Posts in the month of: May, 2010
From the Forerunner Bookstore: Prayers to Strengthen Your Inner Man (Reviewed)
Many of us believe in the value of prayer. We buy the teachings and the books, we attend the conferences, but do we enjoy prayer? Prayer is not something that we choose to do simply because it is a good discipline. For those who desire to follow hard after God, prayer is a necessity, much like water and food to the body. We cannot do without it. It is the air we breathe and the heartbeat of the Christian faith. Connecting with God at a deep level is the primary calling of every believer.
I believe one of the primary reasons that prayer is not as enjoyable as it could be is because we do not know where to begin. Much like studying the Word, prayer can be overwhelming at first. There are so many issues and prayer needs, so many injustices and wrong things that need to be made right. How do we even begin such a daunting task?
Mike Bickle addresses this question in his new book on prayer, Prayers to Strengthen Your Inner Man. We must start with our inner man when we desire to move forward in our prayer lives. God is zealous for our spiritual growth and desires that we would be strengthened in our inner man as we talk to Him day after day in personal prayer.
Using three simple acronyms, Mike helps us to pray the Bible with perseverance, purpose, and desire. He exhorts: “The Spirit will strengthen our inner man by touching our mind emotions, and speech with the might of His presence. We can draw on the strength of the Spirit as a river of life in us by asking Him to strengthen us.”
Prayers to Strengthen Your Inner Man will help anyone looking for encouragement in his or her prayer life. Whether you are a new believer or an intercessor of many years, practicing the principles Mike shares in this book will bring great spiritual rewards to your personal life. I highly recommend this resource.
Join us today as Mike Bickle delivers an important message to the IHOP–KC staff
Join us today as Mike Bickle delivers a message to the IHOP–KC staff about his recent and highly significant time with Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM.
Live webstreaming begins Monday, May 24, at approximately 4:30pm CST.
Notes for this meeting are available here: Notes (PDF) | Notes (Word)
A Look at Justin Rizzo’s Worship Team
The International House of Prayer has many wonderful worship teams who serve faithfully and joyfully in the prayer room, year in and year out, with diligence and a prophetic spirit. At this morning’s 6:00am prayer meeting, Justin Rizzo’s worship team led us in intercession for revival on college campuses and for the salvation of souls in the young adult generation of America. It was a powerful set. I enjoy every one of Justin’s sets. They are provoking, enjoyable, and draw me into the presence of God.
Justin’s team has several unique qualities, one being their distinct, powerful sound. Justin has been one of our primary worship leaders for over five years, leading for twelve hours per week in the Global Prayer Room and at our student awakening services. Our worship leaders are one of the great strengths of IHOP–KC, leading with excellence and passion for Jesus, and Justin is no exception.
Justin’s team is currently made up of six singers and up to seventeen musicians. The various instruments include a hammered dulcimer, a violin, a cello, a flute, a penny whistle, a low whistle, a saxophone, a trumpet, drums, a bass, two acoustic guitars, a keyboard, an electric guitar, and percussion and orchestral bells. Many of their sets sound like a symphony! This beautiful, prophetic music ushers the congregation into worship and prayer before the throne of God in heaven, where worship, music, and singing continue night and day.
This is one of the secrets of our worship leaders here at IHOP–KC: they carry the revelation that God surrounds Himself with music, worship, singing, and the full, manifest presence of the Holy Spirit, the very beauty of God (Rev. 4–5). Our worship leaders are committed to diligent study of this reality, just like King David in Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.”
I encourage you to join us as we set our hearts to worship God and sing about His beauty. You can join us free through our live webstream at IHOP.org.
One Heart Ministries International Interview with James Adams
Nate: James, you were born and spent your early years in Haiti. Is that right?
James: Yes. I was actually from the streets. When I was four years old I was on my own, fending for myself. I ran in the streets for about nine years, and then went to an orphanage. Long story short, God opened a door, my parents came to Haiti on a ministry trip, and the Lord spoke to them. He said to my parents that I was to be their son and that they were to raise me up as a Samuel in the house of prayer. At that point the house of prayer in Kansas City hadn’t started yet.
Nate: When was this?
James: About twelve years ago. My parents brought me to America, and we lived for around two years in Chicago, then we moved to Kansas City for school. We lived here for about a year and went to Metro Christian Fellowship, where Mike was the pastor. Then we moved back to Chicago, started a house of prayer, and did that for about six years. My parents decided to move to Kansas City, and my wife and I ended up moving to Haiti. We had been in Haiti for two months when the Lord directed us to move to Kansas City. and we’ve been here ever since.
Nate: At what age did you begin walking with the Lord?
James: My salvation story is amazing to me. About a year after I was adopted, I was radically saved. In every taxi in Haiti, they would say, “God is good.” They know how to speak the religious language. I grew up knowing to tell people what they wanted to hear. About a year after I came to America, my dad came to my bedroom one night to confront me about something that had happened. One thing led to another; I repented and my dad led me to the Lord. I began to weep, and I had a picture of fire. I didn’t speak in tongues; I didn’t know about anything like that. As a matter of fact, I was just learning English. I had a vision of fire coming from the front yard to my bedroom, and I started weeping and speaking in tongues the whole night—just weeping and crying before the Lord.
Nate: So your first encounter with the Lord was a vision of the fire of the Holy Spirit hitting you?
James: Yeah, and ever since, by the grace of God, I have desired to walk in His ways.
Nate: I ‘d like to talk to you about Haiti—your biological family is still there, right?
James: Yes. When I was adopted, I was a very bitter young man. I suffered a lot of abuse growing up; I would say 99 percent of young boys and girls are abused in Haiti. So, I was resentful and angry. I remember leaving Haiti and saying, “I will never be in poverty ever again.” Initially, I had no desire to go back. As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a pilot and travel the world. When I got saved, it was clear to me that the Lord was calling me to the nations. For about two years the Lord actually opened the door for me to work on my relationship with my biological mom. She encouraged me to help with a food program in Haiti, and our relationship was restored.
Seven years ago, I had an audible voice encounter with the Lord. He spoke to me and said, “I’m doing something in Haiti that you are going to want to be part of.”
My response to Him was, “I’ll do it if you tell my wife about it.”
Later on I said to my wife, “Hey Tab, did the Lord happen to speak to you last night?”
She said, “Actually, late last night, right before I went to bed, the Lord gave me an invitation.”
I said, “What was the invitation?”
She said, “The Lord said, ‘I’m doing something in Haiti and you are going to want to be part of it.’” I lost it. I just began to weep.
Nate: It couldn’t be any clearer, huh?
James: That was the initial call to Haiti. That week, there was a conference at our church with Rhonda Hughey from IHOP–KC. Sunday morning, my dad, who was the pastor at the time, invited us to share about Haiti. I went up and shared my story and gave a quick update. Rhonda went up and she was weeping. She said that the Lord was calling our church to make a covenant with Haiti. At the time, my parents and I were trying to adopt my younger brother. It was going to cost $10,000 to do it. Rhonda came up and began to prophesy over us.
She looked at me and said, “James, the Lord says to you, ‘Whatever you ask concerning Haiti, I will give it to you.’”
I began to weep. She took an offering, and we raised exactly $10,000 that morning. My parents were able to adopt my brother. About two years later, my wife and I started One Heart Ministry International. We launched it specifically wanting to help the large number of orphans in Haiti.
I felt like the Lord was giving us a strategy to care for the orphan, the needy, and the broken. We began working with orphanages—training their staff and bringing medical teams. We told them that if they gave us a year to train their staff and teach them from the Bible, then we would bring clothes, shoes, and other needed items.
Two years ago, I was privileged to lead the first IHOP–KC team to Haiti, and we saw wonderful things happen. The Spirit of God fell on our team and two of the IHOP–KC worshipers began to prophesy in Creole in front of 300 pastors.
Nate: No previous language training?
James: None. But they were singing and declaring the word of the Lord. A lady started prophesying back to us in English. It was an amazing trip, and we’ve been taking teams for the last six years.
Nate: So you were already at work in Haiti before the disastrous earthquake struck in January.
James: When the earthquake hit, I got a phone call from a friend of mine asking if I had seen the news. The first thing I did was to call my mom, uncles, and aunts. Nobody answered the phone. Our pastors, directors—nobody picked up. I called the head nurse of our organization to tell her that we were going to Haiti. The night before I left, Sean Malone of Crisis Response International (CRI, an IHOP–KC-related ministry) called, saying that they needed someone to help get them into Haiti, which we were able to do. Driving through Port-Au-Prince was like driving through a war zone. There were piles of dead bodies; mass graves were being dug.
Nate: I’m sure you were thinking, “I haven’t heard from my family, I haven’t heard from my pastors, I haven’t heard from anyone.” What was your conversation with the Lord at that point?
James: Everything was happening at such a fast pace that I don’t really know. Going through Port-Au-Prince, I thought for sure that my whole town had been destroyed. I’m talking about miles and miles of destruction. I stayed with CRI to make sure they were stabilized, and about two days after that, I went to my village. The first time I cried was when I was driving to my town and I began to see bodies and collapsed buildings. I said, “God, what is happening?” Two days later, I was invited to an orphanage of about eighty kids. They had been in a two-level house, and it had collapsed. It was tough, but we just did what we were trained to do. Three hospitals in Kansas City had given us keys to their warehouses and told us to take whatever medicines and supplies we needed. So we took care of patients all day long, helping as best as we could.
Right now, we are taking teams to Haiti every four to six weeks. The teams are made up of doctors, medical professionals, pastoral carers, psychologists, and other volunteers. Most of the medical teams that initially responded are now gone, so it’s small organizations that are taking care of the people now.
How to pray: Please be in prayer for James and One Heart Ministries International as they leave for another round of aid and relief for the people of Haiti. If you would like to help, or would like to contact One Heart Ministries, please visit their website at ohmhaiti.org.
IHOP-KC News Video
IHOP-KC News May 2010
Title
IHOP-KC News May 2010
Description
Coverage from the New England Outreach, why to pray for Israel, the upcoming Israel Mandate Conference, and the Forerunner Media Institute.
In this episode of IHOP–KC News, Allen Hood gives a special report with student testimonies of the IHOPU outreach in New England. Wes Hall prepares for our Israel Mandate conference this week by talking about why we pray for Israel. If you’d like to learn more about the Forerunner Media Institute (FMI), join Jono Hall as he shares the vision for FMI.
From the Prayer Room
Sunday, April 25, Stephen Venable spoke about the glory of God and the worth of Christ. The end goal of all things is the recognition and celebration of the glory of God. Repeatedly in the Bible we see God’s jealousy for His name. All things were made to put His name on display, and this is the end towards which God is moving all of creation.
This message has dramatically affected the way our IHOP–KC worship teams lead in the prayer room. There has been a noticeable difference as songs of praise have gone forth from the prayer room with marked fervency and gratitude. The missions base feels the reverberation of the truths that Stephen expounded upon. Because Jesus is supremely glorious, the worship movement can exist as an end in itself. We worship night and day simply because He is worthy. There may be many other reasons for night and day prayer, but in order to stay faithful in the place of prayer and worship, our focus must be on the person of Christ, the One who upholds all things.
I feel the sting of conviction in that I have made the act of worship an event in which the focus is on my need for restoration instead of God’s exaltation and praise. Undoubtedly, I receive from the Lord when I worship Him. My goal should not be receiving; it should be giving extravagant devotion and praise to Him. The truth is that worship is an end in itself because God’s glory is an end in itself. I have been ruminating over this, and it has changed the way I approach God every time I enter the prayer room. It makes me unbelievably grateful to realize that I am invited by the Creator to fulfill the very purpose for which He created me: the recognition of His glory.
Crisis Response International
In 2001, Sean Malone was in New York City, working on a movie set as part of the lighting crew. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an airliner slammed into one of the twin towers. After viewing footage of firefighters digging through rubble and debris using only flashlights to light their way, Sean and his father gathered their movie-lighting equipment and headed to Ground Zero to help search-and-rescue crews recover victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Just a few short years later, Sean and his family were evacuated from their new home in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina edged closer and closer. After Katrina hit, the Malones returned to the city to gather whatever belongings were left. Their hearts were stirred with compassion for those in need of food and shelter. For months, they stayed in New Orleans and hosted teams of volunteers for the rebuilding process. Following their time working in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Malone family moved to Kansas City, where Crises Response International began.
In the coming days, natural disasters and political, economic, and social upheavals will be prevalent. Many people will not be prepared for the coming trouble. The Lord is going to shake everything that can be shaken (Hag. 2:7; Heb. 12:26). CRI’s vision is to train and equip mercy missionaries to reach the harvest in times of crisis. Through night-and-day prayer and hands-on relief training, CRI plans to mobilize thousands of forerunners to serve the nations in need. CRI focuses on creating small teams of properly trained volunteers to bring stability and physical, emotional, and spiritual hope to people groups affected by disasters.
Check out Mike Bickle’s new website
MikeBickle.org is Mike Bickle’s new teaching library, available free of charge. It includes a wealth of audio and video teachings, notes, and transcripts from over twenty-five years of Mike’s ministry. All can easily be searched by title, category, series, or date. Leadership, relationships, the life of David, the book of Romans, the book of Revelation, prayer, the bridal paradigm, the Song of Solomon, and Israel are just a few of the many themes you will find teaching on. You may also subscribe to Mike’s personal video podcast from iTunes. Mike’s copyright policy is that you have the right to freely share and copy any of his notes. We encourage you to take full advantage of this teaching resource and share the website widely with friends and family, or even host your own Bible studies.
Your Eye Is on Me
Do you know that God is watching you? Do you know it in your heart of hearts? You may have understanding of the concept, but do you dwell in the penetrating light of this truth? If we understand this in even a measured way, if we grasp just a little bit of it, then nothing can hinder our lives in God. Being an overcomer is much more than stubborn drudgery and refusing to quit. Granted, perseverance is half the battle, but in order to overcome, there must be an unshakable inner disposition, an anchor for our souls.
If it is true that God’s eye is on me, then nothing else matters. I may have bouts of weakness in my flesh, but if I know that He is intentionally giving His attention to me, then my resolve will be strengthened, and freedom becomes attainable. We all face the diverse trials and struggles of life. These trials exist to purify and prove the worth of our devotion to Jesus in the same way that struggles in a marriage prove our devotion to our spouse, and refine that devotion into selfless, sacrificial love.
In this day, people fickly quit at the first signs of hardship, without ever experiencing the joy of overcoming the cruel tyrant of despair. One day there will be no more pain and no more sorrow. The implication is that there will be no more trials to prove or refine our love. Do you realize that you have the opportunity to love Jesus today, in the midst of confusion, pain, and struggle, to show Him how you feel about Him? It’s the one gift that only you can give to Him. No one else can love Him like you can, because no one else is facing your exact circumstances.
We can actually encounter the manifest goodness of God through our struggles. Not that the trials are easy to engage with and overcome; we still feel pain and loss and heartache. But when we draw strength from the conviction that God sees and knows our pain, we become more willing to press on for the sake of knowing and gaining Christ.
If you find yourself facing difficulties today, take heart. Nothing you do is in vain when it is done in the light of His countenance. Look at us today, O God, and let us know You are looking, for then we can overcome anything.
National Day of Prayer – Opening Letter from Mike Bickle, Lou Engle & Brian Kim
There are moments in history when a door for massive change opens. Great revolutions for good or for evil occur in the vacuum created by these openings. It is in these times that key men and women, and even entire generations, risk everything to become the hinge of history—the pivotal point that determines which way the door will swing.
We believe that America is in a pivotal moment in history. The question is what will this generation do with that moment? Brothers and sisters, the nations are shaking. Economies are falling. America’s constitution is being shredded by ideologues, who seek to alter the godly foundations laid by our forefathers. In moments like this, when there is no human recourse, no political solution, God gives His prescription: “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice . . . Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you” (Ps. 50:5,15). Again in Joel 2, the prescription given is to “Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people” (Joel 2:15).
The National Day of Prayer takes on possibly more spiritual significance this year than at any other time in our nation’s history. It seems that in 2010, everything hangs in the balance. It is a year of transition and consequence. We want to see the Church, every ethnic group and every denomination, setting one day apart to fast and pray with humility and penetrating personal repentance, asking God to put an end to the Church’s and the nation’s moral defiance of Him, and to send a great spiritual awakening.
Humility, fasting and tears, a sincere rending of the heart, and sacrifice must mark this National Day of Prayer. We need undeserved mercy, not empty promises of a great retirement plan in the mirage of our American dream. Shut it all down and call upon God to turn our nation in repentance to Him. We must have righteous leaders in every sphere of society. Promotion comes only from the Lord, and only an appeal to heaven can loose such favor.
We must turn our hearts from the pursuit of wealth to compassion for the poor. We must work justly to answer our great national sin of abortion. We must see a reversal in the Church of her easy agreement with divorce. What can end the plague of pornography that sweeps our pulpits and our people? It has always been “If my people will humble themselves and pray” (2 Chr. 7:14).
This National Day of Prayer is not meant to be just another good idea. Let everyone cry to the Lord with fasting. May God grant us revival in our day of trouble. TheCall, the International House of Prayer of Kansas City, and the prayer movements of America unite wholeheartedly behind James and Shirley Dobson and the National Day of Prayer.
