Christian Understanding
Christian Understanding
Mantle of Prayer and Worship
About the author : Diane Hale is the Director of Developing Horizon Ministries . She is a conference Speaker / Trainer : For more information about DHM or to invite Diane to speak to your church or group , contact Judy Mapp at dhale022 @ gmail . com ( 706 ) 692-5971 Or visit our web site : Developing Horizons Ministries
Prayer is not witchcraft , a means of manipulating or controlling the spirit world . It is not control , but cooperation with the Holy Spirit . It is not an act to perform , but a delight in which to participate . The main function of prayer is providing a way that we can worship God and communicate with Him .
When , Tamar daughter of King David and half-sister of Amnon , David ’ s son , was raped by Amnon , “ Tamar put ashes on her head and tore off the ‘ ornamental robe ’ she was wearing ( 2 Samuel 13:19 ). It was a sign of great mourning and the intensity of her pain at losing her purity . Her ornamental gown was a sign of her position as daughter of royalty ; it was torn from her body ,
exposing the sin done against her and the pursuant loss of her position , purity , and any hope of marriage .
The unimaginable has happened in our nation . Over and over again , the church is being raped of its purity . False doctrine abounds , the likes of which should make the church shudder in the fear of the Lord .
This nation has been blessed like no other nation , yet , like Korazin and Bethsaida , I hear the echo that resounds through the ages , the echo of Jesus ’ s voice saying , “ Woe to you … if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon , they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes ” ( Matthew 11:21 ).
Sack cloth , signifying loss of all human dignity , leaves man naked before a Holy God . It is the same nakedness portrayed by Christ on the Cross of Calvary when in man ’ s place He bore the sin of all mankind . We no longer use sack cloth and ashes , but fasting and prayer is the garment to be worn . The church has lost her covering ; it is time to cry out for a mantle of prayer to cover and restore our families , our cities , our nation and our world .
“ Ham , the father of Canaan , saw his father ’ s nakedness and told his two brothers outside . But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders ; then they walked in backward and covered their father ’ s nakedness . Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father ’ s nakedness ” ( Genesis 9:22-23 ). God ’ s people have a choice — they can mock , ridicule or judge others , whether the family of God or the world , or we can choose to turn our eyes toward God and allow a mantle of mercy to cover the place of judgement .
Making his father a mockery brought the curse down on the head of Ham and the whole lineage of Canaanites were cursed . “ When Noah awoke from his wine , he knew what his youngest son had
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