2023 Prayer and Presence Conference
Speakers: Heidi Baker, Joseph Harris, and Leif Hetland
Friday–Sunday, March 24–26, 2023
  
Conference Recap
Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond hosted the Prayer and Presence Conference. Coming from all over, people heard Heidi Baker talk about “Going Deeper Into God” and “How to Carry the Promise Full Term” … and heard Joseph Harris talk about “Preparing the Way of the Lord” … and heard Leif Hetland talk about “Walking in the Spirit” and “How God Is Raising Up Roaring Lions.” Pastor Lynne explained the reason why Living Word hosted the Conference was to teach people the importance of prayer; but more importantly, it was an opportunity for people to experience the manifest presence of God. One moment with God is life changing.
 
03/24/23: Friday 7 p.m. | Heidi Baker
 
Message Recap
Heidi Baker opened the first session of the Prayer and Presence Conference with a message about “Going Deeper Into the Living Water.” Heidi shared the scripture in Ezekiel 47, where an angel showed Ezekiel the living water flowing out of the temple. The angel encouraged Ezekiel to step out into the water. He stepped into the water, and it was ankle deep. But he didn’t stop. He kept going deeper into the water until it was over his head. Heidi encouraged believers to step out into the river of living water and, like Ezekiel, go deep into the water. Heidi says, “It’s scary to go deeper, because that’s when you lose control and you are caught up in the flow of the river.” When you yield yourself entirely to the Holy Spirit, that’s when God is able to use you in a mighty way.
 
Read About It
Ezekiel 47:1, “He brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.”
 
03/25/23: Saturday 10 a.m. | Joseph Harris
 
Message Recap
Joseph Harris spoke at the second session of the Prayer and Presence Conference with a message about “Preparing the Way of the Lord.” Joseph expounded on the well-known passage of Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” He asked, “What is wilderness.” It’s like a jungle or a desert, places where no one wants to occupy. Yet, this scripture is telling us to prepare a highway for our God to go into the wilderness… to go into the places where the people do not know Jesus. It is through prayer that these highways are built, taking away and removing obstacles that prevent the Gospel of salvation reaching the lost. God called Jeremiah to prophesy over the nations, “to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, God wants us to use our words to prepare the way of the Lord… to get rid of the obstacles preventing God from moving in the nations.
 
Read About It
Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
 
Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”
03/25/23: Saturday 5 p.m. | Leif Hetland
 
Message Recap
Leif Hetland spoke at the third session of the Prayer and Presence Conference with his message about “Walking in the Spirit.” He talked about how God loves you just the way you are. But He loves you too much to let you remain that way. The Lord wants you to become just like Jesus. He illustrated growth in God using three metaphorical chairs: chair number one represented the kingdom of God, chair number two is the kingdom of self, and chair number three is the kingdom of the world. Sadly, the majority of the world’s population is in chair number three. Leif gave us scriptural examples of when the disciples were sitting in chair number two and how God moved them to chair number one.
 
Read About It
Matthew 11:28–30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
 
Sunday, 03/26/23: 9 a.m. | Leif Hetland
 
Message Recap
Leif Hetland spoke at our fourth session of the Prayer and Presence Conference with his message about how “God Is Raising Up Roaring Lambs.” He spoke about making sure you are always filled up with God in order to minister, otherwise you’ll minister in the flesh. He used the apostle John to illustrate having close fellowship with the Lord. What was so special about John that made Jesus ask him to take care of His mother? Leif talked about John being a powerful lion until he met the Lamb. He said, “We need roaring lions but it has to come from a Lamb’s heart. The Devil is not afraid of the lion in you; he’s afraid of the Lamb in you.”
 
Read About It
John 19:25–27, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
 
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
 
03/26/23: Sunday 11 a.m. | Heidi Baker
 
Message Recap
Heidi Baker spoke at the fifth and final session of the Prayer and Presence Conference with her message about “How to Carry the Promise Full Term.” Heidi talked about how Moses “freaked out” when God tasked him with leading His people out of Egypt. Moses lacked confidence in himself. Yet, Moses had the favor of God. God gave Moses a promise that he was going to lead the Israelites. Heide said promises from God are holy. She challenged the congregation: “What are you going to do with the promise? Will you carry it full term? Or will you abort it?” God wants us to carry out the promise He gave to us; yet many do not because they find it’s too costly or inconvenient.
 
Read About It
Exodus 33:10–14, “And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
 
1 Corinthians 6:19–20, “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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
 
Discussion Questions
 
Did the Prayer and Presence Conference change you?
Did the speakers challenge you in your walk with God? If yes, how so?
During the conference, did you feel God’s light shining on any particular area of your life?
 
 

Recent Sermon Notes

Grace Unveiled: Everyone Is Guilty (Rom. 2:1–9)  | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim gave the fifth installment of his series entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” The first three chapters of Romans can be summed up by saying people who rely on their own righteousness, their own ability, their own self-effort will not escape the judgment of God. It is only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can any man escape His judgment. In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul defines New Testament righteousness as the ability to stand before God without a sense of guilt or inferiority.

2024 Prayer and Presence Conference | Heidi Baker, Joseph Harris, and Leif Hetland

Demonstrations of the presence of God were manifested at The Prayer and Presence Conference this past weekend. Guest speakers Heidi Baker, Joseph Harris, and Leif Hetland shared what was on their hearts, and a definite theme came forth—we are at the threshold of a great awakening to God. The flames for world evangelism were ignited by three different videos: 1) an update on Living Word’s church planting mission, 2) a video of how Iris Global Ministries is in the midst of violence and persecution, yet they bravely continue their work, and 3) a video of a great outpouring of God’s Spirit in Asia!

Grace Unveiled: How to Get a Reprobate Mind #4 | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim gave his fourth installment in his series entitled, “Grace Unveiled,” with the subtitle being “How to Get a Reprobate Mind.” This is a series on the book of Romans, a book considered to be the greatest writing of Christian doctrine in all the Bible. Pastor Jim says it has multiple themes on redemption. It touches on our inability to work for the favor of God, the guilt that we have to deal with on a daily basis, and the fact that salvation is only to be received by believing. Romans 1: 24–32 is the subject of this message.

FOCUS FOR EFFECT: Love | Mac Hammond

Pastor Mac taught the third installment of his series entitled, “Focus on Effect,” based upon 2nd Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The apostle Paul said the hardships in our lives can be light and momentary. It all depends on what we place our focus upon. Paul says we are to focus our attention on what is eternal, rather than what is temporal. There are three things that are eternal: faith, hope, and love. We are to focus on that.

FOCUS FOR EFFECT: Hope | Mac Hammond

This series is all about focus, meaning where do you give your attention. This is important because whatever you give your attention to will determine how hard or difficult your life will be. And conversely, it will determine how easy and carefree it will be. Teaching on 1st Corinthians 13:13, Pastor Mac says you can gain the clarity you need to succeed in your life by focusing on matters of faith, hope, and love.