Enter In And Receive God’s Presence & Healing More Deeply In And Through Intercessory Prayer ?
The Garden Catalogue For Today
Prayer to the ‘God of Hope’ as we Pray through His Living Word
Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today in prayer and humbly bow our knee before you the King of kings and Lord of lords, Eph 3:14-21,
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
We ask for your help and mercy in our time of need in our nation of Australia, in Israel, USA, South Africa and all the nations of the earth. We bring before you all those in our homes, families, communities and in your Church, where the spirit of hopelessness and darkness has become an entrenched ‘stronghold’. Please make yourself known to the people you have created who are sitting in deep darkness, that the Light of your Holy Spirit may shine into their hearts as promised Isa 60:1-2
Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
We repent of our unbelief and lawless behaviours, how we have broken your covenant and are reaping the fruit of the consequences broken covenant as outlined in Deuteronomy 29. We seek your mercy and breakthrough for those trapped in addictions, in mental torment, offense, bitterness and unforgiveness and generational curses due to the sins of the forefathers. We repent of and seek your grace and forgiveness, where your true Gospel of the Kingdom of God has not been preached, nor the True Jesus taught, or people discipled in Your churches.
We ask for your Holy Spirit to prevail, to bring Your divine order out of chaos, for your Blessing of:
– conviction of sin leading to repentant hearts that can be set free to know Jesus and be born again
– the power of the Truth of Your Word of Light penetrating hearts, bringing conversion (Ps 119:130)
-a hunger to come for Your Living Word and righteousness to expose and breakthrough negative mindsets that often spiral down to despair and suicidal thoughts.
-Eph 1:17-18 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us believers
We pray for your healing of our deep heart wounds, and our deliverance out of darkness into the Kingdom of Light (Col 1: 13-14) of your beloved son, in whom there is forgiveness and remission of sins. Let there be not only revival, but re-formation and transformation by the renewing of our minds as we no longer conform to the ways of the world, but surrender to be your living sacrifices Lord Jesus. (Rom 12:1-3) May hundreds of thousands and millions of souls become sons of God that you bring home to your father in glory through the power of your Holy Spirit. Heb 2:10
Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Bringing Many Sons to Glory
Heb 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
We pray for as many natural and spiritual sons and daughters in the homes and families of our nations, and most especially the ‘lost ones’ sitting in pews in ‘churches’ where there is a different spirit and the True full Word of God is not preached, to receive True and powerful revelation of the Lord. We Pray for them to desire to turn to Him and allow the Father to bring them home to His heart and His table, and back into His garden for times of rest, reflection and restoration;
Acts 3:19-21 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Let us reflect on this story of the Prodigal sons that Jesus taught about the state of our hearts and minds. Neither of these sons understood their father’s heart. May we desire for our hearts and the hearts of the ‘lost’ to no longer war against You our father, but to yield to Your Lordship and holiness. Guide us to find fulfilment in You our heavenly father and to awaken to Your goodness and mercy towards us in Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”
We thank you father, you know how to bring life from the dead, how to save our souls and to turn us from idol worship, and to draw us with your Holy Spirit. Bring us, your children, home to your heart. Thankyou that you’ve heard the cry of the sick, lonely, desperate, oppressed and persecuted, orphan -hearted, those enslaved by fear or feeling victims of evil. In Luke 4: 18-19 Jesus you proclaimed your Kingdom come – your promise to bind up our broken hearts and to set us free from the captivity that has imprisoned us. You surely are our Lord and Saviour and we look to you to rescue this generation of fatherless ones. We ask you bless this generation in your mercy, restore marriages and families and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to their fathers and mothers with a spirit of right honour so that you might Bless this land.
We thank you heavenly father for your grace and compassion, in this parable how you ran to meet your younger son returning in his shame and insecurity mindset, feeling no longer worthy of being called your son. Yet you embraced and kissed him before he could be stoned (as was the custom for such prodigal errant sons) at the gate of the village. ‘AWAKE’ us to your love and mercy we pray.
Reveal to us your father’s heart and agape love. I’m so grateful that you answered my heart cry in the past, to know that we are A = Always W = Welcome A = Accepted K = Kissed, E =Embraced by you.
May we awaken from religious/ ‘works’ mindsets of self-righteousness as the elder son was trapped in, and turn to you, to the revelation of relationship with you and the joy and peace you give us in your presence. May we understand the joy of serving with you and for you and your generosity in giving all you have to us as your precious children. May we know your gift of salvation by our faith through your Son Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, given freely to us. May we know your holiness and righteousness yet your abundant mercy and grace towards us as we repent and return to you. Make your Word come alive to us we pray, to know by revelation from your Word that we are your blood bought sons and daughters, through the redemption price paid by Jesus’ blood sacrifice.
Open the eyes of our hearts to understand the hope of our calling in you (Eph 1:18) and the riches of our inheritance we have in you with Jesus Christ, as co-heirs with you in your Kingdom (Rom 8). May Spiritual revelation understanding and HOPE arise as we read through the Apostle Paul’s teachings to the church in Rome in ch 5, 8 and 15 below as we pray………
Rom 5: 1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Christ in Our Place
Rom 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Rom 5:17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Sonship Through the Spirit
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
From Suffering to Glory
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May God’s Word dwell richly in our hearts, so that we desire to live our lives to become fruitful sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven. May we become Faithful and True followers and Disciples of Jesus. We pray that the Name of Jesus Christ will be given glory in and through our lives and in our deaths, so that we will pass into Glory with Him, in Jesus precious Name,
Amen.
Ima Odutola from: Light and Grace Ministries
The Resurrection Power is at work in me
Anchor Scripture:
Romans 1:4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,
Its our prayer that God’s resurrection power brings life to everything that concerns us now and always.
A Prayerful Meditation with Olivia Helmore
New Wine and Oil Meditation
Receiving the Lord’s invitation and welcoming
Together, we are going to seek the Lord’s face regarding the place He has set for us at His table. We are asking for the Lord’s revelation to us as individuals, of our acceptance with the Father. We are asking Him to answer that yearning deep in our hearts to belong in His family and receive His goodness for ourselves.
We are going to read through the moment of encounter between Jesus and a Gentile. The reading comes from John 4 when the Lord meets a Samaritan woman, and He tells her what kind of worshippers the Father is seeking.
May the Lord encounter you in this reading. May you see His face, inviting and welcoming you to His table. He has desired worshippers in spirit and truth, who allow themselves to be led and moved by the Lord’s Word and His Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit.
The Word and the Spirit are our guides by day and night. They are living, true witnesses of the Lord’s will for us. They are consistent with one another and confirm each other.
The Samaritan woman was quite honest and open with Jesus. Yet He revealed that He knew her whole past too, not just what He told Him. He didn’t approach her with condemnation. Through His knowledge of her past, He revealed He was anointed by God to do God’s work.
In this encounter the Lord also reveals to us He was God. He testifies of Himself He can give living water. This means He can quench the thirst of our spirits and cause us to abound where formerly we were in spiritual death and bondage.
Let’s ask the Lord to reveal Himself to us through His Word and the Spirit of truth. His Word is alive. The waters He gives are living waters. And they are sufficient to quench the thirst of our spirits, whether in time of drought or plenty.
Lord Jesus – thank You for meeting us as we read Your Word together. Please renew us by Your Word and Spirit. Teach us to walk in the way You are showing us. Thank You for the way You meet us on such an individual level.
Cause us to see Your face in ever greater measure; to know Your will for us and recognise when You are speaking. Meet us, Lord. Give us Your living waters. May we quench the thirst of our spirits only in You, and from there abound in the works You have prepared beforehand that we should walk in. Amen.
Let’s read now.
John 4:1-26, 39-42
A Samaritan Woman Meets Her Messiah
4 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”
Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
The Savior of the World
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word.
42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
I HEARD THE LORD SAY “WELL DONE FOR ENDURING THE PROCESS”
I had an audible dream last night where Father God spoke to me in a heart-to-heart way. I woke up and wrote down what I remembered and I knew this was a letter to all of us, an encouragement for making it through a long season, and a re-focus for the months to come. I pray this speaks directly to your heart and draws you into even deeper dialogue with Him this month.
“WELL DONE FOR ENDURING THE PROCESS”
Firstly I heard Him say “Well done. Well done for enduring the process I have taken you through even though at times it has felt more than you could handle. Well done for allowing my purifying fire to come into every facet of your life. It was never meant to expose you but to remove every contaminate that would trip you up down the road. Well done, I am so proud of you! I have been on a mission to bring you out of the dark ages of your faith where constant trials were sent to overwhelm you and steal your heart from me, but they didn’t succeed. I saw all the other affections and I’m a jealous God. I saw all the other distractions looking for a way into your world. I saw all the arrows of the enemy wanting to pierce you in the back and steal you from me and I knew I needed to alter the course of your life to finally bring you into the fullness you kept asking me for. Well done for clinging to me even when you doubted my methods. Well done for worshipping me in the waiting”
“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT HOPE FULFILLED LOOKS LIKE?”
“My goodness never left you. It never waned even for a moment. I didn’t leave you or abandon you. But I saw you at times walking around defeated and lost, somehow convinced that hopelessness would always be a part of your life, believing that loss and settling for second best is the best life you can hope for. What happened? Have you forgotten what hope fulfilled looks like? Has it been so long? This month I am going to pull you out of defeat and seat you at the table. I am going to cause every root of hopelessness to be outnumbered by new springs of hope. I am going to remind and restore what you lost in the long road and process to where you are so you quit thinking that I don’t live up to what I promise. I DO NOT LIE, and you are about to be reminded that my promises for you are yes and amen. I’m removing the tiredness from your heart where you felt this was all on you. I am healing your heart from the toll the warfare and opposition had on you. I am taking away the slumber that kept tempting you to sleep away the season, and I am giving you back your strength and you will remember what it is to laugh and be genuinely happy and fulfilled. I will restore you and give you REST, so rest in me and watch what I do for you”
“LOOK WHAT WE HAVE BUILT TOGETHER!”
Then I heard Him say “Look what we built together! Can you see it! Can you see the beauty through all of the mess you have had surrounding you? It’s time to stop beating yourself up for how you have perceived you have navigated this difficult time and begin to celebrate that you have made it through some of life’s greatest obstacles and defeated the most intimidating giants. You stood well. You fought well. You have continued to hope even despite not seeing immediate change. Even when you only saw delay and discouragement crouched at your door. Now LOOK and see what we have built together. In the next month, you are going to see the fresh buds of life come from the most unexpected places and fruit where you never realized were producing for you. Seeds you have sown that died, DREAMS you once had are NOW going to be resurrected but with interest!”
(When I woke up from this dream it was 4:20 am and I knew God was even speaking through that)
“But the seed sown on good soil represents those who open their hearts to receive the Word and their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times more than was sown!” Mark 4:20
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the message on his website…
Ps Jeff’s Special Today: “playing church instead of converting to the Kingdom”
Peter’s first speech at Pentecost (Acts 2:38) preached repentance as his first word, as had Yeshua Himself (Matthew 4:17). Then in Peter’s next speech (Acts 3:19) he used also the word “convert.” ” Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing my come from the presence of the Lord...”
This follows Jesus’ instruction in Luke 24:47: “…and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Instead, many lukewarm churches today fail to support conversion from one’s old self; many are simply satisfied with church members attending services, giving offerings for ongoing activities, regardless of a person converting, repenting, to join Jesus’ Kingdom.
Being candid with yourself and the Holy Spirit, is this issue of playing church, never having really converted from your old self, then repenting to join His Kingdom, something blocking your serving your Almighty Creator today? Is there any remnant of this old pattern needing to be confessed? Do you think this is only applicable to the disciples 2,000 years ago? Do you have any residue of a residue of this issue for such a time as this? Was it connected to your upbringing as a child? Was it a family pattern in any way?
God bless you as you seek His Holy Spirit Wisdom and Comfort on this issue. May you go forward on His path, “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
