The other day I talked about the need to "push through" in order to get into the "prayer zone" - that special place of prayer where you get lost in intercession. The Spirit of God falls on you and you totally lose track of the time. When it's finally done and over, you open the door and realize, "You're back!"You leave your prayer chamber filled with spiritual fuel and you're ready to do the work of the ministry. The anointing power has been activated in you life and now it's time to go into the world and take care of business. You must do whatever The Lord has instructed you to do!
That's the fun part because you're soaring by faith! You know what God has spoken, so you just go out and do it. You're not worried about what people think -- Instead, you're focused on what God's about to do! Hallelujah! At the end of the day, you plop into bed totally exhausted, but happy as a lark. It is a good thing to be about The Father's business!Then comes "the day after." Somehow, while you were sleeping, all that spiritual sustenance drained from your body. You went from Full to Empty! -- from Powerful to Limp! And there's the devil just waiting to smack you down before you even get your bearings about you.
The other day, at The Bonfire, I met a woman who said she used to pray for people to be healed all the time. She stopped because she found that she was taking on the ailments that they had. She'd pray for someone who had a sore back and they would leave healed, but she'd suddenly have a horrendous back ache. Who needs that?
"That's not of God!" shouted a sister from the other side of the room. "That's the work of the enemy!" When you think of it, what was the result? She stopped praying. Sure, she didn't get sick anymore herself, but she threw the baby out with the bath water -- no one got healed anymore either. That's not God!
It got me thinking about the importance of putting on the Armor of God. (Ephesians 6)
A fire fighter doesn't head out to a fire in his gym gear. No, he puts on special protective clothing and equips himself with special tools to do his job. In the same way, a surgeon doesn't walk into the operating room in a suit and tie. No, he has a specific cleansing routine before and after. He puts on a pair of scrubs, special gloves and a mask.
Why would prayer or any other job God gives you
be any different?
If you're going to do the work of the ministry, you must put on the Armor of God! Why? Because anyone working for the Lord is a prime target for spiritual warfare. Watch Out!!! It would be great if we could do all the fun stuff with no push back, no challenges, no opposition. But it doesn't work that way. The enemy will come after you! You can't think of yourself as a Pastor or Pastor's wife -- a Sunday school teacher -- an altar worker -- a prayer partner -- youth leader -- or just part of the worship team. NO!
You must think of yourself as
"A Soldier in God's Army!"
You have to be able to protect yourself, and God has given us Divine Instruction on how to do that in Ephesians 6.
There's also the matter of re-fueling. When the car is out of gas, you bring it to the pump and "fill-er up!" When we are out of fuel, we must fill up as well. It's back to worship & praise, God's Word, and prayer. If you don't do that, the enemy will get you. He'll shred you to pieces and it won't be pretty.He'll lie, lie, lie, wearing you down, until you believe him. You'll find yourself doubting all that God has told you. As a mature believer in the Lord you must be able to identify that tactic immediately and respond quickly. If your armor isn't on, you better get it on!
I didn't make it to the prayer chamber, today, until late afternoon. I had appointments all day. Fortunately, one of my appointments was with two awesome friends that are solid Christians. Just being with them stirred my faith! Which, by the way, one of them was in need of a healing, so of course, I prayed right then and there! Yeah... that's a new gift that God has instructed me to put into practice. That means if I'm around anyone who needs healing, and God doesn't instruct me otherwise, I shall step out by faith, lay my hands on them and pray. That's how it's done.
The ultimate goal is to
understand everything that device
has to offer and to be able
to use it fully to your advantage.
With a phone, that's not an issue.
With the devil... it is!
The more you know AND the more you practice, the better!
Be prepared!
I was also extremely thankful for an unexpected visit from my prayer partner. It was a short visit, but she poured words of truth into my soul. It is good to have a friend! When she left I felt nourished and ready for anything.
Finally, I got myself into the prayer room. That was an amazing time. God met me there and much was accomplished!
Until tomorrow...
Your friend in RED shoes,
Gail
