August Newsletter

Hey beautiful people:

God has been dealing with me about what needs to happen for the street ministry to go to the next level. About mid-July while I was in prayer God said to me, "If you want Vanguard to go to the next level, your level of consecration must increase as well as your understanding and practice of intercession." As you all know when we feel like we've received direction from the Lord we have a choice: do it or don't do it. The only reason Vanguard even exists is because we have tried to the best of our ability to go wherever He leads whenever He leads us, so I began to search out what He meant by this.

First, I began re-reading an outstanding book on intercession, "Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets. I was encouraged by the things I was reminded of and decided to make appointments with men and women of God who had successful ministries for more than 20 years. I found some amazing things out but, as a rule, all of them spent much time DAILY praying for their congregations or partners. And God began to teach me that my willingness to intercede for EVERYONE who comes into contact with Vanguard (from financial partners, to street ministers, to prayer partners) allows Him to bring the street ministry to places of greater influence and effectiveness because we are proving faithful with what little we have been given.

And then God showed me 1 Corinthians 15:45 which says, "So it is written: 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit." As I studied I realized there are only two kinds of human beings in the earth: born again "Last Adams," and the unsaved "First Adams." And if you have been born again you have become a life-giving spirit who is a joint heir with our hero Jesus the Christ. How does all this tie into what God instructed me to seek out for Vanguard? I'm glad you asked.

We have been created in the image of Our Father. He is the one who said, "Let there be light," and there was. Jesus said in Mark 11, "If anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself in the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." Proverbs 18:21 tells us, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." As the leader of Vanguard Street Ministries, it is my duty to call things into place for the ministry and those connected with it. Since I am a born again, life-giving spirit in the image of my Father, co-laborer with Christ (who told us in John 14 that we would do greater things than he did - including speaking God's word into situations and seeing the situations change) now when I get up in the mornings to intercede for Vanguard I pray for you with a new found purpose and authority. I speak protection and understanding into your lives. I call the partners who are not yet part of Vanguard into place. I call provision for you and your families into place. I speak God's will for your lives into place (knowing that Jesus would not have asked us to pray, "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven," if it wasn't important to pray). I call the kingdom to come into your lives. I call discernment into your lives. I call godly friends into the lives of the children of our partners. I call increased hunger for God and His word into your lives. I call discernment of your purpose and your place in His kingdom into your lives. I call harmony into your lives and the lives of your families.

As I prove faithful in interceding for Vanguard I have faith that God will take us to the next assignment He has for us. And I have to say that working with Him for your betterment and increase has been very enjoyable. It sounds crazy but it's true.

Pray about this to see if there's any truth in it for you and your situation.

Have a great rest of the summer. It's going faster than it ever has!



I love you guys!


N8