ARTICLE SEARCH 

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Many of us are carrying burdens these days. Do you find it as difficult as I do to just bring them to the feet of the Lord, set them down, and ask Him to take them upon Himself? 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.” If you are anything like me, sometimes I set a burden down then grab it up again. This is completely a lack of trust on my part. Leaving my burdens with Jesus results in freedom, joy and peace! So, I decided to study some of the Scriptures that speak of the attentiveness of God to the burdens I carry in my heart. As I studied, I wrote prayers to go with each Scripture. I hope they will help to jumpstart your own prayers as you trust Him to lift the worry, concern and anxiety from you during stress-filled seasons:  Psalm 143:1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because You are faithful and righteous. Father,  no matter what burden I am carrying, I can trust that You will not only listen, but that You will also be faithful and righteous as You answer. Sometimes my burdens are heavy and difficult as I lay them at Your feet with loud frustration. Other times, I may not even be able to speak, but only utter pleas that have no words. Please give me courage and strength during these times so that I am able to lay down the burden and walk away, knowing that You will handle it as You have promised!   Psalm 3:3–4 But You, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Thank You, Father,  for being my protector and defender. There are many days when my head is down because I am so burdened, but You are the lifter of my head. You help me to look up and out and beyond my worries. When I cry to You, asking for peace, You answer me!   Romans 8:26 Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit Himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain. Holy Spirit,  when I am feeling weak and unsure about how to pray, You are there! Sometimes there are just no words to describe the feelings and I just feel inadequate to express the depth of emotion in my soul. Thank You for crying out to God on my behalf, and for coming alongside the depth of my pain, hurt, disappointment, fear, frustration, or whatever else I am going through when life is difficult. Instead of being ashamed before God, I can trust that You will carry my burdens to His understanding, loving heart. Ephesians 1:19–20 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Powerful, miracle-working God,  help me to remember that there is nothing I will ever walk through that You can’t handle. The same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead is always at work in my life. I believe You are able, Lord! Walk me through this time of uncertainty, and hold my burdens as Your own. Fill me with peace and the knowledge of Your continual presence moment by moment.    Jude 1:24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. Grace-filled Father,  sometimes I am tempted to doubt Your goodness when my burden is so heavy. I don’t understand why I resist giving it into Your care. I know that You are able to keep me from falling away from Your love, even when others I know walk away and turn their backs on You during difficult times in their lives. I don’t always understand why I struggle when I have placed my trust in Your heart. I know that when I can’t figure out how You are moving, Your heart is always for me. Show me how to experience great joy in Your “glorious presence” as I willingly release my burdens and allow You to carry them.  God is for us, even when life seems against us. Burdens can sometimes be gifts we carry so that God can reveal more about His character.  What burden are you carrying today that you want to prayerfully give to God? Spend some time releasing it into God’s care. He wants to help you break free and experience rejoicing. Trust His heart. He is the God of miracles who raised Jesus from the grave. His heart is for you.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries In a time when so many of us struggle to even know how to pray, here is my prayer for our nation. I invite you to join me in lifting these requests to God: Father of all that is, I bow before You acknowledging You as creator and king over all. As I come to pray for my country, I realize that the prophet Isaiah told us that “the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales” (Is 40:15). No great empire or humble province lasts forever. Yet Your will brings nations into being and uses them as instruments for Your purposes. The Apostle Paul told us, “From one man he (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact place where they should live.” (Acts 17:26). I thank you for calling into being the United States of America. I am grateful for the godly foundation laid by men and women of faith who built into the very fabric of our country a commitment to freedom that was seen as being a gift from You. Thank You for the sacrifice of so many through the years who gave time, effort, and sometimes, their very lives to preserve and protect that freedom. With no lessening of my appreciation for this nation, I also realize that we have fallen short of our promise. We have increasingly depended upon our own strength and wisdom rather than that which comes from above. We have often catered to the wealthy and ignored the needs of the poor and afflicted. We have failed to accept all life as a gift from You and have treated the unborn, the ill, and the elderly with increasing contempt. In spite of our stated values of equality and justice, we continue to harbor racism and injustice within our society. Most of all, we have turned our back on You and sought to live as though You were not. We face troubling times. Our economy has been damaged and many of our citizens are hurting. Our nation is fractured and badly divided in so many ways. The issues faced by our leaders are enormous. Grant them Your grace and peace. Fill them with Your Holy Spirit and give them wisdom and discernment in this critical hour. Lord…we repent! Please pour out upon our nation a spirit of repentance. Help us to turn from sin and turn back to You. As we seek Your face, would You revive your people once again? Would you empower Your church in this nation to be the salt and light You have called us to be? Would you help us to love You with all of our mind, heart and soul and strength, and to love one another deeply with kindness and goodness? Make us one, Lord, as You and the Father are one. Holy Spirit, teach us how to honor and respect one another and to journey together with one heart – the heart of Jesus. Transform us into image bearers of Christ who bring glory and honor to our Father whenever we speak or act. Father, in these days, fulfill Your purposes for our nation. I stand in prayer with my brothers and sisters in Christ and re-commit the United States into your care. Restore to us the vision of being a city on a hill, a place from which the light of Christ can shine to the nations. May we be a nation whose God is the Lord!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries There is an enormous untapped prayer potential in the Church that is underused because they are not often recognized as one of God’s most powerful armies – our senior citizens and those who find themselves in unexpected life circumstances. There are millions of Christ-followers in this population who may be feeling lonely, marginalized and uncertain as to what they should or can do in this season of their lives. It is also a very real issue for people who find themselves retired, widowed, dealing with physical illness or experiencing a disability. When believers find themselves in a different place in life than they expected,  they can sometimes  suffer due to inactivity, boredom or feelings of uselessness…maybe one of them is you! One extremely important point to bring up in this conversation is that the enemy of our souls, Satan himself, is targeting a generation of believers who have been on the frontlines of intercession, or who soon could be if trained and given the opportunity! They need prayer and to have the armor of God firmly in place in order to stand in this moment. What if this large group could be mobilized, trained and unleashed in the ministry of intercession and encouragement? Many of them already are, of course! If you think of the people in your church who are the “intercessors,” many of them are older. There is a depth of wisdom and power as they, like Anna and Simeon, have positioned themselves to pray with great expectation for revival, the lost, and for the needs of their church, community, nation and the nations of the world. However, there are large numbers of believers who feel that their usefulness is over, or who find that they need a new purpose for their lives. Can you imagine what the power of prayer could do to energize, encourage and sustain people who want to be useful in this hour, but just don’t know what to do? Prayer is not a comfortable conversation for many of them, because they have never been trained to know how to have true intimacy with God, and to enter His throne room in passion-filled prayer. If ever there was a time to grow an army of intercessors, it’s now. Ephesians 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” This is definitely a time of need for the entire world. Prayer is the intergenerational power house of God, fueled by those who will seek His face in intimacy, listen for His desires for His kingdom purposes and, who will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, pray for His kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Mobilizing the Army Pastors and church leaders:  What might happen if you leveraged the prayer potential in your congregation? What would God be pleased to do in response to His people seeking Him on behalf of all He wants to do in your midst? In your ministry? For missions? For your community? For your nation and the ends of the earth? Who in your congregation could you connect with to encourage, mobilize and train to pray for your church and the mission of the church in this season? Could you begin an online prayer time regularly to train and encourage people of all ages to pray?    We held a weekly 30-minute prayer time on FaceTime Live for our church for 8 weeks at the beginning of Covid-19 after our church closed its building.  Covid changed our ability to communicate with one another forever – and in many good ways! Of course, it is always preferable to meet in person; however, many churches have had more people show up online than had ever come to a corporate prayer gathering at the building. Our church family and others have been learning how to “pray now” by lifting up prayers with their fingers in the chat section. When someone has a prayer need, others literally gather around them and pray for them. We ask them not to just say they are praying, but to actually write a prayer for the people they are praying for. Those who wouldn’t normally pray out loud in a group have felt okay about stretching their prayer muscles by praying with their fingers! So many are being blessed and encouraged! People are stretching and growing in prayer. Platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet, or even conference calls can also be used to train your church family to pray also! If people want to be seen they can, or they can join by audio only. Take advantage of this technology to train people how to pray for one another, for your churches, communities, nation and world! Prayer Warriors:  If you are already a passionate intercessor, crying out as a watchman on the wall, what might you do to mobilize others to do the same? Perhaps you have been engaged in prayer on your own or with others, but have felt a bit displaced since you have been unable to meet with those you are used to gathering with for corporate or small group prayer…or even with a regular prayer partner. What could you do to change this situation? Retirement Villages, Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities:  As we mentioned above, seniors are a largely untapped source of prayer power! Believers who live or work in these places can have a huge impact simply by praying for others and encouraging other residents to do the same. Pray for people in person or send notes with prayers written in them to other residents. Invite others to learn how they can pray for those living and working in their place of residence and then teach by example as well as provide help for those who struggle with prayer. Some random thoughts and ideas: Invite the already willing  – it won’t take much to get those who already have a lifestyle of prayer and intercession to get on board with intentional prayer assignments. Pastors and church leaders should connect with them and share vision for interceding in this critical hour of history. They will readily agree! Engage them as your most valued allies in recruiting and training others to stand on the front lines! Encourage, value and communicate with them regularly! They are already praying for you, and for the church and beyond.   Ask these intercessors to help you recruit others, or at least give you names of those who might be willing to join the battle on their knees. These will likely be people who are already praying people but may not have connected with any kind of corporate expression of prayer in the past. Can you imagine nursing homes and senior centers becoming houses of prayer? All it takes is one or two proactive seniors with a passion for Jesus and some encouragement and training to make this a reality. Consider how to unleash this untapped resource as you put names of intercessors on your list of those to contact. Let them know they are NEEDED. Invite those on your newly acquired list of possibilities to join you and other intercessors to intercede, letting them know how valuable this ministry of prayer is to you, the church, and to the kingdom plans and purposes of God. Encouragement and training: Once you have some people interested in moving forward in the ministry of intercession, follow up right away. Don’t worry about numbers. Start with who you have and watch it grow as God begins to move in response to the prayers of His people crying out to Him. People are attracted to fires, and when the Holy Spirit engages with the most vulnerable, others will want to be a part. Encourage them, offer solid training to help them move forward, and communicate well! Some of these people may never have considered themselves to be intercessors, even though every single believer is called to do so: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Additional Ideas:  Let’s look at a few things that can be done to mobilize, train and unleash this army of intercessors (even if they have never considered themselves an intercessor before) into the world-changing, kingdom-advancing purposes of God: Those who are outgoing and social might enjoy calling others and praying for them by phone. Some might enjoy writing notes of prayer-filled encouragement for those who express a need. Teach them to pray Scriptures over others, using the Word of God as their prayers. Read through the Bible – encourage those who can to read the Bible out loud during this season and pray as they feel led. Pastors, encourage intercessors to pray over your sermon text and for you as you both prepare and preach! Realize that giving the ministry of prayer to seniors and health challenged people will give them a sense of value and worth. Having purpose is powerful. These are just a few thoughts and ideas to train vulnerable people to be valuable intercessors for the Kingdom of God.  Think outside the box using these ideas as a catalyst to enlist a powerful prayer force for God’s glory!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Once a year, it’s usual and appropriate to prayerfully look back, remember, assess, and reflect on how the year has gone…and then to prayerfully take a look forward…seeking the heart of God about how to live more grace-filled, courageous lives that bring glory to His Kingdom. I suggest that, despite all that has changed, been different or unsettling, or that has challenged the limits of our faith – we should not be paralyzed in our efforts to see God at work in the midst of it all. Allow the Father to show you the joy-filled blessings in your life also. Sometimes the difficult times overshadow the many goodnesses of God. Here is a prayerful way to process all that has happened in the midst of your relationships with God and others, and to look forward to what lies ahead. I hope it will be a blessing to you: Sit in silence for a few minutes daily  – perhaps light a candle as a reminder that Jesus is the Light of the World, and that you are seated in His presence. Breathe out any burden, heartache, pain, fear, uncertainty or anger. Breathe in His peace. Remind yourself that He is very near  as you pray from Psalm 46:1-3, “Lord Jesus, thank You for being my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Because of Your presence I will not fear…even if the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Reflect on all that has swirled around you this year: Name the things that stand out from this past year as you sit in the stillness. Invite God to meet you in the midst of every remembered situation, relationship, struggle or joy that comes to mind. Take time to imagine Him being near in every circumstance even if you cannot remember His presence when the event happened. Ask Him to show you where He was in the midst of everything that comes to mind. Thank Him for His presence. Ask Him to help you to find joy and peace in whatever has caused turmoil or distress. Give God thanks for everything He has walked you through. Thank Him for the blessings, expected and unexpected, that have come your way. Thank Him for the way He has shown up in your life this past year. Have you reflected Christ to others in the midst of the upheaval, fear, anger, angst, violence, uncertainty and pain?  Ask God to show you those who have experienced His love or encouragement through you this past year…and those who haven’t. Ask Him to bring to mind those who have experienced darkness, pain or distress, but have seen and experienced extraordinary love, forgiveness, patience, peace, kindness, generosity and even joy from Jesus living within you. When God shows you those who needed encouragement, peace, etc. from you and didn’t receive it, ask God for His forgiveness. Ask for His help and strength to reflect Jesus better and more fully in your relationships in this new year. Have you prayed for those who have disagreed with you or done harm to you and/or others this year?  Think about every painful, frustrating or difficult experience with others and release each person to God. Ask Him to restore your joy and give you a deep desire to pray for His presence to be evident in their lives. Ask Him to help you to learn to love those who may have persecuted you or treated you badly this past year. Has your life been marked by forgiveness?  Ask the Father to give you the grace gift of forgiveness to extend to each person who came to your mind in #5. Ask God to forgive you for each person you may have damaged by your words or actions as He brings them to mind. Next, ask Him to show you anyone you may need to go to and ask to be forgiven by. Determine to set things right in any relationship that has been damaged. Deny any attempts of the enemy to make you feel guilty. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Receive His pleasure as you seek His heart in each circumstance and relationship. What does God have for you in the year to come?  Take time to seek the heart of God for your direction and purpose. Perhaps He will give you a Scripture, a word of encouragement or a challenge. Ask Him to fill you with His hope, joy and peace. Most of all, ask Him to strengthen your desire to carry the Light of the World into the darkness with every step, word, and action. Renew your desire to be His hands and feet in great love. End this time in silence.  As your time of reflection comes to a close, give thanks to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for meeting with you in this season of prayer. Sit quietly for a few moments in the peace of His presence. When you feel ready, blow out the candle and carry His presence into the world.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Growing up in church was a wonderful privilege for me. One of the benefits was the encouragement I received to memorize scripture. I’m pretty sure that the first full chapter I ever memorized was Psalm 23. The beautiful imagery and spiritual depth of the Good Shepherd’s Psalm has been a blessing for me throughout my life. Though I rarely use the King James Version anymore, I still revert to that when praying through Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. There are many benefits to memorizing scripture, but one of the best is the ease of access to God’s Word when praying. It is a simple matter for me to pray Psalm 23 because I have committed it to memory. Sometimes Psalm 23 suffers from the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt. We view it as a nice, safe portion of scripture best used at funerals. May I suggest instead that this powerful Psalm prayed regularly with insight can bring transformation to your life at a deep level? Consider what you are asking of Him. Psalm 23 from beginning to end is all about the Presence of God in a person’s life. When prayed from that perspective, it changes all of life. David, the Shepherd King, understood from personal experience what a shepherd’s presence means to sheep. Whether it is protection, provision, rest, or direction, the sheep are dependent upon the leadership and presence of their shepherd. That is precisely what is needed in our lives today. What has become a powerful spiritual experience for me involves personalizing Psalm 23 as I pray. It is astonishing to me how I sense the Lord's presence by simply changing a pronoun. “You are my shepherd, Lord.” I am speaking to the One who is present with me now. If you struggle with doing this, please note that David himself, the author of this Psalm, personalizes His prayer: “Thou(You) are with me”…”thy (Your) rod and staff”…”thou (You) preparest a table”….”thou (You) anointest.” Psalm 23 is all about the Lord being present with us every day in every aspect of life. For me, it is the way I experience and live out the truth of Col.1:27, “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” No longer just head knowledge or good theology, but a way of life. Like Col.1:27 which speaks of the Lord’s presence as the hope of glory, so Psalm 23 concludes in a similar way. As we walk with Jesus through all of life, we dwell in the midst of His glory in and as the house of the Lord forever. My challenge to you today is to memorize Psalm 23 (if you haven’t already) in whatever version you enjoy, and begin to pray these amazing words back to God. This will be a life-changing experience for you as you trust and look to the Father to answer.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Has the Lord done great things for you? We seem to have just one season that causes us to pause and be mindful of thankfulness. What if we slowed down at least once a day,  every day , and thanked God for blessing us? Even when things may not be going well, or we are experiencing dark times in our lives…He is always there beside us – waiting and watching. Waiting for us to seek Him in the midst of our trials or our blessings. Watching – sending His Spirit to comfort, give wisdom and guide us. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is an excellent biblical example of gratefulness. She was facing an intense season of unknowing what was truly unfolding in her life following the angelic visitation. Put yourself in her place in the moments and months following, imagining what this could have been like for her. Just understanding her pregnancy by the power of the Holy Spirit, and processing the fact that she was going to give birth to the Son of God who would be the Savior of the world, was confusing enough. On top of that, she had to consider Joseph’s response and the scrutiny of those in her village. What could she potentially be facing in terms of her reputation and her upcoming marriage? And yet, Mary chose to trust God! She believed His words to be the complete truth and that He would work out all of the details to accomplish His plans and purposes through her. Mary’s response to the angel: “May it be done to me according to your word.” Is it any wonder that God chose this humble servant through whom to accomplish His redemption of the world? Here are three prayers from Mary’s song in Luke 1 to help us focus on the goodness of our God during the Christmas season – or anytime! Consider giving thanks each day for one of these amazing truths from the Word! My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant” (vs. 47-48). Prayer:  Father, I am so grateful that You see me in the midst of my daily life. I trust You to walk with me through the good, the dark, the difficult and the amazing! My faith grows as You pay attention to every detail in my life! May humility mark my life each day so that I don’t think more highly of myself than I should. My soul will continually glorify You and my spirit will rejoice in Jesus, my Savior, the Light of the World! …for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name (vs. 49). Prayer:  Mighty One – You have done great things for me throughout my life! I am so grateful that You redeemed me through the birth, death and resurrection of Your only Son, Jesus Christ! Your name is holy! Help me to honor You each day! His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation (vs. 50). Prayer:  Merciful Father, how grateful I am that Your mercy extends from one generation to the next of those who live in awe of You. Cover my generation and those to come with Your grace, peace, strength, hope and power! Fill the generations with hope as we consider the miracle of Your humble servant, Mary, who received Your assignment to bear the Savior of the World with simple faith.  May Your great mercy fill our hearts and may every generation bring glory to Your Name!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I believe that one of the most powerful, transformative prayers that can be prayed in any circumstance, is the heart of the Lord’s Prayer (often called the Disciples Prayer or the Model Prayer): “Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). As I was praying this one day over a particular situation, I sensed from The Lord that this was an invitation for an invasion. An invasion of the Kingdom of God into the kingdom of my own little world. We all have a strong tendency to serve as kings over our own kingdoms. We make our own rules and set up our own boundaries. Of course, our little kingdoms are a wreck. The problem is bad leadership…and yes…we are each the incompetent leaders of our individual kingdoms. Sometimes the best thing that can happen is a benevolent invasion. Years ago I was visiting in the totalitarian nation of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. During a fascinating conversation with a Burmese taxi driver, he said that he wished the United States would invade his country. He said they would be much better off under our leadership. Quite apart from the morality or rightness of such an invasion, it was a very revealing statement. This taxi driver saw the suffering of his people under bad rulers, and wished for a beneficent invasion. Perhaps we need the clarity of that Burmese taxi driver regarding our own personal kingdoms. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us we are blessed when we recognize that we are spiritually poor. With that sort of humble awareness that we are miserable rulers of our own kingdoms, perhaps we will begin to pray for a new ruler of a new kingdom. We will offer an invitation to an invasion as we pray in each and every situation of life, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.”

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:24-34) With the crowd almost crushing him, Jesus made his way through the enthusiastic mob on his way to heal a young girl. There were many people touching him constantly, and yet…there was one touch in the midst of it all that stopped the Lord in His tracks. After twelve years of bleeding, one woman, who had suffered and grown worse at the hands of many physicians, simply reached out to touch his cloak – believing in her heart that she would be healed. Through God’s grace-filled love and mercy, this woman, who didn’t want to be noticed or identified, had a simple thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” And God, through the power of the Holy Spirit alive and at work in His Son, chose to bless her act of faith with complete healing. Did she know that it was God’s will to use her to bring glory to Himself? Perhaps not; however, her humble act of faith provides a good model for us to pray bold, faith-filled prayers, believing that God has the power to transform our lives.   There are several compelling things about prayer in this passage: Declaration of faith:  First, the woman had a thought that Jesus could heal her, perhaps because she had heard about how He had healed others. I believe the thought itself came from the Holy Spirit actively at work. She could have dismissed the idea…but she didn’t. It gave her hope, and she had no other recourse than to trust and believe that what had been impossible for twelve years was now possible. In her own spirit she declared what she fully believed to be true and prayed the prayer of her heart as an affirmation of that faith: “If I just touch his clothes,  I will be healed .” Action of faith:  Second, she felt she must act upon the silent prayer within her. Summoning the courage to brave the crowds, she acted upon the faith of the testimony of her heart. Receiving the answer to her prayer of faith:  Immediately, the woman received her healing and felt it in her body. Giving testimony of her faith:  Even though it was not her intent to shout her healing to the world, when Jesus called her out, she came forward to declare what had happened to her in response to the cry of her own spirit and the believing act of faith. Jonathan Graf has stated, “Declaring prayer simply means that once we know God’s heart on an issue, we boldly pray that it will be so, and then walk in faith that it is already so – even if the answer is not yet.” Surely this timid woman had asked God over and over again to make her well. Yet, with this one simple act, her prayer was answered. The immediacy of her healing most likely shocked and overwhelmed her…the face to face encounter with Jesus was completely unexpected…and the affirmation that it was her act of faith that had brought her healing surely brought her great joy! Do you have the faith to believe, and obey with action when the Holy Spirit prompts you to ask?

Seeking ways to become more deeply attached to God should be  a lifelong pursuit for all believers. Prayer provides the most profound attachment we can form with our Father, and recently this quote by Frank Bianco came my way: “If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer.”  It adds fuel to my own prayer that we will all see how the fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray continually,” is accomplished through prayer becoming a lifestyle. It is an increased awareness of being in the presence of God moment by moment. Paul lays the groundwork for us in Romans 12:1-2 in the Message:“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” How can this kind of attachment to the continual presence of God be done in a practical way, you may be asking? Here are some steps to ponder and pray  through this Scripture in order to walk it out day by day and moment by moment: 1.    Prayerfully place your everyday, ordinary life before God as an offering.  One way to pray this is, “Father, take all that I am and all that I do today. I lay it before you. Please take it and turn my ordinary into Your extraordinary! 2.    Embrace what God does for you.  Live out your gratefulness with continual prayers of gratitude, even for the smallest things. Being thankful will help you to recognize and embrace His nearness continually.  Take time to notice things you don’t normally think about and thank God for them regularly. As you cultivate a heart of appreciation for all that has been created around you and for all of the blessings you have been given, you will become more intimately connected with the Presence of God the Father. 3.    Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Our culture is separating us from spending time with God, much less being continually aware of His presence. The distractions are compelling and tempting unless we are able to see and sense Him moving and working all around us. Leaning into His purposes will keep us from the purposes of the enemy of our souls. 4.    Fix your attention on God. Whenever possible, give Him your full consideration and attentiveness. Spend much time reading and meditating upon His word. Listen for His voice. Tell Him that in these moments all you want is to know Him more deeply.  A. W. Tozer speaks about believers who have cultivated the practice of “gazing upon God.”  He describes them as those who, “without giving much thought to what is going on within them, constantly practice this habit of inwardly gazing upon God. They know that something inside their hearts sees God. Even when they are compelled to withdraw their conscious attention in order to engage in earthly affairs there is within them a secret communion always going on. Let their attention be released for a moment from necessary business and it flies at once to God again.” He speaks of the importance of spiritual habits and rhythms in our lives and continues:  “But at the bottom of all these things, giving meaning to them, will be the inward habit of beholding God. A new set of eyes (so to speak) will develop within us enabling us to be looking at God while our outward eyes are seeing the scenes of this passing world.”  Tozer says this is not only for the super saints, but for each one of us who deeply desires to fix our attention upon God. Spend time in prayer asking the Father to develop this new set of eyes within you. 5.    Readily recognize what He wants from you.  Quickly respond to it. It is important that we are always prepared to become the answer to the prayers we pray. Often, when God burdens our hearts, He is preparing us to respond to our own prayers. James says, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2: 15-17). Ask God to keep you aware and available and He will use you for His kingdom purposes. Paul shares two promises from God if we will focus on the things above. First, we will be changed from the inside out. Secondly, God will bring the best out of us and develop well-formed maturity in us.  What believer doesn’t want this kind of transformation? “If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer.”  – Frank Bianco

A Biblical View of Revival - Part 4 by James Pool, OneCry National Prayer Director “Also I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them” (Ezekiel 36:19 NASB). Prior to COVID-19, statistics tell us that 74% of America’s churches were stagnant or declining in the area of church attendance. The largest evangelical denomination in the United States has been reporting an annual decline in church baptisms for the past nine years. Weekly churchwide prayer meetings are disappearing, and those that exist are usually attended by just a handful of those who are already doing everything else. Experiencing financial pressures or having their fellowship marred by internal strife and division is an age-old problem in many churches. Who Is to Blame? What do churches do when struggles like these begin taking place? In many cases, it becomes “blame the pastor” time! Of course, an ungodly pastor could certainly contribute to the challenges a church faces; but most of the time, the real issues lie with the congregation as a whole. As it says in Ezekiel 36:19, God brings remedial judgment or discipline upon groups of His children when they depart from Him corporately through their disobedient ways and deeds. One of the main ways God judges churches is by removing His anointing so that the life-altering manifestations of His presence and power are no longer experienced (Exodus 33:1-5; Revelation 3:14-19). What you end up with is a congregation filled with good, religious people who become very proficient from generation to generation in simply maintaining the traditions, programs, and activities of the church. They measure their church’s spiritual health not by their loving obedience to Christ, but by how faithful their members are in simply attending their church’s activities. Corporate Discipline in the Old Testament An Old Testament example of God moving to wake up and revive His children when corporate sin takes place is found in the unique and devastating story of Achan (Joshua 7:1-26). The context for this story has God telling the nation of Israel that when they conquered Jericho (the first city of the promised land), there were certain items that were to be dedicated to Him; all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron were to be “holy to the LORD” and were to go into the “treasury of the LORD” (Joshua 6:17-19). Following their divinely orchestrated conquest of Jericho, the sons of Israel, along with their leader, Joshua, were greatly dismayed when thirty-six of their men died while attacking the small town of Ai. They all recognized that God’s supernatural presence and power that had led them through the wilderness had been removed. As Joshua mourned this unexpected defeat, God began to reprimand him, saying, “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them” (Joshua 7:10-12). The uniqueness of this narrative is brought to light when God showed Joshua that one man, Achan, had caused the nation to sin by taking from Jericho some of the gold and silver that fell under the ban. Since Achan was a part of the nation, the whole nation was disciplined, because it was the nation that God held accountable, not just one individual. When Achan and all of his family and possessions were removed from the people of Israel by stoning and fire, the sons of Israel were once again empowered by God and easily conquered Ai. Corporate Discipline in the New Testament In the New Testament, this same principle appears when Jesus denounced the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum because they did not repent after seeing His miracles (Matthew 11:20-23). In Revelation 2 and 3, five of the seven churches addressed by Jesus were warned that disciplinary measures would come their way if they failed to repent of their corporate sins. Some of the congregational sins present in those churches were: leaving their first love, holding to and propagating false teaching, immorality, failure to keep God’s directional commands, and being lukewarm in their relationship with God. This leads us to these questions: Are the challenges facing my congregation today related in some form or fashion to our having departed from our love relationship with God? Out of love for us, has God been disciplining us so that we as a church will turn back to Him, listen to His commands, and demonstrate our love for Him by repenting of our sinful ways and deeds? Next month, we will begin to examine the important role that personal and corporate repentance play in revival. May God help all of us individually and our churches as a whole to continually walk with humility before Him! May God help us make the connection between our corporate and personal sins and His righteous disciplines! May revival and spiritual awakening like we have not seen in our generation be experienced once again!