Yesterday I was listening to a teaching by Billy Humphrey, founder of the the International House of Prayer in Atlanta, Georgia. Billy came to our home church (Shady Grove Church) several times while we were pastoring, and we have always loved his fiery, prophetic spirit and passion for God. His opening text of the message I listened to yesterday was one verse in the book of Matthew, and it has gripped my heart. When you read it with natural eyes, there is nothing unusual about it. Actually it’s a verse that most of us have read many times. Billy described it as the “reset button” in his life. When it seems like life is getting too complicated or he’s having trouble focusing on what really matters, he meditates on this one verse in Matthew 22:2.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son.”
This is what it’s all about. Our highest purpose is to be a bride prepared for the Son of God. It’s not what we do for Him. It’s who we are. This has been His purpose from the beginning of time. We, as sons and daughters of the Most High, the Church, are being readied for the marriage supper of the Lamb, to be married to the One who will ride on a white horse of war rather than a donkey of peace. His robe ‘dipped in blood’ but not his own. (more…)
A couple of days ago I attended an intercession watch at the house of prayer. I was pouring my heart out to God, passionate in my reminders to Him of why He needed to strengthen the believers in Turkey and send them workers to help build the five houses of prayer in that country. I was in tears. I was energized. I was passionate. I was happy. And in the midst of the music and the shouts of the people around me, I heard a quiet voice saying, “This is what I have called you to do. This is what makes you joyful in the place of prayer, and this is what moves My heart.” I knew exactly what He meant. What excites me the most in prayer is a group of people crying out to God together for houses of prayer to be birthed and strengthened all over the planet, specifically in Muslim countries. I am so passionate about this. There’s no other way that the forces of evil can be pushed back in a city and a country than to have prayer and intercession rising to the throne on a continual basis through a people who are committed to each other and to Him.
Have you ever noticed that the things that you should be doing and the things that you are called to do are the hardest to stay committed to?
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Neh. 3:29 “…the gate that looketh toward the east: And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.”
Eastern Gate from inside the Temple Mount
Ezekiel 44:1-3 Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. And he said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut. Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.”
Eastern Gate from the Mt. of Olives
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I have the wonderful privilege of visiting the Temple Mount almost every week, and I have determined that it is my all-time favorite place in all of Israel. It’s on the top of the list. It tops the Southern steps of the Temple, the Sea of Galilee, the Western Wall, Ein Gedi, Capernaum, the remains of the tabernacle at Shiloh, and the Rabbi’s tunnel. To me it even tops the City of David, and anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE the City of David. There you can see ruins of his actual palace, the retaining wall (Millo in II Chron. 32:5), Hezekiah’s tunnel, and Jebusite stone columns in front of the Gihon Spring. Even over all of this, I love the Temple Mount. To say that there is a lot of history on that 36-acre plot of land is a total understatement. There is history, but there is also future significance to this place. It is what all believers in Yeshua cry out for. We long for the Day when He will appear in the sky, catch us up with Him, change us in the twinkling of an eye, and return with us to the earth to rule. We will be part of His earthly government!
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2009 has been, by far, the most interesting year of my life. Every day has been a journey. We sold everything in the States, left our precious family and moved here to follow the call of God. Our motto throughout it all has been, “We only have this one life. Let’s go for it. Why play it safe?” And God has been so faithful! Every time we have cried out to Him, He has answered in the nick of time. He has confirmed to us over and over again that this is what He wants us to do. We don’t know how long He has us here, but we are enjoying every minute. We love working here with so many wonderful people who continually inspire us to abandon ourselves whole-heartedly to His call and to live on the edge. Hear what God is saying and do it! (more…)
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