Written on September 2nd, 2010
We’ve safely arrived in the second country after spending about 14 hours driving here. The trip was exhaustingly long, but I was able to get a little sleep, listen to music, and finish a book then start a book. Nonetheless, by the time we rolled up to our hotel at 7:45 PM, we were ready for the day to be over. We walked into the lobby and were all taken back by how incredibly nice the hotel looked. We were all the more blown away when we got to our rooms. The girls had a laugh as I was the first to my room and was exclaiming out loud at how “legit” this place was and it was truly “off the chain” as I said. This place has free wireless internet, each room has a big Hi-Def TV, all the nice amenities that you would expect with furniture and the like. The tissue box is wrapped up like a Christmas gift for crying out loud. I can’t remember the last time I was in a nice hotel. After waking up at 3:30 in the morning and traveling all day, I was ready for a shower.
I was in the shower that had perfect temperature and water pressure and I was washing my hair with actual shampoo and conditioner for the first time in a week and a half and just enjoying the moment. I decided to release a worship song over the room and began singing. As I was in the shower I felt the Holy Spirit saying “don’t forget why you’re here.” The following thought that came to my mind was “I should sleep on the ground tonight.” I realized that the accommodations were not going to help, but rather detract, from my intercession. It was a quick thought in my mind when I first walked into the room that this could serve as a nice vacation from my work at TOA. “I’m a missionary in Africa, I can do it up here. I’ve earned it.” Such thoughts must go by the wayside when wanting to serve the Lord. Entitlement has been something that has strangled so much Christ-like life out of the American church. This life is so beautiful; the walk, the death, the resurrection, the ascension. We can follow Christ in all these things, but we get the life mixed up when we equate blessing with worldly prosperity. We must realize that the Lord’s ways are not that of the world’s, so true joy comes not from monetary affluence or comfort but rather from loving and obeying Jesus. There is nothing wrong with a comfortable bed, I in fact own one back in Moshi. But rather, if my highest calling is to love God and Jesus says the way you love Him is to obey Him (John 14:23) I must relinquish anything that would distract me from doing just that. So I gave up a comfortable bed so that I can focus on obeying Him in praying and interceding on behalf of this nation.
Sounds strange right? Have you read the actions of people in the Bible and realized the Bible heroes are indeed full of weirdos? I know that this is something I’ve mentioned before, but its worth mentioning again. Not merely as a defense of my seemingly useless action in sleeping on the floor, but rather so that we all remember that God does things that look quite strange to the natural eye. That’s why we aren’t to focus on the things that are seen, but rather those that are unseen (1 Corinthians 4:18).
He is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if He did such and such thing while the Bible was being written, we must realize He does the same type of things still today. There was this man that was a great intercessor and he received a directive from the Lord to rent the presidential suite at the Hilton in Cairo, Egypt. He was to rent it for forty days and take no food, but fast and pray. Completely saturate that place in the intercession of a holy saint. The man was apprehensive, he didn’t have the money and it just seemed so strange. He was obedient though and did just that. After the forty days passed, an anonymous check showed up to pay the exact price of the bill. He was then directed to go to the highest mountain overlooking the city and prophesy. He was obedient and told Egypt to be at peace with Israel. Unknown to him, the president of Egypt, a non-believer, was landing in his plane at that exact moment. Shortly thereafter, the president decided to be unlike the surrounding Arabic countries and sought peace with Israel. When people asked him why he did it, he said that as he was landing in Cairo he heard God tell him to do so. And the peace treaty talks happened nowhere other than the presidential suite of the Hilton in Cairo, freshly soaked in forty days of prayer, fasting and intercession… More goes on in intercession than we realize.
So I’m trying my best to be intentional in my intercession. Things will look strange, but the Lord uses the foolish things to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). Last night, I prayed over the room, then hit my knees and prayed for the nation. I slept on a cot-sized rug placed on the hardwood floor. I woke up several times throughout the night and each time prayed for the nation. I had like five dreams last night and it was a bit intense. When I woke up, my hard laying place was my reminder of my job here. I’m not really a tourist, I came here on a mission and that is to intercede on behalf of the lost people of this country. Throughout the day, we went to many places and all the while I was praying. We saw religious buildings, government buildings and I walked as a bearer of God’s Holy Spirit and spoke His will over the people and places. He loves these people so much, He loves so much about them and sent His son to die for them. He is unrelenting in His pursuit of them and He desires all of them to be in fellowship with Him and recognize who He is. Jesus died for these people and I’m intentionally praying for them to realize that and for the strongholds to come down.
He alone is worthy of praise, so we give it to Him.
We’ve safely arrived in the second country after spending about 14 hours driving here. The trip was exhaustingly long, but I was able to get a little sleep, listen to music, and finish a book then start a book. Nonetheless, by the time we rolled up to our hotel at 7:45 PM, we were ready for the day to be over. We walked into the lobby and were all taken back by how incredibly nice the hotel looked. We were all the more blown away when we got to our rooms. The girls had a laugh as I was the first to my room and was exclaiming out loud at how “legit” this place was and it was truly “off the chain” as I said. This place has free wireless internet, each room has a big Hi-Def TV, all the nice amenities that you would expect with furniture and the like. The tissue box is wrapped up like a Christmas gift for crying out loud. I can’t remember the last time I was in a nice hotel. After waking up at 3:30 in the morning and traveling all day, I was ready for a shower.
I was in the shower that had perfect temperature and water pressure and I was washing my hair with actual shampoo and conditioner for the first time in a week and a half and just enjoying the moment. I decided to release a worship song over the room and began singing. As I was in the shower I felt the Holy Spirit saying “don’t forget why you’re here.” The following thought that came to my mind was “I should sleep on the ground tonight.” I realized that the accommodations were not going to help, but rather detract, from my intercession. It was a quick thought in my mind when I first walked into the room that this could serve as a nice vacation from my work at TOA. “I’m a missionary in Africa, I can do it up here. I’ve earned it.” Such thoughts must go by the wayside when wanting to serve the Lord. Entitlement has been something that has strangled so much Christ-like life out of the American church. This life is so beautiful; the walk, the death, the resurrection, the ascension. We can follow Christ in all these things, but we get the life mixed up when we equate blessing with worldly prosperity. We must realize that the Lord’s ways are not that of the world’s, so true joy comes not from monetary affluence or comfort but rather from loving and obeying Jesus. There is nothing wrong with a comfortable bed, I in fact own one back in Moshi. But rather, if my highest calling is to love God and Jesus says the way you love Him is to obey Him (John 14:23) I must relinquish anything that would distract me from doing just that. So I gave up a comfortable bed so that I can focus on obeying Him in praying and interceding on behalf of this nation.
Sounds strange right? Have you read the actions of people in the Bible and realized the Bible heroes are indeed full of weirdos? I know that this is something I’ve mentioned before, but its worth mentioning again. Not merely as a defense of my seemingly useless action in sleeping on the floor, but rather so that we all remember that God does things that look quite strange to the natural eye. That’s why we aren’t to focus on the things that are seen, but rather those that are unseen (1 Corinthians 4:18).
He is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if He did such and such thing while the Bible was being written, we must realize He does the same type of things still today. There was this man that was a great intercessor and he received a directive from the Lord to rent the presidential suite at the Hilton in Cairo, Egypt. He was to rent it for forty days and take no food, but fast and pray. Completely saturate that place in the intercession of a holy saint. The man was apprehensive, he didn’t have the money and it just seemed so strange. He was obedient though and did just that. After the forty days passed, an anonymous check showed up to pay the exact price of the bill. He was then directed to go to the highest mountain overlooking the city and prophesy. He was obedient and told Egypt to be at peace with Israel. Unknown to him, the president of Egypt, a non-believer, was landing in his plane at that exact moment. Shortly thereafter, the president decided to be unlike the surrounding Arabic countries and sought peace with Israel. When people asked him why he did it, he said that as he was landing in Cairo he heard God tell him to do so. And the peace treaty talks happened nowhere other than the presidential suite of the Hilton in Cairo, freshly soaked in forty days of prayer, fasting and intercession… More goes on in intercession than we realize.
So I’m trying my best to be intentional in my intercession. Things will look strange, but the Lord uses the foolish things to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). Last night, I prayed over the room, then hit my knees and prayed for the nation. I slept on a cot-sized rug placed on the hardwood floor. I woke up several times throughout the night and each time prayed for the nation. I had like five dreams last night and it was a bit intense. When I woke up, my hard laying place was my reminder of my job here. I’m not really a tourist, I came here on a mission and that is to intercede on behalf of the lost people of this country. Throughout the day, we went to many places and all the while I was praying. We saw religious buildings, government buildings and I walked as a bearer of God’s Holy Spirit and spoke His will over the people and places. He loves these people so much, He loves so much about them and sent His son to die for them. He is unrelenting in His pursuit of them and He desires all of them to be in fellowship with Him and recognize who He is. Jesus died for these people and I’m intentionally praying for them to realize that and for the strongholds to come down.
He alone is worthy of praise, so we give it to Him.
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