Answered Prayers

The all-inclusive condition of answered prayer ~ Finis Dake

Isn’t that what everyone longs for, for their prayers to be answered?  I know it is mine and I’ve learned some interesting and important tools along the way.

1) Pray in Jesus’ Name.  I know that may sound obvious, but it’s really quite important that it’s by and through Christ’s authority and not your own.

2) It’s not your reputation on the line.  When you pray in Jesus’ Name (vs. your own), it’s His reputation on the line and, therefore, His responsibility to answer the prayer and not yours.

3) Abide in the Father and His Word.  It’s important to know scriptures, but it’s even more important to know the Author.  When you walk daily with Father God, His Word changes from head knowledge to heart knowledge and from logos to rhema.  If you only have logos—head knowledge—of God’s Word, then it may happen to you as happened to the seven sons of Sceva, “One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’" (Acts 19:15).

4) Pray God’s revealed Word.  Praying scripture has power, but praying scriptures the Holy Spirit revealed to you as promises from the Father is even more empowering.  It gives you the power to tell the devil, when he lies to you, that your God will answer your prayers just as He promised in His Word.

5) Follow the John 15:7 formula. Remain in the Father and His Son + Keep God’s revealed Word (rhema) with you + ask what you need or desire = it will come into existence and begin to happen.

The John 15:7 formula is the all-inclusive condition that Finis Dake was referring to, so try it out in your life and see what happens.  Let God blow your mind as He answers your prayers.

If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. ~ John 15:7

Takeover

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ~ Exodus 17:11

Takeover

Such a simple word, and yet, so powerful!  I love it when God reaches down and touches us in simple, yet intimate ways.  When God calls you to greatness, calls you for His purposes and plan, it is His desire that you will take back and takeover the places in which the enemy has had control. 

Last Tuesday, God showed me that when we stand with our whole lives worshiping Him, the enemy is defeated, because he has no power.  It is in that time, that the army of the Lord begins to gain ground—to takeover—defeating the enemy.  The chains of pity, defeat, depression, anxiety and sickness are loosed from around you and begin to bind up your enemy.  Freed from those chains, with your heart stayed on the Father, He is able to promote you from glory to glory, as you grow in the image of the Son and the Father.

But when the details start to pick at you and you begin to notice them more than you do the glory of the Father, when your life of worship begins to fade and become stale, the chains that were binding your enemy become loosed around him and begin to bind you, again.  You stop gaining ground for the Lord and begin to lose the battle you are in. 

But there is yet hope, even for those bound in chains.

A life once lifted up in worship can be lifted up again!  One small step toward the Father is a giant leap toward victory.  Each step we take in our walk of faith is blow after blow in the enemy’s face.

Takeover

That was the word at my seat in a meeting that very same Tuesday.

Thank you, Father God for loving us so personally.  Thank you for taking the time to touch us in intimate ways, just to let us know that you are with us.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Ah-Ha Moment

Ever had one?  It’s when all that’s been going on around you and the things that have happened and have been said to you make sense.  Mine was the other day.

In the midst of all the craziness and the trials we are facing, God said to me, “Don’t make this about you.”  What do you say to that?!  When I asked Him what He meant, I was met with silence.

God has been preparing us to face these trials for some time.  First, He led us to pray for Him to move MIGHTILY.  That’s not to say that the only way God can move is through or after trials, nor that God causes trials.  But God, being omniscient, knew the trials were coming, so He began to prepare us for victory over them.  He gave us a desire for something far greater than ourselves and then led us to read books and hear sermons about overcoming and victory over trials.  He reminded us that this is war and when—not if—we overcome, He gets all the glory.

One night, after a long week, I was being beaten up pretty badly.  The enemy was pouncing upon me, blow after blow.  And when I thought about reaching out for help, the enemy told me that to reach out was weak and I should be able to handle it on my own.  But then I remembered the picture of Moses being helped by his friends.  With Moses’ hands lifted up, the enemy was defeated and when they dropped, the enemy began to win.  And when Moses couldn’t do it on his own, two of his friends came, each holding up one of Moses’ hands, (see Exodus 17:11-13).  So at midnight, I asked my friends to pray for me, because I didn’t feel I had the strength to do it for myself.  And they did!

And after that came my ah-ha moment.  God spoke to me through one of my beautiful friends.  She said, “God is using this time to stretch you into a woman who depends on her faith in Him to get her through.”  God showed me that it’s not about my strength or my ability to get it done.  This time that we are in is about seeking and praying and praising.

God moves mightily when we believe mightily.

War is not for the faint of heart, but for the armed.  We arm ourselves through seeking and praying and praising.

With great intensity and mighty power, this war will be one—this trial overcome—through worship, prayer, faith, and courage to believe!

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. ~ James 5:16 AMP

All in a Game of Skip-Bo

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. ~ Romans 8:28-30

I’ve heard Romans 8:28 my whole growing up, as it was my mom’s favorite verse.  I was thinking about it again yesterday, in light of some recent teachings I’d heard.  I began to remember my Grandma Mary Erkilla, my mom’s mom, and how she loved to play cards.  We would play everything from Gin Rummy to Skip-Bo.  I remember when my cousins were just old enough that they could understand and grasp rules and so my grandma worked hard to teach them to play Skip-Bo, as they always wanted to play with us.  My grandma would sit them to her left—as play went to the left—so that what she did always benefited them.  Every time she would finish her turn she explained what she had done, reminded them of the cards they had in their hands and how the two working together would benefit them.  She always let them pick which card to play, so that they could learn.  But if it was going to be a very bad play for them, she would stop them and say, “Well let’s look at this,” and begin to point out how that one play would affect so many future plays.

Isn’t that what God does with us?  Doesn’t He send us teachers and friends to teach us things about Him and His Truths and then ask us to dig more into the Word and spend personal, quiet time with Him?  He allows us to make our own moves, but also sends the Holy Spirit to walk daily with us, giving us constant instruction to help mold and shape us, so that we begin to better reflect the image of His Son.

Thank you, Father God, for sending me friends and teachers, for my parents, my grandparents, my uncles and aunts, my cousins, and all the other relatives you have sent to help mold me to become more like You.  Lord, I pray that I will continue to draw closer and closer, so that I will be the best reflection of You, Lord.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Expect What You Accept

We can’t expect to walk in the fullness of God if we can’t accept the fullness of God.

In Leviticus 25, God talks about taking a “Sabbath” year of rest, once every seven years.  During this year, the people are to do no planting and no harvesting.  “But you might ask, 'What will we eat during the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?' Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years,” (Leviticus 25:20-21).

Consider that you are a farmer and you have been given this decree from God to trust His Word.  Now, you’ve probably been sowing and harvesting crops a long time and so you understand how seed time and harvest time work.  You know that a specific amount of seed produces a specifically sized crop.  You also know that one year’s worth of seed to crop ratio does not produce a 1:3 harvest.  So in the fifth year, you have to make a choice.  Do you A) trust God’s Word to produce a 1:3 harvest in the coming year, or B) spend the next year fretting about how you only have enough seed to produce one year's worth of crop, forgetting God's promise to you?

Maybe your issue isn’t about trusting God’s promises, but rather accepting that His Word is final and when Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant it, (John 19:30).  Maybe you need to forgive someone.  Perhaps you’ve already forgiven them a thousand times, but for some reason, you can’t accept Jesus’ Words that it’s finished and let it go completely.  Who are you holding judgment and resentment against?  A friend, relative, spouse, child, parent?  Yourself?

In order to receive all that God has for you, you must first believe all that He’s said to you.  Jesus said, “It is finished.”  So nail that sin to His cross, allow His blood to cover over it, and let it go forever.  God’s Word says that He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20).  But in order to receive it, you must first believe it.  When you no longer withhold forgiveness from anyone, including yourself and believe the Word of God without question, you will have truly accepted the fullness of God without exception.

©2012 Heather Potts

He is my Shield

Who is this King of glory? ~ Psalm 24:8

Who is this King we are to revere?  What has He done for us?

In Genesis 15:1, God said, “Do not fear...I am your shield…”  What is a “shield”?  God said, “I am your defense, your defender, your protector.  I will cover over you and keep you safe.”  When a soldier goes into battle he needs to protect his body from attacks from his enemy.  God said that He will defend us.

So when we are facing financial battles, hardships, emotional struggles, painful physical toils, and trials of every kind, we will know who is this King of glory and we will say, “He’s everything to me.”  Thank you, Father God, for financial provision, for comfort, for peace, and for surrounding us with your love.  Thank you that to the right and to the left, behind and before, and everywhere I go, you are there.  Thank you that during these hard times, I can call out to you and know that I am not alone, because the King of glory is ever by my side.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle…Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory. ~ Psalm 24:8, 10

Elimination: I can't

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. ~ Ephesians 4:29

The phrase I can’t is coming out of my vocabulary.  I’m eliminating it.  Dictionary.com defines it as a “verb expressing incapacity, inability...” When I say, “I can’t,” I’m really saying, “I lack the ability and/or the capacity.”  Philippians 4:13 disagrees: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Jesus said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing,” (John 15:5).  So Philippians says that I can and Jesus says that in Him I can, but when I’m apart (separated) or cut off from Him, that’s when I can’t. 

When and why do we live apart from Christ? When we buy into the lies and pretensions [claims of importance or merit] spoken by the enemy.  Jesus said when we live apart from and do not dwell in Him, we wither and are burned (see John 15:6).  Reflecting over the times in my life when I’ve tried to make through the day or week without having that closeness to God, I felt like I was withering away.  But we don’t have to stay separated. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to take those thoughts captive and to make them obedient to Christ.  And that’s exactly what I’m doing by eliminating I can’t.  And honestly, if I don’t eliminate I can’t, it will eliminate me from God’s blessings, because apart from nourishment—apart from abiding in Christ—I can’t live and I want to live!

If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified ~ John 15:7-8

©2013 Heather Potts