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Praying the Headlines

by | Jun 22, 2019 | Jesus, Faith and Prayer

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  What a great promise we have in Matthew 21:22 for our communities.  Intercessors can get a heads up on the spiritual climate of their city and target spiritual darkness with prayer.

Recently, our local paper’s headlines read, Cops Uncover Grisly Sights which was a clarion call for needed prayer.  Police had discovered multiple mutilated animal carcasses in one outlying farm building and an apparent suicide in another.  Churches and intercessors are called to confront this kind of spiritual darkness in their communities so that righteousness rather than evil inhabit our atmosphere.

What defiles the Land?

Actions of people in our communities affect the entire population and therefore are a call for prayer.  Isaiah 24:5-6 states, The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.

Scripture reveals four ways that our land is defiled by its inhabitant’s actions.  The four areas concern sexual immorality, idolatry, the shedding of innocent blood and broken covenants

Leviticus 18:25 states, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.  This spewing can take many forms such as: famine, war, storms, earthquakes, fires, natural disasters, unstable governments, poverty, plagues, etc.

Cleansing the Land

Prayer warriors are called to cleanse the land through prayer and intercession for our communities.   The headline of our local newspaper often reveals where to target our prayer efforts.  This particular incident in our community seemed to involve idolatry as evidenced by animal mutilation which is often connected to occultic rituals.  Animal mutilation is also often a precursor to demonic oppression that escalates to murder.

 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 gives fighting instructions, though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;  and again in Ephesians 6:12, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. One of our primary weapons is believing prayer.

His [God’s] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 3:10.  With that understanding the church needs to declare God’s word over the defilements in our communities.  We can proclaim over our city, The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it….Lift up ye heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Psalm 24: 1,9.

Declare the Victory

The kingdom of God is voice-activated.  Prayer activates God’s will in the earth as it is in heaven.  As intercessors our vital role is to help enforce the victory of Calvary that God’s will might be done on the earth.  We can begin with praise to His wonderful mercy, forgiveness, lovingkindness and power. 

Christ has already won the victory at Calvary.  We need to proclaim His victory to set the captives free, to cleanse the land, to declare freedom to our neighbors.

As we pray, the headlines will declare our earthly victories.  I especially love the headline from our local newspaper No SOB’s Allowed. As I read further, I found that SOB’s referred to Sexually Oriented Businesses.  The city attorney had crafted an ordinance that prohibited adult sexually oriented businesses in our environs.  What a blessing for the inhabitants of our community to prohibit that kind of sexual immorality that would defile our land. 

War Tactics

We have a team of intercessors from various churches in our communities that gather to pray for our government, churches, schools, youth, families, and community concerns once a week.

On this particular prayer assignment a team will actually go to the site of the concern to pray.  First and foremost, like Daniel when praying for his people’s release from captivity, we will pray a prayer of repentance for the iniquities of ourselves and others.  For if we confess our sins. He is faithful to forgive us.

  • 2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
  • Give thanks and praise for the blood of Jesus that takes away the sin of the world and ask that His blood would cover and protect the intercessors and their families.  The team will take communion to declare our remembrance of Him and that it is in Him and through Him that we have the victory over sin and death.
  • And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19. As we have been given the authority of the name of Jesus, we will bind the powers of darkness of idolatry and murder and loose God’s truth and life and light in this place. For Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
  • Declare The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it….Lift up ye heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Psalm 24: 1,9.
  • Agree with God.  For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Ps 86:10 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Isaiah 25:41. 

The victory is already won.  The end is sure.  Intercessors, take heart and declare the glory of the Lord.

Jesus’ words reveal his heart for people and his desire to see each one live a prosperous, joyful and blessed life.
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Quest-Meditations-Words/dp/1507733410/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=meditations+on+the+words+of+Jesus+dr.+mary+ellen+schoonover&qid=1555981493&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Stevia: Nature’s Natural Sweetener|No Calories

by | Jun 6, 2019 | Gardening, Recipes

The plant produces steviol glycoside which makes it sweet.

Grow stevia plants in your garden to produce a natural sweetener with no calories. To get more bang for my buck from my garden, I plant varieties that are expensive to buy at the supermarket.  Stevia qualifies as a contender for garden space using that criteria.  With no calories and no reported side effects stevia is an important herb for every home gardener because of the natural, calorie-free sweetness found in its leaves.

Stevia is a tender perennial that loves the warm sun and dies back in a freeze.  In my Rocky Mountain climate I start seeds inside 7-9 weeks before I transplant outside.  Germination takes 10-20 days at 68-70 degrees.  The seeds should be sprinkled on the soil surface and lightly covered with a planting soil without fertilizer. 

Germinating Seeds

Stevia seeds are extremely fine and difficult to sprout.  This year I got five plants to sprout out of 10 seeds.  I started the seeds under grow lights in a flat made from a deli tray that had a clear plastic domed cover in order to keep the seedlings hydrated and protected from temperature fluctuations.

After all danger of frost has passed and the ground has warmed up, I transplant outside.  It’s June 6 and my stevia seedlings are still hardening off on the front porch as we had snowfall on May 21st this year.  I moved them to a plant stand in the shelter of the east-facing front porch the end of May to acclimate to outside temperature fluctuations. We have very cool nights this close to the mountains.

Cultivation Tips

Stevia likes full sun and well-drained soil.  It does not tolerate extreme climate changes.   Plant your stevia so that it has about 18 inches of room to call its own. It prefers loose, loamy, well-drained soil. It will grow 1 to 3 feet in height, depending on the length of your growing season. In warmer climes stevia can grow into a two-foot shrub.  Mulch to prevent the plant from drying out on hot summer days.

Stevia doesn’t like soggy soil, so make sure that it has good drainage, or the roots could rot. A sure sign of rot is wilting from which the plant doesn’t recover after watering. Fortunately, few insects bother stevia plants.   Use a low nitrogen fertilizer when feeding stevia.  Tip-prune to encourage bushiness. Harvest before flowering occurs in late summer and dry upside down in bunches.  Cool temperatures intensify the plant’s sweetness, so harvest late in the season but before frost.  Plants mature in 55 days.

Cloning Stevia Plants

In order to capitalize on plants that sprout, I take cuttings from the growing plants. To make a cutting, choose a branch with at least two leaf nodes and cut the branch from plant with a sharp knife or single edge razor.  Strip the branch of all but the top four leaves and place stem in a small planting container firming the growing medium around the cutting.  Space the cuttings about two inches apart in the container.  Moisten the soil and put the container in a gallon zip lock bag.  If the bag has too much condensation while the plants are rooting, just open the zip lock and let the moisture evaporate before resealing.  By using cuttings, you can overwinter stevia and multiply your stevia planting with these clones from your seedling plants. In cold areas, bring plants in and place under 14 hours of fluorescent lighting hung three inches above the plants.

How to Process Stevia Plants

Use the fresh leaves during the growing season to sweeten tea. The sweetness in the leaves is approximately one-fourth as concentrated as the white, powdered stevia sold at the store. Leaves are 30 times sweeter than sugar. A single plant yields up to a 1/2 lb. of dried leaf. All parts of the plant are sweet, but pick the herb’s short-stemmed leaves for fresh use. Leaves can be sun-dried, powdered and stored in an airtight container for future use.

Sweeten your morning tea with powdered stevia leaves.

When sweetening with powdered leaves, use about 1/8 teaspoon of dried stevia to equal the sweetness of 1 teaspoon of sugar. A general rule of thumb is that 2 tablespoons of stevia powder equals 1 cup of sugar.  Remember, while stevia will withstand the heat of cooking, it will not caramelize like sugar or feed yeast for breads,

For winter use, dry the stevia by cutting the plant, securing the branches with a rubber band, and hanging them upside down in a sunny window until dry.  Strip the leaves from the plant and process the dried leaves in a blender or food processor until powdery. 

How to Make Stevia Extract

Start with clean stevia leaves, either fresh or dried. I rinse off my fresh leaves and give them a spin in the salad spinner.

Chop the stevia leaves. Place the chopped leaves in a glass jar, and then pour in enough vodka to cover the leaves.

Label the jar and put in a cool spot out of direct sunlight for two days, shaking or mixing gently a few times per day.

Don’t let it sit longer to try and get a stronger flavor. Longer steeping can increase bitterness. Don’t include stems so you have more material. They don’t contain much steviol glycoside, which is what makes the stevia sweet.

After two days, strain the leaves through a coffee filter or other fine material. Take the raw extract and cook it gently over low heat until it is reduced by half. Do not boil it, or it will burn and taste nasty.  Store in a dropper bottle, if available, or any small jar for future use.

For more ways to use your garden produce order Rachel’s cookbook. https://www.amazon.com/Eat-What-You-Grow-Homestead/dp/1497520959/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1546558314&sr=1-1&keywords=Eat+what+you+grow+by+Rachel+May