I pray right now that you will raise up a 2nd Chronicles 7:14 nation. A people that will humble themselves & pray & seek your face. A nation that will repent & lead others to the cross. A nation that will reverence, honor & uphold your word without shame or compromise. I speak order & peace into every city, state & federal government in the name of Yeshua. I pray for all leaders in this country to come to the light of the Lord according to Isaiah 60:3 in the name of Yeshua. I pray that this nation will submit to the rule & reign of Christ according to Daniel 7:14 in the name of Yeshua.

I pray that every spirit of disobedience, disrespect, disorder & confusion be plucked up by the root & cast into your holy fire Adonai in the name of Yeshua. I pray for our president Barack Obama & his family. Lord cover, guide & protect them in the name of Jesus. Order his steps, speak to his mind, heart & spirit. Help him make wise decisions that are based on right choices & not on public opinion. There is much slander, rumors, accusations, heresay, distorted facts & other issues taking place during this campaign of 2012. Adonai I pray that YOU will have the final say in what takes place and I pray that the body of Christ will rise above political affiliations & opinions & see things by the SPIRIT & HEAR what your spirit has to say in this season & beyond. I pray that you will equip your people to move in wisdom & not get caught up in the flesh or overcome with emotions to the point of disregarding your presence.

Adonai I ask you to forgive those that don’t know you that are engaging in wrong behavior & motives that don’t know you and to forgive those that are in the body of Christ that are engaging in behavior that is not pleasing to you, some of which is harming their witness for you. Adonai I ask for your divine intervention in the affairs of man. Yes, ultimately it’s up to us to decide right from wrong, to go left or right, but Adonai in your mercy & grace, I ask you to show yourself strong, to soften harden hearts, to open blind eyes & unstop clogged ears with the light of your truth. Make yourself known in this hour so that people can have the opportunity to choose wisely, think clearly with sound minds & untainted hearts.

I speak unity into the minds & hearts into the people of this nation & I pray that regardless of skin color, race, income, education, political affiliation or anything that has been used as a from of division & strife, I pray Adonai that you will open eyes & hearts to all that things that UNITE us, that we will see that there are more things that unite us than divide us in the name of Yeshua. I pray right now that people will begin to think clearly & examine all facts before jumping to conclusions – regardless of who they choose to run for office. I pray for this nation to come to a place of disagreement in a manner that pleases you Adonai, a manner that glorifies you & edifies one another. A nation that gets to be able to disagree but doing so in love & respect for one another. It may not be easy but it’s not impossible because Adonai you said ALL things are possible with you.

I thank you Adonai for all that you have done for this nation & I thank you for what you’re about to do. Yes, the scriptures have to be fulfilled as we are in the last days, but I thank you Adonai, in the name of Yesuha, that you will equip your people with strength & glory to advance your Kingdom & make a stand for you. I thank you right now for a revival like no other ever experienced in this nation in the name of Yeshua Hamaciach. Let it be done for your honor & glory Adonai. Amen.

God wants you to know that you must BELIEVE in the impossible.  Miracles are happening.  PRAY, FAST, INTERCEDE, and TRUST that God is designing an ORIGINAL plan for your life. ~ShameNoMore

Have a great day,

~It’s Just That Simple

Hello, Friends! Here is the prayer for today…

Dear Lord,

We thank you for the gift of prayer. You told Jeremiah to call unto you…that you would answer and show him great and mighty things that he did not know. Lord, we are calling unto you today. I know there are many here that are knocking, seeking and asking as you instruct us to. You tell us to pray without ceasing, Lord. Father, we ask if there be any hindrances in our lives…any sin that would keep you from hearing our prayers…we ask for your revelation, conviction and forgiveness. Father, we want to know you more. We desire to hear your voice and to know your will for our lives. Help us to make the necessary quiet time, so we can hear your voice and the things that you would have us to know. Help us to truly tap into all that there is to receive from prayer. It is more than just us asking for things and you answering. Prayer is a special way for you to lead and guide us to things that you want and have for us.

Our God,

You are so precious and lovely.  Power and might are yours, and yours alone.  To you belongs all glory and honor and praise!  Loving Father, thank You so much for the sweet soul that is reading these words.  Almighty Creator, thank You for creating them, knowing them to their innermost parts, knowing the exact number of the hairs on their head, planning for them every second that they are on this earth.  Gracious King, thank You for loving them so hard, so fully, that You did the most perfect, painful, pure, righteous thing to be in relationship with them!  Precious Savior,
THANK YOU for becoming fully man as You were fully God, living and dieing and raising again that we may know You!! Our words will never be enough to thank You.  Our words will never be enough.  God, this sweet soul that is reading these words, You know her.  You know him.  You know their heart, their mind, their spirit.  You know what time they woke up this morning, You know what struggles they are facing.   You know their past, their present, and their future.  You know how they can and will impact this world.  Oh Lord, I pray that they know You.
I pray that their name is in Your book, right now.  I pray that You would give them renewed peace, mercy, love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, joy, faithfulness today to follow You, trust You, and love You recklessly.  And God, pursue them.  Romance them. Touch and affect their lives today with your awesome power in a way they need and a way they can’t ignore!

Sweet soul, I love you.  I pray for you every day.  I want you to know that. I want you to know that every one of us prays for you.

And we are thankful for you.

And we can’t wait to know you!

Love,

Mary

 
 
Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS:

Take the time necessary to relax and recover from the stress and pressure that you have experienced recently. You will need to come into My presence softly, not coming to do business or to pray and intercede, but coming into My atmosphere where you can thrive spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. Come and be refreshed, says the Lord.

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

One may have read the Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin for today.  One may have been encouraged.  Thank You Jesus!

One may have entered one’s prayer closet at 3:30 AM.  One may have praised the Lord with song for the first half hour with periods of silence which may have allowed one enter into the Lord’s presence.  At 4:00 AM one may have confessed one’s sins, thanked the Lord and prayed for the sick.

One may have prayed for a passage of scripture for today’s blog.  One may have been led to Psalm 119:89-96.  Thank You Jesus!

One may have logged onto the website to pray for outstanding prayer requests.  Thank You Jesus for answering each prayer request according to Your perfect will.  Amen.­­­­­

Volume 13 issue 2                “Prayers, Small and Great”                         February  2012

“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem and purify for Himself His special people—“ Titus 3:13-14

Do you know who was the ‘shortest man’ recorded in the Bible? Give up? He was  ‘Knee High Miah’, so he wasn’t very tall! (Okay, so it wasn’t really such a great joke!)  He is better known as Nehemiah. His story is recorded in the Book of the Bible named “Nehemiah” for him. Nehemiah was a man of prayer. He was one of the captives taken from Jerusalem to Babylon, when Jerusalem was overrun by the invading forces of Persia. He was the ‘cupbearer’ to Artaxerxes, King of Persia. This was a position of great trust, as well as an advisor and protector for the king by being the king’s wine taster. It was his job to check food and drink that was passed to the king, in case someone wanted to poison the king. He stood between the king and possible death by an enemy.

Have you thought what prayer is? Prayer is making an earnest request to God. Prayer means different things to different people. As for Nehemiah, when His friend, Hanani returned from Jerusalem and reported the walls had been destroyed and the gates of the city had been burned. The people living there were in dire circumstances, with enemies all around them. There was no hope for them. They did not have the initiative nor desire, nor a leader, to better their circumstances. When Nehemiah heard this news, he went to prayer, Nehemiah 1:4-11. He confessed sins for himself and for his people who were God’s chosen people who had not followed what God had instructed Moses in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. They had not lived as God had commanded them. Nehemiah immediately began to intercede for his people, the remnant in the destroyed city of Jerusalem. He pleaded with God. Nehemiah 1:11 reads, “O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring You. Please grant me success now as I go to ask the king for a great favor. Put into his heart to be kind to me!” He prayed not for personal advantage, position or acclaim. He requested success for God’s work. When God’s purposes are at work, you don’t hesitate to ask for success.(This also is good advice for me to take too!)

Nehemiah 2; Early the next spring, Nehemiah went to serve the king but he had a sad face. The king noted that he was not his own happy self. The king asked, “Why are you so sad?”  He was very fearful because one did not appear before the king sad. The king at his own decision could have a servant executed if he was displeased with him. God had prepared the king when Nehemiah came to him and said, “Send   me to Judah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, where my ancestors are buried!” Nehemiah 2:4, in answer to his prayer, the king’s reply was, “How can I help you?” Nehemiah asked for letters of reference to each of the governors of provinces he would pass  through, for timber to rebuild the walls and doors that had been burned. The king even sent army officers and horsemen to protect him as he traveled the 800 miles back to Jerusalem. Nehemiah 2:9. How he traveled, I have no idea. We know he didn’t fly, nor go by bus. He might have ridden a camel or even walked. One of the things that impressed me was, here is a pagan king, prepared by God ahead of the time Nehemiah needed help. The king was there prepared by God for Nehemiah and more than he had asked for, God had anticipated the need.

When Nehemiah arrived back in Jerusalem, he was immediately met with opposition. Sanballat, Tobiah, and  Geshem the Arab were jealous and also afraid they might lose control  of their respective provinces, if someone came in and rallied the people to repair the breached walls. They gave Nehemiah a very bad time, threatening to ‘report’ him to the king. Little did they know, he had the king’s blessings and generous help.

Nehemiah had God given and blessed abilities to rally forces to rebuild walls and gates of their city, Jerusalem. He gave instructions for each man to rebuild the wall adjacent to his home. This is discussed in Nehemiah chapter 3. Please read it, there is too much detail for this writing. What is very evident is God’s plans and protection for His people as they worked. Chapter 4 is the account of the anger of the governors mentioned above. Nehemiah 4:4, he prayed, “Hear us O our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become  captives  in a foreign land! Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked You Father, to anger here in the presence of the builders.” Nehemiah knew that God was ‘in their corner’, for He had been with them in their successful effort to rebuild the wall and the gates. They had succeeded in building the walls to half their original height. Nehemiah 4:14, “Then I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders, the people and said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord Who is great and glorious, and will fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!’” Their enemies, Sanballat, Tobiah and the Arabs were furious, and were belittling their work. Nehemiah assigned guards to protect the workers. They also worked with one hand and had their weapons in the other in case they were attacked. Verse 23 states that none of them took off their clothing. They carried their weapons at all times. Nehemiah 5:19, “Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it!” Nehemiah here is like Jabez, and asked God for a blessing. From what I can read, this writer believes he had that blessing coming!

In Nehemiah 6:1-14, Those enemies became so angry, they tried to ‘con’ Nehemiah into leaving the work and meeting them away in another place. He knew they wanted to harm him, maybe even kill him because he was an awesome leader and they were jealous. Verse 15, Nehemiah reported, “So on October 2, 445BC, the wall was finally finished- just 52 days after we had begun.  When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it they were frightened and humiliated. They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God!”

Four lasting principles stand out in Nehemiah. First, his compassion and his desire to do God’s will. Second, his cooperation with others was required to carry out God’s will. Third, his confidence resulted from fervent prayer and proclaiming the Word of God. Fourth, his courage manifested itself in refusing to compromise on the conviction he was doing the will of God.

I challenge you to read of this praying man of God. There are 13 chapters, a very exciting read. It is just as exciting as the modern day stories. This is a true story of how one man did God’s work and saved many of his fellow Jews, as God directed him in prayer.

Friend Reader, do you enjoy the faith and trust in God our Heavenly Father as Nehemiah showed through trials, danger, and absolute need in his life’s journey? Just as Moses charged Joshua when Joshua was taking over Israel from Moses, Deuteronomy 31:6-8, “Be strong and of good courage, the LORD your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you!” We have the same promise now, read Hebrews 13:5, 8, “For He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you!” Verse 8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!”Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paula and Silas, “Sirs what must I do to be saved? They said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved, you and your household!”

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you said ‘yes’ to His invitation? If not, you may accept Him now with a simple prayer. “Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I know You will forgive me if I confess my sins, and ask You to forgive me. Thank You Jesus, for taking my sin debt in full to the cross. Help me to live for You all the rest of my life! Amen!” If you made a decision, please write to us at PO Box 1393, Ava, MO 65608. We will be so happy to hear from you.                             Our love to each Reader in Jesus’ name.                                     Blair and Pam

Vol 8 No 7 Pt 32    “Knowing Jesus—2012 My Beloved—“Intercessor/Mediator”

Hebrews 7:25. “He (Jesus) is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him,

 because Christ Jesus always lives to make intercession for them”.

“You going to get your nose outa that book ever?” Sam thumped Jakob on the head. “Yeh bud, I’m studying for my final in law 501. I want to defend against unfairness. What’s your counselor training say?” Jakob stretched.

“I’ve been studying Jesus as Intercessor. That’s what you will be doing for people in the legal field, and me in the counseling field in relationships.” Jake brought Sam a pop and flopped down on the sofa.

Isaiah 53:4-6 tells us Jesus bore our sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses.  Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.  All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all. For every crime/sin we have committed, Jesus already paid the price taking the punishment by dying on the Cross for us.”

“If we just realized how Jesus “stood in” for us, we would live in His love to thank Him. We would desire to please Him. Something else. He experienced everything we might, so He knows our needs and how to intercede to Our Father God. It doesn’t matter what you’re going through, Jesus has been there and walked in your shoes. Hebrews 4:15, 16.”

Sam was getting into scriptures. “For God was pleased to have all of His fullness dwell in Him and through Christ to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through Jesus blood shed on the cross!”  Colossians 1:19, 20. Jesus reconciled us to God. That’s something you can share with clients who are in law suits or divorce suits and other disputes–His Reconciliation. If they would turn things over to Jesus and pray for His help thru His Counselor, the Holy Spirit perhaps they could save themselves a lot of heartache and $$$ too!”

“Wow! I can see knowing Jesus as my Intercessor can help me in helping others. Jesus had to come because there was no man to stand in the gap between God and man, for man’s fleshly sinful nature could not be in Holy God’s presence after Adam and Eve. Isaiah 59:15 and I Timothy 2:5 states Jesus became our Mediator. Hebrews 9:12 shows how Jesus did this by shedding His blood, which is the once for all sacrifice to pay our sin debt/penalty.”

Sam interjected, “The world with all its earthly wisdom failed to know God by means of its own philosophy, for the Law never made anything perfect—but instead a better hope is introduced through which we now come close to God. Jesus is our hope, for no one can condemn us, because He died paying the price and now continually intercedes for us. Jakob, even the most effective attorney can’t continually plead for his client like Jesus does for us. A lawyer only has the world’s credentials. Jesus has His blood and the seal of approval of His Father God.”

“You got that right, Sam! Here’s another thought on Jesus Interceding. He says in Jn 16:23 whatever we ask IN HIS NAME, the Father will give to us. I just googled it, and you won’t believe how many Names and that means WAYS, Jesus intercedes for us. For instance, A few ways He intercedes are as our:

Avenger–AuthorofFaith–Avinu/Father—Beloved–Brightness of His Glory—Builder—Compassionate–Consuming Fire  Counselor–Creator/Maker—Cup—Deliverer–Dwelling Place—Encourager—EverlastingLife—Faithful—Friend–Healer Hiding Place—Holy—Hope–I AM that I AM—Intercessor–Jealous God—Judge—King—Light—Love—Mediator–My Song  Peace—Portion—Protector—Provider—Redeemer—Refuge—Rock—Savior—Shelter—Shepherd–Spring of Living Water    Sustainer—Sanctifier—Omnipotent—Righteousness–Merciful One–Adonai/Sovereign–Elohim/Deity/Divinity–Wall of Fire    Purifier—Refiner—Shield–Sure Foundation—Teacher—Warrior–Word

Praying in JESUS NAME means praying the character & authority of Who Jesus is, and what He has done and is doing. To pray the “mind of Christ” and the “heart of Christ”. We pray confidently in One accord with His Name’s power, authority and Holy Character. So in doing this, we become intercessors thru the INTERCESSOR before the throne of God!   When we don’t know what to pray, we can rely on His Holy Spirit Who knows Jesus more intimately than we do.”

Sam studied scriptures. “How about the prayers of Jesus before He left earth, as an example? Jesus spoke honestly and comfortably with His Father with respect and honor; in harmony with His Father’s will and heart, always willing to please His Father. Jesus prayed at times with eyes open, with thanksgiving and assurance of His Father’s love and attention. John 11:41-42; 12:27-28.

“Remember Jesus told Peter that satan had desired to sift him like wheat and Jesus prayed for Pete’s faith to remain strong. Jesus prayed for Pete to return to closeness with Him, and to be His witness and encourager to others.  I believe Jesus prays that for us. John 17 helps us know what He is continuing to pray for us.”

Jakob entered this info into his word processor as he pasted in John 17: 20-26 “Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You have entrusted to Me [as Your gift to Me] may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me [Your love gift to Me]; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very Self, and I will continue to make [You] known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them [felt in their hearts] and that I [Myself] may be in them.”

Unbeknownst to Jakob and Sam, Jakob’s younger brother had been listening. Ethan jumped in front of Jakob. “This stuff must be real cuz you guys believe it. Will Jesus pray for me like that too? Even if I’ve been smokin’ n stuff?” Jakob knew his younger brother had been running with the wrong crowd. Now was his chance while he was home for the weekend from College to be an attorney/intercessor for Ethan. “Course ya can, bro! You know from our youth group days it’s true, Jesus died for your sins. He interceded for you with His blood for all those things. You have to accept His payment and He will cleanse you and make you new in Christ. Do you really want that?”

“Oh yes! I want Jesus praying for me to be loved by Him and His Father God, like God loves Him and you guys. I  don’t like this life of lying to Mom and feeling sick. You know, my girl friend Mary told me she gave her life to Jesus. She is so different. I want to be like that. She is fun and full of joy even when tuff stuff happens to her. I want Jesus to be my Helper.” Ethan knelt as Jakob and Sam knelt and prayed with him for Jesus to come into his heart. They all decided to go for pizza. Ethan asked if Mary could go too.

Struggling ‘neath the debt we could not pay

Not ever hoping to renew

The love and friendship that we once knew

But He began to intercede

Crying, “Father please forgive, I plead”

And as the nails pierced His hands

God once again reached out to man

And He’s ever interceding to the Father for His children

Yes, He’s ever interceding to the Father for His own

Through Him, You can reach the Father

So bring Him all your heavy burdens

Yes, For you He’s interceding so come boldly to the throne

                                                                                        W & M by Carolyn Gillman      (1977)

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

http://www.parousiapatris.org    rosewriter1393@hotmail.com   P.O. Box 1393, Ava, MO 65608       BHG—© 2012 PGK

“⁴ This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. ⁵ Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

⁶ So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.

The Lord was going to destroy Israel because of their sins. The Lord was showing Amos how He was going to destroy Israel. But Amos was interceding for Israel, Amos pleaded with God to save Israel’s life and not to destroy them. Two times Amos interceded for them and they were saved, but the third time, God told Amos that He was going to destroy Israel.

We were like Israel. We were going to be destroyed by God, but our Amos came and interceded for us. Jesus interceded for us by dying for us! Jesus is the son of God and He is perfect, we needed a perfect sacrifice to die for us in order to live. Jesus died for us! Amos is only a shadow of Jesus, Jesus saved us by dying for our sins once, not twice. Also the Lord was still going to destroy Israel but Jesus interceded perfectly for us. Now we are saved from our sins because Jesus interceded for us!

Everyone needs someone to intercede for them, we need someone to “fix the gap” between us and God. When we sin we are separated from God and we need someone to intercede for us. Now we have Jesus who interceded for us on the cross. If we trust in Jesus then we will live. If you have not trusted n Jesus as you savior then why don’t you? He interceded for us at the cross, God poured out His wrath on Jesus and now Jesus holds out His hands and the scars show that He loved us enough to die for us. Now we are free! If you trust in Jesus then you will be saved from your sins!

Praise the Lord that we have an intercessor who died for us on the cross! Thank You Jesus for being our savior so that we could live! Jesus took our sins on Him at the cross and He interceded for us! How amazing that we have been saved by our intercessor!

A few thoughts on walking by faith.

Earlier this year, I set out on a journey by faith. Really, that journey goes back much more than just this year, but for the sake of brevity, I am going to start at what has happened this year.
For the past two years, I have been living in Kansas City and have been involved with the International House of Prayer in a volunteer capacity. I know that the Lord has called me to full-time ministry – one must be fairly certain to take a fork in the road that is either medical school or ministry! It has been an arduous journey to walk it out, though. This past spring, through several situations in which “fleece” a la Gideon had been confirmed, I knew it was time to make that transition fully. I left my job and I enrolled in a training program called “Intro to IHOPKC.” Months later, I emerged from the program, ready to hop on IHOPKC staff in a full-time capacity.

Except there’s one more thing: Every member of IHOPKC staff has both the wonderful privilege and faith-building responsibility of raising their own monthly financial support. This helps us keep the prayer room free, the webstream free, our yearly Onething conference – you guessed it – free. It also functions to bring others in to the ministry we are doing, for one plants, another waters, but God brings the life. It is a ministry in itself! Our partners are just as much a part of what we are doing as those people on stage leading the prayer meeting, as those people off-camera running the sound and technology that allows us to broadcast to 200 nations, as those driving shuttles making sure the people who come to hear teachings have a way to get downtown to the Onething conference!

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. In order to walk on water, one must step out of the boat. So step I have, and I shall continue stepping until I have sought out and claimed the provision the Lord has for me.

One step of faith I am talking is in posting this blog entry – I know many of you have been blessed by knowing me or stirred by various thoughts I have shared. I want to ask you to prayerfully consider being a part of my partnership team. If this has stirred you, please look over on the menu bar at the top of the page and follow the “Support a Missionary” link to further instructions about how you, yes, YOU can become a part of my ministry team and help the incense of prayer and the songs of worship arise before the Lord day and night, night and day, until we see Him face to face.

Bless you and thank you

A few thoughts on walking by faith.

Earlier this year, I set out on a journey by faith. Really, that journey goes back much more than just this year, but for the sake of brevity, I am going to start at what has happened this year.
For the past two years, I have been living in Kansas City and have been involved with the International House of Prayer in a volunteer capacity. I know that the Lord has called me to full-time ministry – one must be fairly certain to take a fork in the road that is either medical school or ministry! It has been an arduous journey to walk it out, though. This past spring, through several situations in which “fleece” a la Gideon had been confirmed, I knew it was time to make that transition fully. I left my job and I enrolled in a training program called “Intro to IHOPKC.” Months later, I emerged from the program, ready to hop on IHOPKC staff in a full-time capacity.

Except there’s one more thing: Every member of IHOPKC staff has both the wonderful privilege and faith-building responsibility of raising their own monthly financial support. This helps us keep the prayer room free, the webstream free, our yearly Onething conference – you guessed it – free. It also functions to bring others in to the ministry we are doing, for one plants, another waters, but God brings the life. It is a ministry in itself! Our partners are just as much a part of what we are doing as those people on stage leading the prayer meeting, as those people off-camera running the sound and technology that allows us to broadcast to 200 nations, as those driving shuttles making sure the people who come to hear teachings have a way to get downtown to the Onething conference!

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. In order to walk on water, one must step out of the boat. So step I have, and I shall continue stepping until I have sought out and claimed the provision the Lord has for me.

One step of faith I am talking is in posting this blog entry – I know many of you have been blessed by the chord chart transcriptions I have posted, or by various thoughts I have shared. I want to ask you to prayerfully consider being a part of my partnership team. If this has stirred you, please look over on the sidebar to my pages and follow the “Support a Missionary” link to further instructions about how you, yes, YOU can become a part of my ministry team and help the incense of prayer and the songs of worship arise before the Lord day and night, night and day, until we see Him face to face.

Bless you and thank you

Still very busy this side though. Sorting out lots of things and adjusting to “African life,” but things are really going well and I’m glad to be in the center of what God has for me. He’s working on me daily as I continue to pick up cross and walk it out. Please continue to pray for me with regards to sorting all of my paperwork for my visa, getting my accounts set up so that I can access money this side, and getting transportation. Also pray for my family (the one that I’m living with now and my family back home), my Overflow brothers, my home church Springhouse, and all of those who are ministering locally or abroad. Cover your pastors and missionaries in prayer. No matter where they are. Locally or international. It means so much to me to have had people reach out to me and ask if I have any prayer needs and I know that it means a lot to those who are sacrificing their lives to further the Kingdom. Please be diligent in your prayer life. It will produce much fruit and the results will multiply as we all minister to one another in love and intercede for one another.

Thank you to all who have been faithful in interceding and supporting me throughout these past few weeks, these past few months, the past few years. Its producing fruit and I hope that the seeds fall on good soil.

Much love. Go well, be well

Jesse

The news has reported a gunman shot and killed 6 people at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. The shooter was then killed by the police. I don’t know exactly how many were wounded but I heard one girl say this morning on the news “every one of my family was there.” Some days ago in a movie theater a gunman kills and wounds numerous people…What have we come to?

I am not trying to play on your emotions…no attempt to sway you will sensational news articles…I am saying we are living in II Timothy 3 times. Friday night Janet and I took an elderly friend of hers to dinner. She is 94 years old and used to live in Mooresville. We took her back to the assisted living facility and spent a few minutes with her. She spoke to me and said “I am now going to address you as Pastor.” She proceeded to ask me to pray for her concerning the need for God’s intervention in loved ones lives. She said “I think we are coming to the end of the world.” She brought up many Scriptures pertaining to end time events. WE PRAYED. She has seen a lot in her 94 years, but nothing like she is seeing now.

I was reading an article recently about church growth…it was about culture and vision and such things. Below is an excerpt from the article. He was talking about Pastors here in this paragraph.

Some comments I hear from church leaders are, “We spent time and money to re energize the congregation. We took our top staff on a retreat to instill the new vision into them. We hired more staff, and we reformatted our worship experience. We started new programs. We redesigned our stage set. We created a killer website, reconfigured our offices, redecorated to create a fresh ambiance, and designed a new logo for the church. We even wrote a song about how great we are! But none of this has made a bit of difference. We haven’t gone backward, and I’m glad of that, but I thought we’d be way ahead of where we are today. What am I missing?” (Bold is my emphasis)

I think I know what we are missing… HIM! We need HIM! We don’t need gimmicks! We don’t need to manipulate or show how spiritual we are to others. WHAT WE NEED IS TO BRING A SIN SICK SOUL IN CONTACT WITH HIM! We must intercede for souls and situations that must have GOD’S intervention in them or them will end in disaster for eternity.

INTERCESSION is just you and God, nothing else. No gimmicks, no brownie points, no manipulation, not even sympathy…just you touching God and bringing the sin sick person or situation in contact with the One who can do something about it. We are not looking for a band aid…we are looking for radical surgery which only the Great Physician can perform. He is the only one who can take away sin. We must touch God.

The side benefit of praying like this…praying for Redemption…it keeps you and me on the straight and narrow.

Pastor Duke

“And fear a Day (of Judgement) when a person shall not avail another, nor will intercession be accepted from him, nor will compensation be taken from him, nor will they be helped.”

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:48)

Interpretation of the meaning (Tafsir Ibn Kathir):

Neither Intercession, Ransom, or Assistance will be accepted on behalf of the Disbelievers:

After Allah reminded the Children of Israel of the favors that He has granted them, He warned them about the duration of the torment which He will punish them with on the Day of Resurrection. He said,

“And fear a Day” – meaning, the Day of Resurrection,

“When a person shall not avail another” – meaning, on that Day, no person shall be of any help to another.

“nor will intercession be accepted from him” – meaning, from the disbelievers.

“nor will compensation be taken from him” – means, that Allah does not accept the disbelievers to ransom themselves.

Allah stated that if the people do not believe in His Messenger and follow what He sent him with, then when they meet Him on the Day of Resurrection, after remaining on the path of disbelief, their family lineage and/or the intercession of their masters will not help them at all. It will not be accepted of them, even if they paid the earth’s fill of gold as ransom.

“nor will they be helped.” – means, no person shall get angry – or anxious – on their behalf and offer them any help, or try to save them from Allah’s punishment. As stated earlier on that Day, neither the relative, nor persons of authority will feel pity for the disbelievers, nor will any ransom be accepted for them. Consequently, they will receive no help from others and they will be helpless themsleves.

On that Day, they shall neither be helped by any helper, nor shall anyone intercede on their behalf. No repeal or ransom will be accepted for them, all courtesy towards them will have ceased, along with any helpful intercession. No type of help or cooperation will be available for them on that Day. The judgment will, on that Day, be up to the Most Great, the Most Just, against whom no intercessor or helper can ever assist. He will then award the evil deed its kind and will multiply the good deeds.

In many similar Ayahs Allah says:

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden” (35:18)

“Every man that Day will have enough to make him careless of others.” (80:37)

“O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord (by keeping your duty to Him and avoiding all evil), and fear a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father” (31: 33).  This indeed should serve as a great warning that both the father and the son will not be of help to each other on that Day.

“So no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them” (74:48)

And described the people of the Fire saying, “Now we have no intercessors. Nor a close friend (to help us)” (26:100-101)

“Verily, those who disbelieved, and died while they were disbelievers, the (whole) earth full of gold will not be accepted from anyone of them even if they offered it as a ransom” (3:91)

“Verily, those who disbelieve, if they had all that is in the earth, and as much again therewith to ransom themselves from the torment on the Day of Resurrection, it would never be accepted of them, and theirs would be a painful torment” (5:36)

“And even if he offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from him” (6:70)

“So this Day no ransom shall be taken from you (hypocrites), nor of those who disbelieved. Your abode is the Fire. That is your Mawla (friend ـ proper place)” (57:15).

“Before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession” (2:254)

“On which there will be neither mutual bargaining nor befriending” (19:31).

“While He (Allah) grants refuge (or protection), but none grants refuge from Him” (23:88)

“What is the matter with you Why do you not help one another (as you used to do in the world)” Nay, but that Day they shall surrender” (37:25-26)

“Then why did those whom they had taken for alihah (gods) besides Allah, as a way of approach (to Allah) not help them Nay, but they vanished completely from them” (46:28).

Sunday night we asked the congregation to write down the names of those they are praying for.  There are 257 plus names on the cards.  I have been praying and today I am going to go before the Lord for these souls.  Eternity is in the balance for these.  The names…well… they are important to you or you would not have written their names down.  Now we must intercede for them…lifting them before the Lord.  Eternity is in the balance.  Our ultimate goal is to see them in heaven.  Eternity is in the balance.

Just a thought:  Pro 16:12  Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds; sound leadership has a moral foundation.  (The Message)

Remember the story I told about a college Professor?  “It’s not your soap!”  When he was in college he went to take a shower but forget his soap.  There was a small sliver of soap left there by someone.  He decided to use it..but the Holy Spirit whispered  “it’s not your soap.”  A moral foundation was established for service to the Lord.

Integrity …truthfulness… begins in the small things of life.  Character is not built in crisis; it is exposed.  We must have a moral foundation…it is not any more important now than it was when Proverbs was penned.  But, we are living in the end of times rather than the beginning of things and the foundation of our character has to be moral.  I believe when the Bible says there will be an outpouring…we will go out to witness and many will come in…or that the fields are white to harvest..we are actually going to see an end time ingathering of souls.  The Church must have a solid moral foundation!

This foundation is not someone else…it is us walking as Christ would have us!  We are the foundation.  You and I support everything else.  If the foundation is weak…immoral…if personal gain overtakes characters…are we acting moral?  If power, position, recognition and convenience outrank service and giving are we the opposite of godly character?

A few years ago an Evangelist friend contacted me…he said encourage your people to “get in Church and to support it.” We need to prepare for the harvest…you are the foundation.  A harvest is coming…it really is.  It may very well be they come to the cross in a “crisis” time.  When they come we, with God’s help, will need to be a moral compass to help them.  When crisis come the enemy can bring everything you have done in the past and throw it in your face.  In a crisis everything you have neglected to do will come to the surface.  When the harvest comes these folks are going to need moral compass.  Will you and I rise to the occasion and be the example to point them in the Biblical & moral direction?  Are we doing the right things…for the right reasons?  If yes, we will weather the crisis that is coming and be the moral foundation for the harvest.

In His Service,

Pastor Duke

Helen & Sujeans (South Korea)
- Pray you guys focus not on yourselves but on the lost, this is our hometown, bring victory
- Invest every minute sowing in Jesus when your there. Let traveling, buying souvenirs, be the last thing on your mind.
- Be open and ready to have people feel the love of God in you whether its official ministry time (VBS) or not (chillin at resturant)
I love you guys dearly, and believe that you’re gonna do great things in His name and bring more of His children back home!
Amy Lee (Panama)
- Serve in humilty like the humble King, laying down your rights and life.
- Lead the small group with the Father and shepherd them, get to know them intimately. Wisdom & love to say what is needed to be spoken over them.
Amy, you are one of the few that I know of who are willing to pay the price to do the Fathers will, believe you’re gonna experience Gods love in deeper ways through the lost haha man excited for you!
Tim Kang (Navajo Indians)
- Shine the love. Be patient/gentle yet bold/strong
- Servant additude and princely mindset
Tim you’ve got what they need ( and knowingly or unknowingly long for), be confident in what you’ve been freely given.
Andy Cho (Japan)
- faith in God in areas that he lacks
- don’t worry about what he can’t do, but do what he can
- focus on serving and not being served
Andy don’t think about what you can do but what God can do through you, the possibilities of good works is endless, never let em end after Japan.

 I’m sadden that I cannot go to these unreached people groups. I hope you know that your not only going on His behalf, but mine and the whole Family as well. You represent Him and the Body.
I don’t have $$$ to support, but Imma intercede which I hope you guys treasure more.

***if anyone wants me to pray for them on their S.T.M.s I’d gladly set aside specific time during the day to lift you up : )

Hebrews 4:14-16     New Living Translation (NLT)

I remember the teacher we had in our D.T.S (click the link to find out what that is) mentioned how this is a literal standing between God and the world or person or people. So you, in a sense, are trying to bring God closer to the person/people by standing in the gap and pulling, pushing etc them closer as much as possible. It takes effort to do that. Which is why intercession should never be taken lightly. The synonym to this word is intervene (to occur or be between two things; mediate).

The next time you pray for someone or a group of people, keep in mind that you are doing more than just praying on their behalf. You are bringing them towards God to the best of your abilities. It’s not easy carrying someone on your back or shoulders for long distances, especially when climbing hills! I like to picture it like that so that when God moves on their behalf, I can feel like I crossed a huge milestone!

Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian. –Andrew Murray

I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.—John Wesley

“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.” John Brunyan

Prayer is earthly permission for heavenly interference- Myles Monroe

I love this. I was really moved when I heard it:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Imagine being in battle and the enemy is invading your camp and tearing everything apart! To stand there and do nothing but simply watch (what was part of a huge part of your life, as) it all gets destroyed-valuables taken and very special and important people kidnapped (if fortunate)-is a tragedy too hard to bear. Where was/is your heart? Where was your mind? What were you feeling? Pain? Anger?

The value of prayer
I remember a teacher at a seminar I went to saying that people very often tell you that they will pray for you when you ask them to and end up, 9 times out of 10, not doing it. It’s both funny and sad, but more sad than funny.

Solomon was praying for God’s people, Israel, with regards to protocol (behaviour, procedure, attitude, the right way to do things) in the Temple he built. He asked God, in great detail, to be pleased with their offerings and also when they obeyed (observed and faithfully kept) His commandments, laws, precepts and statutes. Another request he made was for God to pardon and forgive any sin they would commit, both knowingly and unknowingly, should they realize it and decide to repent. This is how God responded:

2 Chronicles 7:14

 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave,  and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Taking prayer (intercession) seriously
One thing I love to say is: If you put so little heart into your prayer, you can’t expect God to put much heart into answering it.

I see prayer and intercession as part of giving and receiving. What you give God (as far as your heart is concerned) is what He will give to you (in response to how you approached Him). God will move in your life (give attention to your words, actions and whatever you need Him for at any time and any place) proportionate to the depth of the relationship you have with Him!

Let those words sink in. Personally the best example I can give is Job:

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from and shunned evil [because it was wrong].

His sons used to go and feast in the house of each on his day (birthday) in turn, and they invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

 And when the days of their feasting were over, Job sent for them to purify and hallow them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed or disowned God in their hearts. Thus did Job at all [such] times Job 1:1, 4-5

This was his habit! His habit translated into his character. It became a part of him. It wasn’t custom anymore. Watch what happens as a result of this continual practice:

 Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job [reverently] fear God for nothing?

Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. Job 1:9-10

All he did was pray for his children! Even if they did right in the sight of the Lord, just to make sure that they remained that way, Job prayed for them. Pay very close attention to this as I finish this post: