CELEBRATE OUR RISEN LORD

Sunrise Service
6:30 AM, Sunday, March 23

The Hamptons Golf Course

(320 Butler Farm Road, Hampton, just off of Magruder Blvd. across from Tysinger Motors).

**Breakfast to follow at FLC at 7:30 AM**
Join us until the 9:15-10:30AM service begins!
2nd service 11-12:15PM



24 Hours of Prayer
Will be leading us up to the Sunrise Service Easter morning!
5:30 AM Saturday March 22nd through 5:30AM Sunday March 23rd

Look for the Prayer Wheel at FLC this weekend.
Interface Prayer Ministry will start signing up FLC’ers this weekend for 30 minute slots (that’s 48 people, although we will certainly double-up or triple-up if necessary!!!).
Prayer Focus is relationships, where do you fit in with FLC as we are starting a 3rd service?
Where can you get plugged in when it comes to relationships?
How can we improve our vertical relationship with our God as well as horizontal relationships within FLC?

A time of sharing will take place at the Sunrise service for anyone moved to do so; otherwise just come and worship in the early morning hour as we remember together that Christ rose from the grave and gave us VICTORY!!! That’s reason to be EXCITED!!!

For Questions, please email Tara Fisher or Carrie Pollock at prayer@freedomlifechurch.com

The Word Continued...

Okay, I have to continue this discussion about the power of THE WORD!!! The power of praying scripture. I just found this tremendous scripture today:

Jer 23:29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"

WOW! Okay God! Yes, Your Word is like a hammer, it is like a fire!!! We must not try so hard in our flesh when we pray. I used to do that. I would pray and it was like I was trying to make something happen while I was praying it, but then I meditated on this powerful verse:

Jer 1:12 (MKJV) And the LORD said to me, You have seen well; for I will watch over My word to perform it.

You LORD perform Your Word! We don't perform it! Our only job is to pray the Word then step out in faith to receive what He has promised us already! We pray it and claim it, then our only job is to believe He is performing it! How do we believe it? Just as Paul said:

Acts 27:25 (RSV) So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

BELIEVE GODS WORD AS IT SAYS!!! Don't doubt! Amen!

Okay, I am probably a little too "exclamationy" but I get so fired up for His promises. Once I started taking hold of them in my life and seeing the fruit of studying the Bible and claiming the promises, I just can't help it. :)

So you may see there are several different versions I have used. Wording is different for different versions. You can go to www.biblegateway.com and look at all the different versions side by side for FREE. Another great resource I just learned about for FREE is www.bibleexplorer.com, then go to "library". You can look at the Greek and Hebrew text and learn in what context a word was used in. Also www.blueletterbible.com was recommended by Lisi last night at women's bible study. These are all free and Power Bible is not.

Please go dig...

I can't sign off without giving an example. God is speaking about His Word(s) again here so please read verses 20-24 to get the context... This is copied and pasted from my notes in Power Bible. In the brackets are the Hebrew words from which the verse came. The Greek/Hebrew words are only given when I click on the King James Version on Power Bible:

Proverbs 4:22 For they are life (chay) unto those that find (matsa')them, and health (marpe)to all their flesh. (basar)

Next I clicked on (marpe') and I pasted below the definition from the Strong's Hebrew Dictionary:

marpe', mar-pay':properly, curative, i.e. literally (concretely) a medicine, or (abstractly) a cure; figuratively (concretely) deliverance, or (abstractly) placidity:--((in-))cure(-able), healing(-lth), remedy, sound, wholesome, yielding. )

So now after studying that one scripture today, instead of just praying, "God, your Word is life to me and health to my flesh" I prayed, "Your Word is health to my flesh, it is medicine to my body, it is my cure, it is deliverance, I am whole! I claim it, your Word is like a Hammer! It is like fire!! In Jesus' name!!!"

So can you read the difference? I do not mean to be writing "to you" as I am sure many of you are versed better than I am in all of this. I hope this little step by step example helps. Please email with any questions, suggestions, comments....prayer@freedomlifechurch.com

Why Pray Scripture?

What is the benefit? Why read the Word? I try to study and memorize the Word as much as I can. Only because it directly affects my prayer life! If someone asks me for prayer at church, or on the phone, or I am praying in my private prayer time, scriptures will be brought to my mind that I have stored up in my memory. So then I pray those, as they are brought to my mind, over that person or situation. I also like to have my Bible open and reviewing scriptures before and during my time of prayer. Sometimes I get directed to certain places in the Bible. These places may be of scriptures I have forgotten or new ones. I often end up turning to a verse and then I will get a thought of someone in my head; I have learned that is my way of knowing to pray that scripture over that person or situation. I will not tell someone that I was praying for them unless prompted by the Holy Spirit.

2 years ago, I was awake at a very odd hour, like 4 in am, and I was praying scriptures from a brochure over the missions team. I got stuck on this one verse. I could not take my eyes off of it. I just said it out loud and gave it to God. I kept saying it out loud over and over for a good minute, then I got a picture in my head of someone dear to me. I prayed this scripture over them for about the next 4-5 minutes until I felt that I could move on. I made a mental note of the exact time. Later when I saw them, I got a thought in my head to tell them what scripture it was and what happened. They happened to be going through a physical ailment that scared them. They thought they were all alone and could not make it through at that very moment. They were trying to fight fear in prayer and could not believe what I told them!!! If you get woken in the middle of the night, then it may be God! He is looking for people who want to be used in prayer.

The Bible gives us the following powerful versus concerning the Word of God….

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Okay, I’ll stop there. If we meditate on just those 3 scriptures, who wouldn’t want to pray scripture? I would just like to encourage you, don't think the Word is intimidating, just pick a spot and start there. Biblegateway.org also has a search engine that you can search topics and read all the scriptures pertaining to that topic right there online in the same spot. I have a Power Bible CD that a friend, Carol, recommended and I would highly recommend it if you enjoy studying the Greek and Hebrew, since it gives you the ancient words next to the translation with the definitions all with just a point and click of your mouse.

Please let me know how studying the Word helps you! Send me your testimony! I will be posting several topics and what the Word says regarding them throughout the year.

If a 1 & 1/2 Year Old Can Do It...

....then why is it so hard for us to do the same? We must make it a lifestyle! This clip of my son Malachi was taken on my phone 1 year ago, February 28, 2007. I was thinking, "Yes Malachi, you're making me look good!" Carrie & I showed this clip during a portion of the sermon a few weeks ago when Pastor Chris was preaching the series, "Extreme Makeover, Family Edition". We were asked to share what we did with our children to raise them to have a Christ-centered focus. Of course, (cough, cough) my little 2 1/2 years experience pales in comparison to Carrie's; so I had to let her have the most time of our 15 minutes or so. :) There are so many other parents with many great things they do, have done and are doing with their children. Please email us your pearls of wisdom so we can share here on the blog. One thing I am getting questions about is the book I referenced that my husband, Shawn, bought online: The Memory Bible Narrated by Kirk Cameron and written by Stephen Elkins. Here is what it looks like:



If our little ones can memorize a nursery rhyme, then they can memorize these little memory verse songs. They are all scripture which most Praise & Worship music is. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God; so Malachi gets these little songs stuck in his head and runs around singing them building every one's faith within an earshot! Amazing!

7 Steps to Answered Prayer

Be Specific and stand on Gods promises: Once you know what you want from God, find the scriptures that definitely promise you these things. Ask God for what you want: Then believe that you receive them according to the Word. Be positive in your thinking: Let every thought and desire affirm that you have what you have asked for. Guard your mind against every evil thought that tries to make you doubt God's Word: Do as Jesus, "it is written" and quote your scripture that promises you complete healing, etc... Meditate constantly: Speak out loud God's promises upon which you have based your answer to prayer. Continually thank God for the answer: In your every waking moment, think on the greatness of God and His goodness, and count your blessings. Once you have asked him for it, just stand in faith thanking God for making it happen rather than praying for it all over again! Make every prayer a statement of faith: It is thinking faith thoughts and speaking faith words that lead the heart out of defeat and into victory. Interface Prayer Ministry www.freedomlifechurch.com Praise, Petition & Persevere!

1440 of them

I recently read Life Wide Open by David Jeremiah. One quote that really stuck out to me was this: “You have as much of God as you really want. People may say they wish their relationship was better with Him or they wish they had more time to spend with Him; but if a person truly desired this then they would do whatever it took to make it happen.” I did not make time to search the book for the exact verbiage but that is a good paraphrase.

OOOOOUCH! That hurt when I read that!

I began to think about this a lot. I have been one of those people. At any given minute in my life I have a choice; I can do homework, I can catch up on cleaning, I can play with the kids, I can converse with my husband, I can sleep, if the house is quiet and both kids are sleeping I can read my Bible, I can sit silently in God’s presence, I can pray, I can waste time online, etc… there are endless possibilities. So now I often stop myself and think about my priorities and instead of wasting that spare minute doing something that is not Kingdom minded, I decided to turn my countless wasted minutes into productive ones. After all we only have 1440 of them each day.

The Power of Prayer-Our 1st Testimony!!!!!

The following is a testimony from Charis Blacka! This was so encouraging to me that I asked her if I could post it here. Thanks Charis!! I know there are more out there!!!!

God has been very faithful to us. no matter what we go through with our finances or lack of child support we have a roof over our head and food to eat. i think that makes us a pretty blessed household. i have to share this with you. yesterday my car broke down. joe murphy was kind enough to ride over and take a look at it. while he was looking over the car i called carol to pray with me. just as we said amen, joe changed a fuse and the car cranked right up. coincidence??? i think not. it was totally God's doing for giving joe the wisdom of what to look for. He already new my need and provided the answer. i truly believe chandler and i are highly blessed and favored. even, though i fall so short daily tara, God continues to pour grace and mercy over us. God's girls ministry is blessing me with chandler's christmas. how awesome is that? i had no idea how i would be able to afford getting him anything. it is so tight for us. blessed and favored again that he put it on lesa's heart to help us. i am enjoying my bible study on monday nights at sozo. it has been very eye opening and helped me draw closer to the Lord.