Prayer Tip: "It Is Written"

A couple of years ago, the Holy Spirit revealed to me a method to use when praying. I was reading the passage in the bible where Jesus was being tempted by the devil (Matthew 4: 1-11 and Luke 4: 1-13). In the scriptures, Jesus would always respond to the devil first by saying, “It is written”. This really stood out to me and the Holy Spirit touched my heart. I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, “Use this when you pray”. At first I thought that I wouldn’t be effective because I did not know all that was written. I thought that I would need to know the Bible like the back of my hand to pray in this manner.

About a month or so later, I was at a retreat and was asked to lay my hands on and pray for a woman. I was unsure at first. I thought to myself, “Me, how can I lay hands on this woman and pray for her?” I was scared and lost. I felt the Holy Spirit remind me of what He had revealed to me. I began to open my mouth and as I prayed I started to quote some scriptures and as I quoted I started each scripture with, “It is written”. As I prayed, this woman began to be filled with the Holy Spirit! I take no credit for what happened to her because it was not me, it was the Lord and he merely used me as a vessel so that He may be glorified.

I learned, in that prayer, that God would not betray His Words. What God says is true and it will not fail. So remember that God gave you power through His Words, use them! Use them to speak life over your situations and family. Use His Words to ask in His name and use His Words to rebuke the enemy! Get into the Word of God so that your prayers can be more powerful, effective and filled with God’s light!

Get Unncomfortable!

In a earlier post this week, I said that I have been reading the book of Ezekiel. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that God is JEALOUS!!!! He is so upset that the Church is whoring after other gods like money, lust, un equally yoked relationships, fame, prestige, material things and etc. The Lord will not be mocked. The Lord told Ezekiel that the priest/pastors were saying that God is not in the earth, that they had dominion over the earth and the people.
This is going on today! I cried when I read Chapters 8-12 and realized that what was going on in Ezekiel's time is going on right now. We have Pastors whose sermons are not aligned with the Word. We are living in the end times and they are preaching that everything is going to be alright. You get your harvest, your breakthrough, your blessing. Everything is about you but what about Jesus? What about His will, His glory, His blessings and His Word? The bridegroom is coming soon and as the bride,we have to be ready for Him.
We are accepting things that of this world that are anti-Christ and don't even know it. As a young adult, my peers are mingling with unclean people, cultures and forms of entertianment. Wake up people and get uncomfortable!!!!! It's time to speak the truth and let people know what is going on. No more allowing people to speak their doctrine over us and not say anything. Don't allow others to live a sinful lifestyle and standby and watch them do it. Do not accept the status quo and believe everything you hear. Do your homework and research people of God.
Don't get comfortable in your own self involvement. I am talking about myself too. Yeah, I go to church 2 nights a week, read my Bible, pray and fast but am I living the word of God, shaking the foundations of hell and encouraging others to do the same? It's time that we grow deeper in our walk and learn more about how the enemy is destroying the church.
I was looking at YouTube videos from a ministry that I follow called Exministries and the clip was talking about how God's people have turned against him. Pastor G. Craig Lewis is the founder of this ministry and talks about the Truth behind Hip Hop and the involves it has on the youth. I found this clip to be very interesting and I wanted to share it. Please pray that the Lord makes you uncomfortable in these dark days to be a light to the world.

for more info on the Truth Behind Hip Hop check out exministries.com

A Stormrider in the Making: Ellie Ambrose

This morning I read an article from Crosswalk's website about a 10 year old girl named Ellie Ambrose. Already at a young age, Ellie has given herself to serve others. She has founded Nashville's annuals Ellie's Run for Africa event. This event raises money for children in Nairobi, Kenya. It provides books, new shoes and uniforms for 300 students!

Ellie is an amazing young girl who has answered the call that God has put on her life. At the age of 5, she watched a video about starving children in African countries, which lead her to pray for 3 months about the burden that was placed on her heart. The Lord made provisions and guided her to what is now a growing event that will help hundreds of children.

Ellie has also been blessed to travel to several countries in Africa. If she is only ten and accomplishing so much now, there is no telling what the Lord has in store for us. In Ephesians 4:11, Paul tells us that Christ gave some, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to edify the Body of Christ. That is exactly what young Ellie is doing.

To read the full article about Ellie Ambrose click here for the Crosswalk website.

Also visit elliesrun.org for information about the event

In Matthew 25:31-40 Chirst shares this parable about living our lives to serve others:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Pray and ask the Lord to lead you on how you are to serve the least of these.

Images of Prayer Warriors

When I was looking for images for the last post, The Revelations of Matthew 14:22-33: The 8 Prayer Watches, I came across alot of pictures that were interesting, motivating and powerful. Here are a few that I liked:

This cute but potent image is from psalm86.org

My older brother would love this picture from bluejacket.com

Prayer Shield

Discipline Warrior from kmkarate.com

The Lone Warrior

Prayer Tag from Guardian Ministry

Praying in Unity from Praise Chapel

The Revelations of Matthew 14:22-33: The 8 Prayer Watches

Last Sunday, my sister and I were honored to be God Parents to one of my best friends’ 3 beautiful and anointed children. It was such a wonderful occasion and joyous celebration that we started to cry. You could feel the presence of the Lord in the building.

After the dedication, the Bishop of the church gave a very remarkable and potent sermon. I don’t remember the title of the message but it referred to Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus walking on water. I’m pretty sure most of us have read about this miracle in Sunday school or Church. But this little passage means so much more than just Jesus and Peter walking on water. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that Jesus is giving us instructions on how we should be living our lives and keeping our eyes on Him.

So I would like to dissect the passage in a couple of posts to reveal God’s will for us. In verse 25 it reads “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.”(KJV) Now as I was reading this verse, my eyes were fixed on the "fourth watch". I read a book last year that talked about the third watch, which are the hours between midnight and 3:00 am. During this time satanic powers are heighten, so we are to pray against the works of the enemy. So knowing this, I decided to find out what the 4th watch is all about. While doing my research I came upon this website that describes the 8 prayer watches.

Picture courtsey of National Prayer website

It is from a Church in the Philippians that encourages its congregation to be watchmen. I found this information to be very significant and resourceful. I believe it is essential for Christians to know these things to function well in the Body of Church.

On a personal note, I have been reading the Book of Ezekiel, which is considered the Book of the Watchman. Ezekiel was a faithful prophet, obeyed God’s word and prophesied to people of Judea of God’s anger towards them. I believe God is calling our generation to be Watchmen. I have friends who are devoted to their prayer life and are prayer warriors. Growing in your prayer life is vital because it is our way to communicate with God, hear His word and destroy the enemy’s plan against us.

We as Christians need to educate ourselves on how to pray, when to pray, what to pray for and at times who to pray for. When we pray it just shouldn’t always be about our family and us. We need to pray for our leaders in church/government, our co-workers/bosses/employees, our community, country and people we don’t even know. Prayer is so POWERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!! I am teaching myself not to say, “All we can do is pray.” It sounds like it is the last resort and pitiful. It is the 1st thing you do and you should do it with authority and purpose. Don’t be weak with your prayer like it has a disease. Be strong, healthy, joyful and prevailing when you are praying. We are communicating with the All Mighty God, The God of the Universe, The Creator!!!! Get Excited!!!! He has all the power, not some, but all.

I wonder if the disciples were practicing their prayer life, would they have been afraid? When they saw Jesus on the sea, would they have thought it was a ghost or their Savior? Had they been diligent and praying, while they were on the boat during the storm, they would have had faith knowing everything was going to be all right. You see they had the Master in their mist and yet did not use the power that He had been teaching them to overcome fear and temptation. I strongly believe that if they were active in their prayer life, they would have not fallen asleep when Christ needed them to pray the most (Read Luke 22: 39-46).

So I encourage you to improve in your prayer life and take it seriously. Here is the link for the 8 Prayer Watches. I pray that you will incorporate this in your prayer life and you will start to see changes in your walk, church, community, workplace and home life. I would like to motivate you to start a prayer group in your homes. Like Christ said in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” There is power in numbers, so be encouraged. We would also like to know about your prayer life and blessings you have received through it.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you lead us to pray and be Watchmen in these end times. Continue to allow your Word to speak to us and instruct us on what we need to do for your Kingdom. It is not about us but it is all about You. I pray that we will take these powerful prayer watches and use them in our lives everyday. I pray for a increase of prayer warriors and valiant men and women, who will not give up and allow the Devil to run rampant in their lives. I pray for all these things with power and authority in the name of Jesus, Amen.

True Stormriders; Falsely Accused

Here is another story about a Stormrider that is spreading the Gospel no matter what the cost. Please keep this stormrider in your prayers:

PAKISTAN - Young Christian Woman and Her Father Imprisoned

Twenty- year-old Sandul Bibi and her father Gulsher are in prison in Pakistan, charged with violating section 295-B of the Pakistani legal code, the “blasphemy” law. Sandul is falsely accused of ripping pages from the Quran. On Oct. 9, a large crowd of Muslims attacked Christian families at a church, throwing stones and firing guns. They were shouting, “Kill Gulsher and his daughter Sandul.” Sandul and her father, Gulsher Masih, were arrested after a mob from the local mosque surrounded their house. Loudspeakers from different mosques broadcast accusations that Christians had disgraced the Quran, calling Muslims to attack and burn their homes. The angry crowd threw stones and set fire to Sandul’s home. Christians believe Sandul and her father were targeted and arrested because they were aggressively winning villagers to Christ.
Sandul has written several letters to her family from prison. In her latest letter she says, “I am praying a lot that God releases me from here and I can meet you, but I don’t know when. He will give answers for our prayers. Please pray for me.” If convicted, Sandul faces at least four years in prison. She and her family desperately need your prayers and encouragement.
The Voice of the Martyrs has supported Sandul and her family both financially and spiritually through this difficult time. VOM encourages you to lift this family up in prayer and ask God to encourage them.

To read more of these stories, please click here for the Voice of Martyrs webpage.

New Year Equals New Blessings

Now that we are in 2009, we should praise the Lord for the wonderful works He has done for us in ’08. I believe that last year the Lord was revealing His plan to His people. This year I believe He is preparing us for the plan. As for me, the Lord revealed that I could do nothing without Him. In John 5: 19 Jesus said “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do, for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”
So, I realized my relationship with God is the most important thing. I cannot succeed in any aspect of life without him. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Once you understand that you can receive the blessings He has for you. Thank Him for all that you have and all that you are going to receive this year.
Make declarations and profess signs, wonders, miracles and manifestations of God’s power and love. Be strong and continue to grow in faith. Know that you can only go up from here even if you feel that the end is near. God is a God of renewing and he is always rejuvenates His people.
So I pray that this New Year will allow you to realize that you have a purpose and a gift. If it weren’t true, you would have not survived last year. One verse that our mother told us to read is 1 Chronicles 4:10. She received this word from her pastor who instructed the congregation to replace their names with Jabez’s. So read it out loud like this “ And (your name) called on the God of Israel saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him/her that which he/she requested.”

The Reason for the Season

Every year, about this time, people are getting all worked up because they are looking/hoping for the perfect gift. We'll years ago, God gave us the perfect gift. A gift that brought eternal and abundant life. He gave us his only Son, wrapped in majesty and clocked in light. He came as Deity clothed in humanity. Jesus was, is and will forever be the perfect gift. He is truly the reason for the season. So, if you don't get the gift you want, or your tree looks awful or your meal is over cooked; just remember that none of that matters when you consider that with Christ all things are perfect and made new. Let us remember to thank God for the amazing gift that He gives us everyday!

My sister and I really like the movie Merry Christmas Charlie Brown and thought to share this clip with you all. Linus has it right, there is so much more to Christmas than a tree and gifts. Please read Luke 1 - 2 and always remember why we celebrate this special time of year!

Merry Christmas to you all!

God will be Glorified

In the month of October, I called my cell phone company to set up a date for me to pay my bill. To my surprise the bill was over $1,100! I could not believe it. The customer service rep explained that there were roaming charges on another line that I had. I explained to the representative that the line had not been in use for 2 years. Apparently there were international roaming charges that occurred out of the country.
To make a long story short, my father and I have a family plan. The other line was for his use when he is in the states. Some how the phone was stolen and international calls were made on it for a month. I was so upset and scared about the situation.
I reported the phone stolen and spoke to a supervisor and a manager about the matter. It seemed like they did not want to adjust the charges. So, I started to pray and the manager took off $500 from the bill. I was thankful and grateful that the Lord stepped in and took care of the situation.
I received the bill for the following month and it was over $1600 because of the roaming charges from the previous month. I got so depressed and I started to wonder how I was going to deal with this situation. I don’t have a steady income and there was no way I could pay this bill. The manager that adjusted the bill the last time told me that because I reported the phone stolen very late that I would be held responsible. My sister could see I was stressed and told me that the letter was a lie and that I should laugh at it. She said God is going to show me how He will be glorified in this situation.
That night I prayed and asked the Lord for strength. I told Him that I trusted in Him and that He will deliver me from this problem. The next morning, I prayed again and read Isaiah 43:1-7. That scripture assured me that I belong to God and he will keep me through hard times. (I will go more in depth about Isaiah 43:1-7 in another post). Feeling confident and assured, I called my phone company. I spoke to a representative and explained the situation to her. Without asking me any questions, she told me that she would make a case for me about the charges. I could not believe it! It was easy and without any hassles. The rep told me that I most likely would not have to pay for any of the charges! I told her thank you and that is was a blessing. I went on to ask her if she needed prayer for anything. She told me just to lift her name up in prayer.
Three days went by and I received a text that there was an adjustment to my bill. I knew it was about the roaming charges. When I got back home from out of town, I checked my bill on line and all of the charges were gone. Hallelujah! All praise be to God! I could not believe it. God is so good and he gets all the glory! What I learned about all the situations that my sister and I have been through, while living in the city is that God always gets the glory. Nothing is to hard for God and He shows us this by delivering us from trails and tribulations. Something as small as a phone bill getting adjusted and God is glorified. He does not have to make fire come from the sky or part a red sea to reveal His glory to us. He does it everyday in our lives we just have to recognize.

Virtue is Alive and Well!

I came across this article yesterday and thought to post it! This is just beautiful!

Won't kiss on the first date? How about waiting until marriage?

Chicagoans Melody LaLuz and Claudaniel Fabien shared their first kiss Saturday at the altar. The two teach abstinence at the city's public schools and practiced what they preached to their teenage students.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the couple had never kissed and that they had never been alone together in a house. A friend of LaLuz says wedding guests cheered and stomped during the two-minute smooch between the 28-year-old bride and the 30-year-old groom.

LaLuz and Fabien say they have no worries about how they will spend their honeymoon in the Bahamas.

Check out the full story and more pictures here

Article Courtesy of the Associated Press.