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Preparing the Way for God’s Presence in Your City

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“In every revival in history we read a similar testimony. When God responded to His people by sending His presence, He didn’t just work Himself into their routine religion – He overtook them by His power and glory! He left a trail of glorious chaos in His wake – weeping, repenting, rejoicing, reconciling, changing of habits, healing of families! Nobody wondered if Jesus was involved in these meetings. There was no doubt in their minds and no lack in their hearts.” Rhonda Hughey

God wants to invade our cities with His glorious and powerful presence. He wants to overtake our lives and change our plans and routines so that they are fully in line with His purposes. As we think about the Kingdom of God and preparing the way for God’s presence, the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest test to measure our personal success. How well do we live out the 8 beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12, and how well do we obey all of Matthew 5-7? Do we seek to obey God in every area of our life? Do we declare war on all compromise? This is the test. This is the great personal challenge we are all facing as we prepare for 24/7 prayer worldwide.

We are made for personal holiness and to intimately know God.        

This is what is so fantastic about a House of Prayer. God begins to change you, and you begin to prioritize prayer in a way you have never done before or even imagined possible. Prayer begins to take center stage in your life. We experienced this at our 24/7 House of Prayer in Spain. Prayer suddenly became a priority. God began to deal with our lives – our speech, our time, our money, our relationships, and everything. There was an internal calling in God to love and follow Him with all our heart. God wanted our hearts and a life of complete obedience so that we would be perfect and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:4). I was personally challenged to make quality decisions for holiness and to let God challenge my motives. I still have a long way to go, but at least I am on the road. It definitely is a life-long journey.

We were challenged in our prayer lives as the Holy Spirit begin to reinforce the importance of personal prayer and the absolute necessity of corporate prayer for the region. There was a lying down of secondary priorities for many. We were becoming very hungry for Jesus and His presence (Matthew 5:6). Through prayer and praise, we were welcoming God into the region. But many of us began to treasure the presence of God above all else, as we realized deep in our hearts the truth of John 15:5, “Without Me you can do nothing.”

You may be thinking, “Well, how do I even begin to think about a House of Prayer in my city?

The first step is to PRAY! You start by praying about a House of Prayer in your city. Even if you are not the one to start it, you can pray for others who will. Pray that God raises-up the right ones to begin, and you be the one who supports them in prayer. You may want start with a one-day, weekend, one-week, or one-month House of Prayer. In starting to plan towards a House of Prayer and beyond, there are several initial steps to pray and work towards. Every city needs a House of Prayer but there always needs to be a few who start it.

Think about some of the things you want to see accomplished. You want to create an unbroken string of focused intense prayer of entreaty to God for a week-end, week, or month. Now this may seem overwhelming at first, but you will be surprised at how God helps you. After all, it’s His idea and desire in the first place. You want to provide times and places for many to come together for prayer, asking the Lord to visit your city with His presence. Ultimately, you want to role out a red carpet for the King of Kings, inviting Him to come and do His work.

In Biblical and church history, united prayer has been proven to be the single lifesaver of a nation during times of danger and uncertainty. The Lord commands His people to seek His face
(2 Chronicles 7:14). God warned Noah concerning the flood even when there was no visible sign of it, not even a raindrop! He took heed and diligently and reverently constructed and prepared an ark for the deliverance of His family (Hebrews 11:7).

It is difficult to predict exact results in a House of Prayer. The key is to be faithful in doing what God shows you to do in prayer. In our one-month House of Prayer in Spain, I believe that many were radically changed in their prayer lives, but there were also those who went back to their previous life styles, and life as usual. We have to be willing to pay the price for God’s continual presence in our city. It’s up to the Church to decide long-term how much of God they really want. It is important that churches and intercessors continue to pray and anticipate the ongoing development of God’s plan for the city while the discipline and blessing of united prayer is still fresh.

In Spain the glory of God was visible in the church of one of the most spiritually needy areas in the world, but the churches needed to continue asking God to help them develop the prayer movement in their area. Outsiders who came to help could not do it. It has to be those who live in that city.

The following results will follow when Christians do accept the challenge of continual united prayer in their city:

  • A united praying church develops that is pleasing to the Lord.
  • There is a breaking of the spiritual darkness that is invading the nation.
  • The church demonstrates an example of corporate prayer that challenges others in cities around the country to do the same.
  • A movement of the Spirit occurs, bringing salvation to thousands of people.
  • A continued growing movement of prayer arises, sweeping thousands of tired Christian into a fresh new vitality in Christ.

Imagine the future of your city when a 24/7 House of Prayer is operating day and night. God will pour out His spirit. There will be the manifest presence of the Lord scattering His enemies and ours. Signs, wonders, healing, and deliverance from demonic oppression will become the norm. There will be the revival of the church, and the church will grow. Sinners will come under conviction and will open their hearts to the message of the Gospel.

A House of Prayer welcomes God into your city! As I traveled from nation to nation as a young missionary on a ship, upon arrival in a new country we would often have a great welcome from the people of that city. In New Zealand we experienced a special dance form the Mori Indians. It was quite impressive, and one I will never forget! At the end of that unique tribal dance, the staff and crew of our ship received a beautiful lay of flowers around their neck and the Mori greeting of rubbing noses. It was quite a cultural experience for many of us, I can assure you. In other countries we had special greetings unique to each culture – everything from other cultural dances, to gifts, to songs and banners – that was a beautiful welcome to the ship into their unique city. It made all of us on board feel very welcome in that country and city. It made us deeply desire to stay there and interact with the people.

Perhaps God feels the same way.

When He sees His people eagerly praying for His presence – welcoming Him into their city day and night in prayer – He is delighted and wants to invade that city with His presence. When He sees your desperate cry for His presence, He feels like a welcomed and longed-for guest and wants to make your city His home.

Begin now to prepare the way for God’s presence. Start with increasing your prayer life and find a few others who have a vision for transformation in your city. Get together regularly, and God will lead you and add others to your prayer meetings. Transformation will occur in your lives, and you will become consumed with a hunger for God’s presence. The Lord will hear your cry for your city, and God will begin to move in your midst.

Early in our last month of 24/7 prayer in Spain, God made his presence known to us in a very special way. There was no rain outside and as I was having my prayer time early in the morning, I suddenly looked out the window and there in the sky surrounding the House of Prayer was a big, bright colorful rainbow. It was as if God was speaking to us and saying, “See, my desire is for citywide, united prayer, and I love your House of Prayer – Keep it up for I shall surely come with my presence – I have heard your cry.” It is time that we change our life styles and become desperate for God and His ways. It is time that we welcome God into our cities!

“To be desperate means to be without hope in your current condition and to know that in your own power you don’t have the necessary resources required to change it. People who are desperate become determined to find help, often taking great risks to meet their desperate need. In the communities where transforming revival has occurred the people of God were desperate enough to change their lifestyle and their priorities and to commit their time and resources, making everything secondary to the desperate pursuit of God in their midst. They cried out in desperation, and the Lord heard their cry.” Rhonda Hughey

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

Preparation to Rule and Reign

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12366218_1073317959397977_345114264233161110_n“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies
of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”
(1 Peter 2:9).

We must not forget in the midst of our daily struggles that God is preparing us to rule and reign with Him when we comes. We are called to pray in His Kingdom and to understand that He is preparing us for a very glorious purpose. So let us not get disheartened at the trials that we face. They are only to develop us in spirit and in truth. We are all going through a purifying process. May our faith be strengthened in Him.

“Not only are we a priesthood, we are a ‘royal’ priesthood.  Christians are the true royalty on the earth. We are sons and daughters of the King of kings. We should conduct our lives with the dignity, grace, and integrity of such royalty. We should also understand that a priesthood is for the purpose of first serving the Lord, but also serving all nations, races, and cultures with intercession and ministry.” Rick Joyner

Keys to help in your personal battles in spiritual warfare and trials:

  • Ask your pastor and church leadership to cover the intercessors in your church in prayer – This could eliminate much of the spiritual warfare that Satan is attacking intercessors with in these days. A pastoral prayer covering for all of the intercessors in your church will make a big difference. It can help you to walk in greater victory and remove some of the attack that is on your life as an intercessor. We need to remind one another that we are a royal priesthood and will one day rule and reign with Christ. Together we can intercede for one another and stand in united strength.
  • Silence the voice of the enemy by starving out the spirit of criticism, irrational fear, and unbelief – God wants us to fast not only from food but from critical, unbelieving, negative speech. Let’s fast from these negative forms of speech and release the opposite spirit and the nature of Christ Jesus. Instead of being negative, let us bless others with positive words, and declare that God is going to reign over the earth. Declare that the “earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”
  • Realize that God is preparing you for His Kingdom – He is making you ready to take responsibility and authority with Him when He comes. May none of us lose sight of this reality.

“Everything happening in our life now is training for reigning. Do not waste your trials. They are coming upon you because the king loves you and wants to use you for a glorious purpose. It is by passing these tests
that we advance step-by-step into the place of being ready for service to the king.” Rick Joyner

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC

God’s Perfect Timing in Prayer

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“A cosmic clock is ticking. It was established by God, not just for the vast movements of the universe, but for every situation in your life. If you are frustrated by it, wondering why God is not rushing an answer to your earnest prayer then feel at home. You’re part of a long list of people – biblical heroes included – who have struggled with God’s timing.” Ron Susek 

Perhaps there is not one of us who has not called out to God and prayed, “Lord, why are You not answering my prayers now?” “Why is it taking so long?” Many of us have prayed for many years about certain things – a lost son or daughter, a job change, a personal dream or desire, revival in the land – and have not yet seen the fulfillment of those prayers. Yet we believe that it is God’s will and that He has led us in those prayers. Why does it seem to take so long for some prayers to be answered?

Think about it – Is God not doing something within us as He gets us ready for the answer? Does He not have a deeper purpose in this process of praying towards the fulfillment of our prayers? Do we try to take matters in our own hands because the stretch of our faith seems too large?

“What has driven you on occasion to wrestle with the hands of time? Fear? Pride? Impatience? Inevitably, it’s a lack of faith in God’s wisdom. It is telling God that we know what is needed, when it is needed, and that we are going to make it happen if He does not.” Ron Susek

God is preparing us in the process. He has His way of getting us ready for the answer. He is stretching our faith. He is often revealing what is in our heart. We are often impatient and God has to crucify our flesh, purify us, and make us ready so that we handle the answer in the right way when it comes. Many of us are like a wild horse and God has to tame us so that we learn to wait on His Word and then move forward in His timing. We must learn to pray by faith consistently and long-term, to wait and then move forward. God is not building His kingdom in the flesh or through the influence of man but with faith and this involves praying, trusting and then moving in His timing and in His way.

The big word for me is “Be patient!” God will act if I don’t give up.  I have had to wait long and pray hard regarding Intercessors Arise International. I have finished writing several books and yet have several that need publishing. The Lord has said to me during this waiting time, “Be patient!” “It will happen in My timing.” “Obey Me.” “Be faithful in prayer (Colossians 4:2). So I have continued on in faith. Perhaps He is saying the same to you regarding some of your long-term prayers. We must resolve to trust in God’s wisdom and timing.

At times we may feel we are in a crisis and need God’s answer now. We may try to take matters into our own hands and really mess things up. Look at King David. He was in a dilemma many times where he needed God’s answer in a difficult situation. He cried out in Psalm 83:1 “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.” But he learned to wait and pray. He let God test his faith and he hung on, not letting Satan get the upper hand through a quick-fix method. And God answered His prayers.

What happens as we are waiting for God to answer our prayers? There is a process we may go through as we wrestle in prayer with God. We often face negative emotions as we go through the difficulty of waiting for God in the midst of a crisis. But this leads us to a greater faith and a greater revelation of God and our situation. This process of waiting for God’s timing in prayer, especially when we are facing a crisis, is usually this:

  • Fervency – We begin by praying with fervency when the crisis arises. We use all of our energy to focus on praying through the crisis. It takes our strength in every way – physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.
  • Negative emotions – As time goes on and the answer does not come, we may get distracted towards other things. We just can’t keep up with that level of intensity. We wait with no answer and we may run into negative emotions – anger, frustration, confusion or disappointment. Anger may be directed toward God, the situation or even ourselves for not being able to do more.
  • Lies of the enemy – We feel the accusations of Satan. He speaks lies into our mind – “You are too sinful to have God answer your prayers.” “Your faith is too small.” “God doesn’t love you or care about your situation.” “He will not answer your prayers.” Remember, Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). He will try to attack you through this vulnerable time when God is stretching your faith.
  • Revelation – We come to a deeper knowledge of what God is doing. Our understanding is deepened as we hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess (Hebrews 10:23). As we stay in the Word of God, we begin to see the situation from God’s standpoint. We grow spiritually.
  • Greater faith – We rise up in faithful, determined prayer. We are not living by feelings any longer but by faith. We are willing to wait regardless of how long it takes. We can actually get excited in the wait. God is with us and He has heard our prayer!

God has a perfect timing. We are all waiting in prayer for something. Right now I know of people who are praying for God’s healing from cancer. I know others who just want to get back to the mission field and others who are praying for the fulfillment of their dreams. A pastor in our area is praying for his son to come out of coma. He was struck by lightning a few weeks ago. I know two others who are praying for a wayward daughter to come home and back to the Lord. Is God not concerned about all these things? Yes, He is deeply concerned. He stretches our faith in the midst of the wait just as He did with His disciples when encountering a storm at sea. He has all wisdom. He answers our prayers at just the right moment. He is not a minute too late.

Don’t miss the upcoming Intercessors Arise prayer webinar called: Grow in Dynamic Prayer by Learning How to Powerfully Pray God’s Word for Breakthrough. It’s filled with free prayer materials – SECURE YOUR SEAT HERE!

“It is the sovereign stillness – quiet, confident, and nonactive – that unnerves us in the face of crisis. ‘Wake up!’ screamed the disciples (and us) to Jesus. ‘Get up here in the deck of this fragile boat. Look at this storm. Don’t you care about us?’ But look at who it is we are trying to shake into action. It’s the God who said, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10). This God can remain quiet and still in the face of crisis. He calls us to wait on Him. Indeed, He will act, but in His timing.” Ron Susek

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC