DAY 16: PRAYER FOR THE GOD-ORDAINED WAY
Acts 2:46-47; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 4:12, 16
For the saints to use the present circumstances to cultivate a church life that is more vital, more prevailing, more fruitful, and more according to the God-ordained way through the release of the organic function of every saint (Acts 2:46-47; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 4:12, 16).
Acts 2:46-47—And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, praising God and having grace with all the people. And the Lord added together day by day those who were being saved.
1 Pet. 4:10—Each one, as he has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
1 Cor. 14:26—What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
Eph. 4:12, 16—For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ, out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.
Ministry: Incense Being Added to Prayer
Revelation 8 shows us how God in His administration is going to judge this age. But this judgment is waiting for the prayers of those who have received both the redemption of the blood and the termination by the cross. It is waiting for the prayers of those who have been resurrected to seek after His heart and who stand on the position of death, thus allowing the resurrected Christ to be joined with their prayers. Those, thence, will be tremendous prayers which can judge and end this age. We repeat, the reason that they are able to pray for such high and great things is because they have been terminated at the cross and are able to allow the resurrected Christ to be added to their prayers. This is the meaning of the incense being added to the prayers. (Lessons on Prayer, pp. 172-173)
© Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.
DAY 17: PRAYER FOR THE SAINTS TO BE LABORING PRIESTS
Rom. 15:16; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 10:24
For all the saints to be energized as laboring priests of the gospel, who preach the Word in season and out of season to their relatives, friends, colleagues, and people they meet, in order to gain them and offer them as a sanctified offering to God (Rom. 15:16; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 10:24).
Rom. 15:16—That I might be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, a laboring priest of the gospel of God, in order that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, having been sanctified in the Holy Spirit.
2 Tim. 4:2—Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season; convict, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching.
Acts 10:24—And on the next day they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius was awaiting them, having called together his relatives and intimate friends.
Ministry: In the Name of the Lord Jesus—God’s Commitment
On earth the church has no greater authority than the authority of doing things in the Lord Jesus’ name. The Lord has committed His name to the church. This is the greatest commitment because this name denotes Himself. Whatever you speak in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord Himself speaks. Whatever you ask in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what He asks. Whatever you decide in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord decides. The church has the authority to speak in the name of the Lord. What a commitment God has given to the church! (The Prayer Ministry of the Church, p. 53)
© Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.
DAY 18: PRAYER TO CONTINUE STEADFASTLY
Acts 2:42; Matt. 6:6; 18:19-20; Col. 4:2; 1 Thes. 5:17
For the saints to continue steadfastly in prayer and for their prayer life to be built up personally, in small groups, and in the church meetings until prayer is unceasing (Acts 2:42; Matt. 6:6; 18:19-20; Col. 4:2; 1 Thes. 5:17).
Acts 2:42—And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Matt. 6:6—But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Matt. 18:19-20—Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens. For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.
Col. 4:2—Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving.
Ministry: The Prayer of Authority
The Bible contains a most lofty and spiritual prayer. But few people pray this prayer, and few pay attention to it. What is this prayer? It is the “prayer of authority.” We know that there are prayers of praise, prayers of thanksgiving, supplicating prayers, and begging prayers. But few of us know that there is a prayer of authority. A prayer of authority is a commanding prayer. This is the most crucial and most spiritual prayer in the Bible. This kind of prayer is a sign of authority and a declaration of authority.
Brothers and sisters, if you want to be a man of prayer, you have to learn to pray with authority. This kind of prayer is described by the Lord in Matthew 18:18. “Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” In this verse, there is a prayer that is called a binding prayer and a prayer that is called a loosing prayer...Heaven listens to the earth and obeys the command of the earth. Whatever the earth binds will be bound in heaven, and whatever the earth looses will be loosed in heaven. The earth does not pray; it binds and looses. This is to pray with authority. (The Prayer Ministry of the Church, p. 61)
© Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.
DAY 19: PRAYER FOR THE OVERCOMERS
Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 12:5, 10-11; 14:1-5
For the saints to be raised up and constituted as overcomers to be the Lord's dispensational instrument to turn the age (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 12:5, 10-11; 14:1-5).
Rev. 3:21—He who overcomes, to him I will give to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.
Rev. 12:5—And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
Rev. 12:10-11—And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.
Ministry: The Prayer of Authority
The Bible shows us the relationship between prayer, fasting, and authority. Prayer indicates that we seek after God, while fasting indicates that we deny our self...We have to seek God and deny the self at the same time. When our pursuit of God and our denial of self are joined and mingled together, immediately there is faith. When we have faith, we have the authority to command the demons to go away. Brothers and sisters, if we seek after God but do not deny our self, we do not have faith, and we do not have authority. But if we seek after God and deny our self, immediately we will have faith and authority and be able to utter prayers of faith and authority. Brothers and sisters, the most important prayers and the most spiritual prayers are prayers of authority. (The Prayer Ministry of the Church, pp. 73-74)
© Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.
DAY 20: PRAYER TO BIND THE ENEMY
Mark 3:27; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 12:10-11; Luke 18:7
For the enemy, Satan, to be bound, for the works of the devil to be destroyed, for the accuser of the brothers to be cast down, and for the saints to be avenged of their adversary (Mark 3:27; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 12:10-11; Luke 18:7).
Mark. 3:27—But no one can enter into the house of the strong man and thoroughly plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will thoroughly plunder his house.
1 John. 3:8—He who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Rev. 12:10-11—And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.
Luke 18:7—And will not God by all means carry out the avenging of His chosen ones, who cry to Him day and night, though He is long-suffering over them?
Ministry: A Full Provision for Our Prayer
Our weaknesses are most readily manifested in our prayers. Nothing exposes our spiritual weakness more than prayer. We know how difficult it was for the disciples to pray in the garden of Gethsemane; they could not watch and pray. But thank the Lord that we have the mighty Spirit as our help. We must trust in the indwelling Spirit to operate in us according to His power, because He is our help in our time of weakness and foolishness. Although we do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit is in us; He knows the will of God and He will teach us to pray according to God’s will. He will teach us to fellowship with God intelligently and bring us into the reality of fellowship. We should trust in the Christ in whom we believe and the Spirit who sustains us and helps us pray. (The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 38, pp. 460-461)
© Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.
Persevere in prayer.