Power Of Being Neutral

Key Scripture:  "And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell in."  Isaiah 58:12

Power Point:

     One thing I have learned about praying for people over the years is that I cannot take sides.  It's really easy to hear about problems and then take one side or another, isn't it? The Truth is, we are only supposed to be on God's side. 

     Often people will tell us something and our hearts are touched with the injustice of their situation. If we allow the "facts" to sway us, we will miss what God wants to do in them and for them. We have to stop our own thoughts from careening wildly and stirring up our emotions. We simply listen to the point that God wants to make and then present it.  It's usually different from the perspective that I would offer. Surprising, I know.

     Our job is to learn to stay in "neutral".  That means that we don't take part in a dispute or a war between others, We don't take sides. The only side we take is God's. We go to a neutral corner and wait to hear from Him.  That's when His words of knowledge, and His words of wisdom begin to flow. 

    

     Over the years, my friend Julie and I have had many opportunities to pray for each other.  At one really difficult juncture in my life, Julie was getting ready to point out to God all the reasons He should take action.  He told her she had to get into a neutral position. He meant that you do not take sides in a conflict, even when one appears to be obviously right.

Because she loved me, she didn't want to see me hurt and she wanted to take up an offense against the person who was doing the hurting.  That is a definite dead end road, Beloved.  Gradually we have learned the value of this great truth.  As prayer warriors we are to pray from heavenly places.  We are to capture higher thoughts- (the ones that God is thinking).  We are to stop, look, and listen to Him.  Isn't that a whole lot better than offering advice that has come from our own limited perspective?

     When you remain neutral, you become a powerful warrior in the Spirit. You are led by Grace and Mercy. There is no judgment or condemnation. You analyze the problem and  the problematic people, and ask Him who He wants to be for them here, or what the final outcome is from His perspective. You capture those thoughts and begin to pray in partnership with the Holy Spirit for the things that God sees and has planned. 

     When you put your car in neutral gear, it won't go anywhere will it?  It will not move.  Trust me, I've tried it. That is exactly what we are to do in the Spirit when we pray for someone.

     We remain fixed in neutral.  We do not allow ourselves to be moved in any direction that is not planned by God. We go to a neutral corner and simply partner with heavenly wisdom, heavenly knowledge and heavenly perspectives.  That Beloved, is how all things begin to work together for good!

      You remain cool, calm, and collected, detached from the emotional turmoil. Stay in neutral. That gives you the ability to offer gentle, peaceful and reasonable wisdom from above.

And really, isn't that what everybody wants?

Power Thought:

Repairing and restoring the "gaps" is our assignment. It's usually better to find out how HE intends to do that, don't you think?

     

Power UP!: Power Of Partnership

Power UP!: Power Of Partnership: Key Scripture:   “My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given.  You received Christ...

Power Of Partnership

Key Scripture:  “My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given.  You received Christ Jesus, the Master, now live Him. You’re deeply rooted in Him.  You’re well constructed in Him.  You know your way around faith. Now do what you’ve been taught.  Schools out; quit studying the subject and start living it!"  Colossians 2, The Message

Power Point:

    What if you woke up in the morning and looked into the mirror and thought, “Wow!  I look different! I look younger and more vibrant. I look as though I’m in robust health.”  You may notice your eyes especially. They are incredibly clear and peaceful.  Love seems to pour from them.  You sense the compassion in their depths. 

     You know its time to go and spend your quiet time with the Father but instead oaf dragging your feet to your favorite place, you find an energetic spring in your step as though you can’t wait to get there.

The moment you settle yourself to spend your time with Him, you can also sense that He’s been waiting eagerly for you to wake up and come. As time passes, you begin to realize that you’re not fearful or anxious about talking to Him. You’re not complaining. It just seems so natural.  It’s almost as though you are in a partnership with Him and He begins to show you what He plans to do in certain situations or in the lives of certain people, including yours.You begin to feel as though you are part of His plan.  You find yourself amazed at this relationship and then you realize that it is because the Father sees Jesus in you.  He is communicating with you just as He would with His only Son, the Savior of the world.

     Did you ever imagine Jesus putting you on every day, as you put Him on?  Did you ever think that Jesus in you can bring you into such a powerfully wonderful secret place with His father?  Did you stop to remember that that is exactly why He died-to gave you SAME Spirit, the SAME relationship with the Father and the SAME Peace that He carries at all times?

Did it ever occur to you that when the Father sees Jesus in you, He sees nothing but “wonderful”-a person in whom He is well-pleased.

What would that do to your prayer time?  What would that do to your joy in being with Him?  Would it make you more aware of the SAME anointing that is on you right now?  Acts 10 says that the FATHER anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit, “ready for action”. How He “went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil.  He was able to do this because God was with Him.”

Have you realized that that is exactly what He wants to do in your life as well? The anointing of The Father, through the Presence of the Holy Spirit is upon you and in you.  Do you see it?  Do other people see it?

Are you ready for action? Are you ready to be God’s partner today? 

Did you know that God Himself is with you in every way possible?

He’s waiting for you to sign the partnership agreement and get to work.

Power Thought:

Are you ready?  Jesus is. What a glorious partnership!

Power Of Proverbs

Key Scripture:  “These are the wise sayings…written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it is going. “ Proverbs 1, The Message

Powerful Points:

     I’ve always loved reading The Message. Eugene Petersen has taken the scriptures and put them beautifully in today’s vernacular.  It seems to make them really easy to apply. 

     As I was reading through the book of Proverbs recently, I discovered that The Message, while intensely moving can also be extremely funny.  These are some of those proverbs:

-Never forget what you learned at your mother’s knee.  (I TOLD you so!)

-You don’t want to end your life full of regrets, nothing but sin and bones.

-The wise accumulate wisdom; fools get stupider by the day.

-First pride, then the crash- the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

-Having a fool for a child is misery; it’s no fun being the parent of a dolt.

-Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.

-The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him.

-Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want that junk in your belly?

-People ruin their lives by their own stupidity; so why does God always get blamed. 

-When you’re down on your luck, even your family avoids you-yes, even your best friends wish you’d get lost.

-Blockheads shouldn’t live on easy street any more than workers should give orders to their boss.

-Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome-a staggering drunk is not much fun. 

-Valuables are safe in a wise person’s home, fools put it all out for yard sales.

-Religious performance by the wicked stinks; it’s even worse when they use it to get ahead.

-If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place.

-A proverb quoted by fools is limp as a wet noodle.

-A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie, but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.

 -Don’t call attention to yourself; let others do that for you.

    And my favorite:  "If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure."

Power Thought:

Just one more:  "Don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings."  (It really does say that!)

Power Of Living On The Edge

KEY SCRIPTURE:  “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.  It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, “What’s next Papa?”   Romans 8, The Message

POWER POINT:

     People would probably look at me and think I must lead a pretty boring life.   I'm a senior, a grandmother. My life is pretty much not in the hustle and bustle of today's world. But they would be wrong! Boring it is not!

     Every morning when I open my eyes to unfold my day, I find myself seated in heavenly places.  I find myself deep in conversation with the God of the universe, the God of the Angel Armies-the most amazing Person you could ever meet. He is never boring!  I find myself living on the edge of miracles every day. I see God working on my behalf every single day.  I find myself growing every day.

     I've been in movies where I've found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what will happen next. Will the end be a happy one?  I've found myself on pins and needles with excitement when my grandchildren are coming for a visit, anticipating the joy ahead. I usually can't stay in my chair! I'm bustling around getting ready.

     Beloved, as God's children we should always be living on the edge of our seats, full of pins and needles, because we know that today we might be on the verge of a miracle.  We might be steps away from seeing explosions of God's powerful goodness in our lives.  When you think about the children of Israel as they waited in Egypt for God to deliver them, they were probably on the edge of their seats when the Angel of Death flew over their homes.  They were on the verge of a miracle.  They were probably full of goose bumps as they watched the Red Sea part in front of them and then saw their enemies sink into those same raging waters.  What a stunning picture of the life of the children of God.

      We can either live “just surviving” or sitting on the edge of our seats with anticipation of what God is going to do next. I love the story about the twelve spies who went into the Promised Land to scope it out.  Ten of them came back only aware of the problems, the giants, and the impossibilities. Joshua and Caleb came back on the edge of their seats full of anticipation of what God could and would do for them.

    

Beloved, we must stay on the edge of our seats.  We were never meant to "survive", or "just get by".  We were meant to live expecting miracles every single day. Doesn't the fact that today you too can be seated in heavenly places with Jesus stir up some excitement in those tired old bones?  Doesn't the fact that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, and is working tirelessly to hear your prayers and deliver the answers give you a boost?

     The word "verge" means, the edge of something.  It means that

the point at which something is going to happen is NEAR!

Are you on the verge of your miracle?

Are you right on the borders of the land of Promises fulfilled?

Are you steps away from encountering the Presence of God on a whole new level?

Are you on the edge of your seat with anticipation of what God is going to do today?

     This gray haired lady is always on the edge of her seat.  Boring?  Not a chance.  The gray hair just means that I've had more opportunities than you young whippersnappers to see God be God every day in every way.  I live amazed at Him. 

Power Thought:

God has GOOD things, GOOD thoughts, GOOD plans for your "today".  That's something to look forward to with great anticipation isn't it? So what’s next Papa?