Pages Navigation Menu

Taking a break

Posted by on Aug 1, 2015 in Updates | Comments Off on Taking a break

I’ll be taking a break from the blog for a week or so to write and work on other projects. Because of that, I want to leave an easy index of the last ten entries here, all featuring a snake theme and each one revealing truth about our authority and the tactics of the enemy.

Dealing with vipers  07/20/15

Swell up or die? 07/21/15

Antidote for all venom 07/22/15

Crazy man! That’s a copperhead! 07/23/15

The rattlesnake 07/24/15

Message in a motorboat 07/27/15

Concerning snakes and shoes 07/28/15

An encounter with cottonmouths 07/29/15

Nose to nose with a black mamba 07/30/15

The God of deliverance 07/31/15

Enjoy! Check back to see if I’ve added any new entries. I’ll see you in a week or so!

Dorothy

Read More

Need light?

Posted by on Jun 11, 2015 in Prayer Perspective, Updates | Comments Off on Need light?

For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. Psalm 36:9

Have you ever had one of those stressful stretches of time? One that lasts over several weeks? I’ve been going through one of those myself, lately, and as pressure and stress levels seemed to be crescendoing out of earth’s orbit last night, I decided to apply a simple “talk-through” technique to my emotions as I plugged away at an impossibly long “to do” list.

Here’s what I did: With every little thing I worked on—mundane as each one was—I talked to God about how glad I was about that little part of my life. Putting away the dishes? Thank You, Lord for these dishes and the ability to clean them! Sorting clothes for laundry? Father, thank You for giving me these clothes and a great washer and dryer! Paying bills? Thanks, God, that I can do math and that there’s some money left over after paying these! It may not be much, but I’m not broke, glory to God!

And as I continued in this vein, it wasn’t long until the stress started ebbing away and peace seeped back in, quietly reigning once again.

This morning however, I remembered a scheduling detail I became aware of yesterday that played a huge contributing factor in my spiraling stress the day before. It still bothered me, and it was something that was pretty much out of my control—unless I made a great big scene and pushed several levels of people around. I started feeling the stress creep back in.

I prayed. I prayed in the Spirit. And then I verbally committed the scheduling to God—to accept it as is or let Him rearrange it if He saw fit—without my personal interference.

And do you know what He spoke to me? It was eye-opening! He said, “There’s a difference between being a prima donna and being led by My Spirit.”  Burn!

How many times have you and I demanded our own way, insisting we were being led of the Spirit, when in actuality, we were being led by our flesh—our preferences, our fears, or our biases—absolutely clueless about our own motives?

As I repented and prayed in the Spirit—a gusher this time—God’s great comfort came upon me. An old praise song rose up in my heart, and as I sang it, once again it was well with my soul:

“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. With You is the fountain of life; in Your light, we see light.” (From Psalm 36:9)

When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, then you have given Him the right to have His say-so in every aspect. And that is very good.

Dorothy

Due to my very busy schedule, I will be sporadically adding to this blog in the next few weeks—sometimes on, sometimes off. Just check back periodically to see any new entries. Blessings! 🙂

Read More

A two-week break

Posted by on May 12, 2015 in Updates | Comments Off on A two-week break

Hi! I am going to take a two-week break to focus on other projects. I plan to return to the blog on Monday, May 25th.

Before I take off, though, I’d like to share two portions of Scripture that I spent some time mulling over today. They are the well-known “redeem the time” references and I’ve posted them in the NASB translation.

  • 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).

 

  • 5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:5-6).

These biblical references about “redeeming the time” pinpoint two key components of the Christian life.

First, Colossians 4:5 lets you know that you are to redeem the time whenever you are around unbelievers or anyone else who you might consider an “outsider”. You are, as Paul wrote to Timothy, to take pains with your behaviors, attitudes, and words so that you exemplify the Lord Jesus in your life (see 1 Timothy 4:12-15). You never know when you are entering a door of opportunity for the Lord to minister His light to someone; you redeem the time around others by letting His compassion, respect, and graciousness direct your daily interactions wherever you go.

Second, Ephesians 5:15-17 informs you that you are to redeem your own personal time day by day—whether you’re in public, around your own circle, or all by yourself. Pay attention to your expenditure of time; make the best possible use of it.

Matthew Henry, a Bible commentator alive in the 1700s, wrote something eye-opening about time. He suggested that it is a talent given to you by God to use for a good purpose. It is misspent and lost when it’s not employed according to God’s design. Mr. Henry also stated that if you have lost or misused time in the past, you must endeavor to redeem it by doubling your diligence to do what you are called to do from here on out. Why? Because the days are evil. Why? Because as Seals and Croft sang back in the ’70s, “We may never pass this way again.”

Until Monday, May 25, redeem the time!

Dorothy

Read More

Taking a respite

Posted by on Aug 18, 2014 in Updates | Comments Off on Taking a respite

Hi! With the events still unfolding in my neighboring town of Ferguson and my commitment to continue to pray for the people involved, I will be taking a week away from the blog to rest, seek God, join with others in prayer, and regroup.

In my absence, I’m leaving some sites I visit frequently. (Yes, I was a school teacher; these are sub plans.) The links are various daily devotionals from different denominations and perspectives. I have found gems on each site.

I don’t endorse everything on these sites, including the ads. Nor do I necessarily agree with everything I read in each entry. However, I believe that you, my readers, have discernment, Bible understanding, and wisdom sufficient to “have as much sense as an old cow—eat the hay and spit out the stubble.”

As it stands now, I plan to return to the blog in a week on Monday, August 25.

Dorothy

Read More

Weekend update: Stand

Posted by on Aug 16, 2014 in Ferguson, Prayer Perspective, Updates | Comments Off on Weekend update: Stand

…stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand, stand firm… Ephesians 6:13b-14a

Another evening of protests in Ferguson  turned into another nightmare for the community as looters and vandals took advantage of heightened passions stirred by further police disclosures. As I watched the footage of lawlessness and the contrasting video of the citizens of Ferguson and neighboring towns cleaning up the damage and offering other assistance to store owners this morning, I couldn’t help but notice a sense of defeat and hopelessness in both citizens and reporters; and it threatened to seep into my soul as well.

As I mulled over the situation, comparing the difference between events on the ground and the outcomes many of us are seeking to obtain by prayer, I sensed the still small voice of Comfort Himself reminding me, “Just stay in the gap.”

Stay in the gap. Keep your position in prayer. Stand. Just by doing that, you are being used by the Spirit of God to make a difference in the spiritual atmosphere over the conflict. If you don’t know what to pray, that’s OK. You standing in the gap brings the presence of God to the ripped-open hole created by darkness, and as you stand there, knowing that God is God and chaos is not, you proclaim the Lord’s rule and reign. By standing in the gap during the most dismal reports, you are preparing the way of the Lord to move in, dispel darkness, and bring deliverance, salvation, and healing to a ravaged community.

Obviously, there are other spiritual job responsibilities besides gap-standing. But when the hedge has been ruptured and torn open for anything and everything to pass through unhindered, more gap-standers are needed to make up the hedge.

Here’s my encouragement to you: As you go about your day, remember that Jesus is Lord over this crisis. Just mutter that truth to yourself when hopelessness or defeat attempts to grip your thoughts. Listen for Scripture verses coming up from your spirit; think on them, let them permeate your heart and mind, and then pray them out over this community.

And by doing just that, you are a gap-stander. As you and others like you simply stand and refuse to budge from the truth that Jesus is Lord and that His will shall prevail, you will be part of the miracle poised to pour out over the region—and the world.

God bless, gird, and guide you as you stand in the gap.

Dorothy

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable… 1 Corinthians 15:58a

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9

Read More

Gap-standing

Posted by on Aug 13, 2014 in Ferguson, Prayer Perspective, Updates | Comments Off on Gap-standing

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Ezekiel 22:30, KJV; emphasis added

The recent turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri, has hit national and international news. And while pundits, leaders, personalities, and citizens give their opinions to awaiting microphones and cameras, another stream of focus has hit Heaven—men and women are taking their stand in the gap.

The last clause of Ezekiel 22:30 is terribly sad. “I found no one,” lamented the living God concerning His search for an intercessor. However, the seriousness of our times compounded by the critical events in St. Louis—the heart of America—have brought many sincere men and women to their knees, crying out to the God of all things to intervene with His mighty power and unquenchable love.

And I sought for a man among them…

God searches for people. One type of person for whom He looks is someone who will stand in the gap, praying and interceding for others.

… a man among them, that should make up the hedge…

God looks for a man (or a woman) who will make up the hedge. What is the hedge? According to Strong’s Concordance, this Hebrew word gader simply means a fence or a wall (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1447&t=KJV). Enemies are deterred by hedges, walls, and fences surrounding those they seek to harm.

What is it that God wants the man or woman to do with the hedge? He wants them to “make up” the hedge.Gadar is the Hebrew word for “making up” and means “to wall up, wall off, close off, build a wall [or] to shut off” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1443&t=KJV).

Effective gap-standing prayer takes place right where the hedge has been trampled down.

Consider societal unrest. Somehow, violence and lawlessness exalts itself over a population, victimizing a community or region with anger, fear, and chaos. The restraining effects of discipline, decorum, and lawfulness have somehow fallen apart, and God wants the hedge of protection rebuilt and repaired because of His great protective love for the people. This is accomplished by walling up, walling off, closing off, and shutting off the community in question from the ravages of the destroyer—sometimes literally (as in the boarding up of broken windows in looted businesses). But this “hedge making-up” enterprise is also—and always—to be enacted in the realm of the Spirit as intercession is offered by someone on behalf of those lacking full hedge-coverage. Effective gap-standing prayer takes place right where the hedge has been trampled down.

…and stand in the gap before me for the land…

God has been talking about a hedge in need of repair. This hedge has a gap. Perets is the Hebrew word which is used, and it means a breach or a bursting forth—similar to when a dam breaks and water spills out (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H6556&t=KJV.) In other words, a gap in a hedge is a great big hole. And you know what holes allow: They allow that which is good on the inside to leak out and get lost, and they open the door to let the wickedness outside come flooding in.

What does the Lord instruct His man or woman to do about the gap? Does He lead them to wring their hands and worry? Does He tell them to condemn the hedge?

No. Once the intercessor is made aware of the gap, he is to stand in it. As the trampled hedge is repaired, the intercessor is to remain in the gap, plugging it up until it is rebuilt. This word “stand” is `amad which indicates to take a stand, to remain and endure, and to hold your ground (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H5975&t=KJV). As you stand in the gap, you are blocking the devil from gaining continued entrance into a volatile or destructive situation. You are restraining him and his lawlessness as you stand in the hedge’s gap.

God is seeking today for a man among us to make up the hedge and to stand in the gap, and I believe that He is finding an army of us in this hour. In fact, I believe that every living member of the Body of Christ has gap-standing assignments every day on behalf of lost and hurting humanity. And despite the critical nature of those gaps to which you are led, the God before whom you stand is quite capable of shaping your prayers and granting you effectiveness in that gap in the hedge.

You are called to be a gap-stander in this hour. You are a repairer of the hedge. May God grant you effectiveness as you stand before Him.

Dorothy

Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. Isaiah 58:12

Read More