INCENSE TO HIS NOSTRILS

Donna Braman
Guidance Series

The Power of Prayer

Scripture Reading: John 16:23-24

John the Revelator saw and heard many things when he was taken up into heaven.  He said he heard many voices around the throne.  I've meditated quite a bit about just who those voices belong to.  I believe they are the voices of the saints here on earth.  If that is true, then we are closer to heaven than we could ever even imagine.  John said that heaven falls silent for half an hour while God listens to the petitions of the saints. Jesus is our mediator and He sits at the right hand of God on the throne interceding for us.  Did you know that God releases angels to attend us and to protect us?  Jesus said he would give us the treasures of heaven.  

To fully understand prayer we must understand the height of Jesus' love, that precept upon precept and line upon line that he lays out for us in the gospels of just how high His Kingdom is and what our rich inheritance is through His precious shed blood and the scourging of his body. We have benefits of being a son or daughter of the King. Most of the time we receive not because we ask not. If we believe in the word then it's time we begin to believe in its power. Let's take a look today at what the word says is available to us through prayer and how God responds to it.

"It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24.)  Jeremiah goes on to say, "In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me." Paul told us that while Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death.  And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for His Father.  The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

If you step into some of the churches and listen to the prayers, too often you will hear a minute (maybe) of whispers without emotion or power.  If you want to stop a evil seed like King David did, then get up and shout a praise to Him and cry from your belly for deliverance for a loved one or to move a mountain you face. If Christians could get it in their hearts and minds that their praying stops heaven for half an hour, there wouldn't be a silent tongue in the church left when the preacher said, Let us Pray! You see, I'm not worried about how long the preacher preaches, or hoping he will skip the altar service so I can get to Bojangles and impress our friends with the  latest events of our lives. I want to put my voice where it counts. Next time you pray think about that silence in the throne room just so God can hear what you have to say to the one who gave you treasures beyond measure and sent the comforter to show His perfect will, and let's not forget how he sends the heavenly host to earth just to protect us, least we stump our toe.

King David knew the benefits of prayer and worship and he was a man after God's own heart.  In Psalm 50:15 he says, :Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."  James 5:16 says, the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.  I don't know about you but that makes me thirst and hunger more for altar prayer and to seek those fruitful Christians who may lay hands on me and pray.

Many times we find ourselves worrying and trying to figure things out in the carnal mind, but Paul had a better solution in Phillipians 4:6-7, he says, "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  When we look to the world to solve our problems or get on our telephone ministries to our friends, well already we've gone to the wrong source. God cannot respond to your voice when it is directed everywhere except to him.  1Peter 3:12 says, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer."  He didn't say he was attentive to voices partaking in the worldly way of talking about problems.  If we spent as much time talking to the Lord as we did our friends for solutions we would all be walking in victory. Well glory!

Jesus had quite a bit to say about prayer as well, so let's listen carefully to his words.  In Matthew 21:22, he said, "Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." In Mark 11:24 Jesus said, "I say unto you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you WILL have them."

SEED WORD: Jesus declared, "Truly, truly, I say unto you, whatever you ask of the Father in MY NAME, He will give it to you.  Until now you have asked nothing in my name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

RUNNING YOUR RACE WITH PERSEVERANCE

Donna Braman
Guidance Series

PERSEVERANCE

Scripture Reading: 5:3-5


Christians are being tested in every way and all are being challenged to raise the standard that is required in this last generation.  The Holy spirit is separating the wheat from the tares. Get ready for the righteous to be revealed. We will see healings, miracles and freedom in the church of Christ. This is the promise for the end time Body of Christ.   For those who have consecrated themselves unto the Lord it is a great time to be alive. For those who have ears let them hear and for those who have a spiritual eye let them see the power that has been endued them. The spirit has fell upon the earth like no other generation ever saw. Empowerment is for the church body for those who have persevered. The reason the tests have been so hard is because his spirit is upon the earth and if we can't walk the walk and talk the talk with the power of the Holy Spirit at our door step then we are not as committed as a lot of us think we are. Let's take a look at what the scripture has to say about perseverance and winning the prize.


"Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world." Rev. 3:10. Paul tells us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. James 1:12 says, blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.  Don't worry about those who persecute you and spit at you, or the tares in the church that talk about you.  Stand up in front of them and show your allegiance to God Almighty and dare to stand and praise him for the working of his mighty power in your life that reflects a love that is bold, foolish and forever thirsty for his presence.


Then therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain for all will see your fruit and want what you've got. Never be satisfied with 30% or 60% but desire the best of his promises and yields. Revelation 21:7 promises us that all who win the victory will be given the blessings and Jehovah will be our God, and we will be His people. If we would only receive even a portion of the inheritance that Christ our Lord provided, our barns would be filled and our bodies would be healed. You need to persevere for your rich inheritance so that when you have done the will of God, and not the "me" will, you will receive what his word has promised you. Hebrews 10:36.


I don't know about others but when I need some Holy Spirit back up, I start to pray and enter his rest.  I start to do what he tells us to do most, giving to others, even when I don't have it to give. My spirit begins to dance the Meadow of dances for my lover, then I shout and praise because I remember my first love. Then truth settles in my spirit  'cause I know he's gone before me and it is already done. I was made to get up everyday and delight myself in Him. Well glory! I don't ever remember a time going before him that my heart failed to thank him for calling my name in the midst of a darkened world and delivering me from evil, and giving me that precious gift of blood regeneration that created a newness in my inner man with a new mind that produces the character to pass the tests.


Seed Word:  We also rejoice in our sufferings and testing, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

The Righteous Servant

Donna Braman
Guidance Series

WHO GOD CALLS

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:43-45

You may not have a speaking ability, or you may have been rejected, or you may think you haven't been good enough for the Holy Spirit to anoint you and put a calling on you. You may not be good looking or wear $500 suits.   We all overlook the obvious that God uses because we do not see each other as God sees us. Our understanding and standards are far below his.  Just when you think God has no significant plans for you he will show up.  He says, no eye has seen and no hear has heard the great things he has planned for you. When you say, Lord, I can not do this, let it be a yes because if you could have done it in YOUR power then God would not have called you.  God said to Moses, "Now go and I will help speak and will teach you what to say and do."

Do not look at a man's appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused that man.  For the Lord does not see as man, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7.  The real anointed may be that little old lady that sits silently praying every week for the church, the minister, the community, the sick and the nation.  Go to her when you need prayer, and it just may get passed the clouds. Don't overlook part of the body that can lift you up in the Lord.  Who knows the word when you need encouragement or under attack by the devil, consider your elders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7.

A called servant watches his tongue for he knows that death and life are in it's words, and those that love it and are careless with it will eat its fruits.  Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.  Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

If your gift is to encourage others, do it!  If you have money, share it generously.  If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.  And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.  Remember, we shall know them by their fruits.  He must manage his own family and personal life well, and see to it that his children obey him with proper respect.

A sincere servant asks for wisdom, knowledge and discernment that he may go out and come in before the people with the ability and willingness to help others, and not to just impress others with their knowledge.  The lost are not impressed with your knowledge until they know you love them.

Called Shepherds have an awesome responsibility and most pay a heavy price to be an anointed man of God.  The word says, be shepherds of God's flock that I give under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be, not greedy for money, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.  There are certain stipulations for earning the crown of glory, but the most important is soul winning. 1 Peter 5:2-4.

SEED WORD:

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." This is the kind of servant the Holy Spirit is searching for, one of a heart of love for others and has learned how to capture the heart of God by delighting in him.  He serves with gladness even when it gets hard.God did not equip you to look good to the church, but he empowers you for the benefit of others that would be impossible without a gift and anointing. He is not carnal minded and he has replaced self for Christ to be seen in him by all.

Happiness Comes Through Discipline

Donna Braman
Guidance Series

DISCIPLINE

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:32, Deuteronomy 8:5-6

I came out of my Mother's womb kicking and screaming to get the "me" thing right. At the age of two I would fall down in the floor and hold my breath until I passed out and just like I wanted, my Mother would then rock me for an hour.  That selfish, rebellious side of me followed me into adulthood and it worked until I began to be parented by the Lord.  There is no one that had to be chastened as many times as I did before I humbled myself to the great Potter.  It took about five years for the Lord to bridle me and believe me he threw me in the fire many times.  It was after coming out of one of these correction periods that I began to sing instead of acting toward God the way I had everyone else to get my way.  I learned that the my Father in heaven was no match and the good thing he begins in you he will finish, even if he has to throw you in the belly of a whale until you see it his way.  Many times in my early walk with the Lord my prayer often was, Lord, show me your way!  I am so thankful to him today for that tough love because I learned the way of true happiness and how to delight myself in Him.

The bible says the man whom God corrects is blessed, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.  The Apostle Paul tells us to not make light of the Lord's discipline, and to not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.

King David knew this kind of love very well and he says in Psalm 94:12, Happy are those whom the Lord disciplines.  In the carnal, natural man we think we know how to achieve happiness, but we soon learn in our walk with Christ that we were so far off and all we were grasping at was temporal happiness that somehow we thought would last a life time.  But we soon learn that it disappears and each time our spirit dies a little more.

Solomon, in his great wisdom said, Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray, and to learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction. Prov. 10:17 and Prov. 12:1.

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening, it is painful!  But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.  God commands us to discipline our children; you'll be glad you did, they'll turn out delightful to live with.  It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.

When we are judged and corrected by the Lord it is his way of letting us know that we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

SEED WORD:

So you should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you to help you.  So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. 

He Who Runs to God

Donna Braman

Guidance Series

BLESSED SHALL BE HIM WHO RUNS TO GOD

Scripture Reading: Psalm 34:8

Sometimes we have  foggy notions of what it means to be blessed and deciding who the blessed are. Today, we're going to take a look at how the scripture describes the blessed and their characteristics.

But He gives more grace.  Therefore He says; "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the HUMBLE. James 4:6. People who operate in the pride of life are not blessed.

Blessed are those who TRUST IN THE LORD and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.Jeremiah 17:7. A blessed person never looks to the world for hope, and never depends on man to build their confidence of who they are. Watch out for men who are lifted up above where God has them and only has a earthly foundation and following, it is a false trust because what can be shattered will be shattered.

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse, the blessing if you OBEY THE COMMANDS of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 11:26-27. Blessings follow the obedient Christian. Don't believe a person is blessed who comes to church with their righteous show but their personal life is in a shambles and their home is worldly.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you PEACE. Numbers 6:24-26. A blessed person has a light about them, and inner aliveness and peace in their life.  Strife, confusion and cast down in spirit is not in their character, but their spirit is one of calmness in the midst of a storm. They have the ability to keep their focus on God's word and not be side tracked by what they see in the natural.

Don't repay evil for evil.  DON'T RETALIATE when people say unkind things about you.  Instead, pay them back with a blessing.  That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it. 1 Peter 3:9. When someone calls you up and calls you everything in the book, blessed people do not get verbal back and then call someone and gossip about the accuser. That only feeds the strife, but earnestly pray how God can create a situation where you can do a kindness for this person, which always dismantles the anger.

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds NO SORROW with it. Proverbs 10:22. A blessed person does not whine and cry in pain, but accepts the place where God has put him at the moment and rejoices for he knows joy will come in the morning.  He is a praiser in the midst of darkness! It is no secret why sorrow doesn't stay with the blessed person very long. When you see a person arise from the furnace unscathed by its flames, know he is a blessed person. They can take ashes and turn them into beauty.

Blessed is he who has REGARD FOR THE WEAK; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. Psalm 41:1. If you have trouble from the oppressor, forget your own troubles and go help someone who is in need. When you get your focus on yourself and begin to pray for only yourself, that is when you need to start to pray for others and see how quickly God will restore your health, your finances, your family.

The Lord will give STRENGTH to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace. Psalm 29:11. When calamity comes look around and see who is bold and speaks God's word over situations and always has a word for those in distress. It is not always your super religious, super spiritual, or gifted in the church that soars like the wings of an eagle, but it is the faith walkers who speak things into being. They have power in the tongue and they have boldness in the Lord and their steps are ordered by the Lord not by their own will power.

Blessed is the man who DOES NOT WALK IN THE WAY OF THE WICKED, STAND IN THE WAY OF SINNERS, OR SIT IN THE SEAT OF MOCKERS.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1-2. He is righteous and his desires are to uplift people in the Lord, please the Lord, and he doesn't engage in the delights of the world. The blessed man is in this world but not of it! He is a peculiar person and does not have a carnal thinking mind.

SEED WORD: The blessed man is not running around trying to impress others of his righteousness or giftedness, but you will find him with the meek, the lonely, the hurting, the orphans, the widows, the downcast in spirit, the sick, trying to teach others how to taste and open their eyes to see how good God is. What righteous act have you done this week to show you are blessed and highly favored by Almighty God? The blessed are equipped to do the work of Jesus!