Category Archives: God

Discerning the Will of God

12 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by in #HolySpirit, America, Christianity, Disasters, Emotions, Fear, God, Gospel of Grace, Grace, Jesus Christ, Nation, New Covenant

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Wooded Path

The phrase “the will of God” most frequently appears tied to a strategy to find God’s will and purpose in life. There is another reference to His will and that is of observing it, discerning His hand in times and seasons while trusting He is behind the scenes working from His own blueprint and specifications. Oftentimes God’s will comes as a counter-intuitive movement, springing forth from the mysteries of the heart and the mind of the Father, impossible to predict.

God’s actions frequently defy our own religious thinking and law – based assumptions: do good, get good – do bad, get bad. Although there are civil laws that must guide our governments,  this do good get good formula is no longer the way of God in the era of the sixth dispensation in which we now live, the Dispensation of Grace. Grace is dispensed as a gift from God, unable to be earned, worked for or performed. Grace is undeserved, unmerited favor. This word in Hebrew is Chen, and in Greek means Charis or literally favour.  When used in reference to God, it is the benevolent action of Him stooping down to us in His kindness to reach us in our need, and convey upon us a benefit. His grace has been termed ‘unmerited favour’ but it is more than an attitude of favour or mercy. His mercy is an expression of His compassion toward us, but His grace is an extension of benevolence translated into action that releases His enabling power into our lives. **

[ The greatest example of Charis or Grace from God is the gift of His Son, Christ Jesus – the Love of the Father is infinite and immutable and His presence is with us in every time of need. ]

We cannot know or comprehend the ways of God, but we can make every effort to be aware of the times and seasons, praying for discernment and for the recognition of signs and patterns that provide assurances of what is His will. Daniel praised God for giving him insight and understanding which was delivered through a dream – Daniel 2:21-23 

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.

23 “I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”

When seeking to understand the will or direction of God,  watch for His clues. These clues are unable to be discerned through the usual ‘operating system’ of the soul  (mind, will, emotions). Discerning requires the removal of the glasses of regular reason and the placing on of spiritual-lenses.  When viewing from the stands, watch for the supernatural plays or the highly unusual to unfold.  Eventually the smoke clears and the direction becomes obvious, “Hey this is it – this is the direction, follow Me here.” Here are several clues :

1) God’s chosen person, organization or direction has strikingly different platforms or approaches running parallel to opposing themes that appear to be in the majority
2) The person or organization, or city, nation, etc that is involved as a choice of God’s will is almost always subjected to great, even unnatural resistance, and far greater resistance experienced by anyone else. Despite the resistance, doors open to allow God’s direction to prevail through each fire.
3) God’s knows the heart, He can discern the heart of a person – no matter their past mistakes and behavior. It is not unusual for God to make a choice that others do not see or understand.
4) Extreme circumstances can unfold as a pre-cursor to a great wave of favour and as introduction to a breakthrough.

One of the most powerful accounts in scripture of the grace of God is illustrated in the account of Moses. Moses, who’s name means ‘drawn out’ , was born into the family of Hebrew slaves. The King of Egypt ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the Hebrew sons at birth. The Hebrew midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt ordered. (Exodus 1:18)  Moses’ mother who had seen he was beautiful, hid him for 3 months then placed Moses in a basket in the river to be found by another in order to save him.  Moses floated over to Pharaoh’s daughter who was bathing in the river. She reached for Moses and fell in love, taking Moses out of the water and raising him as a prince in the court of Egypt.

After becoming a grown man, he came upon an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. Enraged,  Moses murdered the Egyptian and then buried the body.  A man mentioned that he was aware of the murder, and Pharaoh shortly after learning, demanded that Moses life be taken. Moses fled as a fugitive, to the land of Midian where he was taken in by a tribe. From here – the story of Moses’  life takes a dramatic turn:

EXODUS 3: 1 -13 AMP
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back and to the west of the wilderness and came to Horeb or Sinai, the mountain of God. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, yet was not consumed.
And Moses said, “I will not turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. And when the Lord  saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush and said,” “Moses! Moses! And he said, “Here am I.”  God said, “Do not come near, put your shoes off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.” Also He said “I am the God of your Father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
And the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters and oppressors; for I know their sorrows and sufferings and trials. And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand and power of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a land good and large, a land flowing with milk and honey  (a land of plenty) – to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzitte, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Now behold the cry of the Israelites have come to Me, and I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore I will send you to Pharoah, that you may bring forth My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
And Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelite’s out of Egypt?” God said, “Surely, I will be with you; and this shall be the sign to you that I have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt; you shall serve God on this mountain. (Sinai)”

In one of the most stunning acts of grace, mercy and favour ever recorded in Biblical history,  Moses – a murderer and a fugitive – experienced a visitation from God Who Himself asked Moses to be the Deliverer of the Nation of Israel! “Surely I will be with you” states God to Moses who had executed one of the greatest of sins, taking the life of another.  How then can any single unrighteous man or woman attain promotion? It is because God looks at the heart. Despite sins and unrighteous acts – God’s grace still offers promotion and opportunity to the worst and to the least.

Recently I have pondered  how “Dis-grace” could truly be a word. To be a “disgrace” means that you have been extracted from Grace, or there is a reversing force removing a person from grace. There is no such word in the Kingdom of God.  If that existed,  grace itself,  could never exist. The very essence of grace is that it will always be extended for the repentant as an undeserved gift offered for unrighteous acts whose debt has been paid by the perfect and righteous blood of Jesus Christ.

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings – All Rights Reserved

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Discerning the Will of God is the 60th published post on Sacred Ramblings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weapon of Praise

20 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Christianity, Disasters, Emotions, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, soul, Transformational Leadership, Worship

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Driving home after a long day, my radio tuned to a worship music station, praise music saturated every inch of my vehicle’s interior. Despite the frustrations and strife of the day – the negative emotions clinging to my soul fell away, as a welcoming spirit of peace wafted through my mind, lifting up and away all the tensions of the day.  This effortless transference of peace was sent special delivery from the courts of heaven. Peace is a gift bequeathed to us from Jesus, by Jesus Himself, as reward when we focus on Him.

II Chronicles 20:21-25 AMP “When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy (priestly) garments as they went out before the army, saying’Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever’!

And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against  Judah, and they were (self) slaughtered; For (suspecting betrayal) the men of Ammon and Moab rose against those of Mount Seir utterly destroying them. And when they had made an end of the men of Seir,  they all helped to destroy one another. And when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped!

When Jehosophat and his people came to take the spoil, they found among them much cattle, goods, garments, and precious things which they look for themselves, much more than they could carry away, so much they were three days in gathering the spoil.

On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah. There they blessed the Lord. So the name of the place is still called the Valley of Beracah (blessing).

Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, Jehosophat leading them, to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord.

And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.”

I believe the Lord has provided a spiritual tactic designed to strategically dismantle dangerous mayhem.  This is an interior piece of the puzzle given just to believers who are forced to confront a unified tsunami of opposing forces that incite strife, division and evil across the globe.  The piece? The Weapon of Praise. A powerful tool that can be enacted outside of the four walls of the church, strategically positioned in external outposts at the forefront of the lines of battle.

In today’s society, the media is weaponized, some departments of our national intelligence community appear to be weaponized, and even certain members of the conservative movement are weaponized – but these are not spiritual weapons of warfare from heavenly places.

In II Chronicles, The Lord provides for us an example of ‘battle’ in spiritual places, instructing us to ‘battle’ with praise to Him then promising to deliver us from our enemies. Seems simple. So why aren’t we using it?

With the clashing of swords in this Hebrew year 5777 , we are witnessing unprecedented levels of lawlessness and civil unrest, and not witnessed since the 1960’s. During the latter part of the Obama administration, the cities of Ferguson, Baltimore and Miami – were hosts to incendiary levels of rage and violence incapacitating city governments, in some instances, destroying the livelihoods of people that they purported to defend. Now the American people are clashing over its very history and heritage.

But what about praise? Jehosphat sent his worshippers praising God while walking ahead of these armies, each wearing priestly garments saying ‘Give thanks to the Lord for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!’  I have a theory – and as yet untested on a modern day battlefield;  to release praise music in advance of or during demonstrations to disengage these spirits of violence. Like opening a fireman’s hose on a raging fire, the aggressive flames of emotional spirits of anger, hatred, aggression, murder and rage, could go silent.

 I ponder why the impact of praise music would be any different within the atmosphere of my own vehicle than on any modern day battlefield. Imagine the impact of Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe, Christy Nockels songs released prior to a demonstration or during the fray in the heat of the battle – singing the name of Jesus over and over and over again –  above these protests. It is Jesus Christ Himself that has bequeathed us Peace.  Would He not send us His Peace if we proactively sought it? Peace is a spirit.  [ July 2017  The Spirit of Peace:  http://wp.me/p1zoxs-24p ]

ll Timothy 1:7 AMP
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

To effectively confront the societal enemies of our time we must come from a secret place of  ‘power, and of love, and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control’. The songs of praise set us into another dimension  – apart from fear, self righteousness, and our human tendency to dissect the what’s and how’s of every situation. Praising God is a declaration that He is trusted as our defender (Jehovah Nissi). Praise positions our minds for right instruction and divine strategy from Him in how to move ahead in these troubling and even dangerous environments.

Could Jehosophat have understood that the instruction from God to send the  ‘Praise Team’ ahead of the armies would result in a strong confusion and in-fighting among the enemy camp? Could Jehosophat foresee that a win of his armies positioned his people for a significant wealth transfer? I doubt it. He simply followed God’s orders and won….. BIG.

We must engage in praise to God while listening for the the Holy Spirit’s direction for ourselves and our nation amidst the clamor and chaos of today.  He is surely speaking.


Tracy L. Gatewood
#stableandfixed
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The Weapon of Praise Sharing Link: http://wp.me/p1zoxs-2iC
Twitter @TracyLGatewood
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Author: Doorways of Grace

 

 

Psalm 91 AMP

29 Monday May 2017

Posted by in Christianity, Disasters, Emotions, Fear, God, Jesus, Nation, Prayer, the Spirit

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CherubsandWoman
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High,
shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty.
[ Whose power no foe can withstand.]
I will say of the Lord, His is my Refuge and my Fortress, My God;
on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I (confidently) trust! 
For (then) He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and the
deadly pestilence.
(Then) He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall
you trust and find refuge;  His truth and His faithfulness are a shield
and a buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the
evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction
and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand but
none shall come near you, only a spectator shall you be, yourself inaccessible
in the Secret Place of the Most High as you witness the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your
dwelling place, there shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity
come near your tent.
For He will give His angels (especial) charge over you to accompany and defend 
and preserve you in all of your ways [of obedience and service].
They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone,
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent shall
you trample underfoot.

Because he has set His love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on
high, because he knows and understands my name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness – trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no never].
He shall call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,  I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

Perspective is Everything

21 Sunday May 2017

Posted by in Christianity, God, Jewish, Joseph, Slavery, Tracy Gatewood, United States of America, Unity, Wisdom

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JosephandPotiphar

Genesis 45:4-8
“And Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me, I pray you. And they did so. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not be distressed and disheartened and angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.
For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years more in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a posterity and to continue a remnant on the earth to save your lives by a great escape and save for you many survivors.
So now it was not you who sent me here but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

The Old Testament story of Joseph is a verdant treasury of how to handle adversity. Many know this story well – a young Joseph boasted to his brothers that he saw them in a dream all bowing down to him. This enraged his brothers and they threw Joseph into a well then sold him to slave traders en route to Egypt. Joseph was purchased at a slave market by a man named Potiphar who was a leader in Pharaoh’s court. Joseph performed his job with such excellence for Potiphar that he promoted Joseph to a position of influence.

Genesis 39:4  So Joseph pleased Potiphar and found favor in his sight, and he served him. And his master made him supervisor over his house and he put all that he had in his charge.  Joseph definitely knew how to make lemonade out of lemons.

The story progresses where once again Joseph is betrayed by Potiphar’s own wife who lies to her husband while asking for Joseph to be put to death. Potiphar, recognizing that Joseph was incapable of what he was being accused, sent him to prison instead. The story ends in a miraculous release when Pharaoh himself asks Joseph to interpret a dream which he did successfully. Pharaoh appointed him Governor over all the land of Egypt.

Many years before – God made a covenant with Abraham and stated that his descendants would number the stars in the sky.  He made the same covenant with Abraham’s son, Isaac as well as Isaac’s son, Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph.  Joseph was promoted by the hand of God right on time to deliver not only his own family from famine but millions of Egyptians and people from surrounding nations that had no food. Joseph saved the remnant of people that God had promised to his father, grandfather and great grandfather. Joseph knew why he had been spared: Gen. 45:7 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a posterity and to continue a remnant on the earth, to save your lives by a great escape and save for you many survivors.” Joseph was strong in his own identity, and purpose and knew that God had saved him for this very important work despite a life of difficulty and a level of rejection few have experienced.

As God Himself is wisdom,  He saw the exact recipe of circumstances that would blend Joseph into the man He required, and because He has all foreknowledge knew the exact moment Joseph needed to be drawn from the oven of prison. Our God sees the end from the beginning.

“Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to conjecture. Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper relation to all, and is thus able to work toward predestined goals with flawless precision. All God’s acts are done in perfect wisdom first for His own glory, and then for the highest good of the greatest number for the longest time. And all His acts are as pure as they are wise, and as good as they are wise and pure. Not only could His acts not be better done, a better way to do them could not be imagined. An infinitely wise God must work in a manner not to be improved upon by finite creatures.Oh Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom thou hast made them all. The earth is full of thy riches!”  A.W. Tozer  Knowledge of the Holy

Joseph spent 13 total years as a slave or imprisoned. He was 30 years old when Pharaoh promoted him to be Governor of Egypt. (Genesis 41:46)

Few, if any, personally know anyone that would embrace the notion that slavery was permissible or acceptable in any society. Slavery is the enslavement of an individual that historically is forced to live and work under mostly inhumane conditions, suffer abusive treatment at the hands of  “owners” – and for all of their days live a life of servitude. The slave trade in Africa began in the 15th century not long after traders from other nations like Portugal, England, Spain and Holland landed. The United States took much lower numbers of slaves than many other participating nations. By the time the united colonies became the United States of America, descendants working for landowners had been enslaved between 3 to 5 generations, with most North American slaves coming from western Africa – now modern day Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia and the Ivory Coast.

Without question, the day that slavery was abolished was a Red Letter day, ending a destructive and evil culture that harmed an entire race for hundreds of years. But can we consider something new into this equation – the possibility of a new possibility regarding slavery and the perpetuation of this evil? If we understand that God sees life and all circumstances from the beginning to the end, and we believe that God is a good, good Father, is it plausible to assume that He allowed Africans to be brought to the United States, despite the TRAGIC circumstances, knowing that He Himself would produce great good from great evil? That in the United States,  Africans could be free to worship, many coming to know God as well as His Son Jesus, saving entire generations of families from eternal destruction. That when delivered to the shores of the United States these Africans and their ancestors could have opportunities and a way of living reaching far beyond what their forefathers in West Africa could ever dream?  Like Joseph, they were destined with a purpose that required them to experience hardship, not to break them, but to refine and to re-purpose.

As monuments of Confederate generals are being dismantled and removed as they serve to some as a reminder of slavery,  this raises questions. Because Egyptians enslaved the Jews for 400 years (Please Note:  the Jews are God’s Chosen People), have the Egyptians destroyed the pyramids and temples that were built as monuments to Phaorahs by the enslaved Jews because it was wrong to use slaves? Have the Italians bulldozed the Colosseum in Rome where Christians were impaled and lit on fire as human torches or fed to lions for sport? Have they destroyed monuments to Roman Emperors?  No and No and No. In fact the Colosseum in Rome is a major tourist attraction with tourism a primary source of revenue, but only ISIS and al Qaeda think its cool to kill Christians.

Despite the obvious evil that slavery is – it is pointless to erase historical references, and unnecessary if people understand and believe that their hardship can achieve or has achieved a higher, more prevailing purpose.  Through history we learn a better way,  with some history left to serve as a reminder that it never bears repeating.  When hardship does not result in God-framed and God-inspired revealed purposes, it will result in a demonstration of revealed destruction and bitterness.  Perspective is Everything.


Tracy L Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings    May 2017
Perspective is Everything: My Response to the Removal of Monuments
Twitter:  @TracyLGatewood
Facebook: @TracyGatewoodWriterTeacher
Author: Doorways of Grace; My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus

 

Prayer and the Law of First Mention

05 Saturday Dec 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Emotions, Fear, God, Grace, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Law of First Mention, New Covenant, Prayer, Tracy Gatewood, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Unity

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IMG_1542(1)

God’s Kingdom system works with a set of guidelines much different than secular processes. Leaders are promoted through servant leadership principles, as well as heart attitudes versus achievement through measurable goals and increased revenue. Finances are considered God’s and as stewards, they are protected through a system of tithes and offerings (sowing and reaping).  Prayer is considered the vehicle of communication to God allowing for wants, needs and desires to be met. Prayer also releases blessings on others, healing, prosperity, safety and offers praise to God. The first nod to prayer is found in Genesis 4:26 AMP “And to Seth also a son was born whom he named Enosh. At that point men began to call (upon God) by the name of the Lord.” {Seth was the son of the first Adam }. Although no “how to” guide or FAQ was provided on prayer within the Old Testament, praying to God was and still is instinctive.

The first recorded prayer is found in Genesis 18 and resembles more of a negotiation between Abraham and God regarding Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham petitions God repeatedly to save these cities from destruction because there were righteous (in right standing with God) people among their numbers. Abraham and God had a unique level of relationship – more like old friends, freely conversant – casual yet respectful.

Genesis 18:23-28 “And Abraham came close and said, Will You destroy the righteous (those upright and in right standing) together with the wicked? Suppose there are in the city fifty righteous ; will You destroy the place and not spare it for the sake of the fifty righteous in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing – to slay the righteous fare as do the wicked! Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth execute judgment and do righteously? And the Lord said, If I find in the city of Sodom fifty righteous (upright and right standing) I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abraham answered, Behold now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. If five of the fifty righteous should be lacking – will You destroy the whole city for lack of five? He said, If I find forty five, I will not destroy it.”

This negotiation  / prayer continues until the Lord agrees not to destroy these cities for even the sake of 10 found righteous.

Can this dialogue be considered prayer? I must say yes. Prayer is simply communicating with God and primarily in the form of petitions or requests to Him (James 5:13-18). Abraham was clearly petitioning for the survival of these cities which makes this the focus of the very first recorded prayer. A righteous man (and a prophet) stood and interceded for the cause of cities, assuming that there were righteous people living there because his relative Lot and family were in Sodom. We must therefore assume that a merciful God hears the prayers of the righteous on behalf of cities and nations even accepting prayer as the preferred method to achieve His results because of the example of the Law of First Mention.

Unfortunately, for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, God dispatched two angels in the appearance of men to find 10 righteous. The men were themselves greeted at Lot’s by a homosexual mob surrounding his house, demanding the two come out and “play”. Genesis 19:4-5 It is interesting to note that God, prior to the prayer conversation with Abraham, was already in the process of dispatching these two angels as intel to these cities to confirm what He already knew. Had the angels found righteousness among the people, they would have lived. Lot and his family’s lives were spared and were led from this city by the angels of God. (We know Lot’s wife did not make it out).

The bible records Genesis 29, “When God ravaged and destroyed the cities of the plain, he (earnestly) remembered Abraham (imprinted and fixed him indelibly on His mind), and He sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when He overthrew the cities where Lot lived“. Although He did not see fit to spare these cities, God remembered Abraham’s prayer and took care of his family.

The Law of First Mention means that it is the first time an important word is used in scripture therefore it is the most complete and accurate meaning serving as a key to its understanding and a foundation for its biblical concept in subsequent chapters. The fundamental concept in the first occurrence remains dominant, and colors all later additions to that doctrine.

The word Prayer is not used in Genesis 18 but the action of prayer is described. The first time the word prayer is mentioned is in Genesis when God Himself instructs Abimelech to ask Abraham to pray for him following his near miss in taking Sarah, Abraham’s wife, as his own concubine. God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and instructed him to restore Abraham’s wife so that Abraham would pray for Abimelech so that he might live. With God’s own acknowledgement of prayer and request to pray – no one can deny the weight that it carries on the earth and in the Heavenlies as well as the authority that is held by the person praying. Even though Abraham lied to Abimelech about his wife (twice) – God rescued and brought Abraham favor because of His established covenant. (see Genesis 15 ). This was a clear act of grace which was extended because of God’s covenant with Abraham.

The cities and nations of the world now more than ever before are in need of resources and protection. God has clearly provided a method to hear from Him on his strategies and to call in the forces necessary to equip us in this great time of need. Jesus Himself has paid the ultimate penalty to preserve and protect His own. It is time for the unified righteous to pray boldly and confidently as this would be the will of God in these heavy, tumultuous times. #pray #prayer #Abraham #Genesis #God  #localchurch #church #lawoffirstmention

Tracy Gatewood
Copyright 2019  – Doorways of Grace  All Rights Reserved
Twitter @TracyLGatewood
Author: Doorways of Grace
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Equip The Bride

23 Monday May 2011

Posted by in Blood of Jesus, Bride of Christ, Christianity, Disasters, Emotions, Fear, God, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, peace, Prayer, Tracy Gatewood, Tracy Gatewood Alabama, TracyLGatewood, Tuscaloosa

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Tuscaloosa, Alabama – I have watched for weeks as churches put forth Herculean effort to resource and rescue thousands of Tuscaloosa citizens in the wake of one of the most devastating storms in our country’s history. Still The Body functions in excellence.  This week, a meeting of 40 Tuscaloosa pastors met for a time of unified, corporate prayer to seek God’s wisdom for each other, their congregations and the city. The wisdom of God will be a strong requirement to move forward with vision and fortitude in the months, and likely years, ahead.

Each day I observe the undeniable need for funding the local church as we become increasingly aware of these organizations as powerful centralized distribution hubs for stability, resource and counsel.  Churches, like mini City Halls, possess the infrastructure for financial disbursement and accountability, the ability to provide clothing, food and shelter, stability and healing as well as serving as points of access for connection to every conceivable vocation through its members. Churches are the finest “one stop shopping”  option for disaster relief.  In the days ahead, all churches will be utilized more frequently as access hubs for immediate stabilization, healing and disbursement of resources but first they themselves must be properly structured and resourced. This is serious, time -sensitive  business.

Genesis 41:38
“So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?’ ”

Pharaoh of course was referring to Joseph. This is the hour for marketplace Joseph’s to stand in preparation and walk in action to equip, fund and structure the Church, the bride of Christ, in anticipation of His return and enable Her to stand uprightly and majestically within every community served. (Not merely have Her stand with the aid of a cane or a walker – but properly financially resourced to function in full capacity. )

The need for funding has never been greater for churches and ministries in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I am writing to simply sound the alarm because of what I see happening. The anointing is here, the people and hearts are here but it is time to move and equip these Brides. Do not let the Bride go hungry (food banks), dress shabbily (clothes closets) or be in ill health (health centers) or become in disrepair. Do not let the Bride become inadequately staffed and forced to turn from people who require healing and wise counsel – the type of counsel that is imparted from the wise and Godly as they hear from the Spirit of God.

Job 32:8
“But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty,
that gives Him understanding”

Equip the Bride and Her Children, para-church ministries that are not churches. Do not make them beg for discernment of their worth if you know they are set apart by God for His work and purposes. Tuscaloosa is no different from any other community – disaster will come to a city near you – each Bride in each community must be equipped and structured.

It is the responsibility of the Church through The Body to equip, educate and counsel people on El Shaddai (God Almighty, All Sufficient One, Genesis 17:1)and the meaning of the covenant, redemptive names purchased through the exchange at the cross and Jesus’ blood sacrifice which covers the scope of every human need:

Shammah (His Presence, Ezekial 48:35), Shalom (Peace, Judges 6:24), Ra-ah (Shepherd / Pastor, Psalm 23:1), Jireh (Provision, Genesis 22:14),  Nissi, ( Banner of Victory over principalities and darkness, Exodus 17:15),  Tsidkenu, (Righteousness Jeremiah 23:6), Rapha (Healer, Exodus 15:26), and Jehovah M’Kaddesh (Sanctifier, Leviticus 20:8).

A tremendous responsibility indeed but one in which The Church, the Bride of Christ is uniquely designed to deliver but must be adequately enabled to perform. Simply put, please give money to the churches, they will soon be serving entire cities, not just their own membership rolls.

The city lost 21 churches plus the Salvation Army buildings. Please pray for those people who have lost their places of worship, fellowship, resource and community. Thank you for your continued prayers that city and state government leadership and spiritual leadership hear from the spirit of God.

Tracy Gatewood
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Sacred Ramblings  All Rights Reserved

Twitter: TracyLGatewood
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing Wholeness, and Meeting Jesus  (2015)
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