Pray Network Forum

“God’s purpose may be thwarted or it may be accomplished depending, to one degree or another, on the obedience of His people and their willingness to use the weapons of spiritual warfare that He has provided. God is powerful enough to win any battle, but He has designed things so that the release of His power at a given moment of time often is contingent upon the decisions and the actions of His people. A principle weapon of spiritual warfare is prayer. Not just routine or mediocre prayer, but prayer powerful enough to move God’s hand in order to determine the destiny of a whole nation.” C. Peter Wagner

Do we realize the power we have available to us when we take our authority in prayer? Most of us don’t realize our authority because if we did, we would be praying far more. We would be sacrificing everything else in order to pray. Instead of worrying about the increase in evil in our land, we would be on our faces before God crying out for His intervention. Unfortunately in many churches prayer is the weakest link. It should be the strongest one because it is the key to God’s blessing in the spirit realm.

America is a nation in crisis. Division, strife, and violence are increasing at an alarming rate. We must encourage the body of Christ everywhere to pray for the future of this nation and for this upcoming election. Several Christian leaders have indicated that this is a one-issue election" - the supreme court judges. The most serious threat over America is the 55 million abortions (since Roe vs. Wade in 1973). More abortions will lead to a greater judgment. There is more at stake in this election than most of us realize. We are battling for the soul of this nation.

How should a nation in crisis respond at a time like this? We need to gather in prayer with fasting to cry out for mercy, deliverance, and revival. God wants our hearts. We must take action and fervently pray for this election and vote for Godly values. It is our God-given responsibility to vote. See the values of each candidate here. Join us at the International House of Prayer for a Solemn Assembly for America from October 31 - Nov. 2, 2016. See Joel 2:12-17. I ask those in other nations to join us in prayer for America at this critical hour.

We work together with God when we exercise our authority in prayer. Authoritative intercession and heartfelt repentance is key to breakthrough in America. By exercising our authority in prayer and standing strong in God’s truth, we are working together with Him to determine the future of our nation. We have authority in prayer to actually see our personal lives and the lives of others change. We can pray authoritative prayers for our neighborhoods and cities. Certain things in history will happen through our intercession if we pray the way God wants us to pray. We can change nations through prayer if we choose to use this mighty weapon.

Prayer is like being at a tasty buffet banquet. Imagine being at a dinner buffet where there are many tables loaded with different foods. The foods are the best. They are mouth-watering and absolutely delicious. Guests help themselves to the different kinds of food, as they desire. The host walks around among his friends to see if everyone has enough to eat, while the servers keep loading the table with fresh food. You can take as many trips as you like to the tables as long as you have enough to eat. The host doesn’t care as long as you are full.

In a similar way, God has provided everything for us if we pray. We can have all we need. Most of us have not realized the power there is in prayer. We are not asking. All we have to do is reach out by faith and ask Him to touch our lives, our cities, and our nations. When we tap into his resources by faith and pray, miracles happen. When we exercise our authority in prayer, God answers in a powerful way. There is a strength and power in prayer that the Church has not yet known or realized.

My husband is a very practical man. He can fix almost anything. In our garage he has all kinds of tools. Once he decided to remodel our bathroom and tile the floor. To do an excellent job, he needed a good tile cutter. Whenever he fixes something in our home, he needs the right tools. Lately he has been working on our car. He needed a jack to lift the car up in order to work underneath. He couldn’t fix a problem underneath the car without that tool. It would be impossible.

The body of Christ also has a task. We want to change the world for Christ. It’s a huge task for all of us, but we do it one life at a time. Some are reaching people in their workplace or in another country. Some are reaching people in the hospitals or in the schools. We are all in this together. We want to see people’s lives changed all over the world before Jesus’ return to earth but the task is huge, and we need the right tools to do it. The most essential tool is prayer. Only through prayer can we get the job done. There is strength and power in prayer that can change the world.

When we pray with authority, things happen in the spirit realm. God remembers every prayer we pray, and every one of them prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit has effect on earth. Not one prayer is forgotten. When I was in a particular city in the country of Turkey, I remembered a prayer I had prayed in that very same city several years before. It was as if at that moment God showed me that He had remembered my prayers from several years before, and that it was extremely important and would have a powerful effect in that city one day. My prayer influenced God. When we realize the authority we have in prayer, mighty things will happen all over the earth that brings victory to the powerful name of Jesus. Well-known prayer author and intercessor, E. M. Bounds, wrote about the power of prayer:

“Prayer is power and strength, a power and strength that influences God, and is most salutary, widespread, and marvelous in its gracious benefits to man. Prayer influences God. The ability of God to do for man is the measure of the possibility of prayer.”

The prayers you pray influence God. He remembers every single one of them. You may be thinking, “You don’t know me - My prayers seem so feeble and weak - God doesn’t seem to answer me.” Do not ever think that God hasn’t heard you or that your prayers do not matter. The enemy is trying very hard to discourage people in prayer in these days because he is afraid of prayer. He knows it’s strength and potential, and he is trying to keep this hidden from the Church.

Prayer takes time. We have to learn to wait and believe. One day you will see that your prayers have had a mighty effect in the spiritual realm. Do not give up or ever think it is not important to pray today. If ever there was a need for intercession for America, it is now.  We are in a key (kairos) time in all of history. The Greek word “kairos” in the New Testament means the appointed or opportune time that God has set for something to occur. During a kairos time, we must respond in prayer and press through in intercession in order to see God’s plan fulfilled. We are in a time of urgency, and we must seize it in prayer. This is the appointed season for change and for intercession to increase.

We must not fear the future or believe the lies of the enemy, but we must stand strong in authoritative prayer. 

Fear weakens us and gives us an unsound mind. Instead, we must know our authority in prayer to see mighty changes on earth, in our own personal lives, and in our nation. We can pray God’s future plan into being through our intercession. If we pray strategic, authoritative, and prophetic prayers then we will be praying the future into being. Authority is the key to strength and power. We have awesome responsibility.

We need God’s revelation of our spiritual authority. We rarely grasp the full potential of the strength and power of prayer that is available to us. We often go about our daily activities and forget that we are united with Christ. We are connected with Him as our head, and we are His Church designed to express the fullness of His power on earth. Carefully meditate on the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18-23 to get the full picture. God has incomparably great power, Christ is seated at God’s right hand, Jesus defeated Satan at the cross, and we are called to enforce Jesus authority on earth through prayer.

I remember when I was on my way to a prayer meeting in a nearby church on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I was not very familiar with that church even though it was not far from my house. Therefore I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Having thought I passed it, I turned around and drove into the parking lot of a building. Going up to the door and finding it was locked, I knocked and asked a gentleman if this was the church. The man turned to me and said with a tiny laugh, “No, this is the fire department.” I realized suddenly what an incredible mistake I had made. I was at the fire department!

God spoke to my heart through that experience. We are in an emergency situation. The house is on fire! Cities are on fire! There is an emergency in the nations. Right now we are in a  battle for America. The harvest is ripe, and Satan knows that his time is short. He is doing everything he can to steal, kill and destroy. We must pray - We must encourage everyone around us to pray - We must shake awake those who are asleep - We must become radical and passionate in prayer. The cities and nation are on fire! Prayer is the answer. When we pray, we are empowered to reach the lost. Then we take action with the power of God. God rules through His body, the praying Church!

The hope for the nations is an anointed prayer movement. It is God’s people knowing the strength and the power of prayer and enforcing God’s will on earth through it. God has given us breakthrough authority to change nations. Authority is delegated power similar to a police officer when he enforces the law. Through our prayers we can change the atmosphere over cities. Through our prayers we can bring into subjection demonic powers and principalities, and disciple the nations. Through our prayers God releases deliverance and transforms society. God is calling us to use our authority in prayer to bind the enemy’s work and to loose His Kingdom on earth. Let’s learn to take hold of the strength and power of prayer and pray down God’s blessings on our nation.

“Of what infinite importance is the place the intercessor holds in the Kingdom of God! Is it not indeed a matter of wonder that God should give men such power? Yet there are so few who know what it is to take hold of His strength and pray down His blessing on the world.”  E. M. Bounds

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer (IHOPKC)
deb@intercessorsarise.org
www.intercessorsarise.org

In Luke 20:1-8  the scribes and Pharisees challenged the authority of Jesus who the day before had cleansed the temple. Incidentally, they also questioned his authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. His question of what they thought was the authority of John the Baptist silenced the rulers. This passage brings us face to face with the question of all authority. And it highlights the genuine authority of Jesus that obviously did not need to be defended.

This story shows us, The Authority of Righteousness.

His cleansing of the temple did not lean on any human or earthy authority. But everyone who saw what he did knew that what Jesus did was right.

He depended upon, The Authority of Revelation.

As He cleansed the temple Jesus quoted Scripture. "It is written!" I once heard Henry Blackaby comment, "I know people who talk a lot about the inerrancy of Scripture who do not submit to its authority in their lives. But authority is the question of inerrancy. Believing the Bible is true does not mean I understand everything I read. It means Scripture has the authority to call me into account.

His presence also brings out, The Authority of His Person.

When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple, I doubt if anyone was thinking about His right to do it. They were too busy fleeing from His presence. I believe that is a sign of nearness to God today. His nearness to you may be wonderful. But it will also overwhelm you with His majesty and authority.

And in this account we see, The Authority of Purpose.

Real authority is not an end in itself. It always accomplishes the purposes of God. 

http://daveswatch.com/

(I have a new video trailer for HOME IN THE WILDERNESS on the book page of my website.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/  

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

CLICK HERE FOR DAYS 1-23

DAY TWENTY FOUR:

VERSES:

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."....2 Timothy 1:7

PRAYER:(Against Anxiety, Day 6)

Father God we are so grateful that You have removed all obstacles that stand in the way of our reconciling with You, to remove the guilt and stand from the Fall of Adam, in the Garden. We are so grateful that through the Precious Shed Blood of the Ancient of Days, the ONLY perfect and acceptable Sacrifice for sin, that we are able to even stand in Your Holy Presence and not be cast aside into outer darkness, where doth lieth weeping and gnashing of teeth. All You ask in return for this Mighty Grace and Favor is our obedience to You, oh Most High, and surrender to All Your have in store for us. And Lord what You have and plan for those who love You, is so much better if the rest of us would just stop, listen and learn!

Who is like You, and who can out-give, out-love, out-grace You, oh Sovereign One? No one! You take away our fear and anxious moments by the strong whisper of Your Voice, as You direct us back to Your Written Word where You said "fear not" so many times, it is the most powerful exhortation in the Scripture! In our troubles and weakness, we overlook these things and subjugate our faith into second place, choosing to be like the lost of humanity and operate in the paradigm of fear. While, oh God, this may a natural human reaction, You did not call us or expect Your elect to do this sort of thing, but to trust and believe.

 

For that reason, You emphasized again that You did NOT give us a spirit, bent, inclination, heart and the ability to focus just so we would cower in spiritual and natural fear, when You - the Lord of Heaven's Armies Who can destroy every evil thing with one Word, one Command, is for us! We know this, we know You have us covered by the Blood and by the Angels, so help us to have the triple portion of Faith necessary to operate in this way every single moment of every day of every week and forever more, until You call us home.

You called us 'sons of God' and gave us Power (John 1:12) and thus, we already are embedded with Your dynamic, fluid Kingdom authority to beat back the enemy with the same word - Prayer! We must take authority over our situation, in Jesus' Name and then that authority will be thus be our connection to the Source, so You can then execute the result You desired in any particular situation. And we do this in Love oh God, the same love, agape, unconditional and forgiving love You showed us as we wallowed in our sin before Christ rescued us. None of this is possible - operating out of AND under the Authority of Christ in love, power and boldness if we are not under control, in sound mind and full conscious, aware, obedient and knowledgeable to the Who You are and what You are accomplishing in our lives.  Father God, give us the soundness and clarity of mind, that we, Your people, keep our collective heads on in cool calmness, being vigilant and alert so that when everything starts falling down around us, we can be under the unction of the Holy Spirit, in full control to lead others to You Way - the Perfect Way. We ask this through the Mighty Undefeated Name of our Lord and Commander of the Universe - Jesus, our Soon Coming King. AMEN

Prayer is necessary because it energizes our heart, it releases God's blessing, and it results in real change on the earth. But we have been too polite with God. I do not mean we should be irreverent; I am saying the Lord's Prayer is not a weak, pleading prayer. There is a time to plead with God, but what Jesus gave was prophetic. There is not a “please” in it. Indeed, it’s the Father's pleasure to give us His kingdom (Lk 12:32). Thus, Jesus is not instructing us to beg for it, but to align our lives with it and then announce it. He is commanding us to call for God's kingdom to rule on earth, in our lives, churches and cities. This is a prayer of authority. Do we see this? Maybe our prayers should sound more like this:

"...Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer: “Strong God, you made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. By the Holy Spirit you spoke through the mouth of your servant and our father, David: Why the big noise, nations?

Why the mean plots, peoples? Earth’s leaders push for position, Potentates meet for summit talks, The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers! For in fact they did meet—Herod and Pontius Pilate with nations and peoples, even Israel itself!—met in this very city to plot against your holy Son Jesus, the One you made Messiah, to carry out the plans you long ago set in motion.

And now they’re at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message, as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done in the name of your holy servant Jesus. While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence."

Give us fearless confidence to speak your word!

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty - he is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:7-10).

What a privilege it is for you and I to pray that the King of glory would come into the gates of our cities and nations. The King of glory is mighty in battle. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of hosts, the Commander of heaven’s armies. He is eternal, holy, and mighty. Psalm 24 is a battle cry for the Kingdom to come to earth. It also looks forward to Christ’s future entry into the New Jerusalem to reign forever! 

You and I are in a war of tremendous proportions. Wherever we are living, we are to battle for the land and must pray for the King of glory to come in and rule in our nation. When we do this, we are cultivating a Kingdom prayer life. The question we must ask ourselves is:

“Are we using our authority in prayer?”

The astounding reality is that God actually shares His authority with us (Luke 12:32). It is our responsibility to pray for our president, king, prime minister, and leaders to yield to God, working for His righteousness to come forth. He is the Judge and Ruler of the universe, and we are here to enforce His Kingdom on earth through our prayers. It is not only a privilege to help bring in His Kingdom, but it is our responsibility to use our authority in prayer. Let’s learn to be intercessors like Moses.

Prayer Warriors for God’s Kingdom 

“As Moses stretched forth his rod on God's behalf over Egypt, so the church by its prayers stretches forth Christ's authority over the nations and their rulers.” Derek Prince

In this great warfare between the powers of light and the powers of darkness, how do we prepare for battle? To be a prayer warrior for God’s Kingdom, what qualities do we need to pray for? We are at war against the forces of evil, and we must not take this lightly. Just as we must exercise to keep physically fit, there are spiritual qualities we must also exercise in order to be fit for war in intercession. There are personal qualities we must develop in our lives. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords! We must prepare for battle through:

• Intimacy - We must have an intimate relationship with the Lord. We must be one with Christ, listening for His directions and assignments, strong in worship and the Word.
   
• Our Position in Christ - We must know who we are in Christ and that He is the King who is mighty in battle. We must wage war in Christ’s authority through prayer. 
   
• Faith - We must believe in the power of prayer and that God will use faith-filled prayer to break the power of evil over the land. He is greater than the enemy and has defeated Satan at the cross. 
   
• Character - We must realize that godly character will cause the enemy to flee. God is looking for integrity, the fruit of the Spirit, and a dedicated life. Growing in holiness and humility is opposite of the enemy’s pride. Humility enables us to receive the grace of God.
   
• Discipline - We must say “no” to the things that weaken our spiritual lives such as too much TV, food, or laziness. Soldiers must live a disciplined life even when they don’t feel like it. In order to pray for the government in our land, we must exercise self-government first.
   
• Truth - We must be truthful without any hypocrisy or falsehood in us. We are here to speak truth, study truth, declare the truth, and hold onto it tightly during times of warfare (Zechariah 8:16-17).

As believers we must understand our rights and responsibilities as citizens of heaven. We must know our position in Christ at God’s right hand. We are made alive, raised up, and enthroned in the heavenly kingdom. It has already been accomplished (Ephesians 2:4-6). Psalm 24 was probably used in corporate worship many times. The people outside the gates would call out to the temple gates to open and let the King of glory in. From inside, they would say,

“Who is this King of glory?” 
 

Outside in unison they would say, “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” 

They would proclaim God’s great power and strength. Then the gates would swing wide open. Should we not do the same regarding our need for God’s presence in our cities?

When my husband and I travel to other countries, we spend time waiting in airports. We recently were in Spain. On the trip we spent all day waiting in the airport in Kansas City because our flight was cancelled because of tornadoes in Texas. Waiting is not easy. Often in other countries I have heard this call over the airport loud speaker, “Will (person’s name) proceed urgently to his gate!”  They are paging for someone because his plane is about to take off, and he is not present. Many of us don’t realize that our nations are in urgent need of prayer. We are taking our time, but God is asking us to proceed urgently to heaven’s gate, to the throne room of prayer. We must beware of complacency. This is the time to seize the moment in prayer and intercession for our countries. 

In the real life airport situation, missing a plane can cause a lot of time and discomfort. But for us to miss this window of opportunity to pray for our leaders and our nations can cause us years of agony and pain. There isn’t much time left. We must proceed urgently to the gates of heaven and take our authoritative role in prayer for our cities. We read in Luke 18:7-8, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” 

God is the supreme ruler over all human affairs, and we can exercise a decisive influence upon the course of our governments through prayer and godly action. God’s kingdom is supreme over all other kingdoms and over all other forces that work on earth (Philippines 3:20, Psalm 103:19, Ephesians 1:20-23). Let’s extend the rod of Christ’s authority and advance His kingdom. Let’s bring heaven to earth through our prayers. Even though we are in a tremendous battle against the forces of darkness, the truth that Christ is the supreme ruler over all rulers and governor over all governments is reason for us to rejoice! 

“Lord, I pray that you would teach me how to be a prayer warrior for Your Kingdom. Help me to cultivate a Kingdom prayer life. Teach me to pray Your Word over my city, my nation, and my family. Develop intimacy, faith, discipline, truth, and character in my life. I long to walk in the fruit of Your Spirit. I long to speak truth, study truth, and declare truth daily in my life. Teach me to pray regularly for my nation, president, and city. Teach me to pray Kingdom prayers for my city and nation. I thank You that You are the supreme ruler over all and Your Kingdom is supreme over all kingdoms. I praise You because You are the King of glory. ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being’ (Revelation 4:11). In Jesus’ name, amen."

Have your friends sign up here for Intercessors Arise!

“He rules now in the midst of his enemies and rules by the rod of His strength (Psalm 110:2). The rod is the mark of the ruler’s authority. The rod of Christ’s authority, exercised in His name, is sent forth through our prayers. In every direction that the rod is extended, the forces of evil are compelled to yield, and Christ in turn is exalted and His kingdom advanced." Derek Prince

Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise 

International House of Prayer KC Staff

deb@intercessorsarise.org

http://www.intercessorsarise.org