Pastor Greg,

My husband Jim and I are the one’s that sat next to you on Sunday during second service.  My newly saved husband insists on sitting in the very front!  We tried the second row but he wanted closer.  Wow!  When God answers prayers he really goes above and beyond what we would dare to ask for or dream of! 

We have not missed a service and we are really finding so much truth in the teachings of first fruits. 
I had spoken with Pastor Marie about the word I heard and she said the same thing that you did.  About the journey is part of what God wants you to find out.   I guess I am just still in awe over what I heard and what it means.  It is not that I am second guessing, it is just the more I go over it, the more supernatural it is to me.  I had to share it with you because I really thought it was awesome. 
I want more experiences like that. 

Amey

Exodus 34:26 (NASB)

The Skyway family has practiced the biblical principle of the First Fruits offering since 2000. It was then that we learned about this key offering which is different from any other offering in the Bible. First Fruits is an opportunity for every child of God to give a financial offering of faith above and beyond their tithe. This offering is a representation of each person’s belief that God is their source of provision and He will give them abundance this year. This is the first of much more to come! In the O.T. when this feast began, people would take the first ripe crops that appeared in their fields and trees and bring them to the House of the Lord during the appointed Feasts. In this same spirit of faith we bring our offerings before God today to the local church. We trust Him to bring abundance into our finances throughout this year of 2008. This offering is a Promise Land Offering. By this I mean that the fear and unbelief that controlled our thinking in the wilderness season of life is through. We are now committed to living our lives in the power and abundance of God’s provision. We will have homes, lands, vineyards and fields that God gives to us now in our real life experience! We will have good jobs, education for our kids, homes that are debt free and more. Does this sound like the type of life you want to experience? Is this what you want your kids to experience? This offering is special; it is different in this sense. It is the individual’s expression of faith towards God to change their financial future. I encourage every person to pray about your First Fruits offering today. We will begin receiving this offering next week and continue throughout the season of the feasts. I will write more about this next week

Doesn’t it just drive you crazy when small children ask over and over again for the same things? It may bother us, but most of the time we honor the pleas of our babies. Your heavenly Father never tires of hearing your ongoing prayers, and He loves to bless His children. Real prayer is continuous, not a hit-or-miss proposition.

Frequency reveals priority. The fact that we eat three times a day proves that eating is very important to us. Prayer was a high priority to Jesus. How do we know? Because He prayed frequently. It is said, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16, emphasis added).

As gasoline fuels our automobiles, prayer should fuel our lives. The apostle Paul summarized it in two words: “Pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17)! The King James Version says it this way: “Pray without ceasing.” You can and should pray any time, any place. The apostle Paul suggested that we never cease praying. It should be a nonstop, two-way conversation throughout the day.

PAUL PRAYED—ALWAYS

As you might expect, Paul practiced what he preached! He prayed continually for others as the following verses describe:

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord. . .” —2 THESSALONIANS 2:13

“God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times . . .” —ROMANS 1:9–10

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” —1 THESSALONIANS 1:2–3

Those who “prayed in” Pentecost prayed constantly: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:14).

When Peter was in prison, the church prayed for him without ceasing. “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5, KJV). If New Testament saints practiced the secret of continual prayer, shouldn’t we?

Prayer is Specific

A friend of ours recently went through a difficult illness, which included an extended hospital stay. Rather than simply praying for her healing, she asked the doctors each day exactly what it was that they needed to see happen next.

They would tell her the primary immediate issue, and she and her family and friends spent the day asking God for that one specific thing to happen. She was healed and released more quickly than her doctors ever expected!

Too often our vague generalities in praying hinder our receiving heaven’s answers. We seem hesitant to say exactly what we really want. If you desire to see answers to your prayers in a greater measure, learn to pray specifically for what you need.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God… And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” —Phil. 4:6, 19

In many cases our failure to pray specific prayers prevents us from receiving God’s blessings.6 For example, someone who is about to be evicted from their apartment because they are behind in their rent may ask for God’s blessings instead of asking for $967, which is the actual amount of the past due rent! We receive not, because we ask not!

Question: What do you need God to do in your life or in the life of someone close to you?

Write down one very specific request for which you need to pray, and then pray it now. (If you are doing this Bible study in a group, share your prayer requests with each other.)

Great lesson next week!

2. Persistence in prayer gives God time to make adjustments. Persisting in prayer may be necessary because God is reshaping us. Sometimes God delays giving us His answer while He makes adjustments in our lives. Your waiting on the Lord is sometimes necessary because the Lord is waiting on you. (Read 1 Samuel 1:10.11.)

He may be testing your faith, your sincerity and your desire. (Read 2 Chronicles 7:14.15; Isaiah 64:1.2, 7; Hebrews 11:6.)

This was certainly the case with the prophet Elijah, who prayed until it rained. He had to send his servant out seven times to look for a rain cloud before it appeared (1 Kings 18:43).

3. Persistence in prayer removes demonic resistance. Sometimes demonic resistance requires persevering prayer. We call this spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:11.12). It was certainly true for Daniel. (Read Daniel 10.) Daniel prayed and fasted for three weeks. During that time God revealed many things to him about the last days. These revelations were so great that Daniel fell on his face trembling. The angel of God strengthened him, because demonic princes were opposing Daniel’s prayers.

Understand that all prayer is war! Many of us give up the fight before winning the battle! The angel told Daniel that although God had heard his prayer the first day, it required twenty-one days of persistent prayer with fasting for God’s angel to get through with the answer!

Persistence is continuing or staying with a job until it is done.

In honor of my (Eddie) grandfather Rufus Smith, who drove the last steam engine on the Frisco Railroad before his retirement in the late fifties, I would like to tell the following true story of persistence in prayer.

On the front page of the “Endeavor World” a few years ago was the picture of an engineer about to mount an engine. Beneath the picture was this statement: “George Bemis, of Indianapolis, is here shown about to board his engine for his last run after fifty-three years of service with the Big Four Railroad. In all that time he has not had a single accident.

But the quality of his service may be judged from the fact that he never made a run without first kneeling in the cab of his engine and praying that the Lord might help him to bring the passengers to their journey’s end. He was seventy years old when he retired with this unique record.

God’s Word speaks:

Elijah said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” —1 Kings 18:43, NKJV

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” —Ephesians 6:11–12, NKJV

There is simply no substitute for persistent prayer!

1. Question: List a few things for which you have been praying a long time.

2. What one thing will you commit to pray for persistently until the Lord answers or releases you from asking?

Until next week, Eddie and Alice “America’s prayer coaches”

Location: Skyway Church of the West Valley 14900 W. Van Buren Street Goodyear, AZ

Special Guests: Pastor Brian Alton, Rob Winters, LaNora Van Arsdall, Hal and Cheryl Sacs.

This is a regional event to hear the Word of the Lord for our state for 2007. The Lord’s New Year begins at this season and we are going to hear how we can expand the Kingdom of God through our united obedience to the word of the Lord to us as a corporate body of Christ. : During these two powerful evenings we will see the hand of God move with supernatural demonstrations, prophetic declaration, and prayer response from the body of Christ. It is our intention to activate and fulfill the words spoken to us and over us during these two nights to start the New Year with purpose and power which will spring board the body of Christ into her destiny for our region. We should come with prayerful expectations for both corporate and individual prophetic words.

October 11-12 at 7:00pm