The Imortance of a Prayer Closet

                      The Importance of a Prayer Closet

         Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am your host Dayla Smith. What a wonderful time to live in. We are living in the last days. We are so much further into the last days than any of the apostles that lived in Jesus Christ’ day. Let’s open in prayer. 

                      I want to read Matthew chapter 6 with you. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

                      This subject is and always has been my favorite. Looking back, I realize that the call to prayer and a true relationship with the one true and living God, is the first awesome gift. I didn’t see the work that He was doing and calling me to until I gave the testimony concerning My Little House of Prayer. Man, I can say that my walk has truly paved in His Glory!!! I can’t express or define the wonderful work He has done in me. But, He could not have accomplished it without my cooperation with the Holy Spirit. You see, we desperately need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We have no redemptive power in us alone. But, if we are obedient to the Spirit of God, who holds all redemptive power, we can accomplish much in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I want to share a few of the many testimonies of the things He has taught me along the way.

                 The first kind of prayer the Lord wanted to teach me was the call to intercession. To me this is the greatest kind of prayer. But, you will hear me say this about each kind of prayer. Because, prayer opens the door to a relationship with the LORD. Prayer is a call to draw near to the one true and living God. Intercessory prayer is where the Lord will move on your heart to pray for others. Why not? He is always making intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Look at

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 

                  The Lord Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be interceding on our behalf. That we run the race gloriously. How do we do this? By reading our bible from front to back. Learning by His example how to navigate our walk in this world. Intercessory prayer is one way to train your spiritual ears to hear His voice. Because, you are no longer thinking of yourself but of someone else waiting to hear the voice of the Lord on how to pray. Get a prayer journal so that you can record the request. You can go into as much detail as you like. Date it. Then when it is manifested, you can add the date of the manifested answer.

                   Now, the Lord will only reveal only what He knows He can trust you with. Karen Mosely shared the story of David and Johnathan. Jonathan stripped himself of all of His defenses before David. At that moment, Jonathan was vulnerable to David. If David meant to harm him, he had the upper hand. Jonathan gave all of his defenses to David. She asked the question, “Can the Lord trust you with all of His secrets? Can He become completely vulnerable to you?” I'll tell you what. This woke up a desire in my heart to be that kind of person. That He could trust me completely. This is still my desire. That I am available or on call 24/7 to Him and that He can trust me with His secrets as I watch Him perform one miracle after another in others lives. This is the most greatest gift He could give me. That kind of relationship. And, believe you me, this doesn’t always go well with others. They don’t realize just how much that you are responsible for the truth you know. Not just His Words, but also His secrets. If He keeps ours, we are called to keep His.

             The next thing He taught me was the need for corporate prayer. We need each other. There are so many things that take place in corporate prayer. Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Psalm 133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

                    The Lord has been impressing upon me more and more the need for the brotherhood of the Lord Jesus Christ to come together in corporate prayer. To gather under His banner of love. To pull together. We need to gather together at every opportunity in corporate prayer as we are in the last days. As we gather together and pray for one another according to James 5:16 we draw strength in His name. Even King Solomon, in all of the Lord’s wisdom, said this. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12   9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Are you seeing what I have learned and am hearing? 

                While He was teaching me about intercessory and corporate prayer, He began to teach me about warfare. The first scripture that the Lord gave me was this, Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. In other words, this walk is a constant fight. Both in the natural and spiritual realm. Jesus Christ proved that when He was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness fasting and praying. It is also in this that I learned my desperate need for fasting and praying. It improves your hearing in the spiritual realm. It is a chance to draw near to God. There are way too many testimonies in this area. I have seen so many miracles. But,that is not what is so important. What is the most important is that it is in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, that we have the victory. We are no match for satan and his cohorts. But, we have a big brother that has already won the war. Jesus Christ of Nazareth! We need to know who we are in Christ! We have to have an absolute faith and belief in the Word of God.

             Here is a small testimony. I believe this is proof of the power of the prayer language that the Lord has given us. Why else would the enemy fight us so hard to get us not to want it or receive it? I was born again with the gift of tongues in the Holy Spirit. I had a friend who had bought a really old home. The recent owner fought with depression and was not a born again believer. So, the house was filled with the oppression of demonic spirits. It was really thick in the master bedroom. I immediately picked up on this through the Holy Spirit. So, one night I offered to come in agreement with the owner and pray throughout the home. I did this with full faith that the Lord was in full control and it was the Lord who wanted to clean up the home. I knew that the battle was in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, that is how I prayed. The Holy Spirit said to just stay in my prayer language. That the Lord God Almighty would do all of the fighting for us. 

                Well a few days later, another brother in the Lord who also was a prayer warrior, also came to the home. He came to clean the home spiritually. He walked throughout the home with a funny look on His face. When he got to the master bedroom his eyes popped out of his head. He turned to the new owner and said, “I don’t know who the person is, but they are very young in the Lord. They prayed in the name of the Lord. They have a lot of faith. This kind of faith cleared out your home. Most of the house wasn’t that hard to clear out. But it is in the Master bedroom where the fight was the hardest. But their faith cleared even the ruling spirits out of there! Whoever this person is, they have unsurmountable faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” So, you see, we have to have a relationship in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

                Ephesians 6:10-18    10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.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.13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

                So, what is the importance of having a prayer closet? There are so many scriptures concerning the need for a prayer closet. This is the question that was presented to me. “Are you seeing things happen in your prayer life? How much devotion of your time do you give to Him? Are you desiring His presence to the point of giving him thanksgiving, praise, and worship to Him? I mean He is the creator of the universe, even your creator. He breathed His breath of life in you. When pressured, is there enough evidence that you are a Christian to  convict you?” 

             Me being a brand new Christian, this rocked my thought life. Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. You see, in my mind's eye, there were a lot of my sins that needed His great blood of forgiveness. I owed a debt I could not pay. Yet, this awesome beloved Savior paid the price that I could never repay. Twenty-nine years later I still look at my relationship to Him in this light. Does this question hit you like a ton of bricks like it does me even now?  

1 John 5:13-15    13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

                I hope this sparks a desire in your hearts to want to fellowhip with Him in your prayer closet. The quiet place where you and your savior meet to speak with each other. Where you see your prayers answered. Where you go to have a relationship with a living God that loves each and every one of us.

                    If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Let me introduce you to Him. It is really simple. First you must acknowledge that He was born of a virgin, lived as God among us, was crucified, died, buried and rose again on the third day for the salvation of all creation. That you are a sinner in need of a savior according to the mirror of the law of the Lord. Ask Him for His forgiveness for all of your sins and call them out to Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Then, forgive those who have sinned or transgressed against you. Then, repent. Repent means to change your mind concerning sinful habits. Change your choice making decisions. Let Him influence your choice making decisions as you get in His Holy Word. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. I want to pray this prayer with you. But, this is just an outline. The real work begins after I pray with you because it is a very personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

                    Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I acknowledged that you were born of a virgin, you lived as God among us, was crucified, died, and buried. You rose again on the third day for the salvation of all creation. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

                               If you have made the decision to give your life to Jesus, let me be one of the first to welcome you to the body of Christ. All of heaven is greatly rejoicing over your decision today. Please let me know of your decision today. I want to pray for you. If this message has brought up any questions or spoke to you in some way, or if you have any prayer requests; please let me know by commenting below, private messaging me, or you can email me at my1littleafmp@aol.com. I would greatly love to hear from you. Remember you are called for a purpose and you are loved. I love you with the Love of the Lord but Jesus will always love you more.

(close in prayer)

Are We Abiding in Him Who Created Us

                   Are We Abiding in Him Who Created Us

               Hello and Welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am your host Dayla Smith. I am so very glad that you could join me today. Let’s open in prayer. We are still studying 1 Corinthians chapter 13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

                  We are looking at verse 13. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. So, now we have learned what love is and is not. We have learned how to walk in love towards one another. So, why would Paul feel the need to finish with this verse? Because, in order to show love, we have to be abiding in that love. The love of God. 1 John 4:7-10    7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

                     John 15:4-11   4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

                I want us to look at the definition of the word abide according to the Mirriam Webster Dictiionary. As a transitive verb:

1:a: to bear patiently : TOLERATE

b: to endure without yielding : WITHSTAND

2: to wait for : AWAIT

3: to accept without objection

              As an intransitive verb:

1: to remain stable or fixed in a state

2: to continue in a place : SOJOURN

      As abider noun:Phrases:

abide by 1: to conform to

2: to accept without objection : to acquiesce in

               Did you know?Abide has abided in the English language since before the 12th century, picking up along the way several meanings and inflections that are now rare or no longer in use. For instance, one of abide’s former meanings was “to stop” and its former past participle was abidden (whereas we now use abided or abode). Today, abide often turns up in the phrase “can't abide” to say that someone cannot tolerate or accept something. The expression abide by, which means “to accept and be guided by (something),” is also common. Related terms include abiding, meaning “continuing for a long time” or “not changing” (as in “an abiding friendship”), abidance (“continuance” or “the act or process of doing what you have been asked or ordered to do”), and abode (“the place where someone lives”).

                 I absolutely love  Psalm 91:1-2   91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. And, Acts 5:12-15   12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

                     You see, according to Psalm 91:1 it wasn’t Peter’s shadow that was going about doing miracles. It was the shadow of the almighty that Peter was abiding under. He had chosen to walk with the presence of the Lord, to have a relationship with the one and only true and living God. You know, people get their eyes fixed on what they can see. Things that manifest in the natural. You see all the apostles had a relationship with the Lord. People don’t see the suffering, fasting, and prayer that they went through all day, every day in order to experience the miracles. People don’t know the sacrifice of doing only what the Father says to do, and saying only what the Father says to say. How they had to train their ears to His voice and His voice alone. This was the first thing He wanted me to learn. That I would know that I know when it was Him.

                   I couldn’t decide to go with the scripture first, or the dream first. So, let’s read the scripture that the Lord gave me after the dream first. Luke 9:51-62   51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

                  You see, the dream came after I was first saved. When I was saved, I told the Lord that He didn’t stop half way in saving me. Therefore, I didn’t want to stop half way in serving Him. I didn’t want a title or a specific ministry. I was completely content with the title “Child of the One True and Living God.” I didn’t want to put Him in a box on how or when He chose to use me for His Glory. Since then, I can truly say that we have had an awesome time together. The good, the bad, the ugly. 

         Well, during the year 1995, the Lord decided to speak with me in a dream. The dream went like this. I was outside and it was nighttime. There were trees surrounding this A - frame home. Tornados began to surround the home. That is when I went inside. When I was inside, I heard “foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the son of man has nowhere to lay His head.” His head speaks of His righteous authority or headship. I woke up crying uncontrollably. “Lord, I want you to be able to rest your head everywhere I am at. Please feel free to rest in my home.”

                 At the time I did not have the understanding that I do now. At the time, I was thinking of my natural home. Although that was the response He was looking for, it was not exactly what He was talking about. 1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?The temple of God houses the Lord Himself. But, the Lord led me to this scripture Psalm 110:1-4  110 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

                        This is where I learned about His headship. He is Holy and righteous. He wants His headship/authority to rest on us. But, we have to invite Him to do so. Then, we are to obey His righteous authority in order to keep His headship resting on us. I want this and will do whatever He asks to remain in righteous presence. I know. We’re supposed to be discussing verse 13. How is this relating to verse 13. Well, we have to learn to abide. Well looking at the definitions to the word abide in verse 13; to bear patiently, TOLERATE, to endure without yielding, WITHSTAND

to wait for, AWAIT, to accept without objection, to remain stable or fixed in a state, to continue in a place,  SOJOURN, abide by,to conform to, to accept without objection , to acquiesce in; we can begin to get a picture of how the Lord wants to abide with us, in us, and through us. 

           He says that although faith, hope, and love abide with us. The greatest or defining factor is love. If God is love. And He wants to dwell with, in, and through us. This should make a clear picture. That without love there is no faith or hope. I can testify of this. Because it was the love of God that came my way and brought salvation to me. My life has never been the same. He is still teaching me to love like He does.

           I believe this scripture condenses 1 Corithians chapter 13. Galatians 5:22-23   22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

                    If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Let me introduce you to Him. It is really simple. First you must acknowledge that He was born of a virgin, lived as God among us, was crucified, died, buried and rose again on the third day for the salvation of all creation. That you are a sinner in need of a savior according to the mirror of the law of the Lord. Ask Him for His forgiveness for all of your sins and call them out to Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Then, forgive those who have sinned or transgressed against you. Then, repent. Repent means to change your mind concerning sinful habits. Change your choice making decisions. Let Him influence your choice making decisions as you get in His Holy Word. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. I want to pray this prayer with you. But, this is just an outline. The real work begins after I pray with you because it is a very personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

                    Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I acknowledged that you were born of a virgin, you lived as God among us, was crucified, died, and buried. You rose again on the third day for the salvation of all creation. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

                               If you have made the decision to give your life to Jesus, let me be one of the first to welcome you to the body of Christ. All of heaven is greatly rejoicing over your decision today. Please let me know of your decision today. I want to pray for you. If this message has brought up any questions or spoke to you in some way, or if you have any prayer requests; please let me know by commenting below, private messaging me, or you can email me at my1littleafmp@aol.com. I would greatly love to hear from you. Remember I love you with the Love of the Lord but Jesus will always love you more.

(close in prayer)

The Testimony of My Little House of Prayer

                        The Testimony of My Little House of Prayer

               Hello and Welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am your host Dayla Smith. I am so very excited to be here today. Let’s open in Prayer. I want to start by thanking everyone so very much for their patience with me these last two months. I want to apologize to you all for my delay these last 2 months. But the Lord was trying to show me something about myself. I am sharing this so that maybe this testimony will help you in your walk.

                    I have been fighting to manage my time and get things done. I spent two months trying to figure out how I was going to be able to keep up with all the many sites the Lord has me doing. I spent two months not getting much done. Sunday, July 30th, the Lord decided it was time to speak to me in my dream. The dream went like this: my relatives had two ceramic guitars. I ended up breaking one of them. I was trying to figure out how I was going to replace it. Then, another relative gave me his SUV. It went into the river! It seemed like everything I touched would break. 

                  Then, I awoke to realize that I was late waking up for church. This is just how good the Lord is. He was talking to me and would not be interrupted. I need to get to church on Sunday morning at least two hours ahead of service. This Sunday morning I arrived at church fifthteen minutes before service. I had three pages of notes and scriptures to put on our prompter during worship. Sometimes, I will have at least two more prompts to put up. This is the goodness of God. The Lord took control of my hands. My fingers danced on the mouse and keys like a symphony. All three pages of notes and scriptures were up before worship. How powerful is that?! 

                I don’t know about you, but when the Lord speaks to me in dreams, it sticks with me. That is why I started a dreams and visions journal. Well, this dream was sticking with me. In the middle of my Pastor’s sermon, the Lord reveals what He was trying to tell me. There was a whole lot of love in His voice. He lovingly said to me, “When will you trust me? When will you quit trying to do things in the arm of your own strength and trust in the arm of my strength?” My heart fell to the floor as I realized my mistake. All this time, I was trying to accomplish His prayer ministry in the arm of my own strength and getting nothing done. It is amazing how much I have accomplished since then. 

                Now, I am going to try to keep this to a minimum. The Lord had led me to a small church in Orlando, Fl. There was a prayer warrior named Karen Mosely, who has gone on to be with the Lord, that frequented our church. Not before leaving a legacy of teaching the brotherhood to have a relationship with the Lord in prayer. She was so powerful. Her ministry had a huge effect on my walk with the Lord. It was at that time that the seed of My Little House of Prayer was planted. That was in the year of 1997. You see, when we decide to walk the crucified way with Christ Jesus, He allows seeds to be planted. But then the seed has to be watered and nurtured before it can mature and produce growth. She taught me how to have a real relationship with the one true and living God. That He desired a relationship with me. One that can go as deep as I would allow it. She taught me my need and how to sit at His feet and wait upon Him for Him to talk to me. When she spoke to her heavenly Father, It was mingled with childlike faith and a deep relationship with Him. I loved to hear her talk about Him this way. She was such a joy to learn from.

                      So the seed of the prayer ministry lay there waiting to spring forth. Fast forward to 1998. I had moved back to Eunice, La.. I was back at the church where I began my journey with Christ Jesus. We were a family and I loved them dearly. It was at this time I believe the Lord was asking me the same question He asked Peter with a command of what I was supposed to do as I went on this journey with him. John 21:15-17   15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 

               It was in this year that a new little church had sprung up. The Pastor of that church and my church became quick friends. One Sunday morning He tells the congregation that if we wanted to visit a church, this was a good little church to visit. In my mind I said, “ This is my family. They have been in the trenches with me. They have fought alongside me in prayer. I’m not about to leave!” It was almost like the Lord had impressed upon me that I was supposed to visit this church. My pastor never said anything about leaving. At that moment, I did not realize that I had made them to be an idol before the Lord. Whenever we choose something over the Lord, it is an idol. 

                   Exodus 20:1-6   20 And God spake all these words, saying,2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

                 How do I know this? Because of what happens next. All of the sudden, the people who were once my friends began to hurt me. You see, when you are running away from the voice of God, He has begun to deal with some things in your life. Well, He allowed me to do this for a while. But, the time had to grow up a bit. My friends who always had time for me, now no longer had time for me. Some even were a bit rough with their words. But this was the Lord’s doing and I knew it from the get go. He was walling me in. I prayed for His people to want to visit with me. Crickets. That’s all I got. 

                    So, I prayed and asked him to send His people to visit with me. Still, all I got was crickets. Now, keep in mind that this all takes place in a period of weeks. Two or three weeks at least per request. So by now, I am frustrated. I finally speak with the Lord. “O.k. Lord, I see what you are doing. You are walling me in. You have walled me off from my friends. You won’t even send someone to visit me. So, you know what I am going to do? I am going to visit with you! I am going to visit with you so much that you will send someone just to shut me up! You gave me this mouth! You have given me the gift to gab! I am going to be to you like the widow woman with the judge. You will send someone just to shut me up! Well let’s just say that things didn’t go like I had planned. This is where I learned how to have a prayer closet. 

                  A Prayer closet is a place that you always find to pray. It is usually your favorite room in the house. The one place no one is around. Just you and the Lord. It is a very quiet place. You usually find anything from scriptures to prayer requests on the walls of it. A place where you go to wait to have a real conversation with the Lord. Not just be the only one speaking. But, where you are willing to wait and listen for Him.

              You see the moment I decided to accept the salvation of the Lord and walk with Him truly, the first gift he revealed to me was prayer. So, the Lord knew that He was going to reveal the Ministry of My Little house of Prayer in October of 1994. The day I chose to walk with Him. All or Nothing. But, it was during the time that He walled me in for Him I began to learn of finding my prayer closet.

             Well, I began to visit with Him every waking hour. It wasn’t all that hard, I already knew His voice. But, this is where things change. He not only begins to speak to me. He begins to show me things worlds away. That I did not have to pray a panic prayer. If I train my spiritual ears to hear Him I can pray for things happening in the future. To truly intercede for the body of Christ. This is where my faith in who He is to me began to grow. I would call my brother in Christ and tell him what the Lord was showing me. There would be silence on the other end of the phone. Then, he would let me know that he was watching it on the news a world away. This happened so much over the next few weeks that my brother in Christ brought a T.V. to my front door. I didn’t watch it. I was having too much fun visiting with my Lord. 

                  Joel 2:27-32   27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

                    Well, one night the Lord spoke to me in my dreams. He set me free of labels and other things. Then, there was a song I was supposed to sing. I did not know the song at the time, but it invoked me to worship the Lord most High.I began to weep. I wept so hard that I woke myself up. But, I was under the weight of His Glory. That lasted from 10am to 10pm. I know it was the Lord because I was never the same after that. That night, guess what happened? The Lord sent someone to my door. I opened the door and the first words out of his mouth was,”Wow! His glory is all over you.” I testified and wept at the Lord. 

             I have moved multiple times. Every home that I lived in people would talk about how His peace was there. How my home invited them in. Others would walk around my home saying “It’s like the prayers have baked into the walls of this home. On December 4, 2019, the building and land that would be my home and the ministry of My Little House of prayer was born. It was a shell when it arrived. But when I walked in, the Spirit of the Lord spoke to my heart. “Merry Christmas. Look up. You know how you have been nagging me about an upper room? Well take your pic. Take a long hard look. Because I am going to finish it.”

            2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. As of March 4th of 2022, the house was finished on the inside and livable. As of July 28th, 2023, it is paid off. Help of all kinds came in from unforeseen sources. Little by little. It has been a walk of absolute faith. I can’t wait to see what else the Lord has in mind.

                    If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Let me introduce you to Him. It is really simple. First you must acknowledge that He was born of a virgin, lived as God among us, was crucified, died, buried and rose again on the third day for the salvation of all creation. That you are a sinner in need of a savior according to the mirror of the law of the Lord. Ask Him for His forgiveness for all of your sins and call them out to Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Then, forgive those who have sinned or transgressed against you. Then, repent. Repent means to change your mind concerning sinful habits. Change your choice making decisions. Let Him influence your choice making decisions as you get in His Holy Word. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. I want to pray this prayer with you. But, this is just an outline. The real work begins after I pray with you because it is a very personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

                    Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I acknowledged that you were born of a virgin, you lived as God among us, was crucified, died, and buried. You rose again on the third day for the salvation of all creation. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

                               If you have made the decision to give your life to Jesus, let me be one of the first to welcome you to the body of Christ. All of heaven is greatly rejoicing over your decision today. Please let me know of your decision today. I want to pray for you. If this message has brought up any questions or spoke to you in some way, or if you have any prayer requests; please let me know by commenting below, private messaging me, or you can email me at my1littleafmp@aol.com. I would greatly love to hear from you. Remember I love you with the Love of the Lord but Jesus will always love you more.

(close in prayer)

For What Do the Eyes of My Understanding Behold

               For What Do the Eyes of My Understanding Behold

               Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am your host Dayla Smith. I am so very glad that you could join me today as we continue to discuss 1 Corinthians chapter 13. But, before we dive into this study, let’s open in prayer. 

                        1 Corinthians 13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

                      This week we are looking at verse 12. Paul is describing mirrors in his day and time. Looking glasses then, were a bit obscure. They did not give as clear a picture as the mirrors of today. But, even today, mirrors are a bit imperfect. As long as we are looking in the mirror, we can behold our complete reflection. But, when we walk away, we forget what we really look like. So, with the mirror of the Apostle Paul’s day the mirror showed a dim reflection. A darker reflection. You were able to just make out your appearance.

             When we come into this world we have no immediate comprehension of the world we have entered into. We have a very clouded understanding of what is going on around us. But, over time, as we grow and learn our understanding grows. Well, just like in this natural earthly realm, we are called to grow in the full measure and stature of Jesus Christ. According to Ephesians 4: 10-13. You see,  Proverbs 9:10 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

             If we are to grow spiritually, we have to know the Lord. Read our bibles, pray, and seek His face; not his hand. Paul desired to know him. Not part of Him. But, all of Him. Ephesians 3:15-19   15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

                    How else are we going to understand all mysteries of the bible? Please don’t just accept that there are some mysteries we will never understand until we are with Him in heaven. Matthew 11:25   25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. The Lord wants us to know Him. He wants to be God to us. And, like Him, there is no other. He says that all throughout the bible. That He wants all nations to know that He is God and like Him there is no other. But, how will we grow and learn if we do not read His love letter (our road map home)? Or, if we do not pray and seek His face. Waiting to hear His still small voice?

                 I can testify of this. My walk with the Lord has been an awesome journey. A journey filled with His blood and my tears, joy and pain, fear and hope. But He never stopped being Lord over my life. He left that control in my hands. I chose whether to walk away or stay. Whether He was Lord over my life or not. I have read the bible over and over. Front to back. I am amazed that there is never a time when I don’t see or understand something new or in a new way than I did before. My prayer time is a constant conversation between Him and I. His word leads and guides me in the paths of righteousness and truth. 

              From Genesis to Revelation, the Lord created mankind out of His desire to have His love reciprocated. He could have created beings that would worship and adore Him. But, He wanted a created being that would choose to love Him for who He is. Who would want to know the one who has been loving them for all of eternity. And will love them for all of eternity future. No separation. No veil. 

                   So then, Paul says face to face. I believe this is the reflection in water. In Paul's day, if you wanted to see a more clearer reflection, you would have to go look into the water. You see, when the priest would enter the inner court of the tabernacle, they would come to what is called the laver. The laver was a huge brass bowl filled with water and a mirror at the bottom of it. Brass speaks of judgment. As the priest entered and exited the tabernacle, he had to come to the laver. He had to wash his hands and feet. Hands speak of service. Feet speak of our walk with the Lord. And as they washed their hands and feet, they had to see their reflection in the water. They had to acknowledge that they were sinners in need of a Savior. As they entered in, they were a sinner in need of a Savior. As they exited they were supposed to look at the people who were also in the same boat that they were in. They were to extend the same compassion on the people that the Lord had extended to them.

                 Just as in those days, James says in James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. And how do we do this? We go to the mirror in the Lord’s Word. We look to see ourselves as we truly are compared with His great glory in His divine Word. We ask for forgiveness of all of our sins all day, every day. Then, we implement a true change of thought concerning those sins, by our actions. This is how we allow the Lord’s Word to change us into His image. His character.  Every time I read His Word, I am changed.    

               There is nothing about my walk that I would change. The hardships brought growth. The miracles, signs and wonders left me totally speechless in the sight of Him. I learned how to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. I am still learning how to do this. I thank him for all that He has, is, and will do in my life. I worship Him for all that He is. To Him I owe all of the glory! My walk has been a strange walk. An unconventional walk. But, I wouldn’t  change one step. The latest miracle He has done in my life is that on July 28th, Friday morning the day of sabbath (Shabbat), He made me the proud owner of My Little House of Prayer home. After 5 yrs. I was able to pay the last note!!!                 

                       Ephesians 1:15-23 15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

                 The apostle Paul says that now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. When we choose to take up our cross and follow Him, there are many places where we don’t understand where He is taking us. But, we cannot stop walking in those places. It is those places where we are to set our faces like flint. Get tunnel vision as we follow Him. His walk of love extended to others. Miracles, signs and wonders are for the lost. Who's lost around you when a miracle happens? Who is the lost person walking into your life at the time of the miracle?  It is to encourage hope and faith in their hearts. 

                  At these times is when we have the message, “You thought this was something, believe and have faith in Him. He wants to do greater than this. Freely you have received, freely share the good news you have received yourself.” I believe that as the Lord works each and every miracle in our lives, we get a glimpse of His Truth. But, as we continue to walk the narrow, hard, inconvenient way with Him, each and every glimpse begins to create a beautiful picture with a message that only each and everyone of us can share. 

                I am truly hoping that this study on 1 Corinthians 13 has encouraged and given you new food for thought. To get in His Holy Word. To pray and seek His face and not His hand. To wait patiently for Him to speak to you. I said earlier that He speaks the Word of God. The enemy knows the Word of God and is able to twist His Words. Just like He did with Eve and Adam and got them to sin. This is why I say to read it for yourself. How else will you know the difference between the Lord’s voice and satan’s? 

                Pray before you read the Word of God. Plead the precious blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth over what you are about to read. Ask the Holy Spirit of God to enlighten the eyes of your understanding. Remember, the apostle Tiimothy says in 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. On this journey with Christ, you will need His Word of Truth to lead and guide you.Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

                    If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Let me introduce you to Him. It is really simple. First you must acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a savior according to the mirror of the law of the Lord. Ask Him for His forgiveness for all of your sins and call them out to Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Then, forgive those who have sinned or transgressed against you. Then, repent. Repent means to change your mind concerning sinful habits. Change your choice making decisions. Let Him influence your choice making decisions as you get in His Holy Word. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. I want to pray this prayer with you. But, this is just an outline. The real work begins after I pray with you because it is a very personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

                    Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

                               If you have made the decision to give your life to Jesus, let me be one of the first to welcome you to the body of Christ. All of heaven is greatly rejoicing over your decision today. Please let me know of your decision today. I want to pray for you. If this message has brought up any questions or spoke to you in some way, or if you have any prayer requests; please let me know by commenting below, private messaging me, or you can email me at my1littleafmp@aol.com. I would greatly love to hear from you. Remember I love you with the Love of the Lord but Jesus will always love you more.

(close in prayer)