How long must I perservere in prayer?

How long must I perservere in prayer?

Given some personal circumstance, it has challenged me in what I believe. I need to have a stance which will reflect a strategy in the spirit for the days ahead. It is a question I have mulled over for quite some time. I've swung the pendulum far in both directions on this one - from God will do what He wants predestination fatalism to all-night prayer marathons in order to change God's mind. Neither are right. And I don't even know that those are the only 2 sides...

Recently the Lord pointed me to this scripture:

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)

This was reassuring - we have a righteous judge who will come speedily. But, what happens when it feels like He isn't coming quickly? We're in a situation where something is dragging on and on - how do I pray? I used to pray for what I wanted, or what seemed 'godly', and prayed until it came to pass. And if it didn't? That lead to being quite deflated, or worse. Often times I found myself offended with God. So now what?

I have been reading a book by Wayne Jacobsen called 'Naked Church.' Taken from the chapter entitled 'Clothed with Power', he addresses this very issue which really spoke to me:

God's power is released by his activity, not his ability. God can do anything. His power over creation is total and complete...Faith doesn't rest on what God can do but on what he is doing. Abraham was commended for his faith, not for the son he wanted, but for the son God had promised... (See Romans 4:21)
That's why intimacy is the link to God's power. Until we see what God is doing in a given situation, we have no basis to be confident about its outcome. Jesus himself lived that way: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does" (John 5:19). God wants us as well to know what he's doing, so we can cooperate with him.
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As long as you're convinced of God's desire, stay with the need...To learn perseverance, we must stop seeing our prayers as requisition forms laid on the desk of a supervisor...True prayer is the vehicle by which God brings his power into our circumstances...How long should you persevere? Until you are convinced that the outcome matches God's desire.
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Perseverance also means standing with peope if the hoped-for miracle doesn't arrive...

Perseverance is key. How long? As long as it takes. How long is that? Only the Father knows and will tell us through relationship and intimacy with Him. That's the part that's tough for me. Prayer must continue until His will is carried out - but first I must be in tune enough to know His will! And then doing this alongside others? That's an even higher level of perseverance! How often do we not see God's will come to fruition because we don't persevere? How often do we miss it because of offense?

Back to the grind...

Grass, mowers, and coming to the end of oneself

There I was, sitting in the middle of my yard overwhelmed by the lawn and all the work around me, having discovered yet another snake slithering through in the backyard earlier in the day. The grass was about 6 inches tall again. I had borrowed a tractor from a friend to mow the yard about a week prior. I remembered as I was riding it thinking this is what I needed here. I had tried to figure out a way to sell the 3 or 4 pieces of equipment I had that were broken down in order to muster enough money to buy something more suited for our property. I didn't have any money. It was my 25th attempt at fixing the lawn mower I had. I was tired. I had a million other things to do. I lamented to God. I remember telling Him something like, "Basically the only way I see this working out, Father, is if someone just drops by with something - I know you can do that...and I think that's what it's going to take, because this isn't working. I've had enough!" I finally finished by saying, "You put us here in this place, and this is where you want us, so if this is true, you figure out how to get this lawn mowed. I'm finished!" At that, I walked in the house and didn't give another thought to the jungle overtaking us.

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule." (Matt 5:3 MSG)

That's where I was...at the end of my rope. I wasn't full of angst, worry or anger - just finished. I wasn't going to worry about it anymore...it was God's problem, whether I lived in a snake-filled house and yard, or could lose the children in the lawn within 4 feet of the deck - wasn't my problem - God could handle it.

I spent the week telling my children how God cares for us. There were a few fights to break up over "this is mine" or "that wasn't fair" and my response as of late has been to relax and just trust. God has been showing me to trust. He cares for us, he knows the number of hairs on our head. He'll take care of things if we let Him. He said to seek him first, and he'll add that other stuff to us - but seek Him first. Relax and trust, learning to live in the love of the Father...

Then I got a call from a friend this week. He told me to stop by because he had something to give me. When my wife asked what it was, I joked and said it was a car. Well, was I shocked when it was his lawn tractor! The thing is worth more than my car!!! He had said God told him to give it to me, that God wanted to love on me. I was absolutely shocked and humbled! I was taken back by my friend's willingness and obedience. It was so awesome to be able to hear about how God was using this to shape my friend and at the same time knowing what He was up to here.

Nothing is wasted with God! It absolutely amazes me how He is able to work all things together and that He does do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine!

Healthy Expectations

The Lord seems to be building on several themes throughout these Friday night watches, and what the Spirit is speaking throughout the week. This week the Lord bringing some things together.

"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." (Jeremiah 29:4-7)

For many, it feels as though they live in Babylon, carried away in captivity. To look at political climates, condition of the church, school systems, government, etc., can be pretty bleak. We must be praying for our cities. A harvest is being made ready. If we pray for the peace of our cities, we will reap what we sew.

Likewise, Hebrews 11 makes Abraham an example of one who "desires a better, that is, a heavenly country." His perspective was from a heavenly mindset - focused on "the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." That's where we need to be.

"You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you." Deuteronomy 8:5,10

This part still remains a bit elusive for me. How in our western culture, enjoying the blessings from God and "have eaten and are full", how do we still operate in faith? Seems like a delicate balance.

Now for the meat. Over the last few weeks, the Lord has impressed heavily the word in Revelation 3 which says "strengthen that which remains" and to be "watchful." I believe the Lord is testing those in the body to bring us to the end of ourselves with expectation, and to see how heavily we will rely on Him.

I know personally, and in talking with a few close friends, the Lord seems to be squashing our expectations. Every time I seem to have a bit of hope for something or someone, those expectations are being smashed. I believe this is of the Lord - it is a testing to see if in spite of circumstances, of things unfolding completely different than we expect, or things we've hoped for fall apart, will we continue to trust in Him. This is the test. To those who overcome, they are promoted.

Looking at
Judges 7, we see the account of Gideon trimming down the army. It is interesting to me that the first thing he does to trim the army is to remove those with fear. I've heard it said "Fear is faith for things you don't want." So true. If our faith is greater for the things we fear, then that's a hinderance. We must operate in faith as an overcomer. The next thing is how those who drink. For those who drank in a position of watchfulness, they were kept.

To those who totally lean on Him in faith, they will be fit for service in the army outlined in Joel 2. I truly believe that is what the Lord is preparing in these days. God is showing us the cost of being a true disciple. Will we stand in the gap for our cities? Will we fix our eyes on Jesus? Will we embrace chastening? We must weigh our options. We are being given a choice right now - will we enlist for service?

Strengthen What Remains

"I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." (Revelation 3:1b-3)

What needs to be strengthened? What remains but is ready to die? We felt like the Lord was exhorting us to strengthen the little that remains that needs to be redeemed. I believe that is for us personally in our lives, but also for our brethren - what are we doing to be effective for the Kingdom? We do a lot of "stuff" to stay busy, but what is truly about our Father's business? I believe part of this is prayer - strengthen prayer and watchfulness in our lives and in our churches - it feels like it is about to die. It is something for all of us to evaluate continually in our lives.

Moving the Mountains

I felt like the Lord gave me revelation through the scripture about 'moving the mountains' which would be encouraging to all those who are standing and praying for His bride.

And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:14-17)

I wrote about this account, using Mark 11, in another post entitled Changes in the Church. Much of the church today has this similar issue - we are buying our peace (doves) by throwing money in an offering plate or purchasing books or chasing conferences, rather than going to the Source - our Father. I'm not saying these things are bad, but when they eclipse our devotion to or our recognition of the source, this is a problem. The Spririt will guide us into all truth - He will do it, not man. But I don't want to get off track here - I want to look at this passage in context - why the withered fig tree beforehand? What does moving mountains have to do with figs? What does overthrowing the tables have to do with all of this?

And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. (Mark 11:11)

This was curious to me - He went in looking (watchfulness), but the hour was late and left. To me, Jesus himself went in to survey the scene - to see the state of the then present reality of the temple. This is where we are today - many of us see the state of the church and see all of its dysfunction, missteps, misgivings, and pitfalls. We've surveyed the seen, but now what? The dry bones know they're dry. We must not fall into judgement and grumbling, but what can we do?

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it. (Mark 11:12-14)

What what does the fig tree have to do with all of this? He cursed the fig tree along the way, and it was out of season....why?

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2)

He's looking for fruit, in and out of season. Whether the church is in right order or not, we must be in right order with Him individually, both in and out of season. It isn't the church's fault we're not moving in all that we are called to. The other aspect of this is this instruction doesn't sound very glorious nor fun, but this is our charge - with longsuffering!

Then we see Jesus going into the temple and taking action, overthrowing the tables. He quoted Isaiah 56, but I want to give that passage some context here.

“ Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:6,7)

His house shall be called a "house of prayer" - this speaks of the house for today because he speaks of the "foreigners" - that is us as gentiles who are grafted in. These ones He will "bring to My holy mountain." The temple in that day did not resemble a house of prayer, nor did it look like a holy people.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:20-26)

Jesus entered the temple to partake of fruit and found none. To the people who inhabitted the mountain, He spoke to the mountain and said for it to be rooted up - He overturned the tables and chased the money changers away! The temple was defiled - He identified the root and spoke to the mountain. We, too, must uphold a standard of His holiness, but without standing in judgement and falling into spiritual pride, believing we are "holier" than that of those still left in the church. We've been given grace, we must show grace. We must forgive and be longsuffering - this is why I believe Jesus followed the teaching on standing in faith with a word about forgiveness of others. For fear of extending this into the length of a book, I'll finish with this: we need our brothers, we need to invest in discipleship, and not leave others behind...we need each other in order to fulfill the callings and purpose on our lives - even Jesus submitted to the ministry of John the Baptist.

We must stand on His word, He is returning for a pure and spotless bride. He is looking to us to stand in faith, and move the mountains!

Prevailing Prayer

http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=2428&forum=34

I thought I'd pass this along - I was really blessed by the account of the power of prevailing prayer, and their desire to gather the 2's and 3's...

Preparation Time - Embrace It!!!

The Lord has brought the shaking to the earth - to the household of faith, we are to embrace the shaking. Our idols in babylon are falling (Isaiah 21/Amos 7) - man will try to prolong the inevitable, but it is falling. It is actually His mercy that He is doing this for us. We must embrace the trials as they are perfecting our faith. Our high places where we have sought refuge in the past are coming to ruin. He is our strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). Even the "good things" must be brought to ruin. We are seeking the "all these things that will be added unto you" and not first His kingdom and His righteousness. This will change. It is also interesting to note that passage in context - Jesus followed by saying to not worry! There is plenty to worry about in the natural, but we are to be at peace in these troubled times by the Spirit. We must recognize the season in which we are in - this is the final hour. Luke 21:34 says to be watchful that our hearts are not weighted down by the anxieties of this life - we must walk "above" the trials by walking out in the spirit when the natural world seems to be falling apart. In doing so, we will become like that plumb wall - straight and true with the Father. Jesus was crucified at Golgotha (the place of the skull). The skull houses the natural mind - we must take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. The natural mind will see despair, but in the Spirit we'll see opportunity. Just as God parted the Red Sea, fed the Israelites in the desert, had ravens feed Elijah and so and and so forth, His provision at times won't make any sense to the natural mind and at times will come miraculously - the point being our eyes will be taken off of our circumstances and on to Him as we walk out in the Spirit and learn to trust Him more fully. This time is not only preparation for us individually, but also as a body.

He is also shaping the body - we need each other! Proverbs 18:9 tells us of the need for each other - he who is slack in his work will destroy many. We must labor not only for ourselves, but for the very welfare of others. We must get plugged in - though the church is still blemished, it is partly blemished because it is missing those who are either offended and on the sidelines or ill-equipped for their purposed job. Either way, as a result, they are slack and we all suffer.

In recent weeks, we've been hearing the word "interfaces". To Perry and I, an interface has meaning for us (him in telecommunications and myself in software) in that an interface point is a point of connection in which information transfers from one interface to another. We are to be "interfaces" for the connecting of the body - i believe that was a word not for Perry and myself, but for all believers as He begins to shape the "city-wide" church. To follow up on the word about "interfaces", Matthew 13:47-52 talks about the kingdom of heaven being like a net - the kingdom is the connecting up or the interfacing of us in preparation for the end time harvest. As we walk these things out, we will walk into the "greater works" - the raising of the dead, healings, and miracles should and will become common place. Now is the time!

Vision of a Joker - seeking interpretation

As we were in our nightwatch last Friday night, I saw in the spirit what looked to be the face of a joker. The joker looked evil, with white and red makeup, blushed cheeks and bright red eyes. It's hair was curly and out of control. Out of its hair came what looked to be either 6 horns or 6 spikes of a crown. At the top of each horn was a circular jewel. I prayed and asked the Lord what it meant, but I only seem to have part of the revelation. It seemed to be a message for the body. The hair represents the storms and trials that are ahead - the hair was like the waves of the see. The horns represent either 6 years of trials - each trial had a name. I don't have all of the names, but I do have some. If this speaks to anyone, please leave some comments! I believe it is a word of warning to prepare for the shaking that is coming (and is already beginning) for the household of faith - He is perfecting our faith and making us ready for the end time harvest.

More Thoughts on Prayer

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:1-8

I just finished jotting down some notes on peace. In doing so, it became more and more apparent how our peace relates to our faith. When we are operating in His peace, our faith increases to believe for greater and mightier things. Our faith increases as we pray. As we cry out day and night, He will see that we get justice quickly against the adversary! As we gain victory, we can believe for greater things. We must continue to press in - not for the removing of our circumstances, but the moving through our circumstances to see the salvation of the Lord! It is there that His glory is revealed and we are made overcomers. It is also in this place where the Lord will find faith on the earth.

We must press in, not only for ourselves and our present situations, but also stand in the gap for our communities and cities. As I was studying peace, I noticed Jesus speaking about individuals in Luke 10:5-7, but then he followed up in verses 8-15 with this:

"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. "

"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths."

He was referring to whole towns/cities, and how cities would receive us as we came in to pray, minister, etc. He followed by acknowledging whole cities and how He viewed them and referred to them. As our faith increases in and through prayer, we can come before the righteous judge and ask for judgement to come against the adversary that stands against our cities, and judgement will come quickly to those who pray day and night.

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him." Luke 2:25

When Simeon prayed and stood in the gap for Israel, the messiah came! The prayers of a righteous man avails much. Whether Jesus came because of Simeon's prayer isn't clear, but Ezekiel 22:30 says, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it..."

Let us, too, stand in the gap and pray for the salvation of the Lord to come to our cities and state!

Entering His Rest

With our recent financial woes unfolding in this nation, it is becoming increasingly harder to maintain our peace. I know for myself, I wanted to be in a much better financial position when these storms came. The Lord has pressed upon me the importance of "making ready" for years, but I felt like I had failed. I felt like I should have been more prepared for this time. But I felt the Lord saying that if we had acheived my goals of being debt free, off the grid, more self-sufficient with food, etc., I would miss the Glory of Him. It will be more glorious, and require more faith, to see Him provide in lean times than in times of plenty. The events that are taking place now are so He can reveal His glory to His people. I use this example to the point of exhaustion, but when the Hebrews left Egypt, they had nothing. When they came to the Red Sea, they waited on the provision of the Lord and He parted the seas and they walked on dry land. I'm tired of trying to find row boats, or jumping in to swim, struggling to fight in my own strength instead of waiting on the Lord. But in order to wait on Him, we must enter His rest. His peace "surpasses all understanding. (Phillipians 4:7)" He has given us authority to speak to the storms and calm them - we are overcomers in Him! (see Luke 8:22-25). Christ died at the place called Gilgatha - "the place of the skull". He came to crucify our minds so that we may live by the spirit - as Paul said, we are to live by the renewing of our minds. I don't want to get distracted here; my point is we need to keep our eyes on Him and walk by the spirit in the midst of trials and tribulations in the natural.

In talking about the coming Kingdom, Jesus said, "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all." Then, when the flood subsided, Noah released a dove to go out to see if it could find safety on dry land. The dove returned when it could not find a place of rest, but when it found safety, it went out and left. Just as in those days, today we need to say "'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you...Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you.' Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near. (Luke 10:5-6, 9-10)" We must enter His rest and walk in His peace to navigate these times. When we walk in His peace and rest in Him, the Kingdom is near - the Kingdom is at hand! Jesus was so aware of the peace within Him and who He was in the Father, that when He was touched by the sick woman in the crowds in Luke 8:45, 46, He felt the something leave Him. We, too, must be this in tune with the Father. It is also interesting to note, in verse 43 it says "she had spent all she had on doctors" - Jesus did what man could not do. The peace we have in Him will draw the world to us, and ultimately to Him. He is preparing His people with the present circumstance to turn our eyes and our hearts toward heaven. Wait and see the salvation and glory of the Lord!

The Coming Kingdom

God is raising up an army. There is a shift begining within the body of those who are wanting more from Church, life, family, and God. Jesus said to pray "on earth as it is in heaven" - establish the Kingdom! Peter said a shaking would come, first to the household of faith. I believe we are seeing that today. As a result, a people will be and are being prepared to bring in the Kingdom of God on earth. The coming kingdom is actually already at hand, but we aren't walking out in it:

"Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Some things to point out here - Are we not living in the days of Noah? It seems as though we live in a lost and dying world with no regard to God. People are eating and drinking and being marry - even within the church! It is time to press in to the things of God - to gather around Jesus, not just talk about Him. Church should be a way of life, not an event. It is something we are to participate in, not just spectate on Sunday mornings. And as we move into these things, Jesus says above, "Do not go running after them!" We could debate what He is referring to here, but besides the occult, I think there is another meaning here. The kingdom of God is within us. When we hear of good reports in far off places - praise God! But it doesn't mean we need to hop on a plane or drive off to see the Lord. Obviously if He tells us to, we must go, but the King of kings lives within us. If we yield to Him and are willing to be purified and sanctified by Jesus, and to allow Him to work through us, the Kingdom will manifest. Jesus said He came to "give us the fullness of life." Normal Christianity should be the blind see, the deaf here, the lame walk and the sick are made well.

A friend and brother in the Lord said to me, "It is all about gathering around Jesus. I just want to gather around Jesus." I've been pondering that point for some time now - I want to talk less about the things of the Lord, and start seeing it manifest in myself, my family, and my community!

Strategy for Battle for Our Cities

There seems to be a stirring in the body of Christ. We are begining to thirst for more of the Lord and desiring to be in His presence more and more. As part of that, we are begining to press in more to heavenly places to discover what is keeping us from that open line of communication with the Father.

2 Chronicles 20:1-20 shows us a battle that was about to ensue against Judah. "It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat." The people of Mount Seir made their homes by chiseling away at the rock in the mountain sides, and then the people of Moab would make their homes their. The Ammonites and the Moabites represent sin and perversion. They originated from Lot's daughters who conceived their children with their father while he was drunk. The same thing is happening today - there are so many things that try to chip away at our rock of salvation, and then tempt us or distract us. Once we are distracted, sin sets in. We live in a day where many things chip away at our rock - TV, magazines, work, entertainment, activities, even church. It is coming at us from all sides it seems, but I believe the Lord is allowing this to give us spiritual eyes to see the battle at hand, and to teach us to fight. We see in verse 2 that "some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, 'A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria and they are in Hazazon Tamar' (which is En Gedi)." They were keeping watch and saw the enemy coming. The watchman were on the walls and awake to see the vast army coming. We, too, need to watch, but also heed to others as they watch and share what they are seeing in the spirit. Jesus said,

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what day or hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matthew 24:42-44 NKJV

We must be watching for the Lord and ultimately keep our eyes on Him, but we must also know the battle that lies before us.

"How can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house." Matthew 12: 29 NKLV

We must keep watch and pray in order to identify and bind the strong man. We see in 2 Chronicles 20:3, this is what Jehoshaphat did - he inquired of the Lord and proclaimed a fast. Through this, "the people came together from every town to seek him" (verse 4). There was a coming together of the body - they recognized the reality of the onslaught of the enemy, and realized the only victory over this vast army was through God giving the enemy over to them. These were overcomers - Jesus said we are more than conquorers in Him, and we are overcomers through Him. After they prayed (verses 6-12), it says all stood before the Lord - children included. I don't want to veer too much here, but children were included in this as well - our children have the same Holy Spirit as we do - they need to be included in prayer, worship, and the like. In verse 15, a Levite (worship leader) stood before the group and prophesied not to be afraid or discouraged, but that the vast army would be defeated at the hand of the Lord! He said to stand firm and to take up their positions, but that the battle was the Lord's, and the Lord would deliver them. Even in the midst of the battle, we must be steadfast in our faith. It is by our faith that we overcome. As they set out for the battle the next day, they stood and worshipped the Lord with Thanksgiving as if the battle was already won! For many reasons, I see too many intercessors downtrodded and beaten up. I, too, was feeling like I was in a bunker for many months, even years - never advancing; feeling like everything around me was falling apart or blowing up. We must never lose focus on Him - many times we focus on the battle, or our wounds, or our circumstance or any number of things that distract our focus from Him. After they gave thanks and praised the Lord, the Lord sent confusion into the enemies' camp (v22) and they destroyed one another. "When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it." This is amazing! We will see and are begining to see this plunder. Obviously today we aren't doing this by natural means, but rather in the heavenlies through our prayer, intercession, and worship. As we begin to win these battles, we too are going to see a plunder. Paul said we are to "wrestle principalities", but as we gain victory, needed resources will be released into the church for the good of His people. It also says that "the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel." People will see the Lord in us and see our peace in the midst of trials, and see the fear of God as we fight. It goes on to say, "Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around." I could go on and on about the "rest of the Lord", but I'll just say this - we are coming to an age where we will have to battle to find rest - we will no longer be able to continue to avoid battles to find a counterfeit peace - the peace will elude us unless we take the yoke of the Lord and overcome. It is through the overcoming life that we will move from victory to victory, and rest in Him.

In summary, we see here a picture of what the church should look like in these last days. As the vast spiritual army comes on all sides, the Lord will reveal strategies to overcome. He will reveal Himself through however He chooses - we must be in tune with the Father to see what he is saying and doing. Jesus said He only did what He saw His Father in heaven doing. As we do that, we will see the enemy brought down as the "God of peace will soon crush satan under our feet." Not only do we need to be in tune with the Father, but we need one another in the body of Christ. As we see in this story, the Lord used many people to reveal what He was doing for His people. Likewise, in these last days, we will be laboring together, building upon one another's work rather than doing seperate works or our own thing or treading over the same ground over and over again. This collaboration will be necessary in order to forcefully advance the kingdom of God. Keep soldiering on!

Thoughts on Prayer

The Lord has been pressing upon my heart the importance of prayer. Paul admonished us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but what does that mean? The challenge, I believe, is taking prayer as the "window dressing" of a church or self to a place of a lifestyle.
When Jesus was teaching His disciples on how to pray, in Luke 11 has the "Lord's prayer", but what I was intrigued with was the passage that follows:

Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. " Luke 11:5-8 NKJV

Jesus, in teaching His disciples how to pray, teaches them to "stand in the gap" for the "friend" mentioned, and because of the man's persistence, his request is honored. The text that follows is goes as follows:

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10 NKJV

We have not because we ask not. I wonder how many of my struggles are a result of not asking. Prayer is the key which unlocks the doors of heaven. When we come into agreement with God in prayer, things begin to change and move.

"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matthew 18:18-20

"...the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18-19

I'm still pondering these scriptures. I am coming to a place of truly understanding more clearly how prayer brings us into a place of agreement with Him...not the other way around. As the scripture says, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face...[I will] heal their land." Power is in prayer - that is why Paul said to pray without ceasing - it gets us in tune with the heart of the Father.