And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. — Ephesians 6:18
As I write this newsletter, we are still under lockdown due to COVID-19 and under a curfew due to rioting in our streets. Our circumstances seem to be out of control with angry, frustrated rhetoric coming at us from all sides. Our perspective can be distorted if we give in to fear and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Yet could it be that what the enemy has intended for evil, God is using for good?1 And could the good coming out of these terrible times be God’s people turning to Jesus in repentance of sin, crying out for Him to return to us in order that once again, we would receive His blessing? May it be so!
On Pentecost Sunday, May 31st, I felt led by God to offer a prayer initiative, Turn to Jesus: Calling Women to Pray. While the pandemic was the original catalyst, the chaos, confusion, and violence that followed the senseless killing of George Floyd seemed to underscore that the timing was Spirit-led. The following are some online testimonies from those who participated.
I’m convinced that Heaven was moved in answer to the hundreds of thousands of us who prayed on Pentecost Sunday. Thank you for participating. But our work of prayer is not finished.
I was reminded of this when the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown loosened and businesses began to reopen, allowing me to meet a friend for lunch at a local restaurant. As we sat down in the booth, we almost immediately plunged into a conversation about the national unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s horrific murder. In a few moments, we were served by a young African-American man who was wearing a large black face mask. After the server had left to turn in the order we had given him, we bowed our heads and my friend asked God’s blessing on our meal. When she lifted her head, I blurted out regretfully that we should have asked the waiter if we could pray for him. When he returned to bring us our order, I told him we had just prayed, and I wanted to know if there was anything we could pray for him. He immediately gave us a request, then to our amazement, he held out his hands, bowed his head, and waited for us to pray! We took his hands and I prayed as he had asked. When I concluded the prayer, his eyes were filled with tears. He said he was trying hard not to cry…that we had no idea all that he was going through. And he thanked us. For praying. Such a simple act that meant so much to all of us.
The experience led me to recommit to not just a set-aside-time of prayer as we had in Turn to Jesus, but to obey Paul’s exhortation, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.2 Join me in being alert and Spirit-led in prayer for people all around us with whom we interact. Through our prayers, let’s move Heaven on behalf of another person.
For His Glory,
1 Genesis 50:20
2 Ephesians 6:18
Being prayed for by Pastor David Anderson and his wife Amber at Bridgeway Community Church.
Praying for a Samoan American soldier in Jerusalem.
Praying for an African ambassador in India.
Praying for hotel workers in Hyderabad, India.
Read 1 Kings 18
Available October 6, 2020
In this powerful new volume, Anne gives readers a starting point for their own daily encounters with the One who listens to every heartache and who delights in giving every good gift out of His abundant grace and mercy.
When you PREORDER THE LIGHT OF HIS PRESENCE before October 6, you will receive free digital bonus gifts to enjoy!
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“…Now show me Your glory.” — Exodus 33:18
The coronavirus pandemic this Spring has put everyone in a hard place. Many of us have been either locked down in our homes, quarantined, or even hospitalized. Businesses and restaurants and beaches have closed; schools and churches have moved online; even legislators are contemplating voting from home, as we are all urged to keep a social distance from each other in order to protect ourselves from this highly contagious, deadly disease. The hosts for my upcoming speaking engagements have canceled their events; my doctors have canceled my appointments; and I find that I, too, am isolated. I’ve been reminded of a dramatic scene in the Old Testament…
When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God agreed, but specified that Moses would only be allowed to see the backside. In other words, Moses would only see God’s glory as he looked back. He placed Moses in the cleft of a rock…in a hard place…as He covered Moses with His hand, to reassure him of His presence. Then God removed His hand, and Moses must have felt abandoned. Forsaken. Isolated. Alone.1 But it was just then that God caused His glory to pass by Moses. God’s glory was not a shining cloud, but a fresh revelation of His character: 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.’ 2
In the past four years, I, too, have been placed in the “cleft of a rock”. A hard place. My husband’s sudden, unexpected death; my father’s death three years later; my diagnosis of cancer and the subsequent surgery and follow-up treatments have been personally and equally as hard as the place in which we now find ourselves as a nation. But…
As I have looked back, I have seen God’s “glory”. I have experienced God’s faithfulness to meet my needs, His grace to pour out His blessings through family and friends, His strength to enable me to endure triumphantly, and His goodness to bring me through one day at a time. The vision of His glory enabled me to maintain my joy, my inner peace, and the steadfast hope that God was in control and would work out all things for my good.3
In what hard place has God placed you? Do you find yourself today in “the cleft of a rock”? Your situation may be directly related to the coronavirus, or it may have nothing at all to do with it. But do you feel isolated from others, lonely, abandoned as you wonder where God is?
If you are in a hard place, ask God to show you His glory. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a fresh, personal way. He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.4 So…Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.5
Who knows? As you look back on the hard place in which you find yourself, you may discover that it actually has been the place of your greatest blessing because it was there that you experienced a fresh encounter with the living God.
For His Glory,
1 Exodus 33:18-23
2 Exodus 34:6-7
3 Romans 8:28
4 James 4:8 NKJV
5 Hebrews 10:22
With my oldest daughter, Morrow, looking on, my younger daughter, Rachel-Ruth, and I spoke to a gathering of over 200 Christian women leaders in the beautiful backyard of a friend’s home in Santa Barbara, CA. What a privilege! We shared the urgency of the hour, challenging them to maintain their walk with the Lord, share the Gospel, and make disciples of their children. It was a blessing to stay afterwards and visit with those who had come.
Pastor Ray Bentley gave me the privilege of speaking at his three worship services at Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, CA. Following the 3rd service, I had the time to pray with those who responded to the invitation, indicating they wanted to invite Jesus to come into their hearts in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Praise God! Many did!
I was invited by Pastor David Anderson to speak at all three Sunday morning services at Bridgeway Community Church in Columbia, MD. From the time I arrived until the time I left, I was bathed in prayer by his elders, his leaders, and himself. In answer to prayer, God poured out His Spirit on all of us.
I. IN THE DESERT
*Describe a spiritual “desert.” See Exodus 15:22; 16:2-3.
*Where did God’s people see the LORD in Exodus 16:10?
This latest edition of the 365-day devotional features a larger trim, enlarged print, and a fresh design, breathing new life into a title that has been loved and appreciated for over 15 years. Each dated devotional in The Joy of My Heart includes a Scripture verse and reflections from Anne on topics such as eternity, grief, and faith.
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“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way I command you…” — Deuteronomy 11:26-28
When I drive down the highway, painted lines on the pavement provide helpful guidance. A dotted white line lets me know that if the lane of oncoming traffic is clear, I can pass other cars. A solid line means no passing is allowed. The highway department is not trying to take away my joy in driving. The lines on the road are intended to keep me safe, and keep others safe, while I’m on my way to my destination.
In a similar way, as we live and travel down life’s road, we can push the boundaries God has established. But we do so at our own peril. If we go outside His “road markings,” the likelihood is that we will get hurt, as well as hurt other people. At the very least, we will experience life on a lower level than He intended. The alternative is to take God at His Word, stay within His boundaries, and trust Him to know what’s best for us.
Let’s consider some of His road markings…
• When God says to have no other gods before Him, He knows that other gods—such as money, fame, sex, pleasure, power—will enslave you.
• When God says not to create and worship idols, He knows that behind them are demonic forces who will weaken you, deceive you, and suck you into evil attitudes, words, actions, and thoughts that you had no idea you were capable of having or saying or doing.
• When God says not to misuse His name, He knows that unless you reverence Him, you will not have even the beginning of wisdom with which to live and make your decisions.
• When God says to set aside one day in seven in order to focus on Him, He knows that such a lifestyle will help keep your faith anchored and remind you that the world doesn’t need your effort to continue spinning.
• When God says to honor your parents, He knows it will lead to a richer, fuller, longer life.
• When God says not to murder, He knows that human life has a high value. Yours and theirs.
• When God says not to commit adultery, He knows sexual betrayal destroys a marriage bond and cracks the foundation of a nation.
• When God says not to steal, He knows that if we want others to respect us and our possessions, we need to respect them and their possessions. Without mutual trust we cannot have safe, healthy relationships.
• When God says not to lie, He knows that integrity is foundational to a successful life and a strong society.
• When God says not to covet, He knows the danger of never being content with what we have, whether it’s a spouse, a home, or a job. We will be dominated by greed that demands more and more until we are insatiably unfulfilled.1
This simple and incomplete rationale for heeding God’s road markings illustrates that His practical, divine directions for living are for our own good. And while you may be questioning what the Holy Spirit has to do with what is in essence the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses, we may benefit from being reminded that the entire Bible is “God-breathed”—divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, both Old Testament and New Testament.2
When you or I go outside His directions for living—His road markings—we wind up with less than God intended us to have. This begs the question, What if you have gone outside God’s road markings? What if you have hurt yourself or someone else and now want to live according to God’s directions? The first step is just to tell Him. Be honest.
So at the beginning of this new year, whether you have been living in ignorance of His directions or in rebellion against them, tell Him what you have done, where you are, and that you want to live as He directs. Then start reading your Bible. Study it, love it, and live by it. God the Holy Spirit is your helper. Your strengthener. Your counselor. He is just waiting for you to turn to Him and give Him the freedom and authority to bring order out of your chaos.
For His Glory,
1 Exodus 20:3-17
2 2 Timothy 3:16
The above message was adapted from Anne’s new book JESUS IN ME.
Every opportunity Anne had during her book tour was richly blessed, whether an online interview, a television appearance, a radio conversation, a written article, or a speaking engagement. Pictured above is the Sunday morning worship service at Times Square Church in New York City that Pastor Carter Conlon graciously gave for Anne to deliver the message on the Holy Spirit. Dozens of people responded to the altar call to invite Him to live within them as their Constant Companion.
*Give a phrase from each of the following verses that underscores the source of our life’s directions:
Exodus 20:1-2; Deuteronomy 5:12, 15, 16, 22, 32-33.
*What gives God the right to establish directions for life in 2020? See Genesis 1:1.
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How many things have been around us for a long time that we simply have not noticed?
Like the bagel lever on my toaster. I recently went online to find another toaster because the one I’ve had for about twenty years no longer toasted both sides of the bread. When reading the reviews of the brand I was interested in, I came across one purchaser who was pleased that the model she selected toasted one side of her bagel while leaving the other side warm and chewy. I jumped up to see whether that could be why my toaster was toasting only one side of my bread. Sure enough. My toaster had a bagel feature that was turned on. When I turned it off and put in a slice of bread, both sides toasted evenly. I had to laugh, even as I felt foolish for not having noticed the bagel feature that had been there as long as I had owned the toaster.
While toasters hold nowhere near the significance of the Holy Spirit, could it be that many of us have never really noticed Him either? Maybe we’ve never been taught to notice Him. Even though I was raised in a home where Jesus was beloved and obeyed, I don’t remember being taught about the Holy Spirit. Which has made me wonder whether you would say the same thing.
What have you learned or been taught about the Holy Spirit? The only recollection I have of any mention of the Holy Spirit is from church—and we went to church every Sunday. Except that He wasn’t called the Holy Spirit. He was called the Holy Ghost. At the end of the church service, the pastor would pronounce the benediction, indicating in my small child’s mind that now we could go home and have a delicious Sunday lunch. So I wasn’t very attentive or curious about the way he concluded with a benediction. I was vaguely aware that he always pronounced the final prayer in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
It was not until years later when I was teaching a weekly Bible class that I learned the amazing truth of who the Holy Spirit is. I was twenty-nine years old, in my second year of Bible teaching, and doing my best to convey insights into the gospel of John for the five hundred women who sat before me each Wednesday. In hindsight, I was like the blind leading the blind. The only reason I knew more than they did was that I had studiously crammed during the week leading up to the lecture.
The week before February 22, 1978, I was cramming as usual in preparation to teach John 14 to my class. And there it was! Jesus told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”1
Several thoughts came to me in quick succession…
…That the Spirit was another counselor.
…That the Spirit was a distinct person from
Jesus but just like Him.
…That the Spirit would come from the Father.
…That the Spirit was with the disciples at that
time but would be in them at a future time.
Like a time-delayed video of a flower bud opening into full bloom, the revelation seemed to unfold gradually. The Spirit would be another counselor. So who was the first counselor, who would make the Spirit another one? Jesus! The Spirit would be exactly like Jesus yet another distinct person. He would come down from God. Even as Jesus had come down from God in human form, the Spirit would come down from God in spirit form. Jesus clearly identified the Counselor as the Holy Spirit.2 The disciples already knew Him because Jesus was filled with the Spirit. They were with Jesus; therefore, they were already with the Spirit. But Jesus was announcing that a day would come when they would no longer be with the Spirit because the Spirit would be sent to actually indwell them.
What an amazing, wonderful discovery that still thrills me! It is more than worthwhile to give Him our attention so we can get to know Him, love Him, and enjoy the presence of the One who is Jesus in me—and in you.
For His Glory,
Message adapted from Anne’s new book, Jesus in Me. Released October 2019.
1 John 14:16-17
2 John 14:26
What a humbling honor to have Keith and Kristyn Getty—singers, songwriters, and worship leaders—fly from Nashville to video tape an interview for their Sing conference in August! They have been wonderful friends for years. Any conversation with them is a blessing to me. I pray that our interaction on camera was also a blessing to those who viewed it.
We are grateful and excited to welcome over 100,000 people who are friends on Instagram. We pray that the Lord will continue to encourage and bless those who follow our ministry.
After being side-lined for a year, it was a joy to be back teaching God’s Word. The added blessing was sharing ministry with my daughter, Rachel-Ruth, at our Cove Seminar. With all our hearts we desire to leave a lasting, godly legacy.
Our website experienced a refresh this summer! In August we switched over to a new and brighter home page design that we pray will help visitors more easily discover all the free resources we offer on the website. It is our joy to provide many messages, studies and opportunities to find Jesus on the pages of our website. Please share our website with your friends and family!
Visit us here: www.annegrahamlotz.org
During the last few months, God has showered me with blessing after blessing. This Thanksgiving I will be counting them one by one and overflowing with praise to the One who is the Fountainhead from whom all blessings flow.
I. THE BLESSING OF GOD THE FATHER
Read Numbers 6:24
*What two things are revealed about God the Father in this verse?
*How are these two characteristics reflected in God’s title given in Psalm 80:1 and described in more detail in Psalm 23?
*List the things the Shepherd does for His sheep in Psalm 23. Which is most meaningful to you?
*List as many blessings as you can from Ephesians 1:3-14 that come from God the Father.
*What five blessings from this list are most meaningful to you? Thank Him for them.
II. THE BLESSING OF GOD THE SON
Read Numbers 6:25
*What two characteristics of God the Son are revealed in this verse?
*What did Jesus Christ claim in John 14:9?
*Give phrases that use these characteristics to describe Jesus Christ as God the Son in John 1:18; Hebrews 1:3; 2 Corinthians 4:6; John 1:14-17.
*What is there about Jesus that makes you love God the Father more?
III. THE BLESSING OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
Read Numbers 6:26
*What two characteristics of God the Spirit are revealed in this verse?
*How does the Spirit turn God’s face towards us? John 14:15-17, 16:13-15; Romans 5:1-5; John 14:26
*Where does real peace come from and how do you experience it? Isaiah 48:17-18; John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-7; Romans 8:6, 14:17; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:18
*In what area of your life do you lack peace? Would you ask God to reveal to you why? Then surrender everything to the control of God the Holy Spirit, opening your heart to His river of peace that passes all understanding.
Take a few moments now to offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God from whom all blessings flow.
Click To OrderRegister for the LIVESTREAM at
www.thecove.org/anne-graham-lotz-live-stream-november-8-10
In Jesus in Me, Anne draws on her rich biblical knowledge as well as her personal story—including her recent cancer journey—to help us understand that the Holy Spirit is not a magic genie, a flame of fire, or a vague feeling. He is a Person who prays for us, guides us in our relationships and decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times. In this simple, yet profound teaching, she explores seven key aspects of the Holy Spirit that will revolutionize how you understand and relate to this vital third Person in the Trinity.
Discover how to better love and rely on the Person of the Holy Spirit–and embrace how much He loves you.
If you would like to receive AnGeL Ministries’ full newsletter by email or postal 
delivery, click here to sign up for our free resources!
What do you know about the One whom Jesus promised He would ask the Father to give us, in His absence? How much do you know about the Holy Spirit? Growing up, I can never remember being taught about the Holy Spirit. I knew His name because the pastor of the little mountain church I belonged to always ended the Sunday morning service with a benediction in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He was also mentioned at weddings when the bride and groom were pronounced joined together in the same three names, or when someone was baptized. But it wasn’t until I began studying the Bible in order to teach it that I increasingly got to know this One we refer to as the third person of the Trinity. I discovered He is not spooky, He is not an “add-on” or an optional extra in the Christian life. He is a divine necessity. Yet one misconception of who He is lingered in my thoughts.
When I received Jesus as my Savior, my assumption had been that the Holy Spirit was “assigned” to me. I thought He had come into my life because He had no option. I was now His “job”—His responsibility. My view of Him was that He was strictly professional, a perfectionistic stickler for details and Someone who would keep me in line until one day He would present me to the Father and say something like “Here she is. I’ve done My best to work with what I had.” This harmful misconception could have led me to living a lie, as I would have tried hard to impress Him. I could have burned myself out trying hard to earn His love.
Then one day, while reading my Bible, I was gripped by the following: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”1 While I understand that Scripture is warning us not to intentionally, willfully sin, the word grieve caught and held my attention. I reflected on grief in my own life and knew I had experienced that emotion only when I deeply cared about someone or something. I grieved when my mother went to Heaven. I grieved when my husband followed her there about eight years later. I grieved when my father joined them both. And I realized that grief is a love word. I grieve because I love my mother and my husband and my father.
This realization turned the light on in my thinking as I realized that if I can grieve the Holy Spirit, it’s because He loves me. The Holy Spirit loves me! That was a profound, revolutionary thought. He’s not just a professional partner. He’s not just assigned to me. He doesn’t live within me because He has to—He lives within me because He wants to live within me. He deeply cares about what I do and who I become. When I do the right thing, He rejoices. When I do the wrong thing, He grieves. Not only is He spiritually and practically involved in my life, He is also emotionally caught up in who I am and who I am to become. What a difference that simple truth has made in my perspective. I can be myself with the Holy Spirit. I don’t have to be “on.” I can relax and be transparent with Him. I can trust Him completely because He truly loves me!
And the Holy Spirit loves you too! He cares deeply about what you care about because He cares about you.2 It doesn’t matter how small or how large your concern is. He cares. He understands. He wants what’s best for you. He desires for you to fulfill your God-given potential. He wants to ease your burden, solve your problem, comfort your broken heart, bind up your wounds, bring you through the valley of the shadow, shower you with blessing upon blessing. And yes, He wants to make you holy—because He loves you! He will work all things—all things—for your good.3 So relax. Stop trying to impress Him. Stop working so hard to earn His love. Be open and honest and transparent. Live with the confidence that you are deeply, unconditionally, permanently loved by Him.
I cannot begin to express in words what He has meant to me during this past year. I have experienced His constant companionship. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that He has carried me through not just somehow, but triumphantly. So if you, too, are faced with a deadly disease…divorce…death…disaster, open your heart and life to the One who is Jesus in you.
For His Glory,
1 Ephesians 4:30
2 1 Peter 5:7
3 Romans 8:28
As the launch of Anne’s new book, Jesus in Me, approaches, the AGL Team invites you to saturate this new ministry assignment in prayer. We will keep you updated with specific requests so that we can pray together for the Holy Spirit Himself to guide our efforts, breathe His life into our promotion, and prepare readers for the launch in October. Click here to join.
In what surely was a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit, Anne was able to complete the three-day audio book recording of Jesus in Me in two days.
Christophe Zimmerlin flew from Europe to interview Anne for France 2 Public television. Their conversation was warm, energetic, and Christ-glorifying.
Anne’s longtime friend, Hall of Fame basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell, had just been forced to resign from the University of North Carolina after 33 years for the ludicrous charge of racism. Yet she hosted with courageous grace her annual picnic for friends, neighbors, Rachel-Ruth’s Bible study, and the men’s study that Danny established in Chapel Hill. Approximately 300 gathered on Sylvia’s front lawn to hear a testimony from former UNC All- American, WBA star, Sylvia’s assistant, and now head women’s basketball coach at Elon University, Charlotte Smith, who has been mentored by Sylvia. It was also Anne’s privilege to challenge everyone from John 11 to trust God when we don’t understand why. (Pictured left to right: Rachel-Ruth, Sylvia, Anne & Morrow; inset photo: Charlotte Smith)
Have you ever felt lonely—even in a crowd? Without companionship? Especially when facing a death, or disease, or divorce, or some disaster? In the past three years, I have become a widow…and an orphan…while at the same time facing some of my life’s greatest challenges. Yet I have experienced the companionship of the Holy Spirit in a deep, vibrant relationship that has been a constant source of joy, peace, and comfort. It’s worth getting to know the One who is Jesus in me…and in you.
I. HIS COMPANIONSHIP BRINGS COMFORT
Read John 16:5-16
*From John 16:5-7, why did the disciples need comfort? Put their feelings into your own words.
A. COMFORT OF HIS PERSON
Get into His Word using one of Anne’s classic Bible Studies. Each study has a DVD and Leader Guide. Participant guides may be purchased separately. We are offering each video study at a discounted price of $20 from August 1 – November 1, 2019.
In Jesus in Me, Anne draws on her rich biblical knowledge as well as her personal story—including her recent cancer journey—to help us understand that the Holy Spirit is not a magic genie, a flame of fire, or a vague feeling. He is a Person who prays for us, guides us in our relationships and decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times. In this simple, yet profound teaching, she explores seven key aspects of the Holy Spirit that will revolutionize how you understand and relate to this vital third Person in the Trinity.
Discover how to better love and rely on the Person of the Holy Spirit–and embrace how much He loves you.
Pre-order your copy today through any online retailer and receive exclusive bonus gifts from Anne.
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