A Study in Prayer

Luke 11:1 NLT
(1)  Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As He finished, one of His disciples came to Him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

First Level: The Father

Luke 11:2 KJV
(2)  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

The first level involves a right understanding of who God is.

He is Father.  

Romans 8:14-16 KJV
(14)  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(15)  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
(16)  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Exodus 6:3 KJV
(3)  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty (El Shaddai), but by my name JEHOVAH (Yahweh) was I not known to them.

El ShaDai (אֵל שָׁדַּי)is just one of the many names of God in Hebrew. El means “God.” The rest, however, is slightly more complicated.

In our Bibles, אֵל שָׁדַּי “El Shadai” is most often (mistakenly) translated as “God Almighty”. The main reason for this stems from an opinion that Hebrew word שָׂדַּי ShaDai is connected with the verb לְשְׁדוד liShDoD, which means “to destroy” or “overpower”.  For example, Hebrew word for “bandit” has the same root –שׁודֵד ShoDeD.

El Shadai אֵל שָׁדַּי does have another meaning though. The word שָׁד ShaD has a much closer grammatical connection to ShaDai and it means – “breast.” Moreover, when a word ends with an “i”or “ai” it is almost always means “my”. So, literally, “El Shadai” could very well mean “God (is) my Breast/s”.

If we consider this intriguing imagery as interpretive possibility we may see that the breast is one of the key symbols of sustenance and parental love passed on from God, the parent, to humanity, God’s child. So instead of “God Almighty”, El Shadai should probably be translated as “God All-sufficient” instead.

Abba = nuturing motherly love = El Shaddai

Father = Lawgiver = Yahweh 

Love without Law = lawlessness       Law without Love = Legalism

God is a perfect Father.  He combines love with the discipline necessary to bring us to maturity.

Second Level: The friend

Luke 11:5-10 NLT
(5)  Then, teaching them more about prayer, He used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,
(6)  'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.'
(7)  And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.'
(8)  But I tell you this—though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
(9)  "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
(10)  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

John 15:15 NLT
(15)  I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in His slaves. Now you are My friends, since I have told you everything the Father told Me.

James 2:23 KJV
(23)  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

There are things, secret things, that you share with a friend but not your children.

Psalms 103:7 KJV
(7)  He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Psalms 103:7 GNB
(7)  He revealed his plans to Moses and let the people of Israel see his mighty deeds.

Psalms 103:7 NLT
(7)  He revealed His character to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel.


Third Level: The Judge, an appeal in the judicial system

Luke 18:1-8 KJV
(1)  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
(2)  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
(3)  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
(4)  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
(5)  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
(6)  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
(7)  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
(8)  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

1 Peter 5:8 KJV
(8)  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

The enemy cannot devour at will.  He can only devour where he has found a legal right.

adversary = G476  ἀντίδικος  antidikos  an-tid'-ee-kos
From G473 and G1349; an opponent (in a lawsuit); specifically Satan (as the arch enemy): - adversary.

Revelation 19:11 KJV
(11)  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Judge first, then make war.

judge = G2919  κρίνω  krinō  kree'-no
Properly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish: - avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.

Revelation 12:10 KJV
(10)  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

accuser = G2725  κατήγορος  katēgoros  kat-ay'-gor-os
From G2596 and G58; against one in the assembly, that is, a complainant at law; specifically Satan: - accuser.

accused = G2723  κατηγορέω  katēgoreō  kat-ay-gor-eh'-o
From G2725; to be a plaintiff, that is, to charge with some offence: - accuse, object.

Review:
Level 1 - praying for your own needs
Level 2 - interceding for others
Level 3 - dealing with an adversary

How does the enemy build a case against us or a loved one?

Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT
(26)  And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry,
(27)  for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

How does the enemy build a case against us or a loved one?

Through Sin, Transgression, Iniquity

Psalms 32:1-2 KJV
(1)  A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  (2)  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Psalms 51:1-2 KJV
(1)  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  (2)  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Sin = to miss the mark.  This goes to motive and the intent of the heart.

Job offered sacrifices to cover the sins of his children.  The motive of the sacrifice was not love for God but to manipulate or to cause God to turn a blind eye to the indiscretions of his children.

There is a testimony attached to your offering.

Transgression = to step across the line.  It is an activity as opposed to a motive of the heart.

Iniquity = bloodline, gives the enemy a legal right.

Exodus 20:5 KJV
(5)  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Leviticus 17:11 NLT
(11)  for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.

Hebrews 7:9-10 KJV
(9)  And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
(10)  For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

2 Samuel 21:1 KJV
(1)  Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.







Courtroom Prayer

Battlefield prayer vs Courtroom prayer  =  different strategy necessary for success

Judge first to take away rights and then do battle

God calls Himself our Father. Hidden in that name is an objective. A goal. It’s about a relationship. He’s our Dad. We’re his children. Nothing will ever supersede that from His perspective. And we ought to keep that in mind when going to the courts of heaven. We might feel like obtaining healing is our main objective, but our attorney and the Judge, might feel like spending time together is more important.

Don’t misunderstand.  It's not that your current situation isn’t important to them. It is important. God is our healer and our provider. But 50 years from now your present crisis will be long forgotten. If you go to the court hundreds of times and receive all the right verdicts but spend no time getting to know Jesus and the Father, what have you gained of real value?

This is a caution against seeing the courts mainly as way to obtain healing or some other thing you want. Healing is good. But the good has a way of becoming the enemy of the best. The best will always be building a stronger, more vibrant relationship with God. That’s the main thing. Verdicts and outcomes are secondary. (And it may take time for us to learn how to correctly evaluate them anyway.)

Daily Manna

The Israelites were told to gather manna six days a week.  They were told that no manna would fall on the seventh day so on the sixth day they were to gather a double portion (Exodus 16:26).  There were no designated food gatherers.  Everyone was to take part.  Some gathered a lot some gathered a little (Exodus 16:17).  

Jesus said that He was the bread that came down from heaven and whoever comes to Him will never hunger (John 6:35).  How do you consume the living bread?  Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1).  When we study scripture we are feasting on His Word.  As believers, it is our responsibility to gather our own spiritual food on a daily basis.  If we don't eat, we become weak and die.  

That pattern of gathering for six days and resting on the seventh seems to have been turned around in today's church setting.  Most people fail to do their own gathering on the six days of the week leaving the work to a designated gatherer, usually the pastor.  Then they go to church on Sunday and expect to be spoon fed enough nourishment to last through the next week.   

On the sixth day, the Israelites were to gather twice as much manna so that they would have a supply on the seventh day when no manna would fall.  Is that a warning to us?  If a day is as a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8) and it has been six thousand years since Adam, that would put us at the end of the sixth day.  We want to be sure that we have stored up enough manna for the seventh day.

Amos 8:11 KJV  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Exodus 16:26 KJV  Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

Exodus 16:17 NLT  So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little.

John 6:35 NLT  Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.

John 1:1 KJV  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

2 Peter 3:8 KJV  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Shall Not the Judge of all the Earth Do Right?

Genesis 18:23-26 NLT  Abraham approached Him and said, "Will You sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?  (24)  Suppose You find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will You still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?  (25)  Surely You wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, You would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely You wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"  (26)  And the LORD replied, "If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake."

Do you recall this conversation where Abraham interceded for the inhabitants of Sodom?  By the time it came to a conclusion the number of righteous people necessary to save the city of Sodom had been whittled down to 10.  Just 10.  And they could not be found.  Sodom was destroyed and forever after used as a message to all who would live ungodly lives.  

Jude 1:7 KJV  Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Abraham knew that God, as the Judge of all the earth, would do right, but sometimes we do not understand His methods and actions because we can't see the whole picture of what He is doing.  Tradition has taught us to interpret scripture along certain lines and it is very difficult to think outside of the religious box that we were born into.

Jesus (Yahshua) is the way, the truth and the life.  He mentioned Sodom when He spoke to the people in the city of Capernaum.  

Matthew 11:20-24 KJV  Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:  (21)  Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  (22)  But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.  (23)  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  (24)  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Stop and think about what Jesus (Yahshua) said.  If the miracles that He had done were done in Sodom, the city and it's people would not have been destroyed.  Tyre and Sidon would have repented in sackcloth and ashes, like the city of Ninevah did at the preaching of Jonah.  

So if God knew what would cause the people of those cities to repent, why didn't He do it?  Would a righteous judge withhold the very thing that made the difference between life and death for thousands of people?  It doesn't make sense according to our natural way of thinking.  We need to remember what it says in Isaiah:

Isaiah 55:8 KJV  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

We need to climb out of our religious box and realize that God punished the people of those cities for their sins, but He was not finished with them yet.  They will be raised to stand in judgment and then they will see what was hidden from them in their lifetime.  Jesus said they would have repented if they had seen the miracles.  How much more so will they repent when confronted with Him in all His glory?

In Ezekiel 16, Yahweh is confronting Israel and Judah with their sins.  Ezekiel 16:48 NLT  As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters.

Yahweh is righteous.  He is going to judge Israel, and all sinners.  Judgment involves chastisment, punishment and correction that is used to change behavior. This judgment takes place at the Great White Throne.  

Sodom was destroyed, but that is not the end of the story.  Read about it in Ezekiel 16 where Yahweh is condemning the nation of Judah for their great sins in contrast to Samaria (Israel) and Sodom.

Ezekiel 16:52-62 NLT  Shame on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous, even virtuous.  (53)  "But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and Samaria, and I will restore you, too.  (54)  Then you will be truly ashamed of everything you have done, for your sins make them feel good in comparison.  (55)  Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria, and all their people will be restored, and at that time you also will be restored.  (56)  In your proud days you held Sodom in contempt.  (57)  But now your greater wickedness has been exposed to all the world, and you are the one who is scorned—by Edom and all her neighbors and by Philistia.  (58)  This is your punishment for all your lewdness and detestable sins, says the LORD.  (59)  "Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will give you what you deserve, for you have taken your solemn vows lightly by breaking your covenant.  (60)  Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.  (61)  Then you will remember with shame all the evil you have done. I will make your sisters, Samaria and Sodom, to be your daughters, even though they are not part of our covenant.  (62)  And I will reaffirm My covenant with you, and you will know that I am the LORD.

The promise is that not only Judah and Israel will be restored, but also Sodom.  The people of Sodom did not repent before their death so when will it happen?

Hebrews 9:27 KJV  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

At the Great White Throne Judgment this will be heard:

Isaiah 45:22-24 KJV  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.  (23)  I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.  (24)  Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

Romans 14:11-12 KJV  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  (12)  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Philippians 2:10-11 KJV  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  (11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Solar Eclipse of 2017

Solar eclipses are very common.  So what would make America's total solar eclipse of 2017 stand out as different.  Is there anything about this event that would cause one to pause and consider.  

Let's look.

When considering the information presented in this post it is good to remember a few things from scripture.

1.  Genesis 1:14 says that the sun and moon are for "signs, and for seasons and for days and years."  The word 'signs' in that verse could also be translated as omen or warning.

2.  Amos 3:7 NLT  Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until He reveals His plans to His servants the prophets.

3.  In scripture, the name of a person or place had great significance.  The names were given for a reason.  

The link below is to a blog that references 7 cities named Salem that are in this eclipse's path of totality. The name Salem means peace. The number 7 is the number of spiritual perfection - also something that is complete. Seven American cities named Salem were darkened by this event.  

http://blog.chrisify.com/2017/08/the-seven-salems-of-eclipse-coincidence.html?m=1%C2%A0

I did a search to confirm the reference to a city of Salem in Wyoming. This is what I found. Salem, WY.  That Salem is no longer a city. The picture shows a cemetery with the name Salem and an American flag on either side.  

A friend of mine used Google Maps and found a street named Salem in Carbondale, located just south of the Southern Illinois University.  The University has a page on its website that says "Southern Illinois - the Eclipse Crossroads of America." http://eclipse.siu.edu/  That is because the two solar eclipses, the one this year and the one to come in 2024, intersect over the city of Carbondale.  See the picture below.

The region around Southern Illinois is also known as Little Egypt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Illinois

Symbolically, in Scripture, Egypt can be seen to represent the world (unbelievers) or Babylon,  Because America has, for the most part, turned her back on God, there are some who apply those terms to America in our time.

The darkness over the region of "Little Egypt" speaks of a judgment to fall on the world and the things that are contrary to God.  Because it is centered in America, it would seem that judgment is starting here.  

The book of Revelation has this warning to God's people in reference to Babylon (which is also symbolized as Egypt):

Revelation 18:4 KJV  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

It is not saying that we have to physically leave America, but that we need to separate ourselves from the apostasy that has taken over our country.  We need to repent personally of our own sins and pray for a spirit of repentance for the nation. (2 Tim 2:25,26) Those two things are necessary for us to receive God's mercy during this time. 

The Israelites lived in Egypt when the darkness fell on that nation.  But the Israelites were protected by the hand of God.

Exodus 10:21-23 KJV  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.  (22)  And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:  (23)  They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.