Prophetic Awareness

In 1 Samuel 3 we have the humorous but sad story regarding Samuel as he heard the voice of God. At that time there was sin and apostacy in the priesthood and God was not speaking. The verses state the sad reality that ‘the word of the Lord was rare and there were not many visions’. However, Samuel was a true worshipper and he heard God’s voice, but didn’t know that God could reveal Himself in that way so he keeps going to Eli and saying, ‘Here I am; you called me’ This happened three times before the light went on for Eli and he told Samuel to say, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.” In Samuel God was ready to birth a new season of revelation and I believe He is doing it again.

Prophetic Ministry is Birthed Through Prayer

Prayer itself is an art which only the Holy Spirit can teach us. Pray for prayer. Pray until you can really pray!" (C.H.Spurgeon)

This week a group of us had the opportunity to hear the vision of the 24/7 Prayer ministry as Chris Jones shared about building communities of prayer, mission and justice. It was in our first 24/7 prayer room that God really impressed on me my mission to take the lead role here. Our last prayer room experience…a little rockier but once again God spoke and reaffirmed in me the desire to keep focused, keep pressing on. Extended times of prayer birth vision and mission and action!

Kelly Greene is serving in Boystown, Mexico a walled-in section of the city which has been set apart for prostitution and drug abuse for the past 150 years. She started by first prayer walking through the community for over a year and a half and then God started opening doors!!

24-7prayer.com: Mexico: God Lives Where the Girls Have No Name...

Prophetic Ministry is used to call people to repentance. 2 Samuel 7:12-16

There is something greater than hearing the voice of the Lord and that is obeying the voice of the Lord as Jesus makes readily clear in His prayer in John 17:6,7, ‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.”

There is something greater than the cost of discipleship and that is the cost of disobedience to the Lord. Disobedience is truly what is the most punishing in our lives. So, what is the payment? Frustration, a restless spirit, driven by lust for pleasure or power, emotional states of bitterness, resentment, guilt, nervous anxiety.

All this happens in varying degrees when we are unwilling to yield ourselves to His leadership in our lives

I remember one of our staff meetings where Mary shared on the need for repentance in our lives and likened it to cleaning floors in your home and how yes you can do a decent job standing up, but it isn’t until you get on your knees that you can really see the dirt. It is the same in our lives of prayer, it brings us back to our knees as in humility we see ourselves for who we really are and approach God for his cleansing.

Prophetic Ministry is used to affirm God’s Will in the lives of His Children

It can really benefit the listener in giving them the confirmation that they need to go forward or the fact that they are exactly where God has told them to be.

Prophetic Ministry is for all believers. 1 Corinthians 14:29-32

Prophecy in its most basic form is hearing what God is saying about someone and relaying it to them. Jesus said that His sheep would hear his voice. What we need to do is develop our sensitivity and understanding to what God is saying. Yes, we may make mistakes. The disciples made mistakes, but that doesn’t mean that we throw it all out. We need to realize just how powerful it can be when we share what God is impressing upon us to confirm it in the lives of others.

On a larger scale, it is what God calls me to do as I speak every week.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-12

However we are all called to speak into each lives and when God gives you a word for someone you need to speak it into their lives. As you seek the Lord, He will lay people on your heart sometimes simply to pray but also to speak.

• revelation

The first part of a prophetic word is the information that we receive from God. It is revelation that God gives without any prior knowledge on our part. It is something that God gives and is not based on natural understanding. It can come in a dream, as a vision, as an impression. It basically asks, “What did you see, hear or receive?” It often comes as a result of prayer or through reading His Word.

He often will prompt the believer to passages of Scripture.

He will also use impressions as He did with the apostle Paul.

“Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives (Acts 27:10 KJV) The word perceive is a good choice here because it means ‘to know by feeling’.

• interpretation

The question that is basically asks is this: What is God saying? What does this mean? I want to make clear that the clear cut test is does it line up with Scripture. If it contradicts the Word of God, it is another voice that you are hearing.

• application

The third component is the understanding of how we implement what we have received. It is ultimately the responsibility of the person who has received the truth or revelation to then take action. The application is not the work of the one giving the message. It is to be left to the person who has received the message to determine what he or she should do as a result of the word spoken into their life.

Ultimately no one has more power than you to pray with the greatest authority into your own life.

A.B. Simpson wrote “The messenger is now his way to bring you your blessing, and the Holy Spirit awaits your act of trust, so He may whisper in your heart the echo of the answer from the throne of God, “He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. Revelation 21:6

Prophetic ministry uses our senses through the power of the Holy Spirit

John 14:12

It happens as we realize that we are ministering with borrowed power. The greater things are the things that we let God do through us and the multiplication of those events in transforming many lives.

We have

• spiritual eyes - When Elijah the prophet was translated to heaven, it was the sons of the prophets who recognized that the Spirit of the Lord now rested on Elisha in 2 Kings 2:15. Spiritual eyes gives us beautiful insights into His Word and often pictures for people.

spiritual hearing – Again as we listen, God will reveal struggles people are having and encouragements for them

• spiritual touch – Often God will not speak until we lay hands on the person that we are praying for and then He will teach you to pray.
  

The Takeaway

God stills speaks today and He longs to speak into your life and through you into the lives of others!

The only way that is going to happen is if you let Him get His fingerprints all over you. It is only going to happen if you let Him shape and mold you and change the way you look at other people. It only happens through faith and believing that God is speaking.

Intercessory Prayer

Intercessory prayer is so desperately needed in the church that we would pray with the kind of fervent heart that Paul expressed in his prayers for so many of the churches. For Paul there was no doubt that prayer was a real workout. It was an intense and passionate struggle that brought him to his knees whether it was for believers to experience the vast love of God, Holy Spirit enlightenment or enablement. At the end of Colossians 1 we see it is a good struggle to come to grips with the energy of God that overtakes you in prayer and moves you so deeply to cry out, to break you to tears especially for all those who do not know the glorious riches of the mystery of Christ

Epaphrus in Colossians 4:12.. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

One of the greatest testaments to the power of intercession is seen in The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim and Moses tells Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” So Joshua does what he asks and Aaron and Hur follow Moses to the top of the hill and as long Moses hands are raised high they were winning, but whenever they were lowered, the Amalekites started taking over. So as his hands undoubtedly get tired they place a stone under him and help up his arms…. And where are his arms held up to – It is to the throne of heaven!

A military strategy that leads them to a very unorthodox but God centered approach and they prevail all the while knowing that it is God who fights for them.

Do you know that God fights for you? Too many of us are walking around with our hands in our pockets drawing from our own resources and that get old real fast. If you keep your hands there, don’t be surprised if you get the feeling one day that the battle has shifted and you become pretty much powerless to stem it’s tide!

An intercessor has been given authority.

Colossians 1:13-16

Jesus has dealt with Satan’s authority. Colossians 1:13 should read that Christ has delivered us from the authority of darkness. It is significant that we realize that the enemy still has great power, but we have a greater authority in Christ. We don’t deal with him as a powerless entity as Dutch Sheets correctly identifies. We deal with him as a one who steals, a rebellious power and God has given us a greater authority over that. God can give you the authority over sickness and ultimately the death sentence over people.

We have the power to do what Christ commands

The root word of authority is author and in Jesus we have one who holds the keys to life and death! Jesus was the author of creation Colossians 1:16. He is in charge here! As you understand Christ’s authority and the fact that He has conferred this authority on you as his follower should give you incredible boldness and confidence in praying over the lives of others….walk in it, submit to it and move in it!

Matthew 28:16-20

We have been given His power to pray for the breaking down of strongholds, to discern how that takes place and often through repentance. We declare who is in charge here and we move in that anointing.

We are living with borrowed power…the power is from the risen Christ. John 14:12 He will perform His work though us.

The authority that the church has is found in using our spiritual keys opening and closing spiritual doors. We are Christ’s partners and we are the ones He is using to fulfill His plan, His purposes. It is a priestly activity we are called on to perform and often the Holy Spirit will prompt us to pray at times for people with great intensity.

An intercessor is a person of destiny

There is such powerful imagery given to us in Revelation 11:15-19. A true intercessor prays for God’s ultimate reign over people, over nations, over the world. There are no defeatist prayers in their vocabulary. We know who is the “Ultimate Restorationist” He will restore a perfect order. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Philippians 2:11

We walk with a victorious mindset.

An intercessor is called to rule in the supernatural.

Psalm 8:3-6

The word for rule in Psalm 8 is mashal meaning to govern. An intercessor is called to govern and order his personal world and engage fellow believers in the same pursuit through the power of the Holy Spirit….Romans 7 / Romans 8:1.

No one has more power than you to pray with the greatest authority into your own life.

How can we pray for the victory or release of another when we ourselves have not experienced victory in that area? The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Romans 8:26,27 the Spirit intercedes for us.

Jim and Faith Chosa are ordinary Native American prayer leaders from Montana. He relates about the story in the spring of 2004 when the Dalai Lama travelled here to Toronto to release 722 occult Tibetan spirits into the Great Lakes. The Spirit of God rose up a great army of prayer warriors to prevent this from happening as a team from Sault Ste. Marie, Canada were equipped in spiritual warfare and prayed against this. They bound the demonic spirits and the result was imminent. The Dalai Lama said, “Toronto is a very hard place; I could not accomplish what I planned to do.”

An intercessor knows there is power in unity!

Matthew 18:18-20

The passage between heaven and earth is prayer. Jesus’ amazing statement is that the invisible things that take place in heaven will be reflected here in the heart of praying believers. God has granted us the power of binding and loosing. We have the power to bind every force of evil in our lives. We also have the power to loose the Spirit of God and His inexhaustible resources like a constant flowing river. We can pray for the same in the lives of others as well!

It happens all the time when through intercession God keeps planting the signs to turn around in the lives of those who drift into apathy or indifference. Attitudes change 180 degrees…WHY, because of prayer. We stand on the balancing point between the visible and invisible when we pray.

We are called to make the invisible Christ visible in the lives of others and it begins with prayer.

The other great insight here is the power of unity and when we agree about our passion and commitment in a given situation. This is the principle that guides all great prayer meetings whether there are two or more present.

One of the great prayer meetings in the Bible is the story surrounding Peter when he was in prison in Acts 12

The word to agree means ‘to sound together, to harmonize’ A musician knows that when two particular notes are struck together, they will harmonize. It is brought out as the right notes are played. God has already written the musical score and it remains our challenge to play according to what God has already composed. When we say AMEN… literally meaning let it be, we are saying, yes, we affirm this prayer, we are longing for this as well.

It is important for us to note that the most powerful expression of Christ is seen not in an individual Christian but only fully expressed whenever two or 100 or 1000 are gathered in His name. Don’t miss this. We can never know Him as well as when we know Him in relation to someone else.

Ephesians 3:18,19 - together with all the saints – there is strength in numbers and it is only though His presence that prayer has meaning and value.

An intercessor will be given revelation.

1 John 5:14,15

Revelation is when God lifts the veil created by sin from our hearts and allows us to receive insight and understanding directly from Him. Dutch Sheets

1 Chronicles 12:32 The Hebrew word here for understanding is more than just learned knowledge, it signifies a spiritually imparted knowledge. It is discernment and understanding beyond the natural abilities. It is prophetic in nature.

It is the same word used in:

1 Kings 3:9 when Solomon asked for the ability to discern

Daniel 1:17, 20 where Daniel was given understanding to interpret dreams and visions

And in Proverbs 3:5
God is not calling you to abandon wisdom and common sense. He is asking us not to rely on our own human discernment as to what to do.

The Takeaway

Allow the Holy Spirit to give you the confidence to take your hands out of your pockets and fight well in the Lord’ battles.

Take time to lay your hand on one other person and pray as God leads you.

Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.1 Timothy 1:18

For Discussion and Small Groups:

1. Have you experienced a time where God really impressed a person on you to pray for? Did you ever find out what was going on in their life at that time?

2. What story in the Bible is your greatest inspiration for prayer, Moses hands been raised up, the prayer meeting for Peter, the prayer meeting in the Upper Room leading up to Pentecost?

3. What part of intercession do you need to really take hold of: our authority, our destiny, our rule, our need for unity, listening for revelation…

4. Take time to listen and lay hands on each member of your group and pray for them.

The Art of Listening Prayer

Prayer is first and foremost about relating to God before it is requesting and petitioning of Him. You will never understand petitioning prayer until you understand relational prayer. When you hear God’s voice, you love your own voice less. I can’t tell you how many times I have wrestled through situations, decisions and then finally let God speak to me through a devotional, His Word, in the quietness and it stills my soul. It gives me incredible resolve and peace to follow through, to stick with it, to persevere!

The first thing in prayer is to get God. If you get Him, everything else follows. Allow God to get at you, to invade you, to take possession of you. He then pours His very prayers through you. E Stanley Jones

Listen to God’s voice as he speaks into the life of Job in Job 38 -42

We put God in second place every time we pray more for personal things than for the opportunity to bear fruit for Him. It is a hard question to ask… and as Larry Crabb writes in his book we do it when for example we pray harder for our marriage to feel better than we pray to more closely relate to God.

We need to focus on the provider more than His provisions.

Archbishop Trent said prayer is ‘not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His highest willingness’

The acid test of you prayer experience is does it make a difference in your life. It is moving you more closely to those that are the hardest to love.

Remaining in Christ teaches me the value of what Christ does in me can never be accomplished by myself in getting adopted into the family of God. My radical helplessness really teaches me that the real significance comes through finding my satisfaction in Him and my need to get away with God!

What is the unsatisfied desire and consuming terror in your life? Is it that you don’t feel the depth of your value? Is it inadequacy? Reflect on it. What is going on inside of me? What am I feeling? What am I wishing would happen? What am I scared of is the real question that Larry Crabb addresses.

IS IT SILENCE? The LORD said to Job:

2 "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!"

3 Then Job answered the LORD :

4 "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.

5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more."

Job 40 The first thing we learn here is that God did not speak until Job finally became silent

God continues to speak into our lives but we often miss his still small voice because we let our lives become so complicated.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 (Good News Bible) God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.

We have so many competing affections that suck up our time and we're afraid of silence.

Avoiding the thought that my soul is empty by keeping busy is one of the oldest tricks in the book. One writer suggests that we fill our calendars because we want to. To come to the point where I’m left all by myself, no friend to visit, book to read, TV to watch, music to listen to, bringing me to the revelation of my basic human aloneness can be a scary thing. Keeping busy allows me to play the game that everything is fine. God doesn’t want my busyness – He wants me, but we miss the point and as a result, our lives are unbalanced, our priorities are forgotten and our hearts are not in tune.

Why is it so hard for us to listen, especially guys. I remember one of the first things on Jordan's report card was the word 'focus'. His kindergarten teacher would use that word to draw attention away from what the kids were doing and the training was amazing.

OPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL EYES Job 42:1-6

What is God trying to show you:

1. God’s plan always prevails – get on His track. v2

2. Don’t talk about what you don’t know. v3 It is not your job to figure everything out and the sooner you learn that the better off you will be.

3. He is in the business of revealing Himself. God revealing Himself to you is more precious, more important than even knowing the answer. To know God is a powerful, all consuming passion.

In Philippians 3:10, Paul's passionate pursuit was to know Jesus so deeply. "For my determined purpose is that I may know Christ- that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding (the wonders of His person) more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in that same way come to know the outflowing from His resurrection (the power it exerts over believers); and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed (in spirit into His likeness even) to His death. The Amplified Bible. If you are ready to go deeper, if you long for intimacy with our Lord Jesus, if you want to be more profoundly aware of His presence, as do I, then this message is for you!

O the bliss of the man who longs for total righteousness as a starving man longs for food, and as a man perishing of thirst longs for water. And then Jesus added, ‘For that man will truly be satisfied

Lets look at a man who was heartsick for God - Psalm 63 – He didn’t seek comfort, ease. As Charles Spurgeon wrote, ‘his soul, his very self, his deepest life, was insatiable for a sense of the divine presence…oh to have the most intense craving after our Savior!

4.Repent of whatever is getting in the way of hearing and seeing God! v6

HEARING HIS VOICE

Where does God meet me? Where do I hear Him? How does it happen?

IT DOESN'T HAPPEN RIGHT AWAY. Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem.

Richard Foster

There is a process to walk through that draws us in as Chuck Swindoll outlines so well...

SIMPLIFY

It begins by reordering our personal life. I can so easily be led astray!

We need to simplify our lives, ask Jesus to release the grip, deliver us from those things that will only suffocate us and to satisfy us with His unfailing love. If I don’t simplify my life, I will not be able to rest within, I will be unable to enter the deepest parts of my heart where God’s awesome messages are revealed.

Anyone can be led astray, we are not immune, but our response time can be shortened!

J. I. Packer – in moral and spiritual terms as it relates to sin, we are all sick and damaged, diseased and deformed, scarred and sore – and the only sin I have victory over is a forgiven one. The only power I have is remaining in Jesus…

BE STILL

I am talking silence – Let be and be still, and know-recognize and understand that I am God (Amplified)

Eugene Peterson states – Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything! Jacob wrestling God fights for us. Psalm 46:10

We have to banish our world. Silence, uninterrupted quiet moments whether it is a quiet morning walk -His creation can bring us so close… find your own special meeting place with God. Go where you won’t be distracted like my pastor friend Alex in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It was there while we were building the second floor of his house that he showed his plans for his bedroom complete with an ensuite...actually no... The room in the corner was a prayer room!

Jesus also knew when it was time to dismiss the crowd.

Noise and words and frenzied, hectic schedules dull our senses, closing our ears to His still small voice and making us numb to His touch. C Swindoll man, that is scary.

If prayer is a chore rather than a comforting relief, if you are spiritually insensitive, pray that God would incline your heart toward Him. If you don’t, you are just going through the motions. It is not about doing it right. I still practice listening to God even when I don't sense He is speaking to me. God doesn't always show up and give me passion and energy.

Silence works - it brings me to the place where I'm alone with Him, shut up to God

SOUL SURGERY

In the midst of the storms, it is Jesus who tells us 'to take courage' Matthew 14:27 He is with us, we do not have to fear.

There is a furnace of transformation for our souls where our faith is tried by fire, its not pleasant, but God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

KNOW THIS… the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:12

We need to get alone with God and let Him expose us for what we really are and give us His motives, His passion, His preeminance. If we don’t, we are just mouthing words, meaning nothing.

May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping through the corridors of the Kingdom like children in the market place, chattering about everything, but pausing to learn the true value of nothing. A W Tozer

SURRENDER

Proverbs 3:5,6 - surrender your rights, your future, your will, your dreams, your finances, your leisure, your personal space, your attitude. God’s will is accomplished when I keep my hands out of it.

THE TAKEAWAY

WHY DO I WANT TO LISTEN? – because His presence is the only thing worth such a determined pursuit – it is the only thing that will satisfy my inner man!

It is there that I will weep with Jesus for those who are lost without a Heavenly Father

It is there that I will hear Him say come and find rest for your soul

It is there that I will feel His heartbeat to glorify God

It is there that I will touch Him and know He has made me whole

It is there that I will see Him intercede with all powerful intensity, not my will but thine be done

It is there that I will be delivered from selfish and wicked thoughts.

Let Him speak to your soul.

May the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:12.

The Prayer of Jesus

In the year 2000 a little book came out by Bruce Wilkinson called the Prayer of Jabez. It has been really popular with over 17 million in print based on 1 Chronicles 4:10. The promise is that readers who commit to offering the same prayer on a regular basis will find themselves extravagantly blessed by God, and agents of His miraculous power, in everyday life. Unfortunately the prayer has become something of a magical cant that people think that it all is going to fall into their lap when they keep repeating it. It reminds of the prayer of St. Jude that you often see advertised in the local prayer…just pray this prayer for 30 days…

In fairness to Bruce, I believe it was his heart’s desire that we are blessed to be a blessing. We are a conduit not a tank or well…

Jesus knew how much we liked the sound of our own voices and how easily we could get fixated on short cuts so by teaching the perfect prayer so he prefaced it with a clear directive. He did not want his prayer to be a formula to recite nor a short cut to getting things from God. He wanted it to teach prayer in all its fullness.

1. No yada, yada yada v7,8

If there is one thing that most people are good at, it’s talking. Most can go on for quite some time talking often about a lot of stuff but really nothing of real importance. Jesus knew that and He also knew that we like shortcuts. So with all that in mind, He wanted to make sure neither one of things would happen when He taught about prayer. He taught that words alone are not enough. He also warned about asking over and over for earthly things because “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” v8

It isn’t about how eloquent and how often you pray you prayers. We don’t have to make a lot of noise to get God’s attention. He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. He longs to connect with us and He wants it heartfelt and intent on really being in communion with Him.

If we are just mumbling memorized words or listing our laundry line of requests and think, great that’s done, than you’re done. He wants more of you, He wants to hear whatever you have to say. It is in this way that friendship grows. Prayer is meant to be a really great conversation!

2. God is your Papa – Daddy Father v9

Could there be a more gentle way to approach God? Jesus wanted to know that He is that close, He is that personal, He is that interested. I think we often overlook just how significant that is. Jesus could have opened with O thou eternal and infinite God of wonders, the great I AM, the mighty and glorious One among the heavenly hosts… But HE didn’t! For the disciples it was nothing short of shocking to address God in this way. The name of God was so sacred to the Jewish people that they were not permitted to even speak it out loud.

You may have heard the acronym for prayer as ACTS, but we are missing the most important aspect FAITH. It is the FACTS of prayer. It is in faith that we address God as our Father and realize we are His children.

Jesus then goes on to say “Our Father in heaven” to remind us that God is beyond all space and time. Words of faith build on our relationship with God and words of reverence to make us aware of our place in that relationship

If you like acronyms, here is one from Larry Crabb on PAPA

P present yourself to God without pretense

A attend to how you are thinking of God

P purge yourself of anything that is blocking your relationship with God

A approach God as the first thing in your life

Hallowed be your name.

To pray ‘hallowed be your name’ means first things first. It places the emphasis on God first. We begin prayer by not emphasizing the situation but the God in all situations. It is significant to take time to hallow His name and that our lives are committed to His amazing nature and holiness rather than being all about my needs.

It is our prayer that His name will be respected by those who proclaim it. We pray that His Word will be spoken with clarity and authority and everything else needs to fall in line with that. In a sense our hallowing of His name is that we might be a living song of praise to God in everything that we place our mind, heart and hands to.

It was Augustine who said of hallowing His Name that it is a prayer that His Name would be held holy by men.

It is a celebration of our right through Jesus to adore God’s Holy Name.

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!

Your kingdom come resonates with gold and glory. Imagine God’s kingdom reigning on earth, every moment filled with the joy of His unending Presence and perfection. Who wouldn’t want heaven on earth? Artists sing about it, but here’s a news flash. We did have it, although short-lived, it was here and sin plunged us into darkness.

Ever since we have been in the throes of a fight between two kingdoms as Ephesians 2 so accurately puts it.

Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36 and the shouts of Hosanna and Blessed be the King of Israel turned to Crucify Him and we have no king but Caesar (John 19:15)

Are we intent on seeing His kingdom come? Do we want more of heaven on earth, being part of bringing His presence to your world? It’s going to cost you!

It is a prayer request to let the kingdom of God invade our hearts and to bring Christ into every part of our lives. It is a prayer of allegiance and it is saying God, I am on your team, every part of me - I throw myself into it heart and soul

It calls us to love extravagantly, give generously with a heart completely filled with the joy of the Lord!

That is why ‘Your will be done’ so naturally follows in the prayer. He is calling the shots, He is setting the agenda. We submit ourselves to God’s will. It doesn’t always turn out the way that you like it and we can pray with confidence, “No matter what Lord I accept whatever you choose to send me” Its not as much about the destination as it is about the journey along the way.

On earth as it is in heaven...

Jesus lived it, He modeled it, He empowered us to live the same way as He expressed not my will but yours be done in the Garden of Gethsemane. I don’t know about you, but it is a lot easier for me to follow someone who is leading by example and Jesus did that for me. It is easier for me to get up in the morning, it is easier for me to dig in and go the distance when I set my sights on Him. I will give my all for Him, I will put everything into what I do. His life is all the motivation in the world to me.

Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

He could have modeled a prayer for wisdom, for courage, for strength, but NO, He goes back to the most basic need.

I remind you of a great quote from a well known preacher, Howard Hendricks…75% of spirituality is a good night’s rest.

Get back to basics in your prayer life. Bread is the very foundation of our life and in many parts of the world, people don’t know where their next crust of bread is coming from. He was teaching that God can provide the most basic necessities of life and preparing His disciples for a gift way beyond any price…look at Luke 11:11-13 The answer to our prayers is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the ultimate “good gift” that God gives in response to our asking, seeking, and knocking. So, too, prayer is about our relationship with God. The more we grow in our relationship with God, the more we’ll want of God.God promises to give us more of the Holy Spirit--in and through all the circumstances of life--as the deepest answer to our prayers.

Ask, and the Holy Spirit will be given to you. Seek, and you will find the Holy Spirit with you. Knock, and the door of God’s kingdom will be opened to you. For how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit, to those who ask?

One pastor and writer, Craig Barnes states “Sometimes life gets overwhelming, and we realize we could use a little help. So we pray for our health to get better, for our marriage to work out, for success in our work that has taken a turn for the worse. There is nothing wrong in praying for these things, but they are not what our salvation is about. Don’t expect Jesus to save us by teaching us to depend on the things we are afraid of losing! He loves us too much to let our health, marriage, or work become the savior of our lives. He will abandon every crusade that searches for salvation from anything or anyone other than God. So he delays, he watches as we race down dead-end streets, he lets our mission du jour crash and burn. To receive Jesus as Savior means recognizing him as our only help. Not our only help for getting what we want. But our only true help

We can absolutely trust God with every detail of our life.

Bread stands for everything necessary for our life. Notice Jesus didn’t say me or mine. He said us and our’s! He is telling us to look outside of ourselves and to see the needs of others. It is not enough to count our blessings…we must make our blessing COUNT! We need to throw ourselves into every part of it and give where God shows us – nothing more, nothing less.

Forgive us our debts

The first step on the road to forgiveness is taking an honest look at our faults, our sins and short comings. We need to see this very clearly and it is a very necessary element of prayer. God doesn’t need a list of our sins but we do in order that we seriously own up to what we have done.

In forgiving others we release them from the obligation they owe to us and really place them in much better hands, God’s hands. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Genesis 18:25

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Well why does God allow us to be tempted in the first place anyways? Its called free will and once again and it has been debated by philosophers and theologians for centuries! However, the Bible answer man, Hank Hanegraaff has a two word answer – free will.

God has given us the opportunity to choose and that is no better illustrated than in 1 Corinthians 10:13. He is always ready to give us strength to make the best choice and He provides us with the spiritual armor to face whatever comes our way. This is especially true as it relates to the devil’s onslaughts. When you battle him, you battle a fallen angel with all of his strength, intelligence and will. He once walked with God but his pride caused his fall. Never underestimate his power, ‘your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

However he is a lion on a leash. So, remember don’t overestimate either and remember that as you submit to God, resist the devil and stand up to his lies, he will flee. 1 Peter 5:8,9

The Takeaway

Keep repeating the Lord’s prayer enough so it becomes a living reality in your life.

It has been said we need to be reminded more than we need to be educated. My prayer is that as I have expanded on this prayer that it has become more precious, more empowering, more fulfilling in your life.


“Finish the sentence” for Discussion and Small Groups:

1. When ______________________ happened, I felt as if…
2. Me?! Have a part in bringing God’s kingdom to earth? Well that’s pretty…
3. It never occurred to me that Jesus expects me to…
4. Being ‘in debt’ means that I….
5. Temptation was tapping me on the shoulder when… next thing I knew, I…