David & Goliath - Where is the real battle?
One of the most well-known and probably most frequently told stories of the Old Testament is that of the battle between David and Goliath. The battle is set like many other historic battles; Israel was perched on one mountain ridge and beyond the valley on the other side is the Philistine army. There is a ‘standoff’ as the Philistines best man, and he’s quite some man, takes the valley floor. Goliath challenges the leaders of Israel to send their best fighter down to meet him. Whoever wins in the proposed hand to hand combat wins the war! Simple, but who have Israel got that is an equal match to an experienced and extremely strong champion warrior whose physical and military stature is of massive proportions?
You will recall the story I am sure, the youthful David takes him on but without armour, without a sword or a spear and slays him with a stone from a sling. He takes Goliaths sword and chops his head off. This is the sort of stuff that films are made of!
So, if I asked you where the real battle of this story was fought you’d look at me quizzically and either think me stupid for asking the question or perhaps feel I’d lost the plot! You’d probably say “It’s in the valley, between David and Goliath of course”. But is that the real battle? What territory is being fought for here in this battle? We are perhaps too quick to hail David as the victor and hero of the story. Sure, he’s been extremely bold, but even he says that his victory is not his!
The real battle being fought here was for the hearts and minds of God’s people - Israel. The battle ground was in fact an internal one; this was not simply just a fight between our hero David and the evil Goliath.
David say’s in 1 Samuel 17:46-47 that it is the Lord who gave Goliath into his hands, the battle isn’t David’s it’s The Lords, and not just that, The Lord is the true victor. The Lord seems to have set up this battle for a purpose! But, if He has, why has He? Look at these verses, David speaking to Goliath said “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands.....that all the assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lords.......” The ground that is being contended for is not simply, Israel’s land or Saul’s sovereignty over Israel. The land the Lord is trying to occupy is the hearts of His people. The issue at stake is one of trust! Where is God’s people’s trust? Is it in the might of the sword and the spear or in the name of the Lord?
The battle ground is one for the hearts of His people. Nothing changes! The true battle ground is always internal. Do we place our trust in our own might and strength, our own types of swords and spears or do we place our trust in the Lord. Maybe the battle that you thought you are fighting is in fact not the real battle!
Adrian Lowe
The Turning Walsall
At the end of May, the churches in Walsall in partnership with the Turning team from Reading went out on the streets of Walsall using the ‘The Turning model’ of evangelism.
At 10.00am every morning, we met at the Rock Church for worship and training and in the evenings at a couple of local churches for worship and testimonies.
After the training session in the mornings, we would then go out in pairs on the streets, parks and market place. We followed a script that tells people of God’s love for them, briefly outlines the Gospel and ends by inviting them to accept Jesus. For everyone that prayed that prayer, we asked for contact details so that someone from a local church can follow them up.
Our first day was Bank Holiday Monday and over a hundred people turned up to go out on the streets. At the back of everyone’s mind was ‘will this really work’, ‘will God show up will He use me’. The answer was a resounding YES!
At lunchtime when we gathered back, everyone had an amazing testimony. There were some rejections but with those that made a commitment, it was so easy. Some people only got as far as saying ‘God loves you’ and people burst into tears.
A number of us witnessed whole families giving their lives to Christ, old people who were very near the end of their lives wanting assurance that they would go to heaven when their time comes. Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims came as well as people of no faith.
Young people and one man told of an accident he had had 10 days before in which he had an out of body experience where he was told that it wasn’t his time and that in 10 days time he would be told what to do. It was exactly 10 days when he was approached by two of our team and gave his heart to the Lord.
I could go on with testimony after testimony. God was definitely moving on the streets of Walsall.
Walsall will never be the same again, the churches will never be the same again and neither will I. As the great hymn writer says, ‘My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!’
Sheila Hendley
Academy for Life
Making God’s love known through prayer
A weekend to make God’s love known to those around you. On your street, in your community, with your prayers. We believe that local people praying for their community can change lives. The idea is simple. The National Prayer Weekend is an opportunity to gather prayer requests from people in your local area and introduce them to a God who loves them through the power of prayer.
Jesus clearly commissions us to love those around us, He tells us to love our neighbours and the National Prayer Weekend is a direct response to His command. We want to show God’s love to everyone around us. We know that God can do immeasurably more than we can even imagine and are been really excited to be hearing from Christians all over the world who are joining in with the National Prayer Weekend 29 September–1 October 2017.
The following testimonies were sent in from people who took part in the National Prayer Weekend last year and prayed for people in their local communities:
‘I visited the little shops, hotels and businesses in our village and handed out prayer requests. I went back a few days later and collected the prayer request. I am delighted to say I was received well by all who I spoke to.’
‘The National Prayer Weekend has inspired us to consider making this a more regular offering to our community.’
‘It was great to know that here in our small community of around 5,000 people in the South West corner of Australia that we were sharing in prayer with thousands of others across the world.’
Do you want to join in?
Visit www.national-prayer-weekend.com to sign up. Access free resources, to help plan your prayer weekend, get your pin on the prayer map and make your mark on your local community for God’s glory.
SPREAD THE WORD:
Follow the National Prayer Weekend on Facebook and Twitter to add your voice to a worldwide praying community sharing stories, pictures and prayer ideas.
We believe that local people praying for their community and neighbours can change lives. One life, one street, one community at a time.
Impact of Moravian prayer and mission movement
Here is an excellent three-minute video that describes the impact of the Moravian prayer and mission movement from Herrnhut where a number of global prayer and mission leaders met for a consultation in June 2017.
Here are the three main emphases I believe we need to keep our hearts, minds, prayers and actions wrapped around going forward:
1) Reaching the unreached with the Gospel - Pray for the effective linking and coordination of prayer and mission efforts for finishing the task, adoption of every unengaged unreached people group in prayer and mission in the coming 5-10 years. Let’s pray especially for the “Finishing the Task” event in early December that will bring together hundreds from the mission agencies along with a significant group of prayer leaders for the first time. You can find out more about specific unreached people groups needing to be adopted at https://joshuaproject.net/ Please adopting one yourself as your own assignment to cover that group in prayer until they are reached.
2) Raising up the “now generation” of youth and children to find their unique missions in life and impact generations to come for Christ and His purposes. Pray that in the coming decade, we will see children and youth prayer movements develop, be connected, and strengthened in every nation on earth (they are probably going in one-third of the nations so far). The Children in Prayer movement and the international team coordinating this effort and the UPRISING youth prayer movement with their team are both extending this crucial vision for the raising up of the Now Generation vision. Please pray for His provision, guidance, unity and wisdom for the leaders of both these movements.
3) Transformational prayer for breakthroughs in the socio-political realms (global institutions like the UN, “Seven Mountains” cultural spheres, regional summits, national initiatives, wars and human suffering, authoritative prayer efforts for territorial deliverance). Please pray for prayer leaders and ministries targeting those challenging socio-political issues and institutions affecting life in our various nations and world. Pray for clear discernment, guidance and power from on high to pull down strongholds and drive out forces of spiritual darkness in His authority for atmosphere-changing breakthroughs that open peoples to the Gospel and bring about major transformations in favor of Kingdom values.
Source: IPC Prayer
THE STUNNING SCIENCE BEHIND THE HEALING POWER OF PRAYER
Article written by Dr. Don Colbert. Dr Colbert graduated from Oral Roberts Medical School in 1984. Dr. Colbert has practiced medicine in Central Florida and has been board certified in Family Practice for over 25 years.
Even a mere 30 seconds of prayer, acknowledging God and giving thanks for all the blessings in your life, can have a powerful effect on your body, mind, and spirit. If you have a regular practice of prayer, then you are well aware that benefits are very real and wide-ranging. Many people who engage in these activities report psychological and spiritual benefits such as a sense of greater clarity, purpose, gratitude, presence, sense of connection, and overall well-being. However, these sorts of subjective benefits can be hard to measure scientifically. Interestingly, despite the difficulty in quantifying the spiritual effects of prayer, there have been many studies looking at the physical benefits of this ancient practice. A 2013 Pew Research Poll estimated that over half of Americans pray daily.
A University of Rochester study found that over 85% of people dealing with a major illness turn to prayer. Every religion or spiritual belief system has a form of prayer or meditation as a foundational principle. This shows that prayer is not merely a cultural phenomenon but a fundamental aspect of the human experience. Yet, many people still struggle to reconcile belief in the power of prayer with a scientific worldview. Duke University's Harold G. Koenig, M.D, author of several books on faith and healing, says "studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick, and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster. So how does that happen? Harvard Medical School cardiovascular specialist Dr. Herbert Benson discovered what is called the "relaxation response."
This is the physiological state that occurs during prayer. It involves the autonomic (automatic) nervous system shifting over to a parasympathetic (rest and digest) dominant state, as opposed to the sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze) state that most of us spend the majority of the day in. The act of prayer has shown to increase certain helpful neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which help promote a state of relaxation, focus, motivation, and well-being. But the effects are not confined to momentary relaxation. Long-term prayer can actually rewire and rebuild the brain! With the ability to scan the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers have been able to note the physiological changes that occur in the brains of those who pray regularly.
Lisa Miller, professor and director of Clinical Psychology and director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University conducted a study on 103 people who were at a high risk of depression. Using MRI, she found that those who prayed regularly tended to have a thicker cerebral cortex which has been associated with less depression and anxiety. Another study has shown that urban children with asthma cope better when incorporating prayer into their lives. Prayer is also good for your heart. Christians have been shown to have lower average blood-pressure than non-believers. Prayer also is correlated to less heart attacks and quicker recovery from heart surgery. There is even evidence to suggest that regular prayer will help you live longer! So with all these benefits, you should consider incorporating prayer as part of your daily regimen.
According to a study published in the journal Sociology of Religion titled "Prayer, Attachment to God, and Symptoms of Anxiety-Related Disorders among U.S. Adults," looked at the data of 1,714 volunteers. What they found is that those who pray with a loving and protective conception of God experience a more dramatic reduction in anxiety related symptoms compared to those who pray without the expectation of comfort or protection. This shows us just how important faith actually is! The publishers believe that the emotional and spiritual comfort from prayer to a loving and compassionate God offers a sense of hope and security, while those who pray with a more judgmental conception of God breeds resentment, rejection, and detachment. So understanding the character of your God is important.
The most beautiful thing about all of this research is not only that it validates the ancient wisdom behind prayer, but it also shows us how incredibly easy it can be to implement powerful healing practices into our lives. With so many benefits on the physical, psychological, and spiritual levels, there is really no reason to not pray or meditate every single day! The best times of day are first thing in the morning and right before bed. However you can pray in the car on the way to work, in line at the grocery store, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office, or before you eat your meals. Even a mere 30 seconds of prayer, acknowledging God and giving thanks for all the blessings in your life, can have a powerful effect on your body, mind, and spirit. So what do you think? Have you been inspired to reinvigorate the prayer in your life?
Source: Breaking Christian News
Medics stunned by miracle healing
A Sheffield man has mystified the medical profession following the miraculous healing of a huge tumor on his face.
Ken Gorman suffered excruciating pain after a small lump, discovered at the end of May 2013, grew bigger and bigger. Doctors prescribed tablets for the pain and sent him to Rotherham General Hospital for investigation, where an MRI scan found three tumors (or three broken sections of a tumor) wrapped around the central nerve in the side of his face.
Surgery was arranged for early July. Meanwhile, he heard of a healing meeting at Hull City Hall led by evangelist Nathan Morris but was told there was no chance of getting tickets.
Wife Annie put out a Twitter post about her husband's need for prayer, and they decided to go along anyway—with Annie driving as Ken was in too much pain.
And thanks to a response via Twitter, they found seats on the third row.
"There seemed to be hundreds going forward for prayer," Ken recalled. "But eventually a friend helped get me to the front.
"Within the next 10 days, the huge swelling on my face had receded, all pain was gone and I was off all medication. I rang the hospital and explained—and the operation was postponed until I saw the surgeon.
"After another scan, he found that the tumors had disappeared without trace, and the operation was cancelled! The surgeon and nurses were speechless when I told them how I was healed. I have been called back for an annual check-up since then, and there is no sign of any tumor. Hallelujah, thank you Jesus!"
Ken adds that, during the lead-up to his healing, he wasn't just relying on the evangelist's prayer, but also on his personal faith.
"I remembered a Sunday message on how Jesus told us to 'speak to the mountain' in praying for seemingly impossible situations (Mark 11.22-24) and, as this was certainly my 'mountain,' I started to immerse myself in the promises of God as I stood in front of the mirror each day speaking to my mountain in the name of Jesus."
There is another Scripture passage that speaks clearly into this situation: "My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their body" (Prov. 4:20-22).