God's Academy Award Ceremony...There Will Be A Few Surprises

Many people watch the Oscar Legacy: Academy Awards Ceremony on television and there are times that a great movie takes many awards.

• The first Academy Awards ceremony took place out of the public eye during an Academy banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Two hundred seventy people attended the May 16, 1929 dinner in the hotel’s Blossom Room; guest tickets cost $5. It was a long affair filled with speeches, but Academy President Douglas Fairbanks made quick work of handing out the statuettes.  No Surprises:  There was little suspense when the awards were presented that night: the recipients had already been announced three months earlier. That all changed the following year, however, when the Academy decided to keep the results secret until the ceremony but gave a list in advance to newspapers for publication at 11 p.m. on the night of the Awards.

Jesus spoke about how great John the Baptist was, but then he said that the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.  I believe that when we go stand before God and He hands out rewards and crowns that men and women who spent time on their knees are the ones that are going to take more of God’s Academy awards.  It may be the Little Old Lady from Pasadena.  As long as she gives up being mean and slows down her driving...LOL

I heard of a woman who was on the cleaning staff who laid hands on the President’s oval office chair and prayed for each president.  It's people who pray that soften up a person's heart.  They are laying the ground work for revival.  My husband was an estimator for land developers.  Prayer warriors are land developers.  They break up the ground spiritually of men's hearts.

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. You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men.” Hosea 10:12 – 13.

I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  Matthew 11:11

After I became a Christian I stood up in my sister’s Baptist church to give my testimony of my salvation and how God had delivered me from drugs and the pastor said the church had been praying for me.  Right then I had a witness in my heart “that is why I was born-again, it was because of the prayers of the saints.”

John reported in Revelation 8:4: The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.

The Crown for the Prayer of Perseverance 

There are many scriptures that demonstrate the prayer of perseverance.  Hannah in having a child, John the Baptist was born to Elizabeth in old age, Isaac prayed for Rebeccah to have a child and it took 18 years, Sarah and Abraham having faith and patience for the promise of a child and it took 25 years (who against hope believed in hope and faith is the substance of things hoped for).

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.  Genesis 25:21

In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.  1 Samuel 1:10...Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. Proverbs 14:10

Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. Luke 1:36

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12

being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:1-12

In September, I had a message from the Lord that the reason why my father took so long to be saved (on his death bed at 77 years old) was because he was a “hard nut to crack” and the Lord gave me the example of holiday nuts my parents used to buy that I would use a nut cracker to open.  I was talking to someone at church recently and she has the same experience that her father is very hard-headed and prideful and she was laughing, because she said that their father gave them holiday nuts and they had to get a hammer to get those nuts to crack.  We both knew that the message the Lord gave me was for her father.  God may have spoken to me about my dad being that way, but it was encouragement for others who are believing for a family member.  With the gift of prophesy, I find there is usually one person specifically that God will give a message or a story.  My father has already passed away so my edification is passed, but she is standing in faith for her father's salvation.  My sister and her church were standing in faith for my salvation and my parent's salvation, because she became a believer first in our family.

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 1 Cor. 14:1&3

Over the weekend, I had a message from my Heavenly Father.   I was flipping through the television channels and it was the end of an old horse movie Flicka.  I believe the horse was attacked by a mountain lion and the daughter thought the father shot the horse.  The father shot the mountain lion.   The father in the movie which is my Father God talking to me said, "Some dreams take a little more faith, a little more love and a little more hope in life."  God is always speaking, we just need to listen and follow his instruction.  I believe that some dreams take a little more prayer.

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.   Proverbs 4:20

One Christian single woman was upset at a single's Bible study I attended and she said after her brother-in-law died of cancer, “What is the use of praying, it did no good.”  Satan attacked her in believing for the supernatural intervention of God. 

Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"

I prayed for my husband the whole time he was having a heart attack while I was doing CPR, and when the paramedics arrived, they told me not to quit praying.  I look at this like playing H-O-R-S-E basketball when I was a little girl. When I played basketball there were times I made a basket and then there are other times I missed the basket with my basketball.  Just because I missed one basket did not mean I gave up playing the game of H-O-R-S-E basketball, since sometimes I won the game against my opponent. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss (missed the basket), that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts. James 4:3

Jesus said we are not to “faint” or give up hope.  We know when we pray that angels are ministering in our behalf, but as what happened to Daniel is there were evil forces he could not see.  It took Michael the archangel 21 days to break through to give Daniel his requested prayer.

But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Daniel 10:13

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  2 Cor. 10:4

A stronghold is a strongly fortified defensive structure. The history of fortified buildings extends from antiquity to modern times. From Celtic Europe, an example of a stronghold is the hill fort, a large structure, with walls made of wooden stakes, and built on a steep hill. In medieval Europe, the castle was the most common type of stronghold and often the residence of the king or territorial lord.

One weapon is the prayer of perseverance. 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...."  Ephesians 6:10-18

At my workplace, I process many student’s applications and transcripts that come over from India or China who want admission into the masters or PhD programs and sometimes it takes time for those transcripts to get to my university from another country or university.  When we pray we are making our requests in heaven, but our requests are going to and from the throne room of God.  The Lord assured me that the answers are coming.   It gets delayed many times like what happened to Daniel in the Bible.  It took 21 days for him to break through in prayer.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:16

The prayer of perseverance can be in believing for a mate, child, car, job, healing, vacation or many different things or events in life.  I only see one scripture that says that God answers no to prayer requests.

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3

What my Heavenly Father has told us:  Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. ASK and you will receive that your joy may be full.  John 16:24

He tells me to ask that my joy may be full.  I know a lot of children are very insistent about getting their needs met when they are hungry or want a toy.  I’m very insistent about getting what I need in life.  I'm like the woman with an issue of blood who pressed through the crowd to touch Jesus' garment.  I'll put a demand on the name of Jesus for what I want.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philip 4:19

Bind hindering spirits: For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan stopped us. 1 Thess. 2:18

Jesus told us to pray for God’s will in the earth. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:1

When his disciples asked why someone was born blind, he said that his works had not been done yet.  When the disciples asked why they could not get a spirit out of a person he said that the spirit came out only by prayer and fasting.  There may be cases where God deals with you to pray and fast for a situation.  It says when you fast and there is a fast that God has chosen.  

The Lord laid on my heart to break up with my son's father who was an unbeliever when I became a Christian.  I was involved in a relationship with him as a non-believer, and I broke up with him and we did not marry.  I joined a Christian full time ministry and about one-year in the full-time ministry, I had in my heart to pray and fast for him.  I had never dedicated a day of fasting for him only prayed for his salvation.  Later, I was at a church service when I was visiting my parents in Indianapolis and lived in Florida, and I saw him at that church service.  He had become a Christian around the time I prayed and fasted for him.  He had married and told me about his wife expecting a baby.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? ........Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:5-10

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:16-18

Although, God’s word talks about that love is the greatest, it also says there are tongues of men and angels so I assume that there are heavenly tongues and those tongues are being said in heaven.  The gift of tongues is not something I have on my own.  It was a gift that God gave me when I asked him for the infilling of the Holy Spirit like Acts 2:4.  I pray in the understanding, but then I use my heavenly language often also.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Cor. 13:1

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:4
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Roman 8:26-27
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

I am edifed when I pray in the spirit/tongues and this helps keep me in the love of God.  I also find when I'm edified, I can edify others alot easier:

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Jude 1:20-2
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 1 Cor. 14:4