Nazarite Call

A few weeks back I had the privilege of going with a team of four from NHOP to a quaint community named Alexandria. The team traveled approximately an hour away from home base to join a group of fellow believers for a worship and prayer night. This event is held once a month in the local curling rink and opened to any Christian group in the area.

The sermon topic for the evening was on PRAYER and the NHOP team was invited to be the guest speakers to share on the subject. The event began with worship (lead by the youth of the community) and then a skit. The preaching followed and finally a ministry time for those requesting personal prayer. Prior to service Richard, the assistant director here at NHOP, put out the invitation to the Naz and Prayer missionaries to go to small town Alexandria and requested volunteers to share in the evening preaching. Through the Spirits prompting, prophetic confirmation, divine intervention and nothing short of a miracle (almost kidding I stepped forward.

The topic: What does prayer mean to me?

After my fellow Prayer Missionary Doreen Lowry shared her experience of prayer as sweet worship to God I took the mike. My share was summed up in a letter that a good friend of mine wrote to me that very week (intials: KF). She wrote how she had been reading about King David and how she was reminded that he was a man after God’s heart. She also reflected on the fact that he transcended the rules of his day when it came to worshipping God and established in it’s place a friendship with God. Keep in mind that in those days there were a lot of rules on how people could worship. As well, only the high priest could go before the ark of God, one day a year. Since this didn’t sit well with King David he decided to erect a tabernacle. He then had many priests minister before the ark of the covenant (this was the chosen object that was used to facilitate the presence of the Lord). They went before the ark, 24 hours, 7 days a week and for 30 years!! This is no small difference from how they use to worship God.

Fast forwarding now to the book of Acts 15:16-18… It says that God liked this worship soooo much that He said He is going to ‘rebuild’ the tabernacle of David in the last days.

I don’t know about you but I believe we’re experiencing this promise today. Everywhere you look it seems like another prayer house is rising up. One example, and only one example, is the National House of Prayer. I feel to say also that a prayer house is not about a building but more of a gathering place of God’s people. Also, God is calling His priests to worship and to pray to Him. (To check out who these modern days priests are and how they pray: 1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 6:12)

Can you imagine if these guys (priests) realized who they were? …… How much prayer do you think there would be? …… Maybe 24/7?

So for my answer to the original question…. As a Prayer Missionary I’v valued serving and praying for government in this gathering place called NHOP (Fall/09), but discovering my identity as a chosen generation and a royal priesthood supersedes all that I could ask or imagine. To walk in a place of friendship with the Lord; to go before our King’s throne in worship, to give thanks and praise to the Creator of the universe; to have the privilege to ask for the kingdoms of this earth to become the Kingdom of our God, is my finite way of explaining what prayer means to me.

Izzy

Hello there eager readers. It has been a very busy few weeks. It’s been non-stop going. I am very tired. But there has been a lot of amazing stuff that has happened in the past few weeks. So many things have happened it would be hard to write it all down. One of the things that God has really been teaching me personally in the past week (we’ll go for the short term) is resting. We’ve been going so much and have so many things to get done that I’ve been getting stressed out about all those things. I haven’t had a lot of time to spend time with God, and the time I did have I spent worried and stressed. So God has really been saying to me to rest. It’s really been quite neat too when God speaks to me. I’ll be talking to Him during worship or in my journal and He’ll tell me something, and then He’ll confirm it the next day by someone saying it. That’s been one of my stuggles is I speak to God but I feel like the response from Him is me making it up. He’s been confirming that He is speaking to me. For example. This weekend on Saturday I didn’t really do much. I was planning on doing research because we kind of have a bit of a research project. But I didn’t do any research that day. I was just so tired from that week. It was so busy. I just felt like lounging around. Which is basicly what I did. But after I really beat myself up for not being productive. That’s one thing that I often do is I get mad at myself for resting when maybe I need the rest, maybe I need a day of not doing anything. Anyway. So I was frustrated. I went to the prayer room to let out my frustration to God. I was talking to Him in my journal. I was asking ‘Why can’t I have a day of rest and not be productive without stressing or worrying about everything I’m not getting done? Why can’t I just rest without beating myself up?’ Then He said to me ‘You need to learn how to rest in me. Just rest in me and not worry about all those other things in your life. You don’t need to worry about that. Just rest in me, then you’ll learn how to relax and not worry. When you rest in me I take away all the worries of life.’ So… I told you that lately He’s been confirming that He’s speaking to my by other people saying things. Monday morning, in our morning devotion, Jeremiah decided to take a different route. We’ve been going through the book of Matthew but he decided to read from Ephesians. What he was saying on Monday was that usually somewhere in the program everyone (in the program) hits a brick wall. You can do one of two things when this happens. You can stuggle and strive to try and get over or through this brick wall, or you can just surrender to God and just let Him take over; to just stop striving and just rest. Now that was my confirmation that what I wrote in my journal was from God. God has been doing so much of that. So I know that I need to just rest. When things get really busy and I have so many things to do, just don’t worry about. Just allow Him to help you to get those things done. It’s been amazing. I definitly think that I’ve hit a brick wall, and I’m choosing to let Him take over, allow Him to do the work. I am tired of striving. So that is my message to all you who are reading. Just rest in Him. He will direct your path. You don’t have to worry about all the little things of life. He is so much bigger than all those things. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

God Bless

Ericka Bent

God has been bringing up Ephesians over and over to me – specifically the first couple chapters.  I’ve learned, that when something comes up repeatedly, usually God’s trying to communicate a truth I need to hear. So, what is that truth? Simply this: STOP!!! Stop all your striving! Stop all your doing! Stop trying so hard!

I will admit it: I’m a terrible over-thinker, over-analyzer, over-doer. I want everything to be orderly, make sense, and be accomplished perfectly. However, as I am sure is obvious, life just isn’t this way. So, what do I do when things don’t turn out as planned? Often, I end up beating myself over the head or feeling disillusioned about how my Christian life is supposed to look (check out Paul in Romans 7 – he knows what I mean). Why can’t I get it right? Why are some sins so difficult to get rid of? Why are some idols so hard to tear down?

Once again, the answer is simple: PRIDE. I want to do it all by myself!  It is as we begin to think that we have within ourselves what it takes to put away the old self that we enter into a very dangerous place.In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis refocuses me as he states: “the real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether.” A “successful” Christian life really has nothing to do with me and has everything to do with the Holy Spirit sanctifying me through the power of the cross.

The truth that exposes the lies of pride is found in Ephesians 2:4-10:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Also, in Romans 6:5-7 I am reminded that I am in fact free: “If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

God waits for me to cease to “do” so that he can finally do his work. Ever patient, God is wanting me to stop struggling so he can do it all. It’s not about me flogging the old self until it is done away with. Christ’s work on the cross has already dealt with that old self.

And so I stop and learn to rest in the grace and peace of God.

Natalie

*Note: I give credit to Jeremiah for an excellent devotional that was a catalyst for this contemplation.

Today in our morning devotions, we were delving into Matthew 16:1-12. In this passage, Jesus, is challenging the demands of the Pharisees and the Sadducees for a sign that would ’authenticate’ His claim as the Son of God. As we began to discuss this scenario and the effects signs and wonders have on the world today, a dilemma became apparent. Despite the testimony signs and wonders are of God’s creative power and compassionate nature, there are many cases where people get stuck on the signs  and thus never fully pursue the heart of the God behind them. It’s not that signs are a bad thing, but often times they become the perceived “destination point’ instead of the ’road sign’ they were created to be in the first place.

I remember hearing one Pastor put it this way. It’s like a group of friends heading out on a camping trip to Jasper, Alberta. After driving for quite some time, they spot a sign reading, ‘Welcome to Jasper’. Overjoyed they quickly pull over and begin pitching their tent in front of the sign. Many commuters pass by them, confused at the strange sight of these individuals roasting marshmallows on the side of the road. Finally, a Ranger spots them, approaches their odd little ‘campsite’ and begins asking them what exactly they think they’re doing. Confused and rather perplexed, the leader of the group pipes up, “Well…We wanted to go camping in Jasper and the sign says ‘Welcome to Jasper’. So here we are, we’re camping in Jasper!”

Sadly this has been a similar story for those who have become stuck in ’signs & wonders’. They either receive healing, watch someone else get healed or are used by God to heal and they just…Stop. They live their life there, right there in front of the ‘Welcome Sign’ and never continue on into the depths of the Father’s heart for them. They sincerely believe that they’ve so-called ’Arrived’, but what they don’t realize is that the ’sign’ was merely meant to be an indicator that they’re moving in the right direction. It was meant to be an encouragement, a foretaste of a discovery, a checkpoint to a destination yet to come.

Amongst these walls beauty is budding, living vessels are relinquishing control and present is the precious touch of the Holy Spirit. A spiritual greenhouse has been established in this city and the fruit is pulsing out into our Canada. To the beautiful ones who have poured into the foundations of this house- we honour you. Your names, leadership, friendships, sacrifice and prayers are etched into our hearts and we bask in the endless possibilities the Father grants to thank him for this privilege.

My heart has been detained for two individuals in particular. They draw on the hours of each day to assemble the meals which fuel the teaching, worship and prayer offered up in this house. Their example of openhandedness is precious and is a demonstration that I will hold dear as I make my own decisions. The collaboration within their marriage amazes me. It is rare and it is beautiful. It is something I can see they have worked towards – bringing the scripture “wives, submit to your husbands… husbands love your wives” (Ephesians 5:22, 25) alive and real before my eyes. Lee and Helen it is evident you have wholeheartedly surrendered and find your joy in the sacrifice.

Thank you for setting this banqueting table for us. Thank you for preparing the food for this great feast. Thank you for slaughtering the germs which invade your kitchen and our lives (this IS so representative of your excellence). Your hands have made us round in the waistline and your hearts have made us plump in the spirit. We lift you high and we honour you. Thank you for caring for us. May the Lord shine shine shine His face upon you.

Laureen

Last Sunday I was at Dominion Outreach Centre where the sermon mentioned a meeting with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India. In this meeting Mother Teresa was asked about how she handles her international ministry. The answer however, was not one we would typically expect. She responded by saying that “I met someone’s needs and then met someone else’s needs, and someone else, and then there was always someone else… eventually I met a lot of people”. She met a lot of needs and as a result of that sacrifice has influenced the world for meeting the needs of the poor and introducing Christ through this process.

This little piece of revelation is one that can easily speak to us on an individual level as we desire to meet the needs of others and realize that we can make a huge difference by serving others and meeting their needs one by one.

On another level our governments (federal, provincial, and municipal) have a mandate to serve the people they represent and are often filled with leaders who have a heart that desires positive change in our cities/provinces/nation.

It is interesting to note that our governments have a mandate to serve others and as Christians we have a mandate to serve others, yet this concept is contrary to our current worldview of promoting individualism where the focus is on people serving you. To make a real change in our society we need to learn from this concept as we as individuals can make such a huge difference through serving. Serving can mean many things, but at the core is humbling yourself and reaching out to others.

Just for a second imagine a whole community with a mindset of serving, now how about a nation? The whole world would be changed. The starting point is however, not relying on others to serve, or the government to serve, but rather your willingness to meet the needs of others day after day.

Bill Mintram

Holy, holy, holy are you, God almighty.
Worthy are you to receive honour and praise.
Worthy are you to receive riches and glory.
Worthy are you, Lord.
Holy are you, Lord of the Earth.
Holy are you, God of the Heavens.
Nothing am I, but for your love.
Nothing am I, but for your blood.
You have made me whiter than snow;
Your have reserved a place for me in your Kingdom.
How can these things be?
How can these things be?
You have stretched out your hands in mercy;
You have turned your face upon me;
You behold me with compassion.
What can I give in the face of this?
What song could I sing that would be enough?
My words are inadequate, my praises too few.
Your goodness is beyond comprehension.
I have nothing to offer except myself,
And even my very being comes from you.
I only know how to love you because you loved me;
I only know how to serve you because you served me.
Bend my heart toward you, Lord God,
Shape my will and transform my mind.
Consume me with your holy fire,
Mold me in your ways.
Teach me to follow you rightly,
And I will follow you all of my days.
Holy, holy, holy are you, God almighty.
Worthy are you to receive honour and praise.

 There have been a few things washing around in my spirit lately. Five weeks as a Nazarite, and I am wondering what “intercession” really is. We’ve had a level of teaching, which is a privilege to receive. I’ve learned more about government than I have ever known. We have had so much fun – more than I could imagine.  Shrieked with laughter and been moved to tears by friendships.  We have become family – built up a spiritual house of living stones, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

And yet what are those ‘acceptable sacrifices?’  How do we ‘do’ intercession?  I’ve never liked the word – it always seemed slightly pompous to me. My construction upon it probably, but I think Jason Upton gives us a stream of truth through his songs.  For me, he catches it.  I don’t think its about  us talking to God about what we want to pray about.  Its not even God talking to us about what He wants to pray about, although, this is better than the first. I think its about being willing to come to Him empty and weak.  With nothing.  Unable.  Knowing, as Marc Dupont says, that God is the great I Am, and we are the great are nots.

 What if we approach, saying  ‘Lord, ‘we don’t have it, we don’t know, we can’t see, or hear, or do?’  Could it be that in our complete lack, THEN He will come? Bringing us everything? Filling us with His thoughts, His feelings and His heart?  It blows me away that the God of the whole universe would do this.  I believe this is truly what the scripture means when it says to seek His face.  I think He is calling for  the real us, warts and all.  And if we will give Him the real us, then we can cry out for our nation, because He will have bugged us, to bug Him, for what’s really bugging Him about what’s going on in our nation…….so to speak   

For we are that nation.  It starts with us. 

And we are crying for a nation broken down. Come and hear the prayer of a broken heart. And we gathered as a people crying out.  Come and heal us, like only you can do.  Only You know the real me, and only Your eyes can see, what hides behind the veil over my eyes.  Father open up my life, and bring the real thing.  Open up our families and bring the real thing.  Open up the  churches and bring the real thing. Open up this culture and bring the real thing. Come and heal us, like only you can do, on the inside.    Jason Upton. Between Earth and Sky. Haylie.

 I will stand my watch, And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. Habakkuk 2 vs 1

 I think that’s what intercession is.  And I find that very encouraging.  Because we really don’t do anything.  He does.

What would the world look like if it was filled with a holy generation of people, real with God and with themselves, all turning to seek His face?

It’s been a sweet first month of offering Praise and Worship to our Sovereign Creator of Canada, as well as a privilege to intercede for our Federal Government. As one who is not politically savvy I’m grateful to God for allowing me to be in Ottawa this Fall to live, love and laugh (lots) at the National House of Prayer.

In the short time I’ve been here I feel I’ve received a huge download regarding governmental intercession. Picking one thing to write in my blog was challenging but I felt to write about an experience I had while attending Question Period at the House of Commons last week. I can’t recall the subject at hand but I do remember the moment Prime Minister Harper made a statement to the house about walking in UNITY! … This declaration rose everyone on the Conservative party to their feet and it brought goose bumps to my arms. I can’t explain it other than the fact that it was an affirming moment for the collected prayers offered by many intercessors across Canada, saints that make up the cloud of witnesses and until present day. Interesting enough in the same moment the unexpected occurred! When I looked to the response of the opposition party, there was one Liberal leader who stood to his feet to join the cheerful sound ringing throughout the House. To be honest I still don’t know his name and can only describe him as the man with white hair, that sits at the edge of one of the rows, closest to the speaker of the house As my eyes darted to him I observed his hands raised to the level of his face, clapping with the same heart-filled enthusiasm expressed by the Conservatives. An attitude very different than his caucus.

Why did I find myself gripped and a bit undone by this? Strangely, I began to feel encouraged as this member chose to stand alone in this exhortation with no one in his circumference remotely resembling his reaction. It was at this point I began to feel my spirit stirred, a sign of the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart. I began to feel faith rise in me as I recognized Jesus’ intercession for the strengthening of our oppositional party…. WHHAAAT?!!

Paradigm Shift:
Aren’t we Christians suppose to pray for the Conservative party because for the most part they fit our Christian views? Aren’t we suppose to stand with Christian politicians only? FACT: There are currently three times as many professing followers of Jesus’ in parliament then there were after the 2005 election. Added to this experience was a particular NHOP teaching on politics. I came to realize that a strong oppositional party is vital for our government to function in their full role. Up to this point I had only witnessed the various parties throwing low blows at each other (more then likely for media attention) and their ruthless ongoing fight for political power. Although there is some truth in my original belief I still felt a shift in my own understanding. I don’t know why but discovering that the actual role of the opposition leaders is about keeping the party-in-power accountable, felt like a revelation to me. With this new knowledge at hand a new openness in my being was created. It’s clear to me now God took the time to open the eyes of my heart in order to pray effectively.

So to sum up my main experience, I believe God was using a moment to show me how to pray, as well as honor ALL those that God has chosen to run the affairs of our Country. As I look to Scripture, it indeed speaks of God hand picking all government (Romans 13). Therefore as God’s people we have a responsibility to cover them in prayer. Interceding for their integrity and for the Father’s blessing to reach each MP and their family validates who Jesus is… Merciful, Compassionate, Slow to Anger and Rich in Love.

There are many more aspects to praying for our government that I’ve been learning, and events that have contributed to my spiritual growth spurt, but I have to cut out now. What I’ll conclude with is my gratitude to the Lord for restoring His simple truth and faith to me, along with choosing to pour out His Spirit on all people. What an amazing God we serve!

Nazarite Prayer Missionary,
Izzy

“and when He roars, his kids will come trembling from the West.  They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes, declares the Lord.”  Hosea 11:10 -11

Yesterday, all I could muster was a piddling little m.eeee..oo..www but TODAY a threshold has been crossed and He has moved me and settled me into  my home. Jesus roared in me today – I have been digging for this breathrough and He has so faithfully responded. I am a happy little nazarite.

Ms. Laureen Ann Ball is my name and I come from the land which illuminates the wild rose. I bring with me  good news- there lives a lion in my belly and if i heard correctly - He also lives in you. When i grow up I want to be a treasure hunter.  I want to be the best that Canada has to offer. Galloping through the countryside on my trusty pinto Charlie, calling forth His hidden treasures- the ones that have gone unseen. I love to gaze upon the diamonds sparkling in the eyes of His beloved. I love to wait and watch and listen. This is the most extravagent romance going. Get ready- I hear him calling YOUR name.

~~Laureen~~