Day 14 - PURSUIT - God Of Miracles

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  Hebrews 13:8

Not wanting to deal with hope deferred and disappointment, many times we are guilty of praying small prayers, aiming low, and believing for too little.  Yet, the Word of God keeps bringing us back to the fact  that we serve an all-powerful God of miracles that wants us to believe for amazing, "only God" answers to prayer that will give Him all the glory!

Let's not allow our prayer lives to live in the lowlands of praying safe and no-risk prayers.  For example, praying for a good parking spot at the mall or that the DMV line would be miraculously short.  Today I want you to raise your faith by praying some big prayers.  Let's believe for, ask for, and expect that the God of miracles will do what only He can do in our lives!

A miracle by definition, according to Merriam-Webster.com, is "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs."  This supports the Bible's definition  of a miracle.  A concise description of a mriacle, based on the three Greek words used for a miracle in the New Testament is "an unusual event/releasing supernatural power/to confirm the gospel."

As we pray and believe for miracles, we are asking for something beyond our human ability or capacity that will give glory to God and lead people to Jesus.  I've heard many of you say it this way:  "ONLY GOD!" Only God could have cured cancer, only God could have saved the marriage, only God could have opened the door.  As we study miracles in the New Testament church, we will find  some recurring themes and common denominators of faith, passion, and desperation.  There are many questions we could ask and explore about miracles, or the lack of them in our day, but I think the most productive endeavor would be to discover and apply some of the frequently found behaviors of those who received a miracle.  Here's a familiar miracle, a snapshot of a day in the life of Jesus.

They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!"  Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!"  Jesus stopped in his tracks. "Call him over." They called him. "It's your lucky day! Get up! He's calling you to come!"  Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.  Jesus said, "What can I do for you?" The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."  "On your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has saved and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road. Mark 10:46-52 (MSG) 

Other versions say "Your faith has made you whole." 

And there we have it, the miracle moment!  A guy who has lived the life of a blind beggar is now seeing, possibly for the first time and following Jesus and his entourage down the road.  But why did Jesus storp and heal Bartimaeus?  There were thousands of sick and desperate people coming to Jesus.  They lined the main streets begging for alms and asking for mercy, and yet, Jesus stops and heals Bartimaeus.  I believe we can learn something from this story that will help to position our lives for an "ONLY GOD" miracle. 

Jesus spoke the key phrase, "Your faith has made you whole."  Yes, there are plenty of people that Jesus healed who had little faith or no faith.  He even raised dead people without their permission or involvement in the miracle.  Yet we can see from this story that our faith and desperation can position us to be recipients of the power and presence of God.  Here are some attributes of miracle-producing faith: 

1.  FAITH HAS A VOCABULARY 

"He began to shout, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more."  Mark 10:47

It's worth noting that Bartimaeus didn't call Jesus the son of Joseph or Mary but used a title that revealed the faith that Jesus was, in fact, the promised Messiah.  He believed that Jesus would open the eyes of the blind and unplug the deaf ears (see Isaiah 35:5).  A vocabulary of faith declares who Jesus is and what God can do.  So, here's the question:  Do you spend more of your prayer time crying out, "Why God?" or "Why me?" than you do declaring who God is in that situation and explicitly asking for a miracle?

2.  GREAT FAITH FREES US FROM A PRIDE (IT DOESN'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK)

When Bartimaeus was rebuked by the crowd, he shouted all the louder and all the more.  This is the point of faith, and or desperation, that pushes us to do things that pride and maintaining your self-image would never allow.  This desperate and unashamed type of behavior is a reoccurring theme in the New Testament possibly the access point to "childlike faith."

3.  GREAT FAITH CASTS OFF WHAT NEEDS TO BE LEFT BEHIND

In Bartimaeus' culture, beggars would sit on cloaks (large coats that served as a mat to sleep on and a blanket to wrap up in at night).  Bartimaeus would sit on the cloak during the day begging for spare change.  The cloak would have been filthy  from lying beside the road day and night.  This cloak or garment is a picture of our broken past.  When Jesus told his disciples to call Bartimaeus over, Bartimaeus throws off this cloak, this identification and connection to a life of blindness and begging.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us."  Hebrews 12:1

4.  GREAT FAITH HAS A BEHAVIOR (IT DOESN'T STOP PURSUING JESUS)

"He kept calling out."

By now you have probably recognized a consistent theme in a life of pursuing God.  WE NEVER STOP PURSUING.  There is something about a tenacious, desperate, pride-abandoning faith that's determined to apprehend the answer.  This is the kind of faith that receives a miracle.  My prayer for you today is that you would be stirred in your spirit to believe bid, ask big, and to quote the old lyric from JOURNEY, "Don't Stop BELIEVIN."  We are pursuing a mighty God who still performs miracles!

MEMORY VERSE - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  Hebrews 13:8

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - As you spend time with the Lord today, take some time to read a few of Jesus' miracles, and let fresh vision of what He can do fill your spirit.  See Him walking the streets of Jerusalem and the back roads of Galilee.  Envision Him calling blind Bartimaeus over, see Him healing the ten lepers, picture Him separating the crowd to heal the woman with the issue of blood. 

Ask God for a tenacious faith that will:

• Declare who He is and what He can do, regardless of the situation.
• Do not worry about what anyone things, willing to lose pride and be as humble as a desperate child in order to receive the miracle.
• Cast off what needs to be left behind from the past.
• Be persistent, don't let people or delays keep you from reaching out to Jesus again and again. . . until the answer comes!

DAY 13 - PURSUIT - Increase/Decrease

Many of you entered into this time of PURSUIT because you have chosen to participate in the Life Church 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting as a part of our 40 Days of Prayer Spiritual Growth Campaign.  You are sensing a real and desperate need for more of God!  This is a good thing!  Spiritual hunger is a gift that we must care for.  If we respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit to go deeper, taking on new spiritual territory, then He will continue to lead us further, giving us greater spiritual hunger.

Today I want you to consider and pray for an increase of the activity and presence of God in your life.  Consider and declare your need for an increase.  As I said, you are doing this because you want and need more of God in your life - more healing, intimacy, miracles, breakthrough, finances, clarity, power, and gifting than ever before.  There is a spiritual principal that declares if we are to see more - if we are to see an increase, a decrease is required.  God moving in and filling our lives with all that is "more" requires a neccessary removal of other things.  When John the Baptist was at the peak of his ministry, Jesus' public ministry  was quickly becoming the talk of the land.  John's disciples werer alarmed that they might lose their stats and influence, so they came to John saying,

"Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people.  And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us."  John 3:26

John recognizing their desire to protect their corner on the market and the human tendency toward jealousy responds by letting them know  that he was not the BIG DEAL.  Jesus was.  John was there only to prepare the way, and then get out of the way.  John made the now famous statement, and the spiritual priciple that guides today's thought: 

"He must increase, but I must decrease."  John 3:30 (NKJV) 

The key to having more of God in our lives is the displacement of self, ego, and everything else that desires to be first.  Fasting and prayer are spiritual weapons that God has given us to accomplish this monumental task of defeating the "me monster."  Fasting diminishes the soul and elevates the Spirit.  Fasting reveals wrong motives and deals a death blow to our appetites and temporary desires.  Fasting, with prayer, is the purest and most certain path to walking in the Spirit.  Fasting and prayer brings an increase of God and a decrease of self!

Paul wrote of a very real spiritual battle, not with Satan or demons, but with our flesh:

"Here’s my instruction: walk in the Spirit, and let the Spirit bring order to your life. If you do, you will never give in to your selfish and sinful cravings. For everything the flesh desires goes against the Spirit, and everything the Spirit desires goes against the flesh. There is a constant battle raging between them that prevents you from doing the good you want to do."  Galatians 5:16-17 (VOICE)

In the writings of John, we are commanded to, "Not love the world or anything in it" (1 John 2:15).  This verse is not talking about the inhabitants of the world (humanity) or the beauty of creation (the planet), but is talking about the "kosmos," the fallen systems, priorities, and wickedness of a fallen world - a culture that exists for self and not for God.  John goes on to say:

"For the world (ksomos) offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  These are not from the Father, but are from this world."  1 John 2:16

TAKE A MOMENT - Reflect and consider how going after what you wanted, apart from the leading of the Holy Spirit, has only led you to places you didn't want to be, ending in frustration and futility.  Then meditate on those seasons of your spiritual journey when all you wanted was God's will, His nearness, and His highest call for your life.  Would you agree that your "hungry days" were your best moments that led to the greatest seasons of your life?  Thank God that there is more to come and our past delays and derailments in no way eliminate  the possibilities of walking into all God has for us in the future.  This season for prayer and fasting will set you on the path of new hunger for God. releasing new levels of success and fulfillment.

1.  USE THE WEAPON OF FASTING TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY OF SELFISHNESS

King David said, "I humbled my soul with fasting." Psalm 35:13  The "soul" is the seat of our will, emotions, and passions.  Through fasting, we can diminish our own desires and receive God's.  We dethrone our will and discover His will.  We decrease so that He will increase in us!

2.  GET LOW

Literally, bow down.  One of the seven Hebrew words  for praise in the Old Testament is "barak" which means to kneel down and bless.   Psalm 66:8 says "Praise (barak) our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard."  Humility is an invitation to move into the greater things of God.  It's up to us as to how often we take the "humble road" and make a greater space for God to show up in our lives.  Bowing is a simple and profound way of humbling ourselves before God on a daily basis.  As you go about your day today be aware of and take the opportunities, to take the low road, give someone else the credit, make it about others and think of yourself less, not less of yourself. 

"Humble yourslevs (with an attitude of repentance) in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.  He will lift you up, He will give you purpose."  James 4:10 (AMP)

3.  CAPTURE YOUR THOUGHTS

This is where the war for your future is one or lost.  "Our thought life is te real battle ground." Variations of this quote have been accredited to different authors, but the truth comes straight from the word of God. 

"We can demolish every deceptive fantasy[a] that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One." 2 Corinthians 10:5 (TPT)

"Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Through fasting and prayer, we can take captive every thought that "exalts itself against the knowledge of God"; that is, every thought that tries to sit at the highest place of our priorities and passions.  Once these selfish ambitions and rogue imaginations have been identified and brought down, we can begin to dream and meditate on the thoughts that God will give us for our future.  These divine or "sanctified" thoughts become the runway for the increase of God's purpose in our lives.  Today, let's dream about what God wants us to do as we get ourselves out of the way and ask Him to increase our spiritual hunger, our influence and our capacity to change our world!

MEMORY VERSE - "He must increase, but I must decrease."  John 3:30 (NKJV)

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - What's your prayer posture?  Some sit, some stand, some pace, some kneel or a combination of all the above.  Today I would encourage you bow low.  Kneel or lay before the Lord in a posture of humiility.   Let God know how much you need Him to be big in your life today.  Ask God to reveal anything that exalts itself against the knowledge and authority of God in your life, and then pray this out loud, "Lord, I ask that I would decrease and that you would increase.  As I bow down in your presence, I am asking that my desire to be first would be displaced and that you and you alone would be on the throne of my heart.  I want people to see you, hear you, and know you through my life, so I say, 'you must increase, and I must decrease' in Jesus Name!"

PURSUIT - Day 12 - Praying from the Platform of Victory

We've all fallen into the trap of praying weak prayers of desperation that lack faith and confidence that God will hear and do something in response.  We can easily get caught in a useless treadmill of prayer that does not produce results when we pray as if Jesus and Satan were battling over our future, and we are not convinced who will win.  The very foundation of effective prayer realizes who God is and that He always responds to faith-filled prayers.

"But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6 (AMP) 

Today I want us to seek God from a platform of faith and victory, knowing that Jesus has paid the full price to make us overcomers, knowing that He hears and responds to our prayer and confident that as we seek Him, during these days of PURSUIT, that an inevitable reward is on the way!  The word "reward" comes from a root Hebrew word that means "wages will be paid for work done."  The rewards and results of diligently seeking God are sure and inevitable.  The key is praying from a platform of faith and victory, being confident that He hears us, and will do whaat he has promised.

As Jesus hung on the cross, He uttered seven different statements or proclamations just before his death.  His final words were "Father into your hands, I commit my spirit," and just before  that moment, Jesus cried out, "IT IS FINISHED" (John 19:30).  This was a shout or a loud cry of victory, not a moan of defeat or exhaustion.  The phrase "it is finished" is one Greek word that is an accounting term as well as a proclamation of victory.  When Jesus proclaimed these words, he was saying "It is paid in full," "It has all been accomplished," "The victory has been secured!"

"These words are not the cry of a defeated man, but it is instead, the shout of a victor!  This is the exultant cry of one who has just won a great victory."  - Alan Carr 

"'It is finished' was a shout of triumph; the proclamation of a victor.  The work of redemption that the Father had given Him was accomplished:  sin was atoned for, Satan was defeated and rendered powerless, every requirement of God's righteous law had been satisfied and every prophecy had been fulfilled." - John MacArthur

 As the demons of hell celebrated the death of the Messiah, they must have shuddered in fear upon the realization that they were actually pawns in the hands of God accomplishing the very purpose of redemption!

Because of this ultimate victory, we not pray from a posture of pre-purchased victory!  When we understand and believe that "it is finished" it will change our outlook on spiritual warfare and the way we pray.

TAKE A MOMENT - Ask your heart where you stand today in light of what Jesus has accomplished.  Are you standing on a platform of accompished victory or are your spiritual feet standing on a footing of doubt, fear, and uncertainty?

Here are three things that Jesus paid in full that can place you on a prayer-platform of victory today:

1.  THE PRICE WAS PAID IN FULL TO RECONCILE US TO GOD.

For God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 (NIV)

The entirety of the gospel can be found in this one word: "reconcile."  This means that through the cross, we have been restored to favor with God.  Today we do not pray from a place of trying to earn favor or from a place of working our way into flavor.  The Cross has restored us to favor, and we pray as sons and daughters whose Father is longing to answer our request before we even ask.  This word reconcile also means, "to turn enemies into friends."  This is amazing!  We who were the enemies of God, because of the fallen planet and our sinful state, are now made the very friends of God!  Let's see the Father through that lens today.  He is our Friend who has given us his favor.

2.  THE PRICE WAS PAID IN FULL TO ENABLE US TO LIVE IN COMPLETE VICTORY

Far too many Christ-followers are living in partial victory or even worse, living most of their life in a place of fear, discouragement, and defeat.  "Believers" who experience only brief moments of victory, glimpses of what it's like to live as an overcomer, only to fall back into a posture of defeat and survival.  The victory that the cross has secured for us is so complete that nothing can separate us from God's love!  We are not only guaranteed victory but a continuous and undefeatable state of existence.  To be "more than a conqueror" means we not only win, but it wasn't even a fair fight!  It's an overwhelming victory, an irrevocable victory, a blowout, a beatdown of our enemies.

Today, are you living from a place of "it is finished," or are you living from a place of "I'm not sure I'll finish?"  Let this verse resonate in your heart today and realize that, in Christ, you have already won and now you are merely praying it out, walking it out, and moving forward to a life of a continued overcomer. 

3.  THE PRICE WAS PAID IN FULL TO GIVE US "FULL ACCESS" TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD

"Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.  At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened."  Matthew 27:50-52 

Historians will tell you that the veil was a curtain of woven fabric 30 feet wide by 30 feet high and around 4 inches thick.  Josephus, a Biblical historian from the first century, reported that the veil was 4 inches thick and that horses tied to each side could not pull it apart.  Yet, when Jesus said, "IT IS FINISHED" the veil was ripped from top to bottom by the very hands of God, allowing all of us complete, total, and permanent access into the very presence of God.  The veil was not torn so that a few select people could get into the presence of Christ.  The veil was destroyed  so that the presence of God would be released into the world through His Church!  The work of the cross solidifies your standing invitation to meet God face-to-face, have full access to His heart and thoughts and live in a perpetual state of friendship with God and dominance over your adversaries.

". . .let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him."  Hebrews 10:22 (NLT2)

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."  Hebrews 4:16 (NLT2) 

MEMORY VERSE - "In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  Romans 8:37

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Ask God for a revelation of what it means to be "more than a conqueror."  Ask Him to reveal the completeness and finality of His work on the Cross, then move into a time of prayer from a platform of victory and faith.  Regarding the particular battle you are fighting, do some research in the Word and discover what God's will and final outcome in the matter will be, then use those verses as prayer weapons to fight with today.  As you pray "your kingdom come, your will be done," you can be sure that it will happen.  There is nothing that the demons of hell or even Satan himself can do about it!  Your victory is secure!  It is overwhelming!  It is a blowout!  You win!  Everytime!  IT IS FINISHED!

PURSUIT - Day 11 - Deal With It

Our spiritual voyage to maturity is a holistic journey.  Seeing our outside world change, and having an amazing life of freedom and influence, always starts on the inside!  Whenever we step into season of PURSUIT, especially when it involves prolonged times of fasting and prayer, we will find that the work of the Holy Spirit quickly targets unresolved issues in our hearts and deals with the unhealed areas of our souls.  At first, this can be discouraging or unsettling and appear that we are losing ground instead of advancing during our time of fasting but don't be discouraged!  The Lord is simply preparing us internally for all He has planned externally.  The greater work that we are all wanting to see God do in and through our lives will only get accomplished as the greater work of the Holy Spirit takes place from inside out!

"Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest players, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us."  Ephesians 3:20 (AMP)

This is one of those "too good to be true" verses.  Seriously?!  God is willing and longing to do far beyond anything we can ask or think?  Infinitely beyond our greatest hopes and dreams?  I don't know about you but I can hope and dream up some pretty grandiose things and ask for some ridiculous miracles and outcomes.  The operative phrase in this verse is, "according to His power that is at work within us."  Another way to say it would be, "in alignment with, or an equivalent measure to the level of the Holy Spirit's work within us."  The key to seeing God move in power is to invite Him to move in power within us.  Today, as we seek the Lord, let's consider a few areas that have the potential to limit or derail the greater things of God in our lives, and then ask the Holy Spirit to do an internal work as we agree to deal with it.

Following are four areas where we need to evaluate and then take any necessary action, to move into the "superabundantly more" program: 

1.  ELIMINATE ALL OFFENSES  - The sacrifice (or gift laid at the altar) is our prayers, worship, fasting and pursuit of God in His Temple or presence.  The instructions are quite clear.  If while we are seeking God, we realize there are any unresolved offenses in our lives, we are to leave our "gift" or pursuit of God and resolve the issue first.  One important nuance of this verse is that it's not even you that is carrying the offense or the grudge against someone else.  He says that if we recall that "someone has something against you."  So that means if we are unaware of any offenses or hurts we have caused or misunderstandings that are causing someone in our relational world to be offended, then we can go on pursuing God with a clear conscience, a clean heart and expect powerful results.  But if we know or have a strong feeling that someone is offended with us, whether the offense is legit or they believed a lie or are holding a petty grudge over some trivial matter, that's not the issue.  The issue and release point of God's blessing is when we to them and do our best to bring resolution.  It's amazing how the heavens open up after we have done our part to resolve and release all the offenses in our lives, so lets deal with it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

TAKE A MOMENT - Ask the Holy Spirit if there is anyone you need to text, call, or visit to work through some unresolved offense.  You may not need to pray or wait on God for this one; you might know immediately as you read these words.  So, here's the "to do," don't wait or procrastinate.  Take action immediately.  If you have already attempted to resolve it and they are unwilling, then you are free to move on and seek God with a clear conscience.  If you feel you have done all you can in the past and an issue remains unresolved, perhaps the Holy Spirit would lead you to try one more time?  No pressure here, but the Lord desires you to live free and experience easy access to His presence when you "bring your gift to the altar."

2.  DON'T GIVE UP YOUR REAL ESTATE - The Greek word for foothold is "topos" which means to give ground or real estate, to give legal right to inhabit.  Ephesians 4:27 in the Amplified Version says, "And do not give the devil a foothold (an opportunity to lead into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness), . . ."  As you wait on the Lord, the Holy Spirit will be faithful to bring in light all areas of real estate in your heart that you've given over to the enemy through resentment and bitterness.  The Lord desires taht you would live completely free of any and every trace of anything that may be holding you back from experiencing your full potential in Him, so let's deal with it.

3.  KEEP NO SECRETS - During these days of PURSUIT, give God full and continual access to every areas of your heart, King David sang, "Search me, Oh God, and know my heart."  This is an invitation to live a life of transparency with the Holy Spirit.  God already knows our thoughts.  You're not bringing him anything new, you're simply inviting the Holy Spirit to examine your heart (your thoughts, motives, secret ambitions) to identify and deal with any heart issues that are diminishing your life.  As you grow in this area, you will discover a new and powerful intimacy and security in your prayer time.  This is the beauty of living an examined life.

"God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me.  Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares.  See if there is any path of pain I'm walking on, and lead me back to the glorious, everlasting ways - the path that brings me back to you."  Psalm 139:23-24 (TPT)

4.  REFUSE TO GET STUCK - Positioning your heart and mind to release every offense, forgive people quickly and not hold onto past hurts is the way to ensure you will continue to move forward in your life and ministry.  Regarding offense and betrayal, Jesus made some clear statements that apply  to all of us and we don't even have to believe them, memorize or quote them to see them activated in our lives.  This stuff just happens!

"Then He said to the disciples, 'It is impossible that no offenses should come.'" Luke 17:1 (NKJV)

"In this world you will have trouble." John 16:33 

So, it's not a matter of whether or not offenses, betrayals and tribulations will continue to be a part of life on a fallen planet, but a matter of what will you do with them?  As I look back on over three decades of life, ministry, and pastoring people, I've had my share of betrayals and wounds, as well as offending and hurting others.  My observation is this:  every time I've made a decision to forgive, resolve the issue to the best of my ability and release the grace of God into the situation, I've watched the Lord move me into new levels of authority, blessing and potential.  The real issue is keeping our hearts clean and clear before God and able to always release grace and forgiveness to others.

MEMORY VERSE - "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."  Psalm 19:14 

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Ask the Holy Spirit to examine your heart and to reveal any areas where you might have given the enemy a "foothold."  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unhealed hurts or wounds you might have tucked away in the recesses of your heart.  Ask him to show you any relationships in your life that might be damaged or anyone who is carrying an offense towards you, then make a prayerful and verbal commitment to deal with it.

Adapted from PURSUIT, by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.

 

PURSUIT - Day 10 - Speak To It

"Jesus said, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!' and does not doubt in his heart [in God's unlimited power], but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him [in accordance with God's will]."  Mark 11:23 (AMP)

Perhaps you've underestimated the power of speaking out loud to your enemies, mountains and seemingly insurmountable obstacles that lie between you and God's best for your life.  Jesus was quite clear that the release point of power is when we "speak to it."  In your devotional time today, I want you to consider the power of audible, intentional declarations that are in alignment with the Word of God and filled with faith.  Lift your voice to a new level of faith, intensity, and volume.  Although meditation is powerful, it's not enough to meditate on God's ability to move the mountains.  It's not enough to call the intercessors or ask others to pray about your mountain (although the prayers of agreement are powerful).  The operative words, the release point, the power moments are found in these words of Jesus. . . "whoever says to this mountain."

CHANGING SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL REALITIES

Let's consider how we receive salvation and become believers.  Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  Belief without confession  does not bring about supernatural change; neither does confession or declaration apart from a living faith; it takes both!  This principle is first seen in the first three verses of the Bible and throughout the Word.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.  Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."   Genesis 1:1-3

Three elements from this verse are present every single time we pray prayers that bring effective change:

• THE MESS - "The earth was formless and void."  According to the Amplified Bible, the earth was an empty formless waste.  This speaks of the mountain, the trial, and the mess of our lives that looks beyond repair or change.

• THE SPIRIT - "The Spirit of God was hovering."  This speaks of our prayer time when we encounter and are empowered by the Holy Spirit.  It's worth noting that the Holy Spirit is not opposed to hovering over the mess.  God is not nervous or embarrassed by the messes in our lives.  The Holy Spirit will come close and get involved with your worst-case scenario situations!

• THE SPOKEN WORD - "Then God said."  The Holy Spirit was hovering, but nothing happened until God spoke.  This reveals our need to speak out the will and Word of God over the situation.

When we truly believe what God is going to do, we will speak it out!

The reverse of that principle is true as well.  When we allow unbelief, doubt, and fear to gain the upper hand, we find ourselves speaking in agreement with the circumstances and lies of the enemy.

In 2009 - 2010, I went through a prolonged trial in which I suffered through a season of loss, discouragement, and confusion that really led to me a place of deep depression and eventually despair; even to the place of feeling suicidal.  It was only by the grace of God and the prayers of people who loved me that brought me out of a very dark pit.  As this dark valley truly became my reality, I began to lose my desire to praise God, my desire to worship, my desire to even speak His Word in my life; the very same Word that I had pledged my life to, the Word that I loved and was striving to live out each day grew silent in my life.  Yes, I still loved Jesus and wanted to do His will.  Yes I desired my life to matter, but because of the darkness and chaos and loss that I felt in my heart, God's voice in my life was slowly being silenced by a very real enemy, becuase my focus was on the impending darkness instead of the light of God's Word.  The changing point came for me, really the breaking point for me came when at the end of my rope I decided that I would not go down in silence.  Everytime I came to church, I couldn't wait to hear God's Word, and I couldn't wait for the Pastor to make the altar call, and I went and knelt before God and declared His Word over my life.  "I am His child.  I am not what others have said about me.  I am not the sum results of my bad decisions.  God is for me.  God is with me.  Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world."  I determined that each day I would wake up and make these declarations over my life.  The more I declared; the more I spoke His Word over my life, the darkness began to dissipate and I sincerely felt God begin to call light out of the darkness in my life.  Without the support of Life Church and Pastor Thompson, I'd not be alive - but if it wasn't for my decision to declare His Word in my life, I would still be wandering in darkness and His creative ability in me would have been silenced.

RECLAIM AND ACTIVATE THE WEAPON OF YOUR VOICE

In the Old Testament, the children of Israel, because of sin, were taken into captivity, and over time they willfully hung up their instruments of praise and forsook their songs of victory.  They felt so defeated that the very songs that were filled with the Word of God and declarations of victory became something of their past.  And today the same thing happens.  Because of the darkness or the despair we find ouselves in sometimes, we willingly lay down our harps; we hang up our instruments of praise; we shut down our voice that was designed to declare the very works of God.  Today I would ask you that when you are tempted to "hang up your harp" (Psalm 137:1-4), and forsake your song of praise, that's the time to shake yourself and resolve that the enemy will not have your voice!  You will not stay silent.  Be clear on this decision today and join your voice with the great Psalmist and warriors of the faith who declared:

"I will bless the Lord at all times - His praise will continually be in my mouth.  My soul will boast in the Lord.  I will lift up my voice.

"The dead do not praise the Lord.  Nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless and affectionately and gratefully praise the Lord.  From this time forth and forever Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)"  Psalm 115:17-18 (AMP) 

Today, let's not complain or pray about our mountains; let's decide to be obedient and with childlike faith, sing praises over your battle and speak to your mountain!  Are you ready?

TAKE A MOMENT - Identify and name the top three highest mountains, trials, or oppositions in your life.  You probably won't have to think very long, as you have been staring at these intimitdating mountains for a while.  Once you've identified and named them, you will see them for what they are, a defying force of hell, an obstacle that is keeping you from God's call on your life, a demonic attack on your family, health, or emotions.  As you enter into your prayer time, speak directly to those issues, and do what Jesus told you to do. . . "say to the mountain!"

MEMORY VERSE - "I believed; therfore, I have spoken.  Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak."  2 Corinthians 4:13

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Today, we come in the authority of the name that is above every name, the might name of Jesus!  We speak to the longstanding and intimidating issues that appear to be immovable obstructions.  We speak to the mountains in our life!  Take some time to find verses in the Word that specifically deal with your mountain.  A simple word search on www.blueletterbible.org or www.biblegateway.com will get you started.  Spend time speaking those verses out loud, letting faith fill your heart as you declare the Word, then speak to it!  Do not be discouraged or dissuaded if you do not see immediate change, thank God that His Word is true, and continue to ask, seek, knock, and declare the Word of God until the mountains move!

Adapted from PURSUIT, by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.

PURSUIT - Day 9 - Against All Hope

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became. . ."  Romans 4:18-21

Some prayer seem more likely to be answered than others, while some situations in life appear to be beyone hope or reason.  So why even pray?  We come to false conclusions about hopeless situations because we often view prayer, and God's ability to answer prayer, from a finite perspective that is jaded by our track record of delays and failures  God can do anything at any time and at a rate that is far more than we could ask or imagine!

Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.   Ephesians 3:20 (TPT)

Today I want to consider our prayer focus and intensity in light of the people and situations in our lives that appear to be "beyond hope".  We all have that relative, or physical condition, or persistent baggage, or pesky sin activity that we can't overcome, or whatever else it might be that you've thrown your best prayers at for a prolonged period of time, only to be mocked by the unwavering status of the situation and the strength of the enemy invovled.  Today I want us to pray "against all hope".

Let's consider the prayer life of Abraham.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 4:18-21 NIV

Is there anything more hopeless than being 100 years old with a 90-year old wife while trying to hang onto the promise of a pregnancy and a promised child?  I believe God uses this over-the-top scenario to show us how faith and persistence work in our lives.  There are a few things about Abraham's story that can help us pray effectively and receive the promises of God.

• FACE THE FACTS - Abraham was not in denial of the reality of the situation nor did he casusally deny the fact that his impossible circumstance did exist.  He faced the facts and took the problem head-on.  Don't be afraid to do the same.  Tell God how messed up your situation is, how long it's been that way, and how unlikely it is that change will ever occur apart from His supernatural intervention.  But don't stop there. . . go to the next step!  If we state the facts without declaring God's ability to change them, then what some people consider to be prayer is just complaining.  This never works out well (consider the end result of the complainers that were a part of the children of Israel in the wilderness).                                                                   
• DON'T WEAKEN IN YOUR FAITH - This part is on us.  God will do what He has promised if we will continue to believe and not waver.  But how do we not waver when circumstances around us are saying we should be getting weaker instead of stronger?  Be filled with the Word of God and speak it over every situation.  When delays continue and our emotions are spent, when people who love us have given up on us and told us to "move on", here's our to do:  hold your present circumstances up against the promises of God and then choose which one you will focus on and confess.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  Only stands to reason that the more I hear the Word of God, the greater increase I will receive to my faith.        
• PRAISE GOD FOR WHAT IS COMING - "Abraham was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God."  (Romans 4:20) This is where belief turns into confession and our hope is given a voice that brings about real change!  This type of praise falls into the category of "sacrificial praise" (Hebrews 13:5).  When we have yet to experience the fulfillment of the promise, a faith-filled sacrifice of praise is required.  When we are between the prophecy and the manifestation of it, this is where we worship, not based on what we see but upon the reality of who God is and what He has promised.  One man said it's our responsibility to praise God when we are in the hallway.  When one door has shut, and a new one has not opened yet, to give God praise for the open door, while it remains closed.  Giving glory to God during extended times of waiting and unanswered prayer is all about focusing on who He is, what He has done, and why it's likely He will do it again.  

TAKE A MOMENT

Stop and praise God for what is coming.  Begin to lift the name of Jesus over that impossible situation and thank Him, out loud, for the impending breakthrough and victory.  Tell God how big He is and how this situation is a little thing for Him.  Remind God of some of His greatest miracles  throughout history and then declare that "If He did it then. . . He can do it again."  We give glory to God when we don't let go of His promises.  We magnify or make God bigger when we give glory to Him during the waiting by declaring who He is and what He will do, long before He does it.

• LIVE FULLY PERSUADED - Faith means to be convinced or "fully persuaded."  When we believe God and pray in faith, it means that we have come to a place where we wholeheartedly  believe that God is going to do what He said He was going to do, no matter how long it may take or how hopeless the circumstances may seem.  I challenge you today to become that kind of prayer warrior.  Be a man or woman of God that lives fully persuaded.                                     
• REVISIT THE ENCOUNTER - There were 23 years of delay betweeen the promise and the fulfillment of Abraham, yet he was able to reflect back on key moment of encounter and promise as the years slipped by.  He was 75 when God told him his descendants would be a blessing to every nation on the earth.  Fast forward 24 years and Abraham is encountered again by angelic beings and the Lord himself to confirm that he and Sarah were only one year out from the promised son's arrival (Genesis 17).  Abraham must have mentally and emotionally gone back to those powerful moments of the orignial covenant repeatedly to encourage himself and strengthen his faith.  I would encourage you to do the same!  Repeatedly revist those "holy moments" in your faith journey with the Lord.  Perhaps get out a journal and write down everything you can remember about that moment when God made you a promise about your future, called you to ministry, revealed that your family would be saved, or whatever amazing promises you have been holding onto.  As you go back to the place of your encounter with God, you will find hope springing up again and your faith being strengthened to believe again for the impossible, to ". . . hope against all hope."

MEMORY VERSE - "He was fully convinced that God is able to do what He promises." Romans 4:21

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Knowing that nothing is too difficult for God, let's pray some hope-filled prayers over hopeless situations.  The enormity of our problem does not diminish His power or p ut our prayers in a "probably won't be answered" category.  Go to the Word of God and find the promises that apply to your most hopeless scenarios and relationships.  Hold these promises up against the facts and choose to declare the Word of God over them.  Even if the answer to your prayer seemd delayed, determine that you will wait in faith like Abraham, living fully that . . . God can and will do it!

Adapted from PURSUIT, by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.

PURSUIT - Day 8 - The Power of Waiting

Have you ever met anyone who likes to wait?  I haven't.  DMV lines, traffic jams, and overcrowded restaurants all create feelings of anxiety and the sense that a waste of life is taking place.  The feelings of anxiety or loss  that are connected with waiting vary in all of us.  Patience is not a personal strength for me and our culture does not help the situation as we live in a society that priortizes expediting everything and has forgotten the value of waiting.  Today I want to consider a different kind of waiting.  Not the I'm bored, tap your foot, stare at your watch as the seconds and hours tick by type of waiting, but an intenional waiting that will cause something powerful to take place in your life!

Looking back, would you agree that the times of waiting have been the seasons of your life that produced something in you that would not have been developed any other way?  The Bible calls this "patient endurance" and tells us that we need it.

"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.  Remember the great reward it bring you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to be God's will.  Then you will receive all that he has promised."  Hebrews 10:35-36

Throughout scripture we are encouraged to "Wait upon the Lord."  Here's a sample:

"I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."  Psalm 27:13-14 

 This concept of waiting that we see over and over again in scripture is not merely talking about marking time or holding out until God gets good and ready to move on our behalf.  But this is an active waiting that will produce something amazing in the one who waits.  It's important to understand  and apply the meaning of this powerful Hebrew word, qavah, which means "to bind together by twisting, to be bound together with the object of our waiting, and to wait with expectation and hope."

An accurate visual aid for this process would be to imagine a three-stranded rope.  One strand represents you, one strand is the Lord, and the third is the higher purposes of God for our lives.  As we "wait," we are being twisted together with God's character and purpose for our future.  We are becoming one with the object of our waiting!  What an amazing picture!  This kind of waiting is never a waste of time or a gamble as to whether our waiting will pay off.

As we wait, we have these sure promises:

Psalm 25:3 (AMP)
"Yes, let none who trust and [expectantly] wait hopefully and look for You be put to shame [humiliated or embarrassed] or be disappointed;. . ."


Isaiah 40:31 (AMP)
"But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired."

Lamentations 3:25 (AMP)
"The Lord is good to those who wait [confidently] hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word]."

Today as you wait, expect renewed power and fresh strength.  You are being bound with His purpose in such a powerful way that you will never be separated from His destiny for your future!  This is the power of waiting.  So, let's wait upon the Lord as we PURSUE Him.

Here are a few practical ideas that will help as you spend time in the secret place without becoming distracted or impatient in the waiting:

• COME BEFORE HIM WITH NO AGENDA - We all have our prayer requests, needs, and preessures that motivate us to pray hard.  We need help, we need answers, and we need results.  Jesus says He knows our needs before we ever ask Him for help (Matthew 6:8).  Try this in your PURSUIT time today.  Grab your Bible, journal, and a listening heart.  Let the Lord know that He is your agenda.  You have not come to ask, beg, plead, demand, or get something from Him, but to simply be with Him and hear His heart.                                                                       
• DON'T SCHEDULE HIM TOO TIGHTLY - God is rarely in a hurry.  He is eternal and lives beyond the boundaries of time.  But it's more than that.  It's the reality that waiting, letting the peace of God rule in our hearts, and time spent alone with the Lord are the accurate weapons to defeat the enemies of worry, hurry, stress, anxiety, and all other distractions that our busy lives are bombarding us with daily.  I understand that we all have places to go and people to see but here's the challenge: set aside time where you can pursue the Lord and stay as long as you need to stay.  This may require you to set the alarm an hour earlier and starting your day with praise.  Remember that power is released in the waiting; the soaring on wings of eagles occurs after the waiting.                                                                                                                                             
• PUSH SOMETHING ELSE OFF THE PLATE - I think this visual might help.  Your 24/7 schedule and the realities of time vs. responsibilities and activities and the need for 7-8 hours of solid sleep are a very real struggle and tension.  This is your "time-plate."  You can cram only so much in that 24-hour slot and everything you commit to, make space for, or allow into your schedule takes up real estate on your 24-hour time-plate.  So, in order to clear up some "waiting time" you will have to consider what needs to be pushed off the plate.  Ask God to show you what your wasted time looks like, and what could be pushed off the plate to make more time for the secret place.  He will be faithful to show you.                                                                     
• ANCHOR YOUR HOPE TO THE SURE PROMISES OF GOD - Waiting is all about hope.  Hoping God will come through, hoping we will find some new paths to walk, answers we are searching for, and the break-throughs we need.  Yet waiting with good intentions is not enough to secure the desired outcome.  Proverbs 13:12 says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life."  Hope can drag on indefinitely only to end in disappointment when our hope is anchored in our own emotions, unsanctified desires, or outcomes that involve the free wills of people who are not interested in the will of God.

The very definition of Biblical hope is "an expectation based upon the reality of who God is and what He has promised."  This is why it's so vitally important to make the Word a part of your daily prayer life and pursuit.  Get in and stay in the Word as you pray.  Read it, study it, meditate on it, listen to it, and memorize it and pray it out loud.  This practice will add jet fuel to your prayer life and anchor your hope!

So before you set sail on the seas of new possibilities and faith adventures just be sure to "check your anchors," establishing that they are firmly connected to the bedrock of the unchangeable Word of God and then get on with the business of waiting with expectation.

MEMORY VERSE - "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." Lamentations 3:25

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - As you spend time with the Lord, let Him know that there isn't an agenda.  You desire to know Him and His greater purpose for your life.  Repent of running too fast, asking too quickly, and bowing to the pressure and pace of culture and a lifestyle that has forgotten how to wait.  Pray this out loud:

"Father teach me to wait?  Today you are all that I need, and all that I want.  I have no greater need or desire than to sit at your feet becoming more like you.  Today as I wait on you, I want to be aware of, and bound together with, your greater purpose for this season of my life.  But more than anything else, I want to spend time with You!  You are my reward.  I will wait on You. . . In Jesus Name, AMEN!"

Consider the words to this song "Nothing Else" by Cody Carnes - perhaps even play it during your time of prayer today:

I'm caught up in Your presence, I just want to set here are Your feet

I'm caught up in this holy moment, I never want to leave

Oh I'm not here for blessings, Jesus, you don't owe me anything

More than anything that you can do, I just want you.

Praying God's greatest rewards on you as you wait on Him!

Adapted from PURSUIT, by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.