Prayer Guide for Single Mothers in South Korea

Single mothers in South Korea are often treated like outcasts and second-class citizens, so much so that many of them give up their babies anonymously after they are born. This is a prayer guide for those single mothers in a society that is not accepting of them. Though they are not trafficking victims, per say, they are shunned and often disgraced, and many of their children end up in institutions. One pastor in South Korea has even created a "baby box" where mothers can drop off their unwanted babies instead of abandoning them on the street. Though this is better than the child being left to die, it still shows an extreme lack in South Korea meeting the needs of single mothers. There is often more government support for institutions and adoptions than for single mothers. My heart breaks for these mothers who feel they need to abandon their children. Please join me in prayer for them to know the Father's love and care.

To read more about single mother's in Korea: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/05/single-motherhood-and-shame-south-korea

To read about the issue of abandoned babies and baby boxes: http://www.cbn.com/tv/2183242506001

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/11/opinion-divided-merits-south-korean-pastors-baby-box

Prayer Points: 

- Pray for churches to begin to step up and reach out to single mothers in need. Isaiah 1:17

- Pray for a shift in societies' perception of single mothers in South Korea, that they would be accepted and not shamed. Isaiah 54:4

- Pray for policies and laws to change so that South Korea would provide aid for single mothers and their children instead of institutions caring for orphans. Luke 18:1-8

- Pray for caring, godly people to reach out to these young mothers who feel as though they have no options. Luke 10:30-36

- Pray for God's love and healing to surround these mothers, even though they've made mistakes. Pray that they would know there is redemption and hope in Jesus Christ. Isaiah 42:16; Isaiah 43:1-4; Galatians 5:1

- Pray for them to have support in their lives that they might keep their babies and continue with their education nd studies. Philippians 4:19

- Pray that they would have jobs in order to support their babies, and that their families would again respect them. Philippians 4:19; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Corinthians 10:31

- Pray for the orphans and ones who have been abandoned by their mothers that they would know the Father's love. Psalm 68:5-6; Psalm 27:10

Only Jesus

Only Jesus.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, the same is a thief and a robber...Most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." John 10:1;7

Jesus is the door. He is the only way. There is no other way to life.

John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." 

What does Jesus want for those who are caught in trafficking? First, He wants them to have life. This is why He came: that we may have life. Jesus wants life for those imprisoned in trafficking, and not only a life that is set free from slavery and oppression, but true life. This True Life is Jesus. When we are dead in our sin, He is the ONLY way to life. Only Jesus. 

What more does Jesus want for those in bondage? He wants them to have a more abundant life. He wants them to forget all their past hurts by entering into the loving arms of Jesus, being set free, and live a life of abundance. Abundant in what? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulnes, gentleness, self-control. This is the abundant life in Jesus. When we are lacking in these areas we are not living our abundant life. These girls, boys, women, trapped in slavery, they have no peace, no joy; how can they? They do not have Life, Jesus, and certainly do not have the abundant life He desires for us. Let us intercede and ask that through God's strong arm, He would give life to those trapped in slavery.

Heavenly Father, Merciful Savior, Your desire for us is to have life and have it more abundantly. Lord, we cannot live an abundant life, knowing there are brothers and sisters who are trapped in slavery with no one to intercede and fight for them. We ask You to fight for them. We ask that You would show Yourself strong on their behalf and bring justice for the weak. Rebuke the oppressor. Cause those who know of oppression to speak out so that the oppressor might be stopped. We say, "STOP!" to the oppressor in the name of Jesus. We know that the lives of those in bondage are precious to You and we know that You are coming quickly to save them from those who extort and use them. We ask for protection for the orphans and widows who are without protection. We ask, Lord, that You would surround them with a protective covering right now so they might not be exploited. Save them to Life. Save them to You. Give them You Jesus that they may be alive and have life abundant. We ask these things for all those in slavery and in bondage right now. We know You are sovereign. We intercede for them. We stand in the gap for they are precious in Your sight. Thank You Jesus for never letting us be silent about this. Thank You for never letting us be ok with slavery. Convict our hearts and show us how to fight trafficking in our world, countries, and cities today. Thank you Jesus. You are God. You are good.  In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Regeneration, Renewal

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5

Sejong City, South Korea

As more and more woman are trafficked then rescued, we often look at the rescue as a success and move on. But God is a God of continual renewal and regeneration. Even as we watch the seasons change, new flowers bloom each year, leaves turn to oranges, reds, and golden yellows before falling to the ground and later being grown again, we see the renewing power of God at work. God's desire is not to simply physically rescue women out of bondage, but to also set them free mentally and spiritually. Women who have been trafficked have suffered such emotional and physical trauma that they often need counseling for the rest of their lives, and so rescue is only the first step. Many women suffer from depression, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and any and all other consequences which come out of being abused and raped over and over again. They find it difficult to not feel guilty and suffer from terrible sorrow and fear after being saved from a life of slavery. These feelings can continue for the rest of their lives, making it difficult for them to function in normal society and to build healthy relationships. Often women willingly enter back into a life of slavery or prostitution because of these reasons. 

We can be thankful, though, that our God is a God who lifts depression and brings peace, He takes away anxiety and brings hope, He quiets fear and allows strength to take hold.

 I sense that God wants us to pray for women who have formerly been trafficked and now are rescued, maybe they have only been out for a few months, or maybe 30 years, but still they are suffering from a depression creeping in and trying to take hold of them in the night, in the morning, when there is a lull in their day at work, etc. God wants to remove that creeping depression, and He wants to bring peace. God is not a God of anxiety or fear, but of peace and love. "Perfect love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18 

Cry out to God:
Oh God we believe You are a God of perfect love. Within you and all around You there is NO FEAR! There is no depression, there is no anxiety, there is NO FEAR! Amen! You are breaking the chains of depression and allowing your people to walk in freedom. Those who were formerly slaves, their chains have been unlocked and loosed, but they are still working and living with those chains on them. As soon as they take a step forward their chains are going to fall off! Hallelujah! Their handcuffs have been unlocked, and their ankle chains have been opened; they are no longer bound. They simply need to accept Your freedom Jesus. Thank you that You have already given Your freedom to us. As we acept this freedom, let us feel the lightness of Your peace, hope, and strength. Thank you that as we praise You, You continually and faithfully unlock the doors to freedom, You continually break the chains and cause them to fall off of Your loved ones. God we ask that You would let those who have suffered at the hands of captors and are now feeling pain and guilt beyond our comprehension to have their guilt and fear wiped away completely in Your Name Jesus we pray! You are a good Father who loves to give good gifts to Your children. Give your children the gift of peace in their mind as You have given them in their bodies we pray. Guide them. Wash over them with the regeneration of Your Holy Spirit. Watch over them. Protect them. Allow them to not feel fear any longer. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.

Small Change = Big Change

Photo credit: Salgu Wissmath

Sometimes it only takes some spare change to make a big difference. As an expat living and working in South Korea, sometimes I feel like I can't do much of anything. For instance, I can't even order a pizza without being shown the depth of my own failings through the confused look on the Korean person's face and my own brain trying to figure out what was just said to me. But though my shortcomings are many, I am blessed to be a part of a wonderful expat community in my small town, all of whom are incredibly generous people. Most of us have no family here, and so we often get together for dinners, holidays, and various other activities. One of my favorite activities to host is girls' night. This girls' night, however, I wanted to try something different. A prompting from the Holy Spirit reminded me that as we are all free to enjoy our girls' night together, there are just as many girls who are trapped in brothels every night working as slaves and being raped over and over. The season of lent was also upon us at the time, so I had decided to save all my spare change for those 40 days, at the end I would match whatever I had saved in change and give that money to the A21 campaign, an organization working to fight human trafficking all over the world (you can read more about them here: A21). So, God prompted me to invite ther other girls in my town to join me in a small way. I invited all the girls over for a night of nail painting, eating treats, watching girly movies, facials, etc. and invited them to simply bring any spare change they had with them to add to my pile. I explained that I would be donating double that amount to the A21 campaign. We had a wonderful time eating Nutella brownies, painting our nails, and watching Ever After. The girls all brought some spare change, actually A LOT of spare change, which we believe will make a small difference in the lives of those who are trapped in slavery. Through God's grace the change collected added up to approx. $130 which means that I will be donating $260 to the A21 campaign! All this happened because Jesus cares so deeply for those who are trappped in darkness.I am reminded of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 8:3 "For I tesify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own." Keeping this blog and praying for an end to come to human trafficking is another small way I can fight the great darkness even in my small apartment in Korea. 
I want to thank all the girls who donated to this cause and bought freedom and healing for more girls trapped in slavery! 
Now what about you? I can pray. I can collect spare change. What can you do to help end human trafficking?

An Everyday Nightmare

I hear screams of fear, terror, despair. Screams that seem to rip ears right off, yet all those who hear pretend their ear canals are not now stained with blood. Then I hear screams of pain, ripping open the lungs with her legs as if that would make the lightning bolts shooting up her thighs and pelvis and back alleviate. Then I hear moaning, groaning. The pain was great, but now comes the realization of what is happening to her. These moans are moans of shame, or inexpressible things like dignity being stripped away, like womanhood and childhood together being stolen. These are moans of deep shattering of soul and spirit. And finally I hear her crying, weeping, the weeping of this has happened to her, of this is life right now, of everything hurts, but the rivers of blood flowing out inside are far greater in volume than the blood flowing from between her legs now. The crying of, "It's over but I feel just as sick as when it first began." At the end I hear the door slam and I begin to cry, hunched over my knees, quietly and fearfully, for I know I am next.

The above is a story I wrote from the perspective of a girl caught in trafficking who can hear her friend being raped from the next room, all the while waiting for her rapist to come in to her. I believe God gave me this story as revelation to feel the kind of terror and despair every girl caught in trafficking feels every day. I have only few words, just a cry of prayer out to God to save her, to save them. Join me in crying out to God. 

Isaiah 37:20 "Now therefore, oh LORD our God, save us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the LORD, You alone." 

Rejoice Always, Pray Without Ceasing, In Everything Give Thanks

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thes. 5:16-18

This is God's will for me. No matter what I do, no matter what I see, no matter what I know, still I must rejoice, pray, give thanks. When the shackles carve into her wrists and she writhes in pain as she is raped over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, and no one even cares where she is, still I must rejoice? Give thanks?

How God? How can I rejoice when still she is not free? How can I rejoice when the bonds have still got just one in their clutches?

Because in this is freedom: when we rejoice, give thanks in everything, and pray, then the captives are truly set free because we can rejoice that no matter what God still sits on His throne and has conquered sin and death, and in this knowledge is freedom. I can give thanks that God loves me--all people--and nothing I do or say can ever change that. 

In this love is freedom. I can pray, oh yes, I can pray, speak God's words at the darkness, the Sword of the Spirit, and I can break the strongholds with God's very words, with His sword, my sword. 

Rejoice. Pray. Thank. 

And find freedom "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

The will of God is the foundation and the embodiment of freedom. Amen.

 Prayer:   Thank You Lord for freedom. It is for freedom that we have been set free (Gal. 5:1) and I proclaim freedom in Jesus' name for all those who are trapped still in bondage. I rejoice because of the great breakthrough of justice we saw at the Superbowl and we rejoice because we know that there is hope. Yes, Lord we give thanks that Your will is that we might be free and in that freedom bring hope and salvation and more freedom to the captives of the world and the nations. Thank You Lord for overcoming sin and death that we might spend eternity in joy with You. We love You. We rejoice that in You there is truth! YOU ARE TRUTH! And the truth will set you free! Amen!! (John 8:32)

Prepare the Way of the Lord

I feel the burden of Your people crying out day and night in bondage, "Please God, please God please help me escape." And I see the darkness and the forces that hold them like an unbreakable thick black cord choking them to death, their hands and feet bound, and it is so strong. And I hear the screams that could curdle blood and the people in the street, passers-by, walk on without missing a beat. And I see the marks on her face and the bruises on her legs and I hear someone say, "Serves you right, anyway," for the look on her face contains nothing but dismay, hidden in disdain for the world she lives in, loves and hates. And I feel her indescribable pain. And my Father takes her hand, and in the midst of the pain, He takes her place in death with only love in His eyes. And His blood pours out and it washes all her filth away. And she says, "I remember no more my shame." 
And I cry out, "Prepare the way of the Lord!" (Is. 40:3)

Prayer:
"Behold the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him, behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him." Isaiah 40:10

Our God, the God Most High, Our Father, Our King, Our Ruler. There is no question, but He will come. There is no if. His mighty arm will rule and with it He will judge and decide. We will be at His mercy, and "His mercy endures forever." (Ps. 136) He will reward the righteous and condemn the wicked. Even now His work is being manifested in this world, through His Word. All we want, all we need is in His words, but even now the veil covers our eyes so we cannot see clearly. Even the shroud covers His Words. No more! NO MORE! No more lies! I declare in Jesus' Name the truth will set you free! The enemies' lies have no hold on me, on us, the powers of darkness flee at the light, and the chains are broken! Amen! There is no oppression in Jesus! There is no slavery in Jesus! There is no pain in Jesus! There is no emptiness in Jesus! No More! All the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus' Name! (2 Cor. 1:20) Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, yes to these! (Gal. 5:22-23) Yes to these in Jesus! Yes to Your promises Jesus! Yes to You! Cut the chains for the King is coming! Prepare the way! Pray! Fast! Speak! Sing! Don't stop! Prepare the way! His way is paved with peace, paved with no more oppression, bondage, slavery, but with FREEDOM! Prepare the way! Shout "Freedom!" in the streets! Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, bringing us freedom. I believe in Jesus. I believe in FREEDOM. Amen. Hallelujah!

Pornography: Part 2

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." Romans 8:5-7

     To be carnally minded is death. Pornography is not simply a sin, but a mindset leading directly to death. Death in the inner man. The spiritual mind is alive and at peace. There is no room for worry or anxiety in the spiritual mind. I know this to be true because when I find myself worrying and anxious it is because I have forgotten about prayer or when I have skipped quiet time in the morning or when I'm letting my thoughts drift to daydreams and ponderings pleasing to my flesh. It is through the mind set-on, determined, fixed-on Christ, and only through that mind that I find true peace and life. And the mind of my flesh? It is the enemy of God. So whenever I allow my fleshly mind to take hold of me and to rule in my life, I am God's enemy. The mind set on pornography is an enemy of God the Father. It is dead and has no peace. Live according to the and the Spirit with peace will have dominion in your mind. Live according to the flesh, and the flesh and death, unrest, and addiction will have dominion in your mind. 
     This week as we pray, let us pray for those who according to the flesh's desires have given their minds over to pornography:

     God we believe You are powerful enough to break the chains of pornographic addiction and release the ones from bondage who are prisoners to their flesh and their eyes. God, we know pornography is a strong addiction which can only be broken through the continual power of Your Holy Spirit working in and through the lives of those addicted to it's power. God we pray for those believers who are addicted, that they would feel the Holy Spirit's power rising up in them even now, knowing in their weaknesses You are strong. They are not condemned before You but rather have peace with the Father. So they don't need to seek peace in their addiction any longer for they already have peace in You. We pray also for those who do not yet know Your power, that they would have a powerful encounter with You in Your goodness so they might see themselves as they are, in need of a Savior. I pray that they would come to You and in Your open arms find freedom, peace and truth they have so desperately been waiting for. Thank You for Your grace which covers all sins like a scarlet red tapestry and Your mercy which endures forever, longer than the burning sun or oldest stars in the galaxy. Truly You have set us free from sin. We choose to walk in that freedom and claim it for all those addicted to porn. Set ALL the captives free, oh God. In Christ's Name we pray, amen.

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8

Pornography: a gateway to trafficking

Many people may not know this, but pornography is also a gateway to human trafficking in the world. In fact, many porn stars are victims of human trafficking. This huge industry also fuels men's desires to buy women and children for sex, thus multiplying human trafficking abundantly. I feel led to pray for the men and women enslaved in the addiction to pornography and as I was praying I saw three eyes. 

I asked the Lord to show me what these were, and He showed me that these were the three eyes of pornography. The first is the eye of desire. Desire is the lust of the flesh, or men's eyes desiring what they see. The second is the eye of lust for money. The love of money, the desire to be rich, and to simply attain wealth is in this eye. The third is the eye of pride/ego. Pride or ego is the desire to be seen as important or to be noticed. These three eyes of desire are what is driving the pornography industry currently out of control. 

Let's pray for the men and women addicted to pornography:

Dear God, we ask that you would cause those addicted to pornography to delight in You that You would reveal the true desires of their hearts that You might grant these desires to them. I thank You that in You all our desires can be fulfilled. I pray that You would change these desires from the flesh what the Soul truly longs for. I pray against the love of money, that You would replace it with generosity. I pray against the lust of the flesh that You would replace it with true love for You and our neighbors. I pray also that You would cast down the desire of pride and ego and replace it with the desire to bring glory to Your Name. You are the Way the Truth and the Life, Jesus. We are nothing without You. Please reveal Yourself to all these men and women as the "Desire of all Nations" (Haggai 2:7). Thank You Father for Your power at work in these hearts already. In Jesus' Name amen. 

Let's agree in prayer for this addiction to be eradicated in Jesus' Name! Keep the faith.

Return

"So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually." Hosea 12:6

So there again God calls me. Here again God seeks me out. I am a sheep, I follow what I do not know, I avoid what is not there, I feed on that which is refuse. I seek after the things which I can see, the things which will fade away, and God breathes, "Return." But I cannot return of myself. I must return by the help of my God. I cannot do it on my own. He pulls me, coaxes me, puts thorns in front of me and bars the way until I see Him again. Until I again behold His beauty and return. And when I do I "observe mercy and justice." I observe mercy by forgiving unabashedly, without prejudice or pride, without thought, I forgive. And justice. For justice I pray day and night that God would set the captives free, for justice I make all efforts to tell the world what goes on behind closed doors, what they don't see when they see a girl selling her body on the street is the eyes of a child-scared-cold-alone. I seek, then I forget. I get hurt. I don't forget the pain. I hold grudges, I think of only myself, I indulge and delight the daydreams of things I would like to enjoy. Only by the help of my God can I return again to mercy and justice. And then, "wait on your God continually." He doesn't come when I thought He would. He doesn't come how I think He should. He is late. He doesn't seem to be doing anything, and aren't they fine anyway? Without Him aren't they okay? I am blinded by greed and selfishness. I want this now. I don't think I should have to wait any longer for this. It's not fair. "Return." Again He breathes on me. I hear His voice, I know His voice because I am one of His sheep. "My sheep hear My voice and they know Me." Again He reminds me. "I have better for you. Greater for you. Just wait on me. I AM FAITHFUL." 

Pray:

I believe You are FAITHFUL God. Help me to return, to observe mercy and justice and to wait on You continually. You are coming. Coming for your people. Coming for Your lost sheep and I KNOW You are faithful. I know You will come. I know You will save. I know You will set the captives free because of WHO YOU ARE. So make bare your holy arm in the eyes of all the nations for all creation waits in eager expectation for your sons and daughters to be revealed. Cut the chains, oh God, that bind. And I want to continually return. Help me to continually return and wait for You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Encounter to Salvation

In this is the beauty ~ as we encounter the least of these, we encounter Christ, and they encounter Christ through Him alive inside of us.

"Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." John 4:42
"You search the Scriptures; for in them you think You have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." John 5:39-40

Salvation is a person, an encounter with the One who changes lives and hearts. The people heard the testimony of the Samaritan woman at the well, but they didn't believe until they themselves had an encounter with Jesus. They said, "we ourselves have heard Him." 
One chapter later Jesus claims to be God's Son and says to the religious leaders they search the Scriptures, but will not come to Him to encounter Him. Salvation cannot come apart from an encounter with the person, Jesus Christ. 

When praying for the captives of human trafficking across the world, I cannot pray for them passionately until I have an encounter with Jesus. Where is Jesus? He is waiting on the street corner, in the brothels, plastered in a picture window of a red-light district wearing nothing more than sexy lingerie, in the men-pleasure bars, in the business rooms. The orphan. The homeless. The most hardened atheist. Loving the least of these means encountering them, to know Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus I pray that I would truly encounter You this week. That as I see the least of these in front of me that I would stop and encounter them, love them in Your name. It doesn't matter if I look crazy or stupid. Loving the least of these means loving You, and I pray that the captives would encounter You through Your presence in me. Encounter Your daughters and sons in slavery throughout the whole world that through encountering You their salvation would come. Jesus' Name, Amen.

Sought Out

"'My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them'...For thus says  the Lord God, 'Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and and gather them from the countries , and I will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,' says the Lord God. 'I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and strong and feed them in judgment.'" Ezekiel 34:6;11-16

God is seeking His lost sheep. Throughout the whole face of the earth His flock is scattered, and He is seeking them out. The ones working in forced labor for no wages, He is seeking them out. The ones trafficked for commercial sex and forced to have sex while their money and dignity is stripped from them by their captors, God is searching for them. The children whose innocence has been stolen because they are being sold for sex by their own parents, He is seeking them out. The women and men caught up in the pornography industry and the lies it is selling them, God is seeking them out. The ones who feel their lives are hopeless and no one cares, God is searching for them. He continues to search for them because they are HIS. He says "My sheep" have been scattered. He is seeking and searching for His sheep. When He finds them, He will bring them to a safe place. He will give them rest and good food. He will heal them, strengthen the sick, and they will know that they have finally been found. 

A prayer for the oppressed, the orphan, the weak, and the broken:
Dear Jesus, 
No matter what, You never change. Though we are finite, You are infinite. When this life doesn't make sense, when we have sorrow like the deepest ocean, when we despair, when we experience pain and suffering, we can look into Your eyes and know true beauty. Please comfort the sorrowful, give rest to the weak, relieve the oppressed, Father the orphan, and love us with Your everlasting, unrelenting love. You are there when we are alone, You hurt when we hurt, You know what it means to be forsaken by all, even Your Father, You know what it means to carry a burden You did not deserve. You are the One who understands. Be here with us, Jesus, in our own life, right where we are. That is all we need. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Gathering the Outcasts

 ^“Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

⁸ The Lord God, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.”

Isaiah 56:7-8 God is gathering the outcasts of Israel to Himself. Right now the oppressor is trembling upon his bed with visions and terrors in the night for the terrible day of the Lord is coming.

Is. 2:11-12
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled,
the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
¹² For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—

Isaiah 1:16-20
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
¹⁷ Learn to do good;

Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;^[a]
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
²⁰ But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Awaken your hearts to the cry of the oppressed. Let God show you what you can do. Start with prayer and don’t cease to pray until God has opened your eyes to the needy around you. I urge you, the time is now, don’t delay. 

Oh Lord God I pray the oppressor would cease to prosper. I pray the captives would be gathered into Your loving arms. I pray that the church, Your body, would arise and defend the cause of those who cannot defend themselves. Arise oh God and make bare Your holy arm in the eyes of all the nations (Is. 52:10). Let them see Your glory and let Your enemies be ashamed, but let the righteous rejoice. Surely Your salvation is coming for Your little ones. In Your name I pray Jesus, amen. 

Prayer update

Sorry for the delay in this blog as far as posts go, things have been crazy lately with the move across the world. Update: I have moved to South Korea for 1 year of teaching and prayer. I am continuing to pray for an end to human trafficking so if you feel called to pray for this issue please follow my blog and encourage others to do so as well. As of right now, Cambodia has been a country laid on my heart to really adopt in my heart as a place of prayer. So many girls are sold into slavery in the country of Cambodia, and if you watch the film "Nefarious" you will see that about an extremely large percentage of families are selling their very own children as sex slaves every day. Seeing the girls, and the extreme child sex culture of Cambodia simply breaks my heart every time in a way that I cannot describe. Please join me in prayer for these girls, some as young as 7 years old, who are being sold for sex every day, every hour having their innocence stolen again and again. 
Pray Psalm 72
Exodus 3
Isaiah 61-62 

Oh God we cry out and join our voices with those who are in captivity. Many do not know there is a Father out there who truly loves them and cares for them. I pray that You would reveal Your Father heart to these girls and cause their cry to come up before you that you would raise up a deliverer for them. Deliver them , oh God, from bondage with signs, wonders, and a mighty hand. Only You can set the captives free. We ask for this God in Your Son Jesus' name, Amen.

A Year in Perspective: A reflection over the year 2012

A Year in Perspective

Humble Beginnings:    As I look back on the year 2012 I remember the word humility. Before I reflect with you, I will give you one caution: Prayer is powerful. Last year around the new year, a friend of mine led a Bible study on choosing one word for the coming new year and meditating/praying for it all year. After this lesson, I chose the word humility. I didn’t know really what true humility was, but I knew it was what God wanted for me. In God’s grace I was about ready to be equipped.

Hard times:    After the poor review at my teaching job, I kicked into high gear, striving to be a better teacher, to do things right. I learned and grew as a teacher. I became a much better teacher than when I had started. However, I was not able to keep my job. I prayed more, my faith grew, and I grew.

Time for re-focus:    Just after the school year ended I scheduled surgery for my right shoulder to repair a torn labrum. During the time I was off work, God called me to pray. He asked me to spend time in prayer with Him every day. I did. It was amazing what He did. He poured into me. He poured love into me, grace into me, words of life into me. He healed me. I realized, too, that it was not so hard to love, not when you have been loved by the Creator of the universe. I continued to grow.

Faithful God:    I applied to about 30 different teaching positions in Nebraska and Iowa and heard not a word. I continued to pray, to have faith, to believe God for a job. One day I sent a resume to some random job on a career site for a teaching position of 1 year in South Korea. An email came back two days later as a positive! I knew I was going to South Korea to teach English as God had opened the door a mile wide. God was so faithful!

Isaiah 49:8 “Thus says the Lord ‘In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’”

God’s call to stay for four more months:    After receiving the open door for South Korea, I then began to focus all my efforts on getting my paperwork together to go. It was a process that was supposed to take about 10 weeks, but I needed it NOW. So again, I trusted the Lord would be faithful to His promise. After the paperwork came through in about half the time it should have taken, I had been offered a few different positions in South Korea already. I felt God calling me to stay in Omaha, that He had something for me here, that He wanted me to stay. It was tough, and had been tough to live at home again not having a teaching job. I wanted to leave, to go! And yet He called me to stay, so I did. I surrendered the next four months to Him in October 2012 and decided to stay.

The power of Prayer:    After discovering the power of prayer, I realized that if I could do nothing else, I would pray. After feeling called to Omaha for a few more months I knew there was a purpose for me here. I knew my purpose had to do with the re-awakening passion inside me for ending human trafficking. In college I had learned a lot about what was going on in the world and in the U.S. involving human trafficking and knew something had to be done! I didn’t know what to do so I committed myself to one hour/day prayer for human trafficking. I also quit my retail job by faith because, though it was a job, I knew it was taking away from God’s purpose for me here in Omaha. I was not serving the poor or seeking justice for the oppressed as God says in His word.  One week later I saw an old friend at a morning prayer meeting: Pastor Cainos. I filled him in on my life and asked for prayer for all God was doing. He called me and asked me to join the Omaha Dream Center, a new church plant, to work with them on this issue of human trafficking. Again, God came through in an amazing and wonderful way because of prayer!

Today: Currently I am working on human trafficking in Omaha, specifically mobilizing prayer for this issue, informing people about what is really going on in their city, and joining forces with other like-minded people to form a united front against this issue in Omaha and the world. Together we can have a greater impact on this issue. In early January I will be attending a conference put on by a ministry called Exodus Cry which will be a powerful time of prayer and speakers who will bring information about how ministries can have a greater impact on human trafficking. I am awaiting word from the public schools in Korea, but at this point have plans to leave for South Korea in February 2013 for my 1 year teaching contract. I am not finished with the issue of human trafficking and will continue rather to be an advocate, informant, and prayer warrior for this issue wherever I am. Please pray for God’s continued guidance in my life to “Walk in the light as He is in the light.” (1 Jn. 1:7) Thanks for reading!

Please contact me if you would like more information or have specific questions! J 

Exceedingly Abundantly above ALL that we ask or think

As I gaze into my computer screen I know I have much yet to do. Christmas presents to buy or make, people to contact, lists to check-off, documents to print, library books to return, etc. The list goes on and on, and to be honest it will never end. There will always be something more to do, something to be busy doing. When I think about all those things I used to get overwhelmed, knowing that I had to juggle all those things and read my Bible AND pray seemed like a lot to put on my plate, but now I simply sit on my bed with perfect peace. Want to know my secret? My secret is Jesus has come into my life, removed everything I once thought was mine, given me His peace (John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.") and then He gave me the desires of my heart, "Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart," and, as if that were not enough, He is giving me "Exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). I reflect on the goodness of God, on the healing that has taken place in my body, on the Divine ways He has taken care of situations in my life, the opportunity to go overseas for 1 year, the family, the people who love me, those who pray for me. I remember how I committed to prayer, quit my job, and 1 week later joined the Dream Center. I reflect on the prayers for 1,000 women who have a heart to end human trafficking in Omaha, and realize there are already many in the army, in the fight. I realize that the meetings, research, and crazy connections are all from the Father. I remember that I am called to pray and the Father LAVISHES His love upon me; and all I can think is, "Exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think." I remember that all He has given me is not mine, but His, and if His hands can hold the universe in place and still gently stroke my cheek, then I can rest in the peace that when God's eyes are on me and mine on His, nothing else in this world matters. This is the Father's love, not to do the bare minimum, not to save us and be done with us, not to call us and then leave us stranded, not to deceive us, but to give us more than we could have imagined or thought, to give us exceedingly, abundantly more. As you reflect on God or as you think of God, remember that He is seeking to show Himself strong on behalf of those who have a heart loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). God is waiting for us to position ourselves to receive His many abundant blessings today. Humble yourself before God, so He may be exalted, so He may show Himself strong on your behalf. Get Jesus, seek Him, ask Him for life, He is already with you, waiting. 

The number 12

There is nothing magical about the number 12, but believe me, God loves it when things make sense. He is an orderly God, a God who makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8), even numbers. So I am talking today about the significance of the number 12. It started with some things that Pastor Cainos was praying at 4:30 prayer about the 12 disciples, and the 12 weeks of the goodness of God. 12 weeks before the end of the year, the Dream Center launched the 12 weeks of the goodness of God, where God asked the team to focus on His goodness. I joined shortly thereafter and then Pastor was praying one day about the 12 disciples and how God wanted us to all lead 12 people to Christ, and disciple 12 people. I thought to myself that it sounded overwhelming. Then God began to reveal something much MUCH bigger. 
In continuing to pray over the past few weeks, Isaiah 61 has been a key Scripture for me to pray over. In verses 1-3 say,
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
² To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
³ To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

In verse 3 you will notice the theme for this blog, which is beauty for ashes. This is one of the biggest focuses of my prayers for trafficking victims. I believe God loves beauty, and if you look around, you will too. God created beauty, and He is the most beautiful being there is. So we cannot discount that beauty is an integral part of our lives and a blessing God wants to give, a part of His promise of redemption to the Israelites. When I googled Isaiah 61 one day (because we all know one of God's greatest gifts is google) it led me to a parallel in the Bible in Esther. Now, I had had two separate people pray over me in the past month or two who had mentioned Esther. So I didn't think this was a coincidence. Then I read in Esther 9:20-22 "And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, ²¹ to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, ²² as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor." 

In this Scripture is the parallel to Isaiah 61 where the Jews celebrate their great deliverance from their enemies. A day which was supposed to be full of sorrow was turned to joy. Just as God promised to give the "oil of joy for mourning." I was blown away by this connection which further emphasized that God is ready to bring those who are oppressed out of their sorrow and give them great joy. 

Now back to the number 12. 

In prayer earlier this week I was having some pain on my way to prayer and simply prayed in the car, as soon as I entered the building and from then on, I had no pain. I was reminded briefly of the woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years and as soon as she touched the hem of Jesus' garment was made whole. The next day at prayer, we read scripture from 2 Chronicles 1 and 7, verse 12 in both chapters stuck out. In chapter 1:12 "Wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” These words are spoken to Solomon after he requests wisdom from God. God wanted to personalize Solomon's blessing just for him. No one before and no one after him had the wealth and wisdom which Solomon possessed. God is a personal God. 

Verse 12 in chapter 7 says, "Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: 'I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.'" Solomon's prayer earlier in the chapter was that God would rest in the house he had built for Him, clothe the priests with salvation and the saints with goodness, and remember His annointed ones--Solomon and his father David. God heard Solomon's prayer. This is the second time God answers Solomon. first in chapter 1 verse 12 then in chapter 7 verse 12. Then I shared my story of my pain at the prayer meeting and said it had been almost 12 years I had suffered from this affliction. Zoe spoke the scripture of the woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years. Then after some time in prayer I started realizing all the times 12 has popped up and I decided to hit google again. You know what I found? In the book of Esther, chapter 9 verse 1 "Now in the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar." The Jews' sorrow turned to joy in the twelfth month. My mind was racing, this is the year 2012, December is the 12th month, this is the only year we will have 12/12/12 for the next 100 years, we are celebrating the 12 weeks of the goodness of God, talking about the 12 disciples, and the ten commandments AND the 2 greatest--love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself--make 12. I remembered that in revelation the 144,000 who will be the remnant. 144 is the square of 12. I used google again, and found all the instances of twelfth in the Bible. There are a few examples below and the full link is here: 

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/twelfth/ 

I cannot fully explain all of this because I am a finite being, but all I know is that God is up to something BIG. Ezekiel had the word of the LORD come to him in the twelfth year and the twelfth month, God's people were delivered in the book of Esther in the twelfth month, Elisha was plowing with TWELVE yoke of oxen when Elijah cast his mantle upon him (two of the greatest prophets in the Bible), the company of Ezra returning from captivity was protected on the twelfth day, Jehoiachin was delivered out of prison in the twelfth month. There are 12 tribes of Israel and 12 minor prophets. 

Over and over again something is coming out of the number 12. In Genesis 12 Abram was called, the Holy Spirit did not come until there were again 12 apostles (Acts 1), in Acts chapter 12 God delivers Peter from out of prison and the hand of Herod. A man from church has been suffering headaches and sickness for the past eight years, his wife requested prayer on facebook, and the next day her husband was well and feeling much better, as I was praying asking God what it was that needed to happen for him to be set free totally, this number 12 came up, I looked at the comments and counting his wife, 12 people had commented that they were praying for him. 12 people prayed and he was well the next day. I'm not a mystic or a astrologer, but I cannot deny the significance of this number. All this to say that very soon we will see the salvation of our God, we will see God save His people, save those who are victims of human trafficking and when we see it, we will praise the Lord, we will declare He is our God and our strength. Call upon the name of the Lord, He is listening, He is coming with salvation. To close, I share with you Isaiah chapter 12:

A Hymn of Praise

12 And in that day you will say:

“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
² Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’”^[a]

³ Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.

⁴ And in that day you will say:

“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
⁵ Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
⁶ Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”

Some instances of Twelfth in Scripture:

Ezekiel 32:1 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Esther 3:7 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.

Ezekiel 32:17 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

1 Kings 19:19 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

Ezra 8:31 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

Ezekiel 33:21 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.

Esther 9:1 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)

Ezekiel 29:1 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Chronicles 34:3 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

2 Kings 25:27 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

Jeremiah 52:31 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,