2010 - 2011 24/7 Prayer Resource Manual

24-7 PRAYER Resource Manual July 2010 – December 2011

July 2009 - July 2010

2

I remain convinced that our usefulness to God and our Kingdom impact is rooted in the intimacy of our prayer lives. God’s love for us is passionate and consuming and He longs to take us deeper into relationship with Him. Are you willing? Will you risk being transformed into the person God made you to be?

The worldwide 24-7 Prayer movement continues to gain momentum and in this territory we have seen God moving powerfully in answer to prayer.

The resources provided via our 24-7 Prayer website and in this manual are tools which we can all benefit from. I urge you to spend some time seeking out a new understanding of God, and the means to nourish your relationship with Him. Learn from those who share their journey and insights with us through this manual. But more than all the reading, studying and learning, let me testify that it is in the practice of prayer that the greatest advances are made.

Will you make the commitment with me this year to a more intimate relationship with God? Will you press in, allowing His Spirit to fill, equip and empower you for His works?

We cannot do battle on the many fronts The Salvation Army advances against—the darkness or our world—without Salvos who are fit for the fight. If we are unable to grasp how high and wide and deep our Father’s love for us is, and if we are lacking in power because we have not asked for more of God’s Spirit in us, then we will be limited in our capacity to serve others and to see souls saved.

When we are a praying Army that embraces and lives God’s promise that we can ask anything in His name and He will do it, then we are an unstoppable force.

Take hold of the great mission God has given us as His Army of Salvation. Believe that He will equip and lead us to fulfil his purposes. Pray with power and authority, not just because we can, but because the world needs us to.

Sincerely

Commissioner James Knaggs Territorial Commander Australia Southern Territory

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

3

This past year of 24-7 has been absolutely amazing. Of the 162 corps throughout the territory, 150 participated in a time of 24-7 prayer. Of that number, 42 corps were participating for the first time, which is just wonderful.

Six corps committed to a regular time of prayer, for instance 24 or 48 hours once a month. This includes Melbourne Corps Project 614 which prays for several days at a time throughout the year. Last September they were down for a few days of prayer, but were having so much fun they just kept going, for nine days! Noarlunga Corps (SA) has a permanent prayer room which operates 24-7 in cooperation with six other churches in the area.

Every corps has done a remarkable job and I wouldn’t normally pick one out, but I really feel I must share what is happening at York Corps (WA). Envoy Carol O’Leary must be tired of me continually ringing her to confirm that this is still accurate, as I still find it hard to believe that the corps sustains what I am about to tell you.

York Corps had 25 people including children, when I first began conversations with Carol over a year ago. It has grown, as I write today, to 35. With this number of people and an incredible priority for prayer, York continues to commit to, and has done for the past three years, 13 hours for prayer every Friday (that’s 7–9am and 1.30 in the afternoon to 12.30 at night!). They also have an extra weekly prayer meeting on top of that—absolutely staggering. You can read more about that on the web site and in On Fire 5 June.

Now down to what you’ll find in this year’s resource manual pages.

Over this past year I have been considering why some people don’t pray and I’ll be addressing some of the influencing factors in my article ‘Who is God?’.

Following the introduction of the prophetic last year, I wanted to expand this area to include prophetic prayer. Lyndall Bywater, UK Territory Prayer Coordinator, has written a great article explaining how it works.

Lieut-Colonels Janet and Richard Munn (International Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and ICO principal respectively), have contributed some creative new ideas on how to pray.

Building on Major Brian Pratt’s article from last year on the need for corporate prayer, this year he looks at the influence of interdenominational prayer .

This year I wanted to have a look at prayer for physical healing, and what better place to start than an article by General William Booth himself. I’ve included supportive text from Salvation Story in this section and I explore the connection between holiness and wholeness and its potential influence on health.

I hope that these pages will inspire you to consider what is possible with commitment to prayer and I encourage you to use the material for sermons, teaching, devotions, Bible studies or to leave in prayer rooms for your people to read.

It is available on the web site in PDF form to use in whatever way you would like.

Faithfully

Captain June Knop 24-7 Prayer Coordinator

Phone: (03) 8878 2315 | Fax: (03) 8878 4840 Email: june.knop@aus.salvationarmy.org Web: www.salvationarmy.org.au/24-7

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

4

Contents

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

Comm. Jim Knagg’s address to the territory

2

Note from June Knop

3

Devotional Planner

5

Who is God?

6

Prayer for physical healing

10

Wholeness, health and healing

15

Holiness and wholeness

16

Pleading the blood

20

Prophetic prayer

22

Spiritual gifts

26

God blesses unity

28

Praying the Bible

32

Circles of influence

36

Call to Prayer and Mission

38

5

Devotional Planner for Prayer Room Use the manual for teaching material on helpful sections of each topic, and create handouts for people to take home or to use in the prayer room, by cutting and pasting from the manual in the resource section of the 24-7 web site.

Day 1 – Who is God? 1 Kings 19:1-13 and Ephesians 6:10–18 Day 2 – Prayer for physical healing, James 5:10–18 Day 3 – Holiness and wholeness, Isaiah 53:4-5 and 58:1–13 Day 4 – Prophetic prayer, 1Corinthians 14:1–25 Day 5 – God blesses unity, John 17:20–25 Day 6 – Praying the Bible—see references in the article

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–Decemeber 2011

6

Who is God? Captain June Knop

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

7

Who is God?

The world as God intended it

Who we think God is and what we believe He is like will affect how we feel about Him and whether we want to have a relationship with Him, which will ultimately affect how we pray or whether we pray at all.

For instance, do we see God as a wrathful god who is intent on teaching us a lesson through horrendous circumstances? Is He a god who is responsible for catastrophic disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes and bushfires that claim the lives of innocents­—that punish us for not worshipping Him? Maybe He’s a god who is distant; ‘up there’ and removed from us ‘down here’, who is only interested in us when we act in certain restrictive, religious ways.

Do we see Him as a god of love, who wants more than anything to be as close to us as possible and does all that He can so that we can experience life in all its fullness?

Are you stuck on questions such as why God allows horrible things in the world or, if He is all powerful, why doesn’t He stop children from being sexually attacked by predators? And why does He allow starvation in Africa or pain or suffering generally?

To begin to understand who God is and why these issues exist, we need to go back to the beginning of time and look at the world that God created.

In the first chapter of Genesis we are introduced to God the creator. He created the universe and everything within it. There was food for all, people had a purpose and every need was met—physical, emotional, social and spiritual. It was a world that God described as ‘good’ (Genesis. 1:31).

I love the picture of God walking in the garden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening each day (Genesis. 3:8), maybe talking over all of the things that had happened that day and just being together. It’s a beautiful picture of friendship, peace and harmony—embracing our relationship with God, between people and the environment.

But we were not created to be robots. God created free will as well. He created us to have a relationship with Him; but a relationship that is built on love, care and respect, not on coercion.

Free will and its consequences With free will came our capacity to act inde-pendently and contrary to the way God wanted us live. Genesis describes the introduction of sin into the world, when we chose to disobey God’s command. This led to a fallen and broken world; a world not as He had intended it.

This led to separateness from that intimate original relationship with God and the introduction into the world of such things as sickness, poverty, injustice and hardship in a variety of forms.

Even so, God did not give up on us. In an effort to bring us back into relationship with Him, He gave us the 10 commandments listed in Exodus 20:1–17 and standards for a holy life in Leviticus 18 and 19, as a guide to a better world that would provide care for all in a just way.

God primarily wanted a world governed by relationship not law, but the detrimental choices people made, affecting others, made law a necessity. In both the Old and New Testaments we see a call to relationship (first found in Leviticus 19:18) and to love others as ourselves. In Hosea 6:6 we read God’s plea, ‘I don’t want your sacrifices, I want your love’, and in Matthew 22:37–40 Jesus clarifies the greatest commandment as loving God with all of our hearts and secondly loving others as ourselves. These two commandments fulfil the requirements of the law. God has always wanted to be close to us.

And so we chose independence from God, the consequences of which included having to provide for our needs—tilling the ground in conditions that weren’t perfect, as before (Genesis. 3:17–19).

Free choice also opened up the potential for us to be affected by other people’s free will, in ways that included manipulation, abuse, violence and perversity.

For more information on this topic see Salvation Story, chapter 3, ‘The Doctrine of God the Father incorporating the problem of evil’ and chapter 6, ‘The Doctrine of Humanity including the origin and consequences of sin’.

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

8

The influence of satan* Satan exercised his free choice to leave heaven and we are told that he has dominion over the earth (Luke 4:5–6, John 12:31, John 14:30, 16:11, 1 John 5:19) and that his purpose is to ‘steal, kill and destroy’ (John 10:10).

I think of the devil as responsible for many ‘D’ words yy Deceit—he manipulates you to believe lies yy Destruction—destroys all that is good yy Death—does all that he can to move you from a relationship with Jesus who is the giver of eternal life yy Doubt—makes you question God’s word and His goodness yy Discouragement—draws your attention away from God and to your problems yy Diversion—makes the wrong things seem attractive so that you will want them more than the right things yy Defeat—makes you feel a failure so you give up trying

disasters were instances of divine displeasure.

Luke 13:1–5 says, ‘About that time, Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?

Not at all!…And what about the 18 people who died when the tower of Shiloam fell on them?

Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you too will perish.”

Sometimes things happen not because they are intentionally evil or good, but simply because they are part of living in our world.

Sometimes we get sick because there is infection and we have come into contact with it.

I love the book of Ecclesiastes that was written

by Solomon, a man renowned for his wisdom. It is very down-to-earth with regard to daily life.

For example it says: yy There are ironies of life; if you dig a well, you might fall in (10:6) or if you work in a quarry a stone might fall and crush you (10:9).

yy Delay—facilitates procrastination so that you yy There are injustices of life; there is sometimes put off doing things evil in the courtroom (3:16). yy Disease—some illness has a demonic base. yy There are uncertainties in life; but a farmer who It’s strange that when we are faced with tragedies, waits for perfect weather will never plant (11:4). we tend to say, ‘Where is God in all of this?’, rather than giving the devil his due. Satan must laugh when God gets the blame. When you blame God for these things, the devil has deceived you, caused you to doubt, brought destruction and potentially death.

Disasters and God I love 1 Kings 19:11–12 where God is speaking to Elijah and He is giving him a glimpse of who He is. ‘“Go and stand before me on the mountain”, the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.’

God wasn’t in the violence; He was the still, quiet voice that helps us through, and Elijah recognised that.

Jesus also corrected those who taught that all

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

‘God does nothing on the earth save in answer to believing prayer.’

John Wesley

Spiritual War In our modern world, with its logical and scientific explanations of nearly all things, we have divorced the natural from the spiritual world. We have forgotten we live in a spiritual world and it has effects on the natural. There is mystery; not all can be explained, and we may not always understand—that is part of Christian faith and life.

But make no mistake, we are part of a spiritual war.

Salvation Story, appendix 6 on ‘Spiritual Warfare’ says, ‘We believe we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seeking to overthrow the Church and frustrate its task of world evangelisation. We know our need to equip ourselves with God’s armour and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapons of truth and prayer…’

Ephesians 6:12–18 says, ‘We are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore put on every piece of God’s armour…’

Justice is spelt ‘Just Us’ For some reason God has chosen to work in this world through us and I think, ‘Lord I’m not sure that was the best way of accomplishing your will here on earth. We are at times so weak, fallible and distracted from your way.’

Dutch Sheets, in his book Intercessory Prayer , discusses the idea of intercessors acting as ‘go betweens’—between God and those they represent. Those who pray become ‘representatives’ of those they are praying for.

Originally Adam was God’s representative on earth, caring and managing the world He had made. Adam was given authority over the world

by God himself (Genesis.1:29–30, 9:2), but Adam gave it away and it passed to satan when Adam chose to disobey.

So determined was God to right what had been done that He sent Jesus to live among us, to gain victory over satan, to teach us our rights and responsibilities, and He empowered us by the Holy Spirit to achieve what was necessary (see last year’s manual for more on this).

Jesus became God’s representative while he lived on earth. After the cross, however, we became his representatives—interceding for the needs of the people and the world, moving God with our prayers.

Jesus speaking to God in John 17:18 says, ‘Just

9

as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world’.

God, although all-powerful and all-knowing, has chosen to limit Himself to working in this world through us. He assures us that if we are living as He has asked us to live (i.e. a holy life) then He will hear our prayers and will answer them (2 Chronicles 7:14–15).

‘I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and greater works, because I am going to the Father. You can ask anything in my name and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name and I will do it’ (John 14:12–14).

The awesome revelation is that we release God’s ability to work in this world through our prayers.

Maybe instead of asking, ‘Why does God allow thousands to die of starvation in Africa?’ or ‘Why does He let little children suffer abuse?’, we should ask ourselves, ‘What am I doing to release God in this world?’ or ‘How much time have I spent praying for the specific needs of Africans or the safety of children in society. Have I prayed like their lives depended on it? Have I been so moved with compassion for the needs of others that I have cried in my prayers? Have I been so moved by someone’s need that I have spent an hour in prayer for them?’

God calls us to partner with Him, to change the world; to change it back to what He always intended it should be.

He calls us to prayer; to activate heaven and to release what is necessary for change.

He calls us to spiritual warfare, recognising the destruction that satan facilitates and to a life of holiness.

He calls us to mission; creating change in unjust political, economic and social systems. I f there is star vation in the world, what are we doing to change that?

will become a priority for you. God will become a companion along the way that you cannot do without, just as it was in the beginning. * You’ll notice that I never capitalise the ‘s’ in satan. I recognise that it is a proper noun and in our language we capitalise the first letter of those words, but I want in no way to elevate satan in any form, not even the written form. To me satan is synonymous with snake—undeserving of a capital ‘s’.

1. Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer, (Regal, California), 1996. pp:24–32

‘Is prayer really necessary?

I believe it is because our prayers can bring revival.

They can bring healing.

We can change a nation.

Strongholds can come down when and because we pray.’

Who is our God? He is a loving, saving, redeeming and pursuing god who, at all costs, including His son’s life, is doing everything so that we will experience life in all its fullness (where every need is met). Do you see that you have a part to play?

Understand who your God is. Make it part of your mission to know Him and then, as your knowledge and understanding increases, you will find yourself wanting to talk (pray) with Him more and more. I believe you will find in fact, that prayer

Dutch Sheets Intercessory Prayer 1996

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

10

10

The subject of Faith Healing, or Divine Healing as it is sometimes called, has of late obtained some prominence, and certain views have been put forward with regard to it which are contrary to our Orders and Regulations and opposed to the teaching of Scripture, and which, if received amongst us, would be calculated to create controversy, and thereby interfere with the peace, power, and progress of the Army.

The following are the main propositions contained in our Orders and Regulations for Field Officers on the subject. (Part 1. Chap. 4. Sec. 2 ): A. By Faith Healing, or Divine Healing, is to be understood the recovery of persons afflicted with serious diseases, by the power of God, in answer to faith and prayer, without the use of ordinary means, such as doctors, medicines and the like.

B. That God should heal the sick after this fashion is in perfect harmony with the views and experience of The Salvation Army from the beginning. Nothing to the contrary has ever been taught by our authority, and numerous instances of Faith Healing have occurred throughout its history.

C. The teaching of the Bible is in favour of this method of healing. The following passage, taken alone, proves this: ‘Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him’ (James 5:14,15). If there were no other, this passage alone would be sufficient; but there are numerous texts in the Book to the same effect.

D. The healing of the sick directly by the power of God has from the beginning been associated with the office of prophets, priests, teachers, apostles and, indeed of all those, known by whatever name, who have been the agents of God on the earth.

E. When Jesus Christ sent forth His apostles, He gave them power

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

not only to preach, but to heal the sick.

F. Nevertheless, from the beginning there can be no question that God has also been pleased to heal sickness and disease by the use of appropriate means. He has, it is true, in some instances, chosen to preserve health without food, but, as a rule, if men want to keep health, they must use suitable means. Just so with restoration of health, when it is lost.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that we have never discouraged officers, or soldiers, or any other persons, from seeking the intervention of God by believing prayer on behalf either of the healing of their bodies or the removals of any other afflictions which they may have been called upon to suffer. The very opposite has been the case.

With all our hearts we hold that God is the answer to Believing Prayer. When men cast themselves upon His promises, and comply with the conditions connected with them, He responds to their faith to-day, as in the years gone by, by pardoning their sins, by purifying their hearts, by comforting them in their sorrows, by delivering them out of the various distresses which fall to their lot; and, when He sees it will be for their good and His glory, we believe that He answers the prayer of faith by healing them when they are sick.

In illustration of God’s goodness to us in this respect the history of the Army is full of remarkable answers to what is called the prayer of faith, and I am full of confidence that we shall see far more remarkable things done by His almighty arm in this direction in the future. The columns of our different War Crys have recorded, from time to time, hundreds, nay, thousands of instances, showing that God has been graciously pleased, in answer to Believing Prayer, to go out of His usual way in order to work

11

The Salvation Army and Physical Healing General William Booth

marvels on behalf of our people. Some of these occurrences have been so striking, and so unmistakably of the Divine operation, that entire communities have wondered at them. Amongst other remarkable things of this character have been: A. The conscious forgiveness of men and women who have lived long years in the practice of the basest kinds of sins. Has not this been the wonderful work of God? For who can forgive sins but God only?

B. Deliverance from the bondage of the most degrading evil habits, such as: The curse of drunkenness, which has reduced men lower than the level of the beasts; The power of the unclean lusts and passions, which has brought them lower still; The cruel mastery of opiates and other unlawful appetites, which has made them slaves without a ray of hope; The power of hatred and revenge, which has gone near to make them in outward acts what they already were in heart, murderers on earth and ready to be fiends in hell; And many other equally blighting and deadly sins.

C. There have been diseases that no human power could modify or cure.

Magistrates, prisons, doctors, human sympathy, love, the strongest resolutions, and, indeed every other form of earthly remedy known to man, all combined have failed, but God has succeeded in effecting the desired cure.

D. Deliverance out of temporal distresses, such as poverty, persecution and other like afflictions. I question very much whether there has been a people since the Israelites of old who have been more favoured with marvellous manifestations of God’s power in the rescue of comrades from difficulty of one kind and another in temporal affairs than we have been privileged to witness. In matters relating to family troubles, in dark perplexities concerning our future path, in crushing burdens of poverty and want, in the fiery trials of slander, in the furnace of awful temptation and persecution, when every door has been closed and every human help cut off, we have seen our people

again and again gloriously delivered by the hand of God, in answer to the prayer of faith.

E. I do not believe that there can be a corps of The Salvation Army, at home or abroad, in which such signs and wonders have not been wrought.

F. And then, have not marvellous cures of various dire diseases been wrought amongst us also?

G. Have

we not seen men and women and little children raised up from the borders of the grave, and restored to health and vigour, in answer to the prayer of faith? Have

we not seen cures affected in a moment when every human means has been tried, but tried and failed? When kindred and friends have been in absolute despair, and when the sufferer s themselves had concluded that there was no healing for them in this life, has not God appeared to them, and have they not been raised up, to go in and out amongst us again praising Him, and are not some of them with us to-day, have not some of them since passed away, glorifying the prayer-answering God on triumphant dying beds?

If all this had not been our experience as an Army, if we did not believe in the power of prayer, and see the proofs of it, how could we say that we are in the lines of the Apostles? How could we believe that we are true followers of Jesus Christ? How could we have claimed to have received the Holy Spirit? Blessed be God, it is true, and we are of those who can affirm, in the face of an unbelieving world and a doubting church, that our God is the hearer and the answerer of prayer.

And here let me remark in passing that I strongly desire that these instances of Divine interposition should greatly increase and multiply amongst us. The first, the main object, for which the Army exists is the bringing of lost sinners to God, training them in holiness of heart and life, teaching them to fight for Him, and leading

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

12

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

13

them onward in the great conflict with earth and hell, until they are called to join in the host of the redeemed.

That, I say, is the object for which the Army exists, but alas, the world, absolved with its vain pleasures and pursuits, cares for none of these things,

the performance of such miracles of faith as those to which I have referred is a powerful means of arresting attention to the claims of Jehovah and the realities of religion.

and

Men and women who have been the subjects of these remarkable manifestations of Divine power are sometimes spoken of by us as ‘Trophies of Grace.’ They are to be found, as I have said, in almost every corps throughout the world, where they not only command the attention of the multitudes who are without God, but compel a measure of faith in Him and in eternal things.

Therefore, oh! my comrades, I want you to labour mightily for their multiplication. To this end, I beg of you to urge upon each other the duty of believing prayer, the danger of this age lies in the direction of scepticism rather than fanaticism, terrible as the latter folly, and deplorable as are the con-

human skill. He pardons sins, changes hearts, delivers from trouble and temptation, and heals disease. yy That at times, specially when help is beyond all human skill or means, He works these wonders for His people and by no other means save prayer and faith. yy That where He has promised, in His word, to bestow the blessing we desire, we must believe without further evidence than that word affords. yy That though by His death Christ did not procure for man healing of the body in the same way that he obtained Salvation for the soul, yet He did die to bring him into relations with the Father that all the true needs of obedient and believing saints will be supplied. yy That we ought to take all our sicknesses to God, and pray in faith for their removal, but always with perfect submission to the Divine Will. yy That when the sick have the conviction wrought in their hearts by the Spirit/that God is willing to heal them, they are justified in believing that the work will be done for them. And when that conviction is wrought in God’s people on behalf of others who are sick, faith in Him for

sequences suffered by the community where it holds its frenzied sway.

Believing too little, rather than too much, is the evil we have most cause to dread. Oh, Lord, increase our faith! See to it then, my comrades, that you consider the necessity for more faith, and strive night and day, both in public and in private, to cast yourselves more fully on God than you have ever done before in all the exercises of your Salvation work—indeed, in all you think, and speak and do—for a richer supply of this urgent need:

their healing is both justified and commanded. yy That this conviction may, when it is not opposed to the Will of God, be attained by fasting and prayer. He will teach us what

A. Bring more faith into your praying. Do not be content with merely telling God about your wants or expressing your desires, or even in reminding yourself of His ability and willingness to supply your needs, but take hold of His word, and believe that He does, there and then, if it be His blessed Will, give you the things for which you ask.

yy That, where

B. Bring more faith into your singing. Follow the rule I have given you for prayer. Oh, what a help our precious songs ought to be to the exercise of faith. Sound the chorus over and over again; not for the mere pleasurable excitement caused by the repetition of the music, or for stirring up your hearts with holy desire, but because it helps you to forget all the impossibilities of unbelief, and assist you in the task of climbing up into the exercise of all-conquering faith.

Hunt up the miracles wrought in your life, past and present, describe the confidence you are reposing in God for the future, and tell

C. Bring more faith into your testimonies.

all out for the glory of God and the encouragement of your comrades.

D. Bring more faith into your talking. Describe the miracles of the

Bible in every-day language; search for the miracles of yesterday, and the day before, wrought amongst you; show what God has done, and what He is doing, which none but God can do for just such people, in just such circumstances, and with just such temptations and discouragements, as those who hear you. Glory in the God of power and pity, Who has promised to save them with the same great salvation if they will trust Him. From the platform and in the open-air, push men and women—soldiers, saints and sinners—up to faith in God.

We believe: yy That God hears and answers His people’s believing prayer. yy That in answer to prayer He does for them what is beyond the power of

to ask for. As the Apostle says, ‘We know not what we should pray for as we ought; but ... He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for Saints according to the will of God.’

the gift of healing the sick may have been imparted, it should be exercised to the glory of God, and

not to the exalting of man, and in entire subordination to the more important work of healing and sanctifying the soul. yy That we ought always to sympathise with the sick, pray in faith for their recovery, and, at the same time, use all available and

lawful means to check disease, relieve suffering, and prolong life.

yy That, in cases where God is not pleased to answer the prayer of faith, and to restore the sick person for whom intercession has been made, without the use of means, there ought to be a return to the use of the means that, in the providence of God, are usual and convenient in such sickness. yy That we ought to strive to look through the means thus used to God, recognising that if there be any virtue in a medicine, it is by the power of God, and if there be any skill in a surgeon, it is given him by God, to be employed for others. ‘For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things, to Whom be glory for ever.’

yyThat when sickness, suffering, affliction, or death seems to be in the order of God’s providence for us, or for those we love, and when having besought the Lord in submission and faith that these visitations may pass away, and He is not pleased to remove them or spare us from them, we ought to be resigned to His will, prove that His grace is sufficient for us, and thus, whether we live or die, glorify God. yy That none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

14

The ‘Wholiness Code’ Ancient Jewish beliefs and practices unite the concepts of healing, holiness and wholeness in such a comprehensive way that for some of us today in our modern world, where the things of the spirit, mind and body are so compartmentalised, we cannot fathom the connectedness, indeed their inseparable nature.

Within the four main streams of Judaic thought are two views about the Messiah. One view is that when the Messiah comes he will bring salvation, healing, the dead will be resurrected (all Jews and others who are righteous), war will no longer exist and sickness and disease will cease. Another view held by Jewish Reform and Reconstructionist movements is that humanity must work together to bring about the Messianic age.

Within all streams and practised for thousands of years, until very recently, was the study of Gematria. It is thought that Ezra the scribe first instituted this practice. In Hebrew every letter of the alphabet has a numerical value. Words in the Torah were therefore assigned particular values and scholars would examine these for the purpose of gaining new insights into interrelated words and concepts.

Rabi Pearl Barlev from the Bay Area Jewish Healing Centre in San Francisco, USA reflects on the Holiness Code from Leviticus 16:1–20:27, with particular reference to 19:2: ‘You will be holy because I your God am holy’.

‘I have come to read holiness, and in particular in this sentence, as an explanation of humankind’s umbilicus with that indefinable quality one ascribes to the God of Holiness and Wholeness. In this sense it defines the sacred territory of a person in sickness, pain, recovery, or in the plethora of other places where the human spirit craves healing. It is “healing” that connects “holiness” to “wholeness”

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

and transforms this connection to “wholiness”. ‘...this connection is confirmed by...gematria...[The] numerical value for “holiness”,when added to the gematria for “healing” equals the gematria for “wholeness”. The equation begs the intellect and the spirit to look for meanings suggested by this mathematical, mystical addition, which I have called the “Wholiness Code”.

‘The “Wholiness Code” is a guideline to wholeness. It illuminates a facet of the sacred process of the holiness of healing and the healing qualities of holiness.’

I find the study of Hebrew and Greek words and their meanings fascinating and I think it is noteworthy to draw your attention to the connectedness of the Greek words also for save, saviour, heal, whole and holy.

‘Sozo’ comes from the now obsolete root word ‘sos’ which means safe.‘Sozo’ means safe from injury, suffering, disease, and to rescue, deliver and restore to health—including both the physical and spiritual. The King James version translates this word to mean ‘be whole’. From this root word we get ‘Soter’ which means Saviour, ‘Soteria’ which means health, ‘diasozo’ which means heal, to make whole, and very interestingly we get the word ‘Esoteros’, which mean Holy of Holies.

Captain June Knop

Rabbi Pearl Barlev is the Jewish chaplain on staff at University of California Los Angeles Medical Centre. www.jewishhealingcentre.org

15

Wholeness, health and healing The God who sanctifies is the healing God who makes us whole.

The term ‘wholeness’ points to the comprehensiveness of God’s saving work in Christ and of the Spirit’s sanctification.

it does mean is that in claiming holiness we claim the promise of wholeness in all life. The holy life is then the Spirit-led journey toward wholeness in Christ.

The Gospel reveals that Jesus cared about every dimension of human life and how sin has distorted it, and that His ministry demonstrated a healing response to human suffering and disease in all its forms. Again and again, the New Testament as a whole records the healing work of the Holy Spirit. The restoration of covenant required restoration of health in every relationship of human life: spiritual, emotional, social and physical.

As Jesus refused to attribute illness to specific sin, so we see every form of disease or infirmity only as a manifestation of the overall human condition. And as he did not heal all diseases and restore every broken relationship, so we recognise that the sanctified do not manifest the signs of complete healing in every area of life. There is wholeness in brokenness. The healing we rightfully claim is profound; the effects may await eternity.

This means that there is no holiness without wholeness.

Holiness can only be seen as redemptively touching all of life.

This does not mean, however, that those who are physically healthy, or economically stable, or socially adjusted, or economically prosperous are holy. Nor does it mean that those who suffer from physical infirmity, emotional turmoil, social maladjustment or economic depravation are thus sinful. What

As God’s holy people we are concerned not only about our own wholeness and health but also about that of others.

Thereby we who know healing for ourselves become a healing community engaged in a healing mission.

Salvation Story, (The Salvation Army International Headquarters: London), 1998, p.94

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

16

Holiness and I love the book of Isaiah, and it would be fair to say it is one of my favourite books in the Bible.

I find how God uses and speaks through his prophets, then and now, absolutely amazing.

How must Isaiah have felt when God showed him all of those incredible things, including being taken to the very throne room of heaven?

There are 66 books in Isaiah, and in the first 39 Isaiah is calling the people to repent of their sins and wayward lifestyle and return to God. In the last 27 chapters he is pointing to the coming Messiah and what that will mean for those who love and follow God. One of the astonishing things is that he wrote it 700 years before Jesus was even born and yet his descriptions are so staggeringly accurate.

In chapter 53 in selected verses we read: He was despised and rejected by men; He was pierced for our transgressions; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter... and he did not open his mouth...his life was a guilt offering; He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors— remember Jesus said on the cross, ‘Father, forgive them’.

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

The Cross We received so much when Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross.

When we read Isaiah 53:4–5 with the full Hebrew meaning inserted for significant words, and we look at Matthew 8:16–17 which discusses the passage, we get a much fuller picture of what Jesus purchased for us.

Matthew was talking about Jesus’ healing ministry in this passage. Jesus had just healed Peter’s mother-in-law in verses 14–15, and verses 16–17 say: ‘That evening many demon possessed people were bought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command and he healed the sick.

This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases”’—referencing Isaiah 53:4.

Matthew has many verses dedicated to Jesus’ healing ministry, which highlights his concern for wholeness in all aspects of our lives. So important was it to the ministry of the disciples that in Matthew chapter 10 he gave them authority to do the same.

In Mark 16:17 Jesus says that, ‘These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name and they will speak new languages… They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.’

And here is Isaiah 53:4–5,with the Hebrews translations inserted and reference to Matthew: Surely he took up NASA bore, but took away, carried away our griefs/infirmities CHOLIY diseases/sicknesses and carried our sorrows MAK’OB (from root KA’AB & KE’EB meaning mental and physical suffering; diseases, ... but he was pierced wounded ritually and in so doing defiled himself for our transgressions personal and national rebellion particularly against God, he was crushed allowed himself to be crushed for our iniquities guilt and perversity; the punishment especially referring to the discipline received by children from a parent that brought us peace SHALOM completeness, soundness in physical body, health, prosperity, tranquillity and friendship – particularly from having a covenant relationship with God, WHOLE, RESTORED and ENTIRE

17

d wholeness Isaiah 53:4–5 and Isaiah 58:1–13, Captain June Knop, Territorial 24-7 Prayer Coordinator

Accepting salvation is only the beginning. God Holiness was upon him, and by his wounds CHABBUWRAH, from root CHABAR meaning bound is calling us to live to a set of ethics and values with stripes, magically joined together, have and in obedience to him.

In chapter 58 Isaiah leaves us in no doubt as In Hebrews 10:14 the author writes, ‘For by to what holiness looks like in our day-to-day fellowship with we are healed RAPHA healer as a physician of men, literal healing of bodies that one offering, he forever made perfect those activities. and restoring favour personally and of nations. who are being made holy.’

In the first part of the chapter, Isaiah spends Although we are seen as perfect from the a lot of time talking about why God hasn’t Jesus made that sacrifice so that we can expe- moment we accept Christ, we choose a pathway honoured the people’s fasting. rience wholeness in every aspect of our being, that starts a process of learning, changing, folFasting was a common Hebrew practice and spiritually, physically, psychologically, emotion- lowing, obeying and often stumbling forward used to seek God’s will. ally; both personally and corporately. in continual repentance and cleansing.

Isaiah says that they were using it simply That’s what Jesus bought for us.

Isaiah talks about this pathway in chapter 35:8 as a religious practice to receive blessing and The Hebrews, however, always saw the con- where he says: weren’t backing it up with behaviour that cept of wholeness as associated with a connectdemonstrated love to their neighbour. edness with God. It would be impossible to have ‘And a great road will go through that Even though the Jews chose the law as a completeness without this ongoing relationship. once deserted land. It will be called means of remaining in right relationship with Jesus paid the full price for us to claim all of the highway of holiness. Evil minded God, God always preferred love as the fulfilthis in this world now—as part of His kingdom people will never travel on it. It will ment of that relationship. on earth, as it is in heaven. This was His will that be only for those who walk in God’s God basically says in 58:3, ‘Even though you we would be whole in every sense of the word. fasted you still chose to do as you pleased It is not His will for us to be sick and tormented. ways.’ in every other part of your life, the religious We have a legal right; we have a receipt of The Jewish people to this day have a ‘Holiness activity made no difference to how you purchase for salvation, physical healing and Code’, which is contained in Leviticus chapters treated others. It didn’t demonstrate my love deliverance from demons. through you.’

This is what Jesus bought for us, but we have 17–26. This is where we find the command to ‘This is what I want,’ God says: ‘Love one another as ourselves’ in chapter 19. to make a response to claim it.

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

18

yy ‘Loose the chains of injustice yy Set the oppressed free yy Share your food with the hungry, not just feed the hungry (i.e. use what you go

without to benefit others)

yy Provide the poor wanderer with shelter

(you provide, not an institution) yy Clothe the naked yy Look after your relatives and yy Keep the Sabbath holy.

And do it, not just because it’s a commandment, but do it out of love and compassion for others.

Then, as you live this sort of life your healing will quickly appear and your righteousness will go before you.’

Our religious life mustn’t be about just going through the motions. When we do any of the things we do every week, whether it be tithing, daily devotions, prayer, any ministry we’re involved in, or even coming to and participating in church, we need to come in

an attitude of seeking an encounter with God.

All of these acts, as well as the ones mentioned by Isaiah, can be acts of worship when done in love.

What God requires is service that is not self-seeking; where there is no expectation of personal return—service that mirrors the life of Jesus.

It is from this relationship and behaviour that we show that we know God, and Isaiah makes it very plain that for those who are living a life of holiness, blessing is a natural and abundant by-product.

Through holiness we experience wholeness.

But we cannot live this kind of covenant life in our own strength. It is only as God empowers us with His grace and spirit that we are able to lay aside our old nature and give ourselves in love to others.

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

The Holiness Table We have to intentionally choose the life Christ has for us, and this may involve laying down the things that until now have been priorities in our life, so that our hands are free to take up our cross.

As Salvationists we come to the holiness table to lay down the things that prevent us from living fully for Christ.

Did you know that the holiness table was originally the altar or communion table in the early Army?

For the first fifteen years, Salvationists took communion. When the Salvation Army dispensed with traditional sacraments it became the holiness table.

At the holiness table we sought sanctification from God with help from the Holy Spirit.

Having been sanctified, God saw us as holy even though we were still a work in progress. Here we consecrated our lives to God’s will and service.

At the mercy seat—the lower tables often at each side of the holiness table—we sought salvation. We repented and asked God to have full jurisdiction over our lives.

It was at the holiness table that instead of taking the sacraments, we offered our lives as living sacraments.

Some of us can recall the words of an Albert Osborn song: My life must be Christ’s broken bread, My love his outpoured wine.

A cup o’refilled, a table spread Beneath his name and sign.

That other souls refreshed and fed, May share his life through mine.

Jesus extends an invitation to us to accept a place at His table—to accept the invitation to become a living sacrament for Him. Do you want to live your life in response to what Christ has done and accept all that it represents, both personally and corporately as a corps?

Salvation, cleansing and healing in every form are on offer. All you have to do is accept the invitation and claim them.

For wide is the gate the

19

Enter through the narrow gate. and broad is the road that leads to destruction. But small is gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:13 24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

20

Pleading the blood

James Goll, Empowered Prayer 365-day personal prayer guide, (Destiny Image Publishers, Inc: USA, 2008), day 101–102

‘You are worthy…because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Revelation 5:9b).

We have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, our Lord. He who bought us with His blood now owns us and has complete rights to us. He has also promised to protect and care for us. Just as the lamb’s blood on the lintels and doorposts of the Hebrews in Egypt protected them from scourge of the death angel, so the blood of Jesus protects us. But how do we apply the blood so that judgement, wrath, pestilence, and disease will pass over us? We do it by pleading the blood.

There is no greater plea to bring before God, than the suffering and atoning death of His son. In his powerful book Mighty Prevailing Prayer*, author Wesley Duewel wrote: ‘Plead the blood. Pray till you have assurance of God’s will. Pray till you have been given by the Spirit a vision of what God longs to do, needs to do, waits to do. Pray till you are gripped with authority of the name of Jesus. Then plead the blood of Jesus. The name of Jesus and the blood of Jesus—glory in them, stake your all on them, and use them to the glory of God and the routing of satan.

‘Bring before the Father the wounds of Jesus; remind the Father of the agony of Gethsemane; recall to the Father the strong cries of the Son of God as He prevailed for our world and for our salvation.

Remind the Father of earth’s darkest hour on Calvary, as the Son triumphed alone for you and me. Shout to heaven again Christ’s triumphant call, “It is finished!” Plead the cross. Plead the blood.

Plead them over and over again.’

That’s how to prevail in effective interecession!

When my friend Mahesh Chavda ministered in the African nation of Zaire, he found himself standing in front of one hundred thousand people. The Holy Spirit told him to hold a mass deliverance service the next day. Mahesh said to God, ‘Lord I’m here alone. Where are my helpers?’ To that the Lord responded, ‘I am your helper. Remember, one drop of the blood of my son Jesus is more powerful that all the kingdom of darkness!’

If we want to see generational curses lifted and sins forgiven; if we want to see true revival come to the land; if we want to prevail in intercession and see God’s glory fill the earth, then we need to plead the blood. We must testify to what the blood of Jesus has accomplished for us. Plead the blood of our glorious Lord and King who died and rose again! Plead, proclaim, recite, declare and put your trust in the work of His shed blood. This is the Bible way of enforcing the victory of Calvary! There is nothing like the blood of Jesus!

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

The old gospel hymn says it so well:

Would you be free From your burden of sin?

There’s power in the blood, Power in the blood.

Would you o’er evil a victory win?

There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Would you be whiter, Much whiter than snow?

There’s power in the blood, Power in the blood.

Sin stains are lost In its lifegiving flow; There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, Wonder-working power In the blood of the Lamb.

There is power, power, Wonder/working power, In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Lewis Edgar Jones (1865–1936) TSA Songbook 281 *Wesley Duewel, Mighty Prevailing Prayer, Missouri, USA: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990).

21

‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace’ Ephesians 1:7

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

22

Prophetic Prayer Lyndall Bywater UK Territory 24-7 Prayer Coordinator

The workday had been long and arduous, and I had seriously considered giving small group a miss, but something niggled at me. I had a feeling I was meant to be there. I rallied my flagging reserves and went along, only to find myself embroiled in a truly frustrating conversation about prayer.

It covered all the old ground: how do we know what to pray; what do we do when God doesn’t answer; why is prayer such hard work?

To this day, I’m not sure if it was the tiredness, the coffee fumes or the Holy Spirit, but I suddenly found myself holding forth about how pointless most of our prayers are. My poor fellow group-members stared at me askance as I slaughtered holy cows left, right and centre.

‘Why on earth do we ask God to be with us when He says He’ll never leave us? Why do we ask God to protect us when He says we are the apple of His eye? Why do we ask God to meet our needs when He says He’s already done it in Christ Jesus? Why do we spend so much time praying things we just don’t need to pray!’

As my ardour ran dry, the room fell silent.

One brave woman took a deep breath, and in a somewhat tremulous voice asked: ‘So what is there left to pray then, Lyndall?’

I have worked as the UK Territory’s prayer co-ordinator for more than eight years now, and that question has preoccupied much of my thinking. For the most part, Christians in the UK 24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

have a sound but basic understanding of prayer.

We know it is important. We know it is powerful (though don’t ask us why because we’ll get our brains in a knot trying to explain it!). Yet so often we still approach it like beginners.

For many, the sum total of prayer is bringing daily needs and world disasters before God for His attention, hoping that He will graciously hear, and perhaps be moved to respond in some way. Prayer is a wholesome thing to do, but it’s unlikely to radically change our day.

While I am loathe to discourage any kind of prayer—after all, something is better than nothing—I think it is this limited, rather resigned view of prayer which caused me to so surprise my fellow small group members. I confess that I am tired of simply laying before God the things which He already knows, and which He has already promised to do, just so that I can feel better, and so that He can tick me off on his list as a praying Christian.

Of course, the wonder of our relationship with the Father is that we can bring anything and anyone to Him at anytime, no matter how immense or how trivial, and the knowledge that He will hear and receive us brings tremendous peace and comfort. But I believe that prayer is about tapping into the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to change the world, and this is going to mean venturing beyond the easy, familiar prayers we have prayed for so long.

Lessons from a Prophet Elijah’s prayer life was far from mundane. He certainly had all the day-to-day survival issues we have today: he needed food and drink and shelter and company. Yet 1 Kings chapters 17 and 18 give us a fascinating window on the place prayer had in his life.

In chapter 17, we find him going about the business of survival. There was a famine in the land, and he needed to find the basics. While we can’t be sure just how much prayer he put into these things, the story rather gives the impression that it wasn’t much at all. The implication is that he listened to God, and God told him where to go to find what he needed (verses 3–4, 7–9).

In the next chapter, however, we do find Elijah praying … and fervently! It’s worth noting that it’s not his own needs but the needs of his nation, which preoccupy him. God had given him the awesome task of speaking the word, which would bring rain back to the land (17:1), and the time had come for that word to be spoken (18:1). Yet it would be deceptively simplistic to say that all he had to do was to speak a word. In fact, the business of ‘speaking’ or ‘declaring’ that word was remarkably complex.

It involved a number of different actions, and it was intrinsically bound up with prayer.

23

From logos to rema Before we explore the various dimensions of Elijah’s prophetic ‘speaking’, we need to note perhaps the most important thing a prophet has to learn, namely to recognise that moment when ‘logos’ becomes ‘rema’.

Logos, the revealed word of God (revealed in Jesus and in the Scriptures) is always true and always relevant. Were I to open my Bible now and read a verse out to my colleagues seated around me in the office, that word would be true and eternal.

Rema, on the other hand, is no less the word of God, but it has about it a sense of timing and focus. It is often used in Scripture to refer to one word, or a single utterance, rather than the whole revealed word of God. It is specific and sharp.

Were I to want to utter a rema word to my colleagues, I would first need to ask God which particular verse of Scripture He would have me read. The verse He would lead me to today would likely be different to the one He would have led me to last week. Every verse in the Bible is logos, but not every verse is rema to the evangelism department of UK Territorial Headquarters today.

There is a moment in Elijah’s story when He recognises the shift from logos to rema.

Logos—the knowledge of God revealed to him in writings and teachings and by the Holy Spirit—has taught him that God will send rain, because it has taught him that God is a compassionate, sustaining creator who cares for the needs of his people.

What’s more, he has heard the promise from God himself that God will bring rain some day. I have no doubt that, throughout the hardships of the drought, he would have reminded those around him of Jehovah Jireh’s faithfulness to supply all their needs. Yet, there comes a moment when that logos truth becomes a rema word. God tells Elijah: ‘Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land’ (18:1).

It’s to the point, it’s sharp and it’s directive. It’s rema, and Elijah immediately acts on it as God’s specific truth for that moment.

If we want to see our prayers get bigger, sharper and more transformative, then it is crucial that we learn to listen out for the shift from logos to rema. Prayer mixed with logos makes for solid, stable foundations. Prayer mixed with rema makes for breakthrough.

So, next time you’re reading your Bible, why not ask God to show you His rema word for that day? It may be one of the verses you’ve read, or even just one word, or it may be a verse

elsewhere in the Bible, which he leads you to.

When you’ve got it, write it out or memorise it, and keep it with you all day. Whatever that day brings you, punctuate it by speaking out that rema word.

Words of courage In the economy of God, words have power. Creation was born with a word. Jesus’ miracles were, for the most part, spoken into being: ‘Be healed!’ or ‘Come out!’ As the church began to grow and spread, it was the preaching of the Word which sparked faith and birthed new believers. Transformation begins with God’s people speaking.

Having heard God’s rema word so clearly, the first thing Elijah had to do was to go and talk to someone. His retreat was over, and it was time to reconnect with the land and the people God had sent him to. Yet, his first prophetic encounter, once back on home turf, was not a declaration to a king. That came later. No, his first prophetic encounter was about encouraging a friend.

Obadiah had lived through horrendous times.

He had seen his beliefs ridiculed, his values trashed and his friends put to the sword. What’s more, he had been given the task of finding pasture in a land that had been ravaged by three years of drought—hardly an easy business!

Failure to deliver was not an option in the Jezebel era, and he was in fear of his life. Little wonder then that meeting Elijah didn’t wholly cheer him. Elijah was persona non grata with the royal household, and Obadiah wasn’t keen to be the one to report his return (18:14).

What Elijah brought from God was good news for a whole nation. Soon there would be a restoration of the natural order; soon the whole land would rejoice in the faithfulness of its creator. But first, Elijah was to bring good news to a friend.

In the town where I live, we have a team of people, from various churches, which gathers in our shopping centre each Saturday morning to pray for healing. We invite people to come and sit in a chair, and we simply pray that God will heal them.

One particular morning I was feeling more than a little frustrated. The size of the task seemed huge. My longing to see God transform our town was growing, and this business of praying for people in their ones and twos seemed so futile. Surely we needed something spectacular, some indisputable sign of God’s presence, which would convict the whole town in one fell swoop!

A lady came to sit in the chair near where I

stood, and three of us gathered around to pray for her. As I prayed, I heard God’s voice very clearly. ‘Tell her I am giving her a home.’

The word had absolutely nothing to do with what the lady had shared with us for prayer, but I know very well not to ignore the voice of God, so I shared it with her. Her eyes filled with tears and she told us that for most of her life she had never had a home. She had lived in houses, been part of communities, but she had moved around so much that nowhere had ever been home. She had wondered whether she would ever know that wonderful feeling of belonging in a place.

We prayed with her, and then she went on her way, deeply touched that God valued her enough to speak to her so clearly, through someone she had never met.

As for me, I was humbled too. I had encountered the Father’s heart. Yes, God is about the transformation of community—the redemption of whole cities and whole nations—but he is also about loving individual people. Truly spectacular events were about to unfold in the land of Israel, but the first prophetic word was to one man.

Long before Israel was touched, Obadiah was given new hope and courage.

The very size of our prayers can make us lazy in the prophetic. We long for a cataclysmic change, a spectacular breakthrough in our family, our corps, our town or our nation, and we can end up overlooking or resenting the small things, which need to be done along the way to that great moment.

If God has given you a vision to see something big, then you can be sure the fulfilment of that vision will begin with small things. Today, as you look out over your ‘Israel’—your big vision—who is the Obadiah God is sending you to encourage? Who needs to hear you speaking God’s words of hope and courage directly into their life?

Acts of challenge The prophets we read about in Scripture seemed to have rather a hard time of it. For the most part, they were unpopular and their words were unwelcome. In the worst-case scenarios, they were dropped down wells or sawn in two.

It wasn’t a job for the fainthearted!

The reason for this constant tension between God’s prophets and the rulers of the day was that God had an opinion. Those in power were almost always looking for a soothsayer: someone who would predict the future for them, but remain

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

24

strictly impartial. Instead, God gave them prophets: men and women who would tell them the future, but who would also tell them His opinion on what they were doing. Prophets were not forecasters, they were challengers.

The ROOTS Conference has been running in the UK Territory since 1995. It has been an extremely powerful influence for mission and renewal in The Salvation Army in this country, and many of us can trace significant phases of our spiritual journey back to a ROOTS event. Yet, the effectiveness of this event has depended on our ability and willingness to listen to God’s opinion, and there have been moments when that opinion has been uncomfortable to hear.

We had been setting up prayer rooms at the conference for the past three years, ever since the start of our 24-7/SA Year of Prayer in 2001, and we were all set to do the same again—to take a nice comfortable room somewhere, and deck it out creatively, so that delegates could come and enjoy time with God there.

And then God showed me the tent. It was very clear. I knew exactly what it looked like, but more importantly I knew exactly where it was meant to be. It was to be right at the heart of the main conference area, right by the Big Top. Even as I saw* it, I knew this was not just a forecast—God telling me about a new and exciting way we were going to do prayer. I knew it was a challenge. The tent would be costly and hard work to create and to run, but it would be a powerful demonstration of the place we believed prayer should have at the heart of The Salvation Army.

Would the event leadership agree to put prayer at the heart of the event in such a visible way? Would the prayer team step up to the huge amount of extra work that would bring? Would we rise to the challenge, or would we simply stay in the safe zone.

Fortunately, the ROOTS leadership team is a wise and godly group of people who are always happy to weigh prophecy (something I expect Elijah would have loved to have!), and so I was able to commit it to them for confirmation. The answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’, and, after five years of having a prayer tent right at the heart of the ROOTS Conference, the rest is history.

Elijah was called to challenge his people. God had promised rain, but He wasn’t about to let the Israelites off without hearing His opinion on the state they had got themselves into. And so Elijah’s prophetic message became an action.

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

He went to a public place, he built an altar, he prepared a sacrifice, and then he offended every reasonable drought restriction by pouring vast quantities of precious water over it. In part, it was a sign of the rains to come, but mostly it was a challenge. Would the people bank on powerless idols, or would they put their trust in the God who could burn up water itself?

Listening to God can be a dangerous business. There’s always the risk that you might be asked to act, and there’s always a chance you might be asked to challenge. The action may seem ludicrous and the challenge may seem destined to fall on deaf ears, but weigh it with those you trust, and if the answer is ‘yes’, then do it anyway. From acts of challenge come stories of breakthrough.

Prayers for change The fire had fallen, and the people were convinced. Even Jezebel was silenced for the time being. As Elijah sent the king speedily on his way, to get home before the downpour, he must have felt supremely confident. It was done! He had encouraged, he had challenged, and the outcome had been nothing short of miraculous.

Now all they needed was that rain. Surely it would be along any minute…wouldn’t it?

There is a certain bleakness to the next part of the story—Elijah sitting there, almost entirely alone, waiting for the rain. He must have wondered if it had all been enough. Had he got it right, or had he failed to do what was required of him?

Prophets are some of the most self-doubting people I know. Encouraging and challenging take incredible confidence, but that confidence evaporates fast when the words are spoken and the deeds are done. Yet Elijah learnt that that sense of helplessness which paralyses us is also vital to us, because it throws us back on to God. God told Elijah to prophesy the rain, not to send it. Certain things, rainfall included, remain the preserve of our omnipotent creator God! And so the end of the prophetic process is prayer. When we have heard the rema word, spoken it and acted upon it, we get back to where we started, on our knees.

Elijah prayed, we are told, seven times. Why seven? Because in Scripture seven signifies completion. He prayed until it was done. Maybe

he felt he’d failed, or maybe he was frustrated by God’s seeming slowness to deliver. We’ll never know what private turmoil caused him to bury his head in his hands and cry out to God, but what we do know is that he kept going till the fulfilment came.

What are you waiting for? What have you worked for? What are you frustrated or discouraged about? Whatever it is, the answer is prayer. The words and the actions are a key part of the process, but it is prayer that brings the breakthrough.

As I come to the end of my article, my prayer for you is that God will give you friends who will look to the horizon for you. When we’re crying out to God in desperation for the fulfilment, it can be difficult to see clearly. Elijah knew that, and so he had his manservant—his closest companion—keep his eyes fixed on the horizon, so that he would know when his prayers were about to be answered.

May you find friends and fellow-travellers who will keep their eyes fixed on the horizons of your hopes and dreams, so that they can encourage your heart when they see the cloud approaching. ‘The size of a man’s hand’ it may be, but it is sent to you by the God who brings breakthrough. *For those who don’t know Lyndall, she is blind.

25

What is Prophecy and Prophetic Prayer?

Prophecy is simply speaking the word of God or message of/from God for a particular circumstance or time.

The Greek word ‘propheteia’, from which the word prophecy comes from, means ‘speaking forth the mind and counsel of God’.

God desires to talk to his people and a prophet is the mouthpiece of God and one means by which He can communicate with us.

The gift of prophecy is speaking under the direct supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit.

The prophet may see a vision, or hear God’s voice directly, have a heavy impression or knowing placed on them, or feel a physical sensation in their body that alerts them to a need. The quiet voice of the Holy Spirit is always guiding those who pray.

The purpose of prophecy is to strengthen, encourage, edify and comfort individuals and the church as a whole (1 Corinthians 14:3–4).

The prophet’s primary role is to introduce people to God or to call people back into a relationship with God. In biblical times, prophets foretold the future, condemned unrighteous acts, gave encouragement, recommended courses of action to rulers or priests and warned of judgment.

Only a small portion of the work of the prophet involved predicting the future, and even the predictions are designed to teach or to correct.

The prochecy allows people to think about how they should be living out God’s word and to repent and change; therefore the future is not set in concrete.

Prophecy is a spiritual gift listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11.

Scripture has a lot to say about what we should do with this gift and how we should treat those who have it:

1 Corinthians 14:20–25, ‘Dear brothers and sisters don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind…’

1 Corinthians 14:39, ‘So my dear brothers and sisters be eager to prophesy and don’t forbid speaking in tongues.’

1 Thessalonians 5:19-20, ‘Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

Do not scoff at prophesies, but test everything that is said.’

Paul is warning us here not to ignore the gifts of the spirit. We should not stifle the work of the Holy Spirit but encourage the full expression of these gifts to benefit the whole body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12 tells us that each part of the Church is needed for the Church to remain fully functional.

Ephesian 4 says that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are all needed for the church and each member within, to grow and to reach maturity.

Each gifting provides a service to believers that is essential for wholistic growth.

God speaks to us individually and corporately. He speaks not just to inform us, he speaks so that we will change our ways, mature in our ways and act on his message.

Imagine if we were limited to only writing letters to each other today, how that would restrict communication between us. God uses a variety of means to keep in close communication and relationship with us. If we say that God does not speak in these ways today we are limiting God. That isn’t His choice, that’s ours.

For more information on the prophetic or prayer, please contact Captain June Knop, (03) 8878 2315, or june.knop@aus.salvationarmy.org

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

26

Spiritual gifts General William Booth - (From the War Cry, 21 November,1914) A good deal of attention is given to what is known as the extra-ordinary ‘Gifts of the Spirit’; that is, the ability to do something which is beyond the power of men to do without the direct operation of God. Such gifts as these, were, without doubt, possessed by the Apostles, both before, and after the death of our Lord. They had the gift of tongues, that is, they received suddenly, the power to speak languages which they had never learned.

They had the gift of healing, that is, they cured the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the ears of the deaf, and restored the dead to life instantaneously, without the use of ordinary means. They wrought miracles; they caused events to happen that were contrary to the usual course of nature.

These were remarkable gifts, and their possession today, might be a great blessing to mankind. There is not a word in the Bible which proves that we may not have them at the present time, and there is nothing in experience to show that they should not be as useful today, as in any previous period of the church’s history. No man therefore, wonders wrought amongst us, not only demand, but shall have our most profound consideration.

And it must be remembered, that all gifts, ordinary or extra-ordinary come from God. If God were to come to you, offering to bestow upon you these extraordinary gifts to which we are speaking; if He said,

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

‘I will give you the power to heal the sick; upon whomsoever you lay hands, they shall be healed of whatsoever sickness they have; at your commands, devils shall be cast out, and by your faith, mountains shall be moved; but it can only be on one condition, that these gifts shall not be allowed to be idle. They must be exercised solely for my glory and never allowed to be idle. They must be exercised solely for my glory and salvation of men; not gratify your pride, or feed your ambition, or give pleasure, or in any shape or form promote your own honour and glory for bigness.’

What would you say? Would you not cry out ‘far be it from me Lord that I should desire the gifts to spend them on my selfishness and lusts. If Thou wilt give them, I will not sell or use them for either money, or pleasure, or fame, or anything else. But on the contrary, I will faithfully and constantly employ them for thy glory, to induce men save their souls, and to love and serve Thee.’

Far be it from me to say one word that would stay the longing of any heart for the extra- ordinary gifts already mentioned.

I long for them myself, I believe in their necessity, and I believe they are already among us.

By all means, let us have the perfection of the divine method of working.

The poor infidel world should be made to see all of God that is possible, in order that it may believe.

Let us covet, let us seek earnestly, nay, let us never rest until we possess, in all its fullness this celestial passion.

27

‘UK police believe prayer can cut crime rate’ March 2010 A Christian policing group, which believes that prayer can catch criminals and keep officers safe from harm, has been awarded a £10,000 grant from the Home Office to widen its involvement with local church groups.

The Christian Police Association (CPA) wants members of the public to ‘adopt a cop’ by praying for the safety of local officers as they ply their beats. The organisation, which boasts 2,000 members, claims that there is ‘circumstantial evidence’ to suggest that regular prayer can help reduce crime rates and encourage criminals to make a new start to their lives.

They are launching a new initiative called ‘CoAct’, which is partly funded by the Home Office grant, to improve links between local church groups and police officers and encourage congregations to act as ‘peacemakers’ in areas where gang violence and antisocial behaviour is high.

Don Axcell, a retired Metropolitan Police sergeant who heads the CPA, said, ‘We want people to pray for the police, and to fully interact with the service’. Mr Axcell said that domestic burglary had come down by 30 per cent in an area that was regularly covered in prayer.

Les Isaacs, the founder of the influential Street Pastors* movement, which patrols more than 70 cities across the country helping drunken revellers and diffusing gang tensions, says church groups already play a strong role in tackling antisocial behaviour.

‘The approach has to be both pragmatic and spiritual,’ he said. ‘Prayer makes a tangible difference, we see it every day. If you pray for the well-being of the community around you will see people become less aggressive.’

Matt Baggott, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and president of the Christian Police Association, said CoAct would be a ‘great way of giving police officers the support, care and encouragement that they need and value’.

A Home Office spokesman added, ‘We have given the Christian Police Association a one-off grant of £10,000 to support its ongoing work to improve community safety, tackle antisocial behaviour and reduce violence.’ * Street Pastors began in the Manly area of Sydney earlier this year, coordinated by Captain Brett Mitchell

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

28

God blesses unity Transformational prayer - Major Brian Pratt I have long been a believer in the power of the Church gathering to pray. By ‘Church’ I do not mean just a local congregation, but also when several congregations and denominations gather together to seek God’s face.

The importance of this truth began during our time as corps officers in Alice Springs. We were 1500 kms away from the regional headquarters in Darwin, with limited support from our own denomination. The local ministers group, realising we were all in the same situation, began to meet weekly at an early morning hour, simply to share the burdens of ministry and pray for each other and our respective churches.

Thus began a journey of encouragement and blessing in concert with brothers and sisters in Christ.

To my amazement, I discovered that my Baptist, Anglican, Pentecostal, Seventh Day Adventist and Uniting Church colleagues had the same sorts of problems and issues that I experienced.

We met and prayed for each other and our churches, the struggles, the people problems, the finance issues, our children, our marriages, our relationships. We prayed for the salvation of the lost.

Our congregations began to find ways to work together, and to practically share in ministry to our community. We developed a real and genuine love for each other. Such was our concern for each other, within hours of an arsonist setting fire to the Seventh Day Adventist church, two other churches had offered their facilities free of charge.

In the early 1990s, a change of appointment saw us move from the Alice to outer-metropolitan Melbourne. I brought with me this desire to see Christ’s body relating well to each other.

I became involved in the local ministers’ gathering, but sensed little of the deep caring desire I had experienced in central Australia.

One day I was driving in our community past a large church set on a hillside, and I sensed the

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

Spirit of God say to me, ‘Go and ask them if they would like to meet and pray.’

I am ashamed to admit I kept driving. The next week, I had the same prompting as I travelled down that highway, but this time I rang them when I arrived home, and set up a time to meet.

A few days later, I met with two of the pastors of this church, to find that they were not part of the local ministers’ group. They had wanted to have good relationships with the local churches, but had never been invited to connect.

We agreed to meet the next week and thus began a regular prayer meeting by pastors and ministers to pray for our community, our churches, our issues and problems, and for people to come into a faith relationship with Jesus.

From this small beginning sprang a connection and regular prayer meeting that has touched 16 local churches—with a weekly attendance of between 10–20 pastors and leaders. It continues today.

We went on prayer retreats together, we prayed for our community, we joined together for inter-church prayer meetings, we arranged pulpit exchanges, we prayed together about community concerns, and we established a system of praying in our meetings for our sister churches each Sunday.

As a result, we saw God work through our congregations. We did not view our brothers and sisters in other congregations as ‘opposition’, but as teammates.

We still held our own doctrinal stances, we still

held fast to the important things we believed.

In no way did we have to compromise our Scriptural beliefs or ministry through sharing with each other; in fact it enhanced our service to God and the community.

We recognised some congregations were better suited to certain ministries and we supported them in exercising their specialty—so the Body of Christ is built up and the Kingdom of God extended.

Today, I belong to another (geographically more convenient) informal pastors’ gathering that simply meets to share what God is doing and to pray for each other.

God is moving through His people all over Melbourne and I am encouraged as I see the body of Christ in action. It seems to be the answer to Jesus’prayer for His followers recorded

by John: ‘I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me, and that you love them as much as you love me’ (John 17:23 NLT).

My limited experience of God’s blessing on His church as they pray together, reminds me of experiences recorded by George Otis Junior on awakenings of the Spirit of God in Cali, Columbia and around the world.

The Sentinel group report said, ‘For decades, the city of Cali carried a notorious reputation as the cocaine capital of the world. No institution escaped the ruling cartel’s ruthless and corrupting hand. In the mid 1990s, however, the drug lords’ icy grip was finally broken when desperate believers surged into local soccer stadiums to hold all-night prayer vigils.’ (65,000 Christians attended the prayer vigils every 90 days.)

The churches had a common vision, but had to put aside their differences and unite— ‘sometimes we couldn’t even agree where to meet’ reports missionary and pastor Randy MacMillan.

Extraordinary unity and prayer among the city’s pastors and churches led to widespread repentance and transformation, which resulted in societal change.

29

Another report from Almolonga: ‘Formerly a town of idolatrous and drunken brawlers, Almolonga is now a bustling, Christ-centred farming centre. With 85 percent of its 19,000 inhabitants claiming a born-again experience, the secular media has dubbed it the “Ciudad de Dios,” (City of God).

Walking the streets of Almolonga is like being in a spiritual Disneyland. Beyond the Scriptureladen stickers that adorn shiny Mercedes farm trucks, commercial testimonies—such as the Angels Bakery and the Vineyard of the Lord beverage kiosk —are found on every corner.

And beaming smiles and kind gestures are as ubiquitous as churches.’

God answers prayer and blesses unity!

Cali, Colombia update, March 12, 2010 God is Still Working in Cali

By Ruth Ruibal, (featured in the Transformations DVD).

I have been asked in different ways what is happening in Cali after the Transformations video produced in 1999.

One person asked me when the height of the moving of God was. I find it hard to answer, since most people from the outside would measure the moving of God by the tens of thousands attending our all-night prayer vigil in the stadium. However, perhaps because I live here, I see it differently.

First, let me share what most people are interested in: yy Yes, we still meet in the stadium for all-night prayer on Thursday during Easter week and tens of thousands still attend. These meetings are glorious. We sense the presence of God as we seek His face for our city. There are signs, miracles and healings that take place as well. Many people are satisfied with that answer, but for me it goes much deeper than what is seen so easily with the eye.

yy We are no longer ruled or plagued by the drug cartel. Although Colombia continues to produce and export drugs, it is no longer through the Cali cartel, but from other areas of the country. We enjoy using the national highways freely, no longer ‘kidnapped’ within the city limits. Homicides and other violent crimes have decreased. yy The number of believers and churches has grown. It is now estimated that 15% of the population are Christians. This is a really large growth from the less than 1% reported when I first came to Cali in 1968! And numerically it is even more impressive when we see that the general population has more than doubled!

The church is considered an important part and voice in society. In fact, during the last three years the two last weeks of October are set aside for Christian art and music with the city government giving free venues. yy For that last four years we have had a fine Christian city councilman who has been known for his honesty, love for the city, and good works—especially for marginal people groups. He has also defended the churches on many occasions and opened doors with the president of Colombia. yy We have been able to obtain scholarships for pastors to study theology and Bible. In the Third World it is common for people to come to the Lord and feel a call to ministry.

Frequently, they rent a garage, start services, and have a church. However, these leaders rarely have the biblical training that is necessary to lead the people in the balanced way of the Lord. So far, almost 100 pastors have received Bible training.

if one stays long enough the results of love will be seen.

Every month the pastors meet under a slogan ‘ministered to minister; nourished to nourish’.

Each month we can sense the move of the Lord in almost a tangible way. The Lord is certainly working in our midst and we are expecting great things in days to come.

Perhaps this seems not as spectacular as tens of thousands in a stadium, but I see it like a marriage. Not every day is a honeymoon, nor should it be; some days are just facing problems together and strengthening and deepening the ties between the couple. And we can sense the deepening of the unity we are living out amongst the pastors of the city as we work together, solving difficult situations in prayer and with godly wisdom. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

And surely there are many other indicators of God’s presence in Cali. However, this does not mean that we ‘have arrived’ or that we are satisfied. There is much more that the Lord yet wants to do in our city.

1. http://www.glowtorch.org/Home/TopTenTransformedCommunitiesWorthVisiting/ tabid/2598/Default.aspx 2. www.pastornet.net.au/renewal, see journal 16 entry for Cali Tranformation.

3. http://www.glowtorch.org/Home/TopTenTransformedCommunitiesWorthVisiting/ tabid/2598/Default.aspx 4. http://www.glowtorch.org/Home/CaliColombiaUpdate/tabid/2766/Default.aspx

Perhaps these are more outstanding items for those who want to know if God is still moving here. However, for me there are many more factors that are difficult to measure.

One area is that of the deepened unity among the pastors, though it is difficult to measure unity. It would be like someone entering a home wanting to see love amongs its members. Love in itself is not seen, but

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

30

Seeking God’s face Dear friends, ‘You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you’, says the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:13–14 What does it mean to ‘seek God’s face’? Most think that praying and ‘seeking God’s face’ is one and the same thing, but they are not. Prayer often means asking for something. We pray for wisdom, health, finance, salvation of loved ones, our nation and a host of other things too numerous to mention.

But the ultimate is to know God and draw near to Him. This kind of prayer is not asking God to ‘do’ something. It is asking for His very presence. It is pleading with Him to draw near to us and to linger. We often think that this intimacy with our awesome God is beyond attainability. If it were unattainable, why did He command it of David?

‘When you said, “seek my face”, my heart said to you, “your face Lord, I will seek”’ (Psalm 27:8).

Seeking God’s face is far different from asking Him for something or presenting Him with a list of petitions. Seeking God’s face means praying over and over again that we might be close to Him, led by Him, having the knowledge of His will and be used in His plan.

Our God is a God of relationship. He is not a distant, hands off God. He numbers the hairs on our head, knows the words on our tongue before we speak them and ordained the days of our lives even before we took our first breath.

He doesn’t want us to be like little children, full of requests for things from their parents. Instead, He wants us to go to Him as mature sons and daughters who know their Father, who are in tune with His will, who have begun to think and act like the Father, and who can responsibly serve in the Father’s kingdom.

God wants us to move beyond the petition stage of prayer to a time when the ultimate good—in fact the only good—is being in communion with Him. These are busy and vital days for those of us in ministry, so I encourage you not only to pray fervently for the things on your heart but to earnestly seek His face.

Don’t just ask and leave, but stay a bit longer.

Lieut-Colonel Ray Wilson

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

31

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

32

Praying the Bible Lieut.-Colonel Janet Munn, Secretary for Spiritual Life Development Associate Principal ICO, London

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

33

Praying the Bible is an ancient practice of the Jewish people and has been used throughout church history, especially the monastics who would pray/ sing through the entire book of psalms each week.

The ideas I will share in the following paragraphs—from doctrine and the Bible—influenced my thinking long before I ever thought of praying the Bible. It wasn’t until I read a couple of books by Wesley and Stacey Campbell about it (see resources below) and listened to teaching and CDs

by Mike Bickle, that I began to practise praying the Bible in my personal prayer life. It has permanently changed the way I pray and my relationship with the Bible—all for the better—and it’s still growing. I now pray the Bible as a daily practice and can hardly pray without my Bible in hand.

The Salvation Army Doctrine #1 We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and that they only constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

The Call to the Word of God From Called to Be God’s People (International Spiritual Life Commission, 2008).

We call Salvationists worldwide to a renewed and relevant proclamation of and close attention to the word of God, and to a quick and steady obedience to the radical demands of the word upon Salvationists personally, and upon our Movement corporately.

This is good news to Salvationists around the world—that in our generation, today, the Spirit of God, through human beings, is calling The Salvation Army to a ‘renewed . . . close attention to the word of God’ personally and corporately. Good news indeed!

His Word—Our Mouth ‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ ( Hebrews 4:12).

There is a distinct power in speaking the words of God, the Bible. That is what is alive and active. It’s not the ink on the page so much as those words spoken from the mouth of a disciple of Jesus Christ and from a heart of faith.

Look at how much power is given to our speech even in the new birth according to Romans 10:

‘But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved’ (Romans 10:8–10).

Throughout the Bible, both testaments are examples of human beings speaking the word of the Lord at His command, and bringing about change on the earth.

We’ve got Ezekiel: ‘So I prophesied as I was commanded...so I spoke these words just as He told me...’ (Ezekiel 37: 7.)

For some reason God wanted Ezekiel, a human being, to speak His words aloud. God told him what to say but the human had to say it.

Caleb: But Caleb tried to encourage the people as they stood before Moses.

‘Let’s go at once to take the land,’ he said. ‘We can certainly conquer it!’

(Numbers 13:30 NLT).

Caleb (and Joshua) are described as ‘having a different spirit’ than the other 10 faithless spies. Why? Because they insisted on agreeing with what God had said and speaking out of that belief.

And Elijah After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: ‘Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land’ (1 Kings 18:1).

The Lord started the conversation. It was His idea. But Elijah spoke out of what he heard to bring about an end to the drought.

So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab, “Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you”’ (1 Kings 18:44).

Notice how Elijah spoke the Word of the Lord before he saw the rain falling!

Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half year (James 5:17–18)!

And the Pentecost crowd ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy . . . In those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy’ (Acts 2:17–18).

Among other things, this pentecost declaration from Peter indicates that in a new way, from that day on, the Holy Spirit would

be available to all people and the presence of the Spirit would bring about God-authorised speech—prophecy.

This divine authority upon human mouths is for young and old, male and female, people of every social status.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night… (Joshua 1:8).

The word used here in Joshua 1:8, translated ‘meditate’ is used in the following ways throughout the Old Testament: To Meditate: to murmur, to mutter, to have a deep tone, growl (like a lion over its prey), groan, utter, moan (like a dove), mourn.

So, comrades, in prayer, ‘pick up your sword of the Spirit,’ (Ephesians 6).

Remembering that, the word of God, the word that God speaks,

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

34

is living and active…(Hebrews 4:12) and throughout Scripture God speaks that word through the mouths of people like Elijah, like Ezekiel, like us.

Why don’t you try it? Begin to pray/read Bible verses and chapters phrase by phrase, out loud, slowly and repetitively for 15 minutes a day for two weeks and see what happens!

Why speak it out loud?

Two reasons: 1. So you know when you’ve stopped.

2. Because it’s hard to think about something else when you’re talking!

With regard to Scripture – let’s saturate our minds and hearts with the vocabulary of the Spirit, allowing it to become rhema—Living Word. Let’s give ourselves with diligence to—a lifestyle of studying, reading, praying, memorising the Bible.

Scriptures Psalm of praise—103 Psalm of protection—91 Meditate on Christ—his sacrifice and suffering: Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Philippians 2.

Meditate on Christ—the risen, glorified one: Revelation 1, 4 and 5, Colossians 1.

Apostolic prayers for the church: Colossians 1, Ephesians 1 and 3.

Prayers of wisdom—Ecclesiastes 3:1–8,11, Proverbs 2, 7, 9, 23.

Prayers of the prophets—Deuteronomy 6:4–12, Joshua 1:7-9, 2 Chronicles 20:2–12, 14-15, 17, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Daniel 9:1–8, 11-19, 1 Chronicles 17:16–27.

Benediction to silence—Song of Songs 8: 6–7.

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

Pray The Salvation Army Songbook Try praying through The Salvation Army Songbook too. There are some rich lyrics in there. For example: Songs of praise—173 Jesus Shall Conquer, 60 Jesus the Name.

Songs of Intercession—584 I am Praying.

Songs of Holiness—458 Take Time to be Holy.

Songs of Faith—769 Greater Things.

Resources and Challenges: Prayers from the Bible www.ihop.org www.heroresources.com Start a Bible Study Commit to Scripture memorisation Pray the Bible 15 minutes a day Read through the Bible this year Praying the Bible the Pathway to Spirituality: Seven Steps to a Deeper Connection with God, a book by Wesley & Stacey Campbell.

Praying the Bible Book of Prayers: Praying God’s Word Out Loud for Spiritual Breakthrough, a book by Wesley & Stacey Campbell.

35

Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think.

Each time before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory.

Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!

Andrew Murray 1828–1917 South African Dutch Reformed leader

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

36

Circles of God seems to work in certain discernable and recognisable patterns. From the stunning cadence of the seasons to the remarkable biological similarities in His creatures, yes, our God is a God of aesthetic stencil and order.

This also appears to be so in the metanarrative of Scripture. For instance, He seems to delight in revealing His power in the motif of death and resurrection—the valley of dry bones, Lazarus and supremely in Jesus. He communicates His essence in light—the opening act of creation, His guidance in the wilderness, and most sharply in Jesus, the Light of the World.

One of these divine patterns appears to be expanding circles. The overall sweep through scriptures moves from the solitary family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to the people of Israel to all people of the world. Jesus also applies the pattern working with a centrifugal force from the inner circle of Peter, James and John to the central 12 disciples to the greater 72 disciples (Luke 10).

I believe this can provide you and me with a pattern for prayer.

Not that long ago the Lord worked on me for several successive months with beautiful and forceful grace, calling me to become more creative and more disciplined in prayer. One of these outcomes was a template for prayer— Circles of Influence. It is precious to me, and may be catalytic for you.

While the mould is objective, the pattern is yours—intensely so. If you’re even moderately intrigued, complete the following inventory, and see how the final silhouette emerges.

Let’s start smack-dab in the middle.

Personal prayers You have a personal relationship with God so it’s a natural place to pivot. This is central to the whole pattern. Even Jesus starts the expanding circle of His classic ‘High Priestly Prayer’ (John 17) with prayers for himself.

What does God continually seem to be revealing to you?

What grace energizes you?

What injustice grieves you?

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

What scriptures resonate with you?

What divine insight has stirred you recently?

What are the deep, immovable desires of your heart?

There is value to repetition, so mould these responses into a sacred mantra. For instance, God once gave me a simple—yet powerful—prayer: ‘Increase my capacity to love’. I say that many times a day; it does me good.

Prayers for family You have a primary area of influence with your family. It is likely that you have a more naturally intense bond of love and conviction with this group of people than any other.

It is here that we can start beginning to use an important principle to add bold brush strokes to your pattern—the concept of authority. In Matthew 8, Jesus remarks on the muscular faith of the Roman centurion, who stuns Jesus with this perceptive observation: ‘Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,” and he goes; and that one, “Come,” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’

A helpful way of phrasing this in prayer might be ‘By the authority given to me under Christ I extend my faith on behalf of ….’

You have unusual and singular authoity as a family member to bring your kin to the throne of Christ. This is yours to be used.

It is a sacred trust and should not be ignored

or discarded or treated casually. My delight is to pray protective prayers for my wife and children; and prayers of honour for my parents.

Name your spouse – call her blessed (Proverbs 31); call him righteous (Psalm 112) Name your children – Deuteronomy 6 Name your parents – Exodus 20:12 Name your siblings Name your in-laws Name your nieces and nephews Name your cousins Name your patchwork family Wow! I suspect you have quite a list.

Prayers for leaders You and I may have authority, but you know we are also under authority. ‘You gotta serve somebody’ sang Bob Dylan, with sharp insight. So, it does us good to bless those who shoulder leadership, and, of course, it will likely grace them. Besides that, the gospel injunction is to pray for our leaders.

Naming our leaders in prayer is a gift of respect and support, it keeps us humble, is a reminder that our leaders are human and is a balm during times of testing and disagreement.

37

Influence

A Creative Template for Prayer, By Lieut-Colonel Richard Munn, Principal ICO, London

Who are your leaders? Who do you serve under—political, national, denominational and church employment, mentors?

Prayers for colleagues We also have influence with people right alongside us, those we likely interact with many times in any given week. Such prayers can almost be quasi-clandestine; camouflaged agents of grace.

Here we tap into the principles of mutuality and synergy. We energise the graces of unity and harmony. Romans 12 provides a good couple of sacred contours: ‘In honour preferring one another’ and ‘Not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought.’ Wow! Those two sentences alone add bracing dimensions.

Name your work, corps and ideological colleagues.

Prayers for friends Phileo love is a rich biblical principle. Jesus himself remarkably says ‘I have called you friends,’ and John powerfully taps into the concept where he repeatedly writes: ‘Dear friends …’ (1 John 4).

Our friends are God’s gift to us; they mediate His love. Candidly, those of us who find comfort in our self-constructed portable walls should probably be especially grateful that we are ‘befriended.’

Name your friends.

Prayers for areas of ministry influence You probably have an area of designated influence, even authority, in ministry. It is probably a formal assignment. This is yours to exert with great care, humility and confidence. For instance, if you are a youth worker, nobody can quite pray with the zeal, knowledge and insight for those kids than you.

If you are a musical leader, you know the members of that ensemble like nobody else, and can pray for their effectiveness and wellbeing with unusual clarity. The same goes for nursery class teacher, corps cadet leader, home league secretary, corps officer, divisional commander etc.

You were likely given that sacred task in a rite of passage, before a community of faith.

As a consequence you have immense capacity for influence in prayer; second to none, sacred authority in ministry. Please, do not leave this authority lying about for anyone competing entity to pick up, because pick it up they will.

What are your specific ministry assignments?

Name your community of faith. Who is in your small group? What councils, teams, boards or committees are you on?

Prayers for geographic regions You and I are inhabitants of a simultaneously dark and beautiful world, and that can mean a global influence in prayer. Jesus said we would be his witnesses ‘to the ends of the earth’.

Certain regions, cities and towns are undoubtedly especially near and dear to us. We have inherent passion and ‘authority’ as a consequence. Try this for a marker: Name your turf—the land of your birth, the rock from which you are cut.

Outline your geographic life history— your ‘boundary lines’ (Psalm 16).

What are your ‘special places— neighbourhood, city or region?

What are your supernatural burdens and/or passion?

Do you have any specific callings— i.e. a country wracked with conflict?

Name the regions that break your heart.

Final thoughts Craft your own style here, your imprint or logo, so to speak, on this rippling template. Here are mine: I pray for young leaders—the Timothys who will one day lead us.

I love to pray for those I have had the privilege to lead to Christ.

I pray for the appointments we have served in over the years.

I pray for ministry assignments before us.

This is a continually evolving assignment— it is never truly completed. This gives extra vibrancy to such praying. Sometimes the Lord will even give release from certain assignments, a ‘mission accomplished’ seal.

So, go to it prayer warriors! Spread out and make a splash!

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

38

Call to prayer and mission General Paul A. Rader (Rtd), Westminster Central Hall, London, November 1994

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

39

God is calling our Army to prayer!

He is calling us to urgent, prevailing prayer for the renewal of our love for Christ, a recommitment to our spiritual priorities in mission, and a clearer vision of His purpose for the Army as we approach the year 2000.

The salvation war in which we are engaged is real. The enemy against whom we fight is powerful. But he is not invincible. Indeed, he was defeated at the cross and exposed to open shame (Colossians 2:15). Still, the battle rages on. Never has the conflict been more intense. Never has there been a greater need for prayer.

We rejoice in every evidence of a revival of prayer in our ranks, and beyond: prayer fellowship, prayer vigils, prayer marches, prayer support teams for musical sections, schools of prayer, nights of prayer, concerts of prayer and much more. In one hundred countries around our globe the voices of Salvationists in prayer ascend to the Throne of Grace every hour, day and night. We are a praying Army. But let us confess that for all too many of us, prayer may quickly become a lifeless routine, an empty and powerless ritual, if it is not neglected altogether.

Let every Salvationist take a personal inventory of the place, priority and power of prayer in his or her own life. Do I have a regular time for personal and family worship and prayer? What is the place of prayer in our planning and programs at our corps and centers? When do we pray? Who prays? With what expectation? With what result? Is God calling some of us to a specific ministry of intercession or spiritual warfare through prayer?

As General of The Salvation Army, I am asking that every Salvationist and every centre of Army activity consider making a specific commitment to prayer for the next twelve months. The nature of that commitment should be negotiated personally with the Holy Spirit. I seek a commitment beyond our present routines. Let prayer be more disciplined, more specific, more consistent.

For what then, shall we pray? yy Pray for peace and an end to tribal and ethnic violence, while confessing our own failure to be instruments of His peace. Ask God where we ourselves might bring healing as His ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–20)—in our homes, our marriages, our corps, our communities. yy Pray for unity among us, the two or three together in His Name, and as a global force for salvation and healing of the nations —Partners in Mission. yy Pray for the salvation of the lost—for a new spirit of holy aggression in our evangelism. yy Pray for world evangelisation—the salvation of the unreached peoples of earth, according to ‘the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him’ (Romans 16:26). yy Pray for the growth of the Army in spiritual depth and devotion. yy Pray for new corps and new people, ‘brought out of the dominion of darkness and into the Kingdom of the Son He loves’ (Colossians 1:13). yy Pray that God will raise up an Army of senior soldiers, women and men, a million strong, around the world, marching under the one flag. yy Pray for Army leaders—for vision, grace and courage. Pray for them not just as leaders, but as vulnerable human persons. yy Pray for the confusion and defeat of all the stratagems of Satan and for the deliverance of those held captive to his will. yy Pray for the salvation and moral protection of our young people, for a love for the Word of God, courage to stand for Christ, and a willingness to give radical obedience to His will. yy Pray for officer candidates, lay volunteers, and those who in mid-life will put their skills and experience at God’s disposal. yy Pray for our Army’s world-wide ministries of helping, healing and wholeness among the sick, the powerless, and the poorest of the poor. yy Pray for children caught in the crossfire of war, the homeless, brutalised and abandoned. yy Pray for the beauty of the Lord our God to be upon us as a movement— the beauty of His Holiness (Psalm 90:17). yy Pray for a new appreciation of our royal privilege of coming to God at His invitation, for a daily audience with our Saviour King, ‘that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16). yy Pray that a Spirit-inspired movement of prayer reaching the Throne of God will bring a mighty tidal wave of salvation blessing sweeping over our Army around the world, a tsunami of the spirit, cleansing, refreshing, and renewing us for mission. yy Pray that Jesus Christ will be glorified through this His Army.

On our knees, let us look again at our own homes, our communities, and our world, careening out of control toward the next century. If you believe with me that God is calling His Army to prayer, then decide now to do something about it—and do it now, for Jesus’ sake, and for the salvation of the world for which He died. Let us go forward— on our knees!

24/7 Prayer Manual July 2010–December 2011

‘I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when not feeling it. I believe in God even when He is silent.’ Inscription on a wall in a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where Jews who eventually perished were hiding from the Nazis

I would like to thank Mal Davies, once again, for generously spending hours editing the articles for this years manual; Dawn Volz for lending her exceptional talent in proof reading, Lyndall Bywater for stretching us in the prophetic, Major Brian Pratt for expanding our prayer horizon; Lieut. Cols. Janet and Richard Munn for their creative prayer ideas and Major Ray Wilson for sensitively sharing what it means to seek the presence of God; and last, but definitely not least, Chloe Neistat for her intuitive hand in the design of this years manual and bringing it to life.

Captain June Knop 24-7 Prayer Coordinator