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What is the highest ministry in the church? Most Christians do not consider themselves in the ministry; but each one who has the Holy Ghost is in the ministry. Since Jesus has the ministry of intercession, and acts as our high priest (Heb. 7 :25), then the ministry of intercession must be the highest ministry that God has trusted to us. He does not trust everyone with that ministry. How many people can you count on your hands now that used to have that ministry, but they confess that it has been lifted from them? They have not been faithful to intercede as they should have done. So God has lifted the ministry from them and given it to someone else (I Sam. 15 :28). The ministry of intercession can move mountains, stop the power of darkness, and prevent an atomic destruction. This kind of prayer can invade the mission fields, cause millions of people to come to God, and at the same time keep the intercessor protected from disease, death, and demons. Does God want us to have a regular prayer hcur ? You have a regular time for everything else. Nothing is any more important. If you had a special time to have an interview with the President of the United States you would be on time. God had a special time to walk and talk with Adam and Eve in the coo] of the day. Peter and John had a certain time for an hour of prayer (Acts 3). If you do not have a certain time to pray then something is certain to get you so busy that you will miss an hour of prayer. That may be the reason that the intercession ministry has been lifted from some people. Will the man or woman who makes themselves have a certain time to pray be fought harder by the workers of darkness? That always has been true, and will continue to be so. When Daniel decided to intercede, the powers of darkness began to fight against him. The forces of evil will organize against you, to try to prevent you from praying.
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But even when ,vou do not know you have, the Holy Spirit will pray opposition that you do 110t l<IlOW know what to pray about the I lolv ing, causing everv th ing to work
R:26).

about the opposition that t.luousrh you, fighting the about. When you do not Chos! will do your praytogether for good (Hom.

Can the intercessor hold back trouble? God sought for an intercessor to stand in the gal) and make up the hedge, but found no mall (Ezek. :Z:Z :30). Intercessors can hold back disease, demons, and death. You can see, by the Bible, that Abraham, Moses, and Paul did this very thing. One time judgment was rille for a King. He prayed and sought God and God prolonged that judgment until the next generation. We can hold back trouble and judgment. 'rYe can have the Spirit of Christ. A lady phoned me the other day and told me about a dream the Lord gave to her. In this dream she was made to know of certain trouble that was coming. I told her that the Lord would have no purpose in showing her in advance if she could not prevent it by prayer. This helped her to pray the trouble away before it arrived. The Lord has shown me danger coming my way, which included even death and funerals. Prayer and faith prevented it. You can read the account of lIezekiah's deliverance and see that this works. It is just as real as if Russia were to shoot a rocket toward New York City and we would get the war ni ng' in time to stop that rocket with another rocket. I have learned that we must learn to prav for other people as quickly as we would our own folk. That is why God can trust us with this mi nistry. Must an intercessor always he sad and burdened down? Some people have a mistaken idea about one who prays. I have been asked by more than one person .i ust why they did not have a burden to pray. I told them that they did not have to be grieved and burdened down all the time. Anyone who prays will pray through on things if they have faith. They will rejoice. This will keep them from being destroyed with a heavv burden .
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The Lord says for us to make our request known with thanksgiving. (Phil. ,1:G). Our prayers should be seasoned with praise. Jesus sung just as he went into the Garden of Cethsema no. The weight 01' the world was on Him. If YOU believe the Lord you will have joy. The way most victories are WOIl is through praise. That is the tool that the devil is more afraid of than anyth ing else. An intercessor is in constant contact with the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is grieved our spirit is grieved. If the Holy Spirit is fighting the enemy we fight with our spirit. As the IIoly Spirit gains a victory we feel it in our spirit. So we sing and rejoice. Must an intercessor just. be on the defensive? \Ve must band together. 'rYe must not only hold the fort; we must storm the clevil's fort. We must fight an offensive battle. We must not only hold what territory we have, but we must gain ground. It is good for a preacher to preach beautiful sermons; it is good for him to teach holiness; it is good for him to push the Sunday School; but he must be an intercessor, or he will be destroyed in some way or another. It is not enough for an evangelist to preach good sermons, sing, or even pray for the sick; lJe must be an intercessor , or the devil will trap him in some way. The church that does not organize a prayer band will soon be destroyed) even if it builds a Sunday School or has a large membership added to its number. \Ve must win the battle in our hearts , in our homes, and in our business before we win the battle in the church; for the church is made up of people. Our condition determines the condition of the church . Can one have success in life without praying? It depends 011 what vou call success. Eastman of Kodak was worth millions of dollars; yet he killed himself. Mr. Young, who was the chairman of one of the largest railroads, committed suicide. He was worth millions. These and others who were rich felt like they had made a failure in life. Money and fame will not sat isf'v our spirits. There is something- in us that is reaching out. It is reaching out to find the purpose for wh ich we are here. N oth ing but prayer will find that purpose in our lives. Most of the teenagers who are finishing school do not know what they are to be in life. Most of them who choose their

life's vocation make the wrong' choice. It is only when we lay our treasures up in heaven that we make a success in life. That does not mean that OUI' needs will not be supplied as we go through this world . Jesus taug-ht us to pray, "Give us this day our dailv bread". If we expect to have our needs supplied we must prav. God has a definite plan for each of our lives. It is by prayer that we are able to find that plan and purpose. Otherwise we are miserable all our lives. \Ye make all the people about us miserable. By prayer we can change our position in this world and the world to come. Praver changed Paul's course in life. He . gave up fame; but when he was ready to leave this life he said, "I have fought a good fight ... there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness". He had made a success. Life is a warfare. Our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling clown of strong holds. We fight not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers in high places. Will the powers of darkness become stronger ? That is why we should pra)' so much the more. The devil, that is now in the heavenl ies, will be cast down to this earth with his angels, knowing' t hat he only has a short time to work (Rev. 12 :12). He is !lOW making his plans, getting his forces together. Demons will also rise out of the pits of hell (Rev. 9 :1-15). Our prayers can .. do a lot to hold back judgment and help people prepare to escape this coming judgment. We are demanded to pray, "Deliver us from evil" (Matt. ():13). God has promised, to deliver us from trouble if we abide in Him (Ps. 91:1 t). v\'e must not wait until trouble comes to pray. Start now. Seek His face. Is it all r ight to pray for our loved ones '? We must pray for our own family, but we must not stop there. The Word of God savs that we are promised our family if we believe. So we pra)' a prayer of faith for them (Acts 16:31). Lot lingered. His wife looked back. He lived an easy life. He did not pray the judgments from his city. He did not save his children. He escaped the judgment, that fell on the
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city, by the prayers of his Godly uncle. Yet he lost h is wife. His children were all destroyed by fire and brimstone. Noah was a man of prayer. He talked with God. God talked with him. IIe interceded to Cod and was able to save his whole family. We must pray for our family. We must do rnore than that. vVe must pray that God will send forth laborers into His harvest (Matt. D::3R). There are about 4,O()() people filled with the Holy Ghost on our side of the citv of Dallas. Four churches almost in sight of us have been averaging about 1,000 each in Sunday School. There are more than one 11 undred Full Gospel churches in the city. A tornado struck Dallas. Several prayed. I don't know who prayed the prayer of faith, but the tornado turned a right angle after it hit the city. It went a direction that tornados do not travel. Someone was surely in connection with the Spirit at that time. It is good to stay in connection. Is it all right to pray for God to guide you in business? Jesus prayed, not His will be done. It takes much of our time praying our will out of the way. He prayed before He made a decision. He prayed all night before He chose His disciples. We must not lean to our own understanding (Prov. 3:5). We can let the Holy Spirit search us. If we need wisdom God will give it to us if we ask in faith and do not waver. There are so many decisions in this life, such as knowing the right one to marry, what business to enter, what piece of property to buy, or where we should move. The Holy Spirit will guide us in all these things if we pray in faith. In order to pray in faith we must know that it is the will of God. The Word of God will convince us that it is His will to pray for these things. Is it not selfish for us to pray for material blessings? It is not if we use those material blessings for the work of God, to glorify Him. lie supplied the oil for a widow woman who was in debt. He supplied the meal for a family that was going to starve. He put the money in the fish's mouth, to pay Peter's taxes. He gave bread and fish to the hungry multitude, manna and quail to the two million Israel-

ites. He can supply all your need according to His riches in glory, and not according to the condition of Wall Street, whether we have war or peace, or whether we have rain or a drought. Many preachers and laymen don't have faith that God wants to bless them financially. Therefore, they are behind with their bills. They are a reproach to God and the church. God would get more glory out of their lives, and the church would be blessed, if they would pray for temporal blessings. Must we pray that Jesus will come real soon'? John prayed, "Even so come, Lord Jesus". We must pray that He will send laborers into the harvest. This gospel must be preached into all the world before He comes (Matt. 24 :14). We must go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16: If). How can we do this unless we pray and fast until God sends a greater anointing in our lives than ever before? Does God answer all prayer at once? It depends on the nature of the case. God is willing to give us the assurance that He has heard us. But in some instances we see the results later. The buzzards came and tried to steal Abraham's sacrifice away. The buzzards represented the powers of darkness (Gen. 15 :11-12). A harrow of' darkness fell upon Abraham. He fought the fowls off the sacrifice. God sent a burning lamp. He gave Abraham the victory. The devil will contest everything we do. We must fight him away. He will attack us from the powers of hell. If we keep fighting we will receive the assurance that God has heard us, although it may be as it was in the case of Abraham, we may not see the complete fulfillment as soon as we pray. But God has heard, and gives us the assurance the answer is on its way. Is a prayer ever answered that is prayed out of God's will? It seldom is; but it seems that sometimes it is to our own sorrow. It is better to pray "If it be thy wiII" if the prayer is not backed up by the Word of God, which is His will. Abraham prayed that God would bless Ishmael and make of him a great nation. That prayer was answered, which resulted in two nations that are until this day at each other's ,.
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throats. Abraham had tried to inst.itute his own will in the place of God's will. God permitted Ishmael to live after Abraham had insisted. One time Balaam kept praying and insisting that God would let him go with Balak. Finally God permitted him to go, to his own destruction, If a child keeps crying to play with a red hot stove, you may give him permission sometimes to teach him a lesson. Fon a little while God may sometimes bless human programs, but in the long run it does not prove the divine wiII of God. Is it sometimes all right to pray that God will heal a sinner? We see that Abraham interceded for a heathen king that was about to take Sarah (Gen. 20: 17). King Abimelech's wife and maidservants had become barren and this king was about to get Sarah. When Abraham prayed God healed them so they could bare children. Reading through the New Testament we see that Jesus mostly healed strangers. That is a good way to bring them to God. I know of one man who sat in front of a doctor's office and told each one who came to the doctor, "I know a doctor that will heal you for nothing". He kept this up until he built a nice ch urch. Do some folk pray for something' too late? Abraham had already taken Hagar to wife. He saw that he made a great mistake that would affect generations to come. But this was a lesson to him. When it came to Isaac's marriage he carefully sought God. His servant also prayed over the choosing of Isaac's bride. lIe put out a "fleece" so to speak. God answered and gave him the right wife for Isaac (Gen. 24: 10-14). This affected the people of God for generations to come. Suppose Isaac had chosen a wife without consulting God, and had marie a mistake. Many parents pray for years after their children have chosen the wrong companion. A small percent of that praying may have prevented them from choosing the wrong one. May we earnestly pray for our children to choose the right companion. Better still may the children do some of this

praying, and invite the will of God into their courtship and marriage. Is it in order to make covenants with God as we pray'! Especially it is good when it is in line with God's Word. While Jacob was in the presence of God, while he was at the house of God, he went into an agreement with the Lord. He told Him that if he would give him food and raiment, and bring him Lack to that place in safety, that he would give him a tenth of all that He blessed him with. This included food, clothes, protection, etc. Jacob promised to go to church and pay a tenth of his income (Gen. 28 :20-22). I have gone into such an agreement with the Lord. He has protected me. Not long ago I was staying many miles out in the country. It seemed dark and dangerous to stay out in the woods without any protection. I thought of securing a gun, since my family was with me and I was responsible to them. The Lord appeared to me that night and told me that His angels were protecting us while we slept. Many times, while I was in business, Satan caused people to attack me with knives, guns, rocks, and ice picks. God covered me with His spirit. I felt His angels near. They could not touch me. It came a time when Jacob was left alone. Danger was on both sides. God sent an angel and led him to victory and safety. God remembered the covenant. He always will. Do some people quit praying- too soon? Most people do. They get through praying instead of praying through. Jacob was caught between his brother and his father-in-law. They were both angry, coming to get revenge. Jacob prayed and laid down to rest, but still he felt a doubt. He was not completely satisfied. He did not feel the assurance. It seems that he could not sleep. How many times have .' vou felt the same wav ? ,. Too much was involved. Jacob arose and took his wives and children over the brook. ITe was left alone. He wrestled with an angel all night. That struggle changed the history of a nation and of the world. That all night prayer changed the mind of a man who had been seeking his life. Jacob had no protection except through prayer. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. The best advice

that I can give you when trouble comes is to retreat to your secret place of prayer. If it takes all night stay there until you receive the answer from God. We do not always understand what takes place in the spirit world when we wrestle with an angel all night. But we see the results for , years to come. When Jacob's thigh was out of place he was less able in the natural to fight, but in the Spirit he was a prince. It is the same with us. We may not be strong naturally if we are an intercessor, but spiritually we are giants. When we are weak then we are strong' (11 Cor. 12: 10). There is a price to pay when we wrestle with Cod. The natural man is killed out, but the spiritual man is powerful. Do we pray to change God or ourselves? Jacob said, "I will not let you go until you bless me". He kept on wrestling until he prevailed. Look into the lives of Moses, Daniel and others. Certain times they were able to change the mind of God by praying. Hezekiah did this very thing. The people at Nineveh prayed, fasted and changed the mind of God. It is more often that we change ourselves instead of God. Jacob changed God because he chang-ed himself. He got his nature changed out there. That was the greater miracle. He could then run to his enemy, Esau, and fall on his neck and kiss him. Peace prevailed between them. If we prevail with God we may also prevail with men. We should practice it more. Do most people pray'? There is a difference ill praying. Many sinners pray. That will not take them to heaven. Thousands of Moslems pray five times each day, but they are not expecting God to save them, or answer their prayer in any way. No doubt Paul the Pharisee had prayed for years, but he did not get really in contact with God until he was on the road to Damascus. There he fell to the earth and prayed, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do'? (Acts D :()). That is where a successful prayer life should begin, at the time that you are converted. That is the time to g'et rid of vour self will, and find the will of Goel for your life. After Paul reached Damascus he found a place to get alone

with the Lord. It is not enough to make a decision. You should do as Paul, begin at conversion to earnestly " seek the face of God. For three days and nights Paul fasted and prayed. He received a double healing. 1fe was healed of both natural and spiritual blindness. He was also filled with the Holy Ghost. That is a pattern for all converts to follow. Be healed, filled with the Holy Ghost, and let God open your eyes to understand the things of God. God told Anemias, "Behold he prayeth" (Acts 9: 11). That should be said about all young converts. Any other direction will end in failure. Teaming thousands of Catholics, as well as modern Protestants pray very much. The Pharisees prayed. But we must do as Paul, pray, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do '?" If we will then do His will we will start a life of real prayer. What is the Apostolic pattern in prayer'? Paul withdrew himself away where he waited on God for three years in the Arabian desert. He had education, training, and all in natural talents it took to make a living. But he needed a revelation of God and the spiritual things that God wanted His church to know. (Gal. 1: 15-18). Every person, before starti ng to work for God in anyway, should wait in God's presence, fast and pray, until they hear from the One who sends them. Does God sometimes answer in a way we are not expecting'? Some people even give up and quit if God does not answer the way they ask 1Iim to. Moses prayed and told the Lord that He had not answered h is prayers, that He had even failed to do what He promised to do (Ex. 5 :22-23). The fact was God was working all the time, answering Moses' prayer, but Moses did not recognize it. Thus he became discouraged and complained. Perhaps vou have prayed for some of you r loved ones, your church, Sunday School class, or some of .vour friends. You don't know how manv times Cod has been speaking to them. But just before He works everything out vou begin to complain, and give up the battle. Cod has promised to keep whatever you commit into His hands, but if you take it into your own hands lIe has not promised to keep it for you.
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Is there a time that we must stop praying'? Just as the time Moses and the Children of Israel thought they had the victory, and started across the Red Sea, they looked and saw Pharaoh and his host coming after them to carry them back into captivity. 'The people began again to blame their leader, accusing Moses of leading them to their death. Moses comforted the people the best he could, and fell on his face and started praying. But the Lord rebuked Moses for praying. That was a time of action and no time to lay on his face telling the Lord to do something He was in the process of doing. Faith is a verb. Faith always has action. That was the time Moses was telling God to do something. But God was telling him to do something. God has already heard. So the Lord told Moses to stop praying and begin to do something. (Ex. 14:1fi-16). So many times in the healing line when the gifts of healing were in operation, when God was healing someone I have seen people start begging' God to heal them. Why, I have already prayed through. God is already healing. Receive your healing! Moses rose from prayer, stretched forth his rod and the Red Sea divided. The people marched across. Suppose they had laid on their face, asking God to please deliver them from the enemy. It is time to march to victory after God has heard your prayer. The Christians were afraid of Paul. The Jews hated him. He was like an elevator stuck between two floors. There was no place for him. So he prayed and sought the will of God. The plan of Gocl u nfolded as he wa ited before God. There at Antioch a great prayer band was started (Acts 11 :26). As those saints waited on Cod they learned that God had called Paul to be a missionary (Acts 1:3 :2). They did not stopthere; they kept praying until God directed them to lay hands on them and send them into the ministrv (Ads 13 :3). What if the prayer band had not kept fasting- and praying? They might have been set on the shelf, as thousands of ministers are today who do not pray as they should. Is there ever a time to stop a life of prayer'? Not as long as you live. When vou do, your ministry stops. If it were necessary for a man such as Paul to pray all the
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time, it is necessary for us to pray. In many places Paul would have met with failure had he not prayed. lIe wanted to work ill Asia, but was forbidden of the Holy Ghost to do so (Acts 16:6). Then he decided to go to Bithynia; but the Spirit would not let him. Then in a night vision the Lord showed him a man calling for him to come to Macedonia. So he started his great work of God in Europe. As soon as Paul reached Philippi he found a group of Christians who had a certain place, and a time to pray. He started his great work for God in a prayer meeting. God will help praying people to know the moving of the Spirit. In that prayer meeting, they had each day, a miracle was wrought that sent Paul and his partner to jail. They did not stop praying. They refused to be discouraged, for they knew the mind of the Spirit, because they had prayed daily. At midnight, the darkest hour, as they were in jail, they refused to stop praying. The people started a prayer band. Their prayer hour was at midnight. That is the time that many great men of God have prayed. There they had a revival, where many people would never expect a moving of God's Spirit. People were delivered, saved, healed, and baptized in water. For a praying Christian, a revival can break out in the hardest of places. The very thing that could have stopped the ministry of Paul "had fallen out for the furtherance of the gospel" (Phil. 1: 12; Acts 16 :25-26). Prayer can take the things that would ordinarily stop our preaching, and use it for the advancement of our ministry. It is as natural for a Christian to pray as it is for a rooster to crow. \\1e can't live without breathing; we can't live for God without pray mg.

speak. T at once told everyone to start pruv ing. The pastor and about ten strong: men t onk him hv force in the prayer room and delivered him f'rorn that reli~:ious devil. He confessed to me that the devil was having him try to take the

service.
A few weeks ago as I \\a::-:.preaching in Nigeria, West Africa; a mall tried to take over the service. lIe did not say that I was a servant of Cod. He ~aid that I was a faker. He drew a large following out of' 111,\' crowd. There was no 01'0tection I had except through prav er. r immediately told everyone on my side to start pJ'<l,\ingand praising the Lord. In a few minutes the 111<111 stopp(ld and left with his crowd. Then we had it worrderf ul deliv('ranl'e service. I had to use the weapon of praver and praise. Fortunately there was not one to arrest me and put me in jail as in Paul's case.

Should a preacher he an int ercessor ? There was no greater j)]'(:'(lchel" than Paul. Yet he ceased
not to pray night anrl <la,\' for tile churches. his brethren, and all the needs. Eph. 1 :l(); Phil. 1:~); II Thes. 1:11; Rom.

10: 1; Rom. 0 :~-:n.

He told LIS to pray without ("e(l~il1g', I~,\"praying and seeking Goel Paul was able to make an impact on the world. In fact they accused h i m oj' t u rn im; the world upside clown (Acts 17 :G). The clevil'~ CI'()\\d had t urnetl it upside down. Through prayer Paul \\,;IS spt t ill,~ it l'i,~ht <l~~"ain.

For what should

we pray'?

Did Prayer

help Paul deliver

the girl'!

Prayer helped him know the moving of the Spirit. He would not have discerned the Spirit had he not prayed. He might have made her the teacher in his Sunday School, or the leader of his prayer band, had he not discerned the Spirit. In the place I am 11m',!, the Lord showed me one night, as I lay in the bed praying, that a man would try to tear up the service the next night. It happened .i ust as God showed me. The man arose and started to take over the service and

pra,\ f'or \\ll;t1e\ tIl' 1Ill' Spil'it burdens us to prav for. There is JlO limit 10 what Cod utll do for us through praver. Jeslls sa,\s to U:-:, "I f t \\() of vou shall agree OJl earth as touching allY thing' th.n t hev ;-;h,tll .isk. it shall be done for them of mv Fnthcr wh uh is ill lH';t\(lll." (~,I(\tt. l~ :1~-1~)).

vVe should

Chr ist i.m eXjHII'ielH'c:-; \\e will meet with battles that will drive u-. 10 Jll':l,\ ('1' .. -\ Her \lo::-;e:-; led the people aCTOSS t ho f~(:'c1 Sea, in 1hl'el' d;t,\'~ the,\" were met face to fa ce \\' itll d eat h. l) e (.;t II:-; 1 \w,\ (.()l! Id I]() fi n d \\; t t crt 11at t t v,as g'ood to drink. :\l()...;p::-: "lI'it'd Ullto the Lonl". The Lord shO\ved him a tlt'e, \\"hil'h \\.;t;-; a t,\'PP ()f the (TO~S nf Christ.
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statute and an ord numce. l Ie revealed Ll imself as Jehovah Rapha, "I am the Lord that henlct h thee" (Ex, ]!):~G), He answered l lis people's cry for physical deliverance, He let us know that we call call to l lim in time of distress, whether it is fur physical or spirit ua] help, One time C;od :'-',Lll'ted to dest rov all the people for shamefully dancing in a nude conditiun around a g:olden calf. The Lon! told Moses to let Ilim alone that TIe might dcstrov the rebellious people, nllt this verv fact showed that Moses had power to keep on pnly ing III intt~rc'e;..:,s()l'.v prayer. and save the people, 'This 1\103es did. He set an example COl' us, showing us that we have power with Cod through intercessory prayer, to save rebellious people. How long should we make our prayers '! Strange as it may seem, in spite of the fact that Moses was sent to deliver millions of people, he had to spend much of his time praying f'or his OWI1 folk. lIis brother made mistakes. He was weaker than :\loses. Aaron' sons came under the judgment of Cod because they did 110t reverence the Lord (Lev. If): i:. Moses' wife did not always adel to his ministry (Ex. 4:~i)-:~G). His Sister Mir iam defied his authority in God. (Nurn. 1:2:~). Moses took all this with the patience of Christ, but the Lord could not stand to let her intrude into the position that He had given unto i',loses. She took leprosy and was shut out of the camp. She could not get deliverance until 1\10se;; prayed for her. Did Moses pray a long time fo]' ht'1''? 1'\0, it is one of the shortest recorded prayers ill Uw Bible. He sinnii,\' praYE~cl, "Heal her now, 0 Gocr'. She was healed of lepfil:"\' and restored to fellowship \vi1 h God and His people, Do we need a long prayer for healing'? 1t requires only a prayer of faith. Sometimes the lack of faitl1 causes liS to keep praying' long prayers for something'. Should we always pray for God to hles~ people '? 1V1oses, the prayer warrior, Jell on his face when the men of Korah rebelled against his authority. The earth openedup and svvallowed them (Nllm. IG:::q. He could have had ,a church tri(d. He could have tried to turn thenl out. But He was humble. Ill' had the Spirit of Christ. He interceded for them, or for the \\'()]'k 1)1' (he Lord. To save the people of

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God and G()(rS work these men had to ue taken out of the way, just as a SUl';_:'('O!l m iph! cut out a cancer to save the body of his patient. Moses actually look this matter to the supreme court instead, of to any e.uthlv , court. These men had tried to , change the divine order; they had tried to enter into the priesthood, As the church comes into the full apostolic pattern we may see more m iraclcs Iike th is. It rna .v not be everv , time that the earth swallows people. H mav not be everything that they fall dead ciS did Ana nias and Sapphira. But the HoI:,' Spirit ma. tun) the l'C\Wl1iOllS people over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. as He did through Paul (l Tim, 1 :20) and as Paul cornmanrierl it to be clone in the early church (I ('U1'. G :iJ). Of course, we must let the Holy Spirit pray God's will in us. Can one pray sometimes out of the will of God '? It seems that it W;,L'; so ill Moses' case. He earnestly sought the Lord that IIe would go over into the promised land. But it was in Cod's plan to use Joshua for that purpose. Moses was used to lning in the law. But Joshua was chosen to take the people of Cod int.o t he promised land. (Deut. ;-):23-25). Of course, the Holy Spirit will never pray contrary to the will of (;0(1 in our life. He will alw.rvs pray according to God's will, and we k110\V that all things will be working together for g'ooe! (r~()m. :~f)-:;~). If we pnly ill nul' ()\XIl language, <lftel' our own desires, we ma,\' ht~ [)r:l','inp: an11s:-;, that \H' nwv conSl1rne it upon our own Ius! (Janle:, 1 ::n, Anything that the at0]1(;1nent furnishes us; an.vihin~~ that the nil.de otTer;; 11S. is Cod's will, for the Bible i~, \\'ill. His Do ail prayer~ ldea:-;e {;od '? Cod is displea~,('c1 with some pl'ayrl','-'" because they are an ins lllt to I! i m. :--: e p ray c l'S ill' ('11S e Him; t h fT a I'e full ()f ()m faith ill the deyil Cod iniel'l'llpjc'd Joshua's pt'ayel'. Although Joshua was a gTeat melll: allll! 1(,Q'h he took the plaCl' of :\Io:-;es ill leading God'::, pcuplt': :tlj houg'h he \\'as ~l man Clf' g:rcat courage, he l1r:tyed in \\ iI,\ i hell \\as d i:;;plt'a~;j to the Lord. After the ng Lord had ,!.!.iven lim;t g:n'<ll \'idul',\' (it .J(~l'i('l1o, he sent his

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people to a verv small city, where they suffered a smashing defeat. The people were full of fear as they retreated. Here the brave man, Joshua, found it hare! to be brave. He prayed a prayer that denoted a little Iear. That always displeases the Lord, l Ie asked the Lord why He brought the people over Jordan to deliver them into the hands of the Amorites to be destroyed, II e told Cod he wished they,. had not crossed Jordan. He wa-s complaining and accusing the Lord. (Joshua 7 :7-x). How many prayers have you prayed in which you dou bt ed the Lord, or actually accused IIim of not being mindful of you? The Lord said, "Get thee up; wherefore liest thou there upon thy face" (Josh. 7 :10). He was full of self pity, blaming the Lord. The Lord let him know that the responsibility was on him.

prayer rooms durillg' an e\'a)H~'('Jisti(' service. We would , never have a seJ'\'iu\ to will ~:illller:::. Another time when we must act, instead of praying, is when we st ait to pnl~' and remember that our brother has something ;lgaillst us. \\'e (ll'(~ to g:o and make things t'ig'ht with our brother before we offer a pra ver to God (Matt.
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Another time to ad instead of praying is when we have not forgiven someone. If we do not forgive them then the Lord will not forgive u-. (l\1att, 1~ :8:)), Mauv times people are prayillg' when they should be up doing \Vhatl t hev know to do. When they, do that God will answer. Whv do you call l I im Lor.l and do not what He says?
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Do we ever pray when we should he doing' something' else? It was so in Joshua's case. The Lord told him that he should be seeking for the cause elsewhere, instead of blaming God. If you turn on your lights and they do not shine, you don't blame the light company, You find the short, or the fuse that is blown. You search for the place where the power was cut off'. You fix it. The Lord told Joshua to look for the trouble. When Joshua started searching he found sin in the camp. The first city in each ten belonged to the Lord. They were to take no spoil at all. Achan had coveted the silver, gold, and raiment. He took the first fruits that brought a curse on him. He brought sin in the camp. After Josh ua had him punished then the battle was won. There is a time to pray and there is a time to fight the battle. Only night before last in the present revival I preached on prayer, People began to pray. That was wonderful. But they were in the prayer room praying last night while I was preaching. 1 needed them in with me to help me win the battle. At the ver ,v time the sinners were there wanting to be saved my soldiers were in the prayer rooms praying. I let them know that there was a time to pray. But there is a time to march forth to victory, and all the soldiers be on the job. Suppose all the saints would run off to the
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Chapter

II

Is it possible

children

that men to have faith '!

of faith

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YOUR

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AS A PRA YEH W AHRIOI{

Should we pray

for guidance?

if we pray for divine guidance. Sometimes we pray when we should work. Other times we work when we should pray. Sometimes we may make commitments as Josh ua did. He made a covenant with the Gibonit.es when he should 110t have clone so. They saw they were defeated. So they fell on a scheme. They came to Joshua and told him that they were from a far country. They brought bread that was molded. They were disgraced, as to appear that they were from a far country. After Joshua made a league with them he discovered they were the enemies near by, that God commanded him to destroy. (Josh. 9:14-15). That shows that we must ask God for guidance each day instead of depending on the victories the day before.

It will save us time and trouble

Is it possible for us to pray while we are working?

We are to pray without ceasing (I Thes. 5: 17). Then we must have a regular time to get alone with God in C01nmunion with Him. That is when He can speak to us better. There carne a time when Joshua and his people won the battles so fast that they could not keep up with the fleeing enemies. He knew that if he had one more day, he could take the spoil and finish the battle. 1[e knew that if night time came the enemy might flee and prepare for another battle. What clid he do? As he fought he prayed to Goel for help. He spoke to the Lord. He spoke to the sun, and commanded it to stand still. It stood still for the space of about one clay. (Josh. 10: 12-14). That is a great miracle, but it is not as great as the miracle that Cl'f';ltCi! the sun and put it in its place. If we believe the greater m iracle we are compelled to believe the lesser one. Sometimes in our work circumstances for a miru.le while we are working. without works ( James 2: 17) . require us to believe Faith is dead being

Paul was writing to Timothy and told him that he was persuaded that the faith that was in his grandmother and in his mother was also in him (II Tim. 1:0). vVe remember the time that Hannah exercised faith for a son, when she was barren. That was counted a misfortune and a reproach in those davs, to not be able to bear children. Hannah fasted and prayed to Cod for a child. As she and her husband went up to Shiloh once each year she tarried at thf~ temple, prav inj; earnestly to God for a son, wh ich would take away her reproach. She was so in earnest that the priest thought she was drunk. She was not drunk on the spirits of the fruit, but Oil the fruit of the Spirit (Eph. G:lx). Eli, the priest, decided that she was under the influence of strong drink. Eli, the priest. told her to go in peace and the Lorc1 would gran! to bel' what she was praying for. (l Sam. 1:10-17). A son was born unto her, which received the same faith that she had. Samuel became one of the great intercessors of Bible times. Hannah was a g'odly woman. Instead of quarreling with those who were .i ealous of her she went to prayer. She was faithful to the house of Cod and her regular time of prayer. She faster! and prayed until she received the answer, even while she was praying; before she saw the results. She was misunderstood by other people of Cod. She believed the man of Cod, when he spoke to he}', and went her way. She kept her promise and lent her son to the Lord as long as he lived. She selected a certain time to come back and thank the Lord for answeri ng her prayer. If we follow these examples we might also be trusted to become intercessors, and men and women of faith.

As we pray can we learn to recognize

God's voice?

Elijah learned that the Lord does not only speak by an earthquake, fire, O}' storm, but TIe sometimes speaks in a quiet voice. (I Kings 19:11-12). Our pravers will be effective as we learn to recognize Cod '8
VOIce.

Should we keep an ear tuned to God as we pray?

Effective prayer is a two-way communion. God called

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19

Samuel's name, hut he had not yet learned to tune in and recognize God's voice. So he ran to Eli as God spoke to him in the middle of the night (I Sam. :3 :~1). It was verv seldom that anyone heard Cod's voice in those clays (Verse 1). Eli had failed to listen to God's voice. At least he shied a way from the unpleasant task of correcting h is sons. He let them even attack the women as they came to the temple to worsh ip. Had he been as interested in his sons as Hannah was of her SOil he would have carried them to God ill prayer, dedicated them to God and praved the prayer of faith for them. It would be wonderful if each of us would learn to listen to the voice of God in prayer in our early life as we pray, as Samuel did. Then we also might become intercessors. Would Samuel be an example to follow? He was recognized all through the Bible as one of God's favorite prayer warriors. He was a prophet, but he had more influence as an intercessor. He was ranked with Moses and Daniel in God's sight (Jer. 15 :1). God thought of him as He would Aaron and Moses (Ps. 99: 6). He is recognized as one of the great faith heroes in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews; one who subdued kingdoms, obtained promise, and wrought r igh teousness, When the people were in captivity Samuel told them that if they would turn to the Lord with all their hearts that the Lord would hear their prayer, and yet deliver them from the hands of the oppressor (I Sam. 7:3). The people obeyed him, put away their strange gods, and sought the Lord. Samuel told them if they would gather at Mizpeh he would pray for them (I Sam. 7 :5). The people knew that this would displease the Philistines, who did not even allow them weapons of war. As they gathered, the Philistines arose and came to C!pstroy them. The Children of Israel obeyed Samuel and gathered for prayer. Tl.e v fasted and sought God, and confessed their sins. S:1nlH'} offered a lamb, cried unto the Lord for the people, :~nd Cod heard his humble prayer (I Sam. 7 :9). As S(\iiH(l'j prayed the prayer of faith God sent a great thunder ;1))011 the enemy. They were thrown into a fear and a great pa ni. They moved upon the Philistines and recovv

ered the cities they had taken into captivity. So powerful is prayer from the heart of an intercessor. They could have sought the Lord without going into captivity. They were honest enough to put away their strange gods and seek the Lord. They were willing to take counsel from the man of God. They fasted and made a public confession. That is a good lesson for us if we want to become prayer warriors. That is a good lesson for our nation. If our leaders would earnestly pray and seek Cod, instead of going through a form, we would overcome our enemies without and within. Is i1 possible to pray without surrendering our wills? The Children of Israel wanted to be like other people. They wanted a king. They kept on until Cod granted them their request to their sorrow. (Hosea 13:11). Although he knew they were stubborn and rebellious, Samuel continued to pray for them (I Sam. R:16). Yet he protested earnestly. It took a great intercessor to pray for a rebellious people as they were. He told them that he would not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for them (I Sam. 12 :2:3). That brings things under a different light. 1Ie said that we are sinning against the Lord when we fail to pray for even rebellious people. Although they praved against God's will Samuel formed a habit of praying for them. As all ,\2:oc1I,v leaders do, he warned them and told them of their mistake. He did not only pray for them but he taught the right wav. That is an example to all those with a desire to he intercessors. Is there ever a time that we should stop praying for a person? There is a sin unto death. I do not say that vou should pray for it. (I John Ii :16). Samuel was burdened for the people, He cried and prayed for them all night. (I Sam. 15: 11). The Lord told him to not prnv and mourn for Saul any more, because JIe had rejected him. (1 Sam. 16:1). The Spirit of the Lord had left him. An evil spir it took possession of him (l Sam. IG :14). The Lord answered him no more, neither by , dreams, nor bv Urirn, nor by prophets (I Sam. 2S :6). God departed from him and answered him no more (T Sam. 2S: 15). He began to do the things that he had passed a death penalty on people for doing. He sought counsel from the 21

devil. A suicide spirit took hold of him and he went down forever into darkness. There are two lessons for us. One is that we must be faithful to intercede for people while the Lord is faithful to put them 011 our heart, for it may come a day that there will be no use to pray for them. Second, people must pray and obey God wh ile it will do some good, for there may be a clay when He will not hear our prayers, if we reject Him. It is a trusted privilege for LlS when God comes down in us, lets the Spirit of Christ intercede through us, and hold back j uc1gment from people. God is seeking for a man now to stand in the gap, make up the hedge, and hold back the judgment that is on its way (Ezek. :22:30). He will use you if you will dedicate him a regular time and place and commune with Him. Is it a waste of time to stay alone with God sometimes? To the natural mind it seems that way sometimes. But what God does in five minutes time is worth it all. The enemy has told me at times that I was wasting time as I fasted and prayed for many days. Then as I saw people delivered from devils, disease, and sin in a second's time, that was worth everything. God can do more in a minute than we can a year. Perhaps the enemy told Elijah that he was wasting time by staying down at the Brook Cherith for eighteen months. He had announced the drought to the king, then slipped away to hide for over three years. Just the miracle that saved the widow woman's life, or the raising of her son from the dead, was worth all his waiting on the Lord. He knew what it was to be alone with the Lord. All his life he had been in seclusion. That is why he knew the voice of God. He did not spend his time listening to people from Hollywood. Just the very time that the nation goes into apostasy is the time for some man of God to dwell in the caves and mountains, in intercession. Elij ah had separated himself from the trend of the world; he knew the voice of God; so he feared not kings, men, 01 devils. He was fed by the ravens. When the brook dried up he went on to ask the widow woman to give him the last cake between her and starvation. As she did the life of her and her son was saved. 22

I:

The ones who make a sacrifice in giving are the ones who receive the greatest miracles many times. Does the devil sometimes fight prayer warriors'? The more the Lord works the more Satan works. Moses found this to be true. Elijah found this to be true as he and the woman and her son was living on a continuous miracle. As the meal in the barrel and the oil in the cruise were multiplying each day, somehow a deadly illness crept into that home and took away the only son of the widow. She started to blame Elijah, thinking that he had come to call her sin to remembrance (I Kings 17 :18). Elijah did not panic. He believed Cod. He knew the voice of the Spirit. Elijah began to exercise the bold faith which he had secured as he was alone with God in the wilderness. The woman was full of fear. That is why Elijah carried the boy to another room, where he could be alone with the Lord, where there was no fear, unbelief and grief. He knew that such a spirit would hinder faith from working. After he felt the presence of faith, which is the absence of doubt, fear, and unbelief, he talked to the Lord as if He were right there with him. It was not a long prayer. Although there was no record of anyone being raised back to life, he waxed bold and asked the impossible. In a short prayer of about a dozen words he saw a miracle that inspired men for centuries. And we are men of like passion as Elijah (James fi :17). Elijah believed that the Lord was his Cod, as well as the next man's. He said, "0 Lord my God I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again." TIe saw a miracle that restored the faith of the woman in God, and in him as God's servant. Does it take long' prayers for God to work? The minister who prays very little in secret sometimes prays very long in public. The one who prays very much in secret ,g'eh the job done in public by a very short prayer. The carnal people. who spend no time in secret prayer, and are not acquainted with the mind of the Spirit, sometime complain because we do not prnv long enough for them. It is not the long prayer that heals. Elijah hac! praved for months and veal's. He knew the will of Cod. He threw out the challenge that the God that

answered by fire would be God. The people said it was well spoken. They always will agree with us there. After all the wood, water (mel the altar was in place, Elijah did not pray very long. He simply talked to the Lord like he was acquainted with Him. He had communed with Him alone, and knew His voice, and was acquainted with His presence. The false prophets, who never prayed in secret screamed and prayed loud and long. But God answered the few words that Elijah prayed in public. The fire fell! A revival was brought to a nation (I Kings lR :26-27).

Is it all right to pray for puhlic miracles? Jesus knew it was all right. He did his miracles before the people, which built their faith (Mark 2). The disciples did their miracles out on the street. (Acts 5). Paul said these things were not done in a corner. Elijah called all the people together in order to prove to them that God was alive, that He was the true God. He did not respond to the challenge that someone else threw out. He was the man of God that threw out the challenge. He had dwelt in God's presence until he knew the time was ripe. He moved as God moved. That is our credentials. These signs will follow them that believe. It was not Elijah's sermon that convinced the people. It was the miracle that took place in public. In Africa we had thousands of people who had been taught that Jesus was just another prophet, that was dead and buried, as some of the other prophets. We simply told them that we would pray for some blind and deaf people. If they were healed that would prove that Jesus was alive, that lIe could do the same works that He did before they crucified Him. As I prayed a simple prayer, very short, there were about forty-seven blind people and seventy-four deaf people healed. Also there were about twenty-five hundred miracles that took place during that short prayer. As this took place, the people were convinced. Thousands of them came to accept Jesus as their Savior, saying, "Jesus is alive; Jesus is alive!" We had tarried in the presence of God until we knew His voice and knew the time to speak. The longer the private prayer the shorter the public prayer.

Does the devil sometimes discourage us from prnyirur ? Elijah caught the devil unprepared when he called fire down from heaven, He proved God and had hundreds of the false prophets killed, He brought revival to a nation. The value of secret prayer is that you know the mind of God; you can frame up on the devil and do something before he has time to build up resistance against you. While Elijah was still under the anointing, he publicly announced to the people that it was going to rain. He told the people they could go and eat and drink. But instead of eating he went out to pray for rain, Evidently the devil, which is the power and prince of the air, had disturbed the elements, and mustered up all the resistance he could. So Elijah met with a battle. He had to pray seven times. The very sight of the natural surroundings was enough to discourage an ordinary man. B'ut Elijah was not just an ordinary man. He covered up his lookers when he started to pray. lIe put his head down between his knees. He had a servant working with him that did not seem to have too much faith. He was not much encouragement to Elijah. He reminds me of some of the interpreters we had in Africa, or of some pastor that has not seen a revival in a long time. The servant did not seem too much enthused, One lady where we went to have a revival said, "You can't have a revival here as long as the ch urch is in the condition it is." I told her that was the very time we needed a revival. The servant was never heard of before and disappeared from the scene shortly afterwards. He was not very close to Elijah as he called the fire down from heaven. He may have been one of those that poured water on the sacrifice. Many people can pO'UI' cold water on what we do when we start to have a revival. When Elijah sent him to see if there was a sign of rain he returned and said, "There is nothing." The verv tone of his words reminds us of how some people talk when we are believing for a revival. The servant's talk was not so encouraging when he did see something. He said he saw a cloud all right, but it was like a man's hand. He seemed to take time to stress that it was small, When God starts to working there are people that will
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24

count the number of chairs, the number of converts, the number of people who receive the Holy Ghost, and the number of people who are not healed. They will stress the failures. They are not looking for something great. They will say it is the work of the hand of men . But it is not the hand of man. It is the hand of God. When God begins to do something it is never small. It is great to us. It was great to Elijah. He saw something great in that. He bezan to run and said there was a great rain in that o cloud! (I Kings 18 :45). When God's hand wrote on the walls of the King's palace Daniel saw the evil powers of Babylon fall. When the hand of God begins to move today we see the powers of evil and discouragment tumble down. There is a great rain coming! The drought is breaking up. Even if you have prayed seven times for something you can now begin to run, for the hand of God is stretched o'u t. A praying man will not grow discouraged when the sky is cloudless. He will pray earnestly and persistantly. He will fast and pray until he sees God's hand begin to move. Then he will stop praying and begin to act. Can the r-ight kind of companion encourage prayer warriors? Some men can never be intercessors because of their selfish wives. Some women can never be real prayers because of their husband that is jealous of God taking so much of their time. Somehow Peter's wife let him tarry on top of the house and pray instead of demanding so much of his time, in making a flunky boy out of him. So many pastors turn out to be taxi boys and haul people around all day instead of being prayer warriors. Every successful pastor needs a helper to do the things that his time is too valuable to use doing. A man's time that prays is too valuable to be running to the store after bread or taking his wife window shopping or anything that someone else can do. Just as Elijah caught the devil unprepared so the devil caught him unprepared. It seemed that while Elijah was exalted in the time of success and victory he had accepted an invitation right to the gates of Jazreel (l Kings 18 :46). He had been under a great strain and needed a rest. There he met the crisis of his life. He received word that J ezebel

was going to take off his head. (I Kings 19 :2). He was in the natural. IIe was a man of like passion as we are (James )). Th is is when he listened to his servant, who told him to arise and get o'ut of the country as fast as he could. He and his servants fled for their lives. One day he calls down fire. The next day he runs from a woman. His servant left him while he was at Beersheba, while he was down. The help that turns against you while you are having a battle is not needed. You need some help that will hold your hands up in the battle. All men forsook Paul except Luke. Luke is the kind of help that every man of God needs. Don't do like John Mark, leave the evangelist while he is in a revival. Later on God gave Elijah a man to help him that stuck with him in all circumtances. He poured water on his hands and encouraged him. Elisha turned out to be a real man of prayer. He received a double portion that Elijah had. His ministry started as he traveled with a man of God and encouraged him to pray. He was willing to take care of the minor matters and let Elijah give himself to the Word of God and prayer. Do people sometimes pray foolish prayers? It is possible while we are in the natural to pray amiss to consume it on our own lust. While Elijah was running, while he was discouraged, under the juniper tree, he prayed that he might die. He would rather die in the arms of the Lord than by the sword of the enemy. He was an unhappy man. He was miserable. God knows just how much we can bear. He was patient with Elijah. He knew the prayer was foolish. (I Kings 19: 4). The Lord gave him some angel's food. He told him to arise and eat, for his journey was long. He went forty days on the strength of that food. It was a feast instead of a fast. His ministry was greater than ever! He followed so close to the Lord that he was caught up alive! Many intercessors today who are faithful will do likewise. Is temperance necessary for a prayer warrior? Personally I have found for thirty years that it is better to have my hour of prayer before I eat a large meal. After eating and drinking there is a natural resistance that does not always yield to the Spirit of God. 27

26

The prophet Daniel, who was a national known prayer warrior found that he must be temperate. His prayer life covered almost a period of one hundred years, when kingdoms rose and fell. The prayers of Daniel changed the course of the nations and the history of the world. He had great power in prayer. Of course, Daniel was an educated man who measured up to the king's standards. He did not depend on his education, but on the Spirit of the living God. He refused to depend on his education, but on the Spirit of the living God. He refused to defile himself with the king's meat. He cut his food down to a vegetable diet for a time (He would not over indulge in some things that were legitimate. It would be good if each nation had a spiritual advisor who would pray like Daniel. It is said that many of our senators will not vote until they consult a fortune teller first.

2B). Even the sinful king could see that Daniel was not seeking the glorv for himself. So he promoted him to be his chief deput v and sat him in the }!)lrden (Dan. 2A~)). In all this he remembered his companions that helped him pray. He saw that thev also were promoted.

Is a prayer band necessary sometimes? It is said that one man can pray the prayer of faith. That is true. Any time one person prays in faith something will take place. However, there comes a time that we need to band together against the powers of the enemy, so we can overcome, and can pray a prayer of faith. One can chase a thousand and two can put ten thousand to flight. The powers of darkness were fighting against Daniel. The king demanded that the wise men tell him both the dream and the interpretation. This the wise men could not do. But Daniel had spiritual wisdom. He asked for time. It takes time to fight through to victory in prayer many times. Most people are in such a hurry that they say a quick prayer and run. Daniel had in his prayer group other young men who had a burden. A prayer group is needed in the government and in all levels. We need companions in prayer. Paul solicited prayer in most every letter. Jesus asked the disciples to watch with Him one hour, there as He prayed in the garden. As Daniel prayed it was revealed to him in a night vision what the king had dreamed. God also gave him the interpretation, which revealed God's plan for the ages. We should follow his example. As he came to tell the king what the Lord had revealed to him no praise was given to himself, but all the honor was given to the Lord. (Dan. 2 :19~

Will not prayer warriors sometimes he attacked by Satan? Some of the greatest battles have come to my life because I prayed. That is why some folk refuse to be an intercessor, because great battles will loom up before them. Satan was angry because Daniel prayed. He attacked Daniel's prayer p.utncrs while Daniel was not present. He will try to cut our godly companions off frorn us a few at a time. If he can cut our group down to one or two he can either defeat us or greatly weaken us. Satan knew that Daniel had a great influence over Shadrach, Mesliach and Abednego, so he worked with some evil men to cause a law to be passed, which made it a death penalty if they would not worship the gods of Babylon. It was either to bow down before the image, sixtv feet high, or be thrown into a furnace of fire, heated seven times more than normal. These three men had gained a faith and confidence that is given nowhere else but in earnest prayer. They made a decision that thev would neither bow nor burn. Thev said that. "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and IIE \\'1 L L DELIVEI-~ US." (Dan. g : 16-18) . All men of faith not only know that the Lord is able, but thev know I Ie will. for they. have received that assurance of praver as they communed with Il im. Therefore, they can speak boldly with author itv. So three men served notice on the proud king that thcv would not bow. Soon these three praving boys were walking around in that fiery furnace. The fire burned the cords off. The fire burned the men up that threw them into the furnace. These men were not scorched. A Fourth Ma n was walking: around in that fire with those prayer warriors! 1Ie will always walk through the fire with us if we are faithful to pray. If we .!2:0 to Him in the day we will k now' the way at night. (Dan.
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The king made a decree that the people of the whole world would respect the Cod of the l Iehrew Children, and no one speak against Jehovah Cod. under penalty of death. The king believed ill the ministry of deliverance then, for he could not keep from it. He had just seen a great miracle of deliverance. The devil made another mistake. He saw the prayer warriors, which he hated, promoted. Cod can make everything work together for good if the Spirit intercedes through us. He will do it. (Hom. R:26-2S) . Must we pray for men in authority'? How few men actually pray for the president of the United States. Yet millions criticize him. God can answer a prayer for the salvation of king or president if lIe can for your own children. Most people have heard of the country boy who went into the palace of the president of Argentena and caused him to confess Christ as His Saviour. As Daniel and his three friends were faithful in their prayer band, God was work ing with King N ebuchadnezzar. The king had already been convinced that Jehovah was the great God of the heavens. He had another dream and called Daniel to interpret it. Daniel was brought face to face with the most powerful person in the world, whose word was life or death. Daniel prayed for him and spoke to him in convincing tones about serving the true God. He brought him a warning and a revelation from the True God. He preached without fear or favor to the ruler of the world. He held back nothing. (Dan. 4: 19). A prayer warrior must be faithful when Goel gives him a message or a warning, even if the message is to the man in authority. Daniel advised the king to break off his sins bv r ivht eousness and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. He told him if he would do so his life would be lengthened. (Dan. 4:27). Daniel's words had a tremendous effect on this ruler, out the king was too full of pride to yield to the tender pleadings of the Holy Ghost. IIe continued on in his pride as millions today, though they know the warning is from Goel. The king exalted himself instead of giving the glory of God (Dan. 4 :30).
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Is an intercessor called on to pronounce judg-ment some ti .imes ? . Although Moses prayed he pronounced the judgment that would fall on people should they resist the Spirit. So did Samuel, Paul and others. They discerned the spirit as they prayed. Intercessors see with a spir-itual eye the judgment corning. If they fail to warn men their blood will be required at their hands. Daniel was faithful to warn Ncbuchadnozzar. The sentence of judgment came 011 the king. An insanity spirit took hold of him. For seven long years he was driven out in the dew with the cattle. His nails grew out like claws. He went wild. He was with the beast of the forest (Dan. 4: 15, 33). Thousands of people today will be bound by demon spirits of insanity and suicide if they resist the Spirit of God, and rebel against the praying saints, that made intercession for them. They are not dealing with mere human beings; they are dealing with the Spirit of God. They will be set free or they will be bound by demons. When Saul resisted the intercessory prayers of the faithful, praying man, Samuel, a suicide Spirit took over and carried him swiftly down to destruction. Jesus prayed all night just before He chose Judas. lIe trusted J udas, by giving him a ministry of healing the sick and casting out devils. Yet Judas resisted all this and sold out to the devil. He rebelled against the Holy Spirit. A demon of suicide took over. lIe went clown in to the region of the damned forever! There he is wrestling with the clemons in the regions of darkness now. ITe will be there forever! It is a sad time when God lifts that burden from one of His intercessors, and not let him pray any more for a man or woman. While someone is praving for you, it is the time to yield to the calling and the pleading of the Spirit. Daniel was faithful to Goel and kept pmv ins; for Nebuchadnezzar, Finally he won this great monarch to his God. He was delivered from insanity and was restored to his right mind. You keep the faith; keep your prayer life lip to elate. If God has trusted vou with a ministry . of intercession that is the , greatest ministry' thai any man can have. You can never be promoted a nv highe.' than that in this world. As Daniel
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--was permitted to ~:o into the presence of the king, as his personal friend. so you can go into the prcscuce of the Great King of l Icavcn, there to make vour petition for kings, rulers, sinful men, and all mun. J~e faithful to the trust He has given to vou. Don't do a~J thousands of others, get so busy in the minor things that vou ne:.. rlect vour regular hour to pray. Start rig-ht now. Write and tell me that vou are doing so .. In Jesus Name, I am praying f'or you as you read these lines that you will make a decision that \'OU will have a regular time and place. Call upon Him now .. He is near you, waiting for vou to speak. Amen ..

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