Pray For Rain

 

Ruth 1.1-6

“…she had heard in the land of Moab

that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food.” 

Lev. 26.3-9

“…I will give you rain in due season, and the land will yield its increase…”

~

This past Sunday, we asked the question, “How do we reach a new dimension of faith…the kind of faith that ‘pushes open the doors of Revival’ ushering us into the supernatural — where signs, wonders, miracles, salvation, healing, deliverance, resurrection, restoration…become the norm?”

I’ve been thinking about this.  I’ve been asking myself, ”How do I live there?”  How do I get on the path of REVIVAL and stay there? How do I break out of this place I find myself in, where frustration outweighs peace and the joy of Jubilee, the joy of restoration and recovery seems like a dream — somewhere in the far far distant future — unattainable!

Is it just me or does anybody else — in reading the book of Ruth — understand why Naomi (whose name means: pleasant) would insist upon being called Mara (which means: bitter)!  Has anybody else, other than Naomi and I, ever been to ‘that’ place?  You know, that place where…

• She marries a man who takes her from her home (that which is familiar and comfortable) to Moab…
• While in Moab, her husband dies along with both her sons…
• Her heart is crushed…her dreams destroyed…and to make matters worse —she believes that her hardship is the judgment of God — Ruth 1.13, 20-21

Have you ever been there?  Have you ever lost anything?  Everything? Have you ever lost a job…a relationship…a promotion…an opportunity…influence…friendship…your health…finances…?

• Have you ever had to ‘give up’ something that you wanted? Let go — of something or someone that you thought was yours?
• Have you ever come to a place in your life where (if you were honest you would have to confess that) bitterness is your best friend and most of your days are spent wrestling with disappointment, resentment, anger, and the whispers of darkness…

Let’s be honest!  There are times that we grasp at faith, searching in our hearts for its resuscitation…longing to see ‘faith’ live again — hopeful that if we could just get back to the Land of Judah — back to that place of praise — back to Bethlehem, that House of Bread, we could live AGAIN!!  We need to answer the question, “What exactly is FAITH THAT OPENS THE DOOR to OUR REVIVAL?  AND how do we recognize it when I see it?

Faith — this Key to revival — is related to every part of our lives as Followers of Christ!  Faith is the means by which our spirit interacts with God!  It is the medium of exchange — the fruit of The Holy Spirit’s Presence in our lives.  As I wrestled with these concepts, I began re-reading a book written by Chuck Pierce and Dr. Robert Heidler called “Restoring Your Shield of Faith,” and I was reminded that, to fully grasp the key — to understand what it is and how to use it — it frequently helps if we know what it is NOT!!  In other words — if we take the REAL KEY and stand it by its COUNTERFEIT we can learn to discern AUTHENTIC REVIVAL FAITH when we see it!  As we EMBRACE the real thing and apply it in our day to day lives, we will change our names from bitter to blessed and find ourselves clothed in restoration and recovery of all which was lost!

 

Here are 10 sets of words:

                REAL FAITH THAT OPENS THE DOORS and THE COUNTERFEIT/OPPOSITE OF FAITH

 

1. TRUST — MISTRUST
   • To have faith is to trust God and believe that He is — that He can be in us and that He has PROMISES just FOR us! See Prov. 3.5
   • The opposite of faith is MISTRUST!
   • If your life is characterized by mistrust — then you are not walking in faith!

 

2. BELIEF — UNBELIEF

• Faith that opens the door of revival BELIEVES what God has said!
• Unbelief is the enemy of faith!
• When satan plants UNBELIEF in our mind — and we choose to agree with it —> we have lost our key – quenched and deactivated our faith!
• 3.12 warns us to beware…lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief!
• Unbelief simply wants us to believe that God IS NOT ABLE! It creates an atmosphere that negates God’s ability
• If we grab the key of UNBELIEF — the door to revival WILL NOT OPEN and we are unable to ENTER IN to the promises and plans God has for us. We will languish in the corridor of revival — calling ourselves unloved, unwanted, rejected, incapable, inept, too old, too young, too ignorant, too fat…when our true identity is LOVED, WANTED, ACCEPTED, CAPABLE, COMPETENT, READY, ABLE!!
• The real strategy of the enemy is to build a belief system/a house of thoughts/words in within us that CONTRADICT who God is and who God says that we are!

 

3. LOYALTY — BETRAYAL

• FAITH IS LOYALTY — it’s walking in COVENANT with God! Revival Faith — is standing with God in the place He has asked us to stand — no matter what the circumstances may be!
• So…walking in loyalty is a sign that we are walking by faith!  Covenant signifies relationship!
• Faith’s opposite is betrayal — and it is difficult — painful to overcome because it wounds us and becomes embedded —like a tattoo — in our emotions! So we put up GUARDRAILS to protect ourselves —> and behind that barrier we languish in the corridor…

 

4. 4. FIDELITY — UNFAITHFULNESS

• Faith is Fidelity! It is faithful devotion to duty, obligation or vows.
• Unfaithfulness is a lack of faith.
• The faithfulness of God is the basis for our faith!
• To choose a path of unfaithfulness —> negates our ability to trust God —> leaves you languishing in the Corridor…

 

5. DEPENDENCE — INDEPENDENCE

• Faith that opens the door to revival is Dependence!
• To depend on others means that we rely upon them and we are influenced by them — their character has impacted our lives — and that dependence is linked to submission!
• If we are dependent = then we rely upon someone else for existence, for support, for success
• Recall again Prov. 3.5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge (yada: to know by seeing) Him, and He shall direct your paths!
• In other words — when we depend upon God —> He will direct (yashar: to be straight, pleasant, prosperous)
• An INDEPENDENT spirit that cannot trust in or submit to authority —> will not be able to walk in faith!

 

6. CONFIDENCE — INSECURITY

• FAITH IS absolute CONFIDENCE! It is David — running, laughing, to meet the giant — fully assured that God is WITH him!!
• It means “to be convinced, to have an inward certainty, to win over, to prevail upon, to persuade, to induce a change of mind by the use of argument!
• The opposite/counterfeit is INSECURITY. When we are plagued by insecurity — we are listening to the voice (the subtle whispers) of UNBELIEF —> produces FEAR!  Fear is believing that God’s Word will fail!
• BUT — where there is Faith that opens the door to revival — there is NO ROOM for insecurity or fear!

 

7. OBEDIENCE — DISOBEDIENCE

• FAITH IS OBEDIENCE! See 1 John 3.24  “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.”
• Essentially — if we love God — if we love and trust Him —> we will do what He asks us to do!
• Disobedience reveals a lack of faith! When we disobey — we are saying…“I do not believe that God knows best and I don’t think He can keep His promises!”

 

8. WHOLENESS — FRAGMENTATION

• FAITH IS WHOLENESS! When we walk in covenant with God — through faith, we can walk in peace and be made whole!
• The enemy loves to fragment us — break us into shattered pieces — which is the opposite/counterfeit of wholeness!
• Walking in Peace is to have taken the key, unlocked the door, entered the room and sat down in the chair of revival! We have harmony in our lives, calm, trust in God.
• Any place in our life where there is NO PEACE is a place that the enemy has broken into pieces — its cracked — fragmented — languishing….

 

9. WITNESS — SILENCE

• 1 John 5.11 AMP says, “And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” 
• To be saved — is to CONFESS OUR FAITH! We must confess our faith!  This IS NOT just a single moment in time!  It should be an ONGOING part of our life!
• So…SPEAK UP! Be a WITNESS!  For our faith to be FAITH THAT OPENS THE DOOR TO REVIVAL — we must be willing to SPEAK UP!  Tell somebody else about JESUS!!
• To be rendered silent — languishing in unbelief and timidity — is the opposite of true faith!

 

10. LOVE — HATE!

• FAITH IS LOVE!
• 2 Thess. 3.5 “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.”
• 5.6 adds, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
• As we show/demonstrate love —> faith increases! Faith becomes energized, activated, resuscitated — it lives again!
• The counterfeit of love is HATE! A person who says he is in the light yet hates his brother is actually in darkness — 1 Jn. 2.9   If we walk in the darkness, we lose sight of where we are going…we lose sight of the One we are following and our faith ceases to function!

 

Now, go back in your mind to the Book of Ruth. 

The story begins with a family leaving The House of Bread/Bethlehem and journeying to Moab because of Famine…

Famine is the by-product of Drought (and drought is a lack of rain —> when it doesn’t rain —water dries up —> food becomes scarce —> ultimately death prevails).

I fell asleep the other night praying and asking the Lord for insight as to how to get out of the Corridor and into the Restorative LIFE GIVING Waters of Revival.  As I awakened, I heard The Spirit say, “Pray for rain!” 

• Pray for rains to come and wash away: Mistrust and Unbelief
• Pray for rains to come and pour down so heavy that rivers rise and wash away: The trauma of Betrayal and Unfaithfulness
• Pray for rain to come…a deluge of Glory that washes away: Independence and Insecurity
• Pray for rain to come…pray that the floodgates of Heaven would open and pour down a cleansing rain that would break the bonds of: Disobedience and Fragmentation — washing the souls of men — making them whole again!
• Pray for rain! A healing, cleansing, restorative, REVIVAL RAIN — THAT WILL WASH AWAY FEAR FILLED SILENCE AND the HATRED THAT BLINDS — releasing captive souls and making whole again!

 

If we are going to be a covenant people of faith who move beyond the corridor — beyond the hallways of religious experience — through the door and into the fullness of revival — we need to PRAY FOR RAIN! 

Listen, it rained in the Land of Judah!  It rains in the place of praise!  Judah means PRAISE!  IT RAINS IN THE PLACE OF PRAISE…

• Rain restores crops…
• Rain restores dreams…
• It restores Trust and Belief and Loyalty and Fidelity
• Rain restores Dependence on God and each other…Confidence and the freedom to walk in obedience
• Rain restores wholeness…courage to Witness…freedom to love!

 

Lord…make it rain!

You may ask…How can we know for sure?  Well…see Lev. 26.4-9 MEV:

4  Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last till the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last till the time for sowing, and you shall eat your bread till you are full and dwell in your land safely.  6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down for sleep, and none shall make you afraid; I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.  7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  9 I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you.

 

In the book of Ruth, 1st chapter, 6 verse — it says that Naomi — while in Moab — heard how the Lord had visited his people in the Land of Judah in giving them bread!  Bread is the by product of wheat and wheat doesn’t grow without a water supply.  And — a water supply is the by product of rain!

 

So even if you are still in Moab, wrestling with your own personal ‘famine’ — pack your bags, take what you need, press and/or praise your way back to Judah and pray, “Lord make it rain!”

LORD…MAKE IT RAIN!

-Pastor Bernardine Daniels

 

 

 

 

Position Yourself

 

Position Yourself

                I love the book of Ruth. What an amazing and beautiful account of God’s heart to redeem and restore. I love it also because it’s such an impossible story; one of massive loss, resulting in depression, disillusionment and piled up hope deferred.

But God!

The book of Ruth lays out the steps to both personal and corporate revival. Revival is the reviving of someone who’s lost all hope for some reason. They come back to life. They experience life, hope, restoration, recovery, renewal, joy, adinfinitun.

Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, had left Bethlehem, the place of bread (food, sustenance, revival) with her husband and two sons because of famine. They traveled to Moab on the other side of the Dead Sea where there was no famine. It is questionable that they should have left Bethlehem in the first place.

In Moab, they also experienced famine. Sometimes we run away from trouble to what seems like a better place, only to experience the same problem. We can’t run from problems or challenges. We’ll usually find the same thing in the new place (in one form or another).

Naomi lost her husband and her sons in that God-awful, forsaken place. In the midst of her pain and grief, there was a tiny spark of hope, she heard that Bethlehem had bread. It was experiencing a time of restoration, recovery, revival, and renaissance. So she thought to herself, it’s my only hope, I’m going home.

By then Naomi had two daughters, Ruth and Orpah. She told them she was going home. There was bread in Bethlehem. They both wanted to go with her but only one was willing to let go of the past (family, native land, grief) to go to a place of promise. It’s so like today, people want a better life but they’re not willing to risk what it takes to get there. They’re not willing to move out of the known to travel into the unknown. There’s lessons here for us, for me, for you, if we want to experience revival, the turning of death back into life.

1. Align with the place and people of revival.

Naomi heard, she arose and returned. She positioned herself in the midst of her misery, in the place of revival. She changed association and positioning.

2. She was honest in her situation.

When she returned to Bethlehem, the city was excited. Naomi had come home. She said to them, don’t call me Naomi, call me “Mara”, I’m a bitter woman.

3. She persevered.

Not expecting immediate change, it was a process. She was deeply wounded by her experience in Moab. Her heart was broken. Recovery takes time.

4. She risked.

Taking each step as the next one opened up. Just take the next step. Because she persevered and risked, redemption, restoration and recovery unfolded one step at a time; not just for her but for Ruth, a gentile.

5. She believed and moved in faith.

Faith isn’t a feeling, it’s an action based on the truth of God’s word, both the logos and the personal rhema from God. God is a good God and demonstrates His heart to restore again and again throughout scripture.

6. Naomi reaped from the seeds of faith that she sowed.

Land was restored. Ruth was married again and had a son. Naomi became vibrant and “young” again. Her breasts ran with milk and she fed the grandchild.

 

Revival isn’t laughing, falling out, shaking or whatever. True revival results in total restoration and transformation, the recovery of all that was lost.

I don’t know about you, but I have too much history with God. I’ve discovered that though there are hard times, the restorative times return. We are at one of those junctures I believe. I’m taking the steps. How about you?

-Pastor Barbara J. Yoder

Shifting the culture of your mind

 

Did you know that your brain is like unto a system of highways? There are grooves and paths running everywhere. When you see an image, when you hear something, a new little groove is created. These grooves become memories and also, over time form thought patterns and processes. Some of these things that we see and hear are great and become awesome patterns, some…well, not so much.

Over the past several weeks that I have set aside to seek the Lord, I have had a recurring word echoing through my spirit. That word has been, “What is the culture of your mind?”. This word shook me to my core as I began to see a picture of my mind like a large metropolitan area from an aerial perspective. Having grown up in the city and having visited many cities over the course of my life, I can tell you they all have a culture. Some are more warm and inviting, some feel murderous and intimidating, while still others feel sleepy and distant. Some have music at the core, others sports, still others arts or finance etc.

The culture of a place is defined and influenced by the prevailing spirit and authority in that place. Authority rules. Whether it is sanctioned or not, it always rules and what rules ultimately leads. In the analogy I gave above, if our minds have a culture or a prevailing spirit to them, the question for us ultimately becomes, “what is ruling?”.

Is it fear? Do we wake up in the morning fearing what will happen to us or others? Is it anger? Do we wake up on the wrong side of the bed…and stay there…everyday? Is it pride? Many times we shove these type of patterns under the carpet of, “personality”, but I feel it is so much more than that. We are influenced by what is ruling.

The Bible says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

In this time, God wants to shift the culture of our minds to one that totally honors and aligns with him. Today, even as you read this and read the verse above, ask the Lord to help you. Ask him to help you evaluate where perhaps other things than what is described in that verse above may be ruling. Lets FIX OUR MIND today on what is pure, what is good…what is of GOD.

–Pastor Benjamin