Lord, as I stand before you tonight, I ask you to prepare my heart for your special Presence in the Assembly of the Saints tomorrow morning.

     Please bring to my attention any sin that should be confessed.  I want to be available with clean and empty hands.

     I ask to hear you.  I pray against any distraction and particularly ask that you would prepare all the children also.  I  ask that there could be a special joy and freedom in the music.  I give you my not-so-great voice to energetically sing the hymns written by Soldiers of The Cross who have gone before.

     I bring you my body and faculties to sit at attention, to listen for you and to love others. 

     Tonight I stand against any spirit of criticism and ask that those whom you have called together might honor you, worship you and recognize you.

     Protect your preacher and give him freedom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.  Open the Word to us and reveal yourself, Lord.

     I want to pray against all the attempts of the enemy to get families stirred up before the meeting.

     May there be the complete freedom of the Holy Spirit so that the Father might be glorified through the Son.    

     There is a popular misconception that those who "get it together" no longer experience personal problems and are able to avert the unpleasant at every level.

     God's Word does not substantiate that.

     The fact is, no one gets it together.  It is not about self-improvement and self-protection It is about the Lord and submission.  Those who are Soldiers of The Cross are agreeing with God, acknowledging His sovereignty and they deal differently with the things that come at them than those who struggle for control.

     Peter stepped out in faith.  When he diverted his attention to the howling winds and danger, he started to go down.  He called to the Lord and immediately the Hand was extended for rescue.  We are not told much after that, except that they climbed into the boat (Matt 14:22-33.)

     You were not designed to be independent.
     You were not designed to figure it out.
     Just because you are His, it is not intended that you should always look like a winner.

     Soldier, buck up!  You must submit in prayer and agree with God.  Also, you must thank Him for the hard things.  Yes, we pray about circumstances and God hears and intervenes.  Nevertheless, the design is not for Time, but for Eternity.

     Agree with Him.  Aloud.   
 
 

      Neither rules nor doctrine have never introduced anyone to Christ.

     When a person first meets the Lord, he will tend to reflect the environment of those who are discipling him.  The problem is, he needs to know he should reflect the Lord.

     Legalism produces legalism and polarized doctines produce polarized Christians.

     I am not suggesting a lowered standard or an ecumenical compromise.  The fact is, the new believer must learn to rightly divide the Word of Truth,  be a pillar in the House of The Lord, recognize the Lord, and take up the Cross and follow Him.

     He must be trained to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, which he cannot do without the Word of God.  He must be loved and receive a ministry of grace.  He must be taken systematically through the Bible.  He should be introduced to missions.  And of course, if he has no teaching of the tenants of the faith, he will not be able to be secure in the most basic doctrines and will be squishy on everything.

     The problem lies when there is an effort to create cookie-cutter Christians. 

     If you grab a new Christian and attempt to train him in all things behavioral, you rob him of the heavenly delight of supernatural transformation.   

     He needs to be trained in getting to know the Lord. 
     In losing his life so he can find it. 
     In putting the other person first.
     In memorizing God's Word.
     In memorizing the hymns of the faith.
     In giving.
     In reading about the Ebenezer stones in the lives of those who have gone before.
     He must learn of the universal Body and the local Body.
     Most importantly, he must learn to meet with the Lord regularly.

     It is rare when one who comes to the Lord sticks to the course from day one.  Often there is a working out of the shedding of the old life and the taking up of The Cross.  

     Minister patience, and love. 
     He needs to know where to put his gaze.       

     The Bible says much about giving.

     The overriding principal is, give first and trust the Lord to sustain you.

     Does He really own the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine?  (Psalm 50:10)  Will He really provide your every need?  Is it true that the children of the righteous need not beg for bread? (Psalm 37:25)

     Soldier of The Cross,  the enemy loves to attack about money, particularly with men.   He whispers that there is no security and that you must do whatever it takes to make sure you can sustain yourself.  What does God say?

     It is good to save, to invest and to be wise.  It is foolish to assume that it will result in financial security.  That is why we are taught to pray in our daily bread.

     We must be liberal givers.  Paul reminds us that the Macedonians gave lavishly our of their lack. 

     God has promised that He will provide our every need.  Do we believe it?  He has also promised that giving results in abundant blessing.

     The bottom line is not the bank balance or the stock market trend.  The bottom line is, are you willing to walk by faith in everything, or are you exempting finances?

     It is a matter for prayer.  Give according to obedience rather than the plea or the bank balance.

     After all, isn't it His?

     Lord, tonight I stand before you and bring you the hours that are to come.

     The matter before me is such that I need a provision I cannot define in prayer.

     Lord, please do the deepest work in me in order to bring about your likeness.  I stand on your Word and your Promises and trust you. 

     I call to you who holds the stars in place.  I only ask to see you and to recognize you in order to pass through each hour in obedient thought.  I understand you have already worked it out, but I need you so.

     It is my prayer tonight that you be glorified.
     .

     The farther we go with God, the clearer the sight.

     He is infinitely deep, yet simple enough for a child.  He loves us enough to lead us into the discovery of Him and His ways. 

      Much of the time there are things that are hidden from us until we ask Him to show us what is happening.  He rarely explodes light on a matter instantly.  That would be blinding.   Instead, He takes us through the process that is individual and draws us to Himself.

     "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)."
           Jeremiah 33:3 (Amplified Bible)

     What a tremendous Promise. 

     He intends that those who are His should see Him more and more clearly and delight in Him. 

     Claim the verse and call on Him.
     Aloud.

      If the Lord came to you, assuring you He would be in control of every detail regardless of how it seemed, and asked you to take on the thing you are going through now, you would have gladly said yes.

      Now you are struggling with loneliness, frustration, impatience and a helpless, drowning feeling because it seems things will never be resolved as you think they should be.

      Yet, He has come to you and has given you His Word that you can hold in your hand, His Word with which you can feed your mind and His Word which calms the emotions.

      He has assured you over and over that not only is He in control, but that He does not make mistakes.

      It has to do with faith and putting your weight on His Promises and the whole of His Word.

      You are a Soldier of The Cross. You have already decided to walk by faith and to let Him call all the shots, even when you are sure things are the reverse of how they should be. He does care about our lives and wants us to trust Him and glorify Him before the unseen hosts. Remember the beginning of the Book of Job? The Lord said to satan, "Have you seen my servant Job?"

      Put your name in the question in place of Job's.

      You told Him you would follow Him. There is no learning of Him without walking by faith and there is no faith without the need to exercise it.

      Faith is exercised only when God is not limited by our running ahead of Him or our refusing to be humble in prayer about the matter.

      Often the Lord speaks to us through the very things we say to Him in prayer. Come to Him today and as you are standing before Him, declare again that you are a Blood-bought Soldier. List to Him the reasons you know He is in control. Tell Him you intend to let Him have full play and you will follow Him moment by moment.

      Do this alone and aloud.

     Soldier of The Cross, when something unexpected happens, look for the Lord immediately.

     Flat tire?  Assume that you should focus on the next person you see.  Pray about the personal ministry at that moment.  The tire is never the issue. 

     Sudden change in plans?  If it can't be fixed, look for the Lord.  Layover in the airport?  Who is sitting near you?

     Are there gaps when the Lord is not in control?

     Years ago I had been speaking in Vancouver and had driven a rental car to Spokane, Washington where I was to catch a flight.  Travels had taken me to several locations in just a few days and I was fatigued.

     All I could think about was getting on the plane and sleeping for hours.  The plane wasn't full, but I was one of the few passengers seated next to someone else.  I remember having the initial thought that the Lord had chosen that person and that there was work to do, but I was so tired, I rationalized my way into silence.

     Twenty minutes into the flight, the pilot announced that there was a door open, placing everyone in jeopardy and he was returning to the airport.  I knew it was not for nothing, and although I can't say "The Lord told me. . ." I knew that I belonged to Him, and that meant there was a responsibility to represent Him. 

     I am not proud of the attitude I had, but I turned to the woman seated next to me and without introduction simply said "Would you like to invite the Lord into your life and be born again?"  Of course, I felt like a fool and expected immediate rejection. 

     She looked at me and said, "Yes.  Can you help me?  My neighbor has been talking to me about this for years and I have just decided it is what I want."

     The woman accepted Christ and we spent the rest of the flight in conversation about Him.

     I learned my lesson.    

      No one can put your burden down for you.

     You must come boldly before the Throne of Grace.  (Hebrews 4:16)  You must state your case, your right to come by The Blood and your intent in stepping out in faith because of The Word.

     The matter may be as detailed as you like, but in the end, you must tell Him that you give it to Him by faith.  He'll take it as He promised.

     So many bend under burdens that cannot be borne.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  He said so. (Matthew 11:30)

     Letting the matter go in prayer is something that is learned by experience.  It does not always feel like something has happened, but that is why we walk by faith instead of feeling.  There will be more light on the situation.  The Spirit will initiate His thoughts to your mind.  Your heart will be calm instead of stirred up.

     It is not possible that He will ignore the request.

    Tell Him you will obey in this area and He will lead.  Talk to Him aloud.  

     You must be free to move, serve and love. 

     You are a Soldier of The Cross.

     That means you have told the Lord He can do anything with your life, and you have made the affirmative decision to take up The Cross, and follow hard after Him.

     Who are you?  You are none of the things the enemy whispers to you, especially in the night.

     You are the focus of His loving attention.
     You are a member of His Body.
     You are an adopted Son.
     You are of the Royal Race.  

     The Word was written for you.
     The Creator of the universe died for you.
     The King of Glory rose in victory and is preparing a Place for you.
    

     The unseen hosts are watching your life in awe.

     You have been redeemed.  Filled.  Healed.  You are being prepared for eternity.  His banner over you is Love.

     Look up and move on!