Tag Archives: encouragement

The Encouragement of Prayer Partners

10583916_1073319699397803_521068069144927705_n-2“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:19-20).

Praying with others can have a dramatic effect in your own life. We need each other. God never meant us to walk through life alone. Prayer partners are God’s secret agents of blessing. In fact, it is not good to be always praying alone. We need to pray by ourselves, but at times we need the encouragement that comes from praying with a prayer partner.

Praying with others is necessary for our growth in intercession. You can develop two-by-two prayer in a variety of ways; getting together with a prayer partner weekly, praying over the telephone with a friend, or praying at a set time daily with a spouse or other family member.

In looking back at my life as an intercessor, I cannot tell you the number of times I have been personally blessed, encouraged, and strengthened through praying with others. Many times it has given me new insight, new determination to go on, or new hope in a dark situ-ation. Praying with others strengthens our personal prayer lives in more ways than we can ever imagine.

Prayer partners are God’s agents of blessing.  

When I had breast cancer another member of our church, Joanie, was going through the very same thing. As we wrestled through this unknown territory of facing cancer, we often would call each other at about 5:00 P.M. and talk and pray together. A short prayer and conversation on the telephone was such an encouragement for both of us. We didn’t talk or pray long—but we were in this trial together—and it made a huge difference.

Now both of us wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

This has turned into a powerful ministry for Joanie. Now she sends out a daily email to many sick people—encouraging them, calling them on the telephone, and praying for them specifically regarding their health needs. Through her writings, she teaches the Word of God, names those who are ill and how to pray, and gives continual updates and words of encouragement. She has several hundred subscribers! She instills hope for healing in everyone she calls. Her words are powerful, faith-filled, and significant.

See what can happen when you pray for one another—a simple prayer can become a powerful ministry for God’s glory. We need to stand together in prayer in order to defeat the enemy. Elmer Towns in his book, Prayer Partners, stresses how prayer partners helped to defeat the enemy. He says:

When Moses lifted his hands in intercession to God, Joshua and Israel prevailed. But because Moses was flesh, he could only keep his arms lifted for a short period of time. When his arms became heavy, he dropped them and Amalek prevailed in battle. But when two intercessors, Aaron and Hur, stood on either side of Moses and held up his hands, God’s people defeated the enemy.1

There are so many benefits to praying together. The example of Moses in the heaviness of battle is a reminder to all of us of the need for prayer partners. We need others to hold up our hands, especially when we are going through a difficult time. Praying together with a prayer partner gives us strength. It benefits our lives in the following ways:

  • It helps us to be steadfast in prayer – It is easy at times to grow weary in prayer, but when we pray with another person, we have added strength to endure until the victory is won.
  • It connects us with others in a meaningful way – Most of us are longing for intimate friendships. Praying with others helps us to connect in a partnership of sharing and praying through our struggles, hopes, blessings, and disappointments.
  • It brings spiritual healing and growth – When we share our heart and burdens with a prayer partner, there is healing. Our faith grows as we pray and minister to one another.
  • It helps us to be accountable to others and God – Life is full of distractions and demands, but calling out to God on a regular basis with a prayer partner helps us to center our life focus on prayer and on God. When we meet together to pray, it helps us to keep on target with our lives.
  • It brings the presence of God into our midst – God promises to be there when two or three gather together in prayer. We desperately need the presence of God in our lives.
  • It strengthens us spiritually – Listening to and agreeing with the prayer of another will help us spiritually. It will strengthen and build us up. We go away challenged with a renewed deter-mination to follow God.
  • It brings fervency and revelation in our lives – Very often when we pray with someone else, we begin to see God’s will more clearly. We then begin to pray more passionately when we agree together on the revelation of God.
  • It helps us to experience the power of God – Sometimes, on our own, we may be struggling with a certain problem. When we pray with a prayer partner regarding the difficulties and problem areas in our lives, we experience God’s powe Sometimes we need the help of others to pray through certain issues, especially when we are in spiritual warfare. We read in Leviticus 26:8:“Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.”

Perhaps you are thinking, “The benefits are tremendous! But how do I find the right prayer partner?” Jesus emphasized the need for unity when He was on earth. He said in John 17:20-22:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Finding the right prayer partner may not be easy, but God will help you. Approach it very carefully by following these important guidelines.

Finding a Good Prayer Partner

  • Pray for the right prayer partner – First, ask God to find the right person to pray with you. He knows who would be a good prayer partner for you.
  • Carefully choose a prayer partner – Realize that a prayer partner can enrich your life. At the same time, the wrong type of prayer partner can take away from your time in prayer if they have too many personal problems or want to talk instead of pray. Carefully choose.
  • Find someone who has a solid Biblical foundation – You want to pray with someone who knows the Bible and prays the Bible.
  • Find someone who hungers after God and desires to pray – You want to choose a prayer partner who is like-minded and has the same desire for God that you have. You want to choose someone who desires to grow in his or her prayer life.
  • Find someone who can be transparent but also confidential – You want to pray with someone who is willing to share the difficulties of life, but who also knows how to keep things confidential and private.
  • Find someone who easily repents and forgives – You want to pray with someone who is broken and moldable before God, repents easily, and is willing to confess sins.

Norm and I are trying to increase our praying together. He is my best prayer partner. It adds so much encouragement, unity, and faith to everything we are doing. I want to encourage you that praying with a prayer partner will make a very big difference in your life by adding power and strength to your prayers. When you pray in unity with another, you touch heaven and change earth with your prayers. God opens up the heavens with new revelation as your intercession adds to the prayers of your partner.

You actually harmonize with another at the throne room of God. And that is an important thing to do.

“But why does God like us to harmonize in prayer? Because we become responsible to one another. We search our heart in the presence of our partner to make sure there are no hindrances. We each strive to get as close to God as possible, and each picks up the passion and sincerity of the other… We become one in spirit as we agree in prayer.” Elmer Towns

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC 

The Power of Encouragement

12392004_1073333009396472_8317351932599636537_n“Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk (ever) come out of your mouth, but only such (speech) as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it” (Ephesians 4:29, Amplified).

Someone has once said, “Be kind to everyone for everyone is going through some kind of battle.” This is so true because we all are going through various battles in life. If we are not in a present battle, we are either entering one or coming out of one. The days are getting more difficult in the world, and we must do everything we can to support and encouragement one another along the way. We read in Hebrews 10:25, “but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” A positive word of encouragement can make a huge difference. There have been times of difficulty when a simple word of encouragement changed my whole perspective on my situation.

We all know how deeply we long for others to encourage us. But let us be the ones to lift the burdens of another through a simple word of encouragement. The word “encourage” in Webster’s Dictionary means: “to give or increase confidence of success; to inspire with courage, spirit, or strength of mind, to embolden, to incite, to inspirit.” We need to represent Jesus Christ to others by increasing the confidence and courage in them to do great things for God. Just as He is our refuge and our tower of strength, we need to be a safe and encouraging place for others.

In looking at the whole need of encouragement, we first need to realize the power there is in the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” We all have problems with the tongue. We often are not tongue conscious, and instead of inspiring others with courage, we may bring great discourage with our words. It takes a baby 2 years to learn to talk and 60 years to learn to keep his mouth shut! If you filled a library with a lifetime of your words, what would be the titles of the books in it? Our tongues have potential to build up or cause destruction.

The Bible speaks much about the tongue. The book of Proverbs speaks of both the evil and good side of the tongue. Tongue, lips, mouth and words appear 150 times in Proverbs. James 3:1-12 speaks with greatest authority and impact on the subject of the evil side of the tongue. James compares the tongue with the rudder on a ship. It has a powerful influence. A rudder on a ship, though small, steers a ship to its destiny. We lived on a ship for years, and I am amazed at how that small rudder steered our ship all over the world. James also speaks of the tongue as like a fire’s spark which can set a whole forest on fire!

“Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” (James 3:4-5).

God wants us to stimulate others to love and good deeds. He wants us to use our tongue to edify and build up, to encourage and set free. The purpose of our life is to be a blessing to others. Most people are afraid, especially now with the threat of terrorism and the increase in natural disasters. We live in a fallen world. Those who are serving God in the nations know that the spiritual battle is not easy. Instead of pulling one another down, let us help each other to really live for Christ in a greater way. We can do this in a number of ways – wise counsel and advise, spiritual exhortation, encouragement, comfort, etc. We need to learn to tame our tongue, so that blessing can flow to others freely and unhindered.

How can we tame our tongue?

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

  • Acknowledge your dependence on God – You cannot control your tongue yourself. You need to ask God for help. Even David had difficulty in controlling his tongue. See Psalm 39:1-3.
  • Admit and confess sins of the tongue – We need to admit the sins of the tongue. We need to come into the presence of God, and ask Him to reveal any sin areas in our speech. God promises to forgive us. See I John 1:9.
  • Be sensitive in your speech towards others – Think before you speak. Ask God to give you sensitivity towards others and alert you to negative speech even before you say it. The tongue is the showcase of the heart. See Ephesians 4:29.
  • Fill your mind with Scripture on a daily basis – What we feed into our spirit, comes out of our mouths. If we fill our minds with God’s Word, we can better help and encourage one another. God’s Word can judge the thoughts and attitudes of our heart. See Hebrews 4:12.
  • Don’t listen to negative speech or gossip – It will only bring you down and tempt you to sin in your speech as well. Gossip hurts deeply and is a snare. See Proverbs 18:7-8.
  • Cultivate the art of listening to others – Many of us are good talkers but not good listeners. We need to cultivate the art of listening carefully to others. The Bible says that we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. See James 1:19.
  • Spend time in praise and thanksgiving to God – Spending lots of time in praise and thanksgiving puts us into the atmosphere of encouragement. We then become more heavenly minded with a greater ability to bless others in our speech. See Psalm 50:23.
  • Think of ways you can build others up with words of life – We must consider and give attention to how we can stimulate others to love and good deeds. By nature we are self-focused, but God wants to make us other-focused. See Hebrews 10:25.

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Proverbs 10:25)

I exhort you to make it a point to encourage others through your speech this month. Whether it is through a telephone call, writing a note or e-mail, or through verbal words, make a conscious effort to put courage into others. Consider and give attention to how you will do this. It does not come naturally for most of us. Some of you may need a breakthrough in your life regarding your future. Taming your tongue and using it to bless and encourage others could open the way for God to bring you to the next level in your walk with Him and your future ministry. Study how you will stir up and stimulate others to love and good deeds. You may be surprised, because often when we encourage others, we ourselves are encouraged.

“And let and give attention, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities” (Hebrews 10:25).

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC