Pray Network Forum

My last few blog posts were on the extraordinary prayer called for in these days. That turned my thoughts to the question of ordinary prayer. I don't think it is a wrong to answer this question by simply asking, "What are your ordinary prayers like?" Let me point out three elements that are common to ordinary prayer.

A HEART OF PRAYER

If we to Scripture and to the Lord's Prayer we find a great exposition of prayer and the life of prayer. Jesus assumed His followers would pray. Verse 5 of Matthew 6 Jesus began with the words, "when you pray." I suspect everyone prays or has prayed occasionally. Begin where you are. If you seldom pray, know that God is inviting you to pray now. If your prayers have been insincere, cynical and unbelieving, tell God you want to get serious. He will help you pray. You will never do better over any length of time by simply trying harder. But God can change your heart. Be honest enough to ask for His help.

A HEART OF PRAISE

The first words of the model prayer praise God. Nothing lifts the heart in faith like praising God. If you want to pray as we should in these days, you must focus on the greatness and power of Almighty God. We are in a spiritual war. In the hymn A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD Luther wrote, "For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal." He will do anything to keep you from prayer. You must focus on the mighty power of God to keep from being discouraged by the world, the flesh and the devil.

A HEART OF PURPOSE

Jesus next called us to pray for His kingdom and for His will to be done. It is so easy to pray selfish and trivial prayers. But we can turn our prayers to God's purpose as He reveals it to us.

I believe the most exciting thing about these facets of ordinary prayer is that they all lead to more prayer. Prayer begets prayer. Ordinary prayer can lead to urgent prayer, sustained prayer, sacrificial prayer, extraordinary prayer, history changing prayer.

For many believers, churches, denominations, and missions organizations prayer has been lost. The Apostle Paul says: "Pray without ceasing," or "Pray continually," or "Never stop praying."

The devil has been taking people captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26) since the fall of man. The land and kingdoms of this earth are controlled by him (Matthew 4:8-9). As we think about advancing the Kingdom of God we know that there is a fight between two kingdoms. There are places in the Arabian Peninsula that have been controlled for years by the devil. Pray that the land of the AP will be freed from the devil and his control. Pray that the hearts of Gulf Muslims would be freed from the hardness the devil places there, especially the hardness against knowing Jesus the Son of God and the full truths about Jesus. Pray for a growing movement among people who will seek Jesus to advance His great name in families, villages, towns and cities across the AP. The devil has been in control too long, we are seeking the God of all creation to have a great victory in the AP.

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me." 

Matthew 4:8-9

What did Jesus respond? "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Matthew 4:10

“Christ’s power to save, and save completely, depends on His unceasing intercession. The apostles’ withdrawal of themselves from other work to give themselves continually to prayer was followed by the number of the disciples multiplying exceedingly. As we, in our day, give ourselves to intercession, we will have more and mightier conversions. Let us plead for this.” Andrew Murray

How can you and I have our hearts on fire in prayer for the lost? 

A strategic way is to know our Coach and our winning team position in prayer. The intercession of the saints is leading to a great harvest of souls now at the end of the age. Anticipate it, cry out for it, and seek God for this great ingathering of souls into His Kingdom. All over the world as never before individuals are turning to Christ. As we pray for the lost, we need to know in our hearts that we are on the winning team. In watching the World Series, the biggest major league baseball game in the U.S. every year, I could see the discouragement on the faces of the losing team. With the odds against them, they looked anxious, troubled, defeated, and disheartened.

When we think our situation is hopeless, it’s easy to give up and to lose heart. It’s hard to have a heart on fire in prayer when you feel defeated.

In sports, people often talk about being "in the zone.” This is the place of optimal, peak functioning when athletes perform to their absolute maximum and have the perfect game. Performance can be influenced from anything from the amount of sleep, nutrition, relationship status, training, coach input, and a number of other things. Individual player’s methods for attaining peak performance vary. Self-talk, how to deal with mistakes, and effective goal-setting must be considered for peak performance. Music that calms the mind and relaxing, positive self-talk are important.

When athletes are "in the zone," they are fully immersed in feelings of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. They are completely absorbed in what they are doing with single-minded immersion. Their motions are positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand. There is the feeling of spontaneous joy while performing the task with a deep focus on nothing but the activity – not even oneself or one’s emotions. There is an intense concentration on the present moment, a merging of action and awareness, and a loss of reflective self-consciousness.

Intercessors praying for the harvest need to know the importance of being "in the zone” in prayer. So many of us can get disheartened with feelings that we have lost the battle. Others have lost their joy in prayer. Many of us do not have energized focus and are often distracted and preoccupied with our problems when we pray. We may have lost our deep focus on the task of intercession and may feel that the world is totally out of control, as well as our personal lives.

If you feel that the world situation looks bleak and hopeless, look carefully at these exciting statistics of what God is doing. The important thing when you feel that you have lost heart is to get back "in the zone" and realize that God is winning! Your prayers are making a worldwide impact, and you are on the winning team. I encourage you to shake off all of that end-time gloom, fear, anxiety, and feelings of defeat. Your team will win. 

The Winning Team

“Christianity is openly mocked in all media: television, movies, print. Nightly News portrays a world seemingly in despair with no hope. The U.S., Canada, and Europe continue their downward slide away from God in their rejection of anything having to do with Christ and the Bible. Even common sense and tenets of basic human morality are regularly attacked and vilified. Yet the truth is that, in our time, worldwide, God is winning. The Holy Spirit is greatly moving in what was once called "the Third World". We need to be thankful and even amazed at what God is doing!”

The following statistics are from several different sources and change continually, but regardless of the exact numbers, we can see that God is up to something big! See operationworld.org for the latest updates. Also see www.prayerfoundation.org.

• There are as many as 200 million Christians in China with between 10,000-25,000 converts a day. Some say there are over 30,000 conversion per day (Open Doors)
• The number of Christians in Indonesia has grown from 1.3 million forty years ago to over 23.5 million today. (Operation World)
• The Jesus Film has been translated into nearly 1271 languages in 220 countries and over 200,000,000 people have indicated decisions for Christ as a result of the film. (Campus Crusade)
• No Christian was officially allowed to live in Nepal until 1960. Now there is a church in every one of the 75 districts of Nepal with estimates of over 850,800 believers. (Operation World)
• In A.D. 100, there were 360 non-Christians for every true believer. Today the ratio is less than seven to every believer. (Vision 2020).
• Every day, 20,000 Africans come to Christ. Africa was 3% Christian in 1900 and is now over 50% Christian (Vision 2020).
• Bible translation has been accelerated by over 100 years and is now on pace to be completed in 2025 (Wycliffe).
• About 500 Muslims come to faith in Christ every month in Iran - a country ranked among the top ten persecutors of Christians in the world. (Vision 2020).
• Every day 50,000 people in countries served by Asia Access come to Christ (Asia Access).
• The government of Papua, New Guinea mandated Bible teaching in every school in the country. (Vision 2020)
• In 1900 Korea had no Protestant church. Today Korea is 30% Christian with 7000 churches in Seoul alone with several having over 1,000,000 members (Vision 2020). Today, six new churches open every day.
• After 70 years of oppression in the Soviet Union, Christians number about 100 million - 36% of the population.
• In Nepal, the world's only official Hindu country, over 100,000 Hindus have met the Savior in the last two decades.
• Every month another 15,000 in India are baptized as new believers in Jesus.
• Millions of Buddhists have come to Christ.
• Of over 400 million Latin Americans, more than 50 million have become evangelical Christians. 
• In Africa the church is on fire. It's the first continent to become majority Christian (over 50%) in a single century. There are over 25,000 new believers per day.
• More Muslims in Iran have come to Christ since 1980 than in the previous 1000 years combined.
• If only 1 out of every 6 believers "reproduced" themselves one time each year, the entire world would be reached for Christ by the year 2020!
• Christianity is by far the fastest-growing religion in the world today.

All the turmoil that is presently happening—terrorism, natural disasters, and lawlessness—leads people to seek for something beyond this life. Their attention is drawn to look for an anchor of stability and hope, something more than the uncertainties all around them. Our hearts are made for eternity, and we will not be satisfied unless we pursue it with all our hearts.

Our great responsibility and joy is to pray for the ingathering of this worldwide harvest.

There is a cathedral in Milan, Italy with these three inscriptions spanning its great arches. Over one is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, under which is written, "All that which pleases is but for a moment." Over another is sculptured a cross with the words, "All that which troubles us is but for a moment.” Underneath the central entrance to the main aisle is the inscription, "That only is important which is eternal." If we will remember these three truths, we won’t worry as much about the daily troubles we face. We won’t seek after temporary pleasures. We will live for that which is eternal and seek to pray and share the eternal Christ with those who are lost. It's time that we have a heart on fire in prayer for the lost.

God wants us to be “in the zone” on His winning team in prayer. He wants us to function optimally in prayer for the lost. To be "in the zone" with hearts on fire in prayer and to stay there, practice the following daily:

• Look at God’s statistics around the world for an accurate picture, not the news.
• Ask God to keep you in “His winning zone.” Pray for grace to perform to your absolute maximum in prayer for the lost.
• Repent of discouragement, fear, anxiety and all negative emotions and beliefs.
• Cast your cares on Him and ask for His ability to concentrate in prayer.
• Pray for energized focus and single-minded, full engagement in prayer.
• As God's athlete, get enough rest and eat healthy. Practice the Sabbath rest.
• Deal with your mistakes. Repent of personal sin daily.
• Pray for harmonious relationships. You are a team player and pray-er with others.
• Set prayer goals and focused prayer times for the lost. God's athletes live a disciplined life.
• Listen to peaceful worship music that relaxes your mind. Think on things above.
• Watch for negative thoughts and speech. Seek a holy optimism as a winner.
• Ask God to bring you into enjoyable prayer. Pray for spontaneous joy.
• Pray for your prayers to be aligned and energized with God’s Word.
• Follow your Coach carefully every day. Listen and obey His instructions.

Remember that you are partnering with God and are on His winning team. This is the perfect game, and there is no reason to lose heart. You already know the final score. At this point in the game as we pray for the lost, losing is absolutely impossible. Keep in mind daily that one day every knee will bow and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). That day may be soon!

“The Lord Jesus has united us in partnership with Himself in carrying out the great work of intercession. He in heaven and we on earth must be of one mind. We must have one aim in life. That aim is that we should love the Father and the lost by consecrating our lives to intercession for God’s blessing. The burning desire of Father and Son for the salvation of souls must be the burning desire of our hearts, too.” Andrew Murray

• Four facebook pages for books on prayer: Breakthrough Prayer, Ascending the Height in Prayer, Deeper Still, and 24/7 Prayer Arise. 
• Join and like the Intercessors Arise facebook page for daily encouragement in your prayer life. 
• Have your friends sign up for Intercessors Arise here.
• An Intercessors Arise International School of Prayer is in the initial stages. See The Fire of Prayer blog site.

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

Buildings were set ablaze, businesses were looted, cars were torched, and gunshots were fired. There was fire in the night! Police and violent protesters were all over the main street. Anger and emotions were high. The situation was tense as agitators and violent protestors forced police to fire tear gas. This all happened recently in Ferguson, Missouri in the U.S., but it can happen anywhere. Violence is increasing in cities all over the world.

This rise of crime touches us deeply because we desperately want to see peace in our cities. In the above quote, John Dawson emphasizes the fact that this is our planet and that our cities belongs to God. We have authority in prayer to protect and change the atmosphere of our city, but we must learn to fervently pray in faith with watchful eyes. The Greek words used for “to guard” are “gregoreuo” and “agrupneo,” which both mean to be awake or sleepless. This implies protection.

We need to be God’s watchmen day and night on the lookout for danger in our cities. 

The Night Watch

"I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place of the Mighty One of Jacob" (Psalm 132:4). 

At the same time as violence increases worldwide, God is raising up prayer in churches and cities, and he is also raising up the Night Watch. Many will rise up to this call and embrace the lifestyle of the Night Watch. Here at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC Prayer Room), there are many who love to pray in the middle of the night. It especially appeals to the youth and is called Fire in the Night. The Holy Spirit is stirring the hearts of a community of people worldwide who will pray and contend for the mercy and power of God in the night season (Joel 1:13). 

They will be vigilant and watchful. 

The Fire in the Night Watchmen at IHOP make a lifestyle change. They actually rearrange their lives in order to intercede through the night hours. They train their bodies to adjust to a new time schedule in eating and sleeping. They are intercessors, singers, and musicians who believe that they will see the Lord's victory in the night. We can most effectively do works of justice in the context of night and day prayer. We desperately need God's justice in our cities. The atmosphere of God's presence and fire in the night opens the way for justice and the harvest of souls.

"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly" (Luke 18:7-8).

Psalm 134 speaks of those in the night watch. This is critical to the divine strategy of God in order to see transformation in our cities. So many evil things happen in the night—murder, theft, immorality, and witchcraft. Light can invade the darkness through prayer and worship. We receive the blessing that the Lord promises those who minister in His house through the night.

“Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion” (Psalm 134).

As we look at what took place in Ferguson, there is an urgency of the hour to pray for our cities. The present emphasis on prayer makes day and night prayer a possibility in this generation. The commitment of a rising group of young people to be God’s night watchmen should stimulate each one of us to give ourselves to prayer. Let’s seek to be people who learn to pray not only in the day but also in the night. "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night" (Psalm 63:6).

As more of God’s people pray and bless the Lord at night, the spiritual atmosphere changes in the city. His fire is released in the night!       

How to Pray for Your City

"I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day and all 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" (Isaiah 62:6-7).

The following are some ways you can bring authoritative intercession for your city into your prayer life:

• Cover your city with continuous praise and worship - God gives you His heart for your city through worship and a positive attitude. Instead of complaining and reacting toward the sin in your city, praise God for the good things. Satan is already an accuser, so praising God and declaring by faith the eternal purpose and dream of God over your city brings in His presence and defeats the enemy.
  
  
• Wait on the Lord for insight - Don’t depend on your own wisdom, but listen to God with childlike dependence. God will open your eyes as to what He wants to do in your city when you set aside your own agenda and wait upon Him. The Lord will give you His strategies for reaching and blessing your city. 
  
  
• Identify with the sins of the city - We can all identify with the roots of any sin in our city. The potential is in each one of us. We need to identify in personal and corporate repentance. Nehemiah identified with the sins in his city and prayed: “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you” (Nehemiah 1:6-7).
  
  
• Overcome evil with good - Come in the opposite spirit. If there is a lot of violence, demonstrate the spirit of peace. If your city is full of greed, demonstrate generosity. If there is hate, live a life of love. This will give you great victory in your city.
  
  
• Travail over your city - Just as a pregnant woman travails to give birth to a child, you birth God’s dream in your city through travail (John 16:21). You must pray until something happens; this takes dedication and perseverance. This has everything to do with faith for your city and revival. The Apostle Paul is an excellent example (2 Corinthians 11:27-28).

A few years ago we were praying day and night in southern Spain. I remember a particularly weary time of prayer early in the morning while it was still dark, and I was feeling very alone in the prayer room. God reminded me of when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and His disciples fell asleep. He had asked them to watch with Him. In the same way, I felt like the Lord was quietly and tenderly speaking to me, saying:

"Will you not watch with me one hour? Will you not watch and pray here in the dark for the land and the salvation of souls?"

I realized at that moment that I needed to say "yes" to the Lord. He is looking for those who will stand watch even when it is not easy. He is looking for those with an intense desire to see His peace and presence in their city. We have two possibilities before us. We can either release God's holy fire in the night or the enemy will release fires of sin and destruction in our cities. Will you be God’s watchman at such an important hour, even when others are sleeping? 

Will you release His fire in the night through pray until He brings deliverance to your city?  

A Prayer for Your City

Dear Lord, change the atmosphere of our city through our prayers. Help us to guard our city as watchmen. Our city belongs to You [Name your city.] Teach us to continually cover it with praise and worship day and night. We long to release Your fire in the night season. Give us insight into how to pray for our city and how to take action in love as we wait on You. Teach us the secret of travailing prayer. Give us great faith for peace and revival for our city. We will pray until Your deliverance comes. We choose to give ourselves no rest (Isaiah 62:6-7). We praise You for You are mighty and powerful, and You can do all things. We choose to remember Your name in the night. We praise You for what You are going to do in our city as we pray and reach out to the lost. In Jesus’ name, amen.

"I have [earnestly] remembered Your name, O Lord, in the night, and I have observed Your law" (Psalm 119:55).

• Four facebook pages for my books on prayer: Breakthrough Prayer, Ascending the Height in Prayer, Deeper Still, and 24/7 Prayer Arise. 
• Join and like the Intercessors Arise facebook page for daily encouragement in your prayer life. 
• Have your friends sign up for Intercessors Arise here.
• An Intercessors Arise International School of Prayer is in the initial stages. See The Fire of Prayer blog site.

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

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

There’s plenty about life that can disturb us—dreary overcast Mondays, post-holiday depression, anxiety about what the new year may bring, health concerns, family squabbles, moral dilemmas. But we will not disintegrate emotionally if we habitually share with our Father what bothers us. Scripture reassures us we can give all our worries and cares to God, since He cares about us (1 Peter 5:7).

When we need to talk to God, He is ready to listen.

Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, through his perfect sacrifice on the cross, has made it possible for us to have a standing appointment with God. We do not have to approach our Maker with fearful, low-hung head. Heaven’s throne is mercy, not marble, so we can pray with confidence.

On the other hand, we should never casually stroll into God’s Presence—prayer is an audience with the King, so we must advance reverently.

And when we pray, we should keep in mind we’ll never get near God’s heart by thoughtless chatter and endless babble. Flippancy merely vocalizes unheard soliloquies; wordy repetition is unnecessary.

Monologue does not enhance our friendship with God. God invites us to enjoy heartfelt conversation with Him.

When we are ready to listen, God wants to talk with us. 

“I will meet with you there and talk with you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant.” (Exodus 25:22 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Interim Pastor, Nomini Baptist Church

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

[This devotion based on Day 52 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

Hosea 11:4 has a marvelous phrase describing God's love.

He comes to us "Like one who takes the yoke off our necks." You can almost feel the comfort of the donkey when his master removes the yoke, rubs him down and fills his feed bag.

It is a great blessing to have a purpose given by God. It is crucial to the sense of significance in life to hear our Lord say, "Take my yoke upon you." But He also comes to us as the one who lifts the yoke from our shoulders and satisfies our souls.

I can be overwhelmed by the needs God has allowed me to see and to tackle. But when we come to Him in prayer we trust Him to do what we could never do. We rest in His power. I find myself regularly strengthening my faith by praying, "I am trusting this to You. You are God Almighty."

I also come to Him for solace. I find the comfort of His love in the embrace of prayer. I take a weekly Sabbath from writing, my primary occupation in these days. I occasionally find this difficult. I am anxious to complete something, or my mind is bubbling over with ideas. It is an act of faith to allow my Heavenly Father to remove the yoke. He who owns the field is in charge of the plow He has yoked to my heart. Are you resting in prayer?

 

http://daveswatch.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

Most of us are leery of praying for patience. We are familiar with the story of a lady asking D.L Moody to pray for her to have patience. The great evangelist bowed onto one knee and began praying for the woman to undergo tribulation. Discomfited, she tapped him on the shoulder and said she needed patience not tribulation. He then rose and showed her Romans 5:3 where Paul, by the Holy Spirit, tells us that tribulation develops patience or patient endurance.

However, I believe we miss the point of this passage when we think we should never to pray for endurance. That attitude reflects the values of our sinful world that believes we should avoid everything painful or difficult in our lives. Paul goes on to say that the patience tribulation produces develops character and character produces hope.

My wife and I recently watched the final episode of Agatha Christie’s Poirot mysteries on PBS. I found it difficult to watch the first half of the show because Poirot was portrayed as bitter and vindictive because of his pain and physical debilitation. I do not want physical difficulties to be an excuse for bitterness or harsh words from my heart and mouth.

We are to desire God’s transformation of our character so fiercely that we welcome the pain that God uses to produce it. This comes very close to home for me. I thank God that my cancer has not progressed as rapidly as my doctors feared. I know that is a result of people praying for me. But I still deal with constant, if minor, pain. It is easy for this to make me irritable. But that is not the effect I want it to have on my attitudes and behavior. I pray for the endurance that produces sweetness of character as I draw nearer at whatever pace to our everlasting hope.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

Do you have a life verse? Many people do. Should you pray for a life verse? I know someone who likes to joke about this by saying, "The Bible is my life Scripture." I think that is funny, but it does not really grasp what a life verse is and does.

First, the concept of a life verse is based on the conviction that God speaks to us personally. This is certainly taught in the Bible. From Adam and Eve in the Garden to John on Patmos, from Elijah hearing His still small voice to the disciples hearing the voice out of the cloud on the mountain top, God speaks. Many people seek the Scripture for truth and life principles. And we certainly find principles in Scripture, but we also need direct personal communication with God.

The words "life verse" are not found in Scripture, but we certainly see God speaking to people through scriptures. A good example is found in Acts 13. In verse 47 Paul and Barnabas said, "This is what the Lord has commanded us." And then they quoted from Isaiah 49. "I have made you a light for the gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth."

Of course without a life verse you can believe God speaks and even experience Him speaking to you day by day as you read the Bible. In fact the Bible teaches that if you understand Scripture God is speaking to you. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says the things of God are spiritually discerned or understood.

However, it is possible for God to speak a life-long message to a person. That is what Paul and Barnabas were declaring in Acts 13:47. Of course God can speak to people any way He chooses. I believe God sometimes speaks through His silence. I love the statement from Experiencing God. "God speaks through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways."

So, should you pray for a life verse? I do not know. God may be prompting you to pray for such a verse. But how God speaks to you is God's business. I would urge you to be open for God to give you a life verse as He speaks to you in Scripture. In fact, I believe you need to be open for God to give you more than one lifelong word. I have six life verses. I have them memorized and I pray over them every day as I begin my devotional time. God of course still speaks to me in Scripture and in other ways encouraging, directing, strengthening, teaching or warning me.

Interestingly enough, my wife and I also have scriptures that we believe God has led us to in praying for other people, especially family members. These passages inform our prayers and encourage our faith as we lift them up to our Heavenly Father. Life verses and similar uses of the Scriptures help us pray the word of God.

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

JOIN IN HERE DAILY: #31 DAYS OF PRAYER

VERSE:

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked....(1 John 2:5-6)

PRAYER:

Oh Most Holy and Heavenly Father, I think You that Your Word, Oh God, is written in the Heavens. I thank You that Your Word is Truth. I thank You that Your Words will never fade or pass away and therefore, because You keep Your Word, I pledge to do my part and keep Your Word hidden in my heart and shown through my actions and deeds, that Christ lives within me. 

Lord, may Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of all Truth, Wisdom and Understand Who keeps me permanently connected to the Eternal, fortify my will to keep Your Word of Truth firmly embedded, to keep it from shame and slander, to keep it from dishonor and degradation and to keep and guard it as jealously as You guard Your Holy Name. Your Love commands, compels and gives me confidence in Your Word to remain faithful to it, to obey it and dwell on it as our Savior did. Your Word says in Hebrews 5:7 that our Savior's prayers, cries and petitions were heard because of His piety, obedience and submission to Your Will and Yours alone.

Let us now walk in that Truth, in the Path of Persistent Obedience where He, the Lord Jesus, walked that we may too be found in Him, to the praise and glory of His Name. By this Truth we know we are His, in Him, in His Will and walking in His Ways. Lord we long to be like Jesus, and to live, walk, talk and rest in You as He did and may ALL our worship be Yours and His, throughout our lives, in the Strong and Mighty Name of King Jesus I pray, amen.

Our street evangelism ministry was failing. For the third week, no one showed up for the weekend outreach, and in the dim glow of the streetlights, I asked God to continue his work. A few months later, Jeff and I had dinner. The next summer we started praying for Lansing, MI. once a week in his basement. Eight months later, after training and consulting our pastors, we walked into the porn stores and dark, sweaty bars in downtown Lansing, MI on a blustery February Friday evening. We introduced ourselves to our new congregation.

We met the owners, employees and bar tenders on Michigan Ave. and promised we would be their pastors. After 4 years of weekly ministry and constant prayer, two bars closed, one of the porn stores burned down, and a few dancers and workers attended our church. Within two more years, the blocks we adopted as our ‘church’ were purchased by a local Christian business association. The entire area was razed, and replaced with a new civic arena, and a family friendly AAA ball park.God is Good. He did exceedingly above anything we could ask, or think.

Prayer that moves God’s heart isn’t about running through a laundry list of my needs, wants, and desires. Prayer isn’t about what I think is important, or the Top 10 on my Spiritual To-Do List. Prayer isn’t:

• A cosmic gumball machine, into which I insert my prayers and get what I want back.
• An exercise to earn God’s love, favor, love or attention.
• Unloading my cares and burdens on God, on the run.

Real prayer is much deeper, and much more costly. Maybe that’s why, in our instant and digital generation, our prayers are so ineffective. Prayer is communing with God and spending time with a Father that loves and longs to meet with us. Intimacy like that takes time. Prayer is spending time listening to, and talking with the One who knows you thoroughly and loves you deeply. Prayer is:

• Setting your heart on what is important to God before pursuing what is important to me.
• Connecting your heart, mind, soul and spirit to God’s voice, love and will for you.
• Letting God work in you, so that later, that he can work through you.

Here are a few scriptures to help move you toward life changing, heart rending, world shaking prayer.

• Real prayer is Emotional – read Ps 137 and pay attention to the way the writer pours out his raw feelings to his God.
• Real Prayer is Honest – Read aloud Ps 41 and 42, and consider times when you were burdened, happy, worn out, and trusting. Did you feel free to express these things to your Father?
• Real prayer isn’t instant. In Dan 9.24ff, Daniel read a promise from God written by Jeremiah nearly a hundred years earlier. He approached God on the basis of this promise, and asks God to keep his promise to release Israel from captivity. According to Dan 10. 1-14, he fasted and prayed for three more weeks before receiving God’s response.

I pray for a list of extended family members each night after I lie down in bed. I have specific scriptures memorized that I pray over for some family members. I have prayed for some of the children on my list every day of their lives.  Of course I sometimes fall asleep before I finish the list. There are worse ways to go to sleep. And since I pray for them in a certain order, I am able to pick up the prayer in the morning as far as I remember praying the night before.

I have done this for years. So I don't remember how I came up with the order. To some extent, I think I developed the list simply by repetition. I do not know how long it takes me to get through the list. In fact, no two nights are quite the same.

I do this each night because of continuing needs in my family. My grandchild has a need this week. My nephew will probably face a crisis tomorrow. And several family members seem to have ongoing problems. But I suspect the primary benefit, like most prayer, is in what God does and will do in me. I believe going to sleep in prayer may help saturate every aspect of my life in the presence of God.

http://watchinginprayer.com/

http://davewatch.com/

“Though this world with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us. Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still; His kingdom is forever.” (Martin Luther)

This morning, before President Obama departed for a meeting at the United Nations, he spoke concerning the initial attacks on ISIS in Syria. A coalition of five Arab nations joined the United States in this attack. Airstrikes against fixed targets were made by warplanes dropping bombs, remotely piloted aircraft,and ships firing cruise missiles.

This was only the initial phase of the war against this terrorist group. Training and equipping the moderate Syrian rebels opposed to Assad will take a long time.Degrading and defeating ISIS will not happen overnight. Persuading them to abandon the fight will not be easy.

Sunni-majority countries joining the U.S. in fighting this radical Sunni militant group indicates they understand that ISIS is not really Islamic. ISIS recruits soldiers to join their ranks, claiming they are “the truthful.” In fact, their propaganda is a lie.

We may have become so comfortable with our prosperous lifestyles that we are unmoved by news of more than 200,000 Syrians killed by a brutal regime. We may feel so secure that we find it impossible to identify with millions of heartbroken homeless people seeking refuge in other countries.

We may have been so preoccupied with our personal agendas, that we missed hearing the President report that an Al Qaeda splinter group, the Khorasan Group, was also attacked because of intelligence indicating an imminent threat against the U.S. homeland. To say the least, the possibility of IEDs wreaking havoc on our familiar streets is upsetting. The thought of terrorism on American soil makes us tremble. Are we scared yet?  

To be sure, Christians should pray. We should ask God’s blessings on our president as he seeks heaven’s wisdom in this fight against evil forces intent on our destruction. We should also pray for military personnel serving in our armed forces, and for those serving from Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Emirates. 

Each year on September 21^st, the World Council of Churches sponsors the International Day of Prayer for Peace. This date is also the United Nations sponsored Day of Peace. Until “the war to end all wars” is fought, we should humbly entreat the Prince of Peace to bless our nation and world with the peace He alone can bring.   

Jesus provides the antidote to any tinge of terror we may ever feel—“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God.” (Matthew 10:31 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

* "I've never thought about praying on site at the schools before.  God brought so many different ideas to my mind to pray about while I was here today.  It wasn't until I followed Him here that He brought these to light.  I can't wait to do something like this here again!"

Blessed Are Your Feet

Romans 10:15b- As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (NIV)

Prayer is certainly bound together with love. Prayer is the expression of love. And love ought to be the motivation for our prayers. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus commanded His followers, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” You do not love your enemies, if you are not praying for them. And prayer is a powerful means of developing love for those who are difficult to love. I believe it is an expression of love to pray for someone you bitterly dislike, simply out of obedience. Because God has told you to someone, you struggle to ask Him to work in her life. But as you carry that out day by day, the love of Christ for that person will grow in your heart and mind.

I would like you to try this exercise. Make a list of people you have trouble loving. Maybe it is someone who wronged you or someone you care about. Maybe it is a person whose attitudes or behavior you do not approve. The very thought of them irritates you. Most of us can come up with a list of 4 or 5 such people off the top of our heads. You may ask God to bring such people to your mind. When you have the list, take time to pray for these people every day for a week. You may be tempted to pray for God to bring them into judgment, but you don't want to pray that kind of prayer for someone Jesus died to redeem. I think it is acceptable to begin by praying for God to change them or bring them to repentance.  From there you can ask God to show you how to pray for them. At the end of the week take an assessment of your attitude toward them. It will have changed. You will be drawn nearer to the heart of God.

http://daveswatch.com/

Whose heart are you praying? It is often a step of growth for a person to move from praying casual prayers to crying out to God with their heart. But it is greater spiritual growth to move to praying God’s heart. Even a new Christian can desire to please God. And you don't have to be a spiritual giant to know the best things that ever happen are the will of God. As we grow in those prayers, We begin to long for those things that God desires.

YOU CAN PRAY FOR THE PURPOSES OF GOD.

Read your Bible daily asking God to show you His purpose and purposes. You can ask God to show you His purposes all around you. You know that God is not willing for anyone to parish. Are you praying for lost people He has brought into your life? You know He desires holiness. It is easy to complain about the wickedness that we see in politics, the media and modern society. But it is more important to pray for God to bring about His holiness.

MISSIONS ARE ON GOD’S HEART.

Are you praying for missions and missionaries around the world? Start with someone you know or know about. Keep in touch with that person. Pray earnestly for God’s mighty hand on them. From there ask God to show you more who take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Ask God to expand your passion for the world that Jesus came to save.

YOU CAN PRAY FOR COMPASSION.

Are you asking God to stir your heart with His love? Ask Him to give you His love for people all around you.

PRAY FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH.

Spiritual growth can be painful. We often waste our prayer tmes asking God to make us comfortable. You can pray for God to do what is necessary in your life to make you strong. I sometimes find myself in the midst of pain or difficulty praying for God to keep me from missing the blessing or benefit He intends for me out of the situation. “Father, it would be terrible for me to go through this suffering and still miss what you intend to do in my life.” I find this much more satisfying that simply praying that God will get me out of the painful situation.

http://daveswatch.com/

“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.” (Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895)

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three neuroscientists whose work is answering the question why we know where we are and where we’re headed.

John O’Keefe (University College, London), May-Britt Moser (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), and Edward Moser (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) have discovered cells that form a positioning system in the human brain, kind of a hard-wired GPS. These cells tell us our physical location, help us navigate our direction, and help us remember it so we can make the same trips again. These neuroscientists have figured out that two types of cells – called place cells and grid cells -- work in harmony to make the brain know where it is and where it’s going.

Memory and orientation are critically important for both our physical and spiritual well-being. If we couldn’t remember pleasant places we’ve been, how could we repeat the journey? If we can’t remember mistakes we’ve made, how can we learn from history? If we aren’t aware of our coordinates, how can we find our way home?

In one sense, “we make the road by walking” (Spanish poet Antonio Machado, 1875-1939). In a higher sense, we find the right road by praying.

With our brain, we find our bearings. With our heart, we find our beliefs.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5,6 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

“When we lived under the U.S.S.R. we felt we were being controlled. We were told what to say. We were told what to wear. Independence was like a second life, the birth of something new. My wings spread and I started to remember poems I recited to my mother as a child.Now, I have poems of terror.” 

(Ludmila Elagina; Mariupol, Ukraine; quoted in The Washington Post, August 31, 2014)

Remembering what life was like before Ukraine received its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union, Ludmila has volunteered to help dig trenches in her hometown because she is afraid of the return of a repressive regime.

She says people are panicking because they don’t know who to trust. If they hear an explosion, they don’t know if it is coming from the Ukrainians or the rebels.

Ukrainian military officials report that rebels who want to reunite with Russia are being supported by Russian soldiers, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

The Russian incursion has deepened anxieties about the future. The West is alarmed. The European Commission president said the crisis would soon “reach the point of no return.” Ukraine’s president Poroshenko warned the conflict could spread further into Europe. Some historians foresee a possible 21st century repetition of the warring 20^th century world.

In these troublesome times, believers in Christ proclaim our creed to the world—

we believe the Prince of Peace will accomplish what warriors could not;

we believe international chaos will be replaced by heavenly calm; 

we believe the future is as bright as the promises of God; 

we believe the Messiah will return to restore paradise; 

we believe terror will be conquered by Truth;

we believe heaven on earth will materialize;

we believe there will be peace at last.

We who live in a country rich in freedom should pray that Ludmila will again be able to remember peaceful poems.

“The boots of the warrior and uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:5, 7 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

The work of Wheatland Ministries involves research in learning how to best pray and be involved in intercessory prayer.

I am currently reading the book the Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn. In it he identifies 3 spirits affecting our nation, which are the spirits of Defiance, Pride, and Arrogance. I mention them, because we seen many saying we need to repent--and that is in scripture--but there is a question--do we know what we are repenting of?--especially as a nation.

Research is one way we can identify how to pray. What we pray for should be in agreement with scripture.  These three spirits listed above are related to pride, and there is much scripture about pride, and the problems of pride.  A heart full of pride does not seek the Lord. 

This week (week of July 4, 2014) there has been a call to prayer by the National Day of Prayer Task Force-I encourage you to consider what is shared in this blog, and to search for even other things we as a nation need to repent of.

Some may not understand why repentance is so-o-o-o important.There is a verse found in II Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

What do you have to do that wastes your time and strains your patience? Can you pray in that time? For 40+ years I have enjoyed shopping with my wife. I like being with her. However, we made a compromise early on. I would walk along behind her with a book. I used the time well, and she could ask, if she wanted my advice. "Do the pink look better than the blue?" Of course I occasionally got lost from her. When I discovered that had happened, I would go to the cash registers and wait. Several times over the years we had a church member say someone had told them, "I think I saw your pastor in such-and-such store this week. He was reading a book!"

It may be a little late to keep people from thinking me nuts, but I have discovered that I can pray for people in the store. Today we went to Wal-Mart. I left my book in the car and entered the store on a mission. I couldn't help wondering what God was preparing to do as I prayed for nearly a hundred people up and down the aisles.

Where could you be praying? I once heard a pastor tell about using time stuck in traffic to pray for people who were in the hospital. I have read about a wife praying for her husband as she ironed his shirts. You could memorize a list of missionaries, countries or people groups, lost friends or family members to pray for in the dentist's office or wherever. You can even get excited about what great thing God is preparing to do because He gave you a special time to pray.

http://daveswatch.com/

One of the best things about the discipline of praying for organized lists of people is that God impresses me with difficult people to pray for. It strains my prayer life to pray for people I do not necessarily like. It stretches my faith to pray for people whom I can hardly imagine changing.

I pray daily for family members who have ruined their lives and the lives of others I love. And I find myself asking, "How could God straighten out the mess they have made?" I also pray for people with whom I fiercely disagree. I know I could not change their minds. Can God change their hearts or mine? I am often doubtful when I come to the names of some of these people. I have begun saying, "I am taking this person to You, Father. You can do anything."

This seems to be enough to ease the anxiety of my unbelief. The key to strengthening our faith is in recognizing the greatness and nearness of God. This prayer not only rests in His great power, but also on His ability to understand the complex problems people are facing. I do not necessarily believe this is strong faith, but focusing on God is certainly the step of faith I need in praying for difficult people and circumstances.

http://daveswatch.com/