Pray Network Forum

"God seeks intercessors. He longs to dispense larger blessings. He longs to reveal His power and glory as God, His saving love, and more abundantly. He seeks intercessors in larger numbers, in greater power, to prepare the way of the Lord." Andrew Murray

Did you realize that if you are involved in intercession, you are working with God to determine the future? Certain things in history will happen through our intercession if we pray the way God wants us to pray. We have authority in prayer to actually see our cities changed and to prepare the way of the Lord. In many ways history belongs to the intercessors. When we pray, things happen in the spirit realm.

I revisited a particular city in Turkey and remembered a prayer I had prayed in that very city several years before. It was as if at that moment God showed me that He had remembered my prayers, and that it was important and would have a powerful effect in that city one day.

God remembers every prayer you pray, and every one of them prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit has effect on earth. Not one prayer is forgotten. Your prayers matter to God.

How can you be the history-maker for God's purposes in your city?

“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." E. M. Bounds

Here are some ways you can pray for your city and make a difference. You may want to pray these prayers for your nation, church or neighborhood as well. Know the areas where God wants you to intercede because He will give you authority in those areas. God is seeking for intercessors. He will accomplish His will through the prayers of His people on earth.

• Pray that a spirit of intercession falls on your city - If intercessors cry out for a spirit of intercession to invade their city, people will change and prayer will increase. Christians who had never felt like praying before will begin to pray. Prayer can be activated in your city.
  
  
• Pray for corporate worship and prayer to arise in your city - Pray that the Church begins to come together in corporate worship and prayer. United worship tears down the powers of darkness in your city. Pray for state gatherings of worship and Houses of Prayer to be raised up.
  
  
• Pray for the key authority structures and spiritual leaders in your city - Pray for all pastors and government leaders. Pray for faith, wisdom and holiness in the leaders in your city. Pray that God will help them to lead His people into holy living in difficult times.
  
  
• Pray for God to reveal the lawless structures in your city - Pray that all terrorist plans and evil hidden plans will be exposed in your city and nation. Pray that unjust laws will be overturned. Pray for Godly rulers in your nation to be elected and put into place.
  
  
• Pray for the church in your city to be empowered by God - Pray for the churches to arise in prayer, godliness and spiritual strength. Pray that the Church becomes a light to the lost in your city.
  
  
• Pray for God to remove complacency in your city - Pray that the churches in your city becomes fervent and on fire for God and His ways. Pray that complacency stops and that the Church awakens to its destiny and calling in the last days.

History belongs to the intercessors. Your city needs intercessors that will cry out to Him day and night with great boldness and expectation. God is seeking for intercessors. Will you be one?

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. Through our prayers we can change the atmosphere over cities. Through our prayers God releases deliverance and transforms society. Let’s learn to take hold of the strength and power of prayer and pray down God’s blessings on our world.

Here is a 4-minute teaching and prayer for you called: My Petition for Strength and Power in Prayer. This is part of the Intercessors Arise International School of Prayer. 

"Millions of feeble, sickly Christians, thousands of wearied workers, could be blessed by intercession. Churches and missions sacrificing life and labor with little result often lack the power of intercession. Souls, each one worth more than worlds - worth nothing less than the price paid for them in Christ's blood - are within reach of the power that can be won by intercession. We surely have no conception of the magnitude of the work to be done by God's intercessors, or we would cry to God above everything to give us a spirit of intercession." Andrew Murray

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

One of the fun parts of this ministry is that I get to meet all kinds of amazing people who love the Lord! One of my favorite people is Teresa DeMatos, who co-pastors the church I attend with her husband, Lee DeMatos. Together, they have experienced some powerful encounters with Jesus and - even more exciting - some very personal answers to prayer. ​

Click Here to read the interview

1. “We” trumps “I.” Jesus instructed us to pray “OUR Father…” (Matthew 6:9). Ordinarily, things are getting off-track if there is too much use of the word “I” in corporate prayer.
2. God-centered rather than problem-centered. The Lord’s Prayer, the prayers in Acts and Paul’s epistles, and the other prayers in the Bible sometimes addressed current problems (e.g., prayer in Acts 4:23-31 regarding persecution). However, the overwhelming them is always God’s power, glory, and sovereignty (e.g., “Hallowed be Your name” and Ephesians 1, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion”).
3. Brief trumps long. The Pharisees were known for their lengthy prayers, but Jesus encouraged His disciples to not put their trust in long prayers or “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7, Matthew 23:14).
4. Focused prayers trump shatter-shot prayers. Too often, people’s prayers are unfocused, covering too many topics and petitions all at once. If we want to have our prayers answered, it’s much better eliminate “fluff” and unnecessary rabbit trails. Specific prayers bring specific answers.
5. Prayers filled with faith and victory will always trump prayers marked by doubt and defeat. Nothing will bring discouragement to a prayer meeting faster than people who are praying prayers of unbelief.
6. United prayers trump individualism. Corporate prayer is only powerful when the prayers are offered in one accord (Matthew 18:19-20, Psalm 133). This is undercut when people’s prayers cannot receive an “Amen” from the rest of the participants.
7. Spirit-led prayers trump human concerns. Understandably, prayer meetings often attract people who have “burdens” to pray about, whether the burdens are for themselves or for others. But unless these human concerns become motivated by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-30), they will end up just being filled with well-meaning “flesh.”
8. It’s often helpful to mix elements such as worship and Scripture into prayer meetings. We see this approach in Colossians 3:16-17: Word, “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” etc.
9. Prayer meetings should be times of HEARING from God and not just SPEAKING to God. The principle in James 1:19 applies, being “quick to listen and slow to speak” (or pray). This means it’s OK to have times of silence and listening, not feeling it necessary to fill the entire time with speaking/praying.
10. Prayer meetings usually work best when there is a balance between human leadership and free-flowing group involvement. If the hand of human leadership is too strong, people will be intimidated from listening to God or participating. But if there is no leadership at all, the prayers will often go off on tangents and become unfocused. This doesn’t mean the leadership has to be from just one person, but it’s helpful if people know who is “in charge” of sensing God’s direction in the meeting. People who are intercessors or prophetic sometimes distrust structure and time constraints, but the Bible provides numerous examples of God instituting structure before He performed miracles (e.g., breaking up the people into groups before feeding them loaves and fish). However, if there is going to be structure as to the format, time limitations, etc., they should be clearly communicated in advance (e.g., Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 14 about the use of spiritual gifts in public meetings).
11. When revival is one of the objectives of a corporate prayer meeting, the elements of 2 Chronicles 7:14 should be kept in mind: E.g., humbling ourselves, seeking His face, repenting (turning from our wicked ways), listening, receiving His forgiveness and forgiving anyone who has wronged us.
12. Just as in our individual prayer lives, it’s helpful to keep an informal record of some of the prayer requests offered, and then the answers received. Keeping track of some of the testimonies will build faith in God’s faithfulness and in the power of prayer.

Corporate prayer loses its effectiveness when intercessors get off track. Here's how you can stay in the flow of the Holy Spirit.As I walked down the corridor toward the large prayer room, several women rushed past me in a panic. They had been praying with more than 50 intercessors from various denominations for pastors in the United States. Eager to find out what was happening, I hurried into the room.

An unbelievable sight met my eyes. Lying on the floor in the middle of the room was a woman intercessor, curled up in a fetal position and groaning as though she were being tortured. Crouched over her was a male intercessor, who was stroking her hair and speaking words of encouragement.

Standing around “the entertainment” were dozens of intercessors—watching. No one was praying now. Their faces revealed many emotions: Some were in shock; others didn’t know what to think; most were simply disgusted.

Asked to correct the situation, I bent down, asked the man to move away and softly whispered into the intercessor’s ear: “Please stop what you are doing. This is not the way the Holy Spirit would lead.”

Gruffly the woman turned her head toward me and growled, “This is the Holy Spirit.”

These kinds of activities are becoming too common in prayer rooms across the nation. If the prayer movement does not establish biblical boundaries and acceptable corporate conduct within the next few years, the work of prayer could be drastically derailed.

Here are some of the flaky intercessory activities with which we should be concerned:

1. Competition in prayer. Moses’ and Aaron’s authority to lead was challenged by Korah and his band with the argument, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord? So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face” (Num. 16:3).

Notice Moses’ answer to Korah and his rebellious associates: “Hear now, you sons of Levi: Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord” (Num. 16:8-11).

Intercessors have a unique position. We are called to draw near to the throne, hear the voice of God and stand on behalf of others. We who occupy this position should set an example of love, grace, mercy and humility.

Yet I find that among intercessors there is sometimes strife, jealousy and competition, just as there was among Korah and his band. In some cases, the prayer room resembles the New York City stock market trading floor, with each participant trying to pray more frequently, prophesy longer and shout louder than the others do.

Why the spiritual tug of war?

No doubt about it—all intercession is war! But like all of life, intercession has its ebbs and flows. Our friends would wonder about Eddie and me if, after three decades of marriage, we were passionately kissing every time they saw us in public. You might see this type of thing in the movies, but meaningful, real-life relationships are developed in private. Eddie and I don’t need to impress anyone or prove our love to others. Our outward displays of affection are merely an indication of an already secure and stable private relationship.

There are times when, in the heat of battle, the corporate prayer room seems intense, loud, demanding and pushy. After all, Scripture says the violent take the kingdom by force! (See Matt. 11:12). But constant warfare should not be the way every prayer time is handled.

Effective, sincere corporate prayer should reveal all the attributes of God—His gentleness, His tender mercy, His unconditional love and His burden for the lost. There are times when the group will experience total silence before God. At other times, a deep travail for the condition of lost souls will be felt. Joy, expressions of love and celebration should occur occasionally among the intercessors. To reduce group prayer to anything less reveals our immaturity in the private place before God.

2. Emotionalism. Our emotions are a part of our soul (mind, will and emotions). They were given to us by God to serve His purposes. But to function properly, they must be brought under His dominion. Paul instructs us, “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts [emotions] on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:1-2, NIV).

Our emotions are as flexible and undependable as an elastic measuring tape. One minute we feel happy; the next, we’re sad. We can have a wonderful time of intimacy in prayer, and in five minutes be yelling at our child for spilling milk on the carpet. Emotional expressions are not necessarily an indication of either the presence, or the lack of the presence, of God.

Amazingly, some corporate prayer groups base their entire prayer time on emotions. Hebrews 11:1-2 tell us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good testimony.” It is faith that moves the heart of God, not emotion.

By faith the elders obtained a good testimony. Yet some of these giants of the faith were tortured, jeered at and flogged, while others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned, sawed in two and put to death by the sword (see vv. 35-37).

Most of these mighty men and women didn’t flinch when they were mistreated, misunderstood, persecuted or left destitute. Hebrews 11:38-39 (NIV) says of them, “The world was not worthy of them...These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.” Their mind-set was one of faith, not feelings.

God knows I am emotional. Eddie calls me radical. In his book Help! I’m Married to an Intercessor (Regal) he describes me in his own terms:

“Alice is radical about everything! This woman would rather watch the Houston Rockets professional basketball team play than eat. She was a cheerleader in school when her father was the football coach. Alice is a Dallas Cowboys football fanatic as well. When the Cowboys game is being televised, everything at our house comes to a screeching halt.

“Now, I like football. I tend to watch the game casually from my recliner. I drink coffee, read the paper and talk on the phone during the game.

Not her! Alice watches the game on her feet—even in our living room! Pacing, lunging, warning and encouraging the players and coaches, my radical wife is not bothered at all that they can’t hear a word she’s saying!”

Being radical is not bad as long as you work to maintain balance in all areas of your life.

3. Inappropriate behavior. Intercessors have a responsibility to represent the Lord both inside and outside the prayer room. We need to learn that that which is biblical is not always appropriate. Ongoing “weird” activity in the prayer setting is likely to be soulish, if not demonic.

An undisciplined mind confuses soulishness and spirituality, allowing the soul to rule over the spirit. An unruly mind has to be “renewed day by day.” The apostle Paul reminds us: “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18, KJV).

To be filled with the Spirit is to exercise the qualities of the Holy Spirit. What are they? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).

Egrates, the Greek word for temperance, is translated “self-control.” The Holy Spirit will not control you. You must control you!

One form of inappropriate behavior I am concerned about is an alarming manifestation I will call “ecstasy.” This manifestation is misdiagnosed as travail, but it is not genuine godly travail. When it occurs, a glazed expression forms on the intercessor’s face, and he or she voices utterances resembling expressions of sexual gratification. I have actually seen intercessors positioned in a manner that suggests a sexual act is happening.

Beware, women! We must ask the Lord for spiritual discernment concerning such matters. Proper travailing prayer will not cause physical arousal.

Dutch Sheets makes an interesting point about travail in his book, Intercessory Prayer (Regal):

“First, I believe biblical travail is an important, if not essential, part of intercession for the lost. Second, I don’t believe it is defined by groaning, wailing, weeping and hard work. Natural travail certainly is, and spiritual travail can include these things. I do not believe, however, it must include them, and I’m convinced it is not defined by them.”

Dutch goes on to define travailing intercession. It is “a form of intercession that releases the creative power...of the Holy Spirit into a situation to produce, create or give birth to something.”

Not long ago at a conference, I called for repentance by all intercessors who had ever experienced false travail such as I have described. One woman who came forward for prayer told me that she was a seasoned intercessor who had been praying for over 20 years. But recently she went to a conference where a person laid hands on her for impartation. Impartation is right!

After that incident, whenever she tried to pray she would see Jesus as her lover and experience a physical orgasm. She had opened herself to a false spiritual experience she did not ask the Lord about first. At the conference she received deliverance from the evil spirit that had seduced her.

It is clear that we must be discerning. Ephesians 5:15-16 tell us to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (NKJV).

Evil or not, these are exciting days in which to live, for spiritual awakenings are being seen throughout the earth. I pray we see one here in the United States! To help bring this about, we must be committed to maintaining our credibility in prayer. Decide now to keep a spiritual eye on what’s going on in the prayer room and be a Spirit-led—not a flaky—woman of prayer.

Alice Smith is co-founder and executive director of the U.S. Prayer Center in Houston. She is also an internationally known conference speaker and  best-selling author. Consider booking Alice for your next prayer conference, leadership training, banquet speaker, retreat leader, etc. Books and other resources by Alice can be found at:  www.PrayerBookstore.com

Recently, I was at a meeting with a team of us who will be headed to Costa Rica for a mission trip this summer and we were all sharing our testimonies.  Kyndell is a beautiful, sweet spirited, young woman who told us about how she grew up in a Christian home and how she thinks she's probably weird because she prays about everything and for everyone.  She teared up as she spoke and you could sense the passion within her.  She went on to say that she was hoping that the mission trip would help her to identify God's purpose for her life.  I couldn't help but smile at the gift of intercession that I see in her.  That little experience made me think about the importance of calling forth and nurturing the gifts that we see in those around us--especially in our young people.  I for one will be lifting up this young women in prayer and I'm looking forward to getting to know her better on our mission trip.

I remember an older woman in my church when I was a teenager who took a special interest in me after I made my profession of faith.  She gave me a cross necklace and promised to pray for me.  I can't tell you how much that meant to me--especially since I did not have parents or any family members who were Christians.

How about you, is there a teen that you can encourage, bless, and help bring forth the giftings that God has placed in them?

Kingdom Greetings Intercessors,

I wanted to share with you the Intercessors Prayer Pillow set made by yours truly, Virtuous Lady. I have been in need of a new Prayer pillow for quite some time and on yesterday with the assistance of my Mom, Mother Barbara Martin, I made my own Prayer Pillow and a blanket to match. I selected Army or Warfare Design because I am a Warrior in the Army of the Lord, and a warm fleece fabric. I made an oversized pillow because at times I'm on my knees for a while and I wanted to be comfortable. I also decided to make a matching blanket so that when I lay prostrate before my Heavenly Father I can do so on a nice soft comfortable blanket.

Let's continue to be on our post in Prayer for there is Power in Prayer and Prayer is my Passion!

Yours in Kingdom Building,

Pastor Lisa Martin aka Virtuous Lady

Praying As a United Community for Our Children, Teachers, Parents and Schools by Linda D. Fegins

Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children" (Lam. 2:19).

It’s back to school time. There have been back to school rallies. Many ministries have been calling for prayer for the children, teachers, administrators and school staff as they return back to school. The day of September 1, 2010 Messiah Baptist Church Intercessory Prayer Team under the guidance of Kimberly Bracey ( Team Leader Linda Fegins) as well as various ministries such as the Global Prayer Intercessors founded by Minetta Hare, and the Lydia Circle Prayer Team ( Director Linda Fegins) held prayer meetings by conference call, three way telephone calls and at church praying for protection, guidance and wisdom for our school children , youth and college students , parents and staff. There is no doubt that “Moms In Touch International” (MITI) founded by Fern Nichols, a group of mothers around the country who simply desire to affect communities and schools through the power of prayer have been going before the throne of God. A diversified group of mothers of MITI serve as prayer warriors who battle in the spiritual realm for the lives of children and teenagers as they go off to school for at least one hour every week. They are women united with one purpose: a passion to pray for their children.

Through prayer, our lives, our children’s lives, and our world can be changed. Public schools, such as the Detroit Public School system, and other inner-city schools around the nation with all the violence, disorganization, poor administration, and politics on the school boards can be transformed by prayer. Then change will occur by our obedience if God calls us to action. He will show us how to use the power that believers have within through the Holy Spirit to transform our schools. Through united consistent prayer, God will give us the power, wisdom, knowledge, and creativity to solve the many school problems that plague our city schools and school board. Through prayer the right leaders will arise and the community should be able to come together to take productive and strategic action.

Believe that intercessors can change your school district with the weapon of prayer. Believe that positive results will occur such as peace and safety, better test scores, higher graduation rates, and more school funds to meet the needs of our children. Pray that student-led prayer groups will spring forth. Yes, the crisis in our schools is discouraging and is wide spread. But remember that where sin increases, grace increases all the more (see Ro. 5:20).

I know that many intercessors already have prayer assignments from the Lord. But I would challenge the intercessors, parents and teachers to ask Him if He might also want you to "adopt" a public school for your prayer agenda.

Prayer Points for Our Children, Teachers, Parents and Administrators

Finally for what should we pray? We want to pray specifically and effectively on one accord. I have a few suggestions; some are what the Lord has given me and others I have gathered from other prayer warriors and other articles on prayer.

Children and Youth

Pray:

• Daily for the safety of our children and that God will deliver them from evil and thwart every scheme of the enemy.
• Pray that our children will be open to learning new knowledge and that God would give them the wisdom to know how to understand and use that knowledge. We need to pray that our children have the ability to discriminate between good knowledge and bad knowledge. Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older he will remain upon it. (Proverbs 22:6)
• Pray that our children will be serious minded and work hard to acquire both secular and spiritual knowledge. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
• Pray for the hearts of the students to be receptive to the gospel of peace and that God will call many to Himself. (Acts 2:38-40)
• Pray for our sons and daughters to make wise choices and to develop solid friendships with those who are following God. (Psalms 144;12-15)
• Pray for relief of those children who are homeless and need shelter, food and health care. Pray that Christ will restore their home for the future. (Psalms 107:41)
• Ask God to cause your children to be examples for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (I Timothy 4:12)
• Pray for those students that experience rejection and bullying from other students and teachers. Ask God to provide them with people that love and respect them unconditionally. (John 13:34; Romans 15:7)
• Pray for those students that are struggling academically. Ask God to encourage them and strengthen their minds. Pray that God will give their teachers and parent’s wisdom to know how to best help them learn.
• Pray they will not feel like failures, but will learn discipline. (I Thessalonians 5:14)

Teachers

Pray:

• Pray for our school teachers to have the wisdom needed to effectively impart knowledge to their students. A wise teacher makes learning a joy… (Proverbs 15:2a)
• Pray for our school teachers that God will give them the grace to deal with day-to-day frustrations and problems.
• Pray that our school teachers would exhibit the life of Christ before our children. That they would be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness.
• Pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask him to recruit more effective teachers with integrity for our schools. ( See Matthew 9:38)
• Ask God to rise up Godly educators who are dedicated to their field and can capture the hearts and minds of our nation’s youth on each level of education. (Colossians 1:9-10)
• Pray our educators will pray unceasingly for guidance and wisdom to become the examples to their students. (I Peter 2:21) Pray they will know how to pray for their students.
• Pray that teachers will impart godly wisdom to form godly character in their students. (Luke 6:40)

Parents

Pray:

• Pray for parents that they will love and support their children’s education at school, at home, and at church.
• Pray for family stability and that God’s principles for the family will be honored and promoted in our schools. (Genesis 28:14)
• Pray “Lord, without your help we are helpless, so as parents, be our guide as to how we can best communicate and encourage our teachers and how we can train our children.”

Administrators

Pray:

• Pray for the standard of excellence to be restored in our educational institutes and that our educators will pass on that spirit of excellence, requiring excellence, rather than sloth and ignorance. (Ecclesiastes 2:13-14)
• Pray for the needed tools and proper facilities to teach our children.(Philippians 4:19)
• Pray for the election of godly leaders on our school boards and in the administration of our schools. (I Timothy 2:1)
• Pray for the support staff in the schools to treat the children with dignity and respect.

“Intercessors have strategic assignments in their prayer closets. The prayer closet is like those ancient watchtowers. From there, they can scour ‘the spiritual horizon’ like air traffic controllers. They often sense spiritual things discerning the good from the bad, the welcome from the unwelcome. In prayer, God sometimes exposes the enemy’s plans and shows the intercessor ‘the cards that Satan is holding.’” Eddie and Alice Smith

If ever there was a need for watchful prayer, it is now! We need to be watchful, especially as we see major changes happening worldwide on a weekly basis. Many of us watch the daily news to see in the natural what is happening, but God wants us to watch and see spiritually what is occurring on the earth. It is time for all of us to get our lives in order before the Lord, become watchful in prayer, and find our position as God’s watchmen on the watchtower.

Intercessors are front-line soldiers.

They see into the distance, observe what is happening, and lean forward in prayer. Sometimes they see with eyes of discernment, and at other times they may see things way in advance. God gives them insight in order to intercede. The Greek word for “watch” means, “to be vigilant, wake, to be watchful.” Jim Goll, well-known author, speaker and intercessory leader, says:

“A watchman on the wall does many things. He carefully watches what is happening and alerts the community when good ambassadors approach the city… A watchman also warns the city far in advance when an enemy approaches. He sounds an alarm to awaken the people because he knows ‘to forewarn them is to alert and arm them.’ Then they quickly can rally to take their stand on the wall against the enemy before he wrongfully tries to enter into the city.”

What does watching mean for you personally?

What does God want you to concentrate on during prayer and intercession?

For what has He given you discernment or a burden?

It may be your school, neighborhood, city, nation, or a particular people group. This is where we need to watch and pray. When we see danger coming, we pray and ask others to pray. We cry out to God to bring salvation, deliverance and make His name known. We pray against evil intruding in the area where we are keeping watch. We say “no” to the powers of darkness in Jesus’ name. We pray for God’s peace instead of fear, for life instead of death, and for hope instead of hopelessness.

At the same time, all of us need to be on the alert and pray diligently for the nations. For many years we lived on a ship that brought the light of the Gospel to various nations. Every hour of every day watchmen had to be on duty. These watchmen kept alert to any possible dangers that might come toward our ship - dangerous weather, thieves, fire, and other possible threats to our safety. During their watch, they stayed alert. They knew that being a watchman was a serious responsibility.

You and I must be vigilant as a watchman for our nation. Although we may get weary and tired, we have a responsibility. We are called to pray for our president, prime minister, or king. We are on watch. We read in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” In Isaiah 62:6-7 the Bible speaks of watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem:

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

God is raising up watchmen in this hour, because the need for day and night prayer for our cities is urgent. Let the following grip your heart. This is adapted from George Otis, Jr., the president and founder of the research group, the Sentinel, and the producer of the Transformation videos:

"If the Church is the nations best hope, it must be awakened from its slumber and fast. Revival must become an urgent priority, not just a theological or historical curiosity. Its promotion must become the task of every pulpit, its implementation the responsibility of every believer. For this to happen, desperate intercessors must prevail upon God to provoke within His people a deep and widespread dissatisfaction with the religious status quo.

The Church needs godly shepherds who will resolutely refuse to downplay the urgency of the hour and the seriousness of the present condition. She requires committed prophets who will seize every opportunity to acknowledge with Ezekiel: ‘Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them’ (Ezekiel 33:10). We have come to the point, both as individuals and as a Church, where we can no longer coast on the momentum of past deeds and choices. Our relationship with God has become fallow, and it can only become fruitful again through true repentance and unreserved obedience.

In this unsettled hour, the eyes of the Lord are upon His people. Will He find faith in the earth? Will He find a hunger for His presence? Will He find a ready remnant through whom He can speak to the nations and their leaders? Let us press in to hear what the Spirit has to say to the Church. If this requires us to suspend, at least temporarily, some of our most cherished routines - let us seize the moment!”

You and I are in a serious spiritual war. Failing to take our post during these days of uncertainty could lead to serious consequences. We must be vigilant and not apathetic - We must be careful and not lax - We must watch with a serious gaze to hear and see all that God is saying and doing. Our families, our churches, our missionaries, and our nations are important.

If watchmen do not keep their post on a ship during serious weather conditions, it could mean the loss of the ship and every person on board. Remember the Titanic, which sank very quickly because the watchmen were not doing their job. Let’s learn to concentrate on prayer, listening with expectation, and seize the moment as we keep our watch. Let’s learn to be God’s Watchmen.

“Watchmen are ordinarily placed on the walls of a city to give notice to the rulers of coming danger. God appoints watchmen not only to warn men - often they will not hear - but also to summon Him to come to their aid whenever need or the enemy may be threatening. The great mark of the intercessors are that they are not to hold their peace day or night, to take no rest, and to give God no rest, until the deliverance comes. In faith they may count upon the assurance that God will answer their prayers.” Andrew Murray

By Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise

deb@intercessorsarise.org

http://www.intercessorsarise.org

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