spiritual warfare

An Ash Wednesday Like No Other? Lent for all Christians?

~ Bev Parker ~ Leave a comment

I hear tell that 20% of Protestants participate in Lent, which is essentially a Catholic thing. So, in looking into the idea of setting aside a period of time for dedicated fasting and prayer, beginning with Ash Wednesday, I have a brilliant idea for us all: What might we accomplish if we, on Ash Wednesday, set our alarms and/or timers to go off every 90 minutes, at which time we stop and pray.

What if we put it on our calendars to fast and pray every Wednesday and Friday, along with Christian believers all over the world, throughout Lent and beyond? What if the voices of millions are lifted on high, beginning tomorrow, every 90 minutes, all day long?

I plan to pray The Lord’s Prayer, speak Psalm 91 over everyone in any way involved in the fiasco between Ukraine and Russia, and further as the Holy Spirit leads. I am beginning tomorrow, hopefully with you, my very Dear Reader, and all those with whom you share this post.

None of us have anything at all more important to do than stop and pray tomorrow, every 90 minutes if at all possible. Why 90 minutes? Because long ago when I read and followed Jordan Rubin’s The Maker’s Diet and included his suggestion to pray regarding making the changes therein every 90 minutes, I found it to be quite effectual. It was a leaning on, a pressing into, a cleaving to, the wisdom and comfort of God.

Why is this important, why will it work? Because when the world sees Christians united they will see the goodness of God. Because we will be mighty–victorious over darkness and despair! Because we will bless the Lord.

So again, join me in creating a worldwide wave of spiritual might unto the pulling down of strongholds–in Ukraine, Russia, and everywhere else!

New Sound

~ Bev Parker ~ Leave a comment

Day in and day out I am reading scriptures about praising God, about shouting, singing, going into battle prefaced and protected by songs of praise. Last night as I went to sleep I began singing snatches of a forgotten song, and as it began to come together I sang it over and over, knowing my sleep would be sound, my dreams beautiful.

Phil Driscoll’s New Sound was, I believe, a gift to my heart from the Holy Spirit. There’s a new sound in the earth, there’s a new voice to be heard.

Listen. Be blessed. Praise Him.

Fasting, My Dear, is About Much More Than Weight Loss!

~ Bev Parker ~ 2 Comments

The real power comes after the fast – the fast is preparation for BIG battles.

little girl praying

 

I had decided to simply, “Let it soak,” regarding an ongoing issue in my life.  And by “issue” don’t we so often mean a relationship issue?  Two people in my life were burrs under my saddle, and unlike most people, I am not willing to go through life with burrs under my saddle.

But like any horse, in my own strength I could not reach under that saddle and get that burr loose.

So, I decided to fast about it, pray about it, and keep soaking these people and myself in God’s love, which I am told on GOOD authority, never fails.

Well, I soaked them for seven days in the fast (praying for them day and night), and then two days later the burrs really stuck deep, as Satan was trying extra hard to stay where he was.

It was time to take those stained clothes out of the soaking pan and put them in the washer, agitator on on high speed!  I gave my opinion to one of these individuals, and boy did the agitator agitate.  Not fun.

I began to pray (in tongues, which is the very best and most indispensable tool for really sticky burrs, and if this is a burr under your saddle, see for yourself what Paul has to say about tongues).  Suddenly the Holy Spirit took over my prayers and I was The Somebody, as in Somebody has to take it to the heart.”

In the third Hobbit movie, Thorin took his best warriors and climbed the mountain right into the enemy command center.   Enough was enough.  He had to be that Somebody who took it to the heart.  He had to act like the King and Dragonslayer he was born and called to be.

We are born, born again, to be Kings, to take Jesus to the heart of evil.  We are not to be Craven Cowards (see Hannah Hurnard’s Hinds Feet on High Places) and go licking our wounds each time we’re scratched.  We  are to decide once and for all, that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Fasting and praying, reading the Word, and listening to faith-filled preaching for seven days, put me in that place of power, strength, and unstoppable, bulldog, enough-is-enough FAITH to take it to the heart of the issue.

The heart of the issue was spiritual.  Actually, as I prayed and did  all-or-nothing spiritual warfare  (the demons could have heard and sensed me in the next county), the Holy Spirit revealed to me what was behind each thing I prayed against.  As I came against issue after issue, stronghold upon stronghold, I realized (big surprise, duh) the root issue was fear.

II Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.”  No need to expect power or love or a locigally reasoning mind from someone bound up in fear.  But if you can see it, if you can recognize the real root of the issue, you are the very person to take it to the mountain.  Boy, are you Somebody now!

P.S.  If you have never had the experience of being used by God to be The Someone let me tell you it’s the way to go.  You will be like Thorin and his warriors with their swords, and like Bilbo Baggins with his courage (study Smith Wigglesworth if you want inspiration for this, or just do the simple thing and read the Bible and choose the life therein).

.  You will be Someone.

And if you die, you die making a difference.  So much better than being the fearful, the living dead.