Pastor Ray shared…
My daughter-in-law sent me something this morning. She was watching the championship college football with Alabama and Georgia. This is the headline: “Alabama Tua Tagovailoa spoke in tongues to keep calm during National Championship Game.” That’s in the news (ha, ha, ha)! So, if you get stirred up today, start praying in the Holy Ghost. I just thought that was so cool.
What happened was Alabama was behind at the half 13 to 0 and their quarterback was a senior. So, guess what? The coach took him out and put a freshmen in. He had never played in a big game, straight out of high school.
The following is an online article from seccountry.com:
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a memorable victory against Georgia.
He burst onto the national stage with an incredible second-half performance during Alabama’s overtime victory against Georgia on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The quarterback completed 14 of 24 passes for 166 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception to lead the Crimson Tide back from two 13-point deficits during Alabama’s 26-23 win. To cap off his performance, Tagovailoa threw a game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith to silence the pro-Georgia crowd in Atlanta.
Not surprisingly, the freshman received lots of attention after the Crimson Tide claimed another national title. Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde spoke to Tagovailoa and unearthed this fascinating nugget: the player spoke in tongues to keep calm during a high-pressure second half against the Bulldogs.
Here’s more from Forde’s story:
How, in the name of Bear Bryant, did a freshman bench jockey rise to this ridiculously pressurized occasion and become an instant hero?
“I was praying,” Tagovailoa said. “I was speaking in tongues. It kept me calm.”
He prayed before possessions. He prayed after possessions. He prayed and passed and scrambled his way into Alabama lore.“I would say my poise comes from my faith,” Tagovailoa said. “I just pray for peace.”
He might pray for peace, but Tua unleashed mayhem on the final play Monday night.
For your reference, Merriam-Webster defines “speaking in tongues” as “to say strange words that no one can understand, especially as part of a religious experience.” It definitely worked. Tagovailoa created some kind of experience for Alabama fans Monday, that’s for sure.
Pastor Ray….
It reminds me of when Rick Wallenda walked across the Grand Canyon on a cable and it was being broadcast live on a national network. He prayed across the whole canyon and I am talking on and on. He didn’t pray in tongues but he would just lift up the name: “I worship You, Jesus. Oh, Thank You, Lord….” And the wind is just blowing but he kept on praying all the way across. And it was broadcast! I love it when prayer gets put out there and people can see it, it makes a difference.
I can remember one time Kenneth Copeland had come here and he said he had experienced a time of being physically worn out. So, he would pray in the Holy Ghost, in tongues, and the strength would just come right back on him. He would be empowered. There is so much more to praying in the Holy Ghost than we even know.
The following is an excerpt from The Art of Intercession by Kenneth E. Hagin:
Boldness
Let us therefore come BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Effective intercession involves boldness. We come before God’s throne with boldness. Where do we get boldness? In Jesus!
EPHESIANS 3:11,12
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of him.
There are many things you do not need to pray for—but it is all right to pray for boldness. You should, in fact. For example, you do not need to pray for faith. The Bible says, “… faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). So you know how to get faith. Faith is increased by feeding it on God’s Word and by exercising it. We do not need to pray for faith. But the Bible does show us that we can pray for boldness. Peter and John were bold when they used the Name of Jesus to minister to the lame man at the gate called Beautiful. They were bold when they proclaimed the Name of Jesus to the crowd that gathered. The Jewish authorities noticed their boldness and took them in for questioning (Acts 4:13). They commanded them to preach and teach no more in the Name of Jesus.
Being let go, they went to their own company and reported all the chief priests and elders had said to them. Then the whole company of believers lifted up their voice with one accord in prayer unto God.
ACTS 4:29,30
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that WITH ALL BOLDNESS they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
That prayer was answered!
ACTS 4:31
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with BOLDNESS.
Paul asked the church at Ephesus to pray for him. This great man of God, this apostle of faith, this man who wrote half the New Testament, said, “Praying always … for all the saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth BOLDLY, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak BOLDLY, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:18–21).
The Ephesians’ prayer for Paul would have been an intercessory prayer.
Pastor Ray…
So the people were praying for him for what? Boldness. Hallelujah. Do we need to be bolder? Yes, we do. I feel a lot of times I am just not bold enough to say what I know to say, to be bold about it.
God is calling us into this year; it has already been declared, a year of “the Holy Ghost and fire.” Well to operate in the fire and to move in the Holy Spirit, many times it takes boldness. And we read about the football player. He received calmness and the peace of God through praying in the Holy Ghost. Just the fact that he would say it out loud to the media… When Nick Wallenda walked across the Grand Canyon and he prayed all the way across, the media was upset with it but the only thing they could say was they didn’t like his jeans. Okay, whatever… I mean it’s like they have to say something. “Well, we didn’t really like his jeans.” Hello? Let me see you walk across the Grand Canyon (ha, ha, ha).
The following is a prayer for our nation by Pastor Lynne Hammond:
Father, in the name of Jesus, and according to your Word, we pray for those in authority in our nation. We lift up President Donald Trump, his family, his staff and cabinet members. Let Your Word cling to them and let them not depart from your plan. Strengthen them with mighty power by your Spirit to stand against wickedness, lies and deception. Guide President Trump’s decisions; let Your light shine upon his path and show him the path of reversal for every evil way. Continually surround him with godly men and women who impart wise counsel to him. Cause the way of the wicked to be set to confusion and come to nothing. Deliver us from the traps and snares the enemy has laid for us, and let the wicked be caught in their own devises and be brought to shame.
We take authority over the plots and plans of the enemy against this nation. Let prideful and lying lips be silenced in Jesus’ name. Slanderers will not be established in America. We pray for our Congress, our Supreme Court, our Military leaders and our intelligence agencies. Let the wisdom that is from above reign in this nation and be constantly speaking to our leaders. We exercise the authority you have given us to tread down all the power of the enemy. We cast down and demolish imaginations and arguments that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and we bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Pastor Ray…
Thoughts like “Are we really making a difference?” No, we take authority over every thought. The enemy is defeated and when we are lifting up our voices in one accord, things happen, things change, things are changing. With our natural eyes we can see things are changing. Hallelujah.
[CONTINUED]
We bind spirits of strife and division, civil wars and tumults, spirits of hostility, lawlessness and blasphemy, and fires from hell that have burned in our cities.
We speak grace and peace over America. We pray and believe for the voice of truth, salvation, revival and restoration to be proclaimed and heard across our land. Grant unto your servants everywhere that with all boldness we may speak your Word. We pray for a mighty outpouring of your Spirit with signs, wonders and miracles. We expect the wisdom of this world that is earthly, sensual and devilish to depart and vanish until Your, mighty work in America becomes a beacon of hope for all people everywhere. We expect the voice of rejoicing to be heard in our nation for your goodness, mercy and prosperity, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ms. Annie prayed…
Father, we lift up our nation before You
We plead the blood of Jesus over the United States of America
Over all the people here, all the leaders, every senator, every congressman, every judge, every school board member, every teacher in the schools, the mothers and the fathers
Over our president and vice president
Even the bureaucrats in the swamp
That You would drain out the bureaucrats who don’t belong and get them out of there, Lord
That all those that oppose Your righteous law, Lord, would be removed from office
Removed from positions of authority
Lord, You said promotion comes not from the north or the south or the east or the west
But it comes from above
You Lift one up and You put another one down
So, we are asking You, Lord, to lift up those that will uphold Your righteous cause
Lift up those that will uphold Your righteousness and truth, Your justice, Your goodness, Your mercy
Your laws and Your ways
Stretch forth Your hand from above, Lord
Rescue and deliver this nation out of the hands of hostile aliens whose mouth speak lies and deceit
Whose right hands are right hands raised in taking fraudulent oaths
Their mouths must be stopped
They are mentally distressing and disturbing Your people, O Lord
By speaking things they ought not to speak against You and against Your people
O Lord, You open the eyes of the blind and lift up those that are bowed down
You cast the wicked down to the ground in Jesus’ mighty name
You watch over the ways of the righteous
But the ways of the wicked You turn upside down
They do not know at what they stumble
But Your light shines on the path of Your people
Let Your light shine before those who are sticking up for You
Let Your light shine before those that are walking in Your ways, Lord
That they would see what to do and when to do it
And what to say and when to say it
We take no thought what to say, Lord, because in that hour You give us the words that come from You
The words that we speak are not our own
It is the Father that dwells in us who does the work
Lord, let Your righteous judgments be in this nation
For when Your judgments are in the earth then the people learn righteousness
Let a sentence against wicked work be executed speedily
So that the people’s hearts would not be set to do evil but to do good
Lord, we pray that You would surround our leaders with godly council
That everyone that is ungodly and speaks words against You would be removed from their presence
Father, pour out upon the people of this nation the spirit of grace and supplication
That they would look upon You in whom they have pierced, Lord
That we would look upon You in whom we have pierced
With our sins, with our ungodly ways, with our lies, with our giving heed to deception
That we would look on You and receive the truth and righteousness that comes by Your blood of Jesus
We proclaim Jesus is Lord over us, over this people, over this nation, over this government in Jesus’ name
Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord over the United States of America
And most of all Jesus is Lord over me, Jesus is Lord over my heart, Jesus is Lord over my thoughts, Jesus is Lord over the words over my lips
Jesus rules, Jesus reigns!
Jesus, have Your way in this land
Jesus goes forth conquering, He goes forth to conquer
And His name is called Faithful and True
His Words are faithful, His Words are true
Dipped in blood, the Word of God!
If You regard iniquities, Lord, then who can stand
But with You there is forgiveness that You may be feared
Oh, Israel, hope in the Lord
Oh, United States of America, hope in the Lord
For with the Lord, there is plentiful redemption
With Him there is forgiveness
And He will redeem us out of all our iniquities
The mouths of those who speak lies will be silenced in the name of Jesus!
They will gnash their teeth and melt away and they will be grieved
That the righteous will shine like the sun
The path of the righteous grows brighter and brighter and brighter until the perfect day that You have prepared Father God
Every lying plan will be exposed – it is exposed!
The things they speak in darkness are shouted from the rooftop
Thank You for the turnaround!
You turn the talking heads on their heads, Lord!
You turn the wicked upside down in their ways
And the things that they intended to do against You plans are turned around
Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants thou hast perfected praise
That You may still the enemy and the avenger
You silence the enemy, the avenger, through the mouths of little ones in the name of Jesus
Oh, Lord, let the inhabitants of this nation return unto righteousness
Lord, we return unto righteousness, return unto You
The wicked flee when no one pursues
But the righteous are bold like a lion
We are bold as a lion because our righteous is from You!
This is our heritage as servants of You, Lord
Our righteousness is from You, is of You, Jesus
We plead the blood of Jesus over us, Lord
We stand in Your righteousness by the blood of Jesus and we are bold as a lion
Pastor Ray…
Letting the fire of the Holy Spirit burn bright
Things that needed to be restored, be restored
Be renewed, made whole, made new
Thank You, Father, for Your written Word and Your word spoken to us by Your precious Holy Spirit
We take it by faith, the things that were said about this state
Minnesota, and what would take place here – we believe we will see it and walk in it
The outpouring of Your precious Holy Spirit here in the northern part of the country
And that it would move on south as if it would flow down the river
We praise and magnify Your precious holy name
Thank You we are not the same – but changing every day
We are up and we are not down
We are the head and we are not the tail
What we put our hands unto, there is absolute prosperity there!
This Church is going up, going over, going through – out into uncharted territories!
For the power and the presence of Your Holy Spirit is taking us through!
Hallelujah!
Ms. Annie led us in singing Bless the Lord oh My Soul
Continued praying…
We worship and lift You up
Worship You, honor, and magnify You
You are great and You mercy endureth forever
Faith and power is working in each of us
The anointing is resident in us and will not leave
Supernatural rearranging and changing
Looked like it was going one way and then it turned to God’s perfect will!
Thank You for a refreshing this morning by Your Spirit
A fresh infilling, a newness, restoration in each one of us
Glory, glory, glory, thank You for it today!
We give You all of the glory, all of the honor, and all of the praise
In Jesus’ name. Amen
