It's Time

When I wrote the book, Prayers from the Throne of God, little did I know it would become an emotional and spiritual source of encouragement highlighting our freedom and authority as believers. Yes, the book is about a different way to pray, but it also creates a way of thinking that will set us free from feelings of dismay, discouragement, and helplessness in those moments when life seems to be going sideways.

When I wrote the book, I spent a lot of time in Ephesians unpacking the significance of our position in Christ at the right hand of the Father. Scripture tells us we already live there enthroned in a place of victory. Our victory is not some future reward that will come at the end of time. We are the fruit of Jesus’ victory enthroned with Him at this very moment in Heaven. It is your reality even as you read these words.

Today, when you are faced with social turmoil or a personal challenge, ask the Lord to reveal the power and privilege of your real-time position in Christ at the Father’s right hand. From this place look down on the issue or challenge that stands before you and do these three things:

DECLARE the heart of God. Declare God’s preferred outcome. Declare how He sees the person or situation from His heart and heavenly perspective. This is like a master artist standing in front of a blank canvas and inviting a protégé to come and see a yet-to-be-painted masterpiece and creating its reality with each brushstroke.

DECREE the victory of Christ. This is your Kingdom search warrant that gives you the authority to kick down the doors of darkness to rescue people and institutions held captive by dark agendas. A decree declares that no weapon formed against us will prosper.

PROPHESY a new future. Once you declare the heart of God and then decree the victory of Christ, the Spirit will begin to reveal prophetically a word of encouragement, a point of revelation or the next step toward freedom needed to transform the issue of your prayers.

Right now, your dual citizenship on Earth and in Heaven gives you the supernatural potential to shift any environment where your faith is alive and active. If you live from a heavenly perspective while still engaging the reality of life on Earth, that realization will begin to change how you see and interpret everything. In the end, it will radically change how you pray.

It Is Getting Brighter -Definition Is Coming

For the last two days, I have been on the road.  Each morning, I was up before dawn in a place where I was able to see the very first rays of a new day rising behind the mountains to the east. The mountains looked dark and undefined as the sunrise backlit their image. It was not possible to make out any terrain distinctions.  It looked as if the mountains were painted solid black as they stood before the first hints of light that revealed the pinkish-blue color of the sunrise.

During the last two mornings, I was in a place to see these beautiful pre-dawn images because I was doing something that positioned me to see what was unfolding. The first morning, I was making an early morning departure for a long drive to a scheduled meeting. The next morning, I was taking a pre-dawn walk before making my return drive home. Each morning, I was doing what I was supposed to do in the remaining minutes of darkness before the new day came.

If you look at what is happening around you in the culture and in the larger global community, it can seem like some really important things lack definition - like the dark and undefined mountains I saw in the pre-dawn hours. You know they are there, but your can't make out the distinctive nature of their terrain . Many things are still unclear, but don’t let that cause you concern. God realizes we do not yet see the full picture of what is taking place. He will be faithful to provide a full definition when the time is right.

We are in a moment of history that resembles what I experienced the last two mornings. God is at work in the darkness and He has prepared something that is about to dawn upon our lives. It is coming and with it will be clarity and understanding. Until it arrives, remain faithful to the last word the Lord gave you. This will position you to see what is coming. When it comes it will bring a clarity similar to what I am now seeing as the fully developed light of day has now struck the mountains outside my hotel room. The mountains look totally different now than they did just an hour ago when I took my morning walk in the pre-dawn hours of darkness.