Prayer Training Points

BELIEVE. If you're not believing when you are praying, then why pray?
Where we have often fallen short as pray-ers is believing--believing that we have received it. This is so key. If we are not believing what we are praying, then we need to get back in the Word again, meditate, and then go back into prayer and believe and pray with confidence that we are praying what the Father is asking us to pray.

Mark 11:23
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.

Excerpt taken from "Born for Battle" by R. Arthur Mathews.
"Prayer is the work and the working power in any spiritual ministry. It should be the central thrust. The programs of preaching, teaching, and serving, the goal setting, the adoption of new twentieth-century techniques, seminars on time management and administrative procedures are all good-but effective and productive in God's economy only as they are subject to prayer.

The concept that treats prayer as if it were merely a supplemental booster in getting some project off the ground makes the project primary and the prayer secondary. Prayer was never meant to be incidental to the work of God. It is the work.

Florence Allshorn says this, "Isn't the desire behind prayer to possess something more than myself, because I'm sick with self's ineffectiveness in a world so needy? The desire (is) to be possessed of something beyond myself that can use me as its channel."

The central significance of prayer is not in the things that happen as results, but in the deepening intimacy and unhurried communion with God at his central throne of control in order to discover a "sense of God's need in order to call on God's help to meet that need."

Prayer must start at God's end, for is not that the control center of all that happens? Therefore our relationship with him and our attitude towards the things he allows to disturb our lives is more important than passing on information to Him. And because of this our first duty is to make sure that we are really in that lofty place by His side with the right attitude and with nothing in us to prevent him from hearing us and us from hearing His still, small voice. It is only from that place of closest intimacy that we may learn what that will is that we are to pray will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Discovering God's need, that's what intercession is.
We must understand our position in prayer. When we begin to unify ourselves, yielding more and more to the flow of the Holy Spirit, we become one voice with one mission before the Lord. Prayer must start at God's end. It's a position we have to purpose and take on in our mind and allow the Holy Spirit lead us. This is the highest place in prayer, personally and corporately.

Ephesians 1:18-23; 2:1, 5-7
...that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;

...Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Authority!

John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

God in you--God big on the inside of you. Look at yourself as a shell that God is using. So therefore, if it is God speaking, then speak with authority. The more you yield to God, the greater the possession--becoming one with Him.

One definition of "Baptized in the Holy Ghost" means:
"To be empowered to be a witness, to ENFORCE the kingdom of God."

We are and will be doing greater things--open your heart to the possibilities!
Excerpt from "Revival Series" by Ron McIntosh
Just before he died, Smith Wigglesworth of Great Britain, one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century, prophesied to a young evangelist concerning a vision about revival. That young man was Christian elder statesman Lester Sumrall of South Bend, Indiana, who only recently passed away in 1996 and is now with the Lord. Sumrall related the incident in these words:

"I see it! I see a revival coming to planet earth, as never before. There will be untold multitudes who will be saved. No man will say, 'So many and so many,' because no man will be able to count those who will come to Jesus Christ. I see it! The dead will be raised, the arthritic healed, cancer will be healed. No disease will be able to stand before God's people, and it will spread all over the world. It will be a worldwide thrust of God's power and a thrust of God's anointing. I will not see it, but you will."

I find Sumrall's response to this prophecy most fascinating. He later said:
"Most people are not capable of going from blessing to blessing. Most denominations and people die in the same revelation they first received from God. Many of the people who call themselves Lutherans are living in the same blessing Luther had four hundred years ago. Often, the people calling themselves Wesleyan or Methodists are living in the blessing of Wesley a couple of hundred years ago. It is difficult to get themselves out of a groove or a system."

Sumrall's statement is not an indictment or criticism of denominationalism, but rather a statement about human nature. People feel more comfortable in a known routine than in the turbulent waters of change. Many of us have the tendency to find a comfortable rut and stay in it. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, set a precedent for all of our lives. In a sense, Andrew was the first "Baptist." He was a convert of John the Baptist.

Andrew must have been confused as he looked at the prophet, who was his mentor, then looked at Jesus. On the other hand, Andrew must have been able to accept truth when he heard it. That day, he turned from following John to following Jesus (see John 1:37).

Seeing the obvious hunger of Andrew and the other disciple, whose name we are not told, Jesus told them to follow Him. They spent the day with Jesus, and Andrew became so excited that he ran back home to tell his brother, Simon Peter, that he had found the Messiah. His conviction was so apparent that Simon Peter had to run to see Jesus for himself, and he too found the Messiah.

Your gifting and callings are without repentance.
Don't be afraid of your desires. Allow yourself to come alive with the dreams and desires.

Empowered to enforce.
All power, all authority has been given over unto me," and what were the next words out of Jesus' mouth? "Go therefore. What did he just transfer? All power, all authority.... you are empowered.

So let's get busy.

The Prayer Pulse

We need to be praying for our leaders.

Psalm 80:14-17
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch [that] thou madest strong for thyself. [It is] burned with fire, [it is] cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man [whom] thou made strong for thyself.

We lift up President Bush.
• speak to him, to be strong in him, to embolden him.
• Give him your spirit that he may know and see in truth,
• His decisions are in you Father God
• Holy Spirit's leading and guiding; lant it in him what it is you would say to him.
• Clarity and strength.
• Life in the spirit and restoration
• A spirit of boldness
• Infuse him with inner strength by the Holy Spirit
• Quickening
• Divine appointment. diving connection
• Revelation knowledge
• A quickening to reveal the things that have been kept hidden until now.

Isaiah 48:3-7
I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did [them] suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou [art] obstinate, and thy neck [is] an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; I have even from the beginning declared [it] to thee; before it came to pass I shewed [it] thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare [it]? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.

Show president Bush the specified things from this time forth, hidden things which you have kept in reserve.
• Raise up the prophets in his midst
• Create them now
• Instruction, vision, direction
• Expose darkness
• Light come forth, truth revealed
• A quickening

We plead the blood
• Every weapon fails
• Fortify him
• A nation under God
• His heart is in your hands

This nation was founded on God
• Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton
• Open to you Father
• Unified houses
• Wisdom, knowledge and guidence
• Supreme court justices
• Declare justice and truth

Washington DC, we take a position of authority
• The Lord's agenda will prevail
• Align, position, fall into place
• Yield to the Holy Ghost
• Break up fallow ground in Hillary Clinton
• Eyes see, heart hears
• The enemy is not in control
• Will not not bow to his agenda
• We will enforce the kingdom of God
• Authority. Use His name!
• He has equipped us
• Revelation of connection
• Full armor of God
• The Word
• Break the shackles
• Walk in overflow
• His word spoken
• Position

We lift up Pastor
• He only speaks those things he hears you say
• Does those things which he sees you do.
• He is sensitive to you Holy Spirit.
• Bold in faith.
• Quicken in the moment,
• Spirit of wisdom
• Operating
• Spirit of seeing and knowing

Only the Holy Spirit knows who will be walking through the door this morning [for Sunday service]
• Strife you are bound
• Peace reigns, Love rules
• Eyes open, ears and hearts opened
• Light be
• Their spirits see and hear what they need
• Spirit oppression go
• Spirit of heaviness go
• Freedom reigns in this house
• No bondage, No more
• Sickness, infirmity must bow. go
• Health
• Love and peace penetrates the soul

Trinity is your Garden, Father.
• We praise you for the new things coming.
• New fruit
• New things never been seen before--birthed, born and bloom in this house.
• We call them forth now, declare that now is the time
• Deeper and further into you.
• New fruit
• Standing in the gap
• Positions of authority on other's behalf
• Eyes see
• Light come forth
• Strengthening of the spirit man
• Free
• Illuminated
• Connected

Stirring in the giftings and callings on the inside
• Stir up the dreams, vision
• Your purposes coming alive today
• People aligning, positioning, pursing the dream

We see people picking up their equipment and allowing their dream to come alive again.
• Excited about moving forward
• Focus, Determination
• Pick up the dreams left behind
• Underground roots
• Come up, come alive
• Call up every dormant dream and vision
• Lazarus come forth!
• Dreams, come forth!
• Visions, come forth!
• Mandates, come forth!
• Shout it out. loud and clear. LIVE!
• This is the authority we are walking in.