The bi-monthly CWIA Prayer (breakfast) Meeting was held on Saturday, January 30th. We came together to pray, praise & worship, and listen to great speakers! This event was streamed Live. To see a photo gallery of the event, CLICK HERE.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ,
As we began our Lent season, I felt led to write about HUMILITY. We all can use some of that in our life at this time of the year.
And what is humility? FEAR OF GOD. To fear the Lord is to hold Him in awe. It is to be filled with wonder at all God has done, and at who He is. It does not mean to be afraid of God. Rather, it is a healthy fear rooted in love and deep reverence for God. It is looking to God and away from ourselves and our egocentric tendencies.
Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 9:10) To fear the Lord is to turn to the Lord, seeking answers, seeking meaning, realizing that in God is all wisdom and knowledge. To fear the Lord is to hunger and thirst for His truth and righteousness, to fear the Lord is to look outside oneself and upward to God.
Here begins our journey down from the mountain of pride. A simple and loving look to God, who alone can set us free from the slavery that pride and sinfulness created for us.
Renunciation of self-will is called for. In the garden, Jesus said to His Father, "Not as I will, but as you will.” (Luke 22:42) This is what renunciation of the will means: To surrender one's will to God’s will to allow His decision to override one's own.
Pride is when you demand to do what you please, and you, yourself, decide to determine what is right or wrong. In this stage of un-humility, I am not willing to look to God. The Saints say, "If God wants it, I want it. If God doesn't want it, I do not want it.” The prideful person says “Why can't I have it? It’s not so bad. Everybody else is doing it!”
Once we embark on the journey away from pride, after having come to a fear of the Lord, we are now more joyfully ready to listen to Him and to submit to His vision for us. Having attained a humbler disposition of heart, we are now more willing to obey. Obedience moves us from just hearing God's word, to us paying close attention to and obeying His holy will, and ultimately to surrendering our stubborn will to Him. We are then made ready, by God's grace, to execute that will to put it into action.
Patient endurance is a must. When we embark on this journey down the mountain of pride, and strive to hear and understand God's will and obey, we can surely expect to face both external and internal obstacles. Our flesh — that is, our sinful nature — does not simply and wholeheartedly surrender but, rather continues to battle. It resists prayer, resists being subject to anything other than its own wishes and desires. Thus, as we suffer internal resistances from our sinful nature, little by little, we gain greater self-discipline and authority over our unruly passions. This is truly a struggle — requiring patience, an enduring spirit, and will.
Let’s try to descend Pride Mountain, and overcome in this season of Lent.
God's Blessings to you. I hope to see all of you at our next Prayer Breakfast meeting!
Your Sister in Christ,
Stella Davis
Our Prayer Breakfast in July was phonomenal and the Holy Spirit rested on us in a mighty way! Some have been calling me to provide the prayer of protection for our homes that I read. This prayer is as follows:
Dear Lord Jesus, please surround us, our families, friends and our homes with a perimeter of Your love and protection throughout this day and night and every day - 100 yards in all directions. Lord Jesus, render any demons that are here or should try to come deaf, dumb, and blind. Strip them of all weapons, illusions, armor, powers and authorities. Disable them from communicating or interacting in any way. Bind, sever, and separate them, binding them directly to the foot of the cross, without manifestation or harm to us, or to anyone else, to be dealt with by You, Jesus, as You see it fit. May Your precious blood cover us. May the Holy Spirit fill us, and Blessed Mother, place your mantle of love and protection around us in our homes, from any event of fire, theft, vandalism, flood, storms, elements, and accidents of any sort, distress, hardship, curses, and all unwanted things. I ask all this in Your name, Jesus Christ, and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We call upon St. Michael, St. Joseph, St. Padre Pio, and St. John Paul II, and all the saints and angels, to pray for us. Amen.