I'm going to ask us to do something. We're starting a little bit earlier, but I'm going to ask us to do something.
There was such a sweet presence of God when the worship team was practicing this morning.
And I want to maintain that. There was such a pleasure of the Lord and it was beautiful, it was sweet, it was wonderful.
So I want to maintain that. And we want to do something a little bit different today for morning prayer.
It's not going to be so much of me speaking today, but more so of us putting into practice what we have learned over the year, over the years, over the months, weeks, whatever it may be.
But we're going to put it into practice this morning.
And the best way that I could lay the foundation for what we're going to do today, because we're going to break out in groups.
If you want to get into a group, you can get into a group this morning.
Otherwise, you can just come to the altar and pray. You can sit by yourself and pray.
But we're literally just going to spend some time in prayer this morning.
And the foundation that I want to lay is that we're going to go on the offense this morning.
Let me say that again. We are going to go on the offense this morning in prayer.
Oftentimes, I feel like we as Christians are reacting to the things that have happened in our lives, in the world, whatever the case may be.
But I believe God wants us to go on the offense to pray against things, to pray into things before the things even happen or occur.
And I just want to give one scripture, and then I'm just going to give a few scriptures as like scriptures to build faith.
But here's the foundation that I want to lay in what we're after today in morning prayer.
This is out of Matthew. This would be chapter 11, verse 12.
This is after Jesus talks about John the Baptist.
And then in verse 12, he says something that is talking about us as kingdom-minded, spirit-filled.
You can just feel the presence of God. Holy Ghost, fire Christians in what we're called to do.
And this is in verse 12.
He says,
In other words, we are to go on the offense and not constantly be playing defense in our prayers.
We got to be able to go on the offense in our prayers and not play defense in our prayers.
Oh Lord, this happened and we're navigating ourselves through it.
We need to have some prayer that goes forth and affects the spirit realm before the things occur
and even affect our families, our lives, our businesses, our cities, our communities, our churches.
We need some prayers of faith that could even sound like violent prayers.
But they are going forth and they are storming heaven and saying, God, you promised us.
God, you said it.
Your word says it. These are the prayers that I'm talking about. They almost sound like violent prayers.
And they get loud.
I'm going to read some more scriptures and then I want to give us time to pray.
Because again, like I said, I want to do minimal talking today because you're going to hear enough of me today.
Hebrews 12-24. Can you put that on the screen for me?
Hebrews 12-24, just because I got so many of them, just help me out here.
These are the scriptures that are to build our faith that when we get into some prayer today, we have something to stand on.
It says, to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Friends, the blood of Jesus still speaks today.
The blood of Jesus still heals today.
The violent prayers are reminding ourselves, Jesus, your blood still heals.
Your blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Put up 1 Corinthians 15, verse 54.
I'm just giving you some scripture just so we can build our faith when we get into some prayer today.
So when the corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written.
Death is swallowed up in victory. Go next verse.
Oh death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory?
Go one more verse for me.
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. Go one more verse.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't know if you knew or not, but the victory still remains in the Lord.
I love how pastor says it. He says, when the dust settles, what will be left?
It's still the victory of the Lord.
And we need to get into some violent prayers and we need to remind the devil.
Devil, there may be a storm, but listen.
When the dust settles, the victory is still the Lord's.
The blood of Christ still heals. The blood of Christ still sanctifies.
The blood of Christ still delivers.
The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, but the violent take it by force, friends.
We need to have some prayers that sound violent.
Where they're not prayers of the flesh, but they are prayers of the spirit.
And we travail and we cry and we ask and we petition and we knock and we seek.
Isaiah 53 verse 5, can you bring that up for me?
But he was wounded. Who was wounded? Jesus was. Why was he wounded?
For our transgressions and he was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisements for our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed.
We still have healing present today.
I'm telling you that the blood of Christ still speaks today.
The blood of Jesus still speaks today, and it speaks better than the blood of Abel.
Romans 8, 37 to verse 39, some of those verses there.
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come
nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
There ain't no devil in hell. There ain't no sickness. There ain't no angel that can separate the love of God from us this morning.
There ain't no situation that has happened to you this week that has caused God to say, I don't love you anymore.
And the violent prayers there has to be God. You still love me.
Though I failed you, but you still love me.
Revelation, let's go Revelation 12 verse 11.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives on to death.
Let's go two more here, Proverbs 21 verse 31.
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord.
A violent prayer is Lord, we are crying out because we know that we can be as prepared as we can be, but we know that you are actually the deliverer.
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord.
Last one, let's go Luke 10 verse 17 to verse 20.
Then the 70 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.
And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
No, no, go back to that. Go back to that.
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Somebody once said it this way, they said, if the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Go next.
Behold, I give you authority. Who gives us authority? Jesus does.
Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.
And nothing shall by any means hurt you. Let me read that again.
And nothing shall by any means hurt you. Go next verse.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
So this is what we're going to do so I can be done talking.
You can either break out in some groups with two, three, or you can sit by yourself, but Brian's going to stay in the keys here.
And at 9.50, the band's going to come right back up and we're going to just flow right from prayer into worship.
And this is what we're after today. We are after some violent prayers.
We are after storming heaven this morning.
We are after walking in the authority that we are given by Jesus Christ.
We are not here this morning to throw ourselves pity parties.
We are not here this morning to just be like, oh man, no.
We are here this morning to simply remind God of His Word and what He has said in His Word.
We are here to remind ourselves what His Word actually says to us and what it means to us.
We are here this morning to stir up some faith.
You with me this morning? I'm not going to stand up here praying.
I'm actually going to go back to my seat and pray.
So you guys can either break out here or sit where you're at.
Brian, if you can lift up the keys and we're just going to get into prayer.