There’s all kinds of topics to write about on prayer such as the power of prayer—or the perseverance of prayer—or the potential of prayer—but I want to look at the privilege of prayer because it truly is a privilege and one that unfortunately is too often overlooked and neglected in the church today. First of all, what do I mean by privilege? The dictionary defines “privilege” as “something regarded as a special honour”. The same thing is true when it comes to prayer—specifically, praying for others. It’s more than just a duty—it’s more than a responsibility—it’s more than an obligation—it’s a privilege.

Sadly, prayer is a special honour that so many believers today do not avail themselves of. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—I believe one of the greatest failures on the part of the Christian Church today is the failure to pray—the failure to make use of the dynamic power that God has granted us to connect with Him on behalf of not only ourselves, but of others. No doubt, many prayerless believers will stand speechless before Christ when the fearful subject of prayer comes up and Jesus asks “Did you pray?” Did you pray for your unsaved loved ones? Did you pray for your neighbours? Did you pray for your spouse and children? Did you pray for your boss? Did you pray for your pastor? Did you pray for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, not only in your own church, but around the world? Did you pray for your enemies who persecuted you and despitefully used you?

That’s why Paul said, “Pray without ceasing” Why? Because prayer changes things! We’ve all heard that little, three word phrase and it’s true! No, it’s not in the Bible but the implication of it is—it’s found in James 5:16- “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” The word “avail” literally means to exercise force! So prayer absolutely changes things! It exercises force to change circumstances, it exercises force to change the spiritual atmosphere and it exercises force to change people’s hearts for the Holy Spirit to work on them. That is the tremendous privilege of prayer!  This was Revival Prayer Ministries’ very first prayer submission for 2014 from one of our website visitors—“Let God remember us--Let God break the yoke of poverty in my life and family. Let Him establish the ministry He has given to me. Let Him cause men to remember me for good. Let Him bless the works of my hand.”

I don’t doubt that the majority of Christians in North America made a New Year’s resolution that they were going to pray more in 2014. I’ll be the first to agree that we need to pray more—however, if we are praying for the sole purpose of trying to please God with works of the flesh and self-effort, then our motives are out of place. If you’re looking at the clock every five minutes to see how long you’ve prayed, then something is terribly wrong with your reason to pray. A spirit of religion will tell you that you have to pray more and fast more and give more and try harder and try longer and all of that is true if our heart’s desire is to honour God in all that we do.  If you’ve got this great big prayer list with 100 names on it and fifty personal needs and you’ve just got to get through it, even though your heart is not even in it, that is legalistic prayer. But if you desire to pray more because the Holy Spirit is convicting you to do so, and you recognize that you are falling short in your prayer life, then your immediate obedience is required and then God will be pleased with your effort and desire to correct that area of your spiritual life, for there are others depending on your prayers!

For example, statistics tell us that 1,500 pastors leave the ministry every month in North America for various reasons. That is why pastors need our prayers today like never before and it is a privilege for us to pray for them. Your pastor bears the heavy burden of caring for the flock. Many Christian homes are struggling today financially, relationally and emotionally and it’s hard on the spiritual shepherds who are responsible for their spiritual comfort and welfare. And if pastors themselves aren’t grounded in prayer and in the Word of God, and walking in the Holy Spirit, they will soon be defeated and sidelined by the mounting pressure and stress that they face and carry. Therefore, ask God to strengthen and revive their hearts. Pray that the Word of God will be preached in the pulpit faithfully with boldness and truth that will set people free from sin. Pray for a spirit of humility that will keep your pastor safe from pride and arrogance and a carnal desire to be popular.  Pray for protection over them from falling into temptation and immoral conduct which would devastate your church. God will honour that prayer! That’s the power and the privilege of prayer.

You’ve heard the phrase, “If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem”. The Church is the only solution for the insurmountable problems that are occurring in our nation today. We are entering into the period of what the Bible calls, “The time of Jacob’s trouble”. It is also referred to as“The Day of the Lord”,  a time of death and destruction such as the world has never known. Am I talking 50 years from now? 25 years from now? No—I personally believe it is much sooner than that according to the signs of the times all around us signalling the end—that is why we must pray! Some Christians who don’t seem to have a burden for prayer feel that if God is sovereign and in full control, what possible difference could their feeble prayers make? Prayer invokes all the power of Heaven at our disposal when we call upon the Lord—all things are possible through prayer!

I believe the majority of Christians are guilty of neglecting the privilege of prayer that ignites such incredible spiritual power—power that can literally transform any impossible situation! So, yes—prayer really can change things! If that were not true, then why bother praying? That would be the supreme exercise of futility if prayer had no effect whatsoever. In Acts 12, King Herod arrested the Apostle Peter to please the people, intending to put him to death the following day just as he had done to James. Peter was a dead man—and the church couldn’t do a thing about it! But what do we read in Act 12:5?  “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him”

Your prayers can subdue the powers of darkness in order for the Gospel to be preached and for souls to come to Christ. That is the privilege of prayer. To think that God would include us in His great plan of salvation to rescue souls from hell and damnation through our prayers—what an honour! It was Queen Esther’s desperate prayers that saved the Jewish race from annihilation at the hands of Haman. Esther’s intercessions overthrew his wicked plot to destroy God’s people. She was truly a privileged woman who God favoured to sit in a seat of royal authority having a righteous influence over the king. You and I also sit in a seat of royal authority—we are seated in Heavenly places with Christ and our prayers influence God in His righteous dealings with sinners and saints alike. What a privilege is prayer! To take part in a new name being written down in the Lamb’s book of Life! To participate in strengthening a hurting member of the family of God. Does it get any better that that? I don’t think so! “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!” That is our special honour that God has graciously granted us in His Kingdom. Do not neglect such a great privilege that the Lord has bestowed upon you—the privilege to take part with Him in winning the lost and building His Church through prayer!

As we witness prophetic events unfolding daily, we can attest without question, that the Church is in the last of the last days, the final hours before Christ returns for His spotless Bride. If there was ever a time when we, as Christians, need to safeguard our victory in Christ, it is today. The apostle Paul gives us the secret of securing our salvation in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

 The signs of the times are everywhere throughout the world—floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, wars, economic collapse, false prophets, terrorism—these global indicators are clear harbingers, signalling the end of the age. The spiritual battle is raging around us with greater intensity than ever. There is a great falling away, a spreading apostasy that is looming in the Church like dark clouds of deception as multitudes of careless, undiscerning christians succumb to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils that have infiltrated the House of God, openly defiling the Lord’s holy name and corrupting His Word. 1Timothy 4:1-2 heralds this sobering trumpet call- “Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,  speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron”

 This is not a warning for the next generation—no, we are the final generation that is witnessing these exact Bible prophecies coming to pass before our very eyes! God, in His mercy, continues to send us “wake up call” after “wake up call” to shock us out of our slumber. All of these “breaking news” stories are occurring at an alarming and unprecedented acceleration. This should drive us to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling and for that reason, I have compiled this list of ten basic rules to safeguard your victory over the devil, who still walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Don’t get hung up over the word “rule” which simply means “explicit principles that govern conduct”. What I’m endeavouring to do as God’s watchman is assist you according to His Word as to how we are to conduct ourselves as overcomers in these last days of time. Some would call this list of ten rules legalism, but Jesus calls it freedom. “If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32)  Here they are:

 1. SPEND TIME IN THE WORD DAILY- “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2)

 2. STAY ACTIVE IN PRAYER- “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:16-17) 

 3. STAY IN COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT- “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) 

 4. KEEP A GUARD OVER YOUR HEART- “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) 

 5. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES-  “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mathew 5:44) 

 6. FORGIVE OTHERS FOR ANY OFFENSE- “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25)

 7. STAY IN FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS- “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhort one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching”  (Hebrews 10:25)

 8. TURN AWAY FROM YOUR SINS- “He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13)

9. GIVE THANKS IN ALL THINGS- “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20)

10. PROTECT YOUR FIRST LOVE- “I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:4-5)

Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you daily to conduct your manner of living around these scriptural principles and then walk in your victorious freedom every day until Christ comes back for His overcoming Church! Sin shall not have dominion over you! God bless you!

There are opposing opinions to the phrase that is commonly used regarding a higher intensity in intercession which is “wrestling in prayer”. I’ve used it many times myself when discussing or preaching on that aspect of breaking through with God. One view holds that the battle has already been won two thousand years ago at Calvary and we only need now to walk in our positional victory of rest seated with Christ in heavenly places. And to that I wholeheartedly say, “amen”. The other train of thought is that we are warriors in Christ’s army doing major warfare against a cunning and ruthless enemy who has plundered that which is ours and has taken our loved ones captive and we wrestle in violent prayer against these principalities and powers of darkness. And to that I also wholeheartedly say “amen”. The reality is both views are scriptural. Mere opinion or subjectivity doesn’t count—God’s Word, forever settled in heaven, does. We see this principle of ‘rest’ in our w‘rest’ling in Exodus 14:13 when Moses told the children of Israel to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”, which was their position of rest. But only three verses later, in Exodus 14:16, God ushered this command to Moses, “Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it” which was an act of wrestling for the prophet of God on behalf of the Hebrews.

I believe that the account of Jacob wrestling with the Angel in Genesis 32 is a spiritual representation of our battle as well to lay hold of God for that which can only be obtained through faith and perseverance. Jacob earnestly prayed, “I will not let you go until you bless me!” and Jacob’s overcoming faith and relentless persistence was powerfully transformed into simply clinging to God in a position of rest when he could no longer fight. There was ‘rest’ in Jacob’s w‘rest’ling after he had done all that he could do, even as Paul the apostle instructed us in Ephesians 6:13, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Stand your ground, soldiers of Christ and rest in your position of victory while you fight the good fight of faith! To each church in Revelation, Jesus assured His people that to those who would overcome, would be given great blessings, authority, power, reward and kingdom rule. Overcoming suggests intense opposition from an enemy out to thwart you in your advance.

 It’s interesting that Christ promised the highest position of honour and authority in Heaven’s domain to none other than the Laodicean Church, the very church that received the strongest rebuke from Jesus. “To him that overcomes, will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev 3:21). Notice that Jesus compares their overcoming to His own—“even as I also overcame”. What did Jesus overcome? The greatest conflict of the ages against the unrestrained powers of hell! Jesus knew the reality of wrestling in prayer better than any of us in the garden when He sweated great drops of blood being in such agony as described in Hebrews 5:7 from the Message Bible, “While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God”. This is the scene of Christ’s passion in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal and arrest, but we must not overlook a tiny verse in Luke 22 which is easily skimmed over, which says, “And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him”. (Luke 22:43). That was the Lord’s position of rest during His unimaginable ordeal of wrestling with His determined fate as the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. Jesus overcame!

 As the “last days” church, we are required to overcome the very same raging battle against our soul and our salvation. Satan is playing for keeps and he is even now orchestrating his all-out assault against the Church in a last ditch attempt to destroy as many of God’s people as he can. The time has now come when the devil will vehemently attack your faith like never before—he will hurl his fiery arrows of doubt and bitterness and unforgiveness at you with unbridled fierceness—he will oppress your mind with thoughts of lust and adultery—he will bombard your heart and mind with demonic fear and anxiety—he will endeavour to convince you that God has forsaken you—he will cause your friends and even your family to betray you and to be offended at you because of your godly stand for truth and righteousness—but worse than any of that, the devil will attempt to bring you down through a sense of self-achievement and self-satisfaction—the very temptation he effectively perpetrated against the Church in Laodicea and to their shame, it worked! “We are rich and successful and have everything we need!” That is the very battle in this Laodicean age that we must overcome as we ‘rest’ in our w‘rest’ling. In a prophetic time of great departure from the faith, the very overcoming faith which Jude exhorts us to earnestly contend for, our assured position of victory is grounded in two unshakable claims—Claim #1- the immutable Word of God, which is our sword with which we fight the onslaught of lies and deception and, Claim #2- the sin-cleansing blood of Jesus Christ! “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Rev 12:11). It is in this spiritual state of supernatural rest with an unshakable faith in Christ’s victory over sin and the grave that we can wrestle against the hordes of hell even unto death, Rest in that assurance of victory as you fight this final good fight of faith, for “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”. Amen!

God has been stirring up a burden in my wife, Julie and me, for our many unsaved family members. We’ve also heard this from other Christian friends we know as well. This is a clear indicator that the Holy Spirit is about to be poured out upon all flesh in these last days before tribulation comes upon the whole world. I believe this is our “hour of opportunity”—an open window to pray like never before with the burden of the Lord for our lost family members and to prophetically proclaim Household Salvation, even as Joshua did in Joshua 24:15 when he declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”!

It’s time for Christian parents, whether still together, or a single mom or single dad, to have daily devotions with their children. A reading from the Bible along with a family prayer will do wonders for the children. It will ground them in the fear of the Lord and in a sense of divine purpose for their lives even at an early age. Fathers are the priest of their home and they are responsible before God to bring up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. It is also the joy and honour of single moms to instill the truth of God’s word into their children and God will be their husband and a Father to the children. It cannot be stressed enough that when you get this priority right, God can begin to move in your situation to bring forth Household Salvation.

There are two main passages in the Bible that support the scriptural principle of Household Salvation—the first one is Exodus 12:3 which says,“Speak  unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, they shall take to them every man a lamb, a lamb for a house”. And when the Death Angel came through Egypt, he passed over every Hebrew house that had the blood of a lamb applied, and the entire family inside were saved. The harlot Rahab in Joshua 2 is another example of household salvation where her entire family was spared death because of her faith. The second passage is in Acts16 where Paul and Silas were miraculously released from prison and prevented the jailer from taking his own life. In desperation, he cried out to Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house”. It was God's desire to save, not this man only, but all of his family. So the promise included his house.

Your prayer and intercession breaks the grip of the enemy upon your loved one. It softens the ground of their heart to receive God’s mercy. It awakens in them a sense of conviction that they need to get right with God. That’s exactly how we all got saved—because someone was praying.

We are a vital part of the Holy Spirit’s “last call” for men and women to repent before Christ comes for His Bride! The devil is not happy with us praying for our loved ones who are held captive by him, so be prepared for a fight as you begin to stand in the gap, but know that God stands with you to strengthen you in the fiercest warfare ever fought on planet earth. You can expect your loved ones to react in a negative and even angry manner initially, but do not be disheartened—that is a sure sign that God is working. Keep up the praying and stand your ground and see the salvation of the Lord! Here are four basic points to assist you in knowing how to pray more effectively for your loved ones.

POINT #1. Pray with CONFIDENCE—this is the ASSURANCE that God hears your prayer!  1John 5:14 tells us, “this is the confidence that we have in Him, for if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” We also know according to 2Peter 3:9 that “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” That includes your loved ones! So pray in faith and boldness knowing that you are praying according to God’s will for your unsaved family. Household salvation is always God’s will.

POINT #2. Pray with COMMAND—this is the imparted AUTHORITY that we have in Christ, according to 2Corinthians 10:4-5 for the “pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, (arguments) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” Command the enemy to release your loved one from his grip of deception, apathy and human reasoning.

POINT #3. Pray for CONVICTION—this is the God-aroused AWARENESS in your loved one’s soul of their need for repentance and godly sorrow that works salvation. How does this happen? Through intercessory prayer that removes the spiritual blinders from their eyes and awakens them to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. No one can come to Christ on their own accord until they are first drawn by the Spirit. This happens when you pray for hot conviction on their sinful heart. Remember that Ephesians 6:12 tells us that  we do not wrestle with flesh and blood but principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

POINT #4. Pray for COMPASSION—this is the unconditional ACCEPTANCE of who your loved one is, regardless of their ungodly lifestyle. No matter what they have done, they are a still a soul in need of salvation. Matthew 9:36 tells us that,“When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd”. Lost sheep without a Shepherd. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes and let’s remember where we came from and what our lives used to be like before Jesus, our Good Shepherd, rescued us from sin and destruction, when old things passed away and all things became new. While not condoning their sin, your loving acceptance of them will work more powerfully upon their heart than a thousand sermons. Leave the preaching to others who God will bring into their lives to witness to them through your prayers of compassion.

At the time that I was preparing this article, the reality of Household Salvation Prayer hit home full force to Julie and me, when we received the tragic news of two sudden deaths in our family involving a head on collision. A father and son that we will never see again on this earth. They won’t be at family gatherings anymore at Christmas time and weddings and special occasions. Death is so final and that’s why the Holy Spirit is sounding an urgent plea to bring our loved ones to the throne of grace while there is still time, where God can extend mercy and grace in their lives toward Household Salvation. Jesus stands poised with the Lamb’s Book of Life opened, ready to record your loved ones’ names in its eternal pages, and when the roll is called up yonder, they’ll be there!

This morning in my time with the Lord, I was reading in Genesis 40, which is the account of Joseph in prison for a crime he did not commit. The Bible is not clear as to the length of his confinement before his release, but we do know that Joseph knew that was not the end for him—there was more to come according to the prophetic dreams of the Lord that had been planted in his spirit thirteen years prior as a young lad of seventeen. What a strange set of circumstances Joseph experienced over that time span for someone who was destined to rule! Ruling from an Egyptian dungeon must have seemed so contrary to what was burning in his heart regarding his life of power and authority according to the providential dreams. Somehow we can accept as part of life when our circumstances are adverse for a day or a week or perhaps a month, but Joseph walked this strange path for many years which is no easy thing to face day by day, waking up every morning to the sense of the same old, same old! If it were not for the fact that the Genesis account records several times that “God was with Joseph” we would naturally assume that God had abandoned Joseph. There is no indication that Joseph ever felt forgotten by God, but he did implore the butler to remember him before Pharaoh for his innocence, which the pardoned butler failed to do.

Forgotten by God! How is that even possible with a forever faithful God who promises to never leave nor forsake His children. And yet many times He must hide Himself from us for a season to perfect our faith in His unfailing Word and His sinless character. What seems like desertion to us is only God’s greater wisdom and love being active in our spiritual growth and walk of faith without sight or feelings. As God was with Joseph in the midst of his hard trial, so is He with us who are right now experiencing a season of testing—a feeling of being forgotten by God. Matthew Henry claimed that God’s silence is not an indication of His absence. May I be so bold as to declare that your very sense of abandonment by your Heavenly Father is evidence that you are growing in the Lord in great measure, which is exactly what He is after. You are not alone. Many of God’s choicest saints have experienced the very same feelings for a season. Job is one of them. Moses is another. But David takes the prize for conveying his true feelings in Psalm 13 where he expresses with lament, “Oh, God, how long will you forget me, forever?” Read the psalm and you will identify with the man after God’s own heart who felt utterly forsaken by the Lover of his soul.

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
² How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴ Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
⁵ But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

I have read this psalm of anguish countless times over the years and it has never failed to encourage me in my own seasons of struggle when God appears to have hidden His face from me. I’m so glad David did not end his psalm with verse 4—thank God he went on in faith to pen the last two verses with “But I have trusted in Your mercy”. Amen. God’s mercies are new every morning and that’s all that matters. Even now as I write this blog, there are stirrings and yearnings in my heart for destined promises of God made to me years ago that are yet to be fulfilled. Sometimes I feel like I could have written Psalm 13—my prayers to the Lord often include that very line of desperation, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?” and yet without fail, I have risen from prayer encouraged and strengthened by the God who watches over His Word (His promise) to fulfill it. As the old hymn reminds us, “Farther along, we’ll know all about it, farther along, we’ll understand why, cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, we’ll understand it all by and by”. May that “by and by” come to pass this year for you and for me as we walk by faith with full certainty and unshakable confidence that God is with us as He was with all who have gone before us! Your divine destiny is right on course though it feels like you’re in a prison of circumstances that you have no control over. Though God may hide His face, He is not withholding His mercy! Trust in that today and tomorrow! Very soon, you will awake to a new day of freedom and fulfillment!

On the Wednesday morning of Isaac’s landfall into Louisiana, I prayed. Not for judgment and destruction. Not for God’s wrath against New Orleans to be displayed. I prayed that God would be merciful and that the distraught people, whose lives were in one way or another affected by the hurricane would turn to Him with all their hearts and find strength through faith in Christ. Desiring calamity and retribution upon others for their sin, regardless of the nature and enormity, is not the heart of God and exposes a wrong spirit. In the Old Testament, the prophet Jonah displayed unrighteous anger towards God and the people of Ninevah when he was commanded the second time to preach judgment to Israel’s fierce enemies. He knew that if they repented of their evil, God would forgive them. Jonah wanted them annihilated. That was not the heart of God. In the New Testament, Jesus rebuked James and John, His own faithful disciples when they requested to call down fire upon the Samaritans to which Jesus replied, “You don’t know what spirit you are of”.  In other words, that was not His Spirit working in them, but the devil’s. We need to be careful not to play God’s advocate, in the sense that we know how He should act towards those we detest. In Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, both the priest and the Levite passed by the wounded traveller as he lay dying on the Jericho road, assaulted by thieves. It was a despised Samaritan who showed compassion and came to the helpless man’s aid. Perhaps their religious minds convinced them that “He must have got what he deserved, sinner that he is!”

Years ago, when I would read the account of David and Nathan the prophet, who finally confronted the King of his covered up sin with Bathsheba, I read it imagining that fire and brimstone were pouring out of Nathan’s nostrils as he pronounced God’s judgment against David’s wickedness with lightning bolts shooting out from his smoking mouth. I saw him absolutely hostile, red in the face and full of rage in his fierce indictment, “Thou art the man!” Thank God, I don’t believe that anymore. Psalm 145:8 reveals God’s true heart and nature towards sinful man. “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy”. And so once again, with Isaac, mercy triumphed over judgment. I believe the prayers of God’s people had much to do with the reprieve of judgment upon New Orleans. But what will they do with that mercy? Will they acknowledge their sin and turn to God in repentance? Let’s go further-- Will we, as God’s people, acknowledge our sin and turn to God in repentance? Remember that judgment begins in the house of God. The only safe place is to be living clean in daily repentance under the shadow of His wing. Hurricanes, earthquakes, famines, wars and diseases will continue to increase upon the earth in the remaining four months of 2012 with more intensity and frequency all in an effort to turn wicked hearts back to God’s grace, mercy, love and forgiveness.

And so we pray with the prophets of old, “In Thy wrath, O God, remember mercy!” That is His constant heart. Yes, we reap what we sow and there will be present and eternal consequences to our unrepentant sin—but pray that mercy will still triumph over judgment according to God’s heart while the door of grace remains opened. In the end, the Judge of all the earth will do right according to His justice and His unchanging Word for which at that point, we will be without excuse.

A PROPHETIC WORD "YOUR PROVISION IS IN YOUR POSITION" Am I not still the God of Elijah who provided food everyday from ravens and water by the brook where I placed him for a season of rest and preparation? Am I not still the God of the children of Israel who provided manna in the desert and water from the rock? Can I not provide for you, O you of little faith? Do I not still own the cattle on a thousand hills? Am I not a God who is at hand to care for His faithful children in need? Do that which you know to do and trust Me, says the Lord, to fulfil your every want and care. Are you of not much more value than the birds of the air who are cared for by My hand? Fear not the way that lies ahead. I am behind you and before you. I make ways in the wilderness and provide streams in the desert. Your provision is in your position. As you align yourself according to My will, all that you require and desire will be provided for. My ways are higher than your ways. You work for Me and I am a faithful Master who rewards faithful service. My windows of heaven are opened unto you as you go forth. Remember in the trying days to come, that I only am your Source. I am able to do exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think, according to the power that works in you. Be not faithless, but believe. Believe and receive.

How’s your prayer life lately? Are you overcoming in daily prayer and intercession or would you be embarrassed to reveal your prayerlessness? I want to challenge you regarding the disturbing question Jesus put to His closest disciple, Peter, as he shamefully fell asleep at a desperate time when urgent prayer was needed from Christ’s companion, as He faced alone the impending cross with all of its physical agony, satanic torment and spiritual separation from God.

 “And Jesus came unto His disciples, and found them asleep, and said unto Peter, What, could you not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. (Matt 26:40, 41) 

Tell me—do you think you will be spared the same question from Jesus? Is your reason for not spending sixty minutes alone with God or partaking in a weekly prayer meeting at your church  because you can’t seem to find the time, or because you don’t know how to pray or because you can’t imagine yourself intelligently praying for an entire hour? The truth is, we are now living in a time of urgent need where much distress and unabashed sin is in our land and at our very doorstep, just as it was in the days of Lot. A demonic spirit of deception is ravishing the unsaved and the saved alike. Many are giving up and walking away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils as Paul predicted in 1Timothy 4:1. Others are bound by a spirit of lust—others still by fear, bitterness, anger and rebellion. Truly, the Church needs to shake itself out of its slumber in this dark crisis hour and pray.

Had Peter spent that time in the garden in prayer for his Master and for himself rather than sleeping it away, it would no doubt have strengthened Christ in His great sorrow that was upon His soul, which was the very reason Jesus took Peter aside with Him. One hour of intense prayer would have also given a frightened Peter supernatural courage and grace to withstand the approaching confrontation with the traitor, Judas, the chief priests and the temple guards. Even though Peter was mercifully forgiven and restored after denying the Lord three times, that piercing question must have haunted him for days, weeks and months to come—“Peter, could you not watch with Me for one hour?”. Insert your own name to Christ’s question and answer truthfully and humbly.

What kinds of trials and temptations will your one hour of prayer keep you from? What strength, favour and blessing will one hour of prayer procure on those whose names you bring before the throne of grace in earnest supplication? Your one hour of prayer could make all the difference between life and death to someone in deep despair, hopelessly at their wit’s end. Prayer is so much more than just a rigorous and regimented list of requests—it is our very bastion in the battle —our source of power to maneuver through the minefield of hidden temptations the enemy has carefully buried on our path in an effort to defeat and destroy us. It is a lifeline to those who are sinking in sin. If there was ever a time to be long on our knees before God, it is now! Peter’ grandest opportunity in a lifetime for prayer was passed up because he gave in to the weakness of his flesh, though his spirit was willing. I know pastors who are giving up and my heart breaks. Watch and pray, brothers and sisters that you do not enter into temptation—this shall be our finest hour, for“They who dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1) Amen!

How do we hear the Spirit’s voice today? He generally speaks to us through scripture, a sermon, a book, a movie, a song or even a dream, but He also speaks directly into our spirit by His still, small voice! “Holy Spirit intuition” is a God-given gift to all who have spiritual ears to hear what the Lord is saying at any given time for any particular situation that requires His guidance, approval or command. It is the supernatural ability to know right from wrong—truth from error—God’s leading from your leading, which seldom makes sense to our natural minds!

Intuition simply means “knowing or sensing something without reason”. Jesus declared seven times in the opening chapters of Revelation a foundational rule of Kingdom living that never fails to keep us or to take us where we are to be, doing what we are called to be doing.“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying unto the churches”. What is the Spirit saying at this present time to His Church? Well, for one, He’s enforcing His certain threat to resist the proud and give grace to the humble. He’s counseling us to get the stinking pride out of our lives and ministries as God prepares to shake all things that can be shaken, and woe to all the “spiritually superior” celebrity preachers and TV evangelists who defiantly continue to walk in arrogance as they proudly build their own extravagant kingdom against the Spirit’s warning when God’s judgment falls. Pride goes before destruction and Jesus is returning for a beautiful Bride clothed in humility, not haughtiness.

Pride was Lucifer’s downfall to disgrace and damnation and he uses the same spirit of arrogance today to delude all who will listen to his lying voice—the same insinuating voice that deceived Eve into falling into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Adam & Eve’s spiritual intuition became corrupted by satanic logic and rationality. For that very reason, genuine, spiritual impressions are hard to explain to the average, lukewarm christian, whose typical response to your intuitive step of faith, whether spoken or thought is “How do you really know this is what God is wanting you to do? This makes no sense! Just who do you think you are—a prophet or something? Come back down to earth!” Sometimes your only answer is a direct “I just feel it in my spirit!” Unspiritual, rational christians don’t like that kind of a smug answer! Where’s the logic? Where’s the responsibility? Where’s the common sense? And yet you know that you’ve heard the unmistakeable voice of the Holy Spirit! Go confidently from there, alone if need be.

There are times, however, when your intuition may not be crystal clear. In matters of uncertainty, the Bible tells us in 1John 4:1 to test the spirits to see if they are from God—how do we do that? The following are seven considerations in testing spiritual impressions.

1. Does this impression line up with God’s Word or does it plainly contradict its obvious teaching? The Bible always takes precedent over thoughts, feelings and voices.

2. Will the carrying out of this impression bring honour to Christ? Would Jesus approve?

3. Does this impression bear witness with my spirit, or does it make me sick to my stomach? “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16)

4. Does this impression bring peace and excitement or confusion and fear? “God is not author of confusion, but peace” (1Corinthians 14:33)

5. Does this impression leave me with a clear conscience? “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly” (Hebrews 13:18)

6. Do my pastor and my trusted Christian advisors agree that this impression is of the Lord? “In the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14)

7. Is this impression staying with me over time or is it a fleeting emotion?

As you pray and quiet your thoughts, expect the Spirit to respond in His still, small voice with the very direction that you are seeking. Jesus assures us in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” Amen!

No doubt, thousands upon thousands of believers have sincerely sang that song from their hearts in moments of glorious worship when the presence of Christ was so near and so real. I am one of them. The question is: in what way are we to be most like Him? An earnest look at Jesus’ life in the four gospels gives us the answer. It’s His prayer life.

You cannot read the four gospels without seeing Jesus alone with His Father, drawing new strength and faithfully interceding for His apprentice disciples that would come to turn the world upside down. Christ’s public ministry lasted only 3 ½ short years, but it began with a full 40 days of intense prayer which was crucial for Him to fulfill His divine mission! The following four passages display the fundamental source of Christ’s spectacular power in preaching the Kingdom, healing the sick, opening blind eyes and deaf ears, cleansing the lepers, casting out devils, raising the dead, defending the helpless and restoring the fallen. These verses have had a profound effect upon my own personal prayer life as they do on all who desire to “be like Jesus”!

“And when he had sent the multitudes away, Jesus went up into a mountain apart to pray; and when the evening was come, He was there alone” (Matthew 14:23)

  “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, Jesus went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

“And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke  6:12)

“These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God…” (John 17:1)

All four of these verses indicate four central factors concerning Christ’s prayer-life:

1. He found a quiet, isolated place- Jesus went out and departed into a solitary place

2. There was no one with Him as He prayed- (And when the evening was come, Jesus was there alone)
                             
3.He spent much time in prayer- (Jesus continued all night in prayer to God)

4. He prayed for others- (I pray not for the world, but for them which You have given to Me; Neither do I pray for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one)

So there you have it—Jesus, the Son of God, kept in constant communication with His Father in order to have clear revelation of His calling and a continual supply of anointing power to accomplish victory over the devil and His enemies. How much more do you and I need to be privately on our knees with the world shut out, much alone with God interceding for others? Then, and only then, brothers and sisters, will we obtain the same miracle working power to transform lives, that was perpetually activated in Christ, the Man of Prayer, our awesome Intercessor!

God has strongly impressed in my spirit over the past few weeks the need to
guard my heart, time and strength from numerous and sudden distractions that
would threaten to sidetrack me from my greater calling. Recently, I had a vision
while in prayer of a desperate man who needed help and was very forceful in his
devious attempt to convince me to leave my immediate work and go with him to who knows where. Although the situation in my vision seemed urgent, I sensed the
danger to my own calling had I given in to his demand. It was a grave warning
from God to protect that which has been entrusted to me in the business of the
Father’s House. Christians in all walks of life and ministry are presently being
challenged like never before with demands, needs and pressures of people, both
legitimate and unwarranted, which will call for decisive action on their part to
avoid needless and harmful disruptions to their peace of mind and purpose of
heart at all costs.

The devil’s “last days” tactic will be to wear out the saints in fatigue and discouragement through endless requests, urgent or not, from family, friends, associates, neighbours, phone calls, emails, interruptions, invitations, appointments, meetings, trips, schedules, agendas, programs and on and on and on. The busier we are, the better he likes it! Why? Because, if we allow it, these constant stresses will keep us running on our feet and off our knees—a truly powerful position that strikes fear into the hearts of the devil and his legions. This ultimately requires us to come to an abrupt stop and violently shout, “Enough! No more!” We simply cannot jeopardize our power, peace, anointing, blessing and favour of God through long neglect of our relationship with Him brought on by caving in to the fear of intimidating people who know how to manipulate our vulnerable emotions to get what they want. The woman who came to anoint Jesus with her alabaster box of precious perfume could have easily been distracted from her untainted act of worship by the degrading looks, sneers and comments openly made against her. Had she given in to the pressure of the crowd, she would have forfeited the perpetual honour given to her by Christ and the only opportunity to bless His heart like none other had.

I have experienced a number of these very people and situations in the past two or three weeks and have come to identify them as subtle, major distractions with the diabolical purpose of sidetracking me from my priorities in my ministry. Acts 6 is a prime example of the Early Apostles who deviated from their main responsibility of prayer and the ministry of the Word due to the valid, but wearisome needs of the people. The answer for this distraction was not to ignore the need, but rather to put in place a ministry team who could give their time and efforts in effectively taking care of the reasonable concerns in the church.

How we need the gift of spiritual discerning in this mad crazed world in which we live and serve to know the difference between a genuinely divine interruption ordained by the will of God and a direct planned assault against our prayer and devotional life through people who really don’t want to change, but only want our sympathy and support to enable them in their sinful lifestyle. Why do we feel so guilty if we do not accommodate them in their pursuit of self indulgence with absolutely no intentions to seek the Lord and grow in His word through godly counsel, prayer and church life with accountability?  Did Jesus tolerate people like that? Did He put up with their callous attitudes and selfish demands that cry “you owe me!”? I think not! Nor did He vacillate with men who flat-out rejected His call after an inner-struggle with the cost. Consider the rich young ruler in Mark 10 who was lovingly confronted with his trust in his riches more than his desire to be saved and follow Christ. He wilfully made his choice after being presented with the
non-negotiable conditions of his discipleship—“sell all that you have and
give the money to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come,
take up your cross and follow Me”. (verse 21)

Also consider that Jesus never compromised with him in order to gain another “convert” to His way—He didn’t stop the heart-broken young man as he sadly walked away as we would have, saying “Wait! Let’s make a deal—I’m sure we can work this out! I can tell that you’re sincere! We’ll take it easy with no conditions until you’re more comfortable and ready to change.” No. Christ would not be distracted or sidetracked from His compelling mission of preaching the demands of the Gospel of repentance and taking up the cross. Satan even used Peter, Christ’s
devout disciple and close friend to divert Him from His impending sufferings and ultimate death on the cross to which Jesus, discerning the attack, immediately
retaliated with the rebuke, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Oh, how we need to do likewise when we are being swayed from our course of destiny by well intended
friends who cannot grasp the magnitude of our utter commitment to our high
calling.

Are there God-appointed distractions? Absolutely—and we must identify them and then give our time, attention and care to the utmost, acknowledging that God is certainly in this. Jesus, on His way to the house of Jairus to heal his dying daughter, was brought to a sudden halt by a demanding situation—a clear distraction and disruption to His present purpose. And yet He recognized the irresistible touch of faith from a bleeding and desperate woman that Christ was powerless to ignore. Jesus encountered both kinds of “urgent” distractions and responded accordingly, only doing what His Father instructed Him to do. Pray long and pray hard for that degree of spiritual discerning, for many shall be the distractions that you will meet as you carry out your daily responsibilities along the cumbersome pathway of ministry. Some will be God-appointed to propel you to your next blessing, while others will be cunningly placed by Satan in an all-out effort to shut you down and you’d better know the difference! They’re both playing for keeps!