Prayer ART 101 Lesson 1

  I have been sketching, drawing, painting my entire life- at least as soon as crayons or other media was introduced to me.   I am intrigued by faces. I love to draw people's faces, to study the collection of curves, contour, and lines that create that one of a kind visage.  And I feel confident in my ability to capture a person's likeness.

   But if you ask me to draw a straight line, a star, I have great difficulty!

And don't even think about requesting a circle! Noooo sirrreeeeeee! 

At least not on canvas or in my sketchbook.  But I do make them in my Bible. 

{GASP!} 

 YES, I WRITE IN MY BIBLE, don't you?

  If you don't out of a God-given conviction then I step aside. But if it is because you heard someone say you shouldn't, then I challenge you to get your pen/highlighter, crayon- whatever is available and begin!  My Bible has promises highlighted in green,  references to the character of Christ in purple,  Praise in Yellow, and warnings in - well, I wanted to use red, but it is too dark, so, pink. 

    Arrows, exclamation points, question marks, dates and personal notes of revelation fill the margins. This has been a HUGE source of reflection and encouragement to me.

 Often I am reading and a verse or passage seems to "lift off the page". I call that the Holy Spirit's highlighter, ha!  It is God's way of getting our attention, usually for strengthening, but sometimes as warnings. When that happens, a new note and date are entered onto that page. 

     The Bible is alive, you know. It isn't a book by dead authors. The same lessons, truth, trials and victories they had, we have. The only thing that separates us is the date on the calendar. The truth breathes right into us, upon us when we read it. 

That is why it is so applicable!  So my Bible is a journal about my journey through it! 
     Circles have been talked about alot lately in Kingdom discussions, largely due to the author Mark Batterson and his work The Circle Maker.
 {***Good book for sure! Strongly recommend you reading it!}  
 It really uses the circle as an analogy or visual for persistence in prayer. 
 You may have heard the term "standing in faith"?
 The author exhorts us to find God's quickened promise to us and "circle it" with prayer. 

 I have many such circles drawn around passages in my Bible and in my heart. 

What about you? 

   A step in that direction is to note, underline, circle, square, highlight those promises right there on the page. It is ok if it isn't the neatest, most eye catching piece of art you create.

 As long as it is a work of HEart!  

  I leave you with one more image and a quote from  The Circle Maker:

 { My Dad's own Bible - if HE does it then it HAS to be a good thing! lol! }

"The promises of God are like the tree island in the middle of the lake.

 They are the difference between sinking and swimming

 because they give you a place to stand.

 And when He keeps His promises, you won't just stand on water;

 you will waltz into the Promised Land through waters God has parted."  

  

I am extending my staff of faith

for the parting and imminent completion of crossing over and planting my feet on that land I have seen by the Spirit for so long a time, 

circling all the way. I hope you will join me.  

As to the reference of the island, well, you just have to read the book!

"Prayer Opps"

Amidst cerulean blue sky dusted with translucent feathery clouds,
the sunlight graced the tops of trees and danced upon the nearly still lake. 

The crickets sang softly. Serenity.

Almost. "errrrrrrip" {insert needle scratch on turntable}

 Excuse the interruption, please. 

 You've  heard of a "photo opp", right? You know, a politician's best friend; just the right time and setting to create the appearance of something favorable

 to shine the spotlight on his/her good side.

   Ok, now back to my story...

After an awesome (and I reserve the word for God alone) demonstration of love,
 acceptance and redemption in the worship service,

 my husband and I
 headed off to a change of place-
 a state park nearby. 

We wanted some time for meditation and reflection.

 And tranquility, serenity. 

It became immediately obvious that I would have to persist to find it.
First, my chair kept coming unlocked, making it unbalanced.
 It's one of those collapsing canvas chairs:

Then, my music device would not operate properly. No worries, I had a back up!
But nooooo, that one wouldn't play the CD. Ugh.
No prophetic worship to listen to.
Okay, so let's embrace the silence. Let's listen.
 I began to journal a prayer. Bible? Check. Journal? Check.
 Pen.... I realized I'd left my pen in the car. Get the keys, go to car, get the pen.
Done!
Midway through one sentence the pen ran out of ink.
 Get the keys, go to car, get replacement pen.
 {Note to self, save for Ipad!} Ahhhh. Now it begins, I thought.
And it did!

Sun still shining, breeze blowing and {insert sound from above here}
but the soft chirping of the crickets was being drowned out every
few seconds. A battle was raging via cell phones. A very angry young
man was venting in varying volumes.

In the past I would have been annoyed.  

I might have wished him away, or worse,

 called the authorities to complain. 

 But today I hear the Father's heart greiveing.

 In between the shouts punctuated with cursing is the sound of a heart

 that is deeply wounded. The rage is the cry of his heart torn 

and twisted by sin, confusion and betrayal.

 And the Father cries. 

What do you do when YOU hear someone like this? 

What is your first thought, your first response?  Frustration?

 Feeling like your "space" has been invaded? 

Or do you pray?  

Whether you are called as an intercessor or are a willing "pray-er", 

YOU can be one of God's press agents! 

Pray for the brokenhearted, hear what the Father hears.

Pray for the darkened, distanced soul(s). 

Pray for reconciliation to God,  

and in my case, to the recipient of the harsh words. 

Next time you encounter a grumpy or angry person, 

remember that under the surface is a heart beating, 

wanting desperately to know not to give up,

 that somewhere real, life giving love is available to them.

 Though you may

be across the room, store, parking lot or world,

 you can PRAY. 

When sirens sound , You can pray! 

You can create a "meeting" between that person and the Lord. 

Pray that the Father imparts His heart to you so that

 you are a channel of love and hope even to souls 

you may never meet face to face.

Watch for, listen for and prepare for "Prayer Opps". 

 Through prayer, arrange opportunities for God's mercy and grace to shine!

So, now you know what I wrote in my journal! ;)

Saddle Up!! Final in Meekness for the Preakness series

  " Saddle up your horses-
We've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is the life like no other, whoa whoa
This is the great adventure

Yeah

Come on, get ready for the ride of your life
Gonna leave long faced religion
In a cloud of dust behind
And discover all the new horizons
Just waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for, yeah "

So, you have been corralled by His love, 

taught to accept His reign,

and acquired skills necessary for navigating 

the course of life. 

That entire process was only the prelude to being a 

"horse" prepared to race.

 The most difficult, most painful

part after submitting, learning and being shaped

 was to be told that now you have to be confined and wait. 

"WHAT? Shut the gate? "

 I have been enlarged beyond 

anything I ever dreamed possible, 

and You want me

to squeeze into that tiny,

 harsh, 

anonymous starting gate?

YES, I am bucking, I am  kicking AND snorting!!!

WHY did You do all this? Why all the months of training, 

if only to wait? To be shut into this starting gate???

Starting?? Really?  I thought we began a LONG time ago?"

Are we calmed down yet?  

 Has meekness finally settled like a blanket

over your soul?  

It has over mine. 

Oh, it took awhile! This whole series began one day

                          in prayer, seeking God's word for me and us as a couple 
in a very loooooooooooooooooooong and trying season,

   I saw a Chrysanthemum.

 I had no idea what it meant, but the vision was very clear. 

The individual petals and the layers of them were easily distinguished.  
     I then heard the Lord whisper "Meekness" and was reminded of Jeremiah 12:5
 “If you have raced with men on foot
    and they have worn you out,
    how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble, only feel secure in safe country,
    how will you manage in the flooding of the thickets by the Jordan?

In researching the Preakness, 
I learned that a blanket of chrysanthemums covers the winner!

So even if you are STILL in that starting gate,
 know that  the special attention and ornamentation lavished on a royal steed
 is the figure used to represent Jehovah’s turning his favorable attention
 to his repentant people, making them like a victorious war horse in Zec 10:3-6.

  We are His wild souls

trained to run;  His beautiful thoroughbreds

 

wise in navigating fields and streams,  and equipped for victory in battle. 

 NOW was it worth it???

Minnie Pearls Amongst Us

Good Morning!

Greeted with fresh breezes, blue skies, and sunshine,

I felt blessed to be able to sit on the porch for some 

time of meditation today.  I often sit quietly for awhile 

to see what He will say.  Today's message was unexpected. 

I thoughtI was just being distracted... distracted by meaningless things.

I could not have been more wrong. 

We have  Minnie Pearls amongst us!

What am I talking about??  Well, if you are younger than myself, 

or not in the South, you may not know of Minnie Pearl.

Minnie Pearl was a comedian.  Pearl's comedy was gentle satire 

 of rural Southern culture, often called "hillbilly" culture.

 Pearl always dressed in style-less "down home" dresses

 and wore a hat with a price tag hanging from it, displaying the price of $1.98. 

 Her catch phrase was

"How-w-w-DEE-E-E-E! I'm jes' so proud to be here!"

 delivered in a loud holler. 

"AND..?"  you may be thinking.  

Yes, we have comedians in the South, but NO, that is not what I mean.

In my "meditative state" (lol) I noticed the price tags were still on

the new pots we purchased this week for our growing herb garden 

and my sunflower.

UGH!!!!

 I don't like to see price tags on items.

 TACKY- right?

So I tried to remove them, but 

the moisture from recent rains

made that difficult.

So, here they sit with the price tags half removed:

As I was scratching on them, getting the icky sticky driven up
under my fingernail, I heard the familiar "Still, small voice" say;
"Many of those that I paid for still have price tags on them."

Our neighbors passed by, taking their daily walk. There are price tags on 
them, and they don't even know it. They have been purchased but 
they know nothing of the pearl of great price!

THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT THEY ARE PRECIOUS TO THE LORD, 
AND THAT THEIR DESTINY IS THE KINGDOM!

And there is another group amongst us. They have removed the price tag
altogether. They do not want to be reminded of the cost of their redemption.
They don't intend to return, to repent, visit the Service desk to ask for the exchange of righteousness for filthy rags  that is available for them.
  They discarded the price tags and live as though their life ,
 or any life has no real value. How sad. 

And then there is you and me. 
We know the price. We don't have it hanging from a hat
but the price was on our heads-
 and it was paid IN FULL
$2,000 years ago!

 We wear it boldly and even proudly- 
like a neon sign. 

 We are just proud to be here!
And we understand that we don't want it removed.
 We need reminders of
the cost , and of our value.
 { Yes, it was more than $3.00, 
but it did involve the Trinity!  }
BUT...
 Can we get past the focus upon ourselves and
our issues and our blessings enough to see
the Minnie Pearls?? 
The ones oblivious to the price?
And what about those removed- distant and rejecting the Offering all together? 
HEAR the FATHER'S CALL to you and I today:
it is a Kingdom Call to go out and reveal the price tags 
and restore the value to those 
whom He purchased with the Blood of His Son!

Matthew 13:45-46

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁴⁵ Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls,

⁴⁶ Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.

WHATEVER IT MAY COST US
 TO SHARE, TO EXEMPLIFY THE KINGDOM, 
IT IS WORTH IT!

I pray you will be aware, alert  and prepared
to answer this simple but profound call. And that you
are reminded of it each and every time you shop,
and your eyes land upon a price tag.
May you encounter multitudes of Minnie Pearls
on your journey!

Meekness for the Preakness; The Heat is ON!

Our time as students and then staff at Christ For the Nations 

taught us valuable life lessons. 

The dean of married students- Dean Holland, often said

 "The fire is hot here". 

 He was right. We went through a time that

cemented our family and taught us servanthood and accountability.

Growing in the Lord takes you through many seasons,
 each which is progressive and builds upon the previous ones. 

 Jeremiah was told he would be like fortified walls of copper against those that opposed him. 
(Jer 1:18, 19; 15:20)
Copper disperses heat evenly, not allowing the food being prepared to get scorched. 
So for Jehovah to assure Jeremiah that he is fortifying him with a copper wall 
meant that the Lord would sustain Jeremiah
  as long as the " heat " was being applied. 
So if we are faithful now, 
Father will sustain us then, helping us to maintain our integrity,
 no matter what we face.

   Those areas in your life that seem to be trigger points 
need to be fortified by the heat of God's word as you learn His ways.

Humility before Honor;   

 Meek, Yet Stern as Steel.

Humility does not mean the meek will take everything "lying down."
A meek person will feel the wrong done against him and feel it bitterly. But because he is not thinking of himself, his meekness does not allow his spirit to give vent to a hateful, savage and vindictive anger that seeks to "get even." He will instead be full of pity for the damaged character, attitudes and blindness of the perpetrator. From the stake Jesus uttered, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).

We hear so much about "going to a new level",
with connotations of being exalted;

yet God really wants
us to learn how to go deeper
 into the depths of Him!

Those who desire to serve the Lord in fullness, 
in broad anointing and
great authority must  learn how to bow lower. 

DESPITE popular "theology"

you will NOT

 be able to bypass 

the Eye of the Needle. 

Baggages of self justification, pride, 

laurels of past accomplishments
will not fit through this gate.
 This gate requires that you be 
stripped of all the above and more.
This gate requires more than faith-
it demands TRUST. 

This gate in Jerusalem was uncommonly used.

Most did not pass through here.

The coat of humility must be put on 

to get to the other side.

   It isn't the experience of being misunderstood, suffering,
 or poverty itself that will undo us
, but rather the sense that we are not accomplishing anything,
 and enduring hardship to no good end.
That's why the apostle Paul emphasized that we do not labor in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
 We discover there is no wasted effort or pain, 
because there is nothing that God cannot redeem.

A person of meekness no longer verbally recites nor mentally
 rehearses the wrongs done to him.
 Instead the focus is on the great grace and destiny
which is given through Jesus.

  Meekness is strength that is submitted to an appropriate authority.

The stubborn, unrepentant attitude of an apostate people is compared with the impetuous manner of a horse dashing into battle without regard for the consequences
.—Jer 8:6. Hmmm....

 If you have run with the footmen - if the smallest evils to which you are exposed cause you to make so many bitter complaints, how will you feel when, in the course of  prophetic ministry, you're  exposed to much greater, from enemies much more powerful?

Up till this time, in spite of the onsets you have endured, those could be compared to a sojourn in a peaceful land; but a yet greater battle may come 

 where you may never for a moment be sure of your life.

         The starting gate is not a comfortable place,

but it is a vital training framework. It may seem like you are there forever. It does for Dan and I today. 

Weariness can get the best of you if you 

let it.  

This is a time to mentally rehearse the lessons already learned 

that have prepared you to run the race, 

Bridle your tongue from complaining

and keep your eyes forward.

"Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

² Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2

Amplified Bible

Meekness for the Preakness: Are You Chomping at the Bit?

Preparing to run with the horses..

Are YOU

"Chomping at the Bit"?

Definition: be champing/chomping at the bit  also be chafing at the bit

to be very keen to start an activity or to go somewhere.
the expression can be traced back to the equestrian world. In the world of horses, a bit is a small metal rod attached to a harness or bridle. This metal bit fits inside a natural space within the horse's mouth. The bit serves several purposes, from discouraging the horse from eating wild grasses (false doctrine)  to guiding his or her head while connected to the reins  (being led by the reigning Holy Spirit). A horse will instinctively chew and bite at the metallic bit as long as it remains inside its mouth.
 Our soul nature does not immediately adapt to or accept guidance.

Chomping at the bit is usually related to a few things, generally:

-pain

-confusion about the bit  -- I.E. lack of understanding

-rider using reins incorrect/harsh bit -- Poor counsel

-anxiety   --Lack of confidence (faith) in God's goodness toward us.

A well trained horse is best prepared for success.  It knows the voice of the
trainer, the commands and proper responses. It has become accustomed to being ridden, and  is ready to race the Big Race!.?


"Thoroughbreds must be born knowing to play out their role in the ritual?" 





It took a great amount of work, 
time and insight to get each 
of those horses to the gate, never mind into it. 

Q: {WAIT! What??? I have to get into a gate??? 
What happened to
"launching", "release into destiny" and "soaring like an eagle"?!?}   
A: Yes. You do. You must qualify for Inheritance.
You have been created, called and groomed. Now we see if you are qualified- matured. 
 An entire process, involving repetition, patience, kindness and compassion had to occur over a period of days, weeks and months before the horses would be ready to enter the gate and come exploding out of it, safely.
Baby Steps
The first step involves introducing the horse to the starting gate as a concept.  Horses, especially Thoroughbreds, are claustrophobic.
(Let's be real here, NONE of us really like restraint, right?)
 They detest tightly-enclosed spaces.  Confining a horse to a 12' x 12' stall is challenging enough for the horse's psyche:  shrink that space down to about 2.5'  wide and 8' long--and you have the potential for a horse who loses her mind, and injures or kills herself and everyone around her. 

  Hmmmm.  How many "wounded thoroughbreds" do you know in the Body of Christ?  
Could it be due to lack of meekness on their part 
or another's?  Taking offense is like the horse 
who fights while in the starting gate.
 An injury could delay his release! 

The Process, Pared Down...
Gate Training is the process by which Thoroughbreds are introduced to the starting gate and being "certified," as it were,
 to be in a race. 
Depending on the age, temperament and learning curve of the horse, the process generally involves first, just walking the horse up to the gate.  That's it.  Just showing the gate to the Horse: 
"Here, Horse:  this is the starting gate."
Once you've been given preparation for fulfillment 
of a vision- you meet the gate.
A series of similar introductions, involving hand-walking the horse into the open gate, then walking in with a rider on back.  Then closing the front of the gate, and standing in that tight, enclosed space. 
"Calm, calm, it's OK, Horse."

Next will come opening the front of the gate, and walking the horse out of the front.  Then opening the gate as it would in a race, and galloping out of the gate.
These steps all lead up to a horse earning her gate card, the certification that s/he has successfully passed all the steps necessary to be in a race that begins in the gate. 


 A powerful Thoroughbred that has learned the way of the course and tempered itself to respond to the bit will receive many winning trophies. They  learn to
accept restrictions and confinement of their massive power and ability.

The Believer who understands 
his/her position in the Body is also valuable.
Once we understand that we neither 
earn nor war for our inheritance, we
can be sure and steady in our progress. We have blinders on in a good way- we see the course laid out for us
 and we run the race.

We need Meekness for the Preakness!

The Hebrew word translated "meekness" is anav or anaw, meaning "depressed (figuratively), in mind (gentle) or circumstances (needy, especially saintly): humble, lowly, meek, poor ;which prefers to bear injuries rather than return them"  --  aka humility.

Meekness, according to Aristotle,is the middle standing between two extremes, 
getting angry without reason, 
 and not getting angry at all.

When we are in a waiting period, meekness is of extreme importance:
it keeps us from losing strength caused by running out ahead of the course.
We must allow meekness to be cultivated within us so that we may stay
in God's timing.

It is a condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power.

It is a balance born in strength of character.

Godly meekness is impossible unless we first learn of our sonship and the right standing we have through Christ which is neither earned nor deserved. 
  While pride destroys self and others, and prompts us to break out of the starting gate prematurely, humility serves, protects  and builds.
With meekness solidly in place,  we can dream of joining  the ranks of those belonging to the 
 Triple Crown ( Father, Son & Holy Spirit) Champions!

See you next time with Ready to Run!!