Is There Hunger?

Is There Hunger?

by | May 21, 2021 | Intimacy With God, Kingdom Culture, Prayer And Worship

Is There Hunger?

While reading about the Azusa revival that began in 1906, I was struck by how hungry the people were for God. There was a great eagerness to seek out the deep things of God. The people knew that there was more and they were willing to put in the time to search it out.   

William Seymour turned to God whenever there was a dispute. I believe that the trials that he encountered served to strengthen his pursuit of God. After being invited to Los Angeles he was locked out of the church over a disagreement of theology. With nowhere to go, a family from the church allowed him to stay with them. Seymour responded not with anger or retaliation, but by closing himself in the bedroom to seek God with prayer and fasting. Seymour spent three hours a day in prayer until a fellow minister gave him a word that God wanted him to increase that time to five hours. Even after revival broke out, Seymour continued to spend at least five hours a day in prayer. 

Seymour used a key that so many seem to lack today: hunger. He had a hunger to see what God had placed in his heart come to fullness. Specifically, he hungered to see the baptism of Holy Spirit fall as it did in the days of the apostles. Even before experiencing the baptism himself, Seymour preached and prayed for others to receive the baptism of Holy Spirit. Hunger had given him an insatiable desire for something that was yet to come. True hunger from God always produces a prophetic cry for something yet to come. It decrees salvation for the lost. It stands firm in the middle of persecution. In fact, trials produce the key components for glory. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18a states, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”   

When seeking God, neither time nor difficulty is of any effect, only hunger. Pursuit of God with hunger will cause every issue or obstruction in your life to give way for deeper realms of presence. Every issue or sickness must come into alignment with the word of God. As you hunger for God, even the biggest issues begin to fade into a place of lesser concern, replaced with a revelation of God’s heart.   

It’s in this place of transformed desires that our plans and concerns align with heaven. What does that alignment look like? Progressively, your concerns are replaced with God’s heart. What He is passionate about increasingly becomes your passion. You may find yourself moved for a city or nation. I have spent days in tearful intercession for the nation of Brazil and more recently, the state of New York. The Lord has given me dreams revealing His heart for these places. He has shown me the revival that will break out and How he will move across the nation and globe as a result of what He does there. As I press into His heart for these places, the mantle of intercession has started to rest on me.   

The concerns I had for my job, my health, and ministry shrunk away in light of the burning heart that I now had for revival. Every trial was producing in me a greater glory that has carried me to a place of greater anointing. I found myself praying what Isaiah prayed, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) Any true glimpse of God’s heart will force a realignment of priorities. As my revelation of God has increased over the past few years, my goals, ambitions, likes, and desires have shifted. As the glory has increased on me, my primary concern has been on hosting the presence and stewarding the heart of God well.   

Years ago, I began decreeing the words of Christ in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” I didn’t know exactly what I was asking for, I just knew that hunger was the ticket for more. I can now attest to the fact that there is no greater satisfaction than following the heart of God. When you contribute meaningfully to what God is yearning for, your heart will overflow with the joy of heaven. The more you abandon to see His will accomplished the more your joy will be full. Hunger is the opening to release the satisfaction of heaven. Obedience is the vehicle to see it fulfilled. Hunger produces obedience. Obedience releases greater glory, and His presence releases fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)  

How will you respond to God showing you His heart for a city? Are you prepared to place His priorities above your own? Are you ready to intercede until the answer comes? God is calling for those who have a hunger for the harvest. I pray that He will send you into the field with a burning desire to see His agenda accomplished in the earth.    

 

Understanding Worship

Understanding Worship

by | Mar 20, 2019 | Prayer And Worship

Understanding Worship

In a recent conversation with a friend, he revealed that he often feels awkward during worship. He pointed out that some people seemed sad and were crying, while others seemed happy and were rejoicing. To be honest, he makes a lot of sense. For those new to prophetic worship, the whole experience can look a bit strange. 

Let’s start by defining prophetic worship 

What exactly makes worship “prophetic”? Simply, it is worshiping in response to what we hear and see from heaven. You could also call it “Throne Room Worship.” Jesus said to the woman at the well, “…But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24) I have found that in my own worship, anything short of worshiping in spirit empty. Worshiping in this way is more about us than Him. But, when we worship in spirit, we are open to hear and see the heart of the Father. Jesus taught, “the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19b)  

 

Truthfully, I too have felt embarrassed in worship many times, especially when I first began lifting my hands and expressing myself. While some seem to worship freely with no inhibitions, it took me quite some time to open up. So, if you identify with this statement, that’s ok. The beautiful thing is that God is more excited to see you in this process than you can even imagine!  

 

Recently, I recall seeing people lining up to meet Queen Elizabeth. I was taken with the range of emotions on the people. She moved through the crowd surrounded by her entourage, she greeted everyone with her characteristic smile and wave. Every step and turn were clearly marked and planned in advance by her team. Children stood with flowers, timidly approaching to present them to their queen, no doubt a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Some were giddy with excitement while many stood with somber respect. Several children were overcome with emotions and were seen with tears on their cheeks. All eagerly desired a personal glimpse or smile from the queen. I couldn’t help but think, if all of this is perfectly normal in the presence of such a significant and poignant figure, why would we expect any less emotion in the presence of our King?  

What are we Reflecting?  

Ask Yourself: “Does my response genuinely reflect the greatness of who God is?” The more we tamper with our response, the less genuine it becomes. Some sing, some laugh, some cry, some rejoice, still others wilt with heaviness. In my own life, I have experienced nearly every range of emotions in God’s presence. We often ask, “does it matter how we respond?” The answer is mostly no. What matters is that we DO respond. The most genuine response will be one that arises out of our spirit, almost unexpectedly. Our flesh can only serve to distract from our spirit’s natural response.  

 

  Think for a minute about what worship actually is. As a bride betrothed to be married, worship is time with our bridegroom. It’s a time to grow closer and more familiar with one another. It’s where we feel and express love for each other. Without this time, we are left unaware of our savior’s true nature. We cannot relegate our relationship with Jesus to just reading the scripture or even singing a song. Often, He has asked me to turn off the music and turn my attention to just Him. It was in the moments that I experienced the greatest times of His presence.  

 

I am often struck by a range of emotions that I didn’t have coming in to worship. This often signals to me that I am entering into His presence. Fear may leave or heaviness lift. Other times, He may impart a feeling to pray for something or someone specific. One thing is certain, there is always a shift away from what’s on your mind to what is on His mind. In worship, the Holy Spirit is literally imprinting the heart of Christ into us. Every genuine encounter with the King should change us to think, feel, and love more like Him. Worship makes us more like Christ. If that is not happening, you may need a checkup.  

 

What is on your mind when your worship? Are you thinking about the activities of the day or of what is going on around you? If so, you are missing the key. Worship is all about the position of the heart. Without a true heart response, you will get nowhere. Actually, whatever we focus on during our worship will ultimately fill your vision. If you focus on the music, it will grow to be your main concern. If you’re appearance is the concern, how you look will become the main concern.  

 

Just one word, when sung with the right mindset will usher you into the presence of God. In fact, simply turning your mind to God without speaking at all is often enough to sense His presence. Stillness seems to have become a fear for most churches. I believe it is in the stillness that truth is revealed. If Jesus is in the room, you will sense Him; if not, it will be obvious. Take some time to genuinely worship the King of Kings and let the Holy Spirit sweep you off your feet. He is waiting for you!