Tag Archives: hope

Hope for the Future

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Our Prayers for Wisdom in Developing a House of PrayerGod wants us to faithfully finish this life-long race  and receive the crown of the victor. He wants to openly display His glory
(Rev.  21:3). We must be faithful while on earth. We are running in a race as we look unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). The Apostle Paul wanted to receive this prize.

The House of Prayer helps us to walk in full obedience so that we might be found worthy of ruling in the age to come and receive the prize.

  • Is the Lord alarming us with the crises of these days?
  • Has He not spoken about those events that will bring the King-
    dom authority to His Bride, the Church, on earth?
  • Does not Satan tremble when Christians take God at His Word
    when He says, “Ask and you shall receive?”

“At such a time as this as we witness this global mobilization of prayer, we can perhaps look to the future with cautious excitement. What will God do in answer to so much prayer, we wonder? 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

Count it all joy as you involve yourself in this worldwide prayer movement (James 1:2-12). God is raising up a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle, and you are part of it (Ephesians 5:26-27). His government will increase over the whole earth as the prayer and worship movement increases.

Though the powers of darkness seek to hinder Houses of Prayer through disappointments, deception, distractions and difficulty, God’s people will begin to see the big picture. They will start to live from the perspective of eternity rather than live a compromised life (Mark 4:7; Luke 27:31-33). They will begin to understand His strategy to bring righteousness and justice to earth, and this will keep them steady in the House of Prayer.

The Apostle Paul was consumed with a hope for the future. It sustained him in the midst of pressure and opposition. He was able to endure suffering with joy (Romans 8:18, 24). Studying the end times should fill our hearts with hope, because God will triumph over evil and Jesus will triumph as King of kings.

Let’s live with eternity in view. Jesus is coming back to a praying Church that will advance His glory throughout the entire world. Jesus is right now bringing transformation onto the earth in all nations and in all of our lives. The bowls of intercession in heaven are becoming full. Like the butterfly released from it’s cocoon, the Church will arise as a beautiful praying Bride as she waits expectantly for her Bridegroom King to appear in all His glory.

“Jesus is not coming back to a prayerless Church, rather to one enjoying mature bridal partnership with Him in intercession for the great harvest. The church will complete the Great Commission reaching to all 255 nations in the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 24:14). This strategic plan of the Holy Spirit will reach a crescendo before the Lord returns, as the bowls of intercession will become full in heaven.” Mike Bickle

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Kingdom Vision Ignited

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10989172_963507660379008_1774359157626250699_n“A city that becomes a “crown of glory” is a city that is consecrated or set apart to the Lord for His purposes, a city with an uncompro-mised church that is reflecting God’s glory. It’s a city where the church is victorious, the house of the Lord is established, and His presence is tangible in their midst, offering the protection of His presence. It’s a city where the priests are watching and guarding the city and contending for God’s presence, a place where the lost can look at the church and see Jesus and His power at work in life-changing ways.” Rhonda Hughey

Without question, cities begin to change through 24/7 prayer. When we pray in unity day and night, we begin to get a kingdom vision because we start to see everything from God’s perspective. Things that are not essential begin to fade into the distance. Our vision begins to sharpen as we see the city in a new way through eyes of faith.

What does it really means to have a Kingdom vision and perspective? We pray about it in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:10, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” but what does this actually mean to us?

Did you know that the central message of Jesus and the apostles concerned the Kingdom of God?

Jesus is the King of kings, and He will one day rule every sphere of society worldwide. The Kingdom is already here in a limited way, but it will be fully here when Jesus returns. The centerpiece of God’s eternal purpose is for Jesus to come back to earth to establish His Kingdom rule on earth and join the heavenly and earthly realms (Ephesians 1:9-10). He will rule nations on earth during the thousand-year Millennium Kingdom, and there will be a global blessing of righteousness (Revelation 20:4-6). This will be a thousand years of peace, righteousness, prosperity, and blessing throughout the earth. It will be wonderful.

I lived on a ship. This was for over ten years with over three hundred people, mainly young, from about forty different nations. We sailed from country to country spreading the good news about Jesus. One of the songs we liked to sing in those early days was based on Habakkuk 2:14:

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

I used to like to go out on deck and look at the ocean during many of our calm, or sometimes rough voyages. If you’ve never been on a ship, you must try it. Often from east to west and north to south, you couldn’t see anything but blue-green sea. There were no ships or land anywhere as far as your eyes could see. The sea was massive—it was impressive—it gave me a picture of how one day the whole earth would see the glory of God and would know about Him.

The heavenly and earthly dimensions will one day come together and fully express the glory of God.

You and I have the privilege to proclaim in our prayers—and through our lives—that Jesus is King and is coming to earth to establish His worldwide Kingdom. We can bring heaven to earth through our prayers. We can proclaim the knowledge of God and spread this Kingdom message with power everywhere we go
(1 Corinthians 4:20). He wants us to walk in His authority and power, even as we wait for His Kingdom to come in all its fullness (Acts 1:8). He is reconciling all things to Himself (Colossians 1:19-20). All the earth will be filled with His glory (Numbers 14:21; Psalm 72:19; Isaiah 6:3). Our lives should be filled with the knowledge of God.

This must be our focus. Houses of Prayer ignite a Kingdom vision and help us to live fully committed lives. As this happens, we shall experience supernatural boldness and authority.

Daniel prophesied of the Messianic Kingdom in Daniel 2 and 7. God’s Kingdom is any sphere of life where God rules over Satan. The Church is the community of the Kingdom, and we spread His Kingdom by living holy lives, praying for the sick, sharing our faith, etc. This is why it is important that we get a vision of the Kingdom of God for our church and the city we live in. Before Jesus returns, the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to the whole world (Matthew 24:14). And God will use us in this great task of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). We must have vision to see God’s great perspective of the Kingdom. When we see this, we see how important day and night prayer really is.

To understand the end-time scene, we must understand the book of Revelation. It is our prayer manual for the end-times. If we understand this book, we can live successful through the difficulties, and we can know how to pray strategically. We don’t have to be caught off guard. We don’t have to fear the tribulation. God will use the least severe judgments to reach the greatest amount of people at the deepest level of love. Jesus, our King, will judge everything that opposes love (Revelation 19:11-21). The measure that we develop love, meekness, and holiness determines our place and function in His government.

Let’s realize that Houses of Prayer will help us know how to live in this present seventy-year internship that prepares us for life in the age to come (Psalm 90:10). Let’s give God our all now! Let’s look at the future with positive optimism instead of morbid discourage-ment. Jesus is King of all, and He has already won the battle at the cross.

A Vienna born psychologist, Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), rejected Freud’s emphasis that the past is the primary force that forms us in the present. He was a survivor of several Nazi concentration camps. After the war he analyzed the holocaust survivors and categorized them in two categories: Those who were emotionally stable and those who weren’t. The predominant factor was not their experience before or doing the concentration camps. It was what they believed about their future.

Our hope and what we believe about the future matters greatly. We need to see it from God’s perspective and with the hopeful anticipation of Christ’s rule here on earth.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Enjoyable Prayer + Abiding in Christ = Abundant Fruit

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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