Week of Prayer – 6-10 January 2014
Monday Lunch Time
Joshua 1 v 10 & 9
Plough the land, get the horses out, harness the plough, plough the ground. – Prayer walk Merley and Corfe Mullen through House Groups using Psalm 24 v 7-end.
Picture of chandelier, crystal cut facets, when brought together the effect is amazing, it looks good with the light off but with the light on it gleams and when turned up it is dazzling, magnified almost too bright to look at, we are that chandelier with the light of Christ in us, with the rays going outwards to places we don’t yet know.
Yeast – bringing influence and change, towards other churches, seeing and taking every opportunity to mix with other Christians.
Picture of road stretching ahead with a bright light ahead, closer you get the brighter it becomes. This is the road we are on, the journey, we don’t know what the destination will be like but there is a bright light. As when you are driving at night, when a light comes towards you you tend to look away or swerve or slowdown. On our journey, don’t slow down, don’t look to the left or right, don’t swerve away, what’s at the end will be different from what we expect – the Lord is looking for those who will not stop. Our expectation is not big enough.
The light affliction shall win so great a prize.
Picture of P&G on the beach with little spades digging in the sand. Crabs came and picked up the sand and were taking it away to build something, a structure that appeared to grow tall. The crabs were the fellowship, we are building but not sure what it is. Saw a bit of the sand fall away and underneath was the face of Jesus, whatever we are building, Jesus is in it.
Preparation, the Lord wants us to be cleansed and washed – purity, seeking Him
God is giving us the broad outline, don’t just run with the broad outline, but take every “detail” to Him at each stage.
Lyrics of song “take my life into your hands”
Repentance and obedience
I’m going to extend it. Your blessings – I’m going to extend them and increase them. Blessings which you will pass to others – those that I bring to you. For I have given you little and you have used it wisely and now I will entrust you with much, for I know you will continue to seek the counsel of Wisdom and be guided by her in the use of what I give you.
Thank you for honouring Me by furthering My Kingdom here on earth. Know I AM with you always.
Summary
1 of encouragement – God is pleased with us……so far
2 challenges – get clean and get of your behinds
1 warning – Don’t get distracted.
He is not going to let us get away with it and some may feel uncomfortable, Matthew 5 29-30, its our choice not His punishment.
Monday evening
Double dig the land. Why? Because it gives a better crop (African garden project), in context of ploughing the land, don’t just prayer walk once.
Saw a huge cauldron, enormous, filled with oil, oil for anointing, it was suspended and as such could be moved. In order to be tipped out, it had to be swung back and forth. Our actions, both good and bad, created or stopped the movement, both corporately and individually. Your actions, good and bad, will affect not only you but the whole fellowship.
White swans. Appear calm on the surface but going like the clappers underneath, it’s OK to be seen to be struggling.
Saw us all worshiping in the open. As the worship gets greater our arms were raised, we were moving, dancing, going in circles joined up together like a whirlwind, gathering up people of like minds and the junk was thrown out.
Picture all together in a barrel. The barrel broke up but we all held together.
Picture of rapids – white water – prepared for this amazing journey down the river. There is no stopping or going back, we need to listen to the helmsman who knew the river. We will get wet. There will be periods of calm where we can rest, repair and have reflection but there is only one way – down river. The scenery is indescribable and if we have time we may see it. We need to focus on the job in hand, pull together and enjoy the ride.
James 1:2. Sense we may well be in for two or three major challenges which will challenge our life together.
Saw a picture of roof tops, tall buildings, mountains with a finger pointing at the top. It’s about the top and getting to the top. Holy Spirit is at the top where like Moses you enter the Glory Cloud, hear and see God, and shine on the way down.
All standing at the foot of the cross, as we looked up, He stepped down, bloody, He touched our heads and said “Trust in Me. Trust in My promises, they are true”.
Saw the galaxy. Was shown wonders as yet unseen, new, thought to have been the fellowship, trust in Me even if you don’t understand.
Street (like a Lowry picture) narrow and dark down to a harbour where there was a glorious sunset with the words “The sun never goes down here”.
Aeroplane on a runway but it only has enough fuel to take off. Don’t take off without more fuel. We have the more fuel and others will want to join us to have it too.
Afterburner. He wants to give us the extra power.
Genesis – beginning – six days – do you honestly think there is anything that can stop Me doing anything, I want you to understand. We must never lose who we are serving and the awesomeness of who He is. He will protect keep and hold us. We need to be as wise as serpents and trust Him. “I love you lot. I don’t want you to go away”.
Picture of a dark cave and a fuse is lit. It brings light but it is a fuse to an explosive. What you thought was helpful may not be. These are the fuses of sin, debt, alcoholism etc.
Picture of rain, water, rivers but it brings flooding, sewerage etc. He wants to send His rain to wash out our rubbish but then shut the door and don’t let it back in.
Job 40, no justice, this may be how we feel, are we becoming self-righteous, take the plank out of our own eye. Don’t light this fuse.
I love you with an everlasting love.
Picture of a door with light behind it and the Lord wants to roll back the darkness. Drawn to lots of little churches in darkness and the Lord wants to roll the light in.
An idyllic pastoral scene that was then ruined by the addition of people - this is not a true picture of life. Life will have its problems.
Tuesday Lunchtime
Acceleration.
Cable car as it goes round it goes up and down. The warning is don’t get off at the bottom.
Let the river of love flow through you.
Rest in the Lord’s love – compassion for others, bare one another’s burdens.
Fisherman’s net is a lot of nothings tied together with string. Even when we feel like a nothing we are not we are not when tied together.
Stillness (not inactivity). We need to know Him. It’s our primary function. We choose to do it.
Calmness, peaceful. Stay calm in all situations.
Picture of a teapot. Have a posh one – don’t use it very often – it looks good. I have an old chipped one for daily use. Jeremiah 1:17-19.
Chrysalis, as I watched a beautiful butterfly immerged. James 3:16. We will all be at different a level - doing different things - that’s how the body of Christ is made up. Don’t look at others, be yourself, it’s how I made you - both individually and corporately. James 3:17. If you are who you are, you will see the Kingdom come into being.
Tuesday Evening
Peace and Rest
Choices
Picture of the Father with Jesus watching – pleased with us and then Jesus got up and danced.
The Game – “What’s the time Mr Wolf” – where Jesus was the wolf. As He turns instead of running away we wait for Him to catch us. He picks us up and cuddles us.
A Chess game. Manoeuvring us into position to be in place for the anointing you have or have had.
Total peace. Taking away and lifting off all cares and concerns.
A waterfall – encouraged to walk behind for rest. Inside you get colours of the rainbow. The fellowship is all dripping wet but at peace.
Above the cloud the sun is still shinning. Never changing. In the peace we are lifted up above the weather to the all-consuming God.
River of life. River in me, stream of living of water, abundance and overflow, keep looking at Him.
Power of the weather - the power of the Spirit - falling at His feet.
Peace like a river, joy like a fountain, saw the back of a red coat, like we were all soldiers. And having done all to stand (Eph. 6). Soldiers to be inspected come fully armed, clothed and ready for war. This should be our natural state to be ready for war.
Neh. 6 They were trying to take him from the task in hand – in our case the place and pathways where we are supposed to go – focus.
Picture of being in the presence of the Throne with angels intermingled, some kneeling, some dancing, some painting, and some singing – peace.