Salvation and power are established!
Kingdom of our God, authority of his Messiah!
The accuser of our brothers and sisters thrown out,
who accused them day and night before God.
They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb
and the bold word of their witness.
They weren't in love with themselves;
they were willing to die for Christ. Rev.12:9-11
Hi everyone! We've been back from our tour now for about a week. Its been a challenge to come back and not lose what we gained on a personal level during our trip. There is a level of rest and initmacy with the Lord that we keep pressing into.
So many people have asked us how the Ring of Fire Prayer Tour went and its been hard for us to really describe. So many things happened on so many different levels, but probably the most important thing for us is the "personal obedience" aspect of the tour. We are also increasingly learning to listen and move in the leading of the Spirit, letting go of our own sense of timing and trusting His. Also, since the tour was His idea, we know that we can entrust the real results to the Lord - we sowed the seeds and He will water and brings the increase.
Also, living in Gibsons can bring on an isolation mentality, and its easy to feel disconnected and become discouraged. We certainly felt priviedged to be able to connect with others and get a larger picture of what God is doing in this area; to be encouraged ourselves and to be an encourager of others.
We would especially like to thank Daria Tomiuk of 24-7 Prayer Canada as our third intercessor and Cindy Dayneswood as our rear guard intercessor.
Mark 4:28 (The Message)
Then Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!
The ingredients of life are already in the garden; the seed has the divine capability to receive the moisture and absorb the minerals. So is the Body of Christ. The secret of this "formula" is God's way, not our way! The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. He is waiting for a people; not more action on our part. He is waiting for a people who will learn to be still and wait for Him. He is waiting for a people who will simply commit themselves to the doing of His will. He is waiting for those who are prepared to forsake their own vision, and be wholly occupied with His! And while we are waiting for only what God can do, let us faithfully do what He has told us individually to do, no matter how simple or menial. Heaven's plan will never be accomplished through our methods, programs, initiatives but only through our obedience to his voice. Every time God moved in the earth, it was something new, something fresh from God's storehouse - for we can never exhaust all the hidden treasures of His heart.
This is the kind of revival that is in our hearts for Gibsons, for BC, for Canada and for the nations!
Thanks to everyone for their prayers and for journeying with us on this amazing tour! God bless you, God bless Canada!
~Some excerpts gleaned from George Warnock's 'Chain Reaction in the Spirit'
So the most common questions we've been asked since coming back from the Ring of Fire Prayer Tour are: "Is there a next step?" and "Do you have the next step?"
Our heart of course is to have a House of Prayer/Worship here in Gibsons. It would be a place of Shalom, a place of rest - a dwelling place for the Lord - a place where heaven touches earth. What that is to look like in the natural is yet to be seen, but we know that it can't be a copy of any other prayer or worship house. It must be unique to this area and it must follow a heavenly blueprint. This is going to require time, prayer, waiting, seeking, asking, listening.
So, we're content right now not having the next step. We know that God will give it to us at the right time, in the right way. It's going to be very important that we follow His instructions exactly, even to the timing of things. We know that we must take each step God's way, not our own way.
We're in no hurry, God.We're content to linger in the path sign-posted with your decisions. Who you are and what you've done are all we'll ever want. Isaiah 26:7-10 Msg
Allow me to quote David Damien of Watchmen for the Nations:
He Has the Plan In this season, we can rest in knowing that God is not waiting for us to put the plan, He has had the plan since before the foundation of the earth that will bring everything into accordance with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11). God is only looking for us to surrender all to Him – our time, our finances, our family, our dreams, our desires – and to come into alignment with Him. This is the turning point – the end of the kingdom of Saul and the beginning of the kingdom of David. It’s the end of man’s initiatives, man’s programs, man’s plans. The next era belongs to those who will inquire of the Lord, who will keep His word, who will follow His prescribed ways.
“Say not thou, what is the cause that the former days were better than these? For you do not enquire wisely concerning this.”
Ecclesiastes 7:10
People Question: “If this is the move of God, then why was it so much ‘better’ before this? The church was full – the finances were up – everyone was happier back then. We have traveled so far and see no fruit of this revival yet – only loss.”
Even within the framework of the revivalists there is still a “bit of religion” as we are all being stretched further than we “thought” would happen.
This message will pose many questions to all of us who say that we are “going for revival.”
So here we go…
It all began with desire, hope and a dream, placed in the promises and prophecies of the revival. You reached out with great expectation as the thoughts of what God was saying to His church were expressed in the voice of many people. You have heard it from your pulpits, from friends, evangelists, television and the internet revival lists. You have searched it all out and stepped into the adventure of a lifetime. This promised to be the most exciting time of your whole Christian life.
“And now, here at this time, many are asking, ‘why isn’t it happening?’”
There was a point, for many of you, some years back, when you made a major transition in your Christian life and walk – from the ‘way you had always done it,’ to getting hungry for something that was real – something beyond yourself. Most of you can probably name a year, a month and maybe even a date and hour when God touched your life in a way that you had never before been touched.
Something came alive in you – something more real than you could have imagined.
You knew that you had made contact with The Living God!
So, the journey started. And now, here you are, years down the road pushing toward ‘breakthrough’ and are really wondering some things. I trust that what I write today will answer some things for you and encourage you to go deeper than you have ever gone before. This depth that I am talking about is rock-solid, firm and unyielding to the pressures of this life and the future.
It is foundational to your faith.
Early on we believed in the revival for what we saw with our eyes. We began to believe because we had not seen God’s power manifested in such a visual way. Based upon what we witnessed with our own eyes in the early stage of the move of God, we decided that we were going to go for it, regardless of the cost. Very brave of us, when we had no idea of the cost!
It is time for your faith to arise in times that offer you nothing that your natural eyes can see.
One of the things that occurred in revival was the uprising within the church, creating a split off the body as the camps and schools of thought were developed from within the hearts of people. It all came down to simply, where did you and others stand in relationship to what you saw happening as things began to stir the town, the church, the leadership, the congregation. The early fires of revival were hot and revealing at the same time, making known or manifest the hearts of many.
This taxed our faith as we personally had to decide if we were still going to stand firm and believe that this was really a move of God.
This event left many people trying to decide, “If this was a move of God, then why did ‘so and so’ quit the church?
And then, we transitioned away from the grief of losing friends from our fellowship, and decided that we were going to go on.
Many of you withstood that test and are still waiting for the promised outpouring of God’s Spirit – the one yet to come.
Some of you in revival churches have been faced with the tests of having people come into the church, look at you, and walk out and want nothing to do with you and you might say, “So, this is revival?” Others come into your fellowship and see the small numbers and say,
“Well, if you have revival in your church, why isn’t your church full?” “Where are your souls?”
“Is anything happening in your church yet?”
In the midst of all of this change and stir and criticism, you may still be making decisions as to just where you stand and pondering, “Do I believe or not believe that this is the move of God?
For the sake of helping many of you, I am going to build a scenario that I trust will position us for the season ahead of us, however long that may be.
It is easy to be caught up in the sway of the crowd, but can we stand alone?
You may say, “Well, we have been standing alone.” I am asking a deeper question than that.
“Can YOU stand alone?”
It is easy to rush towards a goal that we have not personally embraced, as long as there’s excitement, as long as others are cheering us on and going with us.
“If we have a cheering crowd, we can go anywhere and do anything.”
But, my question to each of us is this –
· Are you taking the journey because others are doing it or because you are convinced, deep in your own heart, that this is absolutely right and a God-driven Move of God - Revival?
· Why are you where you are and what has caused you to continue to pursue this journey?
· Are you doing it because others have decided to keep on going or because you have decided?
· Have you been deeply challenged in your own heart to keep going – regardless?
Take time, the next time that you gather with other believers and ask yourself these hard questions. “What if those that I trust the most to be committed to the move of God were the next to walk away saying, ‘I have come to believe that this is not real and have decided to lay it all aside?’” How deep would this challenge your belief that what is going on is real?
· Would your faith be challenged too deeply to remain a “believer” in the current move of God as being the “real thing” if someone you believe in walks away at this point?
· Would you go on, regardless of what “others” do?
These are difficult questions, no doubt and a little uncomfortable to those of us who already feel that we have lost friends and family support.
· Would you continue the race if the grandstands were empty?
So your church has been in “revival” and “your pastors” have planted the seed and kept it watered, keeping the vision alive, reminding everyone of the promises and the destiny. Or maybe you are one of those that are in a church where you and a few others are still praying for a move of God in your church and you ‘feel alone in the journey.’ Whoever you are and regardless of how wonderful or how hard it has been to this date, there is a season that is upon us that we need to prepare for.
The questions to challenge all of us is –
· “How deep is the seed of commitment, obedience, and the change that God has made in your life, planted within your own heart?”
· How quickly would we convert back to the ‘old way’ if there were not a constant push or thrust forward by the revivalist of this age?
· Have you gone far and deep enough in your own pursuit that if no one spoke to you again of the move of God, would you believe that there is revival coming to the nations of the world?
· Would you believe in the harvest that is to come?
I believe in leadership and following leadership, but I am talking of something so much deeper here that it transcends following the crowd to truly following because we believe enough to follow – though none go with us. Yes, we should hear the word of the Lord from the anointed vessels that God has placed to prepare the church, but eventually, we have to believe the seed of the written and rhema Word enough for it to grow fruit in our lives that will remain if others move on. The church is built upon the confession of “Who WE say that Jesus is…not who others say He is.”
· If God were to place you – a remnant – in exile or in a dry place – alone – or in a place of persecution – would the commitment be in you to continue on, unhindered, unwavering, without looking back?
Think with me of the Apostle Paul, who sat alone in prison for a good part of his ministry, but believed enough to take that time to write the Epistles to the Churches. Think with me of John the Beloved, exiled on the Isle of Patmos, a penal colony, receiving the Revelation of Jesus Christ that we study today and the fact that he evangelized that Island while there. Think with me of John the Baptist, wandering in a wilderness, in preparation for the ministry of a Harbinger – coming out to prepare the way of the Lord – full of faith, using the wilderness experience to prepare himself for ministry.
Were these men extraordinary? No – they had just made up their mind that they believed – in spite of circumstances, trials or persecutions – to follow hard after God. The time and space would fail me if I were to try to speak of all those down through history who have faced the worst of times and yet, stayed true to what they believed.
This type of faith has to go beyond our heads and be planted so deeply in our hearts that it will not crumble under pressure.
Yes, our faith will be tested – but faith stands alone when everything else fails. That is the way with faith. It does not have to see in order to act and in fact works best when there is nothing to hang onto or anything to see.
Some of you have great respect for your leadership and have honored them and rightly so. I can challenge others in this area because I am a leader of people who are being discipled by me. But there is one thing I know – if for some remote reason I were to be removed from their lives, I would hope that the seeds that I have planted in their lives would remain, because they believed so deeply that nothing could shake them loose from their firm foundation that is being developed in their lives.
My question to you is this:
· If the leadership that you currently have were to be removed from your life and be no more, (and I am not even especially talking about some kind of failure, being as there are pastors in other countries who are in jail or martyred and the church has had to learn to keep standing in those times), would you have the fruit of what God has been doing, so deeply planted in your spirit, that you would continue moving the same direction that you are now going?
· Could you hang onto the promises and believe for the move of God?
It is time for all of us to examine the level of growth of “all of the seeds” that have been sown into our hearts, minds and lives, in the past season and ask ourselves some tough questions – tough ones that may save us from shipwreck.
· Why are we doing what we do – because of others, (and I am not talking about not following leadership, for this is right in the sight of God), or because of God and our devotion to Him?
· If your church leadership were to say that because of the “cost” of doing things the way that they have been being done, that the church was going to have to adjust and do something to get the church “back on track,” financially and to draw the crowds back, to gain the respect of those who no longer believe in “our position, “I would ask you, “How quickly would you settle back into the routine of the past?”
· If there were adjustments made, such as has happened in some churches, would you settle back into the comfortable fit of the “old wine skins of religion,” or is there enough of the “fire of God in you to keep you burning,” even if everyone else has “ceased burning?
How many of you are doing some thinking about these questions? These are serious thoughts being presented to each of us to prepare us to stand in the days ahead. We should all be provoked to deep thoughts about these ponderings.
· How deep is our personal commitment – when it “seems” like we are on the losing side and everything is falling apart in front of our eyes?
(Remember? We are going to a place where we cannot look with the natural eyes, but with the eyes of faith that will tell the truth when our natural eyes lie to us.)
· Would you turn around and return to the places of comfort and ease – once again being spoon-fed by another’s hand - or would you continue to drink from the Living Water and eat the Living Bread for yourself?
· Will we hold our ground for the higher prize?
Your answer to these hard questions, now, and the answer “your life” would give under those circumstances may not be the same, if you haven’t been established in your faith in God and His Word in order to stand in tougher times than you have already faced.
· Do you believe what you do because of your own heart-felt decision – or – have you simply embraced the lifestyle of another?
· Have your truly changed or have you just adapted to the temperature of the water because someone else turned up the heat?
Consider Israel with me for a moment – With each change of a king, Israel would either rise to the Godliness of the king and his ways, or they would plummet to the depths of the degradation of the ungodly king. But, there was always a remnant that held true regardless of the ungodly kings of Israel, because there was “Another Throne,” – a “Heart Throne,” that had been captivated by God alone. For them, it didn’t matter who sat in the earthly seat. Even physically captivity could not change their allegiance.
They served God in freedom and they served God in captivity.
I heard the Lord say to me on May 15, 2003 at 8:30 AM,
“Fickle Faith.”
Are we so “fickle in our faith” that we waver with every change that is made in our surroundings?
God is building a “Holy Generation” – a “People” who have decided because of “Who they say that Jesus is to them.” This is a people who have made up their mind that they will serve the Lord even when they go it alone. They understand the history of the Church and are prepared to pay the price to follow all the way – “though none go with them.” These are a people who have come to understand that…
· Others answers will not do.
· Others worship will not do.
· Others loyalty will not do.
· Others prayers will not do.
· Others faith will not do.
· Others commitment will not do.
· Others love for God will not do.
· Others anointing will not do.
· Others obedience will not do.
· Others faithfulness will not do. You will have to make up your mind. I will have to make up my mind – to follow Jesus – though NONE go with me. That has to be the level of commitment that we have towards God, regardless of what the seasons ahead holds in store for us. Whatever transitions, or goes on around us and what the circumstances of life may bring into our path, we have to continue to go forward, even if we have to go alone.
We're here back home in the gateway to the Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC.
Prayer: Lord you are the one that searches minds and hearts and tests every man's motive. We know that what you want from us is truth in the innermost part, and a hunger and thirst for righteousness and holiness. We invite you, Holy Spirit, to be our searchlight, to probe every area of our hearts and minds to see if there be any crooked or perverse way in us, and deliver us,and lead us in the paths of righteousness, justice and truth. Lord, we admit that we cannot do this without your help so we ask you, Holy Spirit, to breathe your holiness into us and create in us a clean heart. Renew in us a right spirit, a willing spirit. Burn us up with your holy fire from your altar,and cleanse us. Teach us the fear of the Lord, in a way that makes us tremble at your words.
Psalm 24 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Lift up your heads,
O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle...Selah
Our last cleansing prayer in the Ring of Fire
Lord, we're asking that you give us the Harvest. Its time. This time.
Well here we are on our trip back on the ferry to earls cove from saltery bay. What a beautiful afternoon..totally sunny. As I write this we are the first on the ferry overlooking the whole area, the best view on board! WOW!
So this morning we went to Powell River to pray by the water. On the way there we saw a couple of eagles perched on a very dead tree. This is the second day in a row we had a great view of eagles. A lot of meaning packed into that.
We stopped to pray at a memorial site that had been set up to honor the pioneers of this area going back to the early 1900’s. Also at this site was a rock monument to Canada with the Canadian anthem, and underneath “Follow your Dream”.
What’s your dream for Canada?
A generation returning to the Father’s house
All generations walking shoulder to shoulder- healing of relationships
Restoration of God’s people in the earth and
walking in covenant with a faith that says all things are possible with God
Canada stepping into her identity and destiny in the nations
All nations filled with the glory of God as waters cover the sea
God gives you permission to dream too!
"Permission to Dream" lyrics
My love when you speak to me
Don’t you beg on the floor
‘Cause you have the right to stand
With your eyes on my throne
There is a road for you
Paved with dreams of your own
I don’t want to hear silence
When I’ve given you the floor
I don’t want to hear the same words
When I’ve called you to more
I don’t want to hear you whisper
When I’ve called you to scream
And in case you didn’t know
You have permission to dream
My love when you feel it rise
Don’t you resist, anymore
'Cause what you feel is from my heart
And it’s meant to break and restore
I don’t want you to hesitate
When you’ve been called to explore
I don’t want to see you weary
When you’ve been made to soar
I don’t want to see you afraid
When I made you for war
I don’t want you to play the victim
When I’ve given you a sword
I don’t want to hear you whisper
When I’ve called you to scream
And in case you didn’t know
You have permission to dream
What do you want?
Tell me
What do you see?
Tell me
What do you dream?
Tell me
Written by Jonathan Jackson
Then we went down to the beach from there and prayed.
Thanks to our wonderful hosts Dietmar and Patricia Peters from Kelly Creek Community Church.
Thanks also to their Pastor Mike who opened up their sanctuary to us. Also it was great to have Chantale come by the church as we were packing up – we had an awesome time of worship and prayer!
Stay tuned. As we head home there is a lot to process, but we still have one more 24 hour prayer watch tomorrow (Sunday) starting at 1:30pm at Calvary Baptist Church in Gibsons. You are welcome to join us between 1:30 pm and 9:30 pm.
We arrived in Powell River at noon yesterday and drove to Kelly Creek Community Church, where we were warmly greeted by our friends, Dietmar, Patricia and daughter Tracey! (picture coming soon)
It was a hard day yesterday. Lots of frustrations, annoyances particularly with media: camera not working, frozen mp3, uncooperative computer - lots of opportunites for the flesh to rise up. But its ok now, we had our coffee this morning
We were given the scripture Isaiah 45 yesterday to pray into - especially verse 3 - about God giving us the treasures of darkness, and the riches stored in secret places (or in the Message it says 'I'll lead you to buried treasures, secret caches of valuables') so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Exodus 19:5a Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession..
We are God's treasure, and He wants us to be treasure hunters of one another - to call out the best in each other. God wants to affect deep change in us. He has set inside you a treasure of tremendous brilliance for His pleasure, and also for the building up of his Body. And like Gideon, he will not listen to our negative self-talk. He will speak and relate to us as He has called and made us to be: "Mighty Warrior" as He said to Gideon.
This brings us to our next prayer focus. God led us to Nehemiah 11:2 And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem.
There is an honoring of godly men in leadership here in this passage that is very public. This is something that we prayed into at dawn today using this wonderful crafted prayer online:
I believe in the power of intercessory prayer - particulary of those that have the heart of David.
Psalm 108 reads as follows from the Oxford Annotated Bible:
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody, Awake of my soul Awake oh harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, Among the peoples, And I will sing praises to you, Among the nations, For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, And your faithfulness reaches to the clouds, Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And let your glory be all over the earth, Give victory with your right hand, And answer me,
So that those whom you love may be rescued, God has promised in his sanctuary: With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth, Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter,
Moab is my washbasin, On Edom I hurl my shoe,
Over Philistia I shout in triumph, Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not rejected us O God? You do not go out, O God, with are armies, O grant us help against the foe, For human health is worthless, With God we shall do valiantly; It is he who will tread down our foe.
The meaning of this psalm emanates from verse 2, where the psalmist, David says, awake, O harp and lyre, I will awake the dawn. Verses 3 thru 6 go on to say, " I will give thanks to you O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations, For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches the clouds, Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth, Give victory with your right hand, and answer me, so that those whom you love may be rescued.
This psalm apparently was written at a time when David was at the height of his kingship, leading the peoples in praise of the Lord. In the traditional sense, David was a powerful leader but this is also referring to a leadership as God's anointed.
Here, David, when he says he will awaken the dawn, is speaking of great and vast intercessory powers, that he himself possesses in the context of prayer.
The power of his intercessions, have a pervasiveness that can reach throughout all of the earth and just as the day can dawn throughout all the earth, his own powerful relationship with the Lord as an intercessor is such that his intercessions can awaken or even surpass what is physically present in the dawning of the sun for a new day.
We can only imagine what David's pleadings might have been, but in verse 6 he is asking for the Lord to answer me, and says that this would happen so that those whom the Lord loves may be rescued. He asks the Lord is verse 5 that his love be all over the earth.
We don't know the specific contents of David's requests, but we do know that he is referring to the Lord's love, in his requests and how this love is also for individuals unnamed but known to the Lord, throughout the earth.
This also gives the idea that a good place to start in prayer is that the Lord's love be sent.
It can only be imagined how great David's intercessory power would affect the world today. When he speaks of awaking the dawn, he is talking of something great and widespread, something that otherwise was not present or even seemingly possible.
David's prayers today could change conditions in whole continents at the level of spiritual life, at the level of physical life and the speculation could go on and on. He could change weather systems for years throughout the earth, just as Elijah did, as mentioned in Paul's epistle of James.
Conditions throughout vast regions of the earth could be changed, at the level of awakening the dawn, by the power of David's intercessions.
Individuals on a massive scale could be rescued, in any ways that they needed to be rescued, through the great power of David's pleadings to the Lord.
Verse 7 says, " God has promised in his sanctuary: With exultation I will divide up Shechem, And portion out the Vale of Succoth,
This is referring to the power and just have specific the work of the Lord is. Every division, every portion of what will happen and can happen, is under the control of his sovereign desire.
It will be the Lord understanding that rules. In the case we do know of where this type of prayer was effectual, the Lord responded to Elijah's request for rain and the divisions and portions of how this rain came was controlled by the Lord's sovereignty.
Verse 12 says, " O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless." Of course there is some practical value to human help, but in the dimensions that David is speaking of here, dimensions where there is an awaking of the dawn of what was otherwise impossible, inconceivable and just otherwise not going to be, other than through the help of the Lord, and no matter what advances of man that can ever come about, this truism will hold that the inventions of man can never reach the level of awakening the dawn. Something like this can only manifest through the appearance of the Lord's help.
In James, Chapter 5 verses 16 through 18 it says," Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed, The prayer of a righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest."
It is interesting that this verse doesn't say someplace locally yielded its harvest, it says the earth yielded its harvest. This was the whole earth, not some local farmland. This was a kind of awaking of the dawn that David speaks of in his psalm.
There is an implication in these verses from James that such intercessory powers can be available to those whom the Lord deems righteous and these intercessions can reach every nook and cranny of the earth.
These intercessions are both powerful and effective and reach into dimensions that are just otherwise not available to man. These channels cannot ever be traversed other than through prayer and that manifestation of its power and effectiveness. No matter what is invented in science into the near and far future, nothing can be obtainable that could do what Elijah awakened through his specific prayer, which is to stop all rain on the earth for more than three years and then have it rain to where the whole earth was properly moisturized for crops and the harvest. These dimensions can not otherwise be reached.
Something to meditate on is in what ways do people need to be rescued, as it does say in verse 6, " so that those whom you love may be rescued." Such situations can be the subject of intercessions.
Realistically, it would be utterly impossible that someone could literally awaken the dawn. However, this psalm says otherwise, that something as great as the dawn if not greater can be awakened and that David did actually do this. David is quite plainly saying, his prayers did reach out into the level of awaken the dawn of what was otherwise impossible.His prayers, reaching through the earth both in space and time, may be affecting the earth even now, awakening the dawn in these present days.
Since Nanaimo was one of the original 7 cities, we thought it was important to make a prayer-stop there, so this morning before heading to Parksville, we headed down to the waterfront. It was a beautiful day in the neighbourhood (haha) and we walked out on the fisherman's pier.
It was rather interesting, as there were a number of street people on the pier, visiting with each other. We went to the end of the pier and stood beside the marine marker and prayed. These pictures are part of our prayer time.
Matthew 5:13-16
Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God,this generous Father in heaven.
Cindy, our third intercessor, had sent a message in the morning letting us know to be watchful and pay attention. All through the morning and as we driving to Parksville, the Lord was giving us words of direction and various clues somewhat like a strange kind of scavenger hunt. After we had set up at the church, we continued to press into the meaning of the various clues and we were led to some scripture. After some more confirmation, we crafted a prayer for Parksville, based on the scripture we were given. Much of the afternoon was spent in worship, and we knew that this battle was the Lords. It was time for a victory dance! Right after that,we went to an outside location, prayed over the land, and blew the shofar - three long blasts! Did you hear them? :)
Many thanks to Dan King and Parksville Fellowship Baptist Church for their welcome and hospitality! It was amazing as Dan had already set up a week of 24-7 prayer and we were able to weave our time into this, and cover the late night watch. We were also asked to be door keepers for the other prayer shifts which we were happy to do!
Stay tuned, we're heading to Courtenay tomorrow to spend some time with our spiritual mom and dad..
Yesterday we packed up from Victoria and took in a conference session at a church in Victoria. Lots to glean from that. Here are a few quotes: "Favour is a lifestyle - God's favour is a process of becoming more Christlike, loving God in the moment and finding His purposes", "Favour relentlessly concentrates on the goodness of God" and "Whatever God is, He is it relentlessly; relentlessly good, relentlessly kind...." Also, there were a number of paintings that people had painted during the worship times. I'll include my favourite in this post. (To get the rest you'll have to check my facebook pictures.)
Today we got up early and headed out to the Parliament buildings in Victoria before we headed out of the city. We stood on the Parliament grounds and prayed. We noticed two security guards and struck up a conversation with them, mostly about the history of the buildings. We walked around a little, took some pictures and then headed out.
Originally, we had Nanaimo on our radar as one of the 7 cities, but it looks like other plans came together. We were having trouble connecting with anyone in Nanaimo, and had been given an invitation by New Life Community Baptist Church in Duncan pastored by Mark and Cheryl Buchanan. So, we accepted the invitation!
It was a beautiful sunny day and we made a stop enroute on the Malahat (they call it a mountain) for a photo op. We found a place to sit and enjoy the view..and got some silliness out of our system.
Then we headed up to Duncan. Taking a beautiful route through some First Nations land, we finally arrived at the church at 11am.
Cheryl was there to meet us and she showed us around and gave us an outside spot on a patio, just outside a foyer area (close to the kitchen YAY) It getting a little chilly now that the sun has gone down, but we brought along a trusty little heater and they are letting us “plug in” so we’ll stay warm for our midnight watch. It was great to meet Cheryl, a very talented woman and intercessor. She made some huge banners for the church. I like the one called “proclaim” (check my Facebook pictures).
The people here are very busy this weekend with numerous activities going on. One in particular that caught our attention was an “All Nations Walk” that’s happening tomorrow in downtown Duncan at Centennial Park, just of Canada Way. (how appropriate!) Before the tour began we had been praying into how we could connect with the First Nation people in the area. Looks like God has that on his agenda, so we’re excited to do a “prayer walk” in the park tomorrow afternoon after our time here and to top it off, the weather is supposed to be great! We’re totally excited. I’ll add some pictures here tomorrow.
Oh a really cool thing happened this afternoon. We were prayer walking the area, and right next door is a large Mormon church. We walked by it and Karen said, “Hey have you ever been in a Mormon church?” “No”, I said, “but let’s check it out!” So, we walked into this beautiful large building where people seemed to be gathering for some kind of meeting. As we walked in we noticed the foyer was done very traditional, with Jesus paintings and antique furniture. For the most part, it was stark and uninviting. A couple of men came through the door behind us and we introduced ourselves, saying we noticed their beautful building and wondered what it looked like inside. An older man told us they were having a meeting by satelite and it was only open to men. HAHA. Karen made some kind of joke about us not being men so we’d better be going. Humoring them seemed to keep us in there longer. We began looking at the pictures in the foyer again (stalling but not knowing why) and had thought about it being time to leave, when suddenly two young sharp looking men in their twenties appeared from out of the meeting place and started asking us questions. They were insatiably curious about us, and were sincerely warm and friendly. They asked us where we were from and what we were doing. Karen began to tell them about the prayer tour and 24-7 Prayer Canada – about the importance of prayer and praying for our communities and even our nation. The more she spoke the more curious and interested they became. Their eyes became wider and brighter as they commented on how amazing they thought this was. We could have chatted there much longer, but one of the elders sternly walked over and told them it was time for us to go. They seemed rather disappointed, as were we, but we said our goodbyes and headed back. On the way back, we thanked the Lord for this divine appointment and we prayed for them – that they would hunger and thirst for righteousness and truth and that the Lord would reveal Himself in a mighty way in the days to come – that they would find their true identity and destiny in the Father's love.
Our evening was spent partly in the prayer tent and partly in a Saturday night gathering. The worship was awesome - there were no electronics – no mics, no projector, no sound equipment at all. Actually, it was incredibly organic and refreshing. Shane, who is a co-pastor here is from Texas. I loved what he said about services: "We don't do services cuz we don't come to be served ..we come to gather..." Loved the accent and sense of humour ;)
Afterward people were invited to come and look at the prayer tent, or spend some time there. A young woman in her twenties came and we prayed with her – of course, the Lord knew what she needed and she left very encouraged.
Then, just as we were getting ready to have a late snack around 8pm, the janitors arrived to clean the building. We ended up in an amazing conversation with 3 people - a gramma, daughter and granddaughter who do the cleaning together. The spirit about them was so incredible, they were singing and praying the the whole time they were working. It was inspirational just to watch them work. At one point, a young man outside was yelling obsenities and curses at the church and right away we all grabbed hands and began to intercede and pray for him. Its so cool how God connects us when we don't even know each other ;)
Well, time to sign off. Thanks again for praying. We're learning alot as we go. Nanaimo, here we come. Got some business to do there tomorrow, then off to Parksville the next day.
Oh, here is a picture of the Walk for the Nations and also of Mark and Cheryl
Yesterday we pulled into Victoria from Vancouver. We immediately went to a coffee shop to relax and get online to post updates, send emails, etc. We needed to find a spot for our tent the next day and wanted to try making some more connections. We had been given a few names from Richard Long of National House of Prayer.
Sitting in the coffee shop, a young lady started up a conversation which quickly became very personal. Kimberley shared some painful experiences from her past. I was able to share some of my own journey with her, a testimony of God's faithfulness and healing in my own life. I shared the hope of the gospel with her and Jesus' heart for the lonely and the broken. We prayed together in the coffee shop and as she left, I couldn't help but think about these words:
Is 42:3
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
I may have missed this opportunity had I been too focused on what was at hand - namely getting a place for our tent. It would have been easy just to pass her by due to my own selfishness.
We ended our time at the coffee shop no further ahead as none of our possible contacts had returned our emails, or calls. We had to wait now until morning so we were off to a family member's home for some needed shuteye.
The next morning, we headed out around 9:00 to Serious Coffee to get an internet connection. Hmm still no reponse. I'm getting a tad anxious..we only have a few hours before we need to set up. Rather than giving into it, we decided to enjoy the day and take it an hour at a time. Our next stop, a prayer walk along the breakwater at Ogden Point. On our way out there, we noticed a sundial on the walkway, with some printing underneath it. The words "time adjustment" and "increased accuracy" jumped out at us. These words gave us a sense of peace and rest, as we surrendered our own concept of time and scheduling to the Lord. It was an amazing time of prayer at the end of the breakwater by the lighthouse.
By this time it was getting close to noon and still no calls, so we just decided to show up on the doorstep of The Miracle Centre on Belmont.
So, at 12:30 we come to the door, and before we even had a chance to explain why we were here, we were invited in for tea, and there was a hub of activitiy going on there. Apparently they were preparing for their weekly community dinner where a number of people in the community come each week for a hot meal - many of the people are street people and/or homeless. We were invited to dinner, to take part in their evening with them. When Pastor Dan came a few minutes later, we explained what we were doing and without hesitation he set us up in their sanctuary on the stage right in the midst of everything that was going on! We had a perfect spot, just big enough for the tent.
Our evening was amazing, we met so many people and particulary a young man named Clayton. We sat with him during dinner and he told us a bit of his story. Our hearts went out to him and before he left we asked if we could pray with him. He responded that he would also pray for us, so we shared our hearts together in prayer. He became like a son to as in that instant God knit our hearts together. We continue to pray for him, for complete freedom and healing and also for his friend Shannon.
I just can't get over how many special treasures are out there, just waiting to be discovered and brought to life, with words of life - kindness and hope.
We're learning so much as we travel. There are so many good people out here, faithful churches serving with the heart of Jesus - caring for and loving the broken. Its renewing my hope in the church - and that it really is God's hands, His feet, His very heart. The real thing is out here. We've seen it and experienced it - God's glory in His kindness demonstrated through His people!
Thank you Pastor Dan and Susan, for letting us get a glimpse of the good things God is doing here and inviting us to join with your family in God's livingroom! Susan said she was releasing us on a bungee cord -haha!
The ingredients of life are already in the garden; the seed has the divine capability to receive the moisture and absorb the minerals. So is the Body of Christ. The secret of this "formula" is God's way, not our way! The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. He is waiting for a people; not more action on our part. He is waiting for a people who will learn to be still and wait for Him. He is waiting for a people who will simply commit themselves to the doing of His will. He is waiting for those who are prepared to forsake their own vision, and be wholly occupied with His! And while we are waiting for only what God can do, let us faithfully do what He has told us individually to do, no matter how simple or menial. Heaven's plan will never be accomplished through our methods, programs, initiatives but only through our obedience to his voice. Every time God moved in the earth, it was something new, something fresh from God's storehouse - for we can never exhaust all the hidden treasures of His heart.
