Monday, June 6, 2011
I cannot express what a blessing this time of fasting and prayer has been. God is certainly able to immeasurably more than we can ask or think.
I invited Bev up at the beginning to share what she saw in Chris' picture on Sunday night. Instead of just a man standing in God's hand, she sees the man stepping out onto the water of the storm in faith & obedience. She felt we need to make the choice between faith or fear.
I opened the prayer and worship time with Acts 12:5-7. In this Peter is in jail and an angel of the Lord sent to free Peter. After waking him, his chains simply fall off. When I was speaking with Phil earlier in the afternoon and shared this Scripture with him, he shared that he had seen chains falling off people's ankles and wrists in such piles that it would be difficult to walk about because of them. He then saw them transformed into gold bracelets and anklets as a testimony and the rest also transformed into a vast gold plunder. I also thought of Elijah on 1 Kings 19 where the angel of the Lord came to him to give him sustenance for his journey. I believe God sent an angelic host into our midst to break off chains and give sustenance for our journey.
I read 1 John 2:16 and led out in prayer that God would first break off the chains of the world from His church. I asked for forgiveness where we have allowed ourselves to be bound with the chains of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We repented and asked Father for a greater measure of His love so we might stay free from the world.
Nathan led in the song, "Break Every Chain" which contained the line, "there's an army rising up to break every chain." He prayed that the hosts of heaven will go forth before the army of God with the worshippers in front & release the chains of those bound by the enemy. He prayed that we be so saturated with the presence of God that grace is given to anyone we come close to.
Betty read Isaiah 61:3. She prayed that God would perform His divine exchanges and make us into His planting.
Chris read Psalm 91 but focused on the last three verses (14-16): "14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” He said this is what he was painting tonight.
Nathan shared that as we speak of freedom, God is bringing us into a new place where we no longer break chains but step into the freedom God has accomplished. He prayed that God's freedom would reign continuously, not temporarily in our lives.
Throughout the evening many people prayed that God would break difference chains in people's lives and in the community. Here is a list of the chains people were praying about: mediocrity; fear; complacency; disobedience; fear of rejection; discouragement; not enough; selfishness; greed; timidity; lies that hold your children back; judgement; fear of judgement; injustice; religion; pornography; promiscuity; compromise; pride; self-condemnation; poverty; lack of tithing; doubt; mistrust; bullying; depression; lack of work; addiction; laziness; jealousy; workaholic; envy; vanity; coveting; impatience; loneliness; false comfort; hopelessness; idolatry; false expectation; false prophecy; sickness; infertility; perfectionism; hunger; insomnia; abandonment; ignoring; racism; mental affliction; intolerance; abuse; dishonoring; divorce; witchcraft; despair; physical disability; performance & striving.
There was a sense of how God is so gentle & compassionate & merciful in breaking chains.
Tracy prayed for God to fill those places where chains have been broken & removed so that they would not return or come back worse.
My closing Scripture for the evening was Hebrews 4:9-10. With the chains being broken and us being free, we need to now diligently enter the rest of God. I blessed people to leave with God's rest and peace.
Melody close in prayer thanking God for how He is preparing our hearts. She thanked Him for bringing us into a higher place of joy & strength beyond repentance. God is well pleased with us. She asked that God bless us to no longer be in a place of self-focus and to grant a revelation of His Father heart for us & our community. She thanked Him that His glory is risen upon us and He brings us out into joy. Melody shared that there will be sacrifice required to receive our broken community in honouring way when they come--we will sacrifice the right to be right with those that would want to contend; we will have to sacrifice our very self--to be selfless in loving the people into the Kingdom. She asked the Lord to help us walk in His wisdom.
We left in the blessing of God.
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