Adventures in Praying

I love to pray! I delight to gather with others in prayer meetings and pray that Heaven touch earth!
As women, we seem to be clearly the chosen ones who are to be the prayer warriors and it is other  people who expect us to know how to pray without any doubt! But in the circle of influence where I stand, I see men just as qualified by God to pray Heaven down..........to see the captives set free.
No prayer life is not "just for women" but for men as well!

What about you? Is prayer hard for you or is it a delight?

I believe, that like Jesus, we too can pray. We can go to the Father and ask His will be done according to His word.

Luke 6:12-14
12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: NKJV

Mark 1:35-37

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 3

NKJV

Mark 14:34-39

34 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch." 35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

NKJV

Jesus told them to stay here and watch! And He then asked them, "Could you not watch one hour?"
Can we not to stay here in this spot and watch and pray?

Our fellowship with the Father should be just like that Jesus had with the Father. As we gather at the table He has prepared for us, we come and see. We make the choice much like Mary, the mother of Jesus, did! Today I pray that those who have once considered prayer dead to them, will have a "new fire" burn within them. Today, I pray that men and women alike will find their calling in prayer, with hands held high, and tears of joy to find the needed scripture to face the enemy.

Today, I pray that we would be those who do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life. May our hearts be receptive to hear the Father speak His plan and purpose for our lives. It is setting ourselves to obey His voice of command that will bring us to the path of peace, and His wisdom.

If we go out into the world, may we preach and teach the Gospel to every creature. As this mighty supernatural word goes out, may we see the signs and wonders that follow us who believe.

Today, I also pray for those who have no vision for prayer. God does answer and He will hear from heaven. First, I ask, " are you saved"? " Have you received Jesus as Lord of your life? " It is easy to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. First: Admit your need for a savior...Romans 3:23.
Second: Believe Jesus died and rose again for you.....John 1:12 and Thirdly: Confess Jesus as Lord....Romans 10:9-10.

It is getting to the place of our admitting that we need a Savior. When we believe, our hearts are becoming to receptive to the things of God. In letting Jesus rule our hearts, we become accustomed to Him actually ruling and reigning in our lives!

After receiving Jesus as Lord, all heaven awaits the words you speak from scripture, those promises, and say them, & live them out loud! Ask the Lord from His vantage point of truth what does your comfortable habit or pattern of life with the all cozy, snug and equipped with favorite things look like? Yes, I have been there and have to check to make sure that I am not seeking the recliner chair of life, but truly seeking the One Who gave us life through His Son Jesus Christ. So another question is, " are you and I following the Lord and His plan for our lives or are we comfortable with the snugness and comfort of all our special things, all our special people, and doing the same routine "day in and day out"?"

Father, I pray for all who read this, that each, either man or woman, will hear and run with the vision for prayer. It is YOU Lord who has placed a dream in our hearts. May our days not be lackluster with dullness, but may our horizons glisten with the brightness that draws us ever toward that purpose YOU have for us. For our lives in prayer, may we always be drawing closer to You and hear You speak to our hearts. We thank You for the Holy Spirit and according to John 3:34,35 “for since He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaims God’s own message], God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit! The Father loves the Son and has given (entrusted, committed) everything into His hand.” By this Holy Word, You gave to Us Your Holy Spirit without measure. I loose HIM now into the lives of all who read this. Holy Spirit spark our lives with the match of faith. Allow that spark to spread throughout the entire church, community and the world that will cause a revival of change. Help us to fulfill our responsibility to prayer for such a time as this.

How I thank YOU Father in heaven that Your riches and Your dreams are available to us.  In strength we rise up to take our place and receive those dreams to rise higher in YOU and YOUR plan for our lives. May we be women and men of faith that pray and bring those sparks of fire to burn brightly to bring change that bears YOUR GLORY, HONOR AND PRAISE IN JESUS’ NAME.  amen


You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

With Songs of Deliverance

In this day and age, trouble seems to befall young and old alike. Trouble seems to surround on every side. You can read the headlines or watch news on T.V. and hear of failing businesses, and a failing economy. At church or work you can hear of someone's failing health, failing ministry, or failing marriage. Yet in all this, our God has promised to deliver us out of all the overwhelming problems that plague the world today!

Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me about with songs of deliverance."

If we truly desire God to be the God of our trouble, then He must be the God of our hearts. God will honor those who honor Him. God will move across a continent of believer's for the one on bent knee who is shedding tears for the goodness of God and not because of the trouble he has gotten himself into by wrong choices. God Himself will move heaven and earth to get to the one who speaks out of his trouble to praise the One true God!

In recent days, I was asked to gather prayer people together to pray for the Pastors of our church. It was in accordance with these pastors themselves that I go forward with it and seek those who would willingly go above and beyond to pray. One young man, who will at this time remain nameless, but God knows who he is, replied by text. What a refreshing answer, what a zest of life he added in his response. Not only did he agree to what the email said of praying for our pastors, but was willing to add the emphasis that was placed in the email that I had sent for them to pray.

When someone is going through tribulation and one continual trial after another trial, as those we are sent to pray for,  then it has to be addressed. If we are praying, and the answer has not come, then we must join forces as a team, and like this young man, say, " yes, Lord, to all that is mentioned" , "I will do it!"

I saw the Lord heal this young man who had shingles on his face and over the eye area months ago. The Lord healed him and the Lord has continued to answer he and his wife's prayers as they continue to seek the face of God!

In what I have been witness to in the last several hours, is that I have seen someone who loves God is willing to go even further for God.
In the second part of verse 7, it speaks that it is the Lord who surrounds us with songs of deliverance.

Are we singing songs of deliverance?

I believe that those who stand strong for the Lord will rally together for the cause and not because they have to please man. When God gives a mandate for prayer, then we as believer's should be willing to rally as a team and do it!

If our focus is on the trouble, then the emotional havoc will be dominating our lives. If we meditate on the warfare  instead of the victory, then faith is not working! The focus in that situation is on the enemy and not the Comforter who was sent for our benefit. That young man was a wonderful doorway into the presence of God and his expectancy came in his righteousness and joy. In few words, he declared his joy to do what the Lord asked him to do!

Now is the time to focus on the God of trouble. With God in our hearts, our focus will be on pleasing Him and not looking at what the enemy may be throwing at us today. Whatever you and I focus on today determines our freedom or our stumbling block.
There should be a song in our heart much like David wrote about. Stand in faith, sing and rejoice for God is our deliverer.  So if trouble shows up, and danger is imminent, keep your thought life on the Word of truth. Be determined to say No to defeat and despair! Climb out of the hole you dug, shake off the dust, smooth your hair and continue your walk with the Lord.
Declare today:

" Lord, You are my hiding place, it is You Who preserves me from trouble and today as You send your angelic forces, I sing for joy for My Deliverer has come to rescue me from trouble! These are my songs of deliverance!

Father, today You have rallied your prayer warriors. You have called us to pray for those who have continual trial after trial and no relief. We stand believing that YOU are the deliverer from trouble. For those who need our prayers, may we rise up in power of the Holy Ghost, to see Your glory in the lives of those we called to pray for and see the manifestation of answered prayer. Like this young man today, may we be the "open door" to God's presence and speak with zest the power of the Word of truth.
Father, in Jesus' name, "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me about with songs of deliverance."
We thank You for the lives that are changed today. We expect the weary to rise in rest and peace of God. We expect the sorrowful to be made glad. We expect the broken-hearts to be mended and made whole. You are the God Who hears and answers..........may our response be like this young man today...........may we always be open to Your direction and Your correction and stand surrounded by songs of deliverance. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

God, Enlarge our Hearts

Psalm 119:25-32
25 My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
31 I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
32 I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart. NKJV

Have you ever had a day when it seems like you rather go back to bed than make the best of the day that awaits you?
In the scripture above, David seems to relate to us that his soul, was clinging to the dust. Now, that is a bad day! When your mind, will and emotions gang up on you and tell you it is over. At this point one might as well cancel the day, and then resign ones self to the bedroom or the the recliner chair in the living room, right?
Wrong! Just because the T.V. commercials tell you that your life will be better after that face lift or tummy tuck is wrong. That latest procedure to take years off your your face in 15 minutes is in reality another gimmick to make you purchase something you really do not need! If you would or could remember the last night you had a good sleep, and then actually choose to go to bed and rest one might would find their face looking better just from the time of extra rest!

Or how about that aid you need to live longer but may cause a string of ailments ( you know, those side-effects )that may even cause death to come quickly to you?

Or what if healthier eating became a lifestyle for our bodies and  bring more energy for us to make it through the day?


Help Lord, oh please help, my hair is too long, my hair is too short, that second job is not working out, that weight loss aid put more pounds on the body, instead of off the body, the boss needs me to stay late all next month and the kid's extracurricular school play is being held, not in the town we live but 45 minutes from here at a civic center and will be on five nights of that same month! I was scheduled for two events on work calendar, but now I am looking at doing five events on the work calendar for the lady who usually does them but is taking a year long trip around the world. Oh help me Jesus!  Am certain this life has turned into an amusement ride and I want off........now!!!!

It appears that David had the same kind of days we sometimes have. He tells of the heaviness, and he spoke that he would be strengthened according to God's Word in verse 28.
Now some commentaries wrote that they thought, "the soul clings to dust" is meaning near death. But I do not think that is the truth, for why would David, ask in the verse 29, that he be removed from the way of lying? I believe for every decision he had to make, he needed the wisdom of God to make it. He did not want to base his decisions on anything false. No, I believed he still had many days ahead of him and he needed God's wisdom!

We are to base any and all decisions on the wisdom of God…..James 1:5-8…..5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. NKJV

 Always seek to make a wise choice….in Psalm 119:105 says,  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” When we follow the teachings of God’s Word, He guides our path and provides knowledge to make wise choices.

Keeping our speech in the integrity of God's word is imperative. We should always be seeking to be honest with others. Lying is just a way of power that is of the evil one, to take you where you probably do not want to go. That lying thing is always about me and not you, the other person! Lying makes me look good and  makes you, "well not so good looking at all"!

In keeping honesty before us, is to being above reproach.......Paul tells us in Colossians 1:21-23
 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. NKJV

When we have received Jesus as Lord, those wicked things were put far from us. In His death, Jesus bore every sinful thing including disease and we became holy, blameless and above reproach in the sight of God. But as Paul went on to say that.... " if "...you continue in faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the gospel which we have heard, then we continually are walking reconciled to God, blameless and above reproach.  When we reside in The Word of Promise, we stay strong, and continue to adhere to the truth and have no need to lie.

When we continue to cling, like David did in  the testimonies of God, we are never put to shame. YOU and I may have a bad day, but if we will continually turn to the Word of truth and see His light for our lives, we move out of the darkness and continue on our way to purpose. Walking in truth will keep us from at adding lies to our walk with others. People should always know us to be truthful. They should know when you open your mouth, the truth is to help others, encourage others and bring the peace of God! Granted, as a leader, some correction may need to be ministered, but should not include lies to make us look better and the "corrected one" to look like the dirt we walk on!

It is not up to us, for the other to receive in what we have given and spoken in love and faith in God, but it is entirely up to the Holy Spirit! We can certainly give to others in the grace and love of God and move away to continue our walk of faith, trusting God is still on our side and is with us in every decision based upon His wisdom.

And whether the given word was received or not, always trust God to bring to pass that which He has spoken to our hearts! What we give is under the blood of the covenant in Jesus!
Our expectancy is to allow God to continue to enlarge our hearts to receive all that He has prepared for you and me! 

It should not be about those who jockeying for positions to gain a place in ranks of those who lead, but it should be our hearts enlarged to receive what God had designed for us to stand . It is a place that will cause our gift to shine, It is a place that brings glory to God .........whatever your situation today, know God is on Your side and He will promote You in the time He has destined for you to take that place of leadership. If He gives you a name, it will still be under His holy son's name, Jesus Christ.

Today, let's continue to follow truth of God's Word and not the world. Let's put the Word into practice and see His purpose for our lives come to manifestation. Our God is for  us. He created us to look the way we do, and act the way we do according to His word of power.

Today, Lord, we pray for our hearts to be enlarged for that which YOU created us to be. We ask in the name of Jesus to be like David who always sought truth, and gave praise for YOUR counsel. Today, we do desire to move out of the arena of mediocrity, those looking to make their flesh look great, but deny any aid to their inner being, the hearts YOU our Lord hold so dear. Guide us Holy Spirit in truth and show us the right way to walk out any circumstances or situations that have arisen to give us the sense of a heaviness we know YOU do not want us to carry. In truth of YOU and YOUR word, we surrender to YOUR plan and expect to BE led away from lying. We do not desire to see ourselves dressed in reproach for we follow closely to Your Word and plan. As we learned in previous teachings Lord, Mary, the mother of Jesus never bore shame. Be it unto us according to YOUR Word and may we bless YOU and bring glory to YOUR name all the days of our lives. Amen

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

Appointed by God: Deborah, the Prophetess

When God appoints you, He will equip you the woman, to do what He has asked you to do!
Deborah was appointed judge as seen below in verse 5.

Under this appointment given to her by God, she held court to judge and make decisions. Of those who came with their disputes, they also came to voice their opinions and were seeking to obtain wisdom in seeing those disputes settled in some manner or form!
For Deborah to be appointed, God gave to her what she needed to fulfill all of His plan for her life. She was willing and obedient to use her mouth for His glory.

Judges 4:4-23......4 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.'" 

Judg 4:8-10
8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." 

9 "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh, 10 where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him. 

11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. 

12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River. 

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. 15 At Barak's advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left. 

17 Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. 

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him. 

19 "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. 

20 "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.'" 

21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. 

22 Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead. 

23 On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites.   24 And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him. 

NIV

I recommend highly the reading of the women in the Old Testament. In looking through the pages of those who lived, they have the testimonies that shine of those who led a life to know the Lord.

In reading in the book of Judges, we find a most interesting woman. Her name was Deborah. Her life ordinary, never! She was a wife to her husband Lappidoth found in Judges 4:4.

Deborah marked a place in history in Israel by being appointed by God  a judge in the land of Israel. She was the remarkable witness in the period of which she lives. At the time of her appointment, Israel was deep into idolatry and was characterized by their continual defeat and disobedience in refusing to follow truth.

It was at that time that Jabin was king of Canaan whose oppression marked an overwhelming harshness, cruelty and violence on the Israelite people. Every day they faced the crushing fear, harshness and cruelty one man could make on a group of people. Jabin was the oppressor!

But we find Deborah, who was the faithful wife, a lover of God and His ways, that brought her to a place of honor in leading a land of God’s people. She was a discerner and mindful to declaring God’s heart on all matters pertaining to her office of judge. Deborah was the prophetess who spoke the mind of God to those she led! When we allow God to dominate our minds and thoughts, He will certainly dominate our actions!

She had declared to Barak what instruction God had given to her in her time with Him. She told Barak step-by-step that God was with him. He was told to take his 10 thousand men and that God Himself would lure Sisera away from the other chariots and troops, but Barak said he would not go unless Deborah went up with him.
Deborah warned him that the way he was going about to defeat Sisera and the troops would not bring honor to him, but would bring honor to another and that was to a woman.

And we find in verse 18 of chapter 4 of Judges, that it was a woman who came out to meet the bad guy, Sisera.  She entreated the leader of the troops of the Canaanite king. She told Sisera to not be afraid, and she invited him into her tent, covered him and proceeded to give him something to drink. Interestingly enough Jael gave him milk to drink, to comfort him and make him sleepy. As he lay exhausted, she took a tent peg,(have you seen the size of some of those pegs) and yes, she hammered that big object into his temple. She nailed that guy to the ground and he died!
Wow!
Barak still looking for Sisera, he meets Jael who comes out to meet him and she declares that Sisera lay dead with the tent peg through his temple! (verse 22)

On that day in history, as Deborah stood as Judge.......she led with Barak and saw the Canaanites defeated. It was on that day, that we are told, that the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king and the Israelites eventually saw the king destroyed.

A woman of God, called of God and appointed to declare through her leadership that it was God Who led the way! In her devotion to hear Him voice His declarations of what was to come, she was allowed to speak for HIM, and encourage others to lead. In scripture, we find she even assisted as we see from the verses above.

Deborah was a lady who was clothed in humility (1 Peter 5:5) She had humbled herself to hear God, she humbled herself to serve her husband, and when she did, she ministered to the land of Israel in God’s wisdom, knowledge  and instruction.

In my opinion Deborah was remarkable! She was a prophetess, a wife and a judge.
It does not mention that she or her husband had children. But in scripture we find she was" a mother in Israel."


I believe she was sent to protect the children of Israel from the violence of the Canaanite king, Jabin. He was a man of violence who was cruel to all he came in contact with during those harsh and formidable years in Israel.
In scripture we find located in the book of Proverbs 3:31...." to envy not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
The "oppressor" being the man of violence. In the world today, our children should be nurtured in a lifestyle of the pure, the peaceable, the gentle, easy to get along with, and yes full of mercy. From James 3:14-18 the description of wisdom spoken about is to be without hypocrisy, without any partiality and full of good fruits.
If we are introducing our children and yes, grand-children into an oppressed lifestyle, we NEED TO STOP IT NOW! I, too, have found I need to change the channel and get if off the show with guns ringing out, guns used to harm another person, guns that depict violence in this world. I for one must change the channel to something along the lines of peace for our grand-daughter to see and enjoy and not to be scared out of her wits.
Deborah, stood as wisdom to declare God will deliver the land from the oppressor.
He will deliver us from cruelty, oppressive people, and those who inflict brutality on another person.
But who of us will take the stand to do that? Or who will fight for our children and grand-children and see violence come to an end?
Psalm 73:6-8 says, "therefore pride compasses them about as a chain; violence covers them as a garment.....7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression. NIV

So from scripture it appears, that violence has many faces!

If a man, woman or child have the hardened heart, and are consumed with lying like verse 7 declares, then the man, woman or even the child will speak with the malice, and exhibit a brutality towards another person.
When a person speaks with malice, they speak to do evil, to take revenge on another, and they have this deep-seated meanness and hate. Those who have put on the garment of violence speak with arrogance, and they usually have the prideful self-importance in their behavior around others. They bully others to announce their unhappiness and to declare themselves to be number "1". It is in this arrogance of bullying they threaten to bring cruelty, brutality and destruction by physical force.


Sound familiar? Seen that lately on the evening news?

Deborah the Judge, became the "mother in Israel" the mother who watched over God's children in Israel at a time of injustice, of violence, and maltreatment. In the verses describing the sad condition of those in the country at the time, the oppression of the people and distress was due to their sin in idolatry.
We allow our children to watch violent movies, and play games that initiate violent force on another and then we wonder what is going on in our streets!
We are certainly not to make provision for the sinful, the oppressive things in our homes or even our schools and sport activities. We saw the oppressive king described in Judges. God sent Deborah to stand strong for her nation. Can we do as much? Are our children worth the price to see violence come to an end in our cities, and in our homes?
Should it not be our ambition to look to find the sin of idolatry that is plaguing our country, find it and confess it to prevent foreign invasions as the people of Israel had during the time of book of Judges. In discovering Deborah, the prophetess, we discovered a woman who was a mother who looked over the nation with a love to see God prevail!

I hope I not only introduced you to " a mother in Israel, I hope that I introduced you into moving to take a stand where you lead, to be the woman of faith, and hold onto the God who delivers. Make no provision for the flesh. Keep an eye on friendships, especially pertaining to children. Let us pray for our children and our nation to see the violence end. Above all. be alert to any negative media that might come into the home either by T. V,, movies, or Internet! Keep the scriptures alive in your home and visit them often with family members.
Has God ordered your steps"as the mother in Washington" to stand for truth and to end violence? You may not be the prophetess, but you certainly can prophesy over your home, children and community. You can be the instrument of peace for your home and neighborhood. Stand against discouragement, cynicism and pessimism. Stand strong against unrighteousness, and anything that is unholy.

Protect your children today! God expects it!

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

Against All Odds

For women, who against all odds,will see the resurrection of family members to serve the Lord Who is faithful and true.
For women who may appear weak, may you be raised up by the power of almighty God.
Lord, be their stronghold today. May they dwell in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 91:1-2) May they know You to be their rock, salvation and defense so that they will not be moved or shaken. (Psalm 62:6) Even though they may see strange and bad things happening all around, those things will not come near those who YOU guard and keep safe Lord.
Today, save them from all evil plans of the enemy. Preserve their going out and their coming in from this time forth and even forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)

For whatever is broken in our lives, Jesus is the answer.
Ask the Samaritan woman, and I am certain she could tell some you some things about what transpired that day! When Jesus asked her for a drink of water, her response was of racial prejudice. But Jesus' response to her was one of love. He knew all about her. He came to show her what her true heritage was. And it was a heritage which WAS to know the Gift of God! John 4:4-41

When Jesus shows up like He did for the Samaritan woman, He asked a question."Will you give me a drink?"
THE Living Water that satisfies asked the woman living full on in the natural being ruled by sense knowledge. We also know that which cares for the body as filling with water that came from the well will not satisfy! But that which comes from the Lord who is the way, the truth and the life will always satisfy us. That which is eternal, the Life-giving force, sets up a foundation to change everything in our lives for the good.
When Jesus comes into our lives, it is to fix the broken places in our lives. When Jesus comes, He repairs and makes us whole again.

When God reminds us of sin, He does it because He loves us. AS with the Samaritan woman, her life could be defined as the woman who had a string of unsuccessful relationships with men. She had kept looking for "the man" who could make her life "right"! Her life was broken and Jesus came to fix it!

It is not the natural that will help, It is not the world that will make us famous, or wealthy or wise. It is the God of Love who gave His son of Love to us. He sent His best so that we could partake of all the benefits His Son got for us on the cross! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life!

For those women who against all odds, see the unsuccessful or the broken, the expectancy should be in God Who is the faithful and always comes through our situation to see us made whole and healed.
Our focus should be on God and not some man or thing to make our life "right". Our Source is to be God. It makes a difference when we seek first the kingdom of God and all these things are added to us.........Matthew 6:33.

When Jesus finished talking to the Samaritan woman, she ran back in excitement to tell everyone in the town .................."Come see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" verse 29

John 4:39-42
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."
NKJV

Let's give the Lord permission to fix our lives today. Let's ask Him to fix the broken and bind up wounds that need the attention of a Savior and Lord!

What needs fixing in your life? What is broken and must be put back together again?

As the Samaritans of that city, let's hear Him and know that He is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!

Father, in Jesus' name........we appear to stand against all odds, and need help much like the Samaritan woman. Today, we are seeking Your plan for our lives and will be receptive to receive the good You have for us.  We know the world holds no answer for us. Father, we ask to be able to see and recognize the good things YOU have for us today. We confess YOU today as Lord of our lives and say that strength and honor are our clothing. Please show us where to walk Your path of smoothness. Today I pray for each of us to have the continual voice of calling for things that God has given us by His promises that are not yet manifested. Thank YOU for those things YOU have given us that pertains to life and godliness. I pray that we see the life Jesus gave His life for.....and....may we grow up in the Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord help me to keep going when the daily life seems hard. May I be like Esther who gave her all to stand before the King.  And  may we speak like Mary did, "Be it unto me according to Your Word. " Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

Pleasing God

Pleasing God can look different to a lot of people! Pleasing God is walking in integrity, feeding on His faithfulness and trusting Him, when things may look rather bleak and ominous. Pleasing God may mean we greatly increase our giving over and above the tithe. Pleasing God may mean going to work part-time instead of full time! Pleasing God may mean staying home and raising the children instead of going after that degree that could bring into the home a substantial amount of income each month. Pleasing God may mean going to a foreign country and live for a year as a missionary.

Pleasing God is one who is:

• humble
• devoted
• faithful
• accepting God's word and plan

Pleasing God brings:

• security
• divine protection
• His presence
• praise to our lips
• the desires of our heart

We can look at Mary the mother of Jesus. She was the humble and the devoted. "Be it unto me, according to Your Word."

Lord, what YOU speak to me today, I will do........be it unto me! How many of us truly say that and everyday speak it and mean it..........., "be it unto to me according to Your Word!"

Although we know very little of Mary, we do know that she trusted in the Lord and trusted in what He gave her to do. Her heart was acceptable to the things of God. In knowing what He had given her to do meant some trouble for Mary. Will we truly accept God's radical plan for our lives? We know one thing for certain, Mary walked with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

A radical life Mary accepted. She had a binding contract to a man named Joseph, but of which had not been consummated since it took a year for all to come to pass of this ceremony. But Mary would have the sign of a pregnancy proceeding to a child' s birth.

Mary's life defined a pure life of faith. Looking on her life today, I see her life as a praise to God. If Mary had any inhibitions, she did not let them show. She stayed faithful to the plan of God.

I had opportunity to minister this Word to a Women's Conference in October 2013 and it was on the Altar of Heritage, A Harvest in Prayer Living Love 360. It was how prayer and the vertical relationship had begun from David down to Mary and to Jesus, the Son of God!  The teaching was on people who were seekers of the face of God in His Word and in prayer.
On the topic of Mary of this one segment, we found Mary the highly favored one in Luke 1:28-33.
28....and having come in, the angel said to her, "rejoice highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"  29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 then the angel said to her, "do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." 31"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. and of His kingdom, there will be no end. (NKJV)

Mary had a heart knowledge of God. She believed. She saw the fulfillment of all that was given to her in that Word.
We later find Mary, and she is attending a wedding in Cana of Galilee. John 2:1-5................On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding ..3.And they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "they have no wine." 4 Jesus said to her, "woman what does your concern have to do with me?" "MY hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it!"

Knowing her son was from God, the highly favored one continued to look to God and participated with others to hear the teachings Jesus presented to the people. She was aware and kept the word that was spoken long ago, that her son would be great, and would be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God would give Him the throne of His father David. Now when God tells you He will make "a"name for you, He will do it!
She was always revisiting the Word spoken, she was revisiting how she experienced His Word and had victory to bring forth a Son and not be put to shame.

No, she continued to flow with God as we see in John 19:25-27....Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "woman, behold your son!" 27 then He said to the disciple, "behold your mother!" and from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. (NKJV)

Protection was what Mary experienced. God was keeping a place for Mary. Then we find Mary in Acts 1:13-14, Acts 2:4............and when they had entered,....the upper room where they were staying; Peter, James, John and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; Judas the son of James. 14 these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women , Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers..........................Acts 2:............4. and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance. (NKJV)

Mary continued her walk with God. She gathered with the others in prayer and supplications to the Lord! It was in the upper room, they received the Holy Spirit. These men and women were those who were seekers of God and they were those who were endued with power from on high!

Pleasing God is a personal thing. It is a vertical relationship with God and to have confidence that He will fulfill all that He has spoken to our hearts.

Through her whole life Mary experienced God. She knew security, protection, His presence, and it brought praise to her lips. Her heart's desire: well,............ "Lord be it unto me according to Your word."
Mary, pleased God!

Holy Spirit, seal this Word on our hearts. As we make this continuous walk of staying close to You, may we be those men and women who hear YOU speak. Lord, we pray to be like Mary, who is never brought to shame. Lord, may we be those with a testimony of faith to believe and to put our trust in YOU alone! We are thankful for Mary, the example of the faithful, the devoted and the humble! Lord, we ask You to speak to us and declare Your plan and bring us teachers who will expand on Your words of truth concerning our pleasing You always. Our confidence is in You. Teach us and lead us in a smooth path. Deliver us today from those who speak evil against us, We expect and receive today Your goodness to us in the land of the living. We thank You ........our God, our Savior, 
Who is faithful and true. In Jesus' name. Amen

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

Being Trained in Godliness is Walking with God

Do we learn from church service, that which strengthens to know the Lord and His ways? If we are instructed in the Word, do we seek to follow that path set before us?
Do we expect to come away from the church service and return home to resume the "business as usual" or actually follow God?

Do we hear the Word, but shun the obedient part of doing it? It is when we submit to God as we read in James 4:7-17......
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (NKJV)

YIKES! IF WE KNOW TO DO GOOD....and do not......follow the Word to do it........it is sin.

Another question: Do we change by being a part of a wonderful worship service or do we change when we witness miracles? The worship services are wonderful. It is such joy to worship our God in song and in the lifting of our hands, but that does not bring the needed Word for change. For me, I certainly have seen miracles and know them to occur frequently, but that does not bring the needed change I need on a daily basis.

No, it it the "secret place" encounter with God that brings the needed change. It is the time of study and knowing what He has spoken and done!

From my own experiences with the Lord, the more I study and confess scripture, the more I see HIM and the more I enjoy knowing He is with me! A relationship is the give and take, but do we find ourselves more of the taking side of things than of the giving to someone else?
I have to ask myself that question a lot and remind myself, that all this is not about me. It is important for us to know the Lord and understand His purpose for our lives.
No, it should not be the "business as usual" for the Lord has the plan that brings us into knowing Him more fully and will propel us into what He planned for us to do here on earth.
Our going to a church service does not make us any more a Christian than us going to the hamburger place makes us a hamburger.
What makes you and me a "Christian" is that we know the Lord intimately, and that WE follow closely to what He has said and done. We are to set our course, much as Jesus did, and that was to follow and have THE intimate time with the Father.

I like the recent  teachings on " hearing God speak" and yet in all of these I hear nothing on PEOPLE being obedient to the Word taught. Are we discarding the truth, to walk in the worldliness and gratify our senses with the foolish things of the world?
Are we resounding brass and just making noise, or are we making a difference for the kingdom of God? Are we really practicing what we "preach and teach" others?

Time is over for  "religion and THE religious thing" and now is time for those who consistently seek God and His ways. It is not how cute and sweet, but how powerful is the Word of God that sets the captive free. Even Timothy was warned to "hold fast to the pattern of sound words which you have learned .........in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Have we set up the "secret place" to have time with God or we just building an altar that collects dust, no worship, no Word from scripture and with NO POWER!


 WE are reminded in 1 Timothy 4:6-7.....If  you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wive's fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

So, if the one teaching us is nourished in the words of faith and they follow it faithfully, should we  be those who are nourished in the same words of faith to follow too?
If we ask God what He desires for us, I am certain that He would state for us to know His Son, the Son of His Love, whom He sent for our benefit.

If I spend time with my husband, I learn all his likes and dislikes. I can learn what brings him heartache and laughter. If I spend quality time with him, I can learn what he likes to do and does not like to do whether when he is puttering around the house, on a long trip, or when we just go for a long walk together. My husband is not to be a distraction to me, but my companion in this life! If I value him, then I will want to find more quality time to spend with him and know him even better than I do today.

If I run today to catch up with the Lord, it is well worth it to me that He will know that I have come to fellowship and to ask Him some questions. Not all my questions are for something, but to know something about Him. "Lord, how can I deliver the word of truth in all godliness so others will know You as I do?" "How can I touch someone's heart today with YOUR love and let them know YOU sent me to speak with them?" "Lord, how may we bear witness for You when we have no zeal in our hearts?" "Lord, how may we apply Your word to our lives today, so that we submit ourselves, to be humble before You, and how to show others that being submitted to Your plan prospers us?"

I have learned my husband loves to prepare breakfast, and he desires to have dessert more often than I do. I know he likes to mow the grass and cook steaks on the grill. But I also know, that the best part of his day of work is coming home! He has this excitement of just being at home and to relax with the wife and the little dog.

I believe the best part of our Father God's day is when we run to catch up HIM while He walks in the cool of the day. I believe He likes the smell of roses in bloom and see dew in the early morning while the birds gather to sing their festive songs. I believe He delights to see us notice the moon He put in the sky or to see His word fulfilled in our lives when it speaks, "that himself bear our sins in His body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, might live unto righteous and by His stripes we are healed."
He is delighted when we speak what He speaks and declares what He declares about us.

 Do we value the Lord and show Him how much we want to be with Him? Do we declare how important He is in our lives and that we earnestly love Him for all that He did for us even before we knew HIM?

So if I go to church, say, Saturday evening and  truly go expecting to receive the Word that is taught at that time, then on Sunday morning will I understand and know that I am being sanctified in the Word of God?  Our walk of faith walk is in acknowledging God's nature and His heart. When receiving those teachings on Saturday evening, we should know that we are being nourished and strengthened to having a reverence and fear of God.! When the word is spoken, we are to be obedient about following that Word. Just like seeing speed limit signs on the roadway will do us no good if we fail to acknowledge that they are there are our benefit. Taking a curve with a posted sign of 25 miles an hour and taking it at 90 miles an hour will certainly bring destruction and death to the one driving the extreme speed above and beyond the speed of 25 mile an hour on that particular curve.

Today, I remember when I was a child, and when visiting the elder members of our family and seeing the "old" family Bible on the coffee table or on some shelf in their homes, the BIG BIBLE WHICH TOOK BOTH OF MY HANDS TO HOLD IT, seemed to hold all the written information for weddings, births and deaths in that particular family we were visiting.  Yet much of the time that I saw these big Bibles, they appeared more as a "show piece" and looked like they had not been opened for anyone's benefit. It just seemed to be a book to add the dates of the weddings,of the births and of the deaths of those who owned the Bible!
Does my life or your life resemble just a "showpiece" or when we open our mouths, is the Word of God coming out of it? When we speak, are we bringing a refreshing to others, giving them God's Word that will bring support and strengthen those we will speak to when they need it most? Or is it about how good we look, and is it more about that new outfit we just got to wear to the church, BUT does nothing to help the body of Christ? If we should need encouragement ourselves, would it not make a difference to encourage someone else? Would it not be important to encourage someone and plant those seeds into other people's lives? Are we put off because someone did not give us a hug or speak to us today? The possibility is great then that we lose out on the all important word given that evening that is to nourish us and strengthen us! Because of our taking on the defense of "poor me" then we are not receptive to receiving the Word of God that will bring change to our lives!

Today, we can choose what our character and conduct will be. It will either be that of the world or that which follows closely after righteousness and godliness. Our adhering to the Word of God reconciles us to His way of doing and thinking. We can clothe ourselves in His Word, and we can saturate our hearts with that same word day in and day out!
Each week, we have the choice to choose the Word or the world.

Will we choose.........

• to "be trained for godliness...1 Timothy 4:7.....7   but reject profane and old wive's fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

• act "according to the new nature...2 Corinthians 5:17,21......17   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new 21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

• become imitators of God.....Ephesians 5:1-2........therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

• ambassadors for Christ....2 Corinthians 5:20.....20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

Father, in Jesus' name, we make a commitment to YOU. We sing praise to You and give thanks at the remembrance of Your holy name. We worship today in the beauty of holiness. We desire to be trained in godliness. We want to walk the faith walk and acknowledge YOUR nature and heart. Today we desire our character to be like your character.
Lord, we believe and expect our bodies to be whole and healed for Jesus took and bore Himself on the tree, that we being dead unto sin might live for righteousness and by whose stripes we were healed.

Today we hold the word of truth and know our lives are sanctified by the Word of truth. We expect to have the reverence and fear of God as we adhere to the Word that sets us free. Today we choose to have YOUR character and conduct.

Father, how may we please you today in our lives? How may we bring joy and laughter to YOU? We thank You for hearing us as we pray. We also expect to have the new and adventurous life that is new everyday and not "the business as usual thing". We release You Holy Spirit into our lives this day. Expand and increase our knowledge of YOU. We want to ENCOUNTER GOD IN ALL HIS FULLNESS FIRST HAND. WE WILL BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. AMEN

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

Leadership: A Challenge to Grow

Man, woman, or child all have the potential to continue to grow as leaders!
There are many called to leadership. It is apparent at times to see some kind of leadership in young children and how they will tell other children what to do and when to do it. But the leadership I write about is that which influences others. You may tell me that you are the President of the Women's Committee for such and such........and that means nothing to me. I will be more influenced by what problem you have solved for that committee or what you have accomplished to lead others by your influence.

A leader is faithful to what they have been given. A leader always looks out for the team!
Leadership always involves us being problem solvers.
Thinking of it as our assignment, we are called to solve someone else's problem.

As a leader for prayer meetings, I spend time searching scriptures, reading & studying, and praying for the Lord's plan for each meeting. My hours vary daily on the amount of time I spend, but I rarely go a day without searching the scriptures for something the Lord has given me in my thought process.
As I do, I prepare in praying over the Prayer Meeting and those attending. I pray and expect women to go away with a nugget from God's truth and to be encouraged to pray in their homes, on the job, in the car or in the quiet time with the Lord!
Like Jesus, our days can be very busy. He was teaching, traveling and also preaching. He had time to mentor those who wanted to learn. Jesus always went to the quiet place to spend time with His Father. Jesus, I believe, came away from that prayer time, being refreshed and rejuvenated. Jesus showed a diligence to continue to seek the Father for His plan and purpose for His life.

Leaders are those who walk in integrity. Jesus always spoke and did what He saw His Father speak and do. Those who truly desire your success will always deal with you in truth. If anyone does lie to you, understand that it may take weeks, months or years, but it will surface. We are told in Proverbs 28:13....that "he that covereth his sins shall not prosper."

Communication is always key to being a good leader. A leader will always reach out to others. Many times people stop trying to connect with others just because they have the fear of rejection. But our dream is greater than any rejection. When finding that fear thing appearing, it is time to find that one person who desires to grow. In our communicating with others, we should be looking for those who go beyond their own skill, talent and ask questions about why you do what you do!
Today, make a plan to communicate with others. Send them a note, or write an email and give them an encouragement. Make a plan to touch someone's life and make a difference. We may not know they are going through something, but it may be just the word, or scripture they need to make it through the day and actually see the Lord in you.

When thinking of a Leader, I always think of champions. When you think of world champion boxers, they spend much time with the opponent within a confined area. My dad loved boxing and when I was a child, we watched it every Saturday night. Wow, that takes me back! It was not till the Rocky movies came out that I saw the real life fights and battles of a boxer. Although this was a movie, I could see how the two things had to work together. One thing I saw was the discipline to exercise, and have the morning workouts plus hours of running. Ready to sign up for that program? A boxer has much to prepare for not only training his body, but to face the opponent. The boxer could not hurry his program. It was a step-by-step plan to get to participate in the championship event!
When our daughter and son-in-law were expecting their first baby a few years ago, our son-in-law called our daughter "the champion" and sometimes just "champ"! I really thought that was awesome and although some may think it unusual, I think how appropriate it was at the time. Our daughter was preparing herself for the birth of a baby. She prepared in excellence in eating the right foods, and exercise. She got her rest and she traveled less often to prepare for the birth. She showed passion and desire to see that this baby got the right start in life. She got the Bible on CD and such other teachings, so the baby could hear the Word of God. Even today, I think our grand-daughter knows God to sound a lot like Johnny Cash. Our daughter planned with passion that empowered her to go the distance. At birth time, and a C-section ordered, our daughter had no birth pains, although her body was registering birth pangs on the Dr.'s equipment, she felt no pain! Our daughter put out the honest effort to trust God and His Word. As she put forth to care for her unborn child, God went ahead of her to prepare the way with no pain for her to experience. Today, our grandchild is a few years older, and loves to sing worship to the Lord. She gathers with family to pray for others. From the day of conception, she was planned on and  today, her parents teach her daily how to lead!  She still hears her dad call her mom "Champ".I believe she has a good start, yes a good foundation, on that leadership program. I believe she will be a problem solver.

Leaders will know their opponent. They will know when to avoid conflict and when to address a situation. In conflict, the flaws are revealed, but in dealing with others, we always look for their potential. What has God placed in them? What is God's desire for them and especially if they truly love the Lord with all their heart?
Leaders will know when to confront and when to rise above those who are critical. When Jesus was being prepared for His crucifixion, He was silent. Matthew 26:63...states "but Jesus held His peace." Like Jesus, we would do well to refuse the critics.

Like Jesus, we as leaders are to teach others. Activate the gift in you and use it for the kingdom of God. It  is important that you mentor someone today. Teach your children, and find those who stand out in the crowd, who love the Lord, and would excel in the excellence of the Lord. Mentor and instruct a teenager, a friend, or an employee. Jesus was the Master Teacher! He needed NO microphone, but He taught. He motivated them to come out, He gave them instruction in relationships and how to lead others.
Spend time today and find those you can nurture in their vision. We can all grow and mature in leadership.
I was inspired by my son-in-law when he spoke the words of "champion" and I speak them to you today.
I call you out to mentor those God has placed around you.
Who are you encouraging and teaching today?
What are you doing to prepare someone to succeed?
Just like the lamp needs to be plugged in to the light the living room, you need to connect. Seize the day and create that connection............that causes someone else to succeed in leadership!

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

What is Your Dream?

I had first taught on this back in September of 2006. My question to those at that time and to you today: "What is the dream that was placed in your heart? When we open our eyes in the morning, and begin to speak, what is that which God planted in us to speak and to do?

I love to write and tell the stories of when I was a youth. When I came into the Word to really learn, I noticed I wanted to create cards, write out schedules in a style that looked more like a book! But I had such a desire to create and write. As I moved into ministering within the jail and Women's shelter, I grew in developing the teaching and how it was to flow. Many times I created what it would look like if it became a book! The more I spent time in prayer to God my Father and declaring His plan for my life, I began to see the shape of things to come in writing out the teachings I would give in Bible studies and Chapel services at the jail. Yes, I was on my way to creating. I love to preach and to teach, and my passion to write helps me to do both. My Father God weaves His Word in and through my life to make this tapestry of color and delight! I dare say, He does the same for you. As my husband puts it in his words: "it is the very depths of God's love and knowledge that helps you, Shelley, to create and paint the life giving messages and teachings."   Yes, I am a team member. My leader is the Lord Himself.  As He has purposed my life, He has a purpose for yours as well!

We find in Joshua 1:8-9....that," This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

When we open our mouth, it should be what we meditate on day and night from the scripture God has given through His holy Word. It does not say to meditate on what my aunt or your aunt said, or what the lady next door said,or what we read on Facebook, but this book of the Law shall not depart from my mouth. For when we follow instruction, our way is prosperous and we will have good success.

Do we keep that dream before us, and do we ask the Lord about what is in our heart? Or is it possible, we are thinking it will just fall into our lap? We cannot and should not be the one who makes no commitment to finding what God has placed in us.   Make a request today of the Lord.........find out what He has placed in you and given the desire that brings a joy and a song to your heart.


John 16:23-24.......23 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (NKJV)

Matthew 21:22., we are told that..".whatever things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive."

As we read in Joshua, we are to be strong and of good courage. We are not to be afraid nor dismayed for the LORD our God is with us wherever we go.  Where has the Lord ordered your steps? In Proverbs 20:24...it states, .." A man's steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way?  "

Trust God today! Make the commitment to find your gifting. Do something that relates to what you see and have that burning desire to do. Remember there may those who may try to stop you, and they may try to call you back to mediocrity, and ridicule you for trying a "new thing". It is important that you keep your focus. Keep the Lord and His word before you day and night. Meditate on the promises that you know are yours and stand firm!

If you find someone speaking ill of you, trying to manipulate you, or reel you back into an old routine, you must be determined to not stop. Make the concerted effort to keep moving forward, to learn and be taught by God Himself as He leads and instructs you by His Holy Spirit.   Remember, this is your life, and not a dress rehearsal! The Lord truly wants you to succeed. Today ask for that dream to come to reality. Open your mouth with faith in God and trust Him to show you the way in which to walk, receiving what He has given you from the foundation of the world.

Father, today, we pray for those who are still searching out that dream in their heart. As we believe for those who are devoted to You our God, we rejoice in knowing that You are there with them in this request for the dream to become a reality. We pray for the fire to burn toward that gift and they will see the desire grow to greater intensity. Father speak to them now on this matter. Declare what You have placed in their heart and may they move forward to see it come to pass.

Today, we know that You are for them, and will not leave them, but will guide them in peace, and love.  Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)

Declare Your plan for them in and through this dream. Give them the vision to carry it forward for Your glory Lord. We thank You in advance of those mentors You send their way that will add zest to their lives. Yes we give unto You glory due Your name, We worship You in the beauty of holiness. (Psalm 30:4) We give thanks for the answer in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

Watch and Pray!

Beginning this year of 2014, I had gotten the word of the importance of praying and the scripture was found in Matthew 26:36-46.....36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand." (NKJV)

I had taken this scripture to the Prayer Meeting that I lead at the House in Vancouver at the first of the year.  I sensed by the Holy Spirit's leading of the importance of praying, but also to being spiritually aware that it was more about being watchful to the degree of being fully awake to do something specific.


In growing up in the south, one grows accustomed to watching the skies especially in the hot, summer months. Although tornadoes could occur early in April, one usually did not watch consistently till May came. The weather man was our best friend at that time. We became very knowledgeable of what to look for in the sky and where to look. If anything even appeared black and ominous in the southwest sky, my hands would become sweaty and my heart would begin this loud beating that I could feel all the way down to my feet. Even now, I feel anxious thinking about those days.
Watching and praying should give us that earnest desire to seek prayer, not only for ourselves but also for others. The Bible gives us examples of those who sat passively waiting. In the scripture text in the parables of the 10 virgins, (Matthew 25:1-13) emphasized the importance of staying spiritually prepared. We each are to keep our lamp filled with oil that represents the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are to be filled to the brim with His presence. We are to keep watch, and to pray the word of God into our families, our communities, our churches, pray for the those in the Northwest and to pray for our government.

We knew not the hour the tornado might appear! Sometimes it did, but many times the storm turned another direction, or it just fizzled out.
My point is, we should not take any thing for granted. This world is on a collision course with destiny and the devil. One thing that is certain, is that we win! Yes, those who follow and stay in His presence, are those who are abiding in that secret place of the Almighty God. Our prayer should be our lifestyle and be a part of us that is always evident, always noticeable as a part of who we are created  to be in this life. In John 15:5-8 states, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. 7  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.  (NKJV)

For whatever thing we pray for, God is in our midst. Abiding in HIM, is allowing His word access into our lives, into our community, our church and into the leaders of this great country we live.
If I do not pray, there is NO FUTURE!
We should not be complacent in praying!

• Prayer brings communication with God who brings ADVENTURES into our lives
• Prayer causes us to turn outward as we pray for others
• Prayer always causes us to stay close to our Father
• Prayer teaches us to be RECEIVERS and not beggars

Keep watching! " Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming----in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning----lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV) 

What are We Expecting Today?

Do we rise in the morning with no expectation of seeing or accomplishing anything of value as to another, or looking for the miraculous of God's hand intervening in our lives to know He is with us?

Are we seated in the seat of being complacent or do we fan the fire in our bellies to move forward to see the glory of God in our lives, and in those we pray for each day?

We will always find strength in prayer. When we pray the Word of God with the expectancy of seeing the unseen, we believe and trust for the miraculous in our lives.

In the years I ministered at the jail or in the Women's Shelter, I was always coming in to contact with some who thought when they received Jesus as Lord that all their problems would go away. Some thought they would acquire the "rose garden" and move through life without a worry!

As the Lord gave us favor to minister there, we continued to remind people, especially the ladies that in the Bible there are references to women like Hannah who had a painful life. She was the woman who shared her husband with another woman. The other extreme was that Hannah had no children with her husband.

We all can have some kind of painful experience and some may last for years. But when we go to scripture on Hannah, we can remind ourselves of the trust this woman had in her God.

When we move through each sentence describing her life with her husband, to the relationship with the other woman and the lack of no children, we view Hannah as the abused even within her own home.

But true stands the testimony that her worship was to her God. Even though she suffered terribly by verbal abuse from the other woman, Hannah never stopped sharing her heart with the Lord. She would pray out (1 Samuel 1:10) to the Lord and express the pain she was dealing with in her life.

Whatever the total amount of problems in her marriage, she always gained strength in prayer!

So do I rise in the morning with no expectation of seeing or accomplishing anything of value for say my family? Do  I rise today and look for the hand of the ALL MIGHTY GOD to show His arm strong in my life? Will today be just about me and my selfishness and pleasure or is my life set for the godly purpose to God's plan as was Hannah's?

Prayer should be our life-line straight to God's hearing. As we see in the scripture, Hannah devoted herself to prayer and expressed her confidence in the Lord for the answers she so desperately needed.

Will our lives mirror hers in relationship to the Lord? Will we continue to keep communication lines open in prayer and expect God's hand and power to flow in and through our circumstances?

Hannah, was wanting a child, and she got a son who she gave to the Lord. Hannah got her desire and willing gave without hesitation her child to the Lord's service. What faith! What true beauty of trust this woman had in the Lord! No matter the tribulation or trial, Hannah came through victoriously. She had a wonderful reason to praise the Lord. In all of her praise and thankfulness in heart, she received more children in her union with her husband.

No, it is not a "rose garden" and trials come and go, but our expectancy is in the Lord. For He will do valiantly, and the more our trust is in Him, the more ease and peace we will rest in knowing He has our back.

"Lord, stir us today to be powerful. Cause prayer to be as natural to us as breathing is to us. Today we come with praise and worship and through this prayer, we pour out our hearts before You! We need direction in our lives. We will not hesitate to give You honor and praise, as we fellowship with You, and as we pray to You, we have Your ear that hears us speak the desire of our heart.  We desire to co-operate with You and receive instruction for what we may face today. We thank You for illuminating situations we may not understand. We are thankful for the light of Your Word to come into those places we need to see and to make decisions made in truth, integrity and without pain and difficulty. We say thank YOU Lord, for showing and revealing to us the hidden things we need to know. We give thanks for Your wisdom and all things You have given to us that pertain to life and godliness. Thank You in advance of any warnings we may need. Thank You for the good plan You have for us today. As we keep step with You, we know You will continue to show us all the wonderful information You have coming to us today in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV)