The following prayer is a good one to use if you have some things you wish to repent of, be blessed. As always, if you don't agree, don't read.
Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation
'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics... We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' before he died and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God...'Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. (It's worth a try!) One Nation Under God.
Saturday
Let Us Pray...
Dear Lord,
Thank you for blessing me with ears to hear, a voice to speak, legs to walk, and so much more that I often take for granted. Thank you for sparing my life! For when I was down and out you were there when no one seemed to care about me.
I appreciate your wisdom, love, truth, and mercy. I know I don't deserve these things but because of your son Jesus that is why I am able to say, Aba Father! Thank you for adopting me into your kingdom. Lord, I want to have a closer relationship with you. I need to experience you just as I do when I am relating to humans. I need for you to speak a word over my life.
Lord, you know the money, relationship, family, work, health, and other struggles I am dealing with at this time in my life, I need for you to bless me with peace. I need to know what direction I must take in the near future to bring happiness to those affected by my decisions and not sadness.
Lord, I command your angels to come down upon those that I know and love and protect them from all harm and danger. Give them a discerning spirit to see trouble coming their way before it gets to them.
Let no weapon formed against me prosper from those who are jealous, angry, confused or bitter concerning me. I ask in Jesus name that you deal with my enemies according to your will.
Bless our government, churches, hospitals, businesses, and schools with the necessary knowledge to perform your will and be a benefit to all and not a burden. Teach those working in these establishments to be better stewards of your resources and have better attitudes about their service.
Thank you for listening to my prayers in Jesus name, Amen.
Thank you for blessing me with ears to hear, a voice to speak, legs to walk, and so much more that I often take for granted. Thank you for sparing my life! For when I was down and out you were there when no one seemed to care about me.
I appreciate your wisdom, love, truth, and mercy. I know I don't deserve these things but because of your son Jesus that is why I am able to say, Aba Father! Thank you for adopting me into your kingdom. Lord, I want to have a closer relationship with you. I need to experience you just as I do when I am relating to humans. I need for you to speak a word over my life.
Lord, you know the money, relationship, family, work, health, and other struggles I am dealing with at this time in my life, I need for you to bless me with peace. I need to know what direction I must take in the near future to bring happiness to those affected by my decisions and not sadness.
Lord, I command your angels to come down upon those that I know and love and protect them from all harm and danger. Give them a discerning spirit to see trouble coming their way before it gets to them.
Let no weapon formed against me prosper from those who are jealous, angry, confused or bitter concerning me. I ask in Jesus name that you deal with my enemies according to your will.
Bless our government, churches, hospitals, businesses, and schools with the necessary knowledge to perform your will and be a benefit to all and not a burden. Teach those working in these establishments to be better stewards of your resources and have better attitudes about their service.
Thank you for listening to my prayers in Jesus name, Amen.
Is God whipping or empowering believers?
Too busy to give thought to this question, I understand. But for those who enjoy thinking philosophically, I ask, is the God you serve whipping or empowering his church?
I have personally witnessed God's action and inaction on a personal and professional level in my own life. He has blessed me at the right time to receive something I may have not been ready for during times when I was being whipped. You see, I believe he whips and empowers. I know for some teachers and counselors they don't believe that God whips, but only empowers. If that is the case, then I pose these questions, "Why would there be a need for hell in his Bible, why would he take Job through struggles, kill many Israelites who were in route to the Promise Land, and deal with Adam and Eve in the way that he did?" People were getting whipped in the Bible whether they deserved it or not for purposes that we don't completely understand and it still happens to this day!
Sometimes the empowerment comes from the whipping. Let me repeat that, sometimes the empowerment comes from the whipping! Just like children who disobey their parents' wisdom and face punishment, so do we. The cost at times is very high from losing money to losing a life. Even with all the losses, some people never learn from their mistakes or "on purposes" if you know what I mean. They like to cover up the whipping with blame, false stories, hide, fake smiles and so on. But I know better, I see a whipped woman or man of God a mile away. You can say, "You are blessed and highly favored of the Lord" all you want, but when God whips people especially Christians we can all see it. When I got whipped God called me to write a book about it then turned it around for his glory, wonder what he will do with some of you hiding from his word?
I am amazed at the awesome blessings God gives people and how they are quick to raise their hand and say, "I did it!" What did they really do? A situation that seemed impossible suddenly comes through with a phone call or some cash and the nerve of some people to take credit for a situation that only hours maybe even days ago kept one up worried. "Please pray for me..." they say. Sad, how some have faith in God when nothing seems to be going their way then later have faith in self when everything is going their way.
I don't think God likes this attitude either because just as quick as one feels good about self, notice how he or she often comes down just as fast! God really does want to empower us, but are we ready? Do we pay attention to the writing on the wall? He uses people, places, and things to warn us of impending trouble but yet we argue about what we see, feel, hear, and read. "That's not God...God wouldn't do that...I don't believe God would...That's nothing but the devil..." The truth is the devil doesn't have the power to whip us if God isn't giving him the belt.
I think of those that I have talked to about health issues, money problems, relationship drama, and many other challenges that keep some up late at night and I hear the same thing, "I just want...I need for you to pray...why is God doing this..." Sometimes we can stop most whippings if we change our mindset. Rather, look at the wonderful things of God and act like it (Galatians Chapter 5 for starters.) Instead, many people focus on the negative reported on the following: TV, radio, Internet, books, and lips who tear others down! It's like looking at a painting, you can either see the line and the dots in the middle of a white board and call the painting ugly, or you can see what looks like hills and raindrops and call it beautiful.
Your life is in the eye of the beholder -- in this case yourself and God. If an individual presents him or herself before God, the world and (of course) self, as nothing more than a gossip, a liar, a thief, a cheat, ugly, crazy, loud, or something else, then expect all the drama and whippings that go along with the negative perception. Chances are some of you know someone like this and they aren't proud of who they are, that is why they are giving you so much grief! They spend an awful lot of time in everyone else's business. But if an individual presents him or her self, as a child of God, with a purpose, positive, productive, loving, and other positive qualities (irregardless of one's age, what he or she looks like, etc.) then that is what the world will see and so will God!
When you feel good about who you are in Christ, you are therefore empowered to go the distance, but when you find yourself weak and can't stand up against the enemy schemes then God doesn't have to whip you; instead you are whipping yourself. Consider this, Jesus already took many beatings for you and me. Don't beat yourself up about people, places and things! Just do better the next time. Pray, repent and keep it moving!
The way you choose to see yourself (flaws and all) is up to you. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder and the God you serve sees himself in you!
For those of you struggling with seeing the beauty in you, know that you must labor to love yourself. I wrote "Laboring to Love Myself," a poetry book that reaffirms this point.
I have personally witnessed God's action and inaction on a personal and professional level in my own life. He has blessed me at the right time to receive something I may have not been ready for during times when I was being whipped. You see, I believe he whips and empowers. I know for some teachers and counselors they don't believe that God whips, but only empowers. If that is the case, then I pose these questions, "Why would there be a need for hell in his Bible, why would he take Job through struggles, kill many Israelites who were in route to the Promise Land, and deal with Adam and Eve in the way that he did?" People were getting whipped in the Bible whether they deserved it or not for purposes that we don't completely understand and it still happens to this day!
Sometimes the empowerment comes from the whipping. Let me repeat that, sometimes the empowerment comes from the whipping! Just like children who disobey their parents' wisdom and face punishment, so do we. The cost at times is very high from losing money to losing a life. Even with all the losses, some people never learn from their mistakes or "on purposes" if you know what I mean. They like to cover up the whipping with blame, false stories, hide, fake smiles and so on. But I know better, I see a whipped woman or man of God a mile away. You can say, "You are blessed and highly favored of the Lord" all you want, but when God whips people especially Christians we can all see it. When I got whipped God called me to write a book about it then turned it around for his glory, wonder what he will do with some of you hiding from his word?
I am amazed at the awesome blessings God gives people and how they are quick to raise their hand and say, "I did it!" What did they really do? A situation that seemed impossible suddenly comes through with a phone call or some cash and the nerve of some people to take credit for a situation that only hours maybe even days ago kept one up worried. "Please pray for me..." they say. Sad, how some have faith in God when nothing seems to be going their way then later have faith in self when everything is going their way.
I don't think God likes this attitude either because just as quick as one feels good about self, notice how he or she often comes down just as fast! God really does want to empower us, but are we ready? Do we pay attention to the writing on the wall? He uses people, places, and things to warn us of impending trouble but yet we argue about what we see, feel, hear, and read. "That's not God...God wouldn't do that...I don't believe God would...That's nothing but the devil..." The truth is the devil doesn't have the power to whip us if God isn't giving him the belt.
I think of those that I have talked to about health issues, money problems, relationship drama, and many other challenges that keep some up late at night and I hear the same thing, "I just want...I need for you to pray...why is God doing this..." Sometimes we can stop most whippings if we change our mindset. Rather, look at the wonderful things of God and act like it (Galatians Chapter 5 for starters.) Instead, many people focus on the negative reported on the following: TV, radio, Internet, books, and lips who tear others down! It's like looking at a painting, you can either see the line and the dots in the middle of a white board and call the painting ugly, or you can see what looks like hills and raindrops and call it beautiful.
Your life is in the eye of the beholder -- in this case yourself and God. If an individual presents him or herself before God, the world and (of course) self, as nothing more than a gossip, a liar, a thief, a cheat, ugly, crazy, loud, or something else, then expect all the drama and whippings that go along with the negative perception. Chances are some of you know someone like this and they aren't proud of who they are, that is why they are giving you so much grief! They spend an awful lot of time in everyone else's business. But if an individual presents him or her self, as a child of God, with a purpose, positive, productive, loving, and other positive qualities (irregardless of one's age, what he or she looks like, etc.) then that is what the world will see and so will God!
When you feel good about who you are in Christ, you are therefore empowered to go the distance, but when you find yourself weak and can't stand up against the enemy schemes then God doesn't have to whip you; instead you are whipping yourself. Consider this, Jesus already took many beatings for you and me. Don't beat yourself up about people, places and things! Just do better the next time. Pray, repent and keep it moving!
The way you choose to see yourself (flaws and all) is up to you. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder and the God you serve sees himself in you!
For those of you struggling with seeing the beauty in you, know that you must labor to love yourself. I wrote "Laboring to Love Myself," a poetry book that reaffirms this point.
Friday
Marriage + A Protest Against Submission = Divorce
Major issues have been plaguing my mind lately as it relates to two subject areas: relationships specifically marriage (which I have been there done that and about to do it again!) and feminism. Keep in mind both issues are connected to one another for purposes of this blog entry.
So lets begin with the first issue I have with these so-called "relationships." I say so-called, because it isn't much of a relationship if he or she won't commit, isn't in love with you, cares more about the children than you, still in love with the ex, or has some unresolved deep personal and/or spiritual issues.
I have had to learn the hard way about everything that has happened in my life just as I'm sure many of my readers have had to go through some equally, if not, worse hard times. However, when we are going through times with the person we have dedicated our lives to, it can be emotionally taxing and might make us want to do any and everything but be with that person you once called, baby, sweetie, honey or love!
I can tell you that since I was a child I was a go-getter, the kind of child that would try to stay up late at night to complete any project I was working on. If it was a pencil drawing or creating what I deemed to be a house (made out of paper and cardboard) for my little toy people, I would try to stick it out until it was finished and cried if my mother or father interrupted with, "It's time to go to bed!"
It's funny, how as you become older, some things you don't grow out of -- determination never outgrew me. I will still stay up late at night if I am on fire about writing something I feel passionate about and I dare someone to bother me about going to bed which brings back to my point about relationships. I have a history of sticking relationships out even if they aren't necessarily healthy for me too.
So here I was up thinking about relationships while feeling this urge to write down my thoughts. I reason that some of the things that cause breakups between men and women, have a lot to do with a variety of feminism viewpoints that can be very divisive. Just think about all the statements you may have heard over the years, "I don't need a man! What can a man do for me? They are all the same! Act like them, do your own thing! Don't be submissive. Forget about love. You will always have your girlfriends. Women rule the world!"
One thing that contributes to breakups are know-it-all, bossy women who are diehard feminists. I can speak from experience and I can tell you that many of the women who have opened up to me about their drama in their relationships unfortunately are go-getters out of control! They expect their family and friends to do as they say and as they do! Think of the character, Terry, in the movie Soul Food, played by Vanessa Williams. Although beautiful, career driven and articulate, Terry couldn't satisfy her man like she could her wallet.
These women turn their nose up (like I have done in the past) when the pastor mentions women should be submissive to their husbands. They become angry and accuse any man who goes along with this concept "a sexist" and women who agree "weak." Women like this will go toe to toe with a man. Threaten to leave him, sex someone else, or abuse him. They will use player tactics used on them by controlling, domineering men as a way to get the upper-hand on the man they are trying to charm. They will initiate sex first, propose to a man, buy a man, and challenge other women about her man despite the fact that the more she does for him, the more she pushes him in the arms of another women. They are usually too book smart, too religious or too something else to be a honest helpmate to their man. They give much and expect much in return. When the man can't meet her needs, she stirs up drama in the household eventually causing both to want to explore other options.
I like the way one website illustrates my thought better than I could, according to the website Godsaidmansaid.com, "MAN SAID the bible has no relevance for today and that the submissive wife concept is ridiculous. According to mankind the ideal marital attitude is authority-sharing, the 50-50 plan. The modern psychology of today's wife is one of "liberated" female, who shares the throne in the home with her husband or even lords over him. She is free to and encouraged to pursue her own career for self-serving purposes, separate from her husband's and the needs of their family. However, when a wife does and must work outside the home and her husband is in agreement, she should not be faulted. Unfortunately for today's woman, she is rebelling against God's natural design. She was created to be a helpmate to her husband and the nurturer of the family and because of her disobedience she shall be met with frustration of purpose and failure. Her new separate and "liberated" mindset has caused tremendous confusion and contributed dramatically to the destruction of their home."
When I started studying the word for myself, I realized that God has a point. You can't run a household, organization, company, or anything else when everyone wants to be the boss. The 50/50 rule doesn't work in corporate America and it sure doesn't work on the home-front. Some will say, "Oh yes it does!" Really? If you look real close at your relationship someone is calling the shots more than the other and usually it's the woman nowadays. Men who have no understanding of their role will fight with the women not realizing that they in fact sat back and let her do all the work from the start of the relationship! So what does he expect? Then when she becomes frustrated that her man isn't doing anything to help her, she bad mouths him to friends, withholds intimacy, and he in turn pays her back by cheating, lying, spending up all the money, not being available to watch the children when she needs him to, stays out all night, etc. Sound familiar? It's no wonder that her man runs off with someone else who makes him feel like a king rather than a fool. Meanwhile, she feels as if she can do bad all by herself. Notice that is one of many reasons I pondered on regarding marital breakups, but there are many more and I can hear someone saying, "What about the man?" To that I say, we already know about the man and what he does and doesn't do, but when are we going to be accountable for some of the mess we start? (Notice I said some not all!)
Feminism may have worked well back in the day, but now we "feminists" are pumped with steroids walking arond calling the shots like we are men especially if we have came from abusive relationships. Just like there can't be two bosses in the home, there can't be two men either. Okay so this issue has been bothering me which means only one thing to me there is still work to do in that area of my life. Oh and here is the biblical scriptures to back up what I have been saying from the Godsaidmansaid website, be prepared to be offended because I was the first time I read them in the Bible years ago, Ephesians Chapter 5 Verses 22-25:
"22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;..."
Here are some more noteworthy items from the Godsaidmansaid.com website:
"Vast numbers of women have rejected the idea of marital submission and it continues to be rejected in a very aggressive way. Consider this: from 1970 to 1994 the divorce rate rose 300% and results of this breakdown have shown up in a myriad of places...Depression, which is a national epidemic, attacks divorced women very hard. A woman once divorced is nearly three times more likely to be depressed than her one-time married sister."
The site also reports, "General mental illness is nearly twice as high among the divorced verses their married or never-married counterparts. The divorced are nearly 450% more likely to suffer from loneliness and the list goes on. Plus, the problem of divorce greatly damages the children involved, up to the 3rd and 4th generations. Just one example is children requiring professional help for emotional or behavioral problems..."
Written by Nicholl McGuire
associatedcontent.com/nichollmcguire
So lets begin with the first issue I have with these so-called "relationships." I say so-called, because it isn't much of a relationship if he or she won't commit, isn't in love with you, cares more about the children than you, still in love with the ex, or has some unresolved deep personal and/or spiritual issues.
I have had to learn the hard way about everything that has happened in my life just as I'm sure many of my readers have had to go through some equally, if not, worse hard times. However, when we are going through times with the person we have dedicated our lives to, it can be emotionally taxing and might make us want to do any and everything but be with that person you once called, baby, sweetie, honey or love!
I can tell you that since I was a child I was a go-getter, the kind of child that would try to stay up late at night to complete any project I was working on. If it was a pencil drawing or creating what I deemed to be a house (made out of paper and cardboard) for my little toy people, I would try to stick it out until it was finished and cried if my mother or father interrupted with, "It's time to go to bed!"
It's funny, how as you become older, some things you don't grow out of -- determination never outgrew me. I will still stay up late at night if I am on fire about writing something I feel passionate about and I dare someone to bother me about going to bed which brings back to my point about relationships. I have a history of sticking relationships out even if they aren't necessarily healthy for me too.
So here I was up thinking about relationships while feeling this urge to write down my thoughts. I reason that some of the things that cause breakups between men and women, have a lot to do with a variety of feminism viewpoints that can be very divisive. Just think about all the statements you may have heard over the years, "I don't need a man! What can a man do for me? They are all the same! Act like them, do your own thing! Don't be submissive. Forget about love. You will always have your girlfriends. Women rule the world!"
One thing that contributes to breakups are know-it-all, bossy women who are diehard feminists. I can speak from experience and I can tell you that many of the women who have opened up to me about their drama in their relationships unfortunately are go-getters out of control! They expect their family and friends to do as they say and as they do! Think of the character, Terry, in the movie Soul Food, played by Vanessa Williams. Although beautiful, career driven and articulate, Terry couldn't satisfy her man like she could her wallet.
These women turn their nose up (like I have done in the past) when the pastor mentions women should be submissive to their husbands. They become angry and accuse any man who goes along with this concept "a sexist" and women who agree "weak." Women like this will go toe to toe with a man. Threaten to leave him, sex someone else, or abuse him. They will use player tactics used on them by controlling, domineering men as a way to get the upper-hand on the man they are trying to charm. They will initiate sex first, propose to a man, buy a man, and challenge other women about her man despite the fact that the more she does for him, the more she pushes him in the arms of another women. They are usually too book smart, too religious or too something else to be a honest helpmate to their man. They give much and expect much in return. When the man can't meet her needs, she stirs up drama in the household eventually causing both to want to explore other options.
I like the way one website illustrates my thought better than I could, according to the website Godsaidmansaid.com, "MAN SAID the bible has no relevance for today and that the submissive wife concept is ridiculous. According to mankind the ideal marital attitude is authority-sharing, the 50-50 plan. The modern psychology of today's wife is one of "liberated" female, who shares the throne in the home with her husband or even lords over him. She is free to and encouraged to pursue her own career for self-serving purposes, separate from her husband's and the needs of their family. However, when a wife does and must work outside the home and her husband is in agreement, she should not be faulted. Unfortunately for today's woman, she is rebelling against God's natural design. She was created to be a helpmate to her husband and the nurturer of the family and because of her disobedience she shall be met with frustration of purpose and failure. Her new separate and "liberated" mindset has caused tremendous confusion and contributed dramatically to the destruction of their home."
When I started studying the word for myself, I realized that God has a point. You can't run a household, organization, company, or anything else when everyone wants to be the boss. The 50/50 rule doesn't work in corporate America and it sure doesn't work on the home-front. Some will say, "Oh yes it does!" Really? If you look real close at your relationship someone is calling the shots more than the other and usually it's the woman nowadays. Men who have no understanding of their role will fight with the women not realizing that they in fact sat back and let her do all the work from the start of the relationship! So what does he expect? Then when she becomes frustrated that her man isn't doing anything to help her, she bad mouths him to friends, withholds intimacy, and he in turn pays her back by cheating, lying, spending up all the money, not being available to watch the children when she needs him to, stays out all night, etc. Sound familiar? It's no wonder that her man runs off with someone else who makes him feel like a king rather than a fool. Meanwhile, she feels as if she can do bad all by herself. Notice that is one of many reasons I pondered on regarding marital breakups, but there are many more and I can hear someone saying, "What about the man?" To that I say, we already know about the man and what he does and doesn't do, but when are we going to be accountable for some of the mess we start? (Notice I said some not all!)
Feminism may have worked well back in the day, but now we "feminists" are pumped with steroids walking arond calling the shots like we are men especially if we have came from abusive relationships. Just like there can't be two bosses in the home, there can't be two men either. Okay so this issue has been bothering me which means only one thing to me there is still work to do in that area of my life. Oh and here is the biblical scriptures to back up what I have been saying from the Godsaidmansaid website, be prepared to be offended because I was the first time I read them in the Bible years ago, Ephesians Chapter 5 Verses 22-25:
"22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;..."
Here are some more noteworthy items from the Godsaidmansaid.com website:
"Vast numbers of women have rejected the idea of marital submission and it continues to be rejected in a very aggressive way. Consider this: from 1970 to 1994 the divorce rate rose 300% and results of this breakdown have shown up in a myriad of places...Depression, which is a national epidemic, attacks divorced women very hard. A woman once divorced is nearly three times more likely to be depressed than her one-time married sister."
The site also reports, "General mental illness is nearly twice as high among the divorced verses their married or never-married counterparts. The divorced are nearly 450% more likely to suffer from loneliness and the list goes on. Plus, the problem of divorce greatly damages the children involved, up to the 3rd and 4th generations. Just one example is children requiring professional help for emotional or behavioral problems..."
Written by Nicholl McGuire
associatedcontent.com/nichollmcguire
Wednesday
What You Need to Know About Prayer and Fasting Shut -Ins
Someone told you they will be participating in a prayer and fasting service that requires them to stay overnight in a church and asked you to join, so what can you expect if you are attending a "shut-in" like this?
A Prayer and Fasting Shut-In is a great way for believers to come together to pray for one another as well as community, national and international concerns. The doors are not actually locked and people are not shut in all day unable to leave the church. Instead, everyone is welcome to come and go when the prayer and fasting period begins. But this special event is called a "Shut-In" because believers will usually stay up all day and night in the church praying and meditating on scripture until they receive a spiritual breakthrough—more on this later.
Although unbelievers are welcome to this event, it may be better for them to attend a regular church service before committing to staying overnight in a church. Someone not use to praying, talking, dancing, singing, or laughing with God may be uncomfortable being in this kind of service. Also, no one is allowed to eat during this time in the sanctuary, those who must eat are asked to go outside of the church. The reason for this is so that one can focus on God not on eating. To fast means that you are willing to abstain from something you would normally take pleasure in such as food, television, Internet use, or entertaining family and friends. Prayer and Fasting Shut-Ins are not meant to last for months. A personal fast can last as long as 40 days in the Bible. The period of fasting and prayer has been known to produce great spiritual breakthroughs. Many believers report everything from miracles, signs, and wonders during this time.
Unlike regular church service, you will not be entertained, you will be expected to pray and worship God. Believers will hold up their arms, bow, fall to their knees, lie down on the church floor, sing and do other things that will be discussed later.
Before accepting an invitation to participate, know what kind of church denomination is partaking in this activity. You may find that you don't agree with the way the Shut-In is being handled or it may go against your spiritual beliefs, if so, it's best not to attend.
Basic information is revealed to all members of the church body such as the date, time, location, who is hosting the event, and how long it will last. If someone doesn't provide this information to you in advance and information is not readily available to you when you request it, don't go until you get specific details.
If you do receive a program about the Shut-In, a specific protocol should be mentioned. The information should state things such as whether talking in the sanctuary is allowed, how old should children be if they are welcome, and warnings about turning off or silencing your cell phone during the prayer period. Also, rules for when and where to eat should be mentioned and other details such as those with a medical condition must eat outside of the sanctuary so that they are not bothering others. Issues like these are all distractions that can hinder someone's spiritual experience. During this time, leadership may allow participants to bring desk work to the church, sleep, journal, and meditate.
Program information should also list what you will be praying about as a group and mention the times allotted for you to pray individually and with others about concerns. There is also free time given to you to leave if you have to or do other things like read, pray around the property, or socialize with other believers.
There may be other things that you will be fasting from during this time as well, find out if there are any other things the leadership will be asking of the congregation besides what is listed in the program. Be certain that what they say aligns with biblical principles. You should never feel pressured or coerced to do something that would not be deemed righteous.
Before you participate you may want to know if local transportation is nearby. You may ride to the church with someone and realize during the fasting period that the person chooses to stay longer while you would like to go home. Before you choose to ride with someone to the church, take the time to jot down the phone number of the local cab service or find out what bus you need to catch before you commit to going. Take your note and cell phone in case you need it.
There may be speakers present during the prayer and fasting period that you are unfamiliar with; you may want to find out who is on staff at the church and who will be leading some of the prayer services. Since no one who stands before you in or out of the church is perfect, pray that God gives you a discerning spirit to incorrect teaching, a tough skin to negative comments which unfortunately do come from leaders as well as laymen, and the courage to rebuke anyone who is out of order.
Since a Prayer and Fasting Shut-In may go on through the night, you will need to know what to bring with you to the event. Pillows, sleeping bags, blankets, water, and other items are usually acceptable.
Unlike a hotel room, there is no privacy; you will most likely be sleeping on chairs or on the floor. Lights are usually dimly lit but bright enough for you to see what's going on around you.
The church hosting the Prayer and Fasting Shut-In may be open to spiritual gifts then again they may not. This information is crucial to know before you participate because you may feel led to openly worship God, speak in tongues, or share a prophetic word, but those in leadership may not be flexible. If they aren't, you may want to reconsider attending a prayer and fasting event that restricts the move of God. Spiritual gifts are signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit refer to the Book of Acts.
Creating an atmosphere to usher the presence of the spirit is acceptable. According to Biblical scripture men fasted and waited on God, see Romans Chapter 5. They also were blessed by God with various spiritual gifts. Although some people have more or less gifts, all are used by God, read I Corinthians 12. If there is a special gift from God you are hoping to receive, a Prayer and Fasting Shut-In is the perfect place to request it. However, avoid the temptation to be critical of others, mock, curse, or debate. People who cause unnecessary disturbances will be asked to leave.
When the opportunity is given to participants to share testimonies, prophetic words, songs, and other spiritual things, you will want to ask the leadership how long do you have to speak. Keep in mind that others will be listening, learning, and having a need to say something, so keep what you share brief. If you need more time, ask for it.
Sometimes the power of the spirit is so strong it may knock you off your feet, if this should happen you will want to know if there will be anyone around to cushion your fall or you may want to look out for others. There should always be someone watching to be sure no one hurts themselves.
Strange things tend to happen during any event that is hosting the presence of God, so with that said you will want to know basic things like where are the exit doors (if it becomes overwhelming for you or if an emergency situation should occur) and if there will be security present if someone or something gets out of hand.
For more information on Prayer and Fasting Shut-ins or starting one yourself, mention this article to your church leadership and print others about hosting such an event at your church. God bless!
A Prayer and Fasting Shut-In is a great way for believers to come together to pray for one another as well as community, national and international concerns. The doors are not actually locked and people are not shut in all day unable to leave the church. Instead, everyone is welcome to come and go when the prayer and fasting period begins. But this special event is called a "Shut-In" because believers will usually stay up all day and night in the church praying and meditating on scripture until they receive a spiritual breakthrough—more on this later.
Although unbelievers are welcome to this event, it may be better for them to attend a regular church service before committing to staying overnight in a church. Someone not use to praying, talking, dancing, singing, or laughing with God may be uncomfortable being in this kind of service. Also, no one is allowed to eat during this time in the sanctuary, those who must eat are asked to go outside of the church. The reason for this is so that one can focus on God not on eating. To fast means that you are willing to abstain from something you would normally take pleasure in such as food, television, Internet use, or entertaining family and friends. Prayer and Fasting Shut-Ins are not meant to last for months. A personal fast can last as long as 40 days in the Bible. The period of fasting and prayer has been known to produce great spiritual breakthroughs. Many believers report everything from miracles, signs, and wonders during this time.
Unlike regular church service, you will not be entertained, you will be expected to pray and worship God. Believers will hold up their arms, bow, fall to their knees, lie down on the church floor, sing and do other things that will be discussed later.
Before accepting an invitation to participate, know what kind of church denomination is partaking in this activity. You may find that you don't agree with the way the Shut-In is being handled or it may go against your spiritual beliefs, if so, it's best not to attend.
Basic information is revealed to all members of the church body such as the date, time, location, who is hosting the event, and how long it will last. If someone doesn't provide this information to you in advance and information is not readily available to you when you request it, don't go until you get specific details.
If you do receive a program about the Shut-In, a specific protocol should be mentioned. The information should state things such as whether talking in the sanctuary is allowed, how old should children be if they are welcome, and warnings about turning off or silencing your cell phone during the prayer period. Also, rules for when and where to eat should be mentioned and other details such as those with a medical condition must eat outside of the sanctuary so that they are not bothering others. Issues like these are all distractions that can hinder someone's spiritual experience. During this time, leadership may allow participants to bring desk work to the church, sleep, journal, and meditate.
Program information should also list what you will be praying about as a group and mention the times allotted for you to pray individually and with others about concerns. There is also free time given to you to leave if you have to or do other things like read, pray around the property, or socialize with other believers.
There may be other things that you will be fasting from during this time as well, find out if there are any other things the leadership will be asking of the congregation besides what is listed in the program. Be certain that what they say aligns with biblical principles. You should never feel pressured or coerced to do something that would not be deemed righteous.
Before you participate you may want to know if local transportation is nearby. You may ride to the church with someone and realize during the fasting period that the person chooses to stay longer while you would like to go home. Before you choose to ride with someone to the church, take the time to jot down the phone number of the local cab service or find out what bus you need to catch before you commit to going. Take your note and cell phone in case you need it.
There may be speakers present during the prayer and fasting period that you are unfamiliar with; you may want to find out who is on staff at the church and who will be leading some of the prayer services. Since no one who stands before you in or out of the church is perfect, pray that God gives you a discerning spirit to incorrect teaching, a tough skin to negative comments which unfortunately do come from leaders as well as laymen, and the courage to rebuke anyone who is out of order.
Since a Prayer and Fasting Shut-In may go on through the night, you will need to know what to bring with you to the event. Pillows, sleeping bags, blankets, water, and other items are usually acceptable.
Unlike a hotel room, there is no privacy; you will most likely be sleeping on chairs or on the floor. Lights are usually dimly lit but bright enough for you to see what's going on around you.
The church hosting the Prayer and Fasting Shut-In may be open to spiritual gifts then again they may not. This information is crucial to know before you participate because you may feel led to openly worship God, speak in tongues, or share a prophetic word, but those in leadership may not be flexible. If they aren't, you may want to reconsider attending a prayer and fasting event that restricts the move of God. Spiritual gifts are signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit refer to the Book of Acts.
Creating an atmosphere to usher the presence of the spirit is acceptable. According to Biblical scripture men fasted and waited on God, see Romans Chapter 5. They also were blessed by God with various spiritual gifts. Although some people have more or less gifts, all are used by God, read I Corinthians 12. If there is a special gift from God you are hoping to receive, a Prayer and Fasting Shut-In is the perfect place to request it. However, avoid the temptation to be critical of others, mock, curse, or debate. People who cause unnecessary disturbances will be asked to leave.
When the opportunity is given to participants to share testimonies, prophetic words, songs, and other spiritual things, you will want to ask the leadership how long do you have to speak. Keep in mind that others will be listening, learning, and having a need to say something, so keep what you share brief. If you need more time, ask for it.
Sometimes the power of the spirit is so strong it may knock you off your feet, if this should happen you will want to know if there will be anyone around to cushion your fall or you may want to look out for others. There should always be someone watching to be sure no one hurts themselves.
Strange things tend to happen during any event that is hosting the presence of God, so with that said you will want to know basic things like where are the exit doors (if it becomes overwhelming for you or if an emergency situation should occur) and if there will be security present if someone or something gets out of hand.
For more information on Prayer and Fasting Shut-ins or starting one yourself, mention this article to your church leadership and print others about hosting such an event at your church. God bless!
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