Often when praying with and for people, scripture is central to the language of my prayers. And anytime I hear anyone pray scripture, it strikes my heart! When spoken by a humble heart, they are powerful! I hear God's authority present. God's Words are the way to Spirit filled prayers. God's Word tells us to pray in the Spirit at all times, Ephesians 6:18. Memorizing scripture is a way to pray His Word. It is a form of meditating on it. Praying in the Spirit is a natural outcome!

The group gathering on Saturday 1/25 for the "WORD OF GOD" session will be praying in the Spirit this way! It's a good size group at this point, so hope you can join the next session! Until then, practice memorizing! Consider the following, and then try the exercise below:

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance God’s words, John 14:26.
2. Read the scripture you want to memorize OUTLOUD multiple times and state the scripture section (Jesus answered, “It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4)
   1. Emphasize different words with your voice each time you repeat it. (ex- SHALL NOT, BUT ON... etc)
   2. Act it out to engage more of your senses which will help you remember!
3. Observe the details! It will come to life as visual. Many of us are visual learners. So see the scripture! Envision it in your mind wherever scenes, people, emotion, sounds are implied or directly indicated in the scripture you are memorizing.
4. Speak it in first person. Example- Jesus is saying, “I cannot live on bread alone, but on every word that comes Him.”
5. Write it out several times by hand.
6. Try explaining it to someone else. If you can teach what it means, you’ve memorized it, even if you don’t say it “word for word”.

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Also, scripture with repeating language can be an easy way to start with the 6 steps. Here is Matthew 7:24–27 as an example. It repeats many phrases. Follow step 1-6 above. Hints on observing the details, step #3, are listed below. Give it a try! Let me know if it works for you!

Hello! Have you signed up for our next session yet? It’s approaching! Saturday January 25th at 8am is the date and time! Sign up here! The session is called the “WORD of GOD” and it’s tied to the 2020 WORD “ASCEND” that I shared in the first blog of the year. Read it here.

Over the past several months I have had conversations with 2 different men who both diminished to not just tears, but deep sobbing as I spoke with them. One man was about to put his dog down. He was going alone to do it. He started out stoic in the conversation, until I mentioned God. The other was just betrayed and left by his wife after 25 years of marriage. He started out complaining, until I mentioned God. Neither were believers in God to my knowledge. My conversations with each were different; but a common “WORD” I said to each was, “I will pray that God comforts you, that you know you are not alone.” With those words, emotion broke through. The intensity of their emotion surprised me, but I took it as a holy moment, and prayed for their souls while they released pain. Each were in desperate need of a sustaining WORD from God.

While searching for a picture for this blog I found this one without copyright restrictions. The man who took the photo made this comment about what it means- "...I always keep a wide smile on my mouth, but sometimes I feel that I am lifting mountains of depression on my chest. Wondering why? My keyboard will run out of alphabets if I answered that question! MAY GOD HELP ME!"

That's a big unspoken confession. Mountains of depression! Prayers alone, without the WORD of God, are they enough to sustain us? See below on 4 temptations of Jesus. How did Jesus reply, with prayer or in another way?

Each of us, no matter our circumstances, need a sustaining WORD from God... as regularly as the meals we eat! Jesus was clear that we do not live on bread alone, i.e. on things that sustain our flesh. But we live by every WORD that proceeds from the mouth of God. What is the last sustaining WORD that God has spoken to you? Can and do you quiet yourself to hear it? Do you need to practice sitting quietly with God to receive it? Is the hustle and bustle of life preventing you from taking a good hour to be with God and His WORDS? If so, sign up for January 25th!

The first handful of scriptures in the Gospel of John tell us that the WORD (Jesus) “was” already. In the beginning, Jesus already “was”. Therefore, Jesus is eternal. Jesus is self-existent, just like God the Father. Before the beginning, Jesus was with GOD the Father. And Jesus is God. John tells us that Jesus is the Source and Creator of all things. In Him is life. He alone possesses life. His life is the source of light to all. Therefore, if you do not have his life in you, you do not have light in you. His light overcomes darkness. Darkness cannot lay hold of his light; it cannot overtake his light. Darkness can only be transformed by his light.

Here are the actual scriptures of John 1:1-5:
In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with God and the WORD was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, without Him nothing was made that had been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines through the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it.

John chapter 1 goes on to say that the WORD became flesh and dwelt here on earth among us… If the WORD of God became flesh in Jesus, it is to become flesh in us! You can practice that with the group who is already signed up for January 25th! Sign up!

Why practice? Because you are a target for attack. If you look at the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 ,and drill it down to Satan’s strategy, what do you see? You see that Satan attacked the identity of Jesus, the Son of God. And what did he tempt Jesus to do? This is not an exclusive list, but there are 4 big things that I saw as I meditated upon it this week:

1. Prove yourself.
2. Satisfy your flesh.
3. Harm yourself.
4. Forfeit your soul.

How many of those can you identify as attacks you have faced, are facing? How hard are you working to prove yourself? How are you driven by your flesh at the expense of your soul health? What thoughts or actions are pervasive and causing real harm to yourself or others? How consumed are you with things of the world at the detriment of your soul?

“If you are the Son of God…”

Jesus when tempted by Satan, responded with the WORD of God that was in Him. He told Satan that man does not live on bread alone but on every WORD that proceeds from the mouth of God. He didn’t need bread to feed his flesh. He himself was the WORD that sustains. He himself is the WORD that sustains you.

For a WORD from God, Jesus wants us to consume His WORD. He wants us to hide it in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him. If Jesus had to battle using the WORD of GOD, we do also! Is His WORD in you to quickly refute and overcome lies, temptations, anxiety, fear, hopelessness, anger, judgment, self-obsession, self-hatred, pride? How do you battle and gain victory over the negative thoughts and temptations that entice your flesh desires? Or are you giving in to temptation?

Jesus has a sustaining word of the Spirit for you. A WORD from God sustains! A WORD from God heals. A WORD from God reaches into the deepest places within to restore, renew, and reframe our mind.

What is the last WORD from him that sustained you? That fed you?

The session on January 25th is about taking our eyes off of what can be seen. Because what can be seen is temporal. Instead we will focus our eyes on what is unseen, because what is unseen is eternal. We are to focus on the invisible. Looking up, reaching up, climbing up, ascending to the realm of God’s WORD. His supernatural WORD descending in us to raise us up in the power of the Spirit. Sign up for January 25th! Tell a friend!

If you ____________, then you will be prosperous and successful...

What did you fill in the blank with?  January 25th at 8am EST is our next prayer and meditation session.  We will be meditating on the WORD of God with some reflection in our heart and mind on what God is saying to us through His Word.  Jesus as the WORD of God encompasses all of God’s promises!  He tells us to keep his words on our lips, to meditate upon them day and night, Joshua 1:8.  The outcome is that we shall be prosperous and successful!  There is the fill in the blank answer!

He tells us we do not live on bread alone; but on every word that proceeds from His mouth, Matthew 4:4.  Christ himself modeled responding with the Word of God when tempted and attacked by evil, Matthew 4: 4,7, 10).  Is His Word readily on your lips, hidden in our heart so that we do not sin against him?  Are we looking up with eyes that see the unseen, or focusing more on what we can see?  Are we low and surrendered or striving and exhausted?  Do you want to start 2020 with practicing hiding his Word within, looking up, and positioning low?   He will lift you up! 
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If yes, join the WORD of God event on January 25th at 8am EST!  He will lead your soul to prosper!  He will grant you success as you invest in His WORD!  Click the button below to register for the session!    

So 2020 has begun!  A new year, a new decade!  There is something about a new year that does stir one to dream and feel motivated for change!  We long for God to do a new thing!  Has He quickened your spirit in that way?  If so, I have some resources for you today that are meant to be easy to incorporate, yet produce meaningful change with renewal and rest.  

I started out New Years in a day with the LORD.  I haven't had an organized journal of scripture notes for years!  Horrified to say so because I have gotten so used to electronic devices!  But I miss paper and writing and the slowed pace of it for deeper reflection and critical thinking.  So went out the day before and purchased 4 soft cover journals to start fresh!  It felt so good!      

 In my time with God, I did what a lot of people are doing this year, thinking about and asking for a WORD to be a theme.  I felt God impress the word "ascend" on my mind and heart.  Believe it is not just for myself; but a message to all of those who would accept the challenge to "go up and meet with God".  So if you are one who is longing to start the year with a renewed mind under the merciful covering of God, I have created a simple 10 day prayer guide that includes 2 days (day 4 and day 10) of beginning fasting exercises.  The prayer exercises last 5 minutes or less; and the fasting exercises offer a lot of flexibility with suggestions.  This 10 day challenge is excellent for helping you develop some new prayer language through scripture inspiration.  All of the days focus on some meaning of the word "ASCEND" which is also laid out in the 2 page guide.  This guide can be done alone; and it is an excellent precursor to the January meditation session scheduled for January 25th at 8am EST.  Praying you participate in both!

If you are already signed up to receive our emails, you received the prayer guide that way.  But if you are not signed up to receive our emails, just sign up here and I will send you the guide for FREE!   

Here are some other scriptures the LORD put on my heart for those of us who would commit to time with Him:

DOUBLE!--- The context of this scripture promise is to those who are in a "waterless" pit.  This means that there is a very distressing circumstance or situation that is draining, holding you captive, and possibly due to keeping God at a distance.  Here is what God says to you- "Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you." -Zechariah 9:12.  

• I LOVE that!  Prisoners of hope!  I love that God calls us to return to His stronghold!  Scripture describes it as a strong city built by God who makes salvation its walls and ramparts.  If you've ever seen ancient fortified cities, they are surrounded by thick, high walls.  A city built by God is the only stronghold where you are protected and promised a multiplication of God's goodness!  Let's go after God!  Let's meet with Him!  Let's return to His protective covering!  

EYES OF FAITH TO SEE THE UNSEEN! -- So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone; but the things we cannot see will last forever.  - 2 Corinthians 4:8.  

• God wants us to look up!  Ascend!  By developing a spiritual discipline to spend time with Him, quiet ourselves, wait in His presence, enjoy time with Him, He will help us fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  He will hold us captive as prisoners of hope!

Here is a list of sentences I wrote that define the action of ascend in various verb tenses in Hebrew.

She ascends.  
She ascended.
She retreated.
She grew.
She rose above.
She excelled.
She shot forth.
She sprung up.
She followed.
She sacrificed.
She recovered.
She restored.
She trained.
She took herself away.
She exalted God.
She roused God.
She was caused to go up.
She was exalted by God.

How cool is that?!  So much packed into that one little word!  The definition is in the 10 day handout.  Maybe you will be inspired to write you own list!  Make sure to sign up for our ministry email to get the handout!  And don't forget to sign up for January 25th using the button above!  Tell a friend!

Psalm 63:1- O God, you are my God; early will I see you; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and weary land where there is not water.

Psalm 24:3-6
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.