WAKING CHRIST'S CHURCH TO CHRIST'S SALVATION AND PURPOSE

HOW DOES A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING BEGIN?

It begins with sowing into Gods kingdom, Gods way.  It begins with letting go of self:

Self righteousness

Self sufficiency

Self reputation

Self pride

Self promotion

and all the like, instead, putting the Will of the Father above all other considerations.

It isn’t about methodology, programs, following steps, saying of certain prayers in certain ways at certain times within certain contexts.

It is a HEART ATTITUDE of total submission and a boldness to dare to be broken and needy before the Father no matter who may be in witness along with a desperate, almost insane craving to be heard and filled by Holy Spirit.

David Thomas, in an address to the 2015 New Room Conference, called it TRAVAILING PRAYER.

“And ever since I looked into the eyes of those people who once saw what we so passionately want to see, I’ve come to believe that the true seedbed of awakening is the plowed-up hearts of men and women willing to receive the gift of travail.

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:5)”

It is a groaning of Holy Spirit working in and through us, with NONE OF US IMPEDING, to do the will of God Almighty and none other.

It is a pleading with God that withholds nothing, seeks nothing of one’s own, and abandons self to the greater glory of the Lord.

It is prayer such as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

IT IS THE PRAYER OF ONE WHO HAS NOTHING TO LOSE AND ONLY SOMETHING GLORIOUS TO GAIN!

It is prayer that comes not from our thoughts, our needs, our wants that results only in lips forming words of little or no consequence, but prayer that comes from deep, deeper still from within the heart of hearts where Holy Spirit dwells in us and there may not always be words of our language to express the depth of the desire, need and urgency.

It is prayer that is beholden to no clock, no building made with human hands, no fleshly agenda of any kind save that of bringing flesh and spirit together in the harmony we call Salvation and any other desire of our Lord He chooses as a response to such abandoned prayer.

In his treatise, David Thomas reveals “The goodness and burden of awakening is not for careerists. Awakening is sown by the company of the misunderstood, the downwardly mobile, the unthanked, the obscure, and criticized and burdened. Awakening is messy and costly to people who love it and long for it. Reputation is the first thing to go in this kind of praying and leading. Jesus taught that our seeds have to die before anything will grow (John 12:24).”

Concern for what people may think of you, how your reputation or character may be perceived by others who witness this abandonment to the sovereign will of the Heavenly Father who will share the glory with no flesh whatsoever will stop any real, true or powerful move of the Father from ever occurring.  At best you may feel an emotional jitter from such strenuous activity but no supernatural occurrence that eternally changes the hearts of self or others.

Weeping may last for the night but joy comes in the morning – and a true giving away of self over to the power of praying by the Holy Spirit will indeed result in a joyful expression of thankfulness at some point.

But first comes the weeping, the setting aside of self, the loss of “my, mine, me” to result in the gain of FRUIT, BORNE TO THE FATHERS GLORY FROM WHICH YOU RECEIVE GREAT BLESSINGS!

Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father, and the prayer warrior who is watching and praying fervently without regard of any kind for any reward will discover the Father’s rewards are mighty and perfect without you ever having known or understood how desperately you needed them!

This Thanksgiving our prayer for you is that you experience the peace and joy of a heart abandoned to Gods perfect ways, that you also enjoy the blessings in full of your FREEDOM IN CHRIST!

PRAYER CHANGES EVERYTHING-MOSTLY US!

JUDE 1:20 But you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit....

There is much that the Bible has to say about prayer - communication with the Almighty Who Created us.  One quick look will reveal many things you may not have thought about recently, and there is far too much to try to do each scripture justice in this limited space.

To me, the most powerful reason to pray on a regular consistent basis remains this simple truth:

If Jesus, the Son of God Who is perfect and sinless felt the need to pray and communicate with His Father on such a consistent basis, as indicated by scripture:

MARK 1:35  And rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.

LUKE 5:16  But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

...how much MORE do I, an imperfect sinner, need to pray?  A lot more than I do, I am sure!

Recent "worldly" studies have revealed many powerful reasons to pray.

• People undergoing surgeries who pray heal faster and more completely with far less complications than those who don't

• People who indicated they pray on a fairly regular basis reported being "happier" overall in their lives than those who do not pray at all

• People who pray have a more optimistic view than those who don't

When you combine prayer with a belief system and pray specifically to the Lord, the effects are even more dramatic.  Miracles happen when we go in simple faith before the Lord and make our requests known to Him.  Our hearts begin to believe and so we begin to see how the Hand of God truly works in our lives.  We may even begin to see that God isn't only about BIG MIRACLES taking place.  

When we develop in ourselves a consistent regular relationship with the Creator of all things, we begin to see that He is indeed involved in the every day occurrences of our lives.  We see how the 'ordinary' things of daily living work together to bring about extraordinary circumstances. 

One of the greatest differences prayer makes is in our own hearts.  Praying changes US, more than anything else.  Take my life as an example.  Being high energy, I have also always been a very impatient person.  Waiting in lines can be as difficult for me as climbing Mount Everest would be for others.  

When I finally became impatient enough with my own impatience, as it interfered with my ability to witness the love of Christ many times, I began to pray in earnest for intervention from the Lord.  At first, I noticed that I NOTICED my own impatience in greater detail, from how it made me feel, to how it effected others around me.  Being more aware of how I was negatively impacting other people made me more desirous of changing this aspect of my personality.  It didn't happen overnight, much as I would have liked a quick resolve to my impatience problem!

Instead, the Lord walked me through the process so I gained wisdom and understanding.  My first prayers were all about ME.  My focus was on me, how I felt, what I wanted.  I wanted to be more patient so I would look good to others!  I was more concerned with ME than with anyone else!

As I continued to pray about this specific issue, my eyes began to open more and more, about how this trait impacted others.  And as I saw, my heart changed.  Soon, I wanted to be patient, not to make me look good, but because I genuinely did not want to hurt others.

Prayer changed my heart.  My changed heart brought change to my behavior. WHY?  Because out of the HEART come the issues of life! Selfishness does not show the love of Christ.  Love is NOT selfish! Compassion and care for others shows the love of Christ.  My reason for wanting change had to change first in order to truly honor God.  

Prayer is a powerful tool (I often call it the most powerful tool) in the arsenal of a believer.  Desire to obey God leads us to pray in ways that lead us to that very obedience.  Prayer changes our hearts, and our changed hearts causes us to see situations and people differently.  Then we behave differently - and that changes the situations!

There are times when God changes circumstances miraculously as well.  I've seen that awesome result of prayer occur too.

How we pray - kneeling, standing, lieing down or sitting; out loud or silently; head bowed; eyes open or closed; hands clasped or by our sides or lifted in the air - is not as important as THAT we pray!  Whatever posture you feel most comfortable in, whatever posture puts your heart in the right place for prayer is the posture you should assume.  What is truly important is that you do pray!

Prayer takes many forms as well.  You may be asking for something.  You may be giving thanks for things.  You may simply by worshiping, praising and adoring the Creator of all things.  You may even be SILENT, listening intently for the still small voice of God to lead, guide and direct you in a situation.  

You may cry, you may shout, you may whisper, you may laugh, you may jump with joy and adulation.

JUST PRAY.  Pray and watch as the Lord hears and responds to His beloved children communicating with Him.

We believe in the power of prayer.  Fill out the prayer request form and Turn the Tide Ministries absolutely WILL pray for you!  

We've watched God turn the tide in many lives, starting with our own!  We know He will turn the tide of circumstance in yours as well, when you lift your voice and ask.

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS. 

WHY REMINDERS NEED TO BE MANDATORY

SPECIALLY MADE FOR OUR RV WHEN WE WERE
TRAVELING, THE BLESSINGS FROM THE YEAR
REMINDED US OF GODS PROVIDENTIAL HAND

A wonderful friend blessed us with this gift last year at Christmas time that required our attention through out this past year, but has proved itself well worth the effort and a constant joy reminding us of the things we so easily forget; the daily blessings of God who loves us.

We get caught up in each days happenings and tend to forget the smaller, but no less important things that brought a smile to our face, gladdened our hearts and strengthened our faith.  We desperately need those reminders!  We need to repeat to ourselves - OFTEN - the blessings God has poured out on us, the joy of knowing His truth and being on the receiving end of His grace.  We need to recount how by our own actions we should reap consequence but by His mercy we are blessed instead!

As we move into this New Year 2014, Turn the Tide Ministries would like to encourage each of you to do what it takes to draw closer to the Lord, be ever mindful of His goodness and grow deeper in our faith.

We CHALLENGE YOU:

1.  Read the Bible daily; you are encouraged to join us in a daily reading schedule that will walk us through the entire Bible in two years (See the Daily Reading Schedule page)

2.  Pray each morning; they don't need to be long or fancy prayers, just acknowledge your need of help and believe God will provide what you need (Send your Prayer Request via the form to the left and we will pray for you!)

3.  Track the blessings and moments of growth God gives; in a notebook, on slips of paper in a "Blessing Jar" or in whatever manner that works for you, so you can remind yourself as often as needed that God is moving and working in your life.

4.  Tell others when prayers are answered, needs are met or the Lord pours out a particular blessing.  This is a great way to really seal those times in your own heart and mind

5.  Spend time in fellowship with other believers; this will afford continual encouragement and support as necessary.

Without constant reminders of our blessings and times of joy, those times when  we are sad or struggling with difficulties can overwhelm us and rob us of hope.  Arm yourself - list your joys, record your blessings and be ever ready to combat the notion that God has left you alone.  He declares He will never leave you nor forsake you - you just need to remind yourself of that TRUTH!

Sharing memories and the stories of our families is how we stay connected to those who have gone before us and encourage ourselves in the daily struggles of life we all face.  What are some of the ways you have reminded yourself and shared with others the goodness and joys and blessings of life?