Know the Things that Belong to Your Peace!

"If thou had known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace." Luke 19:42

As Jesus came into Jerusalem on the day we now call Palm Sunday, he rode on a donkey, reminiscent of Solomon riding into Jerusalem as king. The Roman Empire was an oppressive system that had taken over the land of Israel in about 40 B.C. Before, they had lived in exile in Babylon and Assyria, but now, the exile was in their own country – in the land God had promised to Abraham. Life there was filled with terror, disease, overcrowding, rioting, huge taxes… In the town of Sepphoris, just three miles from Nazareth and just four years before Jesus born there was a rebellion against Rome. The Romans burned the city to the ground and sold the survivors into slavery. So the atmosphere at the time Jesus was born was similar to being born in New York City just four years after 9/11 – one of fear and heartache. The people of Israel were desperate for their Messiah to come.

No wonder the people shouted as He rode in “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” No wonder they rejoiced in the fulfillment of scripture that their Messiah and King was coming into Jerusalem – no wonder they thought he would overcome the Romans and begin his reign of peace on earth.

But when He approached, Jesus stopped and wept over Jerusalem. He lamented that they did not see, on this the day that their Messiah came, the things that belonged to their peace. Their peace did not rest in defeating Rome, but in a Savior who came to Jerusalem to die for their sins, their deliverance, their healing. To offer redemption. Later He will reign on earth as King.

We must know in this day, in this place, the things that belong unto OUR peace!

Where does our peace come from? What things “belong unto our peace?

Does our peace rest in politics or a problem-free life? In military strength or financial stability? In a good report?

“He is our peace.” Eph. 2:14. He – Jesus – is Himself our peace!

Because of Him, our peace consists of:

• Remembering who He is

• Remembering that He is in control

• Remembering that He is with us

• Remembering all He has done 

Remember the Lord!

Psalm 77:11-14 “I shall remember the deeds of the Lord. Surely, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds. What God is great like our God. You are the God who works wonders. You have shown your strength among the peoples.”

Rom. 8:35 "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or peril or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us."

Prov. 21:1 “The kings’ heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever He wishes”

And, finally ….

“ Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil. 4:8

….THESE are the things that belong unto your peace!

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Pressing on In Prayer - Review of What God is Teaching Us

Our prayer group continues to grow in relationship to each other and in the burden to prayer for each other, our church, our nation, Israel and the world. Each meeting has been blessed, so, I wanted to post a tool to help us remember what the Lord is teaching us. Here are summaries of the last few weeks' meetings.

  

Comrades in God's Army/Bearing One Another's Burdens

On November 3, 2015. Linda taught about being comrades in God's army.

In Peter's epistles the word "brethren" was used to describe those "born of the same womb: having the same feelings, similar emotions, dealing with same problems in life." But in New Testament times, brethren also meant brothers in battle, faithful soldiers united to fight the same fight, handle the same weapons, win the same wars. The word for "brother" also meant "comrade" - one who had achieved a special level of brotherhood known only by those who stay united together in the heat of battle.

God has put us together as a group. As a church. We are comrades. We care about each other. We bear each other's burdens.

And burdened we feel! Lately, there seem to be so many needs in our body!  Because we care, we have a dilemma - we're overwhelmed with so many feelings for each other. At times we feel worn out and grieved over so many sicknesses, attacks and trials. Some of our burdens have an exponential factor - as in grand-parenting - our hearts feel for our grandchild but those feelings are magnified by our concern for our own child as a parent.

As we age, we experience more and more loss.  Add to that, the Spirit of Antichrist is at work in this world. Just by living in this fast-paced, evil world, stimuli come at us with dizzying intensity.  7,000 - 10,000 thoughts and images go through our mind every day.

Jesus won it all on the cross, yet at present, we do not see the perfect, completed evidence of that victory.

 Hebrews 2:7-8 "You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now, we do not yet see all things subjected to him."

Matt. 24:8 and Luke 21 talk about signs of the last days which began during their time but have increased in intensity in our age. . "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."  Like labor pains, we think they can't get worse, but they do.

Romans 8:22-25

"For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."

So, knowing these things, what is our strategy?

How do we survive as comrades bearing each others' burdens and caring and fighting for each other? 

• As in everything, we pursue our own intimate relationship to God. We draw near to Him.
• We count the cost of being comrades, brethren. In a sense, we must accept the grief, the burden compassion brings. When a soldier enlists, he signs away a certain number of years. Hopefully, he counted the costs before he did. Some grief comes with the territory. Love is costly!
• In spite of the pain, we don't allow our hearts to harden. We keep it open to feel with our comrades.  Rom. 12:15   "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."
• We help them bear the crushing burdens described in Gal. 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens." These are burdens too heavy to carry alone.
• When we are anxious and worried about all the suffering we see around us, we cast our cares upon Him. 1 Peter 5:7  "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." The word for "care" describes anxieties.
•  Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

  

Effectual Fervent Prayer

Then, on 11/17/15, Andra taught about effectual, fervent prayer.

"The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much." Ja. 5:16

Salvation comes with the promise of the Holy Spirit. "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."  Luke 24:49

We are told in Acts 1:8 that we will receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon us. This is the Greek word "dynamis" meaning miraculous power, a living creative force.  The purpose of this dynamis power is to bring glory to God.  It's not about the miracles!

What does this power do in our lives?

• Helps us throw off the old man
• Does works of faith through us to preach the gospel and heal the sick.

How to we tap into this power?

• By the baptism in the Holy Spirit
• By consuming His word we get to know him - who He is and what He wants to do.
• By asking God for it!

1 Jn 5:14 "and this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us."

We have authority, but we must have the power to back it up.

Intercessory Prayer

On 12/1/15, Maureen taught on intercessory prayer. She introduced us to the work of Charles Spurgeon and shared about his life and many of his insights into prayer.

Spurgeon's sermon on Intercessory Prayer made many profound points - so profound that I could not get them down in notes. We all left there desiring to read and study Spurgeon's works.

Some of them were:

• One cannot harbor enmity against a brother after he has prayed for him. Job prayed for his friends who had accused him. We can carry the offending ones to the throne of grace.
• We must prayer for tired believers who can't pray themselves. We can take their sins to God in vicarious repentance for them. We can pray to repent for sinners. It won't save them but perhaps they will be brought to repentance. This is the type of prayer that fills in the gap.
• Intercessory prayer never gives up!
• Intercessory prayer presses on after setbacks!

Maureen's teaching captured the passion this man of God had for intercessory prayer. In our time of prayer we put what we learned into practice. We repented for our country.  

We recommitted ourselves to press on, even after setbacks. We moved into an increased passion to respond to God's call on us as a group and individually. I, for one, felt conviction for my lack of passion for prayer compared to that of Spurgeon!

Remembering Who God Is

We talked in recent weeks how the great prayers in the Old Testament always talk of "remembering the Lord".  This list from the Navigators offers thirty days of names of attributes to remember, recount, rehearse, recite...

30 Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God

by The Navigators

Though God is infinitely far above our ability to fully understand, He tells us through the Scriptures very specific truths about Himself so that we can know what He is like, and be drawn to worship Him. The following is a list of 30 names and attributes of God. Use this guide to enrich your time set apart with God by taking one description of Him and meditating on that for one day, along with the accompanying passage. Worship God, focusing on Him and His character.

God is Jehovah. The name of the independent, self-complete being—“I AM WHO I AM”—only belongs to Jehovah God. Our proper response to Him is to fall down in fear and awe of the One who possesses all authority. 

—Exodus 3:13-15

God is Jehovah-M’Kaddesh. This name means “the God who sanctifies.” A God separate from all that is evil requires that the people who follow Him be cleansed from all evil.       

—Leviticus 20:7,8

God is infinite. God is beyond measurement—we cannot define Him by size or amount. He has no beginning, no end, and no limits. 

—Romans 11:33

God is omnipotent. This means God is all-powerful. He spoke all things into being, and all things—every cell, every breath, every thought—are sustained by Him. There is nothing too difficult for Him to do. 

—Jeremiah 32:17,18, 26,27

God is good. God is the embodiment of perfect goodness, and is kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward all creation.   

—Psalm 119:65-72

God is love. God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us into fellowship with Him. God’s love not only encompasses the world, but embraces each of us personally and intimately.    

—1 John 4:7-10

God is Jehovah-jireh. This name means “the God who provides.” Just as He provided yesterday, He will also provide today and tomorrow. He grants deliverance from sin, the oil of joy for the ashes of sorrow, and eternal citizenship in His Kingdom for all those adopted into His household. 

—Genesis 22:9-14

God is Jehovah-shalom. This name means “the God of peace.” We are meant to know the fullness of God’s perfect peace, or His “shalom.” God’s peace surpasses understanding and sustains us even through difficult times. It is the product of fully being what we were created to be.

—Judges 6:16-24

God is immutable. All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He is ever perfect and unchanging.

—Psalm 102:25-28

God is transcendent. We must not think of God as simply the highest in an order of beings. This would be to grant Him eminence But he is more than eminent. He is transcendent—existing beyond and above the created universe.

—Psalm 113:4,5

God is just. God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things. We can trust Him to always do what is right.

—Psalm 75:1-7

God is holy. God’s holiness is not simply a better version of the best we know. God is utterly and supremely untainted. His holiness stands apart—unique and incomprehensible.

—Revelation 4:8-11

God is Jehovah-rophe. This name means “Jehovah heals.” God alone provides the remedy for mankind’s brokenness through His son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the physical, moral, and spiritual remedy for all people.

—Exodus 15:22-26

God is self-sufficient.  All things are God’s to give, and all that is given is given by Him. He can receive nothing that He has not already given us.

—Acts 17:24-28

God is omniscient. This means God is all-knowing. God’s knowledge encompasses every possible thing that exists, has ever existed, or will ever exist. Nothing is a mystery to Him.

—Psalm 139:1-6

God is omnipresent. God is everywhere—in and around everything, close to everyone. “‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.”

—Psalm 139:7-12

God is merciful. God’s merciful compassion is infinite and inexhaustible. Through His provision in Christ, He took the judgment that was rightfully ours and placed it on His own shoulders. He waits and works now for all people to turn to Him and to live under His justification.

—Deuteronomy 4:29-31

God is sovereign. God presides over every event, great or small, and He is in control of our lives. To be sovereign, He must be all-knowing and all-powerful, and by His sovereignty He rules His entire creation.

—1 Chronicles 29:11-13

God is Jehovah-nissi. This name means “God our banner.” Under His banner we go from triumph to triumph and say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

—Exodus 17:8-15

God is wise. All God’s acts are accomplished through His infinite wisdom. He always acts for our good, which is to conform us to Christ. Our good and His glory are inextricably bound together.

—Proverbs 3:19,20

God is faithful. Out of His faithfulness God honors His covenants and fulfills His promises. Our hope for the future rests upon God’s faithfulness.

—Psalm 89:1-8

God is wrathful. Unlike human anger, God’s wrath is never capricious, self-indulgent, or irritable. It is the right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil.

— Nahum 1:2-8

God is full of grace. Grace is God’s good pleasure that moves Him to grant merit where it is undeserved and to forgive debt that cannot be repaid.

—Ephesians 1:5-8

God is our Comforter. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter,” and the apostle Paul writes that the Lord is “the God of all comfort.”

—2 Corinthians 1:3,4

God is El-Shaddai. This name means “God Almighty,”the God who is all-sufficient and all-bountiful, the source of all blessings.

—Genesis 49:22-26

God is Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father.,” an intimate Aramaic term similar to “Daddy.” The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us as if we were the only child He had.

—Romans 8:15-17

God is the Church’s head. God the Son, Jesus, is the head of the Church. As the head, the part of the body that sees, hears, thinks, and decides, He gives the orders that the rest of the body lives by.

—Ephesians 1:22,23

God is our intercessor. Knowing our temptations, God the Son intercedes for us. He opens the doors for us to boldly ask God the Father for mercy. Thus, God is both the initiation and conclusion of true prayer.

—Hebrews 4:14-16

God is Adonai. This name means “Master” or “Lord.”  God, our Adonai, calls all God’s people to acknowledge themselves as His servants, claiming His right to reign as Lord of our lives.

—2 Samuel 7:18-20

God is Elohim. This name means “Strength” or “Power.” He is transcendent, mighty and strong. Elohim is the great name of God, displaying His supreme power, sovereignty, and faithfulness in His covenant relationship with us.

—Genesis 17:7,8

We Are Warriors!

On October 20, 2015, DeDe shared with our group about what it means to be a warrior. A number of you weren't able to be there, so here is a summary of what she taught.

2 Samuel 10:12  "Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God.  The Lord will do what is good in His sight."

God goes before us and sees the scope of every battle. Trusting God for the outcome is what makes us strong warriors. 

Following up on Andra's teaching on War Room Strategy, our prayer closet is where we meet with Him individually, the place to be alone with God, the place of intimacy with the Savior.  There we pour out our heart and listen to the Holy Spirit. In the prayer closet, the Holy Spirit gives us the strategy and equips us to fight the battles.

In contrast, our prayer group is where we meet with Him together, where two or more gather in His name. Here, we also pour out our hearts and listen to the Holy Spirit. As we unite together, each operating in her own gifts,  we receive strategy and are equipped. Here, in our group, we deploy and fight the battle.

We are warriors, God's Warriors, and it is time to deploy.  

A warrior is a brave or experienced soldier or fighter.  

- signs on to fight because of blood of Jesus

- trains to fight by studying the Word

- wears gear to fight, the Armor of God

- knows his enemy

- knows his commander-in-chief

- expects to win

To deploy is to move troops into position for military action

- to have a deliberate purpose

- requires "action"/movement

- to gear up with full armor of God

- to follow orders from the Holy Spirit

- to move out in Faith

- to be focused on the course set before us

We have been given the gifts to fight. We have prepared ourselves. We know the battles that rage. We know the Word of God. We know our commander-in-chief, SO, why are we so hesitant?  Why are we insecure as warriors in God's army?  Do we lack faith or self esteem? Are we too busy or preoccupied with our selves and our lives? 

The battle belongs to the Lord, but He has called us to be His warriors in the battle. It is God's battle.  Although we are suited up, totally prepped and trained, we don’t have to fight the battle ourselves. If we wait upon the Lord and move at His command, we will be totally tuned into Him.  It will not be about us, but about Him. Jesus will then direct our paths: "enemy on the left", "enemy approaching overhead", "turn the corner", "clear".  Our job is to listen and follow. To trust and obey. He wins the victories! 

To hear His explicit directions, we must have clear communication with Him. As Lee has been teaching, this comes from true intimacy with Him. This is where prayer comes in - staying in the Word, worship, and spending time with the Holy Spirit.  For example, a warrior walking through a minefield must be totally focused on each step. God is shining His light on the path, leading us forward. He will show us the way through the minefields of the battle. We are called to look to Him for the victory.

In Linda's blog on Time to Deploy she states:

 I, for one, don't like to fight. Never really wanted to be a warrior.

 I never sought courage or battle skills because I didn't want to admit

 I needed them.

Sometimes we say, "I don't like conflict" and run from it.  What we are really saying is, "I don't want to battle". We are running from the battle, trying to dodge the bullet. At times we don't want to release control. There are times when He calls us to stand firm and other times when He wants us to move forward into battle for His glory. We must learn to have ears to hear and then trust and obey - release control!

This brings up Fear -  "Perfect love cast out fear!"  I John 4:18.  His love is perfect, and we march in His army. Both young soldiers and seasoned fighters face fear when they grab their guns and go into battle, but they move forward anyway. They fight for the love of their country. We fight because He first loved us. It is our response to Jesus dying on the cross for us. We are blessed to have God on our side and to be suited in the full armor of God.  With fear and trembling, we go into action. Let's not  run from the battle if He has called us to fight.

What must we do and How?

Deploy is an action word. It requires us to step out! 

I think of us as a Battalion. A battalion is  a group called together for a specific purpose.

For example, a medical battalion might man the hospital. An engineering battalion might build bridges. An air battalion might fly planes and drop bombs, and a ground battalion might fight arm-to-arm combat

We are a Prayer Battalion!  We must deploy. There is a war that is raging with lots of battles all over this world - in our homes, our church, our country and the Middle East, Thailand. Each of us has different gifts to use in our battalion. We need to identify what our assignment is and then be ready to edify the battalion to help it function in the battle. We do this for the glory of God for we are in His Army.  In the examples given above, the medical battalion is no less important than the air battalion. In our prayer battalion, each one has a different assignment  based on the gifts God has given us. There is no pride in acknowledging our gift, but just thanksgiving that God deems us worthy to be in the battle fighting for His glory.

In the Prayer Battalion, not everyone may be going out to the actual battle ground, but they are still deployed. Some are watching, observing and listening to the Holy Spirit in planning a strategy to defeat the enemy. While Lee was in Columbia on a mission trip, many fellow Christian soldiers stayed at home battling in the heavenlies for his safety and for his ministry. Some top ranking officers never leave the command post, but they send out orders to the warriors on the battlefield.

There is a spot for each of us in this Prayer Battalion. God has called us together to pray. There is a mission here for us.  He wants an effective Prayer Battalion. We need to seek His strategy.  We need a clear vision for "where there is no vision the people perish." (Prov 29:18)  Then we need to be ready to act on our vision and our strategy. Some of us may still be confused about our gifts/assignments, and that is okay. Your fellow warriors in the Prayer Battalion will have your back.  As we step out in faith, God will be faithful to show us and help us.  He provides everything we need to stand in the battle, from the trumpets to the slingshot. We are just to follow orders. We will grow in confidence of our gifts as we use them for His glory.   

WE ARE WARRIORS.  IT IS TIME TO DEPLOY!

"Onward, Christian soldiers!

Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus

Going on before."

Time to Deploy?

I was just thinking this morning --40 years ago, I longed for a group like we have. A group of ladies who I can trust and share deeply with.  A "support" group. I had to wait a long time for it. We are blessed. God wants us to enjoy that.

But, I feel conviction too- look around us. Things aren't like they were 40 years ago - not even like they were 5 years ago! My idea of a perfect ladies' Bible study group 40 years ago isn't as relevant in today's world or in today's church!

At our age, we certainly see progression and intensifying  of  the evil coming against our country, Israel, the world, Christianity, young people - even children in our church. Human trafficking, pornography, homosexuality, depression, terrorism. Even our pastors - actually "especially" our pastors. . The things Lee deals with daily in his office and on the mission field…

I would really like to get comfortable in our little group - it seems that soldiers have a real camaraderie - they have each others' backs. Each one is trained and performs his job - mans his post. It is imperative that we trust and value each other, that each person gain the confidence and ability to use their gifts, but what is God's purpose in giving us these gifts, these weapons, this trust, this camaraderie?

The comaraderie is not the warrior's purpose - not the reason the army was assembled.  The training is not the warrior's purpose . There is a war to fight. We began as a prayer group. That has been made clearer by the War Room movie and Andra's excellent teaching on warfare.

I, for one, don't like to fight. Never really wanted to be a warrior. I never sought courage or battle skills because I didn't want to admit I needed them.

Ps. 18:34 "He teaches my hands to war."

Unlike  the leader we talked about yesterday - I don't even know how to "organize" a prayer meeting! Much less really pray.

We have an army, we have a comaraderie, we have knowledge. Maybe it's time to DEPLOY.

Would you join me in praying for direction in how to be stewards of the gifts we have - of the love, unity and trust we have? How to employ these things on the actual battlefield? How to really stand against the evil we see?

Let's just pray for direction and against distraction. Ask God to begin to show us how to be effective in war. We have the weapons. We need a strategy!   I am going to go back to the outline Andra gave us, and meditate on the verses.  God wants to give us direction, but it will come through each one of us as a body- together - each person bringing a piece of the puzzle.

The Desires of My Heart

This morning while lying in my bed, slowly waking up, I found myself falling into what could be called "default praying" - praying anxious prayers of protection and well-being for my kids. Even in my early morning stupor, I began to see the dysfunction in this prayer habit. As I had for so many years, I was striving to build safe little cocoons to shelter, comfort and keep each of my "peeps",  as I like to call my children and grandchildren. And, I sometimes still consider them MY peeps - MY responsibility!  It was if I was trying to surround them like feathers in a nest to coddle and keep them - a warm and cozy nest full of blessings, healings and protection.

Even Jesus acknowledged the strong parental protective urge in Luke 13:34 as He expressed His intense feelings toward Jerusalem.  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not."

We all know that the chrysalis has to work its way out of the cocoon to survive, and the baby bird has to be thrown from the nest to fly. But as the eagle hovers over its young, so there is one who promises to cover them with His feathers and under whose wings they can trust. (Ps. 91)   But the security promised here is for those who trust fully in Him, the One who is the hoverer. For those who commit themselves to Him. For those who daily seek Him and dwell in His presence. Verse 14 goes on to say “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name."

I thought I had long ago laid down the idol of  the "perfect Christian family" with perfectly protected and easy lives for all. But, in the process of continuing to lay down that idol -  perhaps it's time instead to pick up the shield and buckler of His truth. Surely, keep praying for their safety, health and happiness, but, even more than that, that each one learns to seek  Him and to dwell in His presence daily. That they seek His truth and commit themselves to His will and purpose for  their lives.

Lord, are my desires morphing more and more into Your desires? You did promise in Psalm 37 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will give you the desires of your heart."  As my own family has grown, the "perception" (and it was always just a perception) that I can control, even through prayer, every situation and possibility they may face is no longer one I can reasonably expect to hold onto! It was never reality anyway!