December 2010 by The Joshua Group

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

december 2010 THIS MONTH

PRAYER MATTERS MAGAZINE is a premier online publication that educates, empowers and engages Christians around the world. It challenges readers to take responsibility to advance the Kingdom of God. The mission of PMM is to equip individuals to become more effective in prayer, fasting and spiritual warfare.

04 THE TASK OF A WATCHMAN 07 Q & A 09 PRAYING LIKE DAVID PRAYED

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13 CHRIST IN YOU 17 CALENDAR

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18 RECOMMENDED READING

THE TASK OF A WATCHMAN

On The Cover: “The Nativity” by Federico Fiori Barocci, 1597 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)

Praying Like David Prayed

CHRIST IN YOU

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DECEMBER| frontline

“unity is best”

PEOPLE OF PRAYER Did you know that there is controversy over the actual birthday of Jesus? Some people say that December 25th is actually a pagan holiday. Other people say that Jesus was born in April or September ~ literally every month on the calendar. I like to be as accurate as possible and educate myself on history to come to the closet possible truth. The research that I have done tells me that the December 25th date has been in place for many centuries. But there are some pretty good arguments for other dates as well. Although I am curious about it, this is a controversary that doesn’t really matter to me. What matters is that most of the church comes together in unity and proclaims the birth of the savior – a celebration of the most important figure in the history of the world.

There is a lot of disagreements, arguments and dissension that is in the church today. One quick view on the Internet shows people throwing stones at each other over all kinds of controversies. It reminds me of the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus’ time that always tried to catch Him doing something against the law, such as healing someone on the Sabbath. These people were so worried about the letter of the law that they forgot what love, compassion and giving were all about. Let’s not argue about the specific day of Jesus’ birth. Let’s agree that it is a good thing for people to recognize that a savior came into the world to redeem us. I like an opinion that I found on a blog about knowing the true date of Jesus’ birthday. It said, “Don’t want to know because I celebrate Jesus everyday!” v Merry Christmas everyone! RICK THORP, Publisher

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T h e Ta s k o f a Wa t c h m a n By Dave Butts

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:67). “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak’” (Matthew 26:40-41). A Watchman’s Story The young watchman stood silently at his post on the wall. The cool Judean night caused an involuntary shiver. It had been a quiet evening…a few latecomers were allowed through the pedestrian gate, but nothing else. It was almost time for his shift to end when his eyes caught a glimpse of something glowing over the nearest hill to the north. Peering into the darkness confirmed that something was amiss not too far from the city. It could be a movement of enemy troops with their torches betraying their position. Of course, it could just be the campfire of travelers…but why now in the middle of the night?

Whatever it was, the young watchman’s orders were clear…he was to sound the alarm. Raising the trumpet to his lips, he sounded the three short blasts that would bring his superiors to the wall. Within minutes, the quiet sentry post was filled with soldiers. An armed scouting party was sent to the general area of the fire. The glow from beyond the hill died down and soon the soldiers returned. A shepherd’s hut had caught fire when a gust of wind blown across the sleeping shepherd’s coals had ignited the thatch.

Though the fire was not a danger to the city, the watchman was commended by his commanding officer for his sharp eyes. It could easily have been a threat that would have been stopped by the watchful eyes of the young man. This was the very reason why the watchmen were in place.

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DECEMBER | 2010 There is a movement of prayer taking place all over the planet that is firmly rooted in Scripture. It is the call of God to His people to take their places on the wall as watchmen. Whether we look to the Old Testament or New, we find that God is calling us to watch and pray.

Perhaps the overwhelming characteristic of watchman prayer is that it is to be done with open eyes. This does not necessarily imply physical eyes, although it certainly

Our modern culture does not readily identify with the ancient concept of watchmen on the walls. To accept the Lord’s call to this great movement of prayer then, we will need to train ourselves in what it means to be a part of this great company of the “alert.” The Isaiah 62 passage, quoted above, helps us greatly in this task. It is clear that the job of a watchman is a continual commitment. It is not sporadic or dependent upon our feelings. Because of the life or death nature and constancy of the watchman’s task, it is an assignment for the many, not just the one. Believers working in tandem, sharing shifts of prayer, will be the most effective. Isaiah 62:6-7 describes an intensity that must be shared…day and night…never silent…give yourself no rest. Only groups of committed believers who band together in watchful prayer will be able to stay at their post. Notice also in Scripture that it is God who posts the watchmen. This is a divine assignment, not just the latest prayer fad. To stand on the wall as a watchman, stationed there by the Lord Himself, is a great privilege. We need to receive and obey such a call with gratitude and humility.

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can, but our spiritual eyes must be held wide open. We are to watch and pray. What is it we are looking for as we pray? I would suggest that we first look for an enemy attack. Certainly in Old Testament times, this sort of defensive watchfulness was at the heart of the task. The watchman on the wall was always on the alert for any attempt of an enemy to attack or infiltrate the city. Too many times,

DECEMBER | 2010 the walls of the Church and of our cities today are open to attack because of a lack of watchfulness. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul wrote that we are “not unaware” of the schemes of the enemy. Unless praying watchmen are on duty, we too often find ourselves painfully unaware of the attempts of the enemy to disrupt and destroy. On the opposite end of matters, I believe that the watchmen are also to keep their eyes open to see and discern moves of God. All too often we miss out on what God is doing because we are not paying attention. The watcher should always be asking, “Lord, what are You doing in our church or city this day? Is there something You are calling you people to do in cooperation with what You are doing?” How much more effective we would be if, instead of starting our own projects for God, we found ourselves moving alongside a current move of God! The other area for watchfulness is discerning the needs of the people of God. A watchman on the wall in the Old Testament would often see human needs and be able to send someone to meet those needs. Is there someone among you who is prayerfully watching the people of God to see who is hurting or who is in need? We often talk about shepherding the flock of God. What greater way to shepherd than to continually watch in prayer over the sheep the Lord loves?

the firm establishment of the Kingdom of God. The prophet speaks of the establishment of Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God among His people. In both Old and New Covenant, Jerusalem represents God among man. Jesus’ main message was the coming kingdom, present in Him. Emmanuel…God with us! Another result of this powerful prayer movement will be that the glory of God will be seen among the nations. In the Matthew passage above, Jesus wanted the disciples to watch with him and to pray for Him. How do we do that today? Have you ever asked the question, “Lord, how can I pray for You today?” I decided to try that in my own prayer life. I started praying for Him…feeling pretty inadequate and a bit foolish. I began to bless Him, agreeing with many passages in the Psalms to “bless the Lord.” As I continued to do that it began to emerge as prayer for His glory to be seen on the planet that has rejected Him. I began to sense that I was now praying for and about something that was close to His heart. As we watch and pray, we find ourselves lining up with the prophet Habakkuk and crying out “for the glory of God to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). Prayer warriors, it is time to ascend the wall of your city and begin to fulfill your calling as a watchman of God. v Article was used by permission of Harvest Prayer Ministries. www.harvestprayer.com

What will be the results of watchmen prayers? According to Isaiah, we will see

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Q DECEMBER | q and a

What do I do while waiting on God during a trial?

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A DECEMBER | q and a

Focus on the fact that God strengthens us during a trial.

Isaiah 40:31says, “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will f ly high on wings as eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

An eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks. The eagle will f ly to a high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets it’s wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us, we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us; we can allow God’s power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them. Be strengthened while you wait. v Adapted from www.allaboutprayer.org

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Praying like

David Prayed

by John Edmiston

In this article I would like to teach you to “pray as David prayed”. To do this we shall be looking at the book of Psalms. But first we need to look at three aspects of praying as David prayed. 1. The structure of the Psalm. A Psalm is not a poem or a song though it may be set to music or be in poetic format. Psalms are not primarily works of art. A Psalm is an intense personal prayer between a man and his God. Psalms are anchored in life and reality with a vengeance. Psalms vary in structure greatly but a fairly good approximate structure is found in Psalm 25... • • • • • •

Initial Call To God Situation To God Thinking About God God To Situation Resolution Final Call To God

Look at Psalm 25, and see how it fits this pattern: “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; 2in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be 9

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put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. 4Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; 5guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 6Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD. 8Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. 11For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. 12Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. 13He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. 14The LORD confides

DECEMBER | 2010 in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. 15My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. 16Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. 18Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. 22Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!” 2. Psalms and our spiritual state. The psalm is spirit calling to Spirit and as such comes from the inner being. Some Psalms are very broken , others raw and angry, others sorrowful and deep, whatever the Psalm is it is the spirit of the Psalmist calling out too God. Lets look at Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8Let me hear joy and

gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. 14Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.” a) What is David’s spiritual state as he begins this Psalm? b) What changes seem to occur? c) Would you be game to publish a poem as intimate as Psalms 51? 3. Calling for blessings. Many of the Psalms are bold requests for blessings from God, sometimes they even seem extravagant they ask so much. Read David’s prayer for Solomon in Psalms 72, how extravagant does it seem? Was it fulfilled? “Endow the king with your justice, O

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DECEMBER | 2010 God, the royal son with your righteousness. 2 He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. 3The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor. 4He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. 6He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. 7In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. 8He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust. 10The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. 11All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him. 12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. 15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long. 16Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field. 17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. 18 Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19 Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glo-

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ry. Amen and Amen. 20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.” a) What blessings are being asked for? b) How confident does David seem that Solomon would be blessed? c) How many of these blessings tie in with promises of God? 4. The “new song”. This is not licence to indulge so called creativity or a call to Christian musicians to increase their output. It is a call to believers to sing about the marvelous things God is doing in their lives. The phrase a “new song” is used 6 times in Psalms and all

DECEMBER | 2010 of these occasions connect it directly to God DOING something. For instance, Psalm 98:1: “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” Other references are, Psalms 33:34, 40:1-3, 96:1-3, 144:9-10, 149:1-4.

the ways of the wicked. 10The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD. (Psalms 146) a) What actions of God are calling forth this song? b) Christians are sometimes accused of singing songs they don’t really mean about a marvelous active God they have never experienced. Do you think it was the case with the Psalmist ?

Songs and actions go together in the Old Testament. For instance after the Red Sea, Miriam led the women in a few verses of a new song “the horse and rider thrown into the sea..”. The occasion c) How would your prayer life change if brings about the song. Thus the call to you could really see what God was doing sing a new song is a call to believers to and thank Him for it? acknowledge God when He acts and sing to Him in praise for His mighty deeds. EXERCISES It is fundamentally a call to thankful- 1. Compose a psalm the way David did. Think of a situation in your life and write ness, celebration and praise. a short prayer to God going through the Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my sequence: Call To God, Situation to God, soul. 2I will praise the LORD all my life; Thinking About God, God To Situation, I will sing praise to my God as long as I Resolution, Final Call To God. Share your live. 3Do not put your trust in princes, in psalm with a friend. mortal men, who cannot save. 4When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; 2. Write a “new song”, think of a “maron that very day their plans come to noth- velous thing” the Lord has done in your ing. 5Blessed is he whose help is the God life and praise Him for what He has done. of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6the Maker of heaven and earth,the 3. Call on God for a blessing. Write a sea, and everything in them the LORD, short call to God to pour out a specific who remains faithful forever. 7He upholds blessing/series of blessings on you/your the cause of the oppressed and give food to family/church etc. Tie it in with the nathe hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, ture and heart of God and His promises 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the to us. LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9The LORD 4. Pray for one another. v watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates About author John Edmiston

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CHRIST IN YOU “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” ~Colossians 1:26-27 What does that verse mean to you? What mental pictures emerge in your mind? Hebrews 9:24-26 offers some clues: “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another – He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world, but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Once a year, for many generations, our 13

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Heavenly Father watched as the high priest of Israel approached the Holy of Holies, slipped in beyond the veil and offered the sacrifice for himself and Israel. Each sacrifice drew the Father closer to the time when His own Son would be the ultimate sacrifice and offering. Each year the Father watched a shadow and forerunner of the true. Then the time had finally arrived, and He watched His Son ascend, not into a holy place made with hands, but into the true Holy of Holies, as the true High Priest atoning for the sins of mankind. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit and God is building within us a place for His Son to dwell; a place not made by hands, but by His Spirit. According to 2 Corinthians 5:1, an eternal house or mansion in the heavens. What we need to understand is that the man-

DECEMBER | 2010 sion is being built now, within us! It’s not something just being constructed up in heaven. Christ is to dwell within us now. We are to be clothed in glory, not found naked. The mystery is that the house found in us is also being built simultaneously in heaven. The process of salvation is the process of Jesus the carpenter building a dwelling place to hold His glory!

Do you want to be a temple that He visits or dwells in? Then rejoice and count it all joy when you are grieved and fall into various trials. The sanctification process is at work preparing a permanent dwelling place. The genuineness of your faith is being tested by fire that you may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

“indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “ For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” 2 Chronicles 5:13-14.

As High Priest, Jesus entered the Holy of Holies once and for all as our sacrifice for sin. His intercession is the constant reminder in heaven that He has paid the price for our sanctification process. The Father is revealing a greater revelation of Jesus Christ in our days. A greater understanding of who He is and what He fully did for us. The greatest reward waiting for us all is the revelation of the fullness of Christ in us, the hope of glory. v

As the church, we have been praying that this would happen in our congregations, but God says the house He is building is within you. Bring your spirit, soul and body into agreement with all of heaven and have the words found in your mouth be, “for He is good, for His mercy endures forever”, which translates into a thankful heart of gratitude and praise - then watch the glory fill your house. When we get the individual temples filled with the glory, the corporate temples will be filled with a greater glory than the former says the Lord of hosts in Haggai 2:9. A temple that He will give peace…wholeness!

Deborah Cozzetti is Founder and President of ROAR Ministries, in Puyallup, Washington. Deborah is strong in prophetic intercession, worship and teaching the prophetic word. ROAR Ministries believes in being a voice in the community and with that, Deborah helped to start a local school district coalition named Franklin Pierce YOUTH FIRST! in 2001 and was chair for the first two years of operation. She currently is co-chair but stepped down as chair in 2003-2004 to help start a nonprofit organization on behalf of homeless and displaced youth in her county. In February of 2004, ‘Youth Resources’ became a recognized nonprofit organization. Deborah has been the Executive Director of Youth Resources since 2004. Under “Dabar Ministries”, a writing ministry, Deborah teaches the Word of God, declaring the heart & truth of the Lord and destroying the false spirit of this age. www.roarministries.com

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D EVENTS | calendar

e cember

December 3-5 | Williamsburg, VA KINGDOM AND GLORY CONFERENCE Bob Jones, Randy Demain, Brian Britton www.gschapel.org December 5 | Naples, FL GEORGIAN BANOV Dove and Grammy award winner Georgian Banow www.naplescog.org December 8-11 | Fort Meyers, FL STOP HURTING START HEALING CONFERENCE Che Ahn and Gaspar Anastasi www.wolm.net December 10-11 | Knoxville, TN Abiding Glory Ministries Rick Joyner will be speaking with Ryan Wyatt, Jason Hooper, Todd Bentley www.abidingglory.com December 28-31 | Anaheim, CA JESUS GENERATION OUTPOURING Patricia King , Joshua Mills, Edwin Duran www.blessedintl.com

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events

December 29-31 | Chattanooga, TN WINTER RAMP 2010 Dutch Sheets, Damon Thompson, Rick Pino, Eddie James, Karen Wheaton www.winterramp2010.com December 30-31 | Nashville, TN NEW YEAR’S EVE PROPHETIC ACTIVATION CONFERENCE Sandy Powell, James Goll, Jeff Jansen, Munday Martin, Don Finto, Shane Anthony www.sandypowell.com

BOOKS For these and other Spirit-led books, go to www.arsenalbooks.com

Healing in the Kingdom Cal Pierce

A word that will bring healing to the whole of humanity by our whole God is needed from Heaven to the Church. Healing in the Kingdom lays a foundation from Gods Word that shows you how to receive healing by faith, how to address the roadblocks to healing and how to move in authority through the Holy Spirit to see healing and divine health manifested in this present age. In order to move in Gods power to see the sick healed, we must first know that we have the power to heal the sick - and the certainty can only be found in the Word of God! v

When Heaven Invades Earth Bill Johnson

It is truly possible for human people to walk in the divine, and Christ came to show us the way. It is by rediscovering our true identity in Him that we can begin to move into the promises of God regarding the miraculous. Bill Johnson not only teaches the supernatural, he imparts it by changing the way we think. If you are not walking in the miraculous, you’re living far below your birthright! By laying a carefully constructed biblical foundation for walking in the supernatural power of God, When Heaven Invades Earth provides all the equipment you need to experience miracles every day. v

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