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?