Beloved,
"One Thing I have asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to mediate in His temple." - Psalm 27:4
King David understood that his primary identity was not wrapped up in his position in government but defined by his position before the throne. In this one thing he derived all of his confidence: that he had asked of the Lord the one necessary thing and everything else became second priority and was a result of this. "Though an army encamp against me... though war rise against me... in this I will be confident", he writes. David had found his place dwelling in the presence of the Lord, gazing upon His beauty. Although he administrated the greatest kingdom of his day and commaded the greatest armies of his time, he purposed in his heart to pursue one thing- the presence of the Lord. His one aim, his top priority was his affection for the Lord and the pursuit of His presence. Therefore he is esteemed by God, "a man after my own heart, that will do everything according to my will."(Acts 13:22) Jesus affirms this yearning when he defends the heart of Mary of Bethany sitting at His feet in Luke 10:41-42 "Martha, Martha you are anxious and troubled about many things but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Precious saints, how subtle the fire of this one thing begins to dwindle in our hearts even in the midst of our fervent service to the Lord and the accumulation of our many activities. Oh beloved, even ministry can slowly become the rivalry for the position "one thing". I tell you we can have the greatest prophetic ministry in the world, have all knowledge and insight, sell all you have to feed the poor and throw you body on the fire to be burned but if you do not have this precious flame of one thing burning inside of you, you have according to Scripture... nothing. (1 Cor 13:1-3) Our tender affection and love for the Son of God if worth more than all the gold and sliver, promotion and success that can be acquired in this life. They can take all of our possessions, our ministries, and our lives but they cannot touch our affection for the Lord Jesus in our hearts. This is the one thing that will not be taken from us. We must find our place before Him as a priest to Him and Him alone. To make the Lord our dwelling place and find a place unshakable in the midst of these tumultuous times.
Burn Internship
We graduated our first group of interns the first week of April! It has been an incredible six months of running with them in passionate pursuit of Jesus; devoting the last six-months of their lives to prayer, fasting, diligent study of the Word, and radical love in serving the poor, healing the sick, and preaching the gospel to the lost. We have seen an abundance of fruit in their lives, the lives of those around them, and in the nations. Some now will join staff here at the House of Prayer in Fredericksburg, some will be starting businesses and bringing the kingdom into the marketplace, and some have been launched overseas onto the mission field. I'm so proud to have been a part of their lives and watching them lay hold of their destiny and high calling in Christ. We will be bringing in a new batch of interns come next January.
Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace and Missions Base
In the meantime we are taking substantial steps forward in the Fall and Winter to establishing day and night worship and intercession in Fredericksburg. We are launching out of Grace Church to plant this ministry in the city. Please pray with us as we look for a building and offices for the Prayer Furnace and Missions Base, The Burn Internship, and Awaken the Dawn. Our goal is to raise up a perpetual solemn assembly (Joel 2:12-17) in the spirit of the tabernacle of David (1 Chronicles 16; 23:1-6) ran by a community of full-time intercessory missionaries that provides a context of worship, intercession, devotional study, healing prayer, ect. for the local churches in the city as well as the community at large. This prayer furnace will be partnering with a community storehouse that will provide mercy ministry to the poor and a storehouse for times of crisis.
Lakeland, FL
Late April a few of the leaders and I traveled down to Lakeland, FL to experience the outpouring going on in that region. It was a powerful time being in the meetings and witnessing the caliber and consistency of healing and creative miracles that have been scarce in the western world since the late 50's. I believe that this is a genuine move of the Holy Spirit and the Lord is restoring something very essential to the body of Christ for the days to come.
This summer...
I am taking a short sabbatical in Kansas City, MO at the International House of Prayer. This is a ministry that has been going night and day since September of 1999. I am spending most of my time here in the prayer room and meeting with some leaders and dear friends. You can find out more about this ministry at http://www.ihop.org/or watch it live 24-7 via web stream at theprayerroom.god.tv
I will be traveling down to Mobile, AL the June 15th to spend some time with dearly beloved friends and serve at Camp of Champions 2008.
During the month of July, I will be in the studio with various artists and bands within the F'burg HOP community. Our goal is to capture the sounds of worship that the Lord is releasing here in this house. We will be setting up an online record label and store to purchase the songs and music called "stars will fall" records. This will be a creative way to support the worship leaders, singers and musicians here a part the House of Prayer in Fredericksburg. Look for more info soon!
Thank you for your support!
Thank you to all who have supported me and prayer and financially over the past year! I truly cannot do this without you. As is the nature in pioneering ministry, I need your covering in prayer as we we come face to face with the warfare. I am raising support as a full-time missionary to pursue these ministry opportunities the Lord has laid before me. We hold the strong conviction that leadership and staff of the House of Prayer in Fredericksburg should raise their own support as missionaries to fore run the way for the many men and women, young and old to come in after us to this ministry.
If you would like to support me you can make checks payable to "Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace" and mail to:
Randy Martinez
6404 Summer Breeze Ct.
Fredericksburg, Va 22407
that He would receive the reward of His suffering,
randy
6404 Summer Breeze Ct.
Fredericksburg, Va 22407
I have also set up an online donation. Click on the "donate" button on the bottom of the left side bar.
that He would receive the reward of His suffering,
randy
