Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Fellowship of the Unashamed


Oh, that I could say this prayer and mean it...
It fills my heart with passion.

Pause. Ponder. Praise...

"I AM A PART OF the fellowship of the unashamed.
I have Holy Spirit power.
The Dye has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His.
I won't look back, let up, slow down, 
back away or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. 
My future is secure.

I am finished and done with low living,
side walking, small planning,
smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame vision,
worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotion, plaudence or popularity.
I don't have to be right, tops, recognized,
praised, regarded or rewarded.

I now live by faith, 
lean on His presence, 
walk by patience.

I am uplifted by prayer, labor by power,
my pace is set, my gait is fast,
my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow,
my way is rough, my companions are few,
my guide is reliable, my mission is clear.

I can't be bought, compromised, detoured,
lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of adversary,
negotioate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity,
or meander at the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up,
until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up,
paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ:

I am a disciple of Jesus,
I must go 'til He comes,
give 'til I drop,
preach 'til I know,
and wait 'til He counts me.

For when He comes for His own,
He will have no problems recognizing me.
My banner will be clear."

~ Author: An unknown pastor from Zimbabwe

1 Peter 4:14-19 (The Message)

If you're abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. 
It's the Spirit of God and his glory in you 
that brought you to the notice of others. 
If they're on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, 
that's a different matter. 
But if it's because you're a Christian, 
don't give it a second thought. 
Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!

It's judgment time for God's own family. We're first in line. 
If it starts with us, think what it's going to be like 
for those who refuse God's Message! 

If good people barely make it, 
What's in store for the bad?
So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, 
take it in stride. Trust him. 
He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it.


16 friends shared a comment:

Joanne Sher said...

WOW. Such a powerful prayer. I'm with ya - wish I could say it was me, but with God's help, I'll get there. Thank you, SO MUCH, for sharing this.

SheriYates said...

AWESOME!!

Tracy said...

WOW!!! That was fantastic! Thank you for sharing it with us! No, I'm not there, but I'm working on it, and am so thankful for His patience and love for me. Blessings!

Denise said...

Amen, amen. Praise God. I love you sweetie.

lori said...

wow...THAT was from the heart...

I now live by faith,
lean on His presence,
walk by patience.

I'd love that handpainted and framed...or on a sticky not on the fridge...that'll work too!:)

loved it!
lori

Vickie said...

Wow what an awesome prayer. Thank God that I am on my way to being sold out for Him. Like Nehemiah I am not coming down.

thank you for sharing this.

Blessings,
Vickie

Sara Harricharan said...

Wow, that is just awesome. Gave me goosebumps reading it, that must be some feeling to pray like that.

Unknown said...

Lauralee,

This was just beautiful. I pray that this will be the cry of my own heart.

Blessings,
Cheri

Laurie Ann said...

Absolutey powerful. I LOVE it, LauraLee! Oh to have that prayer in my heart purely.

Catrina Bradley said...

I can't honestly pray all of these words either, but the GREAT news is, God loves me anyway (even if I'm not too crazy about myself sometimes).

Josh said...

"I won't give up, shut up, let up,
until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ"

Wow! I love that part. I love the whole thing really. What an amazing prayer. I want to print that out and stick it by my computer to remind me daily of what I should be striving for. Praying for you Laura and all other believers that we all can say that prayer and eventually mean it 100% with our whole heart.

Peter Stone said...

Thanks for sharing that, Laura.
What a challenge to keeping our heart and mind set of the things of God, in fact to truly seek first the Kingdom of God - paying no heed to the consequences thay may come from a society that has rejected Him.

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

I love that! We had that on a poster on our wall. Not sure what happened to it when we painted. I'm going to have to find it because I always liked reading it as a reminder!!!
Blessings to you my sweet friend.

Joan said...

Our church showed a mini movie with this a few Sunday's ago. You can find it here:

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/10759/Fellowship-Of-The-Unashamed

Happy Spring!
Blessings

Tracy said...

One of the most powerful prayers I've ever read! I echo your prayer that I would be able to say this with a pure and passionate heart!

Carmen said...

Beautimous! Have a Spirit-led, Fruitful and productive week, Merea!