Message notes for Friday, July 31st, 2015

6 Steps to Maintaining a Healthy Thought Life – 07-30-15

Message Outline:

As God deals with the root systems within us- the spiritual battle is intensified by the enemy within the soul. The more negative roots that are exposed and dealt with by God, the thought life that was formerly bound in negative structures needs to be re-established on the truth, and re-grounded in Christ, who is their stability.

Hebrews 4:12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

We are triune beings; we are a spirit, which has a soul, and lives in a body:

The spirit man.                                               

The soul of the man.                                                Each three have unique memory banks.

The body of the man.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

Negative emotions and memories that come to the surface after periods of time, are a sign of spiritual structures and root systems that the Lord wants dealt with, and it’s corresponding thoughts also needing to be cleansed.

Your thought life affects all 3 parts of your being:

Your spirit man is attached to the eternal heavenly realm (when you are born again through Christ.) Your body is grounded to the earthly temporal realm. Your soul processes the information of both realms.

Is your spirit peaceful or troubled? Is your soul at rest, or is it stressed? Is your body in harmony or sick?

Jude 1:2 May mercy, [soul] peace, and love be multiplied to you.

6 Steps to Maintaining a Healthy Thought Life:

1. Recognize:

Recognizing (discerning) the true source of the thoughts will also give you the purpose and intent of it. Thoughts that come to you either come from the source of Light, from our own nature, or from the darkness. Thoughts contrary to the Scriptures, or to the Spirit of the Lord are to be recognized and dealt with accordingly. The Holy Spirit will reveal its source.

Amos 4:13 For behold, He Who forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what is his thought, Who makes the morning darkness and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord, the God of hosts, is His name!

1 Chronicles 28:9 And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father [have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him] and serve Him with a blameless heart and a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him as your first and vital necessity] you will find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever!

Romans 8:6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

2. Grab:

Take the negative thought captive, grab it’s influence within your soul, and acknowledge it’s presence & violation.

Deuteronomy 15:9 Beware lest there be a base thought in your [minds and] hearts, and you say, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand, and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and it be sin in you.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

3. Loose:

Loose it, and it’s effects from your soul: From the mind, from the will, from the emotions, from the memory bank.

Ephesians 2:2 In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]. 3 Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind.

4. Flush:

Flush the fruit of it, the root of it, and the memory of it, with the Blood of Jesus, to purify the soul from it’s effect.

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Psalms 33:10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nought; He makes the thoughts and plans of the peoples of no effect.

5. Release:

Release the Love of God to fill the soul with Light and Life, and to restore the harmony and balance of the spirit, the soul, and the body. (Our word, thought, and deed)

Deuteronomy 6:25 And it will be accounted as righteousness (conformity to God’s will in word, thought, and action) for us if we are watchful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

6. Replace:

Replace the negative thought that was just removed with scriptures to build a healthy spirit, and stronger soul.

Philippians 4:8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. 9 Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of [untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.

- Susan O’Marra   

- 07-30-15

Message notes for Sunday, July 19th, 2015

"God is Pulling Back the Veils to Give Us a Fuller View"
 

 

The different types of Veils to be removed:

Natural Veils:

Exodus 26:33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps and bring the ark of the Testimony into place within the veil; and the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

It is the heavenly pattern of the Habitation, the House of God on earth. The Tabernacle was also a pattern for our inner life. The Holy Place and Most Holy Place are within us. In our hearts and minds. The garden is within us. We are to be holy in our thoughts, attitudes, speech, and deeds. God is removing the roots in us that block or cloud our perceptions of what is true and right. We climbing the mountain of Light, to be filled with that light, and to release that light.

Matthew 27:51 And at once the curtain of the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split.

Exodus 34:28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of the Testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone and sent forth beams by reason of his speaking with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they feared to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and [he] talked with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all the Lord had said to him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he took the veil off until he came out. And he came out and told the Israelites what he was commanded. 35 The Israelites saw the face of Moses, how the skin of it shone; and Moses put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with God.

God will not be hidden anymore. He will invade every blockade to get to us, to give us a chance to receive Him. The blockades can be in our heart, our mind, our flesh, or our ideals. He does not want us to be one way before men and another before God. No more letting others shut God down in us to be politically correct, or to not offend others. No more hiding of the Glory, the angels, the miracle realm, or the power.

Religious Veils:

2 Corinthians 3:13 Nor [do we act] like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze upon the finish of the vanishing [splendor which had been upon it]. 14 In fact, their minds were grown hard and calloused [they had become dull and had lost the power of understanding]; for until this present day, when the Old Testament (the old covenant) is being read, that same veil still lies [on their hearts], not being lifted [to reveal] that in Christ it is made void and done away. 15 Yes, down to this [very] day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their minds and hearts. 16 But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). 18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

 

Whenever we reject the truth, a veil comes over us. Whenever we get offended at a portion of the scripture, and reject it as being for us, then a veil comes over us. Whenever we choose not to believe something of the Spirit of God is real, then a veil comes over us. God wants to shred our veils, so we can walk in the full reality of who He is. Whenever we give into persecution, a veil comes over us, and we cave in to the fear of man, and lose more of the Kingdom within us.

Carnal Veils:

Ephesians 4:17 So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds. 18 Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature]. 19 In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand].

A veil comes over our conscience when we compromise. Layers and layers build up until we become more like the world than like Jesus. That's why many believers grow cold, hard, and eventually leave from following Christ, and go back into the darkness/world. Jesus hated lukewarmness.

Blinding Veils:

2 Corinthians 4:3 But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing and obscured [only] to those who are spiritually dying and veiled [only] to those who are lost. 4 For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

Language/Revelation Veils:

John 16:24 Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I Am]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete. 25 I have told you these things in parables (veiled language, allegories, dark sayings); the hour is now coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but I shall tell you about the Father in plain words and openly (without reserve). 26 At that time you will ask (pray) in My Name; and I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf [for it will be unnecessary]. 27 For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father. 28 I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father. 29 His disciples said, Ah, now You are speaking plainly to us and not in parables (veiled language and figures of speech)! 30 Now we know that You are acquainted with everything and have no need to be asked questions. Because of this we believe that you [really] came from God.

The Veils are being removed so that we can know Him:

Isaiah 25:6 And on this Mount [Zion] shall the Lord of hosts make for all peoples a feast of rich things [symbolic of His coronation festival inaugurating the reign of the Lord on earth, in the wake of a background of gloom, judgment, and terror], a feast of wines on the lees—of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 7 And He will destroy on this mountain the covering of the face that is cast over the heads of all peoples [in mourning], and the veil [of profound wretchedness] that is woven and spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death [in victory; He will abolish death forever]. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of His people He will take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it.

2 Timothy 1:9 [For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago]. 10 [It is that purpose and grace] which He now has made known and has fully disclosed and made real [to us] through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who annulled death and made it of no effect and brought life and immortality (immunity from eternal death) to light through the Gospel.

John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you. 19 Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you. 21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]

VOICE: 21 The one who loves Me will do the things I have commanded. My Father loves everyone who loves Me; and I will love you and reveal My heart, will, and nature to you.

 

- Susan O’Marra

- 07-15-15

 

 

 

 

Message notes for Sunday, July 12th, 2015:

“Understanding the Reality of God”

In the vision, I saw a scroll descend before me and it was full of light. Then I saw a pen descend and hover in front of me. The scroll and the pen were both solid and light. I reached up to take hold of the scroll and the pen. The scroll was shining and contained life. When I touched it, it vibrated in my hand. It was like a flowing screen. The pen was also alive, and its ink was light. When the ink touched the scroll it came alive too, and words flowed from it like water onto the scroll (living screen).

The Lord then said, "this is a picture for you of how I write the knowledge of Me into your spirit and soul. My thoughts, (which are higher than yours) descend from above like the scroll. My Spirit writes or projects My Word onto the screen of your spirit and soul with light. My light then engages and activates your spirit and soul with life and with the greater reality of Me. Your spirit and soul then receives that light and knowledge as truth, which then becomes part of your inner man."

"When My thoughts and words dwell within you, then the life that is within can nourish your heart, your soul, and your flesh. I am Life. My Son is Life. My Spirit is Life. My Words are Life. My Thoughts are Life. When you engage My Life, and are obedient to walk in it, then it will unfold even more within you, and flow like living streams of light, and your entire being can then grow up into the greater knowledge of Me. You are to feed upon Me, and live by My Life and Light, and become as My Light, so that in all that you say and do I can be clearly seen and known."

Scriptures:

Life, Light, Scroll, Pen:

1 John 1: [We are writing] about the Word of Life [in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands. And the Life [an aspect of His being] was revealed (made manifest, demonstrated), and we saw [as eyewitnesses] and are testifying to and declare to you the Life, the eternal Life [in Him] Who already existed with the Father and Who [actually] was made visible (was revealed) to us [His followers]. What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). ...

2 Corinthians 3:1 Are we starting to commend ourselves again? Or we do not, like some [false teachers], need written credentials or letters of recommendation to you or from you, [do we]? [No] you yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in your hearts, to be known (perceived, recognized) and read by everybody. You show and make obvious that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, not written with ink but with [the] Spirit of [the] living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Writing and imprinting upon hearts and minds:

Psalms 105:8 He is [earnestly] mindful of His covenant and forever it is imprinted on His heart, the word which He commanded and established to a thousand generations,

Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it.

Deuteronomy 11:18 Therefore you shall lay up these My words in your [minds and] hearts and in your [entire] being, and bind them for a sign upon your hands and as forehead bands between your eyes.

Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might. 6 And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then] 7 You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.

Psalms 45:1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my psalm to a King. My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in [all its] richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another in all insight and intelligence and wisdom [in spiritual things, and as you sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with [His] grace in your hearts.

Feeding upon Christ; the Light, the Living Springs:

Psalms 37:3 Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

Isaiah 49:8 Thus says the Lord, In an acceptable and favorable time I have heard and answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; and I will preserve you and give you for a covenant to the people, to raise up and establish the land [from its present state of ruin] and to apportion and cause them to inherit the desolate [moral wastes of heathenism, their] heritages, 9 Saying to those who are bound, Come forth, and to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, Show yourselves [come into the light of the Sun of righteousness]. They shall feed in all the ways [in which they go], and their pastures shall be [not in deserts, but] on all the bare [grass-covered] hills. 10 They will not hunger or thirst, neither will mirage [mislead] or scorching wind or sun smite them; for He Who has mercy on them will lead them, and by springs of water will He guide them.

2 Peter 1:3 For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). 4 By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

His scroll is unrolling within us, and then through us. We are becoming as He is – it begins within us first - and then outwardly, as we go. His words of Life will burn within us, and flow out of us, to do His will in the earth.

-  Read all of Ezekiel Chapters 1-3 in the Amplified Version for more understanding of this entire interaction.

Ezekiel 3:1 He said to me, Son of man, eat what you find [in this book]; eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat the scroll. 3 And He said to me, Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 And He said to me, Son of man, go, get you to the house of Israel and speak to them with My words. 5 For you are not sent to a people of a foreign speech and of a difficult language but to the house of Israel; 6 Not to many peoples of foreign speech and of a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to such people, they would have listened to you and heeded My words. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you and obey you since they will not listen to Me and obey Me, for all the house of Israel are impudent and stubborn of heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face strong and hard against their faces and your forehead strong and hard against their foreheads. 9 Like an adamant harder than flint or a diamond point have I made your forehead; fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 10 Moreover, He said to me, Son of man, all My words that I shall speak to you, receive in your heart and hear with your ears. 11 And go, get you to the [Jewish] captives [in Babylon], to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, Thus says the Lord God, whether they will hear or refuse to hear. 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing [saying], Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place [above the firmament]. 13 I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched and joined each one the other [its sister wing], and I heard the noise of the wheels beside them and the noise of a great rushing. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away [in the vision], and I went in bitterness [of discouragement] in the heat of my spirit; and the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.

We will speak forth that which has been formed within us, and as we speak out His Words, they will be done in the earth. 

God wants to be seen and heard, and He wants all men to receive Him, so they can walk in the knowledge of Him. 

God is writing new things within us all, and we shall understand, and be read of by all men!

- Susan O’Marra    - 07-12-15

Message notes for Friday, July 10th, 2015

Heaven is Stirring the Coals of Prayer on Earth - 07-08-15

During the Wednesday night intercession gathering, I saw an angel descend with a great big fire poker. It looked a lot like the kind that you would use to stir a fireplace, or a campfire with. It had a long handle and an angled tip. The angel poked it into the foundation of the city and began to break open the seedbed of prayer within the city. As he poked around, he stirred the former coals of prayer that were just embers now, and they began to spark, and smolder again. He poked even more, and began to stir the coals and rearrange them for a fuller affect.

As the angel continued to stir the coals, a soft wind began to blow, and it caused the smoldering coals to ignite and to flare up in spots, with many little flames catching here and there. Then, when the angel saw the little flames dancing, he brought forth a golden log from heaven, and he placed it on the coal bed and the golden log caught fire immediately. I could hear sounds of prayer coming from within that golden log.

As I watched, the sounds of prayer that came forth from within the golden log began to spread to the whole coal bed, and soon the whole foundational bed was burning and the voices were shouting in prayer. The angel watched the progression of the progress of the prayers, and when he was satisfied, he produced another golden log from heaven, and he reached down and laid it on the burning foundation.

This time, I saw lightning erupt from this golden log, and streaks of lightning began to strike everywhere. Then I saw many angels then fly out of the lightning, and they went all over the city. The angels returned shortly with multitudes of people, who came to join in prayer with the burning prayer that was freshly laid, and soon, it became a furnace of prayer rising up from the city unto heaven, so that the scrolls of entire cities can be fulfilled.

The Father has begun a prayer movement that has seemed small and hidden to our eyes, but heaven is also participating in our efforts, and heaven is growing us all up for a major release that is about to hit everywhere that we gather in His name. The angels are going around to stir entire regions in intercession, and entire cities to be Fortresses of Prayer for His Purposes to be established.

Get ready for a Divine Stirring and Rearranging of everything, until it fully flows with His Mandates. When it does, a Great ignition will then become a Holy Furnace!

Examples of being stirred or energized in our walk with the Lord:

2 Timothy 1:6 That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].

1 Thessalonians 1:2 We are ever giving thanks to God for all of you, continually mentioning [you when engaged] in our prayers, 3 Recalling unceasingly before our God and Father your work energized by faith and service motivated by love and unwavering hope in [the return of] our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). 4 [O] brethren beloved by God, we recognize and know that He has selected (chosen) you; 5 For our [preaching of the] glad tidings (the Gospel) came to you not only in word, but also in [its own inherent] power and in the Holy Spirit and with great conviction and absolute certainty [on our part]. You know what kind of men we proved [ourselves] to be among you for your good. 6 And you [set yourselves to] become imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord Himself, for you welcomed our message in [spite of] much persecution, with joy [inspired] by the Holy Spirit; 7 So that you [thus] became a pattern to all the believers (those who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Christ Jesus) in Macedonia and Achaia (most of Greece).

Galatians 5:5 For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit’s [help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteousness and right standing with God [our conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope. 6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.

Examples of times of intense Prayer in heaven, and on the earth:

Exodus 19:17 Then Moses brought the people from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like that of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 As the trumpet blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with a voice.

Acts 4: 21 Then when [the rulers and council members] had further threatened them, they let them go, not seeing how they could secure a conviction against them because of the people; for everybody was praising and glorifying God for what had occurred. 22 For the man on whom this sign (miracle) of healing was performed was more than forty years old. 23 After they were permitted to go, [the apostles] returned to their own [company] and told all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, lifted their voices together with one united mind to God and said, O Sovereign Lord, You are He Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them, 25 Who by the mouth of our forefather David, Your servant and child, said through the Holy Spirit, Why did the heathen (Gentiles) become wanton and insolent and rage, and the people imagine and study and plan vain (fruitless) things [that will not succeed]? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand in array [for attack] and the rulers were assembled and combined together against the Lord and against His Anointed (Christ, the Messiah). 27 For in this city there actually met and plotted together against Your holy Child and Servant Jesus, Whom You consecrated by anointing, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel, 28 To carry out all that Your hand and Your will and purpose had predestined (predetermined) should occur. 29 And now, Lord, observe their threats and grant to Your bond servants [full freedom] to declare Your message fearlessly, 30 While You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs and wonders through the authority and by the power of the name of Your holy Child and Servant Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage. 32 Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that anything which he possessed was [exclusively] his own, but everything they had was in common and for the use of all. 33 And with great strength and ability and power the apostles delivered their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace (loving-kindness and favor and goodwill) rested richly upon them all.

Ezekiel 10:2 And [the Lord] spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, Go in among the whirling wheels under the cherubim; fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city. And he went in before my eyes. 3 Now the cherubim stood on the south side of the house when the man went in; and the cloud [the Shekinah] filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord mounted up from the cherubim to stand over the threshold of the [Lord’s] house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory. 5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks. 6 And when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim, [the man] went in and stood beside a wheel. 7 And a cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.

Revelation 5:7 He then went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne. 8 And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb. Each was holding a harp (lute or guitar), and they had golden bowls full of incense (fragrant spices and gums for burning), which are the prayers of God’s people (the saints).

-Susan O'Marra

- 07-08-15