Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well;
Ezekiel 33:32a NIV
The hand of the Lord is raising up a prayer army across the nation. As the psalmist wrote, “Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” (Psalm 144:1). Warriors, champions, and men and women of renown are being raised up all across the planet, preparing for a great showdown in this day and age.
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
1 Corinthians 2:12-15
We must be clear. We are not to judge those outside of the church, but we are called to judge those inside it (1 Corinthians 5:12). Those outside are sinners, and we expect them to act like sinners. If they sin, it is their nature to sin, and we do not do well if we point fingers at the unregenerate. Likewise, when we enter into soulish, or carnal, judgement against a brother, failing to discern the Lord’s body, we do sin. Jesus said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30). He did not use His own mind or understanding to judge, but He judged according to the Spirit, and was right when He prophesied judgement on the Pharisees, on Jerusalem, and on the cities that would not hear His Gospel.
The Gospel is power. It is not mere words, but they are the “Words of Life” (John 6:68).
If we don’t understand that the Gospel is about affecting a change on a condemned and dying world, we will have very little traction to keep us in our prayer rooms.
Some may say God will do this or that, and who can stop the will of God? But, the scripture is clear, the prayer of the righteous CHANGES things! Things that wouldn’t have happened will, because someone prayed. Things that would have happened, won’t, because someone labored and moved the heavens. This is the Gospel. This is the charge.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:30
When it comes to prayer, the burden of the Lord, intercession, and prayer houses, to our souls, it can seem like anything but an easy yoke. Getting tired, frustrated, discouraged, and even occasionally burn out can attempt to rob us of the simple joy of following Jesus.
But, the simple truth of the Gospel remains the same. As we allow Him in and “dig deep” (Luke 6:48) into our hearts, and uncover what is the hindrance, what is the blockage, or what is the distraction from the Truth of who He is, the light of His love and presence continue increase and abound.
When it comes to our service to the Lord, nothing is of more importance than our heart attitude towards Him. We can be doing everything quite wrongly, but simply because we have a heart that desires to follow after Him, He will see to it that the rest comes in order eventually. Surely, it is more important that we are going in the right direction than whether we are here or there on that road. Further is always better, but the one will produce the other, after a while.
We can all too easily become enamored by forms and models. It was the prophet Ezekiel that indicted the house of Israel, saying that their hearts weren’t in what they were singing. “Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.” Ezekiel 33:32.
Why don’t we see the outpouring Jesus did? How do we build a correct church? You cannot have the church of the book of Acts without the Apostles of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The reason Acts “works” is people were discipled in the ways of the Kingdom, revelation was tapped into, the Spirit was outpoured, and based on that, God was pleased to move among them. Without the Gospels, you have a form with no power, a body with no heart, a fireplace with no flames. What is the thing that the gates of hell cannot overcome? The revelation of Jesus Christ. The way of the Kingdom. The truth of Who He was. The Life that can only flow from that proper relationship. Many people are talking about “Kingdom mindedness” with little understanding of it. The Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, an eternal one, that, like the Chariots surrounding Elijah, were by nature spiritual but produced miraculous results on Earth. As it is said, we are to rule the visible world from the invisible one. It is only when we give up the soul-based life for the view of the true spirit-filled life that we are able to be a torch and a flame. We must get correct heart understanding which produces correct language regarding faith, Kingdom, and the Spirit if we are to do more than simply touch the things of heaven but live and operate amongst them.
| Publisher | CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 11, 2011) |
| Language | English |
| ISBN-10 | 1467929913 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1467929912 |
| Product Dimensions | 0.2 x 4.9 x 7.9 inches |
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And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 21:22
Sometimes, all we can do is ask. Sometimes, all we can do is keep on asking. Sometimes.
Asking can seem like such a small thing. Yet, it is what He asked us to do. There is something about a submissive spirit, and trusting and yielding spirit, that is required to ask someone in authority over you for something you need. They could tell you no. They could condemn or ridicule you for your lack of ability in yourself. They could ignore you like you just don’t matter. They wound you in so many ways, because the place of asking is the place of opening up your vulnerability.
Beyond a doubt, God is raising up a prayer movement across the Earth. From Europe, to America, to Australia, to China, prayer houses are springing up world wide, and 24/7 incense is being offered upon the altars of the hearts of thousands of passionate worshipers. Forms can vary from region to region, from house to house, but one thing is constant, that the Lord Jesus is lifted up, worshiped, and adored.
Devotion, Adoration, Intimacy, Contemplation, and “The Secret Place” are becoming more common terms throughout the body of Christ. Seemingly without any direct motivating factor, songs of intimacy, of passion, and love are spreading throughout the Earth.
Of course, it is not by accident. Although the eyes of flesh cannot see it, the very fact that there has been prayer, praise, and worship 24 hours a day, seasoned with fasting and sacrifice, 365 days a year now for over 12 years now in Kansas City is for sure one of the driving forces. The invisible, yet very real movement of the Spirit, energized by night-and-day prayer of those at IHOP-KC, as well as those throughout the world, are changing the face of the church as we speak.
We do not need to see it, but like a strong wind on a clear day, we can tell the weather is changing, we can see it in the trees and watch the leaves move in the wind.
All because of prayer. For sure, the Lord is doing something in the Earth.
You don’t have to be the biggest to be the best. You don’t have to have the most dynamic conferences, you don’t have to be 24/7 yet, you might not even have a night-watch running. But, you can still be the best.
There is a desire to excel and to “win” in the heart of a man. Basic competition isn’t the problem, so long as the heart is right. The formula for perfection is simple.
Mark 11:20-24
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
You see, Jesus had just cursed a fig tree and seen it wither from the roots–talk about power and authority! In another similar encounter, the disciples asked Jesus for MORE faith (Luke 17:5-6), and Jesus said it wasn’t the AMOUNT of faith that mattered, it was its PURITY.
If you believe, and do not doubt, you shall have whatever you ask for.
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