"The
evangelization of the world depends first of
all upon a revival of prayer. Deeper than the
need for men - deep down at the bottom of our
spiritless life - is the need for the forgotten
secret of prevailing, worldwide prayer. Pray
that our mission work may all be done in this
spirit: waiting on God, hearing the voice of
the Spirit, sending forth men with fasting and
prayer. Pray that, in our churches, our mission
interest and mission work may be in the power
of the Holy Spirit and prayer. A Spirit-filled,
praying church will send out Spirit-filled missionaries,
mighty in prayer."
As
we go to the nations with the Gospel of Christ,
we must be men and women of prayer and intercession.
There is a tendency for the enemy to get us
too busy in important matters where we actually
miss out on the best. Intercession is going to
cost us. It is the key strategy in reaching nations.
We read in Colossians 4:2, "Devote yourself to
prayer, being watchful and thankful". This is
not some half-hearted endeavor, but it will cost
sleep, time and energy. We have to devote ourselves
to prayer. It's a personal choice and discipline
to pray and not give up. Prayer is hard work.
We must see with the eyes of faith and vision
the potential and power of intercession. Vision
determines priorities, and our priorities determine
our destinies. It must be a high priority in the
life of a missionary. You and I will never see
results without it.
"What
a mystery of glory there is in prayer! On the
one hand we see God in His holiness, love, and
power waiting and longing to bless man. On the
other hand there is sinful man, a worm of the
dust, bringing down from God by prayer the very
life and love of heaven to dwell in his heart.
But the glory of intercession is so much greater:
when a man is bold and asks from God what he
desires for others. He seeks to bring down on
one soul, or it may be on hundreds and thousands,
the power of the eternal life with all its blessings."
Keys
to Power in Intercession
"Christ's
power to save, and save completely, depends
on His unceasing intercession. The apostles'
withdrawing of themselves from other work to
give themselves continually to prayer was followed
by the number of the disciples multiplying exceedingly.
As we, in our day, give ourselves to intercession,
we will have more and mightier conversions."
We
want to share with you some practical ways you
can develop a life of prayer and intercession.
We have adapted the following from Debbie's second
book on intercession. Here are listed seven keys,
enough for each day of the week. Why not meditate
and pray about one on each day? Ask God to develop
these in your life and begin practicing them.
This will prepare you in the greatest way for
reaching a nation or city for Christ. In order
to make a deep and lasting impact in cities around
the world, we must lay hold of prayer and intercession
with all our heart. God is maturing us for harvest.
We believe that these ways, if taken seriously
and applied, will open a wide door into your destiny
in reaching the nations.
-
Cultivate praise, worship and thanksgiving
- Worship and praise God throughout the
day now. Worship changes how we see our situations.
It is a joyful way to live successfully in the
end time. As we ascend to the throne room in
worship, then we can descend back into the harvest
field here on earth, pray, and war for its release.
God can give us keys during our seasons of worship
that unlock the path before us and bring glory
into our situations here on earth. Everything
in us should give praise to the Lord. David
says in Psalm 34:1, "His praise shall continually
be in my mouth." Practicing praise and worship
will lead you into a more powerful life in missions.
- Raise
your view of God
- He wants to give you a bigger picture of Himself.
Raise your expectation level of what God can
do in your life supernaturally through prayer.
What glasses are you looking through? How do
you see God? How does He see you? Whenever God
brings us to a new level spiritually, we must
adjust how we see God. Warfare is not primarily
taking authority over the devil but it is discovering
the majesty of God and His supremacy. Our view
of God is most important in reaching nations
and will bring us into a more powerful life
of intercession because we begin to view everything
from the greatness and supremacy of Christ.
- Let
God stretch your faith - Believe Him for
something bigger than yourself. Faith and prayer
move God to work on your behalf. Are you trusting
God for something that is bigger than yourself
that only He can do? Are you stepping out of
your comfort zone and asking Him for things
that are God-sized and not man-made? Let us
keep in mind that God will not do anything without
believing prayer. We read in Hebrews 11:6, "And
without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must believe
that he exists and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek him." Exercising faith empowers
our prayer life.
- Practice
purpose-driven prayer - Focus on God's plan
rather than your own needs. When we focus on
the negatives and our own needs, we are practicing
problem-driven prayer. Purpose-driven prayer
focuses on God's overarching plan. By faith
you can pray for his maximum glory to be achieved
in any situation. This frees the Lord to replace
your problem with His provision. God wants to
move us into a much higher realm of His purposes
for the nations. As our hearts touch the heart
of God, we begin to have His desires and goals.
We see things as he sees them. We are committed
to His glory. A powerful life of intercession
is a life that practices purpose-driven prayer.
- Practice
God's Presence
- Become a best friend of God. Learn to abide
and walk in peace even in the midst of the storms
of life. There is a place in the spirit far
above all principalities. The enemy wants to
get you out of the place of abiding. Learn to
take thoughts captive and forgive quickly. Look
at everything through the eyes of Christ, and
practice meditating on God's Word. "Oh, how
I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot
stop thinking about them" (Psalm 119:97,
77:12). As you practice God's presence, the
spirit of intercession will permeate your life.
- Have
a Kingdom of God mentality
- Practice holiness in your lifestyle. God wants
to bring us into a new level of holiness. Kingdom
living is living a life of holiness and living
out the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew
5-7. It is letting God be the King in every
area of your life. It is submitting to His Authority.
It is letting God refine you and teach you to
walk in love and forgiveness. This is where
the enemy is defeated. There is power in prayer
for those who live a holy life. James 5:16 says,
"The fervent prayer of a righteous man is
powerful and effective." As you walk in
holiness, the Kingdom of God will rule in your
life and missionary work.
-
Learn to wait on God in prayer
- It brings forth his maximum purposes. In order
to move with God's direction in the end times,
we must learn this secret. The truth is that
it is in waiting that we will accomplish the
most for God. It is in waiting that He will
give us His secrets to kingdom living. How much
time is wasted when we run down the wrong road?
It is in waiting that the very highest direction
for your life can come forth on a daily basis.
What may look like a loss of time is really
only time multiplied on your behalf. God is
able to do things with a lot more efficiency
than you are. "My soul, wait silently for
God alone, for my expectation is from Him"
(Psalm 62:5). As you wait on God, He
will give you strategy in reaching nations.
What
can we do to stir up the spirit of intercession?
There is a twofold answer. Let every Christian,
as he begins to get an insight into the need
and the power of intercession, begin by exercising
it on behalf of single individuals. Pray for
your children, for your relatives and friends,
for all with whom God brings you into contact.
If you feel that you do not have the power to
intercede, let the discovery humble you and
drive you to the mercy seat. God wants every
redeemed child of His to intercede for the perishing.
It is the vital breath of the normal Christian
life - the proof that it is born from above."
Quotes by Andrew Murray
For
additional training in the heart of God for missions
and the missionary's primary profession, read
the book called Go Forth in Power by Norman
and Debbie Przybylski.
Training
in World Missions
To
learn more about the Elijah Company please read:
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