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The Supremacy of Christ

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”He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy” (Colossians 1:15-18).

If we want a powerful prayer life, we must believe that Christ is supreme and above all. This needs to go much deeper than head knowledge. This needs to be heart revelation. We need to abide in this truth. It is important to have a high view of Christ because He is our representative, advocate, intercessor, King and Savior. Jesus is supreme in our prayer life. We pray in His powerful name, we glorify and worship Him throughout the day, and we intercede to the supreme Christ who is Head over all, the majestic Savior of the world.

This knowledge of the supremacy of Christ should affect us as believers in every way. It should radically affect our prayer life. We live in a world that tries to minimize the supremacy of Christ. Satan knows that his time is short. The antichrist spirit is permeating society in every area. If we are bringing the Kingdom of God and Christ into this world through our prayers, we must know and proclaim the power of this truth, the reality of the supremacy of Christ over every area of darkness encountered on earth.

The truth is found in Colossians 3:11b, “but Christ is all, and is in all.” Let the reality of the supremacy of Christ touch you deeply. Let this staggering reality change your life completely. May it touch all who are growing in intercession as Christ’s disciples just as it did the Apostles Peter, Paul and John.

“But the reality of God is staggering! Peter did not succumb under the convicting power of ‘religious knowledge’ – he met the reality of Jesus Christ! On the road to Damascus, Paul was not blinded and devastated by a ‘new doctrine’ – he met the reality of Jesus Christ! When John beheld our glorified Lord on Patmos, it was not a ‘new spiritual insight’ that left him slain as a dead man – he beheld Jesus Christ!” Francis Frangipane

What does His supremacy mean in His name? It means that His Name is divine.

  • Lord – (kurios) – He is Lord, master and owner.
  • Jesus – (Iesous)  – He is Yahweh. Yahweh is help and salvation.
  • Christ- (Kristos) – He is the Anointed One, a title for Messiah.
  • The Lord Jesus Christ – He is our master, owner, the God who brings us salvation, the Anointed one.

The Scripture leaves no question about the incarnation of Christ. God became human, “infinity compressed to a span beyond our comprehension.” When Jesus Christ walked on earth He had all the limitation of a real human being: He ate, got tired, wept, suffered and was tempted. It appears that as a real man He used none of His Godhead powers directly for the entire duration of His earthly ministry. He did all that a true trusting son of a father would do. Jesus demonstrated all the characteristics of true humanity without sinning.

How the Scriptures Present His Supremacy

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:8-11).

I encourage you to take time to meditate on the following verses and worship Jesus in His supremacy, glory and greatness. As you worship Him and pray over these verses, He will become bigger in your eyes.

  • He is the image of the invisible God, He is the representation of the reality of God
    The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).
  • He is the firstborn over all creation
    Firstborn means His lordship, dignity, excellence, and leadership of all creation – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).
  • He is the Creator and sustainer of all things
    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).
  • He is the Head of the Church
    “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18).
  • He is seated in the place of absolute authority
    “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).
  • He is called God by God
    “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy” (Hebrews 1:8-9).

As intercessors, we need to lift our view of Christ higher and higher. See His greatness in your life situation, see His ability to answer your prayers, see His solution to every problem you face. The devil is doing all he can to destroy the reality of Christ’s supremacy. He is trying to convince the world that he has won. But the truth of the matter is this – the greatest battle has already been won at the cross. Jesus Christ is the answer to the world, He is the reason for our existence, and He is our help in every circumstance. He is the living Christ, the head of the Church.

As we abide in Him and in the reality of His glorious supremacy, we become partakers of His resurrection life, His victorious life. As we pray in His name, we pray in His authority. We begin to see His power over sin and over every spiritual battle we face. We begin to rise up to our destiny in Christ because we are seated with Him in heavenly places and we know it! (See Colossians 3:1, Ephesians 2:6)

“He who abides in Christ the Risen and Glorified One, becomes in the same way partaker of His resurrection life and of the glory with which He has now been crowned in heaven. Unspeakable are the blessings that flow to the soul from the union with Jesus in His glorified life. This life is a life of perfect victory and rest… Abiding in Jesus, in whom he has been raised and set in the heavenly places, he receives of that glorious life streaming from the Head through every member of the body.” Andrew Murray

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Obstacles to City Transformation

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11295696_968829226513518_6763007680125419221_n“The great work of intercession is needed for the returning of the Lord. It is here that the coming revival must find its strength. Let there be, with every minister and worker, ‘great searching of heart’ (Judges 5:16), as to whether they are ready to give as much time and strength to prayer as God desires. Let them, even as they are, in public, leaders of their larger or smaller circles, give themselves, in secret, to take their place in the front ranks of the great intercession host.” Andrew Murray

Let us each seek the Lord personally and corporately to remove the obstacles in our lives to city transformation.  Below are common obstacles to see transformation in our churches, cities and nations taken from the Transformation video by George Otis, Jr. called The Quickening. Pray through these obstacles in the Church and know that God will break through and that His bride will arise to her destiny!

Common Obstacles

  • Theological Misperceptions – Some people think that there is not much we can do to prepare for transformation. They fail to account for 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Isaiah 62:7. If we do what God has commanded us to do, then He will do anything he wants to do but if we don’t, we are being disobedient. The biggest obstacle is us. There is a fatalism that has come upon the Church.  God is intentional.  He has plans and purposes. God has a part to play, and we do as well. It’s a laboring together with Him.
  • Reliance on programs – We take matters into our own hands.  We think man has the answer. We seduce ourselves in figuring out a formula and miss real faith that is transformational. God transforms. We are program-orientation because of our impatience and pride. We try to organize our way to success. We don’t ask God for direction.  We must not seek man’s way for an answer.  We must spend time on our knees. We are missing the counsel of God. Wait in His presence and seek Him. God is not into programs and planning. Guard against the seductivity of programs and plans. We get entrapped in achievements. If we want to get to transformation, He must first come here.
  • Lowered expectations – We re-define transformation and accept lesser substitutes.  But we may miss real transformation. We become self-reliant. One of the greatest hindrances to transformation is apathy, complacency, and luke-warmness. We must have high goals because there is so much more God wants to do.  The western world is the least mature in the body of Christ. We have humanized the gospel. We become so familiar with hearing about God. We teach more than follow Jesus. We have no expectation of the supernatural, but God’s methods often cut across the ground of human logic.
  • Spiritually blind – He wants to know why we ask Him to come? Is it because we cannot bare to live without Him?  It’s about Him and to see God as King of Kings. We must allow Him to cleanse our hearts and check our motives. We must be careful that there are no hidden agendas or selfish ambition in us.  We must pray and seek Him and see what He wants to say in our lives. It’s not about the city ultimately, but about the Kingdom and King. The heart of Christian faith is intimacy. God wants to reveal his secrets. It’s about the presence of God where we realize how much we need him and long for his presence. He responds to a pure heart.
  • Ignorance of the past – Sometimes there is a lack of diligence in seeking the reason for lack of blessing. We must map the history of the area. We are oblivious to the depth of God’s feeling of unresolved corporate sin. Our past iniquity can be dealt with only by informed prayer and repentance. He has conditions of blessing. We must get rid of whatever offends God.  Improving our understanding of the past leads us to identify with God’s choices and covenants.
  • Lack of unity – Our western organization is an attempt to do unity. True unity goes beyond that and is a byproduct of humility. The root of our behavior is pride which God hates and resists. The only antidote is a fresh revelation of our hearts and his body. Unity is a revelation of the spirit of God that sees that only together can we get the results that God wants. I need my brother, and I can’ do it alone. We must give ourselves away to one another and to Him. We must look at ourselves in a kingdom connection. It is in all of us, not one of us.
  • Lack of hunger- Most of us are exceedingly busy. We live congested lives, and our thoughts race. The people of God are very distracted. We are so busy pursuing the world. The bride hardly speaks to Jesus.  Transformation and revival is not something we fit in, but it is born out of passion. We must remove ourselves from the distractions of our culture and get over the background noise. We miss God. Do I want a comfortable Christian life or God’s presence? We must have passion for the spirit of God. It is time to seek the Lord, and this is the message for the church today.

The time has come to lift the bar of expectations!  Transformation is attainable for God. This is the heartbeat of God, not the work of man. It’ the finger of God. He says “If you call on me, I will answer.” He takes care of the problems.  The church becomes a beacon of light and hope. This is revival.

The Church will Arise

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3

When darkness is covering the earth and increasing, the glory of the Lord is rising on His people. “The church that is about to arise will be more at home in the heavenly realm than the earthly. There is a door standing open for us in heaven, and there is an invitation for us to go through it. Those who answer this call will be caught up into the Spirit, with the result that they will always be seeing the One who sits on the throne. This is the ultimate purpose of all true, prophetic revelation – seeing the glorious, risen Christ and the authority that He now has over all. If we really believe this in our hearts, it will change the way we live. We will be radically different.

It is time that we live a life that really shows that heaven is real and that our King is seated on the throne, far above all.

“The wake up call is now being sounded for the greatest force for truth and righteousness that has yet been released on the earth. It is now time to show the earth that heaven exists. All that we know on earth is but a shadow of the reality that is in heaven. We are called to bring reality to earth so that men will seek God.” Quotes by Rich Joyner

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Catch and Spread the Vision for Houses of Prayer

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11010600_963508187045622_1155965139571533164_n“Prayer is the key to reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus. The greatest forces of power in the universe are mobilized, and history is made when we pray. God is looking for men who will stand in the gap on behalf of the land” (Ezekiel 22:30, Isaiah 59:16, 63:5). E. M. Bounds

Houses of Prayer are spreading all over the world. Prayer rooms are also being established in churches throughout the world. Not only are churches starting them, denominations and Christian organizations have started prayer watches. The Salvation Army in Australia and in England started praying 24/7 for a week in 52 of their branches with immediate results! YWAM, with 16 bases in Western Europe, set aside an entire year where each base took responsibility for a week and filled the whole year with 24/7 prayer.

In 2005, thirteen denominations and Christian organizations in England alone started filling the whole year with 24/7 prayer. Several prisons in Argentina have established 24/7, 365-day prayer watches where the inmates pray for their families, communities, their country, fellow inmates, and the world! Inmates are converted and change their lifestyle. Breakthroughs are happening in the prisons. Here’s how you can catch and spread the vision:

  • Rejoice that God is awakening the watchmen – Watch the “Awaken the Watchmen” video to find out how the 24-7 prayer movement is spreading worldwide! This is a powerful video.
  • Daily pray that a 24/7 House of Prayer starts in every city in every nation – Keep on praying for your own city to catch the vision for 24/7 prayer.
  • Register your prayer watch – www.global24-7.org is a website with the purpose of registering and encouraging prayer watches from all over the world. This will support what God is doing worldwide and help to link 24/7 prayer in different regions of the world.
  • Start a one-month 24-7 House of Prayer in your city – If you desire to start a one-month 24-7 House of Prayer in your city, join the Intercessors Arise International Network for encouragement and networking with others with the same vision for their city.
  • Start a one-week House of Prayer in your church – Use my book Intercessors Arise: Personal Prayer that Changes the Word on prayer to help encourage your church in intercession and train people in prayer.
  • Learn from other Houses of Prayer – Notice how they are functioning, what they teach and emphasize. Observe the creativity in each one. Here are a few House of Prayer websites to encourage your heart in how the 24/7 prayer movement is spreading worldwide, but there are dozens of websites:24/7 Prayer internationally – www.ihop.org
    24/7 Prayer in Israel – www.jerusalempraise.com
    24/7 Prayer in Washington D.C. for justice – www.justicehouseofprayer.com
    24/7 Prayer internationally among the youth – www.24-7prayer.com
    24/7 Prayer in Hollywood for the media – www.unitedprayerforhollywood.org
    24/7 Prayer in Canada – www.nationalhouseofprayer.com

I highly recommend the book Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig and Dave Roberts. This book gives the amazing story of how the 24/7 Prayer Movement is spreading worldwide among the youth. They have 24/7 prayer rooms that have grown into 24/7 prayer houses called “Boiler Rooms” and are modeled after the ancient Celtic monasteries. These Boiler Rooms are mission-focused and are places of disciplined prayer and outreach to the poor. They pursue missions, justice, hospitality, and prayer. As the world gets darker, they are spreading all over the world at an incredible rate and the vision is catching fire. Here is their incredible testimony:

“A movement to encourage churches to make room for nonstop prayer has spread to 63 nations in the last seven years and is especially multiplying in the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa. ‘We don’t have a fixed number of prayer rooms because they can take off so quickly,’ said Pete Greig, 37, who founded the 24/7 prayer movement in 1999 in Chichester, England. Named for its nonstop concert of prayer, 24/7 has meeting places as diverse as a bus in the slums of Delhi, India, and a brewery in Missouri. Volunteers pray, usually alone, in one-hour shifts, round the clock, seven days a week for global issues and requests they receive from their international website or from their local communities. Visitors are free to drop in, pray and talk. 24/7 also has planted itself in places where there is a crisis, such as Lebanon during the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, and in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Teams also live long-term in needy communities in Mexico, where intercessors can be found ministering among pimps and prostitutes. ‘In a squatter’s camp in Soweto, South Africa, we’ve seen 64 prayer tents spring up in just two years,’ Greig said. ‘The local man who spearheads them said 80 percent of new converts in the camp are maintaining their salvation, and the local police chief says crime has dropped by 20 percent.’ Greig said the movement is being fueled by young people who are passionate about prayer, justice and missions.”

This is only a small taste of what is happening worldwide in the area of prayer. Our God is creative, and we see the unique ways he initiates 24/7 prayer in different nations. Day and night prayer will lead to the final gathering of the worldwide harvest. Let’s jump on board and prepare for this harvest and the salvation of millions of souls. Let’s learn from the outstanding example of Praying Hyde and as we pray, let’s expect to see many souls saved. It is time for the Gospel to advance.

“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.” E. M. Bounds

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

A Steadfast Spirit in Corporate Warfare

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1457653_964485856947855_2406289042869588908_n“Our God is not afraid of anything; nor is He upset or provoked by anything. He is a God of war and He laughs in the face of His enemy, because God knows who He is in Himself. He has total knowledge of His own identity. He is wanting to put all the qualities and characteristics of His own warring nature into the church. However, he only puts them in us on the battlefield. So we have to get on the battlefield… We have to win the internal battle as individuals. We also have to win on the corporate level so that we come together as one people with one heart, one mind, and one voice. Then we are ready for real warfare, and then all hell will break loose around us. Then we will find that God will reveal Himself in a way that we never thought possible.” Graham Cooke

The battles we are facing corporately in God’s church are on a cosmic level. God is calling for a steadfast spirit in corporate warfare. This cosmic battle can only be won on our knees through prayer and fasting. Many wonder why are all of these things are happening in the world. The battle we are facing is against the powers of darkness.

It’s light against darkness. It’s truth against error.

We can’t believe everything we hear in the media. We must be very discerning. We must see behind what is happening in the nature and realize that we are fighting a battle against the antichrist spirit in the world. our need for a steadfast spirit corporately.

In warfare and spiritual confrontation, the perseverance and long-suffering we face actually births a greater anointing to pray powerfully and to do the works of God in the world. The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12). When we persevere, it is purposeful. God is entrusting us for greater things. We are building God’s Kingdom through warfare and long-suffering.

We cannot build without steadfastness during times of war. We need to violently stand on God’s promises – We need to passionately pray God’s will into our corporate situation – We need to stand strong in prayer against the powers of darkness – We need to believe God steadfastly for breakthrough and not give up. God is not upset by anything that is happening around us.

He is a God of war and is not intimated by the enemy.

Daniel was Steadfast in Prayer

 “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist (Daniel 10:2-5).

Look at the life of Daniel. He was a man of unceasing prayer who had tremendous influence in the Babylonian courts. His name actually means, “Who in the name of God does justice”. He was a man of devotion, humility, integrity, courage, self-control, intercession, and authority. He was an interpreter of dreams, a man who was intimately acquainted with heaven. Daniel was one who spoke of the purposes of God and the vindication of His righteousness. He prayed three times a day facing Jerusalem on his knees even when it was costly. He was not afraid to steadfastly pray in reverence to God. Daniel had a steadfast spirit in prayer. Although men tried to destroy him because of his prayer life, God protected him even in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:1-19).

Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:3-19 is a marvelous Scriptural prayer. His prayer reveals his vast knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures. It shows that he knew them inside and out. His prayer was a heartfelt, sincere prayer. He prayed passionately. His prayers were powerful because they came from a heart transformed by the Word of God and alive to the situation around him needing God’s intervention.

“His prayers were a declaration of reverence and allegiance to a God whose name and kingdom were in direct conflict with Darius’ preten-sions.” Prayer Devotional Bible

In Daniel 10:1-11:1, we read about the revelation that Daniel received from God concerning a great future war. The understand-ing of the message came to him in a vision. Daniel prayed, fasted, and mourned for three weeks regarding the vision. You can imagine the intensity of the battle as he endured in fasting and persevering prayer. What were some of his feelings during that time? Perhaps hunger, loneliness, sadness, yearning, anxiety and fear. The Bible mentions terror, helplessness, no strength, trembling, and anguish. But on the twenty-fourth day suddenly he received a visitation from an angel. The angel said to him:

“Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them” (Daniel 10:12).

This points to the reality of spiritual warfare in the heavenly realm. There was more going on in the unseen realm than Daniel had realized. In Daniel’s day, the warfare was the prince of the Persian kingdom and the prince of Greece (Daniel 10:13, 20). The Bible says we are in a struggle against the rulers, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Prayer triggered the angel Gabriel as soon as Daniel began to pray. Daniel didn’t know that breakthrough was occurring at the beginning of his steadfast, persevering prayers. He only saw it later.

Daniel stood steadfast in prayer and focused on God during this time of warfare. He focused on what was important in God’s sight. If he had given up in prayer on that first day of intercession, he may not have seen the breakthrough. While Daniel prayed for those twenty-one days, warfare was occurring over the nation. He was not aware of the extent of the battle or even the part he was playing in it when he prayed. He couldn’t even imagine it, but he was doing warfare in the heavenlies for the land.

We must understand that everything that God does is birthed through confrontation and warfare. The powers of light against the powers of darkness will provoke warfare. If we are praying for the presence and power of God to come into our nation, warfare will certainly come. And this will require steadfast, persevering prayer on our part.

Are we willing to stand fast in prayer over our national battles?

Always remember the example of Daniel. A tremendous break-through came at the end of his twenty-one days of battle in intercession. We must realize that Jesus provokes warfare. Real breakthrough comes during times of war. We must face a battle if we want to have a breakthrough. We must face a war in order to see victory. A steadfast spirit in prayer like Daniel’s will be the main reason breakthrough will occur. Our struggle on earth in prayer participates in the unseen battle in the heavens and affects their results.

The battle for our cities is on a cosmic level against the powers of darkness. It is a battle between righteousness and ungodliness. We, as the body of Christ, are in this battle together. We must unite. Our prayers matter! Angels are released as a result of our corporate prayer.   You may be unaware of the severity of the battle, but your faithful praying has and will contribute to the heavenly battle in a gigantic way.

How You can Pray Steadfastly for the Harvest

  • Extravagantly worship God – Mix worship and praise in your prayers. There is power in worship warfare. God is greater than all enemy attack.
  • Pray and fast for the nations – This is a time of urgent prayer for the nations. Please pray for nations in crisis.
  • Use the Word of God in your prayers – Try using Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:3-19 as well as other Scriptures. Psalms is filled with good prayers to use in your intercession.
  • Get involved in corporate prayer – Find out where there is a prayer meeting near your home, and attend it. I go to several. Clear your schedule. God is raising up 24/7 prayer all throughout the nations.

As God’s children, we must stand for godly principles at all costs. We must unite as one voice. It’s all about His Kingdom, not ours. Daniel stood for justice and allegiance to God. We must do likewise.

“Daniel was not aware of the breakthrough or its point of origin until he was told about it. Breakthrough occurs when we begin to pray in earnest and are recognized after prayer is complete. Daniel stood firm in prayer so that his intercession could be completed before the Lord. Had he given up on prayer that which had begun on the first day of intercession may not have been completed to the point of recognition at a later time. Everything that God does is birthed through warfare and confrontation. While Daniel was praying, warfare was being conducted over the nations. Daniel was unaware of the battle or even his part in it. He had no idea what his faithful praying had contributed to the heavenly battle. Graham Cooke


By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC