This year we at XP ministries are praying into many different areas of increase.

At the beginning of this year I personally felt one main area I needed to increase in was in the area of Love. This is one of the greatest treasures we have from the Lord!

I had experienced a situation with someone on December 31^st. I wasn’t feeling very loving toward them because of the situation I was facing at the time. My thoughts in the moment, because of my frustration were not to reproduce love, in fact just the opposite.

The word of God does not tell us to love others according to how we feel in the moment. We are to love as we have been loved. In Ephesians 3 it says that we are too be rooted and grounded in love and that is not just know we are loved but release that love.

In the moment I was reminded of an experience that a well known prophet had years earlier. He actually died and, as he stood before the Lord, the Lord asked him a question, “While you were on the earth, Did You Learn To Love?”

The man obviously came back from death to life and one of the messages that he was to carry was that of Love.

This question resounded in me, “Have I learned to love? Not just when I am loved?” and I honestly had to say no. At that moment I too knew that I needed to focus on this great gift that have been given to me and release it to others. And that includes those who are not so lovely at times (which we all fit that description at certain moments in our lives).

So this is what happens, I began to live and walk this one out.

I had to 1^st choose to love and then decree and release love and will to do so.

As I began to experience this I also began to focus on many scriptures where the characteristics of love are described. How does love behave? 

Below are many scriptures we as a team and ministry are decreeing and focusing on.

What you focus on you will empower.

We are also decreeing we will increase in LOVE!

Join us in decreeing that you too are increasing in love. Here are a few scriptures.

1 Corinthians 13, Matthew 22:37-40, 1 John 4:8, Ephesians 3:16-19, John 13:34, 35.

You are loved!

- Kim Hadaway

- by Gretchen Rodriguez

We love the Lord’s presence, we desire to see Him (John 14:21), touch Him (John 20:27), eat with Him (Rev 3:20) and be besides ourselves in the rapturous bliss of His presence (2 Cor 5:13-14). We are those with burning hearts; those who desire to remain in the awareness of God’s presence at all times. When we have set apart times with the Lord, we close our eyes and turn our gaze upon Him and allow ourselves to be immersed by His love and glory.

But as we seek Him, let’s remember something very important. Regardless of our great need for His love, let’s remember to take our eyes off of ourselves and our need and bring Him our love. Honor Him as King, Savior and Friend. Bring not just your heart to Him, but words with you, speaking forth His greatness, beauty, righteousness, faithfulness, etc.

Let words of love flow from your lips, not just so you can sense His presence, but because He is deserving of your adoration.

His presence will come as we express who He is, but even if it didn’t, this is a place of blessing Him, loving Him, and honoring Him.

We love to be wrapped in His love and glory! But let’s take time, often, to declare who He is to us. Let us make declarations of our love for Him a part of our vocabulary that will spill over into our everyday conversations! Remember, Jesus is our Love, but He is also our Friend (John 15:15). Honor your friendship with the Lord as well. Friends love doing things for one another & true friendship is not self seeking.

“His mouth is most sweet. Yes He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!” Song of Solomon 5:16

Dear readers,

Below is a blog entry from one of our team members. It is written so beautifully we thought we would share it with you. But before we share the note from our friend I thought I would share a little bit of insight the Lord shared with me several years ago that ties in with this…..

What does dance have to do with intercession?

To me Intercession is a beautiful dance.

When we are in the beautiful dance of intercession we are in movement and time and step with our bridegroom King and He leads.

As He leads we follow His movement and heart. How beautiful. When we are in prayer we are often times, waiting on the Lord, The Father to share His heart. Why do we do this? So our hearts can beat in time with HisJ that is prayer. Jesus said in the word, “I only do what I see my Father doing”. But Jesus didn’t just see or hear what His Father was doing, He joined in, He put feet and movement to this. we too can join in the beautiful dance and intercession is just one way.

Enjoy the Dance!

Kim Hadaway

Song of Solomon 6:13: 

“Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you!” Then the Bride asks, “What would you see in the Shulamite?” They respond, “As it were, the dance of two camps?”

The daughters of Jerusalem (regular Christians) were telling the Shulamite they wanted her to come back to them. They saw in her the reflection, the mirror image, of the Bridegroom (Jesus) and yearned for what she carried. They knew they needed what she had, but had been satisfied to receive it through her instead of going directly to the Lord themselves. When asked what they saw in her, they responded that she was the dance of two camps. 

You, like the Shulamite, are the dance of two camps! You are the convergence of two realms. You are the living substance of heaven and earth. When God created Adam, He formed Him of the earth, but also breathed His Spirit into Him. This symbolized that man, unlike anything else God created, was the symbol of two kingdoms. Right now you are on earth, but also in Heaven. (Eph 2:6) You are the beautiful harmony, the graceful pas de deux of God and man, Heaven and earth, in one body -mystically united in Christ! You are a citizen of Heaven while taking up residency on earth. (Eph 2:19) You have every legal right to access Heaven now.

You were created to experience the reality of Heaven on earth; the atmosphere of Heaven in your life!

Do you dare to believe? Do you dare to explore the realm of Heaven? Many Hebrews during the time of the Old Testament, lived tapped into realms of spirituality; it wasn’t unusual to them. They had books like those of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which weren’t Scripture, but books that were a normal part of their lives. Angels came and talked to them and it didn’t freak them out! Why are people freaked out when people say they see angels now? We don’t worship the angels, but we don’t ignore them either. 

When we begin to realize who we are in and through Christ, we will live differently. Experiences in His glory are becoming normal to Christians again. HOWEVER, I want to really emphasize a couple of things. First, seek JESUS not just to experience something, but because you love Him. Secondly, your experiences with Him do not make you better or more anointed, etc. and should catapult you into a deeper relationship with Him which is evident in your character and love towards others. When you live like Heaven and earth are dancing through your life, others will declare, 

“Return to us so we can be near you. We see Jesus in you – the dance of two realms!”

By Dr. Linda Smith, Prayer Shield

With so much trouble in the world that needs prayer, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task.  God’s word tells us to pray without ceasing and I can see why.  Even praying 24 hours a day, I could not cover all the needs I see.

Recently I came into an enlarged revelation of the interaction of first, second and third heaven and the authority and dominion of believers in each.  You see, second heaven is not just a place of spiritual warfare where the principalities and powers of spiritual wickedness are active, but it is a place that has been restored to us as believers; restored through Jesus Christ.  How dare the wicked forces utilize the heavens, the ‘air’ to victimize the world!

Therefore, this is how I get my prayer assignments: I go boldly before the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This takes place in the third heaven.  As I commune with God, I ask to assist the kingdom in prayer and ask for my assignment(s).  “Father, what shall I pray about today that would assist and advance the kingdom purposes?”

Once I have downloaded the assignment(s), I pray into 2^nd heaven, changing the atmosphere, and most importantly, taking dominion.  Sometimes I am assigned against particular demonic forces to bind, spoil and dispatch them to Jesus. Then I claim that ‘territory’ for the kingdom of God.

I noticed differences in results by doing this process.  Prior to this understanding, I would pray a good prayer about a situation, but over time, see little result.  One day I was driving past a triple x adult business and asked God why it hadn’t closed yet since I had been praying that for several years.  God said, “You’ve been praying from earth. Pray from a higher position.”  Aha!  I get it! I needed third heaven strategies applied in the second heaven!

So I went before the throne. “Father, I need mercy and grace to frustrate the forces over the adult sex trade industry.” As I communed with God, I was told how to pray.  I took that strategy to second heaven and began to apply it as God had instructed.  This time the strategy also included rescuing the people that worked in the trade.  I know I will see more results.

I believe this is the stronger position. I believe just as Jesus only did what He saw the Father do, that Jesus prayed the way Father said pray.

Do you have a situation over which you have prayed with less than satisfactory results?  Go before the throne to access new prayer strategies!  God bless you.