Allow God to lead you to pray for others in the church and their needs, national and local situations, the government, the advance of the Kingdom of God, and the growth of the Church. God is looking for people who will stand in the gap with Him in intercession for situations that are beyond their own personal interests. “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30). Make God’s interests your interests.

“Prayer is everything,” Oswald Chambers wrote. The ministry of intercession involves all types of prayer, and this type of prayer is always at the center of whatever is happening in this world for God. The emphasis of the prayer ministry in intercession is the needs of others and the advancement of God’s interests in the world. It is not simply focused on praying for things for oneself, but for others.

In his book With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray wrote: “Christ has opened the school of prayer specifically to train intercessors for the great work of bringing down, by their faith and prayer, the blessings of His work and love on the world around.” He added, “Though in its beginnings, prayer is so simple that the feeblest child can pray, yet it is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise.” Oswald Chambers reflected the same thought when he said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.” Through prayer God invites you to make a profound difference in the world but you’ve got to pray.

 

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part eight in our 8-part series on Prayer.

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

 

The upcoming National Day of Prayer is only the beginning!

You are invited to join with intercessors from around the world in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the Leadership Summit, October 16-18, 2015. Discounted registration is available (for a limited time) and includes 5 meals and transportation! Learn to mobilize people to intercession as you gain a deeper understanding of prayer with like-minded believers. Register now at prayerleaders.org 

The Leadership Summit speakers will challenge you through powerful ideas, stirring discussions and biblical models. They will take us through life-changing principles that will serve as a roadmap for effectual prayer.

Together, we will also experience a Concert of Prayer at the Jericho Center, focusing on personal repentance, intercession and praise, that will help us draw closer to Almighty God as He prepares us for the work ahead. There should also be plenty of time for fellowship and networking, which are invaluable. It is our hope that you will depart having learned important truths, formed valuable insights and charged-up to commit yourself to action – inspired with vision that ignites audacious faith.

Get registered today and we will see you in Colorado Springs, October 16-18, 2015!

To worship means “to bow down, to prostrate oneself.” God is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). God wants truth in the inner parts of our heart (Psalm 51:6). In true worship, there is a total bowing down of the heart to God, which is a response to the revelation of who God is - revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Worship is voluntary submission to the love, the will, and the law of God. Any hypocrisy can defile true worship. Thus, we must repent and seek His face to experience the fullness of praise.

Many effective prayer warriors recognize the importance of spending much time in worship. This deepens our fellowship with God, increases our faith, and pleases the Holy Spirit. We are then more likely to really hear His voice and thus pray more effectively.

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part seven in our 8-part series on Prayer.

 

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” Psalm 100:4

Thank God for what He has done for you – for answers to prayer, for forgiving your sins, for coming in to your life, for making you His child. We can thank Him both for blessings seen and those as yet unseen. It is a key to faith, and it is natural and right that we give thanks always to the One from whom all good things come (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Thank God for the results of prayer, both before and after you see the results (Philippians 4:6-7). Pray with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving expresses your confidence that God has heard and answered your prayer even before you see the result.

To praise God is to tell Him how great He is. This is declaring good things about God, both about His character (who He is) and also His actions. To say “God is good” is to praise God, and it is good to use the Word of God to praise Him. This is not a form of flattery in order to get God to give you things, but it is only fitting to praise Him and to Honor Him in reverence. Thanking and praising God will increase your faith, since you will begin to fix your eyes on God, His goodness and faithfulness and greatness and power, and not on your problem.

There are many styles of praise. Some are noisy and exuberant; others are calm. Praise can be well-expressed through music, singing, words, shouting, clapping, dancing, and giving to God. It can also be expressed in quiet surrender. It is truly a matter of the heart – an expression of authentic love and adoration for the Almighty. Regardless of your style of praise, just remember to P.R.A.Y. – Praise, Repent, Ask and Yield and then watch God work in you and the situation you are praying in to.

 

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part six in our 8-part series on Prayer.

 

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

Rather than rushing into God’s presence and saying many things, it is good to quiet your mind and wait in God’s presence so you can feel God’s heart and pray the things that the Holy Spirit shows you to pray for (Habakkuk 2:1). God promises to renew the strength of those who wait patiently on Him (Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 27:14). Through this you express to God in a practical way “not my will but Yours be done.” If you are always talking in prayer, you will not be able to hear what God is saying.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13), and He will guide you into an understanding of how to pray. Jude instructs us to “pray in the Holy Spirit “ (v. 20), which means the Spirit of God is “guiding” how we pray and what we pray for. We confess that without the help of the Spirit we cannot pray as we should. The apostle Paul tells us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). The Holy Spirit will lead you in the kind of prayer you offer to God. He is the one who motivates and enables and energizes your prayer.

And if you cannot find the right words to pray, know that the Holy Spirit will gladly assist you. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26). God sees the longing, the groaning, the desiring, the crying of your heart. He understands without the words. We utterly trust God for His help by the Spirit as we pray, and we consciously depend on His divine working.

 

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part five in our 8-part series on Prayer.

 

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

 

On May 31, just a few weeks after the largest National Day of Prayer (NDP) in U.S. history, the NDP Task Force set out on a journey to travel community to community, church to church, encouraging all to remain in fervent prayer over our nation.

 

[hr] [typography font="Cantarell" size="18" size_format="px"]The team set-out on a mission that was grounded in Acts 18:23[/typography] [hr]

 

What began as a vision to have regional gatherings quickly turned in a grander adventure when the owner of Champion Coach donated a 45-foot bus for the ministry to use to mobilize prayer from coast to coast. After wrapping the bus with a large “Pray for America” graphic, the team set-out on a mission that was grounded in Acts 18:23, where they “traveled from place to place throughout the region…strengthening all (who followed Christ).” In just the first 25 days of the tour, the following occurred.

•  25 Days, 8 States (PA, NY, RI, MA, ME, CT, NH, and VT)

 

• 34 Cities covered in prayer

 

• 137 Prayer Gatherings

 

• 3,610 Miles of Prayer

 

• 14,590 People joined together in prayer at the bus stops - 67 commitments to Christ (all new believers receive Starter Bibles provided by Harvest Crusades). These are only the ones we know of who spent time with us to understand what it means to follow Jesus.

 

• 1,250,140 People have watched news reports and heard radio spots on the bus tour

 

• 1,419,288 People have read updates on Facebook and the National Day of Prayer Website

 

• 1,650,733 People have viewed the Bus since it departed

The stories of hope and transformation are humbling. We have watched families reunited, fathers crying with their children asking for forgiveness, children coming to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior, addicts falling to the ground in repentance and even church leaders re-energized to continue serving on the front lines. There are few words to encompass or adequately describe the transformation that has occurred. Indeed, every day the wheels have turned under the bus, we have called them miracle miles as the next stop is always filled with opportunity and praise.

 

At one stop in Connecticut we ended up worshiping with three churches for over 14 hours straight. At another stop in Buffalo, NY, we set-up tents for prayer and resources and although it poured rain for much of the morning, lines circled the building with people just praising God. It was as if the whole central district just closed up shop and all came out for prayer in the heart of the city despite the weather. Every single day has been like this so if you are just hearing about the Pray for America Bus Tour for the first time, please take a moment and read the updates on Facebook and at Commit2pray.com. We know you will be blessed and encouraged just as we are.

 

God is raising up His church for such a time as this!

 

There is a fresh wind blowing across the nation as God is raising up His church for such a time as this! It is our prayer that we can continue to travel the nation but we need your help. God has provided the financial support for us get from Maine to Colorado, May 31 to August 10. However, it is our goal to cover at least 37 states (if not more) and we need to raise an additional $32,400 to make sure we can cover the Midwest, West Coast and Southern states. Our final journey will take us to the West Coast and then back across the Southern states toward Greenville, SC, for the finish line in mid to late September. Please prayerfully consider standing with us in this Pray for America mission and if you have a church or location in mind for our next stop, don’t hesitate to let us know.

 

Here are the anticipated stops through August 3:

• July 18-19: Knoxville, TN

 

• July 20: Mount Juliet, TN

 

• July 21-22: Nashville, TN

 

• July 23: Elizabethtown, KY

 

• July 24: Louisville, KY

 

• July 26: Terre Haute, IN

 

• July 27-29: Chicago, IL

 

• July 30-31: Des Moines, IA

 

• August 2-3: Lincoln, NE

May God bless you and may God bless America!