Prayer power

The book of Acts was full of records of prayers. Why did the early disciples pray so often? They knew that was the key to the power from above. Prayers moved spiritual realm. The early believers knew and believed this. Jesus has taught this key by His life. The lack of prayers accounts for spiritual weaknesses in churches today. The pattern is all there written in the Bible. Even Jesus prayed. His apostles prayed after Jesus was raised to heaven. Where are the praying churches now?
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²³ And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 

 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 

 ²⁵ who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
²⁶ The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

 

²⁷ “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 

 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:23-31)

James 5:15-16  (KJV)

¹⁵ And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Elijah praying for rain

 

a testimony from this blogger: transformed by the reality of a personal God

I was led to (more seriously) walk this journey in the Holy Spirit about ten years ago. My life has been totally made over and drastically transformed from a self-centered Christian who preferred the comfort zone, to the person whom God has originally designed and called me to be.

I am happy to testify that the journey is worth more than fine gold. I thank God who personally intervened in my life. He never abandoned me and in truth He lifted me up from the miry slippery spiritual snare and placed my feet on high and solid ground with Him. He filled me with His love and, yes, His Son. From a distance (in cold religious self-righteous stance) I have moved into personal relationship with my God, my Father in heaven, Jesus my Lord and my Savior, Holy Spirit, my teacher and my life power source.

Amongst other things He did, He put good teaching by Spirit and faith filled and Word believing disciples of Jesus into me.I have introduced many classic ones in this blog and other blogs.
Today I would mention a few of the contemporary ones (from whose teachings and lifestyle I have benefited).

They are familiar names to many. I would just add here some of the latest resources from them. I pray that all readers of this blog will be blessed too. They have led my eyes to focus on the trinity God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They have helped me to focus on the solid living words of God, which is life, and spirit, just as Jesus has declared.God and His Word have become real to me. They are real. This knowledge is not just in my soul, it is in my spirit. The personal reality of God as revealed to me has converted me.

They are (in chronological order of my exposure to their teachings): Joseph Prince (his earlier teachings on grace and righteousness), Andrew Wommack (his all time teachings of the Bible), Heidi Baker (her personal relationship with God and her life testimonies), and Sandra Kennedy (her Whole Life Ministries' worship and healing teachings; current prophetic messages). 

 I would describe this unusual combination of 'mentors' the 'right' combination only my Father God can design for me at this season of my life. God knows. He cares. he provides. Always at the right time, the right place, with the right focus.

I am not saying that anyone of them is perfect. I just want to express my appreciation and thankfulness for the very important teachings they have given and are still giving, and in some cases, even free of charge.

I shall continue to introduce to readers, from time to time, materials which I have been led in my spirit to pass on to you at a particular time. Someone somewhere needs that material. I believe.

Here is what I have found today and would like to share with you:
http://www.mp3olimp.net/heidi-baker/

Do support their worthy course according to what the Lord has urged you. At least stop for one today as Jesus leads her or him to you. http://www.irisglobal.org/

a prayer for those who want freedom from fear of exam

this is the summary of prayers I pray for a student (also a relative) at the request of her mother.

Dear Abba Father:

I give thanks for Your giving … her precious life. thank You for loving her and giving your only Son Jesus for her. Thank you for giving her to our family.
I pray for … to know You and seek You first above all else. Let her have the desire and passion to read Your words and pray to You. Let your Son Jesus become her best best friend.
Father God, I ask You, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give … spiritual wisdom and insight so that she might grow in her knowledge of God. I pray that her heart will be flooded with light so that she can understand the confident hope You have given to those You called—Your holy people who are Your rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that she will understand the incredible greatness of Your power for us who believe You. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at Your right hand in the heavenly realms.

 

Father God, I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower … with inner strength through Your Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in her heart as she trusts in Him. Her roots will grow down into God’s love and keep her strong. And may she have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May she experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then she will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
I pray for the mind of Christ take over her mind.
I pray for the Wisdom who is Jesus Himself for her.
I pray she will be led by the Spirit of Christ.
By Jesus’ stripes she has already been healed of all her infirmities and sicknesses. Surely He has borne all her diseases, and carried all her pains. By being hung on the cross (tree), He had taken all curses from her. The Holy Spirit comes upon her and breaks all her yoke.
I pray for the gift of foreign tongues (languages) for her so she may learn them (including …… at this time) without stress. I pray for her understanding the spiritual importance behind every subject that she learns and truly likes to learn them, as You have designed her to do accordingly.
I pray all these in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thank You, Father, for hearing my prayer.

let the mind of Christ takes over

the positive power of the word: "confess"

Today we come to one powerful positive word: “confess”. Take note that this is a verb and not a noun. The word has often been associated with fear. No one wants to make public his or her deepest secret. The word “confess” intrudes. However, today we look at the positive side of this word which is in truth a key to opening the door to victory in life!
Here are some powerful and real life and death matters on positive confessions in the Bible:
Jesus ‘confesses’ good reports about believers to God in heaven, for recording purposes! (Praise God for such a system of positive record – the Book of life !)
Matthew 10:32[ Confess Christ Before Men ] “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:31-33 (in Context)
Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:4-6 (in Context)
Apostle Peter ‘confesses’ correctly (as led by the Holy Spirit) and is commended instantly by Jesus:
Matthew 16:15-17
¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Confessing rightly with our mouths bring us to salvation!
Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  Romans 10:8-10 (in Context)
When one confesses, God is listening. Each individual confesses to the Almighty God.
Romans 14:10-12
¹⁰ But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.^{[a] 11} For it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”^[b]

¹² So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

When one confesses, one is giving glory to God. The name of Jesus is exalted. it has to come from the heart and not mere lip service. God knows. 

Philippians 2:10-12

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

One confesses to God for sins. Why? Because God wants to forgive you.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-10 (in Context)

I confesses who Jesus is, to me. Why? Because God wants to live in me.

1 John 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:14-16 (in Context)

What shall I do, after confessing Who Jesus is to me? Hold fast to my confession.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-13 (in Context)

See God: The power of His Resurrection !

The power of His Resurrection

(Bible verse are from New King James Version unless otherwise annotated)

Philippians 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

Ephesians 1:19-20 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

Colossians 2:12-15 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 3:1-4 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Colossians 2:6-10 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.


Isaiah 53:2 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
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Warfare now ! (from inside out)

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

John 12:31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. (NLT Bible)

Colossians 3:5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. (NLT Bible) 

  

God proved His love on the Cross -A TRIUMPH FOR JESUS

THE CROSS OF CHRIST - A TRIUMPH FOR JESUS
quotes and excerpts
"THE SON OF GOD BECAME A MAN TO ENABLE MEN TO BECOME SONS OF GOD". - C.S. LEWIS
Colossians 2:15
New American Standard Bible
When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
King James Bible
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

" For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Apostle Paul in the Bible, Romans 1:16-17

The Cross of Christ was a triumph for the Son of Man. It was not only a sign that our Lord had triumphed, but that He had triumphed to save the human race. Because of what the Son of Man went through, every human being has been provided with a way of access into the very presence of God. (Oswald Chambers)

Christ is the Son of God. He died to atone for men's sin, and after three days rose again. This is the most important fact in the universe. I die believing in Christ. --Watchman Nee, (note found under his pillow, in prison, at his death).

 

For God to reveal His Son in us is not the result of research or searching; it is entirely a matter of mercy and revelation. It is an inward seeing, an inner knowing.--Watchman Nee

 

To abandon all, to strip one's self of all, in order to seek and follow Jesus Christ naked to Bethlehem where He was born, naked to the hall where He was scourged, and naked to Calvary where He died on the cross, is so great a mystery that neither the thing nor the knowledge of it, is given to any but through faith in the Son of God.-- John Wesley

Men have said that the cross of Christ was not a heroic thing, but I want to tell you that the cross of Jesus Christ has put more heroism in the souls of men than any other event in human history. –John G. Lake

 

Men have mystified and philosophized the Gospel of Jesus but it is as simple as it can be. The secret of Christianity is in being. It is in being a possessor of the nature of Jesus Christ. –John G. Lake

 

We are awakening to that marvelous truth, that Christ is not in the heavens only, nor the atmosphere only, but Christ is in you. –John G. Lake

 

Christ is at once the spotless descent of God into men and the sinless ascent of man into God, and the Holy Spirit is the Agent by whom this is accomplished. -- John G. Lake

 

Today Jesus Christ is being dispatched as the Figurehead of a Religion, a mere example. He is that, but he is infinitely more; He is salvation itself, He is the Gospel of God. --Oswald Chambers

 

Now, the first preachers of the Christ evangel preached Christ. They did not, in the first place, preach salvation or sanctification or forgiveness, or judgment or heaven. That does not mean that they did not preach those things: they did; but not in the first place. They preached Christ, and all those things were included in the preaching of Christ. --T. Austin Sparks

 

The Christian life is not by effort, and not by struggle; not merely by trying to put into practice certain maxims, or by trying to attain to a certain measure; but from beginning to end, and all together, it is a matter of knowing the Lord Jesus within. -- T. Austin-Sparks

 

Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, "Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You have become what you were not so that I might become what I was not." --Martin Luther

 

“God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’”
― Billy Graham

“At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!”
― Isaac Watts, in hymn “At the Cross”

 

 

 

Matthew 25: three in one life and death matters

We have walked with Jesus to this day of chapter 25 of Matthew (quoted from NKJV in parts; boldness added by this watchman). There are three utmost serious matters about ‘Christians’, the saved and the unsaved, the ins and the left-outs.
This watchman urges all to read and re-read the whole chapter on these three matters, as illustrated by Jesus and recorded in this Gospel as the last three parable teachings of Jesus. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it means to you.
(1) the ten virgins (1-13) illustrating the kingdom of heaven
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom...⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps… ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

(my personal notes: ‘Watch therefore’ appears to do with whether we have enough oil or not and whether we can be ready on the spot when Jesus comes. He expects us to wait and be ready at any point of time. Watch means praying and waiting before God. Watch means we read His words consistently and keep our lamp trimmed and ready. His words are lamp and light to us. His presence is light to us. In Him there is no darkness. He is light. Our body is a vessel for His light to shine through. He only knows those who are with His light shinning through and not otherwise. He knows them because they have constant fellowship with Him and are ever ready to meet Him face to face. This personal intimacy between each believer and the Lord cannot be shared or passed on to others, just as the oil cannot be shared.)



Lamp to my feet

____________read on and ask the Lord to reveal what He means to you personally. (This watchman too needs to read many times more and ask the Lord to reveal. )
(2)The Parable of the Talents (14-30)
¹⁴ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; …²⁹ ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
(3)The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations (31-46)
³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats…⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”