Dear Poolers and friends,

What follows are two prayer strategies that the Lord shared with me recently, and that I am finding very effective. Toss them in your toolbox and let me know how they work for you.

1. Some time back, I was sitting with the Lord in my living room, and He gave me a vision. I was standing with Jesus looking down on the earth. The earth was covered in a thick dark cloud. The people of the earth were holding weapons and intently fighting. They were completely absorbed in the battle. Then the Lord blew on the earth and the cloud blew away. All the people dropped their weapons and looked up. Light was pouring down from above. Then the cloud moved back and the people resumed their battling.
     I did not understand the vision beyond the obvious. I did not know how it applied to me. Then, just after the election I noticed that the atmosphere was very very quiet. Then after a week or so it filled with despair. I felt it. Everyone I talked to felt it. I wondered if we were discerning how God's people felt who had prayed so hard about the election? I wondered if they felt hurt because God did not answer their prayers in the way they had asked? Many of our leaders blame us when things go wrong in the world. That adds to the feelings of hurt and disappointment and, yes, even anger and resentment. Soooo ... I asked the Lord, as I tossed and turned on my bed, how He needed me to pray.
 

     And He answered by reminding me of the vision. I felt impressed to pray that He would dispel the darkness. I have been praying that over my people and over the earth ever since. And it is helping. That is prayer strategy number one.

Prayer Strategy One: Lord, please dispel the darkness over the earth so that we can see Your light pouring down from heaven.

2. Every year the Poolers tease me about my Christmas present from the devil. As long as I can remember, I have been treated dishonorably by one family member at Christmas. This year was no different; she insulted me, although on a much smaller scale. When I went to visit my extended family this year, I discerned terrible rejection. Suddenly I felt fat, stupid and ugly and just wanted to go running out of the house. Now, nothing was being said. This was just how I felt. I asked Sam to pray. He did and it eased. But that night, I was awakened, feeling overwhelmed with horrible rejection. Only this time I had better tools in my toolbox. I conducted a quick heavenly appeal which disempowered the evil enough that I could hear the Lord's advice to me. He suggested that I ask Jesus to pray for me. I had never done that! I had never even thought of that. I knew that Romans 8:34 states that Jesus intercedes for us, but I'd never thought to ask Him to do it. So I asked Him. What a change! Peace was restored. I could sleep!
    That morning He revealed to me that the rejection I felt from this one family member every Christmas was the result of my immature response to something she had done when I was a baby. I believed she didn't want me, so I just ferociously didn't want her back. This person actually felt deeply rejected by me, and that was why she hurt me every Christmas. The original wound happened many years ago just before Christmas, and guess what? It was my fault! Ouch!
   
Prayer Strategy Two: Ask Jesus to pray for you.

A variation on this was applied by Stacey who asked Jesus to pray for someone she was praying for with wonderful results.

Blessings, Smiles and Merry Christmas from the Pool,

Sue Bowman
www.thepoolministries.org