Spirit of the Nazarite Ministries

This is a Repost from Randy Cutter’s Blog
You can follow the link on the side bar to read more of his posts

Those of you who have followed my blog posts on the Northwest (Watch the Northwest and Are We Done Watching the Northwest Yet?) knew to expect the severe storms that we have been experiencing throughout the United States these last couple of months. Many of you, like the folks at my congregation, have been praying to diminish the strength and ferocity of these storms, and asking the Lord to preserve human life. As the season has progressed, I have found my focus shifting from praying that no bad storms develop, to praying that lives would be preserved in the storms.

I am not saying that we should stop praying that no storms ravage our geographical areas. I will continue to lead my congregation to pray ferociously against any possibility that major storms hit our area of influence. We will release a hedge of protection in intercession that we believe no violent storm will penetrate. But I do not not currently have unlimited authority over every geographic area in the United States. My primary authority lies in the geographical area that God has posted me. As I have prayed against storms in other areas of the United States, I have seen storms, bad storms, and more storms. This has confirmed something that I suspected in January. When I watched the northwest I saw anointed local intercessors in the northwest rise to the challenge and pray for their area. I saw intercessors throughout the United States respond to the call and pray for the northwest. And yet an incredibly bad storm still hit the northwest.

As I wrote in January, I believe the intercessors, especially the local ones, had an impact on the storm which hit the northwest. Here is an excerpt from what I wrote in January:

Since I know that prayers have authority, I can tell you that the storm was not as severe as it could have been. When I alerted the friends whom I had dreamed about in Washington state, they shared that they were already praying against negative weather patterns. They then took the alert I issued to heart and prayed with more focus. As a result, I was not surprised that the Seattle-Tacoma area (where they live) was not hit as hard as had been forecast. At the last minute one of the Low pressure areas dropped a bit further south than expected, and forced the worst weather just to the south of their area. I don’t believe that was an accident. I believe that was a sign of their intercessory authority.

However, even with this victory, the storm still hit. I was, and am, extremely concerned about this. The Lord had told us that what they experienced was going to come to the rest of the United States. Since then, even with all the prayer coverage, we have seen brutal weather patterns and many deaths. I am certainly not saying that the prayers have been ineffective. I believe, especially in view of the severity of the tornado outbreaks, that many more people would be dead without those prayers. I believe the intercessory coverage is having an effect and that we must continue to pray for all those in harms way when storm systems threaten. But I also believe that we are going to see many more storms this year. They will continue to impact all over the United States.

So, my strategy is this: I will continue to raise a hedge around our immediate area of influence so that no storm winds bring damage or death to our area. I will also pray for God’s mercy to be evident throughout the United States as these storms continue to manifest. My main focus outside my immediate area is that life be preserved through the storms. Last week’s outbreak in which 6 people died in Oklahoma highlighted this primary need. I may not be able to stop these storms, but I can sure pray that lives be spared. I suggest this strategy as one that will help focus intercessors throughout the world. Raise hedges of protection around your area, and cry out to heaven for those in harms way outside your area of primary geographic influence. The storms may come, bad storms may occur, and more storms may multiply, but mercy triumphs over every judgment. His mercy is what we desperately need in the face of this stormy onslaught. Cry out for it.

Today right after I checked out at the store I ran into a friend whom I don’t really talk to a lot. We have similar things that we have gone through and are going through right now. She walked up to me and said “Denise, will you let me bless you and David and the boys?” I wish my first response was always sure, but that little voice that says you don’t deserve or need anything popped up. She as if knowing what was going through my head said, “please will you let me do this?” I said yes. Well as I was walking to my car and sat down I thought, “Note to Self!” There have been some specific things that people have done for me personally and for our family while walking through this long trial. I want to do these same things for others that might be walking through a similar trial. So, I wanted to encourage others with what I was encouraged with today. Stop and think of what someone has done for you recently while you are, or were walking through a tough time. Find someone else that is in that boat and do the same for them.

Numbers 11:33

There has been a thought rolling around in my mind the last few days. Well if I want to be totally honest, Good Lord! There are way more than a few rolling around in there. I will stick to the few because the others probably need to be brought captive and made to obey Christ!

                I was reading in Numbers about the Lord’s provision and care for Israel. He led them with fire by night, a cloud by day. He caused their enemies to be scattered from before them, and yet the people grumbled and deplored their hardships. The Lord was angered and fire came and devoured those in the outlying parts of the camp. (Numbers 11:1) The people cried to Moses and when Moses prayed the fire subsided. The story goes on where they are remembering the dainties that they had eaten in Egypt, the fish, the bread, etc….

                They continued to cry out for more. They thought they knew what they wanted, what they needed. You keep reading and come to verse 33. The Lord had given them exactly what they were crying out for, but it says in verse 33, “while the meat was yet between their teeth”, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote them with a very great plague.

                Ok, so where in the world am I going with this? Well for one thing I remembered today that it helps me when I get to the tell the story. I am helped when I get to help someone else and process through instead of just being the one hearing all the time. The absolute majority of the time when I share something it is not from a place of having fully conquered it, but, from the “process” of conquering it! With that said, here I go back to my rolling thought. I think sometimes the things I am trying to obtain or hold onto are in my best interest.  I want them; my heart hurts because I don’t have them. I don’t understand what has changed in this relationship or that one. I don’t very often think, “Wow this could be part of the Lord’s master plan to work in my heart, or work something out of it.” I view it completely from a human perspective of why are they? Why aren’t they? Doing this that or the other? Well in the midst of my mental gymnastics I quietly began to think of this scripture in Numbers and quietly found this prayer rising up in my heart today. Oh Lord, I think I know what is best for me and I think I know what I want and need. Right now God I am not convinced otherwise that this isn’t the best for me even though I am praying this prayer. BUT, God would you be the good Father that you are and not let me push you over! Will you please not give in to my tantrums and my heart felt cries of what I think I need and want? If you tell a child no, or you don’t give into what they want because you know something more than they do, they do not understand that no! All they know is you said no, and they are going to cry and genuinely have heart ache about it. I just said Lord please I don’t want you to give me what I believe I need or want right now if you know it will destroy me. Please be the “Strong One” that I know You are.

                You see, in the very next verse Numbers 11:34, it says the place where they were destroyed with the meat between their teeth was called Kibrothhattaavah (the graves of sensuous desire), because there they buried the people who lusted, whose physical appetite caused them to sin. Sensuous desire and lust are not only to be viewed from a sexual standpoint but also anything that I desire to satisfy the longing only God can..If I have heard that one time, I have heard that a thousand in these last few years. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I fail miserably! I want to get it all the time but I have to allow the shakings of my soul to continue until He shakes everything that can be shaken. Maybe I will write a little more at another time on the shakings, and what that craziness can look like. I want to stick to the above thought for now. Thank you for allowing me to process with you! : )

Lord, be the strength of our life and the satisfier of our soul, in Jesus name.

The song that I kept hearing today as I thought through this is by Justin Rizzo, “The Weight and Glory”