Tag Archives: city

Houses of Prayer Protect the City

11351384_963508680378906_3200653058450209561_nThere is not a better way to protect our cities and touch the needy than to have Houses of Prayer.

This is going to be a necessity in the coming days. Through prayer and intercession we can pray into the atmosphere of heaven and bring heaven’s will to earth, praying the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. The word used for inter-cession in the Bible is “paga.” This word can also be translated as “boundary.” Through prayer we can build boundaries of protection around our cities. Through united prayer together with heartfelt action, we can protect God’s purposes and plans for our cities.

What is the central dream of your city? What is the plan or purpose of God for your city?

God has a good plan for your city, but the enemy has an evil plan. God anticipated your city and planned it. Your city does have a divine purpose; there is the need to cry out to Him 24/7 for the fulfillment of that purpose. You need to protect the dream of God for your city through prayer. Read what well-known intercessor and author, Dutch Sheets, says about watchmen:

“Protection is an important aspect of the watchman anointing. Watchmen are guards, bodyguards, doorkeepers and, generally speaking, those who protect by covering in prayer.”

We used to live in the city of Virginia Beach, very close to the Atlantic Ocean. Often we were threatened by possible hurricanes that occasionally came up the east coast of the United States. I remember a time when a group of Christian leaders, made up of pastors and intercessors, decided that the threat was too serious. They called the region—which included seven cities—to day and night prayer for the protection of our area. God protected each city.

In the Old Testament times, a watchman would keep watch on the walls for enemies or watch after the crops at harvest time (Isaiah 1:6-8; Ezekiel 22:30). We need watchmen to watch over God’s harvest in our cities and protect it as well. Just as God appointed mankind as guardians and watchmen of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:15, He wants us to be watchmen and guard the land where we live. The Greek words used for “to guard” are “gregoreuo” and “agrupneo,” which both mean to be awake or sleepless. This implies protection. We need to be God’s night watchmen and be on the lookout for danger.

In an area of Africa, the first Christians were very serious about watchful prayer. Each believer had their own special place outside the village where they could be alone to pray in solitude. They reached these out door “prayer rooms” by walking through their own private footpath through the brush. But when the grass began to grow over one of the trails, they knew something was desperately wrong—someone wasn’t praying.

They were perfect examples of watchmen because they were so concerned about the spiritual welfare of each other. A custom sprang up among them. Whenever one of them noticed an overgrown prayer path, they would go to the person and warn them in a loving way by saying: “Friend, there’s grass on your path!”

God wants you to be a watchman just like these villagers in Africa. He wants you to join with others in 24/7 prayer for your city and for one another.  Isaiah 62:6-7 stresses the need to give God no rest, and to pray day and night for the city of Jerusalem:

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

The same is true for each one of our cities. As you begin to look at your city through the eyes of God and with His heart, realize that it belongs to Him. We read in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” God wants you to contend for your city in prayer. He wants you to pray for His authority to rule supreme in your city.

Although Satan has invaded our cities, through prayer and action we can take them back.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Watchmen for Your City

cropped-11295696_968829226513518_6763007680125419221_n1.jpg“A watchman on the wall does many things. He carefully watches what is happening and alerts the community when good ambassadors approach the city… A watchman also warns the city far in advance when an enemy approaches. He sounds an alarm to awaken the people because he knows ‘to forewarn them is to alert and arm them.’ Then they quickly can rally to take their stand on the wall against the enemy before he wrongfully tries to enter into the city.” Dutch Sheets

Day and night prayer is not only enjoyable, leading to heartfelt action and abundant fruitfulness, it will also change the atmosphere of your city. If there was ever a time when we needed to be alert for our cities and pray day and night for our neighborhoods, it is now. Too many evil things are happening at an increasing rate. We have the secret of prayer and God’s presence that can touch our cities and ward off the evil intent of the enemy. Day and night prayer is much more powerful than we realize. It can release the power of God and His anointing in even the darkest of places.

In the House of Prayer we welcome and honor the Holy Spirit,
asking Him to lead us in our prayer time. We need to pray by the power and at the initiation of the Holy Spirit. We can’t do it ourselves (John 5:19). Sometimes He whispers to us with an impression in our heart as to what to pray. Sometimes He directs us to specific Scriptures to pray. We need to be watchful and attentive to the Spirit’s leading (1 Peter 4:7; Ephesians 6:18). We ask the Lord what He is doing and listen. We spend time in worship when we come into God’s presence.

It’s almost like putting up the sail in a boat on a lake when the weather is calm. Suddenly the sail catches the wind even with the most gentle breeze, and the boat begins to move. We position our heart to listen carefully for the knowledge of His will; then we pray it back to Him. Many times God’s leading is like a whisper. If we pray faithfully and thankfully during the day of small beginnings, God will lead us into action and will bring increase (Luke 16:10; 19:17; Matthew 25:21). Sometimes the action God wants us to take is prayer for protection. Sometimes it is reaching out in love to a needy person in the inner city. Look at what happened to a 47-year-old woman named Martha:

“I was walking down the street on my way home from work around two years ago. A lady told me there were people inside praying. She said they prayed here every week and invited me to come. I was looking for God everywhere and knew He was speaking to me, so I went in. I have struggled with loneliness for many years. These people told me I belonged and had a place with them. I am now serving God and know my place is truly with Him. I still have struggles, but I now have people to help me walk it out.”

“Watchmen are ordinarily placed on the walls of a city to give notice to the rulers of coming danger. God appoints watchmen not only to warn menoften they will not hearbut also to summon Him to come to their aid whenever need or the enemy may be threatening. The great mark of the intercessors are that they are not to hold their peace day or night, to take no rest, and to give God no rest, until the deliverance comes. In faith they may count upon the assurance that God will answer their prayers.” Andrew Murray

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Enjoyable Prayer + Abiding in Christ = Abundant Fruit

Our Prayers for Wisdom in Developing a House of PrayerEnjoyable Prayer + Abiding in Christ = Abundant Fruit

Enjoyable prayer and abiding in Christ go together. You can’t have one without the other. It is in that vital union with Christ that our prayers will go forth with power, and our feet will begin to carry the Gospel message with us wherever we go. We have not seen this yet in most countries, but we soon will, because we won’t be able to contain the truth within us any longer. The Good New is just too good! It will bring abundant fruit.

But can we actually begin to enjoy prayer? Prayer does not have to be hard and laborious—it can become something we love doing. We can delight in an intimate relationship with God.

What does it mean to enjoy something? Webster’s Dictionary describes the word “enjoy” as: “something capable of being enjoyed, possessed or used with pleasure, to take pleasure or satisfaction in the experience of, to have, hold or occupy as a good or profitable thing, and to delight in the possession of.” You and I have the privilege of experiencing God in the prayer room. He is capable of being enjoyed. He is truly our satisfaction—He wants us to enjoy prayer and an intimate relationship.

The primary identity of the Church before Jesus returns to earth will be a cherished Bride who has a revelation of Jesus as the passionate Bridegroom. Only enjoyable prayer will sustain us as we enter into day and night prayer. Mike Bickle, who has been involved in non-stop, day and night prayer for many years, says the following:

“The power to engage in night and day prayer is found in having a heart that soars in God.”

Evangelism and joyful intercession stimulate one another. Evangelistic success brings joy to the prayer room; lack of success brings urgency and burden to the prayer room. Either way, our prayers are fired up because we are touching the world that Jesus loves so deeply. And all of this leads to worldwide harvest and missions. We begin to really understand God’s heart. Empowerment comes in the marketplace as we go out of the prayer room, and empowerment comes into the prayer room as we come back. They go together. Jesus wants to fill us with overflowing joy in the prayer room so that we can take it out into the streets and neighborhoods where we live.

Here at IHOP we have an inner-city ministry called Hope City. Prayer meetings are held at the Hope City prayer room from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. from Monday through Friday. Lunch is served at noon. The prayer room is open to all. Hope City is like a “church on the streets” with two weekly services at night. The services focus on knowing and loving God, developing a relationship with Him, and the end times. Dinner is served after the services. On Monday afternoons healing ministry is available. Through enjoyable prayer and outreach to the poor and needy many lives are dramatically changed.

Prayer together with action brings transformation into the city one person at a time. The following are testimonies from those who have been touched in the inner city through Hope City:

  • Butch (40 years old) – “About three years ago I jumped down some stairs while I was under the influence of drugs, and I hit a concrete wall head first; I was in a coma for four months. I woke up at St. Luke’s Hospital. I lost some of my brain function and was moved into a nursing home where I live now. I’ve been coming to Hope City’s ministry center for about a year. I gave my life to Jesus on the first night.”
  • Kris (20 years old) – “I was homeless, without any family, and living under some stairs when it was zero degrees Fahrenheit outside. Hope City gave me a sleeping bag and some food, then I began attending the prayer meetings. Since then, I have seen the changes Jesus makes in people’s lives and I gave my life to Him. I have to go to rehab for a while, but Hope City continues to be my visiting family, and I can’t wait to get back there and help!”
  • Connie (48 years old) – “I’ve lived over twenty years on the streets as a drug dealer and a drug user. I’ve always wanted God but could never encounter Him in a way that set me free from my issues. I am now glad to say that I am free from some of the things that have had a hold on me. I consider myself a vital part of Hope City’s ministry.”
  • Barbara (54 years old) – “My friend Randy invited me to a ‘church deal’ dinner on Monday night. I liked the surroundings and I liked the people; I have been coming three times a week for about a year. I am a Jewish woman who didn’t realize I needed a savior. I prayed to receive Jesus in my heart about two months ago. I like reading my Bible during the prayer time.”

There are other testimonies, but this should bring great encouragement as to what God can do when our Houses of Prayer lead to heartfelt action that brings forth fruitfulness. Individuals working with Hope City learn how to minister in the city by leading in the prayer room, serving in the soup kitchen, participating in the food distribution project, and ministering to gang members, drug addicts, and the homeless. They focus on a lifestyle of prayer and develop skills they need to minister in the inner city.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Biblical Prayers for Wisdom in Your City

Our Prayers for Wisdom in Developing a House of PrayerDid you know that praying Biblical prayers for wisdom will have a dramatic effect in your city? God wants to enlighten the eyes of our heart with a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17). To tap into the revelatory power of God, we need to experience the wisdom of the Holy Spirit on the inside. He lives within us and is always with us. He is the one who will open our spiritual eyes. When we pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, the Holy Spirit will give it to us. Divine information is released in our heart, and this changes us. He imparts His power to us.

With this in mind—having the very presence, wisdom, and power of the Holy Spirit living in you—permeate your area with prayers for the treasures of God to be released in wisdom and understanding. The following Scriptures will help you. They are so powerful. Begin to pray them over your city and over the body of Christ:

  • Pray that the wisdom of the treasures and mystery of Christ will be released in your city.
    “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3).
  • Pray that the wisdom of the Spirit is released in your life.
    “Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God” (Psalm 43:3-4).
  • Pray that the wisdom of God’s purposes will be released in the corporate Church.“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles, the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:8-11).
  • Pray that the wisdom of God will be released in ministries and churches in your city.
    “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9-10).
  • Pray that the wisdom needed for a House of Prayer will be released in your life and others in your city.
    “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4-5).

Realize that when Houses of Prayer are started in your city, God will release His Spirit of wisdom in increasing measure. Pray these Biblical prayers for wisdom individually, in your church prayer meetings, in your citywide prayer meetings, and in any Houses of Prayer in your city and nation.

Begin where you are presently. If you do not have a House of Prayer in your city, pray these prayers over your region so that God can prepare the area for what He wants to do. Maybe you feel that your own church really needs to grow in prayer. Pray these prayers for your church.

When you pray for wisdom, you are coming into agreement with God’s Spirit and His Word. This releases God’s favor on your circumstances. God begins to give you greater hope, and hope brings stability and a greater ability to focus on His purposes for your life and city. Hope gives you certainty of God’s way. Your faith will increase, bringing confidence (Hebrews 3:6; 10:23; 11:1). But you need to ask the Holy Spirit what He wants in every single decision you make. Ask for His will regardless of the cost. All throughout the process of starting a House of Prayer ask the Holy Spirit:

  • What are you saying and doing?
  • What do you want us to do?
  • Give us Your wisdom in building Your House of Prayer.

Don’t let the devil discourage you along the way, but KNOW that God is more interested in a House of Prayer than you are. It’s His plan and desire. He initiates it. He will bring it about in His timing—so do not grow weary. Pray that the Spirit of prayer would fall on the Church regionally and worldwide. We read in Zechariah 12:10a:

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.”

Know that God’s treasures of wisdom and knowledge are available to the Church in your city as well as to you personally. Think about that long and hard. Don’t focus on the immensity of the task or look at the outward appearance. Houses of Prayer start slowly. Instead focus on the wisdom and power of God.

“When Jesus dwells in your life, everything available to Christ dwells within you (Ephesians 3:19). Don’t focus on outward appearances and physical strength, for these deteriorate. Rather, allow the Holy Spirit to convince you of the infinite treasure that is within you because of God’s presence.” Henry and Richard Blackaby

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Our Prayer for Advancing God’s Glory

11695804_990323194364121_2649432941536911869_nLord, please bring transformation into our lives through the prayer movement and a House of Prayer in our city. We want to see Your glory advance in our lives. Bring us into intimacy and the simplicity of pure devotion to You (2 Corinthians 11:3). Help us to cultivate a love relationship with You. Help us as the Church in [Name your city] find our identity in You. Teach us to walk in Your love and Your holiness. Make us attractive to the lost in our city. Show us how to advance Your glory in practical ways that demonstrate the love of Christ. Remove everything that hinders love in our lives, and establish Your dwelling place here in our city and all over the earth (Psalm 132:2-5). We accept Your invitation to greatness. We long for Your fragrance and want to learn humility, love, and holiness in our lives. Help us to obey the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 57.

Your Word says in Matthew 5:3-10: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Help us to practice the Beatitudes in our daily lives. We want to be great in Your Kingdom.

Use us to advance Your glory here on earth through Houses of Prayer. Bring transformation into our lives. We pray Psalm 24 over our city: Lord, the whole earth is Yours. You founded it! You deserve to be honored. Your Word needs to be proclaimed. We desire a visitation of Your promised Holy Spirit to open the windows of heaven and show forth Your powerful works. Create in us clean hearts. Give us clean hands. Let the ancient gates be lifted up that You, King of glory, may come in. Lord, give us wisdom for our House of Prayer in the spirit of holiness, in a way that would utilize the resources that You have already put within us. May we hear from Your SpiritHe is our director, counselor, and helper. Send Him to stir our hearts right now we pray. We invite Your presence into our midst. In Jesus’ name, amen.


Verse to Memorize

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Launching Out with God

11246593_964162010313573_5345612100422823544_n“The launch event is a fantastic opportunity to create momentum that will last for days in the prayer room. We’ve often observed that a well-launched prayer room continues to impact the group for a long time afterward. You’ll also be surprised at how many people are still only just beginning to get their heads around the 24-7 idea by the time of the launch—no matter how diligently you’ve sought to raise awareness.” Peter Greig and David Blackwell

When you finally do launch your House of Prayer, it’s a big moment for your church and your city. Put some thought into the actual launching and conclusion of your House of Prayer. Make it a real event. We’ve had opening celebrations launching our one-month Houses of Prayer. And we’ve had grand finale celebrations with times of worship, testimony, and food at the end. They all have been very significant events.

At the launch, make sure you have at least the first three days filled. If not, recruit people at the meeting. Give people a positive vision for your House of Prayer. We ceremonially lit the first candle and had lots of worship. You may want to have a countdown. A group of young people in Mexico opened the doors of the prayer room and threw a feast with fajitas and tortillas for everyone! There is no limit to what you can do.

There are so many ways to end your House of Prayer. At the end of our month-long House of Prayer we had many of the local pastors share and give testimonies. They gave motivation for future Houses of Prayer and made sure everyone knew that this wasn’t the end. It was really only the beginning. Everyone celebrated with excited and fervent worship. It was a great accomplishment to all involved.

Whatever you do, make sure it’s a joyful occasion. It’s good to debrief as well and get feedback, share stories, deal with any disappointments, and talk about the possibility of doing it again.

God desires Houses of Prayer in every city around the world. He wants His people to welcome His Kingdom into their city. He is prompting people just like you to gather with other like-minded people and pray towards this goal. He wants us to cry out to Him day and night. We read in Lamentations 2:18-19:

“The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”

Even though there is a lot of work involved, it’s worth it all. People’s lives are changed as they encounter God. Let us pray together for this worldwide prayer movement to grow in every nation. In his book, E. M. Bounds on Prayer, Bounds motivates us to make God’s house a House of Prayer.

“The life of the church is the highest life, and its office is to pray. Its prayer life is the highest life, the most fragrant, and the most conspicuous. When God’s house on the earth is a house of prayer, then God’s house in heaven is busy and powerful in its plans and movements. ‘For mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people’ (Isaiah 56:7), says God. Then, His earthly armies are clothed with the triumphs and spoils of victory, and His enemies are defeated on every hand… The very life and prosperity of God’s cause—even its very existence—depend on prayer. And the advance and triumph of His cause depend on one thing: that we ask of Him.” E. M. Bounds

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

A City with a Kingdom Vision


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

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