Praises, Prayers and Petitions

Praise Reports

·         Tirea's work prospered

·         Rose placed in gymnastics

·         Kathy - doing much better

·         Bro Thip outreaches effective for Kingdom

 

Prayer Requests

·         Paul Thornton - healing

·         Kaydience's parents - saved, delivered, healing

·         Juanita - healing

·         Shannon - healling

·         Lee - healing

·         St. Julian - healing

·         Dee - peace and wisdom

·         Angela- healing and wisdom for docs

·         Michael - salvation

·         Rodney - healing

·         Cody - protection and wisdom

·         Dad Nelson - healing

·         Kay - comfort, peace and walk in forgiveness

·         Ken Botha - Stroke

Singapore

·         Bordered by the  Riau Archipelago in Indonesia and Malaysia

·         Population  - 5.1 million

·         13.4% Professing Christian (6.1 Evangelical)

·         Primary Religion - Buddhism

The Souls, the Souls the Souls

I know a fellow believer who recently had a visitation from the Lord.  Over dinner with a group of friends,  he shared his experience with God.  Normally this man doesn't speak much or socialize often; but he had a story to tell.  Before I share it with you let me back up and tell you about an encounter I had with the Spirit of God prior to this meeting.  Just a few days before, I was reading a devotional and as I was meditating on the message of the writer, I heard the Lord clearly ask me a question.  "How long will you let your kingdom stand?"  I was shocked! What?  I don't have a kingdom.  I am careful to give Him all the glory.  What was God referring to?  I asked Him.  His response shook me.  I felt God say that most believers have some remnant of their kingdom still standing.  Of course, I asked again what He meant.  Let me summarize and say that basically when we have anything that we cling to with or without regard to the Lord's will, it is our little kingdom.  Some of us say we will go into to some countries and people groups and not into certain others.  For others, we will not move out in ministry until our children are grown or we have a certain amount of money or possessions paid off.  Other little kingdoms include our appetites for food, things, power and influence.  For each person it is different; but until our little kingdoms are destroyed, we will never be able to move in the fullness of the authority, power and love of the Kingdom. These things are in the way of us being one with Christ and fulfilling the desires of His heart.  Needless to say, I stayed in prayer for quite a while tearing down my little Kingdom.

Now back to my friend's encounter with God.  He was in prayer meeting a few other intercessors.  From the perspective of the other intercessors at dinner with us, all of a sudden, this man fell to the floor and started praying in tongues loudly.  This was not only atypical for him, but the length of time that it went on was curious.  He didn't remember falling or praying loudly.  He remembered opening his eyes and seeing Jesus.  He knew it was Jesus, but was surprised because he looked different than any image of Him he'd ever seen.  Of course, he could feel the overwhelming love and acceptance of God.  At some point Jesus opened his eyes to see the lost souls in the earth.  As the man relayed the encounter to us, he would cry and say, "the souls, the souls, the souls." He would be emotionally transported back to the visitation and he would weep.  The weeping was frustrating for him because now he was prone to cry at any time in any place.  I was amazed.  This quiet, almost shy man was completely changed in the presence of the Savior.  I was also encouraged that in this hour in the earth, Jesus could have spoke to this man about many things, but He didn't.  He didn't speak about the upcoming elections in America, the state of the various nations of the earth or the personal wants and desires of this man.  The overriding take away from this encounter was the God's heart for souls.  Jesus cares about the lost, the broken, the captive, the blind and the hurting.  That is His heart.

One question:  Are you in sync with His heart?  Does your conversations, social media postings, emails, preaching and teaching reflect God's heart for souls or the wants and desires of your little mini Kingdom?

...the souls, the souls, the souls

Praises, Prayers and Petitions

Praise Reports

·         James received favor in legal case

·         Randy received a visitation that has changed him

·         Mom Ward released to rehab

 

Prayer Requests

·         Rodney - health and memory

·         Wilhelmina - breast cancer

·         Tracy - MS, diabetes, high blood pressure

·         Breena - employment

·         Michael - healing and deliverance

·         Kaydience family to stay together

United Arab Emirates

·         Located at the tip of the Arabian peninsula bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman

·         Population 5.6 million (85% of population non-citizens)

·         8% Professing Christians (1.4% Evangelical)

·         Primary Religion - Islam

Free at Last

My brother could be called many things including a poet, an adventurer and even foolhardy. He has always felt like he was free to do whatever he wanted.  He took it to heart that he lived in the land of the free.  Unfortunately, the land was free, but my brother was often arrested for exercising his freedoms.  On one such occasion, I went to get him out of jail for reciting poetry in a shopping/tourist area.  I knew I needed a bail bondsman so I grabbed a phone book and noticed one named Free At Last.  Though I chuckled at the name, I ended up not needing help since the police released my brother in the hopes that he would stop using his freedom so publicly (in the land of the free). 

 America has always been liberal with its freedom declaration.  Although noble in its intention, this ideal of freedom has lead many into great bondage.   After all, are you truly free just because you get to say whatever you want?  Most of our free speech reflect the depth and degree of bondage Americans are in from additions and prejudices to selfishness  and greed.  Don't misunderstand, I do love the freedoms we have in our country; but true freedom cannot be found in a government, social systems or mandates.  It can only be found where the Leader can release true freedom to the people.  The Land of the Free is more accurately known as the Kingdom of God.

One of my favorites scriptures is Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (NKJV).   The English Standard Version says it this way, " For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."  Freedom is intended for people to actually be free.  As believers, we are to walk in complete freedom.  This is not only just freedom from sin, but freedom in all areas of life.  This requires unwavering trust in God.

We are to walk in financial freedom. Being debt free is good, but it is not financial freedom.  A homeless person can be debt free.  True financial freedom is when you have all of your resources available to God at any time.  If you have $50 and the Lord asks you to give away $49, you are free if you can do it trusting that He will provide all your needs.  In the same way, you can only say you live free, when your dependence is only upon God and you wait daily for Him to lead you.  So often we schedule ministry activities, church attendance and Christian outreach around our schedules.  When you are truly abiding in the Land of the Free (aka the Kingdom of God), you are always available for what the King of the Kingdom would like you to do. Everything else is scheduled in light of the King's plans and purposes

My encouragement to you is to enter the Kingdom of God by way of the cross of Jesus Christ and abide in the Land of the Free.  It's a place where you can really declare "Free at Last!" 

Praises, Prayers and Petitions

Praise Reports

·         Healing started with Baby K's parents

·         Anna's knee healed

Prayer Requests

·         Lee - direction

·         Patty/Lizzie - healing

·         Shannon Healing

·         Teri - peace

·         Byrd's traveling

·         Joshua - healing

·         Rodney - salvation, healing and restoration

·         Michelle - healing

Mayotte

·         Territory of France located in Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique

·         Population 231 thousand

·         1.7 Professing Christians  (<1% Evangelical)

·         Islam primary religion of the people

Praises, Prayers and Petitions

Praise Reports

·         Lynn finished radiation treatments

·         Kim nominated for nurse of the year

·         Mom Edmunds recovering

·         Chevon and Dale engaged

Prayer Requests

·         Michelle - healing

·         Tolbert - Nelson family - healing and bereavement

·         Erica and Emily - salvation, healing and deliverance

·         Baby K and parents - restoration and forgiveness

·         Belinda - medical test - no problems

·         Rick - house

Senegal

·         Bordered by Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Mauritania

·         Population 15 million

·         5.5% Professing Christians - 2% Evangelical

·         Though predominantly Muslim, tolerant of other religions

Fill 'Er Up

When I was a child, we called gas stations, filling stations for the simple reason that it was where you took your car to be filled with Gas.  My parents would park in front of the pumps and wait for service.  An attendant (O how I miss them) would come to the window and my mother or father would tell them to "fill'er up". He or she would specify the type of gas wanted.  In those days, it was either high test or regular.  We would sit in the car, as it was being filled with gas.  Using my imagination, I can easily believe that the car was excited to be replenished with fuel.   

As believers, we should regularly pull into God's filling station and be refilled.  Like cars we can run half full, with a quarter tank or near empty.  A car burns more gas if it is not well maintained, has bad parts, sits idling or is driven aggressively.  Even in the pursuit of comfort (aka using your air conditioner) will hasten your trip back to the "filling station." 

Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  In our daily walk in the earth, we are God's light in the midst of darkness.  If we are led by the Spirit, we are pouring out God's love, grace, forgiveness and truth daily. We live in a fallen world. If we are not living in the fullness of the revelation of Christ, we will deplete fast.  We need to go to God on a regular basis requesting to be filled again.  

God is a "filling God.  At the creation of mankind, He told us to fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28).  After Solomon built the temple, God filled it with His glory (2 Chronicles 7:1-2).  After Jesus ascended to be with the Father again, God sent His promised Spirit to fill us and dwell within us.  As a matter of fact, on the day of Pentecost, the disciples who were gathered in the upper room were "filled" with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4).  We are admonished by Paul the apostle to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

We are filled and refilled in worship, in the Word of God, in the fellowship of the saints, in prayer and in ways the Spirit lead.  We must keep a full tank as we make every effort to  make God known to a lost and dying world.  The more we empty out doing the work of the ministry as believers, we must run back to the Lord and cry out "fill'er up!

29Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,  30by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.  Acts 4:29-31(NKJV)