Pray, Tenacity, Boldness

These three words: Pray, Tenacity, Boldness-are the words that best sum up the theme of what I hear the Lord speaking to me today.

We are to pray, without ceasing, right?

1 Thessalonians 5:16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

In fact, that statement "pray continually" means to pray with tenacity. What does "tenacity" mean? According to the Princeton dictionary online it means: •doggedness: persistent determination.

We've covered pray, tenacity and now we come to boldness and wrap this thing up:

Mark 11:23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

As I was running today (as is the Lord's habit with me), He dropped all of this into my mind in a fraction of a second. Look at Mark 11:23 above, what does it say? Say to a mountain go throw yourself into the sea? Do not doubt in your heart and it will happen? That's what it says.

I've been waiting for a particular miracle from the Lord for well over a year now. I have asked the Lord before how it is that someone who does believe, can say to a mountain 'go throw yourself into the sea' and it doesn't happen? The Lord cannot lie, so what's the deal?

Notice that we are told to ask without doubting in our heart and whatever it is we are asking for will be done for us, right? Notice what this Word does not say though....it does not tell us when it will happen.

When things do not happen for people immediately, they give up, especially in today's world. I can tell you from first hand experience that the Lord has already granted me too many miracles in the past to doubt the ones in the future that I am asking for today. To ask for a miracle, you must be BOLD. You must pray, and you must stay at it, over and over and over again. Tenacity is the word that comes to mind because this is a battle that occurs within us day after day. It's a battle in the heart mind and spirit to NOT GIVE UP no matter what.

This brother has decided to fight, to the bitter end. To believe, to pray with tenacity and BOLDNESS to the very end. And this I know, my prayers WILL be answered. That's a fact, based on historical evidence, decades of answered prayer form the streamers that fly from my war banner as I stand on the field of battle we know as 'life.'

The Lord has encouraged me...greatly and now this writer is here to encourage you. Pray, with tenacity and boldness. Enter the Lord's gates with praise and thanksgiving in your mouth. Offer the sacrifice of the fruit of your lips to the God who is worthy to receive it:

Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice
of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.

It was written here recently that we are to 'hang on' to the very end. Grab onto what you are asking the Lord for and do NOT let go..ever. If you ever watch the show on TV called "I shouldn't be alive" its about survival stories of different people who all should have died, but they didn't. One common thread that runs through every story I've seen on that show is: the people decided to hang on to the very end. They fought for every second of life even when everything the world was presenting to them seemed hopeless, they hung on. Almost always, it was in the final hours of their life, that something happened that ended up sparing them from certain death.

We must decide to pray and expect answers. We must hang on to our belief that we will receive what we have prayed for, till death do we part. Doubts do attempt to creep in, and the first thing I ask myself is "has the Lord spoken to me with any reason why I will not be granted my request?" In other words, has the Lord already told me no in one way or another? If I have not heard from the Lord to stop believing, for that thing I am asking for, then its pray and believe till the death.

My experience with the Lord is, He enjoys us asking boldly. He is a BIG God. What is it that we can ask for that's too tall an order for Him? After we ask, we then must believe and not waiver. A double minded man is unstable in all he does, and he should expect nothing from the Lord-James 1:8.

These are the things the Lord and I have spoken together about. Give thanks always, praise Him, He is worthy. Pray continually, with tenacity. Believe with boldness. Raise the dead, move mountains, heal the sick, just make sure that when you are asking you are following the Spirit's voice. My sheep know my voice says the Lord-John 10:27. What is the Lord saying to you today? If the Lord has not told you "no" then its "game on" for what you are asking for and you must stay with it till your eyes see it. The mountain WILL move, but the Lord did not tell you when it will move. That requires patience, and tenacity, belief, faith, alot of praising, and thanking. Remember what He has done for you already and use that to praise and thank Him till you see the answers to the things He is going to do for you if you just HANG ON.

done for today, grace and peace