Jesus began His powerful prayer in John 17 with the words, "Father, the hour has come."

Dawson Troutman is one of my spiritual heroes. Daws (pronounced dos) preached a powerful message entitled The Need of The Hour. In the sermon he said he started by thinking the pressing need was to train men. But as he prayed about it, he decided that the need of the hour was for us to believe God would accomplish what He alone can do. Faith-filled Prayer is the need of this hour as well.

This final week of 2015 is a crucial time for God's people to pray. Are you praying? Are you Praying in this Hour of Distress? Are Praying In this Hour of Glory? Are you Praying In this Hour of Deliverance?

The Hour of Distress

In John 17 Jesus was praying at the threshold of the cross. All the distress of human history was pressing upon Him. We face much of that distress in these days. And you need to understand that God has intentionally planted us in these days. Like Queen Esther, we have been brought forth for such a time. We are the people called to live and pray and serve Him in these days.

The Hour of Glory

I have been struck by the prayer of Jesus, "Father, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you?" Who would have believed Jesus could be glorified on the cross? Yet all glory from before the beginning to the end of the age rests on the cross.

I have never prayed such a prayer. I have always been afraid to pray for glory. I know my wicked heart that desires my glory above the Father's glory. To be honest my fear of praying for glory is like burying my talent instead of investing. Awareness of my sinful heart is not unwarranted. But I must step out on faith and immerse my temptation in prayer. And I can pray that my Father and the Son will be glorified more and more as He glorifies me.

The Hour of Deliverance

In John 17 Jesus prayed that we would have eternal life which is knowing Him, God the Son, and knowing the Father. I want to pray for many to come to know Him. Some years ago I prayer-walked in Central Asia. There was a pastor there who came from Iran. He was converted to Christ during the Iranian revolution. He said during that time thousands of people came to Christ. I wonder if millions will come to Christ during the Great Tribulation. How many will come to Him in these days?

Let me encourage you to read Anne Graham Lotz' Preprayer for the new year. www.annegrahamlotz.org/cate

I am not sure why the message comes up that the page can't be found. If it does, ignore it and scroll down to 111: Preprayer for the new year.

Next week I plan to write on praying for the new year.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

Have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year from Lillian Penner, National Prayer Coordinator for Christian Grandparenting Network.

A powerful event in the life of Jesus, recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke, is the paralytic brought to Jesus by several men bearing him on a stretcher.

Matthew 9:2 reads,

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven."

Notice the wording of this verse. When Jesus saw their faith He told the man his sins were forgiven. This is hard for us to swallow in our individualistic society. We think of spirituality as only one on one with God. But this lone wolf Christianity is not found in the Bible. We come to our Heavenly Father as a family. In Ephesians 2:20-22 we read that we are built up together as a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Lord indwells His church. Jesus established His church so we would pray, trust and experience Him together.

In the church we encourage one another's faith. You may have heard this important truth before. You need other believers in your life to help you process what is teaching you from scripture. You should have someone who is more mature than you spiritually. You need people who are struggling along at about the same place as you. And you need someone who is not as far along in the journey. I have discovered that the person less mature than me in many areas often encourages and strengthens my tenuous faith. And God often gives clear insight to a weaker believer to help me see and believe.

The most astounding thing in this passage may be that Jesus forgave the man's sins because of the others' faith. In the church we even believe for one another. This is not an uncommon experience in the church. Someone is facing a crisis that requires greater faith than she has. She shares the situation with other believers. They begin praying together and the others believe for her as well as with her.  

watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

An Answer for a Blue and Gloomy Christmas        

Does the song, “I’ll be home for Christmas”¹ Frank Sinatra made popular in the 50’s make you blue and gloomy because you are not going to see all of your family during this Christmas season make you sad? Grandparents love to be with their loved ones to celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. My husband and I will miss several of our family members this year at our family gathering, so we share that disappointment with you.

However, during my winter morning routine of sitting by the fire, having a cup of tea I was reading from my favorite devotional book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. I was reminded of the wonderful gift of God’s presence in my life and the peace that is available to fill my deepest longings when my focus is on Him. 

God never meant for us to be self-sufficient, He designed us to need Him so we will stay close to Him and be complete in Him. He is sitting at the right hand of God waiting for us to bring our lonely heavy hearts to Him to experience His peace, which only He can give.

Very often, I want to figure out how to solve my own issues. Sometimes I try to bury or deny my neediness by pacifying my longings with people or possessions. God carefully designed our longings and feelings of incompleteness, to point us to Him to weather the storms of life.

Sarah Young also writes from Jesus Calling, “When your focus is broad enough to include Me in your thoughts, you feel safe and complete. When your perception narrows so that problems or details fill your consciousness, you feel empty and incomplete.”² 

During the Christmas season, we often hear Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a Child is born and He will be called Wonderful Counselor”. A counselor is an adviser, an advocate or one who gives guidance and instruction. With the promise of Jesus as our counselor, ask yourself, “What need am I holding in my heart, that I can trust God for guidance today?”

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to wrap our neediness, our concerns, our loneliness, and our worries into a package and give it to Jesus this Christmas. He is waiting to receive your package so He can give us a gift, which will be beyond our comprehension.    

Prayer

Dear Father, I come to you with all my neediness.

Forgive me for trying to bury and deny my thoughts and feelings,

 pacifying my deepest wishes with people or possessions.

Help me to focus my thoughts on You so I will be aware of your presence.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

¹ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pk-SLQPYJ0

² Sarah Young, Jesus Calling, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004). p 358.

Have you seen the Trimmings on the Christmas Tree?

The Christmas tree, the greatest symbol of Christmas is an evergreen tree, representing life. The custom of erecting a Christmas tree can be historically traced to 15th century. “The tree was traditionally decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts, or other foods. In the 18th century, it began to be illuminated by candles, which were ultimately replaced by Christmas lights after the advent of electrification. Today, there are a wide variety of traditional ornaments, such as garland, tinsel, and candy canes. An angel or star might be placed at the top of the tree to represent the angel Gabriel or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity. ^[1]                   

The branches on the evergreen tree, remind us of the many roles we have in our lives such as parenting, grandparenting, great-grandparenting. They also remind us of all the relationships we have with our family, friends, neighbors, our careers, hobbies, activities, sports etc. As we submit, each of these branches to God He can adorn them with ornaments, as He develops our character, with the fruit of the Spirit. 

Let’s look at the ornaments on the tree representing the fruit of the Spirit. When we accept God’s unconditional LOVE in our hearts allowing His love to flow through us to others he will give us JOY. Our hearts will be full of joy amidst the daily challenges of our lives because “The joy of the Lord will be our strength.”  When we experience the JOY of the Lord as our strength, we will have PEACE. PEACE is calmness in our hearts amidst the challenges we face, extending through our lives to others. After our adorning with love, joy, and peace, we will be empowered with PATIENCE, an attitude that does not lose hope for others even if they irritate or hurt us. KINDNESS expressed with our words and deeds to a sad or lonely heart may be their connection for Jesus.  Then GOODNESS will flow into good works from our kind heart reflecting the character of God attracting others to Jesus.     

Another ornament placed on the tree is FAITHFULNESS. Just as God is faithful to us, it is important that we too, are dependable and trustworthy with others. Faithfulness brings us to GENTLENESS, an ability to be pleasant, composed and controlled in the daily challenges of life. The last ornament we will place on the tree is SELF-CONTROL, which adorns our lives with the character of strength to restrain us from doing wrong. We cannot have self-control without all the other ornaments.     

Then the tree will be wrapped with a garland of God’s righteousness and the star will be placed on the top directing people to Jesus. We will plug in the lights illuminating the tree representing Jesus the light of the world, a symbol of hope. Just as we have beautiful Christmas trees in our homes, our lives will be beautiful when adorned with the fruit of the spirit.  

This year let’s give our grandchildren a spiritual application of the Christmas tree representing everlasting life adorned with the ornaments of the fruit of the Spirit, wrapped with the garland of God’s love, the star directing others to Jesus, and shining as lights in a dark world. 

Pray that your grandchildren together with their parents and yourself will stand as a symbol of hope in a dark world adorned in strength and beauty of the fruit of the spirit like the beautiful Christmas tree. The greatest and most lasting Christmas gift you can give your grandchildren is the gift of a praying grandparent.     

By Lillian Penner

¹ Christmas tree, Wikipedia

Super Glue

When you think of super glue holding things together, what do you picture?  Possibly you first want to know what we are binding together.  Animal, mineral, vegetable…?  A physicist might tend to think of forces like electromagnetic or even atomic.  Scientific observation and study yielded new progressing thoughts in areas like conservation of energy (including measuring all forms of energy before and after a reaction), electromagnetic interaction studies, the vacuum-inertial speed of light (c) is a constant, kinetic energy is proportional to velocity SQUARED, and finally E=mc², leading to powerful release of atomic energy.  But today we are diving into spiritual power that is “out of this world.”

Are humans actually capable of taking actions that can result in the release of tremendous spiritual power?  The answer is YES when we become aligned with God’s desires and purposes; this brings glory and recognition to Him, and it humbles and satisfies us.  “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”

Man’s ability to release God’s power is NOT at all like rubbing a lamp and commanding a genie.  Nor is it like chanting “magical words” or expecting consistently dependable and repeatable results from the application of a formula. 

There is no substitute for humbly submitting our will to the will of God in prayer in dependence and trust in His written promises.  Typically the process of conforming our will to God’s will takes time, commitment to Him, and devotion to prayer.  Psalm 37:4 promises, “delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  In the middle of that promise is a spiritual reaction (transformation), a yielding of our spirit to His Spirit, including prayers of praise and thanksgiving where we learn to appreciate Him and His ways more.  Philippians 2:13 states ^“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  When prayer aligns our spirit with His Spirit He can safely grant us the desire of our heart, since our heart has become conformed to His heart.

But this kind of prayer priority places it above the attention of men, with no fanfare or recognition, but with tremendous godly benefits, like the secret prayers of George Mueller which tapped into God’s grace of daily provisioning of the needs of 10,000 orphans in Bristol during his lifetime.

Here are a couple of passages on being devoted to the priority of prayer FIRST and foremost.  Romans 12:10-12 (AMP) 10 Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor;11 never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord;12 constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength],  Colossians 4:2  Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.

The early church in Acts practiced such corporate devotion to unifying prayer.  120 were united (powerfully held together) in prayer as they awaited Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit- “with one mind, continually devoting themselves to prayer.”  Acts 1:14  After seeing the fruit of over 3,000 believers added to their numbers in one day, they also continued devoting themselves to prayer.  Acts 2:42  This is the key to doing things God’s way, producing patience to see Him gloriously work as the Head of His body to coordinate our attitudes and actions in accordance with His will at His timing. 

What would our churches and our city be like if we repented and put prayer as the top priority in our personal and corporate lives, transforming each church into “a house of prayer for all nations?” – using the super glue of attitudes and actions of love, and first priority of prayer, depending on, and trusting in, God and His promises and provisions. Jesus prayed in John 17 for us to be known in this world by His badge of love, and united (One in Him- powerfully and corporately) as His effective body. “In Him, all things consist” (hold together). Col 1:17 And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] We know that He reveals and manifests Himself through His Word and through praying together.  Better times are ahead!

A prayer alert from the Presidential Prayer Team today reads:

’Credible Terror Threat’ Closes Entire Los Angeles School District

Situations like this one drive us to our knees in prayer to our great God, and they should.  We pray for the children, who are likely scared by circumstances they can't even understand, let alone control.  We pray for the school teachers and administrators - for their safety and wisdom.  We pray for the FBI and law enforcement agencies in their attempts to investigate.

These are all great prayers and much-needed.  But I'm starting to find this method of praying a little defensive, a little reactive.  I'm beginning to crave a more offensive prayer style (offense as in football, not as in offending people!).  Through the eyes of faith, I'm just barely beginning to see that our sovereign God doesn't need to respond to events - he in fact controls them in some sense.

After Jacob's death, Joseph's brothers came to him seeking his forgiveness for how they had wronged him years before.  Joseph's response is now becoming the framework for my prayers: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives"  (Genesis 50:20). 

All through Scripture we see God taking evil things men have done and turning them into glorious good.  He took David's sin with Bathsheba and brought out of that a marriage that became the lineage of our Savior.  He turned the hatred of Haman, a persecutor of God's people, into such a great victory through Queen Esther's efforts that people far and wide heard of it and put their faith in him (Esther 8:17).

He turned the chief terrorist in the days of the early church - a man named Saul, who had presided over the stoning of Stephen - into the greatest evangelist of the time, spreading the gospel far and wide.  And on and on.  Scripture shows us over and over that when it looks like evil is winning, the story isn't finished yet.

So I'm trying to learn to "pray in the victory" in situations like this.  I'm praying for the children - but not just that they won't be scared.  I'm praying that Christian parents will help their children experience the peace of God in the midst of scary times, and that their peace will become a witness to other children who are far from God.  I'm praying that God will reap a harvest in all the schools in Los Angeles as a direct result of today's terror threat.

I'm praying that God will cause Muslim children - and parents - who haven't been brainwashed in to extremism to question their religion that could produce events like San Bernardino and groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Muslim Brotherhood.  I'm praying that the very evil of Islamic extremism would itself drive decent Muslims to Christ.

I'm asking God for Damascus-road like experiences for the terrorists responsible for these and other atrocities.  I'm asking him to reveal to them his power in a way that commands their attention, and then his grace in a way that demands their response.

I hope you'll join me in prayer - not the kind of prayer that huddles in a dark corner wishing that God would make it all go away, but the kind of prayer that says, "God, be in control of this.  Do what we've seen you do over and over again.  Bring good out of this evil.  Your kingdom come, your will be done."

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, I you of little faith?  

Matthew 6:30

Prayer is the first expression of faith. If you believe in God, you will pray. Praying faith is propositional. We trust what Scripture tells us about God. By faith we risk ourselves in the confidence that God is able to meet our needs. We believe that the One who made us knows what we need before we ask Him. We believe that He who feeds the sparrows and clothes the lily will provide what we need.

But praying faith is also personal. We not only believe that Almighty God can meet our needs, we trust in His love for us. We do not just trust God to give us what we want. We can know that God loves us even when He withholds what we want or think we need. By faith we throw ourselves into God's embrace. I remember being terrified up on a roof as a child. I yelled and screamed. My father came and stretched his arms up to me. "Jump, David." Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, I jumped into my father's arms.  

Praying faith is exclusive. We often hear faith touted as if it were a good in itself. But I would not have survived if I put my faith in the sidewalk to catch me. In prayer we decide to put faith in God rather than in our doubts or fears, rather than our wants and thoughts, rather than the goals and promises of the world around us.

I need to write on faith again next week. I want to key on the words, "their faith" in Matthew 9:2.

http://daveswatch.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

Every three years between Christmas and New Year, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship sponsors a 5-day mission event called "Urbana", named after its longtime location at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.  The last several events have been held in St. Louis (due to outgrowing the venue), but the conference retains the Urbana brand.  Urbana challenges college students to see the needs of the world and to respond to God's call to expand his kingdom globally.  My own personal prayer life and prayer ministry owes its origins to Urbana '84, so I thought I'd focus this spotlight on Urbana '15, scheduled for 12/27-31, 2015.  (Where did those 30 years go?!)

Urbana is a conference founded on prayer (I've included some of their specific requests for prayer below).  When I attended, we had small group Bible studies in the morning and those same groups met for prayer each night (usually around 10:00), reviewing our days and praying for discernment of God's call; in fact, this was where I (and probably thousands of other college students) first learned to consider and pray about God's path for my life.  And it's no wonder, given the amount of prayer that goes into the conference. 

Urbana's prayer page notes this from David Platt: 

David Platt’s first exposure to InterVarsity came at a preparatory retreat for Urbana 12 speakers in August 2012. One of the things that impressed him the most was our commitment to prayer. He said, “I speak at a lot of conferences. And I have never seen a group putting on a conference who takes prayer as seriously as you all!”

Urbana 2015 will guide attendees through studies on the book of Matthew through small groups and expositions; broaden their vision through plenary sessions (with about 16,000 attendees!); and challenge their thinking through hundreds of breakout sessions focused on different topics of missions.  Of particular interest to us as people of prayer, Urbana will open the eyes of students to the concept of missional prayer and will challenge them to understand that, in the words of Eric Alexander, "Prayer is fundamental, not supplemental" to the work of the church.

Students will have an opportunity to begin to practice missional prayer both in their small groups and through a missional prayer room, where they will intercede for the needs of the world.  They'll be given an opportunity and space for worship and reflective prayer, and times and spaces to receive prayer from volunteers at the conference.  In short, not only the conference but also the attendees will be saturated with prayer.  I speak from experience when I say many of them will be changed forever by the encounter.

To get a taste of what students will hear, check out this excerpt from Eric Alexander's exposition of Ephesians in Urbana '84: The Ministry of Christian Intercession.

If you're passionate about raising up the next generation of prayer warriors within the church, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more strategic event to pray for than the Urbana missions conference.  As God leads you, please lift up the following requests from the Urbana staff:

• Pray that all participants would encounter Christ as we spend hours studying the Gospel of Matthew, hearing careful exposition, and receiving from the Spirit through the gifts of artists.
• Pray that the Lord would protect, sustain, and direct everyone working to make Urbana as useful and beautiful as possible, including leadership, the worship team, volunteers, media, operations staff, speakers, and prayer ministers.
• Pray that while on break from campus life—where many are in important conversations about racial justice—students would hear God’s call to justice and be equipped as agents of change and reconciliation. 
• And pray that we all hear, discern, and embrace God’s call to his global mission—that we have courage to reach beyond perceived limitations, encounter the unfamiliar, risk failure, and say “YES!” to Jesus. 

If you're interested in praying during the course of the conference, Sign up to receive daily prayer requests from December 27-31. You can also watch the live stream at urbana.org to guide your prayers.

Pray.Network Spotlight by Andrew Wheeler.

See Andrew's website at www.togetherinprayer.net

Christmas is a great time to connect spiritually with our grandchildren helping them understand the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Grandchildren look forward to receiving gifts from their grandparents at Christmas and grandparents love giving them gifts. Some grandparents spend lavishly shopping for gifts for their grandchildren. The GRAND magazine stated that there are over 70 million grandparents in the US. Imagine how much money grandparents will spend on th

eir grandchildren this Christmas.   

We live in a self-centered entitlement society, which encourages children to think of themselves first. As grandparents, we can teach our grandchildren about giving when we do something together fo

r a needy person. Go shopping together for a gift for a needy child, cook a meal, or bake cookies for someone who is ill. My husband and I enjoyed taking our granddaughters to purchase items for the Christmas

Operation Shoe boxes.  

 As our economy tightens, we might rethink about how we are going to handle the gift giving this year. We can give meaningful gifts that don’t cost much money, such as spending time, one on one with a grandchild or participating in an activity together.

Last Christmas a friend of mine gave her granddaughter sewing lessons, which didn’t cost much, and they were able to spend some quality time together. A grandfather might take his grandson fishing or go to a sporting event together as a gift. Give them memories that enhance your relationship with your grandchildren.  

As we do our holiday preparations let’s attempt to make a memorable Christmas for our grandkids. Some don’t live nearby so we won’t be able to spend the holidays with them, however, we can send them a “special” note, an unexpected Skype call, or make some kind of 

connection with them, in addition to our gifts.   

Give your family the gift of a tradition of the true meaning of Christmas, which can be passed on to future generations. A tradition in my family was that my parents always read the Christmas story from Luke 2 before opening gifts at Christmas. My husband and I did the sa

me and we still do and have noticed that our sons are following the same tradition. It would be a blessing for my parents if they could see that this tradition was passed on to their future generations.   

• Ask God to give you ideas of what you can do to en
  courage your grandchildren to think of others and their needs, not only their own.   
• Do you want them to remember you by the costly Christmas gifts you gave to them? On the other hand, do you want them to remember something about celebrating the true eaning of Christmas, such as blowing out the candles on Jesus’ birthday cake or reading the story of the birth of Jesus from the Bible before opening the gifts?    

• What do you want your grandchildren to remember about celebrating Christmas with you?  

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3

By Lillian Penner

I am not exactly sure how to approach my blog this week. I am bringing to a close my series of blogs on the foundations of prayer. That in itself seems strange, because all my entries relate to the foundations of prayer. In each entry I present what God tells us about prayer in His word. But there are some foundational truths upon which all prayer rests. I began this series with an entry on praying God's grace. That entry related the gospel to prayer. So it is fitting that I bring this series back to grace where we began. We have access to God in prayer because Jesus purchased for us on the cross.

Romans 5 begins with these words.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

Some of you remember the famous photograph of John John, JFK Jr., playing in the cubbyhole in his father's desk in the Oval Office. He was the only eight year old in the country to have such access to the office of the most powerful man in the world. It should take our breath away to realize we have been given access to the throne of Almighty God.

We who were once enemies now have peace with God because Jesus died in our place. The Son of God died for you, so you might be embraced by God as His adopted child.

We can confidently stand in His presence because of this grace lavished upon us. And as we pray we rejoice not just in the answers to prayer that God gives, but in the hope of sharing in the glory of God. Prayer is the expression of faith in the wonder of God's work in the world and in our lives.

Next week I plan to write about angry prayers. Have you prayed such prayers? I certainly have. What does the Bible teach about them?

http://daveswatch.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

'Tis the season for "peace on earth, goodwill toward men." A green wreath graces my front door, and the sweet smell of cookies fills my home, even this early in December. My kids have located the station that plays continuous Christmas music, so there are carols streaming from our radio in the background. I love the warmth and joy the holiday season brings. It feels peaceful and comforting, like a favorite blanket.

One sunny day last week, I stepped out of my cheery home to go pick up my kids at school. Almost instantly, the illusion of peace crumbled before my eyes. My neighbor was in the driveway, distraught. Two of our neighbors were sick, she said, one with cancer. Another young mother had just kicked her drunken husband out of the house the night before. And a third set of neighbors (I am not making this up) split and were moving out within days.

Stunned, I drove to school to get my children. As I pulled in, I noticed the school flag flying at half staff - again. I quickly checked the news on my phone. Fourteen people had been killed in San Bernardino, with 17 more injured, in a terrorist attack.

 It's hard to stay in the Spirit when people close to  you are so dispirited. It's hard to maintain peace when the world around you is coming to a slow boil.

I felt the Lord nudge me to dig a little deeper into His perspective on peace, as found in the Bible. While it didn't seem like the traditional "advent devotional," it certainly seemed relevant in the midst of all that was happening.  Here's what He showed me.

Continue Reading: Jesus, the Prince of Peace

In response to prominent people saying they were praying for the San Bernardino, CA shooting victims’ families and the survivors, the December 3 headline on the New York Daily News read, “God Isn’t Fixing This.”  The article said people offering prayers, “Erred in offering prayers rather than solutions on gun control.” Rather than going down the trail of gun control, I want to go down the other road – that of praying in a time of crisis. Many, including U.S. President Obama (prior to his continuing push for gun control), said, “Our first response is to pray for the injured and for the families who have suffered loss.” When our Lord faced a life or death crisis in His own life, He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. According to Matthew 26:36-42, Jesus met the crisis head-on (“Sit here while I go over there and pray.”); defined the crisis (“My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death.”); evaluated the options (“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.”); came to a firm decision (“My Father . . . Your will be done.”).  According to Luke 22:43, He then received strength from God (“An angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”)   Obviously, God does “fix” things. Unfortunately, many wait for a crisis to pray.  The truth is you will be much more effective in praying in a time of crisis if you are faithful in praying before the crisis.   He prays best in times of crisis who prays consistently in times of no crisis. Crisis is not the best time to restore communication with God. Crisis praying is a spasmodic cry of emergency vs. consistent communication with holy God.  If you will walk daily with God, when crisis comes, you will not need to cry loudly.  He will hear your sobs, and He will “fix” it, according to His will. So pray on!

A few years ago my husband and I attended a reunion in Branson, MO where we saw the awesome performance of The Miracle of Christmas at the Sight & Sound Theatre. I was impressed by how they displayed the emotions of Mary and Joseph when they were faced with the announcements of Gabriel.  

While the Jewish nation was waiting for God to free them from living in Roman bondage God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Mary, “Greetings, You are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  Mary was greatly troubled and questioned the angel. The angel said to her, “Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Mary asked the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin.” Gabriel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. . . For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary recognized God’s voice and responded, “I am your servant, and may it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:20-38)   

Joseph, Mary’s fiancée was troubled when he learned Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. He did not want to expose her to public disgrace so he had in mind to divorce her quietly. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (bondage).” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel commanded and took Mary home as his wife but had no union with her until she gave birth to a son, and he named the son Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was a righteous man and Mary had found favor with God, they were greatly troubled, however, they recognized the voice of God, the angel delivered. Because of Mary’s obedience, she had the honor of giving birth to Jesus, the long awaited Messiah fulfilling what the Lord had said through the prophet Isaiah.

I have to ask myself,  “Am I so committed to God that when the Holy Spirit tells me to do something my response is like Mary’s,’ I am your servant, and may it be to me as you have said.”

Pray for your grandchildren, their parents and yourself to live so close to God that when He speaks to them they will recognize his voice, listen to Him, follow Him in obedience, and trust Him, as Mary and Joseph did.

 By Lillian Penner

“How enthroned, magnificent, and royal the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ at His Father’s right hand in heaven! The benefits of His intercession flow to us through our intercessions. Our intercession ought to catch by contagion and by necessity the inspiration and largeness of Christ’s great work at His Father’s right hand. His business and His life are to pray. Our business and our lives ought to be to pray, and to 'pray without ceasing' (1 Thessalonians 5:17).” E. M. Bounds

Do we realize that prayer and intercession can break through our most difficult trials? Intercession is the key that will unlock the treasures of God on earth. It will open up heaven and bring it to earth. God’s perfect will in heaven can only be brought to earth through the ministry of intercession.

Can we consecrate ourselves afresh to this great ministry? Can we make a commitment to prioritize prayer and intercession in our lives?

When you run out of strength and motivation to pray, look at the greatest intercessor throughout all of history—the Lord Jesus Christ. He is always interceding for us. If this is the ministry He is involved in, surely this should help us to continue in His example and not give up. Here is a prayer to be great in intercession like Jesus. You may want to pray this regularly in your own life.

My Prayer to be Like Jesus in Intercession

Jesus, You are the greatest intercessor throughout all of history. I pray that You will teach me to be a great intercessor like You. I thank You for always interceding for me. I thank You that even while on earth in Your humanity, You were the greatest intercessor. Help me to be like You in intercession. You prayed before You began Your public ministry (Luke 3:21-22). You emphasized prayer in Your teaching (Matthew 6:5-13). You trained Your disciples to pray (Luke 9:28-29). You prayed in secret and prayed in public (Luke 5:16, John 11:41-42). You arose early to pray and withdrew to lonely places (Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35). You always depended on Your Father and prayed for direction before choosing Your twelve disciples (Luke 6:12-13). Jesus, You paid the price to intercede. You were tempted in every way like us and, yet, were without sin. You humbled Yourself and became obedient to death on a cross, and You gave Yourself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (Hebrews 5:7, Philippians 2:6-8).

Jesus, You are the greatest intercessor in heaven. You are exalted above the heavens and are our perfect High Priest forever. You will always meet our needs (Hebrews 7:25-26). You are seated at the Father’s right hand and are exalted to the highest place with unlimited power. I thank You that I can partner with You in intercession. I can pray the will of heaven into the earth realm (Philippians 2:9, Act 7:55, Hebrews 1:13). You have all authority in heaven and on earth (Hebrews 2:7-9, Philippians 2:9-11). You are able to win every battle I bring before You in prayer. At Your name every knee will bow in heaven and on earth, and under the earth. You paid the price so that I can come to the throne of grace with my intercession and be heard on high.

I thank You for being my example in prayer and intercession. You are always interceding for me. You speak to the Father in my defense as the Righteous One. You are holy, blameless, pure, and set apart. You can pray in my defense when I sin (1 John 2:1). Help me to lay hold of this great and powerful ministry. I want my intercession to bless the world and glorify You. I thank You that intercession is the key that will unlock the treasures of God on earth. Your perfect will in heaven can only be brought to earth through the ministry of intercession. I consecrate myself afresh to this great ministry. I commit myself to prioritize prayer in my life. I thank you for showing me the way as my Great Intercessor. In Jesus’ name, amen.

It’s time to go deeper in the ministry of prayer and show earth the power of intercession. You may want to purchase my new book: The Passionate Prayer Life of Jesus. Learn how to pray with His authority as you gain insight about Jesus' lifestyle and example of prayer. Learn about His life, thoughts, and practice of prayer. With crafted prayers at the end of each chapter, this book is excellent for spiritual growth both personally and in group settings. Grow as a fervent lover of God who passionately prays His will onto the earth.

“Intercession! Would one not say that this is the very holiest exercise of our boldness as God’s children? It is the highest privilege and enjoyment connected to our communion with God. It is the power of being used by God as instruments for His great work of making men His habitation and showing forth His glory.” Andrew Murray

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

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

It is not always easy to give thanks, but this is the very thing we must do in order to see God’s will accomplished in our lives. This is how we move into higher realms of faith for ourselves, for our city, and for our nation. When we give thanks in the midst of difficulty, we bring pleasure to God's heart and breakthrough begins. He is looking for people who live in a realm of praise and thanksgiving where the enemy no longer has an ability to hold or manipulate. Satan is defeated when we have a thankful heart because thankfulness during difficulty is a sacrifice pleasing to God. Are you thankful?

• Are you thankful for your present circumstances?
• Are you thankful for your salvation, your friendships, and your job?
• Are you thankful for the way God made you?

Thankfulness is a key to your life. It is the key that turns your situation around because it changes you, your outlook, and your attitude. There is power in a thankful heart. Thanksgiving brings contentment. An attitude of thanksgiving accepts and embraces God’s will. Begin to thank God for all the blessings he has given instead of dwelling on the negative. Discontent dries up the soul. Look at what Elisabeth Elliott, who lost her husband on the mission field and faced multitudes of hardships, says about loving God's will and being content:

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

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

The Duke of Wellington was a British military leader who regretted that he had not learned the secret of praise during his lifetime. He had many great accomplishments and even defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. He was a brilliant and demanding man and when he was older, he realized that there were areas in his life that needed to change. In his old age a woman asked him this question, “What would you do differently if you had your life to live over again?”

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

This is a lesson for all of us. To learn to be people of praise and thanksgiving to God all the days of our lives would be a great accomplishment. There is greatness and happiness in thanksgiving.

“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world?... It is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it… Could you therefore work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit, for it turns all that it touches into happiness.”
William Law

David writes in Psalm 116:17, "I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD." Did you know that thanking God for a difficulty is actually an offering that He highly values? You are bringing a gift of thanks to Him. It is so easy to complain. It is so easy to point the finger and find fault. But to come with the opposite attitude and give thanks brings breakthrough and joyful contentment.

How to Practice Thankfulness

Let each of us seek to have an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving, and rise to a new level of holiness. Here are some ways to practice this attitude in everyday life:

• Thank and praise God for everything in your life - Thank Him for even the difficulties. It is a sacrifice to do this but He can turn troubles into triumph.

  “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

• Don’t allow yourself to complain about anything - During the difficult times, be very careful to watch your tongue. Instead of complaining, think of ways you can verbally offer God the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

  “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:14-15).

• Don’t compare yourself with others - Don’t wish your life were different. God knows what is best. The Bible says that having a thankful heart is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. When we begin to thank God for what we have, rather than comparing ourselves with others, it opens the door for God’s blessings.

  “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else” (Galatians 6:4).

Most of us are in need of breakthroughs in prayer. The enemy is fighting hard with fiery darts of discouragement and lies. The way we will begin to deal with the lies and the vicious ways he tries to destroy our joy is through the power of a thankful heart. As we cultivate a lifestyle of worship and praise in the magnificent splendor of God, we will be able to break through the strategies of the enemy. A worshipful and thankful life permeates the atmosphere with the presence of God, because worship is the atmosphere where God’s truth dwells.

These new web sites on prayer will help you grow in your walk with God with an attitude of thanksgiving - Intercessors Arise International and Nations House of Prayer Equipping Center.

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

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

"As a child of God, you ought to expect God to answer your prayers. Do you ask God to do something without adjusting your life to what you are praying? If you are praying for revival, how are you preparing for its coming? If you are praying for forgiveness, are you still living with guilt? If you have asked God to provide for your needs, do you remain worried and anxious? Ask God to increase your faith, and then begin living a life that reflects absolute trust in Him." Henry Blackaby

We all want God to answer our prayers. We believe in the power of prayer, but when it comes down to our own individual lives and our own problems, we often don't have the faith to believe God will answer. The times we are living in are difficult. We are often trapped by our unbelief and fear, but God is preparing us for the end-time harvest. He wants to enlarge our territory. He wants to bless us with increase, because His nature is to care and bestow divine favor on us.

We are the ones who limit Him because of our lack of trust and our fear of stepping out in faith. The truth is that the things we do for God should be outside of our own ability and should be trusting in His supernatural ability. When we back away from dependence and trust in God, we are not living by faith. He wants us to trust and obey His Word. He wants us to be strong and courageous. We need to be willing to attempt things big enough that unless God's steps in, we are sure to fail. This is the kind of trust and dependence He is looking for in our life. We need not be shaken. He can break through every obstacle. He is the God of the impossible!

A Prayer for Trusting God in Hard Times

Lord, I thank You that You are the God of the impossible. You can do anything. I want to trust in Your ability and not my own. Teach me to see difficulties in my life from Your perspective. Help me to focus on You and Your power. I want to be like Joshua and Caleb who believed in a good report and focused on You even in hard circumstances (Numbers 14:7-9). My responsibility is to carefully read, trust, and obey Your Word. Today I bring before You this difficulty in my life [Name a hard situation you are right now facing]. Help me not to fear but to trust You in this situation. I declare my faith in Your ability to fulfill Your promises to me. You will fight for me and win the battles in my life. You are mighty, powerful, righteous and true.   

I have nothing to fear with You on my side. I will be strong and courageous even in hard times. I will not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord my God will be with me wherever I go (Joshua 1:9). You will never leave me or forsake me (Joshua 1:5). I do not need to figure everything out. You already know the best plan for my life. I will not try any man-made method to do only what You can do. Show me Your supernatural power. Teach me how to walk by faith and pray breakthrough prayers. I choose to have faith in Your ability to break through every obstacle in my life. Just like Joshua, You will give me the land and every place where my feet step (Joshua 1:3). “Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever” (Psalm 44:5-8).
 
“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:5-11). In Jesus name, amen.

"Faith does the impossible because it lets God undertake for us, and nothing is impossible for God. How great - without qualification or limitation - the power of faith is! If doubt can be banished from the heart and unbelief is made a stranger there, what we ask from God will surely come to pass. Prayer throws faith on God and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God."

• Purchase my new book, The Passionate Prayer Life of Jesus.
• See the new Nations House of Prayer Equipping Center.
• See the new Intercessors Arise International Website. 
• For information regarding work and prayer among Syrian refugees, write: helpfriends7@gmail.com.
• 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.

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