Saturday, December 15, 2007

Letter from Gloria To Prayer Warriors & Loved Ones Everywhere

Leaving Missouri
International House of Prayer
It is with a heavy heart that we pack to leave Missouri and our delightful time of growth at IHOP (International House of Prayer… http://www.ihop.org/
Many have asked our itinerary and God has already made adjustments to where and when I thought we would be going. Our next stop on our mission trip is now Gaffney, SC, our hometown. I truly feel it is a stop on our trip and that God will use us to minister to children and others while we are there. Please pray for wisdom, obedient hearts and open doors for us as we leave. God has also opened doors and laid on our hearts other stops not previously planned. We are praying for Divine direction and timing from Him.

Harry Truman’s house on an icy Missouri day. Truman was the instrumental political figure in Israel becoming a nation in 1948. This event is a key to set the stage for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Lessons Learned
The boys and I have discussed what we are taking with us from here and how we feel God is calling us to minister as we go. May I take a few minutes of your time and share what is new to my heart from the Lord?

1) The Bible is God’s Word to us, individually.
I’ve always had a holy reverence for the Bible. In the last several years I’ve come to know and believe that the Bible is true, completely. As a Christian, I am called to believe. What is new to me since spending the last 3 and one half months in prayer and fasting is that it is my responsibility to study and pray over the word. I will one day stand before the Lord (as we all will) and give an accounting for my life. That accounting is based on the divine directions God has given us in His Word (The Bible). My lack of knowledge for His truth (in other words my lack of knowledge of the Bible) will not be an excuse. I cannot depend on my church, pastor, parents, or friends to feed me the truth (these can be legitimate ways of learning the truth of the Bible, but cannot be our main avenue). This understanding helps me to place a high value on my time of studying the Bible every day. I pray you place a high value on that as well.
2) A lifestyle of prayer and fasting
This lifestyle is radical. John the Baptist was radical. Jesus was radical. If drawing closer to God is radical, I pray He will make me the most radical of all. If falling in love with Jesus makes me look foolish, then who better to be foolish about than Jesus Christ? Call me a fool for Jesus and I will be flattered. When you want to be intimate with someone what do you do? You spend as much time as possible with Him. Prayer is spending time with God. When you fall in love with someone you make sacrifices for them. Fasting is a form of self sacrifice that brings our natural desires in line and makes us weak before the Lord. The rewards for this lifestyle are beyond explanation.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 1 Corinthians 12:9

3) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
Oh the power of meekness! Our culture would teach us to “look after number one” or “be assertive”, yet the Bible teaches truth. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6. This is yet another reason to know the Bible and understand the truth of God. Don’t be deceived by popular culture.

4) Seek to be great in the eyes of God.
This concept is still new to me. I am praying for God to teach me what greatness in His eyes is. My prayer is to be great in Him. Join me and pray for God to teach you too.

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19

There are many more deep truths we’ve learned. Want to know more?....just ask. ; )



Reid and my Missouri daughter, Adrianna (lived with us) playing worship songs on Reid’s keyboard…. Pray for Adrianna and Amber as God calls them to their ministry.


May God bless you and make you radical for Him during this holy Christmas season.

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ...for you serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24. NKJV