Solemn Assembly 2009

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly…”

Tabernacle season (Sept. 18-28)

(A time of Prayer of Repentance, Petition and Declaration)

Father God, forgive your people…

1) …

1) ...for we have sinned by disregarding and not obeying the Word of the Lord; ...
2) ...for our rebellion. (yielding to the desires of the our emotions instead of the Holy Spirit.
3) ...for not denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following You.(taking the easier way) 4) ...for not loving You with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
5) …for limiting the power and authority of God through our unbelief.
6) …for setting up idols in our hearts, our lives and our churches.
7) …for our fears, pride, greed, hate and lust that we so often express.
8) …for creating division within the Body of Christ. (because of our differences)
9) …for not being willing to forgive one another with our whole heart.
10) .for our religious spirit. (following man-made laws, doctrines, and traditions)

Father God, forgive our Nation

1) …for our disregard for life. (killing, rape, and especially abortions)

2) …for making money our god and the answer to our problems.

3) …for believing that technology and government, will bring us together in unity.

4) …for trusting in our defense system and our intellect for our security.

5) …for borrowing against tomorrow because we want it today.

6) …for lying to and deceiving the people that they are meant to serve.

7) …for not honoring our forefathers' declarations for this Nation.

8) …for letting our laws and justice system become perverted.

9) ...for not allowing God’s Presence in the public school system.

10) for dishonoring Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, and His Commandments

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Prayer of petition and Declaration

Heavenly Father, we humbly come before You, in prayer and fasting. Crying out to You, we are asking for your mercy and forgiveness, even though we don’t deserve it. Remove the scales from our eyes and open our ears so that we can see and understand where we have gone wrong. Lord, remove the bonds of Satan and the religious mindsets that have kept us from serving the Father and the Body of Christ as we should. Abba Father, You have called us here, for such a time as this. Thank You for having raised us up as sons and daughters to walk in Kingdom authority. It is by Your Power and Spirit, that we are able to bring Truth and Restoration to a lost and hurting world. We will reveal the love and forgiveness of the Heavenly Father. And we thank You and praise You for how great You are.

Father, 2000 years ago Jesus said,”It is finished!” So that, everything You planned for us was accomplished and established. Father, you also said, “Every thing I have, is yours.” Therefore, today, by faith, and in one accord, we believe that God is going to change the hearts and minds of searching people. You’re calling the prodigal sons home, to a place prepared for them. And we are expecting to see them coming. Your fire and the breath will blow across this Nation and around the world to establish your Kingdom. We are the Kings and Priests in the service of our God. We thank You for Your Blessings and Promises and for what You are doing now and for future generations to come. For yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever. Amen

Patience Takes Time

When I was an artist, doing paintings like the one you see at the head of this Blog, I also taught art classes. Sometimes I would teach between five to fifteen students for two eight hour sessions. People wanted to learn to paint like me. As they painted I would demonstrate at my easel and then go around and help each person individually. Often a student would be frustrated, but they trusted me to help them. And as they watched me fix their painting, they would often say, "You make it look so easy; why can't I do that? I would reply, "It takes time, practice, perseverance, and patience. You won't improve, unless you work at it regularly; it doesn't just happen."

The same goes for most things in life, including writing. I make many mistakes. I don't always see them or recognize that there are grammar errors, until someone edits them. And sometimes when I'm shown the mistakes, I feel stupid (yes, even adults feel this way); adults often think we should know better. When pride gets in the way we often wonder why we should even keep trying. Sometimes we say, "I'll never learn." But, when we choose to humble ourselves and listen to the one helping or teaching, we can learn if we make the effort and keep trying.

Another unique benefit to my teaching of others, is that God has used it to help me become a better artist. I believe this principle also applies to writing and the rest of my life. I'm not giving up just because I make a few mistakes, or because things get difficult, or just because I don't like the problems I might be facing. I will continue to trust God because He knows how to help me, and what is best for me.

In the past, people often looked up to me or admired me as an artist. Now I prefer that people would just look to Jesus, and maybe I can be of help to them along the way. In my spiritual walk of life, it has taken much practice, patience, perseverance and prayer (lots of prayer!). I believe this is true of us all.

We are all the students of Christ; He is the Great Teacher and Master Artist. This reveals itself when we see an adorable baby, a beautiful person, or an incredible sunset. (You know what I mean.) We are all part of God's creation, and it is His desire to instruct us, help us, and mold us into His image and become a part of the beautiful Body and Bride of Christ. That is, if we let Him.