Dealing with vipers  07/20/15

Swell up or die? 07/21/15

Antidote for all venom 07/22/15

Crazy man! That’s a copperhead! 07/23/15

The rattlesnake 07/24/15

Message in a motorboat 07/27/15

Concerning snakes and shoes 07/28/15

An encounter with cottonmouths 07/29/15

Nose to nose with a black mamba 07/30/15

The God of deliverance 07/31/15

Enjoy! Check back to see if I’ve added any new entries. I’ll see you in a week or so!

Dorothy

Have you ever had one of those stressful stretches of time? One that lasts over several weeks? I’ve been going through one of those myself, lately, and as pressure and stress levels seemed to be crescendoing out of earth’s orbit last night, I decided to apply a simple “talk-through” technique to my emotions as I plugged away at an impossibly long “to do” list.

Here’s what I did: With every little thing I worked on—mundane as each one was—I talked to God about how glad I was about that little part of my life. Putting away the dishes? Thank You, Lord for these dishes and the ability to clean them! Sorting clothes for laundry? Father, thank You for giving me these clothes and a great washer and dryer! Paying bills? Thanks, God, that I can do math and that there’s some money left over after paying these! It may not be much, but I’m not broke, glory to God!

And as I continued in this vein, it wasn’t long until the stress started ebbing away and peace seeped back in, quietly reigning once again.

This morning however, I remembered a scheduling detail I became aware of yesterday that played a huge contributing factor in my spiraling stress the day before. It still bothered me, and it was something that was pretty much out of my control—unless I made a great big scene and pushed several levels of people around. I started feeling the stress creep back in.

I prayed. I prayed in the Spirit. And then I verbally committed the scheduling to God—to accept it as is or let Him rearrange it if He saw fit—without my personal interference.

And do you know what He spoke to me? It was eye-opening! He said, “There’s a difference between being a prima donna and being led by My Spirit.”  Burn!

How many times have you and I demanded our own way, insisting we were being led of the Spirit, when in actuality, we were being led by our flesh—our preferences, our fears, or our biases—absolutely clueless about our own motives?

As I repented and prayed in the Spirit—a gusher this time—God’s great comfort came upon me. An old praise song rose up in my heart, and as I sang it, once again it was well with my soul:

“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. With You is the fountain of life; in Your light, we see light.” (From Psalm 36:9)

When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, then you have given Him the right to have His say-so in every aspect. And that is very good.

Dorothy

Due to my very busy schedule, I will be sporadically adding to this blog in the next few weeks—sometimes on, sometimes off. Just check back periodically to see any new entries. Blessings!

Before I take off, though, I’d like to share two portions of Scripture that I spent some time mulling over today. They are the well-known “redeem the time” references and I’ve posted them in the NASB translation.

• ¹⁵ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of your time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).

• ⁵ Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. ⁶ Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:5-6).

These biblical references about “redeeming the time” pinpoint two key components of the Christian life.

First, Colossians 4:5 lets you know that you are to redeem the time whenever you are around unbelievers or anyone else who you might consider an “outsider”. You are, as Paul wrote to Timothy, to take pains with your behaviors, attitudes, and words so that you exemplify the Lord Jesus in your life (see 1 Timothy 4:12-15). You never know when you are entering a door of opportunity for the Lord to minister His light to someone; you redeem the time around others by letting His compassion, respect, and graciousness direct your daily interactions wherever you go.

Second, Ephesians 5:15-17 informs you that you are to redeem your own personal time day by day—whether you’re in public, around your own circle, or all by yourself. Pay attention to your expenditure of time; make the best possible use of it.

Matthew Henry, a Bible commentator alive in the 1700s, wrote something eye-opening about time. He suggested that it is a talent given to you by God to use for a good purpose. It is misspent and lost when it’s not employed according to God’s design. Mr. Henry also stated that if you have lost or misused time in the past, you must endeavor to redeem it by doubling your diligence to do what you are called to do from here on out. Why? Because the days are evil. Why? Because as Seals and Croft sang back in the ’70s, “We may never pass this way again.”

Until Monday, May 25, redeem the time!

Dorothy

In my absence, I’m leaving some sites I visit frequently. (Yes, I was a school teacher; these are sub plans.) The links are various daily devotionals from different denominations and perspectives. I have found gems on each site.

I don’t endorse everything on these sites, including the ads. Nor do I necessarily agree with everything I read in each entry. However, I believe that you, my readers, have discernment, Bible understanding, and wisdom sufficient to “have as much sense as an old cow—eat the hay and spit out the stubble.”

As it stands now, I plan to return to the blog in a week on Monday, August 25.

Dorothy

• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers:   http://utmost.org/
• Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman:  http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/devotions/classics/charles_cowman.html
• God’s Word for Today, Gospel Publishing House (Assemblies of God): http://ag.org/top/devotional/index.cfm
• Eagles’ Wings, published by the Free Presbyterian Church: http://fpcna.org/fpcna_daily.asp
• Jentezen Franklin’s devotional blog: http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/blog/
• Devotional by Smith Wigglesworth: http://annointing.wordpress.com/smith-wigglesworth-devotional/  (This site has listed every page of  Wigglesworth’s Devotional. Click the month and then scroll to find the day. Every month is a PDF file.)
• World Challenge, founded by David Wilkerson (of Cross and the Switchblade fame): http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/view/devotions  If the devotional doesn’t pop up first, find SERMONS in the headings across the top, and scroll down to DEVOTIONS and click. The daily devotional should show up—sometimes it’s an archival writing by David W. (who passed away in 2011), and at other times the devotion is written by his son Gary (a wonderful man of God) or another minister.
• And if you want, you can always scroll back and check the archives right here at www.FirstOfAllPray.com. And remember to check back with me on Monday, August 25.

Another evening of protests in Ferguson  turned into another nightmare for the community as looters and vandals took advantage of heightened passions stirred by further police disclosures. As I watched the footage of lawlessness and the contrasting video of the citizens of Ferguson and neighboring towns cleaning up the damage and offering other assistance to store owners this morning, I couldn’t help but notice a sense of defeat and hopelessness in both citizens and reporters; and it threatened to seep into my soul as well.

As I mulled over the situation, comparing the difference between events on the ground and the outcomes many of us are seeking to obtain by prayer, I sensed the still small voice of Comfort Himself reminding me, “Just stay in the gap.”

Stay in the gap. Keep your position in prayer. Stand. Just by doing that, you are being used by the Spirit of God to make a difference in the spiritual atmosphere over the conflict. If you don’t know what to pray, that’s OK. You standing in the gap brings the presence of God to the ripped-open hole created by darkness, and as you stand there, knowing that God is God and chaos is not, you proclaim the Lord’s rule and reign. By standing in the gap during the most dismal reports, you are preparing the way of the Lord to move in, dispel darkness, and bring deliverance, salvation, and healing to a ravaged community.

Obviously, there are other spiritual job responsibilities besides gap-standing. But when the hedge has been ruptured and torn open for anything and everything to pass through unhindered, more gap-standers are needed to make up the hedge.

Here’s my encouragement to you: As you go about your day, remember that Jesus is Lord over this crisis. Just mutter that truth to yourself when hopelessness or defeat attempts to grip your thoughts. Listen for Scripture verses coming up from your spirit; think on them, let them permeate your heart and mind, and then pray them out over this community.

And by doing just that, you are a gap-stander. As you and others like you simply stand and refuse to budge from the truth that Jesus is Lord and that His will shall prevail, you will be part of the miracle poised to pour out over the region—and the world.

God bless, gird, and guide you as you stand in the gap.

Dorothy

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable… 1 Corinthians 15:58a

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9

The recent turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri, has hit national and international news. And while pundits, leaders, personalities, and citizens give their opinions to awaiting microphones and cameras, another stream of focus has hit Heaven—men and women are taking their stand in the gap.

The last clause of Ezekiel 22:30 is terribly sad. “I found no one,” lamented the living God concerning His search for an intercessor. However, the seriousness of our times compounded by the critical events in St. Louis—the heart of America—have brought many sincere men and women to their knees, crying out to the God of all things to intervene with His mighty power and unquenchable love.

And I sought for a man among them…

God searches for people. One type of person for whom He looks is someone who will stand in the gap, praying and interceding for others.

… a man among them, that should make up the hedge…

God looks for a man (or a woman) who will make up the hedge. What is the hedge? According to Strong’s Concordance, this Hebrew word gader simply means a fence or a wall (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1447&t=KJV). Enemies are deterred by hedges, walls, and fences surrounding those they seek to harm.

What is it that God wants the man or woman to do with the hedge? He wants them to “make up” the hedge.Gadar is the Hebrew word for “making up” and means “to wall up, wall off, close off, build a wall [or] to shut off” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1443&t=KJV).

Effective gap-standing prayer takes place right where the hedge has been trampled down.

Consider societal unrest. Somehow, violence and lawlessness exalts itself over a population, victimizing a community or region with anger, fear, and chaos. The restraining effects of discipline, decorum, and lawfulness have somehow fallen apart, and God wants the hedge of protection rebuilt and repaired because of His great protective love for the people. This is accomplished by walling up, walling off, closing off, and shutting off the community in question from the ravages of the destroyer—sometimes literally (as in the boarding up of broken windows in looted businesses). But this “hedge making-up” enterprise is also—and always—to be enacted in the realm of the Spirit as intercession is offered by someone on behalf of those lacking full hedge-coverage. Effective gap-standing prayer takes place right where the hedge has been trampled down.

…and stand in the gap before me for the land…

God has been talking about a hedge in need of repair. This hedge has a gap. Perets is the Hebrew word which is used, and it means a breach or a bursting forth—similar to when a dam breaks and water spills out (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H6556&t=KJV.) In other words, a gap in a hedge is a great big hole. And you know what holes allow: They allow that which is good on the inside to leak out and get lost, and they open the door to let the wickedness outside come flooding in.

What does the Lord instruct His man or woman to do about the gap? Does He lead them to wring their hands and worry? Does He tell them to condemn the hedge?

No. Once the intercessor is made aware of the gap, he is to stand in it. As the trampled hedge is repaired, the intercessor is to remain in the gap, plugging it up until it is rebuilt. This word “stand” is `amad which indicates to take a stand, to remain and endure, and to hold your ground (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H5975&t=KJV). As you stand in the gap, you are blocking the devil from gaining continued entrance into a volatile or destructive situation. You are restraining him and his lawlessness as you stand in the hedge’s gap.

God is seeking today for a man among us to make up the hedge and to stand in the gap, and I believe that He is finding an army of us in this hour. In fact, I believe that every living member of the Body of Christ has gap-standing assignments every day on behalf of lost and hurting humanity. And despite the critical nature of those gaps to which you are led, the God before whom you stand is quite capable of shaping your prayers and granting you effectiveness in that gap in the hedge.

You are called to be a gap-stander in this hour. You are a repairer of the hedge. May God grant you effectiveness as you stand before Him.

Dorothy

Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. Isaiah 58:12

After a peaceful prayer vigil Sunday night, the protest that followed quickly deteriorated into chaos. At least sixteen stores were vandalized and looted; a Quik Trip was gutted and burned; and there have been dozens of arrests in connection with the lawless activities.

Pray. This part of St. Louis county has experienced renewal and a renaissance of sorts in recent years, and the tragic loss of this young man and the ensuing destructive bedlam has brought a cloud of suspicion, mistrust, “I-told-ya-so’s”, reawakened fears, and unnecessary and unearned finger-pointing both locally and nationally.

I have frequently shopped in the area. I have friends living in the area. I had lunch with my sister in the area last week. This area has been a success story of an integrated community working together to improve the quality of life for as many as possible. And one thing the devil despises is a harmonious success story; hence, he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

As for the looting, I felt I must give my opinion here, seeing as the mother of the deceased young man has publicly and very vigorously decried and denounced every bit of the destruction, calling it extreme disrespect to the memory of her son. And after watching the news Sunday night into the early hours of Monday morning, I developed a theory that may offer some insight as to how to pray.

The reports revealed that looters had removed or covered the license plates of their vans, SUVs, and large-trunked cars. Many also wore masks or covered their faces with cloths. As I thought about it, I realized that these were very likely not spontaneous crimes of grief or even racially-oppressed anger. I became suspicious that the looters—prepared with concealed license plates and roomy vehicles—were more than likely not from the immediate area, but might have arrived from other townships and cities. I have a feeling that many of these people pre-meditated their moves and used this tragedy as an opportunity to grab some goods to sell online. It’s my belief that few—if any—of the looters gave a second thought to the grief of Michael Brown’s family as they yielded to greed and violence, destroying businesses that contributed to the well-being of this community. When I hear people speaking ill of the region—and one area commentator not blaming QT or others if they chose not to rebuild there—I get angry.

And although—as of Monday night—unrest is still brewing, I am convinced that we are not really dealing with merely a racial issue. We are dealing with a sin issue. We are dealing with a devil who is taking advantage of anyone he can to stir violence, chaos, and destruction. Don’t join with the naysayers. Instead, pray for the grieving parents, family members, and friends. Pray for the authorities to work with integrity as they seek to learn the facts necessary to bring about justice. Know that the majority of souls living in this community despise the destruction; understand that Satan seeks to use anyone he can to steal, kill, and destroy. Use your authority to stand against the spirit of lawlessness seeking to control minds and behaviors. Use your faith to stand for God’s will to prevail in this region—and in yours.

I won’t stop believing that God can turn this around for good—as ugly and painful as it is—and to use it to bring men and women, boys and girls to a saving and healing knowledge of Jesus Christ. God will be glorified. To believe less is to doubt His almighty power and mercy. But—we must stand in the gap through which Satan seeks to enter, and pray—with the help of the Holy Spirit—to block, thwart, and restrain the enemy’s evil strategies.

Standing fast,

Dorothy

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesian 6:10-13

Dorothy

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED THIS SUNDAY!

Dear friends –

• Send it to friends and Christians you may know.
• Send it to your prayer group.
• Send it to your pastor to pray on Sunday during the service – making a special time of prayer for this. You can be certain that by Sunday many more Christians will be dead. Not maybe. Many will be dead.

  Date: 07 August 2014 at 1:30:10 PM SAST

• Sinjar ( North west of Mosel) and around = 30,000-plus being scattered around and on mountains as they were fleeing for their lives.
• Telkeif; Batnai; Tel Esquff ( I.e. Bishops hill); Bartella; Qara-quash; Al Gure; Ba’ashiqa; Bahzani.

• We need you pressing on your government and authorities to step foreword and get involved.
• We need NGO to mobilise their gears and move into the country to save life and treat the injuries.
• We need supports to provide: food; medications; shelters; clean waters; baby milk, etc.
• Your prayers and intercessors will make a big difference.

Under His mercy,

“My validation comes from God Himself. If I never pray another prayer, read another Scripture, sing another song, or share with anyone else, I remain validated only by the Blood. I will never again do any of those things to assert my value; I am valuable because God deems me valuable.

“It is because of my union with God through Christ that I am compelled to pray. It is because of His wonderful love for me that I love His Word. It is because of His complete redemption for me from my sin that I can sing with joy and thankfulness to Him. It is only because His deep calls to my deep that I can reach out to those in darkness and extend the Light to them.

“It is a privilege to pray, to read, to sing, and to share. It is not a burden or a performance. It is not an obligation. It is a compelling from the Spirit of God and is not born of a need to appear spiritual. If I pray, read, write, sing, or share to get acceptance, to maintain appearance, to make a name for myself, or to ease into certain circles, then I am out of line and need to swing some braided cords at my motives (see John 2:15).

“All that I do, I do because I have a vital love relationship between myself and the living God, forged in the blood of Jesus, paid for at a price more costly than I could ever afford. I will walk free because He wills it. I will throw off all shackles because He paid the price for my freedom. I will move by His Spirit because He paid for my right to do so, and I will move by His Spirit because He wants to use me to help release others from bondages, burdens, and boxes imposed on them by devils, sin, religion, and men.

“He whom the Son has freed is free indeed!”

Thank God for this wonderful liberty!

Please check back on Monday, May 5.

Until then,

Dorothy

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.  Romans 8:33

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

Hope you had a blessed Easter and were able to spend some time with the Lord, rejoicing in all that He has done.

I will be taking a week (maybe two) off from the blog again. God has given me some prayer direction for the nation, and I want to be able to focus on that for a season and find out if He wants me to share any of it here with you.

I want to encourage you to continue praying for the United States. God is not finished with this nation yet, but is seeking to give each one of us His wisdom about how to pray for the issues concerning America. And if you’re not sure how to pray, then pray in the Spirit! You’ll be praying mysteries (see 1 Corinthians 14:2). I don’t know about you, but a lot of the stuff currently going on in the nation and the world is a huge mystery to me, so praying out mysteries in tongues sounds just about right at this time!

Be encouraged that the truth found in God’s Word about prayer is true all the time, not just when everyone’s prospering and the world is safe. In fact, time and again, the biggest miracles in the Bible (and since!) have been during times of distress, turmoil, and confusion. If that’s so, then what must we be sitting on brink of? Trust God; He is one hundred percent trustworthy. He’ll lead you in your own life and in your prayers for others as well.

And if you want to check out some of my favorite devotionals while I’m away, here they are!

• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers:   http://utmost.org/
• Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman:  http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/devotions/classics/charles_cowman.html
• God’s Word for Today, Gospel Publishing House (Assemblies of God): http://ag.org/top/devotional/index.cfm
• Eagles’ Wings, published by the Free Presbyterian Church: http://fpcna.org/fpcna_daily.asp
• Jentezen Franklin’s devotional blog: http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/blog/
• Devotional by Smith Wigglesworth: http://annointing.wordpress.com/smith-wigglesworth-devotional/  (This site has listed every page of Wigglesworth’s Devotional. Click the month and then scroll to find the day. Every month is a PDF file.)
• World Challenge, devotions. http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/view/devotions This is David Wilkerson’s ministry, now headed up by his son Gary Wilkerson. (If the link takes you to the home page instead of the devotion, then on the menu bar at the top go to “SERMONS” and scroll down to “DEVOTIONS” and link there.)

Of course, if you want, you can also scroll back and check the archives right here at www.FirstOfAllPray.com.

Check back here at the website on Monday, April 28. I’ll either give an update or be back to blogging full time. In the meantime, enjoy pressing on in God!

Dorothy