In my Upper Room Devotional, today’s prayer focus was for those recently released from prison. Of course I prayed for those who are still in prison, for mothers who are still trying to instill hope in their children’s lives, even though many, or few, years of their lives will be lived behind bars.

I thought of those who had been released. What about the fear they must face! What about the changes in the environment that they are thrust back into! What about the patience needed to become more acclimated to the world! What about the frustration they will undoubtedly feel on the work force — even finding a job — in their familes, their churches. Will we, believers, as an extension of the hand and heart of God, love them back to life?

Then I thought about the prison that we had been released from when Yeshua rescued us! He set the captive free! He preached liberty to those of us behind the bars of sin and depravity! Our walk with Him is just like the ex-prisoner . . . but we have Him!

I encourage you today to understand that your walk with God is so much easier than your walk without HIm! It will be difficult either way . . . but with Him ex-prisoners (which is what we were) can live victorious lives!

PRAYER: Father, bless those coming out of prison. If they don’t know you, help them to find you. Bless your laborers who will point them in Your direction! Thank you for freeing us from spiritual captivity and for helping to bear all the feelings and hurts that we have developed because of our past imprisonment! Freedom with You is real freedom!

Rejoice in the freedom with Ross Parsley, “I am Free to Run”:

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One of my prayer topics this week was “Those Estranged from Loved Ones.” I realized that that prayer focus would affect every family in America, probably around the globe.

What keeps us apart — differences, hurts?  The bottom line just might be unforgiveness.

Consider these scenarios: A sister said something to another sibling when she was young and the sibling has not been able to shake it and never able to confront it. A father abandoned you, and you never got over it. A brother did not defend you and you have never been able to forgive him because that moment hurt you deeply. Your children did not turn out the way you intended, and you cannot forgive them for destroying your dreams. A friend did not support you when you really needed him/her and the relationship has never been the same again. That pastor overlooked you and focused on someone else you felt was less worthy of his attention.

What will it cost to mend these relationships? A lot of vulnerability. A lot of grace! A lot of desire for God‘s heart!

What will it do for you? It will release you from the curse of carrying these weights on your shoulders. You probably did not know they were there! They had become comfortable. But they manifest themselves in short-temperedness, anger, seclusion, loneliness, stress, tumors, high blood pressure, cancer . . . the list is endless.

When we forgive, we get to walk in freedom and not have that person control our lives!

PRAYER: Father, help us to walk in forgiveness 24/7! Help us to trust in your love! Amen!

Here’s to mending relationships!

Enjoy this song by Dennis Jernigan “It’s Gonna Be Alright.” Let God just wrap you in His arms and teach you how to forgive yourself and forgive those who have offended you.

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I’d like to encourage all believers today! We live in a time that is so pregnant with signs of the Lord‘s return. I know that every generation has said this — and has believed it! Paul even said it (that the Lord would return in his day) — and believed it! He went on to do some amazing things because he believed it!
THERE is the nugget of wisdom that you should take away from this exhortation!

1. If you really believe that the Lord will come in our day, you will do great things.
2. If you really believe it, you will believe that the things you do in the natural realm have direct, eternal consequences.
3. If you believe it, you will tell everyone you know about the Love of Messiah Yeshua;
4. If you really believe it, you will know that those without Him are doomed and dying;
5. If you really believed it, you would know that the salvation of the Jewish people is so important to God‘s heart!

Father, help us to believe that your return is imminent and to work in that attitude! It will reap the greatest results for our lives and for the Kingdom!

“The effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous availeth much,” so says James 5:16b. That means there must be energy behind our prayers. That means we have to really want what we are praying for. No wonder it sometimes takes desperation and persecution to drive us to desire the things of God more than life or necessary food.

Father, if my prayer is lacking fervency, help me to love you more and to understand that this is what you require if I am to have what I ask for. It is not necessarily tears that move You, but a deep desire for your heart! Amen!

“Blessed are the Hungry. You said it-I believe it. Hunger is an escort to deeper things of You!”

These are lyrics from Misty Edwards’ song “Soul Cry” (boldface mine).

Everyone of us is hungry for the things of God. Some of us just don’t know it! I just encourage you not to eat too long and voraciously from the table of this world. It will never fill you! You will just eat because your soul is hungry, but the things of this world will never satiate the hunger.
God has given us that hunger so that it will escort us to the deep things of God!

1) the grace of a Redeemer who was not satisfied to leave us without access to Him;
2) the compassion of a Creator who says I want to give you all that I have;
3) the unconditional love of a Father who says I have graduated you from servant, to child, to joint-heir!

Is anyone hungry? Yes, we all are!

Thank you, Father, for making us hungry, for putting the hunger within us so that we would want you, so that we could not miss your divine encounters, so that we would not be satisfied by anything  or anyone but You! Make us aware of our hunger, Father. You are the best “thing” for us! You are what we need! . Even if we never acknowledge it cognitively, the yearning in our spirits say it is so. You are absolutely amazing! Amen.

Enjoy Misty Edwards’ song “Soul Cry.”

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When the prophets and disciples wrote, taught, and prophesied, they spoke of something that would happen thousands of years later, yet they saw it as if it were right in front of their faces. And they sought after it as if “it” — the thing they sought after — was tangible and accessible. If they spoke of our day with such assurance, should we not accept the baton that they have passed on to us and see with the same clarity; believe with the same faith; and run with the same diligence?

We are living in the days of which they spoke and believed would come!

Father, wake us up! There is no time for apathy or detours. There is only time to pursue you with all our hearts and share the good news of the reality of the things that You, Yeshua, lived and died for and returning to restore. Amen!

I recently read an article about today’s contemporary worship music. Have you noticed that most worship songs deal only with an aspect of the character of God — like his love, his beauty, his forgiveness, his sacrifice, etc… Very few of them speak of the whole counsel of God. In other words, the complete Gospel message is not presented in most contemporary worship music; they are usually one dimensional.

Go ahead. Think about it. Take a survey of songs.

This is not to suggest that any of those songs are bad; most of them are quite beautiful and anointed. However, they are incomplete when it comes to conveying the Gospel message.

Most hymns, however, contain the Gospel message, which is why some artists are remaking old hymns and Gospel songs, like Casting Crowns‘ remake of “Living He Loved Me.”

What are we to do with this information and revelation? For one, if you are worship leaders, make your selections well rounded. Sing a song about His love, one about His forgiveness, another about his sacrifice, another about His resurrection, another about the gift and work of the Spirit, and another of His return. Or sing whatever but end with a song that reflects the Gospel. There it is — the whole counsel.

As one good friend told me — contemporary worship music gives the preacher a prime opportunity to link a song about God’s love with the reason for His love. Or to tell why He is so amazing! Or why we have the same power that He had.

Preachers, ministers, evangelists, we have to ride this wave. This generation wants a lot of the “love” music. Let’s share with them the Evolution and Result of that love.

Here are two songs that reflect the Gospel: the first one is “In Christ Alone”:

The Second is “Living He Loved Me” by Casting Crowns:

PRAYER: Father, may we never be satisfied with a fragmented knowledge of your great love! May the music that you bless musicians to play, lyricists to write, and psalmists to sing only serve to inspire us to search the Scriptures, for in them we have eternal life! Thank you that nothing will ever be a substitute for the reading and preaching of your Word! In Yeshua‘s Name. Amen!

Earthquakes! Tornados! Tsunamis! Mudslides! Hurricanes! These are natural disasters that can literally crumble our worlds, leaving us wondering about the reality of God.
When the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, the book of Hebrews records how priests — believing and nonbelieving — wondered what would happen to Judaism because the centrality of Jewish worship was gone: “There shall not be one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2 KJV), Yeshua had told them.
Thank God the writer of Hebrews redirects their attention, not to the stones, or the lost Tabernacle, but that Yeshua Himself was the very embodiment of all that was contained in the Tabernacle, of all that the Tabernacle symbolized.
So I redirect your attention today not to the things you possess or amass! They WILL all crumble! They WILL all be nothing!

Redirect your focus to Yeshua! LOOK AT YESHUA! HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO IS A CONSTANT THAT WE CAN COUNT ON.

PRAYER: Thank you, Father, that as all things in this world are transitory, that you are not! Thank you! You are a blessed assurance. I stake my life upon You! In Yeshua’s Name! Amen!

Enjoy about 2-3 minutes of powerful truth in this video by Hillsong and Newsboys: “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus“:

www.weissministries.com
Harold Camping, founder of Family Radio International, predicted that the world would end on May 21st at 6:00 P.M. Today is the 22nd. Unfortunately people believed and followed him. Some gave away their belongings. Some drained their savings. Some drove thousands of miles to California to be raptured outside Camping’s gated home.
One man who was outside Camping’s gate was quoted as saying, “I had some skepticism, but I was trying to push the skepticism away because I believe in God” (Virginian-Pilot, “Sunday News,” 5/22/2011, p. 6 boldface for emphasis).

• Why does it still surprise me that even today the people of God are not reading their Bibles?
• Why does it still surprise me that people believe in man more than they believe in God — even for divine events?

This man who was quoted doesn’t believe God; he believes in Camping!

• Yeshua said He is going to return: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3).
• The angels verified it: “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

But He also said this: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mt. 24:36).

You know what the world did on May 21st?  People organized rapture parties, aiming to celebrate when the believers leave.
An event like this causes . . .

• the world to ridicule a beautiful moment that exists for the Bride of Messiah, when our Bridgegroom will come to claim us.
• the world to make light of an event that will be its complete annihilation.
• But what deception does, additionally, is cause people to mistrust God and hold Him liable for what man has said.

We must know the the truth of God; then we will know the lies of the enemy. I pray for these believers who have been deceived — that they will attribute this lie to Camping — not religion and certainly not God!
One church was pro-active and positioned members outside of Camping’s home to minister to those who would be disillusioned by the lie. Praise God that the church as a whole did not sit around and make fun of our brothers and sisters . . . but rallied around them to pick them up and point their focus to God.
Believers, hope thou in God!

Father, there will be false messiahs and there will be false predictions, but help us as your bride to trust YOU! Redirect our focus toward You and upon You! Amen!

Below are lyrics from “Take My Heart,”a song by Misty Edwards.  Let’s worship Him, meditate upon His words and refocus our gaze upon Him!

For a long time I have waited for you. You have won my heart.

I am following. For a long time I’ve been crying out to you.

Tears make my heart soft. I am ready for the return of the Lover!

The return of the Lover!

http://youtu.be/zHvHPxX_-fw

weissministries.com

I heard this wonderfully anointed worship band minister about a week ago. They entered into the throne room and took us with them! As the guitarist ventured into spontaneous worship, he said something that blessed me tremedously. I am sure the saying is not new, but the way he ministered it was pregnant  with images and truth and possibilities. He said, “Father, ruin me for this world!” Can you see that!? This is what I saw:

• Give me a glimpse of your glory that I will never settle for this world or what it has to offer.
• Give we a taste of your love so that every bit of who I am longs for you!
• Give me a vision for my life so that all other visions — of money, fortune, and fame — pale in comparison!
• Give me a desire for eternity so that I will be compelled to tell every dying soul that there is a life greater than the one in which we live!

RUIN ME FOR THIS WORLD!

In Mark 1:24, Yeshua went into the synagogue to teach. As he was teaching, a demon-possessed man shouted out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” That word “destroy” in the Greek is not annihilate as we think of the word! That word really means “ruin.”  Yeshua did not seek to kill the demon. That will be done when satan and all his demons will be thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the age.

This is what the demon was asking Yeshua:

• “Why have you come to ruin my party?”
• “Why have you come to make me reveal myself when I could have just silently taken over this man and possibly the whole synagogue?”
• “Why are you making me so unsettled that I have to be exposed?”

That’s what we ask of you today, Father, RUIN OUR PARTY! Don’t let us silently go through life doing things sneaky and underhandedly. Unsettle us in this life!

Father, we get so comfortable here! Thank you for the pleasures of this world that you have made for us to enjoy — the wonder of the ocean, the majestic mountains, a teeming forest — and so much more! Let us never settle for what we see! Ruin us for this world! In Yeshua’s Name. Amen.

If we want to be “ruined for this world,” this should be our single-most request: “Give Me Jesus” as sung by Jeremy Camp:

http://youtu.be/empiUulYcDs

Anne Graham Lotz puts it another way, “Just Give Me Jesus” but it’s all the same — “Ruin Me for this World”

http://youtu.be/xdbOw_4Crz0