The California Prayer Meetings November 9, 2009

Are you wondering who exactly is praying in California?

Even though the short trip (10 days is  not a long time, and California is a BIG state) hardly covered all of the prayer meetings here is a little summary of the ones that I did get to attend- and some that I WISH I was able to attend.  So if you’re within driving distance of any of these meetings, check them out!  I was so blessed to connect with so many different vibrant communities who love Jesus!

La Jolla, California: Kairos Church. These folks send small groups to IHOP-KC frequently and love to pray!  Their pastor, Mark, is currently also leading a student ministry on the UCSD campus that has early morning prayer meetings and a weekly Wednesday larger gathering.  I attended the Wednesday night gathering and met with Pastor Mark for coffee; what a great group of people! Go to www.kairoschurch.org for more info.

San Diego, California: The Justice House of Prayer in San Diego. Although I wasn’t able to personally attend any of their prayer meetings, I have heard incredible things about these people!  They are a faithful community of believers who are contending for the ending of abortion and revival in America.  They have many regular weekly meetings so if you’re able, check them out!  jhopsd.com

Signal Hill, California: lovehop. I was able to attend one of their Saturday night prayer meetings and they were nice enough to even let me bring my violin and join them in worship!  This is a solid group of believers who fast, pray and worship with pure hearts.  They desire God and God alone and it shows through every thing they do.  They prophesy over each other, contend for healing and love each other with the very love of Christ.  I was very blessed by their prayer meeting and the fellowship I had afterward.  If you live in the greater Long Beach area, you’ve got to attend their meetings!  www.lovehop.org

Pasadena, California: Pasadena International House of Prayer. I was able to attend one of their extended Friday night worship meetings and was so blessed!  This faithful community prays for the sick, prophesies and loves Jesus well.  I know a few people who are involved with them and they all have said that this community has been very life-giving.  If you live in the Pasadena area and need prayer for healing or want to join a groups of folks who pray, pihop is for you!  pihopprays.blogspot.com

Pasadena, California: Harvest Rock Church. This is a larger group of believers who frequently host conferences in their beautiful facilities and they are very connected with IHOP-KC.  I attended one of their Saturday night church services and felt right at home with them.   They are hungry for the knowledge of God and pray, fast and study the Word with diligence.  If you are looking for a new church home in the Pasadena area, or are interested in attending one of their conferences, look at www.harvestrockchurch.org for more information.

Santa Maria, California: The Healing Rooms of Santa Maria. I was able to have a more extended visit with these folks and was very blessed by their ministry!  They regularly pray for healing (4 days a week) and beforehand, they worship the Lord with extravagance.  I was able to bring my violin for this meeting as well and loved being connected with them!  They also prayed for me and the little one in my womb  and I was so blessed.  Even if you don’t live in the area, make a day trip and drive out to receive prayer!  Look at www.healingroomssmv.com for their specific schedule.

Santa Maria, California: Inflight!  Forerunner Ministries. Once I finished playing violin for the Healing Rooms of Santa Maria, I met with some of the leaders of the Inflight Forerunner Ministry to hear more about how the Lord is moving in Santa Maria.  Wow; was I blown away!  These folks have received multiple prophetic words about the region and how their own life calling fits right in with the plans the Lord has for that region.  If you live in the central coast region, I highly recommend joining this group of believers!  More info on their ministry can be found at: www.inflightforerunner.com

***If I had been in California for a week longer, I would have driven further north to connect with these two ministries: J-hop San Fransisco (www.jhopsf.org) and Bill Johnson’s Ministry (www.bjm.org)  I have  heard amazing things about both of these groups and hope to visit soon.  If you live in the Northern California area, or are up for a road-trip, you must visit both of these ministries!***

Did I forget to include a praying ministry that you are involved in or know about?  Email me and tell me all about it!  michellenagy@ihop.org

California is praying! October 30, 2009

6 prayer meetings

14 small meetings

10 days

and many miles later…

…I am encouraged to say that California is praying!

After a lot of thought and dialogue with Kyle, we decided to plan for a trip out to my home state for three purposes: 1- to encourage the intercessors in California and 2- to invite people to financially partner with us and 3- to build a bridge between the small houses of prayer in California to us at IHOP-KC as a resource so that they can keep the fire on the alter and persevere in what the Lord has called them.

There are several reasons why the church must pray for California- especially the church in California.  Let me break it down a bit.  First off, California has a large influence on the entire nation.  During elections, they have the most electoral votes due to the large population.  Also, there is a lot of money that is generated in the state: Hollywood, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Silicon Valley…all of these are the base of many large multi-million dollar industries that have a lot of affluence in the nation as a whole.  Also, there are many high quality educational institutions that draw people from all over the world to study there and be influenced by the direction of the state.

So, California has a big influence on the nation- how exactly is it influencing the nation?  Let’s think for a moment.  How does Hollywood influence the nation?  (The fact that the pornography industry was birthed and is thriving from Hollywood is enough to make me tremble.)San Francisco?  The secular universities?    And when the Lord looks down on these acts and decisions the state is making, what is He thinking?  I realize that the corporate judgment of God isn’t exactly a popular topic from the pulpit these days, but it cannot be ignored.  (For references from the Word on how the Lord judges a people or nation, check out: Genesis 19, the entire book of Joel, Isaiah 5, Matthew 21 and 25…all of these are just for a starting point; there is so much more in the Word than this!)

One of my all-time favorite passages in the Bible explains the balance between the mercy of the Lord and the judgment of the Lord:

Exodus 34: 5-7 “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD.  And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

The same God who is gracious and compassionate does not leave the guilty unpunished.  “But I’m a good Christian.  I go to church, pray and tithe.  And since God doesn’t make mistakes, why would  He punish me for another person’s sin?”  I was in this belief of thought for a long time…until I dug deeper into the scriptures.  I saw Daniel, who was declared blameless and righteous by both angels and a pagan king.  And one of the main topics of his prayer was repentance for the sins of his people and his nation.  He knew that if he repented on behalf of the nation, that the Lord might “turn and leave a blessing behind.”  (Joel 2:14)  I thought of 2 Chron 7:14-15 where the Lord requires His very OWN PEOPLE to humble themselves with prayer and seek His face in order to Him to withhold judgment.

With all this in mind….it is necessary and right for the church in California to pray and for us in the rest of the nation to partner with them.  There is no other way for the Lord to withhold judgment.  And as one who went to several prayer meetings all throughout the golden state, I am so grateful for the intercessors in California who are pressing in and crying out for mercy.  Keep up the good work!  I am here pressing in right along with you!

Have you already been praying for California?  Do you want any resources or prayer from a missionary at IHOP-KC?  I’d love to support and get behind you in what the Lord has called you!  Email me: michellenagy@ihop.org and we can connect from there!

Pray for the Muslim Community September 25, 2009

Today is the Muslim Day of Prayer and the leaders in that community are calling forth for 50,000 Muslims to gather in DC to pray on behalf of the nation.

For more info, check out www.thecall.com

Lou Engle was speaking during the 12noon prayer meeting and reminded us of the time when the prophets of Baal and Elijah had a showdown on Mount Carmel (check out 1 Kings 18 for the whole story).  He reminded us that when people pray to false gods (i.e. demons) they are actually moving the principalities in the dark realms.  And when we pray to God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, Yahweh, we move the heavenly realms and the powers of darkness shudder.

So we must remember who we are.  And when the powers of darkness gather, we must remember that the “Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.”  There is a war going on in the spirit and we must war as well, with our prayers and worship.

Malachi 4:5-6 August 3, 2009

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

If you had asked me three years ago what my favorite book of the Bible was, I would have mentioned a few books but Malachi would not have been one of them.  I found the minor prophets slightly confusing, depressing and irreverent for me in my day to day walk with the Lord.  I was wrong!  Once I had this verse explained to me, I found myself either thinking about it, talking about it, or praying through it- daily!  Let me try to break this verse down a bit so that maybe you, too, can discover its riches.

“I will send you the prophet Elijah…” Although the real man, Elijah may one day come back to Earth, the name “Elijah” is poetic language for anybody who prepares the way of the Lord.  In Matthew 17, Jesus called John the Baptist “Elijah” because John played a similar part in the plan of God that Elijah did.  In that same way, anybody who the Lord calls to live as a forerunner is also living in a similar spirit of Elijah.

“…before that great and dreadful day of the Lord…” Just as John the Baptist prepared a company of people to receive the Lord Jesus in His first coming, so must we who are living in the spirit of Elijah, prepare a people to receive the Lord in His second coming.

“…he [Elijah] will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children…” So this is one of the primary tasks of the “Elijahs” preparing the way of the Lord in His second coming- to cause restoration between families.  We are living in an age where divorce is normal, where too many children grow up fatherless.  We are living in a culture where people would rather have orphans in the throws of foster care as opposed to being willing to take them in.  So first off, these “Elijahs” make a commitment to be faithful and steady fathers.  Secondly, they make a commitment to take in other children who have found themselves fatherless.  Thirdly, they dedicate themselves to pray for restoration between fathers and their children in this generation.

“…and the hearts of the children to their fathers…” No generation is perfect.  In order for these “Elijahs” to walk in all that the Lord would give them, they must forgive the previous generation of all hurts.  This is not limited at specific hurt caused by a specific father, but also any hurt that might have been specific for that generation in that day.  Forgiveness brings healing and it is a massive step that must be taken in order for anybody to walk in their full destiny.

“…or else I [the Lord] will come and strike the land with a curse.” This part of the verse always adds a little fuel to my prayers.  Not only is the Elijah calling a gift, it is also a mandate.  If this does  not happen, then there will be real consequences sent directly from the Lord.  This can mean famine, plague, pestilence, war…the Lord is a gracious and compassionate and slow to anger, but He does anger.  So unless this restoration occurs and the land is cleansed this way, the Lord will cleanse it in a different way.  And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather do the stuff that is tough for me now rather than wait and hope to miss the wrath of the Lord.

Some news… July 28, 2009

…we’re pregnant!  We just found out last week and the baby is due sometime in the middle of March.  So far, I’m feeling just fine and am praying for a safe, healthy pregnancy!  I’m also adjusting my diet a bit and that has helped a lot with my overall energy and wellness.  Please pray for us; being pregnant with a little baby to already care for is a totally new ballgame for us.  Phin is a good baby so we aren’t feeling overwhelmed- just a little challenged.

Children are such a gift from the Lord- so we are feeling so blessed to be expecting another baby!  We are also still going through the adoption process and if a little one comes our way in the midst of all this- the more the better!  Our home is large, our hearts open, and our minds have said yes to the Lord’s call on our lives to raise the next generation.

Not your typical Sunday Morning July 20, 2009

Yesterday in church, Benji Nolot shared his heart for rescuing those trapped in human trafficking.  I have heard him share before, so I was about to tune out and think “been there, done that,” when the genuineness of his heart was so real that I just had to listen.  The situation around the world is desperate, and terrifying.  Little girls  have  been kidnapped from their own driveways, around the world and right in our neighborhood.

This message made me want to do one thing: get on my face and cry out for the weak.

Benji has started an organization called Exodus Cry.  Check out these links for more info.

http://www.exoduscry.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Exodus-Cry/10683277758

And to see Benji’s notes from his message yesterday, go to this link: www.ihop.org/free

His sermon is called, “Embracing God’s Heart for Human Trafficking”

2 years of marriage! July 15, 2009

Celebrate with us!  On July 14, 2007, Kyle and I made vows before God and people stating that we would be together through thick and thin…and here we are!  Two years felt like a very short moment even though a lot has happened…a little recap for those who might be interested.

July 14 2007- We’re married!

July 28- We move to Overland Park, Kansas (Kyle from Philly and me from LA)

Fall, 2007- Kyle gets a long-term auditing assignment in the Chicago area, I go with him.

January 2008- We are pregnant!

February 2008- We  move into a beautiful home in Kansas City- walking distance from the prayer room.

March 2008- Kyle leaves his original job to join full time staff at IHOP.

April 2008- We lose our baby to miscarriage.

May 2008- We are pregnant again!

July 2008- We celebrate our 1st anniversary by going to the Melting Pot and spending the night at the Plaza.

December 2008- We travel to California to be with family and talk about IHOP.

December 30, 2008, 10:22am- Little Phinehas is born!

22 days later…we take Phinehas home from the hospital!

January- April 2009- Kyle has his first “real” tax season, with more than 80 clients coming into our home.

April- June 2009- I, along with Phinehas, do an internship with IHOP so that I can join full-time staff.

May, 2009- We travel to Philly so that everybody can meet the baby and we also talk with some people about IHOP.

July 14, 2009- Two years and still counting!

Why should the church adopt? July 9, 2009

Did you know…..

90% of children in the foster care systems end up on the streets and often in human trafficking?

If every Bible-believing church in America adopted only 3 children, that the need for a government-run foster care system would be almost completely wiped out?

Something must be done.  Kyle and I have been hearing the Holy Spirit whisper adoption for a while now, but after we heard these numbers, the whisper grew to a scream and we are currently preparing our home to receive a little one.  A child’s case has not been brought to us at this time, but we are in the season of getting through all of the paperwork and we hope to be able to take in an infant as soon as the fall.  It’s exciting.  It’s terrifying.  It’s probably one of the most adventurous things Kyle and I have done- but our hearts are too broken to just sit by and watch the next generation be fatherless.

Deuteronomy 10:18, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 ,” Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Romans 8: 15- 17, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Malachi 4: 5-6, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

***important note*** Not everybody will be called to physically adopt a child, but we must pray for a church that will welcome in the fatherless.  Even if you are not specifically called to adopt, I want to encourage you to support those families who are, by lots of prayer, practical support, and finances when needed.

These are some people who are currently walking out an adoption calling:

http://www.randyandkelsey.com

http://randybohlender.wordpress.com

http://louxfamilyblog.com

A day in the life… July 9, 2009

What does the life of an intercessory missionary look like?  It’s probably not too much different from yours other than the fact that we are daily desiring to center our life around the prayer room.

7am- Phinehas gets up.  He eats breakfast while Kyle and I slowly wake up and see how the other one is doing.

8am- Nagys are up and getting ready for the day.

9am- Kyle is off to another day in the Business Office at IHOP and Michelle is getting the baby ready to go to the prayer room.

9:30-12:30- Michelle and Phinehas in the prayer room

12:30-1pm- Nagys all have lunch together.  This is our only family meal at the moment, and it’s very important to us!

1pm- Phinehas is down for his afternoon nap

1-4pm- Michelle does “missionary housewifey things,” clean, cook, laundry, support raising, blogging,…and if it’s been a tiring week, she sneaks in a nap, too!

4:15pm- Phinehas awakens from his nap and needs a snack.  Michelle gets ready for an evening at Starbucks.

4:30pm- Michelle drops off Phinehas at Kyle’s office for a bit.  Phinehas usually looks around or gets to play a little bit with the many ladies in the office that are enamored with him.  This is often their favorite part of the day.  We are grateful for a kid-friendly office!

4:40pm- Michelle drives to work and eats dinner as she goes.

5pm- Kyle is done with work and heads home with baby for dinner.  Meanwhile, Michelle is at work and is clocking in for another evening of making lattes.

6-8pm- Kyle works on various things: cleaning the house, meeting with clients, working on bookkeeping.

8pm- Kyle heads to the prayer room with the baby.

10pm- Kyle is home from the prayer room, the baby goes down for the night and Kyle relaxes.

11pm- Michelle is home from work and she and Kyle recount the day.

12am- To bed we go; the next day is only 7 hours away!

A new breed of Americans July 5, 2009

Yesterday was the 4th of July…

…and unlike most Americans, instead of grilling, going to a fireworks show, or parade, I spent most of my day working at good ol’ Starbucks.  And last year, I also spent my day working, as did Kyle.

Although the nature of any food service job is to work on holidays, I was glad to work.  Working is healthy and I believe that if the church in the United States is ever going to move in the books of Acts type of power, (healing the sick, raising the dead, powerful preaching that causes revival, etc..) we need to shake ourselves of this “9-5, Monday through Friday, and then chill out to the tube or a movie” lifestyle.

Additionally, because I chose to do a 12-week internship with the International House of Prayer from the beginning of April to the end of June, we had a full day on Sunday that included service hours, three teachings, and prayer room time.  So that means that for Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day,  the only way I was able to spend time with my family for these holidays is by taking one of five personal days.

Towards the end of the internship, I was out of personal days.  I realized how much value I placed into holidays and relaxing when I felt the cry of my flesh saying, “but I’m a mom!  I want to be pampered and relax on Mother’s Day!  I deserve this!“  But in all honesty, I signed up for this internship, and I needed to stay true to my commitment.  It wasn’t about me, and I needed to die to myself.  Was it hard?  Absolutely!  But IHOP is wanting me (and everybody on the base) to change their paradigm from a 40 hour work week and then rest is play (the rest being 128 hours!) The overall church in America feeds right into this mindset, and it must be broken.

It is killing us, really.  Instead of feeding our spirit on the Word, and working with our hands, we settle for a life in God that is mediocre so that we can have an excellent leisurely lifestyle.  While our flesh thrives and gets every need that it demands, our spirit that dwells on the inside is faint for lack of living water.  Do you see the dilmea?

Now don’t get me wrong, having time throughout the week to unwind and relax is healthy, I just think that the church in the U.S. has an unhealthy balance of work vs. leisure.  Think about it: Imagine the typical youth group.  If you have a free pizza night with games and a movie, everybody is there.  The pizza runs out quickly.  People stay out late and everybody enjoys themselves.  But if you call for a prayer meeting, outreach, missions trip…all of a sudden people are too busy, they need to study, they have other commitments.  Am I making any sense?

I encourage you all to take Matthew 5,6 and 7 and read it daily for a month.  This is Jesus’ plan for how the church needs to walk out being the church. A change needs to occur in this land, but first we must die to self.