THE SACRIFICE OF PRAYER
THE SACRIFICE OF PRAYER
Tuesday, November 6, 2012, the Year of our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Preached @ The Prayer Conference
It is with great honor that our church fellowship is participating in this Prayer Conference. Samson Rajkumar is a man of God commended to me by God for his great work of starting churches. In the U.S.A, many gifted ministers are concerned with making-a-name for themselves and promoting their own ministries. The Lord spoke to me that Samson has served Him honorably in starting and establishing churches.
I saw first hand the work Mission in Action is doing in India in the Bible School, orphanages, widow’s home, and churches in Chennai.
It is the Lord who calls, commissions and names a conference for His Kingdom purposes. It is a great honor to Brother Samson that the Lord trusts the obedience of his faith to have a prayer-conference the week of the election in the U.S.A.
Many in this nation are looking to a man to deliver the U.S.A. from war, economic distress, storms, terror, and immorality. In the deception of blind eyes and deaf ears, many will be worshiping tonight at the altar of the media hoping for their deliverance. Many are deceived by the spirit of anti-Christ which is any spirit that opposes the Holiness of the Kingdom of God.
This week set aside for prayer for the nation is a time of sacrifice of thanksgiving, prayer, praise and worship to Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is His government that we seek. It is His Kingdom that rules over the kingdoms of the world. It is in His Kingdom that I serve.
We have a Wednesday night prayer group at Eastgate which the Lord commissioned approximately 8-years ago. I remember the “call” so well to start the Wednesday night group. The call was specific to pray for the nation and nations of the earth. In the past four years, our prayer assignment has primarily been for this nation.
I knew it would be hard work, a commitment to pray and intercede with long, thankless hours. It would be unglamorous and unappreciated. I also knew the “call” to intercede for the nations would not draw a crowd. However, the Lord has sent a faithful, committed core group of prayer warriors and intercessors who diligently pray week after week. Allen and Sandra Farley are the co-prayer pastors. Sandra prepares the prayer-points weekly and we intercede as we are led by the Holy Spirit.
This year, we sacrificed watching the debates on television and spent the two-hours in prayer while the debates were in process. Tonight is a continuation of the prayer-initiative already in progress by this group.
My prayer life is like the air I breathe. I pray continuously in the Spirit. I can be carrying on a conversation or engaged in any activity, but my Spirit-man is praying in tongues continually. Many times I have had dreams that the Holy Spirit was praying in tongues while I was sleeping.
My early child-hood, teen-age years, and young adult years were filled with prayer of talking and thinking to the Lord. Thoughts are certainly a prayer when directed toward the Lord.
In 1973, I set a goal that year to read the Bible all the way through. When I finished the Bible, I had resolved two things:
- I wanted to know and receive the person of the Holy Spirit.
- I was called to pray.
That was also the same year I received the Jeremiah call. “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child. The Lord said to me, Say not, I am a child; for you shall go to all that I shall send you, and whatsoever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid of their faces; for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. The Lord said to me, Behold I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant.”
There is a difference between the intercessor and the Prophet. The intercessor cries out to the Lord for the earth and the people of the earth. The Prophet sits in the council of the Lord, and says, Thus says the Lord.
There are different kinds of prayer:
- Prayer of agreement – united prayer of the covenant relationship.
- Prayer of Faith – prayer that touches God and brings the answer.
- Prayer of petition – making our request known unto God.
- Prayer of supplication – Our entreaty of the Lord.
- Prayer of intercession – the Spirit of the Son praying in us and through us for others.
- Prayer in Songs of Worship and adoration of the Lord.
- Travail - --prayer and intercession in the power of the Holy Spirit with groanings and uttering’s.
- Warfare – Warfare against the principalities and powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world in the realm of spirit. It is warfare against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. It is accomplished through spiritual weapons of prayer and praise.
- Prayers of thanksgiving
- Sending the world – We can direct, speak and send the word in prayer and spiritual ministry to a person or persons that are not present with us. There is no distance in prayer.
- Spiritual sacrifices ---In the New Testament, we are a kingdom of priests who offer unto the God the spiritual sacrifices of prayers and praise. We are born again to sacrifice. The Old Testament priesthood offered up natural sacrifices to God.\\
Tonight we are priests offering the sacrifice of prayer on election night to the Lord for this nation.
Perfecting praise speaks of the maturing of our praise unto God. It is not the volume or the length of praise that God desires, but rather an intensity of praise from a pure heart.
We have been given a real authority in prayer and praise. Whatever we bind or loose on earth is bound or loosed in haven. An open door into circumstances, a situation, or area (whether spiritual, physical, or geographical) is an access into that realm provided by the Lord.
I once did a study of all the prayers of the Bible that moved the Hands of God bringing a paradigm shift to the earth through the power of the prayers. The Bible contains at least fifty lengthy prayers recorded in prose and several hundred shorter prayers. I prayed every single one of those prayers over myself, my family, my friends and the nation.
From the time of Seth, we are told, “men began to call on the name of the Lord” (Gen. 4:26).
Prayer is relational and conversational. I talk to God. I think to God. If I ask him the right question, he will answer me. In Psalm 37:4, David notes the need to wait on God in prayer. There are many times when I just get before the Lord and sit in His presence. If he speaks to me that is wonderful, but if I am sitting in His Presence I am being strengthened and He ministers to me.
In that place of coming before Him, waiting, listening and feeling His Presence is the knowing realm where we know as we are known.
David describes calling out to God and receiving an answer (Ps. 18:13) “The Lord thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave His voice…” Ps. 81:7: “You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder.” Ps. 138:3: “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted”.
Elijah heard the “still small voice”.
Is. 30:21: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘this is the way walk in it’.
Jesus brought us into intimacy with Father God. He prayed Abba Father. He taught the disciples to approach God as Father. Through the precious blood of Jesus, we have access to Father God in the same intimacy and respect we experience with our earthly fathers. Prayer is an intimate meeting with God like resting in a mother’s lap (Ps. 131:2).
We assume the stance of a trusting child. One of my most frequent prayers is “Jesus help me!” When my brain awakes in the morning before ever opening my eyes, I am saying “Good Morning Jesus”, help me today. Lord help so & so---then I have a list of names of whoever comes to mind before I ever open my eyes. Usually if I awake praying for a certain person or persons, they are going through something and need prayer.
Moses and Samuel are singled out as ones who prayed effectively (Jer. 15:1).
Throughout the Old and New Testament, one central goal in prayer is power to help others. Abraham, Moses, Joshua and Daniel pray on behalf of the Israelite people, as do all the prophets. Hebrews gives the picture of Jesus as our high priest who “always lives to intercedes for us”.
As I was studying today, one of the many Hebrew and Greek words used for prayer is “proseuche”. One of the meanings is a house devoted to the offering of prayer. It came to me that not only should our churches be house of prayer, but our body, the temple of the Holy Ghost should become a house of devoted to the offering of prayer.
Another word for prayer is “palal”. This means to entreat, roll in anything, supplication, judging and thought. This is the word used for prayer which often times preceded a powerful intervention of God into the affairs of men.
When Abraham prayed for Sodom, “Abraham drew near to God”.
Hannah’s prayer vow for a child is gripping (1 Sam 1:10).
Solomon’s prayer for wisdom must be considered one of the major models for prayer.
Elijah and Elisha show themselves to be persons of great prayer, especially in the contest with the prophets of Baal.
Jeremiah is told to stop interceding for the people (Jer. 7:16; 11:14).
James provides a picture of caring for the sick through prayer.
Revelation 4-5 vividly describes the prayer-filled heavenly worship of the Lamb.
When I pray whether for the nation, nations or individual, I ask the Lord to show me how to pray; “Show me your will O God that I may pray according to your will and not lean on my own understanding”.
“Not my will by thine be done”.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V.; I entered into the labors of Tongue of the Learned by: Kelly Varner and Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.