Praying Through the Storm

I live in the great state of Texas and we have just gone through “Snowmageddon.” What is “Snowmageddon?” It is the winter storm that hit us hard this week, leaving us without power, water and some without food. I was snowed in for a week but thank God we were prepared for the storm. We experienced rolling power outages and little to no water at times but God kept us healthy and safe.

During this storm I had a lot of time to think. There were no phones ringing, no email notifications, no to do lists, no appointments and no distractions. Times like this allow me to hear from the Lord clearly, process my thoughts and mentally process the current circumstances.

As I woke up to pray, the other morning, I couldn’t help but think, what is God saying that “we,” are not getting. We went from a 11 month battle with COVID seeing many of our friends and family pass away due to the deadly virus, being quarantined, staying six feet away from neighbors, told not to go to church, store shelves being bare with no toilet paper insight and now confined to our homes again due to this snow storm. It is definitely unusual to have snow in Texas but for it to be a week long storm with snow, ice, rain and high winds was pretty much unheard of for the cowboy state. This caused me to dig deeper into the Lord to see what was on his heart and what was the meaning to these trials.

I added a post about my thoughts to my Facebook page and a friend messaged me a video prophecy, that was recorded in December 2020, that stated snow would fall in unusual places and the will use it to Lord cleanses the land. Something in me connected to the prophecy and as I began to do my own study I identified that what the speaker stated was true according to scripture.

As I was pondering that fidget morning I realized there were many without power, many who were ill and many who were homeless. How would they fair though this massive storm? What about those who needed water and didn’t have it? My mind ran with thoughts like these for some time until I realized these thoughts were my call to prayer.

Growing in the Lord, I am learning that the Lord will use whatever is convenient to draw us to himself. I wondered if other devout believers were getting this same call to prayer or were they worried about their own affairs and love ones. Don't get me wrong, this storm was cause for an alarm and concern. My point is we can not be stuck there but rather keep our hearts fixed on the Lord. When I received the call to intercede on behalf of others, fifteen plus years ago, I realized prayer for others would open the door for God to cover whatever I’m dealing with or stood in need of.

How do you respond to the storms in your life? Do you begin to focus on yourself or do you seek the Lord for what’s on his heart? Do you get angry, grab a drink or stop talking? During this time of praying for others the Lord spoke to me though a friend,, and gave me the courage to deal with some lingering issues I needed to address. These were not just conversations to have but they were serious situations that dealt with my calling and hearing God clearly to speak prophetically. I addressed the issues with the necessary party and great peace was the result of it. I was able to gather understanding and instructions on how to proceed.

Pouring out on behalf of others through this unprecedented storm opened a door for me to receive the blessing of peace and answers concerning these sensitive matters. We never know how God is going to move as we pray but if we trust Him we can be sure that He will.

I don’t pray simply to get the things I want and have an easy life. I pray because I desire to know God more intimately, pray his will into the earth realm and to bring comfort and peace to others. Our words have power to release God’s will, being the talker I am, I surely want to do my part.

This winter storm was not easy to endure and for many it causes great fear and harm, some even lost their lives but as I surrendered the storm and its circumstances surrounding it to the Lord I was able to endure this storm with peace that passes all understanding.

Prayer is not a chore it’s a choice. I love that God has an open door policy. I don’t have to be a certain way, or use fancy words, I can simply be me and talk to Him. I want to encourage you to press into the Lord now so that when the BIG storm comes you will be ready. Spending time with God through prayer and his word prepares us for present day and what’s to come.

Are we using God as a vending machine, put in a prayer pop out an answer or are we using prayer as a means of effective communication with God? I want you to pause and evaluate your prayer life. Are you ready for the next storm in life? Have you spent time getting armored up through the scriptures and with prayer? Or are you looking to survive on the prayers others are praying on your behalf?

One thing that I will share with you is that the Lord spoke to me during my time of prayer; that something else is coming. Something much bigger than this snow storm. God has already shown us that He can shut the world down but still there was no consistent change and repentance. I’m not afraid of what’s to come because I’m intimately connected to the one who controls all things. But are you ready to survive the storm?

Have You Cried Out?

When was the last time your cried over the wickedness in the Universal Church?

Maybe you don’t visit a lot of churches to see what's really going on now-a-days but I challenge you to visit a church or check out one on Facebook and you will totally understand where I'm going in this blog.

I recently, ministered, in dance, at a church and I came home vexed by the great wickedness I encountered in that place. Homosexual men, leading worship and playing the piano, Jezebel the prophetess and her eunuchs all cluttering the atmosphere with their performances, showboating, false prophesies and simply put a display of great wickedness.

It took days of my husband praying for me to release the burden of what I encountered that weekend. God was showing me the state of His church and what was really going on so I could intercede more effectively.

At dinner with a friend yesterday she shared with me that a famous male gospel music artist friend leaked a video, via Instagram, of him passionately kissing a another man. She then proceeded to say she wasn’t surprised, and I know this is true because the church is in such bad shape. I sat there feeling the burden come over me again to pray for the universal church.

I woke up this morning and didn’t even realize that I was praying for the church before I had even opened my eyes!!! I kept hearing the verse in Ezekiel 9:4 NIV which reads, “and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers, and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So, they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.”

I don’t know about you, but I want to be marked as one who prayed and cried out against the “sin of the land.” If you need a better picture of what the sin of the land is check out Galatians 5:19-21 NIV. The sin of the land is: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,

fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Do you see any of these things happening in your local church or the universal church? If you know, then start CRYING OUT now! There is so much to pray about that you and I don’t have time to get caught up in foolishness. Our prayers have the power to change things!! Activate!! Psalms 34:17, The Message says, is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you.

The father is listening for the prayer of the righteous that will avail much (James 5:16). I encourage you to cry out again the sin of the land and the sin inside the universal church.

1 Peter 4:17 NIV “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

If judgement will start at God’s house are you ready? Pray and ask the Lord to help you, the church, and the world to be ready for that day.

The Lord is looking for a spotless church (Ephesians 5:27). The watered-down messages that don’t warn against sin and the coming judgment must stop. The purpose of the church is to train others to learn what pleases God, to find his purpose and witness to others the saving power of Jesus Christ.

Take the list from Galatians, listed above, and pray over each of those points. Pray for the church as a whole to be free from the deadly grip of sin. The enemy couldn’t stop some us from going to church, but he can have us in church in habit sin with no conviction becoming religious puppets. Instead of gossiping, get to praying about the flaws and faults you see in others.

As you begin to pray let the Lord lead you to other things that need to be prayed about for the church. Remember, a big part of prayer is listening to the Holy Spirit to pray what’s going to capture the heart of the father.

God loves his church and would like to see it function in the capacity he designed it to. Partner with me and do your part to intercede. The Universal Church needs intercessors.

Will you pray for God's church? If you do you will be the one He marks for safety in the coming days of wrath. Your prayers can spare help the condition of the church. Don’t be found unmarked because you choose not to cry out on the church's behalf. Right now more than anything the church needs to regain its power to be a beacon light to the lost and hurting. with intercession for the land and church.

Pray for pastors to lead their flocks in holiness and righteousness. Pray for the church to stand against sin and the abomination of the land. Pray that we return back to the fear of the Lord and stop making excuses and allowances for sin. Again, I ask you will you cry out?

Focus On God During Adversity

Let's chat a few moments about staying focused on God in the mist of adversity. What?! Wait, ummmm say that again! Yup, let's talk about it.

To be honest, there have been many times that I have failed this test. It's a daily struggle but I'm determined to persevere! What about you? Are you tired of failing this test? I'm also a school teacher and my students hate to retake a test and SO DO I. God is not interested in passing us along nor grading on a curve. He is looking for a change in how we respond to adversity! Ouch! Help us Lord as we proceed!

Lets define focus.

Focus- (noun) the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition. (verb) (of a person or their eyes) adapt to the prevailing level of light and become able to see clearly.

I find that it is really hard to stay focused on God when my emotions take over. At that moment I become the passenger in the car watching myself wreck and self-destruct. My eyes are no longer on God but rather how I feel.

Following our emotions can cause our spiritual discernment to go out the window and our emotions become our god and leader of our lives. I think we have all been guilty of this at some time or another but its time to grow up and stop this emotional roller coaster.

We have to be careful not to switch masters. God is going to have full control of our lives or our emotions. You and I are to continually allow the Lord to lead us in good times as well as the bad not our emotions.

Have you ever been in the mist of a situation and not even think of a spiritual (God pleasing) way to respond? Before you know it you "done" slapped someone, overthought the situation or cussed your boss out and now you're fired. Now you applying for unemployment and getting food stamps because you let your mouth shoot off with an emotional response. Did I really have to go that far, ummm yah!

So, how then can we stay focused on the Lord in the mist of the battle/heated moment? You and I have to practice his presence and trust that

all things are working for our good! Easier said than done, I know right! 

The thing is, God said he would never leave us not forsake us so he is there and he is also the avenger of those doing us wrong. Oh wait, also, he can show us where we are wrong. I surly don't want to leave that part out. Ha!

We have to trust him! You know Job, in the midst of his testing, had the protective hand of God on him and the enemy could only do him so much. Wow! Pause and really ponder that! Satan had to ask Gods permission to do anything to Job. (Job 1:10) God isn’t parcel. He will do the same for us. 

Practice his presence you say... what does that mean? Spend time getting to know God personally and intimately and not just for what you can get from him! Spend time in prayer talking to God and listening for his reply. When he calls you, stop what your doing and yield. Spend time worshiping him. Read his love letter, the Bible and hide it in your heart not to sin against him. (Psalm 119:11)

As we practice his presence we become more aware that he is always there. At this moment we then become more mindful of what we think, say and how we act. I'm sure you wouldn't go off if God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit were standing right next to you. Well at least I hope you wouldn't....

Being aware of the Lord's presence (as we grow in this area) should help us not to grieve his spirit with our sinful actions (Ephesians 4:30).

I'm guessing by now you figured it out... this isn’t just going to happen over night! It’s going to take work on our part! Just like any relationship it forms and develops over time. I guarantee this relationship has eternal supernatural benefits. Including his promise to keep you in the mist of the storm! 

When your next test comes up try focusing on God's omnipresence and seek him for help in pressure cooking situations. Sometimes I excuse myself to the bathroom or a short walk and pray to ask for help. The ultimate goal is to be so focused on the Lord, especially in adversity so we can produce fruit that remains (Galatians 5:22-23).

I challenge you today! In the mist of chaos that life can deliver right to your front door, gift wrapped all nice and pretty, keep your eyes on the Lord and allow him to lead your emotions. Remember to practice his presence and stay focused!