Ephesians: A Prayer and Declaration

     Understanding that our ability to pray in faith and boldness is dependent upon our experiential knowledge of what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus, I read through the book of Ephesians and wrote out its summary in a prayer of thanksgiving for all He has done for us. But when I got to chapter 6 where we are commanded to take up the armor of God, thanksgiving transformed to a declaration of our stance and ended in a supplication for transformation. 

     As you read, please consider placing yourself and/or your congregations, or friends in the lines of this post for this is a crucial time for the body of Christ.

May the Lord our God bring deeper revelation of His goodness and the fullness of His Kingdom.

Sincerely,

Renee

Ephesians Chapter One

Thank you, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; for You chose us in Him and predestined us to adoption as sons & daughters by Jesus Christ.

According to the good pleasure of Your will, You have made us accepted in Your Beloved Christ Jesus, having redeemed us through His blood and the riches of Your grace which You make to abound toward us in all wisdom.

We have trusted in Him when we heard the gospel of our salvation and in Your graciousness, you have sealed us with the Holy Spirit of Promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance.

Therefore Father, give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of YOU (Father, Son & Holy Spirit). Give us understanding of the hope of YOUR calling and the exceeding greatness of YOUR power toward us who believe.

Ephesians Chapter Two

Thank you, GOD, for you made us alive in Christ Jesus even when we were dead in our trespasses and sin and YOU have made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For by Grace YOU saved us through the gift of faith that we might become YOUR workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which You have prepared for us to walk in by faith.

Thank you, God and Father for Christ Jesus who is our peace, having removed the wall of separation that keeps us from You, for through Him we all have access by one Spirit to you Father. And now, in Jesus, YOU are fitting us together in love to become a dwelling place for YOU in the Spirit. Therefore, come close that we may look into your face and be transformed – that we might love each other as You love.

Ephesians Chapter Three

Therefore, Father, help us understand the unsearchable riches of Christ and see the fellowship of the mystery that has been hidden in YOU and revealed through Jesus Christ, that the CHURCH might make it known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

Grant us, according to the riches of YOUR glory, to be strengthened with might through YOUR Spirit, that we would be grounded in Love and that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God and that we, the church would bring glory to You by Christ Jesus.

Ephesians Chapter Four

Thank you, Father, that through the power of Your grace and presence of Your Holy Spirit, we by faith, can walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called; that we can walk in humility, gentleness, patience and kindness toward one another; always endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Thank you, Father, for the gifts to the Body of Christ, that we might be equipped for the good works of ministry; for the strengthening and building up of the Body of Christ, for the maturing of the saints and for defeating the works of darkness, trickery and deceitful platting that stand against the Lordship of Jesus Christ, His Kingdom, the increase of His government and His Bride.

Thank you for Your great mercy, for through the blood of Jesus we have been set free from the deceitful lusts of the flesh so that we may be renewed in the spirit of our mind and putting on the new man which was created according to God, holy and righteous, we put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and lying, knowing you have empowered us to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.

Ephesians Chapter Five

Because of all that You have done for us, we desire to be imitators of You, Father, for You have made us You dear children. Give us faith to receive the empowerment of Your grace to walk in Love as Jesus did, that we might offer our lives as a sweet-smelling aroma to You and a testimony of Your goodness to the world.

Give us revelation and wisdom to understand Holiness that we might stand on the solid ground of experiencing the redeeming power of Christ’s grace and freedom from sin that allows us to walk in the light as children of light, producing in our lives the fruit of the Spirit.

You have called us to redeem the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, we will seek to understand the will of the Lord; we will seek Your presence that we might continually be being filled to over flowing with Your Spirit; we will continue to give thanks to You, God our Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus; and we will humble ourselves and submit to one another in the fear of God, learning to honor one another as You have honored us by giving us Your Name and empowering us by giving us permission to act in the Name of Your Son, and our Lord, Jesus the Christ.

Ephesians Chapter Six – The Declaration

Therefore, we, your people, declare, that our strength is our Lord’s strength and we stand in the power of His might!

We have put on the whole armor of God, for we are clothed in Christ Jesus, therefore we are able to stand against the deceitful schemes of the devil.

Knowing that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, we cover the body of Christ in prayer and the unbeliever in the love of God. We take up our spiritual weapons of warfare against the rulers of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Our waist is girded with truth-the reality of the spiritual condition of this universe and Jesus is the Truth, the one who manifested the true nature of our Father in Heaven. It is He that opened our eyes to the true enemy of our soul, the devil and his army.

Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, we stand in boldness before our King. We no longer fear his condemnation for we have been made righteous by faith in Jesus and the power of His grace that He has abundantly poured out upon us.

Our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, Jesus is our Peace and He has given us authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy whose only desire is to steal, kill and destroy those who are made in the image of God.

We take up the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, understanding that the LORD is our rock and our fortress and our deliverer; our God, our strength, in whom we will trust; Our shield and the power of our salvation, our stronghold. [Ps 18:2}

We now march forward, wearing the helmet of our Savior, having been sealed by the Holy Spirit, the insignia of our Lord and King, we take up the sword of the Spirit which is the spoken word of God, that we might execute the written judgements against the enemy of our souls who plot our destruction and rebel against their Creator. [Ps 149]

Lastly, we wield this sword of the Spirit by seeking Your face in supplication and studying the scriptures, listening for Your voice to direct our prayers according to Your spoken word in our hearts; declaring Your will in boldness knowing that what ever we ask in faith, believing, you will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

The Request...

Therefore, we humbly ask you, Holy Spirit, to teach us how to pray in this season. We lay down our prayer habits, preferences and rituals and we acknowledge that the battle has changed, and we, your people, are in disarray upon the battle field. Though many have followed closely behind you, still many more have been lost in the fog of war, or captured by lies and shipwrecked, or grown weary and hopeless. Arise, in us, and set us on solid ground, that we might move in the fullness of unity in the bond of peace. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Establish your people as a people of prayer who listen for Your direction and proclaim it in faith with power and authority to release Your will upon the earth.

TITLE: PRAYING THROUGH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – PREAMBLE PART 4

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America sets forth the purpose for which the constitution was written and established. This is where we will begin praying through this document.

The Constitution of the United States of America Preamble:

                We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America 

Provide for the common defense, Promote the general Welfare, and Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity

Scriptures: Gen 1-3; John 1:1-5; Rom 1: 28-32; Gal 5:13; James 1:8, 4:8; Isaiah 59; Proverbs 29:25; Matthew 24:10, 12; Acts 1:4; Matt 28:18-20; 2 Tim 2:15; Isa 61:1-4

Prayer:

Heavenly Father and my Lord Jesus, I declare your Name over this nation. Creator and Savior of the world, You and You alone are GOD for You are the god who created the Heavens and the Earth, the seas and the dry land; You Created every beast of the field, every bird in the air and every creature that swims in the seas; You created MANKIND and in Your image your created him – male and female, you created them. You have established nations and You have caused them to fall. You are God and there is no other.

Having secured the Blessings of Liberty, we have used our liberty as an opportunity for our flesh and in so doing we have bowed our knees to false gods and human opinions that have been raised up against the knowledge God. In our arrogant pride We the People of the United States have not retained the knowledge of God and have become a people of a debased mind. Now we have become a double-minded people, unstable in all our ways. We have been caught in a spider’s web and we have no hope in ourselves, any longer. How can this nation’s government provide for the common defense when we do not know who are the true enemies of this nation? How can this government promote the general Welfare of We the People, if we do not know who We are and what promoting the general Welfare means?

We the People of the United States of America have lost our way and have followed a path that has brought us back into slavery. We have been ensnared in our own opinions and captured by the foolishness of our own judgements. Through the fear of man, we have been ensnared by political correctness and because of the lawlessness of our hearts, our love has grown cold making us easily offended and inclined to betray one another.

This is the state we are in, but You, God and Father of us all and You, Jesus our Lord and Savior; have not left us to our own devises, nor have you left us as orphans for You have poured out Your Holy Spirit of Promise upon Your people and you have commissioned us to disciple nations. Therefore, forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Give us grace and wisdom to obey You; gift us with faith to believe You and with understanding to rightly divide the word of truth. Establish Liberty with Love and self-control in our hearts and minds so that we may walk unashamed before you as we continue to pray for our nation and disciple its people. Shake us if we need shaking, but establish your kingdom in our hearts.

Again, I declare your Name over this nation. Creator and Savior of the world, You and You alone are GOD for You are the god who created the Heavens and the Earth, the seas and the dry land; You Created every beast of the field, every bird in the air and every creature that swims in the seas; You created MANKIND and in Your image your created him – male and female, your created them. You have established nations and You have caused them to fall. You are God and there is no other.

Therefore, Hear the word of the Lord the God of all Creation, “Bow down all you, His Saints, and acknowledge the Holy One of Israel, Jesus our Lord and Savior. Bow down all you citizens of the United States of America and acknowledge the righteousness and justice of your Creator.”

The Lord say, “No longer shall the twisting of truth prevail in this land. No longer will you have authority to twist what is right into that which is wrong, nor shall you have the power to establish what is wrong as if it were right, for I the Lord God who created heaven and earth have declared the end of the reign of leviathan over this nation. In a wave of my fury I shall snap its neck and in the outpouring of My Grace I shall establish Truth. It is not for you, O man, to say who is God, for you have no power to create that who has been for all eternity. In the wink of My eye you acknowledge Me and in the release of My lovingkindness you come to Me. Only in Me will you find satisfaction and only in Me will you find peace. I will establish justice and I shall build upon the foundation of My kingdom. I Am raising up a generation of believers who will rebuild the old ruins and they shall raise up the former desolation and they shall repair the ruined cities. I AM GOD and there is no other.”

PRAYING THROUGH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – PREAMBLE PART 3

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America sets forth the purpose for which the constitution was written and established. This is where we will begin praying through this document.

The Constitution of the United States of America Preamble:

                We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

To Insure Domestic Tranquility:

Scriptures References: Proverbs 10:12; 13:10; 17:19; 15:18; 29:22; 16:28; 26:20-21; 28:25; Galatians 5:19-26; Isaiah 58:1-4; James 3:13-18; Hebrews 12:11

Heavenly Father, as I ponder this preamble of the United States, considering your scriptures, I find that domestic tranquility cannot be insured by a government for no law can change the heart of man and wherever hatred, pride, envy, selfish ambition is found in the heart of man, strife and contentions will begin to overflow as voices twist the truth, whisper accusations and overturn justice. Our only hope is You and the power of the blood of Your Son, Jesus, to bring healing to our hearts.

Father, forgive us for our pride and arrogance that has justified our anger and our stubborn self-righteousness. Forgive us for taking the bait of Satan by picking up and hanging on to offense, joining in on useless arguments over things that have no eternal value and are purely bound up in the arrogant opinions of mankind and fueled by selfish ambition and jealousies.  Cleanse us from offense as we renounce agreement with the spirit of leviathan who twists the truth, who whispers accusations, who stirs of fear and anger until we begin to bite and devour one another.

Father, this nation was birthed on the supposition that by Your grace and the redeeming power of the work of the cross, mankind could govern himself by yielding to your indwelling Spirit. In the book of James, it states that “the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace.” Have mercy upon this nation and restore peace to the hearts of your people, that we may become makers of peace that plant peace in the hearts of our neighbors so that the fruit of righteousness might once again rule this nation. In the book of Hebrews, we are told that discipline seems painful and is not joyful, but later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness in those who yield to its training. LORD God, Almighty, the ONE who formed us into the likeness of Jesus, have mercy upon us and deliver us from our own folly. Let Your character prevail in us that we might become ambassadors of Christ and those who disciple of nations. Give wisdom from Your throne and courage to walk humbly before You, but bold to deliver the gospel of Your Kingdom that the increase of Your government and peace would continue in our hearts and in our nation.

LORD GOD ALMIGHTY make us peace makers, for Your names sake, for your glory to be seen in the church.

PRAYING THROUGH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - PREAMBLE PART 2

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America sets for the purpose for which the constitution was written and established. This is where we will begin praying through this document.

The Constitution of the United States of America Preamble:  

     We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

Part 2: "in Order to establish Justice" The second purpose of this constitution was to set in motion the continued establishment of Justice. This preamble implies the continued working towards these ideals, not a specific date of arrival and then maintenance of this Utopian society. We see this happening throughout our nations history as slaves were freed, women were given the right to vote, segregation was outlawed. 

Scriptures References: Deut. 32-3-4; Micah 6:8; Psalm 89:14; Psalm 103:6

PRAYER: Today, Father and God of our Lord Jesus, we proclaim YOUR Name. You are the ROCK and Your works are perfect; for all Your ways are justice. You are the God of TRUTH and You are without injustice; Righteous and upright are You. Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of Your throne and Mercy and Truth go before Your face.

You have shown us what is good and what You require of us: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You our God. And in this, we have fallen far short, having presumed that it was our government’s responsibility to establish justice and mercy in our nation. But we are wrong, for Your scriptures tell us that You, LORD, execute righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed through your people who humble themselves before you and walk with you.

Father, this Constitution of the United States of America was ordained for the establishing of Justice in this Nation, but we, as a nation, have forgotten what justice is and we have allowed people who have forsaken the needy and oppressed the weak and have twisted the words of the righteous for a bribe to become leaders in every mountain of society. Have mercy upon us and our nation and forgive us. Let Your Kingdom come and be established in our hearts and in our minds that we might pray for our nation according to Your perfect will. Give us spiritual discernment to recognize those whose hearts are humble before you, whose desires are to establish justice and unity within our nation; that we might recognize those whom You have called to positions of authority to lead this nation according to the purposes set forth in this document.

Father, set these purposes in the hearts of Your people within this nation and within the hearts of those around the world who have been called to intercede for our nation, that we would mature in character and live according to these principles that our a part of your Kingdom. For as I read this preamble that defines the purpose of this Constitution, I see that You placed upon the hearts of the founders a blue print of government that creates an unobstructed road to the establishment of Your Kingdom within the hearts of Your people, guaranteeing us all the liberty to good, to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before you; to become a sheep nation that influences the world for good and justice and mercy.

Move powerfully upon the hearts and minds of your people, convict us of the pride and arrogance of our own hearts and minds, that we might lay down our opinions and humble ourselves before you. Bring revelation of the work of the cross of Jesus as we yield to the transforming power of Your grace upon our minds, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ, our Lord, that we might begin to see how the passions and gifts and callings of Your people fit together to accomplish the establishment of Your Kingdom upon the earth. Help us to acknowledge injustice without the need to justify our stance. Shine Your light upon the true injustices within our nation, help us see the root problems and give us wisdom and understanding and just solutions that enable mercy to triumph.

Thank You, Father and our Lord Jesus, You are so good. 

PRAYING THROUGH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - PREAMBLE PART 1

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America sets for the purpose for which the constitution was written and established. This is where we will begin praying through this document.

The Constitution of the United States of America Preamble:  

     We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

Part 1: "in Order to form a more perfect Union" The first and foremost purpose of this constitution was to form one sovereign nation from many individual and sovereign states. To accomplish this there are two elements needed - IDENTITY and UNITY. A glimpse of these can be seen in our Pledge of Allegiance: "One Nation under God, Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All" 

Scripture References: Ephesians 3:14-21; 1:15-23; 4:11-16; Romans 12:1 

PRAYER:  Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and God over the Nation of these United States of America, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named and we ask you to grant this Nation, according to the riches of Your glory, strength and might through Your Spirit, that Christ may dwell in the heart of Your people, through faith and that we would be rooted and grounded in love, so that we might comprehend what is to be the manifestation of the height and width and depth of this Union of States so that the Love of Christ would displace carnal knowledge and the wisdom that comes from below and that the fullness of God might be seen upon the landscape of this nation.

Thank you Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ for the Love you have for this Nation for You are the Father of glory and we ask that You would give our Nation the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus. We ask You, Father that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened so that we, as a Nation, would know what is the HOPE of our Calling and what are the Riches of the Glory of our Inheritance as a people and that we might know the exceeding greatness of Your power toward this Nation. Renew the vision you gave the founding Father’s and bring it to maturity in the hearts of Your people that we may stand as One in prayer and intercession for this Nation, United under God, unified by Your Grace 

Father, you have given your people gifts for the edification and maturing of your people so that we would no longer be tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine – Be merciful to us Father and give us grace to humble ourselves and allow You to bring discipline and instruction to us that we might become a catalyst of unity. Lord God, we have fallen far short of Your Glory, have mercy upon us and for Your Name’s sake, give us grace to mature; to become the people who can speak the truth in love and bring to bear the gifts and wisdom from heaven in the reformation of your Church and the restoration of this Nation to the end that we as a Nation fulfill the call to glorify your name and we, as people of God, be effective in the edification of the Body of Christ. Open our eyes to your scriptures and our hearts to the instruction of Your Spirit that we may rightly divide the Word of God in prayer for our Nation and in faith inspired action. Without Faith it is impossible to please you and Faith without works is dead, therefore by Your grace and mercy we present our bodies, our lives as living sacrifices to You that we might become a force of redemption and deliverance, a voice of wisdom and justice and a people of Love in action that will strive for unity in the body of Christ and in our Nation to insure liberty and justice for all.

Quiet Yourselves Before the Lord and Pray

I believed that the US was at a crossroads and the election was going to determine which way we turned and which way we turned would determine the path and the strategies the Lord would release to the Church to accomplish His ends. By His Grace, He heard the cry of His people to save our nation and He determined the direction and strategies of this next season. I believe that whatever the outcome of the election, the Lord had a strategy-but He is much better at determining which battles will accomplish His desires in both world events and in the hearts of His people than we.

Today President-Elect Trump and his wife will be meeting with President Obama and his wife to begin the process of handing over the reins of Office.

            Pray for Peace and Wisdom to manifest in this meeting today. Humble yourselves and crucify the flesh, release your fears and your opinions and pray in the Holy Spirit. For our weapons are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. Refocus your hearts and minds on the Lord and listen from your heart so that we might apprehend the wisdom from above that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

            We, the Church, have entered into a rare moment in history. Quiet yourself and put aside the noise that bombards us from every conceivable direction and rest in the Lord.

            I see a scene in my mind and it reminds me of the scriptures that describe the Children of Israel after they had crossed the Jordan over into the Promised Land. Before they were allowed to enter into the first battle with Jericho, the Lord required that they rest and undergo circumcision. The church, I believe is in this place and we need to allow the Lord to have His way. We are battle weary and our hearts have grown hard along the way. We didn’t mean for this to happen, but it has happened. Please quiet yourselves, and allow the Lord to till the soil of your hearts, allow Him to break up the fallow ground of unbelief, fear, anger and unforgiveness. Assess your weaponry and humbly obey the order from above to throw away the weapons that you may have picked up from the enemy’s encampment. These weapons are carnal – they accuse and declare judgments; they stir up violence and fear and rage and send people into despair and grief. We must throw these weapons far from ourselves and allow the Peace of God to rule our hearts so that we might become instruments of healing in our nation. 

DEFEATING THE WEB OF LIES

                During the last several years, our nation, our world, and our communities have suffered under an increasing fire storm of terror threats, terror acts, political cover ups, racial unrest, financial crisis, slanders, accusations, and character assassinations. Even in our small communities our news media, social media and our mouths are full of these things as we repeat what we hear and read. FEAR seems to be ruling everywhere and everything and those who have risen above the fear are still surrounded by those who are caught up in it, so that the wisdom and peace that could be had is rendered almost useless because the fearful are unable to comprehend it.

While in prayer, I perceived that the Lord was saying to me, 

          “I want you to declare My Goodness into the heart of My people so that they would have eyes to see and hearts to believe that My Goodness and Lovingkindness is powerful – a mighty weapon against the schemes of the devil, a silencer of falsehoods and a destroyer of violence. My perfect love casts out all fear.  Fear is a breeding ground for lies to grow; reproducing like flies on a dung heap – lies are birthed and launched into the atmosphere through the hearts of the fearful as they give voice to the lies.”

When I heard the word flies, I was reminded of the title Beelzebub – Lord of the Flies

As I continued to seek the Lord regarding his instruction, a picture began to develop in my spirit.

The Carcass, the Flies and the Works of the Flesh

          The dung heap had transformed into a carcass of rotting flesh and I knew in my spirit that the Lord was beginning to show me the correlation between a dung heap and the FLESH that works under the sway of the prince of the power of the air. The carcass was labeled FEAR and out of the carcass flies were reproducing and flying – swarming through the air. Again I understood that the flies represented the lies, falsehood, and arguments that were being raised up against the knowledge of the God of all peace [who will] crush Satan under your feet shortly,” Rom 16:20. The carcass was the FLESH that was empowered by FEAR to launch the FLIES of BEELZEBUB, the Lord of the Flies and Father of Lies.

          Now the works of the FLESH that are being empowered by this demonic activity are found in Gal 5:19-21 The works of the flesh: … idolatry (stubbornness)**, sorcery (witchcraft), hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders. Earlier in that same chapter (Gal 5:15-16), Paul warns the Galatians, “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”

          So then, through FEAR, the enemy of our soul is exposing our weakness, that we have not allowed the Spirit of God, who has been given to us, to perfect us in love (2 Tim 1:7  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”) Therefore we have succumbed to torment and have tried to defend ourselves in our own strength moving us from walking in the spirit to striving in the FLESH against people, rather than standing in the Spirit of Love and adoption, power and soundness of mind.

Leviathan, Children of Pride and the Tongue

          Next I saw a huge crocodile like creature labeled Leviathan. Leviathan is described in Job 41 in detail. But these are the scriptures that came to mind as I looked upon the image in my head.

Job 41:14 Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around?
     Gal 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another...

Job 41:19,21 Out of his mouth go burning lights: Sparks of fire shoot out... His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.
     James 3:5-6 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Job 41:24 His heart is as hard as stone...
     Heb 3:15 & 11 ...Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest.
     Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

Job 41:33 On earth there is nothing like him which is made without fear.
     Rom 3:10, 11, 18 There is none righteous, no not one...there is none who seeks after God. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Job 41:34 He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.
     1 Tim 6:3-5 If anyone...does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

          This Leviathan represents another demonic entity that is empowering the FLESH and the lies by setting the lies on fire, backing the proud into corners and keeping them from humbling themselves before God, hardening their hearts and lifting the opinions of man above the knowledge of God. Baiting all to enter into the fray through disputes and arguments over words; where there is no rest, no peace, no solution; just strife, envy, evil suspicions and useless wranglings. Does this not describe our situation?

The Spider’s Webs

          The next image I saw was of spiders’ webs. As the flies swarmed, they were caught in the web and eaten by the spiders. The spiders were then empowered to expand their webs of lies, vain imaginings and arguments of falsehood. As the webs expanded, the minds of the people were trapped by the webs and minds were captured by chaos and confusion created by the webs of lies. 

Job 8:13-15 … the paths of all who forget God;

And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,

Whose confidence shall be cut off,

And whose trust is a spider’s web.

He leans on his house, but it does not stand.

He holds it fast, but it does not endure.

Is 59: 3 …Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.

         4 …No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth, they trust in empty words and speak lies

         5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web

       13 In transgressing and lying against the LORD, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

       14 Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter.

       15 So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

                 

          This chaos and confusion can be seen in the opposing cries for justice seen in our social media. i.e. A call for all to pray for France and the dismissal of a coach for praying after a football game; A cry against child hunger and abuse, while supporting an organization that makes money off the murder of babies still in the womb; A cry against human trafficking while excusing the sale of infant body parts; The belief that disagreement is an act of hate. The world seems to have gone crazy, we find ourselves at odds with our own family and members of our communities because a lie has been believed and there is no room to reason things out, because the lie, is woven into a web of many lies each strengthening the other and we are left with a sense of hopelessness and amazement at how quickly justice is turned back, truth has fallen and equity has no place to enter.

The Devour-er of Souls

          As I looked upon these images, each image having been added to the scene before me, the last image appeared above all the others. This was an image of a monstrous octopus, each of the eight arms empowering the above images, pulling strings, increasing the noise of the web of lies and encouraging pride and stirring up strife. There I also saw the political spirit that brought more fear and beckoned people to take sides, draw their swords and prepare to defend their opinions that were fashioned under the web of lies that had become like veils over their heads.  The word witchcraft came to mind, another work of the flesh listed in Gal 5 and 1 Sam 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. “

Ezekiel 14: 18-23 “and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD; “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls!...killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies? …I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds…Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. … Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Remember the Goodness of our God

Remember the words that God spoke in the beginning…

“I want you to declare My Goodness into the heart of My people so that they would have eyes to see and hearts to believe that My Goodness and Lovingkindness is powerful – a mighty weapon against the schemes of the devil, a silencer of falsehoods and a destroyer of violence. My perfect love casts out all fear.

Col 3:3 “… your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Col 3:12-16 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another…even as Christ forgave you…But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Know Your Position In Christ

Eph 1:15-23 “ ….my prayers…that you may know…(19)…what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His might power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Eph 2:1-6  “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air … But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…made us alive together with Christ … And raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

          How then do we take a stand against such a great multitude of foes? This is the only important question and before the Lord began to show me these things, he gave us the answer

          “I want you to declare My Goodness into the heart of My people so that they would have eyes to see and hearts to believe that My Goodness and Lovingkindness is powerful – a mighty weapon against the schemes of the devil, a silencer of falsehoods and a destroyer of violence. My perfect love casts out all fear".

1.       Overcome unbelief in our own hearts. (Mark 9:24 Lord, I believe, help my unbelief; Heb 3&4; Rom 10:17)

2.       Declare, preach, teach and demonstrate the LORDS Goodness and His lovingkindness. 

3.       Remind one another that we sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and it is from this heavenly realm that we proclaim the character of our God and release the truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

4.       What must be released upon the earth and into the heart of every believer?

a.       The Spirit of Adoption (Rom 8:15, 23; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5) That we might receive the adoption as sons.

b.      Purity (1 John 3:1-3 …we are children of God…we shall be like Him…Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure.)

c.       The Spirit of the Lord (Is 11:2 “The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”)

d.      The Spirit of Truth (John 15:26; John 13 The Comforter, the Spirit of truth shall testify of Jesus and He shall guide us into all truth)

e.      The Fire of God (Zech 2:5 The LORD shall be a wall of fire around us and the Glory in our midst. Col 1:27 Christ in you, the hope of glory)

f.        The Light of the World and the Light of Life and Light of the Gospel (Matt 5:14; John 8:12; 2 Cor 4:4)

g.       The Wisdom from above (James 3:17)

My Prayer and Declaration:

Holy Father,

                I confess that fear and unbelief reside in my heart. Forgive me and help me.  Lord, I surrender myself to you and lay down the walls of self-defense. I open my heart to Your perfect Love that fear may be driven out and in its place I might receive Your power, love and sound mind.

                Fill me with Your gift of faith, that I might have ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying. Let Your faith stir up in me the gift of prophecy that I might proclaim Your Goodness and Lovingkindness with all power and authority that is found in the name of Jesus.

In Faith, believing, I turn toward Your Bride and declare,

“Awake! Awake! O’ Bride of Christ, Your Father has given You ears to hear the Spirit of Adoption. Listen and hear the voice of Your Father and receive the hope of His calling. Arise! And Shine! Receive His perfect Love and hear the Spirit of Truth. Let Him sing over you and wash the web of lies away, let Him lead you out of darkness and return you to the light. Open your eyes and see His goodness and know the power of His lovingkindness. He has overcome the world and He has seated you in heavenly places that you might have victory over the prince of the power of the air. Do not despair for Your LORD has imparted to you His power and He has given you authority to tread upon the scorpion and the snake. He has declared to you the written judgments against the enemy of our soul and He has given you authority to execute them. Do not be afraid, but humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will lift you up.

Arise! And declare this day the gospel of His Kingdom and the hope of His calling and His goodness to the nations.

Hear O Coastlands, be not afraid, for I the LORD your God am in the midst of you. I shall free your souls from the web of lies, from the snares of witches’ spells that have hunted your souls and have tried to steal, kill and destroy you. I have overcome them and I have crushed them.  Believe me and stand in My Holy presence for I am a fire that surrounds you and I am the glory in your midst.

Hear Me, my children, do not be afraid, for though rejection has roared and abandonment has threatened, I have not left you. I am always with you and I alone sustain you. Arise and meet Me in the secret place, let Me love you as you have never been loved. In My zeal for you, I have fashioned you and you are radiant – I cannot turn away.  Look I am preparing you and adorning you with My glory, preparing you for My Son. Come into our Holy Place, sit with us and be transformed into the Glorious Bride of Christ.

Enter into My rest, crucify the flesh that keeps you from believing My love for you. Let go of your fear, let go of your strife, let go of the offenses that have weighed you down and come up higher, come into My heart, explore the mysteries of heaven and release them upon the earth from on high.”

The Conviction of Our Worth

........."It is a fiercely noble endeavor" I hear in my spirit. The words, thoughts and emotions continue.....,to attempt to grasp the passionate pursuit of humanity that gripped the heart of the Father of all creation; to apprehend the Love, the zeal, the conviction of our worth as something of great and unspeakable value, worth the sacrifice of torture, death and loss of a part of your own heart - Your very WORD which You spoke out of the abundance of Your heart – Jesus, being the manifestation of that abundance – You risked; You gave Him as a ransom for us, for me. It is incomprehensible, yet my heart longs to know the Love You have for me. Myy soul longs to see the glory of Your inheritance that you have placed within the very being of Your people. To grasp the value that you have given to each one of those You have chosen to set apart for Yourself is my heart’s desire and it cries out to You for that revelation and knowledge so that I might give honor to those you count as extravagant jewels in Your crown of glory.

As I write this, I hear in the air the temptations to make my own decisions regarding which people are those that You have set apart. There are evil people in this world, people who will acknowledge Your existence, but will actively rebel against Your love and kindness, people that will actually go to great lengths to bring disaster upon Your beloved and with evil intent they will fight against You and Yours because of they are not of You. But these evil ones are not my concern, for it is better to love my enemies and bless those who curse me. I know this, yet I know that I am unable to live this conviction without learning first how to yield to Your love.

I am convinced that in Christ Jesus, the penalty for sin was paid – in full. No one was left out and therefore all stand before You forgiven, yet they will not receive it until they acknowledge that they need it from Your hand alone – and no one else has what is necessary to give it.

But the issue that grips my heart at this moment is that with Your forgiveness, You extend wholeness restoring us to a place that is far greater than where Your creation began. To sit in heavenly places in Christ, at the right hand of the Father; to know the Love and Favor and great joy that explodes from His heart for us and is demonstrated in Your willingness to give us the Kingdom of Your Love through the adoption of all of us who yield to the surpassing greatness of Your joyous delight for us and in us.

My heart, my inner man, expands with radiant expectation of the continued unfolding of this revelation of Your Love, yet my physical body, this clay vessel that houses Your presence shakes with fear of exploding into nothingness in the face of this unbelievable reality.

Lord, let me remember this – let me apprehend the greatness of Your love for ALL the saints – those that have known You, those that do know You and those that will know You. O Lord God Almighty let me not sin against You looking upon the people of this earth as though they are of less value than You have declared in Your scriptures and in the sacrifice of Your WORD - in Jesus in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells.

God Glorious Love

1Jn 4:15-18
Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God.
And we have known and believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
In this is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that as He is, so also we are in this world.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He who fears has not been perfected in love.

How can I express the joy that is welling up within my spirit?
How can I express the awe, the delight, the joy & love – it is unspeakable!
You my Lord and King are beyond comprehension.
You have accomplished an incomprehensible task;
You have set me high above all things.
In You, my Lord, I am found.

I turn my head to the left and there I see my Father,
too glorious in His splendor to describe.
His love radiates out from Him in showers of light and life,
sparkling with joy unspeakable,
dancing across space and time with purpose and great joy.
Over flowing floods of magnificent splendor pour from his head,
flooding my soul and the great expanse of heaven.

I sit within my Beloved.
I watch the Father through the eyes of my Lord,
Oh how great is the love of my Lord towards His Father!
Even He is awestruck by the glory of His Father,
great love and devotion is found in my Lord for the one whom He sacrificed himself.
Such love and devotion;
trust and admiration is exchanged between the Father and His beloved Son.

An explosion of joy erupts as the Holy Spirit joins in the celebration of such love!
He wraps Himself around the two
as a torrent of water jumping through the narrows of a white water rapid.
They all erupt in laughter that shakes the very fabric of heaven – joy unspeakable!
There is no fear here; there is only love, total undiluted, erupting, joyous, earth shattering joy that saturates every particle of heaven.

Oh my Lord, let this joy erupt within my soul!
Empower my mortality to receive this love that is so alive and powerful and earth shattering
that the very thought of it causes my flesh to quake in fear!
Let me embrace the overwhelming power of your love to shake the very core of my being;
that I might embrace and be embraced by the wonder; holiness;
beauty and power of your heavenly communion.
Flood my spirit, my soul and my body, oh Lord, my God
with the beauty of your all consuming Love –
the joyous spark of life that flows from your being, your presence, your face –
O’ Lord, let your face shine upon me!
Let me breathe the substance of your love!

Gratitude and Every Day Life

It has been almost 8 months since I made my last post to this blog. It isn’t because I have ignored it, though I have at times; I just have not been able to think of anything worth posting. My last post was more than just words, it was an experience I had with my God while writing. I actually saw myself within the body of Jesus, looking out of his eyes towards the Father of Heaven and Earth. My heart was actually touched by the emotions Jesus had for his Father and I could see the love the Father has for his son Jesus. I was actually caught up in the torrent of love that came with the presence of the Holy Spirit of God. What can compare to an experience like that?

Nothing! So in light of this realization, I have decided to post again; not to out do my last post – which I think must be the temptation of all new writers – but to just do something to move forward. Writing, I am learning, is much like life; we have high and glorious mountain top experiences and writing lows – those things that are written down that we forever regret we put to paper, and then there is that every day existence of life – getting up in the morning to get the kids off to school, going to work, cleaning the house and enjoying the life that God gives us every day. This is what writing is like. And I think this is one of those every day life thoughts that I have decided are just as valuable as those mountain top experiences.

Every day life is the place that I am learning gratitude. I must admit that I have not been very good at expressing my gratitude or even recognizing the need for gratitude. I have asked the Lord over a number of years to teach me how to be grateful. This has not been an easy task to accomplish, but because He is God and I am not, I think I am beginning to learn.

I am so grateful for the Love of God because I am beginning to understand that His love is truly unconditional. He loves so passionately, that He sent a part of himself (His Word – His Son, Jesus) to die for me – and He died for me so that I could know how much He loves me. That experiential knowledge of His love for me comes, not just in those mountain top experiences, but in my every day life and it is the only thing that gives purpose to my existence. I am learning to recognize the emotion of gratitude, now I realize that I need to learn how to express it in my every day life.

I am a great admirer of “being real” what ever that means. I have spent many years trying to express emotions and thoughts the way I thought others wanted me to express them (Are you confused? – I was!) So I am on this journey as an adult – how to express what is truly on my heart in a way that builds up, expresses honor toward those I am speaking with, and shows gratitude towards my Lord. It is a lot more difficult than I ever dreamed it could be, but this is my goal, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…speaking the truth in love...causes growth of the body [of Christ] for the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:3, 11 – 16.

A Fruitful Garden is Waiting to Grow

From the beginning of the year, my pastors have been teaching from 2 Peter 1:1-8.

2 Peter 1: 1- 8 (NKJV)

1Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have been seeking the Lord concerning this section of scripture for several months as we have been studying it at church. The key phrases that I have been pondering are in verse 4, "you may be partakers of the divine nature," and in verse 5, "add to your faith."

When I first read this section of scripture I began asking myself and the Lord two things. One, "How can I add to my faith? I can't manufacture faith, so how can I add to it?" And two, "How can I add this list of things, since these things that we are instructed to diligently add to our faith are part of the divine nature of God?"

As I have looked upon these scriptures these last two days, I began to see the words of hard work fade away and I began to see these scriptures through the heart of God. I noticed that everything about this section of scripture was encouraging us to pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord. The very first sentence directed to us who have obtained like faith says,

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus."

In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6 it says that without faith (which we have obtained by the righteousness of God) it is impossible to please God because first we have to believe that God exists.

Then it says that we also have to believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. In order to believe that he is a "rewarder" we have to believe that He is good and as we diligently seek Him we gain knowledge of His character through the growth of our relationship with him.

These "character qualities" that are listed in verses 5, 6 & 7 are the rewards that are added to our lives as we diligently seek a deeper, experiential relationship with our God and Father and His Son Jesus Christ. These "character qualities" are a part of the divine nature that we have been invited to partake of through our knowledge of God.

As this revelation began to settle into my heart, I heard the Lord saying...

The winter is over my people,
It is time to tend the garden of your heart.
Inspect your garden my people,
How has it survived the winter?

Take Me with you into your garden,
Let Me see what is there.
If there are weeds I will remove them
If the soil has become hard,
I will water it from the river of My Life
And till it if you let Me.

If you allow the Fire of My Holy Spirit to come upon you
I will burn up the thorns and thistles.

I have planted in your garden before.
You have obtained the seeds of faith from my hand.
You have received My word in your heart.
Will you partake of My divine nature?
Will you let me cultivate your heart?

Open wide the gates to your gardens!
Open wide the doors of your heart!
Let me plant a garden of hope!
Let me plant a garden of spice!

How do you add to the faith you’ve been given?
Open wide the gates to your garden,
Let me till the soil of your heart,
Receive the seeds of My word,
Let Me water your heart from the river of Life.

Rejoice and do not fear.
Grow in knowledge as I come near.
Yes, I am gentle and faithful and true.
I am the gentle gardener, who sees the worth of you.
A fruitful garden is waiting to grow inside the heart of you.

Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus,

We open wide the gates of our gardens and invite you in. Holy Spirit inspect the state of our hearts. Lord, you are the master gardener, create a plan that will allow for the expansion of this garden. Prepare our hearts to receive the seeds of your word that through the power of your grace the seeds of your divine nature may not only find good soil, but it might also grow up into maturity producing fruit that will feed the nations. Let us be a fruitful garden planted by the shore of your river of Life.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of our God and of Jesus our Lord.

Sincerely
Renee

Author's Comment

Dear readers,

When I posted my last blog, “AND JESUS SAID, I AM”, a few people contacted me regarding various concerns over some of the statements in the post. Because I don’t have any idea how many people are actually reading my blog, I thought I would make a general statement that might help those who either can’t contact me or don’t feel it is their place to make a comment.

First, please remember that I am learning and I am subject to many frailties just as we all are. Writing in a way that places my heart out on the web for anyone to read is a huge risk, but I don’t want to harden my heart to the criticisms, I want to be able to receive the corrections I need to receive and allow the Lord to strengthen His character in me. Some of the things I write might expose places in my heart that need healing and some may expose attitudes that need adjusting so don’t get too up tight if I fall off the deep end now and again. I believe the Lord is faithful to bring correction to me through His Holy Spirit and through my church family.

If you know me and know how to contact me, you are more than welcome to ask me questions about what I right. If you don’t know how to contact me, forgive me, pray for me &/or ask questions of someone you trust.

I encourage you to read what is written, take everything (what you like and what you don’t like) before the Lord and ask Him what you are to do with it. We have a saying in our church, “Eat the chicken and spit out the bones.” In other words, learn how to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit from the other voices and receive from the Holy Spirit and give room for growth and maturity to occur in the one sharing. As hard as I do try to only print what is glorifying to the Lord, I am not always successful at filtering out the “bones.”

The other thing I try to do is give scripture references for much of what I write. I don’t always, but I do try. Please read these scriptures and ask the Lord if he is saying anything to you. They may bring clarity to your questions, they may confirm your thoughts, but it will never hurt to read the scriptures.

I really believe that the Lord was placing a test before us as I wrote this last posting. My test was whether or not I would be obedient and risk getting negative comments. He is also testing me in how I will respond to the comments I have received. How is He testing you?

As I have gone before the Lord regarding “AND JESUS SAID, I AM”, I have decided to remove some of the original post. I was concerned about a few of the lines when I posted the original article and the comments I received confirmed some of what I was sensing. Some of the lines I removed simply to honor the person who expressed concern.

In the end, I hope that this post encourages you and I hope that by tagging along with me through this process the Lord has taught you something of His grace and His ability to refine His children.

And Jesus said, "I AM."

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
I am the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega.
I am He who breathes life and I am he who swallows death.
I am the everlasting Father and I am the Prince of Peace.
My Kingdom is established from everlasting to everlasting and it will continue to grow into everlasting.
I am Jesus.
I am the Prince of Peace.
I am the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lamb that was slain.
I am all that you need and I am all that can be had.
I am King.
I am victorious.
I have bound the strong man and I am plundering his house.
Speak to the nations my church!
I am a Warrior and I am the Lover of your soul.

Let Me be your Hope.
Let Me be the reason for your very existence.
My desire is this that I would be your sufficiency
and in that place of resting in My sufficiency Hope is born.
In that place purpose is achieved.
Pursue Me with your whole heart, with your whole mind, with your whole strength.
Live life through My eyes.
See life through My heart.
Reign in life through My strength.

(Mark 14:62) (John 1:1) (Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13) (Ps 119:25;1 Cor 15:54-55; Hos 13:14)
(Isa 9:1-7) (Rev 5:5) (2 Peter 1:1-4, Eph 1:23) (1 Tim 6:15, Rev 17:14)
(Luke 11:17-26; Eph 1:15-23) (2 Tim 2:3&4) (Eph 6:12; Rom 8:1-14, Gal 5:14-26)
(Jer 20:11) (Heb 11) (Col 3:1 & 2, Gal 6: 7&8)

Lord Jesus, you are my hope and you are the reason for my existence. Teach me, your Church, how to rest in your work. Let me, your Church, be rooted and grounded in your love so that Hope can be birthed in my heart, the heart of your Church. Help me, your Church, to live life through your life. Help me, your Church, to see Life through your heart and help me, your Church, to be an over-comer in this life through your strength.

Prayer - Enter in King of Glory

Dear Father,
I am so overwhelmed. You have asked me to pray for your people, your church, yet I don’t. Why is that? I read your word and my mind gets full of things that need prayer, yet from where I stand it seems to be a mountain that cannot be climbed – it is too big, it is too much.

Now, as I write this before you, I realize the problem, I am looking at your people through the eyes of my humanity instead of through the eyes of your divinity.

Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the waters.

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah

Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah

Father, I desire to ascend into your holy hill. I desire to stand in that holy place before your throne. Thank you Father that you have made a way for your people. You have called us to come boldly before your throne of grace, the seat of mercy from which you rule. By the blood of your Son, Jesus, you have cleansed our hands and you have purified our hearts. (Hebrews 4)

Father, your people stand before your eyes, some ignorant of the blessings of righteousness purchased for them by your Son Jesus; some still deceived by the bondages of sin and still some are caught in the deceitfulness of their carnal and selfish mind-sets. Yet, it is not all hopeless, you have not forsaken us. You have set in your mind to make us into the image of your Son. You have chosen us to be His bride. Lord have mercy upon your people and for the sake of your Son’s name lift up our heads and teach us to lift up our gates – our hearts and souls – and allow you through your Holy Spirit to come into our lives and change us into that image of your Son.

Be gracious and merciful to us and have pity upon your church. Help us to see your Glory and welcome your glory into our hearts. Change us! Help us to yield to your instructions. Help us to surrender our opinions and accept yours as Truth.

On behalf of your people I cry out to you, O Lord, God of my God, Holy Father! The blood of your Son has purchased us – He has ransomed us from the hand of your enemy, do not leave us to our own devices. Pour out your Spirit upon us. Bring that sweet sting of conviction upon your people that causes us to see our error and Your glory, that causes our hearts to weep for joy at your merciful forgiveness and your great power that sets us free from the sin and shame, fear and unforgiveness that has chained us to lives of hopelessness and despair – false humility and deceit – backbiting and self-righteous judgments.

Father, your scriptures say that if we confess our sins before you that you are faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Father, I have confessed to you on behalf of your people. We are in desperate need of your forgiveness and cleansing. I lift up my head and throw open the gate of my heart – come into my heart Holy Father – King of Glory and come into the heart of your people.
Let us see you King of Glory!
Let us see you mighty in battle!
Let us be Jacob, the generation of those who seek your Face!

In 2Co 3:18 it says, "But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Make this scripture true in our generation! Let us see your Face.

Let us behold the glory of your Son Jesus!

Glorify your Son in us!

O'Lord, let us see the beauty of your holiness so that you will receive the glory and honor due your name.

Four Main Duties of an Intercessor

In the Fall of 1998 I attended a workshop on Intercession that was held in my area. The leader of that workshop (a local pastor) spoke on the 4 main duties of an intercessor and that instruction has been a foundational piece to my understanding of how to interceed in prayer for others.

First, to clarify the term intercessor: an intercessor is one who stands between or works on behalf of another. For instance, a lawyer is an intercessor in that the lawyer argues points of law on behalf of their client before a judge. Another picture of an intercessor that of a parent protecting their child from danger. A parent will move between their child and the danger and do everything within their means to protect that child.

FOUR MAIN DUTIES OF AN INTERCESSOR

1. An Intercessor is one who reminds the Lord of His promises until they are fulfilled.
a. Isaiah 62:6 &7,

"I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their
peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent and
give Him no rest 'til He establishes and 'til He makes Jerusalem a praise in the
earth."

b. To remind the Lord of His promises there are a few things we must know and believe about the Lord.
i. We must know His promises, both the promises found in the scriptures and the promises that have been given in prayer & prophetic utterance that are in agreement with scripture.
ii. We need to continue to grow in our knowledge of and our faith in the character of the Lord as spoken of in the scriptures. This includes the belief that He desires to fulfill those promises and is capable of fulfilling them.
iii. Hebrews 11:6,

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

2. An Intercessor is one who fights (or pleads) for Justice to prevail on behalf of another.
a. Isaiah 59:15 & 16,

"So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him."

b. To plead to God for justice we must believe that God is just, but we must also understand
that in that place of justice the Lord is also merciful.
i. Zephaniah 3:5,

"The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails..."

ii. Deuteronomy 10:17 & 18,

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty
and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice
for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and
clothing."

iii. Hebrews 1:8,

"But God says about his Son, "You are God, and you will rule as King forever! Your royal power brings about justice." [CEV]

iv. James 2:13,

"For judgment is without mercy to the one who
has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment."

3. An intercessor is one who builds the wall (or hedge) of protection. In this situation we are standing inbetween some one to protect them from danger and helping build a spiritual wall so that eventually that person can stand in health and wholeness.
a. Ezekiel 13: 4 & 5,

"O Israel, Your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up
into the gaps (breaches) to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in
battle on the day of the Lord."

b. To build the wall of protection, we must believe we have the authority and the ability to
build. We must believe that, like Nehemiah, we are commissioned to rebuild. We also have
to be trained and equipped to build.
i. Isaiah 58:12,

"Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the
foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the repairer of the
breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in."

ii. Ephesians 4:11 - 13,

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the [building up] of the body of Christ, till we all
come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a
perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

iii. 2 Corinthians 13:10,

"Therefore I write these things while absent, lest being present I may not deal sharply with you according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for pulling down."

iv. Ephesians 4:29,

"Let not any filthy word go out of your mouth, but if any is good to building up in respect of need, that it may give grace to the ones hearing."

v. 1 Corinthians 14:26,

"Then how is it, brothers? When you come together, each one
of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an
interpretation. Let all things be for building up."

vi. More Scriptures: (Romans 14:19),(Romans 15:2) ,(1 Corinthians 14:3) , (1 Corinthians 14:5), (2 Corinthians 10:8) (2 Corinthians 12:19)

4. An intercessor is one who stands betwen God's judgment and His people and pleads for mercy.
a. Ezekiel 22:29 & 30,

"The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated
the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. So I sought for a
man amoung them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf
of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one."

b. To stand between God's judgment and His people, we must know His LOVE for us and
believe He is merciful. And we must know that He will not act contrary to character of His
Good Name.
i. Ezekiel 20:43 & 44,

"Then you will remember your wicked sins, and you will hate yourselves for doing
such horrible things. They have made you unacceptable to me, so you deserve to
be punished. But I will treat you in a way that will bring honor to my name, and
you will know that I am the LORD God."

ii. Psalm 86:5,

"For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all
those who call upon You."

iii. John 3:17 & 18,

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned;
but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

In conclusion, to grow in our effectiveness as intercessors, we must continue to grow in our experiential knowledge of God - His love for us; we must continue to grow in our understanding of His Character so that we can rightly represent him; and we must continue to grow in our understanding of who we are and what our authority is in Christ Jesus when we stand before our God in intercession.

Hope this is helpful.