“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened … how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”” (Luke 11:9-10, 13, NLT)
Jesus encourages us to pray persistently and expectantly. His encouraging words concluding his teaching on prayer in Luke 11 is the promise of the Holy Spirit. There are times in my life when prayer is God’s method of changing me. At times I’ve have to wait and learn patience, or become compassionate as opposed to efficient. Other times God has brought me to the end of what I began to embrace His plan.
The process of persistent prayer: refusing to give up on God’s promises; prepares me for the answer. Perhaps I wasn’t mature enough or prepared for the answer to my prayer. Whatever the reason it’s in those seasons of asking, seeking and knocking on heaven’s door in prayer that life transformation happened. And He has always been faithful to His promises!
Interestingly, Jesus concludes this section about prayer with the promise of the Holy Spirit. God fills us with His Spirit for life, power and service. Whatever we are able to accomplish that lasts is because we have stayed fervently in love with Christ. We want Jesus to always be our first love. We want to be a witness to His love and grace. Jesus said, we would be able to be His witnesses when the Holy Spirit came upon us and gave us power. (see Acts 1:8) The Holy Spirit’s presence and witness to Christ that makes the Church different from every other human organization! “We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”” (Acts 5:32, NLT)
The Atchafalaya River in Louisiana is a distributary of the Mississippi River flowing southwest to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the fifth largest river in North America by discharge. However, it’s life, power, flow and beauty all depend upon the Mississippi River. The ecosystem that it supports is only because of the Mighty Mississippi! Family it is the same with us, our life, power, flow, and the beauty of Christ expressed through the Church is all dependent upon the Holy Spirit.
Prayer changes me as I walk and live in the Spirit! Ask Him and He will fill you with His Spirit!
Peace!
If you want to know more about the Atchafalaya National Heritage site there is an interesting video here. http://www.atchafalaya.org/#prettyPhoto
Coram Deo 
Hi Pastor, Just wanted to let you know that before we had our Bible study this morning at 9, I started in my time of covering you with Prayer. I have a Bible study with Webb Gray and Dennis Kargol on Tuesday Mornings. That isn’t being said to puff me up but to keep my Promise to you that I am believing in OUR resolve to have Believers get closer to God and be able to sense His Presence wherever they may be.
While I was worshipping the Lord, the 1st verse of Isaiah 42 came to my mind and naturally, most of us would say that verse is talking about Jesus if you read it in the context of the rest of the first few verses, But I stopped reading right at end of the first line, where it says,”in whom I delight” and knowing that would concur with Matthew’s account of God speaking about Jesus but also thinking that God is delighted in his Servants of the Word, and b/c of our Prayers for you, your name just came to the forefront and I got to tell you, that God is honoring your desire to see Woodland do great things in Prayer and to be mighty in the Pulling down of strongholds in the Downriver Area and in our Church by the Spirit. I’ll be there to keep you covered. God Bless You in whatever you put your hands to. LeRoy