Pray revolution

Thursdays at Sanctuary 21 are becoming slightly manic.

We cook a breakfast of bacon sandwiches and coffee and it draws many needy people, especially the homeless into our community.

This morning was particularly mad, but massively fruitful.

A kingdom kind of fruitful.

It just moves me.

Im hopeless at times.

Shedding secret tears as I see and hear stories unfolding of lives that are so broken and hopelessly lost.

This morning a number of us who work with these guys, probably work is too harsher word, maybe befriend is better, sat with different groups of them and ate breakfast and chatted.

The guys I sat with started an interesting conversation. Both of these guys sleep on the streets and were not in the best of states this morning.

One guy asked the other, "what would start a revolution in your life?" The guy replied, "To wear a new suit with a shirt and tie, and proper shoes."

He went on to say "it would make me feel like a businessman."

The question was then thrown back.

"So what would start a revolution in your life?"

"To see my prayers answered for Davey the dog."

Davey the dog, a nickname for a guy who is homeless and who has cancer, is a guy these other guys take care of.

As I sat in the conversation, the question came to me. "Gary what would start a revolution in your life?"

I was glad to share that a revolution had started in my life when I came across Jesus of Nazareth.

I thought about what these guys were saying.

I was intrigued that they saw praying as the start of a revolution. So I says to both these desperately needy people, "Do you pray then guys."

"Yeah" came back the reply.

"It changes everything for us."

I was startled into silence.

How these guys need a revolution.

The same revolution that has changed my whole being.

And here were voices direct from the street reminding me that prayer is revolutionary.

I heard the call this morning.

I heard it as I saw Jesus in the faces of the broken.

This Christmas, amidst all the good and necessary practical things we who have been revolutionised by God will do. Lets make sure we put prayer at the heart of it all.

Because spiritual change is what needy people really need.

Pray for those who are in desperate need of a revolution.

In desperate need of a saviour.

In other words a radical shake up of their lives that leads to total transformation.

Lets put our backs in to praying for those less fortunate.

Let the revolution begin.

Marching

In the scheme of things, reading 1 Chronicles 11: 4-9 this morning in a silent prayer space in sanctuary 21 Durham, I am reminded of just how massive God is.

Actually I can't even begin to understand just how awesome he is.

But this morning?

This morning I feel it.

The awesome presence of God.

It's so awesome the room seems thick with electricity.

And you know what?

God is speaking into the thick, highly charged atmosphere.

This is what he is showing me and I have a heavy feeling I have to share this today.

The truth that will not sit well with those who put their salt in "religious", the man-ordained or the fruitless power games that so many get caught up in, is this, that God always wins!

I love the opening couple of verses of this scripture.

David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (That is Jebus). The Jebusites who lived there said to David, "you will not get in here."

And this next line just cracks me up!

Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion-which is the City of David.

There is no mention of the battle that must of ensued. Just someone told David that he wasnt going to win, But in the next breath here we see David obviously a conqueror despite what others were saying.

In other words, whatever man says about any situation, If God wants something different to happen it is going to happen.

I've had a great year this last year, spiritually. which is amazing because we live in such a spiritually dry part of the UK. God has spoken specifically to us about our ministry this year. and we have shared this with people. Some of them people have said, "that will not happen."

God says Gary, march up to your Jerusalem.

So whatever man says?

I'm marching.

I think this is the key to the feeling of utter freedom I have been walking in this year.

And I feel it and I embrace it.

The scripture goes on to say, "David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David. he built up the city around it, from the terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city. And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord almighty was with him."

Here is what the Spirit of God says to you this morning.

"If something seems over or blocked or dead in the water? Then hear this."

"IT AIN'T OVER."

"March up to your Jerusalem, in other words those dreams and visions I lay on your heart. Those things I set you to fight for despite the opposition.2

Of course the key to all of this is found in the last line of this scripture, "David became more and more powerful because the Lord almighty was with him."

Rememeber today it's good to value opposition, we can learn so much from it, we can shape our lives for the better if we learn from it. But remember that God always wins so no opposition, no matter how powerful they or it might think they are, no matter what someone may be saying to you about that God-felt thing you have deep inside you, such as that can't or won't happen?

If God has ordained it?

No-one, nowhere, at no time past present or future will ever stop the plans of God for our lives!

So rise today.

Get your head up.

March.

Just like David.

Despite the opposition?

The Lord almighty is with you.

So victory is sure.

Blessings guys.

Sundown

How I miss Liverpool, how I miss the city life.

I am a city boy through and through.

I love the fast pace.

I love the sound of the sirens, the traffic, the beautiful notes produced by commerce and trade, the constant interruptions caused by business ringtones on the latest smart phones.

I love all major Cities.

I operate better in them.

But most of all?

I do miss the city that’s in my heart.

Liverpool.

There is a saying that says you can take the boy out of Liverpool, but you can’t take Liverpool out of the boy.

And I know just how true that is.

But for now?

I don’t live there.

I remember the first time I returned home to Liverpool within a week of moving to my appointment in the north East.

I was so homesick, I had to just get in the car and drive back to the city.

That was nearly four years ago.

I remember the drive well.

It was a gorgeous summer evening. The sun had been staring down on earth from its constantly changing position in a cloudless almost aqua-marine blue sky.
As I drove smoothly on an almost traffic less M6 motorway, I approached the City of my childhood, the city of my youth, the city that was my home for the largest part of my life so far.

As I approached the end of the motorway the sun began to set.

It seemed to increase in size as it descended toward the precision straight line of the horizon.

Its colour also seemed to become deep red, a deep red that was so deep it soothed your eyes with its beauty.
And it was then that I heard God’s voice.

I heard him speak into my mind, but more importantly I heard his voice deep in my heart.

His words were like golden oil.

“You need to let the sun go down on Liverpool.” I have work for you to do elsewhere. One day you will return when the time is right.”

This week I’ve been speaking in various places in the UK. God has been moving.

I noticed that I prayed with a number of people who were in the situation I am describing. Do I stay or do I go? This seemed to be a common thread in what people were asking for prayer for.

Not just for geographical moves, but people wanting to move on from situations that they had hung around, or let hang around them, for maybe too long.

Do I stay or do I go?

It’s a hard question. I obviously can't answer that.

God has the answers to that.

But I do know this, that sometimes there is a time that comes where we have to draw the line on something.

Of course the closer to our heart that the situation is that we face, the more difficult to actually let it go.

But you know, I feel spiritually compelled to write this tonight, so I guess someone reading this tonight will know God is speaking to you.

Here is a scripture to help you clarify some things maybe?

“No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9: 62

God has so much for us in the future.

There is so much to do.

And no matter how hard it is we need to stop ourselves from looking back. I was getting tied up in knots when I kept looking back to the place I love the most on the planet.

I had to let go.

I had to let the sun go down on it.

I had to close that chapter.

And open a new one.

While I wasn’t letting the sun go down, I was not fit for work. Well I did it, but I wasn’t as sharp as God needed me to be.

Here is what the Spirit of God says tonight.

Be full of courage and draw the line. Put your hand to the plough, move into the future boldly and confidently. Even if you don’t know what’s waiting there, in the future, I’m there so come, claim what I have for you.

Do not look back.

Let the sun go down on what you know needs to be finished.

Treasure

OK I’m a bit on the sad side sometimes!

I admit it, I love archaeology!

I have a Time Team addiction, Tony Robinson and all that.

If God had not called me into ministry, I would have definitely been an archaeologist!

Last week dawn and I were in London for our appraisal. One of the mornings we decided to go for a coffee. We walked for about a mile from the conference centre where we were staying, and found a fantastic coffee shop and loaded ourselves with skinny cappuccino’s that were so deliciously gorgeous I could have drank ten cups!

While we were walking to find the coffee place we came upon some work being done to a wall that separated the pavement from somebody’s front garden. The pavement was sealed off and we had to walk around. The workmen had dismantled the very old bricks and piled them up ready for rebuilding. The wall, which was a high wall about six feet high, had been almost pushed over by the earth of the front garden that was raised to about three feet. So where the wall had been dismantled all you could see was a three foot high block of brown earth.

I am always fascinated by the earth.

This is really how sad I am, I get excited by the thought of what lies beneath the ground surface.

Naturally my eyes were drawn to the three foot high block of earth.

I could see bits of old pottery, old wood, and a bit of metal.

How breathtakingly exciting that is! (Not, I almost hear you say!)

Treasures buried for who knows how long.

That’s archaeology!

The trouble is because I didn’t study archaeology I haven’t got a clue what these bits of treasure were telling me!

Dawn thinks I’m mad!

I got so excited over a few bits of broken pot!

I think secretly she doesn’t know which pot is the most cracked! Me or the stuff in the ground!
After I’d checked out the bit of old ground, a scripture hit me.

It’s a scripture that has kind of protected my ministry as someone gave it me the day I became a Salvation Army officer and it has been in my head at the best and worst of times.

Isaiah 45: 1-3: This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armour, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut. I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

I couldn’t get that piece of earth out of my head, and in my mind’s eye I could see that there was hidden treasure buried in the ground, concealed for years.

I began to filter through in my head some of the bad times I’ve experienced in my life.

We all go through them sometimes.

I remember early on in my ministry I struggled with some of the religious rubbish that the church has constructed over the centuries that frankly has prevented people from getting close to God or crushed people’s dreams and visions. After one particular struggle I remember a wise friend of mine in Liverpool giving me a piece of advice that has helped me so much. He said Gary whatever the situation you have to take the treasure out of it.

In other words there is always treasure hidden in every situation, things that can change your thinking and your actions, things that you can build on.

Sometimes in life there seems to be a lot of dirt and not much treasure.

But you know guys it is there.

They reckon that large parts of the UK are hiding treasures from the past just waiting to be discovered.

Here is God through Isaiah promising us that he will give us hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places.

What an amazingly spectacular promise that is.

Whatever situation you are in right now, especially if you can’t see your way through the dirt of something then know this, in that dirt there is treasure waiting to be discovered.

Treasures that can add to our lives, that can make us better people.

But you have to dig for treasure.

And digging is hard work
.
However hard the ground may seem, that situation you’re in, if you look beyond the dirt, work hard to look beyond it, you will find the treasure that God has for you.

And it’s there.

Because God promises us it is.

Blessings

How far would you go to pray for someone in need?

Praying today, my mind was overwhelmed by a story.
It was a story told to a class of students of which I was one at William Booth college in London.

It was told by an old Salvation Army officer long retired but teaching biblical prophecy.

This guy had been working for years in remote locations in Africa, taking the gospel into deep dark areas that were littered with poverty and people who had never heard of Jesus.

When he taught, he never used notes or planned a lecture, he just used to open a battered old bible and start to talk.

His voice was like an anaesthetic really, but that didn't really matter because he oozed Jesus.

And his stories demanded your total attention.

He was telling us that when he was a young minister in a very remote African village, he became extremely ill with some rare viral disease. So ill that he was a whisker away from death.

After a long and hard battle with the illness he suddenly awoke from his delirious stupor. He was weak but alive and seemingly well.

Sitting at the bottom of the bed was another Salvation Army Officer, a willowy and painfully thin old man of seventy three.

It turned out that this old officer had heard God in a dream say he needed to go to this village because a young man was ill and he needed to pray for him.

The two officers did not know each other.

The problem was the village was 350 miles away from where the old man lived.

So the old guy got on his bike and pedalled three hundred and fifty miles in obedience to God.

He stayed and prayed passionately over the young guy until his fever broke.

When the young guy awoke, the old guy said a final prayer and cycled three hundred and fifty miles back to his own village.

I don't know why I recalled this story today.

I just did.

But it has really challenged me.

I asked myself the question this morning, how far would I go to pray passionately for someone?

How far?

How obedient am in the act of responding to God's prompting?

I start here today because I believe God has asked me to throw this question over to whoever reads my blog today.

So I challenge you.

No, God challenges us to ask ourselves.

How far?

How far would we go when someone is in need?

Massive blessings on your life today.