Tag Archives: prayer

What is in Your Hand?

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What do we have in our hands? 

There is a well understood biblical and spiritual principle, “What do you have in your hand?” 

We think of Moses, “Then the LORD asked him, ‘What is that in your hand?’, ‘A shepherds staff,’ Moses replied.” Exodus 4:2

Consider Elijah and the widow at Zarephath, “Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the regions of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so that I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 

“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and so as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and brig it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sense rain on the land.’”

She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:7-16

Then too, the boy with five loaves and two fish that fed over 5000 people. We think of the widow with her one coin at the temple and the word that she would be remembered for the rest of time. And what about Elijah and the widow with the small bit of oil, the collection of many jars, and the filling of all those jars. Not to mention the water turned to wine by Jesus himself. 

What do you have in your hand? It can do more than you imagine. And just may be all you need!

At Capturing Courage we’ve been considering this once more. What do we have in our hands? We have recently embarked on an exploration, sensing out a future location for a House of Prayer. There are a few different thoughts about this. Many things we could do or be, in specific ministry this way or that. 

But not all these thoughts have any solid basis upon which we have advanced before. We must remain in what we have in our hands. The tangible solid wherewithal and capacity upon which God has already been growing, leading, and developing us. 

So, we are asking, “What is in our hands?” 

The Lord has made it clear that we are to move forward in this journey towards a house of prayer in a public way. You can therefore find more posts about this over at https://capturingcouragecanada.org and even a few jottings over at https://cyndylavoie.com 

The Wrath of God

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In my part of the world, maybe yours too, there has been one couple buying up all the Lyslol cleaning wipes from the stores and reselling them at exaggerated costs, taking advantage of people’s fear and need during this Covid-19 pandemic. 

This is called racketeering. It is a gross offence of blatant disregard for any other but themselves. Such folks will now carry much disdain among the community. To put it lightly. 

It is this exact kind of behaviour that had Jesus turning over the tables in the temple with rage. Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18

You see, for the Passover each year folks came from far away to the temple in Jerusalem. It was a long, hard, journey for many. 

Because of the difficulty, (heat and endless walking), the folks would not bring with them the dove or the lamb or the goat for their sacrifice at the temple. 

Rather, they would wait until they arrived to purchase what they needed for their sacrifice back to the Lord. 

But the religious leaders acted exactly like the couple buying up and then selling all the cleaning wipes. 

They were taking advantage of the need of the people unto their own benefit. 

Instead of selling a dove for the actual reasonable normal amount they would sell the dove for much more. Taking advantage of the people’ needs to turn a vast profit. 

Thus, Jesus, in a rage turned over the money changers tables. 

You see, God is serious about justice and integrity. 

It is also why Jesus was so hard on the pharisees, calling them whitewashed tombs, looking all great on the outside but full of dead mens bones. 

It is also why there is stern injunction against selling prayers or miracles or anything that is freely given of the Lord. 

Exchanging money for healing, or for spiritual strength, or for a sense of rightness with God, is sacrilege. 

Such behaviour demotes God to a transaction. And it takes advantage of folks in their spiritual need to feel right with God, to feel heard, to know that God is with them. 

I could go on. 

For those of you in Christian ministry. You must stop taking advantage of folks need to know God by creating some transaction, by which you skim the cream off the top. 

For those of you who reject the notion of God based on such behaviour. First, you are smart to recognize this as evil. Second, know that God never condones such behaviour. Ever. 

Jesus, in rage, revealed the heart of God against spiritual thieves and religious manipulators. His words tell us more,

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t got in yourself and you don’t let other enter either. … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from our herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law–justice, mercy, and faith. … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy–full of greed and self indulgence! … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs–beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people bones and all sorts of impurity.” Matthew 23

The anger and wrath you feel against the couple price gouging on cleaning wipes, those taking advantage of folks needs and fears to make a profit. 

That is the same anger of God against religious leaders who would profit from the spiritual needs of the people.

Chapter 3. Honest Prayers

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3.  Honest Prayers

per — Capturing God’s Heart Volume #25

We find intimacy with our Lord through prayer, and yet for many of us we are unsure how to pray.  We worry that we are not saying the right words. We may think that the burden of prayer lies with us.  We may not understand how conversational prayer works.

While we do not have time for a full study of prayer here, we will look at a primary principle of prayer:   – Come before the Lord with a commitment to honesty —

“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”  Psalm 51:6 ESV

Opening our inner being before the Lord is much of what prayer is about.  How can we expect intimacy with God if we are pretending deep within ourselves?

Admitting to our own thoughts and desires in quiet before the Lord, breaks down the barriers between us and him.

We need not worry about having our lives in good order first, for God knows more than us how unholy our inner person is.  Our part is to admit and acknowledge all that is not okay.

Jeremiah asked,  “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?”  Jeremiah 17:9 NLT and the answer is, God knows.

It is therefore best to come before the Lord without pretence.  In fact, we find some pretty strong language about how God feels about pretence and hypocrisy.

“I hate all your show and pretence —
    the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.”  Amos 5:21 NLT

Pretence and hypocrisy are the difference between our outer lives before the Lord (and others) and our inner hearts.  To walk with God we must put aside our pretending and simply come in honesty and truth before the Lord.

King David, who wrote many of the Psalms, is our master teacher in coming before the Lord in all honesty of heart and mind.  Consider this passage,

“O Lord, how long will you forget me?  Forever?  How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?  how long will my enemy have the upper hand?”  Psalm 13:1-2 NLT

Haven’t we all wondered at times where God is?  Well, David wasn’t afraid to say this to God.  He knew that God was big enough for his doubts and his fears and he brought his whole heart to the Lord.  He refused pretence (pretending) and chose honesty.

David later gave this advice to his son Solomon,

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately.  Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind.  For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought.  If you seek him, you will find him.  But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”  1 Chronicles 28:9 NLT

Every relationship is built on honesty and trust.  It is no different with God and us.  In fact, God also works at intimacy with his people. In John we find Jesus telling us this very thing,

“I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves.  Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”  

John 15:15 NLT

In fact, in Amos we find this amazing statement,

“Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.”  Amos 3:7 NLT

God reveals himself to us, and invites us to reveal ourselves to him.

In the midst of our honesty before God, when we take courage to speak what we are thinking and feeling, we come to find the peace of God stealing into our hearts.

David’s cry to God in Psalm 13 concludes this way,

“But I trust in your unfailing love.
    I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord
    because he is good to me.”  Psalm 13:5-6 NLT

And as we read many of the Psalms we find this same progression again and again.

1. God I’m really having trouble here

2. Where are you?

3. Help me!

4. I commit to your goodness

5. Thank-you for being my God

We start out blaming God and throwing our hurts and accusations before him, and then, once we have spoken our minds we find the Spirit of God softly coming alongside, validating and putting an arm so to speak around our hearts; we know we have been heard.

In fact, we are told,

“The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”  Romans 8:26 NLT

Not only does God hear our prayers, but he joins in with our prayers and in fact intercedes for us in an even deeper way than what we can do ourselves.  Our Holy Spirit advocates on our behalf as we cry out to God.

We become partners with the God-head as we pray.  Jesus himself has entered into our struggles and has experienced all of what it is to be human,

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Hebrews 4:14-16  NIV 

Amen and amen.

Come to the Lord in the honesty of your heart today.  Speak your mind and heart. 

Welcome dialogue. Listen for what the Spirit is saying to you.  Allow validation.  Release anger. Accept grace and peace and comfort.

Your life will be infused with greater courage and trust as you go forward with the Lord in this way, day by day.  Be blessed.

Prayer

“God I come to you in the honesty of my heart.  I am a little afraid to be honest with you, for I have somehow believed that you want me to be happy all the time.  But of course, I am not happy all the time.   And so I bring you my troubles, I bring you my worries, I bring you my doubts.  I invite you into all of these things. And all of these things I give to you, declaring them for your glory and honour. 

Show me in a new way Father, that you are big enough for all the parts of my life.  The parts that are working well and the parts that are not working well.  Teach me, guide me, heal me, refresh me.   Thank you for loving me and for loving my honest prayers.  Teach me to become increasingly honest with you and with myself.  I desire intimacy in our relationship, I desire to bring you my whole heart.  Bless you Lord.  Amen”

Application

As we dialogue with God in prayer it is vital to come before him quietly.  If we are doing all the talking it is impossible to hear what God may be saying to us. (8)  To hear the Holy Spirit requires a heart that is quiet before him. It is good, therefore, to each day take some time to sit in the presence of God and learn to listen to him. 

1.  Make a plan to be quiet before God for a time each day.  It is hard to quiet our hearts before him, but it is a key part of growing in intimate relationship with God. 

2.  For one month keep a small journal of your times in silence before God.  Make note of how you did. Was it easy to be quiet before God or was it hard? 

3.  You may want to make note of the things that you sense God is saying to you. 

4.  After a few weeks look back on your notes and see how being silent before God has become easier and more natural. 

5.  The next time you meet as a class, share how you are growing in silence before God and share what God has been saying to you and how he is leading you. 

“God, I come before you in the name and the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ.  Today I bring myself quietly before you.  I invite you to speak to me.  I want to hear from you.  To any lying, deceiving, or confusing spirits, I say to these to be quiet in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ.  I want to hear from God only, I invite your wisdom.  Thank you Lord.  Amen” 

Summary – honest prayers

Our hearts are deceitful.  Proverbs 21:2,  Jeremiah 17:9

We must be honest before god and others.  Ephesians 4:25,  Hebrews 4:12

This builds intimacy with God.  Matthew 5:8,  Proverbs 3:5

We take time each day with God.   Psalm 51:10,  1 Timothy 1:5

He woos us and draws us into continued honesty and increased relationship. 

2 Corinthians 5:19,  2 Samuel 22:31

 

Footnotes: 

8. The Bible warns us against praying as the pagans do. We read in Matthew 6:7-8 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayer are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” NLT

And in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, “As you enter the house of God, keep you ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.” NLT

The power of prayer is in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and as we agree with God (coming out of agreement with Satan). There is no power in repetition of words and there is no power through the volume of our voice. Shouting will not affect the enemy. In fact, shouting out at the gods is what the pagans do. It is those who practice witchcraft and demonism that shout and make a big show. We do not want our Christian prayer practices to look like pagan prayer practices. 

We are called to be different and our prayer practices will reveal what we believe about God. For instance, are we confident that he will heal us? Then we simply say, “In the name of Jesus I command all pain to go right now” and it does. Jesus wants to heal us, we simply release this healing simply yet powerfully. In all things the power of prayer is based on the work and name of Jesus Christ. 

“That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil sports with a simple command and he healed all the sick.” Matthew 8:16 NLT

We Run Toward the World

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I am in a lot of communities. As a visiting preacher and revivalist I visit many, many churches, many, many communities. At each of these places, with each of these churches, I find folks intent on sharing the love of God and bringing to the area where they live light and hope to a dying world.

This last weekend I was in an area of India where there is rampant unemployment due to the closure of a local mine. In the years since the husbands and brothers have been pimping out their wives and sisters in prostitution. They head into the city for a days work, returning home each evening. For years.

I was told this information a few days before I was to be the main speaker at a one day missions conference with pastors and their wives. Upon receiving this information I queried, ‘What do I bring in this context?!’

As I prayed and prepared I became even more convinced that I preach the same thing I preach everywhere else, Jesus.

And I preach the same message I’ve been giving out elsewhere, Repentance.

I learned last year that there are three keys to Revival, 1. A hunger for more of God, 2. Repentance, 3. That religious strongholds are broken.

Continue reading →

Poverty Strongholds Finale – Pain Upon Pain

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11. Poverty Strongholds – Pain Upon Pain

  1. Demons
  2. Poor Stewardship
  3. Lack of Knowledge (common sense)
  4. Mind Sets (faulty thinking)
  5. Lack of Holiness
  6. Agreements with the Enemy
  7. Bad Theology
  8. Blaming & Excuses
  9. Refusing to be a Blessing
  10. Pain Upon Pain 

Today in conclusion to this series I am writing about #10 Poverty Stronghold, Pain Upon Pain. 

My original doodling of this material, while in Uganda, began with the first 8 strongholds, and then once home and as I was writing my first post about this topic I realized that pain upon pain is a critical contributor to poverty strongholds. In identifying this I thought I would rework the Poverty Stronghold Diagram / Pie Chart to add in pain upon pain, and yet, as I’ve been fleshing out the rest of the material I realized that in fact, pain upon pain is a stronghold that overlays all of the other strongholds; we see that strongholds of Pain Upon Pain are laid over it all, informing and confounding each individual stronghold in turn.

I begin by repeating here what I wrote in my first post regarding pain upon pain that is buried deep in a people and passed on to generations after generations:

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Pastor Irene

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As I’m thinking ahead to another ministry trip to Uganda I am remembering Pastor Irene in Iganga. She is a beautiful and powerful woman of God. Her heart and ministry have been forged through the toughest of circumstances and testings (as do most great things).

In the early days of her ministry, after the Lord had clearly directed her to Iganga, she tells of inquiring of God what was to be her influence and gifting. And the Lord gave her Jordan.

Jordan as we know it from the scriptures is the river that Nahum washed himself in seven times to be healed of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14). Jordan as Pastor Irene knows it is a small pond of water about five minutes walk from her home and the church that she pastors.

I was told story after story from others that had gathered the same time I was there about how they themselves had come and dipped themselves seven times in this Jordan and had found healing. One woman had breast cancer and came and dipped and the cancer disappeared.

I’ve been to Pastor Irene’s place twice now. The first time was just for a Sunday service and lunch afterwards (along with this visit to Jordan as you see here). The second time I stayed a couple of nights and days.

While Pastor Irene moves powerfully in the Spirit the area in which she lives is darkened by oppressive spirits. It is hard to be there, and yet she by her faith and obedience in the Lord knows it is her work to declare his presence in that place.

The last afternoon of my ministry time alongside her there had been much worship and celebration and prayers in the Lord. Pastor Irene herself was spent as God poured through her and onto others. She then got down on her knees and with arms raised cried out, “If only someone would come and pray over me.”

I know how she felt. I’ve been there. Pouring out to others, giving and giving some more and then wondering how might I be encouraged as a leader.

Within a seconds time I realized that I was the one to pray over her. So I went and put some olive oil on my hands, the same they had been using for everyone else, and I went to her and touched my hands to hers.

There was all sorts of rolicking in the spirit then. I cannot describe the incredible privilege of anointing and praying over this amazing woman of God.

(did I mention that every time I am there she washes my feet and blesses on me too – this receiving from each other is called mutual submission and is the hallmark by which unity in the body happens)

Now, when I pray over someone the Lord gives me the words to say and an image in my mind’s eye of what to declare for him or her. Here on this warm afternoon in Iganga it was the same. There had been something over her since childhood, darts of some kind in the spirit realm, and so in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ is simply spoke these away and soothed her wounds with the oil of the lamb.

In clear terms, I spoke against the bad stuff against her, and I spoke God’s peace and healing and refreshment for her (Matthew 18:19). It was a lovely time. We ended up on our knees together on the dirt floor and simply fellowshipped in the Spirit together and as a witness to all those in attendance.

When I think of returning once more to Uganda, this time to many more places than I’ve yet been, alongside many other leaders, I recall this simple ministry to Pastor Irene. In many ways this sums up the work that I do. Leaders, no matter what country, are giving out in enourmous measures.

They are the communities healers, wisdoms, teachers, preachers, prayer warriors, and encouragers, and who is to encourage them? Who is to lift them up and refresh them in the Spirit of our Lord?

At CCI we are bringing spiritual refreshment first to leaders and then to their congregations. It is a work that touches beyond our minds and into the depths of our hearts. God, in his mercy, delights to refresh us and I am simply honored to stand alongside agreeing in the Lord to this work over his many servants.

In this same vein, many blessings to each of you today. May the power of our Lord, His peace and grace and touch of life and wisdom break in upon your days in increasing measure. We simply agree together saying yes and amen to the touch of God in all of our lives.

Come Lord Jesus Come.

How to Pray

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In my ministry travels I’ve become aware of the fact that not everyone knows how to pray. In fact, I’ve found in some places that it isn’t traditionally thought that the people can pray but rather believed prayer is only for the learned and the leaders, the bishops and pastors. But of course, this simply isn’t true.

Jesus himself taught those around him how to pray and we find this instruction in Matthew 6:9-13:

“9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”

Jesus begins this prayer with an intimate term of Father. This would have been surprising to those he taught, scandalous even, because he is suggesting familiarity with God, the kind of close relationship that we may know in our earthily families but that would never be imagined with the creator of the universe.

And yet this is the start of Jesus instruction. He is basically opening up a new dimension of prayer as that of intimate, close, familiar, conversation. Imagine if you will a kingdom and a king. In this kingdom there are the common folk, those who work in the palace, other leaders alongside the king and then there is the family, the children of the king.

In any kingdom there is protocol that governs which people can approach the king and in which manner. The rules might be many and few would have opportunity for an audience with the king. But imagine that in that kingdom and with that king, though there are many rules, that the children of the king require no protocol and are not subject to the same rules. A son or daughter of the king bypasses all the rules and protocol by virtue of being a son or daughter. They have unparalleled access to the king.

This is the image that Jesus paints. As sons and daughters of God we have full access. It is the same as when my children would crawl up onto my lap when they were smaller. They needed no permission and no invitation even, they simply knew and acted on their freedom to snuggle in whenever they wanted. This is how we approach our prayer life, our whole life, with God.

At the same time we find Jesus directing our hearts and minds to honour God, “hallowed by thy name”. We acknowledge the greatness of the name of God. In this we declare his goodness, his might, his holiness, his omnipotence, his governance; we give honour to God.

We say ‘Father’ and we say ‘How great you are’.

Both hand in hand, familiarity and comfort and ease alongside worship and adoration.

In verse ten Jesus directs our prayers into agreement with the Father’s will on this earth. Throughout scripture we are taught about the power found in agreement of two or more. In our natural and human life we find it all too easy to agree with Satan. Our minds are often full of his lies, his condemnations, his attacks, his confounding, but for a life that goes forward in the strength of the Lord it is imperative that we begin agreeing with God, with his promises, his purposes, his hope, his strength. ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ gives us the model of how to align our hearts and minds with the plans of God.

Here we put down our own best thoughts and wisdom and declare our allegiance to a wisdom higher than ours.

Verse eleven with its simple ‘give us this day our daily bread’ declares and admits our dependance on the Lord for our very lives. Taken literally we cry out to the Lord for the necessary food and resources to get us through each day. This simple line also models to us that we take it one day at a time. Notice that Jesus did not instruct us to pray ‘give us this years bread’. Rather we walk day by day with the Lord.

Taken symbolically this simple line points us to our need for spiritual bread which is of course Jesus Christ himself. John 6:35 finds Jesus saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Here we acknowledge our need of a saviour and when we do this we enter into all the possibilities and resources that heaven holds.

Verse eleven is interesting. The ability to speak out ‘and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors’ brings us face to face with our own hearts for only if we have forgiven others can we speak this with sincerity. Our attention is immediately, yet indirectly, drawn to the state of our own hearts and we are given pause to consider a moment the truth of what we are speaking for ourselves.

It becomes apparent very quickly if we have in fact forgiven others or not. Our hearts catch us if we have not and we are compelled to enter into this work of forgiveness. Here we are simply reminded of the heart of the gospel and compelled to live it out.

In addition to this simple remembrance for our own sakes is the incredible power in forgiveness unto another. John 20:23 says, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

It appears that we are entered into the work of our Lord and his grace unto each other. Suggested here, if not explicitly stated, is the power unto life or death. Consider how it reads in the Complete Jewish Bible, “If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you hold them, they are held.”

Without forgiveness we hold the sins of others. And don’t we know this to be true. To hold the sins of others in our being becomes a heavy and tortuous thing. Bitterness destroys us from the inside out.

The depths of this Matthew 6:11 verse we may never fully comprehend, never fully fathom the depths of, yet we can agree and bring our hearts into alignment, into agreement regarding God’s forgiveness of others and therefore our forgiveness of them as well.

Jesus finishes off by instructing, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” This last part of The Lord’s Prayer holds for me the least clarity. It seems to be a cry of our need to be delivered from our own wayward heart and ways; an acknowledgment that we have this huge propensity to sin and to evil and our subsequent and desperate need for the Lord’s help.

Its a good place to end I think. For we’ve just traversed a wide journey. We started off familiar in the Father’s arms and we declared the glory of his name (vs.9). We’ve stood alongside in powerful agreement unto his will and heart over our lives and this world. As vice-regents we have commanded the kingdom of God into our realities (vs.10).

We then immediately fall to our knees declaring our utter dependance on his provision both physically and spiritually (vs.11) and are reminded of and brought to account the state of our relationships with the Lord and with others (vs.12).

Finishing off finds us once more standing alongside the Lord simply stating our humanity and declaring his omnipotence (vs.13).

Prayer is first and foremost a matter of our hearts position before the Lord. It isn’t the words we speak or the length by which we pray, it has nothing to do with eloquence, nothing to do with volume, and its not really about repeating what we know about God, rather it is a private conversation between God and you.

In this the simpler the better. Too many words and we lose our effectiveness.

On my recent trip to Mozambique, where prayer was a loud repetition of facts about God my own prayers became simpler and simpler.

“God we welcome you. God we love you. Thank-you for this day.”

 

LEARN HOW TO PRAY over at http://teachingpeoplehowtopray.org

Blessings on You Friend

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It was the summer of 2008. I had for some years already been waiting on the go-ahead from the Lord to invite a team of prayer warriors to come around me.

The preparations for the work of CCI as it is today (and will be tomorrow) had been happening for some time in my own heart and mind and gathering what would amount to a personal board of directors was my first outwardly public act.

The list of who I would invite had been made some time earlier and so as the summer of 2008 progressed I pulled out my list of candidates and went over it again with the Lord.

On that list was Lorna Rande, someone I had known since I was seventeen years old. As Lorna and I look back on the years it is amazing the way God weaves lives together. We realize, not only for our enjoyment here on earth but because there is spirit realm work to be done and He knows our spiritual DNA and the partnerships that need to form.

Lorna Rande

And so He weaves us together in heart and spirit and then in life. This has been my experience with Lorna. My heart has always had a welcome space in Lorna’s heart. She has advocated and stood alongside me personally for many many years and as that turned into Capturing Courage International her heart alongside us has strengthened who we are.

What has sadly become apparent, and yet we are at peace, is that the time of her service and heart specifically to myself and Capturing Courage is at an end.

Every single person who has been tucked into CCI for a time has come with a specific assignment, an impartation of blessing, over our work. And then, at some point in time it becomes apparent that that specific job is completed and the person is released.

And so it is time to say goodbye to Lorna, not as friends but in this specific work. And so we say Thank-you Lorna for your incredible investment of heart and concern and advocacy before the Father on our behalf, on my behalf. Bless you.

We declare the Lord’s keeping and deep peace over you in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all glory and honour to God and all delight over your future.

God-speed my friend as you go forward in life.

What is Prayer?

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In our society that has become very spiritual it is easy to mistake warm fuzzy feelings with prayer. Most everyone I know will send up prayers for those in need. We are wired to do this and it is one way to express our emotions regarding the situations and circumstances of others.

Within this I’ve known people who genuinely believe that as they send warm thoughts to another that this will make a difference for the person. That somehow in our warm cozy north american beds that warm thoughts sent out into the universe will put an end to poverty or sexual trafficking or …

This kind of thinking and belief comes across as most ridiculous in the wake of enormous tragedy such as the recent typhoon in the Philippines, the tsunamis in Japan, and earthquakes in India, just to name a few. In the face of photographs that mark unimaginable catastrophe it seems ridiculous to me to read responses such as “I’m sending positive thoughts your way.”

Really?

Now, for myself and in the work that I do I am often telling people in very dire straights that I am praying for them. Sometimes I wonder how lame this must sound and feel. Sometimes, in light of the huge need, it feels that I am no different than these folks who send warm positive thoughts.

And yet I know it is different.

It is different because true prayer is grounded in a person. True prayer reckons on God who is bigger and mightier than us. Prayer that makes a difference acknowledges our own lack and the Lord’s own greatness. My warm fuzzy thoughts will not make a difference for anyone.

Prayer after all is hard work. I’m not so sure that positive thoughts are hard work unless one calls willful denial hard. For prayer doesn’t push away difficulty and pain and loss and grief but instead draws them into the heart and lays them before God.

Prayer isn’t about setting aside all potential negative results from our mind rather it is about entering into and bringing those very things into the throne room of heaven and advocating solutions and peace instead. Prayer is about agreeing with our Lord that the assignments unto death have no power any longer.

Sometimes its about speaking these things out, sometimes its about carrying these things in our being as though birthing a great desire. Prayer is participation in all that has gone wrong and in all that can be made right. Prayer doesn’t deny tragedy and it doesn’t deny goodness, it holds both firmly together and in that dichotomy of all that we know makes a space for God to work.

But unless we have agreed in our own personal lives to life instead of death, to God’s ways instead of Satan’s ways, unless we have come under the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ personally, it is pretty hard to advocate life for another if we’ve not even found it for ourselves.

It’s pretty hard to advocate peace for others until we’ve found it ourselves; pretty hard to declare solutions unless we know the solution maker. For belief isn’t just for belief sake. Belief is grounded in the person of Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the presence of our Holy Spirit.

Prayer here, in this context, is a powerful thing indeed.

It’s so much more than positive (may I say wishful) thinking.

Prayer after all isn’t about us. It’s not about how positive or sympathetic we can be.

Prayers that make a difference do so because they acknowledge the One who can make a difference.

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16b

Prayer Requests for India

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Pastor Timothy in India has sent us an excellent set of specific prayer requests. We invite you to join us in holding these things before the Lord, together and in agreement, and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

i.            In October because of cyclone & heavy rains in AP Lakhs of hectors field destroyed, many houses damaged, roads also severly damaged. Pray for the normal life in flood affected areas.

ii.            There are 1600 languages in India. But bible in available in only 187 languages. The bible society, IEM, IBT {Indian bible Translation}, and other organizations working on Translation pray for them.

iii.            In our country child abuse and rapes on all ages of women are happening every day. Hight insecure for young women. Pray that people mind should be change and respect the women.

iv.            Pray for the people of Goa state in India it’s population 14, 57,723 Dts-2, that they give their priority to Jesus.

v.            Pray for the district Hyderabad in AP. Population – 40, 10, 238, Cities-4, there are Muslims & Hindus. Pray for their salvation.

vi.            Many children are born with AIDs because of their parents sins, children are suffering. Pray that they know their hope is Jesus.

vii.            Pray for Christmas programmers like children & youth Christmas, women Christmas & carols throughout December month. Through all these programmers many non-Christians can hear the gospel & save.

viii.            Pray for Christian TV channels like GOD TV, Aaradhanna,  Subhavartha, &local channels many will watch them and know that Jesus is their savior.

ix.            Pray for good news for all {LOVE IN CHRIST PRAYER HALL ASSOCITAION} children ministry working among children, children prayer warriors, children bible readers, pray that children can pray daily &read word of god daily.

x.            Pray for the state Kerala in INDIA. Population 3, 33, 87,677, Dts-14, the people should be obey the God & be saved.

May God bless you always, Amen!

Your brother Tribal Timothy www.tribalevangelisttimothy.org

 

The Power of Waiting

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Cyndy in rural Uganda - November 2011I am heading to Mozambique in less than a week. The invitation has been since the early months of 2012. They’ve been waiting quite some time.

I’m finding though that our characters are proven in the wait. That what we think we are ready for right now may very well need some more time before coming to pass.

From the time that God first spoke out the possibility of Capturing Courage International until it was launched there was nine long years of preparation and prayer and waiting.

I don’t rush to make things happen so much anymore. I’ve learned that God is not in a rush, and that everything has its own best time.

In the waiting we grow in commitment, patience, and bigger picture understanding. Nothing else produces these things quite like waiting.

While we want everything yesterday God says, ‘Walk with me awhile, we will get to it.’

This last year has been another year of waiting. It’s been over a year since I’ve done an international ministry trip and how difficult it has been to stay home.

But in the waiting of this last year we have learned quite a few things at CCI. We’ve realized the core of our work. We are settled in the few solid things rather than trying a myriad.

Waiting did this. Waiting set up the framework for wisdom, for clarity, and with perspective that is deeper than our own best ideas and thoughts.

Waiting grows our capacity and I am realizing that until God can trust us with waiting he can’t really trust us with action.

So however you are waiting today, engage the wait, learn from it, allow it to expand your soul and your mind, take on the difficulty of waiting, rest in it.

God is in the waiting as much as in our actions. Find him there.