hope|sounds

Day 1 in prayer room - September 16, 2010

God is Love.

1 John 4:8 - "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God, for God is love."

The words "God" and "Love" are interchangeable.

Colossians 1:17 - "He (Love) is before all things, and in Him (Love) all things hold together."

Colossians 1:16-23
I thank you, God, that by You all things have been created, have their being - all things seen and unseen by us - all dominions, rulers and authorities have been created by You, exist through You and for You. I thank you for every individual and ministry on this campus - that we all have our being in You - that we came from You and we are returning to You, and that for such a time is this, You have called us to do Your will according to Your good pleasure. I praise You that we are Yours!

I praise You that You are before us - You go before us and prepare us. You see what we need before we see it and You have equipped us - given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. I thank you that in You we hold together.

I thank You that You are the head of us and we are Your church, Your bride. I thank You that You are preeminent. Thank you for reconciling us to You by the blood of Jesus.

Father, I pray that if there is anyone on campus that has forgotten the sweetness and goodness of Your redemption, I pray that you would send out Your Holy Spirit right now to them to remind them. Release the testimony of Jesus! Remember the first time you felt Him...the first time you heard His voice...the first time you yearned. I pray that EVERYTHING in the spirit would flow from this one river of overflowing love and gratefulness of the cross! I pray that You would awaken the dead, sleeping and weary hearts that have forgotten about Your love, Jesus.

I encourage you, Bride, Beloved of Christ, to continue in the faith, being stable and steadfast, not shifting from hope in Christ.

Father, I thank you for stability returning to our lives and ministries today...stability that comes from the intimate knowledge and experience of the testimony of Jesus - the man, Jesus. I pray that we would experience you as the man, Jesus, today...the man who IS Love. Let us love one another for love comes from God. Give us a revelation of You, of Love, today. Father, remind us of your sacrifice, how you didn't count the cost.

Love doesn't count the cost
It counts all as loss
Compared to Your surpassing beauty!

I pray that you would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you today!! Eph 1:17-23 That this love would cover over a multitude of sins and that it would restore hope to those who are dry, weary, and at the end of their rope.

John 15:1-17
vs. 1-2 - (AMP) "I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit."

Thank you, God, that you are the vine (Jesus) and we are the branches...you are the one holding onto us and we must abide in you as you abide in us for apart from you we have no good thing and can do nothing - and by and in you we all hold together!

I thank you for shifting and sifting us (individually and as a campus) so that all branches not bearing fruit and hindering growth will be removed. Thank you for pruning those of us who remain. Thank you that you're not held together by us, but we're held together by you.

I feel like you are pruning us and calling us to new, deeper levels of holiness - that we as the Bride of Brandon would begin to clothe ourselves with the righteousness of Jesus - establish his works of justice as these are the foundations of your throne.

Thank you for Norma from Garden of Grace doing missions work coming up in Haiti and Africa, and for Bishop Lonnie also ministering in those places. Father, thank you that they are your hands and feet to these people and these nations. I ask that as they carry out your justice of bringing good news to the poor and helping the oppressed and weak, I pray you would abundantly provide for them financially and equip them spiritually - that you would go before them and prepare the hearts of the people to receive from you. Thank you for Patricia and Thy Will Be Done working justice in the homeless/poor community. Thank you for High Places who works justice in the governmental realms. Thank you for Pastor Rolando and his servant leadership.

John 15:2 Fruit is for the nourishment and sustaining of others. Literally translates as "fruits of righteousness."

Jesus is the very Righteousness of God.
Jesus is the Vine, We are the Branches.
Branches that produce Fruits of Righteousness.
Fruits of Righteousness that people taste of and see that the Lord is good.
A taste that causes them to hunger and thirst after Righteousness.
A hunger that enables them to seek first God's Kingdom and Righteousness.
The end times draws near God's kingdom.
It draws near as the Bride clothes herself with works of Righteousness.
To bring God's kingdom to earth - to establish his throne of which the foundations are justice and Righteousness.
We are sustained by God who will not rest until our Righteousness shines like the Son! A God who leads us in paths of Righteousness for His name's sake!

But we MUST abide in the Vine!

Father, I pray for each person on this campus that you would teach us to abide in the Vine and so produce fruits of righteousness that would give our congregations and community a taste that they may see that you are good and so would cause them to hunger and thirst after righteousness themselves thereby becoming their own branches that produce fruit. I pray you would give us a revelation of what it means to ABIDE.

Some characteristics of what it looks like to ABIDE:

1. no time limit - can come and go as please; no stopping or starting, just continuous
2. dwelling place
3.place of communion
4. place of praise
5. "continue, bear"
6. related to "tarrying" Lk 24:29

Lord, I believe and declare that you are Lord of this campus! You are Lord of Onething! I agree with your purposes for this place and each person and ministry here. Lord you said that without vision the people perish. As far as I know, we are envisioning to be a dwelling place - a house of prayer for you to dwell in. We are a people who want to dwell in you and gaze on your beauty. Give us a personal and corporate revelation of how to abide in you and how to live in unity with one another and you, Jesus, are the vine that holds us ALL together.

You told us in the beginning that we were to contend for and demonstrate unity in the Body. Oh God, Jesus, the Vine is the one thing that holds us all together which is why you had me praying for the remembrance and revelation of Jesus and our reconciliation by the blood of Jesus. Your blood, Jesus, unites Jew and Gentile, slave and free.

Praise God for the blood of Jesus!


*Other nugget that came this day:

Gazing is not glancing. If we want to "gaze" on God's beauty (Ps 27:4), we have to be willing to wait and ABIDE in Him.