I was talking to my mom the other day and she reminded me of a time when I was about 2 years old and prayed for healing. She said I burned my finger by reaching up on the stove and it immediately blistered and I cried from the pain. "Mommy can we pray for it?" I asked already believing. "Yes, baby." She took my hand gently and prayed for the pain to go away and for my finger to be healed.
"Amen" we both said together. She said I then skipped off to go play again, no longer crying as if the pain had gone away. The blister was still there but the 2 year old little girl believed that when you pray, God will hear you and answer.
I don't remember this but I love hearing that as a child, I had faith in the Lord. As an adult, I realize how hard it is to believe and trust in faith. It goes against what the world tells us. It's hard. It takes stepping out of the boat.
John 14:14 says, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will give it to you."
I'm sure you all have heard the verse, 'if you have the faith of even a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain 'move here' and it will move." Mt 17:20 (paraphrased) Well how hard is it to have the faith of a mustard seed??? Apparently pretty hard.
My team and I have been partnering with a church in Kuala Lumpur this month. Our main focus for ministry has been. . . Prayer!
What a way to put your faith to practice, eh?
Every Friday night, we have had an all night prayer service from 11:00 pm until 6:00 am. (God apparently wanted me to realize my prayer life needed some work and to do something about it.)
Over the course of each prayer night, I realized something.
I have rarely ask for things in Faith that my prayers will be answered.
We had worship, then we would speak and declare scripture, then focus on a topic and come together and pray. As the night went on, my faith built up, my prayers FELT more powerful.
Matthew 7:7-8 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
THERE IT IS! A promise from God! And He is faithful! But we HAVE to ask and seek Him!!
This past Friday night, one of the things we prayed for was that the following Sunday. There was a group of Muslim extremists that were planning on having a bible burning. They planned to burn every bible they could find in an public setting because the Malaysian bible uses the word Allah. SO! We prayed it wouldn't happen. This planned event that had been talked about amongst the whole country, we asked that it be prevented by God's Divine intervention. We prayed for the Holy Spirit to turn the hearts of the men and it be stopped before it started. Can I tell you that the bible burning was cancelled! AMEN! And not even by Christians. The higher Islam authorities rebuked the men that were planning the burning and prevented it from taking it's course. My God hears our prayers.
Matthew 18:19-20 says it too! "Again, I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
Last night we gathered together as a team to love and encourage one another and do a heart check. Before we started out time, we prayed for healing. Several of us had either a head ache, sore throat, back pain.. for me it was a shoulder/neck/head ache. 8 of us prayed for healing in Faith that God loves and cares and heals. We finish praying and Liz says "uhh you guys.. my back is healed! it doesn't hurt and it was throbbing before." I was pumped because I got to say it too. "I'm healed! I felt warmth coming from your hand Liz, and my neck and shoulders and back have no more soreness whatsoever."
God answers our prayers.
Matthew 9:29 says "It shall be done to you according to your faith."
Pray for Faith. Rebuke doubt from your mind. Know that Jesus has promised you. God is faithful.
Matthew 21:22 "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Tonight we came together as a team and prayed. We each have to fundraise to be on the world race and Praise be to the Lord as of today my account has been fully funded!! $15,500 the Father has provided every penny just as He promised. Each of my teammates have had their own journey of fundraising and trusting in the Father. One of my teammates Elizabeth Gonzalez is still in need of $4,850 in order to stay on the race. We are praying in Faith and believing and now I'm asking for you to take part! I'm fighting for her to stay because I know the Father has called her to be here. She is a vital member of our team. She sharpens me and lifts me up. She is the iron to help me look more like the Father. You can click on her name to visit her page and give.
Thank you for reading, praying, and giving! God is using you. Your prayers are answered. And God blesses you for giving!
Pray for me to grow in my Faith.
Pray for my team to unite in the Spirit of Love.
Pray for my squad as we travel and go out in ministry.
We leave for Cambodia on Friday the 1st !!!! Blog coming soon about what our ministry will look like!
