DON'T MESS WITH MY STUFF! part one

God has been asking me to write this series of posts and I am finally saying..."UNCLE, I'll write!"

I absolutely love it when God asks me to do something but let me tell you what I hate. I hate it when the devil messes with people's stuff (when I say stuff I mean life). I hate it when a person doesn't know how to stop the devil from messing with their stuff and when a person doesn't know how to prevent the devil from messing with their stuff. I hate it when a person says the devil is messing in their stuff but it is really because of disobedience on their part. Get the drift (as my mom would say)?

I have heard several stories of people feeling the devil has messed with their stuff, family or friends in the past month. Too many. My blood doesn't boil when my things get messed with but when it comes to those I care about...that gets me fired up! Enough is enough! I am going to begin a series on the power of prayer and the authority given to us by Jesus Christ. We are going to talk about the stuff the keeps the devil from rootin' around where he doesn't belong.

We are going to walk through...
-Why People Don't Pray
-How to Pray
-The Authority Given to us
-Types of prayer
-Other benefits of prayer
-Plus further insights I have to share

Listen, I cannot begin to scratch the surface nor do I profess to know everything there is to know about prayer. I am just going to highlight some key areas and lead us both down a journey in gaining wisdom, refreshing our knowledge and/or just plain stomping on the enemy's head!

We're going to tell the devil, "DON'T MESS WITH MY STUFF!" Not only that, we are going to release God to work in our lives in a powerful way. Because, I don't want to spend my time giving recognition to the devil; rather, I want to talk about all God has done for us and the amazing power and keys He has provided us in order to live the John 10:10 abundant life which is our inheritance!

Prayer is hope in God, not optimism. There are many optimistic people without a prayer life. You are not putting hope in spirituality or chants but in the Almighty, the Abba Father, the Mighty God.

It is not about our faith in our prayer but our faith in God.

The will of God is always done in Heaven. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He said, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." Prayer becomes the umbilical cord to God's will. You can experience in your house what's going on in Heaven.

Psalm 115:16, "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's, but the earth He has given (assigned) to the children of men."

God has given dominion of the earth to us. He did it and He won't take it back. He has chosen to work through man, not independent of man. Your prayers are important and crucial to the hand of God moving on the earth.

Pastors, in my life have taught me a lot on prayer. I LOVE to pray. Everything I do and everything that happens at The Rock is birthed and sustained through prayer. It is through prayer, we received grace.

Here are some scriptures to get us started...
Proverbs 15:8, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight."

Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seek finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Matthew 21:22, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Luke 18:1, "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart."

1 John 3:22, "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."

On overload yet? Good! We haven't even started! Let God overwhelm you with His goodness, hope, faith, joy and so much more. Just this once, let go of what you THINK you're gonna experience and Let God surprise and surpass it all. He's just that kind of God.

I pray that through our journey, God reveals to you the power and importance you hold in His kingdom.

I'll see you in part two...