Today’s blog I guess is really a Vlog, a video blog. Contains an encouragement to linger longer with God through a testimony I share. It was during a difficult time in my life. At this time, the Lord was developing in me a spiritual discipline of spending extended time with Him for healing. My sharing is meant to encourage you to linger with Him and to be open to the Holy Spirit for supernatural comfort, help, and truth that sets you free! And a brief mention is made of tomorrow being Pentecost. Learn what it is and how relevant it is for believers 2k+ years later. Reflect and ask for the promise given on Pentecost. The video ends with me praying for you! Also, below is an interactive prayer session to inspire you to linger longer. Pray through part of Psalm 116 and wait in the presence of God for renewal! Blessings! (Note-Two videos on this post caused a delay in play, so the video exercise has been moved. It will be uploaded as a separate video on 6/9/19. Thank you.)
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Happy Mother's Day! Mothers are given a very special purpose from God! In this blog, you will discover a mother's purpose by how God spells the word "mother". There is a deep meaning behind it. It goes far beyond merely birthing a child or raising children to adulthood. A true "mother" in God's eyes carries a lifetime of influence. A mother as God intends, is a strong force of nature to bind us in love like no other! This Mother's Day I feel God challenging me to reflect on my mother through His eyes. So I've been reviewing and considering some of her ways, some of her emotions, and some of her words. It's been enlightening to reflect on her through God's meaning of a mother. After doing an exercise of remembering and reflecting, I can feel God softening my heart. There is a deeper understanding into her ways. I can see why any family upset strikes her core and keeps her unsettled. God's definition of a mother is making me stop and appreciate her overly expressive kisses and hugs, to see why she still wants to sit on the couch and hold my hand, that even though I am over 50, she still wants me to stop so she can just look at my face. I roll my eyes in a lot of those moments and feel my adult self resisting. There are times when I can feel "too zoned in on" by her deeply intuitive nature that never stops trying to tune to my heart, and make sure I am ok. She worries a lot about my safety; and would be just fine if I only drove on days that were sunny and dry. I have laughed out loud on the countless days she has said, "It's raining out maybe you shouldn't drive today." One thing is certain, about my mother and countless other mothers, "she" is a force of love sent from God holding us together in a way He designed. I see this when my mother questions, "When is the last time you talked to your brother? You should call him." I see it when she says, "Give me another hug before you leave." This makes me think of many times I've heard people say, "Now that my mom is gone, the family does not stay in touch the way we used to. She held us together." That statement of "she held us together" gets to the very heart of God's definition and purpose of a mother. Reflect further by reading through and processing the exercise below.. Note- Even if you have not had a good experience with your mother, others could have represented God's motherly love to you. And if you still have not had that experience, no matter how old you may be, ask God to experience a mother's love. There is a section below to help you. Psalm 27:10- NLT Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. Meditation Exercise: How God defines "mother" Prayer Goal-
Definition- God defines a mother according to purpose. Her purpose is one who "'binds" the family together, holding them together individually and collectively through her love and actions. How can we know this is how God defines a "mother"?- Before there were letters to spell words, there were pictographs. Pictographs were symbols, which when their symbolic meanings were combined, revealed definitions. Eventually each pictograph became the letters used today with the symbolic meanings staying with each letter. We see this in how 2 symbols were combined to define the word "mother". It is a definition of purpose. One symbol was an ox head, the other symbol was of water. An ox head represents strength. And water represents water. So combined these pictographs mean "strong water." In Ancient Hebrew you would read from right to left, and this is how it would be spelled in pictographic symbols- So anytime you saw those pictographs combined, you would know they were referencing a "mother."*. Now how does strong water translate into a "mother'?
In ancient times, the skins of animals were boiled in water which produced a sticky substance, much like glue. So strong water was a binding agent. And it was known in ancient times that a mother was a binding agent of the family. She held the family together with her love, her words, and her work. Her love, her words, and her work brought comfort, discipline, wisdom that "held" the family together. WAYS TO REFLECT (Pick what is RELEVANT to you from 3 different scenarios):
Praise God for His love and divine intervention! Be blessed in the transformative work of God to help you honor your mother, forgive where necessary, and be a mother purposed according to Holy definition! May the strong waters of His love bind you eternally through Christ! * Benner, Jeff. “Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, www.virtualbookworm.com, 2005.
Today is GOOD FRIDAY. Is God is good? How does He define “good”? How do you define “good”? We use the word good in abstract form. “That was a good meal.” “What she said was good.” “I had a good time tonight.” Our statements are opinion based and abstract. What you think is good may not be what another concludes as “good”. God has a very concrete definition behind the word “good”. It is rooted in His character as Creator and divine provider. You will not see that explicitly said if you look up the word “good” in our dictionaries. We can take a deeper look through some fascinating pictures that define the word "good" as God intends. To do so, we have to look deeper into language beginnings, to ancient language and ancient culture that originally used pictographs, also known as hieroglyphics, to write down their stories. When you look at the pictographs that were combined to communicate the word “good”, a mind-blowing definition is revealed! This is what you will meditate upon today. You will see God’s giving heart to supply all that is needed for an abundant life! Know that pictographs eventually evolved into letters. And that the meanings of the pictographs stayed tied to the words they spelled. The example today is “good”. In ancient language of Hebrew, the word “good” is spelled with 3 letters, not 4 as in the English language. If we look at the pictograph that originated behind each letter, we discover the definition of good. Consider these 3 images in your mind’s eye: A basket, made of clay. A tent peg. A tent. Why these three images to spell the word good? Look closely at the purpose of each image.
Now let’s look at the activity behind each object’s purpose. In ancient times, God’s people went out daily with their baskets to fill them up with things they needed. They went back to their homes with all that they needed to satisfy their family. They were secured by bringing in all they needed and surrounded by God’s protection. When filled, secured, and satisfied at home, they functioned as God designed. When filled, secured, satisfied and functioning as designed, this is good. Therefore, God’s meaning of good is: Being surrounded and filled in such a way that you are secured and covered. Your dwelling is secure because you have a supply of all that is necessary for you to function as designed. Is the word “good” as God intends starting to have a very concrete meaning to you? It is not opinion based. It is a state of being that is based upon a supply of all that is needed to function as God designed, which is all based upon His provision and supply. Jesus promises that all of our needs will be satisfied according to His riches. He promises to surround us with His favor. He promises to fill us to overflowing with His Spirit and life. He promises to secure our souls and fill our temporary dwelling with Himself. He promises to give us our daily needs as we seek first His Kingdom. This is good and pleases God. With the Lord as your Good Shepherd, you are to lack no good thing. Meditate: Take time to view your life through the 3 images of the basket, the tent peg, and the tent.
their hands were set free from the basket. Matthew 11:28- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay (basket) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
May you take time now for quiet in the presence of the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for you! Fear and anxieties prevent rest. God knows all about it because He experienced it before going to His death. He worked through it in prayer. Please reference this post from last Thursday to read in detail what He experienced physically and emotionally in that time of prayer in the garden. Knowing Jesus experienced such trauma on your behalf is meant to soften your heart towards Him. He is not a God of words only; but action. His actions prove His love. We respond to His love by getting to know Him and spending time with Him. May you find 9 minutes to process your fear and anxieties with Him. As the Good Shepherd, He alone has the power to still and quiet you. He made a way for you to have access to Him, honor His sacrifice and respond to His invitation. "Come all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest!" (This meditation is silent and is clearly timed for you to know transitions. Pause anywhere if more time is needed. Find a quiet place without interruption. Blessings!)
Read detail below on the medical condition Jesus experienced that caused him to sweat blood. Ponder if you have ever experienced in just a small way Jesus’ extreme distress.
Have you ever broken a sweat in prayer? Probably not, and even more unlikely you ever sweat blood in prayer. But Jesus has, look up Luke 22:44 on Google. The reference from the book of Luke was written by a disciple named Luke who was a doctor. His account of Jesus alone states that Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood, falling to the ground when he prayed about what was about to happen to Him. There are 3 other books (Matthew, Mark, and John) with accounts of Jesus praying before his suffering, with Matthew and Mark also referencing his severe anguish. He himself said that his soul was overwhelmed to the point of death. All accounts describe what a severe panic attack would look like, someone under traumatic internal distress. If you look more closely at what Jesus was experiencing in the garden of Gethsemane, you will see the extreme mental and emotional pressure overwhelming him. To assist with this, I've included some detail from a renowned chief medical examiner and forensic pathologist, Dr. Frederick Zugibe. He detailed what it takes for a human being to sweat blood in his book “The Crucifixion of Jesus”. Here are some summarized excerpts and other thoughts to ponder- • There is a rare medical condition called Hematidrosis which is defined in Stedman’s medical dictionary as excretion of blood or blood pigments in the sweat. • It is associated with a severe anxiety reaction triggered by fear. • One study of 76 cases showed individuals experienced extreme psychogenic factors of acute fear and mental distress as precipitating reasons for hematidrosis. • It is a reaction from the nervous system’s “fight or flight” response. How can we know Jesus wanted to “flee” what was about to happen to him? Consider Jesus’ prayer of, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will but as you will.” • In a threatening situation, the body responds with the “fight or flight” reaction via the sympathetic nervous system. Pupils dilate, heart rate increases, sweat glands activate, blood vessels constrict to raise blood pressure, blood is diverted away from the skin to the brain and muscles for focus and rapid response, blood sugar is released to provide additional energy. • In a threatening situation, it is not just the physical body alerted but also the psychological systems of the body. Specifically, the amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain. When the emotional center is reacting, a person experiences breathlessness, a choking sensation, heart palpitations, muscle tension, chest tightness, trembling, sweating, pallor, and overwhelming feelings of acute panic, as if having a heart attack. • Combine the physical and psychological symptoms and you have what Jesus was experiencing when he says his soul was overwhelmed to the point of death. It explains why he fell to the ground in prayer, falling to his face, emptied of strength. Dr. Zugibe states that Jews normally stood to pray as a sign of honor to God, so it is important to note the Gospels detail Jesus falling to the ground while in prayer. He says it is detail to support the extreme distress Jesus was experiencing. • Dr. Zugibe also explains in detail the tiny blood vessels that surround 2 million sweat glands in the skin. He explains how the blood would have been diverted from the glands during Jesus’ mental and emotional trauma, but how the blood would have rushed back to the delicate capillaries that surround the sweat glands when the angel came and strengthened Jesus, Luke 22:43. Yet Jesus was still in anguish, even after being strengthened, and he prayed more earnestly. It is at this point Luke notes that Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. • Dr. Zugibe summarizes Jesus distress in the garden of Gethsemane by stating the following, “The severe mental anxiety due to a profound fear of his prescient sufferings stimulated the fear center of the brain (amygdala), which sent out a general alarm to all centers of the brain, invoking a full scale fight or flight reaction. This reaction lasted for hours resulting in a total state of exhaustion, only to end abruptly in a severe counter reaction after the angel came and ministered to him, and he accepted his fate. This caused severe dilation and rupture of the blood vessels into the sweat glands, causing hemorrhage into the ducts of the sweat glands, and the subsequent extrusion onto the skin, exactly as St. Luke described it.” • A Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus clearly says He is the Good Shepherd who dies for his sheep, John 10:11. What does his suffering mean to you? • Take time to see in your mind’s eye Jesus’ praying in extreme distress in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let yourself feel some of his panic and sense how He would feel overwhelmed to the point of death. See the tremendous cost the Good Shepherd contemplated as He wrestled with His fate to die for the sheep, for all who would call on His Name. • “If there is any other way”, Jesus vulnerably prays, “please take this cup from me, yet not what I will but what you will Father.” • This reading is a pre-cursor to tomorrow’s meditation that will be posted on Into the Waters’ Facebook page. The focus is on Jesus calming our circumstantial fears and crippling thoughts. Those are the 2nd and 3rd of 4 fears that the Good Shepherd alone can calm. The first one was relational upset, and it was the focus of last Friday’s meditation. Please visit Into the Waters Facebook page and listen to it. And tomorrow’s meditation will be about circumstantial fears and mental attack you imagine threaten your livelihood. Praying you carve out quiet time with the Good Shepherd! Drudgery. Ugh. How to get through it? The repetitive, the boring, the whiny, the weak, the difficult, the demeaning jobs. In these places, we look for ways of escape. I've been there lately, impatient about an assignment and wanting out.
The thing I want out of is a part-time position that not only wearies me; it challenges any and every part of my pride. It has been inexplicably hard at times to do a job that is "way beneath my pay level" so to speak. Me wording it in that way should give you a sense of my pride and resentment of the assignment. At times it has not bothered me; but mostly I didn't think it would last this long. I do a good job and am liked; but too often of late, I am offended and feeling impatient. This week, first thing Tuesday morning, I was sitting at my desk stewing. I knew this was not a way to start the day, so I decided to look at Oswald Chambers My Utmost devotional for that day. I know if I need a "good talking to" so to speak, I can find it with Oswald Chamber's spiritual writings. He speaks directly, cuts me right to the quick. I love it. Sure enough, from the very first sentence of the devotional, I am convicted. But it feels good because I sense God's presence and know He is right there bringing my darkness into His light for spiritual transformation. I keep reading and the words become ever more convicting within. "Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. " - Oswald Chambers Owwwweeeeee. Drudgery. As clear as day, there it is. I am rejecting what I perceive as menial, tiresome, and dirty work! With words so directly applicable to my current state of mind, suddenly the fog clears. It's crystal clear God is lasering in, joining me in my pity party, but only in order to shift my focus. I am to reflect on my spiritual genuineness. Direct hit. I said a quiet prayer asking for His mercy and power to serve genuinely, John 13:4-5,12-17. This type of prayer and reflecting took all but 3 minutes; but it turned my whole day around! And don't ya know that right after I got a call from a very unhappy woman who was short tempered, cold, aggressive, and at the same time sounded very defeated. How would I handle it? By God's grace and freshly filling me with His power through that little 3 minute prayer and reflection, I found myself impervious to her ill nature and easily focused on the defeated part of her that I heard. I couldn't believe it in the moment. But was almost giddy within as I listened and rose above her difficult ways. I encouraged her that her frustration could and would be addressed and not to give up on getting some medical direction for a family member. She spewed some things; but praise God I didn't react. She didn't soften towards me despite my way towards her; but she agreed to let me elevate the situation. About 45 minutes later she called again; but this time she was in tears, sobbing deeply, and extremely apologetic. I could barely understand what she was saying through her tears. Her repentance moved me deeply , so much so that I felt tears well up in me. She was so remorseful! She just kept saying "I'm so sorry I was so mean. It's not right. I know better". Again, I was amazed knowing that God did something in her. He was helping her release pent up emotion, frustration, heart ache, loneliness, fear, etc. I "got it" and was able to stay with her in that moment and speak gently and help calm her down. Turns out she is terrified of what is going on with her family member and in a state of total dismay, feeling trapped, defeated, and very alone. She continued to profusely apologize for how aggressive and mean she was to the medical person who called her back and for how she was towards me. I thanked her and told her she was forgiven. I let her know she wasn't alone. I shared tears with her. I shared some of what I have experienced in helping a senior family member, reminding her again that she wasn't alone. I told her about local resources for social work help, a grief group at my church, and told her I would pray for her. I'm not sure what impact it had beyond her quieted countenance and "thank you"; but I know the impact it had on me. God rose up in me. His love and knowledge of that woman and her need for that morning was "my lowly assignment". He wanted me to be Him to her. And before that could happen, I needed a heart check. Praise God for his intervention in me so that I could be an offering of His grace and comfort to her! This is the necessity of prayer that does a hard stop. It is a prayer that steals away for a moment (the difficult ones); and cries out for divine intervention and wisdom. He is near. He will give wisdom. He says, "Ask and it will be given to you..." But be open to his reply. Because in those moments He will show us some difficult things about our hearts. But if we do not avoid those moments, if we have eyes to see, the door is wide open to divine power and supernatural life and BLESSING! There was a supernatural joy that refreshed my heart and mind after those 2 conversations with a broken and weary woman. I could have stewed in my own emotions, kicked and screamed within, resisted the day and had a really bad attitude. But instead, I chose to let God in, to let him search me, and to seek out His wisdom. His wisdom was served on a silver platter carrying words hard to swallow but covered with grace. I turned. The result was blessing and spiritual transformation in me, a temple of the Holy Spirit. You too, if you know Jesus as Lord, are a temple of the Holy Spirit. And you need the inspiration of God in your drudgery. "The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). " - Oswald Chambers , My Utmost Break away and pray. He sees what is done in secret and will reward you. Give Jesus the thoughts of resentment about the day-to-day drudgery assigned to you. What is your drudgery? Unending piles of laundry, everyday referee of bickering children, an ill tempered spouse, unthankful bosses, smiles that betray, work that is "beneath" you? Let Him enter those moments. It's so transformative if you do! He is right there willing to help with the state of heart and mind if you ask. Accept the hard word He might give about what needs transformation in you to get through the drudgery. Surrender. Go back in with His power humbly serving at the feet of another. Divine transformation and untold blessings await your heart! John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Yesterday, I asked a question on a public forum, "What is a tormenting thought you want God to take away?" I've gotten two answers that are heaven and earth apart. Both answers are from men. This was the first one I got-
Man #1- "Here is one of the damages wrought by religion. A life long dependence upon a placebo parent phantasm. Atheists, they put their grown up pants on every day, and sort out their own issues. Atheism, it requires strength and maturity. It may not be for you." Here is the 2nd answer- Man #2 -" I used to be tormented by the thought of going through life alone. I prayed and asked God to take this away from me. Instead, He sent me my wife. Turns out God knew what was best for me better than I did, and the years I spent single and celibate were setting me up to meet my wife and to love her... Now when I have difficulties in life, I ask God to help me see the purpose behind them. God is not a cosmological vending machine to pop a 25-cent prayer into and get whatever you want out of it. He's a real, living, thinking, feeling being with unlimited power, resources, and knowledge and a real, vested interest in our well-being..." The 2nd half of his answer was giving an example of he and his wife taking their son to get his first shots. He recalls their little boy knowing they were holding him down so a strange man could poke a needle in him. His point is that their little boy did not understand what was happening to him, but as his daddy, he did. And that it is the same with God. He went on to say, "God's knowledge and wisdom far surpasses our own." And then he quoted the apostle Paul and affirmed his trust in God's knowledge. "The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom. So I put my trust in His purpose and plan for me, even and perhaps especially when it causes me pain, because though it hurts me now, I know that this is nothing compared to the joy that is coming (such as meeting my wife)..." Pretty radical in terms of the chasm separating the perspective of each man isn't it? Before I got that first answer, I was meditating and praying through some verses in Psalm 32. And I see the radical difference of each man in those verses. Psalm 32 talks about a man who talks openly with God which it appears man #2 does. He admitted loneliness and trusts in God. It sounds like he knows Jesus pretty well based upon his references of Christ's foolishness referenced in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. So my bet is that he also openly talks to God about big issues referenced like transgression, sin, and iniquity. Big and often intimidating words, but good news for those unafraid of God. The author of Psalm 32 uses those 3 words repeatedly in Psalm 32, the New King James Version. What are the differences? Let's explore them, the blessing that comes through them, and do a prayer exercise at the end. According to biblical concordances, transgression is rooted in rebellion, sin is a crime or offense, and iniquity is a bent or warped nature (perverse, depraved). So to describe it to another, it would be in context to say, that each is born rebellious, so each commits offenses/crimes that are perverse and depraved. How in the world does God bless us as a result of these? Wildly, the psalmist claims there is blessing for those! It's conditional of course. But radical none-the-less! So think of man #1 above. There is blessing awaiting him. Radical blessing! IF man #1 would see God as good, not as a fantasy made up in imagination. Please stop and pray for him to intersect with the love of God, to go in the way of blessing. What kind of blessing? Blessing in biblical Hebrew terms has a literal picture of one kneeling down to offer an undeserved gift that brings joy, that satisfies the receiver. I have blogged about blessing God in this way a couple of times prior. But, in God's highest terms, blessing is His supernatural offering. He reaches down. He bends down and offers undeserved gifts that wholly satisfy in ways no other gift can. Man #2 wanted strength to endure loneliness and celibacy. Yet God knew better and sent him a gift of help in a wife, Genesis 2:18-25. God is always wanting to send undeserved help. But far too often, we are like man #1. Maybe not in the same degree, but like him none-the-less. Maybe we are stubborn like the horse or mule referenced in Psalm 32. Maybe we steel ourselves, and talk to ourselves saying something along the lines of, "Today is another day, man up, be strong, you can do this." Or, "Don't be such a baby. Grow up. God has bigger issues and doesn't care about all your little problems. You screw up anyways, so why should He bother with you?" Or we ignore God's assist. We prefer to ignore the whispers. Assess yourself. What is your self-talk telling you? Is it your voice or God's? If it has any form of condemnation it is not from God. Is it a voice from your past? A disapproving parent? Yourself as a rebellious teenager? Pay attention to your self-talk. Does it push you to rely on self or God? We are not to carry burden alone. That takes us totally off the path of blessing. The most radical blessing God can offer is forgiveness. Each time we talk to God we have opportunity to acknowledge our rebellion, our crimes of offense in thought and deed, and openly share our perverse and imperfect nature to God. All without rebuke, to receive mercy in our time of deep need! Psalm 32 promises that approaching God this way, without deceit, confessing our offenses brings supernatural assist in big ways. Great flood waters that destroy do not come near! There is a perpetual hiding place that preserves from trouble! There is a supernatural surrounding of song, songs of deliverance! He promises to instruct and teach the way to go, to guide you with his loving eye you! As you trust in God and not rebel against His guidance, mercy surrounds you! You are glad and rejoice! This is the blessing of those receiving undeserved forgiveness. You shout for joy, for you know that when God looks upon you, despite yourself, you are upright in heart because of Jesus! Forgiveness is the center of all blessing from God. Forgiveness is lifting up, carrying away, taking the burden, bearing the cost. The only one who is strong enough to take away the twisted nature of the heart is Jesus. Contrary to man #1 who thinks he has to put on his grown up pants on and be strong and mature. Man #2 gets it, the foolishness of God is wiser than any man's wisdom. He has received the undeserved gift and approaches God not as a vending machine, but as a Holy and Sovereign good God who knows better than he does and trusts Him. Who do you have more in common with today, man #1 or man #2? Take some time with God and unburden. Below is a prayer of confession for followers of Christ. It will help you put to memory and pray through the differences of transgression, sin, and iniquity. It expounds on each word as it appears in verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 32 NKJV. Getting the definitions clear inside your heart and mind, will help you be able to talk about human nature to another. It will also help you work with God as you pray and confess, to position to receive the multitude of blessings and healing He promises! Blessings! PRAYER EXERCISE (expound on definition): Read through Psalm 32 first.
Start 2019 positioning your soul in hope! Follow along in this 1 minute prayer inspired by Psalm 62:5-8. The background video comes from my visit to Glen Eyrie retreat center last year. Repeat the video to practice praying the scripture and to hide it in your heart. God is a refuge and fortress to all who call on Him! Note, follow me on Quora or follow the ministry on Facebook to pray through the 21 days of meditation. A Youtube channel is also being set up, link to follow soon.
So I asked God what he wanted me to share about calling on him as a mighty God. And he replied with one word “vanquish”.
That’s such a great word! It means to defeat thoroughly, overcome in battle, subdue completely. He is challenging us to come to Him boldly in prayer for His power to enter and defeat, overcome, subdue! So the question is what needs to be defeated in you? Where do you need victory? What are emotional waves that overwhelm you? Shame, self hatred, depression, anxiety, bitterness, addiction, loss? The thing that stops us from praying bold prayers is typically expressed in fear but it’s rooted in unbelief, and unbelief is the deathknell to bold prayer. In our fear, we say “God, don’t you care? But it’s our unbelief that fuels the question. And when that is true, our prayers are severely limited to the constraints of our belief in who God is. Is he really mighty God? And when unbelief is rooted in us, our prayers are weak. We’re not praying to God as he is, we’re praying through a self-limitation of our own mind. Jesus knows this and will use terrifying moments to bring our unbelief to surface. We have a choice in those moments to turn to Him and have honest conversation, or to stay distant and let doubt win and remain defeated. There’s this account in the Bible, book of Mark chapter 4:35-41, where Jesus allows a fierce storm on the sea of Galilee to bring unbelief to the surface of his disciples. It’s an account meant as teaching moment for us on prayer. In their severe distress, thinking they are going to die, they wake Jesus up (who has been sleeping at the back of the boat during the storm) and say, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” He gets up and rebukes the wind and quiets the waves with a word that immediately vanquishes the storm, “Quiet. Be still!” Then he turns to his disciples and says “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith ?” They are absolutely terrified by Jesus’ display of power over the storm. And they say to one another “Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him?” And that is a question we have to bring to God in prayer. “God, Who are you as MIGHTY GOD?” In prayer, we are to be challenged to reexamine the limits of our belief that doubts God’s power to quiet our storms within and without. So here are questions to ponder in praying to Jesus as MIGHTY GOD. • Do you limit God due to your unbelief in HIM as MIGHTY GOD? • What is terrifying or defeating you right now? • Are you willing to bring him your doubts and fears and ask him for a greater revelation of who he is? (Let your answers inspire the language of your prayer to God.) Now as we end, let’s pray together! This is a short prayer and you only need to repeat what is written and only if it’s truly an expression of your heart to JESUS. OK let’s go to prayer, • “Jesus overcome all unbelief in me.” • “Mighty God let me hear your word that stills the storm.” • “Let me hear you saying to my heart and mind, ‘Quiet. Be still!’” • “Conquer fear in me. Defeat unbelief in me. Overcome in me mighty God!” Be blessed to receive the child that was born, the son that was given! Know Him as WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE! He willingly bore ourburdens and now holds all authority to still the storm in you. Draw near and believe! Do you consider yourself "born again"? If that statement makes you bristle and you deny association in those terms, I can guarantee there is something very wrong and very weak about your prayer life. If conversations about the Holy Spirit make you squirm and you call the Spirit "it" vs "He", there is room for much growth in your prayer life; and in your understanding of who God is.
Jesus was very clear when He said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God, unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again'..." Those words are from the book of John, chapter 3, verses 5-7. When Jesus references being born of water and Spirit, there are a couple of very moving and comforting pictures that can be helpful in lingering with God in prayer, that is if you are open to it, and do not think of Jesus' words as "weird". The first picture is a womb. Jesus references it in the statement "being born of water". Note that a mother's womb is made up of 98% water. But Jesus is not referencing a human womb, He is referencing a spiritual one. The very tender truth contained here is that a womb is how God defines His mercy and compassion. (If you want to check me on that, click on this page which defines mercy as a womb from several spiritual lexicons.) When Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water to see the Kingdom of God, He is essentially telling Nicodemus that he must willing to receive the tender mercies of God. His heart is to be made new, turned from stone to flesh, and made clean by the purifying new life from the Spirit. Once this new birth happens we are to be transformed daily by the love of God who carries, feeds, nurtures, protects, surrounds, delivers, and sanctifies by His mercy. This is to be forgiven, loved and never forsaken by a Heavenly Father who does not abandon us as human parents might, Psalm 27:10. Many aspects of this type of love are the things that a womb is purposed to do when it is carries a baby. How offensive and weird is that message that God carries, nurtures, protects, surrounds, delivers, sanctifies, carries into eternity? It's not offensive or weird. It's life and life eternal for all who would believe. This is the supernatural transformation that results- Ezekiel 36:25-27 KJVS [25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. [26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. … The second picture for being born from above is of the Spirit. Notice the promise of a new spirit in Ezekiel 36:25-27. Remember Jesus says, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." After Jesus references the Spirit, he does something very interesting. He starts speaking in plural to Nicodemus. He tells Nicodemus, "Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony." That's 4 "we's" and 1 "our". Why, does Jesus refer to himself in plural terms? I personally see reference to the indwelling of the person of the Holy Spirit that happens when we are born again. Jesus had just demonstrated that when being baptized by the Spirit in John 1:32-34. The same happens with those who believe. Upon our confession of belief in Christ, Heaven opens, the Spirit of Christ descends and we are now one with Him. Ultimately, our "I" has been changed to "we", one with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. We are now forever saved by the tender mercies of God, carried gently and held and surrounded and fed and nurtured and comforted and delivered into eternal life by the Spirit. Review all those images, consider bringing them into a time of prayer. What situations are happening that you need to connect more deeply to the fact that right now God is surrounding you, protecting you, carrying you, delivering you etc? Think about a few and bring them to the God of tender mercies. Confess willfulness and any rebellion. Turn from independence and flesh based choice. Cling instead to your spirit nature that is one with God. Turn from despairing thoughts and feeling without hope. He has not given up on you. He has never left your side. Picture His light circling you, his forgiveness washing you, hear the songs of deliverance surrounding you. See him carrying you through the difficulties. Admit weakness, ask to be carried. If you are His, these images are scriptural. I could list a thousand scriptures to show you the images, but here are just a few. +++++++ God blesses the righteous, he surrounds them with his favor like a shield, Psalm 5:12. +++++++ You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance, Psalm 32:7. +++++++ Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Nehemiah 9:19 +++++++ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:1-2 +++++++ Deuteronomy 1:29-31- Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” If you are not his child yet, there is a door in your soul that so far has been closed to knowing the truth. That door must be opened so that His light can be shed abroad within you and then you will see, you will be born from above. To know is to see, to see you need light. To know Jesus is to see Jesus, to see Jesus, you need His light to enter your soul. Call on His Name. Ask for His tender mercy to carry you, fill you, protect you, deliver you, feed you, sanctify you, teach you, nurture you. Then wait quietly, whispering his name, Jesus. Heaven will open. He will send His Spirit and you will be born from above. John 3:21- Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 4:6- For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ." John 15:26- "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father- the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father- he will testify about me..." Romans 8:16- The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. |
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1- Sign up to receive blog and email announcements 2- Search on Facebook and join our private Facebook group> Peace Be Still Daily Prayer Download Prayer is Gift!Hi my name is Gina; and I'm the founder of the ministry. My 25 year journey with God has been centered on immersing myself in the safe relationship God offers, learning about the power of surrender, and praying for His life in greater measure! Categories
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