Gates and Doors

“Who is this King of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty,  the Lord mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O you gates!  Lift up, you everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.  Selah.”  Psalms 24: 8-10

Father, You are the King of glory.  Lord, we recognize that You are strong and mighty in battle.  We lift up our heads and ask you to enter into the gates and doors of Deeper Still.   Let Deeper Still reflect Your glory.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

Judy Townsend is heading up the Deeper Still Chapter in Illinois.  She emailed me recently with some very insightful wisdom that the Lord had shared with her that echoed a post from last week.

She said:

“We should not venture anywhere if He is not in it and working it.  I was reading the Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis…pursuing glory is highly desirous and pleases the Lord.  But, we should not ever feel like we have found it end of story, or substitute the vehicle that the glory comes in as the glory itself.  C.S. Lewis describes it as constantly pursuing a beautiful song playing in another room, or searching for a flower giving off a beautiful scent or longing for a country we have never visited.”

She also shared something Beth Moore once said:

"When you touch the glory, you lose the power".

In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites went to battle with the Philistines.  They took the ark of the covenant into battle with them thinking that it would win the battle for them.

They said, “Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”  (1 Samuel 4:3)

They did not pray and did not fast.  Their hearts were reliant on the box, the material figure of the ark, and not on the power of God.  They thought they were touching the glory, but the power needed to be ignited by their “cry outs” in prayer.  They lost the battle.

If one thinks he has touched the glory, he will stop seeking His glory.  Once someone has stopped seeking His glory, the power fades. 

The Lord is the one who does the work.  He is the healer.  This only happens when we have come to the end of ourselves and cry out to Him to do the work. The battle is His. 

 

There is only One King of glory.  Who is this King of Glory?  Jesus.

Oh, how we need your cry outs in prayer to entreat the power of God.  There is no power without His glory.  We are but gates and doors.   Thank you for your heart felt cries for His glory.  

Desperate for Hem (or Him)

“When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.’  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.”  Mark 5: 27-29

Father, we thank you that the Deeper Still participants will push through the obstacles and hindrances in front of them to come to the Deeper Still retreat to reach the hem of Your garment.  Father, we thank you that when they come, desperate for Your healing touch, that Your power always flows and heals.  We pray they would receive Your healing as they come.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

In Mark, Chapter 5, is the story of the woman with the issue of blood who pushed through the crowd because she had heard about Jesus.  She was desperate:

Desperate for healing. 

Desperate for the Healer. 

How desperate was she?  She dealt with this issue of blood for twelve years!  She went to many doctors and was not better, but rather grew worse!  I can only imagine her desperation.  Someone had told her about Jesus, about the Healer and she only knew she needed to get to Him.  No thronging crowd was going to stop her from receiving her healing! 

The women and men coming to the retreat are no different.   Some of them have lived with their affliction for twelve years or more.  Some may have even been to counseling or tried medication in hopes of being free from their issues.  They may not have an issue of blood like the woman above, but the very hope of finding freedom is indeed an issue of the Blood!  The Blood of Christ has covered it all.  Their righteousness, healing, and freedom has already been bought!  They just need to push through the crowd, reach out, touch the hem, and grab hold of it. 

“He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.’” Mark 5:34

As the women and men touch the hem of his garment and receive His power, He gives them a garment: a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  His garment makes us well, full of peace and healed.  They press through to receive healing and go out in peace, healed of their affliction. 

Thank you for praying that no obstacles will keep them from coming to touch the hem of Jesus. 

We Cry Out

“Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us do not bring us up from here...

So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Exodus 33:15, 17-18

Dear Heavenly Father, El Shaddai, we cry out to you.  You alone can heal.  You alone can save.  Father, we don’t want to go anywhere if you don’t go with us.  Father, we thank you for your mighty Presence.  We know we can do nothing on our own.  We ask for You to show Your favor, grace, and healing power through the ministry of Deeper Still.  We ask for more of You.  We ask for You to show Deeper Still Your glory.  In Jesus’ Mighty and Holy Name, Amen.

During the Deeper Still Team meeting this past week, Karen Ellison said something to the effect of:

“If the Lord isn’t in it, I don’t want to do it.  I don’t want to do anything without the power of God.” 

How true.  

Moses refused to go out if the Lord’s presence was not with Him.  In the same way, we don't want to do anything if the Lord is not in it.  Nothing of eternal value can happen without the Lord’s power at work in and through us by His Holy Spirit.  We have no power to heal, no power to love, no power to bring freedom.  Only Jesus can set the captives free.  We need El Shaddai, God Almighty. 

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been drawn to the name El Shaddai.  I remember singing the song “El Shaddai” by Amy Grant often as a girl and feeling the power of God in it.

Kari Jobe has a song out called, "We Cry Out".  Every time I sing the name El Shaddai in that song, again I sense my ever-present God in a powerful way.  Oh Lord, how we rely on Your name.  You are so mighty and worthy to be praised.  Thank you for your all-surpassing power. 

God Almighty.  Lord Most High.  El Shaddai.

  

Thank you for praying this with us today.  We know His power is at work.  We need Him.  We cherish your prayers.

"We Cry Out" by Kari Jobe

Battlement

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory;  no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."  Psalms 84:11 

Father, we thank You that You are our sun and shield.  Father, we thank you that you give grace and glory to the Deeper Still Ministry Team and that You do not withhold any good thing.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.  

This was my son's memory verse this week and I love it!  "The Lord God is a sun and shield."   I did some research on the word "sun" and it can mean brilliant, shining, or battlement. 

Battlement?  Huh?  What does that mean?  I googled it. (Gotta love Google!) A battlement is the top part of a castle with indentions in the walls that outline the upper portion.  They were used as protective agents during attack.   On towers or building tops, the flat roof is used as the protected fighting platform.  How awesome is it that our God is our battlement as we fight for freedom?!

The Lord God shines brilliantly and surrounds us as a battlement and shield to support us and protect us especially during battle! 

Thank you for joining the Lord in surrounding us in prayer as we go to battle.

Thank you for praying this verse with us today.  Praying the same for you,  Deeper Still prayer partners.  

Thank you, Lord, for these prayer partners you have brought to support Deeper Still Ministry in prayer. Lord, I thank you that you are their sun and shield.  Thank you that you give grace and glory and withhold no good thing from them as they walk uprightly with you.   In Jesus' Name, Amen.