Concerts Of Prayer - Prayer Meetings

 CONCERTS OF PRAYER – SAMPLE FORMAT 

For a  60 to 90 minute gathering.  There is no limit to the variations of flow and themes and the mix of prayer formats that can be put into a  Concert of  Prayer.  This is only one example. 

OPENING HYMN OR SONG PRAISE •  Short prayers of praise and thanks offered spontaneously from the group. •  

 PERSPECTIVE •  Brief teaching on the importance of united prayer. • People break into small groups and commit themselves to God. 

CONFESSION •  Individuals come to the mike to confess sins on behalf of the people. •  Silent prayers of confession. •  Song of surrender and confession. •  Declaration of God’s forgiveness and grace. • Song of victory and praise. 

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (FULFILLMENT) •  Prayers in triads for spiritual awakening in your church. •  Prayers in groups of  7  to  12  for spiritual awakening in your city or town. •  Prayers from the front for spiritual awakening in the whole country. • Song of praise for God’s renewing power. Amen

WORLDWIDE MISSION (FULLNESS) •  Prayers from the front for  God’s kingdom to advance to all the nations. •  Prayers in groups of  7  to  12  for specific areas of need  (consider providing fact sheets or prayer cards about unreached peoples of the world). •  Open time of spontaneous prayers from the whole assembly for the advancement of the  Gospel. • Song or hymn with focus on world needs and worldwide mission.

 DECLARATION •  Encourage one or more people to testify about what  God has shown them through the Concert of Prayer. DEDICATION •  A prayer from the front dedicating the whole group to  God. •  Final song or hymn, declaring  God’s great victory. 

Trinitarian Prayer by N. T. Wright

 

Trinitarian Prayer

Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth:
Set up your kingdom in our midst.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God:
Have mercy on us sinners.

Holy Spirit, Breath of the Living God:
Renew us and all the world.

- N.T. Wright

Prayer: Battling In The Unseen Realm

 

I believe in the power of prayer. Through prayer, God can either change our circumstances or teach us to trust in his goodness in any situation. I use ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ as a template for my time with God in the morning. I also use other prayers of Jesus’ in the Gospels, the Apostolic prayers, and the Psalms. These prayers can help to form our devotional time with God. They assist in shaping us into the image of Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul was clear that we do not wrestle with flesh and blood – our real enemies are spiritual beings. Evil entities influence society and the personal lives of individuals (Eph. 6:12.)  It takes Holy Spirit-inspired words to do battle with evil in the spiritual realm.

Praying Holy Spirit-directed prayer – also proclaiming the gospel to the nations is vital in waging war in the unseen realm. Screaming at those we disagree with or at the devil will not give us the results we desire. Angry rants will not bring about the end of spiritual darkness. But, a life lived pursuing the presence of God in prayer can make a difference.

Those who build their lives on Scripture and prayer are entrusted with the power of God to overcome evil. Those who are determined to push back the darkness in society and religion must discover the power of prayer. Followers of Jesus need to stand for justice and to work to make our world a better place. But gaining more political influence will not change one human heart.

Intimacy with Jesus is not an option for those who desire to walk and pray in Christ’s authority. Knowing and abiding in God is our ultimate goal. 

My desire is to pray in agreement with the heart of God. 

1 John 5:14-15 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.” 

We can battle in the unseen spiritual realm by praying in the Spirit – with all types of prayers (Eph.6:18.) And with the confidence that God will use our prayers to help establish his purposes in the earth.In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. – (Matthew 6: 9 – 12 NKJ)

Getting Cranked Up: Morning Prayer

 

“In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” – (Psalm 5:3 NIV)

Before I retired I got up early in the morning five days a week for work. And, honestly, my first thought was often more about coffee than God! But, I did grab my Bible and journal as I made my way to my first cup. I had to be at work early so I had very little time to waste.

I came to this conclusion while reflecting on prayer; my experience in morning prayer is much like trying to crank up an old car. It can prove to be problematic. Sometimes I felt like I am just getting “cranked up” and then it was time to leave for work. Other times, I enter into prayer easily and quickly. But, the key to prayer is; consistency, and endurance, even when we feel nothing

The men and women of God (both past and present) that I appreciate the most are people who value prayer. Effective prayer warriors have this in common; their prayers are influenced and guided by the Scriptures. Praying God-breathed words will transform our vocabulary and our thinking. And it helps us to pray the will of God more effectively.

I have found it helpful to study the prayer life of Paul. And to follow his example in prayer. He prayed for the spiritual transformation (which is ongoing) of the Church. His prayers were positive and not focused on the negative. Jesus ( the chief Apostle and High Priest of our faith) taught us to pray for deliverance from the evil one. The Apostle Paul taught us about the nature of our adversary. And how to stand in the power of God against evil.

Below are a few prayers from the book of Ephesians that I pray for myself and others regularly.

Ephesians 1

Heavenly Father, I ask for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know Jesus better.

I ask that you would enlighten the eyes of ____heart. So that they may know your glorious inheritance and great power that you have made available to your children.

Ephesians 3

Heavenly Father, strengthen me with power through your Spirit in my inner being. Help me to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. And fill me with all the fulness of God. Amen

Overcoming Evil

 “Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” So he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names stand written in heaven.” – Luke 10:17-20 NET

Jesus has sealed his cosmic victory over the forces of evil through his death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. When demons are being cast out, the devil is cast down. Satan (the satan) is not a personal name – it’s a title. The New Testament refers to this leader of the demonic realm as the devil. He is an accuser, slanderer, and the adversary of God’s people. He seeks to obstruct, oppose, divide, and wage war on the world.

One way the devil wages war with us is with godless ideologies, that result in the persecution of believers all over the planet. His agenda is carried out through ethnic and territorial conflict. He is behind war, disease, death, and extreme poverty in this world.

The present turmoil in America is demonically inspired and led by the ancient serpent himself. The lines between good and evil in the political battle between the right and the left are sometimes blurred.

Marxism is atheistic at its core. The devil’s mission is to lead all nation’s astray and into chaos, and Carl Marx was one of his evil apostles. Excessive materialism or crony capitalism can be just as dangerous to our souls, but it is much more subtle. But freedom (even with it’s abuses) is always preferable to an Orwellian society.

While the serpent has lost the war with God over the world – we still must fight him until Christ returns. Scholars often refer to the “already and not yet of the Kingdom.” Even though the devil has been defeated – he still takes people captive to do his will. He has been dethroned but still engages in guerilla warfare on this planet. When someone turns to Christ they leave the realm of spiritual darkness that he leads to becoming children of the light – led by King Jesus.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” – Rev. 12:11 KJV

If you are reading this then you are being called to wage war against the fallen one and his army. But how do we fight? We overcome our ancient foe through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony while living a surrendered life. We learn to pray and oppose evil and injustice in all its forms. We proclaim and live the gospel of the Kingdom and seek the reconciliation of people to God. We love our neighbor as ourselves and speak the truth about God’s moral and ethical commands, which can only be lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Those who seek social change through destructive acts are being lead astray by the evil one. As Christians in America, we must pause and ask ourselves; are we seeking God for a spiritual solution or a political one to the turmoil we are presently in?

Let’s pray for God to change the hearts of our enemies. While we demonstrate the love of God to our neighbors.

SPOKEN PROPHETIC WORD // WATCH the horizon... here come the waves of awa...

A Prayer For Discernment - Steve Gallagher.

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION AND PRAYER

 Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever. (I John 2:16-17 GNB)

 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. (Ephesians 6:12 GNB)

Lord, open the eyes of my heart that I might discern the deeper reality of the world around me. Help me to get a glimpse into the spiritual realm where these great battles are being fought out. Set me free from the love of the things this world offers. Purify, strengthen and deepen my love for You. - Steve Gallagher, Intoxicated With Babylon