For the last seven years, I've served as chairman of the National Prayer Committee here in the United States. I have a real burden to pray for our nation, and as I look at our nation, I see a desperate need for revival.

But as I travel across the country, I sadly have to admit that I'm not hearing the kind of praying that will produce revival. I don't hear bold praying. Instead, I hear "wimpy" praying.

Do you know what I mean? "Well, God, I've got an idea, and I'm not sure if You're interested, but if You are, here it is. Now do whatever You want."

This kind of prayer comes out of our mouths, dribbles down our chins, and falls on the floor. There's nothing that causes it to rise to heaven. There's no power there, no confidence, no faith.

The Bible teaches us to pray differently. In fact, God's Word commands us to pray boldly, to pray with confidence: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16, emphasis added).

A TRAGIC PICTURE

The apostle John gives us a picture of the beauty and majesty of the throne room in the book of Revelation. Around the thrones of the Father and the Son are four living creatures—angelic beings whose sole task throughout all of eternity is simply to cry out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty" (4:6-8). And around these four living crea­tures are twenty-four elders with crowns of gold, and they're continually taking their crowns and casting them at the feet of the Lord and worshiping Him (vv. 9-11).

As if that were not enough, John says the throne room of heaven is filled with many thousands of angels who are gathered together in joyful assembly (5:11-12). What an awe-inspiring place!

But in my imagination, at the back of the great throne room is a little door. When we begin to pray, the door opens, and we walk out into the very center of the throne room. And then we intone, "Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for all You've given us. Lead, guide and protect us. In Jesus' name, amen."

As we leave, you can hear the angels saying, "That's it? That's all he's going to ask for? He had the attention of the Creator of all things, and he closed his eyes, muttered a few little phrases ... and left?!"

With this picture in mind, the pressing question for the church today is, "How can we move from wimpy to bold praying?"

HOW TO PRAY BIG

There's a group of Christians whose story is found in the book of Acts who, I believe, give us a very practical model for how we can learn to pray with boldness. Their story is found in Acts 4, and providentially we have a transcript of their prayer meeting:

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day....

Then they called them in again and command­ed them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.... After further threats they let them go.

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them....

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness...."

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Wow! I want us to look at their prayer, because there are several principles here for bold praying:

They paid attention to Who they were talking to. Sometimes we have a tendency in prayer to rush into God's presence with our prayer list, but we don't consider Who's on other end of the conversation. But look how they began this prayer: "Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them" (v. 24).

Here's an extremely important principle: When the focus of prayer is our needs, faith fades.

That's one reason we so often find ourselves scared and timid in prayer. For example, we find out that we've lost our job or we have cancer or a loved one is dying, and suddenly we're overwhelmed by fears and concerns and anxieties. We bring these concerns to the Lord, but we're not really focusing on the Lord—we're looking at our need!

These early Christians were able to pray this amazingly bold, effective prayer because they began by paying attention to Who they were talking to. Their focus was on the power and promises of God, not the serious predicament they were facing. This simple change of focus can change your prayer life forever.

They prayed according to the Word of God. The disciples began their prayer by quoting several verses from Psalm 2 back to God (Acts 4:25-26)—and then they based the rest of their prayer on that passage of Scripture. Why would they do that?

The psalm they chose is all about God's Messiah. It talks about how the nations and the kings of the earth are going to rise up against the Messiah. But as you read on, it tells how the One who sits enthroned in heaven scoffs at them (v. 4).

And then about halfway through Psalm 2, we are privileged to listen in on a conversation between God the Father and Jesus the Son. Jesus is speaking, and He says of God, "He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession'" (vv. 7-8).

Do you get this? The Father promised Jesus the nations as His inheritance!

The early church, led by the Spirit, saw this, and they said, "Wow, this is great! The Father has promised Jesus all nations, and Jesus told us to preach the gospel to the nations. Now, the authorities in Jerusalem just said, 'You can't preach anymore.' So, Lord, grant Your servants boldness to proclaim Your Word, and, Lord, get involved. Do whatever it takes to allow the Word to go forth with power so that Jesus can receive His inheri­tance." That's why they prayed the way they did.

Here's the point: Their prayer was not a way of getting things from God. It was the way God had chosen to accomplish His will on planet earth. They understood that their lives and circumstances were for the purpose of participating with God on earth.

This truth represents everything in prayer. If you get this, you get it all. The God who initiates prayer has given us the amazing privilege of praying for His will, and as we do, His power is released to accomplish it. That's why Jesus taught us to pray, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

They prayed big prayers! What would a little prayer have been, in their circumstance? Well, imagine it. The believers are crowded into a house in Jerusalem, stand­ing with leaders who have just been released from prison. Someone is probably cleaning the wounds Peter and John received from getting roughed up by the authorities—maybe wiping off some blood or dirt. Just weeks before, these same authorities had killed Jesus. How would you have prayed?

I think my prayer would have been: "Help us! Protect us! Keep us safe!" But that was not their prayer. Instead, theirs was a big prayer that focused on the plans and purposes of God.

It is not wrong to pray a little prayer. I pray a lot of prayers for protection. There's nothing wrong with that ... unless that's all you ever pray.

What God is waiting on—and what the world desper­ately needs—is for the church of Jesus Christ to rise up and begin to pray the big prayers that shake heaven for God's kingdom to advance on earth.

They had no sooner finished their prayer than the build­ing began to shake, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit again, and they immediately began to speak the Word of God with great boldness (Acts 4:31).

According to the book of Acts, within five weeks of that prayer meeting, the teaching of Jesus had filled the streets of Jerusalem. Within the lifetime of everyone in that prayer meeting, they had turned the world upside down.

When is the church going to experience this kind of power again? If it's going to happen in our lifetime, we've got to learn to pray big, with great boldness.

___________________________

Dave is the president of Harvest Prayer Ministries in Terre Haute, Indiana.

I have been active in the Southern Baptist denomination for the past thirty-five years. I was discipled by men who taught me how to spend time on prayer and intercession early in my walk with Christ. My first experience in an all night prayer meeting was within the first five months of my Christian life. SInce then I have had the opporutnity to particiapte in many all night and even prolonged days of prayer on many occcasions.

I have participated in several all day prayer and fasting experiences and found them to restore and rejuvenate my walk with Christ. There is however a sad and troubling commentary I have discovered as I have taught in several churches I am reminded of the condition of our churches as far as our commitment to prayer and intercession goes.

Permit me to share with you my latest poll on prayer at a recent conference where I taught two sessions on "The Prayer Life of Jesus and the Early Church." From my two sessions I had a total of twelve church leaders attend, the average age was 65 and over. I began my sessions by asking three questions of those who attended. All of these atending had been in SBC churches for over forty years.

The first question was "What was the longest time you have ever spent in prayer in your life?" The average answer was fifteen minutes.

THe second question was, "How much time does your church spend praying for the lost per week?" The average response was three minutes or less.

The third question was, "Have you ever had anyone teach you how to spend a prolonged period in prayer?" Out of the twelve who attended the two sessions, there was only one preson who indicated that they had ever had anyone teach them how to spend a prolonged period in prayer in their life.

A convicting point during the session came when we read Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 and they had to answer the question, "When are we most like Jesus?" As the adults wrestled with this question in light of these passages they all reached the conclusion that we are most like Jesus when we are interceeding for others.

A most disturbing trend is occurring in our churches, we are giving ourselves to more and more marketing strategy and less and less prayer movements. A point of encouragement though was that those who attended these sessions mentioned how convicted they were about what they had done with prayer in the past. Perhaps God will raise up a generation of seniors who will take to their knees for the next generation. I am hopeful.

Standing in the Gap until He comes,

Pastor phil

I have a confession to make. I've voted in maybe about 15 national elections over the years, and I can't remember a time when I asked God which candidate should get my vote. To be honest, my prayers for elections tend to be more about me informing God who I've decided the right candidate is and asking him to get that person elected. Seems a bit backward, doesn't it?

I've participated in prayer groups in the past that focus on praying for our country and have come to realize that my reliance on my own human "wisdom" is not unique. It's difficult for a church to pray in a unified spirit when we're all bringing our own wisdom to prayer rather than seeking God for his wisdom. If I'm praying for candidate A and the next person is praying for candidate B, there's no unity there.

What would happen if we instead focused our prayers on asking God to raise up leaders after his own heart - leaders with servant hearts, leaders who will be concerned more about the well-being of the people they lead than about their own gain, leaders of compassion, wisdom, and courage. What if the church united to pray for God to raise up righteous men and women to lead our country? What if we were able to put aside our own agendas in favor of seeking God's wisdom?

I'm going to try something different this year - asking God to guide me regarding how to vote, and asking him to appoint people of his choosing to office. Will you join me?

In most churches in the western world, only a small fraction of believers participate in expressions of corporate prayer. This is a sad statement, and it is the reason why the American church is virtually powerless.

One of the most significant reasons why many do not participate is that corporate prayer in most churches is not corporate prayer, but personal prayer done in a group. By that I mean, usually everyone brings their own prayer practices into the larger group. This can make the prayer time dull and frustrating for many participants.

Here are two personal prayer practices that hinder true corporate prayer:

1. Long Prayers that Remember Everything. Many people forget that they are praying with others. When they launch into prayer, they pray as long as they would if at home (5 to 15 minutes or more) and remember everything on the prayer list. So the prayer time becomes only four or five people filling the hour, each praying a long prayer that goes over everything again. This group can never grow because there isn’t time for more people to pray. It also is intimidating to newer believers who aren’t used to praying long prayers. Powerful corporate prayer should cover one topic at a time and people praying only about that theme.

2. My Agenda Should Be Your Agenda. Many prayer groups are killed by people who refuse to accept that the group is to focus on a specific prayer topic (for example: community transformation). Those people bring up what they would pray for in their own prayer time, the things that are on their own hearts, their cousin’s health need, a missionary they support, etc. In most prayer groups, the leader doesn’t stop this, thinking it would be cruel not to pray for whatever is brought up. But this weakens the group dynamic and says that everyone’s agenda is more important than that of the church leader who is given the responsibility of leading the prayer group. I have watched many prayer groups start well, only to eventually die out because they reverted to being a session to pray for everyone’s agendas.

If a church wants to see a weekly corporate prayer time grow, it may very well need to address this issue. Is your group struggling because your prayer times are dominated by personal prayer practices rather than corporate ones?

-Jonathan Graf is the president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network. His desire is to see churches become prayer-based. He is available for prayer weekends and consulting with your leadership team. Contact him at jong@harvestprayer.com.

There is a difference in watching “for” and watching “with”. Most of the time we are watching “for” God to reply, respond, act, etc. In the midst of Gethsemane grief, Jesus asked His disciples to “watch with” Him (Matthew 26:40). Unable to do so, they opted instead for a few moments of sleep, watching and waiting only for Him to finish praying. While we may not opt for sleep, seldom do we “watch with” Him. We conclude that we are far too busy for such passive activity. We’ve got things to do, places to go, people to see. How could we possibly spend time simply “watching?” When will be learn that quiet time is never wasted time when it is spent with Him? The disciples would later learn not only to “watch with” Him on one occasion, but for the rest of their lives. Fanny Crosby, who due to her blindness, could not “watch” as most of us can, wrote, “Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in His love.” May He never have to ask of us, “Could you not watch with me” (Matthew 26:40)?

To receive "Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo" free every Monday via e-mail go to www.discipleallnations.org/blog and subscribe.

I interviewed Steve Loopstra of Sentinel Group on the principles and obstacles of community transformation.

He unpacks several important concepts critical for every prayer leader's understanding of how to invite God to your city or community and what attracts God's presence.

My CIty Podcast Archive>>>

Called to Worship

It seems to me the armor of God is the uniform of prayer.

Pastor Phil

Originally published on the Church Prayer Leaders Network

I was recently in a small church that for years has struggled to grow beyond 60 people. They are dear, sincere people who want to trust God to use them in greater ways in their community. I challenged them to focus more on kingdom issues in their prayers (as opposed to just the needs of the congregation).

In a Facebook chat a few weeks later, the pastor’s wife commented that they had tweaked some of the way they were praying. And a neighbor had prayed to receive Christ that week. I will continue to pray for a renewed passion to seek the kingdom as they pray together.

Despite the fact that many churches do not have significant corporate prayer expressions, most prayer leaders and pastors believe praying together is important. But what are the benefits? There are many benefits, but I want to share three significant ones with you.

1. Praying together invites the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

In 2 Chronicles 6-7 we see the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. While “the whole assembly of Israel was standing there” (2 Chron. 6:3) Solomon prays a dedicatory prayer in which he invokes the presence of God. “Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. Now arise, O LORD God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.” (6:41-42). Of course the presence of God entered with dynamic power.

There is a different atmosphere in churches that pray together and who have praying people. Worship seems more powerful. There is a sense of connection with God that is not there in non-praying churches.

A number of years ago at our prayer leader’s convention, Dr. Tommy Barnett, pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Phoenix, Arizona, said, “The presence of God in the midst of a church is directly proportional to the amount of prayer that takes place there.”

When the Spirit of God is manifestly present, other things happen. People hear Him speak, giving direction and encouragement (Acts 13:2-3). He will do that as you pray together as a congregation.

2. Praying together increases the faith of a congregation to believe God for the miraculous.

In Matthew 17 and Mark 9 there is the story of the father who brought his demon possessed son to the disciples. They could not cast it out. The boy was taken to Jesus, who spoke a word and the demon left. Later the disciples come to Jesus and they were baffled. Why? Because they knew how to cast out demons. (The story takes place after they had been sent two-by-two into villages casting out demons and healing the sick.) They asked Jesus why they couldn’t do it.

Jesus said two things: “because you have so little faith” (Mt. 17:20), and “this kind can come out only by prayer” (Mk. 9:29).

I wonder if the disciples attacked this demon issue cavalierly or routinely. They knew the words to say, the steps to take. But nothing worked because they were not prayed up enough. Their faith was not there as a result.

There is a clear connection between prayer and faith (beyond the fact that we are supposed to pray in faith).

I believe the most significant thing that is lost in a church that does not have corporate prayer is faith. The main reason most churches are stagnant and do not see God at work in miraculous ways in their midst? Most churches and individuals do not know what it is to pray in faith anymore.

But faith grows as we pray together. Here’s how it works. Maybe I personally am going through a tough time. In the midst of it, I try to pray with trust and faith, but it is difficult because I only see the issue. If I go and pray with others, however, what happens? As I listen to others pray with more faith than I have, my faith grows.

Here’s how it works in a corporate situation. Let’s say our church is planning to build. I’m an elder who is skeptical of the plans because they are beyond what we can afford to do. I go and begin to pray with others regarding this. God can now put a heart of trust in me, He can bring me to unity with others, He can give me the faith to believe Him for the miraculous—His vision and plan for my church. When I only pray by myself, that is less likely to happen.

3. Praying together moves people from seeking their purposes to desiring God’s purposes.

Most people’s prayers seek the best fix for a situation. We typically pray whatever we are told to pray for a situation, with no real thought of “What does God want to do here?” Something happens to that dynamic, however, when people pray together. They start to let go of their desires to see their purposes fulfilled and start to open themselves up to what God wants.

The value of this to a church is huge when it comes to ministry and decision making. If people pray together over an issue, even if people come to prayer thinking they know what the church should do, praying together opens them up to God’s desire.

People who are disgruntled with decisions a church has made usually have not prayed with the body over that issue. Pray together and watch unity grow.

The Challenge

Jeremiah 29:11-13 is a powerful promise written to a corporate body of people. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”

The “all” there is numeric—God is saying if all of you would seek me, you will find the plans I have for you. If we want to see God’s blessing in our churches, if we want to see Jesus’ transforming power, the dynamic ministry of the Holy Spirit in our midst, then we need to pray together.

Let these benefits encourage us to continue to rally for more times of praying together. For an expanded version of this article click here.

--Jonathan Graf is the president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network and the founding editor of Pray! Magazine. He is available for prayer weekends in your church; contact him at jong@harvestprayer.com.

Kick-Starting Pastoral Leadership in Prayer

(Adapted from Fresh Encounters – Experiencing Transformation through United, Worship-based Prayer; by Daniel Henderson; NavPress)

From my personal struggles and interactions with many of my peers, I discovered five basic reasons why pastors sometimes resist leading the way to a dynamic prayer ministry in the local church:

1. Many grew up in a prayerless church environment.

There is a Brazilian proverb that states, “The heart cannot taste what the eyes have not seen.” Today’s pastors often lack firsthand experience of what a dynamic prayer-energized church looks like.

Many pastors recall sparsely attended prayer meetings they’ve attended in the past. These sleepy prayer sessions featured a litany of personal requests or those for a third cousin twice removed.

Accordingly, some pastors are happy if they can provide such a prayer gathering for three people who want to unload their various burdens. But a church where the majority of the people gather in dynamic, worship-based prayer does not register on most pastors’ radar screens.

2. Most were trained in a prayerless educational process.

I went through seven years of formal undergraduate and graduate-level theological education at excellent institutions. While grateful for all the fine classes and grand truths, I never had a professor or pastor personally influence me in the area of prayer. Oh, there were great sermons on prayer and theological truths about prayer, but no one took me aside and taught me to pray by praying together on a regular basis.

Today, church leaders commonly receive many years of instruction about the ministry of the Word, while practical mentoring on the prayer ministry in the local church is neglected completely.

Few churches offer real teaching and practical instruction on prayer. The churches of my youth did not—or if they did, it certainly did not capture my attention. So how was I to learn? How do other pastors catch the passion?

3. All minister in a prayerless, success-oriented culture.

“Man of prayer” no longer ranks high on the typical list of desirable leadership traits for the local church pastor. Usually, the driven, over-achieving, “can-do” person is most admired in our society—and our churches.

Recently, I was in Utah teaching a prayer seminar at a statewide church leadership conference. After my session, a man approached me explaining that he was the chairman of the pastoral search committee for a congregation in that area. He pulled out a list of more than eighty-five desirable attributes for their next pastor. The inventory had been compiled through a recent survey of the congregation. Many of the qualities centered on communication skills, management ability, pleasant personality, and strong pastoral care interests. Nowhere on the list was there any mention of the priority of prayer as an essential characteristic for the new pastor. American society tends to value strong, natural leadership, dynamic programming, entertaining services, and impressive technology. The idea of a pastor locked away in extended prayer does not strike the average churchgoer as a mark of effective leadership.

Some church members think it wastes time if the pastor spends energy attending prayer meetings. Many pastors realize this and decide not to go against the grain.

4. Some battle a prayerless personal life.

It is hard to take the church further than you have journeyed in your life. This sense of failure and guilt immobilizes many pastors in the church prayer ministry. Pastors know they should be leading the way, but as one leader wrote, “If I wished to humble anyone, I should question him about his prayers. I know nothing to compare with this topic for its sorrowful self confessions.” 1 These unfortunate confessions often lead to unnecessary excuses. As a result the prayer ministry is without leadership and everyone suffers.

5. Every pastor is a special target of the enemy.

The “Master of Distraction” does not have to lure your pastor into scandalous sin. He simply needs to distract your pastor with good church activities. As long as the primary leader does not tap into the supernatural work of prayer, the church will be content to engage in a nice, socially pleasing ministry, but will have little Spirit-empowered impact.

Leading / Facilitating Corporate Prayer

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Perhaps you are facing a difficult circumstance - financially, relationally or with your health. During challenging times it is not always easy to give thanks, but this is the very thing we must do in order to see God’s will accomplished in our lives. This is how we move into higher realms of faith for ourselves, for our city, and for our nations.

Thanksgiving breaks the power of the enemy. Whenever you give thanks to God, despite the most difficult circumstances, the enemy loses a big battle in your life. When you give thanks in the midst of hardship, you bring pleasure to God's heart and breakthrough begins. He is looking for Christians who live in a realm of praise and thanksgiving where the enemy no longer has an ability to hold or manipulate a person. Satan is defeated when we have a thankful heart because thankfulness during difficulty is a sacrifice, pleasing to God.

Are you thankful?

Are you thankful for your present circumstances?

Are you thankful for your salvation, your friendships, and your job?

Thankfulness is a key to a victorious prayer life. We enter His courts with praise. It is the key that turns your situation around because it changes you, your outlook, and your attitude. There is power in a thankful heart. Thanksgiving brings contentment. An attitude of thanksgiving accepts and embraces God’s will.

Begin to thank God for all the blessings he has given instead of dwelling on the negative. Discontent dries up the soul. Look at what Elizabeth Elliot - who lost her husband on the mission field and has faced multitudes of hardships - says about loving God's will and being content. In her book, Secure in the Everlasting Arms, she says:

"To love God is to love His will. It is to wait quietly for life to be measured by one who knows us through and through. It is to be content with His timing and His wise apportionment. It is to follow in the steps of the Master, as did Paul, who was able to say that he had learned contentment no matter what the circumstances. His circumstances when he wrote that? Prison. No easy lesson, but great gain which is the sum of godliness plus contentment (1 Timothy 6:6)."

Look at the example of Jesus. He followed the will of His Father to the very end. He obeyed without complaint. In Philippians 2:5-8 Paul says that we should have that same attitude. Jesus made himself nothing and took on the very nature of a servant. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death. We also are to have this same attitude with a humble and thankful acceptance of God’s will for our lives. Elizabeth emphasizes the fact that Jesus embraced hardship without a complaint:

"Jesus loved the will of His Father. He embraced the limitations, the necessities, the conditions, the very chains of His humanity as He walked and worked here on earth, fulfilling moment by moment His divine commission and the stern demands of His incarnation. Never was there a word or even a look of complaint."

The Duke of Wellington was the Great British military leader who regretted that he had not learned the secret of praise during his lifetime. He had many great accomplishments and even defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. He was a brilliant and demanding man and when he was older, he realized that there were areas in his life that needed to change. In his old age a women asked him this question,

“What would you do differently if you had your life to live over again?”

He thought carefully and said, “I would give more praise.”

This is a lesson for all of us. That we would learn to be people of praise and thanksgiving to God all the days of our lives would be a great accomplishment. William Law, who wrote the book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, stresses the greatness and the happiness of thanksgiving. He says:

“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it… Could you therefore work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit, for it… Turns all that it touches into happiness.”

David writes in Psalm 116:17, "I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.”

Did you know that thanking God for a difficulty is actually an offering that He highly values? You are bringing a gift of thanks to Him. It makes Him smile. It’s so easy to complain and point the finger and find fault. But to come in the opposite attitude and gives thanks brings breakthrough and joyful contentment. Let each of us seek to have an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving during this Thanksgiving season, and rise to a new level of holiness. Here are some ways to practice this attitude in everyday life:

*Thank and praise God for everything in your life - Thank Him for even the difficulties. It is a sacrifice to do this, but He can turn troubles to triumph. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

*Don’t allow yourself to complain about anything - During the difficult times, be very careful to watch your tongue. Instead of complaining, think of ways you can verbally offer God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 1:14-15).

*Don’t compare yourself with others - Don’t wish your life were different. God knows what is best for you. The Bible says having a thankful heart is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. When we begin to thank God for what we have rather than comparing ourselves with others, it opens the door for God’s blessings. “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else” (Galatians 6:4).

The Apostle Paul was a wonderful example of one who practiced thanksgiving in prayer. He didn’t complain about anything even when facing imprisonment. He didn’t fall into self-pity or compare himself with others. That would be hard for most of us. Instead, Paul thanked God in every circumstance, even the difficult ones. He was thankful in his prayers for others even when they were having trouble spiritually. See 1 Corinthians 1:4, Ephesians 1:16, Philippians 1:3, Colossians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Timothy 1:3, and Philemon 4.

Most of us are in need of breakthroughs in prayer. The enemy is fighting hard with fiery darts of discouragement and lies. The way we will begin to deal with the lies in our lives and the vicious ways he tries to destroy our joy is through cultivating a thankful heart.

As we cultivate a lifestyle of worship and praise, we will be able to break through the strategies of the enemy. A worshipful and thankful life permeates the atmosphere with the presence of God because worship is the atmosphere where God’s truth dwells. Thanksgiving turns all that it touches into happiness.

A Prayer for a Thankful Heart

“Lord, teach me to offer you a heart of thanksgiving in all my daily experiences of life. Teach me to be joyful always, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all my circumstances. I accept them as Your will for my life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I long to bring pleasure to Your heart. Break the power of the enemy in my life. Defeat Him through my sacrifice of praise. Change my outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment with my present circumstance. Help me not to dwell on the negatives because discontent dries up my soul. I thank You for… (Name a difficult circumstance in your life presently and thank God for it). I offer this to You as my thank offering (Psalm 116:17).

Jesus, I want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. You embraced the chains of humanity when you walked this earth. Convict me whenever I complain or compare myself with others. Give me Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. I want to be like the Apostle Paul who learned contentment in every circumstance. I choose to continually offer you a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name (Hebrews 13:15). I want to give You enjoyment through a life of thanksgiving. I long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach me the power of a thankful heart. I know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

"God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too… An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy." Rick Warren

Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise International

http://www.intercessorsarise.org

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I was just settling into a comfortable spot on the floor in front of the fireplace on a bitterly cold winter night, with pillows perfectly positioned. I was reading a book written by a friend about dealing with disappointment when God seems to "disappear." *

Suddenly I had that thought...you know...the one where you wonder if it's God speaking or simply your imagination.

Go and read your book at Caribou Coffee.

I desperately hoped it was my imagination. It was cold and dark. I was warm and comfy.

Go read your book at Caribou.

Rats. It might be God.

I tried to ignore it. I tried to rationalize my way beyond it. Do I really have to?

But the thought wouldn't leave. So I got up, put on my winter coat, and stepped into the cold--pondering again the purpose of obedience.

As I walked into Caribou, I told the Lord I had no idea why He invited me here. But if it was simply to see if I would actually leave the warm fire--then so be it!

I ordered a caramel high rise. Figured I deserved it.

Then the guy behind the counter spoke up. "What book are you reading?" he asked.

Oh, my. That opened up a dialog that continued for several minutes with the interruption of a few customers passing through.

Turns out the Caribou guy was exploring lots of things: Hinduism, reincarnation, Buddhism, and even Christianity. But his big issue? He wanted proof. If Christianity is true, he needed some answers to tough questions. A friend had encouraged him to read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, but he wasn't sure he could buy that Christianity is the only way.

I finally wrapped up the conversation by telling him that I would pray for him while he read the book. I said I would ask Jesus to prove Himself if He really is the truth.

"What's your name?" I inquired, just wanting to make my prayers a bit more personal.

"Thomas," he replied.

Oh, my. I suppressed a laugh, but my heart swelled with gratitude that God cared so much about Thomas and his doubts that he would send me out in the cold to pray for him.

Yes, we have to. We have to be obedient to those promptings of God if we want to see His amazing work!

Elisha was a man of unusual “God moments.” I’m still pondering the floating axhead story—and have absolutely nothing to write about that!

But I am especially struck by the details of two miracles involving Elisha: the widow with the replenishing oil and the Shunammite woman’s son who was raised from the dead. Both of these stories from 2 Kings 4 have a common thread that intrigues me.

In the first miracle story, the widow was in deep financial trouble. She called out to Elisha for help, acknowledging that she was down to her last few drops of oil. Elisha instructed her to gather up as many jars as possible in her home. Then he told her to go inside and shut the door. Behind that closed door, the oil began to flow and the widow was supplied with more than enough to sustain her family.

In the second miracle story, the woman from Shunem lost her son, perhaps to a brain aneurism. (Just my guess—the passage says that he died after a horrible headache.) She was distraught and went to find Elisha. Elisha’s servant got to the woman’s house first and tried to help the boy according to Elisha’s instructions. Nothing.

Then Elisha showed up, went into the room with the boy, and shut the door behind him. Alone in the room with the lifeless body, Elisha began to pray. He lay on top of the boy, mouth to mouth, hand to hand. As Elisha’s body covered the boy, a sense of warmth began to return. Elisha got up, paced around the room, and then stretched out over the boy again. Suddenly the boy sneezed seven times with the breath of life!

Both of these miracles were done behind closed doors. No crowds; no big fanfare. Just simple acts of obedience and prayer in times of desperation. One miracle resulted in provision; the other resulted in a revived life.

I’ve noticed in my own life that God is calling me to more times of intercession behind closed doors. It’s just me and my God. Mostly I’m pleading with Him for revival of the church and spiritual awakening of our nation. I’m praying for the dead to live again!

But perhaps the greatest miracle is what God is doing in my own heart and life when I shut the door and get alone with Him. I think I am living again!