Heavenly perspective vs. an Earthly perspective- (living from heaven toward earth)
1. The widow of scripture had no rights / God’s people have more than ‘rights’ – we are co-heirs with Jesus
2. Lamentations 1:1-- (a type of the emaciated body of Christ)
How lonely sits the city (Jerusalem)……(God favorite, yet she feels alone and irrelevant in and to the world)
That was full of people! …………………(all resources used to come to her and looked to her)
Howlike a widow is she …………………(powerless and begging)
Who was great among the nations! ……(center of government among the nations)
The princess among the provinces ……. (crowned with favor and authority)
Has become a slave!……………………. (in bondage; hopeless and just existing)
3. Lk 18:1-6 Thewidows posture in prayer
She had no rights
Her only ‘power’ or influence was to be persistent
Judge had no regard for God or man
Yet the judge relented out of frustration
4. Lk 18:7, 8 – the Promise to His highly favored Elect
Jesus now makes a contrastbetween the widow and His people
If a widow can extract an answer from an unjust judge
How much more can God’s elect expect a speedy answer when we call out night and day?
Vs 8 - “Nevertheless will I find (this) faith on the earth when I return?”
5. Who are we??? Widows? Or the Elect / His bride?
Jesus is not married to a widow nor coming for a beggar. He’s coming for a faith-filled Bride who is without spot or wrinkle.
As we wrestle the answer to this question, it affects our reality: the way we live, think and pray.
6. Here’s who we are / Our Inheritance (this is more true than our circumstances or mindsets)
Eph 2:5-7- even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Eph 3:19 - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Eph 1:20 - which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
2 Pet 1:4 - by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature,
7. So what perspective do we live from – Lack or Spiritual Inheritance
God doesn’t train us by lack, He trains us by the exercising of our faith
In the time of lack do we pray from the perspective of our need or from our spiritual inheritance?
The perspective of our lack will make us pray like beggars
The perspective of our spiritual inheritance will make us pray like kings
Our perspective determines our reality!
Quote: “Some of our intercession is an excuse for irresponsibility” – We’re asking… when God wants us to rule
Consider the disciples in storm tossed boat - sounds like intercession – “Jesus help us”
Jesus upbraided them for not exercising faith
Mk 4:40 - “How is it that you have no faith?”
Mk 6:37, 45-52 - For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
Ex 14:15 – God to Moses – “Why do you cry (pray) to me? Tell the children of Israel to move forward.”
8. We must get beyond the cross! - the worm / sinner mentality
Quote from Bill Johnson – “Christianity isn’t the cross, it’s the resurrection; but you can’t get there without the cross”
The cross is only the door into the kingdom– doors are not venerated; it’s what’s beyond the door
The cross only continues to be necessary as we’re presented with,as yet, unregenerated areas
The cross by itself is a place of death. Many in history have died on a cross
Only One resurrected after the cross
Eph 2:6- “and (we were) raised us up together”with Him - Resurrectionis our glory – the power for living
Must discard the perspective of “such a worm as I”
Must now put on “royal priesthood and holy nation” / “kings and priests unto our God”
Our vocabulary and prayer language gives evidence to what our reality is – out of the heart the mouth speaks
Living and Praying from a Heavenly perspective vs. an Earthly perspective – page 2
9. How then shall we pray?
There are many kinds of prayers
Eph 6:16 - And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (NIV)
There are petition prayers – prayers of asking
There are prophetic prayers – prayers of proclamation
Which type is becoming of God’s maturing sons – the “co-heirs”with whom He wants to co-rule
We must transition with God from the “church age” to the “kingdom age”
10. Faith comes from hearing
Heb 11:1 – it’s the substance of things not yet seen – the “money’s in the bank”
It’s a done deal even before we pray
If we haven’t heard, then we can’t pray with confidence
Our prayers of necessity must then be beggar prayers
Our prayers are more like plaintiff petitions rather than prophetic utterances
Faith empowers and shapes our prayers to be prophetic proclamations
Without this empowerment we’re only in begging / hoping mode
Even the world can do this
11. Simeon – prayer posture changes
Laboring in prayer for the fulfillment of the Messianic prophesies
Probably much supplication – Dictionary “a humbleearnest requestforhelpfromsomeoneinauthority”
He then received the promise to see the fulfillment of his prayers with his own eyes
His prayer posture must have now changed by newly found faith
Then saw and held Messiah
His prayers were now ones of proclamation and heralding – even though the Messiah was in infancy
12. Mountains – “Be Removed!”
Matt 17:20- if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Three aspects (mine) of how to address the mountain:
1. Be plucked up– pulled out by the roots – every tentacle
2. Be removed – carried to another location away from here
3. Be cast into the sea – forgetfulness, separation, back to hell
13. Today’s focus – speak to mountains
What “mountains” have been squatting on our lives or under our sphere of influence?
What does God think about that? What is His mind on the matter?
What is the appropriate response for a king with this condition?
Remember the disciples in the storm – Speak to it!
From the vantage point of “seated with Christ” we prophesy to the mountain.
We don’t fight with the mountain, we don’t scuffle with it – we speak to it.
We continue to speak/prophesy to it until it moves
14. Commission angels in our prayer - warring angels, ministering angels, messenger angels, etc.
Five premises for Revival
1. God is good and in a good mood
a. He’s ecstatic over me – Zeph 3:17
2. Nothing is impossible
a. Whatever He says, I can do
3. Jesus has already won the victory
a. We pray from victory not for victory
4. We are significant to God
a. He loves me; there is no reason to fear – His favor is on me
5. The power of the testimony
a. They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony
Teasers:
We must not let our theology of an inferior covenant trump our reality in a superior covenant
If Moses (an unsaved man) could radiate with the Glory of God, surely it’s possible for us, the saved, to do the same
Jn 3:12 - If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
War-room scenario – CentCom
Commander-in-chief gathers his officers, cabinet and advisors
They ask him for his support to carry out a specific mission
He asks them for their insights and wisdom on the matter
What do you think should be done; and still accomplish my over-all goals?
He then makes decision and hands out his mandate
Go to war! With this specific strategy
You have my backing – whatever it takes to get the job done
Generals, officers and all subordinates exit fully commissioned
All asking is done – no more asking
Asking at this stage would be irresponsible and unacceptable
Mobilizing / moving out is imperative
Asking is only necessary when we’re faced with something that hasn’t been addressed by the mandate