Desperation Prayer…

Psalms 105:1 – 5

A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, And let my cry come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily. For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin.

Lately I have been walking through the valley of the shadow of death in my personal life. Recent events have driven me into my prayer closet sometimes for hours. I became desperate in my prayers to my heavenly Father. The other day as I as riding with my son the Holy Spirit gave me a open vision. Your asking what is a a open vision? It is simply a glimpse into the supernatural which appears in your mind and you can see with your spiritual eyes. I saw myself walking on a path through a dark valley with mountains and trees on both sides. It was dark and the sky overhead was red. At the very end of the valley I could see a shape of a cross against a red sky. As I walked through the valley I realized I had no fear within me but there was a calmness that only the Holy Spirit could provide inside of me. The words given to me were “Stay at the foot of the cross Son stay at the foot of the cross.” My desperation concerning the situation I found myself in had to be laid at the foot of the cross. after seeing this I spiritually ran to the foot of the cross crying out to the Lord my need for Him. I found myself praying in the Holy Spirit with the Holy Spirit interceding for me with groanings I could not utter. I laid down my burdens at the cross and watched as Jesus picked them up giving me release and I received my joy and peace back. What makes for desperate prayer? What are its signs? David writes about these signs in Psalms 105:1 – 5.

1- In your spirit you fill afflicted. You feel weak in your situation needy for the presence of God. You are poor in your spirit finding yourself depressed within your mindset and the situations and circumstances surrounding you.

2-You become overwhelmed because of the situation and circumstances you find yourself in. You become faint because of the darkness that seems to cover you not allowing you to see whats ahead and around you.

3-You become so desperate you cry out to the Lord for help. You are in desperate straits needing help in your time of need. You have nowhere to turn.

4-You become consumed with your situation and circumstances. You are spent and used up failing to come up with any answers to your problems. You become spiritually exhausted with nothing left but brokenness.

5-You’re feeling burned or dry in your spirit and anger has consumed you leaving you empty in your spirit,soul, and body. Your passions are dictated by the flesh!

6-You are strickened in your heart after (s)atan attacks you and captures your mindset taking authority and dominion over your soul. This leads to dejection and rejection even through God would never reject you.

7-You wither on the vine becoming dry and without moisture. You feel ashamed, confused, and disappointed as to where you are in your life. Nothing matters to you anymore.

8-You start groaning in your situation and circumstances. You are in extreme emotional and physical distress unable to see God at work in your life. You weep because of the position you find yourself in.

It is when these characteristics show up in your life that your prayer life becomes desperate and you need answers and you need these answers now. It is this kind of prayer that the Holy Spirit becomes the comforter to you interceding for you before the Father and Jesus intercedes for you praying the Fathers will over you. It is when you ignore these signs that you find yourself under attack from the enemy and there is no way out because of the neglect of your prayer closet. When these signs manifest in your life run do not walk to your prayer closet for the counsel of the Lord and allow Him to straighten your paths and lift you up above your situations and circumstances denying them access to your life.

Have a Great July!

Jesus is Lord!

Lee

Spiritual Nurseries

Spiritual Nurseries
Hebrews 5:12

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Over the years I and Nita my wife have experienced a wide selection of churches. One of the common threads that seems to be prevalent in all of them is what I call the spiritual nursery. What is the spiritual nursery? It is a place where the spiritual babies are kept until such time they grow up as mature christians. Sadly many never get promoted and remain in the spiritual breast feeding stage until they die. The result is they need constant feeding of simple truths and being patted on the back for that spiritual burp to help digest the spiritual food they have received. Frankly this is a sad commentary for the church in America. Paul describes these truths as first principles. Principles in the Greek means “the rudiments of the beginning of the oracles of God,” such as are taught to spiritual babes.” In other words the babies are taught only what they can digest never progressing toward the maturity God has called them to. They are content to remain where they are never fulfilling the vision, the call, and the purpose God has called them to. I have experienced this first hand and can testify to the damage a spiritual baby can cause within a church. Does this mean the rest of us are walking in the fullness of the maturity of Jesus Christ? Good grief no! I still am growing up in many areas and am in fact still a baby in some areas of my life. The difference is that those who chose to remain babies chose to because they like the attention or they are spiritually lazy unwilling to move toward maturity. I suspect many love the drama they create within the body. So what happens when a person remains a baby in Jesus Christ?

1-They spread strife and conflict within the body of Christ. They constantly have to be corrected and given the attention they want in order to be pacified.

2-They live in constant defeat causing themselves and others around them to suffer from their actions.

3-They allow their own carnality, the world system, and (s)atanic influence to hinder them and disrupting harmony in the church they are in.

4-The church is forced to open up spiritual nurseries in order to meet the needs of the babies neglecting the growing saints who need the meat of the word. Meat in the Greek means to nourish, to nuture, to build up allowing the saint to fulfill the vision, the call, and the purpose God called them to.

So what is the answer?

A thriving church is is a house of prayer always keeping fellowship with the Lord never ceasing its contact with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is this fellowship that the church stays alert always hearing the voice of the Lord. Growth comes through a dedicated prayer life. (1st Peter 4:7)

A thriving church teaches the elementary truths encouraging its babies to grow up and practice what they are taught. (Hebrews 4:17)

A thriving church maintains a diligent watch over the flock and when strife breaks out runs to the battle correcting and restoring those who have sinned in love. (Matthew 18:15 – 18)

Spiritual nurseries should not be the churches main focus allowing babies to rule in the church and many do. There must be growth and each new born again saint matured as quickly as possible moving the kingdom of God forward tearing down (s)atan and his kingdom. Anything less is totally unacceptable.

Have a great June

Lee