Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I can sometimes be one of those “squirrel” people – you know the ones. You may be having a conversation and in the middle, the person to whom you are talking or who is talking to you gets suddenly and radically distracted by something completely off topic. My husband can be talking and out of the blue, I will point at something, change the subject, or otherwise divert the conversation. This is always completely

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” We have all made this declaration thousands of times, and yet, there are so many insidious ways that the enemy of our souls finds to take our hearts off of God’s heavenly will for His kingdom on earth. When I first married my husband, I was so grateful to God that I unintentionally allowed Dave to become an idol in my life. This is, I believe, n

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “Nothing but the knowledge of God, as the Holy One, will make us holy. And how are we to obtain that knowledge of God, except in the inner chamber, our private place of prayer? It is a thing utterly impossible unless we take time and allow the holiness of God to shine on us.” ~ Andrew Murray Whenever Moses entered the presence of the Lord, his face shone: “It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Si

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries What is it we are asking for as we pray for revival? Ultimately, it is for the people of God to begin to experience the presence of Christ in a fresh new way. All other results flow from that. Changed lives in the Church as well as transformation in a culture come not from human effort, but the power of God made manifest in the lives of His people. This isn’t about praying for a better life or that things would

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Many churches struggle with helping people to connect with kingdom ministry when they are unsure of what God wants them to do. Training the Church in the intercessory ministry of Jesus can help most people gain a crucial connectivity to the power of God no matter what life stage or circumstance they are in. We are called to live like Jesus. In Romans 8:34, the one thing we know for sure Jesus is currently doing

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Every election season brings a certain degree of anxiety or uneasiness. It’s a big change when one leader steps down and another takes his or her place. Over the past few years, it seems there is a greater level of anxiety and even anger surrounding our national elections. Social media is a reflection of that. Try expressing an opinion on social media without someone becoming angry about your comments. Today, Ch

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Several years ago, I prayed with a young woman I had not previously met who was suffering many stresses in her young life: a struggling child, her grandfather’s recent stroke, a difficult ex-husband and a lack of peace. She was a strong believer in Jesus and deeply desired for God to move in her life. As we prayed through these issues one by one, I sensed the Spirit urging me to ask her if she had forgiven her e

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Spiritual and numerical growth for churches has been under the magnifying glass for many years. There have been multiple strategies put forward to remedy the struggles and deficiencies associated with drawing people to Jesus and His Church…and then growing them into fully committed disciples of Jesus. However, all one needs to do is study the book of Acts to find God’s solution: kingdom-focused corporate praye

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I love nativity scenes. The one I have at my office was made in Bethlehem, carved out of olive wood. It’s a full-service scene including Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, donkeys, sheep, and even three wise men and their camels, although biblically they weren’t actually on the scene at that time! But there is something missing from my scene, and most others as well. It’s a Dragon. If you really want to be b

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “When you are able to create a lonely place in the middle of your actions and concerns, your successes and failures slowly can lose some of their power over you.” ~ Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude Jesus would regularly separate Himself from the crowds, and even from the disciples, to go off to a lonely, quiet place to pray. It was in the place of solitude where Jesus met with His Father in deepest intimacy so that

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I have a confession. Sometimes I still get anxious before the Lord. And when I do, my words to Him are a bit like a baby’s cry. I don’t typically know why I’m anxious or upset, so I can’t always articulate it. It’s just a cry. It’s always uncomfortable and troubling. The psalmist speaks powerfully of the solution to this in Psalm 131:2-4: “But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries A few years ago, a dear friend went through a major health challenge. She walked through a lot of darkness and difficulty. Yet, in the midst of her struggle, she said to me, “I would not have chosen to miss going through every bit of this struggle because of all God did in and through me.” Knowing how much she had suffered physically, mentally and financially through an intensely dark time, this gift of grace to

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I work with many leadership teams, including pastors, prayer ministry teams, missions teams, etc. about hearing from God together for next steps…for decision-making and roadmaps into the future of kingdom work, etc. Of course, without each individual practicing the spiritual discipline of listening prayer first, the corporate exercise of listening cannot be fully realized. Lisa Swanson has defined listening pray

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “Why, O Lord, do You make us wander from Your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes that are Your inheritance” (Isa. 63:17). “Wander from Your ways” is powerfully descriptive as we consider how easy it is to move away from a right relationship to God. It does not take effort to drift. You just quit trying. You lose focus. Staying close to God requir

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Sometimes God just puts things into perspective and smacks me upside the head! I was struggling to write today…nothing was coming to mind, even as I prayed and searched the Scriptures for a jump start. I was beginning to get frustrated and was feeling a bit sorry for myself. And then – God intervened! A phone call came into the office from a desperate woman whose son has been missing for two days. She was weepin