Discerner of Thoughts and Intents of Heart.

I joined in on the church prayer call this morning. Someone prayed for food to feed the hungry and noted that this is the fast the Lord desires. Our church has been taking food donations during this time of quarantine to share with those in need.

I’d also been fasting so I thought after the call, I need to spend some time here in the Word, praying before I end my fast.

I read Isa. 58 and focused on verses 6-7, and while reading and praying through those  verses in different translations  I saw that one stated: “share your food with people.”

During this prayer time, the Holy Spirit somewhat randomly put the Christian artist Danny Gokey on my mind. When I Googled his name, the first song that came up was titled, “Haven’t Seen It Yet”. As  I listened, I thought this song is applicable for today.

Then as I  went back to prayer I decided I was going to get food and share it with those in need by dropping it off at the church.

I made a trip to Costco. As I passed an end cap on an aisle, I saw that they had a six-pack of canned chicken. I heard the Lord say, “Get that for your offering”, so I did.

While driving home, I began to think of Danny Gokey again.  I thought maybe the Lord wanted me to pray for him. So I said a prayer. Then out of the blue on the radio right after I had prayed from him, that exact song “Haven’t Seen it Yet” began to play.  I thought that’s incredible timing, and also a  bit bizarre. The Lord had my attention for sure!

As I turned into our neighborhood, a man was sitting outside on his lawn with a table set up selling golf balls with a sign that read “I’m out of work”.

As I passed the house, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart to give the six cans of chicken to that man.

I wasn’t sure at first if I heard correctly, then I heard the Lord say, “he’s your neighbor”. At that point  conviction set in for me to turn my car around.

I pulled the chicken from my grocery bag and put it in the front seat so I could easily offer it to him and turned the car around to drive back by his house.

Where did he go? I didn’t see him.

It was a cul-de-sac, and I needed to turn the car around again to leave, which naturally caused me to pass his house one last time. I saw the man was walking back to the table, so  I rolled the car window down and gave a greeting. I began talking, “I  don’t have cash on me, but I’m just getting back from the store. Would you like these?” as I held the canned chicken up.

When he asked what it was, I replied that it was chicken and he was so thrilled, saying, ”Oh my gosh, thank you, so much. This is so cool! I can eat chicken salad, thank you!” “What is your name?” he asked. “Deborah,” I replied. I asked for his name too and he replied “Marcus”.  “Marcus, I’ll be praying for you,” I said, as I drove off and he walked back to the table smiling.

I left fighting back the tears and feeling much gratitude to the Lord.

When I arrived home, I wanted to share with John what had happened. After putting away the groceries, I grabbed the closest Bible which happened to be John’s, so I could read him the verse from Isaiah 58. As I picked it up and began to open the Bible it opened right to Isaish 58.

Looking at John I exclaimed, “Oh, were you reading from Isaiah 58 this morning too?

He said, No, I wasn’t!

We both smiled at each other in amazement!

Deborah ~ 4 Unfolded Hearts

 

The Counsel of the Lord Stands Forever

Psalms 33: 11,12

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

 

I have been praying the above verse regarding our nation. Early in the morning at the beginning of April, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, as I was heading down the stairs to pray. I heard, “remember the pride of David as he counted the men.”  I thought, to myself, I recall the story, but I need to read it in light of what was just spoken. The passage below is what I discovered of David during that particular time. I believe it profoundly states the revelation of God’s ways, for such a time as this.

 

2 Samuel 24 & 1 Chronicles 21 gives the account of David’s order for a census of Israel and Judah. Joab, a general object’s to David census in numbering the men.

2 Samuel 24 gives the account from a Political view

1 Chronicles 21 presents the report from a Religious view

It’s important to note both; the political and religious views as the revelation, while in part, renders a remedy that I would humbly like to offer remains a truth for the nation and for us.

 

We read excerpts from the account from 1 Chronicles 21

 

While scripture doesn’t tell us directly what David did was wrong. It implies his motive in doing so was wrong.

 

⁷ And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. ⁸ So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

 

David didn’t trust God; he was worried about the military power of the nation.

 

⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and tell David, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.”

¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself, ¹² either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord—the plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

 

Sound familiar, three-months of being defeated by a hidden foe, in our day and time, I’d like to suggest for us, it’s namely a virus.

 

¹³ And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

 

The Lord was drawing David to Him.

 Ps. 46 God is our strength, a very present help in trouble.

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. ¹⁵ And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

 

Whoa! …all at the result of foolish-sin from their leader.

 

¹⁸ Therefore, the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

²² Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”

²³ But Ornan said to David, “Take it to yourself and let my Lord the king do what is good in his eyes

²⁶ And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

²⁷ So the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

 

We see David take full responsibility for his actions before the Lord, yet lives were lost on account of his foolishness, the Lord received his sacrificial repentance, and the Lord relented.

 

Likewise, our response is to seek security only in God.

 

I understood the Lord impressed upon me to implore to leaders both Political and Religious equally, to repent, repent of any pride, foolishness, repent of sowing sins of wickedness, seek the Lord while he can be found, call upon Him while He is near.

 

If you are an intercessor and or a righteousness leader, I implore you as well to stand in the gap, offer a sacrificial prayer for another. May we unite in continue to sow righteousness as stated in Hosea verse that we might as a nation reap mercy and find healing in our land.

 

Hosea 10:12

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

 

Seize The Benefits

Psalms 103

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name.
Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;

Who forgives all your sins,
Who heals all your diseases; 
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle.

The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all the oppressed.
He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in compassion and lovingkindness.

He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins [as we deserve],
Nor rewarded us [with punishment] according to our wickedness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father loves his children,
So the Lord loves those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].
For He knows our [mortal] frame;
He remembers that we are [merely] dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;

Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it and it is no more,
And its place knows it no longer.

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,

To those who honor and keep His covenant,
And remember to do His commandments [imprinting His word on their hearts].

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all [the universe].

Bless the Lord, you His angels,
You mighty ones who do His commandments,
Obeying the voice of His word!

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him and do His will.

Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion;
Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul!

Pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, the lover of your soul believing the word, asking on your behalf, your neighbor, the generations, your city, state, and nation.

Deborah ~ 4 Unfolded Hearts

As we continue to apply 2 Chronicles 7:14 which in short, states,

“If My people humble themselves, pray and turn from their wicked way, He will hear from Heaven, forgive their sins, and heal the land.”

Honestly, as an intercessor when I hear a prayer initiative to pray 2 Chronicles 7:14  it has left me exasperated at times thinking: “Of what else can I pray and repent?”  I’m sincerely willing to yield, but often I find myself repeating prayers. But today I asked, out of this exasperation, what is there left to repent of? 

 I see now, that’s precisely the question the Holy Spirit was guiding me to ask.

The Holy Spirit profoundly spoke to my spirit, the need to repent and renounce the works of evil that directly work against the Kingdom of God.   

If you are an intercessor, as I am, you live a life of repentance;  It’s constantly allowing yourself to be open to Holy Spirit as He speaks, and responding accordingly. Not only in your own life but often for the lives of others and at times for regions, certain cities, situational burdens, nations, leaders, the lowly, communities, and any gap He deems suitable for you. 

May our prayers be effective, with every believer, as we agree with one another in faith for His Kingdom will be done, freedom, the reigning of truth, and the healing of our land to be restored, in Jesus’ Name.  

As you continue to read below on repentance/renouncing, you may not find any suggested sin to be an area in which you are actively participating, but perhaps you have in the past, and never thought to repent/renounce by offering a prayer regarding it. My hope is you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth and respond accordingly.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit will take you deeper still into an area that you find begins to grieve your spirit as you learn that action of the sin has been working against the kingdom and all that you believe in and hope to be a part of building for the God you love.  Please know, He loves a contrite heart.

We are a significant part of building the kingdom of God in faith according to the Word, in repentance, renouncing, declaring, decreeing, testifying, and sharing the gospel as a ministry of reconciliation.

Paul’s words Romans 1:11

 I know that when we come together, something beautiful will happen as we are encouraged by each other’s faith. 

Romans 1 verse 16

For I am not the least bit embarrassed about the gospel. I won’t shy away from it, because it is God’s power to save every person who believes: first the Jew, and then the non-Jew.  You see, in the good news, God’s restorative justice is revealed. And as we will see, it begins with and ends in faith. As the Scripture declares, “By faith the just will obtain life.” 

Romans 1 verse 18 – 

 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. 

The Holy Spirit is Truth.

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 8: 32
You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free

Definition Repent: 

to change one’s mind for better, as you begin to see things as God sees them, heartily to amend with loathing of one’s past sins.

Definition Renounce Lies: 

to give up, forbid, renounce.

2 Corinthians 4:2 

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by a manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Pray a Prayer of Repentance/Renounce: 

Repent for suppressing the spirit of truth,  being ashamed of the gospel, and every lie that would try to attach itself to the continuation of these sins. 

Pray to ask to reconcile and see the restorative work of the kingdom released. Romans 1:16

That the Spirit of Truth shall prevail against every opposing spirit. (Eph 6:12)

 

Pray prayers both on your behalf as well as standing in the gap on behalf of another if you have first- hand accounts or have participated in actions that would work against the virtue of increasing the Kingdom of God. 

 

What is the Kingdom of God

Holy Spirit came to reveal-John 16:7-11 

 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. 

 And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message]; about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me; about judgment [the certainty of it] because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned.

John 3:15-16

that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Repent/Renounce: 

Not loving the things the Lord loves.

For unbelief: personally, in family, church, state, and nations.

Repent for not allowing Holy Spirit to lead and reveal the true nature of Christ.

His nature is not judgmental, critical, neither of a fearful spirit, foolishness, or self-righteousness. 

Pray to ask Holy Spirit to Reconcile: Believing hearts, for His justice, an increase of Fatih.

 Righteousness, Peace, and Joy

Romans 14: 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

If you’ve been sowing or participated in strife, division, deceit, drunkenness, jealousy, spreading malicious lies, gossip, entitlement, haughtiness.

Romans 1  Do not suppress the truth …..repent and renounce these works. 

Additional sins working against the Kingdom of God

Most certainly we know that all sin has roots in pride, which genuinely are working against His Kingdom.
We also know that we are contending with spirits, principalities, and rulers in dark places as Ephesians 6:12 tell us. 

Nevertheless, I continue with the prayer directive released for this day.

Psalms 12:2-Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.

Rom 3:7-the mouth full of curses, lies, and oppression. 

Rejecting Christ – this would include Israel (Rom 9)

Repent/Renounce: 

Dishonest business, lying to Holy Spirit, being a slave to lies, idols, & rituals based on lies, traditions of men, rejecting Christ. 

Denying God’s Power & Authority 

Neglecting to lift up the Name of Christ 

Failing to show love, honor, and appreciation due to the One who created ALL.

Loss of vision and focus

Receiving Faith but not acting on Faith 

Counting your credit with man more than our credit with God. 

 

It’s humbling, yes, but remember the verse states, If My people..

 

Pray, meditate on the Word, seek an ever-increasing measure of the Kingdom of God.

Decree: Our Father in heaven, let Your name remain holy. Bring about Your kingdom. Manifest Your will here on earth, as it is manifest in heaven. – Matthew 6

His restorative justice to be revealed and ever-increasing – Romans 1:16

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. – Psalm 19:14

This is my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.-John 15:8

Ephesians 5:9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

Romans 15:13- Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 8:12-Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” 

2 Peter 3- Be steadfast and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;  

The Verse of the Hour – You are a Kingdom Carrier

1 John 2:27

You have an anointing. You received it from Him, and His anointing remains on you. You do not need any other teacher. But as His anointing instructs you in all the essentials (all the truth uncontaminated by darkness and lies), it teaches you this: “Remain connected to Him.”

Deborah Somjak 4-Unfolded Hearts
4- Such a time as this

Flatten the (Coronavirus) Curve Friday

Flatten the Curve Friday

Ask for a spirit of grace and supplication as you pray for the curve to flatten!

2 Corthinians 1:11

Join us in this work. Lend us a hand through prayer so that many will give thanks for the gift that comes to us when God answers the prayers of so many.

verses 8-10 tell us why they asked for the joining of prayer:

⁸ My brothers and sisters, we have to tell you that when we were in Asia the troubles we faced were nearly more than we could handle. The burdens we bore nearly crushed us. Our strength dwindled to nothing. For a while, we weren’t sure we would make it through the whole ordeal. ⁹ We thought we would have to serve out our death sentences right then and there. As a result, we realized that we could no longer rely on ourselves and that we must trust solely in God, who possesses the power to raise the dead. ¹⁰ Miraculously, God, Himself delivered us from the cold hands of death. We again place our hope in Him alone, and we know He will deliver us.

Pray

Father, we thank you, you’re both mighty and merciful, we too as your people ask for the work of your delivering hand over this coronavirus. Deliver us from the evil of this hidden enemy and premature death, deliver our city (name your city) deliver our state (name your state) and together in unity of prayer, in one spirit, deliver our nation back to you.
We ask for a miraculous work of your hand over our nation; we plead the report of your atoning blood to speak across the state lines. We place our hope, our focus, and strength in the Holy Spirit and truth. We thank you and hold you to the integrity of your word that it shall not return void but will succeed in the matter in which it is sent for the greater glory of your name.

Isa 8:9 – Decree, listen closely Corona Virus, get ready… to be shattered!!!

Listen closely, even if you’re far away:
Get ready for battle—get ready to be battered;
get ready for battle—get ready to be shattered.

Isa. 1:28 – Decree the Corona Virus curve to be crushed, shattered, and ask for the warring angels to complete our petitions and prayers.

But those who arrogantly persist in doing wrong will be crushed.

Psalms 106:44

Nevertheless, He saw their great struggle, took pity on them,
and heard their prayers;

Romans 8:26

A similar thing happens when we pray. We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words

Acts 12

but fervent and persistent prayer for him (Peter) was being made to God by the church.

Amazing! The Lord has sent His messenger to rescue

When Peter came to his senses, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and has rescued me.

We too, friends, will know for certain we have been rescued by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Col 4:2-6 – Encouragement with purposes to remain constant & continue to pray.

Pray, and keep praying. Be alert and thankful when you pray.  And while you are at it, add us to your prayers. Pray that God would open doors and windows and minds and eyes and hearts for the word so we can go on telling the mystery of the Anointed, for this is exactly why I am currently imprisoned. Pray that I will proclaim this message clearly and fearlessly as I should.

 Be wise when you engage with those outside the faith community; make the most of every moment and every encounter. When you speak the word, speak it gracefully (as if seasoned with salt), so you will know how to respond to everyone rightly.

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you,

Deborah ~ 4 Unfolded Hearts Ministry