Prayer is, in essence, communicating with God. It is not merely communicating to God—for He also wants to share with us in return.

Neither is prayer merely talking to God. Prayer is so much more than speaking words.

Prayer may be an attitude in our hearts before God; it may be the wordless communion of friends; it may be the ineloquent groans of a burdened heart. It can even consist of joyful shouts of praise.

Prayer comes in many forms and can be used for many purposes. Describing prayer is like describing a rainbow. You can speak of the rainbow as a whole, or you can describe the colours and spectrums that make up the rainbow.

In my article, 4 Ways To Pray: Exploring The Wonders Of Prayer, I share about relating prayer, requesting prayer, receiving prayer and ruling prayer—and that is just a start!

3 Reasons why we Pray

Here are three important reasons why we pray—I believe that God will speak to you personally through at least one of these today:

1. We Pray Because of Relationship

Communication is the lifeblood of any relationship—and it is the same in our relationship with God.

Did you know that it is the great desire of God’s heart to have a personal relationship with you?

In the beginning, Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the garden. (Gen 3:8-9) When that intimate relationship was lost, God moved heaven and earth to restore it to us.

That is the primary reason that Jesus died on the cross—to restore our relationship with God. (John 1:12-13) He paid the penalty for our wrongdoing and sin, so that we could spend now and eternity with God.

Sometimes people see the Christian faith as way of settling their eternal destiny—or as a type of spiritual insurance—something to have in place for when a need arises in their lives. Sadly, they have missed the purpose of the cross.

We are created and saved for an intimate relationship with God, and communication—prayer—is vital to that relationship. (Rev 3:20)

2. We Pray Because it Makes a Difference

Imagine that someone in your family has an illness for which the doctor prescribes several types of medication. He or she receives the medicines—and then upon arriving home, only takes one of the medicines prescribed.

That would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

God, the Master Physician, the all-knowing One, our loving Father, has given us prayer to assist in times of need.

The Bible tells us to pray in circumstances of:

• Sickness (James 5:14-15)
• Trial (Phil 1:19, James 5:13))
• Danger (2 Cor 1:10-11)
• Temptation (Matt 26:41)
• Being mistreated (Luke 6:28)
• Need of provision (Matt 6:11)
• Spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10-18)
• In times of weakness (Rom 8:26)
• In every situation (Phil 4:6)

If prayer is prescribed to us by God—and is a means of releasing His grace and power into situations—why would we not participate in it? Why would we hold back the benefits of prayer from others and ourselves?

Today you can make a difference in your life and the lives of people around you—by praying.

3. We Pray Because it Fulfils our Destiny

‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ (Matt 6:10)

Prayer is not just for times of need. Jesus instructed us to pray in order for God’s will and purposes to be accomplished.

Watchman Nee once described prayer as being to the will of God what railway tracks are to a train. The train engine may be powerful, it may be able to go thousands of miles—but unless the tracks laid down, it will not go anywhere. [1]

God has set a law into place whereby His purposes can only be accomplished in conjunction with the prayers of His people.

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them dominion in the earth. Psalm 115:16 tells us that, ‘The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given [assigned] to mankind.’

God’s purposes have never changed.  When we pray, we are exercising God’s rule—and our God-given Dominion on the earth—in partnership with him. [2]

Something deep within us yearns for significance. And this is why: we are created and destined to be royal sons and daughters of God—born to rule. (John 1:12-13) And in eternity to come, we are destined to reign with Him. (Dan 7:27)

Only in eternity will we fully understand the purpose of prayer, and see the results that our prayers have accomplished.

Notes:

[1] Watchman Nee, in his book ‘Let Us Pray’, 1977.

[2] I highly recommend the book, ‘Intercessory Prayer’ by Dutch Sheets for excellent teaching on this topic. (Regal Books, California, 1996)

Related Posts:

Release the Resources of Heaven Through Prayer

4 Ways To Pray: Exploring The Wonders Of Prayer

The Power Of Prophetic Prayer

© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

Did you receive this from a friend? Read more from Enliven Blog or sign to receive our weekly prophetic teaching updates at http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog

Do you have any questions or thoughts on the topic of reasons why we pray? Do you have some requests for, or answers to prayer you would like to share? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the comments box. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

I have a dream that every Christian will have the confidence and freedom to pray for other people, in any situation.

We serve a loving and supernatural God, Who longs to express His grace and power through us in our everyday lives.

Last week I shared some reasons why we can pray for physical healing, and today I want to share 3 simple ways that you can put it into practice.

It Isn’t about a Formula

When we start out, it can be helpful to become familiar with a few different methods of praying. It is a bit like having access to a toolkit. We can then use whichever method suits the situation—or pray as the Holy Spirit leads us.

When you look at how Jesus healed people in the Gospels, you see many different ways that it took place.

So when we pray, it is not about a formula, although you might find one way of praying for healing that suits you.

Contrary to what some people may try and tell you, there is no one best method to pray for healing.

If there was one superior method, then those healing ministries in the world to day that are getting the most results would all be using one method. But they are not—they all have different expressions of ministry!

3 Easy Ways to Pray for Physical Healing

Here are three different ways that you can pray for healing. I call them Petition (Asking) Prayer, Power Prayer, and Pastoral (Caring) Prayer.

1. Petition (Asking) Prayer

We petition God when we simply ask Him to do something—in this case to bring healing—in Jesus’ Name.

Petition is not inferior to other types of prayer—asking is powerful, and is the privilege of sons and daughters. (Matt 7:7-11, John 14:13-14)

Making requests of God should be done with thanksgiving—we pray with the confidence that He hears us, and has already provided the answer to our prayer. (Phil 4:6)

We see petition happening in the Bible when people came to Jesus asking for healing on behalf of themselves and others.

Petition prayer is a powerful witness to non-Christians because it demonstrates our relationship with God.

2. Power Prayer

Power Prayer is short, brief and to the point, rather like a ‘laser beam’ of focused prayer or command, using the Name of Jesus.

In Power Prayer, we exercise the authority God has given to us over sickness. This includes:

A. Praying using the authority of Jesus’ Name (Acts 4:10,30; John 14:12-14)

B. Praying or declaring scripture

God’s word has authority. Some scriptures we can pray include 1 Peter 2:24, Ex 15:26, Ps 107:20

C. Speaking a word of command to the sickness (Ps 107:20)

Jesus frequently used a word of command or pronouncement of healing. (Luke 8:54, John 5:8, Matt 12:13)

Peter primarily used the spoken word to bring healing in his ministry. (Acts 3:6, 9:34, 9:40)

3. Pastoral (Caring) Prayer

In pastoral care prayer, we aim specific prayer at caring for the person, not only for healing, but also for issues related to the illness.

The power of Pastoral Prayer is that we are praying specifically. It lets the person know that God cares and we care about their whole life related to that issue. (Gal 6:2, Rom 12:12)

Some things we can pray for include:

• Healing and Divine intervention
• Pray concerning specific symptoms as well as the underlying cause of the sickness
• Other family members affected by the need expressed
• Key events such as medical appointments, operations, and so on
• The medical skill of doctors and other professionals
• Other logistics relating to the illness—such as finance, help and transport
• Any emotional responses to the situation—e.g. fear, trauma or anxiety

I like to pray for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit for Christians who are in difficult times or require healing. They may have had a lot of emotion, or pain to deal with and can feel depleted emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.

Other Prayer Tools

Here are some further thoughts about prayer for healing:

Repeated Prayer

Repeated prayer show the people that we care enough to journey the distance with them. And God may use the power of recurring prayer in the process of healing. Jesus prayed more than once for a blind man, who was healed gradually. (Mark 8:22-26)

Two Points of Connection

a. Laying on hands

Laying on of hands was one of many methods that Jesus used to minister healing to people. (Luke 4:40)

Paul mostly used the laying on of hands and physical impartation to heal. (Acts 20:10, 19:11-12, 28:8)

The benefits of having a physical point of connection include:

• It can help build faith
• It reminds others and us that we are an agent, or representative of Jesus.
• It is a Biblical means of impartation (releasing the healing power of God through one person to another)

We should always ask people first to ensure they are comfortable with us touching them as we pray.

b. Anointing with oil

Anointing with oil is symbolic. It is recommended for use by leaders in the NT. (James 5:14) Jesus’ disciples also used anointing oil on one occasion in Mark 6:13.

We need to keep in mind that unchurched people do not understand the symbolism of anointing with oil, therefore it is may not always be appropriate.

Important Things to Remember

Finally, important things to remember whilst praying for healing are:

• The basis for our prayer is not our ability, but what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. (1 Peter 2:24)

• Jesus healed people out of compassion. (Matt 14:14) Love is vital to praying for healing as it is in any ministry situation. (1 Cor 13:2-3)

• Never advise people to cease prescribed medications. If they believe they are healed, refer them to their physician for confirmation first.

• Acknowledge the mystery of prolonged or unanswered prayer and never place blame for this on anyone’s ‘lack of faith’.
  In 2 Tim 4:20, we learn of a close associate of the Apostle Paul who remained ill. No answers were given. We are called to pray in faith, leaving the outcome up to God.

Other articles in the Healing Series:

7 Reasons Why You Can Pray For Healing

Discover Your Unique Healing Gift

Do you have any further thoughts or questions about the topic of healing? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

Did you receive this from a friend? Read more from Enliven Blog or sign to receive our weekly prophetic teaching updates at http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog

Jacob was on the run from the murderous fury of his brother, Esau. It was twilight and he was in a strange land.

The journey being longer than the day, he lay down on the hard ground with a stone for a pillow.

There was nothing in Jacob’s life that indicated what would happen next. His past was a mess—his future seemed uncertain. His hope was that a relative in a distant place would give him refuge.

But that night, he dreamed of a stairway reaching from earth into heaven, upon which angels were ascending and descending.

Above the staircase stood Almighty God. He spoke to Jacob of the covenantal promises given to Abraham and Isaac, and now passed on to Jacob.

Jacob’s life was changed by the revelation of an open heaven above his life. [1] There was nothing he had done to deserve it. God’s favour towards Jacob was based on covenant, not on personal merit.

Jacob was an heir to the promises. And like Jacob, we are heirs of a covenant; not through anything we could achieve ourselves, but by grace, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

An Open Heaven: Our Inheritance

When Jesus was baptised, Mark tells us that the heavens were ‘torn open’ as the Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. (Mark 1:10) [2]

Jesus lived and ministered under this open heaven. He was in touch with the Father at all times. Nothing was impossible. Demons fled, diseases were healed; even death could not stand in His way.

Heaven’s supernatural resources were made available to Jesus as He prayed and did what He saw the Father doing. (John 5:19)

When the veil tore open at Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt 27:51), the heavens were opened permanently for all who would believe in Him and become children of God—for Jesus Himself is the stairway to heaven. (John 1:51, John 14:6)

Then, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God baptised the waiting believers. (Acts 2)

Everything that was available to Jesus to accomplish the Father’s will is also available to us today. Jesus would not say, ‘Follow Me,’ if that were not the case. Living under an open heaven is our inheritance, and it should be our expectation.

What is Available to us Through an Open Heaven?

An open heaven is a state where there are no barriers between the earthly realm and the heavenly realm—the throne of God, and all the resources of heaven.

As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we can live in the constant awareness that nothing separates us from our Father and His resources.

Here are some things that the Bible reveals are available to us through an open heaven. I encourage you to look up and meditate on the following scripture verses.

1. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit

(Matt 3:16, Acts 2)

2. Provision and blessing

(Deut 28:12, Mal 3:10)

3. Salvation—Ourselves and Others

(Isaiah 45:8)

4. Prophetic Revelation and God’s Throne

(Exodus 24:9-11, Ezek 1:1)

5. Angelic activity in Response to God’s Command, bringing Supernatural Answers to Prayer

(Ps 103:129-21)

The House of God

Many Christians associate an open heaven primarily with angelic activity, however as we can see from above, that is just one aspect.

We need to guard against becoming preoccupied with angels. Jacob did not name the place where the heavens opened to him, ‘Dwelling of Angels.’ He named it Bethel, ‘House of God.’

The revelation he received of God that day was so profound that later God would re-introduce Himself to Jacob as ‘The God of Bethel.’

In another era and on another journey, Elisha had to pass a test in order to bear the mantle and authority of Elijah. Would he keep his eyes fixed on his spiritual father to the very end? Or would he be distracted by the brilliance of the glorious carriers—the chariots of God?

When the heavens opened to Stephen, Ezekiel and John, they saw the throne of God.

I want to have my focus on the throne—‘where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.’ (Col 3:1)

There is the source of our life, and our authority. There, we seek the Father’s will and directive, knowing that the resources of heaven—including the angelic hosts—are released at His word and by our partnership with Him in prayer.

As Jesus said,

 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’” Matthew 6:9-10

The Glorious Revelation

A revelation of what Jesus has done in opening heaven to us will change the way we pray.

• It will change the way we see
• It will change the way we think and act
• We will be conscious of what Father is doing ‘NOW’ and the resources that are available to us ‘NOW’
• We will have confidence in exercising our authority
• Our faith will be increased
• We will live in constant expectation

We will live centred upon God.

Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes

[1] You can read this story in Genesis 28.

[2] I recommend Bill Johnson’s message, ‘You Already have an Open Heaven.’  You can find it on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RULjmyJbQs8

Related Posts:

No Longer Waiting for Revival

ABC’s of the Kingdom of God

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

A few weeks ago, I shared 8 signs that your devotional life—your quality time spent with God in prayer and Bible study—may be caught in a performance trap.

These signs included: being stuck in a rut in your devotional life (or ceasing altogether), not finding it life-giving, having a nagging sense of condemnation about the quality or quantity, not hearing personally from God, and so on. [1]

Having a deep-rooted belief that we have to work to please our Father—instead of realising the truth that we are already pleasing to Him—can affect our ability to connect with God and His Word.

Jesus’ Remedy for the Performance Trap

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Rev 2:1-5

The Ephesian Church fell into a lifestyle of performance.

At the start, they were on fire and in love with God.

But gradually, their faith degenerated. Eventually, the church was focussed on doing a bunch of good works. They were busy doing the work of the Lord, but neglecting the Lord of the work.

Jesus gives them a remedy for their position. He tells them to remember, to repent, and to do the things that they did at first.

A key to recognising whether or not we have been caught in a performance trap is to simply ask the question,

‘How does the expression of my love for God compare now to when I first became a Christian?’

Once we recognise that we have fallen into a lifestyle of performance—working to please God without enjoying a love relationship with Him—we can then repent and receive Jesus’ forgiveness.

How wonderful is God’s grace—that through Jesus’ death on the cross we are forgiven. Our slate is wiped clean, and we can begin again. And this is true, not only of our devotional life, but every other area of our life too.

The First Step To Repositioning Our Devotional Lives

One practical way that we can disarm and escape the performance trap is to move from an activity-based devotional life to an outcome-focused devotional life. Let me explain:

Our devotional life is activity-based when its goal is to complete an activity such as:

• Read a passage of Scripture
• Complete our devotional exercise, or
• Spend a certain amount of time in prayer.

These activities are beneficial and bring us closer to God. However, when they become an end in themselves, we have moved into performance.

This can easily be overcome by redefining our goals—our desired outcome for our devotional life.

God Himself initiates true devotional outcomes.

• He wants to have an intimate relationship with you.
• He wants to involve you in His plans and purposes for your life and those around you, through prayer.
• He wants to you to grow and interact with Him through His Word, the Bible.

Devotional activities, tools and methods serve these outcomes, not the other way around.

Let’s take a look at some examples of meaningful goals for your devotional life.

I recommend that you consider choosing at least one outcome related to prayer, and one related to Bible study:

Prayer Goals

**I have an intimate relationship with God

**I regularly have close and meaningful conversation with God

**I am involved in fulfilling God’s plan for my life and those around me through prayer

**I am participating with God to bring ‘breakthrough,’ whether it be in my circumstances, or in the lives of others

Bible Study Goals

**I am interacting with God through reading the Bible and recording what He is saying to me

**I am growing in my spiritual life through practical Bible study

**I am learning more about God and His ways through studying the Bible in-depth.

Choosing A Goal That Fits Your Current Position

The outcome that you choose needs to be relevant to where you are. If you have realised that your devotional life needs resuscitation, for example, then you may start with a very simple and achievable goal, such as meaningful conversation with God. [2]

Author and speaker Keri Wyatt Kent tells of her struggles with devotional time becoming another item to be ticked off on the daily ‘to-do list.’ A simple question a spiritual mentor once gave her that she found helpful was, ‘Where did I create some space for God in my day?’ [3]

I love it!

A basic outcome you could pursue, is simply,

“I am creating some space for God and His Word every day”

However, if you already have an effective devotional life, and are looking for a ‘turbo boost’, you may go for more challenging goals such as learning more about God and his ways through in-depth Bible study.

If you choose simple goals for the stage where you are at currently, you can review and upgrade your outcomes when you are stronger.

Exercise:

Think about one or more outcomes you would like from your devotional life, taking into account where you are currently positioned.

Choose at least one goal related to prayer, and at least one related to Bible study.

You do not have to choose an outcome from the ones listed above. You can make up your own. It may help to write it out and keep it in front of you.

Take care not to choose activity-based goals. If you are unsure, read the above distinctions again.

I would love to hear from you if you have any thoughts or questions on this topic. Leave a note in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes:

[1] For more about this read the following post:

8 Signs Your Devotional Life May Be Caught In A Performance Trap

[2] I share about this in the following post:

Does Your Devotional Life Need Resuscitating?

[1] For further information about Keri, see http://www.keriwyattkent.com/

The article can be found here: http://www.navpress.com/magazines/archives/article.aspx?id=10236

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog http://propheticpeople.com/

On team with David McCracken Ministries

Two years ago I experienced burnout. I can now reflect with gratitude on the things that I learned during and following that period—and the wonder of God’s grace as He has led me back to a place of health spiritually, emotionally and physically. [1]

One day during that time I remarked to someone that I was struggling in my devotional life. This was met with a shocked response—it seemed to be incomprehensible that as the prayer leader of our church, I could be having difficulties with Bible study and prayer!

What Is a Devotional Life?

Our devotional life is the substance of our personal relationship with God as a Christian. It includes communication with Him through conversation and other forms of prayer, as well as Bible reading and study.

A healthy devotional life both feeds and is drawn from an intimate love relationship with God.

Because our devotional life has to do with our personal times with the Bible and in prayer, it is easy to cover it up when it is not going well.

The Elephant in the Room

In church life, our devotional difficulties can become like the proverbial elephant in the room that everyone knows is there, but nobody wants to talk about.

This is frequently true of Christian leaders. When our lives become busy with ministry it can be easy to spend our devotional time preparing for ministry to others instead of relating personally to God.

Sometimes leaders find it difficult to openly encourage others’ devotional lives because they are struggling with their own.

Your Devotional Life—A Quick Diagnostic Tool

If you would like to grow in your devotional life or help others in this area, you might find the following categories helpful. Does one describe your devotional life right now?

A. ‘L-Plates’—Learner

**You are a new Christian and would like to learn how to begin a devotional life for the first time

**You may have been a Christian for a while but have not yet developed a devotional life

**You would like to study the Bible for yourself but are unsure where to begin or what study tools are available

**You have not yet developed a regular connection and prayer time with God.

B. Resuscitation

**Your devotional life, or some aspect of it is ‘dead in the water.’ You need rescuing!

**You have stopped having time for God; you may even have lost heart and given up on a devotional life altogether

**There may be external reasons in your world for your lack of a devotional life—stress relationally, vocationally, and educationally. Your world is spinning around and you feel powerless to stop it

**You may also be avoiding a devotional life due to a nagging sense of condemnation or you may feel displeasing to God.

C. Renewal

**You have some measure of activity in your devotional life

** You may be irregular or haphazard in your approach to devotions

**You may need help in one or more areas of prayer, worship, Bible reflection and Bible study

**You may be stuck in a rut, and feel your devotional life is not as good as it could be

D. Turbo Boost

**You have a regular devotional life that includes prayer and Bible study

**It may be starting to lose its shine and you could do with encouragement and a fresh boost

**You would like to know how to go to the next level in prayer or Bible study

** You could do with some more ideas and tools to help you. [2]

There is no right or wrong answer, only real and honest answers. Most of us have struggled with our devotional life seasonally if we have been Christians for any length of time.

Why is Your Devotional Life Important?

Your devotional life is vital because it connects you relationally to God. It is the place of conversation, where you learn to know Jesus not only as Saviour and Lord, but also as a Friend.

To assist you with some motivation, here are some more reasons why your devotional life is important:

1. Jesus demonstrated and talked about a devotional life with God

Prayer was a regular part of Jesus’ life. Jesus also had an intimate knowledge of the Scriptures and understood how these related to His life and His personal journey. Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23; Luke 21:37, Luke 5:16

2. It is your primary source of spiritual nourishment and growth Psalm 1:1-3

3. It provides protection from sin and strengthens us in times of crisis and temptation Matt 26:40-41, Ps 119:11

4. It helps you with guidance, in your everyday life as well as with important long-term decisions John 10:27

5. A healthy devotional life results in fruitfulness (others around us benefit from our devotional lives) John 15:4, 7

6. It plugs you into God, your Source of power John 7:37-38

It is through your devotional life that you hear God personally speak to you about what he wants to do in and through you.

You also grow in wisdom and Christian maturity as you get to know more about God and his ways through the Bible.

We wouldn’t locate the water mains to our home and wind the supply right down to a trickle—but this is what we do with God’s power in our lives when we do not plug into Him with a healthy devotional life.

Next week I will look at how performance can kill our devotional life and what we can do when it has been reduced to a routine.

Questions to Consider

1. Which position—L-Plates, Resuscitation, Renewal, or Turbo-Boost—do I most relate to?

2. What are some factors that have contributed to me being at this place?

3. Is there someone caring who I can talk to and pray with about this—and with whom I can be mutually accountable to grow in this vital area?

If you are a leader, consider providing a safe place for others to discuss where they are in relation to their devotional lives.

Do you have any ideas or experiences to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a note in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes

[1] I have shared some of my journey relating to burnout in the blog. The following post reviews some of the reasons behind it:

http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/09/05/no-longer-an-orphan-how-i-discovered-the-fathers-love/

[2] Journaling can be a helpful tool to assist in renewing your devotional life. I share about two different types of journaling here:

Prayer Journaling:

http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/01/29/activate-your-prophetic-gift-through-prayer-journaling/

SOAP Journaling:

http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/02/04/when-your-devotional-life-is-dry-how-to-fall-in-love-with-the-bible-again/

© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog http://propheticpeople.com/

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

Important Announcement from Helen Calder

Dear friends,

It is a great pleasure for me to announce some changes taking place in my ministry.

From 1 February 2011, I will be joining the ministry team at David McCracken Ministries.

I will continue blogging, and there will be no changes to those of you who are receiving the blog articles direct to your inbox by Feedburner.

You may see some gradual changes in the presentation of my website to reflect my new role, so keep an eye out for these over the next few months.

I encourage you to check out the David McCracken Ministries website and get to know the team, mission and vision, as well as the wide range of resources that are available.

If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to leave a comment at the bottom of this post. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

In the meantime, following is a brilliant article written by David McCracken that will strengthen your faith as you step into 2011. Be blessed!

Steps of Courage

By David McCracken

Does receiving the promise and instructions make you a possessor of the land?

The answer is, of course, that it does not. In Joshua 1:3 God tells the Israelites that they will have to tread upon the land before it actually becomes theirs.
“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you”

As Peter the fisherman of old found out, to walk upon the water requires one getting out of the boat and placing one’s security firmly in the faithfulness and integrity of the Lord. Hope must be demonstrated in order to become living faith. We will never possess that which we have not “walked upon”.

What does this mean in practical terms? It means to have sufficient inner confidence in what God has told you to do, that you take tangible and deliberate steps towards seeing it become a reality. Not steps that can be easily reversed with a minimum of cost and concern, but steps that have the feeling of “going beyond the point of no return” about them.

I never cease to marvel at what some people call a “step of faith”. They have carefully weighed up the facts and predictable statistics; they have calculated the possibilities of success or failure; they have arranged all potential areas of backup. Having then diligently reduced all possibility of failure to zero and put in place security nets for every contingency, they step out in “faith”.

Friends, unless it is impossible humanly, we don’t even need a miraculous intervention! And God does not respond when He simply is not needed.

When Peter, in Matthew 14:29, stepped out of that boat on to that tormented, storm-driven sea, it was neither logical nor sensible. It was the simple act of obedience to the voice of the Master that said “Come!”. There was no tipping one’s toe in to see what would happen, just the abandonment of one that had clearly heard the King’s command.

That is the simplicity of true faith. It is obedience to a clear word of command. It is that illogical, irrational, almost reckless courage that doesn’t consider the challenges long enough to be daunted by them.

However, let me stress that it is not superficial and irresponsible presumption. It is not some whimsical, pride-driven thought of doing something spectacular. It is neither for the carnal nor the prayerless; it is for those who have received a creative word born out of their intimacy with God in prayer.

True faith is that Holy Ghost inspired word that can transform even the most timid of heart into a hero of faith.

Now consider: James 2:20 “Faith without works is dead!”

Faith is a conviction that produces action. Without action it remains but mental assent; and mental assent without consequent action is, in fact, disobedience.

To acknowledge that one has had a word from God but to do nothing about it is an act of unbelief that questions the integrity of the God that gave you that word. It declares loudly that our God may be good at giving commands but unpredictable in His faithfulness. This, of course, is not so. He is utterly dependable in all matters of character; including His faithful provision for all that He has asked you to do.

I remember the first time that he challenged Margaret and I on a major missionary step of faith.

We had responded many times to missionary faith challenges in the past but always as pastors of a local church. When God challenged, we knew we could count on the collective faith and giving of the congregation. This time it was to be different. We were no longer pastoring a church but were, ourselves, itinerant ministries relying on God for His daily provision.

Whilst in prayer early one morning, I felt the Lord clearly say that Margaret and I were to go to Tanzania, East Africa and get the pastors of the different churches and denominations together in a place called Arusha.

With Margaret’s confirmation, we acted upon this and contacted the local missionary who informed us that the leaders would not gather together unless we paid for all their expenses to do so. We were talking about all conference costs, food costs for the several days, and even reimbursement of some travel costs. We were talking about a large sum of money! We estimated about 100 people would attend and committed ourselves on that basis.

Have you ever discovered that sometimes God gets you over the line of obedience before actually revealing the fuller picture of what He has in mind? Well, this was such a case.

A short time after our initial commitment, I received the e-mail to say that the number had now grown to over a hundred and fifty! Did we wish to proceed? Well, had God spoken or not? Was His faithfulness in any way restricted to a certain number? We told them “Yes, go ahead!”

Then came the next e-mail. The number had grown to 200! How did we feel about the zeroes that were being added to the budget?!! Then the next e-mail. It was now over 400!

We were already out of the boat believing the Lord to miraculously provide for 100 or 200, why not 400! We were utterly sunk if He didn’t come through either way. We said “Yes, proceed with as many as you can get there!”

We committed to send the first amount of finance on a certain date and booked our airfares with our Visa. And we prayed! Not religiously toned, well cultured, articulate, intelligent prayers; but more like “God heeeellllp!!” Not in anxiety or panic but with an incredible excitement and anticipation. Not “if” but simply “how”.

To cut a long story short, the phone began to ring, the letters began to arrive, people felt led to come and see us. In it all came. The last $2000 came in the day before we flew out to East Africa! God is a God of the eleventh hour.

The conference and the entire trip turned out to be a miraculous time of intervention for that region, with ongoing fruit to this very day.

That was but one of such trips and similar challenges of financial impossibilities that the Lord has led us through. In over 35 years of God-reliant ministry we have never had to be a day late in payment of an account due to finances. Now, that is a God of faithfulness! Like Joshua of old, we must be those who have forged a non-negotiable conviction concerning the integrity of God.

There will never be a time when stepping out in true faith does not cause a sense of trembling within. As one highly decorated war veteran said at a rally I attended: “true courage is not the absence of fear, it is the conquering of that fear”.

I have been in this spiritual war now for about 42 years and I still get those “butterflies” in the stomach when God challenges me to put aside the logic and simply step out in obedience. Hey! Sometimes those butterflies inside feel like eagles!

But, my friend, eagles [and butterflies] are born to fly! And that is what obedient faith does: it releases you from the gravitational pull of humanity and logic, and empowers you to fly above them, lifted by the fresh wind of The Holy Spirit in your heart.

©  David McCracken Ministries, 2008, 2011

http://www.davidmccracken.org/

Used with permission

Over the last couple of weeks I have been praying about a word of encouragement for my readers.

As I have done so, I have been continually drawn back to the words:

‘Year Of Visitation.’

At first, I hesitated. The words, ‘Year of Visitation’ were already familiar to me.

You see, this past year so many extraordinary things had taken place for The Hunk and me, that as the year was drawing to a close, I dubbed 2010, ‘Year Of Visitation.’

To be honest, this was a bit scary. How do you follow up a year like we have had? I found myself being lured back into an ‘orphan mindset.’ [1] I was being tempted to fear that in 2011 the Presence and work of God in our lives would wane.

Thankfully, as I have prayed for you, the Spirit has also lovingly addressed and corrected my own thinking.

Divine visitation should not be the exception; instead, it should be our expectation as we approach the New Year.

You and I can have a ‘Year Of Visitation’ in 2011. The key lies in understanding what that means, and positioning for it in faith.

Visitation from God is a Biblical Concept

When God visits, supernatural breakthroughs occur. Prophetic words are fulfilled, seasons are shifted and new things are brought to birth [2]. Jesus gets the glory.

So—what does it mean, Biblically, to have a season of visitation from God? And how can we position ourselves for it?

Following are 6 of the times that the Bible tells us God visited His people.

As you read these accounts, there may be one or two that particularly resonate with you. If that happens, allow the Spirit of God to ignite faith in your heart, that His Word will be fulfilled in your life in the coming year.

1. Fulfilment of Prophecy & Removal of Barrenness

‘And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.’ (Gen 21:1) [3]

A visitation of God broke the long season of barrenness in Sarah’s life, resulting in fulfilment of prophecy and the birth of Isaac, whose name meant ‘laughter.’

2. Recognising God Has Seen our Pain and Come to Act on Behalf of His People

‘When they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.’ Ex 4:31

A visitation of God broke the long season of Israel’s bondage in Egypt. They realised God had not left them alone in their suffering, but was intimately concerned for them. His power was about to be revealed.

3. Divine Help And Provision

‘ Then [Naomi] arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread.’ (Ruth 1:6)

A visitation of God broke a long season of famine in Bethlehem, Judah.

The rumour of God’s goodness reached Naomi, who was estranged and widowed in the country of Moab. God’s visitation impacted her personally as her inheritance and family line was restored.

4. Restoration of Inheritance and Homecoming

‘For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.’ (Jer 29:10)

A visitation of God broke the long season of Judah’s exile, and they returned to Jerusalem at His appointed time.

5. The Ultimate Visitation—Jesus

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people…the Dayspring from on high has visited us” (Luke 1:68,78)

In the New Testament, Zacharias understood that the ultimate visitation of God to His people was fulfilled in the birth of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

6. Outpourings of the Holy Spirit

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” (Acts 3:19)

From the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and throughout church history, we understand visitations of the Holy Spirit to be times of outpouring, bringing refreshing and empowering to God’s people.

3 Ways To Position For Divine Visitation

When God moves on our behalf, or in the lives of others around us, it is not because we deserve it—it is on the basis of Jesus’ shed blood, and the Father’s favour and mercy.

We cannot earn His visitation—however, we can position ourselves to enter into what the Father wants to do.

As you will see, the key to 2011 being a ‘Year Of Visitation’ lies in our relationship with God.

1. Understand God’s Timing

The primary key to experiencing Divine visitation lies in understanding the timing of God for our lives.

In each of the above situations in scripture, it was God’s time to act. For example:

• Sarah’s pregnancy with Isaac
• The four hundred years in Egypt come to its conclusion
• The seventy years in Babylon completed
• The birth of Jesus

You may know that there are two Greek words for time in the New Testament: The first is ‘chronos.’ This refers to ‘clock time’ or ‘calendar time.’ It is the word used for general time. [4]
The second Greek word for time is ‘kairos.’ Kairos means ‘due time, a fixed time, a season, or an OPPORTUNE time.’

A pregnancy is a great example of the two types of time. Approximately 9 months of ‘chronos’ time pass. But the moment comes when it is time to give birth. That moment is ‘kairos’—the due time.

God always desires to bring people closer to Himself, to fill us with His Spirit, to act on our behalf.

But we also need to see as Jesus did, what the Father is doing ‘now.’ (John 5:19)

Jesus always walked in the kairos time of God—and we can too.

Here are some arenas you might like to seek God for His kairos timing both now and throughout the coming year.

Ask, “Father, what are You doing in these areas?”

• A fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit
• An area of your life that needs breakthrough
• Family members and relationships
• Non-Christians that are around your life
• A shift of season

Prayer journaling is a great way to communicate with Him and record His response. [5]

2. Pray in the Season of Visitation

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.’ (Jer 29:13)

When God spoke these words to Judah, He was saying, in effect, ‘When the kairos time comes for Me to deliver you, you will seek Me—and I will answer and deliver you.’ (see Jer 29:10-14)

The prophet Zechariah put this well when he said,

‘Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain.’ Zech 10:1

The prophet was saying, when it’s God’s kairos time, pray!

When we pray, we acknowledge that we cannot fulfil God’s plan through our own efforts. We need His help.

When that prayer is answered, Jesus gets the credit for what takes place.

3. Participate With God Through Acts of Obedience

When we have prayed, it is time look for ways to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We want to participate with God in His work.

If God asks us to do something specific, an act of obedience can bring a powerful breakthrough.

Goliath was killed by the word of the Lord AND by a stone from David’s sling (1 Samuel 17). God provided food for a widow and her son, but first, she had to give away the last of what she had to Elijah (1 Kings 17:7-16).

Sometimes, however, it is not about doing anything except simply receiving—equally an act of obedience.

There are times to contend, and there are also times to just open our hands and say, ‘Thank you Lord.’

For we are His sons and daughters, and what we receive from Him, we receive by inheritance.

Through our relationship with God, we can experience the ongoing visitation of God in our lives—to move from visitation to habitation.

This is the desire of my heart. Is it yours?

Do you have any thoughts or experiences to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the space below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

Notes and Related Posts:

[1] An orphan mindset is ‘Fatherless thinking.’ I share about this in the following post:

Breaking Free From An Orphan Mindset

[2] Our friend Steve McCracken from David McCracken Ministries has said: “The two phrases I am feeling for 2011 are a year of achievement and a
year of new things. I believe it is to be a year of firsts.”

[3] These scriptures are all quoted in the New King James Version (NKJV)

[4] VINE, M.A. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.  1985. Virginia: MacDonald.

An example of ‘chronos’ is in Matt 2:7. ‘Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time (chronos) the star had appeared.’

An example of ‘kairos’ is in Gal 6:9. ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time (kairos) we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (See also 2 Cor 6:1-2)

[5] For an explanation and examples of prayer journaling, see the following post:

Activate Your Prophetic Gift Through Prayer Journaling

© Helen Calder 2011    Enliven Publishing

http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog/

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

The Least Likely List

Do you have someone in your world right now whose heart seems hardened towards God?

Someone, who—if you were to make a list of those who would be least likely to become a Christian—would be first on that list?

Who else is on your list?

The imaginary list we have just made represents the PERCEPTION that we have about people close to us who do not yet know Jesus as their Saviour.

I believe that our Heavenly Father wants us to review our perception, shake it up and exchange it if need be—until we see people around our lives the way HE sees them.

The question is: will we?

Why the way we see People Around us is Important

The way we view people in our lives who don’t know God is vital:

• If we believe someone is hardened towards God and unlikely to become a Christian, that belief will affect our thoughts, prayers and actions towards that person.
• If we believe God is at work in a person’s life, we will be expectant and pray, speak and act accordingly.

Most often, we look at the evidence of our 6 senses—what we have seen and heard, as well as our history with people—and make a judgement about the state of their heart towards God and their potential for salvation.

But the Bible reveals a different viewpoint: the Father’s perspective.

The Father’s ‘Most Wanted List’

If Jesus’ disciples had a ‘Least Likely List’ of those God would welcome into His Kingdom, the Romans—despised, brutal invaders—would have been at the top of the list, followed closely by Gentiles and Samaritans.

But Jesus continually surprised them.

Time and time again, Jesus showed His disciples that those on their ‘Least Likely List’ were actually on the Father’s ‘Most Wanted List,’ along with everyone else.

A Roman commander came to him asking for healing for his daughter. Jesus healed his daughter with a word and praised him saying, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” (Matt 8:10)

A Gentile woman came asking for deliverance for her daughter and the disciples wanted to send her away. Jesus tested her faith and then exclaimed, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” (Matt 15:28)

As Jesus ministered, He sought out the unloved, the unwanted, the despised. Tax collectors, prostitutes, criminals—all were welcome in God’s Kingdom.

One time, Jesus went out of His way to speak with a Samaritan woman with a bad reputation. An entire Samaritan city came to faith in Him after hearing the story of how she encountered Jesus.

Realising Jesus had been speaking with a Samaritan woman, the disciples were mystified. Jesus said to them, ‘Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’ (John 4:35)

I believe Jesus is speaking the same to us today:

‘Open your eyes and look at people—see them the way I see them. They are ready to come to Me.’

Heaven’s Perspective

Here are 4 insights that I believe are vital to having God’s perspective about people in our world who don’t know Him yet.

1. God is Already at Work In their Lives

Paul said in Acts 17: 26-27

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

If there are people in your world, to whom you are connected in some way and who does not yet know Jesus, be assured that God is already at work in their lives.

The fact that God has arranged for them to be connected to you is just one evidence that He is already at work in their lives, positioning them to seek Him.

2. They are Created for Relationship with God

‘He [God] has set eternity in the hearts of men,’ states the writer of Ecclesiastes.

Peel away the layers and within every person is a need for God—a place of hunger that will only be fulfilled by a relationship with the Father through Jesus.

Created by God and for God, each person’s need for Him is written into his or her DNA.

In spite of what may be presenting, that inner need, the voice of the spirit within them, is continually letting them know of their need for God—even if they are currently trying to fill that need with other things.

3. Nothing They have Done Affects God’s Response to Them

As Jesus demonstrated, the worst of sinners are candidates for the grace of God.

Choices they have made seem to have led them further away from Him. The degree of possibility of their salvation—at least in our eyes—seems to be reduced.

Sometimes we have a personal history with people that gives us reason to believe they are unlikely to respond to God. We may even have been hurt by them.

But none of these things affects God’s heart towards them or His ability to reach and transform them.  They are on His ‘Most Wanted List.’

4. Their Degree of Hardness of Heart does not Impact God’s Ability to Reach Them.

The Holy Spirit can break through the hardest of hearts. That is why you are His today. And what He has done for you, He can do for others.

It can happen in an instant. A criminal came to faith in Jesus in his dying moments on a cross. All it took was a one-sentence declaration of faith. (Luke 23:40-43)

Don’t be deterred by a person’s seeming attitude towards God. They might be a heartbeat away from faith.

We tend to see people through the lens of our culture, our priorities, our opinions, and our personal history with them. It’s time to take off these glasses and see people the way that Jesus does.

When we do, faith will rise up in us. We will pray, speak and act accordingly, giving the Holy Spirit freedom to move through us. And miracles of salvation will result.

‘Open your eyes and look at people—see them the way I see them. They are ready to come to Me.’

Prayer

Who was on the top of your ‘least likely list? Let’s pray for him or her now:

Father, right now I bring _____ before Your throne.

Thank You that you are already at work in ____’s life, drawing him/her to You by Your Spirit.

Thank You that ____ is on Your ‘Most Wanted List’; that you sent Jesus to die for ____ that he/she would not perish, but have eternal life with You.

Send Your Spirit to reveal Jesus to him/her, to assure _________ of the truth of the message of salvation.

Lord, I ask that You would send Your angels to continue setting up Divine appointments. Connect _____ with your people who will speak words of life to him/her. Speak to _____ through circumstances and at every opportunity, day and night.

Help me in my relationship with _____ to take opportunities to share Your love, to speak Your word and to have timely insights to share. Anoint me by with Your Spirit to be Your representative to _______ . I choose to stir up my faith with regard to ________’s salvation.

In Jesus’ Name

Divine Positioning: How To Be In The Right Place At The Right Time

Key To Prophetic Evangelism: What Is The Father Doing?

The Greatest Evangelist In The World Today

E-book: Pray For The Lost: Impact The Eternal Destiny Of Those You Love Through Prayer

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

This is the fourth in a series of posts on the topic of the spiritual gift of discernment.

The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare in church life, and of great assistance when breakthrough is needed.

Is it any wonder, then, that the activation of this gift is highly contested?

Many discerners struggle when it comes to communicating an insight they have received concerning what is taking place in the spiritual realm to leaders in their church.

Here are some tips to help you establish trust with your leaders and to maximise the effectiveness of your gift of discernment in church life. Note: these keys also apply to exercising the gift of discernment in any Christian organisation.

1. Make Prayer your First Response

Whenever we have an insight as to something taking place in the spiritual realm, our first response should always be prayer. As we pray, we are:

• Confirming that our insight is based on something we have received from a place of intimacy with God and not from our personal feelings
• If the discernment relates to spiritual warfare, we are beginning to pray for God’s intervention
• Asking for further insight relating to the bigger picture of what we are perceiving

2. Discern What the Spirit of God is doing

A fallacy about the gift of discernment (and the watchman ministry) is that it exists solely to identify demonic attack.

Actually, the highest use of the gift of discernment is to see what the Spirit of God is doing.

Someone with a gift of discernment of spirits has the ability to perceive:

• What the Spirit of God is doing, i.e. where His anointing is
• Angelic activity
• Demonic activity, and to describe it by name and nature for the purpose of waging spiritual warfare
• What is sourced in human desire or nature (not necessarily negative unless it is presented as being of the Holy Spirit but isn’t)

In other words, a discerner has a Spirit-given ability to distinguish between what is from the human soul, what is of the Spirit of God, and what of a demonic source.

If a discerner is only ever seeing and relaying reports on demonic activity, there is an unhealthy imbalance, which needs to be corrected.

3. Seek God for His Redemptive Plan

Related to the above point, it is vital that we form the habit of looking for what God is doing, not just reporting on what the enemy is doing.

Leaders get enough negative reports coming their way without it continually coming from intercessors and their prophetic team as well!

Even when there is warfare happening and the church is under spiritual pressure (attack) our Father is up to something good. He has plans to overturn demonic strategies and to grow the church.

So don’t just bring a negative report to your leaders. Go back to God and ask Him – what is HE up to?

Something that’s especially helpful if you have the gift of discernment is to activate the gift of prophecy as well (even if this is at a basic level of encouragement) and team the two gifts up.

4. Find out the Preferred Means for Delivering Discernment and Prophetic Words in Your Church

Every church has its own practices for sharing revelatory insights. And within a larger church, individual leaders or pastors may prefer different approaches.

It is important if you are unsure, especially if you have changed churches, to ascertain what this protocol is. If your leader has not considered this before, give them a few options and find out which they prefer.

If public sharing in your church meeting is encouraged, I recommend running your insight past a leader before presenting it before others. Prayer meetings may have different practices to other public meetings or services.

Some examples of avenues to report a revelatory insight to a leader are:

• Speaking to the leader personally
• Report directly via email or other means
• Report via a secretary or PA
• Share via a designated leader or prayer coordinator

5. Share your Discernment Appropriately

One thing we must never do is ‘gossip’ revelatory insights. We do that when we share with others who are not in leadership the discernment we are receiving about leaders or the church.

The reason I make a special note of this is that it can happen unintentionally, in the guise of seeking advice, confirmation, help or prayer support from our peers.

Discernment received in a prayer meeting may be prayed through at that time, but should be relayed immediately to the church oversight.

Sometimes we do need a SAFE PLACE to process what we are receiving—especially when we are starting out and we lack confidence.

This may be the leader (minister or pastor) directly. However, our leaders may be too busy, or have a limited understanding of developing the ministry of discernment. They need the benefits of receiving it, but it is not necessarily their job to develop it.

In many cases, a trusted prophetic leader or intercessor may have delegated authority to assist a discerner with processing what he or she is receiving before presenting it to the oversight.

6. Other Tips for Sharing Discernment with Leaders

Use Prophetic Jargon Sparingly

Many church leaders are not themselves prophetically gifted. Even if they are, we should, as far as possible, use straightforward language and expression when communicating issues of discernment.

Be aware of Differences Between your Values and those of your Leaders

We need to be aware of differences between our own priorities and those of our leaders, because these are often reflected in the content or way we present a word of prophecy or discernment (this is a vital issue and I will discuss it further in a later post).

Submit your Discernment Without Strings Attached

When we share an insight concerning discernment that we have received, we naturally want to know whether it has been acted upon.

However, as with words of prophecy, we need to release our discernment and not place any expectation that our insight be acted upon or responded to.

*Do you have any questions or experiences to share with us on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the box below. If the comment box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

UNLOCKING THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT E-BOOK – *NEW!*

$5.95 e-Book*

Are you sensitive to what is taking place in the spiritual realm? Have you ever been adversely affected by a negative atmosphere?

You may have the spiritual gift of discernment.

The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare, and can be of great assistance when ministering freedom to individuals.

And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing.

(More details …)

Related Posts:

What Is The Spiritual Gift Of Discernment?

8 Signs You May Have The Spiritual Gift Of Discernment

The Heart Of A Discerner

8 Ways To Grow Your Spiritual Gift Of Discernment

© Helen Calder  2010   Enliven Blog

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries

My standard response to any need for information is, ‘Let’s Google it.’ It seems that any knowledge on earth is now literally available at our fingertips.

Recently, I have Googled to find information on such mysteries as whether my computer had signs of a Trojan virus (yes, and remedial software was suggested), and why my daughter’s cockatiel instantly shed a batch of feathers when unexpectedly knocked (a reflex action of self defence).

But there are some problems and decisions in life for which there are no earthly solutions:

• When in need of provision
• At a crossroad facing life-changing decisions
• When a loved one is wandering far from God
• When no medical answers exist for a physical, mental or emotional health issue

These kinds of situations prompt us to turn to our heavenly Father for the intervention that only He can bring.

The Knowledge That Counts

The key to this kind of miraculous breakthrough, according to James, is effective prayer (James 5:16-18).

The key to effective prayer, according to John, is to pray according to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15).

In order to pray according to God’s will, we need to know the Father’s heart and intent (Matt 6:10).

When it really comes down to it, and we are faced with the critical issues of life, it is not earthly knowledge that counts—but understanding God’s purposes for our situation.

This is the power of prophetic prayer.

What is Prophetic Prayer?

Prophetic prayer is when we pray using information that has been supernaturally revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

We call this supernatural knowledge revelation.

Beyond The Curtain

It is as though there is a curtain between the natural realm and the realm of heaven.

And on this side of the curtain—the side we live in—is everything that we can know by natural means, for example, through our six senses. This includes Information Technology.

On the other side, are things that are only known in heaven:

• The eternal realm of past, present and future
• The realm of the Spirit and spiritual reality
• The realm of God—His knowledge, His desire, His plans

Revelation—the Greek New Testament word means uncovering, or disclosure—is when the Holy Spirit parts that curtain.

We catch a glimpse of what God has in store, or receive knowledge that the Father wants to disclose to us at that time.

God Wants to Reveal Mysteries to us

Those things on the other side are a mystery to us. We cannot discern them by natural means. But we can discover them with the help of the Holy Spirit.

This concept of the ‘mysteries’ is a biblical one.

In 1 Cor 13:2-3, Paul says,

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.’

That word mysteries in the NT GREEK is ‘musterion.’

The Vines Concordance has this to say about it:

In the NT [mystery] denotes…that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit [1].

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him why He spoke to the crowds in parables, His response was:

“Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matt 13:11-12

The Power of a Prayer Language.

The gift of a prayer language is a powerful tool that can help us access this realm of revelation.

The Apostle Paul said,
‘Anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.’ 1 Cor 14:2-3

That word translated ‘mysteries’ is—again—the Greek word, ‘musterion.’ It also means ‘secret.’ When we pray in the Spirit using the gift of tongues, we are praying heaven’s secrets—things that haven’t been revealed in the earth realm yet.

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Rom 8:27)

How to Exercise Prophetic Prayer for Breakthrough

There are many ways that we can use supernatural revelation that the Holy Spirit has revealed to us as we pray. Here are 5 types of prophetic prayer:

1. Receiving: Waiting on God, in prayer, or during prayer, for His insights (Hab 2:1)

2. Interceding: Receiving revelation whilst praying for people or circumstances, or using insights already received to pray for them (e.g. John 17:20-23)

3. Warfaring: Using revelationary knowledge to wage spiritual warfare in a prayer context (A great example of this is David, who prophesied Goliath’s downfall in 1 Sam 17:45-47)

4. Ministering: Using prophetic prayer in the context of ministering to people

5. Proclaiming: Using prophetic insight to make powerful declarations and commands (e.g. Ezekiel 37 valley of dry bones)

The Challenge

I believe that God desires to communicate His plans, purposes and Divine knowledge to us even more than we realise.

The challenge to all of us is, ‘Will we get into the place of intimacy with God where we can receive it?’

[1]. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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Related Posts:

Is It Time to Birth Your Prophetic Word In Prayer?

The Power of Prophetic Prayer

© Helen Calder 2010   Enliven Publishing

Now on team with David McCracken Ministries