Daniel Rogers

We don't always understand the Lord's ways and his timing, they are definitely higher than our ways... but they are also ultimately WAY WAY better than anything we could have devised, if we will wait patiently for the Lord...

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
But the meek shall inherit the earth
- Psalms 37:1 -11

Philippians 2:14 Do everything readily and cheerfully…. Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing. - MSG

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. - NKJV

THE EXCITEMENT OF KNOWING GOD & BECOMING LIKE HIM! It is awe inspiring to see how Jesus was wrongly accused and lied about and yet He never defended Himself to His critics/accusers. Imagine the humiliation of being publicly hung on a cross while your enemies watch you die, where no one helps you… and people even mock you, laugh and make fun of you while you are dying and struggling to breathe. Talk about evil! But what was Jesus response? He could have easily said in justifiable anger “I will see you in hell”. Jesus could have said, “In fact, I will be visiting hell in a few hours and I will meet you there!” Instead Jesus said “father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

I dont know about you, but I would have probably responded differently while hanging there on the cross. Our fallen carnal nature (as well as the devil) LOVES to vent and to be vindicated... our flesh relishes when we are proven right and when get to see our accusers and critics get what they deserve. Our flesh apart from God is very childlike and loves it when it gets its own way and our flesh does not like to be told to do something we don't like or agree with… where we can almost throw a fit like a 3 year old who wants candy. But THANK GOD, we have been given an opportunity to be set free from this carnal nature, to learn to grow and develop into the amazing character and love of Jesus who died on the cross. And now when we encounter similar challenging moments of people not being good to us, we get the opportunity to do what Jesus did. We get the opportunity to pray that God would forgive them and that they would not get what they deserve and to be loved by God through us, no matter their mistakes. This kind of example helps people want to get to know this kind of love, and end up spending eternity in heaven!

On the one hand it’s a pretty normal reaction to want to defend ourselves and to get angry when people judge and misunderstand us. But when we become saved we have to remind ourselves often (and God has to remind us often) that we have Jesus's life and example, coupled with the awesome power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to BECOME more and more like Jesus in those unfair moments of life.

When you think about it, there has never been anyone that was “more right” than Jesus. He was literally truth incarnate. And yet when Jesus was fighting for His last breaths, He let people say whatever they wanted about Him and He did not argue back. He let them make fun of Him, even though He was actually dying for them.

I dont know about you, but if I was God hanging on a cross I would say, do you know who I am?! And yet Jesus never said, “You can’t treat me like that. You can’t lie about me like that. Do you know who I am?! I am the holy and anointed one sent from heaven!!" But the scriptures tell us that Jesus made himself of no reputation, becoming a servant, not a man to be honored and worshipped.

Jesus humbled himself and never used the fact He was God to avoid submitting to the Father's will and the Father's appointed authority around His life, submitting even to a wrongful death sentence. God the Father actually used authority to crucify the flesh and take the life of Jesus, so that we could be made alive in the Spirit. In the same way, we are to pray to God and ask His help to crucify and deny our pride, to deny our need to be right, to deny our desire to defend ourselves... asking God to forgive us for being angry, to ask His help to resist and kill that nature in us that wants people to pay for what they have said about us or done to us. And it is so encouraging to know we have hope, and we have access to the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can not only know Jesus but to also be empowered, quickened and transformed into the character and ways of Jesus while living in this world... so that people around us would know that same love of God.

Lord I pray today that you would help us to be more like you… would you help us to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to empower us to resist our fleshly nature and to help us have the fruit of the Spirit in the hard situations of life… especially when people are disagreeing with us, mistreating, dishonoring, misleading, manipulating, slandering our reputation, using us, and even when they are lying about us.

Lord we thank you for these fiery and uncomfortable moments that come up in life and ask that you would help us and teach us how to lean on you in these hard circumstances, so that we would be refined and more and more like you!

We pray that you would use these moments of frustration as an opportunity to walk in a supernatural, spirit-filled, Christ like love for people. We confess Lord it is not easy to love people who mistreat or even hate us, but we trust you and have faith in you that will help us walk in love and to pray for our enemies even as you prayed for your enemies. Thank you that you are teaching us in this hour to be prayer warriors and “true” intercessors… whose intercession is not in prayer only, but learn to be well rounded intercessors by holding our tongue, by controlling our thoughts and our actions and love-walk so that we arent criticizing and tearing people down in an ungodly way... but that you help us to be well rounded christians and intercessors by empowering our tongue, thoughts and actions to mirror your heart and love... to bless those and treat people with love and forgiveness, just like you did while hanging on the cross. We pray this in your name Jesus, we love and thank you for hearing our prayer, amen!

Daniel Rogers

God has big dreams and plans for you this year! There is nothing more potentially exciting and fruitful than to set aside some time to pray, fast and seek the Lord before the start of the new year (and even for the first month of January) to ask God what is on His heart for this coming year.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. James 4:8 AMP

God sees you when you do the right thing, even when the wrong thing happens to you. Stay faithful, God will turn things around!

We pray that God's presence is close to you and your family during this holiday season! Merry Christmas!

In this Episode I talk about an AWESOME miracle that happened back in 2011 and then would you believe a similar miracle just a few hours before I recorded this episode. I also discuss the power of crying out to God and not giving up... and the importance of assessing our prayer life to inspect its fruitfulness/impact and identify any areas where God may want to use us to pray for others to see more victory in people's lives.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2tWBkwOJl5SnuQxvPTxxA3?si=nY_sSny_Qzu1udPDqPpiEA

EP3 - Need A Miracle In Your Life? Learn The Importance of Crying Out and Experience God’s Modern Day Miracles Connecting with God: Finding The Life You Always Wanted In God | Prayer, Prophetic, Destiny · Episode

Last week I was having a hard time recording my next podcast Episode and getting through the session due to some fatigue... where I was having to start/stop a good bit... and I didnt know if I would ever get done... when all the sudden on the last take, a few seconds in, I felt the very potent presence of the Lord sweep in, in a tangible, empowering and restful way.... where I was finally able to record the full length podcast without fatigue setting in. Truly a power made perfect in weakness kind of moment! God is so gracious and good to us.

Praying today for every person reading this to feel that strengthening and encouragement from the Lord, where you may have felt weak as water or discouraged and worn out one second.... and then experience that unmistakable, arresting and revitalizing presence and love of God.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!