“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)
 

July 2009

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are all fine, and enjoying our summer projects of evangelism. What a blessing it is to be alive, enjoying God’s love and blessings, and serving Him! Nothing is too hard for our God! Amen!

So much is going on in the world today. If we listen to the news we can easily become disheartened. Thank God that we have Jesus! Because of the Cross of Calvary, those who accept His love and forgiveness have much to be grateful for. Today, right now, take some time to put your feet up and relax for a while. Are you there yet? Okay. First, close your eyes and picture Jesus smiling at you. He loves you so very much! He knows the things that are on your mind and heart, and these things do not ruffle Him. After all, He is the Creator of all things! He holds you and your future in His hands, and He knows the beginning to the end. When you pray and ask Him to keep you focused on Him, and not be tempted by the things of this world, He will gladly do it! He will also answer your prayer to be delivered from the evil one. You are already covered by His Precious Blood, and no one, no devil in hell, can by any means harm you! You are His precious bride, and He will fight for you! So, relax. Breathe in deeply and allow Jesus to hold you, love you, guide you, and meet your needs. He is jealous of you, and He holds on tight to you. Can you lift up your arms towards heaven and praise Him? Let’s do that together, right now!! Okay. Didn’t that feel good? (Smile)      

Jesus says in Matt. 6:7 and 8, that when we pray we should close the door and pray to our Father, who is unseen. What our Father sees done in secret will be rewarded. We don’t have to use many words, or scream out loud, He can hear us. We don’t have to have others hear us, we are talking to Him, not them. Our suffering must draw us to Him alone, in that secret place where it is just Him and us. Please don’t misunderstand,  there is a place for corporate prayer, and that is powerful too. We must not neglect meeting with one another to let our requests be made known to Him. Today, the Tabernacle of David type of prayer and worship is being done in many churches. The church that I attend will be holding a 24 hour Tabernacle of David again soon, where worship teams from different churches will come in for 2 hour shifts and lead in worship and prayer. People come and go during that time and sit and soak in the presence of God, and pray. There is power in the prayer of agreement.  Also, if you would like a prayer partner to agree with you in prayer, please call our Hope Connection  prayer line,  (718) 238-4600. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven.” (Matt. 18:19) But in the passage we are studying, Jesus is speaking about our one on one relationship with our Heavenly Father. He is talking about our personal life in Him, and our personal heart cry to our Father who loves us so very much. We can call God Father because of Christ’s atoning Blood. (Heb. 10:19-22) The purpose of prayer is to nurture our relationship with God. The result of prayer can be that we are changed, rather than the situation. This reinforces our confidence in His sufficiency, and realigns our will with His will. God already knows what we need, and He knows better than we do how our prayer should be answered. When the answers seem to be slow in coming, Jesus urges us to press in and keep praying. Read the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8.

As we walk in love and forgiveness, it gives us power over satan. Each day, purpose to love others and forgive those who hurt you. Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is an act of the will. If we will to forgive, we can ask God to give us the feelings to go with it, and He is faithful to do so. Healing will take place. This is so powerful, because if we want to be forgiven, we must forgive others first! “But if you do not forgive men their sins,  your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:15) If there is anyone who needs your forgiveness, do so now. If it possible, go to the person and create peace. If not, release the person to Jesus and let go of anger or resentment. You will find when you do this, you will feel better too!

When we wake up in the morning, let us give the Lord the day, praise Him for His Goodness, His Protection, and His Guidance. Let us pray a hedge of protection about ourselves and our loved ones, and put on the armor of God. (Eph. 6:14-18). When we pray for our Father to deliver us from the evil one, He will! Every morning, I ask the Lord to station angels around my family, myself, my possessions, the church I attend, my pastors, our CHN ministry, our volunteers, everyone on our mailing list, and everyone who calls in for prayer. I pray for protection, for health, for finances, for peace for all. And I see God work every single day! He is always Faithful!

Therefore, we do not have to worry about our future. God will guard our hearts when temptations arise, He will protect us from the evil one, He is jealous of His kids! We simply have to do our part, and that is to let our requests be made known to Him, and He will do the rest. Glory! Let us pray: 

Father, in Jesus Precious Name, we come before You and worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Father, we thank You for Your love and Your mercy. We thank You for teaching us how to pray!  Father, we ask You today to “Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. Amen! Lord we will to forgive those who hurt us (name the people) and we ask You to forgive them too. Forgive me of my sins, and set me free to love others the way You do. Father, I thank You for Your Divine protection from the evil one, and I ask You to set me free from the  temptations of this world. I want only You Lord. I want to live for You. Thank You for hearing my prayer. Amen!  Lord, touch this reader today and grant him or her healing, deliverance, peace and joy. Cover this person with Your precious blood. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen. God bless you!

Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino, Ph.D.