Depths Prayer – Colossians 2

Depths Message (Colossians 2)

Here’s what I’ve heard the Holy Spirit say to me lately, “Deep calls to deep.” “Dive deeply into the glory, majesty, beauty, and mystery of Abba Father Yahweh’s heart.” “Let your Faithful Father minister his love, peace, and wisdom to your troubled soul.” “God doesn’t love you because you work hard or achieve great things; he loves you because he made you, and because you said ‘yes’ to Jesus.”

So much of life & leadership is filled with a thousand distractions and ten thousand options every day. Just making it through one day can sometimes feel overwhelming, suffocating, and by day’s end, defeating.

Jesus meant what he said, “Seek me first, my kingdom & righteousness, and then all else that you desire will be added to you.” I can tell you after 27 years of following Jesus and 13 years of attempting to make disciples, I still experience mornings where I don’t want to get in the Word, and where I just want to make it through that day without giving up on life.

The Holy Spirit’s remedy, his divine daily dose of soul medicine, is to abide in Jesus’ presence and dive deeply into who God is. Our time with the Lord tends to be contractual. We confess our sins so he forgives us, and then he’s supposed to answer our prayers and bless us because we did the right thing according to the Bible.

The more I follow Jesus, the less daily abiding feels like what I was told it’s supposed to be like. Abiding in Jesus is really about friendship and rest, not getting the day’s marching orders as devoted soldier in a king’s army.

To know God more, to experience him consistently through changing seasons and on bad days, we’ve got to keep diving deeper into who he is and let him be in charge. He’s the One who needs to speak; he’s the One who needs to move in us. We desperately need him, and we don’t ever need to move on from that Truth that we will always need him to help us.

Depths Passages

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. The LORD will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of My Life.

Psalm 42:7-8 CSB

My prayer is to You, O LORD, in the acceptable time. O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the Truth of Your salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the floodwaters overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

Psalm 69:13-15 NKJV

Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a Firm Foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-7 VOICE

Depths Prayer

Abba Father, thank you so much for teaching me how to dive deeply into your heart. I want more of you God, and I want less of me in my life. John Baptizer said it best, “I must decrease; He must increase.” Increase in me Holy Spirit; have your way in all that I am.

Keep burning away within me whatever doesn’t belong, whatever can never bring you glory. Align my desires with your ways & wisdom. Change my heart and direct my thoughts so that I can live in the beautiful freedom you paid for me to enjoy right now and forever through your suffering & death on Golgotha’s cross.

Take me to deeper places than I’ve ever been. Increase my stamina and cultivate my endurance. Help me to see my self, family, future, struggles, and generation the way that you do. I don’t want you to help me only when I’m aware that I need it; I want you to help me all the time. I want to remain in a place of humility, surrender, and dependence upon you Holy Spirit.

In the depths of your heart, there’s grace, mercy, abundant life, unquenchable hope, and a forgiveness that enables to me to do the impossible: reconcile with those who hurt me. In the depths of your mind, there’s understanding on how to live my life, serve my family, and bless my neighbors and all nations. In the depths of your presence is a peace beyond measure or comprehension, a peace that baptizes every problem & fear in my life and restores my soul to a place of total trust in you.

Father, I don’t know when you’re sending Jesus back to get us. It could be tonight or in a thousand years. When I watch the news today, it feels like the firstfruits of Armageddon, but I can’t predict the future, and I don’t know what’s going to happen. What I do know is that you’ve already given me and my generation a clear mission:

Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:19-20 NLT

So Father, I praise you for your presence. I treasure your love, and cherish your faithfulness. I’m following your Son Jesus every day the best I can. Help me Father to see the nations; really see and love them the way that you do. Help me to do whatever I can to help them find their way into our eternal, global family of all nations, tribes, peoples, languages, and cultures. Help me to be an advocate for the nations rather than an accuser or adversary. Help me to be generous with my potential for love, grace, mercy, compassion, and empathy.

It’s in the mighty, matchless, marvelous name of Jesus I pray, trust, and believe, Amen, Shalom, Maranatha, Hallelujah.

Open Wide Prayer

Open Wide Prayer

Abba Father, thank you for all that you revealed to us this year about yourself and your heavenly Kingdom. We want more of you, Lord. We choose to always be disciples; never masters. We will follow you wherever you ask us to go. And, we will need your help often along the journey to remain faithful. Help us return to you if we begin to wander away.

Jesus answered, “Those who drink this water will get thirsty again, but those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give them will become in them a spring which will provide them with life-giving water and give them eternal life.” (John 4:13-14 GNT)

Thank you Lord Jesus for giving us the life-giving water of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for rescuing our souls so that we may abide with you forever. Father, help us to flow in this life-purifying river, and protect us from trying to control the work of your Kingdom through us. May our hearts open wide to the fullness of your will.

“Darkness as black as night shall cover all the peoples of the earth, but the glory of the LORD will shine from you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see the glory of the LORD upon you.” (Isaiah 60:2-3 TLB)

Father, opening up fully to your will is worth it. We know that Jesus said all of his true disciples will experience persecution, suffering, and sorrow, but all these trials and challenges are completely worthwhile, because by your grace you’ve found us worthy to share in the sufferings of our Savior & King so that we may also share in your glory. When we rest in you and open our hearts fully to your revelation, the nations see how different we are, and you promise they will both believe and receive you!

Thank you Father for the Good News today that Firstfruits is not an occasional season, but a daily experience for all who remain in you. Forgive us when we walk away from you, or when we get busy and forget about you. Guide us Holy Spirit every day to be more like Jesus, and help us to live in the wonderful ways and wisdom of your Kingdom, amen. 

2022 Firstfruits Year – Open Wide Season

2022 Autumn > “Open Wide” Letter

When I established Blazing Trees as a new ministry back in 2016, my focus was not sustainability. I was in a dark place spiritually, and I needed a major change in my career. I was exhausted emotionally, and I even considered leaving Gospel ministry altogether. I remember crying out to God every day for help, direction, and answers. I knew he called me to make disciples, but I lost my confidence in what I was doing. I needed a miracle. At this vulnerable crossroads moment, the Holy Spirit gave me a vision for our ministry and asked me to believe in him and take my first steps to begin something brand new.

I desperately needed to learn sustainability in this hard time. I tried various ministry roles in over a dozen organizations, and nothing seemed to fit right; nothing lasted for more than a few years. Looking back, I realized all of those experiences were really important, because God gave me a treasure chest of personal lessons about how a Christian family can become sustainable in the unpredictable adventures of Jesus’ Great Commission. 

I know that God is our Sustainer. He says so in Isaiah 41:10, “So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (NIV) God is our Helper & Sustainer in Psalm 54:4, “God is my Helper; the LORD is the Sustainer of my life.” (CSB) Yet, in my experience, these verses do not mean that I sit around and do nothing while waiting for angels to provide my food and drink and build me a house to live in. Following Jesus still requires our participation, and as we listen to the Holy Spirit every day, he helps us to discern God’s will. The Spirit guides our thoughts to know each step he wants us to take.

Fast forward to today. For the first time in our organization’s history, I feel sustainable. Over seven years of hard work through prayer, cultivating strong friendships, and fundraising, Blazing Trees has what she needs to keep going. And just like many things in life, I was not aware during this seven-year adventure that God was using the experiences of what I didn’t know or understand yet to prepare me for nurturing health and sustainability in the lives and ministries of others.

I’ve observed hundreds of missionaries facing the same uphill battle to cultivate long-term sustainability in their ministries. And of course, we can’t predict the future. So, even as we nurture sustainability, storms will come, suffering will happen, and we can’t ever depend on what we have here on earth. At the same time, if we will seek God first every day, he will establish us. He has established Blazing Trees, and I know this firm foundation will mean our team can focus and flourish. Furthermore, I’m so blessed to have weekly Kingdom conversations with leaders all over the world focused on the sustainability of our faith, families, finances, and fruitfulness. I now know that one reason God created Blazing Trees is to cultivate spiritual sustainability in our companions’ lives.

Open Wide = Surrender & Trust

The word now for Autumn is Open Wide. In this season, we will focus on surrendering fully to whatever the Holy Spirit reveals, practicing total dependence upon him, and making sure there are no hidden areas of our hearts where we may be holding something back from our Father, Savior, Friend, and Shepherd. God must be more than enough for us.

I’ve been meditating on the word Firstfruits since last Autumn when the Holy Spirit gave me this prophetic word for 2022. I’ve spent a lot of time paying attention to the Kingdom culture of Firstfruits, and here are two of my takeaways:

“The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing stream.” (Isaiah 58:11 NLT) Our culture tells us to be strong on our own. We must rise up in our own knowledge, work hard, and do our best to prove or achieve something. The Kingdom of heaven is not like that. The LORD is our strength, and he sustains us as we remain in relationship with him. If we want to be faithful and fruitful, we don’t need more time to work and produce; instead, we need more time alone with Jesus to rest and be filled with his Holy Spirit.

“Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding fresh fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2 TLV) Do you see it? Healing flows from the presence of the Father and the Lamb. What is the Great Commission but the healing of the nations? And in the context of the Great Commission, we see Firstfruits, “bearing twelve kinds of fruit; yielding fresh fruit each month.” 

The main Truth I discovered this year is that Firstfruits in heaven is nothing like firstfruits here on earth. Here, we experience firstfruits sometime in late summer or early autumn, but most of the year, we don’t have firstfruits. In heaven, Firstfruits is a culture of the heart, a way of life, a Life Renewal River that flows through our souls to produce fruit that heals all nations. What’s the key? It’s not hard work, intelligent strategies, or great sacrifices. The key to Firstfruits is abiding in Jesus and letting the Spirit flow through us.

Let us open wide our hearts to the fullness of all God wants to pour into us through his Word & Spirit, and let’s remain in this space of trust and surrender for the rest of our days.

<+>

+> Article by James Harvey, Blazing Trees CEO/Founder.

James Harvey is passionate about freedom in the Holy Spirit and creates resources focused on helping every day disciples cultivate their passions and flourish in their spiritual gifts.

Perks & Possibilities

+> Book James for a free leadership consultation > info@blazingtrees.org

+> Subscribe to our Blazing Trees newsfeed @ blazingtrees.org/news

+> Invest in our team by purchasing our prayer handbook > amazon.com

+> Free 12-Week Holy Spirit Freedom Training Course, “Wild Frontier” @ youtube.com

+> Visit James’ personal ministry page > blazingtrees.org/maranatha

#Jesus #hope #freedom #friendship #pray #generosity #maranatha