When it comes to Praise & Pray messages, the Lord typically lets me know what they'll be three to four weeks out from the actual date. In many cases, He'll even have me write several messages in advance with His guidance. However, there was this one day when I needed to prepare a message for something other than Praise & Pray and it was the most difficult time ever. The Lord kept telling me I was ready to write the message, which meant He'd taught me on the issue. Feeling assured, I sat down at my computer and prayed to receive what He wanted me to write.
Thirty minutes went by and ... nothing. I told myself not to worry, though I'd been waiting for this message all day. Another hour zoomed by and I hadn't heard anything more from God. I sat there spinning in my seat, constantly testing the spirit as directed in 1 John 4:1 to make sure I'd heard correctly from the Lord. Each time, the answer was the same - I heard right and was ready to write. Yet, the Lord was completely silent on the additional and very necessary details needed to start and complete the message. With 15 minutes to go until I needed to publish, my phone rang. I didn't want to pick up. I had 15 minutes to write, proofread and spell check a message, after all.
The Lord wasn't having any of my excuses. He reminded me that I was to speak to this person earlier in the day but didn't. Truth is, I'd called and they didn't pick up. Clearly, I thought that was enough and my obligation had been fulfilled. God didn't feel the same and instructed me to pick up my phone. I looked at the time, thinking of the message and its fast-approaching deadline.
I picked up my phone and moved away from the laptop to speak to the caller. We spoke about the issues they were facing from a Biblical perspective, sharing scripture, and building expectations that God would solve the challenge. About 45 minutes later, we prayed and ended the call.
Would you believe it, as I thanked God for guiding me through the conversation, He immediately gave me the details of the message I was supposed to write. A message that was 45 minutes late at that point. I didn't complain. Frankly, I was just grateful to get what I'd been waiting for!
What is the moral of this story? Simple - Give God what He wants to get what you want.
I'd wanted to finish a task by a certain time but God had other plans. He wanted me to put my deadline to the side. If I was to get what I needed - a word granted by Him - then I needed to do what He wanted. And until I obeyed, no amount of praising or praying would cause Him to budge. None of that could twist the arm of the King of the Universe in my favor. Mind you, I wasn't looking for something to satisfy my desires per se. I needed Him to give me a message to share for His purposes. And yet, I couldn't get that without submitting to His will that I speak to someone and pray with them.
So, what more when we are waiting on Him to fulfil our personal expectations? The same rules apply to everyone who claims to be a child of God Almighty. You might have a laundry list of things you want for yourself, for others, and even for the glory of God. None of that matters if He has something He needs you to do first. If you fail to give Him what He wants, then you're limiting the chance that your desires will be fulfilled. And if you choose to move as Jonah did, which is to be disobedient, then please beware. God might keep you in an uncomfortable holding pattern as He did with Jonah and it might not just be uncomfortable for you but others as well. It is best to obey the Lord, no matter how hard it seems. Put His objectives before your own just as we are instructed in Matthew 6:33 - But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well (CEV). Obviously, I needed a reminder to submit to God in order to get what I want as well. Hallelujah!
I pray you will keep this lesson in mind as the days go by. That you will seek to keep God's work first in line in your life so that you will get what your heart expects, IJMN, Amen. See you at Noon EST when we gather for fellowship.
To read more
Don't Delay To Obey - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 15, 2020
Jonah - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 15, 2021
Hear, Accept, Obey - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 22, 2021
God is Responsible for you: Leashed vs Unleashed? - Tuesday P & P (for others) April 19, 2022
Listen, Obey, Trust - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 12, 2022
God's Best is for His Children - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 3, 2023
Obedience - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 2, 2023
CLOSING PRAYER
Praise be to You oh Lord for this opportunity to honor You with praises and petitions on behalf of others. Thank You for being the God who sees and knows all. As the heart is a lamp unto You, You will answer those petitions that please You and do Your will. Thank You in advance for these answered prayers, God.
Take all the glory, Father. I look forward to meeting with others to once again put Your will first by praising You and interceding on the issues and people You will direct us to.
I will do Your will, Lord, IJMN, Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES
In these last ten minutes, think of the things you are waiting on God for. Could the wait be because you are yet to give God what He wants?
The only way to answer this question is to be truly frank with yourself and to go to the Lord in prayer for His understanding. He will make such a thing clear to you.
My prayer is that you will take the time to seek God's face to know what He wants you to do today. As in, right now. I pray that you will get up from whatever you are doing and go do what God wants. That you will put His desires before yours and submit every area of your life to Him so that Matthew 6:33 becomes your truth.
It literally starts with a choice then taking one step in the direction of that choice to make God's desires first.
God bless you as you make that decision and stick to it. In the name of Jesus, you will get what you want as you give God what He wants, Amen.
Father I pray over those who belong to You.
The Bible says they are "holy and blamless and they stand before [You] without a single fault"
Only You God, can do such a thing for a human being. I come against every voice of condemnation that is trying to torment them. It is already written that "there is no condmenation for those who are in Christ". Let every spirit of guilt fall away from them now in Jesus name!
Lord, I lift up Peppers in accordance with Your word in Colossians 1 -
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
IJMN, Amen.
Thank You Father for Your freedom, for Your word states that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Glory be to You, the God of freedom. The God of liberty. The God who has called His own onto Himself.
The God who sits on the throne and is deserving of all our worship.
I lift up every captive, dear Lord. You are El Gibbor. Jehovah Sabbaoth, the God who rescues and saves. The God of the Heavenly Host.
I call on You to set the captives free. To pursue their pursuers. That their enemies flee in seven directions when they see the brightness of You.
Glory be to Your Holy Name!
Praise be to You God! Thank You for the TRUE joy that You've given to me. Thank You for all You are about to do for us :)
PRAYER TIME
And now, we switch from praising to praying for people. Surely, there are things you want to petition God for on your behalf. That is natural. However, for the next 25 minutes, we'll be praying for others. You get to stand in the gap for them before the Lord. Ask Him to help them whether you know what they need or not. Call on Him to step into local, national and global situations.
We don't have much time to do this together, so let's get started, shall we?
Every Praise & Pray (for others), I lift an altar call, asking people to give their lives to Jesus Christ. I do this because I'm learning that many of us have not been introduced to this concept, some believing that it refers to a baptism or Christening. However, giving one's life to Jesus is an act of commitment and submission whereby you choose to make Jesus, and therefore, His Father - God, the only authority over your life.
If you haven't considered submitting to the authority of the Lord, please permit me to say - today is the day. The Lord wants you to choose Him. Please tell the Lord you want Him. Ask Him to change you for His purpose and your good.
So many of us are afraid of choosing the Lord and worry about the consequences. You don't want to give up the shows, the websites, the music, the way you speak, etc. However, have you considered the consequences of not choosing Him?
Maybe you think this message doesn't apply to you because you were born a Christian. You regularly go to church. You don't lie or steal and believe you are a good person.
That was me a few years ago and none of that stood in the way when satan tried to completely destroy me. I had to cry out and submit to Christ in order for Heaven itself to wrestle me out of the devil's clutches. This might sound dramatic but believe me, it was. I have shared more than one testimony of how the devil tried to kill me but for the gracious hand of God upon my life. I know what it means to be a Christian versus what it means to be a born-again Christian, and I pray you will choose to be the latter.
I pray that today will be the day you truly choose Jesus and start to walk with God's hand firmly upon you for your good. The day you decide to be intentional in developing a tight relationship with Him. Come back to your Creator. He wants you back. And if you want the sort of relationship where God speaks to you and grants unimaginable access to His grace, mercy, power and more, please say the following prayer. But, only if you mean it.
Lord Jesus I am a sinner. I confess my sins right now to you. And I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that you came , you died, your rose again, and you paid the price for my sins. Today, I accept the new life, today I accept the Holy Spirit. Come dwell in me, make Your home in me. I will never be the same again. In Jesus's name, Amen.
God bless you!
The Upright One.
The Exceptional King.
The Immortal King.
The Only God.
The Holy One of Israel.
The Unflinching God.
The Father of the Heavenly Lights.
The King of the nations.
The Unfailing God.
The Faithful God.
Glory be to You!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen!!!!
Glory to God in the highest!
His dominion is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom rules over the nations. His word can never fail.
Hallelujah, Amen!
God, I want to thank You for a week of Your blessings, favor and mercy. Thank You for doing the unimaginable and making a way where there seemed to be no way.
Thank You as well for taking what the enemy meant for evil and turning it around to Your glory.
To You be all the praise for ever and ever. Amen!
PRAISE TIME
It's that time y'all!!
Time to step into the presence of the Lord with ample praise, thanksgiving and worship!
From C - Victory belongs to Jesus
Hallelujah nkateko, Abba we want to thank and bless your name! For everything you’ve done all the blessings and victories over all battles You’ve remained supreme. God how good it is to praise and worship you!
We want to uplift every soul who yearns and thirsts for the living waters
Every praise and prayer lifted up in this place God we pray earnestly that they reach your heart. Thank You for all
Amen
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From M22 - Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ immediately I read today's message, the first song that came to mind was "Trust and Obey". And I coincidentally saw it among the list of old P and P messages we could refer back to. I know we are more focused on praying to God for our desires but I pray we are also led to ask him what he desires from us equally. IJMN amen.
From BI - Thank You Lord for another great day that You made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank You my Abba for being my refuge and my salvation. Every breath in my lungs is because of Your mercy. Thank You for the chance to gather before You again. Some take pride in chariots and horses but we take pride in the name of our Lord.
Thank you for today’s word sis @FFJ. May God grant us an obedient heart so we continually submit to His will believing that His ways are higher than ours IJMN Amen.