Dear friends,
It is only four weeks until our
Washington, DC Gathering Of the Eagles. I ask that you mark your
calendars and consider joining us in this time of intercession.
Intercessors from all over the world will attend this conference to pray
on behalf of the United States, and I believe this will be an exciting
time together! The deadline to get the reduced rates at the hotel is
fast approaching, so if you are able to attend, be sure to register with
us and with the Holiday Inn.
Since the first of the year, we have been
hit financially. We ask that you, our intercessors, join us in prayer
about this issue. The enemy is striving to strike down the work we are
doing here at WFJM. The two most important things that the Lord placed
upon our hearts; serving the needs of the poor and raising up
intercessors all over the world to pray for their nation are both
critical. We are striving to care for the spirit and the man and your
assistance in this work is invaluable. Click here if you would like to contribute.
Our Cedarwood crew is hard at work
preparing kits for our BackPack Kids program, picking up food for the
food bank, and working with local companies to acquire warm coats and
shoes for those in need in the Seattle area. Many of you have
financially contributed to this effort and we value each and every gift.
Monday was our CedarWood Pantry and as with every Monday,
they open up the Coats and Clothes Closet for those attending. We have
been very blessed by the participation of our contributors over the last
year. There are many who have sent (or carried in) warm coats for all
ages. . Due to this, we have had plenty of coats to give to the
children, and we are immensely grateful. The weather can get very cold
and your gifts have blessed many who would be going cold without these
coats. Thank you!
On Monday,
we also handed out the last of our adult-sized coats and began
distributing the warmer shirts to those remaining. This dearth of
clothes was heartbreaking to our team. So much so that Kathy, our
director, sent me an email today asking me to contact you, our faithful
supporters, in this time of need. Many of the stores have amazing sales
right now and she was able to find some good deals as they clear out
the old clothes to prepare for the spring and summer clothing lines. We
bought what we could, but we are still lacking. Please consider
contributing to this effort to raise winter coats for adults in the
Seattle area. Your gifts are always tax-deductible and even more
importantly, each coat given winds up helping to keep someone warm. If
you send in gently used clothing, please be sure the items are clean.
The extra effort you take to do so allows our team more time to serve
the people who attend our Pantry
and Coats & Cloth
es
Closet. Thank you!
Cedarwood is growing very quickly. On
occasion, the demand for workers exceed the number of volunteers we
have. As we read through the Gospels, we learn that Jesus often spoke
about serving the widows and the orphans, the poor and needy, those less
fortunate and so on. I always felt it was interesting that He
referenced so many different levels of need while He travelled from city
to city teaching and preaching. I often wondered if this reference was
intended for those with the resources to help, the ones in need, or
both. He knew that what an individual was capable of giving varied just
as much as the prospective recipient. Jesus wanted to ensure that if
someone was in need, they were properly cared for by those who were
able. If 2000 years ago Jesus told us to care for those in need, would
it be any less necessary to do so today? Let’s continue to work
together to meet these needs.
We have many areas of service available just go to our website or contact Kathy Rickey at KathyR@worldforjesus.org to see how you can get involved.
Following is the next installment in our Matthew 6 series entitled,
“When Union Comes”. I pray it encourages, ministers to, and blesses you.
Blessings in Him,
Ricci
MATTHEW 6:
WHEN UNION COMES
Part B
By
Nita Johnson
New Orleans Revival Services
When you pray, do you pray to Him whom you
know? When you pray, do you remind yourself daily Who it is you are
praying to and what His glory desires to bestow? The problem is not with
God; the problem is with us. You pray, “Send Your glory. Send Your
glory, Lord.” He says, “I am, but you're under the wrong spout.” You
tell Him, “Fix me. Heal me. I want to know You.” He replies, “Yes, I
want you to know Me. Yes, I want to fix you. Yes, I want to heal you,
but you're in the wrong place. Come over here.” Yet because we do not
really know Him, we do not realize what He is saying to us, and we do
not recognize where to go to get the answers.
When you pray, do you remember who He is?
If you could have seen the Lord Jesus Christ that day, and the beauty of
that fellowship, you would want it for yourself. You would never let
anything keep you from having it. Hallowed be Your name. Holy be Your
name. When we remember that His name is holy and He is holiness to us,
we realize that we must be holiness to Him. When we remember His
holiness every day in all that we say and do, a fellowship begins to
form that is much higher, much more beautiful, and much more glorious.
(Song) “There is a place so very high to
which you have been called, and this place is so beautiful. He will take
you there if you will go. He'll come and He'll raise your faith, your
understanding. He will raise your soul to embrace this place if you will
come.”
Sometimes the beauties of heaven are so
extraordinary, the only way you can release them is through the
anointing of a song. That is why David wrote psalms. He became so
enraptured with God that to speak was not enough—he had to sing. It is a
glorious place, full of beauty and grace.
Your kingdom come. I would like to touch
on this from a different perspective than I have before. I would like to
tell you part of an experience that I had. I was taken to heaven, and I
was standing before the throne of the Father. He began to speak to me
about what I am going to share with you. I will just share with you the
end of what He said. All the time that He was speaking to me, liquid
light was pouring down over my person like a gushing fountain that could
not be stopped. It washed down over me again and again and again. It
was not enough for Him to utter the words; they had to be accompanied by
light—the light of His glory—so that my soul could retain what He was
trying to give.
So I was standing before Him. He gave me a
very detailed, beautiful, and wonderful message. Then He said to me, “I
have waited from the beginning of time for this hour when I would find
those who were willing to give up everything to have union with Me. I
have waited passionately for this hour and you have never known passion
until you feel the passion of your God.” When He said that, He
deposited into my heart a passion that was not even the size of a tear
drop. It was so miniscule, but when it entered into me, I thought I was
going to burst at the seams from the passion of His heart.
His passion for union with His children is
so great. If you can imagine, consider one whom you love more than any
other human being on the face of the earth. You just cannot believe
sometimes how much you love this person. Then, imagine that you have
such a passion to see God’s kingdom come to the earth and to see His
desire fulfilled, that it compels you beyond your very self to give this
loved one unto death for the purpose of God's will to be accomplished.
Even then, you cannot comprehend the passion that lives in the heart of
God for union with you. Anything else that the devil ever tells you is a
lie. God wants you, and He wants to be in union with you. He gave it
all, and He is just looking for you to make the same decision.
...to be continued next week...
In Him,
Nita Johnson |
