Periscope Prayers: Practicing His Presence

You can have the presence of God come with you all day long. He is willing to be with you in every decision you make!

During the Renaissance, the Abbé de Beaufort and Frère Laurent de la Résurrection, known as Brother Lawrence, recorded four conversations together. There were also copies of letters Brother Lawrence wrote, as well as notes, published with these conversations in the 1690’s.  These famous “Conversations”, now published as The Practice of the Presence of God, tell an incredible story. 
 
Brother Lawrence joined the monastery in part to escape his clumsiness; he didn’t want to be the way he was. He needed to find God and to know the Lord. In the winter he saw a dormant tree. It was frozen and there was snow on the branches. As he stood there, he realized it was going to change in the spring. He knew that suddenly leaves would be growing on the branches, and He saw a vision of the mastery of God. Brother Lawrence…

Brother Lawrence’s words made me think about what we’re going through with the Corona virus.  Right now, America is like a tree which is leafless and fruitless and waiting to rise again. That’s what Brother Lawrence saw in this tree. When the Lord spoke to him, He told Brother Lawrence that His presence brings life to the tree. He felt the presence of God! He never forgot the image of that tree, or how he could feel the presence of God upon him. 
 
Here is a key about you and what you can gain in prayer everyday; and this is part of why my family and I are praying every day: You’ll find in practicing the presence of God, everything gets put together. In His presence, He fixes everything. Everything comes inline. God wants to take us into the future. He wants to show us the glory of tomorrow and all of the wonderful things that can happen. He does that through His presence.   
 
When we are hungry for God, He responds. He visits us with His presence. May the presence of God flow through you into the project you are working on! Let the love of God help you in the tasks before you. Feel the love of God pour out of you. 
 
Whatever it is the Lord wants you to do, put your whole heart, and all your attention into it. In every action you do, no matter how large or small, please the Lord. God is love. When the love of God comes though you in the work you do, no matter what type of work it is, take the task as an opportunity to please the Father. 

Sent in love, Pastor Richard Gazowksy

(quotes pictured taken directly from the texts of the Abbé de Beaufort and Frère Laurent de la Résurrection, Brother Lawrence)

The Army of the Lord

On Sunday I received a text message from one of the intercessors who prays with us all of the time, Sister Ana Lopez. She said:

That is so powerful! These are not just flukes that occur; healing and angelic activity are signs and wonders. The Lord is allowing us to hear and see the army of Lord. This army is coming on our behalf. We need to recognize these things and believe in our hearts.

Father, we thank Sister Lopez for sharing how she saw the army of the Lord coming. God, we agree with her, and we welcome the army of the Lord to our nation. God, we stand in our streets, raising our hands, saying, ‘Praise the Lord! Let the armies come! Let God’s will be done in our nation!’ This is the time when You are appearing before Your people, God. This pandemic seems to be so unstoppable, so overwhelming, that every nation on earth is fighting with this.

The love of God is going to sweep the earth, just as Sister Lopez fought her infection until You cleared it up. The joy of the Lord came to her, and she recognized You will bring healing upon the nations of the world. You will heal and bring restoration to families, churches, homes, businesses, governments ~ people in all walks of life. They will experience Your power and Your glory! Lord, we pray for this now. We pray for the manifestation of Your glory to come into our homes. We thank you for this incredible testimony. You show the wonder and the great provision! Heal our ears, so we can hear You clearly and hear Your army coming to our rescue!

Sent in Love,

Pastor Richard Gazowsky

Periscope Prayers: Over the Rainbow

While we are in intercession, God is taking care of everything. There’s not one thing God isn’t doing. It’s incredible when you realize how detailed the Kingdom of God is, how exact. Right now, God is watching your street, whatever country you’re in, your neighborhood, your bills, whatever it is, God is watching!  

I had a surprise bill hit me this afternoon, and when I looked, God had the money right there! Everything was provided for. There was no fretting, because God had prepared for everything. God watches over you. He knows you. He knows every detail of your life. He’s watching every single area.   

“Father, we ask You now Lord, to take us in that realm of faith where we can believe for the impossible to occur. Lord, show us how great Your ways are! Take us beyond the rainbow, Lord. Take us into the wonderful experience of knowing You and the power of Your promises. It is so beautiful to serve You, God!”

The following lyrics to “Over the Rainbow” were written in 1938 by Yip Harburg, a Russian Jewish immigrant to New York, on the verge of the imminent Holocaust. Many have now realized how profoundly prophetic his lyrics really were:  

“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high

There’s a land that I heard of once, in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true

Someday I’ll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far

Behind me

Where troubles melt like lemon drops

Away above the chimney tops

That’s where you’ll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh, why can’t I?

If happy little bluebirds fly

Beyond the rainbow

Why, oh, why, can’t I?”

“Jesus, we love You, Lord because we know, somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue! Give us faith for the difficulties we’re going through. Give us faith to see beyond this, to see beyond what is occurring. We love You so much. 
“There is nothing like Your presence, God. You will find us! You put the rainbows in the sky. They are Your promise that you will never lie, lead us astray, or hurt us. Show us how to walk perfectly in line with Your ways. There is such perfection we find in You, Lord.” 

Sent in love,

Pastor Richard Gazowsky

This is the Great Reversal

Jesus told His disciples there was going to be a great reversal in wealth. As Moses prophesied to Israel, they were destined to be at the top of the heap. Moses said it in this way, “If you listen obediently to the Voice of GOD, your God, and heartily obey all His commandments that I command you today, GOD, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of GOD, your God:
GOD’s blessing inside the city,
GOD’s blessing in the country;
GOD’s blessing on your children,
The crops of your land,
The young of your livestock,
The calves of your herds,
The lambs of your flocks.
GOD’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl;
GOD’s blessing in your coming in,
GOD’s blessing in your going out.”
 
This blessing is pretty fantastic! It is what Jesus is offering to His disciples, and what God is offering you during this coronavirus pandemic. So listen to how the wealth is transferred. 

The disciples saw Jesus offering a very wealthy young man an opportunity in His ministry, but the young man rejected it. This was because Jesus told him if he wanted to be perfect he would have to go through a trial and testing time. The Scriptures go on to say, “As He watched him go, Jesus told His disciples, ‘Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.’”

This statement obviously stunned His disciples because they had heard Jesus talk about the great blessings they would get by serving God. And to all of us these words are a shock when we first hear them. But listen to what Jesus went on to say in the Message translation of Matthew 19.
Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed Me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed Me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of Me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
 
We all agree that the great reversal is what everyone wants, but do you understand it happens in God’s time, and not when we want it to? The current pandemic the whole earth is going through is the time of the great reversal. We will see darkness turned to light, poverty to great riches, and those who are lost will be found. This phenomenon has happened many times in the Scriptures, and we have the clarity of history to prove time and time again that it is true. Take a moment to understand what this great reversal means to you and I.

Just before Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, the death angel passed by every home in the land. If he saw the blood of the lamb upon the doorpost, he would pass over that house and no one would be harmed. Today, worldwide, the COVID-19 virus is passing by every home on the earth. The similarity with history is not a coincidence, but instead it is God’s clear exact message to your family. In ancient times, God was judging Egypt for the slavery and the yoke of bondage they had placed upon God’s people. God is the judge of the kingdoms of this world and He is lifting up the kingdom of our Lord, Christ Jesus.

In the next few weeks you will literally see this Scripture from Isaiah come to pass: “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
In a short amount of time, you will see our country increase and make new records on every measurable economic index. This is the time for you to plant your seeds in your heart and obey exactly what He says. Remember, Jesus said, “For the seed is the Word of God!” This means God’s daily word spoken in your heart is a seed that will grow into your part of the invisible kingdom of God. Obey the simple commands He gives you today, and you will find yourself ruling as His kingdom comes. I will be praying for each one of you on Periscope today.
Sent in love,
Pastor Richard Gazowsky

Your Family is Your Center

What an incredible time we are living in! Never before in any of our lifetimes have we been required to stay at home like this. In such an unprecedented hour, we all must be aware that the Lord is speaking to our nation. And this message is so clear that it is coming to every person in the world.

Don’t miss what the Lord is saying:
Your family is your center.

This was the message that God gave to me over 10 years ago when He said, “Richard, I can’t fix San Francisco until you fix your family.” It was four in the morning when this message came to me from God. I was driving to Los Angeles for a meeting, while beside me my family was asleep in our van. I then made this statement to the Lord: “Good Lord, that’s the only part of my life I’m proud of. All of my children are serving You!”

The Lord did not respond to my self-gratification. He instead replied, “When you fix your family, Richard, then I can heal all of San Francisco.“ I then said, “Lord, please tell me what’s wrong with my family.” The Lord simply said, “You, Richard, are what’s wrong.”

That was over 10 years ago when God spoke to me those words. Those simple words were true. As I began to humble myself before my family, every communication problem and misunderstanding slowly began to disappear. I strived to make all our family conversations kind, gentle, and loving.

To be extremely honest with you, it was hard for me because I realized that in every communication I could no longer be the ultimate authoritarian, which was my traditional idea of being a dad. I had to become a servant to everyone in my family ~ no matter how insignificant the need appeared to be.

When the Lord said I was the problem, I realized that I could also be part of the solution. Whoever you are, whatever family group the Lord has put you in charge of, please realize the healing God wants to bring to your family. Your humble spirit and love for each family member is key. Jesus put it this way, “But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.”

I’ll see you today on Periscope.

Sent in love,

Pastor Richard Gazowsky

Did I Obey God Today?

The kingdom of God is an invisible network of communication covering the entire earth. No wonder Paul said, in Ephesians 1:20-23, from the Message Bible, “All this energy issues from Christ: God raised Him from death and set Him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from His rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which He speaks and acts, by which He fills everything with His presence.”
This is one of the best descriptions of the vastness of God’s kingdom. It is a network of communication very similar to the network of electromagnetic communication that links our cell phones together worldwide. You use your mobile phone to connect; in the same manner, we communicate with God in prayer. So it is every day as I pray on Periscope with you. Those links made in prayer show us the kingdom of God and how it globally connects us together. The network of prayer has never been as visible as it is today with the amazing technology in cell phones. The cell phone also gives a physical display of how important obedience to the Word of God is.
You must have a clear signal for uninterrupted calls. Your location matters, and your battery is important, but each of these elements must be strong enough for your call to go through uninterrupted. The same is true of personal prayer, and our private times with the Lord.
I’ve discovered that my most “private calls” in prayer are made early in the morning, when most of my family is still asleep. In these quiet morning communications, I can really hear the Words and whispers of the Lord clearly. Each one of us is uniquely diverse, so your communication to God might be in a totally different place, or at a completely different time. It’s necessary to understand how important it is to keep this communication channel clear.
Revelation 3:20 says: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Notice how the Lord doesn’t say that He will open the door. You and I must open the door so that He can enter in. This also means we have to know when to close the door when the enemy comes, keeping out all enemy-related thoughts and communication. After unwanted calls, you block the caller so you don’t get any more communication from them.
With every Word of God that is obeyed the kingdom of God and His structure begins to form invisibly around you, your family, and those you influence.
This invisible structure is so valuable; it is the part of your life that will last forever! What God’s Word produces in you will be talked about and shared in Heaven. Its benefits will bring you wealth on earth, unspeakable joy, health, peace to your daily life and family, as well as treasured memories to share. And best of all, honor before the throne in Heaven!
This is why, “obedience is better than sacrifice.” Every night before bed, ask yourself, “Did I obey the Word, the whisper, and the instructions of God today?” If you feel that deep-rooted “Yes” in your spirit, you will sleep like a baby.
I must be honest with you, that over the years that I have learned this truth ~ every day that I’m living is becoming more mysteriously wonderful than yesterday. It’s amazing how happy your life can be!

Sent in love,

Pastor Richard Gazowsky