IGNITE November 2018

DOES GOD KNOW YOUR VOICE IN HEAVEN?

Recently I was driving to a dinner reunion while participating in a College Student Prayer Conference Call. Our younger son, Chris, leads this Tuesday night of “College Worship with a Message” and will most often pop into a part of the 45 minute prayer time. I’ve heard Chris pray 1000s of times, but on this night when I heard his voice over the speaker in my car, suddenly, three things happened in the same moment!

1. Tears of joy sprung forth from my eyes.

2. I heard the voice of our Heavenly Father superimposed over my own voice saying: “THAT’S MY SON!!”

3. God gave me an impartation of the inexplicable joy in our Father’s heart that HE experiences when we, His children cry out loud to Him in prayer. This resounding joy simply reverberated like a drum beat of rolling thunder through my heart, mind and soul.

Let’s pause and: PRAY NOW out loud: “Father, I rejoice that You love to hear my voice and heart turned to you in prayer. Please forgive me when I ignore Your presence. I commit to daily being a student in Your “School of Prayer” and to cry out to You regularly “”Lord please teach me to pray.””

The best way to learn to do anything is by doing that thing right? Riding a bike, playing football, and PRAYING the best way to learn is to PRAY. So we can be obedient to this:

SCRIPTURE: James 5:16 “….pray for one another…”

I often quote Leonard Ravenhill when teaching on prayer where he says: “Few are called to preach BUT ALL ARE CALLED TO PRAY! The instruction from James is addressed to every believer in Jesus. So if you are reading this then you are called by God to pray.

A Simple Way! To Pray! Throughout Your Day!

GIVE THANKS in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and just happens to be right after verse 17 that says “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!” which is another instruction to pray. 😊🙏👍

Yes precious readers, those two simple words “THANK YOU” are a secret key to virtually every person’s heart. Whoever you are you can say THANK YOU to anyone and everyone. Let me explain in just one instance. Whenever I board a flight, I look the flight attendants standing in the cabin entrance in their eyes, smile and say: “I want to say THANK YOU to you both for serving in the skies today, God bless you.” Whether it’s to your mother, a family member, a stranger , on the phone to customer service, you can say THANK YOU to them and then, if timing and circumstances allow, a very simple next step is to ask this question slowly, clearly and sincerely from your heart.

"If there was ONE THING I could PRAY NOW for you PERSONALLY what would it be?"

If you are thinking/feeling? “

• I can’t do that!! It’s for people like Colin.

• A mild/strong sense of fear rising up in your spirit even at the thought of praying for others?

These types of responses are often as a result of:

FORTRESSES OF UNBELIEF AND FEAR: that can be so subtly established in our minds by the enemy.

TWO DIVINELY POWERFUL WEAPONS THAT WILL DESTROY THESE FORTRESSES IN OUR MINDS:

• “Effectual Prayer” is praying God’s Word! So let us PRAY NOW: “Father I pray Your word out of James 4:7 and submit therefore to You, my God, and I resist the enemies of unbelief and fear and Your Word says they will flee. Forgive me Lord God when I miss opportunities to pray for others and I commit to say THANK YOU to at least three people a day and to intentionally be expectant of seeing Your GOD SET UPS for me to ask the One Thing I can Pray Now question at least once a day, in Jesus name I pray amen.”

• “Waiting on God” PATIENTLY excerpt from Andrew Murray download the free PDF (Here)

  "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, Those that wait on the Lord inherit the land." Ps. 37:7, 9

  "In patience possess your souls." "You have need of patience." "Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire." Such words of the Holy Spirit show us what an important element in the Christian life and character patience is. And nowhere is there a better place for cultivating or displaying it than in waiting on God. There we discover how impatient we are, and what our impatience means. We confess at times that we are impatient with men, and circumstances that hinder us, or with ourselves and our slow progress in the Christian life. If we truly set ourselves to wait on God, we shall find that it is with Him we are impatient, because He does not at once, or as soon as we could wish, do our bidding. It is in waiting on God that our eyes are opened to believe in His wise and sovereign will, and to see that the sooner and the more completely we yield absolutely to it, the more surely His blessing can come to us.

Let me ask you to ponder: For which Christmas blessing have you been waiting too little upon God?

IGNITE October 2018

HIDDEN RICHES OF SECRET PLACES Isaiah 45:3

THROUGH PERSEVERING PRAYER FOR STEVE AND LAURA SMITH

Last week, Jeff Wells led a 5 hour healing prayer vigil for Steve Smith

My journey into deeper obedience to the Great Commission began 6 years ago when my ever dearer friend Jeff Wells, Pastor of WoodsEdge Church in The Woodlands, invited me to Steve Smith’s first United States side Training for Trainers in Chicago. Steve has effectually trained people all over the world and currently leads a global effort to catalyze biblical church planting movements in every unreached people group and place by 2025. Just over a year ago Steve was diagnosed with a very rare form of liver cancer and last month the top MDA doctors said there is nothing more they can do. The Smiths are a humble, considering it all joy in the trials, model, of what it means to trust God with all their hearts and lean not on their own understanding. Wow it was like being with Christ in His school of prayer as Steve’s father cried out the hidden riches of God’s Word from the secret places of his rendered heart for his son. In a continuous ebb and flow at the leading of God’s Spirit, we worshipped, we wept, rejoiced with shouts of joy, were still and waited on our God. In the sanctuary that night new friendships were forged, existing ones were refined and strengthened as Steve was anointed with oil, a couple of hours later his feet were washed and many cried out to God in prayer and petition. Shortly before midnight amidst quiet worship we celebrated the Lord’s supper together, knowing that whether our heavenly Father heals Steve or not He is our God.

• If God has touched your heart for our dear Brother Steve please join us in fervent expectant prayer for God’s miraculous healing of Steve’s body.

• If you or a friend are facing a similar prayer “opportunity” we encourage you to gather family and friends as your Personal Intercessory Team, as described in our website’s P.I.T. Crew Handbook.

WAITING ON GOD AND PRAYING FOR OTHERS FORGES FRIENDSHIP

I’m into my 4th journey through Andrew Murray’s 31 days of “Waiting on God” I encourage you to click on the audio link, (Here) order the book, or download the free PDF (Here) This quote from Andrew Murray describes my heart exactly :

“Let us look to God to reveal Himself among His people in a measure very few have realized. Let us expect great things of our God. At all our conferences and assemblies too little time is given to waiting on God. Is He not willing to put things right in His own divine way? Has the life of God’s people reached the utmost limit of what God is willing to do for them? Surely not. We want to wait on Him; to put away our experiences, however blessed they have been; our conceptions of truth, however sound and scriptural we think they seem; our plans, however needful and suitable they appear, and give God time and place to show us what He could do, what He will do. God has new developments and new resources. He can do new things, unheard of things, hidden things. Let us enlarge our hearts and not limit Him.”

As I have been practicing Waiting on God, at first for a few minutes, and then as His grace abounds for us to do what His Word repetitively instructs us to do “WAIT ON THE LORD” for 30 minutes, an hour and the other Monday afternoon for 4 hours in a beautiful little prayer chapel, in The Woodlands United Methodist Church, I’m literally seeing the power of God act on my behalf as described here in: Isaiah 64:4 (NASB)

“For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.”

The World’s Largest 3,106 carat Cullinan Diamond even though it was mined in my home country of South Africa, has nothing on the multifaceted and brilliantly radiant friendship and intimacy that grows with God when you wait on Him!! In our recent Global Alliance for Church Multiplication (GACX) Forum in Denver our team of Leaders, Prayer Igniters and Worshippers were able to model and encourage our 225 church planters and accelerators of The Great Commission from 24 nations to wait, to worship, to be still and to listen for the Holy Spirit as a rhythm of the whole Forum. Even though I left home at 4:30am on Monday and got home at 8:30pm on Saturday with 16 -18 hour days because those hours included a consistent rhythm of waiting on God, abiding in His Word, just being still before Him, I drove home that evening in an overwhelming sprit of God’s wellbeing, it was truly “WELL WITH MY SOUL” no exhaustion, no stress just His peace that surpasses all understanding. So will you jump in with both feet and join me in the wonderful adventure of slowing your pace of life and work down to “WAIT ON THE LORD.”

IGNITE September 2018

“LORD TEACH US TO PRAY and add “ZUME” (see below) to our prayers.”

I write IGNITE today, sitting in a beautiful little chapel at Kaiserhof Retreat Center overlooking this peace filled setting. Would you PRAY NOW out loud with me, just like the disciples did when Jesus was with them?

“Lord teach me to pray! Father, give me Your enabling power, to fervently and expectantly believe that You will make my prayers powerful and effective for Your glory, in the matchless name of Jesus I pray, Amen”

Even though we know that prayer is a two way track of communication both speaking and listening to the Lord, I must confess that I’ve only prayed, “Lord teach me to pray.” with the expectancy of Jesus teaching me how to SPEAK out my prayers! God has answered many times as I’ve prayed prayers that I know are new ways of praying and interceding!!

Now get this, and maybe I’m just a slow learner and you all have got this part down ages ago 😂!! But what if we cried out “Lord teach me to pray” and we were also expectant of Jesus teaching us to listen! WOW This can change everything as I testify in my trucking with Jesus story below!

Frankly, most of us when we pray are pretty good at the talking part, I’ve been no exception until in these months after my sabbatical. As I’m now very intentionally living and working in a rhythm of rest I’m joyfully discovering that I’m learning to listen with a much keener receptivity to the many different ways the Lord can speak to us.

Let’s stop right now and give God a “HIGH FIVE”~~ 5 minutes to be still with the most HIGH! In your stillness consider your day yesterday, who did God put in your path? Who did you see? Who was in your path that you did not see, who did you text or not text, email, or call? Were you offended by someone’s words or actions against you? What could have been different with a deeper intentionality to listen for God’s whisper, to love deeply like Jesus and to encourage someone with a smile or greeting. Often all it takes is to stop and from your heart just say THANK YOU to a person for whoever they are or whatever they do, then quietly and sincerely ask this question: “If there was one thing I could pray now for you personally what would it be?” Ooops! I digress onto the story.

TRUCKING WITH JESUS ~~ Learning to Listen in a Rhythm of Rest

In late July I spent a couple of nights with my dear friend and Chairman of Global Media Outreach, Walt Wilson, in his new home outside Nashville. We prayer walked and officially dedicated Walt’s home to the Lord. If you have not done this in your own home I strongly encourage you to take some scripture, the blessings from Deuteronomy 28 are always a good foundation, then prayer walk throughout your home and/or office and our wonderful Councilor the Holy Spirit will guide and direct your steps and prayers.

I was due to drive on to visit Curtis and Debbie Sergeant in Dadeville Alabama and needed to rent a car. Unusually, we could not find an available car and as we exited the 3rd agency Walt said: “Colin how about a U-Haul truck?” I’m game for anything at this point and 20 minutes later I was driving out behind Walt in a 20ft U-Haul box truck!! In the midst of laughing out loud to myself at this priceless picture I suddenly and very clearly hear the whisper of the Lord in my heart saying: “I’ve put you in this moving truck for a purpose!” sensing the Lord was right there and laughing with me in the U-Haul truck. I was immediately obedient sending Curtis a faith filled Voice Text Prayer (VTP) report that I had a moving truck at their disposal for whatever it was they needed moved to their Dadeville home!! Curtis called me later totally blown away with this news as they had not even had a chance to ask God about how they were to move a tall and large fridge/freezer from Debbie’s parents new home in Atlanta!

And along came this Mad Millar Mover who with just a slight diversion and earlier departure the next morning from Walt’s home, was able to pick up the fridge from Debbie’s parents in Atlanta and arrive with it at Curtis and Debbie’s home a few hours later in Dadeville Alabama! Chkk-Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrr and God also brought Sharon, a gas station manager, James a young man who had been asleep on the couch in the Atlanta U-Haul office, and Evangelina, my Eco-park bus driver at Houston’s airport, to salvation as I thanked, then prayed for each of them in response to the one thing prayer question.

“ZUME” MAKES A DISCIPLE WORTH MULTIPLYING

www.zumeproject.com One of God’s best ways through which He teaches us to pray is when we “GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES!” God has used my growing friendship with Curtis to thrust me into the high adventure of actually obediently living out the Great Commission. Zúme is the Greek word for “yeast.” Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a woman who took a small amount of “zúme” and put into a great amount of dough. As she worked the yeast into the mix, it spread until all of the dough was leavened. Jesus was showing us that an ordinary person can take something very small and use it to make an impact that’s very big! God can take your little bit of obedience to His Word and bring life transforming impact to literally 100s of other people’s lives.

On Sunday 09/09/18 at my church Crossroads, with a simple step of obedience on my part, 7 of us united and ignited together in what is already proving to be one of the most Jesus heart opening, Holy Spirit obedience bringing adventures of our lives! My long time ministry partner and friend, Jason Hamilton, and I are co-facilitating this Zume Training. Zume is an online in-life learning experience designed for small groups who follow Jesus to learn how to obey His Great Commission and make disciples who multiply. Curtis has developed this online discipleship multiplication training. If you, like me, have or do struggle with being obedient to God’s Great Commission watch Curtis’s 30 minute message on immediate, radical and costly obedience. https://vimeo.com/187697333. I confess that my 09/09/18 obedience to making multiplying disciples only came after a SIX YEAR delay from when I first attended the Steve Smith Training for Trainers to make multiplying disciples.

Don’t let the devil’s delay keep you from the Jesus way of making disciples starting today!

IGNITE August 2018 - Lessons I'm Learning From My Sabbatical - Part 2

Lessons I'm Learning From My Sabbatical - Part 2

Let us PRAY NOW: “Oh Lord please may I hear, obey and act on changes You would have me make in my life as I read about these lessons You have given to Colin in Jesus name amen.”  

Prayer Walking On the Beach At Sunset

God Speaking, "SLOW your pace down!"

STEPS TOWARD A NEW LEVEL AND DEPTH OF INTERCESSION:    

I love praying with, into and over people’s lives individually, as well as in a wide variety of corporate places and spaces. Most recently a new discovery was “Prayer Tubing” LOL Yes I was praying with people while tubing down the San Marcos river with our family. The intercession I have found most difficult is praying with much or even any effectiveness on my own, alone with God. Most often within a minute maybe two at the max I find my “thinking” has drowned out completely any form of communication I was having with my Father and I just land up giving up after two or three attempts and going back to worship or reading God’s Word. Then I’ll have early morning prayer time with my Darling Bride. Besides the Bible, I only had two books with me that I strongly encourage you to get and read regularly. “Reese Howells Intercessor.” by Norman Grubb and Andrew Murray’s “The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer.”

•    God used Andrew Murray’s Chapter on “IS PRAYERLESSNESS SIN?” to shatter the lie in my mind and spirit  that I could not pray on my own alone with God. Chkk-Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I quote: “What we need is a revelation from God that our lack of prayer is an indication of unfaithfulness (Ouch the truth hurts!) to our vow of consecration that gave God all our heart and life. Our prayerlessness means that we have little taste or desire for fellowship with God. It shows that our faith rests more on our own work and efforts than on the power of God.” Just pause and consider this possibility in your own life and I know it has been in my life. I need regular refreshers to rescue me from prayerlessness. I gently remind you  that there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and His grace is sufficient for you to grow significantly in your prayer life. Your growth in prayer is our undergirding purpose of Igniting Prayer Action and this written instrument we call IGNITE.

•    In my 3rd week in Wales, gradually coming out of my fog of exhaustion and having been on a Daniel fast the Lord continued to nudge me toward a 21 day mainly water fast, with a little tea and coffee. I was completely unplugged electronically except for Sunday evenings with family.

•    Together with these factors and the pictures described God led me in a 2-3 hour labor of daily intercession praying two different scriptures  each day of the 21 day fast into and over the lives of family, neighbours and ministry partners by names about 170 people in all.

•    God birthed in my heart an even deeper love for each of these as I would meet you (them) before the throne of grace in prayer. I’ve just  reignited this particular work of intercession on one day a week as a part of my early morning time with God! And as I pray out loud softly God is giving me hours of intercession, THANK YOU JESUS!!

Playing Chess = Listening to God

Abiding in Christ at Ffald-y-Brenin

LIVING AND WORKING IN A RHYTHM OF REST

We all know, too sadly, what it means to live a crazy paced, decision making and activity driven life style. I know that is how I landed up in such a state of exhaustion. One of the listening to God exercises that helped grow a slower paced and a greater intentionality toward REST mentality was playing chess with God! I say what? Yes when I shared this with Christopher, Ashley and Caleb on a Facetime session one Sunday we landed up in hysterical laughter after Christopher said: “Dad I think you’ve really lost it and that Mum’s actually sent you to a “funny farm” using your sabbatical as a cover up!!” LOL Although we laughed I think there was a bit of seriousness to his statement.

Anyway all jokes aside one of the revelations I received in the middle of our second game, I’d just moved and then spoke out loud to the Lord saying: “Lord how do You want to move through me?” It hit me what a wonderful way to ask God this question instead of what I have pretty much always done and probably you too, we say: “OK Lord what do You want me to do here, which way do You want me to go and these questions leave a lot of US in the way whereas by asking God how HE wants to move through us it is ALL OF HIM going to move THROUGH me pushing aside pretty much all of ourselves.

God gave me three beautiful days at Ffald y Brenin  which is a beautiful award-winning Christian Retreat Centre in the Preseli hills near the sea in southwest Wales which has become internationally renowned through the hundreds of remarkable encounters our visitors have experienced with the Lord. The books The Grace Outpouring and The Way of Blessing by Roy Godwin recount some of those stories. I had the joy to meet with Roy Godwin the director and highly recommend both his books as instruments to grow your faith and prayer life. I participated in the rhythm of daily prayer consisting of 4 short 15 -30 minute simple prayer services that are filled with the presence of the Lord in clear and beautiful ways. The prayer services are splashed throughout the day and late evening.

Ffald y Brenin has grown as a Christian ministry that reaches out across the world with a message of hope, life and liberty because of the Father’s amazing saving gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the home of the global phenomena called Local Houses of Prayer. It is this simple HOP Challenge that I would love for you to ask God about making a part of your daily prayer life. We regularly welcome a mix of guests from many nations who visit, stay, or attend our Conferences or monthly Prayer Day.

“REFINE YOUR FOCUS” was a continuous ringing in my heart and mind in all aspects of my life. The Lord gave me three  “Heart Focus Filters” standing upon this bedrock of my life. To love the Lord my God with all my heart soul and mind and to love with a refreshed intentionality my Darling Bride and family.

•    START SLOWLY with God every day
•    BUILD STEADILY in prayer
•    LOVE DEEPLY like Jesus

I’ve been finding if I’m not living a day in a rhythm of rest I run my situation/circumstances through these filters and quite quickly the Lord brings me back into His REST, peace and joy. It is out of these sabbatical experiences  and particularly my days at Ffald-y-Brenin and the reading of Roy’s two books that the Lord birthed this simple PRAY FOR 5:5:5 challenge I give to you.

Assess the risk of “not doing something” God might be calling you to do?

Who might not be saved, healed, provided for, trained to be a disciple maker, if you do not accept this challenge? If you are already doing something similar then I encourage you to share that challenge to pray and share your love for Jesus to others in your life.

PLEASE ACCEPT THIS IGNITING PRAYER ACTION CHALLENGE?

Pray for 5:5:5

•     5 lost family, neighbors or friends
•     5 minutes of scripture-based prayer/day
•     5 days/week

Unite with 3 or 4 others once a week, ignite your home/office as a house of prayer, asking God how He wants you to reach/love on and serve the lost  ones for whom you are praying. www.zumeproject.com is an excellent on line in life discipleship training tool that God can use to turn your HOP into a church planting movement of disciples worth multiplying.

IGNITE July 2018

JOURNEYING INTO AND THROUGH MY SABBATICAL - PART 1

ME ON SABBATICAL? I’D NEVER CONSIDERED THE POSSIBILITY

In the past 10 years I’ve walked and prayed alongside of a number of friends on various types of sabbatical! Then on Monday 8th April these life interrupting events began to unroll.

A GOD SET-UP!

During the first week of April I was in Orlando for 3 separate events of The Global Alliance for Church Multiplication (GACX) This proved to be the fullest 6 days of ministry engagement of any time in the previous 3 years of international and national travel and ministry commitments.   Each Monday at 7am 6 of us from GACX leadership “zoom” connect for a 30 minute video prayer call. It is a wonderful way to begin our weeks unitedly in the throne room of our King.. As we finished, my ever dearer Brother, Nate Vander Stelt, our EVP, quietly asked if I could hang on for a few minutes posing this question of the Lord: “Lord God are You seeing what I am seeing and that Colin is “running on empty?” As Nate spoke the word “empty” suddenly this wilderness vision of my heart, unrolled in my mind as seen below.  

“RUNNING ON EMPTY?”

Running on Empty?

Then Nate prayed: “Father God would it perhaps be in Your heart that Colin go on a sabbatical?” At the word “sabbatical” into the vision poured this river of clear living water and in my  heart I’m agreeing with Nate saying “OH YES LORD!!” Beginning that very afternoon in prayer with my Sweetie, Nancy, and followed over the next 10 days with our Personal Intercessory Team (PIT Crew) and ministry team partners there was a continuing witness of the Holy Spirit toward me taking my first ever sabbatical.

GOD GUIDED AND PROVIDED

in every detail over the next 6 weeks before my flight to London on May 15th. My precious Little Boetie, Rich Millar, picked me up at Heathrow and drove me to a tiny little village called Broad Haven on the magnificent largely cliff faced coast of Wales. Part of God’s provision was the very reasonable rental of a beautiful cottage that a client of Gayle’s (Rich’s bride) owned just 30 seconds from the beach.

LET ME ASK YOU THIS QUESTION

Do you have 1or 2 close friends who can serve as accountability partners that have the freedom and liberty to speak into your life? In order to continually grow closer to Jesus this is an essential element in your walk with God. If you do not, pause now and ask our Father to bring you a Paul, Timothy, Barnabus, Ruth or Naomi who will speak honestly, boldly and with the love of Christ into your life. Shortly before I left I was praying with Jeff Gowler the President of Global Media Outreach and because Jeff has this liberty to speak into my life he sensed the Lord nudging him to ask me this question: “Knowing you as I do, Colin, you probably have a schedule coming together in your mind for how you will spend your time with the Lord, right?” Of course he was right on the mark and then Jeff said ever so gently, adding that this could just be him in the flesh, but I think I’m hearing God say: “ NO AGENDA Just come apart with Me!”  Wow! I immediately let go of all plans and schedules and felt this weight lift off my shoulders. I will write about lessons learned in Part 2 of my sabbatical story.

LET US PRAY NOW: “Lord God, may we incline our ears and come to You and listen, so that we may live! Lord, as You used Nate and Jeff to speak about course corrections into Colin’s life, what might You be wanting to say to me? Has my spouse been trying to tell/ask me something and I have just not been listening, Lord?”

God has quite often spoken to me audibly and His voice sounds exactly like my Sweetie’s voice!!  😂😊😂 Yes my Brothers! God calls us to LISTEN to our Brides! Sisters, humble yourselves because very occasionally God may use your husband to speak into your life too. Then on the other hand God may be nudging you to be that “bold loving like Jesus friend” to speak into someone else’s life! Listen! Listen! Listen, for His voice. We arrived in Broad Haven, swam in the very invigorating ocean (55%F) then, Rich drove off leaving me totally alone, not knowing a single sole, unplugged from all communications, even the Lord seemed to pull the plug on me for much of those first 14 days. I found it very difficult to pray or even read God’s Word and praise the Lord, Jeff’s no agenda word would free me to take 2 and sometimes 3 naps a day. I realized just how absolutely exhausted, burnt out and running totally on empty I had become. I’ll be very transparent, there were many moments that were straight up very hard. I’d literally ache for Sunday evenings to switch on my phone, have wonderful prayer and share times with my Sweetie and a few times with our sons, their brides and a huge encourager was Facetiming with our precious Little grandson Caleb.  

God Created Much Beauty in The Coast of Wales

Just being in the midst of such striking beauty was one of God’s lifters of my soul. Thank You Jesus. I took long steep climbing walks north and south on the coastal trails. By the 3rd week these grew into exhilarating prayer walks and Father gave me clear blue or gently cloudy skies 87% of my 41 days. The local Welsh residents would say, this many clear days in a row just does not happen and I’d smile in my heart and say: “Thank You Lord!”

'Hephzibah' means My delight is in her!

Our Father gave me a soul refreshing delight in the Hephzibah Baptist Chapel family and was welcomed as a part of their 70-80 congregation each of the 5 Sundays I was in Broad Haven. It’s strange how different circumstances can cause different responses. I would be in the midst of wonderful simple worship and thinking: “Oh Lord I just want this to go on and on, please don’t let this service be over.” Let’s be real! Sometimes we might be thinking I’ve got a lunch to go to, Pastor it’s time to wrap it up! The reason that I did not want to leave the sweet fragrance of the fellowship is that I would be in those moments of loneliness again. Here is the Lord’s sense of humor. The night before I left home my Sweetie prayed that the Lord would keep me from experiencing loneliness. Cindy Carr from our PIT Crew had also been led to pray that same prayer. I confess my pride in saying: “Me! Lonely! No never!” When I was unable to either pray, read God’s Word or hear His voice in those first two weeks I got to know loneliness big time! A short word from Sister Ro Taylor: “During a test the teacher is always quiet!” was a great encouragement to me and it was shortly after that I began to hear the quiet whisper of the Lord’s voice in my heart.

PLEASE SHARE THIS IGNITE:

I will write about lessons learned in Part 2 of my sabbatical story. If God has spoken to your heart as you read this please ask Him if there are 1 or 2 friends to whom you might share/forward this IGNITE Part 1 as this lays the foundation for a Kingdom expanding life challenge I will be making in Part 2.                                                                                                                                                  

IGNITE May 2018

A SABBATICAL BOOMERANG BLESSING PRAYER REQUEST!

For the next 6 weeks I will be on sabbatical in a coast side cottage by a tiny village in Wales. Just me and the Lord God Almighty. I will be totally off the grid. No laptop and I do not get email on my phone which I will only use once a week to pray with my Sweetie. She will be taking her own sabbatical from me. LOL. She really needs it and your prayers.

OUR PRAYER MISSIONS:

Please pray like this, first for yourself and your family and only then for me, my family and my sabbatical, should the Lord lead you to pray.

1. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth. That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer me! Psalm 108:5-6

2. “Lord fill us with Your Holy Spirit.” Luke 11:13

3. “Lord teach us to pray!” Luke 11:1

4.  “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested. 1 Chronicles4:10

5.  “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.” Psalm 51:12 6.   “Chkk-Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr “ Psalm 150:6        

LORD TEACH ME TO PRAY

COLIN, CURTIS, CHOCOLATE STAMPEDE + PRAYER = A DIVINE APPOINTMENT

At last October’s GACX Forum I got to pray for and meet Curtis Sergeant for the first time. Curtis was one of our Key Note speakers. When Curtis began to weep as he spoke about the lost in his last session my heart became sealed by the Holy Spirit with his. I sensed the Lord giving me an impression toward a friendship He would grow between us.

Let us PRAY NOW: “Oh Father, You alone know how You have been transforming my heart by the renewing of my mind through this dear quiet, and totally opposite in personality to me, man. Lord would You grant me grace to impart to every heart that prays and reads with me now the gift to grow as disciples worth multiplying, in Jesus name amen.”

A STAMPEDE FOR CHOCOLATE!

At several IGNITION Prayer events in Orlando last month God thrust these two polar opposite personalities, me and Curtis, jointly into the harvest fields. As our group of 7 finished dinner one night, it became a matter of some urgency to at least two us that there was no chocolate dessert on the menu. With amazing spiritual discernment 3 others of the 7 decided to ask google maps, at the same time, for directions to their favorite chocolate dessert house. I was driving! After 15 minutes of closed doors it appeared there was “NO PLACE LEFT” that we might discover chocolate at 10:30pm. BUT GOD has given Curtis a supernaturally built in chocolate homing device that went into sudden detection mode. Curtis almost yelled: “ There is a Longhorn on the other side of this block!!” No-one could see anything, Curtis was making what appeared to be a total faith declaration! We dropped 4 at the hotel and it was only the three Cs, Cindy, Curtis and Colin that made it to the Longhorn! When we thanked our waitress and asked:  

“What is the one thing we can pray now for you personally?” She responded in, for me, a never before seen way!! She looked up from where she stood and prayed: “THANK YOU LORD!! YOU KNEW I NEEDED PRAYER!!” then immediately sat down with us right next to Cindy. God gave us wisdom to discern that she needed scripture based prayer and that we would need to be still and listen for His voice while Tiffany could bring our Chocolate Stampede dessert. The Holy Spirit ministered to all 4 of us as we 3 Cs declared then prayed the scripture God had given each of us for Tiffany.

NOW TIFFANY IS A DISCIPLE WORTH MULTIPLYING!

Let us PRAY NOW:  “Oh Father, I cry out to You and ask, am I a disciple of Yours worth multiplying?” Now precious Saint, I am telling you that God is giving me an ever deepening love for this precious Brother Curtis Sergeant! God blew the fire of His Spirit into 30 of our lives as we attended the radical 4 day MetaCamp that Curtis teaches. If you thought I was on fore for Jesus before watch out. In the above prayer whether you heard the Lord say “YES! You are a disciple worth multiplying, or possibly NOT YET, whatever the case PLEASE click to this link to: www.Zúmeproject.com. The Zume Training is an on-line and in-life learning experience similar to the in person MetaCamp I just attended. It is designed for small groups (4-12) who follow Jesus to learn how to obey His Great Commission and make disciples who multiply.

If you have read this far and not clicked the  ZUME link, and started the training I will be following up with you personally when I return from my sabbatical. Chkk-Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

IGNITE April 2018

What do Kingdom, Kindergarten and Sabbatical have in common?

They all collided in my classroom at church today!

A year ago in Herrnhut Germany God spoke extremely clearly to me to go home and teach Kindergartners again. Praise God I was immediately obedient, called Pastor Shondarius Williams the day after my return and was teaching the very next Sunday!  It has been a testing in patience and grace, but today: “Oh Sweet Jesus, THANK YOU!”  the Kingdom of God came on earth as it is in heaven in several beautiful moments. Set 5 minutes aside right now!  You do not want to miss these encounters with the heart of our Father.

Over the past 4 weeks the Lord has used my precious Brother Nate Vander Stelt our EVP at GACX (Global Alliance for Church Multiplication), my darling precious Bride, our wonderful praying without ceasing P.I.T. Crew and His own voice in my heart to affirm that I have been running on empty and need to take my first ever sabbatical. So I’m sitting on a little chair with 5 of my precious Kindergartners explaining: “A sabbatical is taking 8 weeks away to be alone with God.” Precious Sienna, sitting next to me and really listening says: “So Brother Colin, are you going to heaven?”

Oh WOW!! My heart just melted, I looked at her, smiled from the depths of my heart and just hugged her saying: “Well kinda, yes Sienna, I’m going to be in heaven with God in a cottage on the seashore in Wales!”  

Most of you reading this know that I do not miss too many opportunities to PRAY NOW! One of the ways I model this is to stop and pray short prayers throughout our class time together, this way the children are seeing we can talk to God for any reason at any time. So instead of setting time apart for prayer at the beginning and the end of class, which is, in itself, good, it is best when prayer becomes a part of who we are, by turning our hearts to God as though He was actually with us,!! This is of course exactly what He is!! WITH US.

It is just living out Proverbs 3:6 “Acknowledge Him in ALL your ways and He will direct your steps.” Sadly prayer often becomes just another thing on our to do list and consequently there is often very little Holy Spirit life in our prayers.  So here is how prayer can become Holy Spirit filled. Today in the middle of class, Sister Leeann reached in to drop my role list and instead of not noticing her, I paused and said: “Sister Leeann! Could my children pray for you today?” Turning to my children, squatting down to look them in their eyes, I said to them: “Come children let us pray for Sister Leeann:☺)”

I pray, they repeat: “Dear Lord Jesus”….”Dear Lord Jesus” their little voices echo “Thank You for Sister Leeann.”… and after just a few more short phrases we pray: “ in Jesus name amen.”….”In Jesus name amen.” Then I asked Sister Leeann to pray briefly over the children and by faith I am expectant that God will do what we have each asked Him to do!  So this is turning a 99% unseen activity of Leeann’s into a personal encounter with the living King and boomerang blessings are flying back and forth across the room and to heaven and back!!

Chkk-Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! Leeann walked out a refreshed daughter of the King and I’ll guarantee you she will never forget the day those little kindergartners prayed for her. Now I challenge you to take your own children, or parents, no matter how old they are and GO AND DO LIKEWIZE!! PRAIRcondition your lives by simply turning every day happenings into PRAYER OPS!

NOW YOUR HEART WILL MELT!!

As a class, one of our regular prayers is: “LORD TEACH US TO PRAY!!”  Every other week or so we go on a prayer journey!  Today I asked: “Children who wants to go on a Prayer Journey? “Yes please Brother Colin.” OK Let us Pray Now: They echoed this prayer: “Lord Jesus we thank You that You know who needs our prayers today so please, Jesus, will you put them in our path, THANK YOU JESUS!”

Down the stairs we went and I see Roger Gould one of our first impressions parking attendants walking by and we have a pretty similar pray now time as we did with Leeann. Two more PRAYER OPS! and you know what this is, it’s like prayer practice but the great news is that when you practice prayer IT COUNTS!! Melanie Sanderson just got so blessed and she too prayed for the children.

Then God dropped His presence from heaven. We were standing in the corner by the front door reception and  one of the boys sad “Brother Colin I think we need to pray for that man, with the big white beard. I asked his name and then said: “Brother Ray, thank you for being in church today, now if there was one thing my children and I could PRAY NOW for you personally, what would it be?” Quite honestly it looked like we had just hit him in the stomach he had such a need for prayer as he explained that his 32 year old daughter had been in a hit and run accident and she did not look like these little children and please could we pray for God to heal his daughter. The gravity of this request was on each child’s face and as we began to echo pray, Brother Ken began to weep and big tears just popped out of his eyes…. We prayed in Jesus name and I gathered the children in my arms in such a way as to wrap Brother Ken in a big circle of children’s and my arms giving him a squeeze tight love hug of Jesus!

The Holy Spirit was visibly upon the children’s countenances as we quietly walked back holding each other’s hands to our class room. I then prayed: “Oh Lord Jesus would You mark each of our hearts today and forever with this incredible picture of what You did through each of these children’s prayers (I named them one by one before the Lord) Oh Lord God make us Your people that pray at all times and in all places in Jesus name amen.”

Please watch for a short miraculous salvation story next week in which I will also share my “Sabbatical details and Prayer Missions.”

With the Chkk-Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrr joy and love of Jesus and encouraging you to be a Pray Now disciple worth multiplying,

Colin

IGNITE December 2017

For our very dear Friend,

On Wednesday 13th December at 6:45am inside The Main Street Café in Plano Texas, God joyfully saved a young man.  It was, as if, I was a bystander watching myself share the gospel with this precious waiter, who had become a friend over the past year.

Before I share this wonderful salvation story will you PRAY NOW with me? “Oh Lord I praise You for the person/people, that You used to bring the truth and Your Son, Jesus Christ into my life.” (Pause, remember …. name them and thank the Lord for them.)

James (not the waiter’s real name) and I had refreshed our friendship just the day before when he had served me lunch. We’d talked briefly about new doors opening and needing to take a step of faith, relating to his work. Consequently, I was not surprised when the Lord had put James on my heart in prayer early that morning and I was strongly impressed by the Lord to come to my breakfast meeting early especially to meet James.

“Jesus births, in me, new depths of His love for the lost as we love our grandson Caleb”

As I walked in, there was James in the middle of the café, the only person to be seen, clearly a “God set up!”, I gently smiled within, thanking Father for His response to my expectant faith. After a joy filled greeting I dove straight in and asked, “James, do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?” With an open and transparent heart, he said: “Well…. I’ve been to church a few times …….” For the next 7-8 minutes God protected our space, I shared John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10 declaring them, then explaining them, and asking some simple questions which revealed James’s heart and readiness for God to save him.  “James, you might not understand everything about God’s love for you, however, would you like to pray now with me surrendering your life to Jesus as Lord?” “Yes! I want to take this step of faith!” The angels in heaven began to praise God rejoicing in this new birth as we prayed. In that moment of eternity and with a lightening like flash in my heart the Holy Spirit moved me from bystander to participant with James. Over the next day, God drew me into a renewed and absolute surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my own life.

This Christmas 2017, will you join me and surrender your life again, afresh to trust and obey Him in every way? God wants to use you and your personality dressed in His Holy Spirit to be a gentle but bold witness for Jesus.

A PRAY NOW MOMENT! Please read this prayer first and if you agree then I ask you to PRAY NOW! “Precious Lord Jesus, thank You for stirring me to read Colin’s IGNITE Prayer Letter! Lord, I re-surrender my life to trust and obey You Lord! Father use me to love like You love and to intentionally share Your love with others every day Lord please speak to me if You want me to give a special year end gift to Your work through https://www.ignitingprayeraction.org/giving/,  in Jesus name I pray, amen.”

Chkk-Chirrrrrrrrrrrrrr in the joy we share in sharing Jesus to neighbours and nations,

Colin and Nancy Millar

GOD CAN TURN…FRUSTRATIONS TO FAVOR…. TRIALS TO TRIUMPHS!

IF WE WILL JUST TRUST HIM!!

“A PICTURE OF TRANQUILITY IN TRIALS”
~~ from our back garden ~~

I often have an unspoken prayer in my heart of: “Lord please give me Your eyes and heart for the unseen or the forgotten one.”
Last week I was trying a first! “Online purchased airport parking” with a printed-out bar code on my receipt. It was Sunday at 5:30am and I was flying to Orlando from Houston at 7:30am. The bar code scanner would NOT read my parking barcode and after 7 minutes of trying both gate scanners I called dispatch, wading through 3 tiers of listen to the options, press this # and eventually got someone live!  By God’s grace alone I gave a cool, calm and collected explanation as to why I needed someone to open the gate for me! In my mind, I was screaming “SEND SOMEONE IMMEDIATELY OR I’M GOING TO MISS MY FLIGHT” but surprisingly the very pleasant dispatcher said “Sir, I’ve already got someone on the way to help you they will be with you soon! 8, 9 minutes go by NO-ONE! 
No time to call again, I buy my 2nd $24 parking ticket!!

Are you sensing my potential frustration? Are you facing some craziness in your life right now? I want to describe how simple little things can so easily get us off God’s track! UNLESS we pray Luke 11:13 daily and if necessary, hourly, I do!

 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will Your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”  See my Andrew Murray book recommendation below!
OK precious friends, I’m back from Orlando and I have committed to my precious Bride that I will get the credits back from the parking company. I actually paid THREE times for one parking term, so needed to get two credited.
Now here is where I am praying AGAIN for the Holy Spirit to fill me and I get the Parking Lot accounts specialist surprisingly promptly on the phone. 
My silent prayer is “Please Lord, don’t let me take my situational frustration out on this innocent woman as I explain my Sunday parking saga to her.” The Lord is so good and Keylonda Brown has my card credited twice within about 6 minutes. 
Now you know how customer service people will invariably ask after they have attended to your request: 

“Now Sir, is there anything else I can help you with today?” 
It is the perfect PRAY NOW set up!! 

I say “Firstly Keylonda, I want to thank you for the very prompt, efficient and friendly way you took care of my payment issue today (AND HERE IT COMES) "So, if there was ONE THING I could PRAY NOW for you PERSONALLY what would it be?" ………… At first there is silence, then I begin to hear a quiet but definitive weeping, I just listen praying in my spirit and then after nearly a minute I say very gently…. “So how can I pray Keylonda? Amidst deep sobs she says: “For my Sons….please pray ….for my sons!” I again very gently asked what were their names and began to pray the word of God into and over their lives. 
A TEACHING MOMENT! Just because you pray with someone and they say amen, do not assume they are saved, I’ve had the joy to lead literally 100s into a first time prayer of salvation or in briefly sharing the gospel with them, they pray again and become totally assured of their salvation! With a few, heart connecting questions, I validated Keylonda’s assurance of her salvation, then asked her to cry out to God from her mother’s heart for her sons. We both praised God for my parking ticket problems being used sovereignly to connect us in prayer and then Keylonda assured me she would email me her side of the story and gave me permission to share this with you all.

Keylonda’s Heart Response from Prayer!! 

To whoever this email reaches that has any question about: is GOD real. I can TELL you he is very REAL. Today I received a phone call here at work. The person on the phone is Mr. Colin Millar. I know this may sound strange but from the moment he spoke I felt so emotional, but I still spoke in my normal voice. He sounded so happy, sooo happy, I can't really explain. While doing the normal and assisting him with what he needed. I thought we were done but he thanked me for my help and he said is there anything that you need or I can pray for you ( I broke down).
What Mr. Colin didn't know is that I have 4 kids 25 son, 24 son, 13 daughter, and a 6 son. My second to the oldest son Reginald Hill (24 years old) I have not seen in the flesh in almost 6 years. I have been praying to GOD to please shield him where ever he may be. I recently got an email on face book saying: hey your son is looking for you and he is in jail. Saddened by the news but happy he is alive. Now my oldest son Deginald who works out here with me hit a rough patch in high school but still graduated and he eventually got his life together. Yesterday I get a call from his fiancé saying he has a warrant. My heart failed because I know my son and although he was trying to help his name has been slandered. That is the worst feeling to have someone to lie on you because they are mad at someone else. 
See what no one knows is that when my son was 10 years old he would get up and wake his brother up and although Reginald would be upset, he would say come on lets go ( I got up because I could hear them, we only had a one bedroom apartment.

I followed them outside and they didn't know, after the first time I never said anything.) Y’All, they were getting on the church van that comes into the apartment to pick people up to go to church. I did not make them go. My son Deginald would get up every Sunday morning on his own and he would take his brother with him. 

Buy & Read Andrew Murray’s book
“The Ministry of Intercession” Yours and many lives will be changed forever!I

I pray for all my kids. I have a lot of sleepless nights my father and mother have passed on. I'm 41 years old and I have been out on my own since I was 12 years old. You wanted to know if God is real LOOK AT ME. I have been homeless no food to eat but somehow some way GOD has always been there.  I have been on my job for 17 years, as an Accounting Specialist and I recently got my High School Diploma. Sometimes like today I felt sad, worried and alone and God used Mr. Colin. GOD had to remind me never to question Him and never to lose my faith because He is real and He will never leave me. Mr. Colin I can't thank you enough I'm in tears typing this letter but they are happy tears because I know God hears me and He is with me.
Thank you and have a wonderful day. ~~  Keylonda Brown  ~~ Accounting Specialist

A TEACHING MOMENT! Thank everyone God puts in your path no matter what they do, every day. Like this: You are in the mall and see a precious looking Muslim family walking by with 3 children. I often stop look at them with the heart of Christ’s love and say: You have a beautiful family and I just want to THANK YOU for being in the mall today. Then smiling broadly and heart engagingly I’ll say, may our Lord God’s favor and joy rest upon you all today.”

A PRAY NOW MOMENT! Please read this prayer first and if you agree then I ask you to PRAY NOW!
“Precious Lord Jesus, thank You for stirring me to read Colin’s IGNITE Prayer Letter! Lord, if there are prayer igniting actions You want me to deploy in my life please make me obedient to practice them.
 Lord please speak to me if You want me to give a special year end gift to Your work through https://www.ignitingprayeraction.org/giving/,  in Jesus name I pray, amen.”

Igniting Prayer Blog

"JESUS, what do You want to say to me? Jeremiah 29:12
 

On Monday 27th February, 2017 at The Greater Houston Prayer Summit, my dear friend Bishop Clark Lowenfield and I PRAYED NOW like this: 

“Lord God would You anoint my Brother Clark with Your presence and power so that when he asks this assembly to be still and listen for what You, Jesus, want to say that we will be transformed by Your presence and each one of these 250 people (And you who reads this IGNITE) will hear You clearly speak to us. Please give us faith to believe, both that You speak and for us to hear what You say, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.”

Give God a High Five right now! Take 5 minutes now to be still with the MOST HIGH and listen to what
He might say to you!

WOW! I was surprised! Even though I’d prayed for every one of us that night, and you right now as you read, to hear from Jesus, I was blown away when I heard God speak to me! It was clear as day in my heart, not audible to the ear, but loud and clear in my heart! This is what I heard:

“Unite prayer influencers to mobilize and equip the end time prayer army of God of 500 Million intercessors… I confess I rather rudely interrupted the Lord with “Lord! Surely You mean 5 million?”…in my mind I was thinking at least there are some other crazy people in the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication that have heard God say 5 million new churches…. still crazy …. But the impression strongly in my heart was “No I’m saying 500 million intercessors because My church cannot be a house of prayer for all nations unless it is filled with people that pray!”

“OK, got it Lord!” The Lord went on to give me encouragement and affirmations like talking and praying the very next day with my dear fellow South African friend, Graham Power founder of the Global Day of Prayer. God used Graham's obedience to fill stadiums, churches, homes with prayer gatherings on Pentecost Sunday, some years as many as 300 million people in nearly every nation on the planet.  Another very strong affirmation came in Herrnhut Germany with my new friend Ioan Peia (left), when we took lunch together. In the midst of prayer I hear Ioan say: “Thank You Lord for the vision of 500 million Watchmen!" Again, I confess, like with the Lord, I rudely interrupted Ioan, saying “How many did you see Brother?” When he repeated the number I just began to weep! 500 Million Watchmen of the End Times ~ 
By Ioan Peia Rumanian Prayer Leader ~ an excerpt from his vision ~
"I began to have a vision of the calling to prayer for believers around the world. At that moment, my friend Dr. Nicky Leung from Canada was in my house. He said to me that there is a book by Dick Eastman - “The hour that changed the world”. I started to define the chains of prayer at the global level and during the next two hours a vision took birth: millions upon millions of intercessors dressed in white holy garments, getting ready and preparing the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the Lord said the number: “there will be 500 Million Watchmen”.
 
God gives this amazing vision to Tracie Schilling from our PIT Crew :  "Colin, yesterday I was driving home from work, praying for you and the whole movement coming from Germany. I had a beautiful beautiful vision!!  It was so amazing.  I saw such an immense tree...huge. The trunk is BIG and the tree is TALL and the canopy is extensive, reaching up to the sky. The whole tree was made of worshiping believers. They are wearing robes, each a solid color but a different color from those around them. All faces were lifted up with awe and praise. 
 I don't know what the canopy is made of because I was at ground level, near the trunk looking up.  In the midst of the tree and around it going up and out is light, music, beautiful scents. There was so much light and color, lots of wonderful texture. And soooo much joy and LOVE. Regardless of how individuals act or how we are portrayed in this world, the BODY of Christ is so beautiful and lovely and rich in love."

PAUSE! ~~ LISTEN TO JESUS ~~ One word from God can change everything! Thank someone today for whatever it is they do then ask: "If there was one thing I could PRAY NOW for you personally what would it be?"
"LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY."