Blog - Page 17 of 17 - Center For World Prayer Command

Pay-ers, Pray-ers, and Play-ers

August 28, 2017January 6, 2020 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

There was a time in Christianity when there was a clear divide between the professional clergy and the laity -- the priests and the people. The prevailing paradigm was that the people gave their money in the offering on Sunday, and then the talented and God-ordained ministers did the work of preaching the Gospel. Of course, this idea was utterly unbiblical. The New Testament makes it clear that we are all ministers before God: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians...

What Is Intercessory Prayer?

August 28, 2017January 6, 2020 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

A family member faces a deadly disease. Your neighbor desperately needs Jesus, but turns away every time you try to share Christ. A nation begins to crumble because its people follow their own evil ways. But what can you do? Often, the problems we face seem too big for us. No matter how much we try, we cannot solve them on our own. It's times like these when we need to turn to the Lord in intercessory prayer. WHAT IS INTERCESSION? Intercession is prayer that pleads with God for your needs and the needs of others. But it is also much more than that. Intercession involves taking hold of God's will and refusing to let go until His will comes to pass. Intercession is warfare -- the key to God's battle plan for our lives. But the battleground is not of this earth. The Bible says, "We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness...

What is Soaking Prayer?

August 28, 2017January 6, 2020 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

The Holy Spirit is moving in the earth today and God is inviting His people to pursue Him like never before. Our Heavenly Father desires communion with His children. He desires for believers to come into a place of intimacy with Him through prayer, worship and meditation. As the psalmist declares, This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face… (Ps. 24:6a, NASB) King David was a man after God’s heart and he longed for the presence of the Lord. He wrote of this desire for more of God: You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. (Psalm 16:11, NLT) Soaking prayer is about experiencing intimacy with God. Through this kind of contemplative prayer, we set apart regular time exclusively to spend with our Heavenly Father. Intimacy with God begins when we diligently pursue Him with our whole heart. Since the fall of Adam and Eve...

The Power to Live a Holy Life

August 12, 2017 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

It is a wonderful thing to realize that all Christians have the Holy Spirit. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9, NIV). Therefore if you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit. How do you know you have the Holy Spirit? You could not have trusted Christ for your salvation in your strength alone. The Holy Spirit enabled you to become a Christian. Nobody can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Spirit. If we really have the Holy Spirit, why is it such a struggle to live a holy life? Conversion to Christ does not perfect us. We are still sinners. “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:17, NIV). Some people think that new Christians proceed to holy living automatically, with no help from other believers. After all, the Ethiopian eunuch was left...

Living a Holy Life

August 12, 2017 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

by Charles R. Swindoll Scriptures: Leviticus 11:44 As Christians we live a life that is different—morally excellent, ethically beautiful. It's called a holy life. And God honors that. Because it's like He is . . . . All of our Christian lives we have sung the old hymn "Take Time to Be Holy." Those words are true. It does take time to be holy. It certainly takes time to be mature. It takes time to cultivate a walk with the Lord that begins to flow naturally because the enemy is so much more assertive and powerful than we . . . and so creative, so full of new ideas on how to derail us and demoralize us. We need to lock onto the power that comes from God's presence and invite Him to cleanse our thoughts, to correct our foul speech, to forgive us completely, and make us holy vessels, who, like the winged seraphim, spend our days bringing glory to His holy name. Time helps you...

Reasons Why Prayer Should be a manner of life

August 12, 2017 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

Christian philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal (1623-62) wrote, "The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing … " This article proposes that prayer has its reasons. Why we pray is important, as is prayer itself. What follows are twelve reasons to pray. 1. God's Word Calls Us to Pray One key reason to pray is because God has commanded us to pray. If we are to be obedient to His will, then prayer must be part of our life in Him. Where does the Bible call us to prayer? Several passages are relevant: "Pray for those who persecute you" –Matthew 5:44 (NIV) "And when you pray …" –Matthew 6:5 "This, then, is how you should pray …" –Matthew 6:9 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." –Romans 12:12 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." –Ephesians 6:18 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and...

TEACHING CHILDREN TO PRAY

August 12, 2017December 5, 2018 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

Teaching a child to pray is one of the most valuable gifts you can give them. It helps them develop their relationship with the Lord and helps them grow as a Christian. Prayer is a very personal thing and should be taken very seriously. Teaching a child to do it should done with gentleness and grace. Consider the Age of the Child Children need to show a desire as well as a willing heart. A child asking to learn to pray should be one of the first prerequisites to teaching a child to pray. Forcing an intimate relationship with God is a mistake, as it will only push them further away. When our little one entered our home and began seeing us pray together as a family, he became very interested and wanted to participate. So even at a young age, he contributes, learns and shares in the joy of praying together. Let Them Talk Remember there is no one “one right way”...

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

August 12, 2017 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

My spirit is crushed. I feel defeated and neglected. Our family is journeying through some really rocky territory and, honestly, I just don’t like it at all. Who likes going through the storm? No one. But I also know that it can either drive me away from God or draw me near. I choose to draw near and hold on with prayer. How is your prayer life? Are you meeting Him and sharing your heart? Here are a few reasons why you should make sure it is on your to-do list everyday, all the time. Importance of Prayer Prayer is one of the most important things a Christian can do. It is a time they are communicating with God and it should be taken very seriously. While there is deep theological meaning in prayer, it doesn’t have to be something that is complicated and difficult. It’s something anyone can do anywhere at any time. Drawing Near to God It’s impossible to know someone if you don’t...

Do Leaders Really Need To Pray?: The Role of Prayer in Leadership

August 12, 2017August 12, 2017 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

How important is a leader’s prayer life? Consider the following two examples (both composite characters). Sue is a highly successful CEO who quickly advanced through the ranks of her company because of her talents, abilities and willingness to outwork most of her co-workers. She has led her institution to remarkable growth and impressive financial success. When Sue experiences a crisis in the company, she responds with creative problem solving, fierce determination and hard work. While prayer is not part of her leadership, she has amassed impressive personal possessions, wide-ranging influence and significant power. Meanwhile Tom is equally accomplished. His company is doing well financially and has a growth curve similar to Sue’s organization. Tom is very concerned about serving the Lord through his work and consistently gives God credit for his success and the growth of his company. He tithes the profits faithfully. Recently, when tensions among employees were on the rise and product orders were dropping off, he called...

What Is the Prayer of Faith?

June 19, 2017January 21, 2021 by Ed ArctonNo Comments

Years ago, the editor of a publishing company asked me to write a book on prayer. The theme is a vitally important one. The publishing house was well known. To be honest, I felt flattered. But in a moment of heaven-sent honesty, I told him that the author of such a book would need to be an older and more seasoned author (not to mention, alas, more prayerful) than I was. I mentioned one name and then another. My reaction seemed to encourage him to a moment of honesty, as well. He smiled. He had already asked the well-seasoned Christian leaders whose names I had just mentioned! They, too, had declined in similar terms. Wise men, I thought. Who can write or speak at any length easily on the mystery of prayer? Yet in the past century and a half, much has been written and said particularly about “the prayer of faith.” The focus has been on mountain-moving prayer by which we...