAT GOD really is! This is why, when we evangelize, we had better show the unsaved person, the need to  realize how long Eternity away from God really is...and that they really don't want to go there!


LET US PRAY:
ELOHEY KEDEM - oh God of the Beginning, You are the Beginning and Genesis of all things and all mankind! Before there was time, You were there. The creator of Time, You are here, Jehovah Shammah. The God of future Time, You see us there. With You, there is no end. Many will go into everlasting judgment, Father, but You, oh Eternal God, see Your saints from the viewpoint of perfection outside of the realm of time.
Father You have caused Eternity to be built into the very souls and fiber of the human soul. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says You set eternity in the hearts of men. You know our innermost thoughts and leanings, because You have created us. Come now, Lord Jesus, in the Name of Abba Father, and fill us with a sense of Awe and Power of just how Perfect and Magnificent You are that we may grab just an inkling of what all of this really means....just how meaningful the word Eternity is! Give wisdom and understanding of this one true attribute of our Father in Heaven, in Your Name, I pray, Lord Jesus, amen and amen!

THINK ON THESE THINGS - WEDNESDAY

A KINGDOM, A KINGDOM, A KINGDOM FOR HIM, OF COURSE....Part 1

The word "Kingdom" does not carry much weight in today's society. Because of the abuse of monarchs and dictators towards their people, since time began,  us westerners do not care much for kings and kingdoms. In fact America was founded when the oppressive British Empire and King George 3 were both kicked out of here in the American War of Independence.


The popular worship song "Something About that Name" has a line in it which goes "kings and kingdoms will soon pass away..." What kings? What kingdoms? Well, in bible terms, these are words used to mean the Rulers of the countries of this perishing earthly system. 


This leads us to the final phrase in our indepth two week daily study of the LORD'S PRAYER, which the Lord Jesus gave to show us how to prayer.

Matthew 6: 8-13:

Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
      Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
      Give us this day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.
    And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

The Coming 1000 year Kingdom on earth is God's way of transition from this horrible fallen earthly system to the Eternal Realm.  This will happen after the coming Tribulation and the Wrath of God, on the pagan kings, leaders, presidents and dictators of this world who rejected the Lord Jesus. 

The progression from the natural to the supernatural state, of believers who have now been raised in Christ, re-establishes the ORIGINAL Order of things, when God created Adam and Eve. 

HIS IS THE KINGDOM. HIS IS THRONE.

WORSHIP CHRIST THE KING AND HIM THE KING, ALONE. 

Pray this with me:

FOR YOURS IS THE KINGDOM: Lord, You are Ruler of the Universe. At creation all the morning stars sang together and the Angels shouted for joy, even Satan before he tried to take over in Heaven.  Father, he is the prince of this world and what a sick, perverted, evil and corrupt world it is. But his time is coming. You said to my Lord “sit at My Right Hand and I shall make Your enemies a footstool” When Your Son returns in righteous power and majesty, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Thank you Father, for Your Majesty for You alone are Holy, Holy, Holy, oh Lord God Almighty. The whole world is full of Your Glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

(image by google images)

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SUNDAY MESSAGE

FORGIVE US....AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS....

It is easy (I hope) to forgive the rotten boss who favors another person over you, in spite of the quality of your good work.

It is easy to forgive the rude sales clerk, who shortchanged you at the cashier register, and then you go back and she is apologetic.

It is easy to forgive your own kids when they mess up, because we love them.

It is easy to forgive or be forgiven, by a spouse for an entire list of offenses…and on and on!

What about the drunk driver who killed your only son? It happened to my close friend and fellow minister, Nate (not his real name). A drunk driver killed his 25 year old son in Pittsburg in 2008. Nate, a powerful servant of Christ, went through all kinds of emotions, anxiety, trauma, tears and more.

During the trial for the drunk driver, less than two years, ago, when Nate forgave the woman who killed his son in court, it made the news in Pittsburg. More importantly, it lifted a burden of pain off him, which only Christ can do. The hurt and pain are still there, but the forgiveness Nate showed accomplished two things – he allowed the Power of God to free him AND he gave that young scared woman, a chance at redemption!

What Nate did here, was what Jesus Christ would have done! Remember what He said from the Cross “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!”

As we look at the next two phrases in our in depth study of the LORD's Prayer, think about what I just said above. 


Then search your hearts to see if this kind of Christ-like forgiveness resides within you! 
Has someone wronged you and  you are just having so much trouble getting over it? This is human nature. But get beyond your nature and mine, and let us look at the Nature of Christ.  


On the Cross, He showed us how to forgive even those who harm us to the utmost...to the core....Friends, just love that person as Jesus would....because He said so! Is it easy? No! It was not easy for Jesus, it will not be for us. It is not easy, it is necessary. So let us, you and I, move forward, in the Name of Jesus, amen.


Then join me in the two brief prayers at the end of this brief message/post, if the Lord leads. Thank you.

Matthew 6: 8-13:

Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
      Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
      Give us this day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.
    And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS: Lord we have a sin debt we can not pay; from Your Holy Path did we stray and deserve judgment on THAT Day. But You sent Your Precious Son, Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for our sins, so that by us dying with Him, being baptized in His Death and then rising with Him, we have attained fullness of eternal life. For the sins committed in the body since our salvation, which are many, help us to keep short accounts with You and we sincerely and humbly seek Your forgiveness for all we have done to offend You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS: Father, You said if we have something against our brother to go and make it right. You have forgiven us much so we must now forgive those who have offended us. We also pray for our enemies and those who have caused us harm, whether it is family, friend or foe; at home or at work, we pray for them to come to know You as Savior or if they do, that they be restored to You. We forgive those who cause us harm, like Stephen did to those who stoned him. Lord should they refuse our hand of friendship or the offer to do right or reciprocate, we put them completely in Your Mighty and Just Hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

(Image by Google images)

THINK ON THESE THINGS - THURSDAY

PROTOCOLS OF PRAYER...part 3

..."on earth as it is in Heaven!"

Today's phrase (in red) is very interesting and should be DOUBLY exciting for the Believer! The amazing thing about these 7 little words from Jesus is the Power behind it! I was studying this phrase last night when it hit me! Jesus was talking Tabernacle! Yes!!

Matthew 6: 8-13:

Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
      Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven. 
      Give us this day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.
    And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Remember, when He gave Moses the instruction to build the very first Meeting Place of God on earth, the Lord was very specific. Hebrews 8:5 confirms it! Here is what the Holy Spirit, who wrote the book of Hebrews said "⁵ .....a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.” (Emphasis mine).

ON EARTH: 

Therefore, the Tabernacle of God is a COPY of the One in Heaven. When Solomon built the Temple of the LORD for His Shekinah Glory, the Spirit came to the Temple at His Own Pleasure. After Christ died on the Cross that Temple became the true Believer in Christ where Holy Spirit took up residence.

A group of believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, who are now walking/talking Temples, is called the Church. We exist for one purpose - to Glorify God and Love and Bless and Enjoy Him forever. This is His Will here on earth for the Temple (us) and the Church (a whole bunch of us)!!!!

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN:

The Heaven part is the more incredible one to me!! There is NO church, no matter how many electric guitars; fog machines; fancy lights or magnificent Baptist choirs exist that can come close to matching up to the Worship in HEAVEN RIGHT NOW!!! Yes - RIGHT NOW!!

Here is the proof from Revelation 4: 8-11 

Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
   “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
      the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
 ⁹ Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
 ¹¹ “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
      to receive glory and honor and power.
   For you created all things,
      and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

How would have thought this one little phrase from Jesus was so full of wonder and majesty. But so is Jesus Himself- that's my King....full of Grace, Majesty and Incredible POWER! This is why we pray - to Worship in the Beauty of His Holiness, in the Name of Jesus, amen!

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN: Father You said whatsoever we bind on earth will be bound in Heaven. We bind the enemy oh God. We bind sin. We bind our failings. We bind the stronghold of the prince of this world, Thy eternal enemy. Lord let Your Power over all rule all the earth. Let Your Power buttress us against those who rise up against us. Let Your Power and Your Word fill us. Oh God, have mercy upon Your people and reign in us in Grace, power and zeal for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

THINK ON THESE THINGS - WEDNESDAY

PROTOCOLS OF PRAYER...part 2

The word "Hallowed" has different meanings to different people. To the baseball fan, hallowed is Yankee Stadium or Wrigley Field. To the football fan it's the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. To the Christian, it's the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem.


But in New Testament terms, especially the LORD's PRAYER (below) it means "holy" or "make holy"....from the Greek word "hagiazo". Today, we continue in our examination of what Jesus meant when He said..."THIS IS HOW YOU PRAY". Again, the Lord's Prayer below is a guideline and not meant to be a stand alone prayer as most people make it.


 Matthew 6: 8-13:

Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
      Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done 
      On earth as it is in heaven. 
      Give us this day our daily bread. 
   And forgive us our debts, 
      As we forgive our debtors. 
    And do not lead us into temptation, 
      But deliver us from the evil one. 
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

(As aforementioned, the following brief prayers based on each phrase of the Lord's Prayer, are from my own prayer Journal, bl)

            HALLOWED BE THY NAME: Heavenly Father Your Name is so Holy the ancients would call you YAHWEH, Jehovah God. Father every Name of Yours and Your Son in the Holy Oracles of Scripture has special meaning sent from You.  Let me not disparage You, blaspheme You, disgrace You or stain Your Name at any time. Let me Honor Thee and bow at the Mention of Thy Name; Faithful and True and feed on Thy Word, the Precious Gift of the Spirit sent from Above all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

            YOUR KINGDOM COME: Lord, I am truly grateful and content in what little or much You have blessed our family with. However as You equip us for the work ahead, for the trials ahead, for the tribulation ahead, prepare us for Your Coming. We look and pray and stir with expectation at the seam in the Clouds coming apart, and the Trumpet sounds as you ride in Victory back to claim Your own. We who are sealed by You until the Day of Redemption long for Your coming! Even so, Come Quickly Lord Jesus. Amen

            THY WILL BE DONE:  Lord God Almighty, I pray for Your Sovereign Will in my life, to do Thy Will in thought, word and deed. I know I have not been  as obedient as You demand, I know I have not always walked in Your Ways, I know I have not always worshipped You in Spirit and in Truth. For that I seek forgiveness. Turn to me and be Gracious unto me after the manner of those who love Your Word.  Establish my footsteps in Thy Word and let no iniquity have dominion over me, so I will obey Thy Will for my life, In Jesus Name. Amen

(Image by Lynn Mosher)