Pastor Susan…
I’m Pastor Susan. I’m happy to be here with you today. Isn’t this a good day? You know what? Let’s say this together: This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.
The great men and women of faith as witnesses…
As Peg was leading us in worship, there are a couple things that came to my heart that I want to share that I believe that we’ll pray into the miraculous being one of those things. But there’s a scripture that came to my heart, Hebrews 12:1. I’m reading from Amplified Classic. It says this: “Therefore then…” The “therefore” is there because of Hebrews chapter 11. And we know that that talks about the great men and women of faith, doesn’t it? How in the face of impossibilities and in challenges, they are witnesses to us of the life of faith and how we can overcome by faith. \
Let’s run our race just like they did…
“Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us…” We could say “do likewise.” I’m paraphrasing, putting my own thing in there. “let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run…” I could say in parenthesis “Just like they ran.” “let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.”
We do that by “looking to Jesus…”
And here’s a way we do this. “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. Do you know that the further we go into these last days and into the assignments God has for us, the greater faith will be required of us to walk by faith and not by sight. And we see that already with all the stuff that’s going on in the world around us. There is a need for God’s church to know how to lift our eyes up and look to Jesus and to know where to place our faith, not in what’s going on, not to be moved by what we see or the reports that we hear or the challenges that we face, but to keep our eyes fixed on Him, the One who is the author and the finisher of our faith… the Perfector of our faith.
Looking at Him will cause our faith to grow…
If we’ll keep looking at Him, guess what? Our faith is going to grow. It’s going to become exceeding. It’s going to carry us through just like we read about those Old Testament saints in the preceding chapter, right? It says “[bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Just think of Him.” I love that! Don’t think about all the other stuff. Just think about Him.
Jesus overcame by faith and we must too…
“Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.” We don’t want to be pulled in. The enemy is always seeking to pull us into the realm of emotions and feelings and the mind because you know what? That’s where we can be defeated. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus and remember what it is that Jesus has done for us and the example He was. He overcame by faith. Right? And so the Bible tells us to consider Him, why? Because the way He lived and walked is the way we can through the power of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise we couldn’t consider Him. We’d consider Him and go, “Well, that was Jesus. That can’t be us.” But through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can.
Tommy Hicks vision…
All right. The last thing that came to my heart, it the Tommy Hicks vision. Are y’all aware of that? And the Tommy Hicks vision came to me today because as Peg was ministering and singing this song and she began to just declare out of her heart healing for the body and restoration of the body and dead things being made alive. Now we know that we are alive in Christ, but you know what? Dreams and things that God has spoken to the hearts of His people, if we listen to the enemy or we get pulled into that realm of reasoning or mind, you know what? We can let God-given visions die. We can let the dream die! But God is really wonderful about resurrecting things, right? And I was thinking about that vision that Tommy Hicks had how the church, the body of Christ, was on its back, overwhelmed and overcome by the works of darkness. But that’s not our place. That’s not who we really are. We’re not to live life from an overwhelmed down-under position. And I love that when people began to look up to Jesus and praise Jesus… and listen, worship and praise that comes from your heart is an expression of faith. Faith has a voice. And when the church began to praise the Lord and get their eyes on Jesus, you know, that they began to arise and do the works of Jesus.
We’re here for the glorious “wrap up…”
And it was so neat in that vision to see how God was touching bodies and lives to empower His church, to do the end time work. And so let’s pray about that today, right? The miracles, the place, and the voice that we are to have as the church today. That’s an exciting thing. You’re here on time. You’re here in the right time. If you’ve ever wondered about it, like, “Oh man, I wish I would’ve lived at a different time.” No, you don’t. We’re here for the glorious wrap up! You just think that, but it’s not true. This is like the most glorious time to be alive. We are here, chosen by God on purpose to be here right now. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?
Prayed…
So Father, we praise you today that we are on the planet right now for such a time as this. We’ve been placed in the kingdom for such a time as this.
Father, we lift up your plan for every man, every woman, every child… your plan that is that all people would come to the knowledge of Christ.
Father, the plan that you have for a global harvest, a massive harvest from every nation … We claim the nations as our inheritance.
We’re asking for a move of God in every nation around the world…
We’re asking for you to pour out your Spirit all over the world in the nations of the world. Pour fourth your glory… show yourself to be glorious… put on a show that people would know you are the true and living God …
Father, you’re calling people out of darkness, into the marvelous light… we’re calling all of those in darkness… all of those who are involved in trafficking and drugs and pornography and all the dark things of corrupt politics and governmental things, corruption and, Father, we’re calling them out of darkness into the marvelous light.
Oh, the Lord has His eye on you. He sees you and He sent Jesus for your deliverance… Father, we pray for the lost to come to Christ.
Prayer about leaders in nations…
We pray for the leaders in nations around the world… not only those who are invisible positions of leadership, but there are those who are subtle, who are masked, who are in positions of great influence that other people know nothing about… they’re not very visible and we are praying for them right now. You have your eye on them. Jesus died for them. Father, we pray that they would experience the overwhelming presence of God, the convicting power of the Holy Ghost that there is a God.
Prayer for agnostics and atheists…
Father, all those that call themselves agnostics or atheist, those that are involved in other religions… Father, we know what your Word says. There is one way. Jesus said, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. We are praying for Jesus to be lifted high and magnified in the hearts of those who are involved in different cults and religions all around the world. Jesus, show yourself to be who you are. Father, show yourself… in signs and wonders and demonstrations …
Father, awaken the church … wake up, wake up, wake up and get up. Wake up and get up. It’s time to get up and get going.
Prayer about rescue missions for those trapped in darkness…
The rescue missions… missions to rescue those in darkness, to rescue those in trafficking, to rescue those in dark situations. Father, we lift up the rescue missions. Those that are being held captive, those that have been left behind
Prayer for the United States…
Father, we’re lifting up the United States of America … we thank you for the way that you’re working and moving big ways, moving behind the scenes, setting things up… We know you raised up our nation for such a time as this… we were created on purpose with a divine purpose, and we pray into the purpose and plan for the United States of America.
We pray that your will would be done and that your kingdom would come in Minneapolis and St. Paul in the State of Minnesota, in the United States of America.
And in the nations of the world, we pray that your will be done and that your kingdom would come…
Father, we believe you for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be in manifestation in and through the church… to demonstrate, to declare… to move, to flow.
