Morning Prayer report for Friday, March 25, 2022

Pastor Dustin welcome…

Welcome. Thank you for joining us. My name is Dustin. I’m the youth pastor here at Living Word Christian Center. On behalf of our senior pastors, Mac and Lynne, I welcome you to morning prayer. Thank you for joining us today.

Before we start, let’s orient our thinking on the Lord…

Before we get started, I like to just take a moment to help us get oriented in our thinking. Put our minds on the Lord. It helps me to close my eyes and just do my best to drown out or do what I can to eliminate the noise around me. I know that I can’t control the volume of everything around me, but I can control my thoughts. I can control what I’m thinking about and what it meditating on and how that affects my heart.

Some people have a hard time hearing God’s voice…

I want to encourage you if you have a lot going on, if you’ve been busy… I talked on Wednesday night about spiritual discipline. One of the things that I had mentioned was oftentimes I talk to people who say “I have a hard time hearing God’s voice.” And I think we’ve probably all felt that way at some point in our life, especially if we’re faced with a big decision and there’s pressure on us to make a quick decision.

We fail to intentionally set aside time for God to listen for His voice…

But oftentimes when I talk to people, I’ve found they aren’t intentionally setting aside time where they’re just being still in the presence of God and being quiet in the presence of God. And one of the students came up to me afterwards and said, “I felt attacked.” They were joking, but they’re like, “I felt like you were talking to me like you know my business.” But I said, “If you’re sitting there with air pods in your ears, scrolling on Instagram or Tik Tok, while Netflix is on the TV behind you and you have your laptop out and then while all of that’s happening in your mind, you’re not even paying attention to any of that because you’re just stressing out over all of the things that are going on in your life. That doesn’t surprise me if you feel like you’re having a hard time hearing God’s voice.

We must limit the external and internal distractions…

It’s important that we do what we can to eliminate the “external” distractions. And it’s important that we do what we can to eliminate the “internal” distractions. It’s important that we on purpose determine in our hearts and in our minds to just focus on Him. The Bible says be still and know that I am God. There is an element of knowing Him that is only found in the stillness. That’s only found in times and situations where you are just quiet and you’re listening and you’re enjoying His presence.

Start from the place of stillness…

I’m not saying that’s what this whole time today is going to be, but I want us to at least start from that place of stillness. Let’s not come into this time filled with worry, anxiety, stress, and then just carry that into how we pray. Let’s just stop that for a moment and just be still in His presence. Listen for that whisper on the inside of you… that still small voice on the inside of you. And then from a place of rest, from a place of peace, as we’re being led by His Spirit, we can hear His voice. Then we begin to step out and respond to His voice and do what we believe He’s directing us to do. And we declare the things He’s speaking to our hearts. We’re praying in a way that’s a little bit more accurate and we’re not being pushed by our feelings and our emotions and all of those kinds of things.

Sometimes I start by praying in the spirit…

And so wherever you’re at, let’s take some time and eliminate the distractions around you. Be intentional with your thinking. I’ve found that if it’s difficult because I’m thinking and my mind is racing, sometimes I’ll start by praying in the spirit to kind of get control of that. And after I spend time praying in the spirit for a moment, then I can kind of begin to get quieter and quieter and then I can enter into that place.

Prayed …

Thank you, Lord, we remind ourselves that we are carriers of your presence. You didn’t want to only reside in the temple. You wanted to reside and live on the inside of us. You wanted to walk with us, be in communion with us, and so you gave us your Spirit. That’s why Jesus told the disciples “It’s better for you that I go away because I can only be in one place at one time.” I’m paraphrasing a bit. “Instead, I’m going to send the same Spirit that’s on the inside of Me. I’m going to send the Holy Spirit and He is going to live on the inside of you. And He is going to be your comforter, your counselor, your intercessor, your advocate, your strengthener, your standby. He’s going to help you and aid you and support you.”

We thank you, Father, that when we pray, it isn’t just our words, our thoughts. When we pray in the spirit, when we’re led by you, we’re coming into agreement with you and we’re praying out your perfect will for our lives and for every situation. We thank you for this, Father.

So let’s just begin by yielding ourselves over and praying in the spirit. And I will endeavor to be led by the Spirit. And I believe that as we are faithful to do what we believe the Lord is directing us to do, we’ll accomplish everything that we need to during this time. So let’s just do that together.

Prayed…

Father, we yield ourselves over to you in this way. We make the conscious decision to pray in the Spirit. We’re not just doing it because of feel like it. We’re doing it because you’re leading us.

Your supply matters…

This is a time where the body of Christ as believers come together and we all give the supply that we have. Your supply matters. Your supply is important. Your voice matters. Through your relationship with Jesus Christ, you’ve been given power. You’ve been given authority. Not just the body of Christ as a whole, you as an individual have been given authority and power by God over yourself, over your situations, over your sphere of influence, over the things that He’s given you authority over in your life.

The Lord expects you to grow up, mature, move into your place…

So it’s important that you pray. It’s important that you declare things. It’s important that you ask God. It’s important that you ask God so don’t just sit back and say, “If it’s the Lord’s will, He’ll take care of it for me.” No. He wants you to grow up. He wants you to mature, which means He’s moving you into a place and into a position where He expects you to know His will. He expects you to know His Word and He expects you to take responsibility … you don’t have to take the care. You don’t have to take the worry, but you should take responsibility for the things that He’s called you to steward over.

We’re switching from passive voice to active voice…

So we’re switching from like a passive kind of approach to an active… where we don’t just sit back and let the Devil do what he wants to do in our lives. We resist him.

Sister Barb…

Higher, higher, higher, higher … glory to God higher … His thoughts are higher … and we can think His thoughts… His ways are higher and we can walk in His ways… by the Holy Spirit… it’s by His strength, by His power, by His hand … yield yourself to the Holy Spirit now… He has a place for you… He has called you… He has appointed you… He has anointed you… there is a gift on the inside of each one of you… that needs to come out now in Jesus’ name…

A global union for the body of Christ…

It’s time for the body of Christ to come into her place in this earth… it’s time for those gifts to come out… yes, a global union, Father God, of the body of Christ. Just like the enemy is trying to bring this earth into a global union… well, we say the body of Christ will be in complete unity, moving together, a mighty force in this earth, bringing the light, bringing the Gospel to every place, every dark place, every hidden place, Father … all over this earth… for it’s your will that none would be lost, but that every person would come to repentance…

It’s time for the body of Christ to prophesy…

We yield ourselves to you today… we use our voice to prophesy to the earth… to speak those things that must come forth now in the name of Jesus … order, order, we call things into order … we speak to division and we command it to go… you leave the body… you leave marriages… you leave families in Jesus’ name. Get out! in the name of Jesus… unity and peace in Jesus’ name…  the blood of Jesus covering and keeping that the enemy cannot enter in… the blood of Jesus covering every family, every church body in the name of Jesus…

It’s time to step out of surface Christianity and into the deep places of God…

It’s time to step out … out of that surface Christianity and step into the deep places of God. And to see the things you want to see … It’s a place of devotion… complete commitment and trust in Him… so much more … Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Open, open, open, open our eyes, open our ears… Hallelujah.

Prayed for things that have been prepared for the ages…

Open our eyes, open our ears… ages, ages… those things that have been prepared for the ages, Lord, to come … we pray that out in Jesus’ name. I know all those things that you prepared. All those things, Father, you’ve put into place… we begin to see them. They’re manifested, Lord. They’re manifested… not for the sweet by and by, but for the here and now … that provision … that healing … that word of encouragement… the keys to the kingdom are in our hands… Glory to God… that authority, that anointing… more and more and more and more…

Prayed for eyes opened…

Eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes… eyes open… the course… open, open, open … there’s more, there’s more, there’s more…

Pastor Dustin had a word of knowledge…

There’s more … it’s bigger than you think that it is… it’s bigger than you think… and so there are limitations that are going to have to be broken off of you… limitations in your mind that are going to have to come off… you can’t put new wine in an old wine skin, right. Because the wine skin burst and the wine is ruined … Oh yeah. Yeah. There’s more, there’s more. And it’s going to require new systems. It’s gonna require new mindsets. It’s gonna require new ways of thinking, and the Spirit of God will generate those things on the inside of you… but you can’t discount what you’re hearing, just because it’s different…

Hindrances must go…

We’re not talking about the Word. The word does not change. We’re not talking about those things, but we’re talking about things that used to be hindrances… things that are just tradition for the sake of tradition… you’re just doing things because that’s the way that it’s been done … Some of those things are just going to need to go … they’re going to have to make room for the new …

Prayed about old must go to make room for the new…

I heard somebody say it like this. It was a preacher and she said, “I like to shop and I go to the store sometimes. I went to a store and I saw that they had this sign up and it said, everything must go.” And she thought that they were going out of business, that they were closing. She started talking to one of the employees and they said, “No, we’re not going out of business. We’re just getting new things. So we have to get rid of the old things to make room for the new things.” And I don’t want to say the word… Everything is a big word, so I’m not going to say, “Everything must go,” but you need to be led by the Spirit with what you keep. And you need to be led by the Spirit in what needs to be removed and taken out to make room for the new…

You’re going to another dimension…

Because you’re entering into a new season. You’re going to another dimension. … This’ll help people in Minnesota and up north… you don’t keep the boots and the gloves and the hats and the scarves and the snow pants by the door in July. Because it’s not necessary. Those things will be uncomfortable if you try to wear those things in July. You needed them in December. They were important for your survival in February. But in July, it’s heavy. It weighs you down. What was necessary for your survival in February could be dangerous in July. We’re talking about snow pants. If you’re just tuning in, we’re talking about heavy winter clothing in the wrong season is not helpful. It’s harmful. It’s in your way. At the very least, it’s just frustrating. But if you take it to the most extreme part of that, you can’t run a marathon in a snow suit in July. You’ll overheat. It’s not safe, right?

There are some things that are appropriate and necessary for one season, but in the next season they got to go. Or they need to be put in storage or they just need to be put in a different place. You’re just not utilizing them like you used to because it’s not necessary for the season and the time that you’re in.

This is a new season, a new time…

And He wants to take you to another dimension. This is a new season. This is a new time. So like it says in Hebrews, strip off every encumbrance, every unnecessary weight. “I like my snow pants. They’re nice snow pants and they were expensive and I got a good deal on them. And I like the snow pants.” Well, that’s fine, but they’re just not right for this time. I know this is very abstract. I hope that you can stay with me. It’s hard to explain the spiritual things with natural words. That’s why the apostle Paul is like, “I saw a gate in heaven and it was like a Pearl.” You’re just doing the best with what you got and what I have is English. But you understand the principle, right?

There are things that need to be stripped off in the new season…

Jesus said you can’t put new wine in an old wine skin. He’s speaking to them in terms they’re familiar with. Same principle. This season that you’re entering into, there are some things that are going to have to be stripped off. It might be a mindset. It might be a system that you are operating within. And if you have the authority to bring change to that and the Spirit of God is leading you, then you need to listen to that voice on the inside of you, because He’s trying to set you up for the things that have not been revealed to the senses yet.

He’s trying to position you to set into the new…

He has a plan and He’s doing things and working on things and there are things that have already been accomplished and set in motion. And He’s trying to position you so that you can just step right into it. I think of the seasons to continue with that example. In Minnesota it can be very stark, but usually you have time between February and July to acclimate. You can sense things are changing. All of a sudden, you just have a super windy day and you’re like, “Okay, I think the seasons are beginning to change.” You can sense that something’s beginning to change and there might be some big shifts overnight. Are you hearing what I’m saying? There might be some big shifts overnight. There might be some suddenlies. There might be some dramatic things that happen.

There might be suddenlies, but you will still have time to prepare for the new season…

But usually you still have some time to get to get things in order before it’s 95 degrees. You might 8 degrees to 60 in 24 hours in Minnesota. And that’s a big change, but you still have time to really get things right before the summer. You still have time to get things right before you’re really in that season. And I wonder if we’re in that in-between time… Maybe I’m just talking to a handful of you … you’re in like the spring … you’re coming out of the one season… you’re in a season in and of itself, but you’re entering into something else and you’ve had some dramatic things said … you’ve had God speak to you in significant ways and you can see what’s coming, you know what was, and you got a t-shirt on, but you got your snow pants on at the same time. And it’s like you’re trying to kind of get everything situated.

We must walk with accuracy…

It’s so important that we respond to the Spirit in these times… we walk with accuracy in these times. We’re quick to listen, quick to respond. We’re so convinced of His character that even though it’s a big change, we know that He’s there in it. We know that He’s leading us from good…

Dr. James Tan…

I heard Dr. James Tan say it like this. I just have never forgotten it. He leads you from goodness to goodness, right? Glory to glory, favor to favor, grace to grace. He’s leading you into something good. The Bible tells us that the path of the just grows brighter and brighter, so we can believe that He’s leading you into something better, something bigger. It’s not diminishing what was, but it’s being excited about what’s to come. Didn’t He say the latter rain would be greater than the former rain?

The change is going to be better…

I’ve decided to believe from what I’ve seen in the Word that as I’ve move through life, it’s going to be better than it was at the beginning. You didn’t peak early and now you’re just going to exist the rest of the time. Why would He go through the first 30 years of your life? The first 20 years, the first 50 years of your life training you, equipping you, growing you, expanding you just to have you mail it in the last 20? Or for the rest of the time here on earth. I don’t believe that He would.

We have mindsets…

We have these mindsets, right? That’s what we’re talking about. One of the things that we’re talking about, mindsets that are in the way that need to be removed. We sometimes have these mindsets “When I’m in my twenties, this is how I live. When I’m in my thirties, this is how I live. When I’m in my forties and fifties and sixties, I live in these ways so that when I can hit this age, then I can enjoy life, then I can do what I want to do. And then I don’t have any responsibilities. And then I can do this.”

I’m not anti-retirement…

I’m not to anti-retirement. That’s not what I’m saying. But what I’m saying is maybe you’ve put an expectation on your life that is not from God. Maybe you’ve settled for something that is less than what He has planned for you. Maybe it’s just different than what He has planned for you. I believe the Lord wants to take us into a higher dimension. I believe that He wants us to grow deeper in our relationship with Him, experience things that we have not experienced before or experienced them in a greater way. And so if you’re bumping up against this ceiling of limitations, if you’re looking around and you’re realizing that the things that I have in place they’re not appropriate for this next season. Then allow the Spirit of God to deal with you… allow Him to speak to you, to lead you and guide you and help you. I’m not saying, do things out of turn. Not saying do things out of time. But sometimes our timeline and His are different. And so we need to submit to the timing. We need to submit ourselves to the plan, to the purpose.

The purpose of this season…

I don’t know why I keep talking about seasons so much, but the Lord taught in the parable of the sowing and reaping. He said, the kingdom of God works on these principles. You have a winter, you have a spring. You have a summer, you have a fall. There is seed time and there’s harvest time. Not every single season is harvest time. Not every single season is the sowing time. I’m not talking about giving, right? Not every single season you’re putting seed in the ground in the way that you do during the spring, right? Different seasons have different assignments. Different seasons have different calls. You’re still you, but there’s different emphasis in a different season.

Prayer to recognize the seasons…

Oh Lord, help us… We thank you for the grace to recognize the seasons. We thank you for the grace to discern what season we’re in. I pray that we would be discerning of the seasons… discernment for the body of Christ … discernment for the people that are in that are watching this online. … the right decisions.

Sister Barb prayed…

Right decisions… thank you, Father, for assistance now in Jesus’ name … assistance to make the right choices… assistance, Father God, in the name of Jesus… even of the heavenly host, Father, you’re ministering spirits assisting now … that we don’t miss any opportunity… that you present … that we walk through every door you open, Father … Yes, Father, now… a breaking off of those things that don’t belong… breaking off of those hindrances… breaking off of the old ways… the things become comfortable with … to break free from those … in the name of Jesus… so that we can enter into the new… Holy Spirit, help us to see those things… those cobwebs that need to be removed … every day by your Spirit… showing us those things, those pieces, those people that we need to be separated from… those things that we need to remove… to purge us… to purge us of the things of this world, Lord, so that we can focus on you, that we can focus on your plan… that our faces would be set like a flint … focused, focused, focused on the race and focused on that finish line… like you, Lord, for the joy that was set before you… that we would run the race as you ran… not distracted by anything of this life, but completely and utterly focused on you… shaking off, shaking off, shaking off, shaking off all those things… shaking off the world, shaking off those things that would try to attach themselves to us… shaking off that darkness… and letting the light shine forth… even shaking the dust off our feet… and making a demand on you on a daily basis… making the demand on you, a demand on your power, a demand on you, Lord, to propel us into the plan, to propel us into the purpose…

For this is the time. This is the time … It’s time to switch over. It’s time to move over. It’s time to change our minds. It’s time to shift … shift in Jesus’ name. It’s time to shift in our focus … we take hold today and we take hold of your instruction… we take hold of that inspiration… even creative gifts, Lord, we take hold today. We take hold of those designs. We take hold of those plans, Father, that those unctions of the holy one, we take hold of those witty ideas and inventions today. Those ways of doing things, Lord, that bring your plan to fruition… that move us along in the right way… those supernatural ideas … anointed by you … to bring prosperity and peace into our lives and into the earth … and to be a blessing to those around us… completely engrossed in you, completely obsessed with you, completely and utterly obsessed with you…

Every day, every day, every day looking to you every day, in every way we express ourselves, looking for your words, looking for your voice. For it’s your anointing that removes that burden and destroys that yoke… We’re looking to you every day, every day, every moment…

I thank you for every member of the body of Christ in those destinies that you have for them. We hold them to those destinies in Jesus’ name. Hallelujah! The blood of Jesus …

We receive these words that you’ve spoken to our hearts. We receive it. The things that you’ve spoke to us, the things that you’ve revealed, the directions that you’ve given to us, we’ve received them by faith.

Pastor Dustin

The angel said to Gideon, “You are a mighty man of God”

We’ve covered a lot in prayer today. I was just thinking of Gideon when he was hiding from the Midianites down in the wine press beating his wheat. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and called him a mighty man of valor. And Gideon said, “I’m not what you say that I am. I’m not who you say that I am. I’m the smallest. I’m the weakest. I’m the poorest.” He had all of these lies. I mean, they were truth. They were truth in the natural. But it wasn’t who God said he was. There was a greater truth. Right?

Gideon came into agreement with God…

And so when the Lord spoke to him about what he was called to do and who he was, and it didn’t line up with his past experiences and what he’d seen. His first instinct was to reject it. It wasn’t until Gideon … Gideon still questioned God and he still put fleeces before God. And he still did all of these things. But at some point, Gideon came into agreement with who God said he was. At some point, he made up his mind that he was going to believe God’s Word over his own inner critic. He was going to believe God’s Word over his situation and his past and his history and his circumstances and what other people had said over him. At some point he decided he was going to believe that. And that’s when everything began to change in his life.

That’s when things changed for Gideon…

And then he stepped out and he did what the Lord directed him to do. And I want to talk about that part of it. At some point, he had to receive the word that was spoken to him. Even though he had questions, even though he wrestled with God about it. At some point he had to receive it. And that’s when things began to change. And once he received it, even though he still had his mind that was unrenewed and he still had flesh and he still had all of these other things that he had to deal with, when he received the word and he stepped out in faith, that’s when he entered into the things that the Lord had prepared for him. That’s when he began to see it come to pass in his life.

The wine press was a place of transition…

All of these things that I just talked about took place in the wine press. The wine press was a place of transition. It was where grapes would come in, in one form and they would be crushed into another more useful form. Right? The wine was in the grapes all along, but it was in a place of transition and change that they became what they were called to be.

The chaff had a purpose but at some point, it has to be removed…

Gideon is threshing wheat in the wine press. And for those of us who live in 2022, let me explain that to you. The wheat had a chaff on it. The chaff was this dry, scaly thing that protected the wheat. The chaff was not bad. The chaff was necessary for the wheat to grow in one season. It protected the wheat. It was necessary. But in order for the wheat to become bread or whatever else, in order for the wheat to fulfill its calling… You understand wheat was not planted just for it to be kept in its original form. It was planted and it grew in a way. But then at a certain point, there were things that had to be stripped away from it so that it could be utilized in the way that it was called to be utilized. Right?

And so Gideon is down there and he’s beating and ripping off this dry, scaly covering so that he could have the wheat in its purest form. So Gideon is in a place of transition, physically. And that’s where the Lord meets him. He meets him in that place. And the angel of the Lord tells Gideon, You’re not much different from this wheat that you’re beating right now. You’re not that different from the grapes that are usually crushed in here. You came in here one way, but you need to leave another way. The chaff was necessary for a season, but that needs to be stripped off and removed right now. Because you’re about to enter into purpose.

There is more that God has prepared for you…

There’s another dimension that He wants us to go to. There are things in places and assignments and callings that He has for us. And so we need to allow the Spirit of God through time reading the Bible, through time in prayer, through time in the presence of God. We need to give time to and allow the Spirit of God to speak to us. And it’s by His grace. It’s not your strength and your effort. It’s by His grace. If God calls you to do anything, He equips you to do it. And He gives you the strength to do it so that you don’t have to do it by yourself and in your own strength.

Remove the limitations…

As the Lord begins to speak to and give us direction, it’s important that we step out in faith. We come into agreement with what He says. We step out in faith. And if there are limitations, if there are things that are in the way or holding us back or holding us down, we’re still being led by the Spirit and how we deal with those things. But it’s important that we respond. And we are accurate.

It’s important that we are accurate…

I’ll say it like this. It’s important that we’re accurate with what we do, how we use our time and how we approach situations. Because if the Lord is bringing you into another season, if He’s bringing you into another dimension, there will be changes that will take place. And so you can’t resist them just because it’s a change, just because it’s different. It doesn’t mean that you should just do everything that is in front of you. But at the same time, we shouldn’t just resist something because it’s new. We have to allow the Spirit of God to lead us in that and through that and walk accurately. Be accurate with how you use your time. Be accurate with what you give your attention to. Be accurate as you’re developing things. Be accurate as you’re building things. Be accurate if you have to take something apart in your life. Be accurate in how you navigate those things.

Be led of the Spirit in order to be accurate…

Don’t just blow something up because… no, be accurate. Be accurate in how you do these things, allowing yourself to be led by the Spirit of God. And you’re going to find that on the other side of that is breakthrough… on the other side of that is glory. On the other side of that are dreams being fulfilled … on the other side of that… it’s bigger than you had thought …it’s better than you had imagined. It’s amazing. How do you describe it? It’s beyond words. It’s amazing what He has prepared for us.

Prayed…

Father, we just thank you for all of these things that have been prayed out and declared today. We thank you for the words that have been spoken to our hearts. I pray that the cares of this world would not choke out the word that you’ve deposited in our hearts. I pray that your word would stay planted in us and it would put down roots and it would grow and develop.

Father, we just thank you for all of these things.

Thank you all for joining us. We’ll see you all soon.

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