Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Heavenly Naturalization

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” Corinthians 5:20

An ambassador represents his or her homeland, while living in a foreign nation. This diplomatic messenger portrays the laws and ideals of their government and acts as a resident influence in international affairs.

The Bible calls us citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20). As we live for the King, we reflect heaven’s way of life to those around us. We have been made ministers of reconciliation; we are ambassadors for Christ. We have each been anointed to represent Jesus to a dying world. We do this through our godly lifestyle, through prayer, through God’s miracle-working power, and through the proclamation of the Lord’s message.

We have the answer to the cries of hurting humanity – it is Jesus. He is the only cure. We are to introduce those that have not embraced Christianity to the naturalization process of heaven. God wants to welcome them into his family and invites them to become citizens of heaven.

Lord of the Harvest,

Give me a love for the different nationalities and cultures of the world. Give me a burden for humanity. More importantly Lord, give me a desire to introduce them to you. Empower me by your spirit, equip me through your word, and send me out to bring in the harvest. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

© Copyright 2008 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Burden to Pray

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced crops."
James 5:16-18

Those that intercede for others live close to the heart of God. It is a privilege and a high calling to offer Spirit-led prayers to the Lord on behalf of another. We pray with our understanding and we pray in other tongues. The Holy Spirit leads us to intercede for those lost in darkness and for those that need a touch from God. The Lord restores, and the Lord makes all things new. Great power is unleashed when we pray according to God's will.

Sometimes when we pray we sense a burden spiritually that we must “pray through”. Many times I have felt a spiritual heaviness while praying for a certain situation or person. When I continue in prayer for that need, eventually there comes a point when the burden is lifted. Often a person praying like this will sense a joy-filled release. After the Lord has led me praying like this there will often be a tangible answer to prayer such as an individual accepting Jesus as their Savior or a person getting healed.

We can not plan these prayer encounters with the Holy Spirit. They come as He wills, but when we give ourselves to prayer, the Lord uses us more frequently in these ways. A passionate prayer life will birth effective ministry in other areas of our lives. It will cause us to bear fruit within our sphere of influence.

The prayers of a righteous man or woman is powerful and effective, and we have been made righteous through the blood of Christ. Let us come boldly before the throne of God and make our requests known to Him. Let's pray fervently for the purpose of advancing the kingdom of God. As we do this, our relationship with the Lord will deepen, and we will see God move in miraculous ways. Mountains move when God's people pray, and our hearts are transformed as we intercede on behalf of others.

Dear Holy Spirit,

Draw me into an abiding relationship with You, and teach me to pray. Lord I want to pray for others as well as for my own needs. Help me to sense Your stirrings deep within, so I can pray according to Your will. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit and use me for Your glory. Amen.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Prepare the Way

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’” Luke 3:4-6

I believe revival is birthed in the closet of prayer. When we seek his face with all our hearts, He hears us. The Lord calls us to repent of our individual sin and apathy; he provokes us to pray for our land.

Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to restore our zeal to witness revival among us. As we pray, we pave the way for God to move in miraculous ways. Let’s allow the Master to do a significant work within us and believe him for big things! Who knows? Revival may just be right around the corner. We can pray privately as well as corporately. God is looking for clean hands and pure hearts. He wants us hungry for a move of His Spirit.

As we pray, the Lord’s fire burns strong in us. That fire cleanses us of impurity and prepares us to be vessels of honor. The Lord wants to send us out to those that do not know Jesus. We are salt and light, and we have the message the world desperately needs.

The Lord asks each of us to seek him with love and intensity. He searches across the whole earth for fishers of men. We can answer the call. It was said of the early believers that they turned the world upside down for the cause of Christ. Together we can do the same.

Lord of Heaven,

Teach me to pray for revival. Cleanse my heart and give me a burden for lost souls. Let me unite with other believers to see revival take our cities, our nation, and our world. Make me a vessel of honor. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

© Copyright 2008 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Future

Some things the Master tells us
He shows us things to come
Some things the Father hides
The future here's unknown

By faith we look ahead
In hope we do believe
The Lord will open doors for us
His promise He will keep

Guide us Holy Spirit
Let Your power come
Give to us Your wisdom
Shining from the Son

We surrender all
To Your will and to Your way
We surrender all
Help us follow and obey

We place our future in Your hands
For only through You can we stand
Your word shimmers light upon our path
Step by step into the promise land

One day You'll rent the heavens
We'll fly away with You
Then You'll judge the world
With justice and with truth

Lord our future's at Your feet
By Your grace we're made complete
Keep us till that awesome day
When every knee will bend Your way

Author of our future days
We humble ourselves and we pray
Have Your way Lord
Have Your way

Monday, September 14, 2009

God-given Ability to Produce Wealth

“But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:18

3 John 3 says, “Beloved I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. KJV” There are many promises in the Bible that support the fact that God desires to see his people financially blessed. Prosperity for the Christian develops as we work diligently, give liberally, and love God preeminently. God does not promise to make us all millionaires, but He does promise to meet our needs and to bring us to a place where we can be a blessing to others financially.

The Lord wants to bless us so we can have the resources to contribute to the kingdom of God. He seeks to enable us to help fund the expansion of the gospel through our financial giving. Many God-ordained ministries exist that depend on the free will offerings of God’s people. Let’s pursue the Lord and allow him to bless us. He can enlighten our minds with creative business ideas. He can fill us with a passion to work in a particular field in the marketplace. He wants to prosper us. Psalm 35:27 states that the Lord delights in the prosperity of his servant.

He will meet our needs and cause us to become a channel of blessing to others. The Lord will give us power or ability to produce wealth. God’s prosperity is linked to our willingness to give and our diligence to work as unto the Lord. God will prosper the individual moved by his agenda to further the Kingdom of Heaven.

Dear Jesus,

You are the Lord my Provider. I thank you for enabling me to prosper. I recognize that my financial resources come from you. You have given me the ability to make wealth. Help me to give to your kingdom even in times of scarcity, and help me to give you all the glory when I receive your blessings. Make me a channel who draws from your abundance and helps to finance the gospel. Amen.


© Copyright 2008 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

God is Just

“’No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17

We have an advocate - the Lord our Defender. When we face dishonest and treacherous people, we can trust the Lord to vindicate us. If we have been faithful to him and have been wronged in the process, the Lord will go to bat for us. He will see to it that justice is done. If we choose to forgive those that have wronged us and allow God to deal with the situation, He will bring about vindication in His way and in His timing. This righting-of-wrongs may occur during our lifetime or the Lord may bring justice about on the day he judges every man. The Scriptures declare that there will come a day when we all must give an account for the things we have done on earth
(1 Cor 4:5, 2 Tim 4:1, Rom 2:16). Ultimately the Lord will bring justice to us. He will vindicate His children; this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.

Dear Father,

I thank you for your love and justice. Help me to forgive those that have done wrong things to me and help me to trust you to vindicate me in your time. Let me not take matters into my own hands. Lord you are just and true and you will bring all things into balance on the day that you judge the world. Help me to live my life in the light of that awesome day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.


© Copyright 2008 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.

Monday, September 7, 2009

The Silencing Power of Praise

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
Psalm 8:2 NIV (Also see Matthew 21:16)

Satan lurks in the shadows eager to attack his prey. The ancient warrior aims his fiery arrows at those who follow the Lord in hot pursuit. We are never more a threat to our enemy and his hosts than when we seek first Christ and His kingdom. But what can we do when the enemy pursues us? God has supplied many weapons for us to do damage to the kingdom of darkness. One of the weapons in our arsenal is praise. The Scriptures say that praise silences the avenger. The avenger is the enemy of our souls – the devil. When we worship and praise our Lord in childlike adoration, God's power arrests the enemy.

James 4:7 urges us to submit to God (childlike humility) and resist the devil. The promise given with this command is that the devil will flee from us. One of the ways we defeat the enemy and his army is through passionate praise and worship. As we lift our praises to God, He looses us from the grip of satanic attack and oppression. Victory is ours as we lift high the name of the Lord. Satan and his cohorts can no longer whisper in our ears in an effort to drown out the influence of the Holy Spirit and the word of God in our lives. Demonic voices literally become mute in the presence of Spirit-filled praise and worship, and we experience freedom in Christ.

Let's praise the Father for His faithfulness and love. Let's praise Jesus for His crucifixion and His resurrection. Let's worship the Holy Spirit for being our close Companion and our true Guide. Let's exalt our God for he has given us dominion over the enemy and more importantly He has given us a place in heaven to live with Him forever. He is the one true God, and as we praise Him our evil foe flees in stark terror. Hallelujah, our God reigns!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Peace

Peace rests while foreboding waters rise
Peace sleeps when sturdy ships collide
Yet Peace is ever-ready to meet the challenge of the night

Trusting in the One
Abiding in the Son
Loving everyone

Peace melts walls that separate
Peace loves when others choose hate

Peacemakers often win the fight
Peacemakers live inside the light

Peace comes when we surrender all
Peace leaves when we disobey the call

Christ's blood bought it
His victory wrought it

Peace sets our souls at ease
Causes strife to cease
Let us never be without His peace

© Copyright 2009 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.