Monthly Archives: October 2015

Preparing the Prayer Room for the King

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11221818_990272137702560_8036744011765555433_nEvery person is different, but we all need to find those people and places that enable us to re-center on Christ regularly, so that the reflex reaction of our lives remains prayerful all the time. A season of 24-7 prayer provides a place, a time, a context, and a catalyst for this conscious and persistent prayer to continue, both individually and corporately. The prayer room is a picture of constant activity in the heart of every believer. It helps us maintain the flame of worship on the altar of our lives. We leave the prayer room encouraged and enabled to keep on praying consciously and subconsciously through the trials of the day ahead… A regular hour in a 24-7 prayer room is both an expression of and an inspiration for a lifestyle of continual prayer.

Preparing a place for the King of kings, the Creator of the universe to come and dwell, is an awesome privilege. We should take great care in such a wonderful undertaking. We want the prayer room to enable every person to center on Christ, and maintain a flame of worship that carries them through the ups and downs of daily life outside the prayer room. You may wonder:

  • How do we create an atmosphere of prayer?
  • How do we decorate the prayer room attractively so people want to come to pray?
  • What should it look like so that it attracts God’s presence?

The most important key throughout the whole preparation phase is to seek God together with other like-minded people. Pray about every detail and every need. Before our one-month House of Prayer in Virginia, a group of people got together to pray every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30-7:30 A.M. to prepare for it. We prayed about everything again and again. We brought before the Lord our hearts and our desires for our city and the entire region. We prayed about every need.

As we started, God put everything together just in time. It was as if we were flying the plane as we built it. This takes faith because everything did not fall into place as early as we would have liked. But it kept our dependence level high and our prayers fervent.

God knows every need and is fully aware of every challenge in setting up a House of Prayer.

As we look back to these initial times, we are amazed at how God worked things out even at the last moment. We must learn to depend fully on Him because only He can work out the details. It is God who makes things grow in the spiritual realm.

At the time I wrote this, we were working towards three simultaneous one-month Houses of Prayer. You can imagine how completely dependent we were on God to work it out in all three cities. But as we fervently prayed, God gave us guidance. We simply obeyed His leading step-by-step.

We also met together regularly with the prayer leaders in these locations and kept in close connection, but it was totally up to God to work out all the details and answer our prayers. Although we didn’t have 24/7 prayer going continuously in all three locations, we felt it was successful anyway. Our faith grew through the tests we faced during that time.

More prayer in a city is a big success to God.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

A City with a Kingdom Vision

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11709522_990326201030487_2695539852316010783_n“God’s kingdom, when it comes, probably won’t arrive in the way we expect or even want it to. But viewing history with the eyes of faith, through the grid of past prayer movements, we can easily see the correlation between seasons of intercession and the extension of God’s kingdom in the world.” Peter Greig and David Blackwell 

What will your city look like when it has a Kingdom vision and focus? How will it be different than it is right now? Notice the abundant prosperity that God brings to the city in Jeremiah 33:9:

“Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.”

When the believers in a city have a kingdom vision and begin to pray together with eyes of faith, several dramatic changes take place:

  • A new level of trust  – This is developed  between believers of different backgrounds where suspicion is gone. There is the realization that we need one another to reach our city.
  • The wisdom of God – The Christians begin seeking heaven’s perspective and heaven’s agenda for their city. They begin seeking the mind of Christ and the wisdom of God for their city.
  • Relational unity – The city Church begins to want deeper fellowship with other churches. This unity is much deeper than a unity based on an event. It is true friendship.
  • Seeking God’s Transformation – The believers seek for God to transform their city and revive the city Church. They then bring the revival fire into the streets and community. The Church begins to influence the city.
  • Lovers and worshippers of God – The Church becomes a lover of God instead of just a worker for God. They learn to worship God out of intimate fellowship. This pushes out the powers of darkness.
  • Kingdom building – There is a willingness to lay down personal agendas and work towards building God’s purposes. The Church begins to see the big picture of what God wants to do in the city.
  • Presence of God – There begins to be more emphasis upon waiting on God. The presence of God replaces man-made fleshly ideas, programs, and methods.
  • Learners of simplicity – The Church learns the power and wisdom of simplicity. The way God works is not through a highly intellectual, organized, and complicated program. He works through simplicity.

This is what we must prayer towards. When we had our first one-month House of Prayer in southern Spain in 2006, we only started to taste what God wanted for the city. The taste made us desperately hungry for more. It was life changing, and I don’t think any of us could say that we wanted to go back to the old way. We had just begun to taste what God wanted for the Campo de Gibraltar area. A Kingdom vision was born—but there was so much more.

God is giving incredible grace for prayer at this hour. This vision is spreading far and wide, and we will soon be captured in a movement of prayer and a hunger for His presence that is unstoppable. All over the world there is beginning to be a desperate cry for fervent prayer and intercession. Let’s discover how to prepare the way for God’s presence and Kingdom by learning to pray together with churches in our area for extended periods of time. I encourage you to begin to cry out for God’s presence, and begin praying for God to raise up 24/7 prayer in your city.

Pray through this list over and over again for your city. See with eyes of faith what God wants to do. Cry out for Him to ignite a Kingdom vision in your city; the hour calls for it. Your city desperately needs God’s presence. His vision is life changing.

“Without a vision, people are doomed to live mediocre lives, carried along by social influences and self-centered interests. The Bible says, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 28:18 KJV). Our own vision for our lives cannot sustain us; we must have a vision that originates from the heart of God, from His very throne room. His vision is life-giving, life-changing, and worth abandoning our hearts and lives to.” Rhonda Hughey

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Our Prayer for a Heart for the Nations

11230031_994913747238399_3289985085759092424_nLord, help us to see the big picture of what You are doing in the nations. Your Word says: “these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7). Give us vision for this worldwide House of Prayer for all nations. Help us to build Your House in our city. You are orchestrating strategic shifts and realignments. Help us not to resist what you are doing but eagerly gain new Kingdom alliances. Help us to relinquish our personal rights and celebrate the victories of others. Teach us to pray Your Word over the nations.

As we seek to pray, we ask you to give us your heart for the world. Help us to feel as you feel for the lost and the dying. In the midst of our prayer meetings, transform us into your likeness. Give us Your perspective on the world and all that is happening internationally. Empower us, and give us faith so that as we leave the prayer room, we will be a blessing to all those we encounter in our lives. We want to see Your mighty power to save, to set free, and to heal everywhere we go.

Arrest our attention. Revive us, and free us from ourselves so that we may represent You to a lost world. Give us Your heartbeat. Help us to cry out for souls. Help us to catch the vision for prayer in our city. Increase the vision for prayer in our churches. Clothe us with Your presence, and use us for Your glory in the prayer movement. We sing to You Lord. We praise Your name. We proclaim Your salvation day after day. We declare Your glory among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples (Psalm 96:2-3). In Jesus’ name, amen.

Verses to Memorize

“these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:6-7).

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

How to Pray for Your City

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The Incredible Power of United Intercession“Your city is God’s city. The people are made in His image. Satan is an invader and a usurper operating in our territory. God did not give demons authority over your city. Demons have infested the earth’s atmosphere since before the creation of mankind, but they can only extend their authority into a town or an institution when people sin. When you look into the history of your city, you will find clues as to what is oppressing the people today. This is our planet, and the only authority Satan has is stolen human authority.” John Dawson

In the above quote, John Dawson emphasizes the fact that this is our planet and that your city belongs to God. The following are some ways you can bring authoritative intercession for your city into your House of Prayer:

  • Cover your city with continuous praise and worship – God gives you His heart for your city through worship and, therefore, a positive attitude is important. 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 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 a good example
    (2 Corinthians 11:27-28).

“The level of a spiritual victory for your city is directly affected by two spiritual conditions: the intensity of your desire and the size of your faith. God wants to see if you want the minimum or the maximum. Do you want institutional survival—or citywide revival?” John Dawson

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Our Prayer for Unity

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11229764_990325064363934_1646209251955157994_nLord, thank You for bestowing blessing when we live and pray together in unity (Psalm 133). Teach us as Your people to walk shoulder to shoulder in unity. Help us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). We thank You for the power of corporate intercession. When we combine instruments, songs, and prayer together, help us to be unified for Your glory. Thank You for the harmonious unity of prayer that You are creating among Your people throughout the earth. You promise that where two or three of us come together in Your name, that You are with us (Matthew 18:19-20). Unite our city in 24/7 prayer. We choose to join in unison as with one voice because You deserve our praise. You are good; Your love endures forever (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).

Lord, we want to keep Your Word central in our lives and in our prayer meetings. We want to be those who make music in our heart to You, always giving You thanks (Ephesians 5:19-20). Help us to let Your Word dwell in us richly as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to You (Colossians 3:16). Help us to partner with Your heart as we sing and pray Your Word. Release Your united creativity in our prayer room. We celebrate Your united creativity and diversity in the Houses of Prayer that are spreading worldwide. Thank You for the beautiful tapestry of prayer that You are fashioning throughout the nations. “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you…” (Revelation 15:3b-4). In Jesus’ name, amen.

Verses to Memorize

“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:19-20).

Values to Help Facilitate Unity in Prayer

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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

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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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11742733_990271787702595_3668284289852266212_n
“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

Praying God’s Promises Out Loud

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11738026_990325144363926_1438943792802855249_nThe Word of God contains many promises about the circumstances and situations we face. Reading, proclaiming, declaring, and meditating on these promises found throughout Scripture will increase your faith. Faith comes from hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). We actually pray the Holy Spirit’s inspired words back to God. He is faithful to His Word. His promises are consistent with His character.

You will be able to pray with wisdom and authority as you pray God’s promises. Here are some from the New Testament, but I have heard that there are as many promises in Scriptures as there are days in the year!

  • Luke 3:16 – Promise to baptize us with the fullness of the Holy Spirit and God’s fire.
  • Luke 24:49 – Father’s promise to cloth the church with power from on high. See also Luke 11:13.
  • Acts 1:8 – Promise to receive power through encounters with the Holy Spirit and to be witnesses, even to the ends of the earth.
  • Acts 2:17-21 – Promise to pour out the Spirit that all may prophesy and see visions in the last days.
  • John 14:12 – Promise that those who have faith in Jesus will do even greater works than those of Jesus because He goes to the Father.
  • John 14:13-14 – Promise of answered prayer when asked in Jesus’ name so that He may bring glory to the Father.
  • John 14:27 – Promise of peace and encouragement so as not to be afraid or troubled.
  • Matthew 10:1, 8 – Promise of having authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. See also Mark 16:17; Luke 10:19; and
    1 John 3:8.
  • Ephesians 6:11-18 – Promise for the ability to stand against the devil’s schemes and his flaming arrows.

As we pray God’s promises out loud, we begin to understand God’s plans and agenda. Our desires fall in line with His. In his book, Bridal Intercession, Gary Wiens stresses how praying the Biblical prayers help us come into agreement with the Spirit of God and other believers. He says:

“As a result of praying these biblical prayers, we find it increasingly easy to come in agreement with the Spirit of God concerning His nature and His agenda. We begin to desire what He desires, confident in His ability to bring it all to pass. Also, as we pray the prayers of the Scriptures, we find it easy to come to unity and agreement with other believers. We are not praying for our own agenda or the success of our own programs. We are not praying for our political convictions to be established as the norm. Rather, we are focused on the establishment of His rule and reign, and that is an agenda with which all believers are in agreement.” Gary Wiens

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Apostolic Prayers of Paul

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11227056_990321911030916_7484712621246048536_nThe prayers of Paul are some of the richest prayers in the Bible. They are always directed toward God. They are always positive. He thoroughly understood the law, grace, the church, and holy living.

In the apostolic prayers, Paul focuses on gifts, fruits, and wisdom. He prays for the release of the ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit so that revival breaks out. He prays for the fruits of Godly character in the lives of those in the Church. He prays for wisdom in the Church in order that believers are able to search out the mysteries and knowledge of God so that we may know Him better. He prays these prayers for the glory of God so that His Kingdom may come and His will be done in our churches, cities, and nations.

Paul reveals to us in his prayers, the power of intercession and the high focus we should have in prayer for the spirit of revelation. He prayed that the Church would come to a more full experience of the knowledge of God in active intimacy (Ephesians 1:17-19) as they walked out these spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3-14). He wanted the Church to encounter God deeply. We need our eyes enlightened. We need divine encounters with God. Look at what happen when we pray these apostolic prayers regularly:

  • Our hearts are supernaturally influenced by God. This helps us have a sustained lifestyle of pursuing God’s glory. We need the Spirit to do this, to enable our human capacity to receive more of God (1 Corinthians 2:12-14). We need to have our hearts fully alive!
  • We receive divine revelation to enlighten the eyes of our understanding. We begin to see God unveiled experientially in our understanding (John 17:3; Ephesians 1:18).
  • We receive confidence and hope in our individual calling from God. These divine assignments encompass all of time and eternity. We cannot walk firmly in our assignment in this age unless we are anchored in eternity (Ephesians 1:17-18; 2:10; Colossians 1:9-10).
  • We receive understanding of our spiritual identity. We discover the glory and wealth of being God’s inheritance. We understand that we are the focus of God’s affection (John 15:9; 17:23).
  • We are empowered to live our life in God (Eph. 1:17-19). He gives us His resurrection strength (Ephesians 1:20-21). We have the authority of Jesus as we resist sin and satanic opposition. All God’s power works through and for the good of His Church because all things are subject to Christ (Ephesians 1:20-21; Colossians 1:16; Philippians 2:6-11).

Praying these apostolic prayers of Paul’s are powerful. He had a brilliant mind but was deceived and, out of his extreme zeal, had been persecuting the Church. But suddenly, Paul had a supernatural encounter with God that changed everything. His prayers are anointed with the power of God. His prayers are model prayers.

Pray them on a regular basis. You can read them on pages 129-131. Have several copies in your prayer room. Certain phrases in each prayer are highlighted to help your intercessors isolate a phrase for the antiphonal singers. This is what we do here daily at IHOP in Kansas City.

We must seek to obey God as we fill our hearts with His Word and ask for revelation. The apostolic prayers will undoubtedly bring you up to a new level in prayer and intercession. They will help you see how God views the Church and each one of us. Begin by praying them in your own personal life, and then integrate them in your own prayer meetings.

These are only a few examples of how you can pray the Word of God. Praying the Psalms is another wonderful way to praise and worship God through His Word. The Psalms contain many different types of prayer such as adoration, supplication, worship, praise, confession, and intercession. You may want to sing the Word. As you read a chapter in the Bible, you may want to turn every verse into a personal prayer for spiritual growth, physical or emotional healing, or some other concern in your life or the life of another. You may want to rephrase the Word as you pray it back to God.

There are so many creative ways to pray the Word. The knowledge of this great treasure we have should cause each one of us to rejoice. It is far more valuable than silver or gold. God’s Word is life-giving. Let’s use it daily in our prayers. Let’s learn to pray it out loud for spiritual breakthrough.

“I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:14-16