"Belonging"
Proverbs 27:8, 1 Cor 12:4-7
What happens when a bird wanders from its nest? In my front yard there are several birds nests with hatchlings in them. Now, we have seen many nests fall to the ground with the eggs in them because the quality of the nest could not stand up to the storms that came through. We have also seen the birds gathering food and supplies for the nest and taking it up. The chicks completely depend on the parent that brings them what they need. The parent bird is warmth, food, shelter, water to these chicks. They are their lifeline.
In Prov 27:8 we have a great example of what a man is destined by God to be for his family and for the rest of the world. As men we have a calling to subdue and redeem the earth. We are made to be protector, provider, and prophet for our families. A man that wanders away from not just his family, but maybe his mantle, his calling his INHERITANCE as a Christian does more than just a disservice to himself. As men if we walk away from our place God has given us in this world we are putting the welfare of others on the line.
In our meeting there were about 23 men, most I recognized. They were excited that I had brought some worship music that was more modern. There is nothing at all wrong with older styles of music, but it is hard for them to identify with it. I brought in modern praise and worship and everyone of them were at least tapping their feet. I opened with prayer (after being in the room by myself for several minutes binding hindering spirits) and took prayer requests which I will post at the end of this blog. The greatest witness to an unbeliever is the love and power of God. Answered prayer accomplishes this, so I encourage you to check out the requests at the end of this page.
God told me to stress Inheritance (the believers God given authority) and to challenge these men to begin to walk in that inheritance. I told them that each one of them has a special anointing on their lives that equips them to be what God has called them to be. We all BELONG somewhere. Not in a jail cell, though God can make the most of that, but in the world changing it for the glory of God.
I told them that there was a special role in the world that no one else can fill. God has destined them alone to do what they are anointed to do. God told me to stress that without them stepping up, in courage and faith, into the place of manhood they were supposed to be in that their families lives will fall apart.
I told them it is easy to wander from that place that God has called us, and that it often happens one step at a time. There is usually not a huge thing that separates us from our place God has given us in life, but several small steps that lead us away over time. We have to defend ourselves against those steps.
God wanted me to leave them with hope. How do you fix the wandering, I asked. Two steps. Faith, and courage. Correct your walk with God, then with courage walk where he tells you to walk. If you hear God's voice and follow then all things will be restored. It is so simple. Have the courage to go where God says and when you get there have the Faith He will meet you. Have the courage to step into your inheritance.
I closed with prayer, prayed an impartation of courage and faith. One man kept me behind for personal prayer for his temper. I ministered to him and prayed over him but did not feel a release. Continue to pray for this man
Pray also for the families of these men. Each requested God to move and give them strength.
These are the requests.
My parents died a week ago, I need strength
Family not spoken to me in 6 months.
Girlfriend is cutting herself, needs help.
Most everyone else needs prayer for the strength of their families.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Some Resources for You
Hello again.
I attended a meeting of fellow volunteers at my church last night where we had a good meal and the pastor gave us his vision for the next few months. We were wondering why small groups were cancelled for the summer and found out why, we are going to cooperate with Freedom Ministry out of Gateway Church for the summer.
I didn't know much about this program or church so I looked up Alan Smith and Gateway and this Freedom Ministry and found something amazing, it is exactly how I like to do inner healing/deliverance ministry. There is a strong focus in this program on hearing the voice of God. Teaching people how to hear God is the most practical, effective way to help people. It is how I did youth ministry for so long, taking a contemplative approach through scriptural meditation and listening prayer coupled with effective intercession (don't worry, I made this fun for the kids, lol! In all actuality, what is more thrilling than interacting with the Holy Spirit, not cotton candy and sleepovers......)
So to get to the meat. I want to give you a few ways that I approach hearing God and just generally moving in the prophetic.
SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
For me meditation on scripture started it all. I had allowed boring Christianity to rule my life and God showed me through this ancient art one way to hear him. (Disclaimer: there are thousands of ways to hear God, these are only a few.)
Once it was called Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading. Poor Christians would only have one set of scriptures to a group usually, and most were illiterate, so one person would read a portion of scripture aloud several times until the group memorized the scripture, binding it up in their hearts.
Take a moment and calm yourself and bind every spirit of distraction. Pick up your bible and read through a portion of scripture, I usually read only one chapter a day, I will explain in a moment why.
Reread your portion of scripture again and again, usually several times, until something sticks out. It can be a word, phrase, or idea that just sticks out. Take this on faith that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.
Now take your God given word for the day and meditate on it. By that I mean to roll it around in your mind and just hang on to it through the day. I taught my students to write it on their hands (they would get their word in the morning) and anytime that they did something with their hands they would see the word God gave them.
That is one way to meditate on it. I often get my portion of scripture read and sit down quietly and just know, by faith, that God is going to speak to me. Sometimes that happens instantly, other times it happens a day or two later. Journal these words!!
The reason that I only read a chapter a day, unless I have studying to do, is so that I can chew on this chapter over and over again, writing down any words or insights I receive. It does not lessen the work, if anything it adds to but you walk away with a better understanding of the chapter.
SOAKING PRAYER
This has been described alot of ways. Listening prayer, contemplative prayer, etc. I like the term soaking, but my favorite, and most scriptural way of labeling it, is Praying from Deep. The reason I label it such is because you are laying still waiting for God to move. What makes this work is that the Holy Spirit is given a chance to pray from the deep in you to God. Making intercession for your unknown needs.....much like tongues.
There are alot of issues with this prayer in many circles. They say it is too much like eastern meditation. The difference between this type of prayer and eastern meditation is that in praying from deep you are being filled with the presence of God, while eastern meditation is just emptying yourself and allowing demonic influence to fill you. Let me describe the prayer first so you can better understand.
Find a quite place and get comfortable. Some people lay down with a pillow and others sit. Alot of people put on soaking music (you can find it under that genre) which is anointed worship that plays while you do this. I don't usually play music, but nothing wrong with it.
Next bind any spirits of hindrance (you will see this is a theme for me) and invite the Holy Spirit to have His way. Now lay (or sit) with your mind focused on the Lord. Have faith that God is going to show up whether you feel Him or not.
I have had God speak alot during this time, but mostly I use it for a sort of inner healing checkup before I go into a deliverance session. God shows up and I allow Him to take care of all the issues that I don't know to pray about. Tongues accomplishes this too, but in a different way. I had a vision while praying in tongues of a river of water flowing from my belly out of my mouth. Water is the presence of God so I knew that when I prayed in tongues He was flowing into my life and the earth through this prayer. I then soaked and seen a vision of God laying plumbing pipes down into my spirit, they were being layed
I encourage you to use this if nothing else to just experience God.
TONGUES
So many great books written on this, so many great scriptures on it that I will make only two points. Fist, in 1 Corinthians Paul was talking to a church that was not exercising any discipline when it came to spiritual gifts and it was disorderly. Paul then told these people to correct their selves, but that he prayed in tongues more than "you all". The actual Greek here says "more than all of you put together". Paul was a man whose life was apparently dominated by praying in tongues.
Second that tongues prophetically decrees over your life things that you don't know you ought to be decreeing and speaks into your future. Do you want your ministry to be established effectively? Pray in tongues.
How does this relate to hearing God? I have had the vast majority of revelation come while praying in tongues. Pray with expectancy!
I attended a meeting of fellow volunteers at my church last night where we had a good meal and the pastor gave us his vision for the next few months. We were wondering why small groups were cancelled for the summer and found out why, we are going to cooperate with Freedom Ministry out of Gateway Church for the summer.
I didn't know much about this program or church so I looked up Alan Smith and Gateway and this Freedom Ministry and found something amazing, it is exactly how I like to do inner healing/deliverance ministry. There is a strong focus in this program on hearing the voice of God. Teaching people how to hear God is the most practical, effective way to help people. It is how I did youth ministry for so long, taking a contemplative approach through scriptural meditation and listening prayer coupled with effective intercession (don't worry, I made this fun for the kids, lol! In all actuality, what is more thrilling than interacting with the Holy Spirit, not cotton candy and sleepovers......)
So to get to the meat. I want to give you a few ways that I approach hearing God and just generally moving in the prophetic.
SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
For me meditation on scripture started it all. I had allowed boring Christianity to rule my life and God showed me through this ancient art one way to hear him. (Disclaimer: there are thousands of ways to hear God, these are only a few.)
Once it was called Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading. Poor Christians would only have one set of scriptures to a group usually, and most were illiterate, so one person would read a portion of scripture aloud several times until the group memorized the scripture, binding it up in their hearts.
Take a moment and calm yourself and bind every spirit of distraction. Pick up your bible and read through a portion of scripture, I usually read only one chapter a day, I will explain in a moment why.
Reread your portion of scripture again and again, usually several times, until something sticks out. It can be a word, phrase, or idea that just sticks out. Take this on faith that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.
Now take your God given word for the day and meditate on it. By that I mean to roll it around in your mind and just hang on to it through the day. I taught my students to write it on their hands (they would get their word in the morning) and anytime that they did something with their hands they would see the word God gave them.
That is one way to meditate on it. I often get my portion of scripture read and sit down quietly and just know, by faith, that God is going to speak to me. Sometimes that happens instantly, other times it happens a day or two later. Journal these words!!
The reason that I only read a chapter a day, unless I have studying to do, is so that I can chew on this chapter over and over again, writing down any words or insights I receive. It does not lessen the work, if anything it adds to but you walk away with a better understanding of the chapter.
SOAKING PRAYER
This has been described alot of ways. Listening prayer, contemplative prayer, etc. I like the term soaking, but my favorite, and most scriptural way of labeling it, is Praying from Deep. The reason I label it such is because you are laying still waiting for God to move. What makes this work is that the Holy Spirit is given a chance to pray from the deep in you to God. Making intercession for your unknown needs.....much like tongues.
There are alot of issues with this prayer in many circles. They say it is too much like eastern meditation. The difference between this type of prayer and eastern meditation is that in praying from deep you are being filled with the presence of God, while eastern meditation is just emptying yourself and allowing demonic influence to fill you. Let me describe the prayer first so you can better understand.
Find a quite place and get comfortable. Some people lay down with a pillow and others sit. Alot of people put on soaking music (you can find it under that genre) which is anointed worship that plays while you do this. I don't usually play music, but nothing wrong with it.
Next bind any spirits of hindrance (you will see this is a theme for me) and invite the Holy Spirit to have His way. Now lay (or sit) with your mind focused on the Lord. Have faith that God is going to show up whether you feel Him or not.
I have had God speak alot during this time, but mostly I use it for a sort of inner healing checkup before I go into a deliverance session. God shows up and I allow Him to take care of all the issues that I don't know to pray about. Tongues accomplishes this too, but in a different way. I had a vision while praying in tongues of a river of water flowing from my belly out of my mouth. Water is the presence of God so I knew that when I prayed in tongues He was flowing into my life and the earth through this prayer. I then soaked and seen a vision of God laying plumbing pipes down into my spirit, they were being layed
I encourage you to use this if nothing else to just experience God.
TONGUES
So many great books written on this, so many great scriptures on it that I will make only two points. Fist, in 1 Corinthians Paul was talking to a church that was not exercising any discipline when it came to spiritual gifts and it was disorderly. Paul then told these people to correct their selves, but that he prayed in tongues more than "you all". The actual Greek here says "more than all of you put together". Paul was a man whose life was apparently dominated by praying in tongues.
Second that tongues prophetically decrees over your life things that you don't know you ought to be decreeing and speaks into your future. Do you want your ministry to be established effectively? Pray in tongues.
How does this relate to hearing God? I have had the vast majority of revelation come while praying in tongues. Pray with expectancy!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
5/29/11
First Service at the Jail was wonderful. Seeing old friends among the jail staff was priceless. Great people who are good at their jobs and who always treated me with respect as a fellow officer and I am grateful for that. The staff here is not a hindrance, on the contrary they are more than helpful. I would encourage everyone one of Hidden Bar's prayer partners to remember these great deputies in prayer for their safety and continued support.
If you are wondering what it is like walking back into a jail that you worked at for so long after getting in numerous altercations with the same men that you are ministering too then I will answer YES, it can be nerve racking. Years of military and law enforcement service have conditioned me to deal with the fear of physical danger so that was a small issue. The real fear that the enemy tried to bring against me was that these men would recognize me and not receive anything. This was the contrary. I bound the fear in Jesus name and went after it anyway.
I made a promise to myself a number of years ago that if I ever ministered in this jail that I would see a particular group of men first, these are the sexual offenders. No crime can touch a husband and father's heart more than the sexual abuse of women and children. Not all men that I spoke with were in this category, in fact I am not allowed to know crimes, but I knew that some in the room were guilty of these offenses. But the vision for this ministry is to free the captive, and who is in bondage more than a man that can commit such offenses?
I taught out of Psalm 68:19-20, 69:33, and I Cor. 10:13.
I opened with prayer and then gave a moment for any reports of good things that had happened in their lives recently (about 16 attended). The point being that in this place it is possible to see only the bad and none of the good but if we begin to focus on what God has done it grows faith and opens doors for more trust in God to take care of their circumstances. Worship is a Warship that is meant to destroy the works of the enemy. Satan cant win against someone who will praise God in the storm. If your trial magnifies your praise then you have already won against any trial you will ever face.
Psalm 69:33 says that God does not despise HIS prisoners. I asked how easy it is to lose track of this, that God does not despise you? I reiterated the point that once your life is covered in the blood that you belong to God. You are free from your chains, it is your spiritual "jailbreak". Your are now His captive.
Psalm 68:19-20 we put an emphasis on the word salvation. In the Hebrew the word is Yeshua, in the Greek it is Jesus. This translates to rescue and deliverance, among other things. I took this moment to ask each man in the room for an example of something the Lord had rescued them from. I had an amazing response. Each man gave a testimony. They were weeping and grateful, many of them, for their incarceration. 3/4 of the men believe that this jail time saved them from their circumstances, many that it saved their life, and they were grateful for it.
One man, who I knew as a teenager, confessed that he had been called into ministry and did not follow God's design for his life, and wound up in here. I told him that he now had a "captive audience" (I'm funny) and that he was a minister in this jail. I encouraged him to take his anointing back into the cells with him to encourage others. He was weeping and I felt a confirmation of that word in my spirit. I believe he will accomplish great things in there.
v.20 I emphasised that Christ was the "great escape artist" a Houdini. He has made a way of escape from every temptation that you will face. I Cor 10:13. I had many chime in agreeing that Christ alone saves them from their daily temptations.
Closed with a prayer, first by my old friend called to minister, and then myself. I will always give an opportunity for salvation and one on one prayer. I encouraged and blessed them and asked for suggestions, mainly music is what they would like to have, some worship.
There were thick demonic hindrances in the room throughout the lesson and I silently bound them several times. You could feel them, like a swarm, rushing about the room. Once bound the men began to interface and weep and really feel God. This is something that I encourage my prayer partners to pray about. Bind up the spirits hindering God's work each session.
I will minister there every other Sunday. The 2nd and 4th Sundays. Many men asked for restoration of families and marriages. This is truly a "fatherless" ministry. Many of these men didn't have fathers, and are not able to be fathers. Remember these things and as always God bless you for partnering in prayer. I will update you on the rewards of your prayers shortly. Thank you.
If you are wondering what it is like walking back into a jail that you worked at for so long after getting in numerous altercations with the same men that you are ministering too then I will answer YES, it can be nerve racking. Years of military and law enforcement service have conditioned me to deal with the fear of physical danger so that was a small issue. The real fear that the enemy tried to bring against me was that these men would recognize me and not receive anything. This was the contrary. I bound the fear in Jesus name and went after it anyway.
I made a promise to myself a number of years ago that if I ever ministered in this jail that I would see a particular group of men first, these are the sexual offenders. No crime can touch a husband and father's heart more than the sexual abuse of women and children. Not all men that I spoke with were in this category, in fact I am not allowed to know crimes, but I knew that some in the room were guilty of these offenses. But the vision for this ministry is to free the captive, and who is in bondage more than a man that can commit such offenses?
I taught out of Psalm 68:19-20, 69:33, and I Cor. 10:13.
I opened with prayer and then gave a moment for any reports of good things that had happened in their lives recently (about 16 attended). The point being that in this place it is possible to see only the bad and none of the good but if we begin to focus on what God has done it grows faith and opens doors for more trust in God to take care of their circumstances. Worship is a Warship that is meant to destroy the works of the enemy. Satan cant win against someone who will praise God in the storm. If your trial magnifies your praise then you have already won against any trial you will ever face.
Psalm 69:33 says that God does not despise HIS prisoners. I asked how easy it is to lose track of this, that God does not despise you? I reiterated the point that once your life is covered in the blood that you belong to God. You are free from your chains, it is your spiritual "jailbreak". Your are now His captive.
Psalm 68:19-20 we put an emphasis on the word salvation. In the Hebrew the word is Yeshua, in the Greek it is Jesus. This translates to rescue and deliverance, among other things. I took this moment to ask each man in the room for an example of something the Lord had rescued them from. I had an amazing response. Each man gave a testimony. They were weeping and grateful, many of them, for their incarceration. 3/4 of the men believe that this jail time saved them from their circumstances, many that it saved their life, and they were grateful for it.
One man, who I knew as a teenager, confessed that he had been called into ministry and did not follow God's design for his life, and wound up in here. I told him that he now had a "captive audience" (I'm funny) and that he was a minister in this jail. I encouraged him to take his anointing back into the cells with him to encourage others. He was weeping and I felt a confirmation of that word in my spirit. I believe he will accomplish great things in there.
v.20 I emphasised that Christ was the "great escape artist" a Houdini. He has made a way of escape from every temptation that you will face. I Cor 10:13. I had many chime in agreeing that Christ alone saves them from their daily temptations.
Closed with a prayer, first by my old friend called to minister, and then myself. I will always give an opportunity for salvation and one on one prayer. I encouraged and blessed them and asked for suggestions, mainly music is what they would like to have, some worship.
There were thick demonic hindrances in the room throughout the lesson and I silently bound them several times. You could feel them, like a swarm, rushing about the room. Once bound the men began to interface and weep and really feel God. This is something that I encourage my prayer partners to pray about. Bind up the spirits hindering God's work each session.
I will minister there every other Sunday. The 2nd and 4th Sundays. Many men asked for restoration of families and marriages. This is truly a "fatherless" ministry. Many of these men didn't have fathers, and are not able to be fathers. Remember these things and as always God bless you for partnering in prayer. I will update you on the rewards of your prayers shortly. Thank you.
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