21 Days of Prayer - Day #11 August 18, 2021 Focus - Perspective Changes Everything

21 Days of Prayer - Day #11 August 18, 2021 Focus - Perspective Changes Everything

We are halfway through our 21 days of prayer - so for today this is a halftime encouragement

“Prayer does not change God, it changes me.”  CS Lewis

“For most of us, the prayer of Gethsemane is the only model. Removing mountains can wait.”  - CS Lewis

These are such powerful prayers.  Jesus’ prayer was a prayer of perspective alignment. He did not necessarily want to go to the cross, but when He was in the Father’s presence, His perspective changed. As the writer Hebrews said “for the joy that was set before Him.”

Praying with the right perspective.  Perspective changes everything. 

We think the marriage might be over, but God sees that we are one flesh and designed for permanency. 

We might struggle with some type of addiction, but God through Jesus has called us to a life of freedom. 

WE might deal with worry and doubt about the future because of inadequate finances, but God says He can and will provide our every need.

God has a different perspective than we do. We see things in the natural and He sees things in the supernatural.  We see the small picture and He sees the big picture.  He wants us to see things as He sees them.

In the Old Testament, The King of Aram had his plans foiled all the time because Elisha always knew what he was planning and would thwart his plans.  So this is the context of this perspective changing passage.

2 Kings 6:14-17 (NIV)

14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Things are not always as they seem. We often only see what is before us, in the natural, however God wants us to see in the supernatural what He sees.

The first thing Elisha did - He said “don’t be afraid” -  Elisha Confronted the Facts.

Do not be afraid. It’s oK to have some doubts but do not let them stay there.

The second thing Elisha did - he said those who are with us are more than with them. Elisha Believed The Truth.

Rather than dwell on what seems like facts before us, we need to read the Word and speak the truth of what God’s word says.

The third thing, Elisha says “open his eyes so he may see.”  Elisha says go Look Again.

If today you think your marriage is bad, LOOK AGAIN 

If you have a wayward child, LOOK AGAIN

If you have a concern for a lost family member, LOOK AGAIN

If you are having poor finances, LOOK AGAIN

If you have doubts about the future…  OPEN THE DOOR AND LOOK AGAIN!

Ask God to help you see not just the natural, but what He sees and can do in the supernatural.

Don’t believe the facts, but believe the Truth.

21 Days of Prayer - Day #10 August 17, 2021 Focus - Breakthrough

21 Days of Prayer - Day #10 August 17, 2021 Focus -  Breakthrough

Have you ever dealt with anything that you just needed a breakthrough.. Getting past a barrier? I think all of us have had a barrier that we needed a breakthrough.

The context for Jacob.  Jacob is fearful of his brother Esau, so he’s running to his Uncle Laban. However he is fearful that Laban will take all his possessions. So Jacob returns to his homeland only to have to again encounter Esau.  This is the setting of our text.

Genesis 32:23-28 (NIV)  23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Jacob wrestled with God! This is so noteworthy. However, even more than a physical wrestling match, it is also a spiritual wrestling match.  Have you ever wrestled with God over something in prayer, believing and hoping that God can make  things work out.

There are some barriers that won’t go away. You’re going to have to go through it. A breakthrough.  We need to push through prayer

Keys to a breakthrough

Push away the distractions

Jacob could not be distracted-.. He needed to push away things so He could hear God clearly.  He sent his family and possessions so he would not be distracted and focus  on hearing God clearly.

We must be willing to push away the things that could distract us.

Push into God’s presence.

Jacob was persistent in his breakthrough. Jacob needed to push into God’s presence for spiritual momentum.  I need to persist. I can’t give up. I need to get rid of the distractions and do all I can to push into His presence.  

I need to pray while in the shower, during lunch and while in the car. I need spiritual momentum as I push into God’s presence.

Push through the barriers.

He overcame the struggle.  He experienced a breakthrough.  When you break something there will always be resistance.  When we push through we want the reward but we encounter resistance.  The cancer you prayed to be gone, you see the report that it has moved further.

Jacob was touched in his hip, he was wounded while he wrestled, but he still pushed through.  You must push through the barriers. He pushed through the agonly, the resistance until he felt the barrier break away.

When you feel resistance, you must push through.  Push means pray until something happens.

P.U.S.H.  Pray Until Something Happens

If the marriage is not working out, push. If your kids are acting crazy, push. If the medical report isn’t right, push.   I am going to pray with persistence. I am going to push until every barrier is broken.

21 Days of Prayer - Day #9 August 16, 2021 Focus - Carrying Jesus’ Authority Over the Storm

21 Days of Prayer - Day #9 Focus -  Carrying Jesus’ Authority Over the Storm

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Whenever we are going to where we are to where God wants us to go, there seems to be a storm that comes up.

God always tries to prepare His people for the storm.

Peter writes we are not to be surprised by the fiery storm.  1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV) 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed

We are in the storm and we may feel like “teacher, don’t you care.”  There is a storm affecting all of us. (my home, health, feelings, my situation).  

What do we do when we are in that “God, where are you situation?” 

In the STORM - There is no shelter like Jesus.

Jesus looks directly into the storm and the chaos.  He sees the situation and asks them “Why are you afraid?”  Did you ever really think you were endangered?  I am with you.

God is in the boat with us. They are never endangered. He’s with us. When we are with Him we have nothing to fear. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. Proverbs 18:10 (NIV) The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;  the righteous run to it and are safe.

In The STORM - There is no power like prayer.

Jesus speaks these 3 words.. “Quiet, Be, Still.”  Jesus hit a mute command on the storm. Quiet.  He then says “be still”.. He paralyzes the storm. He freezes it. 

We can speak to the storm and do to it what it tries to do to us.  In the storm, we can say “Quiet, BE still.”  

Facing diabetes, infertility, depression , cancer, unbelief, financial battles, alcoholism, we can say “QUIET _ BE STILL.”   Divorce - Quiet and be still.” 

No matter how impossible our situation seems, we don’t let the storm paralyze us, we can carry Jesus’ authority and say “Quiet - Be Still!”