Prayer Warrior

It has been cloudy and raining almost every day for the past 2 weeks.  I have been longing to see the sun.  As I was driving into work looking at the cloudy sky, I started to think “Hmm, even though I can’t see the sun, just on the other side of the clouds the sun is shining brightly.”  Just that one thought, lifted my spirits–the sun is always shining!  

That makes me think of the son of God–He is always there.  When things seem dark, overwhelming, impossible, remember the Son of God still shines! Even if you don’t think He is there or you don’t feel His presence, He is there!  The Word promises in Deuteronomy 31:8 that He “will never leave you or forsake you” and God’s word does not lie.  Stay focused on the truth of His word and on those cloudy days remember that the Son is shining!

And just when I thought the pain would not subside, it did. Just when I was wondering was it all worth it, relief came.A few months ago I had a steroid injection in my left knee in an attempt to gain some relief to the never-ending ebb and flow of pain, swelling and stiffness. I had a bad experience in the doctor’s office–the actual procedure did not hurt, but my body’s response was bad. Cold sweats, clammy, and slightly passed out for about a second. When the numbing medication wore off several hours later, the pain was bad.

Fast forward 24 hours later and my knee felt glorious! So much mobility and no pain, I had tears in my eyes. This got me to thinking–how many times in life have we had to go through pain to get to relief? How many times have we been in the middle of the storm wondering if it would ever end, then suddenly it does?

God did not promise that we would not go through storms or pain. He DID promise that He would be right there with us through it and usher us to the other side. He DID promise He would never leave or forsake us. He DID promise that our latter would be greater. Think about the cross-what our Savior had to endure so that we could live. But 3 days later, He got up with all power in His hands!!
Hold on through the pain, stress and chaos. Know that God is with you and the other side is glorious!

Stop fighting spiritual battles in the natural realm–fight them in the heavenly realm.  Lay waste in the heavenlies.   What does “lay waste” mean, you may be asking?  I have been hearing this term in my spirit for several days now.  This term is being used in reference to spiritual warfare.  It means to seek out and destroy anything AND everything that goes against the will of God.  It means to utterly annihilate the enemy in the heavenly realm.  It means to put on your weapons of warfare:

-Ignite your tongue with the sword of the spirit, speak God’s word with boldness and turn the enemy and his demons into ashes.

-Cinch the belt of truth tighter around your waist and only hear the truth of God’s word.  Use that truth to destroy the lies of the enemy–reminding him of who your God is.

-Remember you were saved by grace when you put on your helmet of salvation and no devil in hell can take away what God has promised to you.

-Walk in the shoes of peace knowing that your peace comes from an unquenchable, unchangeable, unshakeable source.  You are in the eye of the storm and you bring the storm to the enemy.

-Protect yourself with the breastplate of righteousness that is covered from head to toe with the blood dripping power of Christ.  Do not be afraid to approach the enemy–it is God’s power that you go into battle with.

-And put up your shield of faith to continually believe in God’s promises and block out the lies the enemy will try to show you.  He is the father of lies and the destroyer of man.  He has no power or authority over you–trust in God!

Lay waste in the heavenlies–your God is with you and the battle and victory is already won!

 

Who are you?  Your identity rests in who God says you are.  You are not what others believe you to be or not even what you perceive yourself to be.  You belong to Christ, the most High God.  You are what HE says you are.  The list below is compiled from a small sampling of verses in God’s Word-a reminder of who you really are:

• Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)
• Holy, blameless and covered with Christ’s love (Ephesians 1: 4)
• Adopted as God’s child (Ephesians 1:5,6)
• Sins are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)
• Chosen, predestined by Christ (Ephesians 1:11)
• Marked as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
• Raised up to sit with Christ in glory (Ephesians 2:6)
• God’s work of art (Ephesians 2:10)
• Near to God (Ephesians 2:13)
• Justified-free from sin (Romans 3:24)
• Have eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10)
• Sanctified and made acceptable in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2)
• Righteous and holy in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30)
• A new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Anything that is the opposite of this list is a lie from the enemy!  Remember, he wants to kill, steal and destroy you by any means necessary and one of his methods is keeping you away from the knowledge of who you are.  When you realize who you truly are in Christ, believe it and start operating in it—the gates of hell will tremble!  You are mighty in Christ and have the greatest power in the universe in you!  Walk in it!

For the revelation awaits an appointed time, it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.        Habakkuk 2:3

Even though you have prayed and not received a response, wait for it. Though you are expecting something from the Lord–an answer, a manifestation, a promise fulfilled, the next thing–wait for it. God answers. He speaks. He fulfills. We are to wait knowing that He has heard and will answer.  Wait with expectation for His promises to be fulfilled. If God has said it, it will come to pass.

While you are waiting, remember that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. God can see the past, present and future all at the same time. His response may not be what you think it should be. God knows what is best and will work everything out to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Wait for God’s answer and be open to His will.

We have all heard the phrase of the song that says, “His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches over me.” Those words are taken from Matthew 10:31–“so don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.” It means that if God cares for the sparrow how much more does He care for you.
God’s eye is on you constantly. He neither sleeps nor slumbers. You are His priority! Your thoughts, dreams, struggles, fears and successes are ALL important to Him. He sees your rest at night and your rising the next morning. He is there every breath you take. God knows how many strands of hair are on your head. You are important to the Creator of the universe!  
Always remember, and rest in the knowledge that His eye is always on you and He loves you!

What do you do when God’s word is put to the test in your life? What do you do when the thing you battle the most challenges you and pretty much smacks you in the face? That is something I faced recently when I traveled alone for work.  I have never had to travel by myself before–always had the comfort of others around me to calm my fears. For weeks leading up to the trip I had anxiety, trepidation and panic. I did not want to do this! 

The day of the trip comes-I flew alone, took a cab by myself for the first time and arrived downtown alone in one of the largest cities in the country.  I had been praying the whole day and was so thankful to God that His presence gave me peace that surpassed all understanding. Just as I arrived at my hotel, an altercation must have occurred and I witnessed 2 police officers escorting someone out of the very hotel I was staying in! I went to my room and had a full blown panic attack. 

Then I heard the Lord speak in my spirit “Who do you believe? Me and My word or your fear? Stop putting more faith in the world than you do in Me.  Believe what you KNOW to be true. When My word is put to the test, will you still stand on it?” Yes Lord I will!!  I started speaking Psalm 27 out loud–the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? I spoke all of Psalm 91 out loud and prayed. God’s peace poured over me like a refreshing rain. I went to bed and slept in peace and any time the spirit of fear tried to creep up again, I spoke God’s word and went back to sleep.

God is faithful! He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. His word works and is true!  Believe God, trust Him and taste and see that the Lord is good!

Prayer–Lord, thank you for Your mighty word. Thank you for your power being made perfect in my weakness. Even when I falter, stumble and doubt, You are there to remind me that I am never alone and to stand on what I know to be true. Thank you, in Jesus’ name amen!

Sitting, fearful, lazy, procrastinating–too much time spent sitting, waiting. Too much time day-to-day spent expending energy on things that have choked out my time with the Lord.  Things that are not unimportant, but have pushed God down my priority list and given Him the position of 5th or 6th place.

Fear has been the root of my misplaced prioritization and non-activity–can’t quite put a word to what exactly the fear has been related to or what it was about.  It was like an anxiousness, an overwhelming feeling coupled with heaviness, weight.  The kind of fear that can be paralyzing.

Knowing I should be doing something with my God given skills, but not knowing what first step to take, so I did nothing. And the nothing stretched from days to weeks to months. Letting life happen to me, reacting to the situations around me. Doing the daily things and every day feeling more overwhelmed, more mentally and physically tired–getting further and further away from the source of my strength-my God and my King.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, spiritual victories were won during those several months, but it was an ebb and flow of the Lord’s presence, not by God’s actions, but my inactions. I did not have consistency, sustained power or growth in my spiritual walk. My walk was slowed to a crawl and crawling is no place for a victor in Christ.

That is what I am, what WE are-victors in Christ! The days are over going through my day doing the most and accomplishing nothing. Spinning my wheels and falling out from exhaustion and getting nowhere. God has put too much in me for it to be wasted. He has given too much, including the blood of His very own son, for me just to sit.

The question I present to you is are you operating in who God has created you to be or are you waiting, sitting, procrastinating?  What are you waiting on-more hours in the day, less tasks, when you feel like it? There are not going to be more hours in the day. It is up to us to choose how we spend those hours-be more purposeful with our time.

Are you ready? I am ready, too. Let’s stop sitting together and “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1B). Be all we are created to be in Christ!