An All-Hallows Eve Ramble

[DeanZF]

Good words, dear friend. I'm also sensing the darkness, and the call to deeper prayer than I've experienced for some time. Some of the prayer is very specific, other times, a call to pray "in the Spirit".



There have been a lot of petty and not so petty attacks on those who have an effective ministry. Children of pastors, worship leaders, and lay leaders of all sorts are coming down with debilitating, cash draining/stamina draining illnesses, taking energy and attention away from kingdom issues and ministries. It's really hard to concentrate on the worship list or the sermon series when your child or spouse is chronically ill.



More of the teaching that you and I have both sat under has to do with some of Satan's tactics. :decision: If he can divert our attentions and delay or dilute the ministry, lives are affected dramatically or actually remain UNaffected because we could not achieve the degree of readiness that was required to hit the mark. And if Satan can't distract us, he'll try to drive us into such intense activity that we still miss hearing what Father has to say! It's a tricky line to walk when you have a target painted on your chest.



I've been asked to spend some time teaching the adult Sunday school class. I'm in the midst of a class on prayer. I've sensed for a long time that many saints are never really taught how to pray, just instructed that they ought to pray. That implies that people have been expected to learn by osmosis. Not the best.



Part of what has been the focus of the class has been some of the great and powerful prayers found in Scripture. The one prayer that has transformed my own prayer life over the years has been the prayer that the disciples prayed in Matthew 6, "Lord, teach us to pray." :pray: I was too frequently guilty of praying presumptively, as though I knew what the right answer for the problem was, without ever consulting Father about it. We find in John 5:19 that Jesus also taught the disciples something else important about prayer and ministry. This is the New Living Translation.<QUOTE author="John 5:19">

So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

There seems to be a protocol here. Because I am a small s son of God, I think I ought also to be looking to see what Father is doing before this son "also does".



More soon on the progress of the prayer classes. Blessings!