Book two here.
Book one here.
This is a continuation of my practice to take notes on what I prayed.
Nevertheless, we must have you in your fullness. Nothing else will do.
2. Submission does not require the other party to be worthy. We submit because we are commanded to, not because the one in authority has passed our test.
3. Psalm 2:8 "Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession."
Although this is a Messianic statement, I still think my prayers have been too small.
4. One thing you have continually reminded me of is how much more of you there is than what I know. The magnitude of your glory exceeds my understanding, but still I need to know you, to comprehend the incomprehensible.
I'm not seeking secret knowledge, I want a revelation of the living God.
5. Why would we forfeit what you've intended for my church in favor of a comfortable church?
6. Would you instill in us a sense of adventure when it comes to knowing you? There's so much of you we haven't even got a hint of.
There's no greater thing than knowing you.
7. I can't get past the idea that there's something preventing us from taking hold of the kingdom and running with it.
8. Luke 12:49 I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
Is this judgment or is it your church lit up?
Set your church on fire.
These are dangerous prayers I'm almost afraid to pray.
9. Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
But it's necessary.
10. Once again my prayers are led to the 100 intercessors Michael spoke about months ago. Heavenly father, we need these people more than ever.
11. Last Tuesday evangelism teams went out. That is definitely you, Holy Spirit. May our hearts be turned with compassion toward the lost.
How much are our hearts bothered by the lost perishing every day? Holy Spirit, trouble me with this burden.
12. We must move on from our pleasant and comfortable church meetings into kingdom reality. The saint are to gather with power and go out with power.
Is it because we don't know? Is there spiritual opposition that keeps us powerless? Are we simply reluctant or perhaps even disobedient? Or have we chosen a lesser path? (Not a bad path, just a lesser one.)
13. We are being invited right now to change our direction. Or more specifically, gain vision, and go that way.
This is not a "must do it or we've failed." It's just the better path. Even so, it's not just a suggestion, it's Holy Spirit 's imperative.
14. "What are we waiting for, a sign from God?" Sometimes you are waiting on us to take a step forward in faith.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
15. In order to move on, we need to be a praying church. That's why I so often pray for this church to be a house of prayer.
16. I can't even imagine what it would look like for my church to be a kingdom church.
17. Uncomfortable situations are the Holy Spirit's playground.
18. I'm an optimist because I know who my God is.
1. I pray that we would not use our prayer requests to manipulate. It seems like we sometimes use prayer requests to tell others that we want something from them.
2. Sometimes we need to set aside our desire for a perfect job or a dream ministry and start living the life God has given us.
3. What happens to my faith when someone does things that disappoint me? What happens to my faith when I disappoint myself?
4. If my spiritual gift has bad fruit, it's not a spiritual gift.
5. You're not intending to create a perfect church, but rather a perfected, kingdom church.
6. Father, tell me about the spiritual gift of mercy. Eleeo, to have pity, be compassionate, extend help for the consequence of sin.
7. Would it be better to plant additional churches rather than have multiple services?
8. Father, would you give us a passion for Your righteousness? Matt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
9. Heavenly father, help us to comprehend the magnitude of our salvation. It's much bigger than I thought.
9. "Imputed." A word that implies that we aren't really saved,that we haven't been made righteous.
10. Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Psalm 24:3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD...
Both say the exact same thing! Purity, presence, blessing.
11. I want us to be the best expression of your kingdom on this earth. Don't let us be diverted in pursuit of what seems good.
12. If the doctrine of predestination is true, then you wanted some people to not be saved. Who can accept such an unbiblical idea?
The problem is predestination requires God to act because of his foreknowledge. But the fact of God's sovereignty must include his ability to choose to act or not act. Because he's sovereign his foreknowledge cannot require his action.
Hmm. I'm sometimes amazed at where my mind goes when I sit quietly for awhile.
13. Heavenly father, would you give us a revelation of who you really are? It seems like our doctrines and traditions have obscured you rather than revealed you.
14. Doctrines are not revelation, they describe revelation.
15. Do I want excellent doctrines or do I want to know my father? The two are not the same.
16. Father, who in this church are really pressing forward? Who have been awakened to kingdom reality? Who among us have been able to break free of the habits and traditions into a living faith?
There are more than I think. The seeds of revival are sprouting. The embers are burning hotter. Breathe on us, holy spirit.
17. For this church, not only do I ask for the 100 intercessors, I ask for 25 evangelists, 50 prophets, 5 apostles, 10 teachers, and 10 pastors. None of these are necessarily church leadership. Elders run the church (1 peter 5:1-3).
This exceeds my current level of faith. I can't see it in the natural. It doesn't seem possible. I'm asking you father to to do something I can't even imagine.
What I'm asking you for can only come from a church that has abandoned all for the sake of the kingdom and the King.Chapter Three
1. Every once in a while I catch a glimpse of your heart, and it brings me to tears.
2.It's truly unsettling to know that false teachers are so readily accepted by Christians. Holy Spirit, open our eyes. Give us discernment.
3. I have spent spent a lot of time praying for You to move. Also, many of my prayers are about us getting serious about our faith. Maybe it’s because of frustration or dissatisfaction, or maybe it’s a pressing of the Holy Spirit. Or both.
4. Father, I've attended many churches, been to conferences, attended all sorts of Bible studies and prayer meetings. None of these thing are very interesting any more. So much seems like a waste of time. With the new set of groups being introduced, I thought about which one I'd like to attend.
Then I thought, why? What good does it do? How does it profit the kingdom? Do I need to know more doctrine? Do I really need more teaching?
1 John 1:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you.
5. From summer to fall. What season is the church entering into? It feels like you are transitioning us into something else.
6. It seems like many of us have taken a vacation from our spiritual pursuits. But the casual enjoyment of summer now becomes a buckling down time. Labor, producing, work. Getting our house in order. Focus, preparation.
This might not be as fun. But I don't think it's going to be a time of trial so much as it will be a time of sober groundwork.
Father, help us to focus on things that are profitable for the kingdom.
1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
7. Father, help our daughters to not listen to the world's destructive message. Many of our 'tween to age 16 girls right in this church are struggling. They are imperiled, and it must stop now.
8. We belong in your family as your children. How can we not think and act according to our inheritance? Help us to not be spiritual prostitutes.
9. Isaiah 6:1 ... I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.
We are His temple, made up of living stones.
Haggai 2:9 The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts.
This is The Church. So, where's the Glory of the Lord? Your purpose for us is to show your glory. Oh, that you would come and fill us, Holy Spirit!
10. I think of worship leaders and pastors who have forsaken the faith. But the songs they've written and the sermons they preached! How is it possible for such anointing, beauty and profundity to arise out of them, yet they fell?
Further, how is it possible for evil and debased men to create sublime works of art and literature? So even the unsaved recognize and can create beauty.
This is something I must meditate upon.
11. From time to time I need to check myself. You called me to this prayer time, but am I doing it to be noticed or commended? I don't want pride to seep in.
12. The ministry of the Holy Spirit:
Enlivening
Enlightening
Encouraging
Empowering
Emboldening
13. Inventing a new term: theologians have something called the Ordo Salutis (the order of salvation). This would be something like an Ordo Sanctifico (order of sanctification), the process the Holy Spirit uses to bring a Christian to maturity.
This theology of spiritual growth should be more important than it is.
14. Holy Spirit, I need more of you. I need to grow up. I want my fleshly nature to die. I want my prayers to be heard in heaven. I need my life to testify to your glory.
15. The attraction of carefully working out one's doctrine is understandable. However, one thinks he is pursuing sanctification when it's sometimes nothing more than the tickling of ears.
16. Knowing the truth is certainly valuable, but knowing the one who is truth is better.
17. Faith is built up with knowledge, but faith does not come from knowledge.
Faith is supernatural, knowledge is natural.
Pursuing God is supernatural, pursuing knowledge without God is vanity.
Ephesians 3:17-19 ...Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth 19 of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
18. Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
This seems to be where God created time. But I also see here the first hint of valuation. The light is good and must be separated from darkness.
1 Peter 2:9 ...that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1. I believe you're going to bring focus and anointing to our leadership, and that will be part of what is needed to release this church to what we're called to be.
We are being prepared, and Father, you're waiting for the right moment. It will be an explosion.
2. We must not hold back what we are commanded to give. We tend to want to withold, conditional on performance. We have expectations that we impose before we will honor, submit, or bless.
3. How is it that I can be so weak but so arrogant?
4. Father, don't let my dissatisfaction with the status quo darken my soul.
5. Some people have Seasonal Affective Disorder. I don't want to have Spiritual Affective Disorder.
6. I pray my tastes, preferences, or affections would not interfere with my communion.
7. The routine is so entrenched in me that last Sunday's mere 10 minute extension of worship and the longer sermon was like a breath of fresh air.
But is that what satisfies us? Are we happy for the scraps from the table? Is that our thinking, that we're not entitled to more?
8. Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
"All kinds." How many kinds of prayers are there?
9. This church deserves my prayers. It is entitled to them. This church has the right to expect me to pray for it. My obligation, my privilege, is to intercede for C3.
10. How much of Israel's promises are also for us? I think of the blessings (and curses!) You promised. Wealth, but not everyone in Israel was rich. Health, but not every Jew was healthy. The blessings were not universal. And, the disasters were not individual. Why?
11. The enemy wants a foothold. How does he come?
- Cold faith
- Distraction
- Prayerlessness
- False teaching and deception
- Secret sin
- Arrogance, bitterness, resentment, envy, lying, and unforgiveness
- Pursuit of the world
- Lawlessness
12. It's one thing to defend the perimeter against the enemy, it's another for something to arise in our midst. The enemy doesn't always need to find a breech when he can infiltrate.
13. Again I pray for our young teen girls. There's something "crouching at the door" regarding them. I don't specifically know what it is. Holy Spirit, shut down the enemy's work!
These young people are poised to engage the kingdom like no generation of youth has before. I believe you will raise them up sooner, more powerfully, and more enduringly. Father, keep them safe.
14. Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world... let your light shine before others...
Light always invades darkness. The world is not getting darker. Dark is dark, the absence of light. The problem is, the Church has cut itself off from the power and the light bulb is dimming.
Why? The Reformation restored Bible knowledge to the Church, but the Church made it an idol. The idol of Bible knowledge dims the light.
15. What else dims the light? Compromise, sin, the pursuit of worldly things. Holy Spirit, we need you to fill us!
16. A seismic shift... An unprecedented move of God, here, in these Last Days.
Heb. 12:27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.
Holy Spirit, would you test our foundation? That might be a dangerous prayer. But I trust you to do the needed thing.
17. How much "fake growth" is in our church? If Christians are just shifting from church to church, we don't have a healthy church.
18. Father, would you move in us to embrace the harvest? Would you raise up the disciplers?
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