The Holy Spirit and Prayer

“The Holy Spirit descending from Christ to us draws us up into the great stream of His ascending prayers. The Spirit prays for us without words in the depth of a heart where even thoughts are at times formless. He takes us up into the wonderful flow of the life of the triune God. Through the Spirit, Christ’s prayers become ours, and ours are made His. We ask for

what we desire, and it is given to us.”

The power of the Holy Spirit is a vital necessity in our prayers. There is so much to say about the Holy Spirit. He is such an important part of all that we do, that I feel that I am treading upon holy ground just to make an attempt to say just how important and glorious He is. The Holy Spirit is key to your life of intercession. You cannot attempt to pray great prayers without acknowledging His vital presence in your life. You cannot write a crafted prayer without the wisdom and understanding of the Holy Spirit. In my experience in prayer, both personally and corporately, I have experienced the spirit of prayer released in a most powerful way when the Holy Spirit enters the prayer meeting. Let us welcome Him daily, and pray, “Come, Holy Spirit. Lead me and guide me in my prayer time. Pray through me. Have your way in my life.”

I encourage you to study with extreme care the following about the Holy Spirit. It is time that we grab hold of the reality of who the Holy Spirit is and what He means to our lives, specifically our prayer lives. It will not work to have a hurried, microwave approach to the Holy Spirit. He wants your time. He wants to really show you who He is for you and what He can do through you in prayer. As the body of Christ, we have caused division over issues regarding the Holy Spirit. As the Church worldwide, we have not fully understood the power of the Holy Spirit. One day we will, and it will change everything we do because we will really know what it means to have God living in us! Take time to meditate. Be still and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart the immense reality and beauty of these truths for you personally and for your life in prayer.

“The lack of reality, godliness, power, fruit in many Christian lives is due to the unbelief or improper understanding of the Holy Spirit.” Norman J. P.

The longer that I am a Christian, the more I am discovering the friendship of the Holy Spirit in my life and my desperate need of Him daily. Whenever I have been in deep distress or difficulty, I have cried out to God and have experienced the personal comfort of the Holy Spirit. I am sure you can agree. One of the first things we must acknowledge is that the Holy Spirit is a person, the third person of the Trinity, who lives within us. He is referred to as a person in John 16:13-14. This alone is a powerful reality to dwell on. We are not alone in our prayers. The Spirit is not an impersonal force, but a real person living inside of you. Awesome! This is life-changing if we could only grasp its significance. And He is God. He is the Spirit (pnuema) that means “wind, breath, spirit, immaterial, powerful”. He is holy which means “set apart, righteous, pure”. The Holy Spirit can be like the wind that is invisible, immaterial and powerful. The Holy Spirit has personal characteristics. He searches, works, grieves, talks, teaches, helps, etc. He is divine; He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), everywhere present (Psalm 139:7-10), has foreknowledge (omniscience) (Acts 1:16), and was in creation (creator) (Genesis 1:2, Psalm 104:30).

“To overlook His personhood and divinity is to bypass God Himself and His great provision for the church on earth.” Norman J. P.

The Descriptions of the Holy Spirit

Credit for research into the truths of the above paragraph as well as the descriptions of the Holy Spirit goes to my husband Norman. Meditate on these wonderful descriptions of the Holy Spirit! Apply these descriptions personally to your own life. What does this mean to you? How should this affect your prayer life?

· The Spirit of life - Revelation 11:11.

· The Spirit of holiness - Romans 1:4

· The Spirit of wisdom - Ephesians 1:17, Isaiah 11:2.

· The Spirit of faith - II Corinthians 4:13

· The Spirit of truth - John 14:17.

· The Spirit of grace - Hebrews 10:29.

· The Spirit of supplication - Zechariah 12:10.

· The Spirit of adoption - Romans 8:15.

· The Spirit of power, love and discipline - II Timothy 1:7.

The river that flows from the throne of God is the Spirit, and Jesus said that out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. In John 3:8 and Acts 2:2 the Spirit is described as the sound of a violent, rushing wind.

Sometimes as intercessors or believers that just want more of God, we may feel alone or even abandoned. Very few might show up to the prayer meeting, we wrestle with our own personal trials, and few may understand how we feel. But realize that you are never alone; this wonderful Holy Spirit cares and is living within you. He knows every single detail of your life. He will never abandon you. You may grieve or quench Him, but He will not let you go. He is for you and so interested in blessing your life and helping you. Can you believe that? Can you begin to grasp how deeply He wants to help you to grow as a Christian and use you in His Kingdom purposes? Can you begin to know how deeply He feels for you in every joy or sorrow you face? The Holy Spirit is personal, and He is always available to you.

This is the beginning of a three-part series about the Holy Spirit. I am going to write about the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit is working in those that do not know Christ. But for today, let me say that it is important for the Church worldwide to understand the person of the Holy Spirit. It is important for us personally to believe that He is alive within us and will help us in our prayer life. He will take hold of situations with us and add His strength to ours.

“In situations where we’re experiencing difficulty in obtaining results, the Holy Spirit wants to take hold of the situation with us, adding His strength to ours. He also wants to help or take hold with us by directing us how to pray ‘for we know not what we should pray for as we ought’ (Romans 8:26 KJV)… Realizing our weaknesses and our inability to produce results causes us to look to Him for help. If we allow Him to pray through us, He will take hold together with us. We just have to believe that when the Holy Spirit takes hold, something is going to move!” Dutch Sheets

A Prayer Regarding the Holy Spirit

“O my blessed Lord Jesus, teach me to understand this lesson: the indwelling Spirit streaming from You and uniting us to You is the Spirit of prayer. Teach me how, as an empty, wholly consecrated vessel, to yield myself to His being my life. Teach me to honor Him and to trust Him, as a living Person, to lead my life and my prayer. Teach me especially in prayer to wait in holy silence, giving Him time to breathe His unutterable intercession within me. And teach me that through Him it is possible to ‘pray without ceasing’ (I Thessalonians 5:17) and to pray without failing, because He makes me a partaker of the never-ceasing and never-failing intercession in which You appear before the Father.”

“The extent of our abiding is equivalent to our power in prayer. The Holy Spirit dwelling within us prays not always in words and thoughts, but in a breathing and a being that is deeper than utterance (Romans 8:26). There is as much real prayer in us as there is of Christ’s Spirit. Let our lives be full of Christ and full of His Spirit, so that the wonderfully unlimited promises to our prayers will no longer appear strange.” Unnamed quotes by Andrew Murray

Strategic Joy in the Midst of Warfare

“Joy and gladness are the currency on which heaven runs… Joy is deep-rooted happiness in the presence, person and nature of God. It sits in our heart and directs our life, displacing grief, mourning and sadness. When we have a quiet, God-given joy bubbling up inside us, the negative is pushed out.” Graham Cooke

Living strategically in the end times is a key to victory. The strategy of the enemy is to steal your joy. God’s strategy is that we are joyful in the midst of spiritual warfare. This may seem quite difficult when facing hard, strenuous battles. Recently I have been going through some difficult warfare. Praying towards and pressing through in battle to get four books published, a new Intercessors Arise International website up and running, and an International School of Prayer developed has not been an easy task. There seemed to be no forward movement, and anything to do with prayer faced the greatest spiritual attacks. I knew this. Yet the enemy really tried to bring discouragement into my life. Along with this was the battle over the last year with my health. But God is greater, and there is another way of looking at all of this. We have the hope and reality of heaven! It is time we bring the joy of heaven to earth. Joy is our strategy against the works of the devil.

“Heaven is a place of exuberance, and we must bring that enthusiasm to earth. All of heaven - the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the angels, the saints - they all love to rejoice. Everything that God makes and touches manifests His happiness. It is embedded into our DNA.” Graham Cooke

In this trial, God began to speak strongly to my heart. He was saying, “Do not despair or give up.” At that point, I realized that the enemy wanted to invade my life with a spirit of discouragement and despair, but God wanted to give me joy. I began to study about joy. Did you know that there are nearly 300 verses in the Bible about joy? The Bible commands us to be joyful always, and pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:16), to be joyful in God (Hebrews 3:18), to consider it pure joy when we encounter trials (James 1:2), to tell of God’s works with songs of joy (Psalm 107:22), and the list goes on and on. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), there is joy in God’s presence (Acts 2:28), and the Holy Spirit gives joy (Luke 10:21). God wants to anoint us with the oil of joy (Hebrews 1:9), and He wants us to pray with joy (Philippians 1:4). Throughout Scripture, we are exhorted to shout and sing for joy (Psalm 118:15, Isaiah 52:9). Even the heavens, the earth, the mountains and trees are commanded to sing for joy! We are called to a high quality of life that includes joy in the midst of difficult circumstances.

“We are called to this same thriving quality of life, that no matter our circumstances, we live in the promise of God’s joy. It is impossible to keep God from being happy, and because of that, His Church cannot be denied joy either. Sadness and grief can only overlay our joy; it cannot prevent a breakthrough into it. We may have to look hard on days for that cheerfulness, but it is always present in the heart of God. Sadness must be infiltrated by joy.” Graham Cooke

Why then do we sometimes get heavy-hearted? We are in spiritual warfare, and Satan hates prayer so strongly. He doesn’t mind when we do many other ”good” things, but he trembles when we pray. He actually attacks us with a spirit of despair or discouragement. He will do everything he can to stop the advance of the prayer movement. At times when a heavy weight of discouragement threatens to overwhelm you, and if there is no known sin in your life, you can be sure that the enemy is attacking you with a spirit of despair or discouragement. I prayed against the spirit of despair in my own life, and it lifted. I pray for each one of you to know the joy of the Lord which is your strength, and that every trace of discouragement or despair is lifted from your life in Jesus’ Name. I pray that the stronghold of hopelessness would be broken in the Name of Jesus. I pray that the joy of the Lord will permeate your prayer life and everything that you do. God does not want you to be disheartened but He longs to fill you with His joy. He has anointed you to help others who are going through difficulty, and to actually bestow the oil of gladness, joy and praise on those who have a spirit of despair. This is the job description of Jesus. We are to be like Jesus.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:1, 2b-3).

EWE

Recently we had tropical storm Ernesto passing through our city. Rain was pouring down, the streets were flooded, and clouds and wind were everywhere. People were told to stay in their homes due to the flooding. It was hard to imagine sunshine in the midst of the storm. Recently on a flight, I experienced the plane flying through many clouds on the right and the left as it was ascending. Suddenly the plane came out into the sunshine above all the threatening clouds. Circumstances can be like both of these examples. Heaviness and darkness can invade our lives because of what is happening around us, when we can’t see past the clouds and trials, and the devil takes the opportunity to attack us with a spirit of discouragement or despair. This is when we must rise above the clouds, and see life from God’s perspective and vantage point through His Word. The sunshine will one day return. We do not have to live in gloom or despair. God has provided a way out.

If you are feeling down and can’t seem to get out of it, take the authority in prayer that is rightfully yours, and break that discouragement in Jesus’ Name. Then ask God to fill you with His joy and peace. Write down the positive things in your life, and thank God for each one of them. God is able to push the negatives out as we begin to praise Him and dwell on the positive things that God has provided for us. Don’t live your life according to your earthly circumstances but according to your position in Christ. Remember that you are seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3-6), are God’s possession (Ephesians 1:14), are chosen of God (Ephesians 1:11), are complete in Him (Colossians 2:9-10), are a kingdom of priests and a royal priesthood (Revelation 1:6, I Peter 2:9), are the temple of God (I Corinthians 3:16), are a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17) and are able to do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). Strategic joy in the midst of warfare is yours. This is how you will live victoriously. This is your birthright!

“Don’t deny yourself that which is your birthright as a child of God. Don’t be satisfied with a joyless life. There ought to be in every Christian a deep, settled fullness of the joy of Christ that no circumstance of life can dispel. This comes as you allow the Holy Spirit to express Himself in your life. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy (Gal. 5:22). This joy is unlike any happiness that is produced by the world. It fills you and permeates everything you do. Jesus did not pray that you would merely be happy or even that you would escape grief. He prayed that you would have the same joy that the Father had given Him: a divine joy, a joy that comes from a deep and unwavering relationship with the Father. It is a joy that is grounded so firmly in a relationship with God that no change in circumstances could ever shake it. This is the kind of joy that Christ is praying will be in you.” Henry Blackaby

Strategic Joy in the Midst of Warfare

“Joy and gladness are the currency on which heaven runs… Joy is deep-rooted happiness in the presence, person and nature of God. It sits in our heart and directs our life, displacing grief, mourning and sadness. When we have a quiet, God-given joy bubbling up inside us, the negative is pushed out.” Graham Cooke

Living strategically in the end times is a key to victory. The strategy of the enemy is to steal your joy. God’s strategy is that we are joyful in the midst of spiritual warfare. This may seem quite difficult when facing hard, strenuous battles. Recently I have been going through some difficult warfare. Praying towards and pressing through in battle to get four books published, a new Intercessors Arise International website up and running, and an International School of Prayer developed has not been an easy task. There seemed to be no forward movement, and anything to do with prayer faced the greatest spiritual attacks. I knew this. Yet the enemy really tried to bring discouragement into my life. Along with this was the battle over the last year with my health. But God is greater, and there is another way of looking at all of this. We have the hope and reality of heaven! It is time we bring the joy of heaven to earth. Joy is our strategy against the works of the devil.

“Heaven is a place of exuberance, and we must bring that enthusiasm to earth. All of heaven - the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the angels, the saints - they all love to rejoice. Everything that God makes and touches manifests His happiness. It is embedded into our DNA.” Graham Cooke

In this trial, God began to speak strongly to my heart. He was saying, “Do not despair or give up.” At that point, I realized that the enemy wanted to invade my life with a spirit of discouragement and despair, but God wanted to give me joy. I began to study about joy. Did you know that there are nearly 300 verses in the Bible about joy? The Bible commands us to be joyful always, and pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:16), to be joyful in God (Hebrews 3:18), to consider it pure joy when we encounter trials (James 1:2), to tell of God’s works with songs of joy (Psalm 107:22), and the list goes on and on. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), there is joy in God’s presence (Acts 2:28), and the Holy Spirit gives joy (Luke 10:21). God wants to anoint us with the oil of joy (Hebrews 1:9), and He wants us to pray with joy (Philippians 1:4). Throughout Scripture, we are exhorted to shout and sing for joy (Psalm 118:15, Isaiah 52:9). Even the heavens, the earth, the mountains and trees are commanded to sing for joy! We are called to a high quality of life that includes joy in the midst of difficult circumstances.

“We are called to this same thriving quality of life, that no matter our circumstances, we live in the promise of God’s joy. It is impossible to keep God from being happy, and because of that, His Church cannot be denied joy either. Sadness and grief can only overlay our joy; it cannot prevent a breakthrough into it. We may have to look hard on days for that cheerfulness, but it is always present in the heart of God. Sadness must be infiltrated by joy.” Graham Cooke

Why then do we sometimes get heavy-hearted? We are in spiritual warfare, and Satan hates prayer so strongly. He doesn’t mind when we do many other ”good” things, but he trembles when we pray. He actually attacks us with a spirit of despair or discouragement. He will do everything he can to stop the advance of the prayer movement. At times when a heavy weight of discouragement threatens to overwhelm you, and if there is no known sin in your life, you can be sure that the enemy is attacking you with a spirit of despair or discouragement. I prayed against the spirit of despair in my own life, and it lifted. I pray for each one of you to know the joy of the Lord which is your strength, and that every trace of discouragement or despair is lifted from your life in Jesus’ Name. I pray that the stronghold of hopelessness would be broken in the Name of Jesus. I pray that the joy of the Lord will permeate your prayer life and everything that you do. God does not want you to be disheartened but He longs to fill you with His joy. He has anointed you to help others who are going through difficulty, and to actually bestow the oil of gladness, joy and praise on those who have a spirit of despair. This is the job description of Jesus. We are to be like Jesus.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:1, 2b-3).

EWE

Recently we had tropical storm Ernesto passing through our city. Rain was pouring down, the streets were flooded, and clouds and wind were everywhere. People were told to stay in their homes due to the flooding. It was hard to imagine sunshine in the midst of the storm. Recently on a flight, I experienced the plane flying through many clouds on the right and the left as it was ascending. Suddenly the plane came out into the sunshine above all the threatening clouds. Circumstances can be like both of these examples. Heaviness and darkness can invade our lives because of what is happening around us, when we can’t see past the clouds and trials, and the devil takes the opportunity to attack us with a spirit of discouragement or despair. This is when we must rise above the clouds, and see life from God’s perspective and vantage point through His Word. The sunshine will one day return. We do not have to live in gloom or despair. God has provided a way out.

If you are feeling down and can’t seem to get out of it, take the authority in prayer that is rightfully yours, and break that discouragement in Jesus’ Name. Then ask God to fill you with His joy and peace. Write down the positive things in your life, and thank God for each one of them. God is able to push the negatives out as we begin to praise Him and dwell on the positive things that God has provided for us. Don’t live your life according to your earthly circumstances but according to your position in Christ. Remember that you are seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3-6), are God’s possession (Ephesians 1:14), are chosen of God (Ephesians 1:11), are complete in Him (Colossians 2:9-10), are a kingdom of priests and a royal priesthood (Revelation 1:6, I Peter 2:9), are the temple of God (I Corinthians 3:16), are a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17) and are able to do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). Strategic joy in the midst of warfare is yours. This is how you will live victoriously. This is your birthright!

“Don’t deny yourself that which is your birthright as a child of God. Don’t be satisfied with a joyless life. There ought to be in every Christian a deep, settled fullness of the joy of Christ that no circumstance of life can dispel. This comes as you allow the Holy Spirit to express Himself in your life. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy (Gal. 5:22). This joy is unlike any happiness that is produced by the world. It fills you and permeates everything you do. Jesus did not pray that you would merely be happy or even that you would escape grief. He prayed that you would have the same joy that the Father had given Him: a divine joy, a joy that comes from a deep and unwavering relationship with the Father. It is a joy that is grounded so firmly in a relationship with God that no change in circumstances could ever shake it. This is the kind of joy that Christ is praying will be in you.” Henry Blackaby

Making Prayer Visible

“Making prayer visible in our churches makes it more likely to happen and encourages more people to participate. We must do everything we can to make prayer appealing, from investing first-class prayer materials to raising up comfortable, inviting places for people to seek God. Prayer does not have to be mercenary in order to be spiritual.” Terry Teykl

Making prayer visible will help promote prayer and intercession in your church. There is something that is extremely motivational when we see a place that is designated for prayer and for prayer alone. Recently we were in a large church in Mexico that had a wonderful prayer room and it was called “Casa de Oracion“ (House of Prayer in Spanish). My husband and I were staying for a week in their guest apartment not far from that prayer room. I remember hearing the loud prayers of the pastoral staff and at another time awaking to the fervent prayers of the youth in that church. What a pleasant joy to hear the cries of passionate prayer in a room designated and designed just for the purpose of prayer. It was powerful - it was strategic - it was inviting - it was fruitful! That church is seeing 35-50 individuals accept the Lord every Sunday! In addition, they have churches planted throughout the city of Puebla, Mexico which are equally fruitful! When we make prayer visible in our churches, God makes His name known throughout the city.

Making prayer visible can touch the lives of the lost in a most amazing way. Terry Teykl shares a testimony about prayer when his small church was in an obscure storefront along a small strip of businesses. He was praying alone at 10:00 AM when suddenly a man came to the door wanting to find Christ. This happened again at 4:00 PM when he was praying alone at the church during the next week. He was the pastor, and this happened without him preaching. God was speaking to him and said, “If you will find Me, others will find you.”

“Prayer evangelism works. When we pray targeting the Great Commission, people are drawn to Christ, not by our sign or our building, but by the Holy Spirit.” Terry Teykl

Why a Prayer Room?

“Prayer must have organization and accountability to be effective. The greater the order, the more likely the ministry will last.” Dutch Sheets

The above testimony is one big reason why we should have a prayer room in all of our churches. But there are many additional reasons. Here are a few:

• You can schedule prayer in a systematic way - Prayer does not happen if you don’t plan it. There are too many things that will crowd in for your attention because the devil will always try to keep you too busy. A prayer room provides a regular place to pray consistently. Scheduled prayer is Biblical!
  
  
• You have a place where prayer can be practiced and can grow - Everyone needs to grow in prayer, even well-seasoned intercessors. When there is a place where individuals know they can go and pray at almost any time, it becomes a tremendous encouragement for growth in prayer. It becomes your church’s prayer training center!
  
  
• You have a room where everyone can come to one place to pray - This becomes a place where the presence of God is nurtured. How much easier it is to pray spontaneously when everyone knows where to go and when everyone knows that it is the place where God’s presence dwells.
  
  
• You have a room where prolonged, persevering prayer can be encouraged - Prayer rooms encourage perseverance and become places of breakthrough. God answers persistent prayer, and this takes time. A prayer room can make all the difference in creating this type of environment.
  
  
• You can promote the church’s vision for prayer in a tangible way - This also becomes an encouragement to your city of the importance your church places on prayer. Prayer becomes central to your church and others learn of it both inside and outside your church walls.
  
  
• You can record and remember God’s answers to prayer as a church - Often it is easy to forget God’s answers to our prayers. But when there is a place where you can record His answers, your church become more thankful. This encourages fervent praise.
  
  
• You can gather prayer requests from your church congregation to pray over - This promotes agreement in prayer. It is easy to forget to pray for a particular need because the distractions of life are so demanding. But when the requests are gathered and displayed in the prayer room, there is a tangible reminder of the need to pray for specific requests.
  
  

· You have a control center for the strategic prayer ministries in your church - Prayer becomes central to your church. All the ministries represented in your church know that they have a place where they can gather to pray for the needs of their particular focus. This empowers every ministry in your church, whether it be evangelistic, youth oriented or for the children.

“One of the simplest and yet most profound things a prayer room offers is a place to be alone and still before God. It promotes humility and a visible dependence on God. Prayer rooms also generate and facilitate other prayer ideas given by the Holy Spirit to affect the whole ministry of the church in the community.” Terry Teykl

Recently our pastor preached a message on prayer in a most amazing way. He preached only for 15 minutes about prayer, using the example of Daniel. He then stressed that we probably don’t need to hear another sermon on prayer, but we need to pray! We then practiced various methods of prayer - prayer for the nation, group prayer, silent prayer and prayer together with worship (“Harp and Bowl”). It was powerful - it was strategic - it was inviting - it was fruitful! All the prayer meetings in the church were printed in the bulletin, and church members were invited to participate. This can be an initial step in making prayer visible in your church because you begin to spark an interest in the powerful ministry of prayer.

Aren’t you convinced? Will you not consider and pray towards making prayer visible and having a prayer room in your church? Designating a room for prayer is of great value and extremely strategic for any church. If you put a high priority on prayer, I promise you that God will use your church in a most powerful way. When God enters into our every purpose, we enter into His Kingdom plans for our church, our community, city and nation.

“It is not enough for the pastor to pray fervently, or is it sufficient for a leadership team to pray ardently on behalf of the congregation. Until the church owns prayer as a world-class weapon in the battle against evil and cherishes prayer as a means of intimate and constant communication with God, the turn-around efforts of a Body are severely limited, if not altogether doomed to failure.” George Barna

Making Prayer Visible

“Making prayer visible in our churches makes it more likely to happen and encourages more people to participate. We must do everything we can to make prayer appealing, from investing first-class prayer materials to raising up comfortable, inviting places for people to seek God. Prayer does not have to be mercenary in order to be spiritual.” Terry Teykl

Making prayer visible will help promote prayer and intercession in your church. There is something that is extremely motivational when we see a place that is designated for prayer and for prayer alone. Recently we were in a large church in Mexico that had a wonderful prayer room and it was called “Casa de Oracion“ (House of Prayer in Spanish). My husband and I were staying for a week in their guest apartment not far from that prayer room. I remember hearing the loud prayers of the pastoral staff and at another time awaking to the fervent prayers of the youth in that church. What a pleasant joy to hear the cries of passionate prayer in a room designated and designed just for the purpose of prayer. It was powerful - it was strategic - it was inviting - it was fruitful! That church is seeing 35-50 individuals accept the Lord every Sunday! In addition, they have churches planted throughout the city of Puebla, Mexico which are equally fruitful! When we make prayer visible in our churches, God makes His name known throughout the city.

Making prayer visible can touch the lives of the lost in a most amazing way. Terry Teykl shares a testimony about prayer when his small church was in an obscure storefront along a small strip of businesses. He was praying alone at 10:00 AM when suddenly a man came to the door wanting to find Christ. This happened again at 4:00 PM when he was praying alone at the church during the next week. He was the pastor, and this happened without him preaching. God was speaking to him and said, “If you will find Me, others will find you.”

“Prayer evangelism works. When we pray targeting the Great Commission, people are drawn to Christ, not by our sign or our building, but by the Holy Spirit.” Terry Teykl

Why a Prayer Room?

“Prayer must have organization and accountability to be effective. The greater the order, the more likely the ministry will last.” Dutch Sheets

The above testimony is one big reason why we should have a prayer room in all of our churches. But there are many additional reasons. Here are a few:

• You can schedule prayer in a systematic way - Prayer does not happen if you don’t plan it. There are too many things that will crowd in for your attention because the devil will always try to keep you too busy. A prayer room provides a regular place to pray consistently. Scheduled prayer is Biblical!
  
  
• You have a place where prayer can be practiced and can grow - Everyone needs to grow in prayer, even well-seasoned intercessors. When there is a place where individuals know they can go and pray at almost any time, it becomes a tremendous encouragement for growth in prayer. It becomes your church’s prayer training center!
  
  
• You have a room where everyone can come to one place to pray - This becomes a place where the presence of God is nurtured. How much easier it is to pray spontaneously when everyone knows where to go and when everyone knows that it is the place where God’s presence dwells.
  
  
• You have a room where prolonged, persevering prayer can be encouraged - Prayer rooms encourage perseverance and become places of breakthrough. God answers persistent prayer, and this takes time. A prayer room can make all the difference in creating this type of environment.
  
  
• You can promote the church’s vision for prayer in a tangible way - This also becomes an encouragement to your city of the importance your church places on prayer. Prayer becomes central to your church and others learn of it both inside and outside your church walls.
  
  
• You can record and remember God’s answers to prayer as a church - Often it is easy to forget God’s answers to our prayers. But when there is a place where you can record His answers, your church become more thankful. This encourages fervent praise.
  
  
• You can gather prayer requests from your church congregation to pray over - This promotes agreement in prayer. It is easy to forget to pray for a particular need because the distractions of life are so demanding. But when the requests are gathered and displayed in the prayer room, there is a tangible reminder of the need to pray for specific requests.
  
  

· You have a control center for the strategic prayer ministries in your church - Prayer becomes central to your church. All the ministries represented in your church know that they have a place where they can gather to pray for the needs of their particular focus. This empowers every ministry in your church, whether it be evangelistic, youth oriented or for the children.

“One of the simplest and yet most profound things a prayer room offers is a place to be alone and still before God. It promotes humility and a visible dependence on God. Prayer rooms also generate and facilitate other prayer ideas given by the Holy Spirit to affect the whole ministry of the church in the community.” Terry Teykl

Recently our pastor preached a message on prayer in a most amazing way. He preached only for 15 minutes about prayer, using the example of Daniel. He then stressed that we probably don’t need to hear another sermon on prayer, but we need to pray! We then practiced various methods of prayer - prayer for the nation, group prayer, silent prayer and prayer together with worship (“Harp and Bowl”). It was powerful - it was strategic - it was inviting - it was fruitful! All the prayer meetings in the church were printed in the bulletin, and church members were invited to participate. This can be an initial step in making prayer visible in your church because you begin to spark an interest in the powerful ministry of prayer.

Aren’t you convinced? Will you not consider and pray towards making prayer visible and having a prayer room in your church? Designating a room for prayer is of great value and extremely strategic for any church. If you put a high priority on prayer, I promise you that God will use your church in a most powerful way. When God enters into our every purpose, we enter into His Kingdom plans for our church, our community, city and nation.

“It is not enough for the pastor to pray fervently, or is it sufficient for a leadership team to pray ardently on behalf of the congregation. Until the church owns prayer as a world-class weapon in the battle against evil and cherishes prayer as a means of intimate and constant communication with God, the turn-around efforts of a Body are severely limited, if not altogether doomed to failure.” George Barna