It seems as if a lot of bad things happen to America in September. It is almost as if September is the hangover from summer madness. We all know about September 11, 2001. However in September 1856, the signs were all around the developed cities. New York City was already the financial capitol of the world.  Exhibits A to Z are thus: the economy and accompanying social decline were picking up speed. Bankruptcy was high and morale was low. Preachers were just as ineffective as they are today and fast becoming irrelevant. Many of them had predicted doom and gloom and the end of the world which never happened. Politicians were just as horrible as they are today and unemployment just as high as 2012. Civil War talk was in the air. America was in a bad place. The enemy was domestic.

Finally on October 10, the New York Stock Exchange crashed. Did you know that 10,000 immediately showed up for the noon prayer meeting called by Lanphier on Fulton Street?! They had run out of space on Fulton Street, so the prayer meeting expanded across the street to the larger John Street Methodist Church...then all over New York City....and then Chicago, Philadelphia, Louisville (Kentucky) and so on! This led to the greatest Revival ever in America - the Third Great Awakening. There has been nothing like it since, and it began with one layman, like you and I, who was used by God.

Next year’s Seek God for the City came off press last week. That is earlier than ever before. Here’s why: The WayMakers team thought it would be important to have it in the hands of leaders before the election in order to encourage God’s people to be ready to pray together next year with solid biblical hope.

I’m sure you are praying now along with millions of others. The crisis our country faces is heightened by the election. Have you thought about how to encourage united prayer after the political crisis? The early months of 2013 will be a crucial time. Regardless of how the voting turns out, the challenges we face are far greater than any political solution. That’s why we want you to examine Seek God for the City 2013 now. It may be a very worthy and valuable tool coming at an ideal time (February 13 - March 24) for the people you lead.

As in previous years, Seek God for the City is designed to unite and focus prayer through the 40 days leading to Palm Sunday, February 13 through March 24, 2013. Check out the details at www.waymakers.org or call us at 800-264-5214.

We have been able to keep the same affordable prices. Quantity discounts make the 64-page booklet available for as little as $1.20 a copy. That makes it possible to equip many in your church or community for much less than the $3 single copy price.

Please get your review copy soon. I hope you find this tool to be helpful and encouraging for those you lead. But regardless of how Seek God for the City may be used, let’s be sure to pray in united hope in the early days of 2013.

Yours in hope,

Steve Hawthorne, Director
WayMakers

PS We are offering a complimentary review copy to leaders in recognized positions of pastoral or prayer leadership. Call our office at 800-264-5214 to request a review copy.

By Eddie and Alice Smith
U.S. Prayer Center, Houston, Texas

Sadly, as we enter 2013 we can’t help but notice that much of the twenty-first century church is in disarray.

Despite Paul’s 2,000-year-old admonition against division in the church (1 Cor. 12:22-25), it’s plain to see that the body of Christ is severely splintered. Among the divisions are:

•  Denominationalism

•  Racial tensions

•  The gender gap

•  The Charismatic versus non-Charismatic issues

•  Minister and laity distinctions

Although in the past twenty years we’ve seen some encouraging reconciliation in the church, the lost world might rightly ask, “Why are these Christians trying to reconcile me to God when they are not even reconciled to each other?”

It’s an excellent question, and one that deserves an answer. After all, reconciliation implies relationship!

But there is something else. Along with the need for reconciliation, we must offer the Lord new wineskins. God wants to pour out the new wine of revival upon his church. In fact, he has saved the best wine until last. It is a purifying wine, a healing wine, and an empowering wine. New wine however, requires new wineskins. (Mark 2:22) As someone has rightly said, “All new wineskins have one thing in common. They are freshly dead.”

To become new wineskins and truly live, we must die to ourselves and abandon the old. So the church today is in a state of flux. The only thing we can count on in the future is change! But as long as the church looks like a sieve, fraught with disunity, it will never hold water, much less new wine.

We are on the brink of what may be history’s last great revival and a worldwide harvest of souls. God is renewing the nature of the church (his bride) as he prepares her for earth’s final spiritual battle to be followed by the marriage supper of the Lamb.

However, Jesus said, “A house divided against itself will fall” (Luke 11:17). As unity enables, so also disunity disables. For 2,000 years, a disabled church has tried,

• To reach a disabled world

• To fight against the kingdom of darkness

• To complete the Great Commission

As a result of our divisions, not surprisingly, we have accomplished little. After 2,000 years of opportunity, much of the world is yet to know God and the eternal salvation that could be theirs through his Son, Jesus Christ. Two thousand more years of the same from the church will produce the same pitiful results!

That is precisely why we need watchmen (intercessors) who will “stand in the gap in prayer,” and for gatekeepers (pastors), who will move into their Kingdom positions to work effectively with them.

(Source: Eddie and Alice Smith’s book, Intercessors & Pastors: The Emerging Partnership of Watchmen & Gatekeepers, pages 5-6)

Friends, we are living in an hour when the very existence of Israel is literally threatened on all sides, both politically and physically. We are living in an hour when Israel's very right to exist is being questioned on university campuses, in the media, and within international governments. We are living in an hour when - according to a 2010 poll by the European Commission - Israel is believed by Europeans in 15 countries to be the greatest threat to world peace... greater than North Korea, Iran or Afghanistan. If ever people in God's Holy Land needed to know that there are people standing with them, people praying for them, and people looking to bless them and not destroy them...NOW is that time.

As we lead up to the worldwide Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem (DPPJ) on October 7 (www.daytopray.com ), our friends at KeepTree.com have made it possible for believers from all over the world to send a personal prayer (via video) to the people of Israel.  The goal is to send 800,000 video prayers for the 800,000 residents of Jerusalem... and we need  YOUR participation to make it happen!

We are believing that this effort will become the largest video exchange of thoughts and prayers between people in history.  Join us now and help us spread the word.

 Go now to www.keeptree.com/dppj  to learn more and to record your prayer of peace, blessing, or encouragement for one of the 800,000 people in Jerusalem!

I listened to a conversation between pastors John Piper and Rick Warren recently. From their theological towers, one can barely see the other’s camp on the edge of the horizon. Piper, a died in the wool Calvinist, wanted to talk with “whosoever will can come” Warren about Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life. While the two could have staked out their own territory like medieval lords protecting their castle, they lowered their theological drawbridges and met in the valley to honestly talk about faith and life in Christ.

At one point Warren said “When I find two scriptures that seem to be opposed to one another, I accept them both.” So when Piper asked his friend about Calvin’s predestined approach to salvation, Warren replied that he accepts the idea, that God draws men He foreknew and predestined to salvation. He also believes that whoever confesses Jesus as Lord becomes part of God’s family, and that the door is open to every man - opposing ideas, yet one faith. Warren was comfortable with a God who is bigger than his own understanding.

I have a similar problem with two other scriptures. I hear Christ-followers say “I felt the Lord prompt me to __ (fill in the blank here) ______,” and so they make sure to do, or not do ____ (whatever) _________. This personal interaction with God is like a faith merit badge, worn as proudly as any Eagle Scout’s sash.

At the same time, friends from the less charismatic crowd tend to focus on obedience. They study scripture and are so sure to follow the biblical principles that the idea of hearing God’s voice is almost unnecessary. Their lives are often stable, prosperous and fruitful . . . evidence of God’s presence.

A vital prayer life and prayer ministry has to move out of the “either / or approach” to an intimate relationship with God, and embrace both hearing and obeying God’s voice.

• If we only do that which we feel prompted into, we become selfish, self-focused children. We demand God meet our requirements, rather than opening our hearts to follow his. 
• If we only act on what we read in the Bible or learn in a Sunday school class, we become stale, and quite the opposite of the “hear before we obey” crowd. We miss the prompting of the Holy Spirit because He often doesn’t fit into our programs. God asks us to change, take risk, and move into new territory.
• If we use our comfort zone as an excuse to nullify our brother’s approach, we miss the blessing of what God can, and wants to teach us. We risk becoming bigoted, closed hearted, and quenching the Spirit we so desperately need.
  
  

Even the quickest historical survey reveals that the men through whom God changed the world were men who lived by both creeds. No one had to tell Wesley, Spurgeon, Wilkerson or Moody that God’s heart was broken over poverty, orphans, and widows. They preached the word in season and out, ministered to the poor, and listened for God’s voice on a daily basis.

The man who won me to Christ had this plaque on his desk.

All Word and we dry up.
All Spirit and we blow up.
With the Word and Spirit, We grow up.

Jesus demonstrated both. Shouldn’t we?

I think one of the reasons people struggle with prayer or fail to grow is that they don't have any idea how to evaluate their prayer life.  We can fairly readily break our physical health down into some core components of strength, flexibility, cardio fitness, etc.  But, what about our spiritual health?

Over the summer, while on a sabbatical, I came to recognize 5 core components of a healthy, growing, prayer life.  I call these core components, the 5 Pillars of Life Changing Prayer.  I also came to realize that each of these pillars, can be consciously strengthened through different prayer practices.  

In the following video, I share what those 5 Pillars are.  I would love to hear your feedback.

The men’s ministry in our church recently held a daylong event, and I had the privilege of being part of the prayer team. As the guys gathered in the gym surrounded by camo-netting, motorcycles and 4x4 ATV’s,  I was welcomed into the church's prayer chapel by the presence of God’s Spirit. I expected to fight with my roaming mind to stay focused on the prayer-task at hand. I expected to consciously have to still my mind, and wait for my emotional wheels to coast to a halt before I would really enter into God’s presence.

Instead God’s Spirit met me at the door, and for the first hour, I was overwhelmed by a single idea. I sensed God ready to meet with me, not standing off in the distance waiting for me to fight my way into his presence. While I didn’t hear an audible voice, I overwhelmingly sensed God say:

 “You are here to ask me to do things for you, but you don’t have to ask. You don’t even have the right to ask for anything of your own accord. I want your prayers on the basis of my promises to you. I want to answer your prayers, and I offer you my grace, power and presence on the basis of my Unchanging Word.”

As I’m writing this, I’m having a hard time describing how this single idea transformed my prayer expectations. I often spend time in extended prayer. I have my prayer lists, and I pray for my kids, my church, my finances, family and country. I ask God to glorify himself, reveal himself, and cover those who spend their lives in service of the ministry. I have my shopping list that I lug into my prayer closet, but so often I feel like I have to walk up hill before I can talk to God. I have to clear away the brush in my mind to find a peaceful place in the middle of my mental forests before I pray. For those of you in an intercessory ministry, I trust you understand the struggle my inadequate words are trying to frame

Prayer is hard work, and if we don’t pray, there are events in the kingdom that will likely never happen, miracles left undone, souls left unchanged. I do, and God will; if I don’t, God won’t. It’s hard to dance with this humble task without becoming arrogant in the execution.

Yet that day, God reminded me that I am in a covenant with him, and He wants me to pray. God wants and waits for me to enter into his presence. I don’t have to come up with the perfect formula of words before God hears me. He has promised to hear me . . . hear us, and we get to stand before him on the basis of his unchanging commitment to us, our Father, Redeemer, Savior and Friend.

Years ago, a musician named Scott Wesley Brown told this story. Sitting in a prayer meeting, he waited his turn while trying to find the perfect words to impress God and the people around him. He didn’t feel the pride in his heart until a young girl spoke up and said slowly:

“Dear God, A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.   
Father, I don’t know what to say, so here are all the letters I know.
You put them together in the right order. Amen”

Irritated at first, Brown was humbled by the time the girl finished. He wanted to get it right, to impress and declare. The girl just wanted to pray.

When I go into prayer, do I remember that prayer is a conversation? I hear it all the time, but too often I act as if it’s all up to me. Why aren’t more people coming to the prayer meetings? Didn’t Jesus call all of us to pray? Why are there so few people in the prayer room this morning? It’s so easy to be quietly proud in my prayer closet. That morning in the prayer chapel, God illuminated my pride from his perspective.

I pray because he asks me to come. I can expect an audience because he promised to answer. I am welcomed because of what Jesus sacrificed for me. I can love, because I was first loved. If there’s anything I have to get right in my prayers, it’s humility, and the conviction that God will keep his promises when I ask. Now I can ask in faith.

For two years, a handful of members at my church have gathered for prayer in our Lighthouse Prayer Chapel during at least one weekend service. Every weekend, we lay down our own agenda and life’s general busyness, and pursue one thing. We ask God to be increasingly present and powerful in Kentwood Community Church (KCC). ministries and services. We ask Him to reveal Himself, and lead the services to a deeper experience of his purpose, presence and power.  (see Jer. 29.11-13)  Without God, our efforts at ministry fall flat. There’s not one heart we can change, one life that can be lifted, or one program that will be successful without the Power of God through is Holy Spirit, and the Word of God guiding us in truth.

Most KCC’ers, and many believers haven’t experienced an extended prayer time. The idea of praying together in a group for 70 - 90 minutes is intimidating and unknown. At the same time, we mentally agree that praying together for the church ministries is a good thing. Prayer is something that ‘somebody’ should do. This reminds me of a poem I heard somewhere long ago.

The Parable of Responsibility  

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody came to church one Sunday.

There was an important job to do and Everybody was asked to do it.

Everybody was sure that Somebody would take up the challenge.

Anybody would have done it, but in the end Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job.

Everybody thought Anybody would do it, but Nobody realized that Anybody wouldn’t do it.

In the end, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

We started the Outlet Prayer Ministry to end Everybody’s, Somebody’s Nobody’s and Anybody’s dilemma when it comes to prayer. Jesus encourages us all to pray.

• He set the example for us to follow.
• He chided his followers when they couldn’t minister to others because of their lack of prayer.
• He longed for their support in the Garden, asked them to come along with Him.
• He lamented when they couldn’t pray just an hour with Him.

Jesus promised power, and positive results when we follow his example, accept his invitation, and then follow through by laying down our agenda, and spending time in prayer. Maybe your church could establish the same kind of prayer group. I would love to know what you think about this idea.

Check out Central AZ's latest prayer newsletter here.

The term unanswered prayer has been having an unsettling effect on my soul. I have noticed that over the course of my Christian life I have heard that prayers can be answered by God with yes, no or maybe. So when I have prayed I was always uncertain as to whether God would answer with a yes. This made it hard for me to pray.  Often I would feel like the man who doubted in James 1. How can I pray with faith that God will answer if I don’t know that it is His will to answer with a yes? I felt my prayers were weak and powerless.

This led me to ask, what is God’s will? Inherently all of God’s will is written in the Bible. There is a verse for everything. So for every situation I began to search Scripture.

For example over the summer I knew a Christian couple who was getting married rather hurriedly.  To everyone it seemed rash. They didn’t seem ready and the intensity of their relationship caused them to act with disrespect towards others.  Some told me that I should pray they break up before the wedding. I found myself wondering how I knew it was God’s will they not get married. Maybe this marriage is what they both needed to grow. I began searching Scripture and found Ephesians 3:17 -19 – the verses about knowing the love of Christ. The actions of this couple demonstrated to me that they had issues and their hearts did not know the extent of Christ’s love. So this has become my prayer for them. They got married and I don’t know how they are doing but I know without a shadow of doubt that it is God’s will for them to know the love of Christ and that knowing this love will transform all their relationships.

Another situation is one that has been in my family for years – a certain saved person who is always full of negativity, whose life is just a mess. Always before I prayed for the outer situation; that this person would stop causing problems and stop being negative.  After so many years of praying this way I was tempted to say my prayers were unanswered. Once again I began searching Scripture. I know this person is saved so I pray Philippians 1:6 – knowing that God began the good work of salvation & that He is able to complete a good work in this person’s life.

Praying Scriptural promises over people gives strength to my prayer life. I no longer feel like I don’t know if I am praying God’s will, no longer do I question if or how He will answer. My focus has shifted because when I prayed without a Scriptural promise I was praying with my desired outcome behind the prayer. I wanted the couple not to get married because I thought that was best. I want the family member to stop being negative so my life will be less complicated. As I put God’s promises to these situations I took my human desires out of them.  I no longer think of prayers as being unanswered but wait on God who knows all things and works according to His timetable – whose ways are higher than my ways – who is able to bring His Word to pass!

I can’t tell you for sure whether America’s Founding Fathers were influenced by the New Age or infiltrated by the Illuminati. But some of the Latin phrases they used are pretty intriguing.

Recently I took a look at Annuit Coeptis, which is found on the Great Seal and the back of our dollar bills. This Latin phrase can be translated “He (or Providence) favors our undertakings” or “He has prospered our endeavors.”

Wow. Our Founders somehow realized they never would have succeeded without divine favor. This recognition of the need for God’s favor should be our testimony as well.

A psalm attributed to Moses reflects this passion very well:

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17).

Of course, there are two sides of this “favor” issue. In one sense, if we are positioned in Christ, we already have as much of God’s favor as we could ever have (Romans 8:31-32). It’s surely not a commodity we can earn.

Yet we’re also given examples in Scripture of people—including Jesus Himself—who “GREW in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Isn’t it good to know you can have MORE of God’s favor tomorrow than you have today?

So my prayer for you is that you recognize the incredible favor God offers you through your position in His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17). And then may you GROW in His wisdom, so you can experience an ever-increasing outpouring of His favor on your endeavors.

Annuit Coeptis can be the testimony of your life! 

Developing a Dynamic Prayer Life

"To the average Christian the command "pray without ceasing" is simply a needless and impossible life of perfection. Who can do it? We can get to heaven without it. To the true believer, on the contrary, it holds out the promise of the highest happiness, of a life crowned by all the blessings that can be brought down on souls through his intercession. And as he perseveres, it becomes increasingly his highest aim upon earth, his highest joy, his highest experience of the wonderful fellowship with the holy God."

God passionately desires that we partner with Him in prayer. We have a dynamic role in determining the measure of the quality of our life, because God opens doors of blessing when we pray. But we have to rise up in prayer and partner with Him or we will not see these blessings. It is wise to develop a dynamic prayer life. God seeks for those who will stand in the gap and pray (Ezekiel 22:30).
 
Why does God love our prayers? It seems to be a mystery, doesn’t it? 
 
Prayer and intercession draws us into intimacy, and at the same time, humbles and transforms us. When we bring our needs to God in prayer, we interact with God’s heart. He loves when we verbalize our prayers. He wants us to ask in order to receive (James 4:2). He even withholds blessing if we do not ask. God will answer and be gracious to us if we pray and ask (Isaiah 30:18-19).
 
When we pray we are in governmental partnership with God, and we are changed on the inside as His Word abides in us. We are filled with His heart, and our effectiveness in prayer increases. We then decree His decrees with power from on high (Job 22:27-28). Wrong things are made right, the sick are healed, those bound in sin are freed, and revival is released in geographical areas. It’s marvelous! 

God initiates prayer by declaring His will in His Word. We respond by praying His Word. Then He answers us by releasing His blessing because of our prayers. Our prayers are actually very powerful even during those days when we feel they are very weak. Prayer and intercession cause us to internalize God’s Word because when we speak His ideas back to Him, our minds are illuminated and our hearts are touched. His Words impart life (John 6:63). His Word builds us up and delivers us (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12; Acts 20:32; James 1:21). God’s mind then dominates and saturates ours, renewing us as we pursue Him in prayer.

I love to hear stories about Charles Finney because my husband comes from New York. Charles Finney was a lawyer from New York in the 1800’s whom the Lord used greatly to bring about revival. He soon quit his law practice and went into times of prayer and fasting. In 1857, in just eight weeks, 500,000 people came to the Lord through his ministry, and 80% of them continued on with the Lord. That was a large number of people in those days.

What was the secret of his spiritual success?  

Daniel Nash and Abel Clary were two men who believed in prayer. They would go ahead of Finney to the cities where he was going to preach, and they would cry out to God in prayer for those cities. Within three months after Nash had died, Finney’s traveling ministry stopped, and he became a pastor.

These amazing results were because of prayer!   

In the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, Jesus exhorts us to cry night and day. We must learn to be steadfast in prayer with great endurance. Satan’s warfare against us is to undermine our faith by tempting us to lose heart and confidence in prayer. The Bible promises us that we will reap if we do not grow weary (Galatians 6:7-9).

If we look at Jesus’ disciples, their request was not to have a big ministry or great fame. They asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). They saw that everything that happened in Jesus’ ministry was because of His prayer life. Throughout the Bible we see that those who God used greatly were men and women of prayer.

“Christ, who in this as well as in other things is our example, spent many whole nights in prayer. His custom was to pray much. He had His habitual place to pray. Many long seasons of praying made up His history and character. Paul prayed day and night. Daniel’s three daily prayers took time away from other important interests. David’s morning, noon, and night praying was doubtless on many occasions very long and involved. While we have no specific account of the time these Bible saints spent in prayer, the indications are that they devoted much time to prayer, and on some occasions long seasons of praying were their custom.”


Action Plan for Your Prayer Time

It’s good to have a prayer action plan. This will help you stay focused and will keep your mind from wandering. Realize that you are speaking to a real person who loves you. Be attentive, and focus your mind on the Father who sits on His throne (Revelation 4). Let’s look at some ways we can develop a dynamic prayer life:

• Have a personal Bible plan. Daily read several chapters in the Bible or whole books of the Bible. There are several Bible plans. Find one that is helpful for you.
  
  
• Pray the Bible. Pray the apostolic prayers and other biblical prayers. Pray phrases from the Bible during your prayer time.
  
  
• Have a prayer list for others. Include specific places (cities, nations) and people (friends, ministries, unsaved, governmental authorities, etc.).
  
  
• Pray for strategic social issues. Pray about current disasters and social crises. Pray regarding the issues of abortion and homosexuality, etc. Pray for Israel and human trafficking. 
  
  
• Have a personal prayer list. Pray for your personal circumstances such as your physical, financial, and relational situations. 
  
  -Pray for your own heart (intimacy, fear of God, purity, speech, a spirit of prayer).
  -Pray for your mind (your understanding of God’s purposes, a spirit of revelation of God’s emotions, will for your life, and end-time purposes).
  -Pray for your ministry (anointed hands and words, contending for God’s purposes, authority and conviction in  your words, insight into the secrets of God’s heart, fruitfulness).

• Pray for wisdom. Here at the IHOP, Mike Bickle encourages us to pray for the following:
  
  -Revelation of God’s personality and Word with wisdom to walk out the practicality of love and humility (Ephesians 1:17).
  -Knowledge of God’s love for me (Ephesians 3:17-19; 1 John 3:1).
  -Revelation of God’s will for my life (Colossians 1:9). 
  -Revelation of God’s end-time purposes (Daniel 11:35; 12:10). 
  -Personal revelation of eternity (Psalm 39:4-6; 90:12), the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21), the Judgment Seat (1 Cor. 3:11-15), the resurrected body (1 Corinthian 15) and hell (Revelation 20:11-15).

When we draw near to God, he will draw near to us (James 4:8). As we spend time with God, we get to know His love for us in a deeper way. We grow in confidence that God loves us, and we discover His heart for us. God’s light drives out darkness and energizes our spirits (Luke 11:36). 

Our spiritual capacity is enlarged when we pray. We experience the supernatural impact of God’s light in our lives. We then turn away from sin, and we come to the realization that I am my beloved’s, and His desire is for me (Song of Solomon 7:10). We delight in God and His Words, and He delivers us (Romans 7:22-25). He washes us with His Word. The devil can’t get us with his accusations and condemnations (Revelation 12:10) as we spend time in prayer. We can learn to live in victory and wisdom.

Let’s pray and ask God for His light to enter our hearts (Psalm 43:3). Let’s pray for His Word to grip our minds (Psalm 119:18, 105, 130; Colossians 3:1-3) and help us to make quality decisions to walk in righteousness daily (Psalm 24:3-6; 119:11, 32). May His Word empower us to obey His commands and daily set our hearts on wholehearted obedience.

God’s end-time strategy is day and night prayer. He is calling us to believe and develop a radical prayer life. It will be costly and sacrificial, but it will be well worth the effort (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 1 John 3:16-18). We are celebrating the life of Jesus in prayer. We are standing for justice and freedom for mankind. The end-time prayer movement will be full of the Spirit and the Word of God. Our prayers will not be lifeless, but they will have power to change nations and cities. As you come to Him in prayer:

• Picture what God wants to do in and through your life. 
• Picture with the eyes of faith what He wants to do in your city. 
• Picture the answer in your mind, and pray towards that vision. 
  
  

Your prayers will influence those around you in a powerful way. Developing a dynamic prayer life is the wisest thing we can do with our life. Nothing will happen without it.  
  
“They may start from different points, and travel by different roads, but they converge to one point: they are one in prayer. To them, God is the center of attraction, and prayer is the path that leads to God. These men do not pray occasionally—not a little or at odd times. But they pray in such a way that their prayers enter into and shape their very characters. They pray so as to affect their own lives and the lives of others, and to cause the history of the church to influence the current of the times. They spend much time in prayer, not because they watch the shadow of the dial or the hands on the clock, but because it is to them so momentous and engaging a business that they can scarcely quit.” Quotes by E. M. Bounds

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Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer (IHOP) KC Staff
deb@intercessorsarise.org
www.intercessorsarise.org

Today was my church's 33^rd anniversary celebration, and I think it was a sign of God’s pleasure over us and his joy that 33 people were baptized on Saturday and Sunday between the three services. During the 9:15 service, a few prayer warriors met in the our Lighthouse prayer chapel and interceded through the early morning service, and for the next 33 years. We prayed for our church’s future history, and in this ministry we call the Outlet Prayer Ministry, we often wrestle with silent questions:

• What does God want?
• How can we get there?
• How can we glorify Him?
• We ask God to draw more KCC’ers into a saving relationship with Jesus.

At the core of these questions lies the idea of revival, and getting back to the influence on the world around us that the early church exercised. After Peter’s first sermon, over 3000 people were saved and baptized. (Acts 2) Throughout Acts, sermons brought conviction and conversation. As we prayed this morning, two ideas bubbled to the surface.

1) The apostles waited on God’s promise of anointing and power at Pentecost before they began to preach the gospel. Jesus had asked them to wait for this promise before venturing into the world with his message of grace and forgiveness. One the Day of Pentecost, just before God’s power fell, Luke writes that the apostles were “all together, and in one place.” Did the detailed doctor repeat himself, or is this an important component to the day’s miraculous events?

In another translation, this phrase is rendered “the apostles were together in one place, and in one accord.” It wasn’t enough for them to be physically together. They had spent the 10 days between Jesus ascension and Pentecost praying, reading the scriptures, and building deep community. I imagine that they talked through Peter’s denial, Thomas’s doubts, James and John’s desires to have the first place in line, and how Jesus had to appear to them two or three times before they were ready to really, really believe. They came to a place where they were not only all together, but they were in one accord, ready to speak to the world about this life-changing Jesus.

2) The church had lost everything. Those who believed in Jesus cowered in that upper room for fear of the Jewish leaders and the Roman guards. For three years these young idealistic disciples followed Jesus around the country learning his Way, Truth and Life. They had gone all in, and now Jesus promise was all they had.

These conditions describe the hearts that God found when he poured out his power, and the church began to change the world. They didn’t have any allusions about building kingdoms, businesses or fortunes. The One they loved most had been cast out, and eventually crucified by those who were threatened by his power. As his followers, they could not expect to be “better than their Master.”

I’m not writing to suggest that Christians should choose a path to deliberately create conflict with the world around us, or that being a ‘real’ Christian means selling everything we own and finding a room to rent in a hotel somewhere. I’m saying that Jesus brought his followers into a place there they could honestly say that they had Him and only Him on which to rely. They waited in that place, and in that place God poured out his power which equipped them to change the world.

As we prayed this morning, we prayed and asked for God’s power to once again fall, and continue to fill KCC, our people, staff and services in the years to come. Yet in the midst of our prayers, I had to confess that too often we are dependent on ourselves, serving divided interests, and at odds with each other. . .  and yet we still ask God to come and do great things. Throughout the scriptures, God connected the dots between the condition of his peoples’ hearts and lives with his ability to answer their prayers in great ways. As we start our 34^th year, let’s pray with King David, and ask God to:

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Ps 139. 23-24

If you’re feeling bummed out about the direction of your nation right now, I can relate. And so can the prophet Jeremiah.

Yet as Jeremiah wept during the devastation of his beloved city, Jerusalem, his initial reaction was not to blame the Babylonian invaders for his agony. He blamed God, concluding that his nation’s afflictions had come “from the rod of God’s wrath” (Lamentations 3:1-20 TLB).

You have to admit, this was a very logical conclusion. The Lord had promised to defend and protect His people if they walked in His ways. So the Babylonians weren’t the real problem—it was an issue between God and His people.

As Jeremiah witnessed the troubling events befalling his nation, he reasoned, “[God] has turned against me…and surrounded me with anguish and distress.” And he also was baffled by the fact that “though I cry and shout, he will not hear my prayers!”

Jeremiah was having a very bad day. Perhaps you can relate.

To make matters worse, there seemed to be no quick or easy solution: “He has walled me in; I cannot escape.” Perhaps you’ve wanted to just leave the country in your frustration. But escape is not the answer.

And while Jeremiah knew that God promises freedom to His people when they trust and obey Him, he must have been horrified by the realization that “he has fastened me with heavy chains.” How traumatic!

But the chains of the Babylonians were not much different from the chains of debt we now find ourselves in as a nation. One estimate says that every baby born this year will immediately owe $250,000 as their share of the national debt. Chains of bondage, don’t you think?

Jeremiah probably once had a plan for his life, but now everything had changed. Instead of getting closer to his destination, just the opposite seemed true: “[God] has filled my path with detours.” Perhaps you’re one of the thousands of people who’ve had to defer your retirement plans because of “detours” in the economy. I can relate.

If you find your lamenting today, you no doubt feel a need for comrades who understand and sympathize. But Jeremiah wasn’t given this luxury. He felt very much alone, even rejected: “My own people laugh at me; all day long they sing their ribald songs.”

Hmmm…sounds like a cultural war is going on, doesn’t it? While Jeremiah lamented, the people around him laughed. Seemingly without a clue about the destruction they were facing, people mocked God’s prophetic message and chose to flaunt their worldly ways. Jeremiah must have faced opposition from leaders who, like some today, belittle godly people for “clinging to their guns and religion” instead of embracing cultural trends.

Recognizing peace and prosperity as two key pillars of every nation truly blessed by God, Jeremiah was disturbed to realize that both were slipping away: “All peace and all prosperity have long since gone, for you [God] have taken them away.”

As Jeremiah surveyed this dismal situation, he made another quite logical deduction: “The Lord has left me…All hope is gone.” And who could blame him for feeling melancholy, even bitter?

Fortunately, this wasn’t the end of the story. Jeremiah went on to describe how the Lord broke through the dark clouds of disillusionment and gave him a sudden ray of encouragement:

Yet there is one ray of hope: his compassion never ends.

It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.

Great is his faithfulness; his loving‑kindness begins afresh each day.

My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him.

The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him (Lamentations 3:21-25 TLB).

What an incredible change in Jeremiah’s perspective! From his gloomy place of lament, he saw an amazing ray of hope. From the pit of despair, he saw the Lord’s compassion and faithfulness. From an attitude of blaming God for his anguish, he ended up praising God and declaring His goodness.

So what about you? If you are experiencing a time of lament today—concerning your own life, your loved ones, or your nation—may the Lord break through the clouds and give you a fresh glimpse of His faithfulness.

Like Jeremiah, the apostle John faced some frightening times when he wrote the book of Revelation. Yet everything changed when he saw “a throne in heaven and Someone sitting on it” (Revelation 4:1-2). Praise God, He is still faithful, and still on the throne.

As a Christ-follower, I have a laundry list of things, important things on my prayer list. Children, finances, job issues, friends going through tough times – I can go on. God I need this. God, I want you do that. I don't know about you, but when I pray this way, focusing on my laundry list, my prayers seem like they bounce off a brass ceiling, and fall to the ground around me. I'm not saying that we shouldn't pray for situations like these, Yet if all I do is ask for stuff, it's not long before I sense something in my prayer life is missing. I wind up spiritually dry and unexcited about the eternal.

There are no rules when we pray, yet God's Word gives gentle instructions. We can't manufacture God's power. Yet when we pray, and follow his pattern, He promises He WILL show up. The purpose of a prayer ministry, any prayer ministry, is to find and follow God’s pattern in order to find God’s promised response. Based in God's Word, we know when we pray and wait expectantly, our Heavenly Father does what we can't. The acronym ACTS is a great way to focus on his pattern as a guide.

Adoration (Praise): Psalm 100 says: “Enter into God's gates with thanksgiving, and come into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless his Holy name. (Ps 100.4) When we gather together, intercessors should resist the temptation to start with our laundry list. Instead we take time to praise, and worship God for who He is. We take time to recognize we are coming into the courts of the Creator of the Universe, and He is worthy of our praise.

Confession: Psalm 66.18 says: “If I regard, (or hold onto) iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Jesus encourages us to take this idea seriously. He says that when we come to worship, if we remember that we have something against someone, that we should leave our sacrifice, and reconcile or make the situation right before we come to worship. Does this mean I have to be perfect before God will hear my prayers? No. It means that God expects that we live what we say we believe, and do what we can to live in right relationships with others.

Thanksgiving: Phil 4.6 says: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Thanksgiving naturally flows from a heart that is filled with worship, and that has been cleansed of sins. We are naturally thankful when we can see God's greatness, our humanness, and how Jesus has bridged the gap. Thanksgiving differs from praise and worship in that worship lifts up who God is, thanksgiving focuses on what God's done.

Supplication (Intercession) : 1 Thess 5.16-18 says: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Finally we get to our laundry list, but when we start by focusing on God, and his requests of us, theirs is a change in my attitude. After focusing on God's glory, dealing with our sins, and spending time thanking Him for all the things He's done in our lives, my laundry list isn't all about me anymore. It's about God, His glory and how we can be a part of His plans.

If you’re involved in a prayer ministry or prayer group at your church, I challenge you to change your focus for the next few times you gather. Put your laundry list in the pocket of your bible case until you spend time in God’s presence, longing for him instead of stuff. In Jeremiah 29.11-13, God says that when we seek him, we will find him, when we search for him with all our hearts. The condition resides with us. We have to lay down our agenda, our to do list, our expectations and wait on him before we will see clearly to pray according to his priorities.

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

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

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

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

“...always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Colossians 4:12