 Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Morning Prayer. We are going to be interceding for the Aray-Shine Conference. 1,200 pastors and church leaders are going to be joining us. This is the biggest group we've ever gathered here, and seven countries are represented, so we've got a lot to pray for. You know, a lot of times we ask our pastors to pray for us, pray for our needs. That's very appropriate, but today we have the great privilege of standing in the gap for other pastors, for pastors who are going to be traveling from Grand Rapids to Great Britain. They're going to be here, and we're going to pray for them to have an encounter with God, to have their calling in God refreshed and renewed, and most of all, to meet with the head of the church, King Jesus. The government is on his shoulders, and with that heart, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Lord, we want to thank you for gathering us in this time, gathering us in this place as we look forward to this upcoming conference with seven nations being invited and 32 states being represented coming from all over the place. Lord, we're gathering not unto an idea, but unto a person, and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. So Lord, we ask you to guide us in prayer as we pray and as we contend for pastors who carry burdens that we often can't even comprehend. So Lord, we're going to stand in the gap today for the next hour. We're going to stand in the gap, and we're going to pray, and we're going to ask you to give us your heart for those who preach the word, for those who lead in churches. And Lord, we're going to ask you to give us your heart to help contend for their calling. So Lord, we're going to be very unselfish right now, and we're going to say, Lord, give us what is yours so that we can pray it back to you, that your kingdom would come, that your will would be done on earth as it's being done in heaven. So with that, I want to open with Isaiah chapter six. Of course, this is Isaiah's great calling, and it changed his life, it changed the trajectory of his life. Like many of these pastors who are and church leaders who are gathering here, they received a calling really at the throne room of God that changed the trajectory of their lives. And so this is what I want to read to set the tone. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple, and above him were seraphim. And each had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two they covered their feet, and with two he flew. One called to another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory, and the foundations of the threshold shook, and the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said to me, and I said, woe is me, for I am lost, I'm undone, I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of the people with unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. And then one of the seraph flew to me having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar, and he touched my mouth and said, behold, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away, and your sin is atoned for. And then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send, and whom shall go for us? And then I said, here am I, Lord, send me. Lord, we pray now, for an encounter in the throne room, a calling of the throne room, the question that reverberates through heaven, whom shall I send. Lord, let that be answered in our hearts. Here we are, send us, send me, that our fruit would remain on earth as we work for you, Jesus' name. In my sin meant the moon, I was washed from the inside. I was washed from the inside. I've been washed. It's never been about dessert, it's a gift that's free. Let me tell you, yeah, it's only commencing that again, it's never been about performance, perfection, or striving for acceptance. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood, it's never been about, but let's sing that one more time, it's never been, it's never been about performance, perfection, or striving for acceptance. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood, it's never been about deserving or earning. It's a gift that's freely given. Let me tell you, if it's only by the blood, does anybody wanna be- The blood we're singing about that has cleansed us, our sin is now atone for. Send us, send us into your purpose. Jesus, thank you for that blood that doesn't speak a word of condemnation, but it speaks a word of liberation. It speaks a word of purpose and calling, deliverance from darkness and ushering us into the kingdom of light. Lord, as we intercede for pastors and their callings, we know that there is a tremendous spiritual warfare on over the callings of these women and men of God who are hearing your call and in one sense, we're all called, we're all called to serve your purpose. And this unique calling to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher in the body of Christ is under assault. It's under assault from the world, but it's certainly under assault from the kingdom of darkness that would like to silence men and women of God from believing your word, from speaking your word boldly. John chapter 15, verse 16, Jesus speaks about this and he says, you did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. So Lord, we pray over the callings of these men and women of God who are those Ephesians 411 equipping gifts. Lord, you call them. Let them hear that calling. Let them remember and recount that calling. And even in the midst of spiritual warfare, where that that calling is clouded and they even doubt it or even want to run from it. Lord, we contend in prayer today for them that they would go back to that, that place where they met with you. They would revisit the time when they heard you calling them to serve your purpose on earth. Reawaken that calling to bear fruit. This was not something that they chose, but that you chose for them and for this we pray, oh God, we abide in your strength and your power that this power is not from us, it's from you. You give strength to the weary. Lord, those who say the Lord can't use me, you have a way of selecting and choosing and placing your hand of anointing upon them and raising them up for Lord, you use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Lord, you use the weak things in this world to confound those who are strong and Lord, even when we are cast down and crushed, it's your glory and your strength that comes through us. So Lord, we abide in what you provide. We abide in what you provide, not in our own gifts and strengths, but we abide in what comes from the throne of God, that calling that was spoken by the very mouth of God over our lives. We abide in the calling. We don't run from it. We don't shrink back from it. We say yes to it for your strength is perfected even in our weakness or spirit, oh God. We refuse to lean on our own strengths. We lean on your strength, oh God. Yes, be strong even in our weakness, oh God. In Ephesians chapter six, even the great apostle Paul asked for prayer. So he was writing about the armor of God and the spiritual battle going on around us. He concludes by saying in verse 18, Ephesians 6, 18, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. And here it is. And also pray for me that words may be given to me. Words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, that I would boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. So Father, we pray for those who are called would open their mouths and as they do, words of heaven would be given. In another place, Paul says, I speak spiritual truths with spiritual words. Lord, we pray not for a commanding oratory, but we pray that you would fill the mouths of your spokesmen and women with the very thoughts and words of heaven. The word that breaks the yoke, the word that sets free the prisoner. Lord, we as Paul said, pray for me that every time I open my mouth, words may be given. We pray that for the pastors who are joining us for the Erychian conference this week. They would open their mouths and their mouths would be filled with the word that changes lives. Quippers in the body of Christ from 1 Timothy chapter 1. Paul is addressing his son and the Lord, giving him instruction about how to carry on in effective ministry. And he says this in 1 Timothy 1, 18. This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding on to faith and to good conscience by rejecting these some have made shipwreck of their faith. So Lord, we pray for the calling that has come to men and women that the prophecies over them that have been spoken, that the enemy has railed against and raged against, but there at some point there was a calling that was confirmed by prophetic utterance. May you remind them of that. May you remind them of that intention from heaven that was spoken over them and may they take those prophetic words and with them fight that good fight. When all the voices around might be saying, no, don't go in that way, that they would go back to the intention, the prophetic word of God, and they would say, this is what the Lord said to me. And I'm going to fight against all resistance to do the will of the Father. So we pray for that, Lord. We pray for the Timothes who have been called. We are reminded that Paul told Timothy that he's not to be afraid that God, in fact, has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. So Lord, we stand in the gap for called ministers to remember what you have spoken over their lives. What you have spoken over our lives, fight the good fight of faith. What you have spoken in Joshua chapter one, Joshua was preparing to lead God's people into the promised land. He was called to follow in the footsteps of Moses, which would have been big shoes to fill, nation of millions, to dispossess ungodly people into the land that God had called them. And this was the word of God to Joshua. Joshua one, starting in verse five, no man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Courageous for you shall cause these people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Jumping down into verse nine, have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. So Lord, we pray this not only over our own lives, but we pray this over pastors and leaders of churches who are contending to take the people into the promised land, to move the kingdom of God forward, to move your dynamic rule and reign ahead one heart and one life at a time. And we speak this word over them. Be strong and very courageous for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Hold to the word of God. Know that I am with you and know that it's my strength in you so that you don't have to be afraid. You don't have to be dismayed. Be strong and courageous. It's a new season but the same. Bring us into that new season, oh God. It's a new season but the same. Word of the Lord transcends, transitions. Here's the word. Just as that Jordan River was a transition from the wilderness to the promised land. So we hold on to the word that the Lord has given us, that calling that he has given us. Even across the Jordan River of transition, that river that takes so much faith to cross but the righteous will live by faith. Without faith it's impossible to please God. So we declare over pastors that all five-fold ministry called equippers in the body of Christ to be strong, to be bold, to have that clarion call in their mouths to know that the Lord is with them wherever they go. And as the apostle Paul said, every time I open my mouth words may be given me to equip saints to do works of service that the body of Christ might be built up and strong. So Lord as we close and we pray for 1200 people traveling from seven countries, from across the country and from across literally the world. Very practically Lord we pray for traveling grace and mercy even for airplanes to be on time and travel schedules and connections and weather as people are traveling. We pray for safety. We pray for peace. We pray that your Holy Spirit would speak to them even before they come. While they're on their way traveling to the conference this Monday and Tuesday, that your Spirit would go ahead of them and begin to speak whispered truths into their heart that they will hear as confirmation spoken by the mouth of man. So Lord we thank you that you've given us this privilege to gather together around the head of the church Christ Jesus. So we pray your blessing upon the ministers at this conference those who are going to be teaching, speaking, leading workshops as well. For Pastor Lee we pray for your hand to be upon him as he senses the flow of your spirit even in well-planned well-structured environments that he would have the grace to hear and to flow with what you're doing in the room. And we thank you Lord that every time we gather in the name of Jesus Lord you're there with us. So thank you Lord as we've interceded for these called ministers today. We really can't say amen to a prayer like that because it's a prayer that keeps going on and on and on. Don't forget to pray for your pastor wherever you're at. Pray for your pastor. Thank you for joining us. We're going to be regathering back in the prayer room at noon at 6 30. You're welcome to join us in person. Have a blessed day.