Thanks to Lionel for sending this in.
At cell 2 weeks ago a personal challenging situation was being shared, and I felt a word arising, sufficiently so as to say somewhat provocatively “are you the head or the tail?” We then turned to this scripture below (found instantly with the help of Philip’s digital bible), and prayed into the situation with Jesus present in the boat, and His peace and resolution was at hand:-
Deut.28:13 - "The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,… (NASB)
Despite the immediacy of the word and its original personal application and implementation, the word refuses to quieten down, and I sense that it has a wider resonance. Of course it is set in the midst of a wide-ranging series of blessings which are the fruits of obedience (prior to the listing of the curses associated with disobedience), but it is stark in its contrast of head and tail, of being above and not being underneath.
We are being called to Be Brave Now and move from the ordinary to the Extra-ordinary, and I perceive that our positioning in line with verse 13 will facilitate the transitioning which is in progress. Amen
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Monday, 21 March 2011
Bringing the Extraordinary into the Ordinary
Recently, we've been hearing about becoming a people who are extraordinary and while it's something we are getting our heads around, its not a new concept.
God has always loved it when His people move into the extraordinary. People who want God's will to be at the forefront of what they do, what they request and where they go have been blessed mightily by God.
Solomon had the opportunity to ask God for anything he wanted, and in 2 Chronicles 1, he asked for Wisdom and Knowledge so that he could lead Gods people, "for who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
As a result, God gave Solomon wisdom and knowledge, "along with wealth, riches and honour, such as no king who was before you had and none after you will have."(v12)
The passage below talks about the visit of the Queen of Sheeba to Solomon.
2 Chronicles 9
1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6 But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 (The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones. 11 The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
From the NIV
The Queen of Sheeba was overwhelmed by the wisdom of Solomon, but not just in the replies he gave her, it was the ordinary things that she marvelled at- the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cup bearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD.
You see, when you bring God into your daily life, it makes a difference, it makes sense. God does things in us when we invite Him into the small things, when we decide to give Him the things that we've previously held back from Him. God is in the detail. God really wants to be involved in what you do, and wants you to be the best person you can be.
Being the best person you can be is what the "Engaging the Spheres" conference is about this Friday and Saturday. If you want to see this city transformed by the Kingdom of God, this is a great place to start.
Pray that each of the Facilitators will be abundantly blessed as they bring the Extraordinary into the city. If you don't know what to pray for each one, ask God that His will be done in each of their lives.
Pray for Simon Thomas, Fergus Ryan, Seán Mullan, James Featherby, Rachel Blanshard, Paul Mooney, Andy Bowie, Noel Brennan, John & Linda Latham and Jerome Westbrooks. Ask God to do amazing things in each of them this week.Ask God to give them a fresh anointing of His Holy Spirit and ask God to enable each of them to be Extraordinary people.
Have a blessed week!
[Count Me In]
God has always loved it when His people move into the extraordinary. People who want God's will to be at the forefront of what they do, what they request and where they go have been blessed mightily by God.
Solomon had the opportunity to ask God for anything he wanted, and in 2 Chronicles 1, he asked for Wisdom and Knowledge so that he could lead Gods people, "for who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
As a result, God gave Solomon wisdom and knowledge, "along with wealth, riches and honour, such as no king who was before you had and none after you will have."(v12)
The passage below talks about the visit of the Queen of Sheeba to Solomon.
2 Chronicles 9
1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6 But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 (The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones. 11 The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
From the NIV
The Queen of Sheeba was overwhelmed by the wisdom of Solomon, but not just in the replies he gave her, it was the ordinary things that she marvelled at- the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cup bearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD.
You see, when you bring God into your daily life, it makes a difference, it makes sense. God does things in us when we invite Him into the small things, when we decide to give Him the things that we've previously held back from Him. God is in the detail. God really wants to be involved in what you do, and wants you to be the best person you can be.
Being the best person you can be is what the "Engaging the Spheres" conference is about this Friday and Saturday. If you want to see this city transformed by the Kingdom of God, this is a great place to start.
Pray that each of the Facilitators will be abundantly blessed as they bring the Extraordinary into the city. If you don't know what to pray for each one, ask God that His will be done in each of their lives.
Pray for Simon Thomas, Fergus Ryan, Seán Mullan, James Featherby, Rachel Blanshard, Paul Mooney, Andy Bowie, Noel Brennan, John & Linda Latham and Jerome Westbrooks. Ask God to do amazing things in each of them this week.Ask God to give them a fresh anointing of His Holy Spirit and ask God to enable each of them to be Extraordinary people.
Have a blessed week!
[Count Me In]
Sunday, 13 March 2011
A People of "Can Do It"
Hi again,
Below are some thoughts sent from Declan Doran on Sunday evening.
The Prayer Team.
I wanted to post a blog following from what I was reading yesterday and what I sensed God was saying to me.
I read your blog and was so excited to see you had the verse “we are more than conquerors” and also “God is on our side and wants us to succeed” “nothing will stand against us” and “we are in a position of victory”
Here’s what I was reading and what I was sensing and writing on a note pad:-
Deuteronomy 2:24 – 3:29
24 “See I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of YOU on ALL the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of YOU and will tremble and be in anguish because of YOU”
It’s interesting in V30 we are told God made the kings spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate and therefore the king would not let Gods people pass through so they could get to cross the Jordan into the promised land, and God did this in order to give the king and his people into the Israelites hand. 31 “See I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer (Blog last week Rom 8:37 “We are more than conquerors”) and possess his land”
At this moment in time we are being encouraged and spurred on to transition and invitation to the Extraordinary. I sense God is telling us he is about to give us the Extraordinary and he is telling us when he gives it to us we are to take possession of it. At this point we are to engage in the battle and contend in prayer and fasting for our city and this land that God is giving us.
32 “When the army came out to meet the people of God in battle, 33 the Lord our God delivered Sihon over to US and WE struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them…36 The Lord our God gave us all of them”. With our God when we obey him his victory is complete. (Rom 8:31 If God is for us who can be against us).
Deuteronomy 3:1-11 is the exact same message. 2 “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites.” Again here’s Gods command and his people are obedient. (Remember obedience was an issue they had struggled with for the past 40 years – and we know this struggle for ourselves).
5 “All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars….6 We completely destroyed them. (If God is for us who can be against us).
Deuteronomy 3:12-20 This is an amazing passage which shows Gods heart, his favour, his blessing, his desire for us his children. God the great “I AM” for centuries told his people he was going to give them the promised land. But look God is getting so excited he can’t wait he starts giving them the land they are in now ever before they crossed into the promised land. Why? God’s heart is ALWAYS favour and blessing upon his people. We miss it when we are disobedient, but when we walk in obedience heaven rains down and this displays Gods excitement and anticipation that finally this motley crew have grown up and are walking in obedience. 18 Here comes another command, those tribes that have just received this land east of the Jordan river are to move as one with their sister tribes cross the Jordan and help take possession of the “Promised Land”. 20 After this they can each go back and take possession of the land God has just given them. Look God’s blessing is greater than we anticipate, God even increases our blessing he is so for us.
Now a little sad note. Deuteronomy 3:21-29 Moses commands Joshua 21 “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid of them, the Lord your God HIMSELF will fight for you”. Moses the great servant of the Lord (now this is Moses I am talking about) pleaded with God 23-25 “Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan – that fine hill country and Lebanon”. Moses says 26 because to the people of Israel the Lord was angry with me. “That is enough” the Lord said “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter”. Put yourself in Moses shoes and hear God speak those words to you, devastating it must have been for Moses. 27 God allowed him go up the hill and look out at the promised land since you are NOT going to cross the Jordan. Imagine hearing this devastating news and then God have the cheek to tell him 28 “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see”. A true hero Moses was and he commissioned, encouraged and strengthened Joshua and did not grumble as I know I would.
You could say there are two different stories above, but that would be wrong, they are the one story. God wants us to take possession of that which he gives us, it’s not enough to just take it, we must POSSESS it (that’s the all consuming fire part of Gods nature that he has deposited in us, we need to go all out for Him). We possess it as one in unity like the people of God did after 40 years of turmoil and disunity in the desert when God removed all those who believed the report of the ten (Numbers 13:31-33) and not that of Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 13:30). God made us a people of “can do it” so whose report do you believe? Your answer to this question has an impact on the whole body as Moses harshly found out by the answer of the people of his own day to this question.
Where are we the church today?
Where is the army of God today?
Why do we let the enemy steal our inheritance?
When are we going to stand as the people of God?
God is waiting for my answer and yours. God set a certain day and called it today Hebrews 4. What is God saying to us as a body today. The enemy has only the following option when we advance in Jesus name, he can yield to Christ or else flee out of sight cause one drop of the blood of Jesus renders him powerless. Let us march out and fill the earth with Gods glory (Colossians 1:27).
When I was typing the last reference the following reference was filled in on my computer Colossians 3:4 “When Christ who is your life, appears, then you will appear with him in glory”. As we bring glory to Him on earth He bestows glory on us in heaven and maybe that’s part of the reason why angels celebrate with every new spiritual birth. I feel God is telling us this is our crown, our reward – come and see, come and taste, believe and receive, this is your destiny your life, your purpose. The miracle for which we were created.
My God is an awesome God and he is setting my heart on fire.
Declan.
Below are some thoughts sent from Declan Doran on Sunday evening.
The Prayer Team.
I wanted to post a blog following from what I was reading yesterday and what I sensed God was saying to me.
I read your blog and was so excited to see you had the verse “we are more than conquerors” and also “God is on our side and wants us to succeed” “nothing will stand against us” and “we are in a position of victory”
Here’s what I was reading and what I was sensing and writing on a note pad:-
Deuteronomy 2:24 – 3:29
24 “See I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of YOU on ALL the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of YOU and will tremble and be in anguish because of YOU”
It’s interesting in V30 we are told God made the kings spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate and therefore the king would not let Gods people pass through so they could get to cross the Jordan into the promised land, and God did this in order to give the king and his people into the Israelites hand. 31 “See I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer (Blog last week Rom 8:37 “We are more than conquerors”) and possess his land”
At this moment in time we are being encouraged and spurred on to transition and invitation to the Extraordinary. I sense God is telling us he is about to give us the Extraordinary and he is telling us when he gives it to us we are to take possession of it. At this point we are to engage in the battle and contend in prayer and fasting for our city and this land that God is giving us.
32 “When the army came out to meet the people of God in battle, 33 the Lord our God delivered Sihon over to US and WE struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them…36 The Lord our God gave us all of them”. With our God when we obey him his victory is complete. (Rom 8:31 If God is for us who can be against us).
Deuteronomy 3:1-11 is the exact same message. 2 “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites.” Again here’s Gods command and his people are obedient. (Remember obedience was an issue they had struggled with for the past 40 years – and we know this struggle for ourselves).
5 “All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars….6 We completely destroyed them. (If God is for us who can be against us).
Deuteronomy 3:12-20 This is an amazing passage which shows Gods heart, his favour, his blessing, his desire for us his children. God the great “I AM” for centuries told his people he was going to give them the promised land. But look God is getting so excited he can’t wait he starts giving them the land they are in now ever before they crossed into the promised land. Why? God’s heart is ALWAYS favour and blessing upon his people. We miss it when we are disobedient, but when we walk in obedience heaven rains down and this displays Gods excitement and anticipation that finally this motley crew have grown up and are walking in obedience. 18 Here comes another command, those tribes that have just received this land east of the Jordan river are to move as one with their sister tribes cross the Jordan and help take possession of the “Promised Land”. 20 After this they can each go back and take possession of the land God has just given them. Look God’s blessing is greater than we anticipate, God even increases our blessing he is so for us.
Now a little sad note. Deuteronomy 3:21-29 Moses commands Joshua 21 “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid of them, the Lord your God HIMSELF will fight for you”. Moses the great servant of the Lord (now this is Moses I am talking about) pleaded with God 23-25 “Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan – that fine hill country and Lebanon”. Moses says 26 because to the people of Israel the Lord was angry with me. “That is enough” the Lord said “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter”. Put yourself in Moses shoes and hear God speak those words to you, devastating it must have been for Moses. 27 God allowed him go up the hill and look out at the promised land since you are NOT going to cross the Jordan. Imagine hearing this devastating news and then God have the cheek to tell him 28 “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see”. A true hero Moses was and he commissioned, encouraged and strengthened Joshua and did not grumble as I know I would.
You could say there are two different stories above, but that would be wrong, they are the one story. God wants us to take possession of that which he gives us, it’s not enough to just take it, we must POSSESS it (that’s the all consuming fire part of Gods nature that he has deposited in us, we need to go all out for Him). We possess it as one in unity like the people of God did after 40 years of turmoil and disunity in the desert when God removed all those who believed the report of the ten (Numbers 13:31-33) and not that of Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 13:30). God made us a people of “can do it” so whose report do you believe? Your answer to this question has an impact on the whole body as Moses harshly found out by the answer of the people of his own day to this question.
Where are we the church today?
Where is the army of God today?
Why do we let the enemy steal our inheritance?
When are we going to stand as the people of God?
God is waiting for my answer and yours. God set a certain day and called it today Hebrews 4. What is God saying to us as a body today. The enemy has only the following option when we advance in Jesus name, he can yield to Christ or else flee out of sight cause one drop of the blood of Jesus renders him powerless. Let us march out and fill the earth with Gods glory (Colossians 1:27).
When I was typing the last reference the following reference was filled in on my computer Colossians 3:4 “When Christ who is your life, appears, then you will appear with him in glory”. As we bring glory to Him on earth He bestows glory on us in heaven and maybe that’s part of the reason why angels celebrate with every new spiritual birth. I feel God is telling us this is our crown, our reward – come and see, come and taste, believe and receive, this is your destiny your life, your purpose. The miracle for which we were created.
My God is an awesome God and he is setting my heart on fire.
Declan.
Friday, 11 March 2011
Who is greater than our God?
There's a fantastic passage in Romans 8, starting at verse 31:
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(From the NIV)
I love verse 31, especially where it says "...If God is for us, who can be against us?". Have you ever considered how amazing this passage of scripture is?
Matthew 28 v 18-20 answer the question:
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(From the NIV)
"All authority in heaven and earth" means that nobody or nothing can stand against us.
God is on our side and He wants us to succeed. He wants us to live lives that are full of Him and He is interested in all that we do.
In fact, He is so interested in us that He talks about us all the time. Jesus is interceding for us, bringing God's will into being in each of us.
When you pray, pray with authority. Nothing can stand against us, we are in a position of victory, one that has been around since Jesus said "It is finished" on the cross.
That means He defeated Satan, sin, sickness, pain, suffering, sadness, death and everything else that is anti-God.
Be Blessed.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(From the NIV)
I love verse 31, especially where it says "...If God is for us, who can be against us?". Have you ever considered how amazing this passage of scripture is?
Matthew 28 v 18-20 answer the question:
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(From the NIV)
"All authority in heaven and earth" means that nobody or nothing can stand against us.
God is on our side and He wants us to succeed. He wants us to live lives that are full of Him and He is interested in all that we do.
In fact, He is so interested in us that He talks about us all the time. Jesus is interceding for us, bringing God's will into being in each of us.
When you pray, pray with authority. Nothing can stand against us, we are in a position of victory, one that has been around since Jesus said "It is finished" on the cross.
That means He defeated Satan, sin, sickness, pain, suffering, sadness, death and everything else that is anti-God.
Be Blessed.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Welcome to the Trinity Church Network Prayer Blog!
Trinity Church Network
Period of Prayer & Fasting –March – April 2011
Why prayer and fasting now?
Since early January 2011 a number of people in Trinity Church have felt individually prompted by the Lord that as a Church we should enter into a period of prayer and fasting to seek the Lord’s face to enjoy him and to discern if he has things to teach us and say to us – things which might only emerge during a concentrated time in his presence as individuals and as a community of his people.
This upcoming period can be an exciting time for us all as we sacrifice things from our everyday lives to create additional time and space to engage with our Heavenly Father.
What will be happening?
Some of this engaging will happen privately as we individually fast and seek the Lord on a personal basis. Some of the fast period can be with others, (family, friends, cell, ministry colleagues, etc).
The Boardroom in the Exchange will become a prayer room between 13:00 – 14:00 each Monday to Friday, from 9th March to 22nd April. Everyone is welcome to attend this time which will be facilitated each day by someone from one of the TCN prayer teams.
On Friday 22nd April the prayer room will be open all day and people can gather to particularly reflect on, and respond to, the Lord’s death for us.
Personal Prayer
You might want to use this time of prayer and fasting to deepen your relationship with the Lord. Spending increased time in his presence can facilitate this happening. Jesus indicated to his friend Mary that the time she spent with him was a good choice on her part and the ‘better’ thing to do, and that what happened her in this time ‘would not be taken away from her’.
Intercession
You might also want to use the time to intercede for particular needs in your family, neighbourhood, in Ireland and even international issues which require the Lord’s intervention. Perhaps our joint intercession on particular anti-Kingdom strongholds will result in a flow of liberty, justice and life for many people we know (and don’t know).
Worship
The choice on our part to worship the Lord is an act of spiritual warfare and one which exalts him and declares him to the spirit world as the only true God. Committing ourselves to additional and extended periods of worship during the time of fasting will be honouring to the Lord, probably increase our awareness and appreciation/love of him, and certainly unsettle things in the spiritual realm.
Recent & upcoming teaching
Recently Andrea Wigglesworth encouraged us to ‘be brave now’ and move into new, different, and deeper places with the Lord as we personally and corporately journey with Him. Our time of fasting will facilitate this as we seek to discern what the Lord is saying to us for our future together, the shape this will take, and how best we can extend the kingdom of God among us and to other people.
Our new teaching series will consist of invitations into the ‘Extraordinary’, (another of the key words which Andrea felt was from the Lord for us). Each Sunday’s teaching will present us with an opportunity to move from a place of ‘mundane/ordinary’ into a different realm of spiritual experience where there are new possibilities in the Lord for us and to allow these to become part of our everyday spiritual walk.
Some helpful resources to facilitate our period of prayer and fasting.
Websites
Period of Prayer & Fasting –March – April 2011
Why prayer and fasting now?
Since early January 2011 a number of people in Trinity Church have felt individually prompted by the Lord that as a Church we should enter into a period of prayer and fasting to seek the Lord’s face to enjoy him and to discern if he has things to teach us and say to us – things which might only emerge during a concentrated time in his presence as individuals and as a community of his people.
This upcoming period can be an exciting time for us all as we sacrifice things from our everyday lives to create additional time and space to engage with our Heavenly Father.
What will be happening?
Some of this engaging will happen privately as we individually fast and seek the Lord on a personal basis. Some of the fast period can be with others, (family, friends, cell, ministry colleagues, etc).
The Boardroom in the Exchange will become a prayer room between 13:00 – 14:00 each Monday to Friday, from 9th March to 22nd April. Everyone is welcome to attend this time which will be facilitated each day by someone from one of the TCN prayer teams.
On Friday 22nd April the prayer room will be open all day and people can gather to particularly reflect on, and respond to, the Lord’s death for us.
Personal Prayer
You might want to use this time of prayer and fasting to deepen your relationship with the Lord. Spending increased time in his presence can facilitate this happening. Jesus indicated to his friend Mary that the time she spent with him was a good choice on her part and the ‘better’ thing to do, and that what happened her in this time ‘would not be taken away from her’.
Intercession
You might also want to use the time to intercede for particular needs in your family, neighbourhood, in Ireland and even international issues which require the Lord’s intervention. Perhaps our joint intercession on particular anti-Kingdom strongholds will result in a flow of liberty, justice and life for many people we know (and don’t know).
Worship
The choice on our part to worship the Lord is an act of spiritual warfare and one which exalts him and declares him to the spirit world as the only true God. Committing ourselves to additional and extended periods of worship during the time of fasting will be honouring to the Lord, probably increase our awareness and appreciation/love of him, and certainly unsettle things in the spiritual realm.
Recent & upcoming teaching
Recently Andrea Wigglesworth encouraged us to ‘be brave now’ and move into new, different, and deeper places with the Lord as we personally and corporately journey with Him. Our time of fasting will facilitate this as we seek to discern what the Lord is saying to us for our future together, the shape this will take, and how best we can extend the kingdom of God among us and to other people.
Our new teaching series will consist of invitations into the ‘Extraordinary’, (another of the key words which Andrea felt was from the Lord for us). Each Sunday’s teaching will present us with an opportunity to move from a place of ‘mundane/ordinary’ into a different realm of spiritual experience where there are new possibilities in the Lord for us and to allow these to become part of our everyday spiritual walk.
Some helpful resources to facilitate our period of prayer and fasting.
Websites
Jentezen Franklin on Fasting
Chavda Ministries
Or Try a Daniel Fast
Books
“Fasting” by Jentezen Franklin
“The Hidden Power of Prayer & Fasting” by Mahesh Chavda
“God’s Chosen Fast: A Spiritual & Practical Guide to Fasting” by Arthur Wallis
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