Morning Chapel Prayer Playlist
Pastor Ken…
Good morning. Good to see you. It’s a good day. God is faithful. He’s already been working on our behalf before we got up, so that’s a good reminder.
Announcement…
Just a quick announcement before we jump into some worship this morning. I want to mention that we will not have live prayer next week. It’s the 4th of July week and so our offices are closed for three days. And so we’re just going to be off the whole week from live prayer. That doesn’t mean we have to take a break from prayer. Actually, it would be a good time to spend a little extra time with the Lord if you’re on vacation or holiday.
Well, this morning, let’s just set our hearts and our focus on Him as we enter into worship.
Father, we just thank you. We’re so grateful to be able to worship you freely without reservation, or fear of repercussions or persecution. We thank you for the freedom and the liberty that we enjoy in this nation, or whatever nation we might be joining from around the world today. We just thank you for freedom, Lord. Lord, we long to minister to your heart today, to bless you, to honor you, to give you all the acclaim.
He reigns over our circumstances…
It’s true what Kathy said that He is reigning over that set of circumstances you might find yourself in. That hasn’t changed yet. He is reigning over that. We don’t have to live by sight. We get to live by our faith… by the knowledge that He’s faithful. Don’t be impressed by what has not happened around you or what emotions haven’t changed within you or the situation with your finances or your ministry, your business that hasn’t shifted right now, at least in the natural. Don’t be impressed by that.
Be impressed by who He is…
and what He’s already done and declared. We have a promise from Him that He is faithful. We have a promise from the God of heaven that He will see us through. We have a promise from His Word that actually fear is a lie and that it’s going to be all right. Whatever fear, whatever negative circumstances, contrary situation may be rearing its ugly head in your life, it is a lie. So call it a lie. And the truth of the matter is, things have shifted in the spirit dimension. If you prayed, if you’ve sought God, if you’ve taken a strong stance upon His Word, then things have shifted. You have received. And it’s just a matter of time where before it shows up in the natural in your life.
We are people that have obtained…
We are not a people that are trying to obtain something. We are people that have obtained and have received something. We live from a place of victory. He is the one who perpetually causes us to win. We are on the victory side… not the losing side.
The enemy is the one who is scared spitless because he knows his days are numbered and the end is going to come for him.
Word: Things have shifted for you…
For us, we’re at the beginning, right? And we’re on the winning side. And so let me just speak over you prophetically this morning… that things have shifted for you. Change has been sent. The windows of heaven are open, and things are beginning to precipitate. Don’t be nervous. Don’t be concerned. Don’t wring your hands in consternation about what hasn’t happened yet… the symptoms that are still flaring up… the finances that are still not what they should be. Whatever’s going on, praise God. We have an opportunity today to lean in by faith and say, “Lord, you are faithful. You always follow through on what you say you will do. And I thank you that that will be so in my life.”
Don’t be looking at timelines…
Don’t be looking at the day or the week. The Bible says that many are called, but few are chosen. And one great man of God once said that the ones that are chosen are the ones that just keep showing up. Keep showing up day after day, week after week, year after year.
Really Ken?
Yeah. Year after year! That thing that’s been dogging your way, that thing that you struggle with, don’t be impressed and focused on that. Focus on the one who came long ago to set every captive free… be impressed and be captivated by His promise and by His words. And the thing will take care of itself. You’ll wake up one day and the thing that has hindered you will be gone. God can rule and reign even over what is broken, what is missing, what isn’t right, what isn’t healed, yet He can rule and reign over that when you are captivated by what He has said and what He’s already done.
At the appointed time, it will be gone…
The practical side of it… that’ll take care of itself. God is able to take care of that. And one day at the appointed time, it’ll be gone. The money will show up, the door will open, the opportunity will be presented to you. Many are called, but few are chosen. Just keep showing up on God’s radar screen, as I like to say. In faith, captivated by who He is and by what He has said. Right?
His sheep know His voice…
As I said yesterday, Jesus called us sheep and Himself the good shepherd. Sheep are pathetic little creatures in one sense. They don’t have good sight, but they do have good ears. And Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice and they follow Me.” So all we need to do is hear His voice today, for Him to reign in that set of circumstances, for Him to reign in the midst of a cancer diagnosis, for Him to reign over turmoil in your household or in your work environment, or with your business or ministry… whatever the case is. He is still the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and the Soon Coming One. And He rules and reigns when we choose to lean into Him and hear His voice.
So things have shifted…
Can I just prophesy that over you? They have shifted. Things have shifted from what’s wrong toward what God intends to be right. They’ve shifted.
Let me just share with you something that will be along these lines that I thought was very encouraging by Dutch Sheets. He wrote just the other day, “These are incredibly challenging times. Filled with negative reports of what the enemy’s doing. And it can be a bit overwhelming. Add to that the urgency many of us feel to oppose these evils, and if not, we can become weary in our well-doing (Galatians 6:9).
“One of Satan’s primary strategies is to wear down the saints in order to alter God’s timings and decrees. The Hebrew word used for “wear down” is only used in scripture to describe mental and emotional weariness. It is important that we guard against this. Keep in mind that the passage in Daniel 7:25 about the ancient days, the supreme judge of the earth ruling in favor of the saints. The pastor, teacher, and patriarch Jack Hayford now in heaven used a powerful phrase, ‘enforcing the victory of calvary’ in his teachings on prayer.”
In other words, we war from victory. Not for victory, but from victory.
“We do not have to re-defeat the devil. We enforce his defeat in Christ’s name. We are distributors of power, not generators.” Yeah, we’re not here to generate power. We have power. There’s exceeding great power toward those who simply believe. How do we believe? We hear as the sheep. We hear the voice of the Good Shepherd in His Word and in our hearts. And faith comes. Faith arises within us. And as it does, power flows. Power for whatever you need.
But he goes on to write, “We are distributors of power, not generators. We are in the distribution department of the kingdom, not the production department.” Oh, I like that. “When we keep this in the forefront of our thinking, we can remain in our rest of faith, spoken of in Hebrews 4:1–11. Remind yourself of these things as well as the reports of progress being made through our prayers of enforcing Christ’s victory.”
And he shares a few reports of good things to demonstrate that things have shifted not only in your life and in your present scenario or household or situation, but things have shifted in our nation and I believe around the world. We’re entering into an unprecedented time, not just of what the enemy’s doing, but what God is doing. God has already got us one more step, if not multiple steps beyond what we know. He’s always ahead of the devil. He’s always out ahead strategically of what the enemy’s trying to do in our lives, in our churches, and our cities, and our nations.
He’s rigged things in our favor…
Believe that. Lean into that. Be excited about that. Expect that today that good things are coming your way. That you’re crowned with favor… that you’re clothed in His righteousness, that His favors want to profusely abound in and through your life. His favor! That He’s pouring out His glory in this day upon the church. His weighty glory that it would rest on us. His weighty favor and preferential treatment and goodness to saturate us, to cause us to walk like this in the spirit a little bit because of His love and grace.
He’s already got a destiny for us. We just need to hear His voice and follow. We don’t have to produce it, make it happen. He’ll make it happen.
“Well, Ken, you’ve got to do things!”
Yeah, you got to believe. You were not created as a human doing. You are created as a human being. And I believe that’s a reference to God to be with God to believe in Him. Our labor is to enter into the rest of faith, to hear His voice and to trust that what He said is so. And as you keep showing up on God’s radar screen, He will make happen for you what you can’t happen on your own. As you co-labor with Him in prayer, sit with Jesus, let Him share His heart with you, you’ll discover what’s in His heart. You’ll see what He wants and what He doesn’t want. And as a result as a pray-er, as a believer, you’ll be able to make the decrees necessary for Him to accomplish His will in the earth realm… in your household realm… in your ministry realm.
We’ve got this all wrong…
It’s not about striving and struggling and trying to get by and exert a little more willpower over temptation. It’s about sitting with Jesus. It’s about being pursuant to know Him, to wait on Him. As I said yesterday, the model Jesus laid down, I don’t believe it was a one-time model or a one-time event only, but it was a model and a pattern we were to follow. And that is, that we were to sit with Him, to wait with Him in the upper room to receive something before we go do something. He wants to be our sustenance. He wants to be the one who gets the glory. And so He wants to do it. Yes, through us, but He’s the one that wants to perform the work in your life. He’s the one that wants to continue what He’s called you to and to bring it to fullness and great fruition in the days ahead.
The will of God is actually easier than we mentally understand. We just need to learn to do it His way, which is the way of faith, the way of rest and trust.
So things have shifted…
Dutch shares some examples of some things that have shifted in the church, in America and perhaps around the world. He said,
“Over 30,000 young people came to Phillis Stadium in Oklahoma City focused on evangelism and worship.
Twitter officials censored the trans expose entitled, “What is a Woman?” But billionaire Elon Musk intervened and it is awakening now. In other words, he uncensored it and is getting it out so that the world and the nation awakened with over 180 million views in just weeks’ time
A gathering of 1,600 leaders met in New York recently to address the challenges of our day from a biblical worldview and prayed.
In Vermont, a coach was fired and his daughter expelled from their middle school for confronting a transgender boy in the girls’ locker room. But the court awarded them $124,000 settlement in a lawsuit and the coach was immediately reinstated, as was his daughter.
The Jesus Revolution film debuted two months ago on a 50 million budget, has reached millions, taking in over 50 million dollars, with it now being released to cable screenings and DVDs, enabling Christians to have home viewings with non-Christians, or to give the movie as a free gift.
Austin Smith, an outspoken Christian, was elected to the Arizona legislature as the youngest member in the State’s history.
The Florida legislature passed and Governor DeSantos signed into law sweeping legislation called Protect Our Kids, upholding decency in the state and inspiring other states to follow suit.
The State of Texas passed a law allowing chaplains to serve as counselors in all public schools.
And add to that, many Muslims are having dreams of Jesus.
Revival is breaking out in various churches, in different parts of our society, people coming to the kingdom for this time.
Dutch goes on to write…
“I would add to this list that never have we been in a time when so much evil is being uncovered and exposed by God.” Come on now. “This is the first step to removing it. America is waking up to the depravity that has invaded our land.” That’s something we’ve been praying about, right? “The evil that has entrenched itself in government, education, and media, the ancient of days, is releasing his prosecutorial evidence daily. The church is waking up, realizing we have allowed this depravity through our passivity and complacency. The stage is being set for radical change in the right direction. On the world stage, millions of people are being saved with one of the greatest harvests taking place among the Muslim community. Holy Spirit is releasing to them dreams and visions and revelations of Christ by the thousands, which is impacting millions. The youth in our nation, and probably many nations is absolutely ripe for the coming harvest. There is a revival also taking place among the military with many of them coming to Christ. Churches around the country are experiencing outpourings of the Holy Spirit. Not at the level we’ll see soon, but this is just the beginning. Despise not small beginnings (Zachariah 4:10). Instead, rejoice over them. Spend some time thanking God for what He’s doing and encourage yourself in the Lord. Our prayers, along with the decrees of the word of the Lord are making a difference.”
Don’t stop believing! Stay with it! I encourage you in that today. Stay the course.
