Morning Prayer Summary for Thursday, May 27, 2021

Pastor Ray…

Morning. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you, Lord. Praise you. Hallelujah. So this morning, like I said yesterday, we’re having a Memorial service here in the chapel. So we’re going to end a little earlier today so that everything can be set up in here. And it’s for Pastor Dave. A few weeks ago, he was in here in prayer and said, “Don’t think I’m backsliding. I’m just leaving and going to Arizona for a couple of weeks.” And there are a lot of flowers outside the chapel this morning with his name on. And it’s hard to even wrap your brain around that. So it’s a celebration of his life today at 11 o’clock service.

And then I had a message this morning that when I announced that later on in June, I’d be moving to Florida. And then on the 2nd of June, that’s next Wednesday, we’re going to have a get together in the fellowship hall at six o’clock. And so someone thought that was today. It’s not today or yesterday. It’s next Wednesday.

The other day, I read a couple of things from Hebrews 12. I read it from that Amplified, but I want to go over a couple things. Hebrews 12, but a different way that things are written out in the Passion.

It says “As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us.”

So when we stayed tuned into Him, the path is already laid out there. Just like if you were running in a natural, normal, whatever marathon. I did that years ago. I didn’t have to question about which way to go on what street to turn down. You just get in the race and run the race. Stay in the race until you cross the finish line. That was a press. Let me tell you. And you better be having some passion and some determination that you’re going to cross that finish line. That’s in the natural.

“2 We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!

3 So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won’t become worn down and cave in under life’s pressures. 4 After all, you have not yet reached the point of sweating blood in your opposition to sin. 5 And have you forgotten his encouraging words spoken to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t underestimate the value of the discipline and training of the Lord God, or get depressed when he has to correct you.

6 For the Lord’s training of your life is the evidence of his faithful love. And when he draws you to himself, it proves you are his delightful child.”

12 So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship. And strengthen your weak knees, 13 for as you keep walking forward on God’s paths all your stumbling ways will be divinely healed!

14 In every relationship be swift to choose peace over competition, and run swiftly toward holiness, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many.”

That reminds me of someone that is pastoring a smaller church in Florida. Years ago, I listened to a message while we were visiting. He said that he went back home to Michigan and the people had a root of bitterness. Somebody did something said something, whatever, and almost 20 years had passed. He went back home to visit his family and those same people were stuck still in that bitterness. They hadn’t moved on. They were still the same.

I like how the Passion says it. It can be sprouting up within and it will only cause trouble. Or poison the hearts of many.

22 By contrast, we have already come near to God in a totally different realm, the Zion-realm, for we have entered the city of the Living God, which is the New Jerusalem in heaven! We have joined the festal gathering of myriads of angels in their joyous celebration!

23 And as members of the church of the Firstborn all our names have been legally registered as citizens of heaven! And we have come before God who judges all, and who lives among the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect in his eyes!

26 The earth was rocked at the sound of his voice from the mountain, but now he has promised,

“Once and for all I will not only shake the systems of the world, but also the unseen powers in the heavenly realm!”

27 Now this phrase “once and for all” clearly indicates the final removal of things that are shaking, that is, the old order, so only what is unshakable will remain. 28 Since we are receiving our rights to an unshakable kingdom we should be extremely thankful and offer God the purest worship that delights his heart as we lay down our lives in absolute surrender, filled with awe. 29 For our God is a holy, devouring fire!”

Hallelujah. We surrender it all this morning. we lay everything on the alter. We give it all to you. We want our worship to be pure, holy worship unto you. Receive our worship, our honor to you … all of the glory, praise, the thanksgiving. Thank you, Lord, for what you’ve done for us through Jesus by the blood that was shed then and the blood that is working on our behalf in these days

Pastor Tim led group in worship…
Jeannie shared…

Father today, we yield to the blessing. We yield to your goodness. And as we yield to the blessing and to your goodness, bitterness has to go. Bitterness has to go. (tongues) In Psalm 37, he says “Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will give you the desires of your heart.” And so as we just acknowledge Him by yielding to His goodness, by yielding to the blessing, bitterness just goes. Being a victim just goes. We realize that we’re not the victim. We’re the Victor! The only thing we strive for is to enter into rest and we lean into the blessing. We lean into your goodness. We enter into rest and the symptom of that is bitterness goes. Regret goes. Fear goes. He doesn’t tell us to let go. He tells us to lean in. And as we lean in, all that stuff just has to go. His love chases it out. It’s like we fill up with His blessing. We fill up with His goodness and all that stuff that’s ever held you back. It’s just a symptom. So the symptom of God’s goodness, is bitterness, regret, unforgiveness… all of it just goes! So Father, we release ourselves unto you. We acknowledge you in everything we do today. And we yield to the blessing. We leave the familiar and we go to the place that you would show us.

Pastor Ray…

I had that sense just while we were worshiping yielding… I couldn’t think of one other thing except yielding onto Him, His blessings, His Word, the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what happens when He comes, manifested presence. Those things are moved out, but His ways, His plans, His steps, His direction, His leadership, He said He would do… lead us into all the truth. And the truth is we’re blessed. If we needed to recover, we’ve been recovered. Hallelujah. If we needed to be changed, we’re changed. We’re changed from one degree of glory. But that’s not over. We move up into another, and another, and another, and another degree of glory.

Lord, I worship you worship. We surrender it all to you… all of our plans… all of our ideas. We surrender it all to you… every thought, every idea … we surrender it all today… right now.

If you could just sing something about that Tim… I feel like the more we surrender, the more those things have to go. And the more of the blessing from heaven. Jeannie, when you’re saying that, I could just see ourselves leaning in to Him, leaning way over and trusting, yielding, declaring all over the globe.

Pastor Tim led group in worship…
Jeannie shared…

Anytime I share, it always has to be for a corporate benefit. So I’m believing this is going to benefit people corporately. Before I came to prayer this morning, we were presented with a business opportunity that requires a decision today. And while I was getting ready, I didn’t have peace about it at all. But He gave me strategy around it. But it didn’t seem right that I wouldn’t do it because it would give us an edge on our competition. But I had no peace about it. But I had peace about walking away and going with Holy Spirit’s strategy.

And then this morning when Ray was reading, he was talking about relationship and it said, “go with peace and don’t enter into competition.” So if you’re at a point of decision right now, go with your peace. You acknowledge Him in all your ways and that thing’s going to turn around anyway. As you acknowledge Him in all your ways. And you won’t have to compete. You won’t have to get in the frenzy of competition. Just go with your piece. And He makes the way, and He makes it happen.

Pastor Ray…

That’s the peace that passes all understanding. And if we yield to that, it’ll show up when we yield, because it’s coming to us and into us. And it’s the peace that we’ve got to follow after. We’re not following after this. We’re following after this. Peace, precious peace of God. Hallelujah. Thank you, Father.

Pastor Tim continued with worship…

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