Values to Help Facilitate Unity in Prayer

11169247_994914043905036_2077199318887040447_nThe following are three values that will help facilitate unity in your House of Prayer:

  • Mature team ministry – When there are instruments, antiphonal singing and prayer together, then there is a need for unity between the worship team, the intercessors, the singers, and everyone in the prayer room. There needs to be the desire to function as a divine symphony. We truly need each other. Skilled hands and trained minds are needed. The musicians must play with restraint in order to bring out the best in the team. Intercessors must refrain from lengthy prayers. Mature team ministry is vitally important.
  • There needs to be the desire to include everyone – The ungifted, weak, or untrained need to feel welcomed. Everyone is needed. Everyone is part of the prayer room. We must be very careful that one or a few people do not dominate the House of Prayer. I have experienced this many times. When one or two people dominate the prayers because they are quick or loud, the quieter ones can feel frustrated or left out. We need to guard against this.
  • Centrality of the Word – Praying the Bible should be included. Mike Bickle from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City says that we should be a singing seminary.

“We are to be rejoicing in the language of God’s heart as opposed to being frustrated by the limitation of biblical language. The Scriptures impart a governmental function into the model that automatically hinders the use of error and weirdness.” Mike Bickle

Think about the beautiful sound in a united symphony orchestra. This instrumental ensemble containing sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments which when united make a beautiful symphony.

A psychologist at Union College and R. Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, were presenting their discoveries at a meeting of the American Psychologist Association. They were showing how various sections of eleven major symphony orchestras perceived one another. String players were seen as arrogant and unathletic. The percussionists were viewed as hard-of-hearing, unintelligent, and insensitive. The brass players were thought of as loud and woodwinds were seen as meticulous, quiet, and quite egotistical.

With such widely divergent perceptions and personalities, how could they ever come together and make such wonderful music? The amazing answer is that even though these musicians see each other with different eyes, they come under submission to the leadership of the conductor. Because of his guidance, they play breathtaking music.

In the same way, those in the prayer room might all be different and have a variety of ways of doing things, but when they submit to the leadership of God and His Word, they play and pray in harmony. No one is left out; they function as a divine symphony. They are of one heart, giving glory to God through their unity. Just as in the book of Acts, God will show forth His power through His people when they are of one heart and soul. I look forward to that day, don’t you?

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind… With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 4:31-32a, 33).

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Hindrances to Unity in a House of Prayer

11694990_990318007697973_3189277523324716005_nAs we look at these beautiful character qualities that enhance unity, it is also important to realize that the devil will try to stop or hinder prayer in many ways. He will deceptively bring in many problems. You are moving into heavier warfare when you start a House of Prayer in your city or church, but the blessings will far surpass the hindrances. You are entering greater opportunities for the harvest.

The following are a few of these possible hindrances. Many of them are especially problems in a citywide House of Prayer. If you are doing a one-week House of Prayer in your church, most of these hindrances won’t affect you. For example, you won’t run into denominational problems or lack of finances if it’s in your own church. In one short week you may not have to face as many opportunities for offense or division. It’s in the longer term 24/7’s where the more serious hindrances can occur. It would be good to pray about these possible hindrances ahead of time, and be alert as you build a House of Prayer in your city or church.

  • Denominational barriers – We must unite, and learn to pray with those outside our own denomination. We must decide within our own heart that the unity of the body of Christ is far more important than our own personal preferences. Humility is going to be key in this end-time revival and in Houses of Prayer. There will be no room for pride.
  • Offenses – Individuals may get offended with one another. We must all learn not to carry an offense. It is absolutely necessary that we forgive quickly and move on. Entire cities are at stake; therefore, we must choose to love. Confession of sin removes the barriers of disunity in relationships. Confession and repentance should be encouraged in your House of Prayer.
  • Lack of finances or agreement in location – When starting a House of Prayer in a city, finances can hold us back. Or there may be difficulty in agreeing on a location. Some may want it in one place and others somewhere else. Continual prayer for God’s provision and direction is vital. Asking the whole body of Christ in a region to contribute is helpful.
  • The struggle with control – Many times “control” can be a spiritual problem causing disunity, and certain individuals or churches may want to control what God is doing. The truth is that God is the ultimate leader of the House of Prayer. He must get all the glory. Any man that God uses will be one who walks in deep humility.
  • Individual strongholds affecting relationships – The enemy will do anything he can to find open doors (strongholds) in individual lives to prevent united prayer. In warfare, Satan will try to ruin relationships. This is why we must personally close the door of strongholds in our own lives and constantly forgive. We must let God radically deal with our own personal lives.
  • The enemy will always try to divide and conquer – We have seen him do this all over the mission field between husbands and wives, leaders and followers, team members, and churches. We must seriously pray, and choose not to be divided or bring accusation against one another.

Realize that God can break through all these hindrances. He is able. Love does cover a multitude of sins. It’s worth it to have Houses of Prayer even in spite of the hindrances. God can exceed our greatest expectations if we are willing to battle through the hard times.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Incredible Power of United Intercession

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“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of 
his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore”
(Psalm 133:1-3).

Intercession is spreading just as the urgency of the hour for prayer is increasing. God is moving across the earth, and the prayer movement is growing as the days grow darker. We are in an enormous battle just as the Romans were in the movie Gladiator. We must unite in prayer; the life of the Church depends on it.

During a time of traveling for several months overseas, I was able to visit several countries and was amazed at the rapid interest there was for Houses of Prayer. There were young people in France who desire to spread 24/7 prayer all throughout that land. And this was in just one nation. There are so many others!

There is no other way that we will be able to reach the nations and see revival and salvation spread. There must be a dramatic increase in united prayer. While praying overseas with many different Christians of various denominations and from many nations, I was struck with the realization of the incredible power of united intercession. This is why the enemy hates it so much. This is why starting and maintaining a House of Prayer takes all our determination and commitment.

You have heard of the saying, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

During World War II in the battle for Salingrad, the soldiers were ordered by their Russian commanders not to give up any more ground. If a soldier fled from the Germans, he was instantly shot on the spot. The Russian commanders knew the seriousness of uniting together. If a couple of soldiers fled their posts, the Germans would have an opening and would be able to invade the city. The Church must stand together in unity. When we are divided, Satan finds it easier to attack us and conquer. United day and night prayer within our cities will protect us from enemy attack.

Psalm 133 speaks of the blessing of unity. This blessing includes the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. When we unite in prayer, we will see a great increase in the realm of God’s manifest power. With unified and anointed prayer, we shall see divine possibilities in our cities and nations that we had never before imagined possible. The fullness of God is only released to the unified Church. We must pay the price to see this happen. We must face and endure the difficulties of uniting in intercession in order to see the blessings of the Lord flow. We read in Ephesians 4:3:

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

One hundred pianos that are all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other. They are in one accord not because they are being tuned to one another, but to another standard outside of themselves. Each one must become tuned to that one standard in order to be in tune with the others. When we worship and pray together, we are looking to Christ. He is our standard. In this way we become like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

A few years ago we were planning a one-month 24/7 House of Prayer in our city of Virginia Beach. I was signing individuals up for the two-hour time slots in the prayer room. Being unsure as to the various combinations of people that would end up in the prayer room together, I stepped forward by faith hoping that God would arrange it in a perfect design. To my surprise, God worked it out to the smallest detail.

During that month an elderly woman intercessor had signed up for the very same hours as a young African American pastor with a group of his lively and somewhat rugged-looking church members. So here they were in the prayer room praying and seeking God together.

I thought to myself, “Will it work?”

To my amazement, after it was all over, the elderly intercessor came up to me and told me how much she had enjoyed praying together with that pastor and his church team. She expressed with sadness how she was going to really miss praying with them.

Such is the beauty of how God unites in heart very diverse individuals in the prayer room.

Jesus prayed for unity in His Church in His high priestly prayer in John 17 shortly before He died. In John 17:1-19 He prays directly for His disciples, but in the last six verses He prays for His Church throughout all of history. He prays that we would be united with Him (John 17:21, 23). He wants us to live in unity with His heart, doing and saying what He says. He prays that we would know His glory and beauty and that our love would be pure and undefiled; that we would passionately love just as He does. He wants us to love Him just like He loves the Father (John 17:26). We want this tremendous portion of Scripture to dramatically change our lives. We should pray these Scriptures in the prayer room because unity is so important in our cities.

Unity is a key to fruitfulness. This is true in all dimensions of life, especially in the prayer room. We need to do everything we can do to help maintain unity, love, and peace with one another. We are glorifying God in our prayers and worship. Valuing and prioritizing unity will help bring the manifest presence of God into the prayer room. We need to ask ourselves:

How can we maintain unity in our House of Prayer? How can we stay united in powerful intercession on a daily basis?

Colossians 3:12-14 emphasizes the character qualities that we must cloth ourselves with in order to build perfect harmony:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC