Thursday, September 24, 2015

War Room: Prayer Is A Powerful Weapon

In 2005, my husband and I went to England. Of all the interesting places we went, nothing can compare to Winston Churchill’s war room which is now a museum.

As we descended down into the intricate layout of rooms and entered the war room, I felt transported to another era. In this room, men worked beneath London to develop plans to keep the United Kingdom safe and to defeat the enemy. I remember closing my eyes at one point and trying to visualize what they heard above them as London was being repeatedly bombed.

Maps, telegraphs, phones, and detailed journals were scattered across tables. Pictures of life in the war room filled in my many questions— snapshots of men deliberating on strategic maneuvers of men, artillery, and aircraft in various war zones, trying to predict the enemies movement and advance ahead of it. I could almost feel the thick tension that had filled those quarters.

Decisions made in the war room had long reaching repercussion, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. The horror of war was ever present in every discussion. And when people came into the war room they knew their business meant life or death. You know prayers had to be involved.

Those small quarters housed men who changed the world by their decisions. The weight of that had to be heavy.

            Well, God sends us into small quarters to change our world by forming a holy alliance with our Father on the matters of the heart, soul, and mind. We do that through prayer.

            “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room,
            close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret,
             and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

            The inner room is a war room. Whether it’s a prayer closet or a small place outside the distractions of the world, prayer becomes intense and concentrated. It is the weapon we wield against the struggles we face, our families encounter, and our friends fall victim to. We battle knowing, “the adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeing whom he may devour. . .” I Peter 5:8

          

            Victories don’t come by accident! We fight through prayer.

             Dr. David Jeremiah reminds us that "Prayer is meant to be preventative, more than remedial." That means we pray God's will ahead of any circumstance.

            Priscilla Shirer, who portrays Liz Jordon in the movie, says, “When God sees this type of prayerful, grateful faith, when our mind is squared on Him, the peace of God expands within us. It stabilizes our runaway emotions, centers our minds, guides our footsteps, and even overflows into our experience with others. It cools our sharp tongue and dismantles our emotional walls.”
           
            The Kendrick brothers, producers of the movie, do an excellent job portraying the importance of fervent prayer in a sacred place removed from the distractions of the world. They let us glimpse into the life of the Jordon family who struggle to manage life’s challenges. We see the interaction of their friends and associates as they interact with them, and we are immediately immersed into their dilemma because it becomes our dilemma, too. We know every disappointment and sin they experience. We’ve all been there.

            Leaving the movie, my first thought focused on the powerful facet of issues that were covered during the movie, and how well they tapped into the needs and challenges of a multi-generational group of people. Everyone will identify with one or more of the characters. It’s impossible not to.

            I don’t want to give away too much of the details. I want you to go see War Room. Then I want you to see how you can change your prayer life to make it more intentional and deliberate. Whether it’s Churchill’s war room or our prayer war room, the purpose is to make decisions that protect and change lives. In the sacred moments of undisturbed prayer time, God reveals His plan for us in His will and timing. Living in God’s plan is the first initiative in changing lives. The change is the glow of Jesus in your life. When others see it, they will wonder and ask why you are different.
When you see the effect of personal change in the movie, I know you will be persuaded to begin your own venture into building your own war room for praying.

Prayer is powerful. It is our weapon against the harsh realities of life. Prayer changes lives and offers others a chance to renew their faith in the Almighty God.

It’s found in the privacy of your war room.

God bless you!

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

A Scare That Almost Scarred Me!

“It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods, and is largely told in the third-person omniscient mode. It deals with themes that eventually became King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values. Publishers Weekly listed It as the best-selling book in the United States in 1986.” (Wikipedia)

I did not read the book.

The film was released in 1990. I saw the film. I wish I hadn’t.

Does anyone still feel the chill and fear that movie provoked? I do.

Over this past summer my granddaughters and I were going through old movies and in the very back of the cabinet was the movie It. I literally shivered.

“Let’s watch it!” One of my granddaughters squealed.

“No!” Cried another one.

I ended the discussion quickly. There would be no viewing of It.

            In 1990 when I saw that film I was well into adulthood with children 18, 15, and 10 years old. Why did that film bother me so badly?

As a child I loved circuses. My grandparents often took me to Calloway Gardens in Georgia to see the jugglers, flying trapeze artists, and the clowns. I remember seeing old black and white movies depicting the traveling circuses like Barnum and Bailey or Ringling Brothers. It was magic, courage, and exhilaration. But King distorted that for me.

I had none of those euphoric feelings when I saw the movie It. I was fearful.


It was one of my worst nightmares. Instead of snippets of dream-remembered horror, the movie slashed with its full-blown color!

            Reflecting back on my horror of the movie, I tied to remember what was going on in my life or past that could have stimulated such anxiety. Stephen King achieved exactly what he had set out to do – dredge up all the fears and phobias of the audience and his readers. And 25 years after the film’s release, it still had its clutch on me.

          

To top it off, 3 weeks ago we were traveling to a funeral up in PA and got behind this truck. When I saw the image, I shivered. Another reminder.

            Am I scarred from the gruesome image of that clown? I immediately felt a chill cross my shoulders. Twenty-five years ago it might have taken me into a tailspin, dredging up other things in my life that weren’t going well. Today, I shiver. Then, I name my demon, whether it’s fear, apprehension, anxiety, anger, hurt, etc., and I do not let it take hold of me.

            Conquering these types of conflict is imperative. We have to stave them off instantly. The best ways to do this is to:

            1. Name the fear. Call out the demon. Ask yourself what happened to dredge up the feelings? How does it make me feel?  Name the emotion.

            2. Take it to God. God loves you. You are His precious child. Find a scripture to hang onto and repeat it like a mantra until you get control of your feelings. Mine is 2 Chronicles 20:12 “. . . Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” Keep your eyes focused on Jesus. He cast all fear aside and suffered on the cross for us. How can I not keep my eyes on Him ?  He who has been through it all will understand.

            3. Reject the fear. It can consume you. “Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it fear.” Ask family and friends to pray over you. Prayer is powerful. Standing up to fear is also powerful and liberating. It’s not easy; it has to be intentional. “But now, this is what the Lord says – He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name: you are mine”.

            4. Distract your focus. Keep your focus off your fear, and on the One who will ease the discomfort of your situation. Isaiah 41:10 states, “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Fear comes from external sources. Even a clown. The art of mastering it requires self-control, one of the Fruits of the Spirit. It is purposeful and intentional.

Trust me, fear cannot survive in the presence of the Almighty God. Call it out! Rebuke Satan!
Give it all to Him. Blessings to you always!  


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Testing the Spirit Deeply

There are times along life’s journey that test the spirit deeply . . .

This week has been one of those weeks when the cries of suffering, disappointment, and discouragement have been overwhelming.

          “I hate the pain, but I have to accept that in order to experience future blessings. It is all about how I view the situation.”

          “I can’t do it anymore. The panic is overwhelming. Some days I’m not sure I even want to try.”

          “Pray for my grandson. He’s having seizures. I’m so afraid.”

          “I’m in a black hole. Would you pray for me? I need someone who cares.”

          “Got the lab reports back. It’s stomach cancer. Not quite sure what to do with this.”

          “Difficult for me to put everything I’m feeling, struggling with, working on, regretting, and wishing for in a text.”

          “Please call her,” my friend cried over the phone. “She’s got pancreatic cancer.”


My heart was heavy as I prayed with and over people who were reaching out for help and prayer. But scripture tells us over and over again that we can have joy in the middle of life’s challenges. And sometimes when we are so full, the Holy Spirit speaks for us, delivering our prayers straight to the throne room.


Our Father has supplied for our needs. When life seems to be crashing down around us, we know our Heavenly Father is in full control of the situation. This is when we have to lean into Him and trust His words.

“For you know that when your faith is tested,
your endurance has a chance to grow.”

Press into Jesus who understands hurt more than anyone. He alone gives us courage, peace, and blessings that pass human understanding.

I love the saying:
“You can’t have a testimony without a test.”

Use your testimony to be a beacon of light to others. We are all suffering in one way or the other. Together as the body of Christ, we can love and remind one another of God’s amazing love.


Blessings to all!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The Storm Inside


Trade the chaos of how you feel for the truth of who you are.

Christianity is a battle, not a dream.
-Wendell Phillips

Sheila Walsh pens a solid book on the truth of how we let emotions and feelings sideswipe us. Illustrating the overwhelming burdens women live under through testimonies, Walsh tackles each with scriptural wisdom. These are the ten most common burdens women strap to their back and bury deep within their soul.
Heartache
Disappointment
Fear
Bitterness
Unforgiveness
Anger
Regret
Abandonment
Shame
Insecurity

I love Walsh’s question to her readers. “But what if he (Satan) tailors his attacks to fit us, the daughters of the King? What if his demons launch their assaults at the very places where we have shown the most vulnerability? What if he looks over our shoulders on all the negative confessions we’ve made to hone an all-out assault on our hearts? It is not beyond his deviousness to tune into our pain and turn it into a weapon to use against us.”

As hard as Satan and his demons work to pull our feet out from under us, we have to remain strong women of truth, strength, and discipline. We are daughters of the Almighty God! And Sheila does an excellent job bringing us up out of the wreckage of our emotions, bruises, hurts, and brokenness to show us God’s template for living by using solid examples from her life, other women’s crisis, and scripture examples.

I’ve never read a book that has challenged me so much and given me concrete ways to pull out of the ruts of life and move forward. Walsh asks tough questions, then helps the reader peel back the layers of uncertainty to find the hidden black core that consistently trips us up.

“When we make a commitment to no longer live by what we feel is true but by what God’s Word tells us is true, we can stand in the strongest storms of life.”

I seriously urge you to read The Storm Inside. I can promise you will want to read it a second time, and you will be buying additional copies to give to the women in your life who are suffering because they don’t know how to get out from under their emotions and the hard time life presents us.


HUGE Announcement:
Sheila Walsh will be coming to Washington, NC
Heart to Heart Conference 2016
2020 W. 15th Street (Harvest Church)
Washington, NC 27889
Tickets go on sale online October 1, 2015!
Music will be provided by Laura Cooksey


I urge you to mark your calendars and get ready to be amazed at what God will accomplish when His daughters come together to hear His truth.

God bless you always!