Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David King of Israel.” (2 Chron. 29:27)

November 2005

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are all fine here, praising God for all that He has done in the last few months and year. This has truly been a year of planting and we are seeing the fruit of our labor. Last month thousands of churches all over the world took Oct. 2^nd to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. This was an historic event, and we just know that God is about to do something new!

When we think of what is going on in the world, with war, rumors of war, natural disasters, ungodliness and sin, total rejection of God and the values we hold dear, we can know that God is about to do something! Recently I attended a spiritual warfare and intercession conference in Kansas City MO. Mike Bickle spoke about a dream that he had the night before the first session of the conference, where he saw an angel with a trumpet very close to his lips, ready to blow it, but he did not. The message was to get ready! My friend, we are in the end times, we are witnessing Bible prophecies that were given thousands of years ago. We must get serious with our relationship with God! It is time to take seriously His mandate upon His children to preach the gospel, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, pray unceasingly for the lost and the weary, take care of widows and orphans and be a light wherever we go, whatever we are doing. This is in the workplace, the streets, the stores, our block, every place where our feet touch ground. When we see wickedness around us, how satans ugly head rose up during Katrina’s wrath, we immediately saw the heart of our sinful human nature exposed. There were many heroes who risked their lives to save people, wonderful volunteers who came from all over to help, there were many who responded immediately by opening their pocketbook, there were many testimonies given by the victims as to how God spared them, but we also saw another side. We saw how somehow  bars were quickly opened following the hurricane area with beer flowing while their neighbors were left to suffer and die. And man’s inhumanity to man showed up in the very place where people sought refuge! Women were violated, the elderly and sick left to die. Following this, in one of our states, Gay Marriages were made legal and the Pledge of Allegiance was declared unconstitutional because God is mentioned! Mercy!!! We must pray for our country, our people, for our President, for his cabinet, the Supreme Court justices, for our Governors and Mayors, for all those in authority in our nation!  We must, as the body of Christ, join together in intercessory prayer for every man woman and child in our country, and around the world! God will not be mocked!

When Hezekiah determined to cleanse the temple and open the doors of the house of the Lord, he called for repentance and prayer. While the sacrifices were on the altar, worship began to take place. Under King David, the song of the Lord began with the trumpets, the singers sang, and the Bible says this all continued until the burnt offering was finished. Picture this in your mind now; when they completed the end of the offering, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped! What a scene that had to be! I am weeping as I am typing this! Picture yourself in this holy moment in the house of the Lord! All form of self was relinquished at that moment, what people held dear to themselves was totally abandoned to God. The sacrifice was made, the plans, the hopes and dreams that these worshipers had were given to God for it was established in their hearts that all this belonged to the One and only God who lives and reigns forever and ever!

Can you picture all of heaven rejoicing at this total abandonment to God? The angels rejoiced! The sacrifice was made, the relinquishment was accomplished, heart’s were totally given over to God in worship and in praise! There is a great lesson in the power of praise. When Judah was confronted by its enemies, Moab and Ammon, the people sought God in prayer and with faith in His Word. (2 Chron. 20:1-14). Jaheziel goes on to prophecy, ”Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (vs.15). Glory!!

Be confident! Know that God honors prayer, and He honors true worship! When we rely completely on God, on His strength and on His abilities, we can be assured of total victory! The battle is the Lords! When trouble is all around you, and you see the signs of the times, do not be afraid! Instead, begin worshiping and praising God! Sing to Him! Loudly! Shout His praises! Rely on His wisdom and abilities, and know that He knows the beginning to the end. His Word is true and amen! So be it!

Take the time this Thanksgiving to abandon yourself and all that you are concerned about to God. Take on an attitude of praise and worship. Begin praying and singing the Scriptures to get them into your spirit. Take a Scripture and make it personal, either praying for yourself or a loved one. For instance, take Romans 8:35 and 37. “Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...Yet in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me.” Praise God! Yes! We are more than conquerors through Him! Take this Scripture, or whatever Scripture applies to your situation and begin to sing it out loud! Eat it, digest it, make it become a part of you until this is your signature.

Take time out every day to sit and meditate on God’s Word; play a worship CD while cleaning the house, or getting dressed in the morning. Soak in His Presence, and as you do, you will become a symphony of praise and He will enter in to give you riches in glory above and beyond what you could ever think of or imagine.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Blessed Thanksgiving Day Celebration.

God bless you!

Rev. Dr. Barbara Anne Yovino