Prayer Summary for Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The following is a prayer for our nation by Pastor Lynne Hammond:

Father, in the name of Jesus, and according to your Word, we pray for those in authority in our nation. We lift up President Donald Trump, his family, his staff and cabinet members. Let Your Word cling to them and let them not depart from your plan. Strengthen them with mighty power by your Spirit to stand against wickedness, lies, and deception. Guide President Trump’s decisions; let Your light shine upon his path and show him the path of reversal for every evil way. Continually surround him with godly men and women who impart wise counsel to him. Cause the way of the wicked to be set to confusion and come to nothing. Deliver us from the traps and snares the enemy has laid for us, and let the wicked be caught in their own devises and be brought to shame.

We take authority over the plots and plans of the enemy against this nation. Let prideful and lying lips be silenced in Jesus’ name. Slanderers will not be established in America. We pray for our Congress, our Supreme Court, our military leaders and our intelligence agencies. Let the wisdom that is from above reign in this nation and be constantly speaking to our leaders. We exercise the authority You have given us to tread down all the power of the enemy. We cast down and demolish imaginations and arguments that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and we bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. We bind spirits of strife and division, civil wars and tumults, spirits of hostility, lawlessness and blasphemy, and fires from hell that have burned in our cities.

We speak grace and peace over America. We pray and believe for the voice of truth, salvation, revival and restoration to be proclaimed and heard across our land. Grant unto your servants everywhere that with all boldness we may speak Your Word. We pray for a mighty outpouring of Your Spirit with signs, wonders, and miracles. We expect the wisdom of this world that is earthly, sensual, and devilish to depart and vanish until Your mighty work in America becomes a beacon of hope for all people everywhere. We expect the voice of rejoicing to be heard in our nation for Your goodness, mercy, and prosperity, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Ray commented…

There is an anointing over this prayer for sure. Yesterday I changed part of it just for myself. I put our pastors names in there and the ministry here. We use the same authority over any kind of plans of the enemy, spoke grace over this ministry, over ministries. Also, I included the May 4th prayer meeting that will be downtown Minneapolis and all of the leaders and the things that need still to be planned out, worked out, paid for, all of that kind of thing. Hallelujah.

The following excerpt was taken from Surviving the Anointing by David Ravenhill

God saves men to make them worshipers. Fascination is another element in true worship. To be filled with moral excitement. To be captivated and charmed and entranced. Excited, not with how big you’re getting or how big the offering was. Not with how many people came out to church. But entranced with who God is, and struck with astonished wonder at the inconceivable elevation and magnitude and splendor of Almighty God.
—A.W. Tozer

It is a serious mistake to be so preoccupied with living for God as not to have time for living with God, adoring Him, listening to Him, worshiping Him, and consciously resting in His love.
—Salvation Army; Chosen to Be a Soldier

We now come to the number-one priority of the Christian life: worship. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God” (Matt. 4:10 KJV). “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Worship is one of those rarest of all activities in the church. We really know so little about it. Around ten years ago now, I began to do a little inquiry into what true worship entailed. We have grown accustomed to using “praise” and “worship” interchangeably. We toss around these terms—”We’ve got a new worship leader tonight. Let’s welcome him; give him a hand,” or “Wasn’t that a great time of praise tonight?” and we just get so used to using those words that way. However, I believe that there’s a difference between praise and worship.

My father used to say, “Prayer is preoccupation with our needs; praise is preoccupation with our blessings; and worship is preoccupation with God alone.” Prayer is preoccupation with our needs: “God heal me,” “God bless me,” “God protect me,” whatever our needs are, we present them to God. That’s prayer.

Praise, then, is preoccupation with our blessings. “Thank You for healing me,” “Thank You for blessing me,” “Thank You for watching over me,” “Thank You …” for whatever it is that God has done for us.

But worship is preoccupation with God, regardless of our circumstances. You may be surprised to learn that the greatest acts of worship, anywhere in the Word of God, were never associated with music. Let me say that again: The greatest acts of worship in the Word of God were never in association with music. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t worship with music. I’m simply saying that it is not a necessity to have music in order to worship. Worship goes far beyond the musical realm; it deals with my attitude toward God, but also deals with and reveals my heart.

Ms. Annie shared…

I totally love that because music is not worship. It’s just a soulish physical expression of our hearts toward Him. But there are many other expressions.

Pastor Ray responded…

I actually thought of that yesterday. Monday we have 3:30 prayer here in the Chapel. It’s just 30 minutes. Most times we don’t have anyone to play music so we pray. But I did have that thought. I did want to worship Him but I didn’t have any musician. So, really we need musicians. I need them (ha, ha, ha). But we don’t have to have a musician to worship Him.

Our worship is our heart lifted up to heaven. And just worshiping Him not looking at the circumstances, what we received, what we want to receive, what’s coming up, all of these things, but we just lift Him up. We worship Him for who He is. It’s my favorite. And that connection to me is so critical for us as members of the body, as pray-ers, that we would be so connected. That we don’t necessarily have to know, in 60 minutes, exactly every plan and every way we are going to go. We just enter in and worship Him and He’ll show us the way to go. Amen. Because He is faithful.

Ms. Annie responded…

I am reminded of the Canaanite woman who followed Jesus crying, “Son of David, have mercy on me! My little daughter is grievously vexed with a devil!” And He answered her not a word. Then He said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” That’s what He said. But then she came and worshiped Him. So, often when I read that, I try to go there in my mind. What was her worship like that it so arrested the Master, that it so achieved that connection of heart with His heart? I think of that. That’s the kind of worship I want to have. And it has nothing to do with music. I mean it can be but each one of us has the ability to do what she did in worship. And that’s the worship that I want to have. I want to have the worship that causes Him to turn around in His tracks and be pleased and receive whatever it is we are offering Him.

Ms. Mandie responded….

When she addressed Him, it just kind of dropped in my heart, when she addressed Him as Master, she was identifying with Him as a Jew and she wasn’t a Jew. But when she dropped into worship and I was just reminded of the scripture that those that worship Me in spirit and in truth, He would turn to them. I feel that one thing that has really been on my heart to pray is that we would just lay down our facades, lay down any religious rituals, lay down any routines in our lives and come before God is our rawness, come before Him in our truth, and let it flow out of our hearts and not our heads. And I believe that’s what moves the heart of God.

Ms. Annie responded…

“The hour cometh when those that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” So, reveal to us that, Lord, that our worship might be in spirit and in truth.

Ms. Jeani responded…

It also reminds me of when Jesus said to Mary at the wedding, “My time has not yet come.” And Mary said to the servants “Do what He says.” So her desire to experience more launched Him into ministry when He said it wasn’t time.

Pastor Ray commented…

You know that was as a mother. She put that demand on Him. I just love that.

While we were worshiping at the Easter service when all of the children were on the stage mixed up with the adults, Savaughn (one of the worship leaders) knelt down at the altar in the middle of worship. That’s not the first time anyone has ever done that. But there was an anointing on it. I looked over and one of the young boys, about 13 years old, just knelt down way over on the left side with his hands and arms lifted up and continued on into that worship. That melted me. His parents trained him. I have to think that way. That his parents trained him up in the way that he should go that he would recognize that that presence was there and He was worthy of all of the worship. So, he knelt down and lifted his hands before heaven. I love it.

I know it is not just all about what we do with our bodies but it is sometimes what we do. We do what He calls us and tells us to do. Amen.

Ms. Annie shared…

Can I share a story? It just came to my remembrance after so many years. One of the most beautiful expressions of worship I have ever seen. There was a season where I was to provide music for the children’s ministry. We would lead worship with the little children and there were three children in particular. They had just come out of foster care. All three of them were siblings maybe 5, 6, 7 years old. They were unchurched, and we were aware that they had experienced some terrible things. But they would come during the musical worship part of the service and they would stand right up next to my keyboard. And they would raise their hands like that and lift their little faces up to God. And they would sing with all their hearts, praise and worship. And even at their young age they so loved Jesus and they so appreciated Him. They gave Him everything. I mean I was undone by these three little children. I don’t know if they had been taught anything but Jesus Himself had shown His love to them. And they wanted to give love back to Him. And isn’t that what worship is? I am so undone still just thinking about those three children who are probably adults now.

Ms. Jeani responded…

You know it goes with what Mandie said about taking off the façade and just going where He leads you regardless of the pressure of perception or… I mean there is a pressing through to get to Him. What the Canaanite woman did, what Mary did that He recognizes because He wants it to be authentic and He wants to be wanted.

Ms. Annie responded…

More than anything, He just wants a heart connection with His child. You know I don’t want my child to perform for me. I just want them to receive my love. Right? He wants us to receive His love and when we open our hearts to Him in worship, we are opening ourselves up to receive His love. Amen.

Ms. Annie led us in worship…

Ms. Florence shared…

I just want to share a few thoughts on worship also because of what happened Friday. The Lord told me to go up front and that was really out of my comfort zone that I did that. After I obeyed, I found myself in the presence of God worshiping and I had no care in the world. What happened was in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy. And that’s what He baptized me with. I was so drunk in the Spirit. It was marvelous. I was telling Pastor Ray it was really marvelous what happened to me on Friday. And I have known all these years that I have been coming every morning to prayer, is that I have been changed just by being in His presence, just by being in His presence and connecting with Him with my spirit I have changed. I know I have changed. I have even heard it from my family. And so the only thoughts I have on worship this morning is and I hope this will encourage you, is I started praying way back when and the moments that I would feel that I really connected with God in the spirit is when I had a need. And I was so desperate to be in His presence to just get a feel that God, You care about me. You have an answer to my problems. And I would feel that connection. I would worship and I would feel the connection. But the driving factor behind it was that I was so desperately in need of Him that He would answer my prayer. And He usually did. And what happens to human beings is after He answers your prayer, you kind of forget to go back into His presence. You know.

And the other times that I have been forced to really connect with God also are times when He has really answered my prayer and I am so happy, I am so joyous. I have had a promotion, we have bought a new car, we now have a house and you know what I mean, those physical things that God blesses you with and you look back at your life and you are thinking God thank You so much for loving me, for blessing me. And so those are times also that I have felt that I was connecting with God at the place of prayer.

But in recent times I have just wanted to be in His presence because I am so in love with Him. And I am seeking Him not because of what He will give me or not give me. I am not coming into His presence to give thanks to Him but I am coming into His presence because I want Him. I want all of Him. I want to know His ways. I want to feel His heart beat. I want to feel and know what is on His mind, what is in His heart. What do you want me to pray about God? It’s not about me. But it’s about You. And I think that is what happened on Friday when I went forward. I said “Lord, You are making me so uncomfortable. There is nobody else here but I am just obeying You because I love You. I don’t know what else You want to do. I don’t know what else You want to teach me. But I am willing to do that. I am willing to be uncomfortable for You” and I was just so happy! I was so drunk. I have never, never been so ecstatic. It was marvelous.

So, when I got up… I know I prayed in the spirit, I know I was in His presence but I just know it was something different. Something changed in me. Not for me but because of Him for what He wants me to do. And so those are times that you can really connect. I am saying there are so many ways that you can worship God.

You can be joined in the Spirit but what is the motivating factor? Why are you coming into His presence? And I am thinking now that I have known desperacy to be in His presence, for my prayers to be answered and I have also known His presence when I am so happy because of what He has blessed me with. And now I am learning to just seek Him for Him. I don’t care if any of my prayers will be answered. I just want His prayers to be answered for me. You know what He wants me to do for that particular time.

So, worship for me, whether there is music or no music… but music really accelerates (ha, ha, ha). It does. It really helps but why are you here? Why are you seeking His presence? If you can find the answer to that, it will be so easy for you to be in His presence. Because both ways, whether you are desperate, whether you are happy, whether you just want Him for Him, you will be in the Spirit and He will come and you will have fellowship with Him.

Ms. Jeani responded…

So when I am thinking about what Florence is saying, if you think about that God, the Lord of Hosts, the King of kings, the One whose name is above every name, wants to be loved by us. I mean, isn’t that amazing? He wants our attention and that He just wants us to want Him. It’s so awesome and what an honor and privilege we have. We will never have the opportunity in heaven to want Him in the midst of opposition and to believe Him. We will never have the opportunity in heaven to believe Him. But we have that opportunity here to go by what He says far and above everything else.

It’s just amazing to me how He responded to Florence. It was such an immediate response. I mean think about how much He wants us. We have no idea and our understanding will never understand how massive and awesome His love is for us, His desire is for us. All of it, even we as people who are made in His image don’t like to feel used, don’t like to feel like people want something just for what we can give them. Well, that’s Him. It’s shocking to me.

Ms. Annie shared…

Without faith it is impossible to please God. And I have been thinking about that lately, meditating on that. It’s because He is pleased when we believe His love. That’s what faith is. It’s believing who He is, that He is love. It’s not being in fear of Him but trusting Him as our Father. That pleases Him because He is love and He just wants to love us. Hallelujah.

Ms. Annie led us in singing “So in Love With You, Jesus”

Everything You have done and everything You have gone through
But even beyond that we are so in love with You
Because of Who You are and how much You love us
That Jesus was sent to the Cross for us
These things cannot be made up but by faith lifted up
We lift up, we do lift love back up to heaven
To our Father, thank You, thank You, thank You

Ms. Annie led us singing “We Cry Holy, Holy, Holy God”

Ms. Heather shared…

The Lord was bringing something to my remembrance and I felt prompted to share. When I was growing up as a young girl with a single mom living in a trailer park off a freeway and I was so hungry for the love of a father. There were times where I would just be alone out in a field or wherever I was and my heart would be hungry and I didn’t know even really what I was hungry for but it was for the love of a father. I didn’t have any religious upbringing. We would go to Catholic church on Easter and Christmas and that was about it because Grandma made us. But I just remember those times. He is just bringing that to my remembrance.

I had nothing to offer Him. In the world’s eyes, I was really just kind of the trailer trash like people would say. But He saw the value and He was wooing me as a young child that had nothing to bring to Him but He loved me and He wanted that relationship with me. I think back to those days that I didn’t know anything. But I knew in my heart that I had a hunger for the love of a father because I didn’t have that in the natural world. And He was bringing that to me. Even in my times of being alone. If I would climb up a tree and my heart would just be hungry for Him and He would meet me in those places.

To think of that simplicity, no religion but it was just the love of a Father. And that He would seek me out and wants that relationship with us even today. That it would be just a simplicity of our hearts crying out Abba Father, I want to have that relationship with You. Not because I am worthy. Not because I was worthy then or even worthy now but because You want to, You love me. Not because of anything I did or anything I didn’t do but You just love me and You want to have that relationship. And I just remember those times of sensing His presence and I didn’t even know what it was but feeling that I am loved and that I am cared for. And now looking back He always brings me back to that, that I was there. You didn’t know it but I was there. And to remember those moments of that simplicity where Your heart connected to my heart and it wasn’t about religion or anything that you did or didn’t do. It was just about a Father that loves you and cares for you and He wants that with us again today still, every day. If we take that time to just connect with Him on a personal heartfelt level like we want to be with Him just because we want to be with Him, our heart wants to know the heart of our Father.

Ms. Annie sang…

♪ Abba, I belong to You
Abba, I belong to You
Abba, I belong to You
You’re more real to me than
The words my tongue

You saw me coming down the prodigal road
And you came running with a ring and a robe
Your grace is the way the way back home
To the arms of My Father that won’t let go ♪

Continued praying…

Thank You, Father, Abba
That name just rings so loud
You are our heavenly Father
As Your children, we do love and worship You
We are there for You
Even to have the opportunity to come on in
You made a way for us
Yielding to You, king of kings and Lord of lords
Thank You, Father, for this day
A new, good and holy day
That the presence of Your Spirit goes with us
We are never alone
Purposing to just be aware of You as we go forth
Thank you for praying

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