All posts by Debbie

Health and Healing in Scripture

January 5, 2016 Debbie 1 Comment

“The words you speak are vital to your health and well being. I believe there are some diseases that will never be cured unless people learn to speak the language of health that the body understands. God’s Word is infused (engrafted) into you by giving voice to His Word with your own mouth, and this is the language of health to your body.” Charles Chapp

I encourage you to pray Scriptures of healing and health for yourself and those who are sick. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I began to pray many Scriptures regarding health and healing over my situation. Almost every day I would pray the Bible over my body. It helped me so much, and although I did have surgery, I am now cancer-free.

God can heal in many different ways. He can use doctors, He can heal miraculously, He can heal through nutrition, He can use the prayers of the elders in the church, and He can heal through counselors. I find that you cannot put God into a box. He can heal in various ways, and He can do it quickly or over time. We have to be open to all His ways of healing. Each one is a miracle in its own way. He is the God who heals.

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” Malachi 4:2

Bible Verses Relating to Health and Healing

The Bible talks so much about health and healing. Don’t be hesitant to pray the Word of God over those who are sick. People appreciate it when you do. Praying the Word of God out loud is powerful. There are many verses that speak about healing and health. There are many verses relating health to right living and what Jesus did on the Cross relating to our sickness and infirmities. The following are a few good verses you can use that someone sent me when I was sick.

Exodus 15:25-26 – “He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Matthew 8:16-17 – “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.’”
Ezekiel 34:16 – “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak… I will shepherd the flock with justice.”
Proverbs 4:20-22 – “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”
Psalm 107:20-21 – “He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.”
Jeremiah 33:6 – “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”
Isaiah 53:4-5 – “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

As you pray Scripture over yourself or someone who is ill, always keep in mind that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is important to take care of it the best you can through right nutrition, exercise, nutritional supplements, proper rest, etc. There is a need to obey God in taking care of His temple.

May God help us all to eat and live healthy for His glory. We have been bought with a price.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you, whom you have received (as a gift) from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price (purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own). So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Great Prayers – Great Results

January 4, 2016 Debbie 2 Comments

“All the mighty works of God have been attended with great prayers as well as with great faith. There were regular daily prayer meetings all over America before God poured out His spirit which led to the conversion of up to a quarter of a million people within the short space of two to three months. Result of daily prayer meetings; Fire descends and God’s work is done. Sinners are converted – not by ones and twos but by hundreds and thousands. And the Lord’s name is greatly magnified by the progress of the Gospel.”

If you are interested in developing your prayer life, God wants to bless you with increase. Prayer is on his heart and He desires to raise up a mighty prayer movement. Our enemy attempts to thwart prayer because he knows its power. God wants to bless intercession, and He wants to raise up a mighty army of united pray-ers and worshippers. Intercessors will unite as a beautiful tapestry like a large net in order to uphold in prayer the mighty harvest that God will bring. Intercession is foundational and absolutely necessary.

The mighty revival will come and you will be an important part of it for you are chosen by God for such a time as this. You will be deeply involved in this worldwide harvest through prayer. Be encouraged. Keep pressing in to God.

“If men would pray as they ought to pray, the marvels of the past would be more than reproduced. The Gospel would advance with a facility and power it has never known. Doors would be thrown open to the Gospel, and the Word of God would have a conquering force rarely if ever known before.”

“Is there any limitation to the Spirit of God? Why should not the feeblest minister become the means of salvation to thousands? Take one instance of the great revival under Whitefield. He was preaching in the churchyard to a great congregation and while preaching, the power of God came upon the people and one after another fell down as if smitten, and it was estimated that not less than three thousand persons were crying out at one time under the conviction of sin.”

“How enthroned, magnificent, and royal the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ at His Father’s right hand in heaven! The benefits of His intercession flow to us through out intercessors. Our intercession ought to catch by contagion and by necessity the inspiration and largeness of Christ’s great work at His Father’s right hand. His business and his life are to pray. Our business and our lives ought to be to pray, and to “pray without ceasing.” Quotes by E. M. Bounds

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Apostolic Prayers of Paul

January 2, 2016 Debbie 1 Comment

Prayer for revelation of Jesus’ beauty that we might walk in our calling and destiny by God’s power.

“… the Father of glory, may give to you the SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the HOPE OF HIS CALLING, what are the riches of the GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS, and what is the exceeding GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TOWARD US” (Ephesians 1:17-19).

Prayer for the release of supernatural strength in the heart so we experience God’s emotions and love.

“… that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH MIGHT THROUGH HIS SPIRIT IN THE INNER MAN, that CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, MAY BE ABLE TO COMPREHEND with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—TO KNOW the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be FILLED with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Prayer for God’s love to abound in our heart resulting in discernment and righteousness.

“And this I pray, that YOUR LOVE MAY ABOUND still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may APPROVE THE THINGS THAT ARE EXCELLENT, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being FILLED WITH THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).

Prayer to know God’s will, to be fruitful in ministry and strengthened by intimacy with God.

“We… do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, fully pleasing Him, BEING FRUITFUL in every good work and increasing in the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD; STRENGTHENED WITH ALL MIGHT, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:9-12).

Prayer for unity in the Church across a city or region.

“Now may the God of patience and comfort GRANT YOU TO BE LIKE-MINDED toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, THAT YOU MAY WITH ONE MIND AND ONE MOUTH glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus” (Romans 15:5-7).

Prayer to be filled with supernatural joy, peace, and hope.

“Now may the God of hope FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING, THAT YOU MAY ABOUND IN HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Prayer for Israel to be saved through Jesus.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for ISRAEL is that they MAY BE SAVED” (Romans 10:1).

Prayer for the release of apostolic ministry and to abound in love and holiness.

“We rejoice for your sake before our God, night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and PERFECT WHAT IS LACKING in your faith. Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you INCREASE AND ABOUND IN LOVE to one another and to all… so that He may ESTABLISH YOUR HEARTS BLAMELESS IN HOLINESS before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13).

Prayer for the release of the Holy Spirit’s power unto mature holiness.

“Now may the GOD OF PEACE HIMSELF SANCTIFY YOU COMPLETELY; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Prayer to be equipped and prepared to receive the fullness of God’s destiny for the Church.

“Therefore we also pray always for you THAT OUR GOD WOULD COUNT YOU WORTHY OF THIS CALLING, AND FULFILL ALL THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS GOODNESS AND THE WORK OF FAITH WITH POWER, that the name of our Lord Jesus CHRIST MAY BE GLORIFIED IN YOU, and YOU IN HIM, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

Prayer for the Word to increase by the release of God’s power to win unbelievers to Jesus.

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD MAY RUN SWIFTLY AND BE GLORIFIED, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. NOW MAY THE LORD DIRECT YOUR HEARTS INTO THE LOVE OF GOD AND INTO THE PATIENCE OF CHRIST” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5).

Prayer that God would open a door of evangelism through releasing His power on the Word.

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; mean-while praying also for us, THAT GOD WOULD OPEN TO US A DOOR FOR THE WORD, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak” (Colossians 4:2-4).

Prayer to be enriched with the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit leading unto righteousness.

“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, THAT YOU WERE ENRICHED IN EVERYTHING by Him in all utterance and all KNOWLEDGE, even as the testimony of Christ was CONFIRMED in you, so THAT YOU COME SHORT IN NO GIFT, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also CONFIRM you to the end, THAT YOU MAY BE BLAMELESS in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4-8).

(All verses are in the NKJV.)

Praying the Apostolic Prayers of Paul

January 2, 2016 Debbie 1 Comment

Praying the Apostolic Prayers
of Paul

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Did you know that there is a tremendous anointing when we pray and sing God’s Word? The Word of God is alive and active. It is sharp and it penetrates into our thoughts and hearts. We need God’s Word to be written on our hearts and flowing through our prayers.

The prayers of the Apostle Paul are some of the richest prayers in the Bible. They are always positive and directed toward God. He thoroughly understood the law, grace, the church, and holy living. Here at the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC) we pray the apostolic prayers everyday and throughout each day.

In the apostolic prayers, Paul focuses on gifts, fruits, and wisdom. He prays for the release of the ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit so that revival breaks out. He prays for the fruits of Godly character in the lives of those in the Church. He prays for wisdom in the Church in order that believers are able to search out the mysteries and knowledge of God so that we may know Him better. He prays these prayers for the glory of God so that His Kingdom may come and His will be done in our churches, cities, and nations around the world.

We need divine encounters with God. We need our eyes enlightened. Inn his prayers, Paul reveals to us the power of intercession and the high focus we should have in prayer for the spirit of revelation. He prayed that the Church would come to a more full experience of the knowledge of God in active intimacy (Ephesians 1:17-19) as they walked out these spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3-14).

Paul wanted the Church to encounter God deeply. Notice what happens when we pray these apostolic prayers regularly:

Our hearts are supernaturally influenced by God – This helps us have a sustained lifestyle of pursuing God’s glory. We need the Spirit to do this, to enable our human capacity to receive more of God (1 Corinthians 2:12-14). We need to have our hearts fully alive!
We receive divine revelation to enlighten the eyes of our understanding – We begin to see God unveiled experientially in our understanding (John 17:3; Ephesians 1:18).
We receive confidence and hope in our individual calling from God – These divine assignments encompass all of time and eternity. We cannot walk firmly in our assignment in this age unless we are anchored in eternity (Ephesians 1:17-18; 2:10; Colossians 1:9-10).
We receive understanding of our spiritual identity – We discover the glory and wealth of being God’s inheritance. We understand that we are the focus of God’s affection (John 15:9; 17:23).
We are empowered to live our life in God (Eph. 1:17-19) – He gives us His resurrection strength (Ephesians 1:20-21). We have the authority of Jesus as we resist sin and satanic opposition. All God’s power works through and for the good of His Church because all things are subject to Christ (Ephesians 1:20-21; Colossians 1:16; Philippians 2:6-11).

Praying these apostolic prayers of Paul’s are powerful. Paul had a brilliant mind but was deceived and, out of his extreme zeal, had been persecuting the Church. But suddenly, He had a supernatural encounter with God that changed everything. His prayers are anointed with the power of God. His prayers are model prayers. Pray them on a regular basis. Have several copies in your prayer room. This is what we do here daily at IHOP in Kansas City.

We must seek to ask for revelation and obey God as we fill our hearts with His Word. The apostolic prayers will undoubtedly bring you up to a new level in prayer and intercession. They will help you see how God views the Church and each one of us. Begin by praying them in your own personal life, and then integrate them in your own prayer meetings. Choose two of the apostolic prayers of Paul, and pray them out loud each day this week. See them below. As we seek the face of God by praying the Apostolic Prayers, our hearts will burn and our light will shine.

“Seeking the face of God, and then gazing at it, has to begin sometime and someplace. It begins by bringing our whole person before the consuming fire who is God, reciting His words—the Bible—out loud to Him and then letting the Holy Spirit reveal Christ to us. This is why we pray the Bible. May it be that as you engage in this practice that your prayer times will have the same result as the disciples’—whose hearts burnt within as God talked with them along their journey of life. Yes, may your heart burn and your light shine.”

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Value of Meditation

January 2, 2016 Debbie Leave a comment

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

To get to know God – This goes beyond just knowing about Him. We get to know Him personally as our King, our Rock, our Redeemer, our Savior, etc. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
To hear God’s voice and keep from sin – We are then able to pray on-target prayers. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
To change spiritually and gain insight – We will always grow and God will change our hearts through meditation. “I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes” (Psalm 119:99).
To walk in obedience – Meditation will help us to obey God and be ready to do the right thing in a moment requiring a sudden choice. Truth moves from our head to our heart and results in obedience. “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7).
To have something to share with others – Often the very Scriptures that we meditate on are the very ones someone else needs to hear and the ones we need to pray. “Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 48:9-10).
To grow in a worshipping lifestyle – As we ponder Scripture, we naturally grow deeper in our prayer life and are led more fully into worship. “I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy” (Psalm 77:12-3a).
To comfort and gain strength – We gain spiritual strength when we meditate on Scripture. “Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:23-24).
To gain understanding and success – God teaches us how to walk in success as we meditate on Scripture. “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Meditation and Prayer

January 2, 2016 Debbie Leave a comment

“What you think about in your unguarded moments reflects what your mind dwells upon. To keep your thoughts pure, you must guard what goes into your mind. The things you allow your mind to dwell on will be revealed by the way you live. If you focus on negative things, you will inevitably
be a negative person. If you fill your mind with thoughts of Christ, you will become Christlike. What you fill your mind with is a matter of choice. Choose to concentrate on the magnificent truths of God, and they will create in you a noble character that brings glory to God (Philippians 4:8).
Henry Blackaby

Learning to meditate on God’s Word is essential for a powerful prayer life. Meditation guides us into a deeper life with God, enabling us to pray on-target prayers and helping us to know in a greater dimension the ways of God. Meditation is often a lost art because of the busy and noisy world we live in. It is a big key to a life of spiritual fruitfulness. It also keeps us from dwelling on the bad things we hear day after day in the newspaper and on the television news.

Meditation is different than reading, studying or memorizing Scripture. It is the digestive faculty of the soul. It builds us up, refreshes and feeds our souls. Biblical meditation is taking a phrase, verse or passage of Scripture and pondering upon it with expecta-tion and faith, and allowing the Holy Spirit to make it alive. Meditation is focused thinking on God’s Word.

The Value of Meditation

“The main purpose of Christian meditation is for us to know God, not about Him. Jesus said, ‘Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3).

To get to know God – This goes beyond just knowing about Him. We get to know Him personally.
To hear God’s voice – We are then able to pray on-target prayers.
To change spiritually and walk in obedience – We will always grow and change through meditation. Meditation will help us to obey God and do the right thing in a sudden moment when we need to make the right choice.
To have something to share with others – Often the very Scriptures that we meditate on are the very ones someone else needs to hear and the ones we need to pray.
To grow deeper into a prayerful lifestyle – As we ponder Scripture, we naturally grow deeper in our prayer life and are led more fully into prayer.
To comfort, gain strength, understanding and success – We gain spiritual strength when we meditate on Scripture. Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:23, 39:3.
”Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me” (Psalm 119:97-98).

How to Meditate

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).

Read through a passage of Scripture.
Let the Holy Spirit bring your attention to something in the passage.
Paraphrase the verse.
Make it personal.
Try picturing what the verse is saying.
Relate the verse or passage to other verses you know.
Write something down.
Respond.

Meditation should always result in a response to God whether it is repentance, thanksgiving, worship, obedience, a change in attitude, etc. It would be good to read Psalm 119 that speaks over and over again about meditating on God’s Word. Meditation on the Scriptures will cause us to understand something of the mind and heart of God.

“When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that is called worry. When you think about God’s Word over and over in your mind, that’s meditation. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate! You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses.” Rick Warren

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Exercising Our Authority in Prayer

December 24, 2015 Debbie 1 Comment

“Many in the church today are being held captive spiritually, not because of the enemy’s power, but because we do not clearly understand our authority and calling in Christ… As we begin to understand the hope of His calling, we will begin to walk in an abundant life of freedom and power.” Angie Weaver

Most Christians do not realize, or even attempt to exercise, the tremendous authority they have in Christ. God has called us to make a difference on earth. He can enforce His will, but He limits His dealings on earth by working through His people. God does not want us to passively stand by and watch the earth fall into decay (Psalm 8:4-6, 115:16). But if we were to evaluate the situation, isn’t this what many Christians are doing? How many of us exercise our authority? This needs to change.

God has given us authority on earth to rule. It may not feel like it, but it’s true. God does nothing on earth unless he does it through a person. He always intended to rule the earth through His delegated authority in mankind (Genesis 1:26). We were to carry out the government of the earth, but man (through Adam and Eve) gave it away through disobedience. You know the story. Adam transferred authority over the earth to Satan (Luke 4:4, 2 Corinthians 4:4). All of mankind was then under his dominion. God did not give Satan authority over the earth, Adam did.

We needed someone to stand between us, and Satan, in order to break that dominion. Jesus was the only one who could. He came as a man completely fulfilling God’s will and became our intercessor – the one who could join us to God again and break Satan’s headship over us (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus, the intercessor, joined us to God. He purchased us with his blood (Rev. 5:9, 1 Timothy 2:5). He not only restored us to God, He became the way that God could again have dominion over the earth (1 Corinthians 15, Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus could now rule in the affairs of earth.

He has given us authority to rule, and through prayer we exercise our authority in Christ.

We are called to pray and seek justice on the earth on behalf of others. The world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Look around and you see this everywhere. Jesus has authority in heaven and on earth but since He is no longer on the earth, He rules through his Church. He changes things on earth through us! As we use our authority, we can actually subdue powers and principalities (Ephesians 3:10).

We must learn to exercise our authority right in the middle of Satan’s territory. We read in Psalm 144:1: “Praise be to the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” Exodus 15:3 says, “The Lord is a mighty warrior; the Lord is his name.” Satan wants us to think that He is winning and that we are defeated. He comes in like a flood, trying to fill us with doubt and discourage-ment. But our God always has victory when we trust in Him. We must be clad in His armor and understand the seriousness of war.

How can we walk in victory in the midst of personal, and sometimes unrelenting, spiritual warfare and maintain our authority in prayer? We must choose to reign with Christ now.

Choosing to Reign with Christ

“We now walk in authority by faith, but when Christ returns, our authority and position will be evident to all. It is easy to become passive and lax in our present lives, because there seems to be no real accountability or certainty of our authority. That is, unless we choose to be accountable and to live with conviction.” Angie Weaver

We must not only understand the authority we have in Christ, but we must choose to walk in it. One day we will judge the whole earth! We are heirs with Christ and are called to rule the earth with Him (Revelation 1:6). We can declare God’s rule over the earth now. We must activate our authority and inheritance in Christ through prayer. We can bring the message of restoration to mankind and break the dominion of Satan over society. Are we willing to choose to take up our call?

God will not do our work for us. He has provided everything we need. He is not the one that is allowing the evil to continue on earth. We are when we do not recognize and use the authority He has given us. We are not to passively wait but to take action in prayer. He is waiting (Hebrews 10:12-13). We have to enforce his victory on earth (Romans 16:20, Colossians 2:13-15). We must fight the battle for our inheritance – the nations (Psalm 2:7).

“That authority is invested in Jesus Christ, an we initially access it through the simplest, weakest way that man could ever imagine – prayer. We sit with God, and sitting in His Son, we ask God to move by His Spirit. Whatever we ask, while abiding in God, He will do for us (John 15:7-8)… Prayer is not the only work, but it is the first work of the church. Until we have prayed, there is nothing more we can do. After we have prayed and our intercession is accomplished, we must move forth into obedience, doing what God has shown us to do.” Steve Thompson

We wield our authority as we abide in Christ. We have the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. We need to begin to exercise a sense of ownership for our cities. We are called to bring into subjection demonic powers and disciple the nations. We are called to subdue the earth spiritually, affecting change through Christ’s authority. God is waiting for us to use our authority.

There was a submarine that was being tested and had to remain submerged, deep underwater for many hours through the night. A ferocious storm hit the area during the night. The next day the submarine resurfaced and returned to harbor. A man asked the captain, “How did the terrible storm last night affect you?” The officer looked at him with surprise on his face and exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t realize there was a storm!”

The submarine was so far below the surface of the water that the storm wasn’t even felt by those down below. To sailors, this area is known as the “cushion of the sea.” The ocean had huge waves and high winds on the surface, but the water deep below was very still. The Christian life should be like that submarine. We should be so close to God, so deep in seeking and knowing Him and His Word, that even the storms of everyday life on earth won’t shake our confidence, authority, and trust in Him. We can rest completely in His care even in the midst of spiritual warfare and the turbulent days we live in.

We must aggressively take our stand against the enemy. The enemy is intent on stopping us as we move forward in taking our authority in prayer. We are here to fight, and we must persevere. Nothing good happens without perseverance. We are living in enemy territory. We are called to destroy the works of the devil. To take our stand against him means that we refuse to give him ground and that we will not retreat. James 4:7-8 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.” We are not going to retreat or depart because of enemy pressure, but we are going to go on from glory to glory to victory! God’s grace is sufficient. We resist the enemy, stand firm in the Lord, and do not give way. We worship and praise God right in the middle of the difficulty.

We are taking ground in heavenly places when we pray, even if we do not see it. We must not relax our vigilance. It doesn’t mean that we are frantic, nervous and anxious. No, we are like that submarine. We walk in that supernatural perfect peace that is possible as we abide in Christ. This is the amazing truth of the Christian life. We are living a life that is not of our own strength. We are depending on God and loving Him, as we stand firmly on His Word, pray fervently, and walk in His peace. Jesus already won the battle at the cross and we are here to enforce it. We read in 1 John 3:8, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Let’s summarize how we can exercise our authority in prayer. As the army of God arises all throughout the nations, what are some ways to stand strong in our authority?

Ways to Stand Strong in Your Authority in Prayer

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-13).

Abide in Christ – As you abide, you are able to pray the things on God’s heart.
Practice fasting on a regular basis – Fasting gives you spiritual power and strength to stand against the enemy.
Be ready for battle and steadfast in prayer – Know that you are in enemy territory, and you are here to fight for God’s Kingdom. Watch for those fiery darts. Hold up your shield of faith and do not waver in prayer.
Stand upon the promises of God – Standing on God’s promises and do not listen to the enemy. Speak God’s promises over your family, neighborhood, city, and nation.
Know and pray God’s Word – Try using Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:3-19 in prayer. The Bible is filled with Scripture you can pray. Declarative prayer is a key way to exercise your authority in prayer.
Focus on God during times of warfare – The enemy will try to discourage you as to your authority. Focus on God instead of the things you see happening in the world. Remember, you have authority in Christ.
Mix praise and prayer together – Worship is the atmosphere where truth dwells. There is power released in worship warfare. God is greater than all enemy attacks.
Let God’s peace rule in your heart – Come in the opposite spirit of the world system. An attitude of peace and joy in the midst of darkness is powerful (Colossians 3:15).

We must choose to reign with Christ. This is our God-given responsibility. We must help one another to stand strong in authority. We must learn to abide, praise, worship, and stand on the promises of God. We are in enemy territory.

We just got new internet access because of our constant work on our computers. A man came and installed it outside. While we were at church one Sunday, someone cut the wires. We were unable to communicate with anyone! We knew that it was an unreasonable next-door neighbor who had done all kinds of bad things to us in the past. We have learned to walk in God’s peace and authority regarding this next-door neighbor and learned to take our authority in prayer by practicing these points.

Perhaps you can identify with some form of warfare where you live or work. Practice taking your authority in prayer, look to Jesus, and realize that God has called you to live on earth for such a time as this. This will be our finest hour if we learn to wield the weapons of warfare and stand in our God-give authority.

The perseverance is all part of the testing time. We are being stretched. We must hold our ground in battle. It’s part of the package of how God plans to train and work through us, bringing maturity and victory. God is teaching us to exercise our authority. He is teaching us to walk as kings on earth. We must accept this call. We are bringing heaven to earth through our prayers.

“Having been born of God, we are called to walk as kings on the earth. However, the Bible says that many are called but few are chosen (see Matthew 20:16). If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (see James 4:8). We enter into our inheritance by choosing to accept God’s call. We activate and grow in our authority on the earth through intimacy with God and living our lives filled with the Holy Spirit. By being filled and walking in the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we are bridging heaven and earth and hastening the day of Christ’s return to rule and reign over the earth!” Angie Weaver

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Over-Abundant Restoration

December 23, 2015 Debbie 1 Comment

“The devil wants you to believe that justice delayed means justice denied (so that you lose heart and give up asking). But in fact, justice delayed means recompense compounded… Is it possible, beloved elect of God, that God has called you to wait upon Him because He wants to exact as much as a sevenfold return from your enemy for the years he has stolen from you… Could it be that God has not yet avenged you of your adversary because he has more for you in this thing than you’ve ever thought or imagined for yourself?” Bob Sorge

We were moving to Kansas City. My husband quite skillfully drove a large truck with most of our household belongings. What a trip! 32,000 pounds of weight in total (including us), driving along what seemed like an endless highway to two very tired travelers. Partway through the journey we arrived at the hotel where we were to spend our second night. As we settled near dusk into our cozy hotel room, my husband peaked out the window curtain to make sure all was ok with our truck and car.

To his dismay he saw a shady-looking character closely eyeing our truck and car carrier. Our newly purchased car was sitting temptingly on that car carrier. Norm realized that he had not thought about locking the car carrier to the truck. After the man had left, he promptly got his lock and went out and locked the car carrier securely. With shock we realized that the man had been planning to steal our car and car carrier. He could very easily attach it to his car and drive off with ours.

This reminds me of the devil and his vicious plans to steal from our lives. He comes to kill, steal and destroy, but we have God on our side who comes to give us an abundant life (John 10:10). Many Christians have been praying a long time for something that seems impossible to attain. Barely hoping beyond hope, it seems that all has been lost. The devil seems to have stolen what rightfully belongs to them. Perhaps it’s a wayward child, a lost ministry, or ill health. The loss seems to be incredible. In the natural, the devil seems to have gotten his way.

We all want justice. We may feel it would take a miracle to reverse what has been lost. The process may have left a deep wound, a gapping pain. We lose heart – we give up praying – we feel the incredible loss over a long period of time, maybe even years. It seems so hard to wait for God’s justice in our situation. But God wants to give us over-abundant restoration of that which has been stolen or lost. If we are willing to wait in faith and go deeper in God, He will give us so much more.

It’s Worth the Wait

“When you’ve been waiting on God for a long time, one of the things that changes during the waiting season is the nature of what you request of God. Early in the journey you might have been content with a lesser request, but now that you’ve endured all these years of heartsickness and grief, you’re no longer satisfied with what you once desired. Now you want more.” Bob Sorge

It’s worth the wait. Though so seemingly long and endless, it’s worth it! God changes us radically and He gives us so much more when we have passed through this type of endless trial. He is developing us deeply within. Look at Job! Look at Joseph and so many other biblical characters that had to wait for such a long time for justice. The devil wants us to think that justice that is delayed is justice denied, but God wants to give us seven-fold restitution (Proverbs 6:30-31).

Waiting pays off in the long run. I don’t think we realize how God works. His ways are so much higher than ours. He wants to restore our souls and all that has been lost and stolen from us. He has so much more if we are willing to see it through His eyes. He wants to give us not just restoration, but over-abundant restoration. He wants us to pray bigger prayers and with more fervency.

You may have been waiting for years to see answers to your prayers and your dreams fulfilled. Don’t give up. God is preparing you for His best for your life. He has more in His heart to give you than you right now realize. He will bring justice and restoration into your life. Hold on and let Him take you deeper. Let Him purify your desires.

Realize that if your dream has to do with prayer, it may take a longer preparation because prayer is what the devil hates the most. God takes time with His intercessors. Lock your heart into God’s heart and His way of preparation. Keep that lock secure with His heart through the dark nights in your life. God brings you into the sunshine as you see from His perspective with new hope and joy.

I myself have waited for years to see my dreams fulfilled. In this process God has been developing my heart. Now I am seeing God’s over-abundant restoration. He has a greater plan than I ever dreamed possible. He wants me to pray bigger prayers with greater faith. I believe this is true for you as well.

See with the eyes of faith what God is doing right now to prepare you. Agree with His plan and preparation. What the devil has planned for evil, God will turn to your good. Don’t let him steal your joy by making you think there is no hope or purpose in what you have been experiencing. Let God take your pain and turn your mourning into dancing. Believe and hope once again. He will answer your prayers at just the right moment. He wants to give you joy in this journey of faith. He will give you justice and over-abundant restoration. He will bring restoration to your soul.

“At the beginning, your prayers have elements of selfishness and carnal desire woven into them. You don’t realize it at the time, but the carnal ambitions of the heart are discoloring your requests. As you wait on God, He refines your passions and purifies your desire, until you are asking for those things that are truly upon His heart. In the persevering, all that is not of God is burned away, and that which remains is that which is impassioned b y the heart of God. And at the end of the day you realize God had more in His heart for you than you had for yourself.” Bob Sorge

Article by Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

The Strategy to Reach Nations

December 23, 2015 Debbie 3 Comments

“Of what infinite importance is the place the intercessor holds in the Kingdom of God! Is it not indeed a matter of wonder that God should give men such power? Yet there are so few who know what it is to take hold of His strength and pray down His blessing on the world.” Andrew Murray

If we are to be empowered for the harvest, we must learn how to pray. Prayer is the strategy to change nations. And as we go to the nations, we must be men and women of prayer. Intercession must be combined with everything we do as we go.

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 and cities. 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 to pray and not give up because 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 if you want to be used by God. It must be a high priority if we want to maximize our purpose in God’s Kingdom. You and I will never see results without it. Andrew Murray in his book Andrew Murray on Prayer writes about the glory of intercession:

“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.”

There are many practical ways that will help you to develop a life of prayer and intercession. Here are listed some 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 day-by- day. This will prepare you in the greatest way for reaching your neighborhood, workplace, city, or nation for Christ. In order to be empowered to go into the harvest, we must lay hold of prayer and intercession with all our heart. God is maturing us for harvest. These keys, if taken seriously and applied, will open a wide door into maximizing your potential in God’s Kingdom:

Cultivate praise, worship and thanksgiving – Worship and praise God throughout the day. Worship changes how we see our situation. 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 fruitful life for God. It will empower you for the harvest.
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 con-stantly 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.
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.

The harvest is ripe, and you have a great destiny and purpose in God’s Kingdom. May you be passionate and prayerful as you go forth to do great works for Him. You are living in days of harvest, and it’s time to fly. God wants you to soar on wings like eagles. You may get tired like youth but your strength is renewed as you hope in Him. He empowers you for the harvest.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31).

My Prayer to God

As I go forth into the harvest fields, give me Your vision and make me passionate for what You are passionate about (Proverbs 29:18). Fill me with a passion for my purpose in Your Kingdom. Make me fervent in prayer (Isaiah 64:7, 62:6-7). Teach me to praise You even in the midst of difficulty. Raise my expectation level, and help me to view everything through Your greatness and supremacy. Help me to focus on Your over-arching plans and not my problems. Empower me in my call. Empower me in my character, my relation ships, in purity, and in spiritual warfare. Give me a vision for Your Kingdom. You have empower me to go forth into Your harvest. I thank You for Your presence with me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Strongholds Hinder Prayer

December 23, 2015 Debbie Leave a comment

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:5-8).

When we pray, it’s important to believe the truth of what we are praying. Strongholds hinder our prayer life? When we believe a lie of the enemy, it’s hard to pray with faith. It’s hard to pray confident prayers when we believing thoughts like:

God doesn’t love me.
I can’t do anything right.
I’m rejected by everyone, including God.

Strongholds strike at our identity in Christ. Satan will always try to defeat us in this area. If we believe that God doesn’t love us or care, how can we believe that He will answer our prayers? If we believe that we are rejected and a failure, how can we pray in faith about our destiny? Too many negative beliefs will cloud our prayer life.

When we believe a lie, we become double-minded in our prayer life. We become doubtful.

The Bible speaks about being double-minded in James 1:8 and 4:8. This is a theme throughout the entire book of James. The Greek word for “double-minded” is dipsuchos with dis meaning “twice” and psuche meaning “mind”. This describes a person who is divided in his loyalties, wavering, half-hearted and uncertain. Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines double-minded as having different minds at different times, being unsettled.

Are we the only ones who struggle between faith and doubt? Even biblical godly characters fell into double-mindedness. In Luke 7:19-20, John the Baptist was in prison and sent men to ask Jesus, “Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?” Imagine the struggle in your own mind if you were John in prison ready to be beheaded! John was human and the enemy’s strongholds and fiery darts assailed his mind just as they do ours. He began to sink into doubt in the crisis of the hour. But even in spite of this, Christ described him as greater than any prophet born before him (Luke 7:28).

Our strongholds hinder our prayers because we become double-minded—unsettled, wavering, half-hearted and uncertain in prayer when we believe a lie.

Double-mindedness in Prayer

“Faith gives birth to prayer. It grows stronger, strikes deeper, and rises higher in the struggle and wrestling of mighty petitioning. Faith is the substance of things hoped for (see Hebrews 11:1), the confidence and reality of the inheritance of the saints. Faith, too, is humble and persistent. It can wait and pray. It can stay on its knees or lie in the dust. It is the one great condition of prayer. The lack of it lies at the root of all poor, feeble, little, unanswered praying.”

When we are double-minded and unstable, we are indecisive and without faith in our prayers. Our motives can become self-centered instead of God-centered (James 4:3). We lose our confidence in prayer and in God. We may think, “Is God really for me? Can I really trust Him?”

It’s hard to believe the Bible and believe a lie of the enemy at the same time. We try to follow God’s plan for our lives, but at the same time we believe the enemy. We want to follow God’s Plan A, but we also have a Plan B that includes human reasoning and the enemy’s lies. This weakens our faith and our resolve. We can no longer pray in faith for Plan A when strongholds are pulling us down. The lies of the enemy are holding us captive. We become unstable. Then we often make decisions that are contrary to God’s plan.

When this happens it’s easy to fall back on our human reasoning, especially when things are hard. We doubt God’s Word. We doubt what He has told us about our lives.

The apostle Peter had a revelation that Jesus was the Christ, but when Jesus foretold how He would have to suffer crucifixion as a part of God’s will, Peter rebuked Him and said: “Never, Lord! This shall not happen to you!” But Jesus said:

“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:22-23).

Peter had Plan B in mind rather than God’s Plan A that involved Jesus’ death. With Plan B, we would never have known salvation!

So often we say we believe God’s Word, but we don’t live it out in daily life experience. We know it in our head, but our heart hasn’t taken hold of it. I’ve often heard it said that the greatest distance is between our head and our heart! If we don’t wholeheartedly believe what God says, it is hard to fully obey. Double-mindedness can creep into the way we hear God’s Word and obey it (James 1:22-25). We become unstable in our faith.

This affects our prayers. When we ask God for wisdom to know His will as in James 1:6-8, we must not doubt and become like the waves of the seas, blown and tossed by the wind. Then we shouldn’t think that we will receive anything from God, because we are double-minded, unstable in all that we do. Strongholds affect our actions in doing the will of God. Double-minded faith believes in God but not when it comes to action (James 2:14-17).

James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:18, 20). Belief is not enough. We can’t hear without doing what the Bible says. We become double-minded in our speech, in our prayers and in our actions (James 3:9-11). Out of the abundance of our heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).

I know what it’s like to feel driven and tossed by the wind.

I lived on the sea for many years as a young missionary. Actually the captain kept things pretty well under control, but I remember some rough seas. At times I would be filled with faith as I read God’s Word, but at other times I would look at the seas, and my faith would waver. I was double-minded. Fear and faith were fighting for my mind. I remember how uncomfortable it was to be double-minded. Doubt in God’s Word would try to take over, and sometimes I would depend on my own reasoning and listen to the lies of the enemy.

One of my strongholds was “Life isn’t safe!” It would try to overcome what I knew in God’s Word. There was an internal struggle going on. I would wrestle with trying to believe God’s Word and then with listening to my own human reasoning and the enemy’s fiery darts. I would say to myself:

This ship was built in 1914.
It’s too old to make it through these treacherous seas.
Land is miles away, and I don’t even know how to swim!
What if we start sinking?

But God’s Word says in Psalm 91:1-2, 9:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust”… If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the Lord, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”

My faith was wavering because I was listening to the stronghold that the enemy had erected very early in my life. I had believed a lie, and my lack of trust in God was sin. In the center of that situation, I should have confessed the lie as sin, opened my Bible, and begun proclaiming and praying God’s Word out loud. This would have changed the fearful moments I encountered in turbulent weather into peaceful trust in God’s care and protection. I wish I knew then what I know now about breaking strongholds!

So many times I had the victory during very rough seas when I would simply put on my earphones, go out on deck, look straight at that ocean, and praise and worship God. This was some of my most memorable occasions. Fear would flee. Truth would invade my thoughts, and I would even feel better physically.

We have to be diligent and recognize these strongholds in our lives.

The walls of false beliefs and lies in our life must come down just like the walls of Jericho. God wants us to walk in His victory. We must pray God’s purposes for our lives and the lives of others. We must be diligent in praying God’s truth. Through prayer we will see strongholds demolished in our lives. God destroys them by His divine power, but we need to cooperate with Him. We must be very persistent in dealing with strongholds, because it takes a lifetime to enforce these lies. Therefore, it will take time to demolish them. Strongholds are stubborn. They’ve become a part of our lives; it’s hard to let them go. We must continue hearing God’s Word because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). We must continue speaking God’s Word. We must continue to obey in faith what we pray and speak. As we persist, we will have victory.

“We should pray without doubting, read God’s Word with great care, fellowship without bias, have faith while consistently keeping God’s law, and speak edifying words that inspire our friends to honor God. With single-minded attention to God’s will as shown in His Word, we can draw near to God and He will draw near to us.”

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Igniting the Fire of Prayer Worldwide