Our Prayer for Encountering God

10407494_964089923654115_5859114877055829784_n-2Lord, we long to encounter You in our lives. We want to be like Moses who sought you face-to-face. We want our city to be one that seeks after Your presence. Bring us into unity as we seek Your face. Give us Your heart with Your passion in this prayer room, and burden our hearts to reach out to the lost that live here. Help us to fast and pray for transformation in our city. You promise in Your Word that our light will break out like the dawn, Your light will guide us; You will satisfy our needs and strengthen our frame, etc. [Continue praying through Isaiah 58:6-12, bringing before God His promises.]

Help us to fast and pray like Charles Finney, Rees Howells, and You when You fasted forty days and nights. Give us a hunger for prayer. Help us to focus on You alone. Come into the center of our every activity, and remove those things that keep us from encountering You. Capture our hearts, and reveal Yourself to us individually when we are praying alone, and corporately when we are praying together. We want to adore You and be wholly consumed with Your person.

We praise You because You are holy, righteous, good, all loving, merciful, etc. [Pray the attributes of God.] You are our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). You are the ruler of the kings of the earth, the faithful witness, the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty, the Living One (Revelation 1). [Pray the names, descriptions of God, and the Word of God.] We want to be like the woman who took an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on Your head because she loved You so much. Help us to love You extravagantly with our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Verses to Memorize

“Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always (Psalm 105:2-4).

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Ways to Adore God in the Prayer Room

Our Prayers for Wisdom in Developing a House of Prayer“Your statutes, LORD, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days” (Psalm 93:5).

It’s time to learn how to love and adore God in the prayer room both personally and corporately. Let’s get ready for the harvest. Here’s some ways we can do this:

  • Express your love and longings for God as a group – Have extra times of worship without asking for anything but just praising God.
  • Delight in Jesus Himself – Don’t just worship God for what He has done for you, but delight in Jesus Himself and Who He is.
  • Learn to be unselfish in your prayers – Don’t always be me-centered but learn to be God-centered.
  • Pray the attributes of God and Jesus – In your prayers say: “You are holy,” “You are righteous,” “You are good, forgiving, loving, merciful, etc.”
  • Pray the names and descriptions of God and Jesus – Worship God as: Wonderful Counselor,“Prince of Peace,” “Savior,” “King of Kings,” Pray verses that go along with each name or description such as Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

As the days grow darker may we be consumed with the person of Jesus Christ. May our affections be stirred to the limits of their intensity, and may we respond with an unearthly delight and an unspeakable joy.

This is what happened to a woman who delighted to worship Jesus with all that she had. She knew how to sit at Jesus’ feet and seek one thing—Him alone. She was not caught up in the tyranny of the urgent as many of us are today. She knew what was essential. She was determined and single-minded. She beheld the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). She went beyond the call of duty in her devotion.

It was extravagantit was powerfulit was a consuming reality.

In Matthew 26:6-13, we read about this woman who took an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head as he was reclining at the table. This woman crossed the line of social and religious propriety when she entered a roomful of men.

But nothing could stop her from pouring on Jesus’ head a jar of very expensive perfume worth a year’s wages. We read in verses 8-9: “When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’” But Jesus defended this woman when He said to those present, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.” The word “beautiful” means noble, fine, and elegant. It pleased God. I am sure it excited His heart.

Adoration means extravagant passion. This woman knew what really mattered. Everything else springs from this. She teaches us the most important lesson—to love God extravagantly. Let’s learn from her example. Let’s learn to continually love God in the prayer room and to take that adoration and love everywhere we go.

“Whether we think of, or speak to God, whether we act or suffer for Him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than His love and the desire of pleasing Him. All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer when it is done in simplicity according to the order of God… In souls filled with love, the desire to please God is a continual prayer.” John Wesley

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Captured by God in the Prayer Room

11295703_964568553606252_1126736528200237369_n It happened one night in our one-month House of Prayer in southern Spain when the pastors were praying in the prayer room. The House of Prayer was taking place in a large hotel called the Solana Hotel, and a room was designated as the prayer room.

During that month of prayer a non-Christian named Allison, a hotel employee, was hosting the coffee and food bar. She’s an attractive British woman about forty years old who relocated to Spain with her husband Matthew because of the warm weather and sunshine. They had been through many difficulties, the most recent being a disappointing conflict with Jose, the owner of the hotel Solana. Their heavy drinking evidenced the pain and confusion they faced. During the weeks of the 24/7 prayer in the Solana, some of us would chat with them, answering their many questions.

They felt the love, peace, and joy among us. Allison listened attentively to what we were praying and watched as we praised and adored God in worship. We held large and small prayer meetings right in front of the coffee bar area where she worked. We prayed for God to reveal Himself to her heart. We could see a change in her face during the month.

One night at the end of the month, the local pastors were having their third all-night prayer vigil in the prayer room. Allison could resist no longer. She was drawn by the power of the Holy Spirit into the prayer room at about 1:30 A.M. She went over to my husband, Norm, and asked, “Will you pray for me?” His first thought was, “How are we going to pray with her here?” Probably many of us would have thought, “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate to come in and interrupt the pastor’s prayer meeting?” But as soon as Allison sat down she started crying, “Jesus help us! Jesus help us!” 

This brought the quickest answer to prayer. 

Norm said to her, “Allison, do you believe you are a sinner?” She answered, “Yes.” He then asked, “Do you believe Jesus died for your sins?” Again she answered, “Yes.” As he led her in a prayer to receive the Lord, a pastor had his hand on her head. She later said she felt a warmth come into her body.

We all saw a great joy in Allison the next day. Her life was radically changed. She was drawn into the prayer room through the adoration, praise, and prayer of God’s people. She could not resist the beauty she saw because through his people she saw Christ. She knew that He was what she needed in her life.

This was the first fruits of what we will see in the prayer room. The lost are going to be drawn like a magnet to the beauty of Christ through the praise and adoration of His people. In the coming days we shall see multitudes saved in the prayer room. They will be drawn by the presence of God that abides there.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Heart of David

11214163_990325321030575_6399602475697441857_nKing David was a  Bible character that adored God. He was one who sought God’s face continually. He was a man after God’s own heart
(1 Samuel 13:14) and a student of God’s emotions, who continually worshipped Him all His life. He committed himself to obeying the commands of God.

David’s primary occupation was to seek God’s beauty (Psalm 27:4). He knew the love of God in good times and bad. God was with David when he adored Him out in the fields as a shepherd boy. And God was with him as he adored Him while ruling as King. Even while being pursued by Saul, while hiding in damp dark caves, David experienced the love and strength of God. David, as shepherd and king, knew how to pray and strengthened himself in God (1Samuel 30:8).

The highest and chief goal in David’s life was to know God.

He dedicated his life to finding a resting place for God on earth
(Psalm 133:1-8). He sought the Lord with his time, talents, and treasures. He spent time in God’s House fasting and worshiping Him continually. He prioritized seeking God even as a military leader. He prioritized seeking God as a shepherd when nobody was watching. When he was young and when he was old, he sought after God. Whether he was in victory or in depression, David set His heart on God’s beauty.

After becoming King, David set up a worship tabernacle in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). He had a revelation of worship according to God’s order in his heavenly sanctuary. He then prepared a place for the Ark of God and set it in the Tabernacle of David (1 Chronicles 15-16:1). He established Levites to worship before the Ark. During David’s lifetime, he raised up four thousand paid musicians and 288 paid singers to worship in God’s house (1 Chronicles 23:5; 25:7).

God has promised to restore David’s Tabernacle in the future. This speaks of Jesus’ Millennial government over all nations based on 24/7 Davidic worship and intercession (Amos 9:11). Now is the time when God’s end-time Church will have a vision to restore worship and prayer as David commanded, and will rise up to do this all across the earth. Adoring God was David’s main ambition. He was on a lifelong treasure hunt to discover the beauty of the Lord.

God wants to pour out His love within our hearts as well. He wants us to love Him wholeheartedly as David did. If this is not the case, we are out of alignment with what we were created for. This can bring great emotional fatigue and feelings of hopelessness. God wants to fill us with hope that nothing can destroy in all the situations we face in life. Read 1 John 2:5; 4:12; and 17-18. Romans 5:2b, 5 says:

“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God… And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

  • Is the secret of our life loving and adoring God?
  • Are we a people after one thing—God Himself and His glory?
  • Is knowing God intimately the preoccupation of our life and our highest ambition?

We need to tap into our power source. We need to find our identity in intimacy with Christ. Refreshment in God’s love helps us to stand firm. Mike Bickle prays the following:

“Father, I ask to be supernaturally empowered to give a witness of the glory of the Man, Christ Jesus and of His delivering power from all the oppressions of Satan so that many unredeemed people might be made whole and then passionately filled with our perfected love for your beloved Son and His dear church.”

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOP-KC

The Trumpet Call to Fast and Pray

11391477_967242056672235_2340525631262904599_nThere has been a dramatic increase in fasting and prayer worldwide over the last several years. A few years ago Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, called for two million Christians to fast and pray for forty days for worldwide revival and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. TheCall, led by Lou Engle is calling young people to fast and pray. When I was in Orlando, Florida, hundreds of young people came together to fast and pray for twelve hours. You can watch many of these prayer events on God TV. They are powerful, contagious, and life transforming.

Fasting combined with prayer and worship greatly affects our personal lives and releases the power of the Holy Spirit in us and in our cities.

When Solomon consecrated the temple (2 Chronicles 6:1-2) and requested that the Lord would be attentive to their prayer (2 Chronicles 6:40-42), the Lord answered, fire came down, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1). The Lord visited Solomon and made it clear that when the nation enters into a crisis, if they would humble themselves, repent, pray and seek His face, then he would heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

This is God’s strategy for us in times of crisis. It’s time to return to the Lord with fasting, weeping, and mourning (Joel 2:12-13). We can change the future direction of a nation if we do this. God is merciful and slow to anger. He is gracious and compassionate, and He relents from doing harm (Joel 2:13b). We often look to honor, money, and the size of our ministry, but God values humility, serving, fasting, and prayer.

The Joel 2 fast in Scripture was God’s solution to calamity (see
Joel 2:12-17). Disaster was coming to the land, but it was not too late to avert it. The Joel 2 fast may not only stop the judgment of God, but it can also release the power of God. Isn’t this what we so desperately need in these days in so many of our nations? Instead of disaster we want the power of God released on the land. We read in Joel 2:13:

“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

In the Bible blowing the trumpet announced the call to gather at the House of Prayer as a solemn assembly with fasting; it also signaled a crisis. The House of Prayer within a city is a perpetual solemn assembly. It is God’s solution in days of crisis. God is calling people all over the earth to enter into a lifestyle of fasting and prayer as the days get worse. The trumpet call is sounding all over the earth. Let’s respond to the call.

“The trumpet call to fasting is being heard throughout the world. This is the decade of fasting and prayer. ‘Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly’ (Joel 2:15)… Today, the trumpet call of the Spirit is clear. We are to prepare for the future with a great deal of prayer and fasting. Congregations and leaders are responding worldwide. Intercessory prayer, joined with fasting, increases the spiritual alertness and effectiveness of God’s people.” Frank Damazio

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Global Bridegroom Fast

11377124_968330206563420_8613144503090277919_n-2Mike Bickle, founder and director of the International House of Prayer started a Global Bridegroom Fast (GBF) several years ago. It’s a monthly three-day fast where believers worldwide join together in prayer and fasting for revival. It’s a monthly fast on the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of each month in the pattern of Joel 2, with seven days of fasting in December, totaling forty days of prayer and fasting throughout the year.

I encourage you to try this monthly three-day fast. My husband and I love this fast. Imagine joining others worldwide in a solemn assembly fast. Believe it or not, it is not that hard. God is giving extraordinary grace to fast, and doing it together worldwide seems to be much easier and more powerful.

To help you during the fast, worship and pray with the International House of Prayer in Kansas City live via the free Global Bridegroom Fast webcast. Join us for live, high-quality web-streaming, 24/7 prayer and worship all month. I receive many of my ideas for writing about prayer in the Global Prayer Room. If you don’t know what to pray, then pray these Global Bridegroom Fast prayer requests during your fast:

  • Fullness of the Holy Spirit and unity in the Church (John 14:12; 17:2-23). Pray for spiritual breakthroughs in the worldwide Church with unprecedented unity, purity, and power.
  • Houses of Prayer (Isaiah 62:6–7). Pray for the release of “grace for fasting” with worship and prayer to establish 24/7 Houses of Prayer in the cities of the earth, including Israel.
  • Wealth of the nations (Haggai 2:7–9). Pray for the release of finances for the great harvest, the prayer movement, and the poor.
  • The great harvest (Matthew 24:14). Pray that over one billion souls are converted by the power of God.
  • A youth revival movement (Malachi 4:6). Pray for a worldwide revival especially among the youth and the poor of the earth.
  • Revival to Israel (Romans 9-11). Pray for the fulfillment of all the prophetic promises to national Israel.
  • A wall of fire of protection (Zechariah 2:5). Pray for a divine protection over all that is birthed through prayer.

The prayer room is an ideal place to nurture your prayer life during seasons of fasting. It provides a solace from distractions and a place already filled with the Spirit of God. As the Church worldwide moves forward in the prayer movement, let’s realize that fasting, prayer, and seeking God’s face are increasing dramatically across the earth.

Your prayer room is part of a great prayer tapestry that is beginning to cover the earth. Fasting and prayer will increase not only the effectiveness of your intercession, but it will bring you to a place of deeper intimacy with God. And it will prepare the earth for the final harvest and the second coming of Christ the King.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Power of Fasting and Prayer

11692554_990318764364564_5003763167195494253_n“Faith needs a life of prayer in which to pray and keep strong. Prayer needs fasting for its full and perfect development. It is only in a life of moderation and temperance and self-denial that there will be the heat or the strength to pray much. We are creatures of the senses: fasting helps to express, to depend and to confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, to sacrifice ourselves, to attain what we seek for the Kingdom of God.”

There is definitely power in prayer. But there is an added blessing in seeking God when we combine prayer with fasting. God’s people in many nations are involved in prayer and fasting on a regular basis. People like to fast for various lengths of time and in all sorts of different ways. Individuals fast meals, sweets, TV, and anything else that is a personal form of self-denial and sacrifice for God’s Kingdom purposes. Forty-day fasts are even becoming more popular. God leads each one differently.

But there is one important key that adds to its blessing. When fasting it is good to slow down and spend more time in the prayer room, more time on our faces before God, and more time in silence and stillness. Prayer rooms are excellent places to gain the most out of seasons of fasting. An atmosphere of prayer will keep you still before the Lord and away from the distractions of the world. You may be thinking:

“I’m not so sureIs there really any benefits to fasting? If I fast from food when I’m very hungry, I want to know that it really does accomplish something.

Fasting is actually a form of voluntary weakness. When we fast we are submitting our strength into God’s hands. Fasting is choosing voluntary weakness (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). It may appear foolish in man’s eyes, but there is lasting strength and empowerment from God through fasting. Let me assure you, fasting has powerful, long-term results in your life and in the life of others. It’s an empowering grace with God’s divine ability and perfect sufficiency (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). It is a way of getting hold of God’s infinite resources.

When we fast, our hearts are enlarged to receive more from God at a deeper level. We become weak but God becomes strong, and we experience more of His power. We can fast in many ways—energy, money, words, giving, serving, praying, time, and so on. We submit our strength into God’s hands and trust him to answer in His way, in His time, and with His power.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that He overcame the temptation of the devil in the wilderness while fasting and praying
(Luke 4:1-14).

He overcame the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It was an opportunity to manifest the strength of His inner man. And after that forty-day fast, he came forth in the power of the Holy Spirit for ministry. He was able to perform great signs and wonders from that point on (Luke 4:14). You can imagine the intensity of the battle in that wilderness position, but Jesus knew that the power of fasting and prayer was necessary to overcome the devil. He embraced this period of voluntary weakness and everything that went with it—loneliness, lack of strength and activity, lack of convenience, and so much more. Jesus embraced a life of weakness while on earth (Isaiah 49:3-4).

When we fast and pray we are developing a deep history with God just as Jesus did. We are learning to fix our gaze on Jesus and are discovering how to be victorious in spiritual warfare. We are learning to turn these wilderness experiences into an oasis with God where we grow strong in the Spirit. There are many benefits and long-term results from practicing this great spiritual discipline. Have you ever wondered which way to go when you needed spiritual discernment? Have you ever found it hard to hear God’s voice?

Fasting will sharpen your ability to discern good from evil and will help you to see God’s perspective (Hebrews 5:14). It will give you an increased ability to hear God’s voice clearly and receive divine revelation (Acts 13:2). It will increase your perception of the unseen world because fasting removes distractions. We see with spiritual eyes and are able to focus more on the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

I know in my life that there are times when the future looks difficult, and I need more faith and more spiritual power. Fasting increases faith and helps us to militantly hold on to that which looks absolutely impossible (Hebrews 11:1). I have experienced greater spiritual power after times of fasting.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC