Real-Time Prayer

2 Sam 18:9-12  "Absalom was fleeing from David's men on his mule 

when the mule ran under a huge oak tree.  

Absalom's head got stuck fast in the oak 

and he was left dangling between heaven and earth. 

Joab then took three spears in his hand 

and thrust them into the heart of Absalom 

while he was still hanging from the tree."

Until recently, we'd pray before coming to Jesus Street, and then head out.  But a few weeks ago we got in the middle of some bad blood on the street.  The devil brings his weapons- there's drug activity, gang activity - all the things the devil works to create with his deceptions.   He's the author of arrogance, and violence, and poverty.  We don't know who did what wrong... everybody was wrong.  But we found ourselves between it all and it was a little intense.


This opened our eyes to the need for more covering in "real-time" prayer.


So, last week we asked the 5-7th grade sunday school class to pray for us during the exact hours we'd be on the Street.  Kids pray with some faith, y'all!   This week we again asked friends to cover us in prayer as we went.


The bible says we don't wage war in the flesh, but in the spirit.  We fight spirits of violence, spirits of pride, and addiction, and despair.   And the weapons we use are empowered by God to break those strongholds.  One of our weapons is to boldly declare the destruction of the kingdom of darkness and its lies.  Its a lesser kingdom to the kingdom of God.   We declare Jesus ruler over our street, and our city!  We acknowledge only His authority; and when the real King comes in, those lesser spirits scatter and get caught in the trees by their hair like Absalom.


A funny thing is happening in the wake of prayer like that.  The Love of God is taking hold.


Under the covering of prayer, we're seeing an outpouring of the Love of God - both in our hearts for others, and in the Love being received.  HA!  This makes me laugh!  The devil meant to instill fear in us.   But instead, God's Love is taking hold!   We're abounding with Love!   And it's almost tangible how people are receiving God's Love for them.  Go prayer warriors!


In coming weeks, we'll share stories of the advance of God's kingdom of Love on Jesus Street.   And in coming ages, God will show the surpassing riches of His grace because of His great love with which He loved us in making us alive in Christ Jesus.

2Tim 1:7 "God has not given us a spirit of timidity, 

but a spirit of power and a spirit of love"  

1John 4:18  "...perfect love casts out fear."

Eph 3:14-19 "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 

that He would grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts; and that you may be able to comprehend 

the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ 

which surpasses knowledge, 

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

1John 3:8 "For this purpose the Son of God appeared,

to destroy all the works of the devil."

Just a Taste

We just got back from Redding, California where the things God is doing there were shared and imparted in every way.  We were there to soak up as much of God as we could get!  We got even more than we expected.  Here's an email I sent home after the first night there.

"Jude's leg just grew out almost an inch.  He was totally freaking out.

We were at the Dairy Queen and the girl who made my ice cream cone, and prophesied over all of us [amazingly] and prayed for my shoulder, asked if any of us had a leg shorter than the other.  Jude did [who knew?].  She asked who wants to do a miracle. I did [you knew that].  So I held his feet in my hands and commanded the leg to grow in the name of Jesus. We all watched it grow like 3/4 inch (18mm) and Jude was freaking.

Then John wanted his cavities filled. I was like, Jude, you just received the miraculous, why don't you pray for God to fill John's cavities.  Jude was still kind of whacked and he prayed like I've never heard him pray before. He spoke with authority to the teeth, getting words from God and speaking them out. It was strong. Really strong.

We think Mark's flat feet were given arches too. We'll see in the morning. 

That was not your typical Dairy Queen."

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Jesus is Lord, and has dominion over everything in heaven and earth. He has authority to heal and to save. And everyone needs that!