There is an important principle of spiritual balance which I want to discuss.

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do nor treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Do not despise prophecy or take it lightly. Prove or test all things; hold on to that which is good” (1 ths 5:19-21 niv)

a. Prove All Things – Hold On To The Good. We are told in this Scripture to appreciate the value of the prophetic word. However, we are also told to prove or test that word – whether it be right or wrong.

Only then can we firmly hold on to that which is good, and discard that which is in error.

What is the way to prove whether a prophecy is right or wrong? The Bible gives us a simple, clear word on the matter:

“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?”

“If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him (Deut 18:21,22 niv).

The answer is very simple: A true prophecy will come to pass and agree with the Bible.

Sadly, some “prophetic” ministries never submit their prophecies to proof. They do not ask for confirmation of the accuracy of what they say “by revelation.” Some even believe they have reached a place of being infallible – never wrong.

There have been some tragic results for both the prophet and the people because of his lack of responsibility.

b. Judge The Prophet. A way to judge a prophet is to see if he is responsible for his prophetic words and their effects. Are they words of truth and life, or do they produce confusion, fear, division and disappointment?

I was teamed up with a prophet, praying for a couple (man and wife). The man we were praying for was a dentist. God had blessed him with a nice home which he used once a week for a large prayer/ministry gathering. He could accommodate over 100 people in a large room at the back of his house.

God was saving, healing and filling people with the Spirit every week in those meetings. The presence of God was on his home, and people were drawn by the Spirit to come and receive help.

Then someone came to his meeting and prophesied to the dentist that he should sell his home and go out into a traveling ministry. Desiring to do the will of God, he put his home up for sale. His wife became distraught. She had no piece. the dentist was also very upset, because there were no invitation to minister anywhere and no doors were opening. This couple came to us seeking help and confirmation.

We knew nothing of the circumstance just related above. The Lord spoke to the prophet I was praying with: “Prophetic Bondage!”

The prophet saw by the Spirit that a wrong prophecy had been given them which had brought them to spiritual confusion.

The prophet and I joined in prayer and broke that “prophetic bondage” and freed them to hear God’s voice for themselves. They both wept profusely as the peace of God flooded their spirits. They were overflowing with joy – as they realized the Lord had spared them from making a very serious mistake.

This illustrates why we need to be very careful and humble when we minister to others. Otherwise, we can speak words that bind, instead of words that liberate.

Let us pray to be like Jesus. He said, “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isa 61:1; Luke 4:18).

Jesus came to liberate, not to put us in bondage.

D. CONCLUSION

Yes there is special purpose, power and protection in the ministry of prophetic-prayer teams. To experience it is to know it! It is a ministry which God is restoring to His Church world-wide.

It is encouraging to know that the prayers of each team are being joined by the prayers of many other teams in the Body of Christ. There is a bond of love in prayer which unites our hearts together as brothers and sisters in the great family of God.

We are all on the same Team with the same desire – that our Father’s will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

“Again I say unto you, if two of you agree on earth in prayer about anything it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name – because they are mine – I will be right there with them” (Matt18:19,20).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_vW7BFOG-o

Humility is our safe-guard for human error. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are ever subject or open to human error. We can all make mistakes in this regard.

There is always a certain risk when God allows His perfect word to be spoken through imperfect men.

But God has provided a way to protect both His servant and His word. There is great safety in humility!

Humility in the Gifts of the Spirit is expressed in two ways:

a. Willingness to admit we can make mistakes.

b. Willingness to receive correction when we do make mistakes.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. Pastor David Schoch from Long Beach, California, USA has one of the most powerful prophetic gifts I have ever witnesses in the forty years of my ministry. He spends a great deal of time in prayer and intercession.

As I have already said, such preparation is necessary for prophetic ministry. He guards his prophetic calling in a very responsible way. The years have proven the maturity and accuracy of his ministry.

In 1965 I was in a meeting where hundreds of people from all over the nation had gathered. David was ministering. By the Spirit’s revelation (Word of Knowledge) David was pointing to different people (who were strangers to him) and describing their physical problems nd describing their sickness.

To confirm that he was accurate in what he said, he always asked the person he pointed to if what he described was an accurate description of their need. If they said “Yes!” – then he would pray for them. There were many people healed. Then something unusual happened.

He called out to one woman and began to describe her condition. He then asked her if she were suffering from that problem. She replied, “No!” I don’t have the condition you described.”

David’s response before that crowd of six to seven hundred people was one of true humility. He didn’t argue or make any excuses. He simply said, “I’m sorry sister, I must have made a mistake.” He acknowledged he was capable of making a mistake, and was very sorry. He then stopped the healing ministry and went back to preaching his message.

At the end of the sermon some 45 to 50 minutes later, he invited people forward who needed prayer. to everyone’s surprise the lady who had denied her need ran up to the front. She then confessed that because of embarrassment she had lied about not having the problem David had described. Before all of the people she asked for God’s forgiveness and apologized to Brother David.

In light of this, I was most impressed by Brother David Schoch’s gracious response to her first denial.

Even thought he was right, and she was the one in error, he didn’t try to defend himself or challenge the lady’s statement. He made no claim to bring infallible, but admitted he could be wrong. What a noble example of humility for all of us to follows!

If you are going to form a prophetic-prayer team, you must have people with humility. they must not be those who will defend themselves or their gift. If others do not accept their revelation, they must have the humility to acknowledge, “I may be wrong; I am sorry if I was.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIoK_HWsRRg

As we consider the ministry of prophetic-prayer teams, we need to talk about some dangerous problem area. God’s gifts of grace can be abused in most ungracious ways. We are not to fear our Enemy, but we are to be aware of his clever and tricky ways (2 Cor 2:11).

We should not be surprised that something as powerful as teams of prayer would come under his attack. The reason we might expect problems to arise concerning prayer is clearly pictured for us in Proverbs 14:4: “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox” (Prov 14:4).

This proverb shares a simple principle for us to see. Where there are no oxen, it is easy to keep the barn clean. There is no mess that needs to be removed.

Where you have the oxen, you have their dung dropping and thus a dirty crib. But there is also a big harvest. It takes the strength of the ox to plow the field, to produce an abundant harvest.

The truth is very clear. If we want the power of the ox and the gain of the harvest, we are going to have to put up with some messy problems.

If we want the power and results that the Gifts of God’s Spirit bring, we are going to have to face the problems – and problem people – that come with it.

It is possible to sweep aside the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and have a clean but very sterile (lifeless) stall. Dead oxen and quiet, clean barns go together. Dead churches are lifeless, powerless and praiseless – and without harvest!

Adolescence (teen-age years) has its own special problems. It is the borderline time between being a child and being an adult. It is a time when a little knowledge and a lot of energy wants to run far ahead of wisdom and experience!

This is true in our growth and life as Christians as well. Many problems can arise when our knowledge about the Gifts of the Spirit is not balanced by the maturity of Christian character and experience.!

We have seen that when the utterance (speaking) of Gifts of Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues and Prophecy are accompanied by a Word of Wisdom, A Word of Knowledge or Discerning of Spirits, they play an important role in the ministry of prophetic-prayer teams.

1. Personal Guidance Needs Balance

One of the dangers is to look to the Gifts of the Spirit as a sort of “magic means” of obtaining God’s will for personal guidance on a weekly or daily basis. such a “misuse” of gifts could almost be likened to going to a fortune-teller.

God will never allow us to escape from a walk of faith. Faith operates in a confidence that God is keeping His word of promise: “And the LORD shall guide thee continually…” (Isa 58:11). Let me assure you that if you are not in rebellion, it is difficult to miss God’s will.

The Lord, at times, is merciful to us and gives strong prophetic confirmation to us through those who pray for us. However, do not let this be a substitute for your own relationship with the Lord. He can speak directly to you, if you learn to listen in your times of private devotion.

There must always be a balance between the following:

a. God’s Word – Biblical principles and special words.

b. God’s Spirit – Inner witness, dreams, spiritual gifts.

c. Body of Christ – Confirmation by counsel and prophecy.

d. Circumstances – As arranged and/or rearranged by God.

e. Our Attitude – Personal humility, faith and obedience.

God wants our faith and trust to be in Him. Guidance should come out of our relationship with God and one another in Body of Christ. When these relationships are in right order, then we can expect the Lord to guide and direct us in a safe, sure way.

To move outside of this divine balance is to open ourselves to false, foolish and even dangerous directions and influence.

Excerpts from study on Ezekiel 37

The following guidelines have been developed over the years from practical experience with prayer teams around the world. They are not binding rules, but practical suggestions which are based on sound spiritual principles. I believe you will find them helpful:

a. Mature Believers. Select six or eight mature believers. These should be persons who are baptized in the Holy Spirit and have learned to use the Gift of Tongues (or prophecy) in prayer. Two married couples plus one single man and one single lady make for a good mix. Add those in training to a team like this only after the team has gained experience in prophetic praying.

b. Acknowledge Christ. Have them pray this prayer: “We together confess Jesus is Lord. We receive His presence among us in the person of the Holy spirit. We ask the Holy Spirit to anoint us right now for prophetic prayer.” (Remember, your righteousness is based on the cross of Christ and His shed blood.)

c. Armor Of God. Then have them speak these words of command: “Lord, You said whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven. We now bind the powers of darkness that would seek to oppose or disrupt this prayer ministry in the strong Name of Jesus.

“We put on the helmet of salvation by which we shut out of our minds any wrong thoughts. We put on the breastplate of righteousness and take the shield of faith as our defense against wrong feelings or doubts. We open our hearts to receive the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God – which we now expect to receive as we pray. Just as the word of the Lord came to the prophets of old, Lord, we expect You to send Your word to us now so Your mighty will and works will be displayed among us” (Eph 6; Ps 107:20; Gen 15:1,4; 1 Sam 15:10 etc.)

Doing these things prevents the devil from spoiling your prayers with his lying thoughts or ungodly purposes.

d. Holy Spirit In Charge. Then pray this prayer: “Holy spirit, we submit our minds and hearts to You. Put Your prayers on our lips, Your thoughts in our minds, Your feelings in our soul. We submit to Your Lordship, for where the Spirit is Lord, there is liberty” (2 Cor 3:17).

e. Pray In Tongues. Release the rivers of the Holy Spirit by beginning to pray in tongues together. Let this be an expression of your faith, love and obedience to God. Your desire is to become of one heart and one spirit with the Lord and each other.

4. Praying For Others

After going through the above steps, it is time to pray for others. During training and learning times, the senior church leader or elder should act as captain of the prayer team. Also, for clarification, we will call those to be prayed for the candidate[s] in the instructions below.

a. Candidate In The Middle. If the team is preparing to pray for candidates who have come with special needs, have one candidate (and their spouse when possible) stand

.

b. One Person Lead Out. If the person is a man, have one of the male members of the team (or vice-versa if a woman) lead out in prayer for that person. At this point, trust the Lord to give a prophetic prayer.

Listen carefully, to the prayer, because there may be revelation of hidden secrets mentioned in the prayer. Knowing these can enable you to be of more help to the person.

c. Interview Candidate. If there is no guidance given by the Spirit on what to do next, then have the team captain briefly interview the person as follows:

Why Have They Come? Ask the person. “What have you come for? What are you expecting to receive?” As they answer, team members may hear confirmation of something they received from the Spirit during the prayer.

Keep asking to the person, just as Jesus did when ministering to the woman at the well in Samaria (see John 4:4-30). Do not let the interview go more than three to five minutes.

Share Spiritual Insights. If some of the team feel the Spirit has given them something to share, this is the time.

Sometimes a picture will form in your head. The Spirit can cause you to know what it means. Other times, the spirit will give you a verse of Scripture that addresses the need.

Other times, the Spirit will give a faint impression of something you would have no way of knowing about. If so, at some appropriate time, tell the prayer team and the candidate what you feel you received from the Spirit.

Then ask the candidate, “Is this true?” If they reply, “No it is not true,” then respond. “I m sorry. The thought must have been from my own mind.” If they say, “Yes, it is true,” then proceed as you feel led of the Spirit.

Whole Team Prays. If you do not have guidance as to how to proceed, have the whole team lay their hand lightly on the shoulder or head of the candidate (depending on local custom) and pray in the Spirit together.

Trust that during this prayer time, members of the team will receive something from the Lord. If so, share what you received. If no one feels they have anything from the Lord, then the team captain ought to pray a concluding prayer (trusting that the Holy Spirit will cause it to be a prophetic prayer).

There are times when it seems the spirit gives us little or nothing to share. Do not force something to happen. If the Spirit is not giving anything do not try to make up something. Tell the candidate, “Jesus loves you and I love you too.” If custom allows, give them a warm, loving embrace and a heart-felt “God bless you!”

Starting with Ephesians 1:22-23, an explanation of what a church is.
Bible study on June 26, 2011

We have to learn to use the Gifts of the Spirit. Church leaders must take responsibility to provide occasions for the believers to learn to pray prophetic prayers. Joining those learning to use the Gifts of the Spirit with more experienced believers on prayer teams is a good way to train others.

Paul encourages the Corinthian believers not only to seek after the spiritual gifts, but to “excel” in them (verse 12). To “excel” means to become more effective, or better in our efforts. This involves learning by experience.

a. God’s will/Man’s Choice. It is God’s will to give His gifts (1 Cor 12:7-10) to those who earnestly seek and strongly desire them (1 Cor 12:31; 14:1; 14:39).

God responds to our desire for His gifts when our motives are to build up and bless the Body of Christ.

It is true that God has the right to give gifts according to His own will and desire. Everything begins and ends in Him. However, God has given man the freedom to desire and ask to be a part of His wonderful plan.

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6). God gives His gifts to us when we”… hunger and thirst.

As we delight to do His will, He places His desires in our heart (Ps 37:4,5). As we pursue those desires in faith and obedience, God chooses us and prepares us for doing His Will.

From our position, it is as if we can choose to be chosen. Without Him we cannot; without us, He will not! Herein is the balance between God’s sovereignty (right to do what He wants) and man’s freedom of choice.

Paul encourages us to seek after the Gifts of the Spirit in faith, and develop them in obedience. It is through God’s gifts that His love can reach out to a sick and hurting world. Love is the motive, and prayer is the means by which our witness and work in the world begins.

Let us now consider the practical steps which we will need to follow in the formation of teams for prophetic prayer.

B. PRINCIPLES/GUIDELINES FOR A TEAM

God’s Word gives us the principles by which a prophetic-prayer team can function in a safe and sound way. The apostle Paul gives us mature counsel in 1 Corinthians 14:29:

“Let two or three prophets speak, while the others judge and weigh what has been said.”

1. Three Principles

There are three principles or practical truths expressed in this verse:

a. “Let… prophets speak” – that is liberty!

b. “Two or three” – that is boundary or limitation!

c. “Let the others judge” – that is responsibility!

2. Why Are these Principles Necessary?

a. Liberty. First of all, it is important to allow the spiritual gifts to be expressed. Without this liberty, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is “grieved and quenched.” We can stifle or silence His voice in our church (1 Ths 5:19; 1 Cor 14:39).

b. Limitation. Secondly, leaders are to set sensible limits to the number of prophetic prayers given by any one person. The thought in Paul’s mind is to prevent one person from dominating the prayer meeting.

If the prophetic ministry is going forth to the congregation (as opposed to ministry conducted in a small circle of prayer) – there is the danger we may weaken the impact of prophetic prayer if so many are given that people’s attention is lost (1 Cor 14:40),

c. Responsibility. Thirdly, leaders must judge and weigh the spirit and content of a prophecy or prophetic prayer in a responsible way. This is necessary because no one is “infallible” – that is, beyond the possibility of making a mistake.

If someone prays something that is not fitting or untrue, leaders have to give gentle correction. By doing this, the believer will learn to properly use the gifts.

The third part of the sermon on the two worlds and two kingdoms in operation on planet Earth.
The triumphant pilgrim.
Sunday, May 22, 2011

This was scheduled to be published on October 19, 2011, but that did not happen because off some glitch in WordPress.

Here is a link to a Bible reading plan for 2012

go here

http://reconcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012.html

or

Click here

I want to share with you the purpose, power and protection which team work in prophetic prayer provides. We will also consider how such a prayer team is formed and functions – how it is put together and works.

A. POWER / PURPOSE OF A TEAM

Jesus is speaking: “Again I say unto you, if two of you agree on earth in prayer about anything, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name – because they are mine – I will be right there with them” (Matt 18:19,20 niv).

Jesus taught there is something special about praying together. Team prayer has greater power than when we pray by ourselves – alone. There is a mystery here which we don’t fully understand.

Private prayer is important and necessary. However, Jesus is telling His disciples that He will be with them in an unusual and powerful way when they come “together” in prayer.

1. Strength In Unity

In unity there is strength. In spiritual unity there is spiritual strength! This is an important principle or truth. When we are of one heart and one mind in the Spirit of the Lord. He will move with great power and purpose on our behalf.

“One can chase a thousand two will put ten thousand to flight…” (Deut 32:30).

When God is the force behind the action, two are ten times more effective in prayer than one.

The principle of “unified” strength is true for great good or great evil. The power of a people is multiplied when they get together for a common purpose. God broke up Bable for that reason.

“Behold, they are one people and of one language. this is only the beginning of what they will do. Now, nothing they think of will be impossible for them” (Gen 11:6).

This same concept of “together power” can be found and followed in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Surely this is a principle which God wants us to put into practice when we pray. Jesus was teaching His disciples a very basic and important truth.

It has always been my approach in ministry to work as a team. I don’t think that people with an independent attitude can build up the Body of Christ in the best way. Let us see how this works when it comes to forming a prophetic-prayer team.

a. Love Produces Unity. Jesus said we can expect the blessing of His presence when we come together in His Name. How do we get a team working together?

The way people can really work together as a team is through the unity produced by the Holy Spirit. ‘God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom 5:5). Love produces unity. The Holy Spirit fills our heart with the love ofGod – so we love one another.

b. Pride Produces dis-unity. Disunity is the result of pride. “Only by pride cometh contention [quarrels]..” (Prov 13:10). The Enemy will do his best to break up your team-power ministry by discord and strife.

If you see that happen, the best solution I know is to have a service where the members of the team wash one another’s feet. This breaks the pride. “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet: you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).

2. God’s Will Revealed/Confirmed

The Holy Spirit will reveal the will of the Father to us when we humble ourselves before Him and each other. As we yield to the action of the Holy Spirit in prayer. He will bring us into a harmony of heart and unity of mind.

We will begin praying, thinking and feeling what is on the heart and mind of God. As revelation begins to come, we will have several members confirming what is received.

You will find that the same revelation will be given to more than one member of the team. When this happens, it provides confirmation that we are receiving the mind of the Lord as a result of our praying.

Prophetic-prayer teams provide a sound and powerful way to intercede for others and discover God’s will. It is a means of allowing the Holy Spirit to minister through His gifts in wisdom and in power.

There is opportunity for His word and will to be expressed in a balanced way with other brothers and sisters in Christ. The prophetic word or prayer is in a setting where it can be proven and judged by others.

Let us turn to 1 Corinthians for our teaching text: “You may all prophesy. One by one, that everyone may learn and all may be encouraged” (1 Cor 14:31).

Bible study on June 23, 2011.
Covering some points from what is expected of a believer in the new covenant.

As I was praying about 2012, one of the things I felt I must do was to change the way I use Facebook.

I got on Facebook in 2007 as a means of networking for the work that I did then. It then grew to become a large network of friends, and later became an extension of my ministry.

The latter will continue as such, but I’m finding it more difficult to maintain an online network of friends because of my increasing ministerial responsibilities. After much prayer and deliberation, I managed to delete over a 1000 friends. I am simply unable to find the time to be an online friend.

Apart from the “Pages” I administer , and the “Bible Study” group (links below), I am limiting my online presence and and I no longer take personal friend requests for now.

When I am online on Facebook, we can chat if you are in this Bible Study group. You can always get in touch with me through Recon Center’s contact page.

Links to pages that I administrate on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ReconCenter
https://www.facebook.com/JohnKodiyil

Link to the Bible Study group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/reconcenter/

I wish to share a problem I faced when I tried to delete friends on Facebook and how I managed to solve it.

It was not very difficult to delete friends from Facebook before, but the way Facebook it set up now, each friend has to be deleted one by one, with a page refresh after every delete. This was way too much work, and I did not want to spend the rest of the year doing that.

So in my search for a solution I found a Greasemonkey script. Greasemonkey is a Mozilla Firefox extension that allows users to install scripts that make on-the-fly changes to HTML web page content. The script called “FacebookDeletes” basically “Bulk deletes friends on facebook”, or that is what it is supposed to do.

I had activated Timeline on Facebook, and therefore this script would not work for me. I am not going to rant on Timeline, but I do not like that fact that I do not have an option to turn it off – c’est la vie.

After some more Googling I found that the timeline will not work on older browsers, especially Internet Explorer 7. I did not have IE7.

Then I found a FireFox addon called “User Agent Switcher”. The User Agent Switcher extension adds a menu and a toolbar button to switch the user agent of a browser. In other words, you can make your browser pretend to be an older browser or in my case an older different browser.

With the above combination, I had my breakfast while the script emptied my account of friends.

If you ever need to do this here are the steps again,

1. Install greasemonkey (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/greasemonkey/)
2. Install useragent Switcher (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/user-agent-switcher/)
3. Install FacebookDeletes (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/43404)
4. Go to http://www.facebook.com/friends/edit/ ( FB will load a different page, but just scroll down)
5. Click the down arrow to the left of ‘facebook delete friends’
6. Tick people whom you don’t want to delete.
7. Click the “Highlight” button to test it out if you want to be confident before doing the actual delete. It will only delete users on the current page. If you have lots of friends, go to the bottom of the page to load them first.

Well that’s about it from me for now, oh, by the way, you own an android phone, you should watch this video what they reveal about Carrier IQ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvnPxl2DrQ4 – trust me, it will be worth your time

So, have a safe blessed holiday with family, and may the Lord bless you with a fruitful 2012.

with love in Jesus,
John Kodiyil

In one such session, after they had prayed in other tongues, the Lord began to put a feeling in the heart of one sister. She said, “I feel there are some missionaries in the Philippines who are in great danger.”

As they kept praying, someone else received a picture in their head (mind): “Yes I see them in a prison.”

Another was given further insight by the Spirit. She saw the prisoners holding the missionaries hostage with knives.

They kept praying. Another prayer team member saw the prisoners taking the missionaries into a van – so they could use the vehicle to escape. This sister cried out in horror, “They must be stopped! If they get them outside the prison, they will kill them all and flee in the van!”

They then began to urgently and earnestly pray. Two and half years later Pastor Howard found out from the author of this chapter that those events received by revelation through prophetic praying had literally happened.

The very night they were praying in California, because of the time difference, it was Sunday morning in the Philippines.

Sister Olga, a well-known missionary to the prisoners in Bilibid Prison in the Philippines, and four coworkers had been taken hostage by prisoner. The prisoners had indeed held long, sharp knives to their throats.

Sister Olga’s white van was demanded by the prisoners to be used as a means of escape. As they neared the prison gate, the van motor quit running. Despite every effort to restart the engine. It could not be started.

This gave the guards time to capture the prisoners and rescue the missionary and coworkers. God came to their rescue, and their release to safety was nothing less than a miracle.

After they were set free from the prisoners, they tried starting the motor of the van. It started immediately with no problems.

How were they spared? Intercessors in California tuned in the mind of God. By revelation they were able to pray prophetically, and God saved the lives of five missionaries. As ministers of the Gospel, it should be of great encouragement to know that there are intercessors who are supporting us by a ministry of prophetic prayer!

4. A Word Of Encouragement

May I encourage you, dear reader, to seriously consider this ministry of prophetic prayer. God wants to move by His power in our families, churches, governments and in the many nations of the world.

Exercise the Gifts of the Spirit in your prayer life. Listen for God to speak, and then let that word be brought to birth through the power of travailing prayer.

It is both a great privilege and responsibility for God’s handmaidens and menservants everywhere to earnestly pray prophetic prayer as the Holy spirit gives them the prayers to pray.

Bible study in Cochin on June 19, 2011

I would like to give you one more example of prophetic prayer in action. Pastor Rick Howard in Redwood City, California, has taught his people the principles of prophetic prayer.

Every Saturday night they form prayer teams for intercession in their church. This is a form of prayer in which the Holy Spirit specifically leads them in their intercession.

1. Guidelines To Follow

They usually follow a pattern for prayer which is based on the following six guidelines. Use these for your prayer team.

a. Yield To The Holy Spirit And Jesus. They prayerfully acknowledge and yield their spirits to the presence of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Jesus.

b. Bind Power Of Darkness. They bind the powers of darkness and deception that might try to hinder their prayers or influence their thoughts.

c. Keep Mind And Spirit Open. They open their own minds and spirits to allow the rivers of life-giving water to flow from their inner most being (John 7:37-38).

d. Be Empowered By The Holy Spirit. They pray that God’s Holy Spirit of love and truth will then specifically empower their prayers.

e. Pray In Tongues. Each team then prays in tongues, expecting God to reveal to them what, how and for whom they are to pray.

f. Pray The Interpretation. Then they pray about what the Spirit may have made them aware of by thought, God’s word or spiritual vision.

2. The Spirit Will Direct

After completing the “Six Guidelines,” the team should keep praying in tongues until one (or more) of the team feel an impression from the Spirit as to what the team is to pray for. Expect the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the will and mind of the heavenly Father that your prayers may have a specific direction.

The direction may come in the form of a thought, vision (Mental picture) or Scripture text. It might involve people, places, events related to one’s church, city, nation or some foreign field.

Often God’s Spirit will move the team to pray concerning one (or more) of the power structures of society – the so called “mind-molders”:

* Science * Media * Business

* Church * Arts * Government

* School * Home * Military

a. Each One Adds A Part. Usually one or more persons in the group will sense a direction to take in prayer. The entire group then should begin praying softly in the Spirit, relying on the Gifts of a Word of Knowledge, a Word of Wisdom, Discerning of Spirits, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues and Prophecy.

As different ones pray forth in faith, God will reveal what and how to pray. Each one adds a part of God’s revelation as they are allowed their time to pray.

This is what Paul was referring to when he said that if revelation comes to another who is sitting by, he should be allowed to speak.. that all may prophesy one by one (1 Cor 14:30-31).

Partners With Jesus. This is true prophetic prayer in action. In this way God can bring forth a complete revelation of His will for a given situation. We are actually completing the circle of His purpose through prayer and intercession.

I am amazed and awed by what the Spirit brings forth during such times of prayer. As the spiritual tide rises, and faith mounts, prayer becomes more real than the problems and needs for which we pray.

During one of our conferences, we had ten prayer teams praying this way. Remarkably, on repeated occasions during that day of prayer, five or six of the teams were impressed to pray about the same burden of the Lord.

The various teams did not know this until we called for a testimony time. The team captains then shared what the Spirit impressed them to pray about and the results.

Over and over, others would stand and say, “The Lord told us to pray about the same thing in our team.”

What joy and comfort this brings when we realize we are partners with Jesus in His ministry of intercession.

Matthew 6:22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Bible Study on June 16, 2011 about keeping our eye single.

He doesn’t go to do his own will in a self-serving way. He does not give out his prophecies for a price (as did Balaam [Numbers 22] to the sorrow of all involved). He simply did what God has said and that was all. And, because it was God’s will and word it worked – in great power, it worked!

We, like Elijah, should only speak and move in faith “according to God’s word of command!”

Some people don’t act when God speaks – that is unbelief. Other people act when God hasn’t spoken – that is presumption (going beyond God’s will). The prayer warrior listens for God’s word and then speaks and acts in simple faith and obedience.

The prophet Elijah onlyspoke and acted in line with the word of the Lord.

e. Prophetic Word Brought to Birth. After the great victory over Baal, Elijah told King Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink for there is a sound of abundance of rain”. Now notice what Elijah does after he prophesies: “…Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees” (vs 42 niv).

Earnest, Peristent Prayer. The Apostle James tells us he prayed earnestly (Jas 5:17). The Old Testament record (1 Ki 18:43) says he prayed seven times. This would indicate persistence as well as earnest fervency. This was a strong, urgent prayer on Elijah’s part

Elijah’s posture for prayer was some-what unusual. It was the position which the women of the Middle East took when they were about to give birth to a child. It was the position for travail – the painful pressure necessaryfor birth.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit often causes us to travail in prayer so that God’s word and purpose can be brought to birth.

Elijah earnestly prayed seven times before there was a sign in the sky that God’s word was about to be fulfilled. It first came in the form of a “little cloud the size of a man’s hand” (1 Ki 18:44).

There comes a time in the process of birth when nothing will stop a baby from being born. Elijah had travailed in prayer, and now God was about to make His move!

Elijah tells Ahab to hitch up his chariot and get on his way before the rain overtakes him. The story now becomes most dramatic: “Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the winds rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The Power of the Lord came upon Elijah, and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel” (1 Ki 18:45,46 niv).

We Have A Responsibility. God wants us to understand: There is a direct connection or tie between prophecy and prayer.

Many people have received a prophetic word for their lives, but failed to see it come to pass. Why? They didn’t fulfill their part by birthing the divinely prophesied purpose from the womb of intercession.

Prophecy must be conceived, received and birthed in prayer and intercession.

“That which is born of the Spirit is spiritual…” (John 3:6).

Both the prophet who speaks the word, and the one who receives the word, have a responsibility before the Lord.

When the word of the Lord came to Mary, the mother of Jesus, it has to be received and nourished in her before it could be birthed. “But Mary kept all these things [Greek = rhema meaning living words], and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

Mary brought the word of the Lord to birth by prayer, praise, patience and faith.

Mary was a woman of praise and prayer. After the Holy Spirit came upon her, she prophesied.

Praise, prayer and prophecy were all three expressed through her in a beautiful and powerful way at the home of Elizabeth and Zacharias (Luke 1:35-38, 46-55).

Mary becomes a model for all of us to follow in our walk with God.

We are then responsible to nourish and bring the word spoken to us to birth by our prayers and intercession. Like Mary we must say, “Let it be unto me according to your word.”

Prophecy is spontaneous speaking forth of words, given by the Spirit, in the language which we know. They are words we have not thought of in advance of speaking them. They are words and thoughts supplied us by the Holy Spirit which we speak forth to benefit others.

We have a clear example of how prophecy is given by examining an event in the life of Moses.

“And the LORD said unto Moses… Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you: and Aaron your brother shall speak the words [you give him] unto Pharaoh..” (Exo 7:1,2)

The words Aaron spoke as Moses’ prophet were given him by Moses. Aaron did not speak his own words.

This is the way the Gift of Prophecy works. The Holy spirit gives the words; we speak them to others in prayer. Prophecy may also be used in speaking to others to build them up, stir them up and cheer them up (1 Cor 14:3).

Prophetic prayer is the key to opening the doors of Kingdom power and purpose for God’s people

1. Prayer is man speaking to God.

2. Prophecy is normally God speaking to man through man.

3. Prophetic praying is the Holy Spirit speaking through us in prayer to God the Father.

All three are necessary for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

As basic and important as our subject is, there is very little teaching to be found on prophetic praying. In fact, I have never heard a message on this specific topic in all of my life.

a. Thinking God’s Thoughts. In earlier chapters in this series we learned that three things happen when we yield to the Holy Spirit’s action in prayer (see Romans 8:26,27):

We begin to pray God’s prayers.

We begin to feel god’s feelings.

We begin to think God’s thoughts.

We have covered the first two topics in preceding chapters.

Prophetic prayer enables us to “Think God’s Thoughts.” This will be the central theme of this study. We will discover that prophetic insights and understanding are birthed and expressed through prayer.

I was astonished to discover that the prophetic anointing had as much (or more) to do with praying as with prophesying.

Praying and prophesying are tied together in the lives of all of the prophets in both the Old and New Testaments.

For the idolatry, child sacrifice and immorality that were part of Baal worship, God had sent the famine. Now the time for overthrow had come.

God had clearly instructed His people, “Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images” (Exo 23:24).

“And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of their place” (Deut 12:3).

So the day of confrontation is arranged. You can read the whole story in 1 Kings 18. Elijah throws out the challenge.

“.. How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (1 Ki 18:21).

Then follows the second challenge. “…the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said. It is well spoken” (1 Ki 18:24).

The prophets of Baal called on their God. “And they cried aloud, and cut themselves… with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them” (1 Ki 18:28). But no fire came down.

At the time of the evening sacrifice, here is what happened:

“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.

“‘Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’

“Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

“When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried. ‘The LORD – he is God! The LORD – he is God!’

“Then Elijah commanded them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away! they seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there” (1Ki 18:36-40 niv).

All 450 of the false prophets of Baal were killed that day. Pay attention, however, to the prayer which backed up the mighty display of God’s power.

“…Let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command “ (1 Ki18:36).

Through the counsel of Balaam, the children of Israel committed trespass against the LORD. A study on his strategy and its relevance in our lives today

Let us look to Elijah as one of God’s model men of prophecy and prayer. There is much we can learn from one who was “subject to like passions as are we,” but who, nevertheless, earnestly prayed very effective prayers (Jas 5:16-18).

a. Powerful Prayers. He had the same problems and human weaknesses that we struggle with, but his prophetic prayers still produced powerful results!

James describes his prayer-life: “Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain for three and a half years. And he prayed again, he prayed and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (Jas 5:17,18 niv).

These are two powerful prayers. Let us study the story in the Old Testament. Powerful prayers should produce powerful words and powerful works!

The story is a dramatic one. Elijah is proclaiming the word of the Lord to Ahab, the most wicked king Israel ever had. Listen as he speaks:

“As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word” (1 Ki 17:1).

b. Powerful Prophecy. This was a very strong word of judgment to a very wicked king. But it was the prophetic word of the Lord by a righteous man of prayer. That is the reason James could later record, “Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain.. and it rained not.” It was Elijah’s prayer that gave birth to this powerful prophecy!

c. A Right Time to Speak. There is a time for both silence and speaking. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…There is a time to be silent and a time to speak” (3:1,7).

Our story of Elijah now takes a very interesting turn. After he had faithfully spoken the word of the Lord to King Ahab, the land of Israel soon became very dry. Several years passed without rain.

All went well with Elijah for a while. God had directed him to a brook where he could drink. God also sent ravens to bring food to Elijah every morning and evening. It was fairly peaceful picture. Elijah was eating, while others were starving, during this time of drought and famine.

However, in time the brook itself finally dried up, and Elijah became a victim of his own prophecy! Dry bread with no water is not a very pleasant picnic, and he could well have been tempted to re-open the heavens. If he had acted on that desire, he clearly would have been outside of God’s will. God’s word for rain had not yet been given.

If Elijah had spoken when he should have been silent, one of two things could have happened:

Asking Amiss. God would not have honored the word, for he had “asked amiss” – that is, apart from the divine will (Jas 4:3), Elijah would have become a wordless and powerless prophet.

Asking Too Soon. God would have honored the word, but that would have ended the whole story. Elijah would have missed the “fire-from-heaven miracle,” and found himself with “leanness in his soul” (1 Ki 18:30-39; Ps 106:13-15).

The devil tempted Jesus to turn stone into bread when He was fasting (Matt 4:3). Like the Lord Jesus during His temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-4). Elijah waited for the word of God to come.

God is faithful. The record simply reads: “Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: ‘Go at once to Zarepheth of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food’” (1 Ki 17:7-9 niv).

Because both Elijah and the widow obeyed the word of the Lord, both were rewarded by the blessing and provision of a wise and loving God.

Their need became the opportunity for the Lord to perform the “oil and meal” miracle which saved their lives. Elijah could have missed it by speaking when he should have been silent, or by being silent when he should have spoken. It truly pays to prayerfully wait for – and then speak – God’s word!

Bible study on June 12, 2011 about keeping the Lord before us always, about keeping our eyes on Jesus and basing our lives on the word of God.