The Place of Prayer

I believe the Lord is saying, ‘You know some things, BUT you must pray!’ Prayer is awareness! The spirit of prayer will be the corrective lenses thru which God’s view of the word is opened up to you. Prayer changes our posture from haughty to humble, from sinner to saint! Prayer unlocks the Mystery of Christ to you, within you and through you! Prayer will be the defining mark of what you have come to know and what you truly believe. Recently, I heard the question asked this way, ‘How is it that you believe in a supernatural God, but don’t believe in the supernatural?’ Prayer is the key to the mystery that changes your thinking to recognize Jesus is at the spiritual place of God’s right hand of power pleading for you! Don’t tell Him He’s changed and no longer moving in supernatural power. He is there interceding for you to grasp the concept of an open heaven so you might boldly come asking to receive His grace and power (Heb 4:16).  I tell you truth, it is easier to listen to other preachers, read enlightening books, listen to spiritual music, and even read the Bible, but harder still to pray. Don’t misinterpret what I am saying, those things are good and necessary, but without the spirit of prayer, your life will be rather one dimensional missing the dynamic that can transform what you know in your head to what gets ahold of your heart!  Psalm 40 is a psalm of powerful awareness in which David’s ears are opened in corrective fashion to realize the resources afforded him by the King of heaven. What do you have need of today?  You must in faith believe “God IS, AND HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO SEEK HIM”.  What is it that you seek?  You will accomplish it in the place of prayer.

The House of Worship

Jesus plainly tells us in Matthew 11:28 to come to His rest!  In John 10:7 He says, ‘I’m the door you must enter through.’ All too often we fail to see the open door Jesus has made for our entry into His House of Rest! This past spring a red bird appeared in the window at our house of worship.  At first, everyone was pleasantly distracted by his coming to the window.  However, over the course of the next few weeks he would make it his mission to attack every window on our building repeatedly becoming a nuisance to everyone.  I found myself thinking, ‘that stupid little bird…’, then God said to me, “you’ve been like that little bird”.  The truth is, we have all been just like that little red bird.  He might have found the door of entry, but he was too busy fighting his enemies, or so it would seem!  In reality, he wasn’t even looking for the door.  What are you seeking?  Is it the open door of Jesus that brings you into a place of rest, or are you like the little bird?  Just what does he see in the glass that keeps him coming back to the place of futility?  He sees himself, but he is most deceived thinking it’s his enemy.  In his zeal to fight, he is bound by a deception that allows the real enemy to steal what God says is rightfully his. There is a ‘little red bird’ syndrome bound in the nature of all our flesh. The little bird is fighting against his own image though he doesn’t see it.  Your image will always make you angry, frustrated, and captivated by Your-SELF and the image IT produces.  There is a blindness only Jesus can remove.  He says to you, ‘I’ve an anointing that can heal blind eyes so you can see the door of rest.’ It is a place of recovery, it is a place of release and abundance.  Any attempt to use something other than the door will leave you beaten and bruised.  There is hope and healing at the Open Door of Jesus!  His lessons are the cure of our ‘Red Bird’ syndrome!  He is saying to you, ‘Son/Daughter, use the door! It represents the only legitimate way to my service and pleasure and by it you will produce My glory and not your own!  Use the door, and you will be able to move freely in my presence where there is fulness and joy.  It will be a fulness that will keep you from robbing Me and being robbed of what I alone have given you to possess!

“Are You Saved”

images“Are you saved?” I can remember as child a Baptist preacher saying every week without fail the words; ‘Are You saved?’ I believe those 3 words are possibly Baptist’s greatest contribution to the faith. You may know a lot about Him, but do you know Him? If there is no grieving or sorrow over your sinful condition…no witness of the Spirit, then you don’t know Him. For Jesus to truly save you, you must believe you are drowning and in need of saving—otherwise the broken cry for a savior is not heard and He cannot save. It is a matter of need…do you need Him? Do you see your very real need of His love and forgiveness? Or, do you see yourself ‘pretty good’– never considering that one sin…it’s rebellion like witchcraft that has you under a spell of deception never considering yourself that bad; it is your only weak link, but it is powerful enough to destroy your whole life with that one unredeemed failure. I see God is not mocked and sin must be atoned for. What are you doing and where are you taking your sin for atonement? Because what He takes, He covers–what He covers, He redeems, what He redeems He changes, and what He changes He keeps for Himself with a movement of the Spirit that directs my steps to increase as His disciple and witness. So, I ask you again, “Are You Saved…Are You Really Saved?”

The Safe Place of Prayer

Psalm 61:1-4

O God, listen to my cry!Hear my prayer!

From the ends of the earth,I cry to you for helpwhen my heart is overwhelmed.Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

for you are my safe refuge,a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.

Let me live forever in your sanctuary,safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

…In the place of overwhelming difficulty We have this word as an anchor to remind us we can be lead to a place the enemy cannot reach! Our cries are the place of heavenly access… We like David, may feel a long way off from that safety, but it’s placed within our reach when we pray!