Archive for January, 2010

Dear TC-HOP Family,

I’ve been writing about our personal prayer times, areas we can be praying for, and developing a prayer list to help us to stay focused in our prayer times. Last week I wrote about the releasing of God’s glory on my inner man and how we can pray to receive the Spirit’s power so we can experience God’s love. I have three main requests in my prayers; for the gifts of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, and the wisdom of the Spirit. Today I would like to write about praying for the release of God’s glory through my ministry, which is our daily life work and situations the Lord has placed us in.

First, I want to pray for the gifts, or the full release of the gifts of the Spirit in my life. (I Cor. 12:7-12) Here are five ideas of what can be prayed for the release of these gifts.

1) Power on my hands: That the Spirit would be released on those we lay hands on and pray for. (Acts 8:18; 19:11-12)

2) Power on my eyes: That I would receive prophetic insight to see God’s secrets for others. (I Cor. 14:25)

3) Power of my mouth: Give me the power of conviction on my words (speaking or singing). (John 16:8)

4) Spirit of prayer: That God would release His burdens in me (Ezek. 9:4; Zech. 12:10; Rom.8:26)

5) Spirit of Boldness: That I may fearlessly and fully proclaim God’s word (Acts 4:29-31; Eph. 6:19)

Next, I want to pray for the fruit of the Spirit, that those I impact may walk in sustained godliness and reach others (multiplied impact). (John 15:16, Matt. 13:19)

Finally, I pray for the wisdom of the Spirit to know the who, what, when and where in my ministry. Using Col. 1:9 we are, “asking God to fill you (me) with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. As you come before the Lord this week in your personal prayer time ask Him to release to you the gifts, fruit and wisdom of the Spirit so that God’s glory would be released through you in your ministry.

Blessings,
Gary

Dear TC-HOP Family,

Last week I wrote about our personal prayer time, some things we can be praying for, and the importance of developing a prayer list. I’d like to write about praying for our personal lives and the releasing of God’s glory on my inner man. We can pray to receive the Spirit’s power that Jesus’ presence be manifest in us so we can experience God’s love; according to Eph. 1: 16, “That He would grant you (me) according to the riches of His
glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

First, I’m praying for the gifts of supernatural encounters with God: visitations, dreams, visions and manifestations. Acts 2:17 says, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.”

I’m also praying for the fruit of the Spirit, or Godly character in my heart and my speech, to be released in me with love for God and people with purity and humility. Here are eight things I can pray to grow in the fruit of the Spirit.

1) Release of God’s love into my heart. The anointing to walk in love is our greatest reward. (Jn. 17:26, Phil. 1:9, I Thess. 3:12)

2) Grace to set my heart to love God by fully obeying His Word. (Ps.19:12, Ps. 139:23)

3) Tenderize my heart with the power and fire of God’s Word. (Lk.24:32, Jer.20:9)

4)Impart God’s zeal to my heart. (Jn. 2:17, Num. 25:11)

5) Guard my lips from loose speech. (Ps. 19:14, Ps.141:3, Ps.17:3, Ps.39:1) Sustained communion with the Spirit requires restrained communication with man. (Eph. 4:29; 5:4)

6> Release the fear of God in my heart. (Jer. 32:40; Ps. 86:11; Isa.11:3; 66:2)

7) Fill me with perseverance in godliness, labors in ministry and persecution (Col.1:11)

8)Fill me with joy, peace and comfort. (2 Thes.2:16-17; Rom.15:33)

Finally, I’m praying for wisdom. That I would receive a revelation of God’s personality and Word with wisdom to walk out the practicality of love and humility (Eph.1:17). That I may grow in the knowledge of God’s love for me (Eph.3:17-19; I Jn.3:1). That I would gain revelation of God’s will for my life (Col.1:9). That the Lord would give me revelation of His End-Time purposes (Dan.11:35; 12:10). Also, that the Lord would reveal to me eternity (Ps.39:4-6, 90:12), the New Jerusalem (Rev.21), the Judgment Seat (I Cor. 3:11-15), the
resurrected body (I Cor. 15) and hell (Rev. 20: 11-15).

I’m asking that as we come before the Lord in our personal prayer times and seek Him for these things in our lives, He will fill us with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, and strengthen us with might through His Spirit in our inner man. Please come and join us this week as we seek the Lord together at the TC-HOP.

Blessings,
Gary

Dear TC-HOP Family,

As we begin a new year, I’d like to first talk about some basic things we can do to establish and maintain our own personal prayer time. Besides spending time in the prayer room and seeking God corporately, it is important that we maintain our own personal prayer time.
Establishing a simple prayer list to provide focus to your prayer time is important. With a list we can get the most benefit of the time we spend, and we can select and omit different parts each day, or even leave it when we feel led.

There are three main prayer categories to pray about: our personal life, for people and places, then for social issues.
In praying for our personal life, we pray for our inner man, our ministry and circumstances (finance, health and relationships) along with prayer–reading the Word (turning it to conversation with Jesus).

We pray for people and places such as individuals, ministries, marketplace and governmental authorities and the destiny of cities or nations.
When praying for strategic social issues we pray for justice (abortion, human trafficking), civil unrest, calamities, or social crisis.

As we pray in our own personal prayer time, there are three main requests we are asking God to impart unto us: first, the gifts of the Spirit (God’s manifest power or favor); “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one…8 for to one is given the word of wisdom…to another the word of knowledge…9 to another faith…gifts of healings…10 working of miracles…prophecy…discerning of spirits”…(I Cor. 12: 7-12), second, the longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.” (Gal.5:22-23) and thirdly, the wisdom of the Spirit (insight and revelation) “The father of glory may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him…(Eph. 1:17).
We can now use each one of these categories to help us begin establishing a personal prayer list to help us seek God in our personal prayer time.
May God bless you this year as you draw closer to Him, and please come join us at the Traverse City House of Prayer.

Blessings,
Gary