Looking at the news can be a scary prospect lately. I see that Greece, Portugal, and Spain were about to go down the tubes over the last weekend and take the Euro and the entire European Community with them. The USA put up another Trillion Dollars that we really don’t have to keep the entire world financial system from collapsing like dominos starting with Greece. Something the American media really didn’t cover.

Meanwhile, the news media in America keeps on trying to convince us all that the economy is improving and makes it sound like the current 9.9% unemployment rate is actually ‘good news’ with folks going back to work—dutifully following the Monday morning talking points memo supplied by the Obama Administration. The dirty little secret is that unemployment is actually closer to 18% as the government takes those who haven’t gotten a job after 6 months off the list.

The word I keep on hearing from the Lord personally and from others prophetically is that now is a time of new and greater opportunity for God’s people.

I ask the Lord—How can you call this a time of ‘opportunity’ when my business is so bad I wonder if I’ll be able to pay all my bills at the end of every month. Then the Spirit reminded me that over the last year I have received just enough income to cover it all. Sometimes it really has taken a miracle to get it done.

Right now we have one of our adult children along with two grandchildren living with us so our expenses are far greater than they were a couple of years ago and our income is far less. Originally we had planned to retire this year but now that is entirely out of the question.

Yet when I attended our weekly Marketplace Prayer meeting this morning at VCC, the word that kept on coming up in everyone’s testimony or prophetic word was ‘opportunity’. When I thought about it later the Lord reminded me of Joseph and how he had prophetically turned disaster into opportunity. How his family was saved from famine and the entire nation of Egypt. Not only that, they ended up prospering in the midst of disaster.

That is what the Lord intends for his faithful people in America—to prosper in the midst of disaster. However, sometimes the Lord’s idea of prospering can be somewhat different than how we may picture it. Nevertheless it is all good.

Then the Lord reminded me of what was happening at my home church. Over 80 folks have come to Christ in the last month at Vineyard Community Church and just this week our Pastor took a team to India and around 20,000 were saved in a 3 day conference and thousands were healed.

Now for me that is a real sign confirming that He really does intend to expand our opportunities and to prosper us both in the Spiritual realm and in the Natural–even in the midst and on the brink of disaster.           

Matt 6:9-13
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.   -KJV

Part 2-Living and Praying the Will of God

The fact is, the more you include the Holy Spirit in your daily activities the greater the possibility for you to actually do the will of God in your life on earth. It is the Spirit which guides us beyond ourselves and connects us with our Father in Heaven.

The best way to include the Holy Spirit in our day is to start it off with prayer. When I get to the “thy will be done on earth” part in my prayers that is when I remember to pray for the salvation of all of my family and friends. It really is the will of God that everyone should accept the free gift of his Son Jesus and salvation. He really doesn’t want anyone to parish.

Another thing I am confident of when it comes to God’s will is to pray for the spiritual condition of myself, my family, and friends. I pray:

“More of the Spirit Lord and more of your power to do and be the person you really want me to be. More of your Spirit for my whole family, let them grow in you and become the people you have called each one of them to be.”

Then I pray individually for each member as directed before I turn my attention to my friends.

Healing is another thing you can pray about. After all there is no disease in Heaven. It is the ultimate will of God to eradicate and eliminate sickness and death.

Yes, we live in a different context and I know that sometimes the Lord may allow us to get sick like he did Job. The Scriptures also tell us that some in the past have even gotten sick and died because of the way they abused the Lord’s Supper. But until death proves otherwise I am going to pray for healing for myself, my family, and my friends -and folks that show up at church for that matter.

Another thing that is consistent with the will of God is for us to be free from anything that would enslave us. Many around the world are still literally living in some form of slavery. Others are enslaved and controlled by religion and culture. That would include all of us in varying degrees.

Finally, there are many that are enslaved by alcohol, drugs, gambling, and sex –or anything else that folks have a dependency problem with. Demonic influence is another biggie.

These are all things that we can pray about to God the Father with complete certainty.