PRAYER TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER FOR FATHER'S DAY 2021

Oh Great Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You that You are the God Who calls us unto Yourself, depraved sinners though we are, who can be redeemed only by the Precious Blood of Your dear Son, the Savior.

You are a Father to the Fatherless. You are the Hope to the Hopeless. You welcome the Loveless. You comfort the brokenhearted. You bind up the wounded. You are the Almighty and Everlasting Father and keeper of our souls.

Lord, as we approach a time where the world celebrate Fathers, on Father’s Day, we know that many today grew up with missing dads or single moms. In Your mercy, grace and compassion, You never moved but many…in fact, more and more are moving away from You, as the follow the corrupt systems and ideologies of this world. We pray that the scales may fall of their eyes, in so much that while this perverse and corrupt generation of leaders are turning the hearts of the majority towards the god of this world, to their pending doom, You remain seated High and Lifted up in the Heavens with Your loving Arms wide open.

You’re so good that even Jesus, Who did not consider equality with You a thing to be grasped, gave up His Throne and the Scriptures says in Hebrews 5:8 that He obeyed You, even while He suffered, as He came to accomplish You Will, and not even His.

So now, dear Heavenly Father, while You loved this cosmos so much You gave Your Own Son, in so much that whosoever believeth in Him would have everlasting, eternal life, we are the “whosoever”.

In Your Great Grace, Almighty God, Who shakes the heavens, cause the seas to roar and still pastes the real rainbow on the matchless sky after the rains in a display of Your Majestic Power, we pray that today, this week, this month and while it is called NOW, we pray and ask a special measure of grace.

You have already given us all we need in the form of God, the Holy Spirit, and now we ask for a turbo boost of supernatural power to execute and fly to our next phase in spiritual maturity. But Lord, help us as we grow in grace, and dunamis and boldness for the gospel, help us that this goes hand in Hand with Delight and Joy.

Our Faith is the one TRUE Faith ever, in all the universe. Because of our redemption, dear Father, we can delight in You. We delight in Your Truth. We delight in Your Word. We delight in Your Son. We delight in the Holy Spirit – God Three in One and the gates of hell cannot steal our Joy, far less prevail. The overflowing blessedness from this delight, should empower those of us who are fathers, and who represent You on earth to our children, grandchildren and those around us, to find rest, peace, love and joy in You as well.

Spur us now and always to the heights of holiness that our piety may bring Godly pleasure because our true Hope really is our happiness. What some may call our duty, is really our delight in serving You this day and always, proving, dear God, that the root and the flower are as intertwined in its blooming such as delighting in You is and the doctrine of our Faith. Lord, to that end, we bow before You in all humility, commitment and submission to Your Almighty Power in Heaven, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, in His Name, amen and amen.

ACTS 3:16 - THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL NAME IN HISTORY

"And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:16)

There is something about the Name of Jesus which has caused, (and will continue to do so) people to lose their minds, for the last two thousand years of Christianity. It started with the corrupt religious leadership in Jerusalem even with Jesus standing right in front of them and really ramped up after His death, burial and resurrection. They, who called themselves followers of God the Father, blasphemed His Son every which way but Sunday, first by calling Him every evil name in the book, and then lay their filthy hands on the Savior during His trial.

However, it took on perpetual momentum in Acts Chapter 3, when Peter said to the man, who had been lame since birth and was encamped by the Gate called Beautiful, to rise and walk “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth”! This is the beginning of what would become a war against the five letters of the English Language – JESUS!

When the priests in the Hebrew temple, who had claimed sonship of God through Abraham alone, heard that they this lame man could walk around, and who healed him, they freaked out. Many had already heard that Jesus had appeared to not just His disciples, but 500 people in Jerusalem, including some of the same Pharisees. Many of them converted later and became followers of “The Way”. Followers of Christ were not called Christians until Acts 11:26.  So even though they though 26. had successfully put away this “prophet from Nazareth”, now, a new twist was added.

After the Temple authorities heard that Peter and John had healed the lame man, in the “Name of Jesus of Nazareth”, they plotted among themselves as religious leaders that people being healed apparently was not a good thing. This is the first time, since the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that the Name of Jesus was forbidden by men. They said in verse 17b of Acts chapter 4: “Let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this Name”!

They then warned Peter and John to cease and desist from this practice. The response of the two fired up disciples is a priceless example for those of us, today, who are commanded by the lost of this world to not pray in Jesus’ Name. They responded in Acts 4:19-20 "But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Since the modern-day equivalent of the corrupt Pharisees have succeeded in banning the bibles and prayer In schools, the last thing left for them to remove is the Name and Likeness of Christ not just at Christmas time, but at school graduations, football games and other public events.  Military Chaplains are being ordered to stop praying in Jesus” Name and some have been dismissed from service for obeying God rather than men. Pastors, who are invited to pray for the opening of political offices meetings like those at City Halls and State Capitols, are required to sign documents to pray “non-sectarian” prayers. In plain English, these under-shepherds of Christ are being asked to NOT pray “in Jesus’ Name”.

I know some who have refused and walked away rather than deny Christ before Caesar. But there are also many who have signed this paper, prepared by ungodly people, just to be able to stand before the rich and powerful. We should be grateful that we are not these people, who will stand before Jesus one day to answer for this transgression.

There is power in the Name of Jesus. The Lord Himself alluded when He talked about “praying” or “asking” or “making requests known”….”IN MY NAME”, in the Gospels. Here are several examples from Jesus and those whom He discipled and trained to expand the Kingdom. 

See below:
* Matthew 21:22 "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
* Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
* John 14:13-14 "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
* John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you".
* John 16:23-24 "In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full".
* 1 Corinthians 1:2 "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours".
* Colossians 3:17 "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father".
* 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us".

Calling on the Name of Jesus is precisely what the great disciples – Peter and John – did in Acts 3:16.  Peter was the one commissioned by Jesus to do the preaching and the bold proclamations right off the bat, from the foundations of the Christian church.  He said the following, about the Name of Jesus, twice in less than one sentence:

• On the basis of Faith in His Name. This is the key to bold and effective praying. The English translation for “Name” does not do justice to what this really means. This is not a name like Susie, Frank or Joe. The actual biblical meaning carries the 100% power of the Person behind this Name (Jesus, Yeshua, Yahweh, Messiah and others). In addition, it is the manifest power of God found in this One Person of the Trinity. The original word “onoma” also explicitly implies, that when we call on this Powerful Name, we are asking to be in His Presence ourselves, so that we can deliver this prayer and petition to Him! Faith in His Name only comes to those who are born-again, saved and pulled out of the fire by Jesus Himself. It is all Faith. People go to heaven or the other place, not based on what they do, but on what they believe.

• Secondly, Peter says in the very next phrase of this same verse that “it is the Name which has strengthened this man, whom you see and know”! This is the same meaning.  Being in the Presence of the One Who is called by the Name of Jesus strengthens our body, mind, soul and spirit. There is no doubt when a person is transformed from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Christ’s Marvelous Light. It shows! It glows!! The glory explodes!  Every Christian who is committed to Christ and walking in His Ways knows the meaning of the Shekinah Glory of God, radiating off the faces of those who love Him.

• Finally, Peter says “the Faith which comes through Him (Jesus) has given him (the man who was healed), perfect health in the presence of you all”. What the Lord, in His Word through Peter is talking about here, literally, is not a temporary restoration of health so this formerly disabled man could walk or dance and shout, until he gets older and then leaves this earth. No, the Bible is much more all-encompassing. This perfect health is one of integrity and COMPLETE wholeness of body, mind and soul! The Bible uses the word “holokleria”.

Words mean things and have consequences. Every word of every phrase in Scripture was put there for a reason. Its divine purpose is transformation. Transformation into the power and glory of His Glorious Kingdom is only given through the Mighty Name of Jesus. His Name is the Greatest Name of ALL Human History. It is also the most feared, hated and controversial name of all time. Neither of these facts changes the Truth that Jesus is Lord and Master of all, to the Praise and Glory of His Name. 

"ACTIVATE" BOOK REVIEW FROM TWINAS FAMILY MAGAZINE

SEVEN FAMOUS BIBLE VERSES #4: "FLY LIKE AN EAGLE"

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary (Isaiah 40:31)
What an amazingly powerful, hopeful and encouraging collection of words and sentiments....from the very heart of God!

Recent in-depth surveys of the beliefs of many people of different ages reveal stunning news, which should shock and dismay any right thinking person. It should also make any Christian cringe. The sheer volume of “Nones” (those who believe in nothing or have no faith system) is increasing by leaps and bounds. It is no more so than in Millennials, who learned their “believe-in-nothing-and-everything” from the Generation X-ers, who got their selfishness and “all about me” attitudes from one of the worse generations ever: we Baby Boomers. To be fair, the Baby Boomers came by it honestly. These were children of the so-called “Greatest Generation” who not only survived the Great Depression but won World War II and created the greatest and most prosperous nation in the world.

Therein lies the problem. The adversity of the 1930’s and 1940’s built perseverance and character. The prosperity of the victorious post-World War II boom led to a level of spiritual depravity and moral chaos which will only get worse, with each passing generation. All we need to do is look at the parallel universes of the brave military of the 1960’s and 1970’s against the sex and drug sub-culture, of that same era.

When you combine a western society of practical atheists, where God and His Laws have become ritual for one hour a week (for a declining minority of churchgoers), and a Christian church which does not follow the Compass of Christ, we have hopelessness. We see the fruits of a people with no hope in the increased use of Opioids and the resulting vortex downloads into hades. Suicide among young people has gone through the roof. Social media has coarsened relationships and true fellowship by the share nature of its into hades. Suicide among young people has gone through the roof. Social media has coarsened relationships and true fellowship by the share nature of its free-flowing accessibility and “anonymity”. With Christianity, the Bible and any mention of Jesus kept out of public schools and out of most of the public square in the west, it is no wonder people have no fixed point of reference on which to base their self-worth and eternal future.

Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Still, amidst all of this, comes one of the most famous and inspiring Bible verses of all time (Isaiah 40:31). But God, He gives us a reason why He can be counted on to make such as statement we find in verse 31. Here is what He says:
Verse 28: Because He is the Everlasting - meaning He has been there from Time past, to now to Eternity and was never created but did the creating Himself, He knows all and sees all. He never gets tired or grows weary in all these six thousands years of Creation and attending to the needs and souls of billions of people in all those years. Not just that, but God knows every single detail about us- our thoughts, our hopes, plans, dreams and fears. Because of this incomprehensible superior knowledge of His Creation, His "inscrutable understanding" leads Him to do what is best for each of us, if we would just trust and listen for and obey His direction.

Verse 29a: He does give strength to the weary in our rest - physical and spiritual. We all need food, sleep, exercise and relaxation so we can perform the work which the Lord has given our hands to do. Emotional rest comes when are our hearts are at peace and full of grace and love in the Lord. This encompasses those around us in our families, friends and community. If done right, Emotional well-being leads to this community focusing on the Word of God, its study and application to transform us into the Image of Christ.

Verses 29b-30: There is a barrel of Truth to the statement that God gives power to those who lack. John 1:12 says "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name". That same power is translated from the original Greek in John 1:12 as "dunamis" where we get the word "dynamite" from. Think of the explosive nature of dynamite and this is how God empowers the weak - if we ONLY TRUST IN HIM!

From there, the Lord, through His Holy Word now goes on to say that ANYONE - from young to old, who wait for Him....will then receive the promise of Isaiah 40:31. This "wait for the Lord" or as the King James Versions says so beautifully "they that wait upon the Lord" is crucial. It is an active present tense exhortation as in "those who are actively waiting until they hear from Me or get a clear direction" will.....

So the key is this, for the benefit of you and I - do not get in front or ahead of God, in our haste to make things better for us, because as humans, we are guaranteed to mess it up. But, just a little while longer and we "....will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary!"

Is there anything more amazing than this truth?! God is good - all the time!

PRAY FOR.....GREATER FAITH

21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe;help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24)
Can a believer NOT believe? Sure we can. It’s the frail human nature, which though replaced as a perishing soul at regeneration (or born-again) still continues to live in a mortal body, in a corrupt and evil world. But it is more than just our present temporary environment in this life.  We don’t believe completely sometimes because we just don’t know! We do not know because we do not read His Word and we are not led to read His Words because of a stunning lack of discipleship. We have a lack of the latter because we don’t know His Power and His Presence completely in our lives.

We do the same thing to Jesus and our Heavenly Father, which this father of the demon-possessed boy did in the verses above.  To wit, he actually said to Jesus (as translated into modern English in the New Living Translation) “have mercy on us  and help us IF YOU CAN”! Should we then be surprised when Jesus’ immediate response is “What do you mean, ‘IF I CAN’?” (verse 23a,  Mark chapter 9).

And we do the same thing: we approach God in prayer with our most serious needs, lay them before Him, then pick them right back up and go back to our corners with them. Then we call up all friends and family asking them to pray for us.  All along, Jesus stands with His Arms wide open waiting for His children to come to Him.  Is the Arm of the Lord too short?  Not it is not. He is our Prophet – He orders and ordains our past, present and future. He is our High Priest Who prays and intercedes for this who are His, and lifts us up in prayer to the Father when we ask in Faith!

Look at what Jesus said to the boy’s father here again in Mark 9:23b “anything is possible for he who believes” (NLT)! The response from the father is just so great. He has enough faith to believe Jesus can heal his son, but it appears to be the kind of faith which was just enough to look at the Lord as a “drive-up clinic”….without knowing Who Jesus really is! Thus when the boy’s father said “Lord, I believe, help my  unbelief”, he is asking for such a bump up in the measure of Faith he currently possessed that we, in this century 2000 years later, need to sit up and take notice.  

No matter how spiritually mature we think we are, we must always be pressing into and on to our higher calling in Christ. We can never know even 10% of what we should know. In fact,  after we’ve been in heaven there for 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we will not know half of Who the Lord is. This is why we have Eternity. But for this current life, it behooves us to be humble enough to realize we are still not as strong in our Faith as we should be, could be or would be. So why not ask  as this man did of Jesus: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” There is no simpler expression of Faith in God than this – simple, to the point, with full clarity in recognition of the paucity of our frailty before the Almighty!

Father in the Mighty and strong Name of Jesus, I believe, I trust, I have faith….but not enough.  Help me to understand the breadth and width and depth of the great mystery of our Faith, so that I may begin to comprehend just how great a God You are, Lord. Assist us in acquiring a modicum of supernatural Faith which is way beyond what is common.  Father, many have accepted You as Lord and Master of our lives, yet we do now know, nor do some even venture to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of just Who You really are beyond the baseline of the Christian Faith. Lord, we want more. 

We want to know more of You, see more of You, be more in Your Presence. We want to desire to walk fully in the knowledge of the Holy and travel in the paths of Your Righteousness, but first oh God, give us the capacity to dispatch with our incorrect notions. 

These wrong assertions about You, have come from a lifetime of traveling in the wisdom of the world or in the works of Christian authors and teachers who do not fully grasp the Power and Position You have always occupied at the Throne Room of all Time in the Universe. Lord as we get rid of our error, replace with Truth and Revelation, as much as we can handle, process and then walk out in our daily lives, helping as many as we can to come to that same place of knowing the Real God and Your amazing wonderful self.  Lord, we believe….take away any unbelief and replace it with more of You, in Jesus all Wise and Power Name, amen

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PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #2

THE METHODOLOGY OF ANTI-TEMPTATION PRAYER

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:12-15)

The second important prayer of the Book of James follows immediately after the directive to pray for Wisdom. If any more evidence is needed of James’ concern for the sanctification of the believer, look no further than his Prayer Directives. First, the Lord’s half-brother exhorts us to “ask our generous God” if we are in need of Wisdom.  This need will cover 100% of all Christians. However, immediately following that, James moves from the foundation of Wisdom to the Perseverance of the Saints.

His teaching on patiently enduring “testing and temptation”  illumines us on the sources of both while driving us to our knees. Indirectly, James shows us God’s plan for us to be able to successfully maneuver through these treacherous times in the Christian life. We can grasp this truth easily.  It is based on the knowledge that everything James, the head of the Christian church in ground zero of Judeo-Christianity – Jerusalem- taught, pointed us to a closer relationship with God. He accomplished that in what the English translators put as five chapters of the Book of James.

There is no doubt that testing is from the Lord and temptation from the devil. Please do not confuse both by thinking they have the same sources, when Biblical Truth says otherwise. If it were not for the testing and discipline of the Lord, none of His Elect – true Christians – would grow in maturity and sanctification to be more like Christ.  How we respond to this testing leads to either more and intense radical testing of our faith and commitment to Christ, or a higher level of knowledge of the Holy. Either scenario depends, in full measure, on our positional relationship to prayer.

Testing leads to perseverance which leads to spiritual maturity and the reward of the Christian life well lived. Temptation had better lead us to prayer or we will fall, as too many Godly people have, in human history. Temptation should lead us to pray Scripture immediately while RUNNING AWAY from it.

Jesus Himself gave the order in Matthew 26:41 ~~“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!"

Sometimes we cannot see the tempter or the temptress and are blindsided. As far as humanly possible, flee and depart from it, her or him – IMMEDIATELY. Reject it as from the devil and pray the situation at once into the Hands of the Lord, knowing that we are mortal flesh under demonic attack. The Lord will honor that and deliver from all evil.

Knowing Scripture is a powerful weapon against temptation as Jesus Himself demonstrated three times when the devil tempted the hungry and thirsty Messiah in the desert. Three statements dismissed the evil one as Jesus responded “IT IS WRITTEN” to every single temptation. The great Martin Luther wrote in “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” that “one little word shall fell him (the devil”). That Word is the Name of JESUS. Sometimes our prayers are simply the confident recitation of God’s Word back at the tempting situation or person and the command to “be gone, in the Name of Jesus”. When possible, speak it out loud! That will not only preach, but will pray!

Psalm 119:11 says “Thy Word have I hidden in my heart that I may not sin against thee”.  A follower of Christ who is read up, prayed up and stayed up on Jehovah is absolutely less likely to fall if the Word of God richly dwells and abides in such a one! 2 Peter 2:9 (the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment)is therefore what we stand on as our promise and the REASON we have to pray or say the Word for victory over Temptation. It says:”

This is unorthodox in method, but it is a level of prayer which the man or woman of God has to mature into, if we wish to live in the victory which is promised the believer. What an exciting thing James has led us to, as we blow open the Word, from his inspired words, to expand our universe of how indeed, we grow deeper in relationship with our Lord!

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HEALED! - THE PRAYER OF HEZEKIAH

There is an amazing incident in the Bible that happened in the 8th century BC in ancient Judah which still takes your breath away. The reason is, this miracle, where God was about to call a man home - King Hezekiah - occurred when the King prayed one of the shortest prayers ever recorded! For the record, the shortest prayer ever has to be when Peter was sinking after walking on the water briefly towards Jesus (on the Sea of Galilee) and he shouted out in fear and trepidation "Lord, save me!" Those are the most powerful three words in history for any lost sinner, such as you and I were before He rescued us from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light!

Hezekiah was a very young man, probably in his early 50's when the Word of the Lord came to the Amazing Prophet Isaiah. Chapter 38 verse 1 says "In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”

But then here comes the one short sentence prayer which caused God to do something unique, in Isaiah 38:2-3 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” 

What was it in that short prayer that could have caused God to respond this way: (verses 4-6): "And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.”’ 

One of the most productive things any Christian can do is to read and study the dozens and scores of prayers in the Bible! Each one is unique in circumtance but there is a common denominator to each prayer that inspires the reader (you and I) to become prayer warriors like these our predecessors in the Faith, whom we shall meet one day in Heaven and fellowship with forever! That common thread was Faith and Submission to the Will and Work of God. Keep this in mind, through the following: brief look at  King Hezekiah's Prayer: 

- Hezekiah turned his face TOWARDS the wall: the man and woman of God MUST turn away from the bonds of this world and TO the One Who holds the world in His Hands. Not just that but doing this indicates FULL reliance on the power and promises of God to heal, seal and reveal His plans for us.
- Hezekiah "prayed to the LORD": do not be afraid to go to the Lord with even bitter questions of "why Lord, why is this happening" because if you are listening and not trying to answer the question yourself, He will show you why something is amiss, why He allowed it and where this is supposed to lead you in your relationship with Him.
- Hezekiah asked the Lord to remember: Now the Lord did NOT forget a thing. But there is nothing wrong in bringing up your faith and full trust in Yahweh as an introduction to your prayer, and mine, not to remind God but to come to the Throne in full understanding of your right standing before Him.
- Hezekiah walked with God in Truth and with a loyal heart:  and Hezekiah did do that. He removed the pagan form of idolatry and worship and stood on the Word of God his entire life. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says "the Eyes of the Lord runneth to and fro across the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him". While God may not perform a life saving miracle every time, for His own reasons, He does stand up for those who stand WITH Him! Just reflect back on our own lives, and think of the many times He rescued us from this calamity, and that financial hole or this accident or that health scare or worse. This comes from an intentional and purposeful daily WALK with The LORD. Scripture encourages us constantly to WALK with Him and the kind of Walk we should have as sinners saved by Grace. We walk with those whom we love, so why should we not walk with the One Who loved us?!
- Hezekiah did what was good in God's sight: as much as it depends on us, let us do as much good as we can. We should do this, not just to our families where it is expected but to and for those who can give us nothing in return. I am not just talking about helping the poor and homeless but also for living like King Hezekiah, whose deeds made it possible for the Truth of God to reign and be a testimony to others. THAT is our calling.

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY TWENTY FOUR:
VERSES:

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."....2 Timothy 1:7

PRAYER:(Against Anxiety, Day 6)

Father God we are so grateful that You have removed all obstacles that stand in the way of our reconciling with You, to remove the guilt and stand from the Fall of Adam, in the Garden. We are so grateful that through the Precious Shed Blood of the Ancient of Days, the ONLY perfect and acceptable Sacrifice for sin, that we are able to even stand in Your Holy Presence and not be cast aside into outer darkness, where doth lieth weeping and gnashing of teeth. All You ask in return for this Mighty Grace and Favor is our obedience to You, oh Most High, and surrender to All Your have in store for us. And Lord what You have and plan for those who love You, is so much better if the rest of us would just stop, listen and learn!

Who is like You, and who can out-give, out-love, out-grace You, oh Sovereign One? No one! You take away our fear and anxious moments by the strong whisper of Your Voice, as You direct us back to Your Written Word where You said "fear not" so many times, it is the most powerful exhortation in the Scripture! In our troubles and weakness, we overlook these things and subjugate our faith into second place, choosing to be like the lost of humanity and operate in the paradigm of fear. While, oh God, this may a natural human reaction, You did not call us or expect Your elect to do this sort of thing, but to trust and believe.

For that reason, You emphasized again that You did NOT give us a spirit, bent, inclination, heart and the ability to focus just so we would cower in spiritual and natural fear, when You - the Lord of Heaven's Armies Who can destroy every evil thing with one Word, one Command, is for us! We know this, we know You have us covered by the Blood and by the Angels, so help us to have the triple portion of Faith necessary to operate in this way every single moment of every day of every week and forever more, until You call us home.

You called us 'sons of God' and gave us Power (John 1:12) and thus, we already are embedded with Your dynamic, fluid Kingdom authority to beat back the enemy with the same word - Prayer! We must take authority over our situation, in Jesus' Name and then that authority will be thus be our connection to the Source, so You can then execute the result You desired in any particular situation. And we do this in Love oh God, the same love, agape, unconditional and forgiving love You showed us as we wallowed in our sin before Christ rescued us. None of this is possible - operating out of AND under the Authority of Christ in love, power and boldness if we are not under control, in sound mind and full conscious, aware, obedient and knowledgeable to the Who You are and what You are accomplishing in our lives.  Father God, give us the soundness and clarity of mind, that we, Your people, keep our collective heads on in cool calmness, being vigilant and alert so that when everything starts falling down around us, we can be under the unction of the Holy Spirit, in full control to lead others to You Way - the Perfect Way. We ask this through the Mighty Undefeated Name of our Lord and Commander of the Universe - Jesus, our Soon Coming King. AMEN

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY SIX:
VERSE:

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked....(1 John 2:5-6)
PRAYER:
Oh Most Holy and Heavenly Father, I think You that Your Word, Oh God, is written in the Heavens. I thank You that Your Word is Truth. I thank You that Your Words will never fade or pass away and therefore, because You keep Your Word, I pledge to do my part and keep Your Word hidden in my heart and shown through my actions and deeds, that Christ lives within me. 

Lord, may Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of all Truth, Wisdom and Understand Who keeps me permanently connected to the Eternal, fortify my will to keep Your Word of Truth firmly embedded, to keep it from shame and slander, to keep it from dishonor and degradation and to keep and guard it as jealously as You guard Your Holy Name. Your Love commands, compels and gives me confidence in Your Word to remain faithful to it, to obey it and dwell on it as our Savior did. Your Word says in Hebrews 5:7 that our Savior's prayers, cries and petitions were heard because of His piety, obedience and submission to Your Will and Yours alone.

Let us now walk in that Truth, in the Path of Persistent Obedience where He, the Lord Jesus, walked that we may too be found in Him, to the praise and glory of His Name. By this Truth we know we are His, in Him, in His Will and walking in His Ways. Lord we long to be like Jesus, and to live, walk, talk and rest in You as He did and may ALL our worship be Yours and His, throughout our lives, in the Strong and Mighty Name of King Jesus I pray, amen.

777 - SEVEN DAYS OF PRAYER STARTS TODAY (JULY 1-7, 2014)

DAY ONE (JULY 1, 2014):
When Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of the great Evangelist Billy Graham) introduced 777 - "An Urgent Call to Prayer",  it marked the first national call to Prayer and Repentance from any national recognized ministry or church leader in a long time. For troubled times like these, this Call could not be any more timely.

While prayer is beneficial to a people and for the personal growth of those called by God, it remains the only line of Communication from the created to our Creator God in Heaven. Prayer still remains the only way we build our love and relationship with Abba Father above. Prayer has been given to us as the modus operandi to enhance our fellowship with "oh, what a Friend we have in Jesus". Prayer still remains the only way to seek forgiveness for our sins -personal and corporate - and to be forgiven by the Father and Judge of the Universe.

Anne Graham Lotz laid out these three purposes as we proceed as individuals to deepen our prayer life and strengthen our walk with Jesus Christ, over these next seven days:

·     For God the Father to restrain, protect, and deliver His people from the evil that has come into our world.

·     For God the Son to be exalted, magnified, and glorified in His church, in our nation, and in our lives.

·     For God the Holy Spirit to fall on us in a fresh way, compelling the church to repent of sin and our nation to return to faith in the living God, resulting in a great national spiritual awakening.

These are worthwhile objectives to keep in mind, but as we begin any prolong period of focused prayer, as we have done several times in recent years on this blog - THE WRITE STUFF - we MUST begin by acknowledging His Sovereignty, His Majesty and His Power.

So as we begin this brief journey together, let us worship His Majesty:
Father God, in Jesus Strong and Mighty Name, I say like Job (Chapter 42) did “I know that You can do everything, that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." You are all Powerful, all Magnificent, all Glorious, all Knowing, all Sovereign and all Righteous.

Lord, Your Power and Glory has been seen for all generations for all times. You are the Creator and Commander of the Universe. You are the Foundation of Time and the Diviner of All Truth. Nothing came into being or was or is or will be unless YOU, My Father, said so. Nothing lives or dies or flourishes, unless YOU, My Father, grant grace, breath and life according to Your Perfect Will and Wonder.

There is no one greater than You.

There is no one stronger than You.

There is none more righteous than You.

There is none more Holy than You.

There is none like You. 

Therefore Most Holy and Righteous  Father, and as Job said in verse 6 (Chapter 42), I detest myself and my sin and repent in dust and ashes. I am not worthy to be in Thy Holy Presence. I am like filthy rags and have become undone, as Isaiah was when he saw the King. I am a man of unclean lips. We are people of unclean lips and unwashed hearts and yet, You still listen and love and grant us life and liberty.

Lord, I acknowledge You, adore You, glorify and thank You. I worship and bow down before You and praise You Holy Name, on this blessed day You have given. Father in addition to our daily conversations with You, may these next seven days be an extra offering from us, Your people, as we cry out to You for a special dispensation, for such a time as this, in Jesus Holy and Most Powerful Name, amen.

LORD, I AM AMAZED BY YOU - SCRIPTURE

Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet, Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! (Psalm 119:1 ESV)
This torn and tattered book ran with me for my early years as a truly converted and regenerated believer and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. This old King James Bible is now on my shelf to remind me of those days - so I will never forget what the Lord has done for me. I have since worn out other Bibles...dirty pages which are sanctifying and cleansing my soul, in Spirit and in Truth.

For me, the words of this book and all the others, are not just for comfort and direction. For me, these words are LIFE! They LIVE in me. They SPEAK to me. They FUEL me in everything I say, think and do. They are more than LIFE to me! They are the Eternal Oracles of God. My love for this Word will never die. On the contrary, my love for these Words, which are the LOGOS of God, the Rhema of God and the Ruach Elohim - inspire me to give more of it away in book form, in love and in action.

Lord, Oh, Lord, I am amazed by You and Your Word, which goeth forth from the timeless Halls of Heaven to such a lowly sinner, saved by Grace, such as I.

PSALM 19: 7-10
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
PSALM 119:33-40
Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared. Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good. Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

BRAND NEW FROM SUSAN ROHRER IN 2014

Author/Movie Producer
Susan Rohrer

JUST RELEASED:
"WHAT LAUREL SEES" 
(Fiction: May 2014)

Click here for more information

One reason Susan Rohrer is both my favorite bible study author AND
writer of dramatic fiction, is her ability to switch from rightly dividing the Word of Truth  in her previous work ("Secrets of the Dry Bones: Ezekiel 37:1-14") to what I think is her most accomplished work as a novelist! "What Laurel Sees" has just about every unexpected turn of events one can realize that involves a relatively small cast of characters in the book - which reads more like a screenplay. In fact, as an objective observer and reader, I would suggest that if Hallmark movies or Lifetime Channel were looking for their next dramatic made-for-TV classic, this would be it.

Among other things, the novel is basically a reflection of the sad shape we find the world in these days - a world where the rich, ambitious and powerful use all means necessary for their own personal gratification.  It is a world of political intrigue, adultery,  manipulation and the sad circumstances of what happens to a victim of religious abuse.  Add to this, the wronged ex-wife of a slain councilman - Frank Fischer, a woman who has the gift of prophetic vision from the Lord, and is therefore quickly discounted as a headcase by everyone else in her world.  Laurel Fischer is that ex-wife who lost her husband to the beautiful socialite Shana Fischer. Shana, the ambitious temptress and mistress of Frank Fischer worked the legal system, with him,  perfectly in their eyes and somehow managed to gain of Laurel's only child, Grace. The adulterous couple used Laurel's oft-spoken-of gift as a "seer" or "visionary" to  influence a judge to effect such a rare decision. This part of the narrative plays a strong role in the developing human drama, as Ms Rohrer's novel progresses.

The book gets on the off ramp of the freeway of mystery very early on. It picks up speed when the apparently unredeemed councilman is found slain. This sets off a chain of swift moving events. Events also swirl around a hard-nosed newsman. An unlikely romance springs up which sets this hardened self-described atheist reporter Joe Hardisty on the road to redemption, which could be a guidepost for many in the secular world of mainstream media! Somewhere in the first third of this novel, the well-crafted storyline grips you and never lets you pull off that freeway to the shoulder, until you are through reading it! This is what happened to me as I was unable to put it down on a three hour trip. As a person who almost never reads fiction, it takes a special gift of writing and credible authorship to get me to get even half way through such a book. "What Laurel Sees" is that kind of literary work and thus, it is highly recommended for your early summer reading! The dramatic conclusion of the book is worth the several hours of "page-turning"!

NEW: LIFE CHANGING BIBLE STUDY BY SUSAN ROHRER:

Secrets of the Dry Bones: Ezekiel 37:1-14 

The Mystery of a Prophet's Vision (Illuminated Bible Study Guides Series) [Kindle Edition]

(NON-FICTION, January 2014)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

"BEST KEPT SECRET IN CHRISTIANITY?"....READ THIS BOOK!

Having read all of Ms Rohrer's books, I venture to say that this is her most inspired, powerful, meaningful and capable of a transformative role in the life of the reader. It is written in such a way as to engage and appeal to both the new believer as well as the more mature Christian into an in-depth self examination. The Secrets of the Dry Bones will cause ANYONE who are serious about Will and Work of God in your life, to reevaluate and consider everything anew! I know it did me! I was so excited about having to look into the mirror of my own soul at some of the author's questions and promptings for study.The book, content, the Scriptural passages, the challenges met me at the current point in my life when all three of those things lined up perfectly to minister to me.

I found the book written in a fast moving, easy to read and comprehend style which can hold a reader who is interesting in inspiration, encouragement, illumination and transformation. A special treat to the reader is the early format of looking at evidence and clues to this transformation from the purposes and promises of God (Ezekiel 37). The author executes that flawlessly....sort of like the CSI of biblical exposition! I recommend this book as tremendous resources for discipleship and growth, for any child of God.

WHO IS SUSAN ROHRER & WHAT INSPIRES HER:

POWERFUL PRAYER MINISTERING TODAY!!

OVER 920 AT OUR MEN'S CONFERENCE IN SPRINGFIELD

STILL, OUR BOYS/YOUNG MEN IN GRAVE DANGER!

When we first started doing the local leg of a brand new concept called Iron Sharpens Iron National Men's Conference in March 2007, we had no clue what we were doing. We were just a bunch of guys from Business Men in Christ (BMIC) investing about $3500 of our income to bring a Discipleship men's ministry to town, which ran with the big dawgs in Colorado, New England or Orlando, Florida. Tom Cheshire, who spearheaded that in 2007 has since moved on from BMIC and now leads the successful Relevant Practical Ministry for men, which focuses in growing this movement to disciple men across central Illinois.

As the leader of the Prayer and Marketing Committee that first year, my job was to run two prayer rooms - one with men and women praying all day as intercessors for the day long conference - and the other with another minister and myself, open to men only, to counsel and pray with them.


That first year, less than 10 days out, we only had 45 men register. On conference day, over 550 men showed up! This year, 14 days out, we only had 175 registered. Today, over 920 showed up. All the classrooms for the 16 Equipping Seminars were so packed, we had men overflowing out the doors! God showed up and showed us Who was in charge! Not us!

DR.VODDIE BAUCHAM

This year's main speakers were Dr. Voddie Baucham, famed Southern Baptist Apologetics expert who is well known for his conferences with Answers in Genesis leader Ken Ham,  and New Life Church Associate Pastor David Perkins. Dr. Voddie was the all-out hit he always is and drew men from a tri-state area - Indiana/Illinois and lots of church vans from around St. Louis, Mo! This is in spite of the same St. Louis area conference last month! Not just that, but the Chicago area has two where the Indiana guys could have gone and saved two hours driving!


But the most rewarding part of this ministry for me each year, the privilege of ministering - first at the Chapel before the Conference starts with main speakers, leaders etc and communion with them and secondly, praying with and counseling with men from all backgrounds and stripes! Each year the needs get more critical and intense! Each year, we see and are blown back by the hurt, problems and issues some men are finally 'fessing up top and facing out there.

DR. EARL POWELL (RIGHT) WITH BEARS CHAPLAIN
RAY ELROY, FORMER DB FOR BEARS/LIONS/COLTS

Today Dr. Earl Powell (who has been ministering with me for 6 years now) and I and  occasionally some other leaders, prayed with and counseled more men in the space of a few hours than we ever did in one year! Without naming names, we dealt with issues of bi-polar; alcohol and drug use; living in sin with women; unforgiveness and more. 


Even more stunning that counseling and spiritual warfare with some demons some guys were battling was what happened in a seminar my friend Sam Mehaffie was conducting. Each year we bring him back for a reason. The reason is we have more and more boys from 12-18 years old who are brought there and have no father; or a father in name only...or are dealing with emotional neglect etc. It is uncanny! I ministered to a 13 year old named Isaac who is already dealing with all kinds of temptation and a couple of us to a most heart-breaking case - a giant of a kid, crying his eyes out because his dad just left his family for another woman, breaking his kids heart.


This guy, Chad, had never heard about Abba Father - Daddy, Father God - loving him so much that Jesus the Son took the hit for him. We believed, prayed into and cried out for a long time for God to send a Godly man alongside this teen to be his spiritual father. We try not to leave these poor boys hanging but hook them up with resources to start them off. These boys, and increasingly they are from wealthy or good suburban/urban families - never heard this kind of talk in their churches, from their pastors or parents!

WITH CHICAGO BEARS CHAPLAIN RAY MCELROY

The question remains - what on earth are they hearing?!!! Has the church become so focused on playing games, they threw out the ONE THING Jesus commissioned us to do - MAKE DISCIPLES! Everyone is to blame for this, include us who are finally doing something about it. 


This summer, our Decatur branch guys are doing a summer boys camp to teach young men that Sexual Purity is demanded by God for Righteousness but it is going to be out by a private lakefront, so they can have fun while learning. Many of these kids/teens have never been outside the inner city. So that's exciting. Folks we have to do something because our next generation of men, now still boys and older teens are in huge danger. The corrupt and morally bankrupt public education and political systems, and increasingly - the church body - are failing our future men big time. They, every single one - from president to pastor - will be called to account for this travesty one day. This is in the Book, don't doubt it!


I ask you to pray for all the men we personally ministered to, one on one today as well as all those broken teenage boys who never knew that God believes in them. If only we can catch some of this generation before they slip through the cracks into the bad part of eternity, it will make all of this more than worthwhile! It is more than worthwhile, because our Savior, Jesus Christ, is MORE than WORTHY of our Praise! Amen.