SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #183 ---- 7/16/01
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Fight the Good Fight of Faith
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SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #183 ---- 7/16/01
TITLE: "Preparing To Be A Gap Filler" (part two)
My Dear Friend and Partner in Ministry:
I am about as excited over today's letter to you as any I have written in
recent weeks. Perhaps it's because of reports I've been receiving all
week, or it may simply be because of some special ways God has manifested
Himself and proven His purposes for me through a number of events ----
some ministry related and some within the circle of our family.
At any rate, I trust God is making Himself very real to you today.
At the same time, I'm still battling computer problems. Owning three
doesn't guarantee trouble free usage. At the moment I'm sitting in a
motel room in Des Moines, Iowa, trying to get this letter sent. After
numerous attempts to get a connection through Outlook Express using my
regular account, I've given up and am resorting to my old Juno service,
praying feverishly that God will see to it that you get my letter on
time.
Having said that, I'll get right to the point and finish this letter on
"Preparing to Be A Gap Filler".
WHAT OTHERS ARE WRITING:
1. A brother from the UK recently wrote me,saying, . . . .
"I agree with all you say about the city and, working with other
like-hearted churches, we're putting it into effect. Our church
shares--with two other churches--a former city-centre supermarket. We
worked together in various ways before this, but haven't felt the need to
merge. About once/month we have a joint meeting. This tends to be when we
have a visiting ministry.
"Our motives are twofold: to live in the opposite spirit of the City
[which has been riven by division for centuries], and to join forces for
mission into the City. These three churches are a subset of a larger
group we call 'Church Without Walls'.
"The City [Plymouth, UK] also has a 'prayer house', linking with Colorado
Springs, Kansas City, and the Birmingham [UK] World Prayer Centre [and
others]."
2. Here is a letter I received from Tom, a young man who has traveled to
the Balkans with us three years in succession and is currently spending
the Summer in Sarajevo ministering through a church there. I find his
comments to be further confirmation as to the spiritual bondage that
prevails and the need for aggressive and authoritative prayer strategies
for both regions and for individuals.
". . . I spent part of the afternoon with Vildan at the radio station
where he works and afterwards I went out with him and some other
co-workers. At some point in the evening Vildan began to explain to his
co-workers/friends that I was a Christian and was working with a [name]
Church here in Sarajevo. That immediately drew a reaction from one of
the girls, which led to a rather interesting conversation. Apparently,
near the end of the Bosnian War, her family began going to "a [name]
church in Sarajevo."
"At that time it was located in an old part of town and was simply one
floor of a home. She then mentioned that she also spent some time in a
[name] church in Rijeka, Croatia and in Crikvenica, Croatia at a place
called the Life Center. However, she was young, and only attended
because her mother, in desperation, sought out some kind of religion.
Therefore, after a brief period they quit attending.
"Here's what makes that story so interesting. The [name] church she went
to is...this one! . . . . And the church in Rijeka and the Life Center
in Crikvenica are the first places I ever visited when I came to Croatia
two years ago. She was so fascinated that I had been to those same
places and could hardly stop talking about it. To her, because of the
heavy Muslim influence here, that part of her life was worthless and
meaningless...until she realized that those same places have consumed my
life for over two years now.
"I'm not exactly sure what all of this means. Yet, it is amazingly clear
that God is at work. It began in a bank six weeks ago. Then, it
continued with a student in my class. Now, it has moved to a friend of
Vildan's. Simply Amazing!
"The second student is a young man by the name of Elvir. . . . . God has
allowed me to speak in depth with him about my faith and what Christ has
done for my life. His belief, as a Muslim, is that he must simply live a
good life to receive the gift of Heaven.
"So, I asked him...'How good is 'good'?' His reply.....'hmmmm, I don't
really know but I hope I'm good enough.' It really made him think. Yet,
I can sense a very strong opposition that can only be defeated by much
prayer.
"I truly believe that Satan has a stronghold over many of the people here
that can only be broken down through joint prayer. Therefore, please
pray for Elvir, by name. Pray that God will rebuke all evil from his
life, and keep the spiritual darkness that envelopes him far, far, away.
Then pray that God will begin to change his heart and show him the
freeness and peace we have in Christ. I believe that if we all join
together in prayer for him and for this other girl I mentioned (sorry I
forgot her name - actually I can't even pronounce it), that mighty things
will happen!"
3. If you've been following my recent letters, you know I've received
correspondence like this now from France, Bosnia, UK, South Africa, and I
don't know where all. And these reports further reinforce my conviction
that the ultimate answer to deliverance and restoration will be found
when our evangelistic efforts are grounded in God's Word and empowered by
a militant, authoritative, unrelenting strategy of liberating prayer
initiatives. Until we are willing to do that, we are fighting a losing
battle.
THE MATTER AT HAND:
Last Week I covered the first six of twelve suggested principles for
becoming an effective gap filler. I mentioned the following:
1. Prepare your heart.
2. Openly confess helplessness and hopelessness.
3. Don't get in a hurry, thus compromising the integrity of the prayer
initiative.
4. Listen to what God is saying.
5. Identify the specific target and clearly understand the specific
plan.
6. Gather a handful of other believers who are willing to be in unity
with you about the initiative.
If it would help you to review last week's letter in order to refresh
your mind, I'd suggest that.
Today I want to conclude with the remaining six, the first of which is to
. . . .
7. Get a clear word from God. We have become so familiar with the
commonplace that we easily forget that God speaks specifically and
clearly on matters. The din of humanity and the noise of the world
often drown out His voice. However, we need to be assured, as Jesus
reminded us in John 10, that His sheep hear and know His voice.
You cannot afford to go off on some tangent that may be more your own
personal vendetta rather than a clear revelation from the Lord. Moses
(in Exodus 32) and Jonah illustrate that mistake. David even alludes to
his own righteous indignation in Psalm 139, which he soon remembered was
not a word from God about his enemies, but rather about his own internal
corruption.
In addition, you must also be willing to settle for nothing less because
you may end up "bombing the wrong target" and doing more destructive harm
than good. It must be . . . .
1) From God, . . . .
2) A Word, . . . . and
3) Clear.
Settle for nothing else, nothing more, and nothing less.
When you are engaged in strategic and focused intercession, having a
clear word from God is imperative. For that reason, it is also essential
that you . . . .
8. Wait for confirmation. In studying many of the stories I've heard
and read about in recent months, I have noticed a definite pattern. In
virtually every case, nobody moved or took action until there had been
clear confirmation. Confirmation is necessary, because, no matter how
sincere or mature, you can never trust your own impressions alone without
taking a great risk.
Reliable confirmation generally comes from three very specific sources
---- the witness of the Holy Spirit, validation from God's Word, and
clear and often unexplainable but timely affirmation from other
believers.
1) The Holy Spirit's role always is connected to the will of God. He
does nothing else. Therefore, He can be trusted to confirm by His own
witness in our hearts precisely what God wants done in a given situation.
Since He has no will of His own, and by His very nature cannot cooperate
with the things of the world, the flesh, or the devil, we can know
assuredly that the witness of the Holy Spirit is trustworthy.
If there is ever a problem in this area, it is not because of the Holy
Spirit, but rather the soulish immaturity or carelessness of our own
impatient or inattentive nature.
2) God's Word never violates His Will. Many months ago I wrote a
series on the "Rhema's" that had changed my life and ministry over the
years. God never acts, nor does He call us to act, in any manner that is
contrary with His written Word, "Logos", nor His Living Word, the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Likewise, He often uses the "Logos" by creating "bold faced headlines" in
our minds that give us a clear sense of direction as to what we are to do
regarding this particular prayer target.
3) Often God uses other believers to confirm the direction we are to
take in strategic prayer initiatives. Though that may happen in many
different ways, it seems to me that usually it is either through a verse
of scripture identical to perhaps one you have received, a verse that
though different relates to the same subject or message, or an identical
impression one person has that coincides with one you had.
For example, the Lord may reveal the presence of the same stronghold to
both you and another person even though you have not discussed it with
each other. Or, maybe, as in a case I experienced some fifteen years
ago, a pastor friend of mine had a clear direction from the Lord to
address a particular subject which the Lord had burned deeply into my
heart only a few days earlier while in a totally different state.
However it comes, confirmation from God is very important before we
proceed in confronting the powers of darkness and releasing the praises
and attributes of God into a specific situation. In the parable of the
warring kings, Jesus made it clear that part of counting the cost was to
see just what your resources were. It's always encouraging to know there
are others in the battle with you.
9. Look for the flag of peace. When you are involved in this type of
prayer warfare, you will experience a diversity of sensations which are
often difficult to differentiate. You may experience fear, intimidation,
unbelief, skepticism, a sense that it won't work, etc. These are all
clearly from Satan in his efforts to keep you from doing something that
will invade his territory and upset his plans.
On the other, you may experience enthusiasm, zeal, great courage, etc.
While these may seem to be worthy qualities, they can also easily come
from fleshly motivations and must be held in check by the clear witness
of the Holy Spirit's hoisting the flag of peace.
If you feel intimidation, accusation, fear, it is clear that is from
Satan. However, if you sense a check in your spirit, a definite inner
warning, a sense that something is not right, that is likely the Holy
Spirit letting you know there are factors not yet in place ---- timing,
conditions, sufficient prayer warriors, etc.
However, when everything is "go", the Holy Spirit faithfully confirms it
with a sense of peace. That's when it's time to act.
10. Pray either on site or with insight. This is a phrase I picked up
in my recent reading on this subject, and I like it. If at all possible,
I believe it is best to be able to go to the specific location of your
"prayer target" and actually be "on site". This not only puts you on the
scene, so to speak, but it also is a demonstration of the depth of your
commitment for aggressively interceding in this particular matter.
If you cannot be "on site", then be sure, through the suggestions
previously made, that you pray with as much insight as possible.
The more spiritual insight you have about that for which you're praying,
the more precise your "aim" can be. To be sure, you can pray about
something in total human ignorance, but you cannot pray effectively
without the revelatory work of the Holy Spirit. The problem with most of
us is that we're not willing to sit still long enough to allow the Holy
Spirit to give us the insight we need.
11. Be specific, direct, and focused by securing as much information and
insight as possible through research, prayer, and collaboration with
other interested believers. Space won't allow me to treat this area as
thoroughly as I'd like. All I can really say is that when you're
entering into strategic prayer initiatives, you can't afford to
generalize, beat around the bush, or be distracted by secondary or non
critical matters.
I remember a day when I was quail hunting several years ago with some
cousins. We had worked our way through a series of brush piles to no
avail until finally there was only one pile remaining. When I put my
foot up on the pile of brush to shake it, literally scores of quail began
flying out of a hole in the side like billows of smoke. I have never
seen so many quail in one place ---- literally hundreds. Apparently
several coveys had all moved ahead of us through the various brush piles
until they all congregated in this one.
Well, it sounded like a war ---- all five of us blasting away at this
streaming line of birds. In all we must have fired off twenty or thirty
rounds of shells . . . . . and we didn't get one single bird.
Why?
There were so many, we were actually distracted and without focus.
Too often that's the way our praying is. We blast away at every
circumstance, factor, or movement we see instead of picking our target
wisely and focusing directly on the issue the Lord has prompted us to
confront.
Don't let your effectiveness be diminished by praying too broadly or by
praying about too many things. Be specific, be focused, be direct.
12. Persevere in courageous unwavering faith. I think this principle is
clearly self explanatory. You must be willing to stay at it until either
the victory comes or the Lord releases you from the responsibility of
intercession over that matter. You must maintain courage in the face of
intimidation, counter attack, and adversity. You must trust God so fully
that you will not waver like a reed in the wind.
If God has called you to some strategic prayer initiative, then it is
reasonable to assume He will want you to stay at it until the answer
comes, no matter how long it takes.
IN CONCLUSION:
This past Tuesday I received the following from Francois Carr from South
Africa in his "Bulletin On Revival". I believe it drives home the point
I've been trying to make for the past several letters. I hope it not
only blesses you, but also prompts you to "Prayeraction".
Consider this:
Bulletin 76-1 YOUR PRAYER LIFE AS A LEADER
"Great praying," wrote E. M. Bounds, "is the sign and seal of Gods great
leaders." What should be the role of prayer in your life as a Christian
leader? The instant answer to this should be the answer the apostles
gave. They decided to give themselves to two things: "We ... will give
our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Bounds
said that each leader "must be preeminently a man of prayer. His heart
must graduate in the school of prayer... No learning can make up for the
failure to pray. No earnestness, no diligence, no study, no gifts, will
supply its lack. Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to
God for men is greater still. He will never talk well and with real
success to men for God who has not learned well how to talk to God for
men."
You need audience before God before you attempt audience with your
people. You must prevail before God before you can prevail before them.
Only when you come from the presence of God can you lead them into the
presence of God. The saintly and gifted Church of Scotland minister
Robert Murray McCheyne said, "In general it is best to have at least one
hour alone with God before engaging in anything else. I ought to spend
the best hours of the day in communion with God." You as a leader today
must not only follow the apostolic example, but you must be an example of
prayer to all your people. Charles Spurgeon said, "Of course the preacher
is above all others distinguished as a man of prayer. He prays as an
ordinary Christian, else he is a hypocrite. He prays more than ordinary
Christians else he were disqualified for the office he has taken."
When Spurgeon was asked the secret of his success he responded, "Knee
work! Knee work!" Finney explained, "In regard to my own experience, I
will say that unless I had the Spirit of prayer I could do nothing. If
even for a day or an hour I lost the spirit of grace and supplication I
found myself unable to preach with power and efficiency, or to win souls
by personal conversation. Andrew Murray asked, " What is the reason why
many thousands of Christian workers in the world have not a greater
influence? Nothing save this- the prayerlessness of their service... It
is nothing but the sin of prayerlessness which is the cause of the lack
of a powerful spiritual life.
To learn how to pray and be empowered and guided through prayer is the
most important task of your preparation as a leader. To establish a
leadership lifestyle of prevailing prayer is probably the most decisive
element in your spiritual success. You will never be a greater leader
than your prayers. You may have some apparent success without a strong
prayer life. However, the eternal value of it will heavily be dependent
on your prayer life. If you as a leader should be ahead of your followers
in anything, you should above all be a model and leader in prayer. Your
prayer life is a clear revelation of how much a person and how much a
spiritual leader you are. You will never be more important in Gods sight
than your prayer life. The eternal value of all else you do (or are in
life-Editor) depends on this (Taken from the book Ablaze for God from
Wesley Duewel, Zondervan Publishers).
BULLETIN 76-2 A SUCCESSFUL PREACHER
In order to be a successful preacher you need: To be a man of fervent
prayer in secret; to be there several times a day, wrestling with God;
each time as though it were the last; refusing to get up from your knees
until an earnest had been given that the Lord had heard; asking the Lord
in faith and with importunity what to say to the people; going straight
from the secret-place into the pulpit each time. To preach with severity
and conviction; and avoiding the exhibition of self during the delivery
of the sermon (Humphrey Jones).
The Bulletin of Revival is part of the ministry of Revival Congresses SA
and serve as a Heart cry for a Biblical and Godsend Revival.
Have a great week, my friend, exploring God's ministry of standing in the
gap.
In His Bond,
Bob Tolliver, Exec. Dir
Life Unlimited Ministries
Copyright July, 2001
<[email protected]>
Do You Get "Shoulder To Shoulder"?