Pastor Ray…
I want to begin with a scripture, Psalm 23 and a little bit of 24. There is so much comfort in the Word.
Father, thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit, actively and always working in us, changing, rearranging, opening and closing. Thank You for what You’ve done with us and through us. We thank You for the future, for the times that are coming. We know and can sense that things are picking up. Time is moving more swiftly than ever before. But we have You. You are our strength, our help. You always tell us what to do and we believe to hear it with our spiritual ears. Thank You for speaking to us.
Okay, Psalm 23. I know you know it, but it’s such a good psalm.
1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
3 He refreshes and restores my life (myself); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with [a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place. (Amp.)
I love it that it’s not a bunch of junk following us around. It’s goodness. God’s mercy. And His unfailing love that are following us all the days of our lives. Now I want to read a couple verses from Psalm 24.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the currents and the rivers.
3 Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Pastor Ray …
When I told Annie I was going to read Psalm 23, she said she had been singing that this morning. So we’re going to get in on that.
Annie led group singing Psalm 23…
♪ The Lord is my shepherd… I want for no good thing… ♪
Pastor Ray…
Psalms 23 seems more powerful when it’s sung like that. While we were singing, I saw two big screens. One screen had what the world is trying to say despite what the church has said and is saying. What the world is trying to say and many that are in the world working against what the Word has said. That was on one screen. It kept playing and playing. Death. Destruction. Fires. Pestilence. You name it. The other screen was Psalm 23. It was a video of prosperity, of strength, of protection in Jesus’ name. It projected safety. He’s our shepherd. We shall not want. Wow!
And what I heard was it’s time to increase the amount of Word that we’re putting into ourselves. I’m just reminded of a minister years ago that said sometimes he’d sense that he was behind where he should be in prayer about his ministry. And he needed to pick it up, whatever he was doing; he should increase the amount of the prayer, the Word, confession. And catch up. Not only catch up but get out in front. He said he would be aware of the fact he was behind. We don’t want to be behind. We want to be right where the action is. God’s action, right?
I read Psalm 24 and stopped at verse 5. But verse 6 says, “This is the generation description of those who seek Him who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him who seek Your face, O God. Pause and think of that.” We’re talking about now. This is the generation. This is the time that the church must rise up. We can’t rise up in our own strength. And if we’re tired or burned out or down, whatever, we can’t do what we’ve been called to do. I know you know that.
So the things that must be shaken in these days they will be shaken. When the Church shakes itself up out of whatever position or place that it is and rises up and begins to declare what I’ve said, what I’ve spoken forth over My body to say and to speak. Then it will come. Then it’ll be rearranged, continually changed, always, every day, all the time, and now! So this time, we will not miss our time of visitation. We will not miss the place or the destination that we’re to pray out.
Annie led group in worship…
♪ Oh the blood of Jesus… oh the blood of Jesus… it washes white as snow… ♪
Pastor Ray…
Thank You for the blood, Lord… we plead that blood over every word we might speak… we know, Lord, You told us You would lead and guide us into all truth… so we believe that for right now… keys… times… places… distribution center… plans… ideas… revelations… restoration… (praying in the spirit) we’ll hide in him for fear has already hit the door and it’s out… what was broken has been restored… today, today, today… move, move out of there… we push by the blood… we know it… every care, we roll it over… covered with the blood… we press together… we call and speak together… one voice… one body… no, that’s over… it’s in the past… we contend for the furtherance… for the greater… and we push back with the blood and the name that is above every other name… we stay on the offense… seven times greater… restored… what a mighty God we serve… our eyes, Lord… today, today… preparations… watching… speaking… that company over there… we lift them up… march, so we’ll march and make progress… contend and move further… we tune into Your Words… more accurately to the pictures Your words present to us… You’re calling us up… and out… we’ll not shy back or go back… we command these things to be so… Psalm 23 is true… in this generation…
I keep seeing different ministers, people in ministry full time. Not just pastors but traveling ministries, evangelists. All the five-fold gifts operating. They’re beginning to operate at a higher level than ever before because of the times and the days we’re living in… coming up to the last of the last…
For You are good, Lord… Your mercies endure forever… uncommon increase… different than it ever was before…
Annie led group in worship…
Pastor Ray…
Say this after me:
I do not want for ability
I do not want for strength
I do not want for money
I do not want for anything for the Lord is my shepherd
We’re going to go through a couple of short confessions.
In Him I live and move and have my being
What a vast storehouse of power in Christ my savior and Lord
I have life, energy, and strength for the impossible tasks
I abide in Him, I live in Him
He is the vine and I am the branch
The vine is in the branch and the branch is in the vine
His life, the life of God, is in me
His nature, the love nature, is in me
Just as blood flows through my body, His life flows through my inner man
I will let that life and love dominate me
I am a new creature in Christ Jesus
I am a new creation being with the life of God, the nature of God, and the ability of God in me
I am His workmanship
He made me a new creation
I am the righteousness of God in Christ
My standing with God is secure
My prayers avail much and I have received an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness
I reign as a king in this life by one Jesus Christ
I’ve received an abundance of grace
I reign as a king in my domain and in this life through Jesus Christ
Just a couple more. It’s good to remind ourselves who we are in Christ. Not in our own strength.
I am crucified with Christ
I don’t have to try to do it
I’m crucified with Christ!
Yet nevertheless I live and Christ lives in me
I was crucified with Christ
When He was quickened and made alive, I was quickened with Him
I was raised up together with Him and made to sit together with Him in heavenly places
Today, positionally, I am seated with Christ in heavenly places
Pastor Ray…
Let’s take our place in heavenly places and do what He tells us to do. Now, let’s be silent for a few minutes.
Group is silent…
Pastor Ray…
I feel there are things that still need to be broken. There are things that still need to be cut off. There are still things that, like that son “break every chain.” This is our prayer right now. There are some things that need to be cut off or cut out and removed. So let’s sing that song.
Annie led group singing…
♪ There is power in Your name, Jesus… to break every chain, break every chain… ♪
