Joy Unspeakable Joy

This week I arrived late.  The house was packed.  Nearly standing room only.  Quickly, I was given a seat because we were about to begin.  As I have mentioned on other occasions, we never know what is going to happen, but there is always an air of expectancy and anticipation when saints gather.  Seventeen were present in that home that night. I had the fleeting thought that very soon, they will be tearing the roof off just to get in.

Before our lesson on “Praying in the Holy Ghost” began, one member gave a praise report about her father and how forgiving him had opened up the door for him to let go of the unforgiveness he held in his heart toward other members of the family.  She explained, He was in his eighties and He was the “patriarch of our family”.  And now, true healing for her entire family has  begun.  Pastor also explained, how more opportunities and blessing from God would begin to flow in her life because she had removed the roadblocks of unforgiveness.  Praise God.

“Praying in the Holy Ghost” this lesson was taken from Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. The Holy Spirit helps us with ourselves, with our own weaknesses.  Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit are standing in the gap for us.  We have no idea how to really pray for ourselves.  Jesus is talking to God and the Holy Spirit is talking to God on our behalf.  The groanings cannot be uttered because they are really not directed toward us.  These groanings fall into the category of supplications, intercessions, petitions, thanksgivings or the deep things within our spirit directed toward the heart of God.

This brings us to the segment when pastor prays for everyone in the house. He’ll pray for anything that moves.  People really appreciate this because they know God is going to touch them in a specific and personal way.  In the natural, this could be very exhausting to a pastor.  Let us be mindful to pray in the Holy Ghost for the man of God while the Lord ministers to his people.  As a participant, you may be tempted to stop praying just to watch and hear what may be manifesting. Seriously though–continue to pray in the Spirit.  Because stuff is definitely happening!

Once again, several members of the group were blessed with what I refer to as “Joy Unspeakable Joy”.  When I asked one person the next day what was happening, she said,

“I have no idea how to explain last night and have not figured out what was happening.  For the first time in a long time, there was an inner joy deeper than the surface.  It was not just a touch of the Holy Spirit as I have encountered before.  It was just amazing.  In the spiritual view, it was only Jesus and me although I knew that the room was full.  The more I laughed the more releases (as in things flying away). My entire body was affected.  The more I tried to stop the more came.  All I can say is that I have a FREEDOM and JOY that only JESUS can provide.”

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1Peter1:8 – Whom having not seen, ye love: in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  

And another translation:  Although you have never seen Christ, you love him.  You don’t see him now, but you believe in him.  You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words.

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From Pastor Robert — THIS ENCOUNTER HAS LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT GOD HAS “DELIVERANCE” IN STORE FOR US, COMPLETE AND WHOLE NOT JUST FOR A SHORT TIME BUT TO TAKE WITH US ALL THE TIME….SOMETHING IN THE SPIRIT WORLD HAS BEEN RELEASED….AND AS WE TAP INTO THE MOVING OF THE WATER (THE HOLY SPIRIT) THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE  HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME.  LAST NIGHT ONE OF THE THINGS GOD SPOKE INTO MY HEART WAS THAT THERE WILL BE COMING A TIME WHEN, HIS SPIRIT WILL MOVE SO MIGHTILY THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE TO PRAY FOR ANYONE…. THE POWER OF GOD WILL INVADE OUR SPACE…..I BELIEVE WE ARE BEING SET UP FOR JUST THAT……..WATCH AND SEE- IN THE NEXT COMING WEEKS – THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL DO AMAZING THINGS……THE LEVEL OF EXPECTANCY IS THAT HIGH! SOME OF OUR MIGHTY WARRIORS NEED TO STEP UP AND RECEIVE THE VISION IN A GREATER CAPACITY…..NOT JUST WAIT FOR THE MOVING OF THE WATER FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE US IN…..BUT MOVE BY FAITH INTO WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY PROVIDED……..THE ANOINTING

The Joy of the Lord is My strength!

18 March 2008

Well, you just never know what to expect at a Faith in Action Fellowship Prayer Meeting. Tuesday, we started by listening to a testimony about a soul winning campaign that took place on the streets of the Pine Hills area of Orlando last week. Two of our members brought thirty (30) souls into the kingdom through ‘search and rescue’ tactics. Praise the Lord forever! After which, the pastor declared, we will be knocking on doors and doing the same thing in our own area–next week. “Because that is what we should be doing, you know–sharing the Gospel”. (Romans: 1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Preach the Gospel. Use any bait you can. If one doesn’t work cut and use something different. That’s how you catch fish isn’t it?

This week is Holy Week. We prayed for souls to come into the kingdom at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. We are expecting a bumper crop. Amen?

A young girl was invited to prayer for the first time. She just moved here from Albany, Georgia. She was gloriously delivered and set free,received Christ into her heart, came to church Wednesday night and is coming to the Ocean Center on Easter. She says, she wants to join Calvary Christian Center. Please, pray that the Lord will keep her.

After that, pastor prayed for every member of the group. Laughter broke out into our midst starting with the hostess. Pastor prophesied over her, that this joy would continue and be contagious and break out at the most unexpected times. The next morning, The woman says, she was praying with her friend about a serious problem in the friend’s marriage when she suddenly started laughing while praying. The friend also started laughing even through the potential collapse of her marriage. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemia 8:10 ) The Bible says, when the people understood they rejoiced. When they understood the Word of the Lord. You may be going through tremendous difficulty but if you rejoice in the Lord–He shall renew your strength. (1)Joy will help you do the right thing. (2)Joy will strengthen you through your trial. (3)Joy will help you do the work of the Lord. (4)Joy will help you resist the enemy of your soul. Substitute the Word of the Lord, for the Joy of the Lord, and vice versa. The more we understand the Word of the Lord, the more Joy we will have. Holy Laughter just may break out from you!

Lookin’ for love in all the wrong places

11 March 2008

 

I was lookin’ for love in all the wrong places

Lookin’ for love in too many faces

Searchin’ their eyes, lookin’ for traces

Of what I’m dreamin’ of

Hopin’ to find a friend and a lover — Johnny Lee lyrics

We were invited to pray for a woman suffering with cancer in Orlando about an hour away. God will allow the fame of what the Lord is doing to be spread abroad. (Mathews 4:4) The news about Jesus spread throughout Syria. People brought him everyone who was sick, those who suffered from any kind of disease or pain. Praying for the sick is scriptural. (James 5:14-15) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

This Godly woman allowed pastor to pray and anoint her with oil. Not only that, pray was offered up for her entire household as well as a friend and a neighbor. Repentance for sins and asking of forgiveness was offered up to the Lord. Hearts were changed, prophesy was given, healing, deliverance and salvation was wrought and the presence of the Lord filled that little house. People declared they did not quite understand what was happening but that it was good! One lady in particular had an experience like the “woman at the well” (John 4:4-39). The pastor prophesied all she had experienced in her life because she was searching for love. Well, she found real Love that night. Changed forever, Halleluiah! Amen.

 

(Lookin’ for love) in all the wrong places
(Lookin’ for love) in too many faces
Searchin’ their eyes, lookin’ for traces
Of what I’m dreamin’ of
Now that I’ve found a friend and a lover.–Johnny Lee lyrics

..With Signs Following

Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Back again at Daytona Village. This week the Lord moved again. But why should we be surprised. He said, He would work with us and confirm the word with signs following. Last night’s lesson came from 2Timothy 2:2,3 and 1 Timothy1:18. About how we must endure hardship as a good soldier and war the good warfare with faith and a good conscience. Not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life, so that we may please Jesus, the one who enlisted us.

Then for prayer time we were taught 1Timothy 2:1,2 that First of all supplication, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made of all men. For kings, and for all that are in authority. Not for ourselves, our families or our needs. But First for those in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.As instructed we began praying for our President and this country, then other countries, and our cities and the upcoming elections. Then for souls, souls, soul. Give us souls for the kingdom or we die!

Suddenly, a knock came on the door and two young men walked in asking if we were having church here. They did not know anyone present nor did anyone present know them. Just as they were about to receive prayer they asked if they could go out and get more friends. They returned with three more. Praise God forever! All together there were five teenage boys present. Two repeated the sinners prayer and asked Jesus into their hearts last night. Today we are thanking and praising God for the others to follow.

Just preach the word and He will confirm it with signs following, Amen.

Mission Trip to Africa

Beloved,I am so grateful to the God of my Salvation, for He has given me the opportunity to go to Ghana to represent the Lord Jesus in the mission field. I have a great burden to help people in Sub- Saharan Africa who have been affected by the AIDS epidemic. I believe God is calling me to Africa. This is something that has been in my heart for years and I have to say, it is just like our God to open the door for me to go. It will cost $3000 for me to fulfill this mission, but where the Lord guides, He will provide. I solicit your prayers also as I endeavor to heed God’s call to help His people. Because of your love for me, I am asking for you and your family to support me with a one time, One hundred dollar gift for my trip. Please ask your family members, church members, or anyone else you feel would support me to provide a gift of support for this mission. I would be ever so grateful, and I know God will bless you for it. Thank you so much, In grace, by grace, and through grace, Dorothy.

In Memoriam

A beloved sister, went home to be with the Lord this past week. We will miss her, but she left us plenty of memories to cherish. Here is one of her emails to the Faith in Action Fellowship:

Subject: What a Blessing!

Hey Deborah,

My apologies for just getting to this–major Internet problems.Where do I begin? …I’ve been wanting to come for quite some time now and God has answered my prayer.I thank you (and each of the group members) for your faithfulness to prayer.Hold-up, hold-up!!! We interrupt this praise e-mail to bring you a live up to the minute Praise Report! I just rec’d a call from Nneka (my eldest daughter) that they just closed on their new home in Suwanee, GA, Hallelujah!!! Just as Bro Robert said, I’d been under siege to prevent me from coming to meet w/you in prayer. Pain, the kind that brings to you to your knees and you wonder if you’ll survive. The pain was so intense that I had to pray myself to sleep to get a break–then got up and came to prayer (both times). Hallelujah! I thank God for the timeliness of the word He gave Bro Robert for us. God’s word is beautiful for situations. amen. I thank God for showing me myself even when He’s dealing with some else. I thank God for His prophetic word over me, that I’ll do things that I’ve never done before.I thank God for Healing me and for every manifestation of His healing me. Whoa, when Bro Robert laid his hands on meeee, ooo the pain in my body had been intense especially in my back. As he prayed I felt pressure bending me in an arch, but my back pain was decreasing. Having to hold that position as Bro Robert told me was very difficult, it caused tremendous pains to go down my legs, but I held on as long as I could. By the time I sat down the back pain had gone. Hallelujah! I can honestly say that I surprised myself hearing how loudly I prayed. Although I know that I possess the ability to produce the volume, lol, I usually save that kind of intensity for home. I know that it was the Holy Spirit and being on one accord with the group that gave me that prayin’ at home comfort.I thought that I’d wanted to come to the prayer group to offer a sacrifice of prayer, to give of myself and to grow my prayer life, but God is, as He does, blessing me far above that which I could ever think or ask.May God continue to bless this prayer group and make it a blessing in the 100-fold realm! Selah!

Let’s take another hill, in the name of Jesus! Amen.

In His Service,
Cerestine

Prayer at Daytona Village (Tuesday 22nd)

This week our Prayer Group was at Daytona Village again for the third week. When we arrived we were met with an influx of young people in the parking lot. Parking was indeed a chore for the kids blocked some of the spaces. When one of the prayer members tried to park, they were blocked by some of the kids who all seemed to know that “the prayer people” of “church” had arrived and some of them were trying to get the ones who were blocking to move out of the way..because according to this young lady – “you would go to hell if you stopped them”. Funny, isn’t it how young people sense the moving of God!

Our Meeting was indeed awesome! The Holy Spirit showed up in a greater degree than ever before! We can only expect God to do more as we become humble and obedient to his calling. We called out for souls to come forth and during this intense time of intercession God was indeed calling forth souls for at the end of this….a lady that lived downstairs came forward for prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit showed himself strong and she was touched in a great way. She was delivered from addictions and afflictions.

One of the prayer members invited her brother and he was stuck down by the Holy Spirit and laid on the carpet for most of the night.

The weight of His glory was intense to the point that all the members felt the Fire of God invading the atmosphere and their very being.

To the all comsuming and eternal God, to Him be Glory, Honor and Praise.

The Church House

This week, one of our fellowship members came to the apartment complex and started asking directions to the prayer meeting.  A neighborhood resident responded, “Oh, you’re looking for the “church house”, It’s over there.”  If only that could be said of all our houses.  Now mind you this is just the second time we have held prayer in this apartment complex.  Later, two other gentlemen came in for prayer. Thank God.  This is progress, even if they are curiosity seekers; they are seeking something from God.  The next day a woman stated,  she has been hearing us pray upstairs, and God has been tugging at her heart.  She wants to come to the prayer meeting next Tuesday night.  Saints, God is up to something!  Stepping out — Faith in Action.

Faith in Action Prayer Fellowship – January 2008

Praise be to God the Father and His glorious Son, Jesus Christ.  Welcome to a New Year and a New Beginning.  What a year it is already turning out to be.  Prayer Tuesday night was phenomenal from the very beginning.  The area we visited is decidedly repressed and in need of the light of the Word of God.  But, praise God one lone young man came and was led to the Lord at the start of the meeting and stayed throughout the bible study and intercessory prayer time.  This is a “new beginning” for him and a “new beginning” for this area.  Amen!  Let us not despise small beginnings.  Give God the Glory.