Elijah's Adoption Story

It starts nearly 7 years ago..

Jan 17, 2002 dream

I was in the back yard in my dad's truck with my mother. All the sudden we see a car come through our yard at great speed. He comes through the back yard where we are and crashes the car in the utility room. My mom and I just wonder what happened. We got out of the truck and went inside. My mother is taking a shower and I am pacing the floor in my room praying. I walk into the bathroom and ask mom if she thinks that we should call the police. She said "No." I go back to my room and continue praying. I walk back into the bathroom and say that I just had a bad thought. I felt that my dog, Lady, was killed. As soon as I leave the bathroom, my dad is standing in the living room. He is crying saying that Lady had been killed when the car went through the utility room. I start crying and screaming. I slide down the wall in the hall. My dad walks away and then comes back with something in his hand. I thought that he was bringing Lady to me so that I could say goodbye. Instead, he brings me a newborn baby. He said that he found him in Lady's bed. The police must have missed him when they did their search.

I take the baby boy and show my mom. She is afraid to keep the baby for fear that he might have AIDS or something. I convince her to let me keep him through the night so that we could take him to the doctor tomorrow. She says Okay. The baby had no clothes; he might have been one day old. My dad had one of his uniform shirts wrapped around the baby to keep him warm. I take the baby into my room and start to pray for him, asking God for the means to take care of him. I had no clothes for a newborn, no crib, no diapers, or anything.

A friend calls me on the phone and I start telling her all that has happened. She could not believe any of it. She said that she would have to see it to believe it. I remember setting facing the window while talking with her. When I hang up the phone, I have a stack of newborn boy's clothes, several packs of diapers, formula, bottles, and a crib right beside my bed. I start to cry. I get up, wash the baby - I seemed to know that his name was Stephen Elliot - never called him that though. I put clothes on him, fit him just perfectly, fed him, and put him in the crib.

The next morning, we started to take him to the doctor. I get him ready and all, we leave. Don't remember the doctor appointment, but we stop back by McDonald's on the way home. I no longer have a baby; I have a 7 YEAR OLD! I remember that his real mother was there at McDonald's. She was saying that she couldn't believe that this was her child, it was not possible, she had been pregnant with the man's baby, but she didn't remember giving birth.

When we get back home, I still have Elliot with me. I open the door to the house and there is a full-blooded Black Lab waiting for us. Elliot bends down and begins to play with her and asks me if he can keep her. I say yes and ask what he is going to call her. He says, "Can we call her Lady?" End of dream.

Lady died on Dec 8, 2006 at 4:51 pm of accute kidney failure. She also had developed pnuemonia.

Okay - Stephen means "Crown" and Elliot comes from Elias, which is Elijah! His 3rd name is Joash - which was a king in Israel (the crown part). Oh, and Joash was 7 years old when he began to reign. Also Joash has 2 meanings - first, Jehovah has given and 2nd - fire of Yahweh. Put his full name together - Elijah Daniel Joash - Elijah - My God is Jehovah, Daniel - My God is Judge and Joash - Jehovah has given the Fire of Yahweh. Think on Elijah and calling down fire from Heaven to consume the offering. WOW!

Also, from the date of this dream till the finalization was nearly 7 years (lacked 1 month). Look at all those 7's! Completion!!!

Now, as I stated, this is only the beginning!! LOL

Okay, back to June 2 (mom's b-day). Around 7pm (yes, another 7) - mom's client went to a restaurant and ran into the birth grandfather. He told her that his daughter was pregnant again and that she was going to give this child up, but unlike the others, they hadn't found an adoptive family. The client (Mrs Nancy) told him that she knew someone - the daughter of her insurance agent. So, Tuesday morning June 3 - before we could even get in the office, Mrs Nancy had called for mom. Around 11 mom called her and talked for over an hour. Mom came got me afterwards and told me. I said yes! There was no question in my mind. Mom kept questioning even up to a couple days before Elijah was born. I told mom to call the grandfather and talk for a while. She did and they talked for a couple hours. During this time, I called my attorney and got things started.

Around 7pm (another 7) I called the grandfather and talked to him myself. He had a lot of questions for me concerning me being single and all that, but he was settled and understood everything and actually congratulated me on being responsible with my life. He asked me if I wanted this child and I told him yes, with everything that was in me. He said "then, he's yours."

A lot of fast working on the house, getting legalities done, etc came of the next 3 and a half weeks, but that seemed like the longest 3 weeks of my life.

Then June 29th came - my birthday. Birth mom went into labor. The hospital sent her home and she waited out another day. Then at midnight on July 1 she went back in and in less than 2 hours she delivered Elijah. I got the call 20 min after she went in and I started to get everything in the car. At 3:30 I got the call that he was born and had a healthy set of lungs. I was still 3 hours away from the town.

Finally I got there but couldn't see him till the lawyer got there. Finally at 9:30 I was able to see my son. At 11 I got to hold him and give him his first bottle. That was the most amazing feeling ever.

On July 2 at 3:30 Elijah was walked out of the hospital and handed to me by the lawyer. The nurse that delivered him walked out with me too - she was crying. Even the lawyer was about to cry as I told them this story. As you know, I was adopted too. Well, my parents brought me home on July 2, 1978. I brought my son home 30 years to the day.

Well, this is not the end of the story either. Just a few weeks later, only July 31, the judge in the county Elijah was born in denied the surrender of Elijah. On Wed, Aug 6 I got the call about this. But it was an accidental call. The attorney in North Ga meant to call my South Ga attorney, but called mom's cell instead. The numbers are very similar. I listened to the message. It basically said that we had 30 days to file a bunch of paper work or CPS could come and take Elijah from me and place him in foster care till everything was completed.

Honestly, I got scared for a few minutes. Satan tried to rob my peace, he tried to take my son. I sat down and prayed for a min. I just brought food for all of us to eat. I was about to fast, but I asked Father. His answer was that I knew His will on this already. So I ate. Then I went outside and called Trish and her father (my spiritual dad) then I called my current pastor. I needed warriors to stand with me at that moment - not someone who would speak doubt or fear.

Over the next few hours it was back and forth between the lawyers and the grandfather. He said that if CPS did come, he had it written that Elijah would come back to him. He said that if that did happen, I and my parents could come up there and stay with him till things were settled so I wouldn't miss any time with Elijah. He called Mrs Nancy and she said that she would lodge us and everything.

As I started to church that night, I heard in my spirit "Athaliah is at the gates". I knew a bit about Athaliah, but not that much. She was the mother or grandmother of Joash and that she killed all her children so that she could end her husband's linage on the throne. But her sister (if I remember right) rescued Joash and kept him in hiding. When he was 7, the priest killed Athaliah outside the temple and placed Joash on the throne.

What I didn't know was that Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab - which had a hatred for Elijah. And I am sure Athaliah had no great love for him at all either.

What the Lord was showing me was that this was a spiritual battle over my son. What is the gates of the city? Back then it was the place decisions were made. Pretty much the judging of cases took place at the gates. Athaliah at the gates - this spiritual stronghold/principality was trying to destroy the promise at the courts.

Well, again as I was driving, the Lord took me into a vision. I saw myself holding Elijah and standing before a bench. I realized that I was in a court room. But it was no earthly court. I had been taken to the Court of Heaven. So, I began to state my case - I reminded the Lord of everything He had spoken to me concerning Elijah (there is one more thing I will share at the end here). I said "Lord Jehovah, You are the righteous Judge." I began to declare that My God, the Righteous Judge, had decreed that Elijah was my son to be raised before Him all the days of his life. And that as it had been decreed in Heaven, so be it on Earth.

The next day - which was Aug 7, 08, I got a call from my attorney. He said that the judge of Cobb Co had reconsidered and would approve the surrender pending a background check and a letter of character reference from my pastor, and then pending the homestudy, I already have the criminal background check from Oct/Nov from my job. I was told Friday that I could not see it though. I asked if it could be sent to my lawyer and she said she would have to check. The lady put me on hold and I spoke out loud "Lord, You decreed favor". She came back on the phone and said, "this is weird, but the contract does say that you can have a copy of the background check. I have been here 4 years and never saw that. Must be part of the new contract which you were hired under." I just know that God sent an angel down to edit that contract.

I went that next Monday to the home office to pick that up and delivered it to my attorney - who happens to be a Spirit-Baptized believer.

No earthly judge overturns his decision unless a Higher Court rules it to be so. Wednesday Aug 6th, a Higher Court did Rule. The High King of Heaven ruled in my favor and the lower court must follow suit in Jesus' name!

Well, here are the final 2 stories...

I am sure you have seen this blog from last year, but I didn't even notice till mid June how that tied into Elijah

Hey all, remember that message - My Declaration of War?? It was written on Oct 10 2007. that seems like an eternity ago now. But I just realized something. That was the date Elijah would have been conceived. His due date is July 2nd. If you count 2 weeks from start of last period till due date that would be right - so she would have conceived around the 14th day which would have been Oct 10.

From Amazingpregnancy.com

Today is Tuesday June 17th 2008.
You conceived on Wednesday October 10th 2007
and your due date is Wednesday July 2nd 2008.

251 days have passed since the conception,
and you are 15 days before your due date.

You are 37 weeks into your pregnancy,
and you have 3 weeks to go.


The morning I wrote that - satan was trying to tell me that he could give me all the children I desired, all the money I needed, a house, everything - even health. But I told him to shut up and back off for I would never serve him. Then I wrote that message.



Oct 10th, 2007
Hi again, this last blog I posted, "Desert Testing" was one of the hardest things I have written in a very long time.

As I was writing each word, God was engraving them into my heart.

As I stated there, I have been through hell spiritually these past few weeks. It seems on the outside that all is going well. I am healthy, pretty much out of pain, and smiling each day, but I can hear the whispers of satan in my ear.

He is speaking that I will be sick again, that this crohn's is going to come back, ect. But he is also telling me that if I would follow him, I would never have to worry about that again.

You see, I have family who have been in witchcraft and voodoo. I have never walked that path nor have I ever desired to even peer into that. I have ministered to many young people who have been in that "religion". I have seen the hold that satan has had on them. I have committed my life to preaching the Word of God and complete and total deliverance through the Blood of Jesus.

Now all of the sudden, after the message "The Authority of Sons", satan hit me with this. I know his lies, but the battle has none the less been there in my mind.

He was twisting the words of God to me - saying that humans have this authority anyway through words. The New Age camp and those in all forms of the occult believe this.

All I had to do was speak these things and I would have them. But isn't that close to what Scripture says?? It is close, but not quite. The Word of God is clear that we do say unto the mountain, be thou removed and it shall be.

But also, we have to speak according to the Word of God and the Will of God. James also says that we have not because we ask not. Then he goes on to say that we have not because we ask wrongly, that we might have these things for our own selfish desires (James 4:2-3).

I have told satan I would not follow him no matter what the offer was. My God Jehovah, will supply all my needs and whatsoever He desires to give me will be sufficient. I have all things that pertain to life and godliness through Christ Jesus.

I will not back down. I have been dedicated to the Lord God Jehovah from birth, I was called from the womb to be His servant. And I declare this day to all who will listen that satan has no part in me. I am wholly sold out to Jesus. I have been bought with His Blood and am filled with the Holy Spirit.

My ears hear only One Voice, my eyes see only Jesus, my heart loves only One Master. JESUS CHRIST, The Son of the Living God, Savior of all. He is my Lord and Savior, my Master, my Beloved, my King.

This is my declaration! It is sealed! I am but a servant, I carry the seal of the Kingdom of God upon me, and I will speak only what He speaks.

I am a warrior for the Kingdom, an ambassador, an emissary of the Most High God. I will declare war on all the He declares war upon. I will not hold back. He has set a trumpet to my lips and will sound the cry of battle through me.


God has indeed given me Elijah Daniel Joash. He shall be a servant of God all the days of his life. Isn't it interesting that this was the very day Elijah was conceived.

Lastly - this one sounds a bit strange, but... Have you ever heard of Mike Murdock?? Never really paid attention to him - too much focus on money and giving to get, name it and claim it type. They just rub me the wrong way - and yet I am in a Word of Faith church, but we are more balanced than that. We talk about faith, but it is not all about money. This is our basis - Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God... He teaches strongly that without the other fruit of the Spirit, faith is kind of useless. We may have faith, but without love we are nothing.

Well, Mike was talking about the $58 seed and Isaiah 58. Mom felt lead to give this. She wrote the check on May 5 and put on the memo "Baby for Angela Joy Odom" From the date she wrote the check till I brought Elijah home was exactly 58 days.

For me, that is just too many confirmations from God. How can anyone say that this was not God's hand? You came too late to tell me any different!

Update: Elijah was declared mine by a Dougherty Co Court Judge on Dec 18, 2008. We have yet to clear the Cobb Co Court, but that is just a formality now.

Isn't he as cute as a button??

My Declaration of War

Hi again, this last blog I posted, "Desert Testing" was one of the hardest things I have writen in a very long time.

As I was writing each word, God was engraving them into my heart.

As I stated there, I have been through hell spiritually these past few weeks. It seems on the outside that all is going well. I am healthy, pretty much out of pain, and smiling each day, but I can hear the whispers of satan in my ear.

He is speaking that I will be sick again, that this crohn's is going to come back, ect. But he is also telling me that if I would follow him, I would never have to worry about that again.

You see, I have family who have been in witchcraft and voodoo. I have never walked that path nor have I ever desired to even peer into that. I have ministered to many young people who have been in that "religion". I have seen the hold that satan has had on them. I have committed my life to preaching the Word of God and complete and total deliverance through the Blood of Jesus.

Now all of the sudden, after the message "The Authority of Sons", satan hit me with this. I know his lies, but the battle has none the less been there in my mind.

He was twisting the words of God to me - saying that humans have this authority anyway through words. The New Age camp and those in all forms of the occult believe this.

All I had to do was speak these things and I would have them. But isn't that close to what Scripture says?? It is close, but not quite. The Word of God is clear that we do say unto the mountain, be thou removed and it shall be.

But also, we have to speak according to the Word of God and the Will of God. James also says that we have not because we ask not. Then he goes on to say that we have not because we ask wrongly, that we might have these things for our own selfish desires (James 4:2-3).

I have told satan I would not follow him no matter what the offer was. My God Jehovah, will supply all my needs and whatsoever He desires to give me will be sufficient. I have all things that pertain to life and godliness through Christ Jesus.

I will not back down. I have been dedicated to the Lord God Jehovah from birth, I was called from the womb to be His servant. And I declare this day to all who will listen that satan has no part in me. I am wholly sold out to Jesus. I have been bought with His Blood and am filled with the Holy Spirit.

My ears hear only One Voice, my eyes see only Jesus, my heart loves only One Master. JESUS CHRIST, The Son of the Living God, Savior of all. He is my Lord and Savior, my Master, my Beloved, my King.

This is my declaration! It is sealed! I am but a servant, I carry the seal of the Kingdom of God upon me, and I will speak only what He speaks.

I am a warrior for the Kingdom, an ambassador, an emissary of the Most High God. I will declare war on all the He declares war upon. I will not hold back. He has set a trumpet to my lips and will sound the cry of battle through me.

Amen

A Rant on those who call themselves Apostolic

Nov 03

As I was riding today, headed to the drs office I began to think - and this is a dangerous thing sometimes ;D

I have been doing some traveling in the past couple of weeks and in that, I have been meeting with business leaders and church leaders. It has been an eye-opening experience. One thing that I have seen in a few places is that business' are more ready to support the preaching of the Gosple than some churches are. I work with a Christian newsletter and I am finding that business' want their name assoicated with it more than the churches do. The Church leaders are asking things like what denomination are the people that run it, ect. Is that an issue?? If someone supports and teaches that Jesus is the only way to God and that there is no other name whereby men must be saved, does it really matter if you are Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, ect?? We should stand together in the preaching of the Word. A

nother thing is the churches that have "apostolic" in their title. For the most part, I have found them to be the opposite. Apostolic means "those that are sent out." Most of these churches are so isolated from the real world that they really are no earthly good! Yes, we should be set apart, set apart in what ways though?? Man, some of these are so "set apart" that they have no idea what Skittles are! And this is no joke! I know of a group that has never set foot into a mall before, because there are things in there that will "defile" them. Some order everything through catelogs because they "can't go into stores" because they are afraid that they will hear a cuss word or see something impure. To me, this doesn't sound apostolic! Aren't we called to be in the world - but not part of it! How in the world are we going to reach the lost if we don't get out into the midst of them?? We might have to get a little dirty, hear some cussing, see prostetutes walking down the streets in a mini skirt and a halter top.

Jesus Himself went in the home of tax collectors, rescued a woman who was caught in adultry, touched the lepers - who do we think we are to neglect them!! Those are the ones that Jesus died for also - not just the ones who have been in church all their lives and lived good. He died for the worst of the worst. Paul preached in the middle of the market place, at the gates of the city - basically at the "local mall". He went into a gathering of pagan worshippers and preached Jesus! The 1st Century Apostles were different, they were set apart - yet they were feared! In the books of Acts (17) the whole city was in an uproar because Paul and Silas came and preached Jesus. It was said "These men who have upset the world have come here also;" In the KJV it says "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;" How many of us can have that said about us? These men and women of God were not afriad to reach out to those who were hurting, those in deep sin - and because of that they turned the world upside down!

I am tired of hearing this "easy belivism gosple". We are in a war folks - it is not "Let's get saved and wait in hiding till the Rapture." So many who call themselves Christians do just that.

You know, I do hope the Rapture comes, but I am prepared to stick it out if we have to live through the Tribulation. We have not experience the persecution that many Believers have across the world. We think we have it easy - we do, too easy. Let persecution come and I wonder how many of those who claim the name of Christ will stand. I pray all will, but we have been taught (at least in this country) that when we become Christians we will have every want and desire. God did not say that - He said that He would provide for all our needs. There is a big difference.

My Heart's Cry

May 03

Please excuse me for ranting today! These are just some things on my heart. I was writng them in my journal and there are several more things that I will post from there also. I can "get on my soapox" every so often, esp when it comes to the things of God. I wish that I could take out my heart (spiritual) at times and place it within someone for just a moment so that they can have just a taste of the fire that God has placed within me.

I see so much apathy, worldliness, competition, etc in the church. So many of them are run like major coperations. I have been trying to understand the Nicolatians. I do understand the Nicolatians now - the Lord started showing me this about 2 months ago. I have often wondered about the doctrine of the Nicolatians. I have been a student of language since High School and love word eytemology. It finally hit me one day that this word means "the doctrine of the Laity Conquerors."

How does one conquor the laity - by oppressing them for one. But one can be conquored by "forfiet". If they sit back and won't fight, then they will be defeated. Satan, for the most part, won't win with a frontal assault - he does it little by little, causing us to fall asleep and becoming apathetic. We turn over control to a group of few that we chose. The Scripture says "Go!" It didn't say, Pastors go or Evangelists Go!. It said, "and these signs shall follow them that Believe.... the next verse is the commision to go - it is for all believers.

I have changed chuches several times, mainly because their focus was so much on what can God do for me, instead of getting out into the streets! It's all about building a bigger building, getting more people in attendance (mainly by coersion with good programs, not with New Believers). I really have a problem with that kind of attitude - yes God does bless us. He gives health, riches in this life, sucess - but it comes with a cost! A heart of a servant.

By the way, the word witness - it come from the same word for martyr! People say that they want to "witness" to their friends, family, etc... To them it means to say Jesus loves you, or invite them to church. A witness lays down his/her life for the sake of the Gosple. I wonder how many would take up that offer! The church is too comfortable with the buildings, the programs, and the "feel-good Gosple" that they don't want to hear about taking up your cross and following Jesus. (Sorry, preaching again! )

Used to be, a part of my problem with churches accepting me was my age. I thank God for the little Baptist church down the road from me that started letting me assist in pre-school when I was 14. Every time I approached churches about ministry and they saw my age, they told me I was too young! I was even told this at 22 year old. They are now more accepting of me now that I am the ripe old age of 26 (now 30).

Over the past few weeks I have been seeking God for direction - I know my calling, I just want to know where I need to go from here. I work in a youth grop - love it. But the teens don't seem to have any passion in them. It is all about games (our biggest turn out is on game night or lock-ins). We did have a very powerful lock-in last time (we had 30 min scheduled for testimonies - it began at 12:30, we finished close to 3 am - and only with about 30 kids altogether and only about 10 gave their testmonies).

I want to see these kids fired up and walk in their destinies. I am tired of seeing them passing notes in church, cuddling together when they should be worshipping, talking back to the leaders.

I want to see them Baptized in the Fire of God and filled with His Spirit. I would rather have 2 teens on fire for God and desiring to please Him than 20 teens who were there to please their parents, for games, or for friends - even than ones who came just "because it is the right thing to do." My heart is after God in everything that I do. I want nothing more than to serve Him.

There is a part of me that wants to go back to my teen years. When I was 15-17, the Lord showed me some awesome things. There was a strong gift of intercession - it is still here, but not the same. I used to lay in bed and pray. I would receive names of people and their situations, places that I had never heard of - only to find out that something was going on there a few days later (riots, earthquakes, typhoons, etc). I want to walk in that kind of intercession again. I do operate in the prophetic from time to time (mostly though dreams and visions), but I do receive words sometimes. I long for this gift to increase in my life.

I want to see people healed as I lay hands on them (this word has been spoken to me several times, by at least 4 people). I'll tell you, I have read histories of revival. I want God to use me in the way that He did many of the great revivalist of the past. I long to see people healed when I walk by because of the anointing and Glory of God. I want to see people fall on their faces in repentance because of the Holiness of God. I want to see demons manifest and people delivered because of the Presence of God!

Most of all, I want to see a whole generation walk in this power! I want to be one of the ones that imparts this to this generation. I am sure that you hear my frustrations in all of this.

For me, it is not enough to be saved and enjoying my walk with God - I want to grab as many as I can and bring them into this Life, even if I have to push some or pull some up by the bootstraps. I would rather stand at the gates of hell and rescue those that are falling head-long into darkness than I would at a crystal podium full of the comforts of this life. That last sentence ultimately sums up my hearts cry.

What is Worship by Joy

I have to ask this question. So many times we have the tought that worship is the Sunday service or either the music section of the services. Worship is so much more. The Lord is leading me to study and dig into the topic of Worship. There are 2 verses that the Lord is impressing upon me. John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Isa 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? What is worship in Spirit and in Truth? How do we build a house for God? PS 22:3 says that the Lord inhabits (indwells, enthroned in) the praises of His people.

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I am so ready to see the church learn what true worship is about. If we get a glimpse of God's Glory, His Majesty, His Holiness, His Righteousness, His Beauty, His Splendor, we would be forever changed. God is Everything, He is all powerful, all glorious, there is none that is above Him, there is none worthy but Him. He is exalted above all, all powers, all principalties, all nations, all kings and kingdoms, He is exalted above the heavens, above the earth, above the stars, above the angels. The earth is His Footstool, Heaven is His Throne. Yet our God seeks for a place for His resting Place! His resting place is our praise and our worship. The God of Creation, the One that spoke the Heavens into existance, the One who measures out the seas in the palm of His hand, the One who strechtes out the expanse of Heaven, desires a dwelling place with man, His creation. This is such an amzing thing. We are but dust, yet the Immortal God, desires to set His throne upon our praises!

What happened when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up? He was shown the Glory of the Lord, His Holiness. All he could do was cry out in repentance - woe unto me, for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips! In the light of God's Glory and Holiness, his sin was revealed, not just his sin, but his condition as a sinner.

Yes, we are redemmed by the Blood of the Lamb, but in worship, it should be revealed unto us that without the Blood of Jesus, we are undone, that there is no good thing in us. This revelation will cause Godly sorrow that produces repentance. This repentance brings righteousness and holiness in our lives. In turn, this righteousness and holiness will bring the anointing of God and His power flowing through us. Too many times we seek the power of God without the cost. The anointing is very costly! It costs our lives. We must die to self, die to our will, die to our motives, our desire for fame and a "name", for there is only One Name that is to be exalted and that is the Name of Jesus!

One of the Ingredients in the Anointing Oil was Cassia. This word means "to stoop" in the Hebrew. It takes humbleness to receive the anointing - it takes humbling ourselves before the Lord in worship, in every area of our lives. The Scripture states that God resists the proud, but gives grace (charis) to the humble. Charis is a greek word meaning grace, giftings, favor. Charisma is the word found in 1 John 2:27 for anointing. Charisma comes from the root work Charis. So, the Scripture states that God resists the proud, but give his anointing to the humble. Through worship, we are humbled before the Lord as we see our condition without him. We see His Glory and Majesty and we fall at His Feet in worship. May we see the Lord high and lifted up and that we may bow in His Presence in worship with a pure heart.

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Worship. Most people have a misunderstanding of what it is. Many believe that worship is a Sunday morning service. Some people believe that it is singing a few slow songs with our hands raised. That is not what God is looking for. He is not looking for what can be manufactured or controlled.

True worship is led of the Spirit. Jesus said that there would come a day when the true worshipers would worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Worship changes us. In my first book, I wrote this about worship, "When the priest went into the Holy of Holies, he went in one way, but had to come out a different way. In the lives of Believers, we go into the Presence of the Lord one way, but we cannot leave the same." Worship is probably one of the most awe-inspiring aspects of our walk with Jesus. When we worship God, we are showing our love for Him. Worship is a deeper, more intimate time with the Lord.

There is nothing like bowing before Him in His presence, His holiness and His majesty. As I said in the last chapter, one of the Hebrew words for praise is baruch, which means "to bow." Since we are talking about the anointing, I want to relate how worship is an essential key in receiving it. One of the ingredients in the anointing oil is cassia. The Hebrew root word for cassia is qadad, which means to stoop. Kim Clement, in his book, "The Sound of His Voice," said, "Stooping is a depiction of worship and sacrifice. So cassia reminds me that God's anointing does not come to those who refuse to bow their knee in worship or who fail to make a full surrender of their life to the Lord." God wants to anoint His people, but if we will not bow to the Lord, He will not anoint us. Only people who will bow, will be humble. God will not anoint people who are proud.

The Bible says that God resists the proud, but He will give grace to the humble (James 4:6). The word "grace" is the same word in Greek as anointing. That verse could be paraphrased, "God resists the proud, but He will give His anointing to the humble." Two verses later, the Bible says, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:. I just pray that God would reveal Himself to each of you in a mighty way. That He would take you each up into that Secret Place with Him and show you His Glory. Just one taste, man, I know that I will never be the same!


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I have been thinking even more on this since we am teaching our kids in 2 weeks on worship. Thing is - I have to break this down to where a 3 year old can understand it. I think the teaching on worship could be a 2 parter also (praise is turning out that way too).

One thing that is on my heart is the life of worship - everything we do is "unto the Lord", whether it is washing dishes, taking out the trash, cleaning our rooms (this is for kids). reason this is worship is the fact that it is obedience - Obedience is better than sacrifice and to harken than the fat of rams. In being obedient and learning to be obedient, we are worshipping God - we are saying to the world around us and to the devil, that our lives belong to God and we are His, He rules and reigns within us, conforming us to His Will.

The 2nd thing is worship in spirit and truth - I am going to focus on Truth right now (we have a kid that lies a lot!) When we speak the truth, no matter if it hurts or we are going to get in trouble, we are confessing to others our sin and that brings release and healing. It is an act of worship because we are choosing the nature of Father God over the nature of satan. We are saying that we want to walk in truth, because our God is Truth. It is worship because we are surrendering our fleshly nature to the Nature of Christ, giving Him Lordship over ourselves.

Of course, I am going to teach on why we worship God (His nature, His character - not for what He has done for us). So many times we worship God because He is good, merciful, loving, ect. Yes, we should! But, we should worship God because HE IS! He is El Elyon, HE IS Elohim, HE IS Jehovah Tseboth, God is God!

That is the reason we should worship Him. He is creator, sustainer, and finisher. It is wonderful that our God is good, merciful, and loving - but if not, then He is still worthy of all our worship, praise, and adoration - just becuase there is NO OTHER GOD!

Once we get that through our head and deep into our spirit, then there would be no reason for us to say, I don't feel like worshipping. I worship, not because I feel like it, but because God is worthy. I am actually to the point that I want to ask my pastor to stop the "regular worship service", you know, the music, for a while.

So many times that music time is a time where we get ourselves out of our "spiritual slump" and get cleaned up after a weeks worth of junk so that we can have ears to hear during the sermon. I think we really should take that time that is scheduled for "worship", ie music, and use it to read the attributes of God, His person, His nature. That would inspire true worship, more than any music could ever do! We need to teach this more often in our churches - I am in a pentecostal church, yet so many don't have a clue what worship is about. Sadly, what we are teaching our kids right now, the parents don't even understand.

My heart is so much in this. There is only 2 things that seem to be in my heart - to teach on worship and to lead the church into repentance - and I see these totally linked. To the world though, worship is still key. It is through worship that the Presence of the Lord comes and people's hearts are convicted and brings conviction. Tie that with the prophetic and evangelism. Prophetic worship leading into prophetic evangelism = souls being saved and delivered from the grip of satan! I need to go for the night, but I just can't seem to stop.

This is buring so strong in me. I just wish the Church would see God and truly worship! God longs for those that will worship in Spirit and in Truth - those that know what worship means and what it is about. I think in my own life I am just learning this. It seems that as I type, my fingers are working from the Spirit of God while my mind is sitting back learning - sounds weird I know. Some of this, I have been trying to figure out for years, but it is being explained to me as I write. I love when God does this!!

Vision of the Youth

June 2, 2004

I haven't thought about this vision for a while now, but tonight the Lord brought it back to memory.In the summer of 99 I was seeking the Lord on direction for youth ministry - I have long wanted to do outreach and train young believers to be strong evangelist in their schools and neighborhoods. I was lying in bed that afternoon when the Lord showed me this.I saw a group of young people, probably age 15 to 25. They seemed to be walking the same direction, but they were very unorganized. Some looked homeless, some had scars from drug use and self-abuse. Some were wearing gang color and some were "preppies".

They had blank stares and a look of death upon them.I saw someone running in their midst and started to call out to them. This person was like all of the other youth, yet he had life in him (I don't know if it was a man or a woman, so I chose male to describe the person). He was calling them out by name and telling them about a new life.Then I saw others join him in preaching to these youth. One by one, they began to receive the Life of God.

I then heard a trumpet, like a call to battle, these youth formed a marching line. Some did not know what they were fighting for, but they joined anyway (they were convinced by their friends).As they all started to march, a storm came. A strong wind began to blow and a driving rain. Some embraced it with open arms, yet some coward down begging for it to stop. These were the ones that joined because of persuasion. Soon, they found that the wind and the rain didn't hurt them and they began to find life in the storm.As this army marched in the rain and wind, they found that their old clothes were torn off and they were washed in the rain. As the sun came out again, I saw that they had on new clothes - white and clean.These youth never broke the line. They marched and cried out to all they meet to join them. As each joined, shouts of praise would go forth and the earth would shake. More and more joined their ranks as they sang praises.*************

The Lord then spoke that there is a new breed of warrior that is to come and is now being prepared on this earth. Many of them are in the caves hidden away because the enemy seeks to kill them. Many are like Saul, persecuting the believers and seeking to destroy those with the heart of David. But a time will come - and I believe that we are entering that day now - where the David's will come forth with their bands of warriors and will change the landscape of the church. These Saul's will be turned into Paul's, who will take the Gospel to every nation and every tongue.

These warriors will be united with a common goal and under a common banner - and that is the Blood of Jesus and the Glory of His Name. Names will not matter, titles will not matter, denominations will not matter to these warriors. Only the name of Jesus will matter to them.

As I am typing this - I am hearing the name Josiah. He was Israel's youngest King - 8 years old when he began to reign (II Kings 22:1) His name means "Whom Jehovah Heals". His mother was Jedidah (Beloved) and the grandson of Adaiah (Jehovah has adorned).This is indicative of this generation - they have been wounded so many times by the church, beat and abused by those that have sworn to love and protect them. Some many have been rejected even in the womb. Yet God is calling them Josiah's - the ones whom He has Healed. They are the sons and daughters (spiritual) of the Beloved. They will be given the "Covenant Blessings" by those that have been "adorned" (anointed) by God.When they receive that upon their lives, they will receive the anointing of the Kings and will walk in the authority of God to tear down the kingdom of darkness (2 Kings 23:3-20, 24-25)

The last verse - "25 - And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him."This will be the epithet of this generation of warriors - There was no other generation, before or after, who turned to God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might!"

Ps 24:6-106 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory. Selah(NIV)

Quotes On Worship

All these men and women had an insight into worship and the presence of God.It seems that in someways, we as a corporate church, have lost some of the power of worship, the life changing aspect of it.Read these quotes carefully and let's see what we can glean from these people and what we can change in our lives.

Jerry Kerns - "The whole person, with all his senses, with both mind and body, needs to be involved in genuine worship."

C.S. Lewis - "The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance."


Graham Truscott - "When God's people begin to praise and worship Him using the Biblical methods He gives, the Power of His presence comes among His people in an even greater measure."

Charles H. Spurgeon - "God is to be praised with the voice, and the heart should go therewith in holy exultation."

A. W. Tozer - "Without worship, we go about miserable."

Manley Beasley - "'A glimpse of God will save you. To gaze at Him will sanctify you."

C. S. Lewis - "We only learn to behave ourselves in the presence of God."

Michael Catt - "If we are going to worship in Spirit, we must develop a spirit of worship."

Richard Foster - "As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of modern life."

Jack Hayford - "Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped"

Jessica Leah Springer - "As John 4:23 says, Its time, as worshipers of God, to give him all we have. For when he is exalted, everything about me is decreased. So many times we stand in the way of really stepping into the secret place of worship with God. Just abandon tradition and the "expected" ways of Praise & Worship and get lost in the holy of holies with the sole intention of blessing the Fathers heart."

Lamar Boschman - "When I worship, I would rather my heart be without words than my words be without heart."

Graham Kendrick - "Worship is first and foremost for His benefit, not ours, though it is marvelous to discover that in giving Him pleasure, we ourselves enter into what can become our richest and most wholesome experience in life." p.58 "A Heart For Worship" by Lamar Boschman

Don McMinn - "Our entire being is fashioned as an instrument of praise. Just as a master violin maker designs an instrument to produce maximum aesthetic results, so God tailor-made our bodies, souls and spirits to work together in consonance to produce pleasing expressions of praise and worship. When we use body language to express praise, that which is internal becomes visible." p.60 "A Heart For Worship" by Lamar Boschman

Tommy Walker - "How quickly we forget what it's all about. We can get so strategic that we worship so our church will grow, not because He is worthy. But we're doing all this because God is worthy and we want to worship Him."

H.H. Rowley - "The first element in worship is adoration. The Hebrews expressed this by their posture and not alone my their word. For they prostrated themselves before God. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. They did not come with an easy familiarity into the presence of God, but were aware of his greatness and majesty, and came with a sense of privilege to His house." H.H. Rowley"Worship in Ancient Israel" p. 257

C.S. Lewis - "It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men."

Ralph Mahoney - "Whenever His people gather and worship Him, God promises He will make His presence known in their midst. On the other hand, where God's people consistently neglect true spiritual worship, His manifest presence is rarely experienced."

Paul E. Billheimer - "Surely that which occupies the total time and energies of heaven must be a fitting pattern for earth."

Marianne H. Micks - "When we worship together as a community of living Christians, we do not worship alone, we worship 'with all the company of heaven.'"

Henry Sloane Coffin - "If there is one characteristic more than others that contemporary public worship needs to recapture it is this awe before the surpassingly great and gracious God."

Andrew W. Blackwood - "The time has come for a revival of public worship as the finest of the fine arts...While there is a call for strong preaching there is even a greater need for uplifting worship."

William Temple - "The world can be saved by one thing and that is worship. For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.

"To great sections of the Church the art of worship has been lost entirely, and in its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the "program." This word has been borrowed from the stage and applied with sad wisdom to the type of public service which now passes for worship among us." (A. W. Tozer. The Pursuit of God. Christian Publications. 1948. pg. 9).


"The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all." (A. W. Tozer. The Pursuit of God. Christian Publications. 1948. pg. 17).

"The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men. ... We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence." (A. W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy. The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life. New York: Harper and Row. 1961. pg. 6).

"In many churches the art of worship has markedly declined. The so-called hour of worship has become a time when mind and emotions are anesthetized into neutral. Out of habit, church obligation, affection for the minister, peer pressure, family togetherness, patriotism, or community expectation, people sink into their usual pews." (Leslie Flynn, Worship: Together We Celebrate. Wheaton: Victor Books. 1983. pg. 11)"


The Church has slipped into a philosophy of 'Christian humanism' that is flawed with self-love, self-esteem, self-fulfillment, and self-glory. There appears to be scant concern about worshipping our glorious God on His terms. So-called worship seems little more than some liturgy (high or low) equated with stained-glass windows, organ music, or emotion-filled songs and prayers. If the bulletin didn't say 'Worship Service,' maybe we wouldn't know what we were supposed to be doing." (MacArthur, John, Jr., The Ultimate Priority. Chicago: Moody Press. 1983. Preface, viii.).

Christendom has initiated its own specially educated and ordained priesthood, whose presence is indispensable to 'administer the sacraments.' These men, robed in gorgeous vestments, from within a roped off 'sanctuary,' stand before a bloodless 'altar,' with a background of burning candles, crosses and smoking incense, and 'conduct the worship' for the laity. With the use of an elaborate prepared ritual, with stereotyped prayers, and responses from the audience, the whole service proceeds smoothly and with mechanical precision. It is a marvel of human invention and ingenuity, with an undoubted appeal to the esthetic; but a tragic and sorry substitute for the spiritual worship which our Lord declared that His Father sought from His redeemed children." (Gibbs, A.P., Worship. Kansas City: Walterick. n.d., pgs. 97.98.)"

Whenever the method of worship becomes more important than the Person of worship, we have already prostituted our worship. There are entire congregations who worship praise and praise worship but who have not yet learned to praise and worship God in Jesus Christ." (Cornwall, Judson, Worship As Jesus Taught It. Tulsa: Victory House Publishers. 1987. pg. 70.)

"We can expect God to provide everything necessary to make worship possible. We children of God must ever be dependent upon God, for we have no resources of our own. We are as impoverished in worship times as a baby unable to provide its own bottle at feeding time. God, the object of our worship, also becomes the inspiration of that worship. He has imparted His own Spirit into our hearts to energize that worship. All that is due Him comes from Him. His glorious Person evokes admiration for and honor of Him, as He imparts His nature into me." (Cornwall, Judson, Worship As Jesus Taught It. Tulsa: Victory House Publishers. 1987. pg. 140.)"

worship is recognizing God for who He is; it is ascribing worth to Him; it is God's people telling Him about the worth they see in Him. In fact, worship could very well be thought of as 'worth-ship.'" (Don Weaver, Worship: The Heart's Response to God. International School of Theology.)

"The Church is the Church in her worship. Worship is not an optional extra, but is of the very life and essence of the Church. ...Man is never more truly man than when he worships God. He rises to all the heights of human dignity when he worships God, and all God's purpose in Creation and in Redemption are fulfilled in us as together in worship we are renewed in and through Christ, and in the name of Christ we glorify God." (James B. Torrance. "The Place of Jesus Christ in Worship", Church Service Society Annual. No. 40. May, 1970. pgs 41-62).

EXAMPLES of GREAT PRAYER WARRIORS-by E.M Bounds.

"The act of praying is the very highest energy of which the human mind is capable; praying, that is, with the total concentration of the faculties. The great mass of worldly men and of learned men are absolutely incapable of prayer." -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

BISHOP WILSON says: "In H. Martyn's journal, the spirit of prayer, the time he devoted to the duty, and his fervor in it are the first things which strike me." Payson wore the hard-wood boards into grooves where his knees pressed so often and so long. His biographer says: "His continuing instant in prayer, be his circumstances what they might, is the most noticeable fact in his history, and points out the duty of all who would rival his eminency. To his ardent and persevering prayers must no doubt be ascribed in a great measure his distinguished and almost uninterrupted success."

The Marquis DeRenty, to whom Christ was most precious, ordered his servant to call him from his devotions at the end of half an hour. The servant at the time saw his face through an aperture. It was marked with such holiness that he hated to arouse him. His lips were moving, but he was perfectly silent. He waited until three half hours had passed; then he called to him, when he arose from his knees, saying that the half hour was so short when he was communing with Christ.

Brainerd said: "I love to be alone in my cottage, where I can spend much time in prayer."

William Bramwell is famous in Methodist annals for personal holiness and for his wonderful success in preaching and for the marvelous answers to his prayers. For hours at a time he would pray. He almost lived on his knees. He went over his circuits like a flame of fire. The fire was kindled by the time he spent in prayer. He often spent as much as four hours in a single season of prayer in retirement.

Bishop Andrewes spent the greatest part of five hours every day in prayer and devotion. Sir Henry Havelock always spent the first two hours of each day alone with God. If the encampment was struck at 6 A.M., he would rise at four.

Earl Cairns rose daily at six o'clock to secure an hour and a half for the study of the Bible and for prayer, before conducting family worship at a quarter to eight.

Dr. Judson's success in prayer is attributable to the fact that he gave much time to prayer. He says on this point: "Arrange thy affairs, if possible, so that thou canst leisurely devote two or three hours every day not merely to devotional exercises but to the very act of secret prayer and communion with God. Endeavor seven times a day to withdraw from business and company and lift up thy soul to God in private retirement. Begin the day by rising aftermidnight and devoting some time amid the silence and darkness of the night to this sacred work. Let the hour of opening dawn find thee at the same work. Let the hours of nine, twelve, three, six, and nine at night witness the same. Be resolute in his cause. Make all practicable sacrifices to maintain it.

Consider that thy time is short, and that business and company must not be allowed to rob thee of thy God." Impossible, say we, fanatical directions! Dr. Judson impressed an empire for Christ and laid the foundations of God's kingdom with imperishable granite in the heart of Burmah. He was successful, one of the few men who mightily impressed the world for Christ. Many men of greater gifts and genius and learning than he have made no such impression; their religious work is like footsteps in the sands, but he has engraven his work on the adamant. The secret of its profundity and endurance is found in the fact that he gave time to prayer. He kept the iron red-hot with prayer, and God's skill fashioned it with enduring power.

No man can do a great and enduring work for God who is not a man of prayer, and no man can be a man of prayer who does not give much time to praying. Is it true that prayer is simply the compliance with habit, dull andmechanical? A petty performance into which we are trained till tameness, shortness, superficiality are its chief elements? "Is it true that prayer is, as is assumed, little else than the half-passive play of sentiment which flows languidly on through the minutes or hours of easy reverie?"

Canon Liddon continues: "Let those who have really prayed give the answer. They sometimes describe prayer with the patriarch Jacob as a wrestling together with an Unseen Power which may last, not unfrequently in an earnest life, late into the night hours, or even to the break of day. Sometimes they refer to common intercession with St. Paul as a concerted struggle. They have, when praying, their eyes fixed on the Great Intercessor in Gethsemane, upon the drops of blood which fall to the ground in that agony of resignation and sacrifice. Importunity is of the essence of successful prayer. Importunity means not dreaminess but sustained work. It is through prayer especially that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.

It was a saying of the late Bishop Hamilton that "No man is likely to do much good in prayer who does not begin by looking upon it in the light of a work to be prepared for and persevered in with all the earnestness which we bring to bear upon subjects which are in our opinion at once most interesting and most necessary." "The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel." --Thomas Watson.

Quotes on Prayer and Revival I

Quotes on Prayer and Revival I

"The prayer of the feeblest saint who lives in the Spirit and keeps right with God is a terror to Satan. The very powers of darkness are paralyzed by prayer; no spiritualistic seance can succeed in the presence of a humble praying saint. No wonder Satan tries to keep our minds fussy in active work till we cannot think in prayer."- Oswald Chambers

"Our true character comes out in the way we pray." - Oswald Chambers

"Prayer imparts the power to walk and not faint." - Oswald Chambers "Prayer is not getting things from God, that is the most initial stage; prayer is getting into perfect communion with God" - Oswald Chambers

"I saw something today which affected me more than anything I ever saw or read on religion. While the battle was raging and the bullets were flying, Jackson rode by, calm as if he were at home, but his head was raised toward heaven, and his lips were moving evidently in prayer." -William J. Federer on Stonewall Jackson.

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." - Phillips Brooks

"Prevailing prayer is prayer that pushes right through all difficulties and obstacles, drives back all the opposing forces of Satan, and secures the will of God. Its purpose is to accomplish God's will on earth. Prevailing prayer is prayer that not only takes the initiative but continues on the offensive for God until spiritual victory is won."- Wesley L. Duewel

"Many Christians are so spiritually frail, sickly, and lacking in spiritual vitality that they cannot stick to prayer for more than a few minutes at a time." - Wesley L. Duewel

"The devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials. But he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we begin to lift up our hearts to God." - Jim Cymbala.

"...I learned as never before that persistent calling upon the Lord breaks through every stronghold of the devil, for nothing is impossible with God. For Christians in these troubled times, there is simply no other way." - Jim Cymbala.

"Every preacher who does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life and ministry is weak as a factor in God's work and is powerless to project God's cause in this world." - E. M. Bounds

"When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, "he trembles" as much as he ever did, for he knows that his day in that church or community is at an end." - R.A. Torrey

"The ministry of prayer, if it be anything worthy of the name, is a ministry of ardor, a ministry of unwearied and intense longing after God and after his holiness." - E.M. Bounds

"Prayer must be aflame. Its ardor must consume. Prayer without fervor is as a sun without light or heat, or as a flower without beauty or fragrance. A soul devoted to God is a fervent soul, and prayer is the creature of that flame. He only can truly pray who is all aglow for holiness, for God, and for heaven." - E. M. Bounds

"No man can do a great and enduring work for God who is not a man of prayer, and no man can be a man of prayer who does not give much time to praying." - E. M. Bounds, 'Power through Prayer - 8 Examples of Praying Men'.

"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer." - John Wesley

"O believing brethren! what an instrument is this which God hath put into your hands! Prayer moves Him that moves the universe."- Robert Murray McCheyne.

"No man - I don't care how colossal his intellect - No man is greater than his prayer life." - Leonard Ravenhill

"To stand before men on behalf of God is one thing. To stand before God on behalf of men is something entirely different." - Leonard Ravenhill

"The greatest answer to prayer is that I am brought into a perfectunderstanding with God, and that alters my view of actual things." - O. Chambers

"The prayer that sparks revival begins long before the countryside seems to awaken from its slumber in sin. It starts when men fall on their knees and cry out to God. That's where true intimacy with God takes place and we begin the journey of being transformed into the image of Christ. And as men are transformed, the course of a nation can be changed." - Wellington Boone

"The true spirit of prayer is no other than God's own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings." - Jonathan Edwards

"When we become too glib in prayer we are most surely talking to ourselves." - A.W. Tozer

"Prayer will promote our personal holiness as nothing else, except the study of the Word of God." - R.A Torrey

"He who is too busy to pray will be too busy to live a holy life. Satan had rather we let the grass grow on the path to our prayer chamber than anything else." - E.M.Bounds

"Prevailing prayer requires a tender, compassionate heart, a deep solicitude for the glory of God and the good of His people. Nehemiah wept and mourned." - Arthur Wallis

"I am perfectly confident that the man who does not spend hours alone with God will never know the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The world must be left outside until God alone fills the vision...God has promised to answer prayer. It is not that He is unwilling, for the fact is, He is more willing to give than we are to receive. But the trouble is, we are not ready..." - Oswald J. Smith,

"Any church may have a mighty man of God for its pastor, if it is willing to the price and that price is not a big salary but great praying." R.A. Torrey, 'The Power of Prayer'

"You may as soon find a living man that does not breathe, as a living Christian that does not pray. For this shall every one that is godly pray. If prayerless, then graceless." - Matthew Henry, commenting on Matthew 6:5.

"True revival lives in prayer. Prayer draws power from revival. We need only to follow the way-marks of their remarkable history to be satisfied of their inseparable unity." - Johnston, J. B, 'THE PRAYER-MEETING, and ITS HISTORY'

"At the heart of every revival is the spirit of prayer." - Arthur Wallis.

Quotes on Prayer and Revival II

"MEN OUGHT ALWAYS to PRAY, and NOT FAINT"

"Give yourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. If you do not pray, God will probably lay you aside from your ministry, as He did me, to teach you to pray." - Robert Murray McCheyne

"Let me burn out for God. After all, whatever God may appoint, prayer is the great thing. Oh, that I might be a man of prayer!"- Henry Martyn

"Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God and should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him. We should look to the Holy Spirit to really lead us into the presence of God and should not be hasty in words until He has actually brought us there." - R. A. Torrey

"Jesus taught that perseverance is the essential element in prayer." - E. M. Bounds "The goal of prayer is the ear of God." - E. M. Bounds

"O Brother, pray; in spite of Satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper- and sleep too- than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber." - Andrew Bonar

"We can never expect to grow in the likeness of our Lord unless we follow His example and give more time to communion with the Father. A revival of real praying would produce a spiritual revolution." - E.M. Bounds

"Holy living is essential preparation for prayer." - E.M. Bounds

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." - Samuel Chadwick

"The greatest hindrance to effective prayer is sin. Satan's greatest goal is to keep us from our knees." - Dick Eastman

"The coming revival must begin with a great revival of prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will first be heard." - Andrew Murray

"If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith." - Martin Luther

"He only can truly pray who is all aglow for holiness, for God, and for heaven." E. M. Bounds

"When God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it, the extraordinary prayers of His people... when God is about to accomplish great things for His Church, He will begin by remarkably pouring out the spirit of grace and supplication" - Jonathan Edwards.

"The prayer of faith is the only power in the universe to which the Great Jehovah yields." - Robert Hall

"If the spirit of prayer departs, it is a sure indication of a backslidden heart, for while the first love of a Christian continues he is sure to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to wrestle much in prayer." -Charles G. Finney, in Revival Lectures"Prayerlessness is sin." - Harold Lindsell

"Prayer is my chief work, and it is by means of it that I carry on the rest." - Thomas Hooker, Puritan

"The true church lives and moves and has its being in prayer." - Leonard Ravenhill

"All hindrance to prayer arises from ignorance of the teaching of God's Holy Word on the life of holiness He has planned for all His children or from an unwillingness to consecrate ourselves fully to Him." - The Kneeling Christian

"The mightiest prayers are often those drenched with the Word of God." - Herbert Lockyer

"Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then, my dear brother; pray, pray, pray." - Edward Payson

"Our greatest victories are won on our knees and with empty stomachs." - Julio C. Ruibal

"A man who kneels before God will stand before men." - Leonard Ravenhill

"To pray strenuously needs careful cultivation." - Oswald Chambers

"All earthly things with earth will pass away; Prayer grasps eternity. Then pray, always pray!" - E. H. Bickersteth

"True prayer is a lonely business." - Samuel Chadwick

"Every work of God can be traced to some kneeling form." - D L. Moody

"Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life." - Oswald Chambers

"We think of prayer as a preparation for work, or a calm after having done work, whereas prayer is the essential work. It is the supreme activity of everything that is noblest in our personality." - Oswald Chambers

"Prayer is life passionately wanting, wishing, desiring God's triumph. Prayer is life striving and toiling everywhere and always for that ultimate victory." - George Campbell Morgan

"Too busy; O forgive, Dear Lord, that I should ever be, too much engrossed in earthly tasks, to spend an hour with thee." - A.B. Christiansen

"O, let the place of secret prayer become to me the most beloved spot on earth." -- Andrew Murray ''

"The secret of praying is praying in secret." -- Leonard Ravenhill

"Prayer itself is an art which only the Holy Ghost can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer. Pray for prayer - pray till you can pray." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Quotes on Prayer and Revival III

"If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all." - Ravenhill.

"Let me never become a slave to crowds." - A.W. Tozer."Are there not millions of us who would rather go sleeping to hell; than sweating to heaven?" -Thomas Watson.

"For unless your hearts are free from worldly hopes and worldly fears, you never will speak boldly, as you ought to speak. The good old Puritans, I believe, never preached better than when in danger of being taken to prison as soon as they had finished their sermon. And however the church may be at peace now, yet I am persuaded, unless you go forth with the same temper, you will never preach with the same demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Study, therefore, my brethren,-I beseech you by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus,-study your hearts as well as books; ask yourselves again and again whether you would preach for Christ, if you were sure to lay down your lives for so doing?" - Whitefield.

"Several years ago...An Uncle of mine, who was very sound, slipped in some good books into a suitcase one day...and I remember coming across a book by Ernie Reisinger called "Today's Evangelism" and I began to read it... I got half way through that book and this is no exaggeration... and I'm not speaking evangelistically... This is true. I fell out of that chair with such the fear of God upon my life, and I pressed my face into those old boards of that room in the city of Lima (third floor of an old building we were using for a church)... I pressed my face as far into those boards as they could get in fear as I could get... and cried out to God, "God, If you promise not to kill me for the way I've preached your gospel, I promise from here on out I'll never preach it that way again." - Paul Washer ('I Am Under Obligation')

"What will it cost me for God to break my heart?" - "It will cost youabsolutely everything." - Gerhard DuToit

"Passing along the road the other day, we thought we had found a very beautiful knife. On picking it up we found it to be only a handle without a blade. So do we hear very beautiful sermons- well written and well read-but they are without a blade. They cut out no cancers of sin and carve out no models of piety. Sermons must have blades!" - Anonymous

"I'm afraid from the presence of God. You know, we do little things, we criticize, we gossip and stuff. I was memorizing the first twelve chapters of Acts few years ago, and I phoned my wife five o'clock one morning. I was speaking at a bible institute, she thought that there was something wrong, and she said: "What's going on? " I said: "My darling I'm memorizing Acts Chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira." and she said: "What about that?", I said: "Yes, they kept back part of the price, and you remember what happened. God struck them and they were dead." She said: "What do you think?" and I said: "Jannes(?) if we were living in Acts chapter 5 today, there will be very few christians who will be alive." I'm afraid of the presence of God." - Gerhard DuToit

Quotes on Prayer and Revival IV

The average Christian is so cold and contented with his wretched condition that there is no vacuum of desire into which the blessed Spirit can rush in satisfying fullness." -A.W. Tozer

"No man is ever fully accepted until he has, first of all, been utterly rejected." -Author unknown

"The spiritual man habitually makes eternity-judgments instead of time-judgments. By faith he rises above the tug of earth and the flow of time and learns to think and feel as one who has already left the world and gone to join the innumerable company of angels and the general assembly and Church of the First-born which are written in heaven. Such a man would rather be useful than famous and would rather serve than be served. And all this must be by theoperation of the Holy Spirit within him. No man can become spiritual by himself. Only the free Spirit can make a man spiritual." -A.W.Tozer

"What pains do children take to scrape and roll the snow together to make a snowman. But soon after it is done, the heat of the sun dissolves it, and it comes to nothing.The greatest treasures of worldly people arebut snowmen! When death and judgment come, they melt away, and come to nothing! 'The world with its lust is passing away.' -1 John 2:17" Matthew Meade, "The Almost Christian".

"We stink more of the world than we stink of of sack cloth and ashes. A lot of contemporary churches today would feel more at home in a movie house rather than in a house of prayer, more afraid of holy living than of sinning, know more about money than magnifying Christ in our bodies. It is so compromised that holiness and living a sin-free life is heresy to the modern church. The modern church is, quite simply, just the world with a Christian T-shirt on!" -N. Cruz"

Despite the atrociousness of it, Satan really does have "little cause to fear most preaching." Most preaching in the modern church is completely devoid of unction. Pastors are too busy playing golf or racquetball to bother spending time on their knees. No wonder some pastors I've heard can more readily quote Dr. Laura then bible passages pertaining to prayer. It's disastrous. Satan need not fear under those conditions." -A. Reavis

"After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone, and children sift through all we've left behind; May the clues that they discover, become the light that leads them to the road we each must find." -Sung by Steve Green, " Find US Faithful"

" The Lord has shown me that I can do anything, but that He has said, apart from Me ye can do nothing." "So it comes to this, that everything I have done, and can still do apart from Him is nothing!" -Watchman Nee

"How do we worship our God Wholeheartedly? To answer the question we must respond to the command... "If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15. True Love is complete obedience ... half obedience is no obedience. If you love Jesus, you will obey what He commands. This is true love and true worship." -Unknown

"A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God." -Leonard Ravenhill"Resolved: that all men should live for the glory of God. Resolved second: That whether others do or not, I will." - Jonathan Edwards

"The Spirit clothed himself, He makes the record say, With Gideon, so he became As nothing in the fray, But just a suit of working clothes The Spirit wore that day." Unknown

"Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle." -C. T. Studd

Quotes on Prayer and Revival V

"Mortification of the flesh is the true place of power in the Spirit." -W. Kelly"

It is not hasty reading, but seriously meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the bee's touching of the flowers that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time upon them and drawing out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest, and strongest Christian." - Anonymous

"The day that you decide to fast is the day that you've decided to quit hiding from whatever it is that is in you that just don't care. That you don't care about the naked, you don't care about the captive, the poor, whether anyone is getting saved, whether anyone is getting healed. To even get a shred of burnt out conscience we have to show you movies of starving kids. What kind of walk is that?" - Dave Roberson - 'The Basics of Fasting - Don't Hide From Your Flesh'

"Many people in the world have not rejected christ. They have rejected the Christ they've seen, projected by Christendom. "A lot of things that are being spoken of today as the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it's just emotional exuberance. Because people don't know what is soul and what is spirit..Young people are so often taken up with that exuberance and say, 'Oh, this is Holy Spirit.' It's not, if it were Holy Spirit it would bring holiness. "I'm not against noise, it's a matter of your temperament..if your trinity is Father, Son and Noisy Spirit, mine is not..if you're filled with the Holy Spirit, you have holiness." - Zac Poonen - "A Renewed Soul".

"Christ choosing solitude for private prayer, doth not only hint to us the danger of distraction and deviation of thoughts in prayer, but how necessary it is for us to choose the most convenient places we can for private prayer. Our own fickleness and Satan's restlessness call upon us to get into such places where we may freely pour out our soul into the bosom of God [Mark 1.35]."- Thomas Brooks

"God sees us in secret, therefore, let, us seek his face in secret. Though heaven be God's palace, yet it is not his prison." - Thomas Brooks.

"God's hearing of our prayers doth not depend upon sanctification, but upon Christ's intercession; not upon what we are in ourselves, but what we are in the Lord Jesus; both our persons and our prayers are acceptable in the beloved [Eph 1.6]." - Thomas Brooks.

"It was a choice saying of Augustine, 'Every saint is God's temple, and he who carries his temple about him, may go to prayer when he pleaseth'." - Thomas Brooks.

"Prayer is nothing but the breathing that out before the Lord, that was first breathed into us by the Spirit of the Lord." - Thomas Brooks."A man's most glorious actions will at last be found to be but glorious sins, if he hath made himself, and not the glory of God, the end of those actions." - Thomas Brooks."

'My sin is ever before me' [Psalm 51.3]. A humble soul sees that he can stay no more from sin, than the heart can from panting, and the pulse from beating. He sees his heart and life to be fuller of sin, than the firmament is of stars; and this keeps him low. He sees that sin is so bred in the bone, that till his bones, as Joseph's, be carried out of the Egypt of this world, it will not out. Though sin and grace were never born together, and though they shall not die together, yet while the believer lives, these two must live together; and this keeps him humble." - Thomas Brooks.

"The best and sweetest flowers of Paradise God gives to his people when they are upon their knees. Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us in to Paradise." - Thomas Brooks.

"If you will here stop and ask yourself why you are not as pious as the primitive Christians were, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor inability, but because you never thoroughly intended it." - William Law.

Just a little about me

Well, I am a single mom of a 6 month old boy (today actually). His name is Elijah Daniel Joash. His adoption was finalized on Dec 18th, 2008. He was certianly a gift from God to me. Through him, God has taught me more of His unending love, His mercy, and His grace.

I am a 30 year old survivor - a survivor of many things. I take that back, I am not a survivor - I am an overcomer through Christ Jesus.

I am a budding novelist. I like to takle the occult, rape, adoption, and the true Power of God in our lives.

My heart aches for the lost and hurting, esp the youth. This generation seems to wander aimlessly through life, not knowing their purpose or destiny. Our greatest destiny in life is to know God through Jesus Christ. This has been my destiny, to guide others to Him since I was 14 years old. There is nothing I would rather do. I will use any means possible to teach the Good News - whether writing fiction, teaching, hugging an AIDS victim, or reaching out at a crisis pregnancy center.