Info

You are currently browsing the weblog archives for April, 2007.

Calendar
April 2007
M T W T F S S
« Mar   May »
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
Categories
Latest Postings
Links
Archives
Meta

Archive for April 2007

AND GOD’S WORD SAYS. . .

April 16, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

(last updated 5-2-07)

God shared some thought-provoking scriptures with several of the downtown intercessors on the day of the prayer walk. He has also been sharing other scriptures with intercessors in the city as they have been called to cover other events in prayer. . .

THIS FIRST SET OF SCRIPTURES TAKE ON A SPECIAL MEANING WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT A REVIVAL SWEPT THROUGH ABERDEEN AND BROWN COUNTY IN THE EARLY 1900′S. IT WAS CALLED “The Honeywell Revival” AND A GROUP OF CHRISTIANS FROM MANY DENOMINATIONS THROUGH OUT BROWN COUNTY PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN IT. THIS GROUP OF INTERCESSORS CALLED THEMSELVES “The Brown County Holiness Association”.

(Please note that the verses emphasized in bold print are the verses that “jumped off the page” when I read them.)

Zechariah 1: 2-6 (NLT)
I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors.

Therefore say to the people, This is what the Lord Almighty says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.’

Do not be like your ancestors who would not listen when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: Turn from your evil ways and stop all your evil practices.’

Your ancestors and their prophets are now long dead. But all the things I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said they would. As a result, they repented and said, ‘We have received what we deserved from the Lord Almighty. He has done what he said he would do.’”

Isaiah 63: 15-19 (NLT)
Lord, look down from heaven and see us from your holy, glorious home. Where is the passion and the might you used to show on our behalf? Where are your mercy and compassion now?

Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, Lord, you would still be our Father. You are our Redeemer from ages past.

Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? Return and help us, for we are your servants, and your special possession.

How briefly your holy people possessed the holy place, and now our enemies have destroyed it.

Lord, why do you treat us as though we never belonged to you? Why do you act a though we had never been known as your people?

Isaiah 64: 1-9 (NLT)
Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!

As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!

When you came down long ago, you did awesome things beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked!

For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways.

But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us. How can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away.

Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.

And yet, Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand. Oh, don’t be so angry with us Lord. Please don’t remember our sins forever. Look at us, we pray and see that we are all your people.

ANOTHER INTERCESSOR WAS LEAD TO THIS SCRIPTURE AFTER PRAYING THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN AREA: (This scripture takes on greater significance when you realize that in the past, Aberdeen had a regional reputation for having the most bars with nude dancers.)

Habakkuk 2: 15 - 16 (NIV)
Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies.

You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and be exposed! The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you. and disgrace will cover your glory.

THIS NEXT SERIES OF SCRIPTURES CAME AS TWO INTERCESSORS WERE PRAYING NEARBY FOR A GROUP OF VISITING HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVISTS who were meeting in the area we had prayer walked just over a week before:

1 Corinthians 10: 12-14 (NLT)

If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin.

But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.

Ephesians 2:1-9 (NLT)
Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms - all because we are one with Christ Jesus. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. HE HAS CREATED US ANEW IN CHRIST JESUS, SO THAT WE CAN DO THE GOOD THINGS HE PLANNED FOR US LONG AGO.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

PREPARATION

April 14, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN PRAYING FOR OUR CITY!

I’ve not been able to make personal contact with many of you because our window of opportunity was tight on this particular prayer initiative. (I made first contact with the gentlemen in Aberdeen, Scotland on March 29th - just 16 days ago!).

I’ve been using the KingdomReign.net website to keep everyone updated on the most recent developments. Feel free to scan the last few entries if you’re interested in background information.

I’d like to share a couple of things with those of you who will be taking to the streets in prayer tomorrow (Sunday April 15, 2007):

In January of 2002, a group of Christians here in Aberdeen were meeting to discuss plans for Jesus Day. The question we were prayerfully asking was “What’s next, Lord?”

We began to sense that:
THE LORD WAS ASKING US TO GIVE HIM THE HEART OF THE CITY.

One of the scriptures that was shared was:
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Above all else, guard your heart
for it affects everything you do
(for from it flow the springs of life).

We began to realize that we as a city had not guarded our heart. We had allowed things in that were now affecting everything we did. We needed the Divine Physician to give us a heart transplant.

We were also reminded of the promises found in Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires,
and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take out your stony heart of sin
and give you a new, obedient heart (a heart of flesh).

A song has been steadily running through my mind for the past few weeks. It’s called “Search Me, Know Me” by Mildred Rainey and Kathryn Scott. It’s based on Psalm 139 and I have used it often when asking God to examine the condition of MY OWN HEART. (Click on the title of the song to link to a website where you can listen for yourself.)

Here are the lyrics to the song:

Search me, know me, try me and see
every worthless affection hidden in me.
All I’m asking for,
is that You’d cleanse me Lord.

Create in me a heart that’s clean.
Conquer the power of secret shame.
Come wash away the guilty stain of all my sin.
Clothe me in robes of righteousness.
Cover my nakedness with grace.
All of my life before you now I humbly bring.

I encourage each of you to carve out some quiet time today and listen to this song and/or ponder Psalm 139. Please also prayerfully consider if God would want you to add fasting to your prayers on Sunday morning.

You are all warmly invited to prayerwalk your homes, businesses, churches and neighborhoods tomorrow and ask God renew the heart of our city.

FOR THE DOWNTOWN INTERCESSORS:
I will be providing you with a detailed map of this 16 block area and a list of suggested sites to cover in prayer. We’ll meet at 1pm in front of the Red Rooster Coffee House.

FOR EACH AND EVERY INTERCESSOR WHO HITS THE STREETS ON SUNDAY:
Aberdeen, SCOTLAND will be wrapping up their day of prayerwalking with a praise and prayer gathering at 8pm their time.

A time of worship and sharing will take place in Aberdeen, SOUTH DAKOTA from 2 pm to 3 pm at The Salvation Army chapel (across from Lincoln School in Aberdeen). If my calculations are correct, that would mean that both Aberdeens will be worshiping their Heavenly Daddy in stereo!

Please stop in, even if just for a few minutes and join in our time of sharing and celebration. We’d love to hear about your experiences!

GOD’S RICHEST BLESSINGS ON EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

SCRIPTURE

April 11, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

One of my co-workers found this scripture last night. He brought it to work this morning to share with me. . .

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ “. Zechariah 8:20 and 21 (NIV)

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

PRAYERWALKING 101

April 11, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

I’ve been prayerwalking for a number of years now. I sometimes forget that this may be a new concept to some of us.

Prayerwalking is:
PRAYING ON SITE WITH INSIGHT
PRAYING ON SCENE WITHOUT MAKING A SCENE

I’d like to share a quote with you from Seek God for the City 2007:
“We’re not pushing God to get Him started. He’s already doing good things. And He has promised to do even better things. Instead of holding off the worst, these prayers are designed to help you ask God to bring on the best.

God is the one who is orchestrating the united prayer of which you are a part. He’s the one inspiring you to pray as never before. Why is He doing this? It could be that God is about to do some of the most amazing things that He has ever done. He wants us to pray for them all before they take place. That way He can explicitly receive thanks for doing them.”

Prayer prompts like Seek God for the City 2007 are a wonderful tool to get you started and help you focus - but the Holy Spirit is your ultimate “prayer prompter”.

(If you’d like to read about a personal experience I’ve had with this sort of prayer; type the words: The Way My Daddy Reads It in the blue search box in the upper right corner of this page. When you hit the search button, that journal entry will be loaded immediately below this one.)

Prayerwalking doesn’t have to be an event. It can (and quite possibly should) become a lifestyle. Then as we work, as we shop as we care for our neighbors and our homes we can claim the promises found in this scripture:

I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
-Joshua 1:3

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Aberdeen, SD Prayerwalk - LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

April 9, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

Thirty intercessors from various congregations through out Aberdeen have been using a prayer guide entitled: Seek God for the City 2007. This NATIONAL prayer initiative takes place ANNUALLY from Ash Wednesday through Palm Sunday and intercessors from our city have been participating in it since the mid 1990’s.We will be using the daily readings and prayerwalking suggestions from this booklet as we cover our city in prayer this Sunday April 15, 2007.

A NOTE TO ALL INTERCESSORS:
Please be prayerfully considering which location God wants you to cover. There are some assignments that I am supposed to offer to specific individuals / congregations this week. Whether their schedules will allow them to participate, I do not yet know.

We will be finalizing all prayer walking assignments this Friday evening, April 13th, 7 pm at The Salvation Army Chapel - 1003 6th Ave SW - just south of Lincoln Elementary School. A group of intercessors have been meeting at the chapel on the second Friday of each month since 2005. They have invited us to join them for worship and prayer and then opened up the balance of their meeting time to us so that we can finalize arrangements for Sunday’s prayerwalking.

If you are unable to attend this meeting and would like to participate, please email me at kingdomreign.net@gmail.com and I can arrange a prayer assignment for you.

-THE HEART OF THE CITY -

This portion of Sunday’s prayer walk was not taken from Seek God for the City 2007 - it is the continuation of something that God had shared with a group of us in 2002. We were meeting to discuss plans for Jesus Day 2002. The question we were prayerfully asking was “What’s next, Lord?”

We began to sense that the Lord was asking us to give Him the heart of the city. One of the scriptures that was shared was:

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Above all else, guard your heart for it affects everything you do (for from it flow the springs of life).

We began to realize that we as a city had not guarded our heart. We had allowed things in that were now affecting everything we did. We needed the Divine Physician to give us a heart transplant.

We were reminded of the promises found in Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart (a heart of flesh).

One group of intercessors will be focusing their prayers on the original 16 block plat of Aberdeen, SD on Sunday April 15th at 1 pm.

The center or geographical “heart” of this particular parcel of land is found at the intersection of South Second Avenue and South Main Streets (the manhole cover in front of the Red Rooster Coffee House). All downtown intercessors will gather at this intersection for a short united prayer. We will then break into small groups of two or three and then be assigned to specific streets/locations.

Ideally, I would like to have a MINIMUM of 16 intercessors to complete this portion of our city-wide prayer walk. It would be very significant if most of these intercessors could be Christians who own / manage businesses or properties within this 16 block area. To view an early map, click on the link below:

1888 Map of Aberdeen, DAKOTA

Aberdeen, SCOTLAND will be having a united time of praise and worship at 8 pm their time (this would be 2:00 pm our time if I’m calculating daylight savings time correctly).

The Salvation Army Chapel in Aberdeen, SD will be open from 2:00 - 3:00 pm. All intercessors are invited to stop by as they finish up their prayer assignments. There will be praise and worship along with ample opportunities for sharing prayer experiences and any spiritual insights gained.

PLEASE COVER “CONNECTING SCOTLAND” AND BOTH ABERDEEN PRAYER WALKS IN A HEAVY BLANKET OF PRAYER (see the entry entitled Aberdeen Prayer Walks - BACKGROUND to find out what God is wanting to do in Scotland!)

Take time to read Ephesians Chapter 6 ASAP. It puts this whole prayer initiative into the proper perspective.

If you need to contact me for any reason, my email address is: kingdomreign.net@gmail.com

God’s richest blessings on each of you!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Aberdeen Prayer Walks - BACKGROUND

April 6, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

On March 4, 2007, I was doing an internet search using two words:
Aberdeen and prayer.

I was looking for prayer events in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

What I got instead, was a link to a website that listed prayer events in Aberdeen, SCOTLAND.

Now for those of you who may be unaware of this fact; Aberdeen, South Dakota was named after the home town of Alexander Mitchell - Aberdeen, SCOTLAND!

As I was scanning through the list of Christian events going on each month in Aberdeen, Scotland, one entry in particular jumped out at me. It involved a prayer walk on April 15, 2007 that was going to be held as part of a NATIONAL prayer event headed up by Pastor Bert McCaig and Connecting Scotland. (click on the blue letters if you want to link to their website - Pastor Bert is a child of the King if ever there was one!)

As I read about Aberdeen, Scotland’s plans to prayer walk their city center, I was reminded of the prayer event that was already underway in our own city.

Thirty intercessors from various congregations through out Aberdeen, South Dakota have been offering up daily prayers that invite God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done - in our city as it is in heaven.

The Seek God for the City 2007 prayer guide focuses on a particular group or portion of the population of our community each day. By the end of forty days, we’ve probably prayed for everyone in our city three or four times. Each day also offers suggestions for prayer walking opportunities to go along with the prayers for that day. For more information on this annual event that runs from Ash Wednesday through Palm Sunday, click on this link to their website: WayMakers.org.

This little booklet has been so helpful to us here in South Dakota - I asked Pastor Bert and his staff at Connecting Scotland if they could put me in touch with the people who are coordinating the prayer walk in Aberdeen, Scotland so that I could make them aware of this wonderful resource as they plan their prayer walk.

Pastor Bert’s staff graciously shared contact information, and as a result they are not only “Connecting Scotland”; they are connecting parts of The Body of Christ on opposite sides of the globe! They also emailed me a copy of the notice that is being distributed in churches and media outlets through out Aberdeen, Scotland. If you’d like to take a look at it, click on this link: Aberdeen Scotland Prayer Walk Notice

I’ve been sensing that God wants us to join Aberdeen, SCOTLAND on April 15th in a prayer walk here in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

I’m in the process of getting detailed time frames from the gentlemen in Scotland, factoring in the time change, contacting key intercessors, planning a short meeting on the evening of Friday April 13th where we can worship, pray and select our prayer walking assignments. We will also hold a Sunday afternoon event where we can gather to worship and share our prayer walk experiences with each other.

Please continue to check for DAILY updates here at KingdomReign.net between now and April 15,2007. If you need to contact me, my email address is kingdomherald@hotmail.com

WHO BUT GOD COULD ORCHESTRATE SOMETHING LIKE THIS?
(Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous!)

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

I AM A SOLDIER!

April 4, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus
 2 Timothy 2:3

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
 Ephesians 6:12

The following poem was given to me by one of my “Army” buddies.
It has always encouraged me when the warfare gets heated.
I hope you find it encouraging as well.

 

I AM A SOLDIER !

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience,
tried by adversity and tested by fire.

 

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this army;
but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out.
I am faithful, reliable, capable and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am there.
If He needs me in the Sunday school, to teach the children,
work with the youth, help adults or just sit and learn;
He can use me because I am there!
I am a soldier.

I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up,
pumped up, picked up or pepped up.
I am a soldier.

No one has to call me, remind me,
write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier.

 

I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders,
praising His name, and building His kingdom!

No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food,
cards, candy or give me handouts.

I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed.

I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

 

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead.
I will win.

My God has and will continue to supply all of my needs.
I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.

Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me.
I am a soldier.

Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to Captain and then allow me to rule with Him.

I am a soldier in the army, and I’m marching claiming victory.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.
I am a soldier, marching heaven bound.

Here I stand!
Will you stand with me?

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

NEVER MIND, GO ON

April 1, 2007 by His Kingdom Herald.

I’ve been hearing a song in my mind FREQUENTLY over the past few days.

It’s one I cling to when the going gets tough.
It’s #805 in The Salvation Army Song Book and it’s entitled “Never Mind, Go On“.

It goes like this. . .

In the fight, say does your heart grow weary?
Do you find your path is rough and thorny
and above the sky is dark and stormy?
Never mind, go on!

Lay aside all fear, and onward pressing,
Bravely fight and God will give his blessing;
Though the war at times may prove distressing,
Never mind, go on!

When the road we tread is rough,
Let us bear in mind,
In our Savior strength enough
We may always find
Though the fighting may be tough
Let our motto be:
Go on, go on to victory!

(words written by Richard Slater and the music written by Eric Himes.)

You can listen to Never Mind, Go On and another one of my favorites, I Am Saved by clicking on the white buttons in front of each song after you link to this website: http://www.thesingingcompany.com

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

|