Understand the power of prayer

Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life

This morning we take what I believe will be an extended pause from our Proverbs series, because I am led to teach on a topic that has been on my heart for quite some time. I have been praying about when to actually start it and I believe I have the release to do so now. The Today’s Word (www.todaysword.org) website has about 14 years worth of messages and different series’ on it and about a year ago one of my Pastor friends called me to ask if I had anything on the site about a particular topic. To my surprise, I did not. After all the years of teaching I was amazed that I had not addressed this topic, especially since it is so critical to success in Christian living. Concerning this topic In Dr. Myles Munroe said, “The President of the United States does it, the Prime Minister of Israel does it, the Chairman of Palestine does it, and the Queen of England does it. Jews do it, Muslims do it, Hindus do it, Buddhists do it, pagans do it, heathens do it, Christians do it, everyone does it. Few are sure it works, and even less believe it is necessary.” What are we talking about? The answer is Prayer!

I am extremely excited about this series. We are all supposed to pray, but it has been my experience that not all believers do, because many have questions about how, when, if, what, and etc. I am convinced that the key to Jesus’ success was His prayer life and the key to our success in life can/should be our prayer life. Think about it… the King of Glory, the Lord who sits on the Circle of the Earth, gives us access to Him through prayer. If you had access to President Barak Obama, wouldn’t you use it? If you had a relationship with Donald Trump, wouldn’t you call him? Well, we have access to the only true and living God, and the sad reality is that most of us never use it. I believe the Lord wants us to change that fact. For the next few weeks I will be teaching on “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.”

Today I am just giving you the introduction to the series; and by way of introduction, let me share with you a poem about prayer that I memorized 15 years ago. This poem helps remind me of the importance of prayer. I don’t know who wrote it, but it’s aptly entitled, “The Difference.”

I got up one morning,

And I rushed right into the day,

I had so much to accomplish,

That I did not have time to pray.

As the day went on,

Heavier came each task,

I said, “Lord, why don’t you help me?”

He said, “Child, you didn’t ask.”

Hour upon hour,

The day toiled on gray and bleak,

I said, “Lord, why don’t you help me?”

He said, “Son, you didn’t seek.”

Finally, I tried to come into God’s presence,

I used all my keys at the lock,

I said, “Lord, why don’t you let me in?’

He said, “Child, you didn’t knock.”

So I got up this morning,

And I paused before entering the day,

Because I had so much to accomplish,

That I HAD to take time to PRAY!

The Difference!

So what does this mean to you today? It means the Father wants you to prepare your heart to re-energize your prayer life. Prayer can make all the difference in your life. If your prayer life has been lacking or maybe even borderline nonexistent, get ready for an inner-revival!

Closing Confession: Father, my heart is open to You. I am Your sheep and I have a blood-bought covenant right to hear from You daily. I yearn to commune with You in prayer and I declare that I will. I make a faith confession that my prayer life is flourishing, because I make the time to spend time with You daily. You lead me and I follow. You speak to me and I listen. I speak to You and we commune one with another. I am never hopeless, because I am never helpless. You are with me every second of every day of every year of my life. My prayer life opens the door to Your best for me today and everyday. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Jesus is Our Example

(John 5:19 NLT) So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” In John chapter five, after healing a man on the Sabbath, Jesus explained how He did it by saying; “The Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” What did Jesus mean when He said He saw the Father do it? What He meant was that He was being led of the Father. Jesus spent much time in prayer every morning and throughout the day. It was like He was receiving His marching orders from the Father. After having prayed, and after receiving the will of the Father for the day, Jesus set out to DO what he SAW, to PERFORM what He RECEIVED. In this passage Jesus went on to say, “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. In fact, the Father will show Him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished” (John 5:19,20). Jesus was led of the Father to do all He did. Jesus acknowledged that He was not the manufacturer of what He was doing, but rather simply the distribution center. Said another way, He was not coming up with His daily divine appointments. The Father was orchestrating Jesus’ agenda and He was simply cooperating with the Father’s will.

Later on in the same passage Jesus said, “I can do nothing on My own.” Isn’t that amazing to you? It is to me. Here we have Jesus, the King of Glory Himself, saying that He could do nothing on His own. What did He mean by that? He meant that He was not on the earth to perform His own will. He came as a human, and as a human He had to seek the Father just like we do. He did not have an advantage over us, because if He did then He would not be a true example. We could never replicate what He did if He came as God, but since He came as a man, then we have every opportunity to walk as He walked and to do as He did. Jesus went on to say, “I judge as God tells Me. Therefore, My judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the One who sent Me, not My own will. If I were to testify on My own behalf, My testimony would not be valid” (John 5:30,31). Once again, Jesus was driving home the fact that He was NOT performing His own will. Jesus walked the earth as a man, and as a man He sought guidance from the Father to do all that He did, and since the Father was leading Him, then it is obvious to see why everything He put His hands to do was blessed!

In John chapter 14 Jesus said, “The words I speak are not My own, but My Father who lives in Me does His work through Me” (John 14:11). How do you think Jesus received the words of the Father? The answer is simple; Jesus received the will of God daily in prayer. We will learn more about this in this series and we will also learn how to replicate what Jesus did in our own lives.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man. One of the reasons He came as a man was so that we could emulate what we see in His life.

2. As a man Jesus needed to pray for guidance. If Jesus attempted to do things without hearing from the Father it would be no different than us when we get outside of His will.

3. Jesus could not to ANYTHING on His own. If Jesus saw a clear need to spend time in prayer, then how do you think you can ever succeed in life without it? Jesus counted on the Father daily and so must you. Receive your marching orders for today in prayer.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this revelation. I am learning how much Jesus relied on His prayer life and it is humbling to me. I realize I have been selling myself short by not cultivating and developing my prayer life fully. That stops today! I declare, by faith, that I will learn how to pray, I will develop in prayer, and I will pray daily. I want to hear from You. I know that without You I can do nothing. Just like Jesus needed to hear from You, I need to hear from You; and I will, from now on, in prayer. My ears are anointed to hear, my eyes are anointed to see, and my heart is anointed to understand all that You desire to share with me in prayer. I am open to hear from You Father. Speak Lord, Your child is listening. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Jesus is Our Example (Part 2)

(Mark 1:35 NIrV) It was very early in the morning and still dark. Jesus got up and left the house. He went to a place where he could be alone. There he prayed.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Yesterday I taught about Jesus and how He should be our example when it comes to prayer. Let’s continue to flow in that same vein this today.

In Mark chapter one we see the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was baptized and immediately after His baptism He was “led” of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of satan. Now, how was He led? Did the Holy Spirit physically take Jesus by the hand? Of course not. This was an inner leading. The Father was leading Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, through the internal relationship they had. This leading is part of our prayer life. While Jesus was in the desert we know that He fasted for 40 days. Prayer always accompanies biblical fasting. After having fasted, prayed, and successfully resisted the temptations of satan in the wilderness, Jesus came out of the desert ready to start His earthly ministry. He immediately preached the Gospel of Kingdom of God, called His first disciples, drove out demons, and healed many who were sick.

The way Mark records this, it seems like this could have happened all in the same day. Whether it did or not is not significant, but what Mark records next is. Mark says, “It was very early in the morning and still dark. Jesus got up and left the house. He went to a place where he could be alone. There he prayed.” Jesus’ time with the Father in the wilderness obviously prepared Him for His first experiences in ministry. But Jesus was not going to face a new day without hearing from the Father. He spent time with the Father early in the morning. Simon (later known as Peter), and his friends, went looking for Jesus. When they found him they called out, “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus was not concerned about that; He was more focused on hearing from the Father in prayer than hearing from people. After receiving His marching orders for the day, Jesus said, “Let’s go somewhere else. I want to go to the nearby towns. I must preach there also. That is why I have come.” Jesus was completely clear about what He needed to do that day, because He had spent time with the Father, early in the morning, in prayer. We will learn in the series that He also prayed throughout the day. But the point is that Jesus did not assume that anything/everything that would happen over the course of the day would somehow magically be ‘the will of God.’ No, Jesus actively sought to receive the will of God in prayer and then sought to perform what He received! There is so much more I want to say about this, but I will stop here for today.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Jesus spent time alone with the Father. Praying with or around others is fine, Jesus did this too, but there is nothing like giving the Father your undivided attention. Make time to give the Father quality time in prayer.

2. Jesus prayed early in the morning. If you are like me, then once your day starts rolling it’s hard to slow down. Taking the time early in the morning to pray helps you keep your priorities in order and it will also help you properly order your day.

3. Jesus did not assume that everything that happened would be God’s will. Far too many believers accept everything as ‘the will of God’ without ever spending time with the Father to find out what His will actually is. If you hear from the Father in prayer, you won’t ever question His will, because you will know it.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I am preparing my heart, mind, and soul to develop in the area of prayer. Jesus made time to pray and so will I. Jesus actually spent alone time with You and He made sure it was quality time. I declare, by faith, that I will do the same. I learn from the example Jesus left for me. I will get up and pray early in the morning. Instead of allowing my day to order my prayer, I will allow my prayer to order my day. In prayer I am going to tell the day what kind of day it is going to be. I am Your sheep, I hear Your voice, and the voice of a stranger I shall not follow. You speak to me, You tell me Your will for my life, and I walk out that will BY FAITH, with the utmost confidence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Jesus is Our Example (Part 3)

(Luke 5:16 NIV) But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” In Luke chapter 5 Jesus was on the move again, making a difference everywhere He went. As Jesus came into one of the towns Luke records that a man with leprosy approached Him. Luke was a physician so he had no problem identifying leprosy. This leprous man was in a bad situation. Leprosy is not common today; so let me tell you a little about the illness.

Leprosy is an infectious disease that attacks the skin and central nervous system. People with leprosy often do not have the sensation of pain to identify cuts or bruises; hence they frequently injure themselves without knowing. Leprosy also causes multiple legions on the skin that cause a terrible smell. Lepers, for obvious reasons, were social outcasts. Lepers were considered unclean and since there was no cure, they were condemned to live the rest of their lives in leper colonies. Beyond the obvious physical damage, the treatment of lepers could easily cause psychological harm. They died a slow physical, mental, and social death. It is easy to understand then why a man with leprosy came and bowed down to Jesus. He heard of the miracle worker and he came for a breakthrough; Jesus represented his only glimmer of hope.

With his face to the ground the leper said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” His statement exposes the fact that he had already resolved within his heart that Jesus was bigger than his problem. He did not ask Jesus if He could, but his inferiority complex wondered if He would. The text then reveals a facet of Jesus that comforts my soul. Mark’s account of this miracle says that Jesus was “filled with compassion.” We don’t serve a distant or despondent Lord. Our Savior genuinely cares for us. Jesus was not just motivated to heal because He could, but rather because He knew that He should. I believe Jesus looked passed the outward appearance and saw someone hurting more on the inside than the outside. So before Jesus performed the miracle He did the unthinkable, He reached out and touched the leper. Jesus did what no clean person had since the day the disease had befallen him. Jesus gave the man what he so eagerly longed for – a human touch. Jesus loved him enough to meet him where He was, and He loved him too much to leave him there. Jesus said, “I am willing, Be clean!”

After this miracle Luke records that “The power of the Lord was present for him (Jesus) to heal the sick.” Basically, Luke moved on to what Jesus did next. But sandwiched between miracles is one short verse that tells us a great deal about how Jesus did what He did. In verse 16 Luke says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Another translation of this verse reads, “As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.”

So what does this mean to you today? It means prayer was the key to Jesus’ success. No one questions the remarkable nature of Jesus’ life. What Jesus did for the leper only pales in comparison to what He performed in other miracles. But since Jesus never did anything He did not first see the Father do and He never said anything He did not first hear the Father say, then it is obvious that Jesus saw Himself touching that leper while He was praying to the Father. Jesus always knew what to say and do, because He made the time to spend quality time alone with the Father in prayer.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You once again for sending Jesus to die in my stead. He paid a price He did not owe for a debt I could not pay. I will never cease to give You praise for Jesus. Not only is Jesus my Savior and Lord, but He is also my example. I see how He lived, how He was led of You in all things, and I seek to live that way daily. Lead me as You led Him. Speak to my inner man as You spoke to His. Manifest Your glory in my life as You did through His. I want the world to see Jesus through me daily. Use me as a conduit through which You flow today and every day. I make time to spend time with You and as I do, You lead me in the way that I should go. I am a Spirit-led, blood bought, twice born, BELIEVER! Use me for Your glory Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Lord, Teach Us To Pray

(Luke 11:1 NLT) Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As He finished, one of His disciples came to Him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Yesterday we learned about Jesus’ experiences as documented in Luke chapter 5. Today we will fast forward to chapter 11. By this time Jesus had done much teaching, casted out countless demons, healed people from of all sorts of diseases, fed a crowd with a little boy’s two-piece fish dinner, and even raised a young man from the dead in the middle of his funeral procession. And you should know by now that He also consistently prayed along the way.

As we open Luke chapter 11 we find Jesus once again praying. He was off by Himself, away from the disciples, alone with the Father, communing with Him and receiving guidance for His life and ministry. When Jesus came back from His time of prayer one of the disciples asked Him an interesting question. Now remember, these guys had been with Jesus for a long time by this point. The disciples had a front row seat for every miracle. They participated in the miracle of the fish and loaves. They were there when Jesus stopped the funeral procession to raise the young man right out of his casket. I don’t know about you, but if it were me, I probably would have asked Him to teach me how to do what He was doing. In my best Brooklyn accent, I would have had to say, “Yo Jesus, hook a brother up! Teach me how to multiply two sardines and five biscuits like that.” Or, after the incident at the funeral procession, I probably would have at least asked, “Man, how did you do that?” But these questions were no doubt floating in the disciples’ minds. The desire to know how Jesus was doing what He did was unquestionably burning in their hearts.

Put yourself in the shoes of the disciples for a minute. You have learned this week a little about Jesus’ prayer life. Imagine yourself there. You are a disciple of Christ and you have watched this man do the impossible day after day, week after week, and it always seemed to come after He had spent time with the Father in prayer. If you were there I believe you may have come to the same conclusion they did and that was that prayer was obviously the secret to Jesus’ success. They had never asked Jesus to teach them how to actually DO anything else. I don’t believe this question came haphazardly. This question was birthed out of careful consideration. Prayer was the one thing they wanted to know how to do, because they believed that is was the key to Jesus’ ministry. Well, guess what? They were right!

So what does this mean to you today? It means that we should learn from the disciples. The people that spent the most time with Jesus during His 3 ½ years of ministry only asked Him to teach them how to do one thing. That one thing was prayer. They believed that if they learned how to pray like Jesus prayed, that they could actually live like He lived and do what He did. They were right and we should learn from their desire to learn how to pray. Great learners know how to ask great questions, in order to get the information they need. The disciples asked the right question. Will you? If you want to grow in your prayer life you can ask just like they did. You have not, because you ask not. Look up to the Father this morning and say, “Lord, teach me to pray.”

Closing Confession: Father, I believe prayer was the key to Jesus’ success. The only thing the disciples ever asked Jesus to teach them to do was how to pray. I come to You with the same desire. As I pray and study You lead, guide, and direct me in the area of prayer. Day-by-day I grow in prayer and in communion with You. You teach me to pray. You help me to cultivate my relationship with You. I make time to spend time with You and You ensure it is quality time. I thank You in advance for helping me to perfect my prayer life. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Getting Ready for Prayer

(Luke 18:1 NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I trust you enjoyed your extended weekend. I surely did and I am excited about getting back to this series. The Father blessed me to teach a 10-week series on prayer in Iraq and I have been looking over my notes from that series in preparation for this one. A good portion of the Iraq series was based on “Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer,” by Dr. Myles Munroe. I will quote Dr. Munroe from time to time in this series.

Dr. Munroe said, “Almost everyone claims to do it, but most don’t understand it. Even those that claim to practice it religiously are often confused about how it works. What I am talking about is PRAYER. And most believers don’t have a working understanding of it. They know they are supposed to do it, but they don’t understand how. So they just do what they have heard, whether it works or not, and because of this lack of understanding, many have become frustrated!” You will never maximize what you do not understand! I believe the Father has led me to teach this series, at this time, so that we can collectively gain a better understanding of prayer.

On average prayer meetings at church receive the weakest participation of all ministries. When I was the Pastor of the Gospel service in Iraq we averaged 330 people on Sunday morning, but only about 10-15 at noon on Monday’s for prayer. That’s only about 5% and I am sad to say that those numbers are average for most churches. I believe it is because most have not had a good experience with Prayer. The human spirit hates failure and disappointments. I personally don’t like to lose at anything. When you pray and you believe you are not getting results you equate it to a failure. It’s like putting money into a vending machine that doesn’t give you what you paid for. You might stand in front of it and kick it, shake it, hit it, and even share a few choice words with it, but before long you simply leave, frustrated and upset; determined to NEVER use it again. This is how many believers feel about prayer. They have put many prayer coins in their prayer closet and they have far too few satisfying answers to show for it. In this series we will seek to change that.

I am convinced that prayer DOES work, because it has worked for my countless times and it continues to work for me on a regular basis. Jesus taught that we should always pray and not give up. We should never get so frustrated that we throw in the towel on our prayers or that we give up with the practice altogether.

Dr. Munroe said, “Prayer is the vehicle by which we are meant to commune with the invisible God. It is the medium through which our spirit is intended to affect and be affected by the will and purpose of the Divine Creator.” Our spirit yearns to spend time with the Father in prayer. Let’s learn more about prayer, together, so that we can satisfy our spirit and find rest for every weary sector of our soul.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you must prepare yourself to grow in the area of prayer. If you have been frustrated and hurt in the past, by what you consider to be unanswered prayers, allow the Father to heal your heart so that you can open it fully to learn more about the practice that can change your life forever!

Closing Confession: Father, I am open to You. My past failures will not keep me from future successes. I come to You with an open heart, a yearning Spirit, and a hunger that will only be satisfied when I can routinely spend time with You in prayer. Prayer shall be the vehicle through which my relationship with You is revitalized forever. As I learn how to commune with You in prayer You take the time to commune with me as well and the results will be amazing! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Understanding Prayer

(Gen 1:26 NIV) Then God (Elohim, the Creator God) said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” To understand prayer we must understand God Himself and the system He setup that governs the earth. Here are two key points about prayer:

1. Prayer is a result of God’s established authority structure between heaven and earth, as well as a product of His Faithfulness to His Word! The Bible likens our God to a king and His system to a kingdom. When kings have children they are called princes and princesses. For a prince to become a king one of two things needs to happen. Either the king dies and the prince inherits the kingdom (getting promoted to king), or the king places the prince over a foreign land. In the latter arrangement the father-king is still the overall king of the entire kingdom, but the son-king gets to exercise his authority over the land he was given rulership of. It’s obvious that our God (our King) cannot die, so we can liken what He did with Adam and Eve in the garden to the second scenario. Adam and Eve were to exercise rule and dominion over the earth, while Jehovah was still the overall King of everything. We will talk more about this later on in this series. But for today I will just tell you that if you fast-forward to the New Testament you find out that you and I have been given access to the Kingdom of God through Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and once we are in God’s Kingdom we are His children, not His slaves or servants (Gal 4:17). As God’s children we are heirs and a joint heirs with Jesus the Christ (Romans 8:17). Like Adam and Eve, we are to exercise rule and authority in the earth. The Father rules from heaven and we are to rule down here (Ps 115:16).

2. Prayer was born out of God’s arrangement for man’s assignment in the earth. Since the earth was given to man, God respects that arrangement enough to actually work through man when He wants to accomplish things in the earth. God is so committed to this that when He wanted to operate unrestricted in the earth He came as a man Himself (Jesus the Christ). This is why God wakes people up in the middle of the night to pray. It’s not like God does not want you to sleep, and it’s not like there is anything God can’t do, but since He set this system up the way that He did, He chooses to operate through humans in the earth. He wakes us up because He is looking for a human to agree with His will, so that He can perform what He desires to do in the earth with the cooperation of those that He has given the earth-realm to. 18^th century theologian John Wesley, after careful prayer and study came to this conclusion and said, “God does nothing except in answer to prayer.” Once again, not that He can’t, because I shutter to think that I can say what God can or can’t do, but from what we can understand from scripture, it looks like He chooses to operate in the earth with the cooperation of man. We will stop here for today.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that prayer is God’s idea and since He setup the system of prayer, He expects us to abide by the system He created. When the Father seeks to operate in your life He actively seeks your cooperation. Likewise, when the Father seeks to operate in the earth He actively seeks the cooperation of a human to agree with His plan and purposes. There are other forms of prayer and we will discuss those, but prayer largely entails knowing the will of God and agreeing with that will to come to pass. Some foolishly think they can manipulate God to perform their will by quoting a scripture or adding “In Jesus Name” to the end of a prayer. But you can never manipulate God. Prayer is not about forcing your will, but rather about finding His and agreeing with it.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. The more I learn about prayer, the more effective I will become in my prayer life. I will spend time with You in prayer and study. My time with You will help me better understand Your character, attributes, and nature. As I understand You better and as I learn to discern Your voice, I will be better positioned to know Your will and to agree with Your will in prayer. As You seek to operate in my life and in the lives of those around me, I declare by faith, that I will cooperate with You daily through the vehicle of prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Understanding Prayer (Part 2)

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Please read our text for today. The key words here are: “Let them rule.” This is where God established the relationship with God and man in the earth and He placed man (human kind) in the earth to dominate and rule it. Let’s ‘pull the string’ on this point a little. This teaches us that:

1. God gave man (human kind) the legal right and authority to operate in the earth.

2. Man became the legal steward of the earth domain.

3. Man is a spirit, he possesses a soul, and he lives within a physical body (while he is in the earth). Man’s physical body is his connection to the earth realm.

4. God is so committed to this that when He wanted to operate freely in the earth He submitted Himself to His own law and He came as a man. God, who is a Spirit, came to the earth and lived within a physical body.

5. Both God and satan actively seek the agreement and cooperation of humans to operate in the earth.

6. Spirits external to physical bodies don’t have the legal right to operate in the earth realm. This is why satan and his demons actively seek to possess humans. Many have consciously or subconsciously welcomed evil spirits to possess their bodies. God, on the other hand, freely offers to live inside every human who accepts Jesus as Lord. When we are Born-Again God’s precious Holy Spirit takes up residence in us.

I know this may seem like a lot to digest, but I am attempting to take my time with this. You may be thinking, “What does this have to do with prayer?” Actually, it has a great deal to do with it. When you understand the legal right you have as a human in the earth, coupled with the awesome ability to be influenced by the Holy Spirit Himself (who is living in you as a believer), you can then start to tap into the power of prayer. When you get this revelation you will WANT to pray, because you understand that as much as you need God, He also needs You. The Father is looking for people to pray, in the earth, to agree with His will, so that He can perform what He desires to do in the earth realm. Now, I will never say that God can’t do whatever He wants to do without prayer, but from what we can see in scripture, it sure seems like He chooses to perform His will with the cooperation of humans. This is a major aspect of prayer.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that God is counting on you to pray. We are still laying the foundation, but let me tell you what we know so far about prayer:

1. Prayer is agreeing with God’s plans and purposes, in order for them to be accomplished in the earth.

2. Prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference.

3. Prayer is man exercising his legal authority in the earth to invoke heaven’s influence on the planet.

4. Prayer is the creation getting the Creator involved in any given situation.

Closing Confession: Father, thank You for this revelation. I now see that I have both a right and a responsibility to pray. My right to pray enables me to come boldly before Your throne in order to receive the grace to help in the time of need. My responsibility to pray puts a burden on me to intercede for those situations I am made aware of and the ones I am facing personally. Prayer is both a precious privilege and a serious responsibility. The more I learn about prayer, the more I will pray and the more effective I will with my prayers. This series is being a blessing to me and I am truly re-energizing my prayer life. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Why Pray?

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Let’s close out this week a little different. I normally give you one verse and lots of commentary on it, but today I will share with you several verses and simply make a quick comment on each. The point of these verses is to highlight the fact that we need to pray. Some believe prayer is useless because God is going to do whatever He wants to do anyway.

(Luke 18:1 NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

If God did not need man’s cooperation, then why require him to pray? And not just that, but to remain in faith, for the prayer to come to pass, no matter how long it takes – because that is the message of this parable.

(Eph 6:18 NIV) Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Why would God ask believers to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers (we will learn different kinds) and to pray for all the saints (believers), if God was going to do whatever He wanted in the earth without us?

(1st Thes 5:16-18 NIV) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Why is it so important that you pray continually and in all circumstances if everything God is going to do is already predetermined without us?

(Phil 4:6 GWT) Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.

Is it possible that when we worry, don’t trust God, and refuse to pray, that we are actually hindering God from moving in our lives?
Is this why God wants us to pray so much – so that we can agree and release Him to get involved in our situations?

Think about this:

When God wanted to start a nation, it was Abraham who cooperated with Him.
When God wanted to rescue the people of Israel from Egypt, it was Moses who cooperated with Him.
When God wanted to build His house, His temple, it was Solomon who cooperated with Him.
When God wanted to preserve His people, it was Esther who cooperated with Him.
When God wanted to start His New Testament church and reach the Jews (first), it was Peter who cooperated with Him.
When God wanted to reach the Gentiles, it was Paul who cooperated with Him.

Let it be written that when God wanted to make a difference in [fill in your city] He sought the cooperation of [fill in your name] and the impact He made through [fill in your name] was life-changing!

Without God we cannot, but without man He will not. Our God has chosen to operate in the earth through the cooperation of man.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You once again for teaching me about prayer. I now see the importance of prayer on a different level. I have always known that I should pray, but I am now understanding that I must pray. Just like I need You, You need me. I am counting on You, but You are counting on me. I give You my natural and You give me Your super, enabling me to operate in the supernatural daily. I am humbled that You choose to operate through me, and I willingly give myself over to You for Your use. Use me as a conduit through which You reach others, for Your glory today. Through prayer I agree with Your divine purposes and the impact we shall make, together, will be life-changing for me and for all those I come in contact with! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying the WILL of God

(Matthew 18:18 KJV) Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” As we enter into the third week of this series I feel like we are still just scratching the surface. While prayer can be so rewarding, it can also be completely frustrating when you feel like your prayers are not producing any results. The Father wants us to pray, but He has not signed up to give us whatever we want, or whatever we come up with. The Father has signed up to give us whatever we ask for that lines up with His will.

Jesus taught that we, as humans, with God-given rights on this planet, would be able to exercise authority by binding (preventing) and loosing (permitting) things to happen and that God Himself would respond to whatever we bind or loose. Jesus said this in Matthew chapters 16 and 18. The traditional King James Version (KJV) of these verses are somewhat confusing. The KJV of Matthew 16:19 reads, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The KJV of Matthew 18:18 reads, “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” If that is all you read are these verses, without any context, then it sounds like heaven will respond to whatever we say in prayer or otherwise.

Let’s seek understanding. The Amplified translation of Matthew 18:18 says: “Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven.” This translation sheds more light on what Jesus was actually teaching. Jesus was not putting pressure on heaven to respond to our will, but rather on us to learn what heaven’s will already is and to pray that! We can’t force God to do something against His will. We are required to learn God’s way of doing things so we can ask for things that line up with His will. Jesus went on to say, “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them” (see verses 18-20 AMP). In context, when Jesus said that heaven will respond to whatever we ask, He meant when we ask for things that are in line with God’s will.

So what does this mean to you today? Two things:

1. Praying God’s will is the key. You can never force God to do anything, especially not something that is contrary to His will. But when your prayers line up with His will you experience supernatural results.

2. We have a responsibility to bind (prevent) and loose (permit). When things are happening in your life that you don’t like, you must ask yourself the question, “Have I prayed about this?” God is not going to force His will on you. He will gladly operate in your life when You cooperate with Him. But you have the responsibility to permit and prevent things from happening with your prayers. God will back you when you pray in accordance with His will! Powerful things happen when two (or more) believers come together, in agreement, and pray the will of God. Heaven responds when believers on earth make valid requests. Stop accepting everything that happens and get heaven involved in your life today!

Closing Confession: Father, I am learning the importance of prayer. I now see why many of my past prayers were not fulfilled. I will stop simply praying my will and I will bend my will to align with Your will. As my will aligns with You will, then I can pray my will, because it will also be Your will. And when I pray in accordance with Your will, You and the angels in heaven will respond, because it will be what You want to happen in my life. I have a responsibility to bind and loose, to prevent and permit, and I will fulfill my responsibility from now on. No longer will I just accept everything that happens to my family or me. I will actively engage You and heaven to operate in my life daily! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

We are Required to Pray!

(James 4:2,3 NLT) …Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” This message flows in the same vein as the one from yesterday. Let’s start with something Jesus said while He was teaching about prayer: “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” (Matthew 6:7,8). A couple of highlights:

1. Don’t pray empty repetitive prayers. Growing up I was taught to pray “canned” prayers where I simply read or repeated a certain prayer over and over again. There is no evidence in scripture that any believer (Jesus or otherwise) ever prayed this way. The Father wants to communicate with us and He was us to communicate with Him. Think of your communication with Him like your communication with anyone else. Would you ever think of walking up to someone you want to have a conversation with and simply read or repeat something over and over again? That ritual may help you say “I did it,” but it will not yield results.

2. Don’t think that because God knows about it you don’t need to pray. If you think that once God knows about your situation that You don’t need to pray, then you will never pray, because God knows everything. He knows what you did and what you are going to do. He knows your thoughts before you think them and your prayers before you pray them. Jesus was fully aware of God’s omniscience, but He still commanded us to pray.

The Father knows what you need before you ask, but you still need to ask. This is where the words of James come in. James teaches us that we don’t have what we want, because we have failed to communicate our desires to the Father in prayer. In the next chapter Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). But what if you don’t ask? You won’t receive. What if you don’t seek? You won’t find. What if you don’t knock? The door will not be opened to you.

Without question, the Father requires us to pray. Yes, He already knows what we need and He already knows what He wants to bless us with, but He is looking for our active participation and agreement in the process.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. The Father expects and requires us to pray. We have not, because we ask not.

2. Prayer should be an open dialogue (transmit and receive) of productive communication, not a vain monologue where we repeat empty words.

3. The Father’s foreknowledge of your situation does not absolve you from your responsibility to pray. His knowledge does not guarantee His action without your petition.

4. The Father is looking for you to welcome His involvement in your life. If the Father simply went around performing His will in our lives without our involvement, then we would be puppets and not free moral agents.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this revelation. Never again will I idly sit by and foolishly expect You to get involved in my situation, just because You know about it. I realize that You know everything. You clearly know what I need before I ask, but You still require me to ask. Therefore, I will. Since I will ask, it will be given to me. Since I am committed to seek, I will find. And Since I will always knock, You will be faithful to open the door in response to my petitions. I won’t give You an excuse for NOT operating in my life due to a lack of prayer. I will pray to You, in the name of Your Son Jesus, in faith, not wavering, without a doubt, in full confidence, and I trust that You will hear me and respond to my prayers of faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Nursing Testimony

(Num 23:19 NLT) God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I like to teach by precept and example. In this series I will give you lots of principles and precepts about prayer, from the Word. But I also want to give you examples from both Biblical times and my own life. There was a time when I barely prayed, because I did not have an understanding of prayer. My lack of understanding led to a level of intimidation. I heard people talk about prayer and as they characterized their seemingly intimate relationship with the Father I secretly coveted what they had. For me prayer led to more frustration than fruit, because I had been told to pray, but I had never been taught how to do it. Since I love to study the Word, one day I decided to start a study about prayer. The result was a better understanding and a much better prayer life.

10 years ago now, back in 2001, I was a young Chief Warrant Officer Two in the Army and my wife was a Sergeant. As the leader of my family I wanted to hear from God concerning the direction of my wife’s career. My wife wanted to either be a nurse or a physician’s assistant, either in or outside of the military. That gave us four options. I laid out all four options before God. I had recently been putting faith pressure on God to lead me in prayer and I was earnestly praying about this situation. I heard the Lord speak to me – I don’t mean an audible voice, but more like an ‘inner knowing’ – and He told me that my wife would be a nurse in the Army. This was great. Instead of having four options I was immediately down to one. I then knew what to believe God for, because He had spoken to me.

My wife and I wasted no time in get her paperwork together for the Army Enlisted Commissioning Program (AECP). If selected, the AECP would send my wife to school, pay her tuition, pay her then-current salary as a non-commissioned officer, and commission her as Lieutenant upon graduation. We were Godly-excited about this opportunity. I started telling my friends what we were believing God for and one of them, an Army Medical Services officer, offered to get us a recommendation letter from a retired Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. Isabella and I saw this as the favor of God and we celebrated over getting the letter. However, during that time I was teaching about Lazarus on Today’s Word and one morning I taught about the fact that God often wants “maximum glory” out of our situations. We serve a God who often does things in such a way that His work cannot be confused with man’s. When God does something that is well beyond the norm, we rightly give Him all the glory. After writing Today’s Word I prayed and in prayer the Lord told me NOT to take the letter. I immediately knew why. God wanted all the glory from this situation. I thanked my friend and respectfully declined his offer. He was highly upset, because he had already spoken to the retired General. He then said, “Look, Isabella is a Supply Sergeant. The AECP is a very competitive program. Without this letter she will NOT get selected!” That is exactly what I needed to hear. I knew the testimony would be even greater with his negative report. I did not take the letter and Isabella did get selected, to the glory of God!

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. The Father wants to communicate with you in prayer. Don’t do all the talking!

2. When the Father speaks a Word to you in prayer, it is as much His Word as the written Bible.

3. We serve a God who honors His Word! If He said it (in the Bible or in prayer) He will do it. If He promised it, He will make it good!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for speaking to me in prayer. I am You sheep and I have a blood-bought covenant right to hear Your voice. I declare that my ear is calibrated to hear Your voice and the voice of a stranger I will not follow. When You speak to me in prayer, Your spoken Word becomes as much Your Word in my life as Your written Word. I stand on Your Word and I believe it will come to pass… no matter how long it takes and no matter how much opposition I face. You are not a man that You should lie. When You speak something You always make it good. You honor Your Word and I believe You will honor it in MY life today and every day! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Our God Answers Prayer!

(John 16:23,24 NLT) At that time you won’t need to ask Me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and He will grant your request because you use My name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Many Christians today are experiencing powerlessness, lack of direction, little victory over sin, poor spiritual progress, a weak witness, unfruitful ministry, poverty, and other similar problems. Is there any connection between underdeveloped, defeated, or directionless lives and confusion over prayer? Dr. Myles Munroe believes a strong connection exists. I agree with him. So how do we start down the road to a fulfilling prayer life? Here are two quick answers:

1. We must be convinced that God is a Prayer-Answering God.

Prayer was God‘s idea. Prayer is something God instituted! Prayer is not optional in God’s system. Our heavenly Father expects us to pray, because prayers that agree with His kingdom plans and purposes for the earth, release earthly license for heavenly interference.
We must be convinced of this fact. If you question whether or not prayer is viable, valuable, or necessary, you will not pray; or if you do, your prayer won’t be faith-filled.
We must deal with our doubts. We will learn later in this series how doubt hinders our prayers.
If you have been questioning the usefulness of prayer, you must settle this issue in your heart. You have to get to the point where you are fully persuaded that God requires and responds to prayer.

2. We must pray (actually do it) IN FAITH.

We can learn about prayer, but studying it and doing it are two different things.
I know more than I do and I am often convicted of this reality. Knowing something does you no good if you are not applying what you know in your life.
As we go through this series, take time every day to pray. The more you learn about prayer, and the more you actually practice it, the more comfortable you will get in your prayer life and the more you will actually DO it.
You can read all the books in the library about running, but if you want to be a better runner you have to hit the road and actually run. It’s the same way with prayer. Reading about it is great, but practicing it is better!

In John chapter 16, as Jesus was preparing His disciples for His impending departure and He wanted them to shift their focus and dependency from Him to the Father. The disciples had relied on Jesus for over three years and Jesus wanted them to rely on the one He was relying on; the Father Himself. Speaking of the time when He would be gone Jesus said, “At that time you won’t need to ask Me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and He will grant your request because you use My name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy” (verses 23 and 24).

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. We are supposed to pray to the Father.

2. When we approach the Father in prayer, it must be in the name of His Son.

3. When we pray and receive it ignites our joy.

I will elaborate on these points tomorrow.

Closing Confession: Father, I am convinced that You are a prayer-answering God. You instituted prayer and I will abide by the system You established. You expect me to pray and in some cases, you even require me to pray. I will no longer hinder You from operating in my life because of a lack of prayer. I will agree with Your Kingdom purposes daily in prayer. I will come to You, in the name of Your Son Jesus, in faith, not wavering, without a doubt in my mind, completely confident, and free of all malice, unforgiveness, bitterness, and strife in my heart. When I come to You this way I always get results. I practice prayer daily and the more I do it the more comfortable I get with it. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Pray to the “Father”

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” We will close out the week by closing out the thoughts from yesterday’s message. As I stated yesterday, in John chapter 16 Jesus was preparing His disciples for this impending death and departure. These guys had been totally reliant on Jesus for well over three years. And while they were relying on Him, Jesus was relying on the Father. Since Jesus knew He would soon be gone, He wanted the disciples to learn to depend on the Father directly. Jesus said, “At that time you won’t need to ask Me for anything.” To this point in their lives and ministry, the disciples’ petitions were directed at Jesus. Jesus wanted them to shift their focus to the Father. So Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and He will grant your request because you use My name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” Let me highlight a few things here:

1. We are supposed to pray to the “Father.” This may seem like a small point, but it actually is not. I will teach more about this in this series, but search the scriptures and you will find that Jesus, like most of us, had no problem with calling God “God.” When He was talking to others about God He called Him “God.” But when Jesus prayed He did not pray to a disconnected God, but rather to a loving, caring, and sharing heavenly Father. When speaking to God directly Jesus called Him “Father” because He came to Him as a Son. If you see God as simply a God, then you will see yourself as a subject, servant, or slave. But when you see God as a “Father” and you see yourself as a son or daughter, then you will address Him with another level of intimacy, confidence, boldness, and expectation. Why? Because your children have access to you that others do not have. You children have rights with you that others don’t have. You are not a subject, servant, or slave, you are a SON! That makes the world of a difference. Understanding your position with God impacts your disposition in prayer!

2. When we approach the Father in prayer, it must be in the name of His Son. There are many scriptures in the Bible that support what Jesus was saying here and what He said is very clear. Jesus told His disciples that they reason the Father would grant them their requests is because of the use of His name. Make sure you understand this: in and of yourself you have no righteousness. You have only been declared righteous because of the Blood of Jesus. You and I have no right to approach the Father on our own. But when we acknowledge the fact that Jesus died for our sin and rose for our redemption, then we can boldly approach His throne IN THE NAME of His Son! And lastly, I don’t want to pick nits here, but don’t pray to Jesus. Pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, there is a difference. Simply put, if you want to get results in prayer you need to pray in accordance with how the Bible teaches us to pray.

3. When we pray and receive it ignites our joy. Later I will give you some personal stories about the joy I experienced the first few times the Father answered me in prayer. But for the sake of time I will simply tell you that when you pray and the Father responds to your prayer, it does something for you, on the inside, that no one can take from you. It ignites your joy in a way that very few things can.

Closing Confession: Father, the more I learn about prayer the more I am amazed by the fact that You actually give me direct access to You, in the name of Your Son. I know me, and I know my faults, flaws, and failures. In and of myself I would never be worthy of approaching Your throne. I am extremely thankful that Jesus died in my stead, that He took on my sin, and that He paid the penalty for it once and for all. I am MADE righteous by the Blood of Jesus and as a cleansed, washed, blood-bought, Spirit-filled, and faith walking believer, I can come boldly before Your throne, in the name of Your Son, and every time I do I experience the grace to help in the time of need. Thank You Father for loving me enough to give me access to You in prayer. I will use this access daily! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Don’t Get Frustrated

(John 16:24 NLT) You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” This is the beginning of the fourth week of this series and I pray it has been a blessing to you thus far. As I have previously stated, many believers simply don’t pray. They have come to the conclusion—consciously or subconsciously—that prayer isn’t very important to every day life; that prayer doesn‘t apply to the real world. So what are they left with? They look primarily to themselves or others to meet their needs in order to get by every day. But this is not a picture of the life the Father intends for us to live. Our heavenly father earnestly yearns to be part of our daily lives and prayer has a lot to do with it. I am convinced that the lack of prayer is connected to a failed understanding of prayer. In general, there is a lack of teaching, interest, and working knowledge about prayer in the church. This lack of understanding has caused many to THINK that their prayers have been unanswered. Perceived unanswered prayer can cause spiritual and emotional pain that can be deep and devastating. It can lead to sorrow, despair, bitterness, and rebellion. This perception can undermine the foundation of our faith and lead to the following:

1. We feel abandoned and isolated from God, imagining that He doesn’t care about our problems.

When this happens we begin to doubt His love for us.
We view God as someone who is either against us (at worst) or just indifferent towards us (at best).
Once we get to this point we no longer see God as a loving, caring and sharing heavenly Father.

2. We come to premature conclusions about our prayers and ourselves. We try to make sense out of why our prayers are not effective and we say things like:

I must not have enough faith.
God doesn’t hear my prayers.
Why can‘t I pray like… so and so?

3. We doubt our calling as intercessors. Although the Father expects us to pray for others, we begin to think:

Well, answered prayer must be for an elite group of super-spiritual Christians.
Maybe God did not “call” me to pray.
Once we get to this point we simply stop praying.

I can relate. In 1997 I was part of an evangelistic street outreach team. We went door-to-door evangelizing on Saturday mornings. I was the youngest person on the team and one of two men. Before we went out we circled together, held hands, and prayed. The prayer went from person to person. As I heard these women pray, it seemed like they were immediately translated to heaven and they were praying before the very throne of God Almighty. When the prayer got to me I often stumbled my way through a few lines, feeling inadequate and intimidated. I know I did not know how to pray, but pride would not allow me to ask for help.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that all is not lost. If you have had a hard time with prayer, just hold on. Open your mind and your heart to what the Father is teaching you in this series and you will grow in the area of prayer. Don’t allow pride to keep you where you are! Humble yourself and let God take you higher.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for what You are doing in my life. You are taking me higher and higher in You as I develop my prayer life. I acknowledge the frustrations I have had with prayer in the past, but I refuse to allow past pain to keep me from future success. I open my heart, my mind, and my spirit to learn of You. You teach me to pray and I get better at it day-by-day. I resist frustration as I keep a firm grip on my faith in the area of prayer. I will grow, I will pray, You will hear me, You will respond, and I will experience abundant joy! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Removing Blessing Blockers

(James 1:6,7 KJV) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I trust the fire in your belly for prayer has been rekindled by now. The Father wants you to pray and so do I, but I also want your prayer life to be effective. That being the case, you must understand what some of the hindrances to prayer are. I call these “Blessing Blockers.” For the Blessing of God to flow freely in your life, your heart must be free of all Blessing Blockers. I will share two with you today: doubt and unforgiveness.

Doubt: Our text teaches us that when we ask God for something, we must ask Him in faith, not wavering (doubting). James teaches that the person who wavers will not receive anything from the Lord. The Message Bible paraphrase of this passage reads: “Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way.”

Without question doubt hinders our prayer life.
Doubt strips us of the confidence the Father expects us to operate in; and faith is all about confidence.
This is not to say that our prayers will always immediately be manifested, but it does mean that when we pray, what the Father wants us to pray, how He wants us to pray it, it is only a matter of time before we see the manifestation of it. This is why Jesus said that men should always to pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). Doubt leads to giving up. If we give way to doubt we will have a faith-failure and faith-failures lead to prayer-failures.

Unforgiveness: In Mark 11 Jesus said, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”] (verses 25 & 26).

In this passage Jesus was teaching about the faith of God… the faith that can speak to a mountain and see the mountain move. In the previous verse Jesus said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” That’s the part we like to quote, but we often leave off the part about forgiveness.
Unforgiveness, bitterness, holding grudges, etc. are Blessing Blockers. These things WILL hinder your prayer life.

In the model prayer, what some call the “Our Father,” Jesus said that we out to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Mat 6:12).

We are to ask the Father to forgive us as—IN THE SAME WAY—we forgive others.
What’s the insinuation? That IF we DO NOT forgive, we shall NOT be forgiven and if we are not forgiven it WILL negatively impact out prayer life.

So what does this mean to you today? It means you have make a concerted effort to remove every Blessing Blocker from your life. You don’t want anything to hinder your prayers. If you have been convicted of anything this morning, be quick to repent, so you can remove the Blessing Blockers immediately and get on the road to experiencing God’s best.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your Word. Your Word teaches me to remove every Blessing Blocker and I declare that I will start right now. I deal with my doubts by getting into Your Word to the point where I am convinced that Your Word will manifest in my life. Never again will I allow doubt to hinder my prayers. And in the area of unforgiveness, I thank You for helping me to develop in Your love. You loved me enough to forgive me, and I declare, by faith, that I develop in Your love to the point where I am able to completely forgive others. I will not allow what others have done to me in the past to derail me from my future. I release the root of bitterness, anger, resentment, and wrath. I forgive, I let go, and I move forward! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying in Accordance with Purpose

(1st John 5:14,15 AMP) And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I hope you are convinced by now that prayer does work. However, for prayer to work in your life you must prayer in accordance with God’s established principles. Jesus understood prayer, therefore He always prayed with complete confidence and His prayer life was very productive. The Father wants us to pray with the same confidence Jesus had. Please read this morning’s passage more than once. Meditate this Word for a minute. We will take a closer look at this passage tomorrow, but for today, let me highlight two things:

1. We have to do out part to Discover the Father’s will:

If praying in accordance with God’s will is the key (and it is), then we must get to the point where we are convinced of what His will is. Here’s a hint, God’s Word is God’s will documented.
When we know God’s will, when we are obedient to it, and when we ask Him to fulfill it in and through our lives, the Father will freely grant what we ask of Him.
But this takes time, energy, and effort on our part.
Oftentimes this means that we must PREPARE to pray.
Kenneth Copeland said, “I am not prepared to pray about something until I know what God’s Word says about it.”

2. Prayers aligned with Purpose get answered:

I like to say, “If it’s His will, then it’s His Bill.” Another way of saying that you know your purpose in life is saying that you know God’s will for your life.
The Bible gives us the assurance that when we pray in accordance with God’s will—and our purpose (life assignment) is definitely His will—that the Father hears our prayers. So we must do all we can to align ourselves with His purpose and THEN pray with complete and total confidence.
Prayer is NOT convincing God to do your will, but rather doing His will through your will; aligning your will with His. Powerful things happen when there is an alignment with your God-given assignment.
Everything you need is available to fulfill your purpose! If He provides the Vision, then He is obligated to release the Provision.
Some people say, “I’m not entirely sure what I am supposed to pray for.” The answer is found in your purpose!

So what does this mean to you today? It means that discovering your purpose in life will also help you tap into the true power of prayer, because you will be able to pray with complete confidence.

Closing Confession: Father, thank You for teaching me to pray. I am learning to pray, with complete confidence, nothing wavering, without any doubt, without the burden of Blessing Blockers, with a pure heart, with clean hands, and with a true expectation that You will hear me and respond to my prayers. To ensure I am praying in accordance with Your will for my life, I make a concerted effort to align my prayers with Your purpose for my life. As I align my prayers with Your purpose I have confidence that You will grant me the petitions of my heart, because my petitions will be in line with what You birthed me to accomplish while I am in the land of the living. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It comes down to Confidence

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I introduced this passage to you yesterday and I told you we would take a closer look at it today. Let’s do it! I believe this passage boils down to two major points:

1. Confidence in His Hearing: “And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.” Faith is all about confidence. The higher your confidence, the stronger your faith. That’s why it is so important to search the scriptures concerning our situation BEFORE praying. If we can find out what God already said about our situation, and if the Bible is clear on the topic, then we already know God’s will as we go into prayer. John tells us that when we ask for anything in accordance with His will, that we can have full confidence in knowing that He has heard our request. So, if you want to be sure that God will bend His ear towards your request and that your request is valid, make sure it lines up with the Word of God. This way, you can have full confidence entering into prayer, while you are praying, and when you walk out of your prayer closet. This confidence is critical because we have already learned that doubt, fear, and unbelief can/will hinder our prayers. When we ask, we must ask in confidence and to ask in confidence we must be convinced that what we are asking for is in alignment with God’s will.

2. Confidence in Our Having: “And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.” After having approached the Father in prayer, in full confidence, completely convinced that what we are asking for is in alignment with His will, then John teaches us that we can walk away from that prayer experience with the full confidence that we HAVE (present tense) whatever we prayed about. Let me explain. Hope says, “I will have it some day.” Faith says, “I have it right now, it just has not manifested yet.” Faith believes it receives at the moment it prays. When Jesus spoke death over a fig tree He walked away from the tree believing it was dead from that moment. Now, nothing had happened in the natural yet, but in Jesus’ heart He had already received what He declared. 24 hours later the disciples saw the tree dead and they were amazed, but Jesus was not moved because He considered that tree dead the moment He spoke it (see Mark 11:12-26). Anyone can thank God after something happens and they see it with their own eyes, but the Father wants us to pray, fully believing, and to walk away from our prayer having already received our petition by faith. When you pray this way you can actually start to thank God, giving Him the praise for what He has done, well before you ever see it with your own eyes and before you hold it in your own hands. Of course, this cannot be done without faith. Faith receives the answer in your heart well before you ever see it in your hands. And this confidence will serve you well while you are actually waiting for the physical manifestation of it, because during this time of waiting the devil will attempt to get you to reconsider your stand and to ‘throw in the towel’ on your faith. But don’t do it! Remain IN FAITH. After you pray, believe you have already received it, and then remain in faith while you wait for the manifestation of it!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me to pray and for helping me to build up my confidence in You. I feed my faith by searching Your Word for scriptures concerning whatever situation I face. I then formulate prayers in accordance with Your Word. I come to You, in faith, praying those prayers in full confidence, knowing that they are aligned with Your will because they are aligned with Your Word. I pray with the full confidence that You hear me, because I am praying in accordance with Your will. And after having prayed in confidence, I walk away with the full confidence that I already have everything I prayed for. I believe I receive when I pray. I receive the manifestation in my heart well before I will see it in my hands. This confidence will help me resist every temptation to give up on my prayer while I am waiting on the physical manifestation of it. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Working WITH God

(2 Cor 6:1 ISV) Since, then, we are working with God, we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” We have covered a lot this week and I pray this series is continuing to be a blessing to you. In our text Paul alludes to the fact that we, as believers, are literally working together with God. Another translation calls us co-workers. I shirk at the thought of being a co-worker with God, because the term “co-worker” connotes two parties on equal par. I am nothing without God and know it. I am not now, nor will I ever be equal with Him. But the fact that the God of the Universe willingly chooses to work through us (mere humans), literally partnering with us to make a difference in our sphere of influence, is amazing. Prayer is a central part of that partnership. Don’t neglect your right and responsibility to pray.

In Mark 11 Jesus said, “Have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (verses 22-24). But what if we don‘t say? Nothing happens. What if we don’t ask? We won’t receive. What if we neglect our responsibility to pray? We hinder God from moving in our lives. Or what if we ask with doubt instead of in faith? Our prayer will either be stifled or not answered at all. And then again, what if we SAY, BELIEVE, and DO NOT DOUBT, but what we are asking for is contrary to the Word? We will not receive, because just like we are NOT puppets manipulated by God, neither is God our servant, where we can manipulate Him. But when we align ourselves with the Father, like Jesus did, the Father’s plans and purposes can be accomplished in the earth!

So what does this mean to you today? It means that prayer does work and you must be convinced of it. But just like anything else, you cannot maximize what you do not understand. The more you understand prayer, the more confidence you will have in the Father and in your prayers.

Here are some closing thoughts for the week:

1. Praying without understanding is ineffective and it can cause frustration.

2. True prayer builds intimacy with God, honors His nature and character, respects His integrity, believes His Word, trusts His love, affirms His purposes and will, and appropriates His promises.

3. Prayer enables man to participate in God’s divine purposes.

4. When you seek the Father’s purposes and pray in accordance with them, you become a fellow worker (with Him) to bring to pass His will in the earth!

Closing Confession: Father, I am convinced that prayer really does work. You have instituted it and therefore I will practice it. I will pray to You directly, in the name of Your Son and my redeemer Jesus, in accordance with Your Word, and with complete and total confidence that You will manifest Your will through Your children. I know You care for me, therefore I resist every temptation to blame You for what may seem like unanswered prayer. I will always seek Your wisdom and seek to pray in accordance with Your Word, so that I know I can expect to see Your will manifested in my life, no matter how long it takes. You are a prayer answering God. I am a prayer-making believer. As I am led of Your Spirit to develop prayers and to bring them before You, I know that You will work in the earth, through me. I ask in faith, nothing wavering, and fully trusting You to honor Your Word and to manifest Your will. I respect Your integrity, I believe Your Word, I trust in Your love, I affirm Your purposes, and I appropriate Your promises in my life! The more I understand prayer, the more effective I will be in my prayer life, and the more intimate I will be with You and You with me! Together we are, and we shall continue to make a difference! In Jesus‘ name. Amen!

Your “Right” to Pray

(2 Cor 5:21 NLT) For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Many today struggle with overcoming the feeling that they are not worthy to come before the Father directly in prayer. Some feel like they are simply too sinful, like they have made too many mistakes in the past, and like they have no “right” to stand before God to make any requests or petitions whatsoever. First of all, we are not called to walk by feelings; we are commanded to walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7). If I only wrote Today’s Word when I felt like it, then you would only get a couple of messages a week. If I only prayed when I felt like it, then my prayer life would be hit and miss. Our feelings are conditional, but our position in Christ is NOT! But let me address the unworthy-factor up front. If you feel like you are unworthy, get over it. We are ALL unworthy. None of us can stand before God based upon our own righteousness. Isaiah said, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind” (Isaiah 64:6). If I had to count on my righteousness to stand before God I could never do it, but thank God for Jesus.

Paul said, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” No question. That’s the truth. No human outside of Jesus has ever walked the planet sinless. We all have our failures and flaws and Paul points that out, but I am thankful that Paul did not stop there. Paul went on to say, “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.” Did you catch that? It’s not that we are righteous in and of ourselves, but those of us who have put on Christ are DECLARED righteous. Paul continues, “He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood.” I was not born right, but I was MADE right when I accepted Jesus as my Lord. The same happened to you. Paul continues, “God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus” (see Romans 3:23-36). You and I were sinners, but we are declared RIGHT in God’s sight when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth Paul said, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Another translation says that Jesus was made sin for us in order for us to be made the “Righteousness of God in Him.”

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Jesus, who was completely righteous, clothed Himself in our sin, so that we, who were completely sinful, could clothe ourselves in righteousness!

2. We have a right to pray directly to the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus, because we have been declared Righteous in HIM!

3. We were born sinners, but we were made righteous when we accepted Jesus as Lord.

4. Our right standing with God enables us to come boldly before His throne, so we can find the grace to help in the time of need.

Closing Confession: Father, I will never cease to thank You for Jesus. Jesus willingly died in my stead. Jesus, who was completely righteous, clothed Himself in my sin, so that I, who was once completely sinful, could clothe myself in His righteousness. I receive that righteousness; I believe it, and I walk in the newness of the life that Christ Jesus died to give me. I may have been born a sinner, but I was Born-Again as the righteousness of God in Christ. I am right with You Father and my right standing enables me to pray with confidence, boldness, humility, and peace. I will never be worthy of anything in and of myself, but thankfully I don’t’ have to approach Your throne in my own name. I pray to You, in the name of Jesus, and You hear me every time. I declare this by faith. In Jesus‘ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Your “Right” to Pray (Part II)

(Romans 5:17-19 NIV) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Yesterday we covered a couple of passages that drove home the point that we are declared (made) righteous when we accept Jesus as Lord. Let’s look at another today.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome he compares the legacy of Adam to the legacy of Jesus. What did Adam leave behind for us? The answer is not pretty. Because of Adam every one of us was born into sin and formed in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). The late Dr. Fuchia Pickett, when she was advanced in years, said, “I have never heard a baby say “Yes” first. Babies are born with a tendency to say no.” Adam’s act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden introduced satan’s double-whammy, sin and death, into the world; leaving us in need of deliverance from both. After pronouncing judgment upon the serpent, the woman, and the man, God did something that would be the pattern of deliverance for the rest of the Old Testament. He killed an innocent animal for the act of a guilty man. The blood of the animal became the price for the transgression of the man. The skin of the animal became the covering for the shame of the man. This unnamed animal paid the price that was reserved for the man (Gen 2:17). This pattern continued throughout the Old Testament as Jews, under the law, scarified an atonement lamb as a covering for sin and a PASSOVER lamb as a covering for death. In both cases this ritual had to be repeated annually, because the payment was not equivalent to the debt.

The only suitable payment for the transgression of a human is redemption through a human. Someone would actually have to trade their life for ours before we would be able to escape the clutches of sin and death (our captors). Luke told us (Acts 20:28) that Jesus purchased (redeemed) us with His own blood. In one fell swoop Jesus became both the atonement lamb (offering for sin) and the PASSOVER lamb (offering for death). Jesus was our equivalent payment! Glory to God! Our ransom has been paid. We now have redemption and freedom through His blood! Our text tells us that while one man (Adam) left a legacy of death and bondage, another man (Jesus) came to leave us a legacy of life and freedom! Part of that freedom is the privilege to pray to the Father directly, in the name of our redeemer Jesus the Christ!

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Jesus was the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45). There won’t be another.

2. Jesus came to GET US OUT OF everything Adam had GOTTEN US INTO!

3. The blood of lambs, goats, and calves served as a temporary solution to a permanent problem (Heb 9:12). But praise God that the ransom (debt) has been paid, the captor (satan) has been defeated and the captured (us) have been released – Hallelujah!

4. We should now be more righteousness-conscious than sin-conscious. This mentality will aid us greatly when we pray.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You once again for Jesus. Jesus’ finished work on Calvary’s cross paid my debt once and for all. As soon as I accepted Jesus as Lord I was declared righteous and made to be the righteousness of God in Christ. No animals have to die for me. Jesus’ blood paid it ALL! All to Him I owe! Sin had left a crimson stain, but my Jesus washed me white as snow. I can now come to You, with both boldness and humility, understanding my right and authority to pray in Jesus’ name. Thank You Father for sending Your Son to both make a way for me to have eternal life and to also transform my life in the earth. I declare this by faith. In Jesus‘ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Reverence

(Ex 28:31-35 GNB) The robe that goes under the ephod is to be made entirely of blue wool. It is to have a hole for the head, and this hole is to be reinforced with a woven binding to keep it from tearing. All around its lower hem put pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool, alternating with gold bells. Aaron is to wear this robe when he serves as priest. When he comes into my presence in the Holy Place or when he leaves it, the sound of the bells will be heard, and he will not be killed.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Last week we discussed the right we have to pray. Our right to pray was given to us by Jesus the Christ as He died in our stead and gave us the access to become righteous when we accept Him as Lord. This week we will discuss “How to Enter into God’s Presence.”

I would venture to say that most believers today don’t know how to properly enter into God’s presence, because they don’t have a genuine reverence for God. In the Old Covenant believers had a serious reverence for the Lord. I recommend you read Leviticus 16 when you have some time. I won’t deal with the entire chapter, for the sake of time, but I will share with you the first two verses. This chapter opens by saying, “The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who died after they entered the LORD’s presence and burned the wrong kind of fire before him. The LORD said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.” Aaron’s sons disrespected the presence of the Lord and it was the last thing they did.

Our focus text describes the High Priest’s attire. The outfit was adorned with bells. The bells were there to make noise as the High Priest moved around. If the noise stopped, it was an indication that the High Priest may have died. If he died, no one was able to go in and retrieve the body, because they would die as well. So history tells us that the High Priest also wore a rope around his ankle. This way if he did enter into God’s presence the wrong way and wound up dead, the other priests could pull the body out by the rope; without entering into the Most Holy Place. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that we go out and buy fancy outfits or that we build a “Holy of Holies” in our home. I know we are not under the Law and I praise God for that, but that does not change the fact that there is a reverence factor that is missing in the church today.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that the Lord is not your homeboy, dude, buddy or a 911 service that you only call when you have an emergency. The Lord is a loving, caring and sharing heavenly Father, yes; but He is also the Most High God, the Creator of all things, the One who sits on the Circle of the Earth, and the only true God. He is all knowing, all powerful, Omni-present, ever ruling, and eternally virtuous. He is the God of your past, present, and future; the God of your already, your right now, and your not yet; the God of your yesterday, today, and forever more. He is to be adored, respected, and worshipped. When you prepare to approach the Father in prayer, remember who He is and it will help you give Him the reverence He deserves. Your reverence will open the door to your prayers.

Closing Confession: Father, I honor and reverence You daily. You alone are Holy. You alone are the Most High. You alone are the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. You alone sit on the circle of the earth. You are the only true and living God. I acknowledge no other deity. I call upon no other name. I worship no other god. You are my God, You are my King, You are my Lord, and I worship You. I enter every day with thanksgiving on my lips and praise emanating from my heart. I will never cease to give You praise. I am eternally thankful for Your mercy and I will always bless Your name. I reverence You with my whole heart and my reverence opens the door to my prayers. I declare this by faith. In Jesus‘ name. Amen!

Reverence (Part II)

(Ex 19:10 NLT) Then the LORD told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Yesterday I wrote about reverence. This message flows in the vein. I am convinced that one of main reasons many of us don’t experience powerful encounters with God is because we don’t reverence Him enough to prepare for His presence. In Exodus 19 we see how Moses prepared the Israelites for a meeting with Jehovah. In our text the Lord told Moses to tell the people to consecrate themselves for two days and to wash their clothes. The Lord went on to tell Moses to “Mark off a boundary all around the mountain.” Anyone who crossed the boundary without divine access would die. At the appointed time, the people would hear the sound of a ram’s horn; this was the indicator that the people were clear to approach the mountain and to come in contact with God. Moses did as the Lord instructed. He came down from the mountain, He told the people to consecrate themselves for worship, and they washed their clothes. He even told them to abstain from sexual intercourse for the two days leading up to the encounter with God.

The Bible says, “On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. The people heard a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and they all trembled. Then Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire… and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder… Moses climbed the mountain. Then the LORD told Moses, “Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the LORD, or they will die. Even the priests who regularly come near to the LORD must purify themselves so that the LORD does not break out and destroy them.” I will stop here. This is an interesting passage. Once again, I am not saying that we need to revert back to Old Testament practices, but the we have come so far in the opposite direction that I believe we forgot what I means to reverence the Lord.

My sister was married in NYC 2000. The night before the wedding the official party had to meet with the priest for a rehearsal at the church. Our caravan of cars arrived and we waited for the priest to emerge from the parsonage. This was a Catholic church in Brooklyn and most Catholic churches stay open, so I went ahead and entered while we waited. There were a few people in the church, scattered about, praying. As I entered I immediately felt the presence of the Lord. When the rest of the party came in with the priest I was surprised that everyone basically whispered while we rehearsed. It was like no one wanted to disturb the presence of the Lord. When I went back outside it dawned on me that many of my cousins were still outside. When I asked them why they did not come in the church, they said, “I can’t go in there. I know I am not living right.” Wow! While I don’t agree with many of the religious practices my Catholic family members, I respect the reverence they have for the Lord and for His sanctuary. That reverence is very much lacking in many of our churches today.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that we must balance the boldness and confidence I have been teaching about with humility and fear of the Lord required to remember that it was God who made us and not the other way around (Ps 100:3). This balance will give us the right disposition when we pray. If we are too afraid of God we won’t have any confidence, but if we are too confident we could cross the line over into pride and arrogance.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I clearly acknowledge Your deity and I recognize no other. My heart fears You with a healthy reverence. I know there is a God and I am not Him. I humbly bow before Your presence daily. You alone are the Lord of my life. Jesus died so that I could become Your child and a joint-heir with Him. This reality gives me confidence and boldness. I balance my boldness with my humility, my confidence with my fear, and my audacity with my worship. This balance helps me in prayer. I understand the position I have in Your Kingdom and my understanding of my position helps shape my disposition when I approach You. And since I come with the right disposition, You hear me when I pray. I declare this by faith. In Jesus‘ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Love Factor

(Mat 22:34-37 NIV) Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ?Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” For the last couple of days I was dealing with “The Reverence factor” in prayer. For the next few days we will look at the “The Love Factor.” After commanding us to love the God (with all our heart, soul, and mind) and to love our neighbors (as ourselves), Jesus went on to say, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” That’s a big statement. It means that all of the Law of Moses (the first five books of the Bible) and all the teachings of the prophets basically boil down to two things: loving God and loving man. If we fail to walk in love we will be in sin and when we continue to walk in sin it blocks the Blessing from freely flowing in our lives. Living this way unquestionably hinders our prayers.

Kenneth Copeland tells a story of a vision he received from the Lord where he could see a man attempting to hang big beautiful curtains, but the curtains kept falling down. He realized that the curtains had words on them and each one meant something. The curtains represented faithfulness, peace, favor, grace, etc. The man in the vision was frustrated because he could not get the curtains to remain in place. As he would work on one, another would fall. When he would run to pick up that one, another would fall; and so on. The man finally cried out to the Lord in desperation. The response Kenneth Copeland heard was, “Hang the rod!” The man looked over and saw a huge golden rod. The rod was big enough to hold all the curtains in place and it had the words “The Love of God” imprinted on it.

I may not have told the story exactly the way that Kenneth Copeland saw it, but the essence is there. Everything hangs on the Love of God. If you get the rod of love in place, then the curtains of faithfulness, peace, favor, grace, etc. will hang in place. To attempt to receive and walk in the Blessing of God without the love of God is futile and it will lead to frustration. Too many believers are attempting to get things from God without really knowing Him at all. Don’t pursue things, pursue God. And guess what? God is love (1 John 4:8,18). So the closer you get to God, the more developed you will become in His love. If you pursue God and walk in love you will wake up one day and realize that the things you used to pursue are now actually pursuing you.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that nothing else really works—at least not for long—without the love of God in operation in your life. Don’t think that you can harbor bitterness, malice, strife, hatred, and unforgiveness in your heart, while still believing that your prayers will he heard and answered. Jesus simplified the message of the Bible for you down to two commandments: love God and love man. It can’t get simpler than that. If you do these two you are giving God His proper place in your life and you are, in effect, hanging the rod of love. Once you get love in place everything else will get in place and remain in place. And once you do, your prayer life will never be the same.

Closing Confession: Father, everything hangs of Your love. I declare, by faith, that I operate in Your love today. I hang the rod of love and I have my priorities in order. As I get love in its proper place, everything else will get in place and stay in place. Your love enables me to pray love-based prayers, which are prayers You hear and respond to. I release all malice, strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, and hatred. Love is the foundation of all that I do. Walking in love changes everything and it certainly changes the way I pray. From now on I will pray from a position of love, with prayers that are birthed from love, bathed in love, and waited for with the confidence that love provides. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Love Factor (Part II)

(Romans 8:35 MSG) Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way!

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to discuss The Love Factor. One of the most effective ways satan stifles the prayer life of a believer is by getting the believer to question God’s love for them. If you ever get to the point where you question God’s love for you, then your prayers will be stripped of any power. Like I taught yesterday, prayers that are birthed from love and bathed in love are prayers that will be prayed with confidence and responded to by Love Himself (God).

We all have struggles. Paul admitted to dealing with an inner struggle that I believe we can all identify with, the conflict between wanting to do right and the actual act of performing it (Romans 7:14-25). Paul then went on to give us hope in the opening verses of the 8th chapter by letting us know that our life in the Spirit can overcome the desires of the flesh. It is in this 8th chapter that we find the focus for this morning’s message. After teaching us to live victoriously in the Spirit, Paul goes on to explain that we can get a great deal of confidence in life when we are rooted in the reality of God’s love for us.

Paul writes, “Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us” (Romans 8:35-39).

I could easily spend a week teaching on these five verses, but I won’t in this series. Please read that passage a couple of times and allow the Holy Spirit to solidify the height and dept of His love for you in your heart. Absolutely nothing can stop God from loving you. You did nothing to make God start loving you and nothing you can do will make Him stop. Now, don’t take this the wrong way. This is not a license to sin. God loves you just he way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you that way. Remember, this passage of inseparable love is found in a chapter where Paul is teaching on living a Spirit-led life. As you are led of the Spirit you will get to the point where you no longer question God’s love for you; and at that point your prayer life will be transformed forever!

So what does this mean to you today? It means that the reality of God’s love changes everything, including your prayer life. The assurance of God’s love for you breeds a confidence that money can’t buy and the devil can’t steal. God loves you with an inseparable and inexhaustible love. The God of the universe takes the time to love you personally and intimately. Once you settle this reality in your heart you will be able to face every day with a quiet conviction that enables you to overcome any obstacle and you will pray with an unshakable confidence; fully believing that the Father hears you and that He will respond to your prayers.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for solidifying Your love in my heart. I know You love me and that knowledge breeds an inner confidence that cannot be shaken. I enter into every day with the reality of Your love. The assurance of Your love enables me to resist every inkling of fear, fret, doubt, and unbelief. Your Word says that perfected love casts out all fear. I have no fear in my heart, because my heart is full of Your love and Your love has driven all the fear away. I can now pray with love-based prayers with fearless confidence; knowing that You hear me and You respond to my prayers of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Love Factor (Part III)

(2 Tim 1:11, 12 CEV) My work is to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. That’s why I am suffering now. But I am not ashamed! I know the one I have faith in, and I am sure that he can guard until the last day what he has trusted me with.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to discuss The Love Factor. Yesterday I said, “If you ever get to the point where you question God’s love for you, then your prayers will be stripped of any power.” Paul serves as a testament of someone who was convinced of God’s love. He wrote half the New Testament, went on several missionary journeys, mentored pastors everywhere he went, ministered to the lost, and made such an impact in the world that we are still learning from him over 2,000 years after his death. But make no mistake, Paul suffered many hardships for the cause of Christ. They key is that he never gave up hope, because he never lost faith in God’s love for him. I believe Paul was able to remain convinced of God’s love because he understood his assignment. Paul was called to preach the gospel at a time where preaching would bring persecution and imprisonment. Without whining and complaining and without running from his assignment, Paul was willing to endure (2 Tim 1:3) hardship in order to fulfill his purpose; all the while receiving the supernatural strength that comes from allowing the love of God to abide in his heart.

Your assignment may not require the suffering that Paul’s did. Preachers of the gospel today, in most free countries, are not thrown into prison or beaten. But we all have our share of difficulties. We all suffer loss. We all endure occasional hardships. We all have situations that end differently than the way we wanted. We all deal with the trouble that is associated with this world. But whatever your difficulties are, whatever obstacles you face, and whatever hardships you may be up against right now, you can overcome them all with the inner confidence that comes from knowing that God loves you (Heb 13:5). God loves you so much that every hair on your head is counted (Matthew 10:30). God cares about you to the point where He has already planned for the smallest detail in your life.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you can find inner strength to deal with your outer pressures when you are convinced of God’s love for you. Being sure of God’s love empowers you to face every day with a blessed assurance, a supernatural peace, and great expectations. This disposition will fuel your prayers and your hope. When you pray, from a position of love, without allowing trials or challenges to cause you doubt God’s love for you, then your prayers will be prayed in confidence, hope, and faith. These are the type of prayers that make it to the Father free of a hindrance and He is then free to answer your prayer of faith.

If you are convinced of God’s love, then you will expect your prayers to be answered, your hope to remain strong, your faith to remain in tact, and your purpose to be fulfilled before you die! This type of attitude not only helps you prayers, but it helps you enjoy every day to the fullest.

Closing Confession: Father, I am confident that You love me. As a matter of fact, I am convinced of it. I refuse to allow the challenges I face to cause me to question Your love. Your everlasting love for me enables me make every effort to live out my assignment in life, no matter the opposition. I have an assurance that I will overcome every hindrance, rise above every challenge, triumph over every attack, and experience world-overcoming victory, because I pray from a position of love and my prayers are heard and responded to. I can do all things through Christ and I do them all by faith, as I walk in love with You and all men. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Love Factor (Part IV)

(1 John 4:16-18 ESV) So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Thus far in this series we have looked at week we looked at “The Reverence factor” and “The Love Factor.” Today we will close out the discussion on “Love” and transition over to discussing “Fear” as it relates to prayer. This passage will serve as a good bridge between the topics.

John taught a lot about love and I believe it was because he truly understood the love of God. Of the 12 original disciples John was called “The beloved disciple” (John 20:2). Let’s take a closer look at what John said:

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. Knowing the love is one level, but getting to the point where you truly believe the love is another level altogether. When you believe the love the Father has for you, you are able to get to the point where you are convinced of it. And this conviction is an integral part of your prayer life. Why? Because like I have already stated, “If you ever get to the point where you question God’s love for you, then your prayers will be stripped of any power.”

God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. Love is not something God has, love is literally WHO He is. And since we are in Him (Love), and He (Love) is in us, then it makes sense that love would play a major role in our lives. Questioning God’s love is actually questioning the core of His being. But being convinced of His love is being convinced of His nature. He loves us and the reality of this love enables us to pray with unshakable confidence.

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment. Once love is perfected in us, it gives us confidence. Those of us who are convinced of God’s love are not concerned about the Day of Judgment. The reality of God’s love enables us to rest in our salvation. We are not afraid of going to hell, because we are convinced that our God loves us and saved us from our sin when we accepted His Son Jesus as Lord.

Because as he is so also are we in this world. We are supposed to be just like God (Love Himself) in this world. Jesus was God incarnate and we are the continuation of His incarnation. We are to continue what Jesus started. But we can’t impact the world like Jesus did if we don’t pray and if we are not convinced of God’s love for us. We will stop here for today.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that God’s love can and should increase your confidence, your self-image, and your perspective; and all of three of these will help your prayer life.

Closing Confession: Father, I am confident that You love me. As a matter of fact, I am convinced of it. I embrace and believe the love. Since I abide in You and You abide in me, and You are Love Himself, then I declare that Love is perfected in me. I have confidence for the Day of Judgment, because I am sealed by Your Spirit and engulfed in Your love. As You are, so am I in this world. Since You are love, then I will be love to every person I come in contact with. Your love increases my confidence, it helps give me a positive self-image, and an optimistic perspective of today and my future. All these things help fuel my prayers. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Fear Factor

(Heb 11:1 AMP) Now Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” We are seven weeks into this series and I believe have covered a lot of ground thus far. We have learned about Jesus’ prayer life, about our requirement and responsibility to pray, and about the “Blessing Blockers” that will hinder our prayers. For the past couple of weeks we have been looking at some of the key factors that can either help or hurt our prayer life. We discussed “The Reverence factor” and “The Love Factor.” As you can see, there is more to prayer than “Now I lay me down to sleep.” An unfruitful prayer life can be extremely frustrating for the believer. But the truth is that many believers have unproductive prayers because they don’t understand prayer, and like anything else, you can never maximize what you do not understand. So we will continue down our path to understanding prayer by looking at another factor, “The Fear Factor.”

In many ways fear is a negative form of faith. So before I teach on fear I want to give you a refresher on faith. Once we understand faith we will better be able to understand fear. Over the years I have heard plenty of definitions for faith. Here are a few that I agree with:

1. Faith is confident assurance that God will do what He said He would do.

2. Faith is Biblical evidence of what we cannot see.

3. Faith is perceiving as real what you cannot verify with your senses (no sense-realm evidence).

The working definition I use is: faith is a practical expression of your confidence in God and His Word. In other words, faith is an action you perform because of the confidence you have in God and His Word. There is a fundamental difference between hope and faith. Hope is ‘open-ended,’ meaning that it is not necessarily tied to anything. You can hope to be successful in life, hope to be healed of a sickness, hope to be promoted, and etc.; but for many this is no more than wishful thinking. Countless people hope and wish for things. Faith adds substance to this hope. Faith is tied to a promise from God. When we tie something God told us (in prayer or in His Word) to what we hope for, at that point our hope is no longer open-ended. Since our hope is connected to something God promised, then it is no longer a wish and it becomes faith in God and His Word. The Bible tells us that God does not change His mind (Num 23:19) and that He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). So when we substantiate our hope with the Word of God we can have confidence that He will bring it to pass.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that the better you understand faith the better you will understand fear. I will teach you that fear works the same way faith does, but instead of being tied to a Word from God, fear is tied to the word of satan. Fear is a practical expression of your confidence in satan and his word. But let’s get back to faith for this morning. Faith gives substance to your hope and when understood it becomes the foundation for your prayers. Faith produces Godly images of His expected outcome for your life. Without faith we often lose the battle in our minds because of the constant barrage of impure and negative thoughts; but with faith we are able to extinguish the enemy’s darts (Eph 6:16) and listen clearly to God’s thoughts, plans, and dreams. These divine thoughts help us align our prayers with God’s will. And once we pray in accordance with God’s will, then not only does He hear us, but we actually receive what we pray for BY FAITH (1 John 5:14,15).

Closing Confession: Father, I am confident in the things I hope for because my hope is established in Your Word. I am not expecting You to do anything that You have not already stated in Your Word, or directly to me in prayer, that You would do. I am expecting to You to do, however, everything You said You would. My hope is established in Your promises and I operate in faith. Through faith and patience I believe I shall see the manifestation of Your promises in my life. Your promises add substance to my hope and my faith fuels my prayers. I pray the prayer of faith and I fully believe that You will hear me and respond to my prayers. I give fear no place in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Fear Factor – Part II

(Rom 10:17 KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor.” Yesterday we laid the foundation for understanding faith. My point was that if you can understand faith, you will be able to understand fear. I have used this same logic when teaching on “The Blessing.” For example, an easy way to get people to understand “The Blessing” is to help them understand a curse. Let’s say you had a cousin named Jimmy. Jimmy was alone at home in his house when all of a sudden a tree came crashing through the roof. There was no storm, no wind, and no clear reason why this happened. The house was damaged to the point where Jimmy had to move out. He moved in with his mother, your aunt Rose. That night a tree came crashing down on Rose’s house, once again, without explanation. So Jimmy and Rose moved in with Rose’s sister (also your aunt) Mona. That night a tree came crashing down on Mona’s house. Do you get the picture? So Jimmy calls you and asks if he and your aunts can move in with you until their houses are fixed. What would you say? Probably No! At least not for Jimmy. Why? Because there is obviously something on Jimmy that is following him everywhere he goes. That is a picture of the opposite of what happens to us when we live “The Blessing” of God.

Let’s use that same logic with faith and fear. We said yesterday that faith is a practical expression of confidence in God and His Word. In other words, faith is an action that is performed because of the confidence one has in God and His Word. I explained that if there is no Word from God to stand on, then we could not really act in faith. However, once we have a Word to hold on to and to set our faith (with corresponding action) in, then we have crossed over from hope to actual Bible faith. We now better understand what Paul said in our focus text when he declared that faith comes by hearing, or receiving, the Word of God. The more you hear the Word of God the more you can build up your faith. Well, fear works the same way. If you repeatedly hear negative words (words not from God), you are going to build up your fear, not your faith. This is why it is critically important that you protect your ear gates.

Let’s say you start reading the Word of God and you see that God wants you to live a long and prosperous life. What will happen? Well, your faith for living long and strong will build. But what if you start reading negative statistics about persons of your race and gender? What if you read that a high percentage of people your age, sex, and ethnic background die at the age of 60? What will do you with that information? What if you then find out that one of your uncles (or aunts) died at 60? Never mind that the cause of death had nothing to do with the previous materials you read. The enemy will use that against you. Why? Because just like faith moves God, fear moves satan. Satan will use anything and everything he can to get you to fear. Once you are afraid you will not—you cannot—come to God in faith, because you have lost your confidence. There is no way to be IN FAITH and IN FEAR at the same time. Fear cancels out your faith, but the good news is that faith cancels out your fear.

So what does this mean to you today? It means the battle is in your mind. If the enemy can get you to be afraid—with a constant barrage of negative information—he can cripple your relationship with God and just about destroy your prayer life. That’s why the Bible tells us 365 times (in some form), not to fear. Once you get over into fear you have stopped trusting God, you have lost your confidence, and you are in no position to pray. So it comes down to this: listen to the right things and you will build up your faith, listen to the wrong things and you will build up your fear. The choice is yours!

Closing Confession: Father, I protect my ear gate and I am careful not to blindly receive negative information that will lead me to fear. I do not meditate on negative things. I am firmly focused on You, Your Word, and Your desire for my life. I do not fear, because I know that You are on me, in me, with me, and for me. You are bigger than anything that could come up against me. You are the strength of my life. Whom shall I fear? I declare that fear has no power over me. NO FEAR HERE! I am rooted in Your love and my confidence is intact. This way I am in a position to pray every second of every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Fear Factor – Part III

(Gen 3:10 NIV) He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor.” The first mention of man in the Bible is found in Genesis 1:26 where God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” This was God’s original intent and since God does not change, we must believe that it still is His intent for man today. God wants us to operate in dominion, authority, and power. In the second chapter we see God’s intentions manifested. God formed man (Adam) from the dust of the ground and He gave Adam:

1. Purpose: God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden work it and keep it. Adam had a purpose, he had something to do, something that gave him an opportunity to become productive.

2. Provision: God made sure that all of Adam’s needs were met. Adam’s only need to this point was food and God gave him an entire garden (more like a forest) of fruit bearing trees to eat from. The garden was fed with four streams of water so Adam’s provision was secure.

3. Parameters: Provision is dangerous without parameters. God told Adam that he could eat from every tree except one. This gave Adam the right of choice. Right or wrong, good or bad, the choice was going to be his to make. The ability to make his own decisions gave Adam free-will.

4. Power: With everything in place, the Lord brought Adam all the beasts of the field and birds of the air and God let Adam name them. Whatever he named them that would be their name. In other words, God gave Adam the power to unleash his creativity and the power to define.

5. Partnership: After Adam started naming the animals he developed another need; a need for a partner. Adam was alone (humanly speaking). God made Eve from out of Adam and brought her to him. This was a wonderful relationship. Adam now had a relationship with God and a thriving relationship with another human.

The second chapter ends by telling us that Adam and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. There was no need for shame, guilt, doubt, or fear. They were in perfect union with God and each other. This was and still is God’s desire for our lives. But satan reared his ugly head. Satan showed up, deceived Eve, she defied God’s command by eating from the forbidden tree, she gave to her husband and he did the same. This was the original sin. As soon as Adam ate their eyes were open. In other words, they could no longer walk in the Spirit; they were resigned to live under the limited resources of the human body. They realized their nakedness and attempted to cover themselves with leaves. See, sin will always cause you to live beneath God’s best for your life. Adam attempted to hide from God when He heard God coming through the garden. God called out for Adam and he replied, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” This is the first mention of fear in the Bible and it comes as a result of sin and separation from God.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you have a decision to make. Jesus paid the penalty for Adam’s original sin and redeemed you to righteousness. We are now able to have a thriving relationship with God, through His Spirit, and it is God’s will that you be like Adam was prior to the fall: in dominion, blessed, without fear, and with wonderful relationships with God and man. You can either accept Jesus’ finished work and develop a righteousness-consciousness that will fuel your prayer life (living like Adam did in Genesis 2) or you can maintain a sin-consciousness that will strip your prayer life of any power (living like Adam did in Genesis 3); causing you to live defeated, afraid, and separated from the God you claim to be in covenant with.

Closing Confession: Father, I understand the negative effects of sin. Therefore I choose not to live in sin. Sin brings shame and fear. Fear brings torment and pain. I choose to renew my mind from my former sin-consciousness. I get Your Word down in my heart and I develop a righteousness-consciousness that puts me in a position to pray with unshakable confidence. As I walk in love I overcome the fear factor, because perfect love drives out fear. Without fear I am able to enjoy my relationship with You and others. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Fear Factor – Part IV

(Hebrews 2:14,15 KJV) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor.” I consider the fear we will discuss today the ‘Mother of All Fears!’ I am talking about the fear of death. The fear of death literally incapacitates a great number of people every day. The sad reality is that many Born-Again believers live with an overwhelming fear of death. Don’t think for one minute that this fear will not hinder your prayer life. I talk to believers all the time who are afraid of getting on an airplane, or a cruise ship, or a helicopter, or etc.; some flat-out refuse to do it. Those who live this way have allowed their fear to get to the point of terror. They get terrified at the thought of doing some of the things I am talking about. This is definitely not God’s will for His children. The Father wants us to have and enjoy life in Him, but you can’t enjoy life to the fullest if you allow fear to keep you bound.

In the second chapter of Hebrews the writer explained who Jesus was and what He came to do. In our text we learn that Jesus died to destroy the one that had the power of death – the devil. We also learned that Jesus conquered death so that we could be delivered from the fear of it, because the fear of death causes a lifetime of bondage. The word bondage means: slavery or involuntary servitude; the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power. The fear of death causes us to be a slave to it and it gives death power and control over us. If you are subject to this power, then chances are high that you will succumb to it while you are waiting of the manifestation of your prayers. Said another way, if you allow fear to rule over you, then you will give up on your prayers well before they ever get fully answered in your life.

In an attempt to get a better understanding of these two verses let me share them with you from two other translations. The Contemporary English Version says, “We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying.” The Message Bible says, “Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.” What do we learn from this?

1. The devil had (past tense) the power over death.

2. Jesus came to take the power back from the devil, and He did.

3. Jesus conquered death so that we could do the same.

4. The fear of death entangles us in bondage and Jesus died so that we could be free from it.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that Jesus died to give you eternal life, yes, but He also died to take the power of death from satan and to deliver you from the fear of death once and for all. If Jesus died so that you could have something, then shouldn’t you want it? Some of you may say, “Yes, I want it, but how do I receive it?” The answer is simple, by faith!

People who are afraid of flying are actually afraid of dying. Don’t let this be you. Fear will cause you to live in bondage, it will rob you of any true power in Christ, and it will destroy any confidence you have in your prayers coming to pass.

Closing Confession: Father, Your Word is clear that the fear of death leads to bondage. Once I am able to see, receive, and understand a Word from You, I can be converted by that Word. This morning I saw in Your Word that Jesus died to deliver me from the bondage associated with the fear of death. By faith I am converted by the Word I just received. I shall never again allow the fear of death, or any other fear, to rob me of Your best and to strip my prayers of any power. Jesus came to take the sting out of death and the victory from the grave. I receive what He did and I no longer fear death. I already died in Christ and that is the only death that matters. I will live forever. I have eternal life and from this day forward I declare that I have no need to fear. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Reason #1: God Said Not To!

(Genesis 15:1 KJV) After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor.” I hope you can see by now that fear can significantly impact your prayer life in a negative way. I am always amazed by how much that Bible has to say about real life issues. Dealing with fear is not a small thing for most people. Fear can consume and suffocate your life. Not to mention the fact that it can just about cancel out every one of your prayers. Jesus came that we might have and enjoy life (John 10:10), but you can’t do so if you are afraid of flying, getting in the water, elevators, failure, rejection, and of your prayers not being answered.

I looked up the types of documented phobias and I was surprised to find 588 types of fears. Don’t find yourself on that list. Fear pleases satan, faith pleases God. Avoid fear at all costs. To help you avoid it I am going to give you some reasons why you should not fear and then I will get back to teaching on prayer in a more direct way. The first reason why not to fear is because “God said not to!” God told us not to lie, cheat, steal, envy, backbite, murder, have sex outside of marriage, and etc. These are easily identifiable as sin. However, Paul said, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom 14:23). The most basic definition for sin is “Missing the mark.” Whenever we do anything God told us not to do we are clearly missing the mark. In one way, shape, or form, God told us hundreds of times in the Bible not to fear.

The first mention of the words, “Fear not” in the Bible are in our focus text. In chapter 14 Abram (later Abraham) led a rescue mission to recover his nephew and his entire family. The rescue mission also netted a great deal of spoils from the enemy. Abraham decided not to take the spoils. He told the king of Sodom that he did not want the king to be able to say, “I have made Abram rich” (Gen 14:23). Two verses later we see God telling Abram not to fear. What was the point? The point was that whenever we take a stand to rely on God as our source of provision the enemy will attempt to get us to doubt God and thereby fear lack. The same thing happens when you pray a prayer of faith. You take a stand and you believe that God will do what He said He would do in your life, but as soon as you do, rest assured that you will have plenty of opportunities to throw in the towel on your faith and your prayer. The enemy will always attempt to get you to give up on God. The Lord reassured Abram that He was not only his protector (shield), but also his source (exceeding great reward). If we seek the Lord for reassurance while we are waiting on Him for the manifestation of our prayers, He will do the same for us and reassure us that He will bless us for remaining in faith.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you should not want to fear, because God told you not to. It would take too long to go through all the scriptures where God said, “Fear not,” or “Fret not,” or “Do not be afraid.” But the bottom-line is that God does not want you to fear. God told you not to do it. So just like you avoid other things God told you not to do, you must make every effort to avoid fear.

Faith pleases God and fear disappoints Him, because fear tells Him that you have more confidence in your opposition than your God! Don’t disappoint God today, choose to operate in faith and not fear. Why? Because God said so!

Closing Confession: Father, I seek to live a life that is pleasing to You daily. I know faith pleases You and fear does not. You are disappointed every time I fear, because in-so-doing I am saying that my situation is bigger than my God. But right now, by faith, I declare that fear has no power over me. My God is bigger than any situation I face. My confidence is in You, Lord, and my confidence in You overrides anything that man or satan can do to me. I don’t live a life of fear, doubt, or unbelief. I live a life of faith. I pray the prayer of faith and I hold on, no matter how long it takes, for my prayers to be fully answered. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Reason #2: Fear is NOT of God

(2nd Timothy 1:17 KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor” and reasons why not to fear. Yesterday I gave you reason #1, “Because God told you not to!” That should be a powerful enough reason. Every time the nation of Israel crossed over into fear in the Old Testament God would send a Word through a Prophet to tell them to “Fear not.” Every time the disciples crossed over into fear in the New Testament Jesus would tell them to “Fear not.” Notice that God never said, “Try not to fear.” His simply said, “Fear not.” This implies that we can do it. God will never expect us to do something that He has not equipped us to do.

This morning let’s look at reason #2 why not to fear, “Because fear is not of God!” Fear did not come from God. I already showed you how fear came as a result of Adam’s original sin; and Adam fell because of satan. So fear came as a result of the work of satan, not God. Fear was a symptom of man’s separation from God. While Adam and Eve were enjoying their fellowship with God they did not even know what fear was. They had no concept of fear at all until the sin and the separation.

In our focus text Paul tells us “God has not given us the spirit of fear.” The Amplified translation of this verse says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.” It is not now, nor has it ever been the will of God that we operate in fear. Fear is not God’s will for the believer, because God never instituted it. Fear is a by-product of sin and sin is not God’s will.

When writing to the church at Rome Paul said, “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15). Paul connects fear with bondage and he lets the believers in Rome (and us) know that we did not receive fear or bondage from God. What we received from God was a spirit of adoption; meaning that God accepted us as His children through the finished work of Jesus the Christ on Calvary’s cross. As God’s children we can cry out, “Abba, Father.” The word “Abba” literally means, “Daddy.” God is our Daddy; He is our loving, caring, and sharing heavenly Father. James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). As our Daddy, God has never and will never desire that we, as His children, live subject to the bondage of fear. Why? Because He loves us. John told us that “Fear brings torment” (1st John 4:18). What loving father would want his children to be tormented and in bondage? Not even a human father would want that, much less God! And from a prayer perspective, you cannot expect to pray in faith if you are under the bondage and torment of fear.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you should want to receive the things that come from God and avoid the things that don’t! Fear does not come from God and it is not God’s desire for your life. Fear was never part of His plan for you. God has plans for you (Jer 29:11), but living in the bondage and torment are not part of it. So make a quality decision today to accept what God wants for your life and reject what He does not. The choice is yours. You can either choose to live by faith or you can choose to allow fear to control your life. If you choose to live by faith, and to receive complete deliverance from fear, you will be able to take your prayer life to another level, because fear-free prayers are full of confidence!

Closing Confession: Father, I choose to line up my decisions with Your Word. I see in Your Word that fear did not come from You. Since fear did not come from You, then I don’t want it. I choose to accept the life of faith and to reject the life of fear. I will never again be entangled with the bondage and torment of fear. Fear has no power over me. I accept and walk in Your love daily. You are my Daddy and You love me too much to leave me in bondage to anything, including fear. Daddy, you want good things for me and I declare, by faith, that I accept what You desire for me and reject what you don’t! From now on I will be able to pray prayers that are free from fear and full of faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Reason #3: You Should Not be Overly Emotional

(2nd Corinthians 5:7 KJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.

I trust you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving is a great holiday, because it somewhat forces us to think about all the things we have to be thankful for. I am extremely thankful and I pray you are as well.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor” and reasons why not to fear. The second reason I gave you is that “Fear is not of God!” Since God never gave you fear He does not expect you to walk it in. Fear is from the enemy and it was never designed to be part of the life of the believer.

Now let’s look at reason #3 why not to fear, “Because you should not be overly emotional.” A person who is dominated by fear is governed by their emotions. It was never God’s design that we be ruled by our emotions. On the contrary, we are supposed to rule over them. Think about it. Do you think successful believers don’t have bad feelings? Of course they do, but they don’t allow their feelings to rule their life. There are many days that I don’t “feel” like getting up early to send out Today’s Word; but I don’t care how I feel, I make the decision to get up, get before God, and do it. I run into people all the time that tell me how they don’t “feel” saved anymore, or how they don’t “feel” God like they used to. I ask them, “Have you repented of your sin?” “Yes,” they reply. Then they say, “But I still don’t feel right.” Guess what? You don’t have to feel right to be right. Faith is a choice not a feeling!

The job of your feelings is to amplify your thoughts. If you sit back and think of the goodness of God, of all He has done for you, and of how much He loves you, before you know it, you will feel good! You might even throw up your hands and worship God for His goodness and mercy. Now, if you sit back and think about all the negative things in your life, and how bad things are, and how bad this is or that is, before you know it you will feel bad. If you do it too long you might even delve into depression. However, in both cases your feelings are doing their job; they are amplifying your thoughts. If you change the way you think you will change the way you feel, but that being the case, it still has nothing to do with your right standing with God. You may feel unrighteous, but that has nothing to do with the fact that Jesus has made you the righteousness of God. If you are a Born-Again believer then Jesus died to make your righteous and you are righteous in Him, whether you feel like it or not.

Four times in the Bible (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38) God tells us that just – those of us who have been declared righteous – are to live by faith! In our focus text Paul tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. Our life is supposed to be lived by faith, not feelings. Listen, there will be times when you don’t feel like you should feel, but on those occasions you can tell your feelings that you will do whatever you are supposed to do anyway. To walk by sight is to walk by your senses. This is not God’s will, because what you see will fluctuate. If you live your life by what you see your life will be unstable. However, if you live your life by faith, rooted and grounded in the Word of God (which never changes), you will live a strong, stable, and secure life; and you will be able to pray with unshakable confidence.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that God does not want you to live your life by what you see, because what you see will change. Base your life on His Word, because His Word never changes. Walk by faith no matter how you feel! Taking the stand to rule over your emotions will help you pray, even when you don’t feel like praying, and when you do, you will exit the prayer encounter feeling much better than you entered it. If you make this a routine you will eventually rule over your emotions and not allow them to rule you!

Closing Confession: Father, I live my life by what I know, not what I see. I live my life based upon the reality of Your Word and Your love towards me. I realize that I may not always feel right, but I am right. Jesus made me right. I will speak, believe, pray and live by what You say, even when I don’t feel like it. I refuse to allow unstable emotions to dominate me. I will live my life by faith, standing on Your immutable Word. By living this way I position myself to live a strong, stable, and secure life! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Reason #4: What You Fear Will Come Upon You

(Job 3:25 NLT) What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor” and reasons why not to fear. Reason #4 is a big one: “Because what you fear will come on you!” Just like your Godly belief and faith open the door for the things of God to happen in your life, your negative belief and fear opens the door for the things of the enemy to happen. In many ways fear is just like faith, but in a negative form. The more afraid of something you become, the more susceptible to it you are.

Most believers know the story of Job, but most don’t know that Job allowed fear to open the door for some of the terrible things that happened in his life. Job chapter one opens with these words; “A man named Job lived in Uz. He was a man of integrity: He was decent, he feared God, and he stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys, and a large number of servants. He was the richest and most influential person in the Middle East. His sons used to go to each other’s homes, where they would have parties. (Each brother took his turn having a party.) They would send someone to invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When they finished having their parties, Job would send for them in order to cleanse them from sin. He would get up early in the morning and sacrifice burnt offerings for each of them. Job thought, “My children may have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Job offered sacrifices for them all the time” (Job 1:1-5).

While it does not seem like a bad thing for a parent to get up early in the morning and intercede with the Lord on behalf of their children, the issue is a matter of motivation. Job did these daily sacrifices – one for each child – because he was afraid that is he didn’t that something bad would happen to them. While the ritual and routine seemed innocent enough, it was not done in faith. Actually, Job was doing this out of fear and we all know what happened to his children. Later on, as our focus text points out, Job said, “What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true.”

You may be thinking, “But Rick, what does this have to do with prayer?” Actually, it has a lot to do with it. You can substitute the sacrifices Job was making with prayer and the same can happen. If you get up early every morning and pray for your children, marriage, health, career, finances, relationships, community, and etc., but you do it out of fear that if you don’t something bad will happen, then your prayers will not be effective. We are supposed to pray in-faith not in-fear. Not only do fear based prayers have no power, but even worse, when you fear you are literally opening the door for the thing that you fear to come upon you.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you can stop the cycle of fear in your life. This series is designed to expose the schemes of the enemy, so that you can live a victorious life in Christ and experience a powerful and effective prayer life. So instead of expressing confidence in the negative, simply doubt it! For example, have you ever had struggles with believing God? Have you ever had to make a conscious effort to overcome doubt? Doubt will stop you from seeing the manifestation of God’s best in your life. If you doubt it will lead to a faith-failure. Well, the opposite is also true. When the enemy puts a negative thought in your mind, a thought that goes against what you are praying for in-faith, then simply tell him, “I doubt it!” If you start doubting what the enemy can do to you, you will experience fear-failures. Believe me, you want your fear to fail and your faith to succeed! Close every negative door your fear has opened.

Closing Confession: Father, I live by faith. My life functions by faith. Everything I do in Your Kingdom I do by faith. I declare that I will not doubt You, but I will doubt whatever negative thing the enemy puts in my mind. I refuse to open any negative doors with fear. Fear will not and does not rule over me. I refuse to give space to the devil. I doubt what He says and I believe what You say and what You have said in Your Word concerning me! No longer will I allow fear to dilute and nullify my prayers. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Reason #5: There is NO god but our God!

(Isaiah 44:8 KJV) Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor” and reasons why not to fear. Yesterday I shared with you reason #4, “Because what you fear will come on you!” I explained how when you operate in fear you literally open the door for the enemy and when you stop fearing you close doors that you want closed. I have a testimony about that one that I will share with you later.

Reason #5 is, “Because there is NO god but our God!” I really like this one. Let’s look at several passages. In Isaiah 43:10-13 the Lord said to Israel, “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.” In the following chapter the Lord said, “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (44:6,7). The Lord has made it explicitly clear in His Word that He alone is God. Our God, Jehovah, is the only God that calls, declares, and sets things in order. He declares the end from the beginning (Is 46:10). He alone knows what will happen before it happens. He even knows our thoughts before we think them (Ps 139:2). Based upon His superiority as the only true God, Jehovah goes on to tell us in our focus text, “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any” (44:8). I like the way that God finished that verse. In reference to any other gods Jehovah says, “I know not any.” God has a sense of humor. It is as if He said, “Hey, I have looked and I can’t find any other god but me!”

Our God is omniscient; which means that He knows everything. If He knows everything, and He does, and He can’t find any other gods out there, then there are none! There is no God but our God. Based upon the fact that He is the only true God and based upon the fact that we are His children, He says, “Fear ye not, neither be afraid.” That sounds like a good enough reason for me not to fear and I hope you can say the same.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that there is no god but our God! Our God is the only true God. He sits on the circle of the earth (Is 40:22) and He rules over everything. This God, our God, Jehovah, has told you not to fear and not to be afraid. That should be good enough reason for you to enter this day with fearless confidence. Jehovah, the only true and wise God, is on your side! He is on you, in you, with you, and for you. So when you pray to Him, you can have confidence that you are praying to the only true God and that no other entity can successfully stop what the Lord starts in your life.

Closing Confession: Father, I submit to You and You alone. I acknowledge no other deity and I call upon no other name! There is no other god besides You. You sit on the circle of the earth and You have all things in and under control. You are the God that was, and is, and ever shall be. You looked out and You could not find any other gods. I take Your Word for it and I exercise my trust in You and in You alone. You told me not to be afraid. You explained to me that there is no need for me to fear. I declare, right now, by faith, that I believe You. I will not fear. NO FEAR HERE! Fear has no power over me. When I pray to You Father, I have the confidence that I am praying to the right God and that no devil, demon, or demonic influence can stop what You start in my life! I enter into this day with fearless confidence. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Reason #7: We have Authority in the Name of Jesus

(Phil 2:9,10 KJV) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor” and reasons why not to fear. Here is reason #7 why you should not be afraid, “Because we have authority in the Name of Jesus!” I would venture to say that most believers don’t understand the authority Jesus died to give us. His authority is tied to His name; and guess what? Jesus gave us the right to operate in His name in the earth. In our focus text Paul tells us that Jehovah has exalted Jesus and has given Him a name that is above every name. At the name of Jesus every knee must bow; including those in heaven, in the earth, and under the earth. This means that every knee in the natural and in the spiritual must bow to the name of Jesus. Jesus’ name is the MOST EXALTED name in the universe; and we have been given the right to operate in that name!

One time Jesus called His 12 disciples together and He gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases (Luke 9:1). But even though Jesus gave it to them, they did not really use the power or authority until He was gone. While Jesus was with His disciples they were used to Him operating in authority and they never really stretched themselves to receive that authority by faith. However, in the following chapter Jesus sent out 72 of His followers. He gave them the same authority. These followers embraced the power and authority. They went out to make a difference in the name of Jesus. When they came back they were excited and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons obeyed when we spoke in your name!” (Luke 10:17). Did you get that? Not even demons have power over us when we operate in the authority of the name of Jesus. I have personally encountered demons and I can attest to the fact that they are subject to the name of Jesus!

In the passage known as “The Great Commission” Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Jesus was not saying that He only had power in heaven. Jesus came to take back what Adam lost in the garden. Jesus died and was subsequently resurrected. This resurrected Jesus conquered satan, hell, and the grave. And it was this resurrected Jesus who clearly stated that He had ALL power both in heaven and in earth. Based upon this power He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (see Mat 28:18-20). The “therefore” in verse 19 is connected to the power in verse 18. Based upon the power Jesus bequeathed to us, we are supposed to GO! I call that the “Go” in the gospel. But we could not effectively GO without the power He has given us in His name.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you can take your prayer life to another level if you get an understanding of the power and authority you have been given to operate in the name of Jesus. Jesus came to get back everything Adam lost in the Garden. All power and authority was given to Jesus, both in heaven and in earth. All things are under Jesus’ feet, and when you realize that He has authorized you to operate in His name, then you won’t have any need to fear anything. Once you get to this point your prayers will be full of confidence and fear will have no power over you.

Closing Confession: Father, I have the faith to believe what You said. I have the faith to operate in Your name. No devil, demon, or demonic force has any power over me. I operate in the authority given to me in Your name. Your name is above all principalities and powers. At Your name every knee must bow. Thank You Jesus for allowing me to operate in the authority vested in Your name. I declare, right now, by the name of Jesus, that I am healed, healthy, blessed, prosperous, and protected. Fear has no power over me, I overcome evil with good, I operate with fearless confidence, and I pray prayers of faith that are heard and responded to daily. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Delivered from All Fear

(Psalm 34:4 KJV) I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor.” Today and tomorrow I will wrap up the teaching on fear and get back to teach on prayer in a more direct way. I trust that by exposing what the Bible has to say about fear you are able to identify it, resist it, dispel it, and remain in faith, so that your prayers can be effective. The Bible says “It is impossible to please God without faith” (Heb 11:6). We have already learned that when we are in fear we are not in faith and are therefore not pleasing to God. My prayer is that we all live lives free from the bondage of fear.

David is a fascinating character. I believe many of us can identify with because he dealt with real issues in real ways. David wrote the 34th Psalm. Let’s look at the first four verses:

(v.1) I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Notice that David said, “I will.” To bless or not to bless the Lord is an act of your will; meaning that it is a choice that you make. You can choose to bless the Lord, just as easily as you can choose not to. This is important, because it is also your choice whether or not you operate in faith or fear. And your prayers can either be helped or hurt by that decision.

(v.2) My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Your soul is comprised of your mind (your thinker), emotions (your feeler), and will (your chooser). David determined that his soul would make her boast in the Lord; meaning that he would boast of the goodness of God in such a way that others would hear about it and it would make them glad as well. If I followed you around all day, would I hear things that would make me glad or sad? Would I hear things that would feed my faith or my fear? What is your soul saying about what is going on inside of you?

(v.3) O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. David had problems like everyone else, but David chose to magnify the Lord, not his problems. When you choose to magnify your God above your problems, your problems seem to dwindle in comparison and you are better equipped to face them. However, if you choose to magnify your problems above your God, then fear will grip your heart and your prayers will be ineffective.

(v.4) I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. David said that by seeking the Lord he was able to be delivered from “all” of his fears. If God delivered David from “all” of his fears, then how many fears does that leave? None! David said that His relationship with God was able to get him to a fear-free state. In other words, David was able to get to the point where fear had no power over him. Guess what? What God did for David He can do for you! You can get to that same stage, and if you do, your fearless prayers will be powerful!

So what does this mean to you today? It means that it is possible to live a life free from the power of fear. You just read it for yourself. It happened for David because he focused on magnifying His God more than his problems. David’s emphasis on God and His relationship with God as the “Lord” of his life resulted in his deliverance from “all” the power of fear. God does not play favorites. God is ready, willing, and able to do the same for you, but you must choose to focus on the right things. Your focus can either feed your faith and starve your fear, or it can do the opposite. The choice is yours!

Closing Confession: Father, I will my will to bless you at all times. I declare that Your praises shall continually be in my mouth. I force my soul to make her boast in You. My praise is contagious and others start to praise You because of the continual praise that comes from my lips. I will seek You daily with an attitude of praise I ask You to deliver me from all my fears. Fear has no power over me. My God is bigger than my problems and as I focus on Him I am able to pray fearless prayers that get results! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Personal Testimony

(Job 3:25 NLT) What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by wrapping up our teaching on “The Fear Factor.” This will be our last message on fear and tomorrow we will get back to teaching on prayer in a more direct way.

Before I left this topic I wanted to share a testimony. About a week ago I taught you about Job and I told you that Job got up early in the morning to intercede and offer sacrifices for his children, but he was doing so because he was afraid that if he didn’t something bad would happen to his children. While the ritual and routine seemed innocent enough, it was not done in faith. Actually, Job was doing this out of fear and we all know what happened to his children. I believe Job’s fear watered-down his sacrifices and prayers and what he feared eventually came true in his life.

About six weeks ago my wife and I were in the middle of a faith-fight concerning something that is very important to us. We had been in prayer for weeks about it, but had not yet received the breakthrough. I felt like I needed to take my prayers to another level, so I went on a three day fast. During and after the fast the situation actually got worse. A few days after the fast, while my wife and I were still in prayer and believing God for our breakthrough, on a drive to Maryland I was listening to an audio book by Dr. Creflo Dollar (Winning in Troubled Times). Dr. Dollar made the point about Job and I had heard it and actually taught it before. However, while I was driving the Holy Spirit convicted me. The Father exposed to me that I was doing the same thing Job did. Even while I was fasting, I was worrying. The Lord replayed several instances for me (in my mind) where I would be in a meeting at work, attempting to do what I am supposed to do, all-the-while concerned about the situation. Even though I was fasting and praying, I was allowing fear to strip my prayers of any power. I basically wasted a three-day fast because of fear.

When the Lord exposed this to me I felt terrible, but I quickly repented. I then called my wife and she agreed that she had been doing the same thing. So she repented. Afterward, we both went on a fast together, this time in faith, and since then we have received our breakthrough. Glory to God!

I share this with you because I want you to know that this can happen to anyone. It’s not like I am some super-believer or anything like that, but I do know better and it still happened to me. If it happened to me, then it can happen to you and I want you to be aware of it. Just like I was convicted of praying fear-based prayers when I heard the audio book, I pray many of you (my readers) get convicted of the same thing this morning, if that is what you are doing. I don’t want fear to rob your prayer life of the power it is supposed to have.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6).

2. Faith-based prayers get results. Fear-based prayers get stripped of all power.

3. If you allow worry and fear to grip your heart while you are waiting on the manifestation of your prayers, then you will be waiting a long time.

4. When you pray in faith, without any fear, doubt, unbelief, or worry, and without malice, hatred, bitterness, or unforgiveness in your heart, then the Father is free to answer your prayers.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for exposing to me everything that is hindering my prayer life. I want to be able to pray and get results. I know it is Your will that I pray with faith, confidence, and power. However, I also know that You expect me to do what Your Word teaches. Therefore, I declare by faith, that I release all worry, fear, doubt, and unbelief. I also release all malice, bitterness, hatred, and unforgiveness. I don’t want anything in my heart to hinder my prayers. As I release all these things I am able to pray IN FAITH, free of all blessing-blockers, and You Father answer my prayers! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Prayer Fuels Success

(John 14:12 NLT) I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” If you have been following this series you know that there are many facets and aspects to prayer. Having an effective prayer life involves much more than just take a few moments to say, “Now I may me down to sleep.” We started this series off by looking at the life of Jesus and how He prayed in the morning and throughout the day. Jesus refused to do anything that He did not first see the Father do (in prayer) or say anything He did not first hear the Father say (in prayer). Prayer was the secret to Jesus’ earthly success and it can be ours, if we learn to pray correctly.

Thus far in this series we have also looked at three different factors. I taught you about the reverence factor, where you must have a certain level of reverence of God to properly honor and respect Him as you approach Him in prayer. I taught you about the love factor, where you must walk in love (free of malice, strife, bitterness, and unforgiveness) in every area of your life in order to please the Father and receive answers to your prayers without hindrance. And I taught you about the fear factor, where fear can strip your prayers of any power, or even worse, cancel them out altogether.

We still have a lot to cover in this series and I am thankful to the Father for leading me to teach this, especially in this season. 2011 has been a rough year for many and as we prepare to close the year out strong I am convinced that having an effective prayer life will be essential to experiencing God’s best in 2012 and beyond.

When I talk to people about prayer specifically and about being used of God in general, I often get a sense that they just don’t see themselves as worthy of really doing much for God or not worthy of operating like Jesus operated in the earth. If you fall into this category this morning, if you feel like you are not worthy because of the things you have done in your past, then let me help you out… GET OVER IT! You are not worthy in and of yourself and you never will be. Jesus MADE you worthy. Paul said, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun…. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Cor 5:17 & 21). In our main text we see how Jesus expected us to do what He did, and even greater works than what He did, but we will never get there if 1) we don’t pray and 2) we maintain a low self-esteem.

So what does this mean to you today? It means the Father wants to use you for His glory. To do so you must be committed to prayer (so you can receive divine instruction) and you must overcome any lingering thoughts of low self-esteem. I will close with the words of Dr. Munroe: “I believe that our fear of being proud or presumptuous, along with our lack of acceptance of our worthy in Christ, have kept us in bondage and robbed us of the reality of His finished work on our behalf… who are we in Christ? We are the redeemed. Again, this is not just a philosophy or an opinion. This is the Father’s description of who we are in His Son. The Second Adam redeemed mankind.”

Closing Confession: Father, I now better understand that there are many aspects and facets to prayer. I understand the reverence factor. I properly revere and respect You as my Lord and Savior. You alone are Lord in my life. I understand the love factor. I rid myself of anything that will keep me from operating in Your love daily. I understand the fear factor. I refuse to allow fear to rob my prayers of any power. And I get past any inkling of low self-esteem. I know that I am nothing without You, but I also know that You MADE me righteous through Jesus’ finished work on the cross. I shall not allow low self-esteem to keep me from approaching You daily in prayer. I an new in You. I am redeemed, I know it, and I shall act like it. I come boldly before Your throne daily, in the name of Your Son, and my prayer life fuels my success in the earth! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 1)

(Jer 29:13 NASB) You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” For the next few days I am going to cover 10 steps to preparedness in prayer. I pray these can serve as a list of things you can glance over to remind yourself of what to do in order to be effective in prayer. Here is Step 1: Separate Yourself.

In our focus text the Lord says through Jeremiah that we will seek Him and find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. Millions of people seek God daily, but I would venture to say that only a small percentage have a true encounter with God as a result of their search, because most of us are far too busy to disconnect from the world long enough to earnestly seek God. I am guilty of this. I have a Blackberry for work-related emails, a personal Smartphone for personal/ministry emails, Facebook, Twitter, and Internet browsing, along with an iPad, a personal laptop, and a work laptop. I travel quite a bit and I have mastered the art of going through airport security with all these electronic devices. A friend of mine gives me a hard time about always being “connected,” and while I shrug it off, it’s true. I get up early, go to sleep late, and spend a great deal of time “connected” to others – face to face, on the phone, or online – in between. With all of this going on I have to make a concerted effort to disconnect when it is time to spend quality time with God.

Have you ever held a conversation with someone while you were thinking about something else? I have done this. Not only is it rude, but it is also ineffective. If I don’t give my attention to the conversation I am having, then the conversation will suffer and whatever else I am thinking about will also suffer, because I am not fully committed to it either. While I am not a psychic and God has not revealed this to me, I would guess that the majority of Christians in today’s fast-paced society set apart a few moments to pray, only to do so while they are thinking about something else as well. It’s hard to be effective in prayer if you are thinking about your next meeting in the back of your mind.

Jesus said, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Mat 6:6). The Message Bible paraphrase of this verse reads, “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. You owe it to yourself and to your God to give Him your undivided attention in prayer.

2. Quiet and alone time with God enables you to strip yourself of every care and concern!

3. If you earnestly make the effort to seek God, you will find Him.

4. Removing all distractors will help you seek God with ALL your heart.

5. Designate a place to pray. Separate yourself from your normal environment. It’s preferable to set a designated place to pray, so your mind and body know that when you go there, you are set to pray. Doing this will help you condition yourself to disconnect from the world, in order to connect with God, when you enter your designated place.

Closing Confession: Father, thank You for this reminder. While I make it a habit to pray all day, from anywhere, and at any time, I also make it a habit to designate a special time and place where I can disconnect from the world in order to connect with You. I love You Father and I want to have personal and intimate encounters with You. I will make time to spend quality time with You and when I do, I promise to disconnect from the daily grind, in order to give You my undivided attention. I will seek You with all my heart and I shall find You every time I do. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 2)

(1 John 1:8-10 NIV) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. Yesterday I gave you Step 1: Separate Yourself. Today we will discuss Step 2: Appropriate God’s Grace.

The word appropriate means to take exclusive possession of. In other words, when you appropriate something, you take possession of it for yourself; you make it yours. Most believers know that God’s grace is available to them, but not all believers take possession of it. Before we can pray with confidence we must be convinced that our sin has not created a gulf between us and God. In John’s first letter he said, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” This picture of God being completely pure is valid, but it is incomplete. If all we do is see God as completely pure, we will inevitably see ourselves as something less-than pure and therefore not worthy of intimate fellowship with Him. But John goes on to say, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7). The blood of Jesus is the equalizer. Without the blood of Jesus we could never intimately fellowship with the Father. However, with the blood of Jesus, we are cleansed from all sin. It’s a good thing to start your prayer off by appropriating the blood of Jesus; by reminding yourself and God that Jesus died for your sin. This will remind you that you are righteous, because He MADE you righteous and it will help you pray with confidence.

John continues, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” If we were not born condemned to hell, then we would have never needed a Savior. If we did not have sin, then we would need grace. The person who does not acknowledge the fact that they are ONLY righteousness because of the blood of Jesus will never appropriate grace, because they are too self-righteous to call on God. However, the person who is so personally condemned by his or her sin that he can’t see himself calling on God for help will never appropriate God’s grace either. Listen, we all sin, we all miss the mark, and we all make mistakes, but John goes on to say, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. If you claim to be without sin you are self-righteous and you will never fellowship with God that way.

2. If you allow sin to separate you from God then you will wallow in condemnation and you will never fellowship with God that way either.

3. If you acknowledge your sin, confess it before God, and then repent, you will receive forgiveness of sin by the blood of Jesus and you can have intimate fellowship with the Father.

4. When you appropriate God’s grace, and you receive the forgiveness of sin by the blood of Jesus, you are able to pray with confidence, knowing the Father will freely commune with you!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your grace. It is by grace that I have been saved. Jesus paid the price for my sin and I accept His finished work on the cross. Jesus is my Lord and He is also my Savior. I am not self-righteous. I know that I have been declared RIGHT with You because of Jesus’ blood and it was nothing I did in and of myself. While I am not self-righteous, I also refuse to wallow around in condemnation. The Holy Spirit convicts me, but He does not condemn me. When I sin, I quickly acknowledge it, confess it, and repent of it. I appropriate Your grace and I come to You with complete confidence that You will hear my prayers and commune with me in the time I have set apart for You! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 3)

(Mark 11:24,25 NLT) I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 2: Appropriate God’s Grace. Today we will discuss Step 3: Remove All Blessing-Blockers.

Mark 11 is a very familiar passage for many believers. In this passage Jesus said, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Pastors all over the world use this passage to teach believers about faith. Jesus exercised faith in a situation concerning a fig tree and He taught His disciples that they (and us for that matter) could do the same. Flowing the same vein, this passage is also used to teach about prayer. Jesus went on to say, “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” In both cases (speaking to the mountain and prayer) Jesus was teaching that we must fully believe and not doubt at all.

The connection between faith, believing, and not doubting is undeniable. However, one often-overlooked portion of this passage is what Jesus went on to say about forgiveness. Jesus continued, “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Did you catch that? Before you pray you must first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against. The words “so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too” indicate that if you don’t forgive you won’t be forgiven and it will unquestionably hinder your prayer life. Wouldn’t it be a shame to have mountain-moving faith and to have gotten to the point where doubt is no longer an issue for you, only to have unforgiveness become the reason why your prayers are not answered? Unforgiveness is a Blessing-Blocker. There are many others, but I wanted to highlight unforgiveness today. The overall point is that you must make every attempt to rid yourself of Blessing-Blockers so that God’s Blessing is free to flow in your life.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. You don’t want anything hanging over you as you pray to the Father.

2. Doubt is a well-known reason for failed prayers. A lesser known, but equally detrimental reason is unforgiveness.

3. Fear, doubt, unbelief, unforgiveness, bitterness, malice, hatred, and etc. will all keep you from God’s best! These are all Blessing-Blockers.

4. When you rid yourself of Blessing-Blockers you put yourself in a position to receive from God.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for exposing to me everything that is hindering my prayer life. I want to be able to pray with results. I know it is Your will that I pray with faith, without any doubt at all. I build my confidence in You to the point where I am able to pray fearless and doubtless prayers. However, I also know that You expect me to walk in love. So by faith I declare that I release all bitterness, malice, hatred, and unforgiveness from my heart. I refuse to allow anything to hinder my prayers. As I release all these things I am able to pray IN FAITH, free of all Blessing-Blockers, and You Father answer my prayers! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 4)

(Eph 4:22-24 NIV) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 3: Remove All Blessing-Blockers. Today we will discuss Step 4: Put on Righteousness.

We all have a past, every last one of us. Think of the most influential person you know in the Body of Christ and he or she has a past as well. Every person has memories of things they did or said in the past that they would rather forget, but the key is not judging your future by your past. If you allow the memories of a painful past to dominate your mind they will consume your present, and if you are not careful, they might even destroy your future. With this in mind Paul teaches us to put off our old self, which was corrupted with deceitful desires, in order to be made new in the attitude of our mind.

We were all born in sin and shaped in iniquity (Ps 51:5), we were all dead in our transgressions and sins (Eph 2:1), we all used to live in accordance with the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph 2:2), and we all operated with the spirit of disobedience and were by nature objects of wrath (Eph 2:3). However, this is exactly my point. Everything I am saying is in the past tense. As Born-Again believers we have been made new in Christ. Since we are in Christ we are new creatures (2 Cor 5:17), we have been made to be the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21), and our focus text tells us that we are “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” So as you prepare to pray you must remind yourself of who you are and whose you are. If you allow satan or a low self-esteem to cause you to entertain thoughts that paint a picture of you being less than who Christ Jesus made you to be, then you will not be in a position to pray, because you see yourself unworthy of approaching the Father. The devil knows he can’t stop you from tapping into the power of prayer, because you have direct access to the Father, but if he can get you to see yourself as unrighteous, then you stop yourself because an unrighteous mindset will keep you from praying effectively.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Don’t judge your future by your past. God is in the business of making Holy garments from flawed material. He wants to use you (failures, flaws, and all) for His glory!

2. Put on Righteousness. Old Testament priests used to get clothed with certain garments before they entered the Holy of Holies. Do the same thing, but do it in your mind. Clothe yourself with righteousness as you prepare to approach the Father in prayer.

3. PUT OFF your old man and become your new self. See yourself as a new person – completely righteous by the blood of Jesus – in the attitude of your mind.

4. Agree with God’s opinion of you. When God looks as you He sees you covered by the blood of His Son Jesus and Jesus’ blood makes you holy. If God sees you holy, then you should start seeing yourself the same way. This attitude will help you build confidence as you pray.

Closing Confession: Father, I will never cease to praise Your name for Jesus. I thank You for sending Jesus to die for me. He did what I could not do and He did it when He did not have to do it. Jesus sacrificed His life so that I could live in Him and in You. I am made new in Christ Jesus. I declare, by faith, that I walk in the newness of the life Christ died to give me. I don’t judge my future by my past. I have been made new and I put off the old man in order to become my new self. I am new in the attitude of my mind. I agree with Your opinion of me. When You look at me You see a son. So from now on, when I look at myself I will see a child of the Most High God. I have been made righteous and I put on my righteousness as I prepare to pray. This way I am able to pray with overwhelming confidence. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 5)

(Psalm 139:1-4 NLT) O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 4: Put on Righteousness. Today we will discuss Step 5: Put on Truth and Honesty.

One of the things I have never really understood is why people attempt to hide things from God. I guess it’s a psychological thing, but even people who acknowledge the fact that God knows everything about them somehow think they can keep things from Him. Our focus text David teaches us that God knows us inside and out. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He knows our words before we say them. He knows our feelings before we feel them. There is nothing our God does not know about us. So when we fail to be open and honest with Him, it hinders our payer life because He knows that we are holding back.

The Bible calls David a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), even though David made major mistakes in his life. David committed both adultery and murder, so he was no saint, but what he did so right was come clean with God. In the 51^st Psalm David said, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom” (v.6). David gave God that truth. David desperately confessed and repented before God. Was David perfect? Of course not, but he was honest about his mistakes and God was able to use him for His glory.

In another Psalm David asked the question, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place?” This is a great question and one that we want answered while we are learning about prayer. Prayer is about getting into that Holy place with God. In prayer we seek to commune with Him. So who is that can ascend to the hill of the Lord and stand in God’s Holy place? David answers, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3,4).

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. When you come to God, you should come naked, open, and unashamed. God knows you better than you know yourself, so don’t try to hide things from Him.

2. If you are deceptive (or holding back) when you attempt to engage God in prayer, then He will know it and he will hold back from you. Be transparent with God and He will manifest Himself to you.

3. Be honest with your heavenly Father. You can talk to Him about things you would never talk to anyone else about. The more open you are with God, the more intimate your time with Him will be.

4. Like David, you don’t have to be perfect, just honest. If you are honest with God you will be forgiven and He will be able to use you to make a difference in your environment.

Closing Confession: Father, You know me inside and out. You are acquainted with all my ways. There is nothing I can hide from You. You know my thoughts before I think them, my words before I speak them, and my emotions before I feel them. For me to hold things back from You does not make sense. From this day forward I will be open and honest with You. My transparency will help solidify our intimacy and my prayer time will go to another level as I come to You naked, open, and unashamed. I share things with You Father that I don’t share with anyone else and from now on my prayer time will be a special time for both me and You. As I do this I free You to use me for Your glory daily. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 6)

(Eph 5:25,25 NLT) For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 5: Put on Truth and Honesty. Today we will discuss Step 6: Wash Yourself in the Word.

If you read the book of Leviticus you will see all sorts of rituals and routines that the priests went through to be cleansed before they entered the presence of the Lord. Today, we don’t wash ourselves with water, but rather with the Word. As we prepare to pray about a given topic or issue, if we fill our heart with God’s Word concerning it, the Word will help wash away all fear, doubt, and unbelief about whether or not we will receive an answer to our prayers. Additionally, the Word will also help wash away low self-esteem, bitterness, malice, hatred, resentment, anger, and anything else that may be lingering in our heart that will hinder our prayers. The Bible may be words on paper, but it is alive!

Smith Wigglesworth said, “The Bible is the Word of God: supernatural in origin, eternal in duration; inexpressible in valor, infinite in scope; regenerative in power, infallible in authority; universal in interest, personal in application; inspired in totality. Read it through, write it down, pray it in, work it out, and then pass it on.”

John MacArthur said, “This book contains: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here heaven is open, and the gates of hell are disclosed. Christ is the grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and is established forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents.”

In John 15 Jesus said to His disciples, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (v.3). In the 17^th chapter, while praying for His disciples and all those who would come after them, Jesus said, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (v.17). And in our focus text, Paul explains how Christ loved us (the church) enough to give Himself for us, and he goes on to say that Jesus sanctified (purified) us and cleansed us with the washing of water with the Word.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. The more Word you have in you, especially related to whatever you are going to pray about, the better prepared you will be for prayer.

2. As you prepare for prayer, if you rehearse God’s Word it will help get in you in the proper mindset in order to pray in faith.

3. The truth of God’s Word will help purge you of the unrighteous desires of this world. This will help you pray for things that align with God’s will.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your Word. Your Word is truth and I am sanctified by Your truth. I get Your Word down in my heart to the point where it becomes the basis for my thoughts. My ways become Your ways. My thoughts line up with Your thoughts. My desires become things that You desire for my life. At this point I will make it a habit to be made clean through Your Word daily. I pray prayers that line up with Your will, because my heart will be purged of unrighteous desires and impure thoughts. I prepare myself for prayer daily, by rehearsing Your Word and as I do, I am able to pray prayers that get results. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 7)

(Phil 4:6 NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 6: Wash Yourself in the Word. Today we will discuss Step 7: Give Thanks.

In Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica he taught the believers there about living a life that is pleasing to God. In his closing remarks he said, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:16-18). I believe Paul was teaching that the secret to living a life that is pleasing to God is to maintain your joy, to keep an active prayer life, and to GIVE THANKS to God IN all circumstances. Notice that he said “IN” all circumstances and not “FOR” all circumstances. If we are honest we must acknowledge the fact that everything that happens to us is NOT good and we DON’T always like everything we face. But Paul’s point is that we should trust God enough to believe that at the-end-of-the-day we will still come out on top. We may not always be able to Thank Him FOR IT, but we can still thank Him IN IT. This attitude of gratitude will go a long way in preparing us to pray with the right disposition.

When we approach God with praise on our lips and thanksgiving in our heart we often find ourselves enjoying the worship and just praising God for who He is, long before we every ask Him for anything in prayer. But make no mistake; this worship helps establish an atmosphere for God to move. David taught us that God literally inhabits the praises of His people (Ps 22:3). While God is already present within us (as Born-Again believers), there is another level of presence that manifests itself in the atmosphere of praise. And it is in this environment – of praise and divine presence – that many prayers are made and answered.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi he said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Notice that Paul taught us to include thanksgiving in and with our prayers.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Worship prepares the place and the person for prayer.

2. Praying with thanksgiving helps you maintain the proper attitude during prayer.

3. Thanking God for the answer, even while you are praying (making the petition), tells God that You trust He will bring it to pass.

4. Praising God in advance, by faith, will ignite God to move and help you maintain your peace while you wait on the manifestation of your prayers.

Closing Confession: Father, this is the day that You have made, I choose to rejoice and to be glad in it. I give You praise today and always. I enter into Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. I call upon You Father and I magnify Your name. I enter every day of my life with praise on my lips, worship in my heart, a spring in my step, and expectation in my spirit. Worship is a part of my daily routine. I don’t pray without worshipping You. Before I ask for anything, I praise and worship You for who You are and for what You have done for me. You have blessed me beyond measure and I will never cease to praise You for it. My praise prepares me and the place where I am praying for the prayer session itself. When I praise You come in and inhabit the place with me and once You are there, with Your manifest presence, You hear and respond to my prayers of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 8)

(Mark 11:22-24 NLT) Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 7: Give Thanks. Today we will discuss Step 8: Believe.

When it comes down to it I believe most pastors have a ‘core message;’ something that is the underlying basis of their ministry. I know what my ‘core message’ is, and it is FAITH. I can teach different series’ and address a variety of topics, but when the rubber meets the road, the message the Father has given me to preach is a message of faith in God. Flowing in this vein the Father has blessed me to help people expand their capacity to believe God, to get to the point where they are able to remove the artificial limits they had placed on their limitless God, so that He is free to operate in their lives. Why is all of this important? It is important because if we fail to believe, to operate in faith, and to put faith-pressure on God to manifest His promises in our lives, then we will unquestionably live beneath His best and it will not be God’s fault.

I’ve had people say to me, “Oh Rick, I’ve tried that faith-stuff and it didn’t work.” To which I respond, “No, faith tried you and you didn’t work.” If you are looking for Biblical evidence to support my assertion, you need look no further than our passage for today. In a passage where Jesus spoke to a fig tree and the tree did what He said, Jesus taught His disciples that they could do the same. Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” In the original Greek what Jesus said is better translated, “Have the God-kind of faith.” What kind of faith is that? It’s the kind of faith that speaks to its situation, fully believing that their prayer will come to pass, without any doubt whatsoever. When you operate in this kind of faith Jesus said, “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” But what if you don’t believe? What if you allow doubt to creep into your heart? What if you experience a faith-failure? Well, then you most likely won’t see the manifestation of the answer to your prayer. If this happens, don’t blame God or satan.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that when you pray, you MUST resist every temptation to doubt and fear. Fear cancels faith, just like faith cancels fear. Jesus prayed with complete confidence and He expects us to do the same. In closing, remember:

1. Nothing is impossible with God.

2. Resist doubt at all costs. Learn to doubt your doubts.

3. Believe with your whole heart when you pray.

4. Walk away from your prayer session like it’s already done! Say, “I believe I receive when I pray!”

Closing Confession: Father, I am a believer and not a doubter. I fully believe Your Word. Your Word teaches me that all things are possible for him who believes. Well, I believe, so all things are possible for me. I remove every artificial limit I have ever placed on You, my limitless God, and I declare, by faith, that my possibilities are endless. I am open to everything You desire to do in my life. I will not hinder You from moving in my life because of fear, doubt, or unbelief. I have the God-kind of faith. Like You, I call those things which be not as though they were. I pray in faith, fully believing, not doubting, and my prayers are heard and responded to. I believe I receive when I pray. Faith can try me, because I am I am full of faith, full of belief, full of hope, full of expectation and free of all doubt! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 9)

(2 Chron 20:21-24 NLT) After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!” At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 8: Believe. Today we will discuss Step 9: Thank God for the answer in advance.

These last two steps are not really about preparing for prayer, but rather about what to do after you have prayed. After you have separated yourself from all distraction, removed the blessing-blockers from your heart, put on righteousness, cleansed yourself with the Word, established an environment conducive to the moving of the Holy Spirit with your worship, and prayed in faith (fully believing, without any doubt), then you would do well to thank God for the answer in advance. When you give God the praise for what You believe He is going to do, BEFORE he does it, you are praising Him by faith and it moves Him to action. Anyone can praise God after the fact. Anyone can get excited after they physically see, in the natural, what God has done. Even the heathen can give God post-performance praise. But it takes a true believer to give God pre-performance praise. When you praise God in advance great things happen.

There is a powerful example of this in 2 Chronicles 20. I recommend you read the entire chapter. King Jehoshaphat was facing an impossible situation. He did not know what to do, so he called for a nation-wide fast and prayed. The Lord answered the prayer through one of the prophets and told the king that the people would not need to fight against their enemies. The Lord would do the fighting for them. In the natural, there is no way the nation of Judah could have won anyway. This tiny nation needed supernatural invention. So after hearing from God and after believing what God said, king Jehoshaphat sent out the praise team instead of the infantry. Can you imagine that? Judah was exponentially outnumbered. The enemy was approaching and they were ready to fight. Without supernatural intervention the little nation would surely be destroyed. The enemy forces expected a quick victory, but to their surprise, instead of the infantry, what approached them was a praise team. Judah was prepared to praise God IN ADVANCE for what He was going to do. And guess what? The Bible says that “At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.” Then, “The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them.” This went on until every last enemy soldier was dead.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Even the most ungodly person can give God praise after the fact.

2. When you praise God in advance, for what you believe He is going to do, it proves to Him that you truly trust Him.

3. Pre-performance praise (done by faith) ignites God to move and to answer your prayers!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me to pray and for hearing me when I do. I am a believer and I believe I receive when I pray. I actually build my faith to the point that I can praise You in advance, for what I believe You are going to do, well before You actually do it. I will praise You when I receive it in my heart, well before I ever see it in my hands. This way You know that I trust You and that I fully believe You will bring it to pass. I don’t have to wait to see it to give You the praise. Post-performance praise is good, but pre-performance praise is better. From now on I will give you pre-performance praise for those things I am believing You for! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer (Step 10)

(Romans 15:13 NASB) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by wrapping up our 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. In our last message I gave you Step 9: Thank God for the answer in advance. Today we will close it out with Step 10: Don’t Stop Believing.

As I shared with you yesterday, the last two steps are not really about preparing for prayer, but rather about what to do after you have prayed. After having properly prepared yourself for prayer and after having prayed in faith (without any doubt), you should thank God for the answer in advance and when you walk away from your prayer session, you must remain in faith. What do I mean by that? I mean that you must remain expectant for the answer to your prayer. You have to keep your faith switch in the ON position, no matter how long it takes. Live in a continual state of communion with God and don’t allow anything to cause you to STOP believing that what you prayed for WILL come to pass.

The Lord, on more than one occasion, has convicted me to saying or doing something contrary to what I prayed. When I made my petition my faith level was high and the anointing on me was strong. However, we all have our lapses. It is difficult to keep our faith switch in the ON position 24 hours a day, but but difficult or not, it is what we must do. We simply cannot afford to allow anything to cause us to give up what we are believing God for. This is where we need “Joy and Peace in Believing” (Romans 15:13). If we maintain the excitement that comes from divine joy and the serenity that comes from divine peace, we will be able to hold on until we see the manifestation of our prayers.

I hope these steps have helped and will continue to help you as you re-energize your prayer life. Here is a recap of the 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer:

1. Separate yourself

2. Appropriate God’s grace

3. Remove all blessing-blockers

4. Put on righteousness

5. Put on truth and honesty

6. Wash yourself in the Word

7. Give thanks

8. Believe

9. Thank God for the answer in advance

10. Don’t stop believing

Closing Confession: Father, I Thank You for teaching me about prayer so that I can pray for effectively. I now know the importance of prayer and how to properly prepare for it. I declare, right now, by faith, that I will prepare for prayer on a regular basis. I will separate myself into a quiet place with You. I will appropriate Your grace as I confess all sin before You. I will remove all blessing-blockers (like fear, doubt, and unbelief). I will clothe myself in Your righteousness and remind myself of who You have made me to be. I will put on truth and honesty; coming to You naked, open, and not ashamed. I will cleanse myself with the Word; building my confidence in You and Your promises. I will worship and praise Your Holy Name. Creating an environment for You to dwell in. I will believe that everything I pray shall come to pass, because I pray in accordance with Your Word, Will, and Way. I will give You the Glory, by faith; praising You IN ADVANCE, for what You will do. And I will keep on believing, no matter how long it takes! I will remain IN Your presence, every second of every day. As I learn to prepare for prayer and pray in faith I know that my life will never be the same! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Make Prayer a Focus in 2012

(Mark 1:35 NIV) Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

This morning we get back to our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” It’s been a few weeks and I trust you enjoyed the teaching on purpose and vision. The last thing we covered in this series, before Christmas, was 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. This morning, as we get reassociated with this series we will once again look at our ultimate example, Jesus.

While Jesus was God-in-the-flesh, as He operated in the earth He did not operate as God, He operated as a man. This being the case, Jesus needed to hear from the Father, just like we all do. This need for intimacy and direction led to His lifestyle of prayer and I am convinced that His prayer life was the key to His success in His earthly assignment. I also believe the disciples came to the same conclusion. After carefully watching Jesus for three years, one day, after one of His countless prayer sessions, one of the disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). This unidentified disciple was no doubt speaking for the group. They were there when Jesus fed a crowd with a little boy’s lunch, when He stopped a funeral precession in order to raise a young man back to life, when He touched a man with leprosy and the leprosy ran from the power, when He caused blind Bartimeaus to see at the amazement of all who were there, when He cast our a legion of demons out of a man, and when He healed a man who had been crippled for 38 years. Why didn’t they ask Him to teach them to perform miracles? Why didn’t they ask Him to teach them to feed the multitudes? Why didn’t they ask Him to teach them to cast our demons? Maybe it was because they connected all those things to prayer. I believe the disciples figured out the fact that Jesus’ prayer life was what enabled Him to do what He did. If they learned to pray, then everything else would fall in place.

Jesus did not do what many of us do. We come up with plans and then lay them before the Father, asking Him to bless what we came up with. Or we go out and do things and then ask God to bless what we did. But Jesus actually found out (first) what the Father wanted to bless and then sought to do that! He received His marching orders IN PRAYER and He then went out, in an act of obedience, to do what the Father was leading Him to do. Our focus text tells us that Jesus would get up, early in the morning, go off to a solitary place, and pray. Jesus would come back from these prayer sessions with direction for the day. Jesus would spend hours in prayer, and then a few seconds healing a leper or casting out a demon. Today most of us have the ratio backwards. We spend a few minutes in prayer and then hours trying to deal with our challenges. If we would spend quality time in prayer we would be better equipped for the challenges when they come!

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you must take the time to pray. Martin Luther once said, “When I have a lot to do in a day, I spend more time in prayer, because more work is done by prayer than by work itself.” Dr. Myles Munroe said, “We can never really be too busy to pray because prayer makes our lives much more focused, efficient, and peaceful. Learning this principle has been essential in my life. When I have many things on my heart and mind, a lot of confusion in my life, or overwhelming circumstances to face, I don’t try to tackle these problems myself. I go to God in prayer, and He gives me the wisdom and guidance I need to address them.” So instead of simply asking God to automatically bless whatever you’re doing, first find out what He’s blessing and then do that.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for giving me the greatest example for success in life in Jesus the Christ. Jesus thought it important to pray, so there is no way I am going to succeed in life without it. I get past every hang-up and hindrance in my life concerning prayer. I declare, by faith, that 2012 will be the best year of my life, because I will develop my prayer life and take it to another level. I am not going to lazily ask You to bless whatever I come up with. I am going to put in the effort to find out what You are already blessing and I will align my life and actions with what You desire to do. This way I will walk in the Blessing daily and experience supernatural success. I am excited about this year and about my prayer life! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Prayer and Your Day

(John 5:15,17 NIV) So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” John chapter five opens with Jesus performing a great miracle. He healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. For the most part, the witnesses were ecstatic about the miracle. However, the religious leadership of the time, who were present to see what Jesus did, were upset that Jesus had the unmitigated gall to perform a miracle on the Sabbath. I love Jesus’ response to their discontent. He said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” In effect, Jesus was saying, “I spent time with My Father this morning. I already had my whole day worked out for Me because I had fellowship with the One who made days. My Father already had a plan to heal this man today and He gave me instructions to be the one through which the healing would take place. This healing came as a result of My Father working, and Me knowing what He wanted to do. Since He wanted to work today, I am working today.” What a way to live! That is what I call Living By Faith! And guess what? We can do the same thing. Jesus did not have a monopoly on prayer. Actually, He expected us to do what He did (see John 14:12). Jesus expected us to hear from the Father and to perform the Father’s will daily.

The very next verse says, “For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” Jesus was saying that God Himself was giving Him instructions and the religious leadership were not happy, because they could not hear from God. They were also upset that Jesus healed a man on Saturday, because they could not heal him any day of the week. The man was lame for 38 years. If the religious leaders could have done something about it, they would have, but they could not and the reality of the their inadequacy made them insecure; so they lashed out at Jesus. But Jesus was not concerned. Jesus responded, “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. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these” (verses 19,20). We will take a closer look at these two verses tomorrow.

So what does this mean to you today? Two things:

1. Prayer can order your day. You can either allow your day to order your prayer or you can allow your prayer to order our day. If you don’t pray first, inevitably something will happen that will drive you to pray. At that point your day is ordering your prayer. However, if you pray first, seeking the will of the Father for your day and then stepping out to perform it (like Jesus did), then your prayer will order your day.

2. Prayer is essential to accomplish God’s will in the earth. Prayer is the medium through which man discovers what the Father desires to do in the earthly realm, so that man can participate in the process and agree with the Spiritual realm to bring it to pass.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. It is clear that Jesus had daily communion with You in prayer. If Jesus saw a need to pray, there is no way I am going to maximize my purpose and potential without it. I pray today and I shall pray every day of my life. You give me direction and insight in the morning, through prayer, that enables me to maximize the day. My prayer orders my day. In the morning, through prayer, You show me my day and with my own tongue I tell my day what type of day it is going to be. I then step out into the day with the confidence of knowing that You are on me, in me, with me, and for me, to bring to pass what was prayed. Living by faith is exciting and I am excited about today! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Prayer is Critical to Daily Success

(John 5:19,20 MSG) Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Yesterday we took a look at this passage in John chapter 5. When answering the religious leaders who were questioning why He performed a miracle on the Sabbath Jesus clearly explained to them that He had received His marching orders directly from the Father.

How did Jesus receive His direction? Did He have some sort of special access to the Father? The answer is NO. Jesus was completely God, but He unquestionably came as a man. As a man He experienced the same limitations we have. Therefore Jesus needed to hear from the Father through the vehicle of prayer, just like we need to. Jesus made this point painstakingly clear in our text when He said, “The Son can’t independently do a thing.” Later on in this conversation Jesus said, “I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I’m not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all” (see verses 30-33).

For the Father to operate in our lives He actively seeks our co-operation. Without our co-operation His operation is stifled because He will not impose His will on us. We are not puppets and our Heavenly Father is no puppeteer. The Father wants us to willingly participate in His plans and purposes in the earth, and since we can’t effectively participate in something we are not aware of, prayer becomes a critical aspect of our success in life.

What else can we learn from this?

– Prayer is a channel through which we can receive direction. Prayer is not we telling God what to do, but rather we finding out what God already wants to do and cooperating/participating with Him to bring it to pass.

– Prayer is a source of confidence: If we are able to “see” what the Father already wants to do, we can operate in complete confidence and courage, knowing that we are in line with God’s will and that He will bless what we are doing.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that prayer should be a central part of your life. In addition to the aforementioned reasons, let me give you a two more practical reasons why:

1. Prayer saves you time. Don’t put off praying thinking that you don’t have the time to spare. If you take the time to pray the Father can get involved in your agenda and help you to maximize your time.

2. Prayer opens the door to divine involvement. Prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference. Prayer gets the Father involved in your daily life and it gets you involved in His plans and purposes. After prayer you can face your day with the confidence of knowing that you don’t have to face it alone!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for admonishing me and then teaching me to pray. I pray daily. I realize that like Jesus, I can’t do a solitary thing on my own. Without You I am nothing. You are my source and my strength. You alone are the Lord of my life. My total trust and confidence is in You. You have graced me for such a time as this. I was born for this time and with divine purpose. I partner with You to bring to pass both my purpose and Your purposes in the earth. I receive divine direction today through prayer. Every meeting, conversation, and activity I engage in today was ordained before foundations of the world and I engage in them with the confidence that You are with me to make a difference. I get You involved in my daily life, through prayer, so I don’t ever have to face a day alone. I maximize my time and I enjoy this day! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Hearing from God

(John 10:4,5, 27) After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” For the past couple of days we have been learning about Jesus and how He received daily direction and guidance from the Father. Jesus claimed to literally never do anything that He did not first see the Father do, nor say anything that He did not first hear the Father say. Jesus lived His life ‘tuned-in’ to the Father. I believe this should be our goal as well. In prayer this morning my wife and I were believing God for specific direction in a key decision we have to make soon. I have made key decisions in the past without God and they have not gone well. I have also made decisions that I thought were God-led, only to find out later that I “missed it.” At the end of the day, my wife and I just want what we all want, and that is to please God. Hearing from God is critical to living a life that is pleasing to Him.

In John chapter 10, when painting of picture of Himself as a shepherd, and we as His sheep, Jesus taught that His sheep know His voice, hear His voice, follow His voice, and refuse to follow the voice of a stranger. This passage is encouraging to my wife and I as we are believing God to receive the specific guidance we need to make the decision He desires for us to make. However, I also understand how this passage can be somewhat discouraging for those who believe they have never heard from God. I know how they feel. I remember crying out to God, wanting to hear from Him. I heard my friends talk about being ‘led of God’ in their daily routines and it frustrated me that I was not hearing from Him. I can thankfully say that I now routinely hear from the Father, but it only came as a result of my persistence in my pursuit of an intimate relationship with Him.

I also believe many are missing God today because they are waiting for an audible voice. I have been walking with God for 17 years and in that span I believe I heard an audible voice from God one time. Dr. Myles Munroe said, “99% of the time God will speak to your mind through your spirit. Many people are waiting for a burning bush or an angel. However, they don’t hear from God because they are waiting in the wrong way. God doesn’t generally speak verbally. For example, you may think: “I should call so-and-so today. I haven’t spoken to them in a while. And then you call them and before you know it, you are ministering to them for an hour. That’s God!” For the most part, at least for me, hearing from God comes in the form on an inner-witness. I get a thought, an idea, a burning desire that I know did not come from me. Of course, I have to pray to ensure it did not come from satan either. One simple way of knowing if a thought did not come from God is if it is contrary to the Word of God. The Spirit of God will never lead you contrary to the Word of God.

So what does this mean to you today? Two quick things;

1. The Father wants to speak to you.

2. If you take the time and make the effort to hear from the Father, your life will never be the same.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me how to pray. The more I learn about prayer, the more I realize how important it is in my development IN YOU. I declare, by faith, that I will start each day with prayer and that I will also pray whenever I feel led to. This way, You can order my day and lead me throughout the day, by Your Spirit. I refuse to make any more excuses for NOT taking the time to pray. I pray more regularly, more effectively, and with more power – starting NOW! I develop my intimacy with You through communing with You in prayer. I know You are always working, and therefore, I ask You to use me in Your daily work. The more sensitive I become to the leading of Your Spirit, the more You can use me for Your glory! Father, I want to be used. Lead me, guide me, direct me, speak to me, and manifest Yourself to me in prayer. I can do nothing by myself. I will learn to hear first, then act, and I know Your grace will be upon all that I put my hands to do in Your name. I am Your sheep, I hear Your voice, and the voice of a stranger I shall not follow. Thank You Father, for teaching me how to pray and for the excitement I now have about prayer. I develop my prayer life in 2012 and I shall never be the same! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Unity

(John 17:20-22 NIV) “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.”

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look to Jesus as our ultimate example where prayer is concerned. A good many believers consider the “Our Father” prayer “The Lord’s Prayer.” However, many of us, myself included, actually consider the prayer found in John chapter 17 to be “The Lord’s Prayer.” While the other provides a pattern for how to pray, this one is a documented actual prayer and as you read it, prayerfully and carefully, you get to see how powerful Jesus’ prayer life was. The intimacy found in this prayer, between Jesus and the Father, is remarkable. And guess what? While praying this prayer Jesus actually prayed for you. Yes, you!

What I have provided for you is just a snippet from the prayer. This snippet starts out with Jesus making mention of the fact that He was interceding for the apostles. But then Jesus makes it clear that He was also interceding for all of us who would come to believe in Him through the Gospel message the apostles would preach and then leave for us. So, in essence, we are included in this prayer. And while praying for us, Jesus said, “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” In one sense you can read this to mean that Jesus was praying for unity in the Body of Christ. Jesus wanted us to be one, with one another, just like He was one with the Father. But Jesus goes on to pray, “May they also be in us.” The “us” here is a reference to the triune God. Jesus prayed that we would be in-God. And once again, in context, He was actually praying that we would be ONE in-God. Just like Jesus was one, completely in sync with the Father, He was praying that we would be one with God, completely in sync with His kingdom plans and purposes. Why? Jesus goes on to pray, “So that the world may believe that you have sent me.” The Father is glorified when we are united with Him and with one another. Satan loves division, especially in the Body of Christ. This is why prayer is so important. When we commune with the Father in prayer we are able to be one with Him and our relationship with Him helps us to be one with one another.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Prayer helps us to be in unity and harmony with God. I am convinced that prayer was a key to Jesus’ unity and synergy with the Father. Prayer can do the same for us. We can’t know what the Father wants us to do in any given day if we don’t ask Him. Prayer gives us both the opportunity and the vehicle through which we can receive divine guidance and develop our oneness with God.

2. Prayer helps us to be in unity and harmony with one another. The more our ‘vertical’ (relationship with God) is in order, the more our ‘horizontal’ (relationship with others) will be as well. When you pray earnestly in the morning and throughout the day it is hard to hold grudges.

3. When we are one with God and man God gets the glory. Jesus taught that all the documented law in scripture and all the teachings of the prophets could be summed up in these two things: loving God and loving man (Mat 22:37-40). When we are united with one another and with God, the Father is glorified, the church is edified, and hell is terrified!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for helping me to mature and develop in You through prayer. The more I pray, the more my relationship with You is fostered and developed. My prayer life helps me be in sync with You and Your kingdom purposes for each day. And the more I am in sync with You, the more I will also be in sync and harmony with others. The closer I get to You, the harder it is for me to harbor bitterness, malice, hatred, and unforgiveness in my heart. My prayer life is helping me to love You and love others the way Jesus taught to. And when I do it – when I live in love with You and with man – You get the glory out of my life and living! Father, make us ONE, just as You and Jesus were ONE! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Hurdles to Answered Prayer – #1

(James 1:22 NLT) But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” We have looked at many different aspects of prayer thus far in this series. For the next few days we will look at “Hurdles to answered prayer.” Satan knows that a church (collectively) and a believer (individually) is only as powerful as their prayer life. No prayer, no power. Therefore, he will use misconceptions about prayer to thwart our prayer potential. These misconceptions are hurdles we can and should overcome as we seek to develop in prayer, so that we can experience the intimacy and power promised to us in scripture. These hurdles, if not overcome, can also lead perceived unanswered prayer.

The first hurdle we will discuss is: “Learning about prayer, but not practicing it.” This one is a big one for me. I write Today’s Word five times a week, share the “5 Minute Fix” once a week, and preach in churches regularly, so I am constantly studying the Word. However, studying and DOING are two different things. I have to consider my ways to ensure I am living what I am teaching and I pray we are all doing the same thing. Also, I am a note taker. These days I take notes during church services with my iPad. This way I am able to download and print the notes out later. As I sit in church I look around as most congregants are dutifully taking notes during the sermons/lessons. However, taking notes and living those notes are not the same.

We gain a false sense of satisfaction when we learn about something, but don’t actually do it. For example, let’s say you are truly enjoying this series and you can’t wait for the next day to read Today’s Word (by the way, I am sure you are all that way). But enjoying this series without actually putting it into practice is never going to bring about lasting change in your life. If the teaching has not made it from your head to your heart, from theory to practice, from information to application, then you frankly have not accomplished much. Satan loves it when we read about what we should be doing, but never do it; when we buy books about prayer and the Bible, but never follow what the books say; and when we purchase preaching/teaching CDs, but never practice what they teach. It’s like buying a cookbook, but never cooking anything out of it. Many believers feel inspired when they read about how Daniel, Joseph, Paul, Peter and the others prayed. They may get excited, but the excitement won’t mean much if it does not ignite their own personal prayer life.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Learning about prayer does you no good if you don’t force your learning to impact your living.

2. The point of studying Biblical information is for life application, and prayerfully for divine transformation. Don’t allow the false sense of satisfaction that comes from studying to actually keep you from applying what you have studied.

3. Being an expert in the knowledge of prayer does not make you a master of the practice of praying. So from this day forward determine to PRAY daily (early and often).

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for anointing people to teach me the Word and for birthing in me an earnest desire to want to learn. Your Word is my necessary food. I hunger and thirst for Your Word daily. I don’t live by human bread alone, but by every Word that has been written and that continues to proceed from out of Your Mouth. I learn about prayer, because I want to develop my prayer life. My learning shall turn into my living. My head knowledge becomes my heart knowledge. I declare, by faith, that I shall pray more, and more effectively, in 2012 than I ever have in the past. I am not just a reader and learner of the Word, I am a DOER and I am blessed in my doing! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Hurdles to Answered Prayer – #2

(Mat 21:28-32 NLT) “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. “Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with hurdles to answered prayer. Yesterday we looked at the first hurdle, “Learning about prayer, but not practicing it.” Today we will look at hurdle #2, which is actually very close to the first, “Mental assent, with no action.” When you simply assent mentally you intellectually accepting the Word as true – admiring it and agreeing with it in your mind – but you don’t allow it to impact your life. This doesn’t do you any good. In essence, mental assent agrees with God in principle, but not the point where the agreement effectuates change in behavior and activity.

The mental assenter affirms that the Bible came from God, that it is God’s revelation, and that every word of it is true. However, when crisis comes, this person does not rely on God to actually DO what the Bible says. For example, this person may say, “God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory” (Phil 4:19). But when there is a need, this person looks to everyone but God to fulfill it. A person who lives this way says, “Lord, Your Word is powerful and mighty! Thank you for Your Word.” But I can imagine God saying, “Okay, now when are you going to actually perform what you say you believe?” I think this is a significant hurdle to overcome for many. Mentally assenting to the fact that God answers prayer is one thing, but then actually praying, in faith, from a believing heart, is quite something else.

Look at our focus text this morning and read it carefully. In this passage Jesus taught a parable which is commonly referred to as the parable of the two sons. In the parable the first son was initially rebellious. His first reaction to his father’s request was to say, “No, I won’t go.” Mentally, he did not react properly to his father. But the text says that later he “changed his mind.” And he did not just change it to the point where he gave mental assent, no, he actually got up and did what his father asked him to do. On the other hand, his brother’s initial reaction was positive. When asked to go work he quickly responded, “Yes, sir, I will.” His mind agreed with his father, but not to the point where it led to action. This son gave his father lip service and never performed the father’s will. What’s the point of the parable? Jesus actually explained it in the end of the passage. Many of those listening to Jesus were part of the religious ‘in-crowd.’ But Jesus explained how the overlooked and dejected would make it into the Kingdom of God before his them, because those present had the tendency to listen and mentally assent, without ever allow His words to change their lives. The tax collectors (known for being corrupt) and prostitutes, however, were willing to hear and DO what Jesus was teaching and the result was changed lives!

So what does this mean to you today? It simply means that your life will never truly change until you resolve to DO what the Father has instructed in His Word. Mentally agreeing that you need to pray and actually praying are two different things.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I am thankful that I have gotten to the point where my first reaction to Your Word is positive. I quickly agree with Your Word. However, unlike the son in the parable who just agreed with his lips, I declare by faith, that I will also agree with my legs. I am committed to doing all You instruct me to do. I agree with my mind, I receive with my heart, and I perform with my legs; dutifully committed to doing all that You instruct me to do this year! 2012 will be the best year of my life because my learning will influence my living like never before! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Hurdles to Answered Prayer – #3

(Mat 13:19 NIV) When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with hurdles to answered prayer. Yesterday we looked at the second hurdle, “Mental assent, with no action.” Today we will look at hurdle #3, “Hearing the Word, but not absorbing it.” We must internalize the Word if it is going to make an impact. Said another way, we must get the Word down inside the soil of our heart if it is going to germinate and produce a harvest. When we don’t absorb the Word it often goes in one ear and out the other. Our text tells us that satan can actually steal it away. How does He steal it? When we don’t understand it. If we are confused about the Word we just heard, we cannot apply it – we cannot maximize what we do not understand – therefore that Word cannot take root in our heart and it is easy for the enemy to come in and take it from us. And believe me, that is the enemy’s #1 concern. Satan does not mind if we have money, or influence, just as long as we don’t get the Word down inside of us and start walking in it. Our money and influence pose no threat to his satan’s kingdom unless we are committed to living in accordance with the Word of God! Well, you may be thinking, “But Rick, what does this have to do with prayer?” Actually, a great deal. It is difficult to have an effective prayer life when you don’t have the Word down inside of you.

David asked the question, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” He then turned around and answered it, saying, “By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps 119:9-11). Living in accordance with the Word is what keeps us pure before God. When we know that we are pure before God we are able to pray with confidence and boldness. Hiding God’s Word in our heart – internalizing, processing, and applying it – will keep us from sin; and therefore greatly assist our prayers.

John the revelator said, “Let this message sink into the ears of anyone who listens to what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Rev 2:7). Just like there are levels of understanding, I believe there are levels of hearing and receiving. 10 people can hear the same message and get 10 different things from it. John wanted his message to literally “sink” into the ears (and hearts) of those who were receiving what the Spirit was saying to the churches. As we receive the Word of God – through reading, teaching, or preaching – our goal should be to allow it to sink into our hearts and to apply the message we glean from it. The more we do this, the more effective our prayer life will be.

So what does this mean to you today? It means the Father wants you to absorb His Word so it can get down in your heart. Paul said, “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all” (1 Tim 4:15). When we absorb the Word and we truly get it down in our heart, it will take root, produce a harvest, and the results will be evident to all. However, if you fail to get the Word down in your heart it will be difficult for you to pray when you are facing a challenge all alone. When you are sitting in the midst of a challenge, with no one around, and without a Bible in your hand, your ability to pray and to fight the fight of faith will be directly related to the amount of Word you have absorbed in your heart. No Word, no power.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I am committed to getting the Word down in my heart. When I receive the Word through preaching, teaching, or my own personal study, I will receive it with a readiness of mind. My mind will be alert and active, my heart will be open to receive, and I will do all that I can to understand and absorb the Word I am receiving. The enemy cannot steal a Word I have understanding of, but I know that when I don’t have understanding and I am confused about something, then that Word has yet to take root in the soil of my heart and it is susceptible to the enemy’s attacks. But that won’t happen to me. I receive the Word with gladness, I internalize it to get it down in my heart, and it produces a harvest in my life. The more Word I have in my heart, the better equipped I am to pray and to fight the fight of faith. I live by faith, because I live by every Word that proceeds from out of Your mouth Father! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Hurdles to Answered Prayer – #4

(1 Cor 13:13 NIV) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with hurdles to answered prayer. Yesterday we looked at the third hurdle, “Hearing the Word, but not absorbing it.” This morning we will look at #4, “Operating in hope instead of faith.” Let me tell you up front that hope in and of itself is not a bad thing, but you must understand the difference between hope and faith and operate in the right one at the right time.

Believers confuse hope for faith all the time, but they are not the same. Actually, in our text we see that they are clearly listed as separate and distinct things. The Greek word for faith is pistis, meaning belief, confidence, conviction, or assurance. The Greek word for hope is elpis, meaning expectation or confidence. Biblical hope is the precursor to Biblical faith. Hope is the confident expectation that God’s goodness will be manifested in our lives. But this expectation is open-ended, meaning that you can wake up in the morning with Godly hope and expect things to go well for you in the day, without having any specific promise to base that expectation on. The expectation and anticipation of good is the hope. However, faith is not open-ended. Faith is connected to specific promises. This makes the expectation and anticipation stronger because it is based upon something. Therefore, faith adds substance to the hope, because faith makes a connection between the anticipation and the Word (or promise) of God. The writer of Hebrews said, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (11:1).

Hope makes us expectant, but faith makes us sure and certain and we need faith when we pray! Hope is beautiful and necessary when thinking about going to heaven or the eventual return of Christ the King, but those are things in the future. When we pray, the Father wants us to have faith that we receive what we pray for NOW! There are things the Father wants us to have NOW, and if we operate in HOPE for those things, even Biblical hope, we won’t receive them by faith; they will always be out there somewhere in our future. If you have a need that you require to be fulfilled right now, then you need to pray in faith, not hope.

Remember, faith adds the substance of God’s Word to our hope. When we pray for something that clearly lines up with God’s Word, the Father wants us to be sure and certain that it is His will and that it will happen in our lives. Having faith will mean that we speak and affirm God’s promise until it manifests in our lives. We enter every day with Godly expectation for the manifestation of it. This is NOT open-ended wishful thinking. This is strong and definite faith!

Here’s an example that I see all the time. Let’s say you pray for something saying, “Father, I believe You and Your Word. I see in Your Word that You promised this to me and Your Spirit has led me to ask for it. I thank You for doing this in my life.” But then you end your prayer with, “Well, I hope it happens.” What you said at the end of your prayer exposes the fact that you are praying in hope and not faith and you basically just expressed doubt (and possibly even fear).

So what does this mean to you today? It simply means that the Father wants you to pray in-faith. Don’t come to God in prayer with wishful thinking. Come to the Father after you have already researched His Word concerning your situation. This way His Word will add substance to your hope and you will be able to pray in-faith, not doubting, nothing wavering, and your prayers will be effective!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for helping me to see the difference between hope and faith. I repent for having prayed hope-based prayers in the past. While hope is not bad, it is not Your best. You want me to walk, live, and pray by faith. I declare that I will. I will search Your Word concerning whatever situation I face, Your Word will add substance to my hope, and I will be able to pray in-faith, not doubting and not wavering. You hear the prayers of faith and You shall always hear my prayers. This is the confidence that I have in You, that if I pray anything in accordance with Your will, You hear me. To ensure I am praying in accordance with Your will, I will always pray in accordance with Your Word, because Your Word is Your will documented. Praying this way will produce results in my life! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Hurdles to Answered Prayer – #5

(Mark 4:19 KJV) The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by closing out the hurdles to answered prayer. Last Friday we looked at the fourth third hurdle, “Operating in hope instead of faith.” This morning we look at look at #5, which is also the last hurdle we will study; it is “Neglecting prayer altogether, either through sheer laziness, busyness, or distractions.” In this lesson I will address two major points:

1. You can’t get an answer to a prayer you never prayed.

2. You will not get an answer to a prayer you give up on.

First of all, you must understand the fact that you have to pray. You can print out and study this entire series, along with purchasing a library of books and CDs on prayer that you can read and listen to, but at the end of the day, the only way to truly develop in prayer is by actually praying. Just like you can’t get better at running without running, you can’t get better at praying without praying. Neglecting payer is neglecting the intimacy and power made available to you as a Born-Again believer, through the shed Blood of Jesus the Christ. Simply put, far too many believers allow laziness to keep them from praying. Those who refuse to maximize the opportunities given to them by the Father are called “wicked and lazy” servants (Mat 25:26). Don’t let this be said of you. Pray in the morning and then all day long. Pray every time you are led to and you will experience the intimacy you have often longed for, but never had.

Secondly, I have taught you in this series to pray in accordance with the Word. When you stand on the Word of God, through prayer, you are praying in faith and not just in hope. However, praying the prayer in-faith, and then waiting for the manifestation of it in-faith, are two different things. There is a space between, “Amen” and “There it is,” and in that space the enemy will attempt to get you to give up on your prayer. Don’t allow thorns – like the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, or the lusts for other things – to choke out the Word you are standing on. If you do, you will (without question) give up on your prayer and you will not see the manifestation of it.

It is far too easy, especially in today’s society, to be consumed with the cares of the world, with money matters, and with other desires. As believers we must keep first things first, keeping the main thing the main thing. Being too busy is the main reason believers give today for NOT PRAYING. But if you are too busy to pray, then you are simply too busy! Do all you can to keep your priorities in order.

So what does this mean to you today? Here are a few closing thoughts about the hindrances:

1. Choose the hurdle(s) that is keeping you from prayer and take actions to get over it (or them).

2. Set apart time daily to get into God’s Word and welcome the Father to speak to you.

3. After church (and Bible study), take a few minutes to mediate on what God wanted to say to you through the message (or lesson).

4. Determine to overcome busyness, laziness, and excuses! Decide to pray daily!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for blessing me to overcome every hindrance to prayer. I declare, right now, by faith, that I not only learn about prayer, I PRAY. I develop my prayer life daily and I put what I learn into practice. I put action behind what I receive and believe. I turn the corner from information to application. I fill my heart with Your Word and Your Word becomes the foundation for my life and living. I live each day in accordance with Your Word. I hide Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You! I have an eternal hope and I also operate in faith. Your Word gives substance to my hope and it enables me to Live By Faith daily. I overcome laziness and I refuse to allow the cares of this world to keep me from praying. I pray daily and the more I pray, the more I develop my prayer life, and the more I become like Jesus! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

What to Pray For? The Word!

(John 15:7 NASB) “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Last wee we looked at “Hurdles to Answered Prayer.” For the next couple of weeks we will look at “What to Pray For.” But before we get to deep into it, I need to establish the foundation by reminding us that we must pray in accordance with God’s will, and to make sure we do, we should pray in accordance with God’s Word. Why? Because God’s Word is His will documented. We are supposed to be led of the Spirit in all things, especially in prayer. When people say, “I feel led to pray for this,” but the thing they are praying for is not in line with God’s Word, then it is clear that they might be led, but they are not being led of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God will never lead you contrary to the Word of God.

As a note, to this point in the series I have used Dr. Myles Munroe’s “Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer” as a reference. For the next couple of weeks I may reference Dr. Frederick K.C. Price’s “Answered Prayer Guaranteed” and Dr. Veronica Winston’s “Prayer Confessions to Dominate the New Millennium.”

In our text Jesus explained that when we get to the point where God’s Word literally abides (takes residence) in our heart, then we can basically ask for whatever we want, because at that point what we want will be what God wants. The God’s Word translation of this verse reads, “If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.” So yes, the Father wants us to ask and He wants us to ask for whatever we want, but He expects our wants to line up with His wants. This happens when we align our wants with His Word! The onus is therefore upon us to find out what God’s Word says concerning our situation and then pray that! John said it this way, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have (right now, present tense) what we asked of him” (1 John 4:14,15; italics added).

Jesus prayed this way every time, and because of it He was confident that He would get results every time He prayed. Dr. Price said the following about this: “Do you see how this takes all the guesswork out of prayer? Can you see why people who don’t understand this accuse me of being “arrogant”? They say, “Well, who does he think he is that God always hears his prayers?” That’s easy: I am a child of God in the way I hope that you are a child of God, and I ask according to His Word. I don’t ask anything that is not according to His Word, so I am 100% assured that He hears me every time I pray… By listening to the prayers that people pray in many churches, you can hear that they have failed to focus their prayers on the Word of God. Instead, many prayer are focusing on ‘sounding spiritual’ and those prayers don’t get many results.”

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Ask in accordance with God’s Word.

2. Ask in the present tense (in faith).

3. Ask with complete confidence (in faith).

4. Believe you HAVE received AS you ask.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me to pray. You promised to hear me every time I pray in accordance with Your Word. Therefore, I am committed to doing just that. I search the scriptures concerning whatever I am facing, and I make prayers that line up with Your Word. By praying in accordance with Your Word I know I am not asking for anything that is not in line with Your will. And my knowledge of my prayers being in line with Your Word helps build my confidence while and after I pray. Your Word also tells me that when I pray this way – in accordance with Your Word and with confidence (or faith) – I literally have whatever I am praying for. I have it NOW, even though I may not see it for some time. I receive it in my heart well before I ever see it in my hands, but that’s okay, because I pray and live by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Who to Pray For? Those in Authority

(1 Tim 2:1-4 NIV) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” For the next few days we will actually be looking at who to pray for, as we focus on praying for others. Let’s start off with addressing the fact that we should pray for those in authority. Paul taught his spiritual son Timothy (and us) to make prayers, requests and intercession, with thanksgiving, for everyone. As a Born-Again believer our prayer time should not be consumed by “Me, my four, and no more.” Just like we are taught to be unselfish in all things, we should be unselfish with our prayer time. Paul then goes on to highlight kings and all those in authority. We ought to pray for our national leadership so that we can live “peaceful and quiet lives.” Here are a few suggestions of whom and what to pray for:

The President: That he would be led of the Spirit in making decisions. For a sound mind, a healthy body, and peace in his family. Also, that the Father would raise up the people He has strategically placed on the President’s staff, to provide him Godly counsel and anointed insight.

Congress: That the Father would move through the House and the Senate. That righteous laws would be passed and the unrighteous ones be stopped or changed. That elected officials would be men/women of integrity! That they would represent both God and their constituents in a way that is consistent with the Word and the law. That the Father would have an open door to influence our legislative process.

Supreme Court: That the justices operate in Divine Justice. That the Father would minister to them so that they could be used for His glory. That they would make rulings that are in line with the Word. That they would have the courage to overrule unrighteous rulings and to uphold the righteous ones. That the Holy Spirit and His influence would be welcome on the Supreme Court.

Judges: That all judges, at every level, be either directly influenced by the Holy Spirit or by believers who have influence with them. That rulings, all over the nation, be pleasing to the Father. That our citizens receive justice in our judicial systems. That the Father would expose corruption and that the judges would have the courage to do what is right before God, so that justice would prevail throughout our land.

Local, City, and State Officials: That every elected official, at every level, righteously fulfill the duties of their offices.

So what does this mean to you today? It means you have a responsibility before God to pray for those in authority and to vote as you are led of God, so that the Father is welcome to influence the election, selections, and decisions of key people in key positions. The Bible says, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan” (Prov 29:2)

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for leading me in prayer while I pray for all men, especially for those who are in authority! I pray that You would manifest Yourself to all Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Heads-of-State, and heads of militaries; so we could live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. That the unrighteous ones grow weary under the weight of sin; so that they could openly welcome believers to preach the Gospel in their nations/organizations. That You Father would continue to raise up righteous leaders, because when the righteous rule, the people prosper. That every nation be saved and blessed! That every leader rule under the power and grace of God! That every assistant, that has an audience with the leader, would speak Your will with confidence and grace, and that the leaders would both receive the Godly counsel and apply it! You want to be involved here in the earth and I welcome You to get involved, by beseeching You in prayer. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven! I pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

What to Pray For? Safety and Unity

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” Here are a few more suggestions about whom and what to pray for:

For First Responders: That the Father would bless and protect Police Officers, Firefighters and Medical Professionals who respond to emergencies on a daily basis. That they would have the grace to perform their duties in excellence. That they would experience supernatural/angelic protection from all harm. That they would be equipped to face any and all challenges, with the courage and peace to operate under tremendous stress.

For Our Military: (Ps 91:3) That the Father would keep our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Civilians deployed safe from secret traps (indirect fire, snipers, improvised-explosive-devices, etc.). (Ps 91:4) That He would spread His wings them to keep them secure. That His faithfulness would be like a shield or a city wall, protecting them from all harm. (Ps 91:9) That the Father would be a fortress in whom they could run to for safety. (Ps 91:10,11) And that angels would protect wherever they go (flights, convoys, foot patrols, base camps, etc.).

Against terrorism: (2 Cor 2:11) That we would not be ignorant of the devil’s plans. That the Father would expose the evil plans made in the dark and bring them to the light, so that intelligence agencies all over the world could learn of, track down, and then capture every terrorist before their evil plans are carried out. That every agent of the enemy be brought to justice and that peace would prevail throughout the globe.

For the Body of Christ:

For Unity: (Gal 3:27,28) Those of us who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ and in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, Black nor White, Hispanic nor Asian, Baptist nor Presbyterian, Holiness nor Pentecostal, male nor female, we are ALL ONE IN CHRIST! That we would live as one and shine as divine light in the midst of a dark, dying, and decaying world.

That we ALL WALK IN LOVE: (1 Jn 4:8, 19; Jn 13:35, Gal 5:6) We know that whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love and we declare that since He is in us and we are in Him, that we walk in Love in every area of our lives. Jesus taught that love would be our identifying characteristic as believers and we pray that we all be united in love as we prepare for the Supernatural in 2012. Paul taught us that we must WALK BY FAITH, but FAITH WORKS BY LOVE. Nothing we do in or for God matters if we do not do it IN LOVE. Praying that Love Himself would breakout IN US, ON US, THROUGH US, and FOR US!

So what does this mean to you today? With these suggestions, the only thing left to do is to actually pray. So let’s do just that.

Closing Prayer: Father, I thank You for giving me access to You in prayer, through Your Son and my Savior Jesus the Christ. I come confidently to Your throne in order to obtain mercy and the grace to help in the time of need. I ask You Father to honor my faith and to bless every first responder today and this week. Give them the internal peace to operate under the stress of emergency situations. Shield and protect them from all harm and bless them to get home safely to their family members every day. I lift up every Solder, Sailor, Airmen, Marine, and civilian who is deployed today in service to our great nation. I ask You to manifest Your grace and peace unto them. That You would protect every Air Force sortie, every helicopter flight, vehicle convoy, foot patrol, base camp, out post, and wherever their feet find to go. Teach their fingers to fight and their hands to war as they carry out the orders given to them, to expose the enemy and to bring them to justice. And lastly Father, I ask You for bless us, the Body of Christ. That we would all be ONE, as You and Jesus are ONE. Help us Father to look past our differences, so that we can walk in unity, love, and peace with one another. I ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

What to Pray For? Evangelism

(1 Tim 2:1 NIV) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.

For the Salvation of the Lost:

For wisdom in soul-winning: (from Prov 11:30) The Word says that we must be wise in winning souls. Pray that the Father would birth a desire believers for soul-winning and that He would give us the wisdom concerning what to do and how to do it.
That we would draw the lost with God’s Love: (from Rom 5:5) Since God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we operate in that Love. That we love the HELL right out of the lost. That God’s love would permeate through us – to them – causing repentance! That they would be convinced, convicted, and converted!
For deliverance from the deception of the enemy: (from John 12:37-40) The Word says that even after Jesus had performed many miracles and signs, many would STILL NOT believe in God, because satan had BLINDED their eyes and DEADENED their hearts. Pray that power of satan be BROKEN off of the lost. That they may clearly see that they are lost; that they are sinners in need of a Savior. That they may call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved.
That the Holy Spirit Himself would be poured out among the lost, that the light of the glorious gospel would shine to those in darkness and that they would respond with a heart yearning for God’s salvation/Glory!

For Pastors/Preachers/Teachers/Laborers:

(from Luke 10:2) Since the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest so send out workers into His harvest field. That the Father would fill every city, suburb, and county in the United States with His presence, power, anointing, mercy, and grace.
(from Mat 28:18-20) That we would go… preaching, teaching and baptizing the lost into a saving relationship with Jesus the Christ. And that we would then disciple them into fully equipped citizens of the Kingdom of God.
(from Luke 14:23) That we would go highways and hedges, and compel the lost to come to Jesus, that the Father’s house may be filled.
(from Luke 4:18) That the Father would assign people to preach the Gospel to the poor, healing to the broken hearted, deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight the blind, liberty to them that are bruised, and restoration and salvation to all men.
For an Open Door of Utterance: That the Father would give men and women all over the world favor in the sight of national leaders. That they would be given the forum from which to Preach the Gospel would boldness and clarity. That the Gospel would be preached to every nation on the planet, so that souls would be saved and so that the Father would be glorified!

So what does this mean to you today? With these suggestions, the only thing left to do is to actually pray. So let’s do just that.

Closing Prayer: Father, I come to You in the name of Your Son and my Savior, Jesus the Christ. I have direct access to You through Jesus and this morning I come asking You, the Lord of the Harvest, to send laborers into the world. The harvest is plentiful. There are many unsaved and unrepentant. It is not Your desire that any would perish, but that all would come to know Your Son Jesus as Lord. Your desire is also my desire. I take authority over the blindness of eyes and hardness of hearts that satan has caused many to walk in. Open their eyes Father that they may see and know the truth. Soften their hearts that they may be open and welcoming to the Gospel. Manifest Your glory and grace to believers all over the world, so that we would share a kind word, helping hand, the Gospel, or anything we need to share with the lost to bring them into the knowledge of the truth. I have a true desire to see the lost saved. I was once lost, but someone cared enough about me to share the Gospel with me. As I and other believers all over the world share the Gospel message this week, give us the wisdom to do so effectively so the lost will be convinced, convicted, and converted. I ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Who to Pray For? Believers

(1 Tim 2:1 NIV) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.

For Believers:

For Freedom from Worry: (from Phil 4:6,7 NLT) That we would not worry about anything, but instead pray about everything and then experiencing God’s supernatural peace that exceeds anything we can understand; and that this peace would pull guard-duty around our hearts and minds. (from 1 Peter 5:7) That we would carry care, but rather CAST IT over to the Lord, who cares for us.

For Rest for the Weary: (from Mat 11:28-30) That every believer who is weary and burdened would come to the Father and find rest for their weary souls. (from Isaiah 61:3) That we would experience beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and clothe ourselves in the garment of praise whenever we feel a spirit of heaviness.

That we would enter into God’s rest: (from Heb 4:3-11) That we, who have believed, would enter into supernatural rest. That we would not harden our hearts, but rather experience a Sabbath-rest from our own works.

For Multi-Racial Ministry: (from Gal 3:27,28) Since those of us who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ – and in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, Black nor White, Hispanic nor Asian, Baptist nor Presbyterian, Holiness nor Pentecostal, male nor female – that we would all be ONE IN CHRIST! That we would come together and bind racism in the Church. That we would not hide behind insignificant differences – knowing that we have too much IN COMMON to be UNCOMMON!

For our Marriages: Praying that every married believer would develop their marriage. That there would be open, honest, and consistent communication between spouses! That the love that they have for one another grow stronger and deeper. That they draw closer each day. That husbands would become the men their families need them to be – visionaries, Pastors of their own homes, speaking life into their own marriages. That wives would develop into the Virtuous Women the Father desires for them to be – covering their husbands and children in prayer, supporting the vision, and speaking life into their families. That together, husbands and wives would set a Godly example for their children.

For our Children: Praying that every believer would maintain open communication with their children; expressing their love, care, concern and compassion; and that they intercede for their children with the authority we have been given as believers in God’s Kingdom. Praying also that the children would receive the correction and instruction of their parents, and that they grow in grace and knowledge day-by-day.

For Singles: That every single believer would walk in purity, holiness, righteousness and virtue. That they abstain from even the appearance of evil (1 Thes 5:22). That they develop into the men and women the Father needs them to be – Single, Saved, Complete, Whole, Entire, and at Rest IN HIM! So that if they desire to Marry, that they would do so only after maximizing their season on singleness and becoming The Blessing the Father desires for them to be, for their future spouse.

So what does this mean to you today? With these suggestions, the only thing left to do is to actually pray. So let’s do just that.

Closing Prayer: Father, I thank You for blessing me to be able to ask, seek, and knock. I come to You with the confidence of knowing that everything I am asking for is in live with Your Word. I pray for believers all over the world. I pray that we would not be care-carriers, but rather care-casters; casting our cares upon You. Thank You for taking our cares and giving us Your rest. We labor to enter into Your rest and we do just that, as we rest from our own works. We are able to do all things through Christ and we seek to do all that You bless us to do, with Your grace and peace. We ask You to tear down the racial walls that divide us, so that we would all be ONE in You. We ask You to be involved in our marriages so that we would submit to one another and walk in love with one another daily. We ask You to watch and protect our children; blessing them to maximize their purpose and potential in life. And we ask you to bless our singles, so that they would maximize their season of singleness. Father, we believe 2012 is going to be a great year for the Body of Christ. We believe You will Fulfill Your Promises in our lives this year and we believe all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying For Yourself – A Healthy Body

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” Since last week I have been giving you suggestions about what and who to pray for. I am doing this because many believers tell me that they simply don’t know what to pray for and that they run out of things to pray for within just a few minutes of starting their prayers. I wanted to give offer a variety of suggestions about other people before I started suggesting what you should pray for when praying for yourself. I will address that area for the next few days, but before I do, let me you give a suggested ‘general outline’ that might help you think of things to pray for on different days. Remember, these are just suggestions:

Sample Weekly Prayer Plan:

Mondays: Your local church (leadership, vision, ministries, etc.)

Tuesdays: Your government (national, state, city, local, the economy, healthcare, etc.)

Wednesdays: The Body of Christ (the Gospel, unity, those being persecuted, etc.)

Thursdays: World events (disasters, wars, terrorism, upcoming elections, etc.)

Fridays: Your family (salvation, health, education, unity, love, peace, etc.)

Saturdays: Your concerns (whatever is heavy on your heart)

Sundays: For God to be glorified, for ministry take place, and for lives to be changed all over the world through corporate worship and the preached Word.

When praying for yourself, like any other prayer, it must be in line with God’s Word. So here are a few scriptures to meditate before praying for a healthy body:

(Mat 12:14, 15 NIV) But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick

(Acts 10:38 NASB) You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

(Mat 8:14-17 NIV) When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

(1st John 3:8 NASB) “…The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

(Deut 28:61 BBE) And all the diseases and the pains not recorded in the book of this law will the Lord send on you till your destruction is complete.

Closing Prayer: Father, I have Biblical evidence that shows how Jesus healed the sick everywhere He went. There was not one sickness, infirmity, or disease that was able to resist or withstand Jesus’ power. Jesus clearly had authority over sickness and He exercised that authority in the earth. I also see in scripture that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Since Jesus destroyed sickness, then sickness must be from satan. Jesus would not destroy what You established. Further, Jesus taught that we should pray “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, ON EARTH AS IT IS in heaven.” So I should pray for (in the earth) what I see in heaven. When I study about heaven I don’t see sickness, therefore I pray for what I see in heaven to come to the earth and I pray for a healthy body. And lastly, Your Word teaches me that sickness is part of the curse and Christ died to redeem me from the curse of the law; therefore I forbid any sickness or disease to come upon this body. Every diseased germ and every virus that touches this body dies instantly in the Name of Jesus. By faith I declare that every cell and system in my body functions to the perfection to which You created it to function. I forbid any malfunction in this body. You, Father desire for me to live long and strong. I submit to You, I resist the devil, and He MUST flee from me! I pray this prayer by faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying For Yourself – A Healthy Mind and Self-Image

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” Once again, for our prayers to get results they must line up with the Word of God. If we know we are praying in line with God’s Word, then we will be confident that we are asking for something that is in line with God’s will, because His Word is His will documented. With that in mind, here are a few scriptures to meditate before praying for a healthy mind and self-image:

(1 Cor 10:12 ESV) Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

(Col 2:8 NLT) Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

(Luke 8:18 NLT) “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” (Jesus was speaking)

(2 Tim 1:17 NIV) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

(2 Cor 10:3-5 NLT) We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

(Phil 2:5 NLT) You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

(Phil 4:8 NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

(Prov 23:7 NASB) For as he thinks within himself, so he is…

Closing Prayer: Father, I shall not be wise in my own eyes and I refuse to base my wisdom on the wisdom of this world alone. Many have fallen who had convinced themselves that they were right, only to find out that they were not right in your sight. I exalt Your Word and Your wisdom above anything I could ever receive from this world. I align my thoughts and self-image with Your thoughts toward me and Your opinion of me. I pay close attention to what I hear, because I know that what I allow to go through my ear gates will eventually get down in my heart and it will affect the way I think. By shielding my ears I protect myself.

Father, I also know that You have not give me the spirit of fear or timidity, therefore I don’t have to receive it. I refuse to allow fear, fret, worry, doubt or unbelief to keep me from Your best or to cause me to slip into depression. You have given me the ability to take control of my thoughts; therefore I declare that I do. I bring every illicit thought under subjection. I take control of my thought life and I force myself to think on the things You desire for me to think on. I only think good thoughts and I see myself the way that I am IN YOU. This way I can enter every day with a solid, sharp, and stable mind. I AM the way that I THINK I AM! As I enter today I declare that my mind is alert, my body is awake, and I am ready for all You desire to do in, with, and through me. I can do all things through Christ! I pray this prayer by faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying For Yourself – For Clarity of Purpose

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” We spent the entire month of January studying purpose and vision. Now let’s look at some scriptures that we can meditate on as we prepare to pray for clarity of purpose. As a reminder, remember that:

Purpose gives birth to vision.
Vision informs your plans.
Plans help you to develop measureable goals.
Goals are incremental steps that take you towards an expected end.
Discipline is required to complete your goals. Discipline is a self-imposed standard or restriction motivated by a desire greater than the alternatives. Discipline is about making decisions that are dictated by a determined destiny.

Clarity of Purpose:

(Jer 29:11 GW) I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.

(Jer 1:5 GW) “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”

(Rom 8:28 NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

(2 Tim 4:7 KJV) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

(1st Cor 6:12 NIV) “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

(Proverbs 19:21 NIV) Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Closing Prayer: Father, I believe Your Word teaches me that I have a predetermined and pre-established purpose. You have planned out my future and it is a future filled with hope. You have an expected end for my life and I want to arrive there before I die. But I will never arrive there if I don’t find, follow, and finish my purpose. Therefore, I ask that You reveal Your plan and purpose for my life TO ME. You told Jeremiah what Your plans were for his life. You revealed to Him what You purposed before He was ever formed in his mother’s belly. Your revelation enabled him to make an alignment with his assignment. I ask You to do the same for me.

When I look at the life of Paul I see a person that was led by Your Spirit mightily. He accomplished many things, because he was a man on a mission. Paul was able to say, “I have finished my course,” because he knew what it was. Father, You are no respecter of persons. You don’t play favorites. I ask You to do the same for me and once You do, I declare that I will follow and finish my purpose with a bulldog tenacity! Your purpose will give birth to divine vision. That vision will inform my plans. My plans will help me develop measurable goals. And through discipline, I will be able to complete those goals year by year, so that annually I can get incrementally closer to Your overall expected end for my life. I thank You in advance for giving me clarity of purpose and I declare by faith that I will maximize my purpose and potential before I die. I pray this prayer by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying For Yourself – A Healthy Lifestyle and Long Life

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” I attempt to be very practical in my teaching. For the past week or so I have been giving you scriptures that you can stand in, in different areas of your life, followed by an actually prayer to pray that is based upon those scriptures. The response so far has been very positive. I will cover a few more areas this week and then get back to actual teaching on prayer. To get this week started right, let’s pray two prayers that deal with our health:

For Healthy Lifestyle:

(1 Cor 3:16 NIV) Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

(1 Cor 6:19,20 NASB) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Prayer: Father, I acknowledge that I have been bought with a price and my life and my body are no longer my own. I know that my body is your temple and I will do all that I can to maintain it. I want to live long and strong in the earth, in order to maximize my purpose and potential before I die. Help me to prepare and eat healthy foods, to learn about and to teach nutrition to my family, to exercise so I can maintain my body strong and limber, and to get sufficient rest, sleep and recreation. I rejuvenate myself regularly and I enter every day ready to fulfill Your Kingdom purposes for my life. Also Father, I thank You for the grace to keep my body under subjection. I don’t allow my flesh to control me. I am free from the bondage of unhealthy foods and products. I manage my time wisely, so that I am not forced into bad eating habits. I command my body and my mind to focus on the image of health that you give me and I thank You for the energy and excitement to be active and productive daily! I enter this day with a smile on my face, a song in my heart, a spring in my step, and a healthy body! I can do all things with and through You. Let’s go make a difference. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Long Life:

(Psalm 91:14-16 NLT) The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

(Psalm 103:2-5 KJV) Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Prayer: Father, Your Word promises me protection. I receive Your protection today and every day. I am not afraid of the enemy or of his attacks. No evil will come upon me. I walk in divine and angelic protection daily, so that I am able to live the life You desire for me to live. I call upon You, You hear me, You walk with me, You remain with me in trouble, You deliver me, You honor me, and You show me Your salvation. You satisfy me with a long and strong life and I thank You for long life advance. Father, I will not forget all the benefits You promised me in Your Word. You promised to forgive me of all my iniquities, to heal me of every disease, to redeem my life from destruction, to crown me with Your loving-kindness and tender mercies, to satisfy my mouth with good things, and to renew my youth like the eagle. I thank You for renewed youth and strength today. I don’t have to feel my age. Caleb was as strong at 85 as he was at 40 and he was ready to fight for the things You promised Him. Like Caleb, my youth is supernaturally restored and I am ready for this day! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Praying For Yourself – Favor with God and Man

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” What I have been teaching you to do is to pray Word-based prayers. This is very important because we have learned that we must ask in faith, and faith is all about confidence. If we doubt while we are praying, then the chances of that prayer coming to pass are slim. John said, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 Jn 5:14). We want to have the confidence that we are asking for something that aligns with God’s will. Well, when you pray in accordance with God’s Word, then you know you are praying in accordance with His will. I thank God for His divine favor on my life. The Favor of God can do more in a minute than labor can do in a lifetime. One moment Joseph was a prisoner, the next he was the Prime Minister. That’s the type of thing that can happen when the favor of God is flowing in your life. With that in mind, I have laid out for you a prayer for “Favor with God and Man.” The scripture references are at the end of each portion of the prayer. Pray it in faith and expect the Favor of God.

Prayer for Favor with God and Man:

Father, I come to you in the name of Your dear Son Jesus, my Savior, and the Apostle and High Priest over my profession. What I profess today is Your Word concerning favor in and for my life (Heb 3:1).

Like Joseph, I prosper in every place and in every situation, because You Lord, are always with me. Your presence brings with it Your power, protection, and peace. I thank You for blessing me to experience preferential treatment everywhere I go. You raise up people who use their power, their ability, and their influence to help me in ways I cannot help myself (Gen 39:1-6, 21).

I choose to associate with those who are wise, blessed, and highly favored. Wisdom is transferred by association and my association with these people promotes increase in every area of my life (Prov 13:20, Gen 30:27).

You Father, made Jesus to be sin for me, that I might be made the righteousness of God in Him. As the righteousness of God, I declare that I am highly favored in Your sight (2 Cor 5:21, Psalm 5:12; Prov 14:9).

I operate in integrity and I seek to do good in Your sight daily. As a result, I obtain Your favor and I experience Your best! (Prov 11:27; 12:2).

I walk in Your Word daily. Your Word is the ruler by which I judge every decision. Your wisdom is the guide for my life. By seeking Your wisdom and not my own, I receive Your favor in every area of my life (Prov 3:1-4; 8:33-35).

You favor is life and it endures for a lifetime (Psalm 30:5 AMP). My enemies cannot triumph over me because of Your favor upon my life (Psalm 41:11). You Father, surround and protect me with favor like a shield (Psalm 5:12).

I am ready for this day and I am confident that Your Favor will go ahead me and prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies (Psalm 23:5). Favor can do more in a minute than labor can do in a lifetime, and I have confidence that Your favor is ON me. I have great expectations for this day and for the rest of my life. Thank You Father for releasing Your favor over me. I receive it and walk in it daily. I pray all these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying For Yourself – for Relationships and Parenting

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” The response I have been getting from this recommended scriptures and prayers has been phenomenal. I am Godly thankful for this series and I pray it continues to be a blessing to you. This morning we will look at a three different scripture-based prayers that deal with our relationships and parenting:

Prayer for your Marriage:

Father, it is written in Your Word that we are to esteem our marriage as precious, worthy of great price and especially dear. We agree with Your Word and act accordingly (Hebrews 13:4). By a conscious act of our will, we put away strife by becoming swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. We confess and believe that we neither offend nor take offense with one another (James 1:19).

Your Word says You have knit us together in purpose and in power, therefore we commit ourselves and our marriage to be the mighty instrument upon earth that You designed us to be. Our desire is to be an example of Your love to our family and friends (Gen 2:24, Col 2:19).

So Father, right now, we make a quality decision to live in harmony. We agree not to give ourselves over to selfish desires that will cause division and distrust. We declare that we honor and value our marriage by keeping our bed undefiled. Our marriage grows stronger every day and is an encouragement to those around us. We will conduct ourselves honorably and becomingly—being kind, tenderhearted, compassionate, understanding and loving toward one another. We are always ready to believe the best, and we freely forgive one another (1st Cor 13).

Father, we declare and therefore it is established that we live in a peaceable habitation and quiet resting place. Thank you, Father, for making partakers of Your grace. We are committed to You and to one another, and we make our commitment before Your throne in the Name of Jesus and by the authority of Your Word. We pray all these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer for Godly Parenting:

Father, I thank You for the ability, competence, and might to raise my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Acts 1:8, AMP). Your grace is on me to parent my children. I will teach and impress the Word of God diligently on their minds and hearts (Deuteronomy 6:7, AMP).

Father, thank You for blessing me to increase in the knowledge, wisdom and understanding, so that I can raise my children according to Your will. I declare, by faith, that they will walk worthy of You Lord and of Your calling on their lives. They will live lives that are pleasing to in Your Sight, Father, and they will be fruitful in every good work (Colossians 1:9-10).

I will live a life before my children that brings honor and glory to You. I cast all my cares concerning my children on You, because You care for me. (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 55:22). I am sensitive to the anointing that is on my children (Leviticus 7:36) and I will seek to develop, and not destroy, all that You have placed in them.

I bind the hand of the enemy so that he will not be successful in stealing, killing, or destroying my children (Matthew 18:18; John 10:10). I loose the angels of God to go forth now to guard and protect my children this day and every day (Psalm 34:7). In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer for Single Believers:

Father, I thank You for blessing me to be single, saved, and complete. I don’t need a mate to complete me. I am complete in You. When the time comes for You to connect me with a mate, I will be an asset, and not a liability to the relationship. I will be a blessing and not a burden. I will build my mate up and never tear them down. Until then, I walk in the newness of the life that Christ Jesus died to give me. I am completely holy – in spirit, soul, and body. I serve You daily without distraction. I put off the old man and the old lusts. I declare that the world’s values or ways have no influence in my life. I walk in the light, as You are in the light, and the blood of Jesus, Your son, cleanses me from all sin. I walk in true peace and contentment, because You are on me, in me, with me, and for me! I am WHOLE in you!”

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying For Yourself – to Walk in the Blessing

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” I will provide you with two more prayers before we get back to actual teaching. I know many have faced hard times lately. This is a prayer for the overall blessing of God to flow in our lives. The blessing includes, but is certainly not limited to, financial provision.

Walking in the Blessing:

Father, You set before me life and death, blessing and cursing. You told me to choose life, promising that both I and my seed would live, that we would love You, and that we would be blessed if we obey Your voice. I made my choice and I chose life and blessing, not death and cursing. I cleave unto You and You alone. You are the Lord of my life and the Lord over my household. You are my life and the length of my days. My household is blessed because we submit to You daily. We call upon no other name, nor do we recognize any other deity. You alone are our God! (Duet 30:19,20; Ex 20:3).

I will never cease to give You thanks Father for making me and my household partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. You have delivered us from the power of darkness, and have translated us into the kingdom of Your dear Son – Jesus the Christ (Col 1:12,13).

You Father, are able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) abound toward us in abundance, so that we will always, under all circumstances, have more than enough to meet our needs and to give in abundance towards every charitable work (2 Cor 9:8 AMP).

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest will not cease. I have seed in the ground. I have sown seeds of love, peace, harmony, forgiveness, compassion, and money; and declare that I reap what I sow. As the Lord of Harvest I trust that You will see to it that I receive a correspondent return on every seed sown. I give to the poor and You repay me. I sow into the kingdom, for the gospel’s sake, and You bless me with a manifold harvest. I tithe, and I walk under an open heaven (Gen 8:22, Gal 6:7, Mat 9:38, Prov 19:17, Mark 10:30, Mal 3:10).

I seek You first, Your Kingdom, and Your righteousness and because my priorities and my heart are in order, food, clothes, shelter, and everything I need are added to me. I don’t pursue things, I pursue You. But since I pursue You, things pursue me. Thank You Father for supplying all my need and for ensuring that there will never be a shortage of food in the cupboard, clothes in the closet, health in our bodies, peace in our home, or money in the bank (Mat 6:33, Phil 4:19).

As the rain comes down from the sky and does not return until it has watered the ground and caused the earth to bring forth and bud, so is Your Word. Your Word never goes forth without accomplishing everything it says it will and prospering everywhere it is sown. The grass withers, the flower fades, but Your Word shall stand forever. Father, this morning I am standing on Your Word. I believe Your Word teaches me that I should be blessed to be a blessing. I receive both Your blessing and responsibility to BE a blessing by faith. I submit to being a channel, a conduit, and an instrument of Your blessing, for Your glory, daily (Is 55:10,11; Is 40:8. Gen 12:1-3).

I thank You Father for blessing me indeed, for enlarging my territory, for keeping Your hand upon me that no evil would befall me, and for using me to expand Your Kingdom plans and purposes in the earth (1 Chron 4:10). I embrace Your blessing this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Praying For Yourself – Your Tongue and Your Words

(1 Thes 5:17 NLT) Never stop praying.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing to look at “What to Pray For.” This is the last example prayer I will provide. Starting next week I will get back to teaching on prayer. If you have been getting Today’s Word for any length of time you should know how important your words are. Good or bad, you will have what you say. This is a prayer to take control of your tongue and to release the power of your words.

Your Tongue and Your Words:

Father, I come to You in the name of Your Son and my Lord, Jesus the Christ. I have access to You through Jesus and I am thankful for it. This morning I reaffirm the fact that I am a new person in Christ Jesus, and because You have made me new, I receive Your help, by faith, to change my vocabulary to one that lines up with Your Word and that is pleasing in Your sight.

Help me Father to speak only excellent things that bring glory to Your name. Your Word teaches me that speaking wickedness is literally an abomination to my lips. So I refrain from speaking preserve words that tear down and hurt. I use my lips for Your glory. I speak the truth in love and my words are a blessing to every person I release them to and over.

My lips feed many because I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. My tongue is as choice silver and my mouth brings forth wisdom. I have been justified and declared righteous; therefore I will speak righteousness daily. My lips know what is acceptable; therefore they are quick to speak blessings and never cursing. I am a delight to You Father, because I deal uprightly and I speak to truth. Wisdom is found in my lips because I have understanding. Instead of being a witness against me, my words preserve me.

Thank You Father for blessing me to possess and use a wholesome tongue. My tongue is a tree of life. Pleasant words are always in my mouth and they are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, health to my bones, and life to all those who hear them. You give me wisdom Father, so that my words are as deep waters and as a wellspring of wisdom.

Father, You have taught me that death and life are in the power of my tongue. I choose to speak life and life only. Therefore, I will not allow any corrupt communication to proceed out of my mouth. I will not speak evil to or of any man. My mind is renewed to align with the Word of God. I think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of a good report. I have the mind of Christ and Your wisdom Father. With all these things going on inside of me, when I open my mouth You are able to use my words to edify and to minister grace to the hearers. Thank You Father for blessing me to get a hold of my tongue, to speak words of life, and to have what I say. I pray this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture References:

2 Corinthians 5:17, Proverbs 12:22, Proverbs 15:4, Proverbs 10:11, Proverbs 12:5, I Corinthians 2:16, Proverbs 8:6-9, Proverbs 14:3, Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 18:21, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 5:1, Proverbs 10:21,22, Proverbs 18:4, Ephesians 4:29, Philippians 4:8, Philippians 2:5, Proverbs 10:31,32, Proverbs 2:6, Titus 3:2, Romans 12:2

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part I)

(Romans 10:9,10 KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” For the last few weeks we looked at what and whom we should be praying for. I gave you practical examples and I hope they will assist you to develop your prayer life.

I believe this series is drawing to an end. As we begin the drawdown I want to flow in the same vein (for a few days) as our last message. In our last message I gave you a sample prayer for taking control of your tongue and your words. Why are your words so important? The Bible actually has a great deal to say about the importance of your words. At the end of the day it comes down to this: good or bad, you will have what you say. The words you speak, especially from a believing heart, have a lot to do with what you experience in life daily. So it stands to reason then, that words of prayer must be followed and supported by words of faith.

Let me give you a real-life example of what I mean. Yesterday I spent most of the day in the bed. We were in NYC this weekend, getting our oldest son ready for his externship, and someway, somehow I left myself exposed to the elements too long. I drove back from NYC on Sunday evening and I could sense that something was attacking by body. I could (and should) have gotten aggressive right then and there, with my prayers, but I did not. I simply went to sleep. By the time I woke up yesterday my body was in pain, I was running a fever, and I felt terrible. I prayed, stood in faith, and got some rest. This morning I got up feeling much better, but I can still feel (good thing I live by faith and not by how I feel) the lingering effects of the illness. I got up, prayed in accordance with the Word of God, I am here writing Today’s Word and I am ready for a productive day. Now, I prayed words of prayer this morning and I prayed them from a believing heart. But I must now back up these words of prayer with words of faith all day long. When I get to work inevitably someone will ask me how I am doing. At that point I must ensure that whatever comes out of my mouth is supporting my prayers and not words that can actually cancel them out. If I were to say, “My body’s killing me. I was sick all day yesterday and I am still sick. I feel terrible;” then whatever I prayed this morning is going to be null and void.

Tomorrow we are going to take a closer look at Romans 10:9,10. This passage is commonly used for salvation. We believe that confessing (with our lips) Jesus as Lord, from a believing heart, actually changes our eternal destination from hell to heaven. If that is true, and most Christians believe that it is, then doesn’t it stand to reason that the same would apply to other areas of your life? If speaking believing words that agree with God’s Word kept me from going to hell, then I have to believe (and I do) that speaking believing words that agree with God’s Word will keep peace in my marriage, warmth in my home, obedience in my children, health in my body, success in my career, and much, much more.

So what does this mean to you today? A few quick things:

1. Your words can either support or cancel out your prayers.

2. Speaking words from a believing heart is what kept your life from hell and this same combination can keep hell out of your life.

3. Speaking words of faith (all day long) after your words of prayer can actually reinforce your prayers and help you to HOLD ON until you see the manifestation of your prayers.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. Not only do I take control of my tongue and my words, but I speak words of faith, from a believing heart, all day long. My words of faith support and reinforce my words of prayer. I am consistent in what I believe and speak. I say what I believe and I believe what I say. I never allow my words to contradict my prayers or Your plan for my life. I pray words of prayer, I speak words of faith, and I have what I say. Thank You Father for teaching me to live by faith and to speak ONLY those things that are pleasing in Your sight. I declare these things by faith. In Jesus’ name, amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part II)

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Yesterday I told you that the Bible has a great deal to say about the importance of our words. At the end of the day it comes down to this: good or bad, we will have what we say. With that in mind, I told you that “words of prayer must be followed and supported by words of faith.” I will continue to flow in that same vein today.

Once again, our focus text is commonly used for salvation. The Holy Spirit through Paul teaches us that if we confess Jesus as Lord, from a believing heart we will be saved. Think about that for a moment. We use our mouths (words) to make a confession (declaration of faith) in order to receive salvation. To get a better understanding of this we need to look at the original language. The word translated “confess” in v.9 and “confession” in v.10 is the same word. It is the Greek word “homologeo.” This is a compound word. It comes from “homo,” meaning the same as; and “logeo,” where we get “logos,” meaning the written Word. In this case it is a reference to the written Word of God. So, in context, to confess with your mouth is to literally say the same as the Word of God concerning… whatever you are believing and speaking. In the case of salvation it is saying the SAME AS the Word of God about who Jesus is and who He is in your life. Once you confess Jesus as Lord, from a believing heart, He then becomes your Savior and you are translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God. You are saved by speaking words from a believing heart. Or in other words, speaking words that you believe!

Just like speaking words from a believing heart can change your eternal destination, the same can hold true for other things. This is a series on prayer, so let’s apply it to prayer. When you pray you are speaking words to the Father. In this series you have learned that if you want your prayer to be heard and responded to, then you must pray in faith, not doubting, and not wavering. In others words, you must pray from a believing heart. If you don’t believe what you are saying WHILE you are praying, then you can rest assured that your prayer will not be effective. However, we must remember that most prayers are not answered immediately. If you prayed at 5:00am and received your answer at 5:01am (on the same day), then the only words that would be factored in to the equation would be the words you spoke during your prayer. The Father would have checked your words (to ensure they align with His Word and will) and your heart (to ensure you were in-faith while you were praying). But guess what? Since most prayers are not answered in a minute, we have learned in this series that we must remain in-faith while we are waiting on the manifestation of our prayers. There is normally a space between the prayer and the performance, between the confession and the completion, between “Amen” and “there it is;” and we must remain consistent in our belief and language in that space. We will stop here for today.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that praying in-faith in the morning and then speaking words of fear, doubt, and unbelief ALL DAY LONG:

1. Proves you did not really believe what you prayed. If you believed what you prayed, you would not speak against your prayers. Instead, you would be telling everyone what you believe is about to happen, before it happens!

2. Cheapens the value of your words. If you don’t believe what you say, then the spiritual realm will not respond to your words.

3. Proves you don’t understand the power you release when you speak. Solomon said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21).

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. Not only do I understand that I must speak words of faith, from a believing heart, while I pray, but I must also back-up those words of prayer with words of faith all day long. I truly believe I receive when I pray. When I pray to You Father, in accordance with Your Word, I am so in-faith that I leave my prayer session fully expecting to see the manifestation of what I prayed. I am so convinced that I remain in-faith, no matter how long it takes. Whether it is one minute, one month, one year, or ten years, I will not speak words of fear, doubt, or unbelief. I will remain in-faith no matter how long it takes and my words will testify of my belief. When You hear me speak, it will always be from a believing heart, fully expecting my prayer to come to pass. My prayer life has been re-energized and I am expecting You to do great things in, with, and through me! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part III)

(Mat 8:8 KJV) The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by looking at another example of how important our words are.

In Matthew chapter eight Jesus encounters a Centurion. A Centurion was a Roman Soldier who would be comparable to today’s Company Commander in the U.S. Army. The Centurion was an officer in charge of 100 Soldiers. This particular Centurion had a servant who sick and grievously tormented. He came to Jesus and told Him about the situation. Jesus was accustomed to people coming to Him for healing, so He saw this situation no different and said, “I will go and heal him.” The Centurion, however, said something that no one had said to Jesus to this point. He told Jesus that He could simply “Speak the Word only” and his servant would be healed. He went on to further explain that he was a man in authority and that if he told one of his Soldiers to go, they would have to go or if he told them to do, they would have to do. Jesus was astonished and said, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” What was Jesus calling great faith? Let’s take a closer look:

1. The Centurion understood authority: He knew that if he commanded anyone he had authority over to do something that they had to do it. Whatever or whoever is under authority is subject to the authority.

2. The Centurion perceived that Jesus had authority over sickness: Just like he could say go and do and his Soldiers would have to submit to his commands, the Centurion perceived that Jesus could do the same over sickness and disease.

3. The Centurion knew that authority does not have to be present to exercise rule: Just like he could ‘send a word’ to a Solider to do something, the Centurion knew that Jesus could simply ‘speak a word’ of healing and the sickness would have to obey.

This was unquestionably great faith. No one had expressed this level of faith to Jesus. The Centurion was completely convinced that if Jesus spoke it, that it would be done and that is exactly what happened.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Jesus’ faith extended beyond his sight: If you can see something, then it does not require faith. Faith requires you to trust God, before He does it and before you see it. Our faith must extend beyond what we can see (or validate with our senses).

2. Jesus spoke the language of faith and walked away like it was already done: At no point did Jesus ever question what He said from a believing heart. We must be careful not to allow fear, doubt, or unbelief to rob our prayers of their power.

3. *We must be the ‘Jesus’ in the text: This is a big one. Whenever we read stories like these countless believers identify with the Centurion (the person coming to Jesus for help). But guess what? Unlike the Centurion, God has delegated the authority that Jesus operated in, while He was in the earth, to us. God has equipped us with the power of the Holy Spirit – the same power that Jesus operated in. We cannot sit back like the Centurion and expect Jesus to come down and speak to our situations; we must pray and speak the language of faith ourselves. Pray the prayer of faith in the morning and then speak the language of faith ALL DAY LONG!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You this morning for equipping me with the Power of the Holy Spirit and for delegating Your authority to operate in Kingdom dominion in the earth to me. You have given me both the authority and the ability and I declare that I will use them for Your glory. I shall not be dominated by any situation, but by the power of the Holy Spirit I shall exercise Kingdom dominion daily. I pray to You, in faith, in accordance with Your Word, fully believing to receive what I pray for, I walk away from my prayer session convinced that my prayers will come to pass, and I then speak the language of faith all day long. Thank You Father for using me as an instrument of Your glory and as a channel through which You bring to pass Your Kingdom plans and purposes in the earth. I pray this by faith. In Jesus’ name, amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part IV)

(Mar 5:36 AMP) Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by looking at yet another example of how important our words are. In Mark 5 we catch up with Jesus in the middle of a long and busy day. The day started out in Mark 4 with Jesus teaching parables. Jesus went on to calm a storm (with His words), to cast a legion of demons out a man (with His words), and we pick Him up as He is getting off of a boat at the cost of Galilee. A great crowd had already assembled. Suddenly a man emerged from the crowd. This was not just any man; he was a man of prominence and stature in the community. His name was Jairus and he was a ruler of the synagogue. But Jairus was not coming as a Jewish emissary; no, he was coming for help. Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet and said, “My daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live.” Take notice of what Jairus did. Jairus identified his problem, but he then went on to speak his desired outcome – by faith. He did not just say, “Oh Jesus! My daughter is dying! I don’t know what to do! Do something, do something!” No, Jairus was specific in his request. He declared what he was believing God to happen and he did it by faith. This faith caused Jesus to act. Remember, fear moves satan, faith moves God. Jairus’ faith moved Jesus to want to bring to pass his words (or what could be considered a type of prayer). So Jesus went with him to his house and the disciples and the crowd followed.

While Jesus, Jairus, the disciples, and the crowd were all walking to Jairus’ house there was a woman who had a serious bleeding disorder that also operated in faith and approached Jesus (in faith) for her healing. Jesus stopped to deal with this woman and she went on to give her testimony to Jesus. While Jesus was wrapping up his conversation with the woman some men came from Jairus’ house and said to him, “Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?” Wow! Picture that for a moment. Think about the things that must have rushed through Jairus’ mind. As believers we must remember that the devil will attempt to turn up the heat on us in hopes that we give up on our faith and change our confession (words) when the pressure is on. Jairus had spoken words of faith, Jesus was already enroute to his house, things were looking good, but the circumstances changed in the space between the prayer and the performance. What do you do when the circumstances get worse before they get better? What do you do when the devil stirs up confusion in the space between your confession and the completion of it? What do you do when the heat is turned up? Answer: You remain in faith and you don’t allow what you see to change what you say! All was not lost; Jesus was still on the scene! All things are possible with God. For the sake of time let me fast-forward and tell you that Jairus kept his mouth shut and Jesus made it to the house, touched the little girl, spoke words of life, and raised her from the dead. Guess what? Jesus could have done it without touching the girl, but if you go back to Jairus’ request (at the seashore) you will see that Jesus did exactly what Jairus requested of Him.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. The devil will turn up the pressure on you while you are waiting on God.

2. Never allow what you see to cause you to change what you said (or prayed).

3. Fear cancels out faith, just like faith cancels out fear, so if you are not in a position where you can speak faith, then simply keep your mouth shut!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. When I approach You in prayer, I pray prayers of faith. I come to You with words that are birthed from a believing heart. I resist fear, doubt, and unbelief and I fully expect to receive everything I pray for. When I leave my prayer session I enter the day with a disposition of faith. I speak words of faith and not fear all day long. If I am ever in a position where I am in fear and I cannot speak faith, I will simply keep my mouth shut. I refuse to allow words of fear to cancel out my words of faith! I believe, I trust, I operate in faith, and my words show it! I am a believer and not a doubter. I am the just and the just live by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part V)

(Luke 6:43-45 CEV) A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. You cannot pick figs or grapes from thornbushes. Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by looking at something Jesus said about the importance of our words. Please read this passage carefully. Jesus makes it clear that there is a direct relationship between the type of words a person speaks and the type of person he or she is. Just like trees produce their own fruit, we literally produce our own words. The nature of the fruit comes from the character of the tree and the same holds true for humans. Jesus taught that a good tree is not capable of producing bad fruit and a bad tree is not capable of producing good fruit. Why? Because the fruit is a direct representation of the composition (makeup) of the tree. This is how it is with our words. Jesus said, “Your words show what is in your heart.” In the King James Version this portion is translated, “…for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” The point is that the quality and type of your words are a direct indication of the quality and condition of your heart. Your heart is your reservoir. Your heart is your deposit. What is IN you abundantly will come OUT of you eventually.

If Jesus put so much emphasis on the importance of our words, then shouldn’t we? Can we honestly think that we can pray (using words) in faith in the morning and then speak words of fear, doubt, and unbelief all day long, and still expect to see results? No way! This is why our words are so important. Our words are an expression of our true selves. People know you by the words you speak. Just like we know God through his Word(s). Similarly, most of you (who receive Today’s Word) don’t know me personally, but you know me by my words. By knowing my words you know me. My words are just as much me as I am myself. My words are birthed out of the reservoir of my soul. So if we want to have an effective prayer life, we must learn to speak words that help and don’t hinder our prayers.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. The words you speak are a litmus test for the condition of your heart (deposit).

2. You are your words and your words are you.

3. Daily, your words are telling everyone who you are.

4. If you don’t like the message your words are portraying about you, then it is time to change.

5. To change your words you must change your heart (deposit).

6. To change your heart (deposit) you must change your input: what you see and hear.

7. If you can change your input you can change the condition of your heart; if you can change the condition of your heart you will change the quality of your words; if you can change your words you can change your life! Not only will your prayer life be different, but every area of your life will be positively impacted by speaking words that are pleasing to God.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I know my words flow out of the abundance of my heart. My heart is filled with what I see and listen to. From this day forward I declare that I shall check my input to I ensure I am filling my heart with good things. As I fill my heart with things that are pleasing to You, my words will indicate the condition of my heart. My words will be words of blessing and not cursing, help and not hurt, good and not evil. Once my input is pure, my heart is right, and my words are righteous, I cannot help but be blessed. My words will support my prayers and never cancel them out. I am looking forward to changing my life by changing my words. Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part VI)

(Mar 11:22-25 NLT) Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by looking at something Jesus did, with His words and faith, and then what He said about it. On the day Jesus cleaned out the moneychangers from the temple He got up focused on the assignment at hand. Jesus left Lazarus’ house without eating breakfast. As Jesus and the disciples walked to Jerusalem (about five miles away) He saw a fig tree full of leaves. Jesus approached the tree to get some figs, but did not find any. Jesus spoke to the tree and said, “May no one ever eat your fruit again,” the disciples heard what He said, and they all kept walking. That might not have sounded like a prayer to you, but I believe it was a form for prayer. I believe this for two reasons: 1) Jesus never did anything He did not first see the Father do and He did not say anything He did not first hear the Father say (see John 5:19,20,30), so He was agreeing (in the earth) for heaven’s will to be done, which is a type of prayer, and 2) Jesus used this as an example of how we should pray.

The next morning Jesus and His disciples headed back to Jerusalem on the same path and Peter realized the tree was withered up from the roots. Peter was amazed and said, “Master, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” Jesus was not amazed at all. When Jesus prayed the day prior He fully expected His prayer to come to pass. While the tree did not visibly change at the time, Jesus did not need sense-realm evidence to bolster His faith. Jesus fully believed His prayer and He walked away like it was already done. Now, 24 hours later, standing by the withered tree, Jesus used this situation to teach His disciples (and us) about prayer. This is when He said, “Have faith in God…” and He went on to share the rest of our text. Now that you know the context, please read our text carefully and thoughtfully. There is actually way too much in this passage to cover in one day, so we will stop here for now and deal with this again tomorrow.

So what does this mean to you today? For today I will just focus in on the words “Have faith in God.” These words are actually better translated, “Have the faith of God” or “Have the God-kind of faith.” What type of faith is this?

1. It’s the faith that openly agrees, in the earth, for God’s Kingdom plans and purposes to be accomplished.

2. It’s the faith that publicly declares what it believes the Father wants to do, at the risk of looking foolish.

3. It’s the faith that walks away from a prayer, without any sense-realm evidence, fully believing that the prayer will come to pass.

4. It’s the faith that is so convinced that what it speaks will come to pass, that it never speaks a contrary word to what was prayed, because it knows that if it does, the contrary words will cancel out the prayer.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. Every day of my life I want to be more and more like Jesus. Jesus spoke to this fig tree, fully believing that what He said would come to pass, and He walked away like it was already done. By faith I declare that I will get to the point in my prayer life that I pray just like Jesus prayed. I spend time with You Father, You reveal to me Your Kingdom plans and purposes to me, and I agree with You, in the earth, for those things to come to pass. I take You public and I openly declare my prayers, even at the risk of looking foolish. I believe I receive when I pray. I overcome fear, doubt, and unbelief. I have the God-kind of faith and I operate in it daily! In Jesus’ name, amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part VII)

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by continuing the message from yesterday. You know the setting. Jesus spoke to a fig tree, told the tree it would never produce again, walked away like the tree was already dead, 24 hours later Peter realized the tree was actually dead, and Jesus took the opportunity to use what He did as an object lesson on praying in faith.

At the end of every daily message I share with you a Closing Confession. The purpose of this confession is not just so you can read it silently. I want you to actually read it aloud, in faith, from a believing heart, fully believing that what you are saying will come to pass in your life. For some of you I know this may seem uncomfortable and it may not seem like you are praying. While a confession (or declaration) of faith is not a traditional prayer, it is a form of prayer. For example, all Jesus said to the tree was, “May no one ever eat your fruit again.” That does not sound like a traditional prayer. However, when teaching His disciples that they could do what He did, He clearly connected it to prayer. Tomorrow we will look at a similar example with something Elijah said. Elijah made a simple statement of faith and it did not rain for 40 months.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that to do what Jesus did you must:

1. Speak to your mountain (challenge, obstacle) and declare your desired outcome. Jesus said, “You can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.” This does not seem natural at first, and honestly, it may even seem foolish, but living by faith will cause you to do things that make no earthly sense at all. However, this is required to live like Jesus lived. Jesus did and said things that made no sense on a daily basis.

2. Speak from a believing heart. Jesus said, “You must really believe it will happen.” When someone says something we have no way of knowing whether or not they truly believed it, but God does. Only words of faith, spoken from a believing heart, will tap into the Kingdom of God. That’s why some have openly confessed Jesus as Lord and have not been Born-Again, because their heart was not in it. You must believe what you are saying/praying.

3. Resist doubt at all costs. Jesus said, “And have no doubt in your heart.” Doubt is the precursor to fear and fear will lead to a faith-failure. If you find yourself doubting your faith, repent and openly declare your faith again.

4. Make it personal. Jesus said, “It will be yours.” My words and my faith (or fear) will dictate what happens in my life. Your words and your faith (or fear) will dictate what happens in your life. I will have what I say and you will have what you say. This is a personal thing.

5. Remain in faith. Jesus was never concerned. He knew in His heart that the tree was dead the moment He spoke it, even though it did not happen immediately. We must be the same way. We must be so convinced that we never speak against what we said/prayed.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I am committed to being more and more like Jesus daily. I see the way Jesus lived and I want to be like Him. Jesus taught me to speak to my mountains, in faith, and I declare that I will. I speak the language of faith daily, from a believing heart, resisting doubt, making it personal, and I remain in faith, refusing to speak contrary words, regardless of what I see. I will not allow what I see to change what I say or what I believe. I am a believer, not a doubter, and my words testify of my faith. In Jesus’ name, amen!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part VIII)

(James 5:16-18 NIV) The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by continuing to look at the importance of our words, as it relates to prayer. In the fifth chapter of James’ letter he teaches us about the importance of prayer. James teaches us that the prayer of a believer who is in right standing with God can be both powerful and effective. By now I am sure you are convinced that the Father wants us to pray. When we pray we cooperate with His kingdom plans and purposes in the earth. A great example of this is something Elijah did in 1 Kings 17 and 18. If you read 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles you will see a series of righteous and unrighteous leaders. Whenever Israel had a righteous leader the nation prospered and when it did not the nation suffered. In 1 Kings 17 Israel had a leader (king Ahab) who had allowed his wife (Jezebel) to pollute his heart with idolatry. The Lord used Elijah to bring judgment to the king and the nation. Elijah confronted the kind and said, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” (1 Kings 17:1). Like what we saw with Jesus and the fig tree, Elijah made this simple statement and walked away like it was already done. Sure enough it did not rain for 42 months.

After the three and half years the Lord told Elijah to go back to Ahab – a man who had a bounty on his head, by the way – because He was ready to bring rain back to the land. Elijah went back, had the famous “showdown on Mount Carmel” with the prophets of Baal, restored righteousness to Israel, and then prayed for rain. But this time Elijah got down on the ground, with his face between his knees, and prayed for the rain to come back. Elijah told his servant to “Go and look toward the sea,” to see if he could see the rain coming. The servant came back and said, “There is nothing there.” So seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” Six times the servant did not see anything, but the seventh time (which was the eighth overall), the servant said, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” That was all Elijah needed to hear. Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” And sure enough, a mighty rain fell.

In this story we see two examples of prayer from the same person. The first example, that James calls an earnest prayer, was simply a statement. The second example is more like what most people think about when they picture someone praying.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. You can do what you see recorded in scripture. James clearly teaches that Elijah was just like us. God used Elijah and He can and will use you.

2. You don’t have to be on your knees to pray earnestly. It does not matter where you are, how loud you are, how you sound, or how fancy you make it, you can pray anywhere/anytime.

3. You can live with an ‘attitude of prayer.’ When you have an ‘attitude of prayer’ you can be led to make a simple statement in faith, within the course of your day, that can be just as powerful as praying for an hour in your prayer closet.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for the examples of Jesus and Elijah. I now see that I can live with an attitude of prayer. I can pray in my designated place in the morning, but I can also live out my day with an attitude of prayer. This way I can say something in faith, as I am living out my day, that can be just as powerful and effective as the prayer I prayed in the morning. I don’t have to be a in a certain place, at a certain time, using any particular style of words, and I don’t even need to raise my voice. I can speak the language of faith, from a believing heart, and You will respond to it just as any other prayer. Thank You Father for walking with me today and I look forward to communing with You all day long as I live my life with an attitude of prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen!

Words of Prayer, Words of Faith (Part IX)

(2 Cor 4:13 NIV) It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by closing out the “Words of prayer, words of faith” portion of this series. To close out this point I will take us to something Paul said in his second letter to the church in Corinth. In our text Paul quoted the psalmist who said, “I believed; therefore I have spoken” (Psalm 116:10). Paul goes on to say, “With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.” In context, Paul was teaching about the challenging times believers were facing for the Gospel’s sake, and he urged them to remain strong in faith, not wavering, and fully trusting in God to see them through the opposition. How were the first century believers to remain strong? They were to remain strong in their faith by keeping an active prayer life, by standing on the Word, and by speaking faith-filled words from a believing heart.

I have done a great deal on teaching on the importance of our words and I convinced that our words have a lot to do with what we experience. Let me briefly explain why. In Mark chapter 4 Jesus taught the parable of all parables (the parable of the sower). In this parable Jesus taught that the sower sows the Word, that we as believers are the ground that receives the word within the soil of our hearts, and that our hearts cause the seed to bring forth a harvest. You may ask, “Well Rick, how do I know what my heart is growing?” Jesus gave us the answer; He said, “Your words show what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45). Your words expose to everyone (externally) what is going on in your heart (internally).

Think of it this way: soil does not discriminate. Soil will reproduce marijuana and opium just as much as it will reproduce apples and oranges. The soil does not say, “Wait a minute, this is bad stuff.” No, all the soil knows how to do is crack open the seed and cause it to grow; especially if it is watered and it receives adequate sunlight. This is why the heart of a Christian can grow fear just as easy as it can grow faith. If you feed on fear-filled words and you get words of fear down in your heart, your heart will cause it to grow, your words will expose the condition of your heart, and you will speak fear-filled words. You will actually be speaking what you believe, but what you believe and speak will be contrary to the Word of God. You will still have what you say, but it won’t be God’s best. So if you pray for 5 minutes in the morning for healing, but you then go around telling everyone that cancer runs in your family, or that all the women in your family get diabetes by the age of 40, then it is clear that you believe in the power of the cancer and diabetes more than you believe in the power of God to keep you from them. Or if you pray for your marriage in the morning for 3 minutes, but you then go around telling everyone that all the marriages in your family end in divorce, then it is clear that you believe more in the probability of divorce than in the future success of your marriage. In both cases your prayers will be ineffective.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Your heart can grow fear just as easily as it can grow faith.

2. Your input (what comes through your eye and ear gates) will determine what gets down in your heart.

3. Whatever you sow in the soil of your heart will grow and your words will tell everyone what you are growing in your heart. You may want to believe you are growing faith, but if you are speaking fear-filled words all day long, then you are a fear-grower and not a faith-grower.

4. To change what you are growing in your heart you will need to change what you are sowing in your heart.

Closing Confession: Father, I have the same spirit of faith that Paul did. I believe, therefore I speak. I declare by faith that I get Your Word down in the soil of my heart and I become a faith-grower. My faith grows daily because I have a consistent diet of Your Word. The more my faith grows in my heart, the more faith-filled words I will speak from a believing heart, and the more I will see those words come to pass. I shield the soil of my heart from unrighteous input; therefore I ensure I produce righteous output! In Jesus’ name, amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

There’s Nothing Too Small

(Mat 8:14-16 NLT) When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him. That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I believe we are on our final week of this series and I feel led to make just a few more points. The first one I want to make is the fact that we don’t need to reserve prayer (or divine involvement) to those things we consider to be MAJOR challenges. We know that Jesus prayed daily. Jesus was in constant communication with the Father (see John 5:19,20,30).

In Matthew chapter eight we read the story of Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant. This is a popular story and we have already covered it in this series. Later on in the chapter Jesus healed “many demon-possessed people,” casting out the demons “with a simple command” and when a crowd formed around Jesus He “healed all the sick.” Casting out demons seems spectacular and when we read that Jesus healed all the sick, most of us think of leprosy, palsy, blindness, and etc. We like to picture Jesus going around healing people from incurable diseases, because that gives us hope for whatever we may be facing. But I want to bring up a healing that is not often discussed from the pulpit and that is the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. After Jesus spoke a Word of healing over the Centurion’s servant He traveled with the disciples to Peter’s house. When they arrived Jesus saw Peter’s wife’s mother lying in bed with a fever. We don’t know why she had a fever, but like most people, I would venture to say that the fever would have only lasted a day of two. A fever, in and of itself, is not a major issue. However, Jesus did not overlook it. Remember, Jesus never did anything He did not first see His Father do (John 5:19), so it is clear that Jesus had already received His marching-orders, in prayer, to heal this woman. Notice that Peter did not ask and that his mother-in-law did not beg. Jesus was motivated by the compassion of His character, and He touched her hand. When He did the same power that was used to raise the dead caused the fever to leave her body. She was restored to health, she got up, and she waited on her guests.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. God cares. We serve a God who cares about us, to the point where He wants to remove anything that is keeping us from His best. The Father is just as interested in removing a headache or a fever, as He is any other hindrance.

2. There is nothing too small. Just like there is nothing too big for God, there is nothing too small for Him either. If you can do it, then do it, but if you can’t, then there is nothing wrong with petitioning His involvement, even if it is not a MAJOR issue.

3. Serve daily. You were not saved to sit, you were saved to serve. Just like Peter’s mother-in-law got up and served, you are to do the same thing. Serve God and man today! Don’t sit down on your abilities. If you have health in your body, then use it for God’s glory! What are you fully capable of doing for Christ that you have been failing to do? Whatever it is, determine to start today!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this reminder this morning. Just like there is nothing too hard for You, there is nothing too small for You either. There is nothing going on in my life that You don’t care about. You love me enough to want to be part of the smallest details. Every hair on my head is numbered. Every day of my life has been planned. I declare, by faith, that I will get You involved daily, through prayer, in every aspect of my life. And I also thank You for the health I have in my body. I will use my health for Your glory. I thank You to removing every hindrance and enabling me to maximize my purpose and potential today and every day. I am blessed and I will act like it! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Praying in Tongues

(1 Cor 14:14,15, 18-20) For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand… I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you. But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language. Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I have been praying about whether or not I should even mention tongues. There has been a great deal of confusion over tongues in the Body of Christ and I believe it is because many leaders refuse to teach what the Bible says about it. So, as I am led, I will address it. Please read the passage I provided for you thoughtfully and prayerfully.

I believe most of the confusion stems from the difference between the gift of tongues and praying in tongues. By all accounts the church in Corinth was an unruly church. Believers were seeking spiritual gifts, but for the wrong reasons, and they were not operating under the proper authority. So Paul wrote a letter in which he addressed spiritual gifts and how everything should be done in an orderly way. In Paul’s first letter, in the 12^th chapter, Paul taught about the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” He went on to teach about the revelatory gifts (the eyes of God), which are the gifts of: word of wisdom (v.8), word of knowledge (v.8), and the discernments of spirits (v.10); the power gifts (the hands of God), which are the gifts of: faith (v.9), healing (v.9), and the working of miracles (v.9); and the gifts of utterance (the mouth of God), which are the gifts of prophecy (v.10), tongues (v.10), and the interpretation of tongues (v.10). Of the 9 gifts, only the last two I listed (tongues and the interpretation of tongues) are interdependent, meaning that you cannot have one without the other. Whenever the gift of tongues is in operation, one person speaks in tongues and either that person, or another person, will interpret what was said so that the church can understand what God is saying to the Body. I have been in many church services where this happens and in every case it is God speaking to His people, through His Spirit, supernaturally. Once again, this is God speaking by His Spirit, through humans, to the church. This is a top-down operation.

Paul clearly said that he prayed in tongues and that when he did he not understand what he was saying, and he mentioned no interpretation. This is NOT the gift of tongues. That is NOT God speaking to the church, through a human. That is God’s Spirit in a human, praying back to God, for things and in ways that the human is unaware of. The human does not know what he or she is saying, but God’s Spirit in them is leading the prayer, therefore it is still a form of prayer and it is very effective, because the human mind (and it’s limitations) is out of the way. In this case no interpretation is needed, because it is NOT God speaking to the church (top-down), it is a spirit-led human praying to God (bottom-up). These are NOT the same thing.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. The gift of tongues is God speaking to the Body of Christ, through a human, and an interpretation is required. This is a top-down operation.

2. Praying in tongues in the Holy Spirit in man praying back to God, without the human’s mind getting the way, and no interpretation is required. This is a bottom-up operation.

3. Praying in tongues is Biblical. Like all things, you must seek divine understanding and then ask God to give you all that He desires for you to have while you are in the land of the living.

Closing Confession: Father, Your Word is truth. I refuse to allow what others have said about Your Word to go unchallenged. I read Your Word for myself and I seek divine insight concerning all that You desire for me to have while I am in the land of the living. I see the 9 gifts of the Spirit and I ask You for release in me all the gifts that You desire for me to operate in. I don’t chase the gifts, but I do want all the gifts that I require to fulfill my life’s assignment. I declare by faith that I seek and receive divine insight concerning praying in tongues. When my spirit prays I may not understand what I am saying, but You do and it becomes a perfect prayer, untainted by my own thoughts and limitations. Lastly Father, I just want to thank You for Your Word. You left us Your Word and everything I need to maximize my purpose and potential is in it. I desire Your Word more than my earthly food. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

When you don’t know what to do… PRAY!

(2 Chron 20:12 NIV) O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” We are about to close this series out and I don’t want to without reiterating the fact that you God wants to be involved in our lives and we get Him involved through the vehicle of prayer. Whether the situation is big or small, divine help is always just a prayer away. In 2 Chronicles 20 we see an example of a grave situation. The small nation of Judah was about to be attacked by a coalition army comprised of three nations. Humanly speaking, little Judah was basically powerless against the attack. By the time the king of Judah was notified the coalition force was already advancing and the attack was imminent. Jehoshaphat, the king, resolved to seek divine insight from the Lord and he proclaimed a fast for the entire nation. While they were fasting the king stood in front of his people, in the courtyard of the temple, and led the assembly in prayer. The king prayed, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.” Jehoshaphat went on to remind God of the things He had done for the Israelites. This served two purposes: 1) it was a form of praise, thanking God for what He had done, and 2) it was a confidence builder for Jehoshaphat and his people, because it also reminded them of the power of God. Later on in the prayer Jehoshaphat got to the nitty-gritty, saying, “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” The king was honest. The problem was bigger than what they could handle and the king did not know what to do, but the key is that his eyes were upon God, meaning that He was seeking God for insight and direction.

The divine insight came through Jahaziel, a young priest, who stood up and said the following under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, “Listen, king Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” Jehoshaphat then came up with a divinely inspired plan that made no military sense at all. The king sent out the praise team instead of the infantry and while the praise team sang praises to God, all of the enemy forces turned on themselves and fought each other until every last man was killed.

That’s a great story; now let me contrast it with a quick testimony. A few days ago I told you that God is even interested in getting involved in the seemingly little things I our lives. Last Thursday I misplaced a notebook in the Pentagon. There is nothing necessarily special about this notebook, other than he fact that I have been using it for a while and I like it. It bothered me that I could not find it. On Monday morning, just before entering the Pentagon, I prayed a quick prayer and asked God to get involved with getting me the book back and I went on with my day. That morning I received an email from someone telling me they had my book and I got it back.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Whether what you are facing is as small as something you can’t find or as big as a life-threatening situation, God wants to be involved and you get Him involved through prayer.

2. Divine insight can lead you to do things that make no human sense, but if you do them by faith, you will see supernatural results.

3. There is nothing too hard for God. One Word from God can turn any seemingly hopeless situation around!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this reminder this morning. Whether the situation is big or small, seemingly trivial or life threatening, I will get You involved through the vehicle of prayer. I welcome Your involvement in my life daily through prayer. When I don’t know what to do, the first thing I do is turn to You. My initial inclination is to seek divine insight, wisdom, and guidance and I seek it from Your Word and Your Spirit through my prayer life. I am encouraged this morning as I am reminded that there is nothing too hard for You. No matter what I face, I can face it with confidence because You are on me, in me, with me, and for me. I am excited about today. Father, let’s go make a difference! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Peace of God

(Phil 4:6,7 NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Next week I am going to give you a recap of this series and then we will close it out and move on. As I prayed about what to teach on this morning, after much deliberation, I was led to the peace of God. Having peace with God deals with the condition of your relationship with the Father (whether or not you have accepted Jesus as Lord). However, having the peace of God deals with the internal condition of your heart, and this is very important while you are in the space between your prayer and the performance of it. I have already taught you that you must remain in-faith while you are waiting on God to physically manifest (in your hand) what you have already prayed for and received by faith (in your heart). This is where the peace of God comes in. If you maintain your peace you will be able to wait and remain in-faith, no matter how long it takes.

In our text Paul writes to the church at Philippi from a place where the peace of God was required. Paul was in jail, but he still had enough peace (internally) to be able to focus on others. Paul was being persecuted for the cause of Christ and so were many others in his time. In the midst of the persecution Paul told believers in Philippi not to be anxious about anything, but rather to invoke the power of God in their lives through the vehicle of prayer. The word anxious here is also translated worry. In other words, Paul was telling them not to worry about anything, but rather to take their concerns to the Lord in prayer. Prayer puts us in the offensive. Prayer enables us to trouble our trouble. Prayer releases the Hand of God over our situation. As we have learned, prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference.

Once we pray, once we release the Hand of God, once we know that we have invoked the presence of God to be made manifest in our situation, then Paul says that the peace of God would guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Let’s take a closer look at this peace:

1. It passes all comprehension: This peace cannot be figured out. This is not a human peace, but rather supernatural peace. People cannot figure out how believers can seem so at peace in the midst of circumstances that bring others to their knees. For the believer, this is not something we need to try and figure out; all we need to do is receive this peace by faith! We can receive a supernatural peace that passes all understanding!

2. It can guard our heart and mind: The word translated “guard” here is a military term. It literally means to pull guard duty. It is like the peace of God pulls shift around our heart and our mind to ensure that we don’t slip into the grips of worry, fear, doubt, and unbelief. This peace enables us to enjoy the inner confidence that God will see us through, no matter how difficult the situation may seem.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that there is a peace available to you that baffles psychologists and psychiatrists. There is a peace that cannot be figured out. There is a peace that passes all comprehension and this peace is accessed through the vehicle of prayer. God wants us to pray, in accordance with His Word (which is His will), and He wants us to have so much confidence that walk away from the prayer session with an inner peace that cannot be penetrated.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for giving me the right to come boldly before Your throne in the name of Your Son Jesus. I pray to You, in accordance with Your Word, free of all malice, bitterness, unforgiveness, and strife in my heart, fully believing to receive what I pray for. As I pray I welcome You to get involved in my life and I walk away from my prayer closet with Your peace; a supernatural peace that passes all understanding. Your peace enables me to rest in the space between the prayer and the performance, the space between my confession and the completion. I have the peace of God and this supernatural peace is pulling guard duty around my heart and my mind. With this peace on guard duty I am able to resist fear, doubt, and unbelief. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Trust Factor

(Psalm 119:105 NIV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” This will be the last message of this series before the recap I will provide next week and I am glad the Father led me to discuss trust. I am currently in Arizona on a ministry assignment. When I arrived last night the host Pastor picked me up from the airport, we had a great conversation, and one of the things we talked about was trust. I believe the trust factor is a major factor in our prayer lives. In this series we have discussed (in several messages) the fact that most of our prayers are not answered immediately. Since there is a space between the prayer and the performance, we as believers must continue to believe God and remain in-faith while we are waiting on Him. Well, if we trust God – I mean truly trust Him – then our trust will help us resist doubt.

David wrote our text thousands of years ago. When most modern-day people think about a lighted path they imagine streetlights. But David lived before electricity, streetlights, headlamps, or flashlights. In David’s day most evening light came from the stars or candles. I am sure there were countless times when David had to travel at night and walking through the desert in the middle of the night can be very dangerous, especially on those nights when the moon was not clear. This is why many used what were referred to as “ankle lamps.” Ankle lamps were basically leather straps with a holding device for a candle and something to protect the flame. The user would tie them around their ankles (on the outside), light them, and attempt to journey into the evening. These small candles could not light the entire path, but they could provide enough light to see around your next step. Picture this; you take one step with your right foot. As you look down, the candle shines enough light for you to safely take one more step. When you get your left foot down, the candle shines enough light for you to safely take one more step. You repeat this process over and over until you arrive at your destination. You could not see down the road, but you could see enough to take one more step.

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. Trust God for one more step. As you pray for your day the Father will give you the light you need for your next step (today).

2. Trust God for what is down the road. Like David, you may not be totally clear about what is down the road or around the corner. You may not know how long it will take for some of the things you are believing God for to actually happen. But keep your trust intact.

3. Trust God when you don’t know what is going on. If you live long enough, even a faith-person will encounter times when they feel like they don’t know what it going on. Even on these occasions, you must continue to trust God. Trust Him; even when you don’t know what scripture to stand on (in-faith), what spiritual forces are at work, or what is causing what you are facing. At the end of the day, if you keep your trust intact, you will be able to get your bearings, get back to a position where you can pray effectively, and get back on the path to God’s desired destination for your life.

Closing Confession: Father, I trust You with my whole heart. I trust You for one more step. I trust You to give me the light I need to walk into this day with divine insight, wisdom, revelation, and understanding. I also trust You for what is down the road. I trust You for what I can’t see. I trust You for what I will face in August, November, next year, and the year after that. And I declare by faith that I will continue to trust You, even when I don’t know what is going on. Even when I don’t have the discernment to know why things are happening, I will still trust You and my consistent trust in You helps fuel my prayer life. I pray from a position of trust and my trust helps me resist fear, doubt, and unbelief. Living this way helps me to wait on the manifestation of my prayers with peace in my heart and great expectation in my soul! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Series Recap (Part 1)

(John 5:19 NLT) So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

This morning we begin to bring the “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” series to a close. I will provide quick recaps this week and then move on from this teaching. I trust this series has been a blessing to you. I will begin the recap with re-emphasizing the fact that Jesus is our ultimate example.

Some points we learned in this series:

1. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man. One of the reasons He came as a man was so that we could emulate what we see in His life.

2. As a man Jesus needed to pray for guidance. If Jesus attempted to do things without hearing from the Father it would be no different than us when we get outside of His will.

4. Jesus spent time alone with the Father. Praying with or around others is fine, Jesus did this too, but there is nothing like giving the Father your undivided attention. Make time to give the Father quality time in prayer.

5. Jesus prayed early in the morning. If you are like me, then once your day starts rolling it’s hard to slow down. Taking the time early in the morning to pray helps you keep your priorities in order and it will also help you properly order your day.

6. Jesus did not assume that everything that happened would be God’s will. Far too many believers accept everything as ‘the will of God’ without ever spending time with the Father to find out what His will actually is. If you hear from the Father in prayer, you won’t ever question His will, because you will know it.

So what does this mean to you today? It means prayer was the key to Jesus’ success. Jesus always knew what to say and do, because He made the time to spend quality time alone with the Father in prayer. You can experience like success if you commit to spending time with the Father and hearing from Him in prayer.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!