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Elijah Revolution, May 26–28 in Los Angeles, California
Great shaking, trouble, and glory is coming soon to our nation. Yet in the midst of the great darkness that is threatening America, the Lord is stirring the hearts of teenagers all across the world to join with a revolution of holiness happening right now, flowing from intimacy with God, empowering them to stand against the powers of this evil hour. Why? So that Jesus would be exalted to first place in their cities, their schools, and their local churches, impacting their generation in preparation for the days to come. For such a time as this the Holy Spirit is raising up a company of young people to be pillars of righteousness and prophetic witnesses, calling the hearts of men to return to their Creator.
Elijah Revolution is a new ministry working in partnership with TheCall, Luke18 Project, and IHOP–KC, launching teen conferences and high school campus initiatives, calling teenagers to a life of wholehearted devotion to Jesus and radical commitment to God, in the spirit of a Nazirite.
Our first Elijah Revolution conference is May 26–28 in Los Angeles, California.
Worship leaders include
Jake Hamilton, Cory Asbury, Laura Hackett, Catherine Mullins, and more.
Speakers include
Lou Engle, David Sliker, Corey Russell, and Erica Greve.
Location
Angelus Temple Hispanic Church
1115 Lemoyne St.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
David Pawson at the International House of Prayer of Kansas City May 13–20, 2011
David Pawson will be joining us May 13–15, 2011, for the Israel and the Church in the End Times conference. David is widely considered to be one of the world’s finest Bible expositors and prophetic preachers. He has preached for over sixty years in England and around the world. He is the author of multiple best-selling books and preaches boldly in his uncompromising declaration of biblical truths.
David’s teaching often addresses deep and complex theological, end-time issues related to God’s love in the midst of human suffering. His teaching on the book of Revelation and the second coming is unique in its depth of understanding. David also has compelling understanding of Israel, the Holocaust, and its relevance to the end times.
In addition to being the main speaker at the conference, David will stay at IHOP–KC May 16–20 to teach a series of free teaching seminars. He will teach a new series entitled The Uniqueness of Christ: The Wonders of HiStory, covering the conception and birth, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, return, and judgment of Jesus. David will also speak on the topics of grace, divorce and remarriage, and salvation. You won’t want to miss this unique, in-depth series. Below is a full schedule of David’s teaching.
Israel and the Church in the End Times Conference
May 13–15
David Pawson will teach two sessions each morning, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Free Teaching Seminars
May 16–20
Monday, May 16, through Thursday, May 19
10:00am – The Uniqueness of Christ: The Wonders of HiStory
7:00pm – Various topics, including grace, divorce and remarriage, and salvation
Friday, May 20
10:00am – The Uniqueness of Christ: The Wonders of HiStory
6:00pm – David Pawson preaching at Encounter God Service
No registration necessary. All are welcome.
All events take place at:
Forerunner Christian Fellowship
12444 Grandview Road
Grandview, MO 64030
Praying the Psalms: Psalm 23 – Feasting on God
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
(Ps. 23)
This beloved psalm beautifully relates David’s experience before God and his confession before his enemies. As a statement of faith and acknowledgment of dependency, this psalm can be our own confession of God’s faithfulness, our desire to agree with His ways, and our commitment to resist Satan’s lies about our lives.
We agree with God’s ways when we see Him as our shepherd. He is the one who leads, guides, and protects us, both when we feel as though we are resting in abundance and when we feel fear in times of danger and distress. He prepares a table, a feast for us in the midst of opposition. To feast on God’s table is to connect with God through praying the Word, and by communing with His indwelling Spirit. When we do this, we see our situation, circumstances, and enemies differently. They seem small and temporary instead of powerful and permanent. When we constantly dwell on our circumstances, we are tempted to feast on anxiety and worry. However, if we focus on God and His promises, we can feast on His goodness and mercy because we see their evidence in our lives.
We are prone to be spiritually bored and emotionally bound if we do not feast in God’s presence. A heart vibrant in God is satisfied, and filled with peace instead of with annoyance and fear. David knew God would provide an overflowing portion. Green pastures speak of abundant provision, while still waters represent peace and refreshment. The blessings extolled in this psalm are for any who make the Lord leader of their lives. This is why David referred to God as “my” shepherd (Ps. 23:1); it was a personal revelation to David. God made Himself known to him as an intimate guardian, ready to provide for all of David’s needs. God responds to our hunger by filling our souls with goodness (Psalm 107:9).
In relating to the Lord as our shepherd, we are placing our trust in His name – in other words, in His nature and character. Because He is jealous for His name (Isa. 48:11, 52:6), we know He will surely cause us to thrive. He will lead us in paths of righteousness for His own glory and honor. This is our confidence during periods of blessing and in times of testing. The shepherd’s rod is a symbol of protection from danger. The shepherd’s staff represents His ability to direct us through each season we experience. Feasting on God gives us strength for every season, every trial, and every circumstance. His Presence makes all the difference.
Foundations of Night-and-Day Worship and Prayer
FREE SESSION AND ESCHOOL DISCOUNT!
Check out the final session of Stephen Venable’s IHOPU course, Foundations of Night-and-Day Worship and Prayer! The course in its entirety is available at a discounted rate for the month of February. For more information, and to see other available courses, visit IHOP.org/eschool.
Jesus and the House of Prayer
In this session, Stephen Venable provides Old Testament background for the house of prayer spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 21. He explains that to understand the significance of night-and-day prayer it is important to ground our view of the Church in a biblical vision of the end times.
Taking a sober look at Jesus’ statements in Mark 13 and Luke 21 about watchfulness and prayer, Stephen goes on to clarify that every believer is called to be vigilant in prayer, but not every believer is necessarily called to the full-time ministry of worship and intercession as expressed through the house of prayer in the nations of the earth.
Stephen Venable’s Preview
Title
24 Foundations of Night and Day Worship and Prayer – Video Excerpt
Description
Building the House of Prayer
Moral decline advances rapidly and secular humanism grips the hearts and minds of this generation. Economic crisis hangs like a cloud over the land. We are in desperate days, and without vision, the people perish (Prov. 29:8).
Yet there is hope. God always has an answer and a remedy. The answer is always sovereign, but sometimes it is contingent upon the response and repentance of God’s people, and the promise of hope is carried upon the prayers of the saints.
Throughout redemptive history, God has led His people by establishing worship and prayer as the central, cooperative way to release a spirit of repentance, revelation, and revival to the nation. “If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14).
In the Old Testament, God established His temple and the worship therein as the predominant means of blessing His people. From the tabernacle of Moses to the tabernacle of David, to Solomon’s temple, to the Moravians of Germany, to the present day, God sets His sanctuary in the midst of a people who bear His name in order that they might have one, primary vision: His glory among the nations.
Nowhere do we see this redemptive act more clearly than in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah during Israel’s captivity and subsequent release. At that time, there was only one remedy for Israel: repentance and revival through the rebuilding of the temple.
Where there is agreement with God, restoration is soon to follow. “I am the Lord and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret . . . I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right . . . Look to Me, and be saved all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:18–19, 22).
The prophet Isaiah was the first person in Scripture to refer to the temple as a house of prayer (Isa. 56:7), but God’s continual desire for the temple is that it be a sanctuary of unending, unhindered worship. At its core, worship is agreement with the truth of who God is and what He has promised to do.
Jesus understood His Father’s intentions for the temple. In Matthew 21:13, He quotes Isaiah, saying, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” We can understand Jesus’ anger at those who treated the temple as a place of commerce when we realize why the temple existed in the first place: to glorify God.
We can also see the labor and partnership of God’s people through history to build and maintain a sanctuary as a permanent place of worship for Yahweh. In 586 BC, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple that King Solomon had built. In those days, Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of the city, but he also prophesied its restoration: “Thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place” (Jer. 29:10–13).
After seventy years of captivity in Babylon, approximately 50,000 Jewish exiles returned to a desolate Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the temple (Ezra 1–2). Because of economic hardship, spiritual lethargy, resistance from their enemies, and drought, they worked for just a short time before quitting for sixteen years (536–520 BC). Eventually, the Lord sent Haggai and Zechariah to speak encouragement to the people, and they began working on the temple again.
Haggai prophesied strength to the people to continue their labors: “Yet now be strong, Zerrubabel . . . and be strong Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land . . . and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts” (Hag. 2:4)
Zechariah prophesied the Lord’s faithfulness in healing the land through their efforts: “Return to Me . . . and I will return to you” (Zech. 1:3). The people were called to continue their work in spite of the difficulties they faced. They were assured that the Lord would be with them. God’s zeal, through the mouth of His prophets, strengthened the people to persevere.
This dramatic story from centuries ago is a powerful encouragement to those seeking to build a house of prayer in this present, desperate hour. God is restoring the worship that the temple was intended to facilitate, by calling His people across the world to night-and-day prayer.
Apostolic Prayers – Ephesians 1 & 3
Paul’s letters contain some of the most powerful prayers in the Bible. The Apostle to the Gentiles left us a record in the New Testament of what he prayed over the churches he interacted with. Together with the New Testament prayers of Peter, John, and other believers, they are known as apostolic prayers. Here at IHOP–KC, we pray them daily.
These prayers are powerful because they draw the heart and mind to the throne room and give courage to walk with Jesus each day. They are positive, focusing our minds on the spiritual qualities we desire to cultivate, rather than on the negative thoughts and attitudes we can so often dwell on. They reflect the skillful and tender care with which Paul labored as a spiritual father over the early believers in Jesus.
Using the apostolic prayers as I talk with God develops my life in the Spirit, matures my walk of obedience, and grounds me in biblical doctrine. It impacts my life to such a degree that I can’t imagine praying without them. They are an incredible gift!
Two of my favorite apostolic prayers are in Ephesians. One focuses on receiving the spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph. 1:17−18), and the other on being powerfully strengthened by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16). We may pray for a spirit of revelation and actually receive it. However, knowledge is not all we need. We need spiritual strength and determination to take what we know to be true and walk it out. This is why we pray for strength in our inner man as well as for revelation of God’s will.
These two prayers, taken together, are a treasury of grace. As we explore their extensive truths and turn them into our own prayers, we nourish our spirits.
What Paul knew about the believers in the New Testament period is true of us too: we need the transforming truths of both these prayers as we endeavor to be true disciples of Jesus.
I challenge you to pray these prayers daily.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling. (Eph. 1:17−18)
That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man. (Eph. 3:16)
Thoughts on the Incarnation
This time of year inevitably evokes thoughts of Christ. All over the earth, Christmas is a time to dwell on the mystery of the incarnation. Believers and unbelievers alike will most likely find themselves pondering the life of Jesus at some point or another during these yearly festivities and rightly so, for it is in memory of His coming, His incarnation, and His birthday that people stop to dwell on this mystery—Immanuel, God with us.
But I always wonder if we truly grasp the implications of the incarnate Lord. To stop and think, to ponder, to consider or reflect is not sufficient to truly grasp the weight of God’s redemptive plan for all of mankind. Eternity’s cumulative expression is voiced now in one little helpless baby boy. This is a miracle, not merely a historic happenstance to be remembered once a year at Christmas. The reality of this miracle is as powerful now as it was to those shepherds and wise men on that evening in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago.
Imagine with me for a moment what this means. A baby born to one of the weakest clans in Israel, to a poor family of the least tribe, said to be conceived by the Holy Spirit, born in an oppressed nation during an era of foreign domination at the hand of pagan Rome, considered by His peers as an illegitimate child, He was forced to flee with his humble family because a murderous tyrant was seeking His head. Fast forward through His life as a young child and teen. As a young man He had no reputation, no prospects, no wealth, and considered Himself homeless for He had nowhere to lay His head. He was ostracized by the religious leaders of His day in a country where religious status meant everything, and He came claiming Messiahship—as the savior of Israel—only to be scorned, rejected, mocked, and eventually crucified as a trade-in for a murderer; all of this simply because He was being obedient to His Father.
The company He held was with the most despised class of people; namely, prostitutes, the sick, tax collectors, sinners, and vagabonds. All the hopes of Israel, from her first prophet all through her turbulent history, spoke of this man. All Israel’s expectations for a king for thousands of years and here Jesus is, claiming to be that man. One begins to wonder that had we been His contemporaries, would we have clung to our confession of Him as we do now, post cross and resurrection.
Do we really understand what He did? The cross was not a brief moment in time for Him. The cross was His entire life, from humble birth up until His extravagant passion. At every moment in His life He was driven by one thing—the will of His Father and joyfully submitting His life as a living sacrifice.
Christmas is not just a celebration of His birth, but of the nature, character, humility, and culmination of that birth and the life of exemplary love that followed it. As we celebrate Him this Christmas season, let us think and pray over what His incarnation means. And we will likewise declare with the apostle Paul, “Let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:5-11).
Praying from the Psalms
Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. (Ps. 119:18)
God is revealed in His written Word. One of my favorite passages in which God reveals Himself is Psalm 119, a “Psalm of David.” It is a devotion of love for the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, and it overflows with meditations on God’s nature and character. David references the Torah over 170 times, calling it the words, statutes, precepts, judgments, laws, decrees, and ways of God. He continually asks for help to walk according to these precepts and in a manner pleasing to the Lord. From phrases like “I yearn for Your righteous judgments,” “I will delight in Your statutes,” “Your word has given me life,” “I will meditate upon Your precepts,” “I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes,” and “I shall observe it with my whole heart,” it is clear that David had a deep love for God’s Word. He understood that God’s very nature was enclosed in it. Therefore, David meditated upon it day and night (Ps. 119:147, 148).
Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. (Ps. 119:27)
The Word presents a clear picture of who the Father is, second only to Jesus Himself in human form. The Bible and the incarnated Son of God are the supreme witnesses of God’s person. Sadly, we often neglect time in the Word. Having the Bible at our fingertips without reading it is like having Jesus in the same room without asking Him a single question. Reading and meditating on the Word should be our chief concern.
The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Ps. 119:130)
We would do well to marvel at God’s Word. When we pray and meditate on it, we are receiving living understanding of the One that we so desperately long to know and love. The Bible is our delight, because it is God’s method of communication with us. Even the more difficult sections of the Bible contain a wealth of truth that we can find if we take time to wade through it. Timothy says, “all scripture . . . is profitable” (2 Tim. 3:16).
Having a love for the truth of God’s Word will keep us in times of trouble. Now is the time to be sober and vigilant, going deep in the things of God, because we know that seasons of shaking are coming. Meditating on Scripture will prepare our hearts for the hour of trial, and it will instill in us a steely resolve to be faithful while surrounded by faithlessness. It is an invitation to be a friend of the Bridegroom, to hear His voice, and to glory in it.
Oh how I love Your law, it is my meditation all the day. (Ps. 119:97)
Highlights from IHOP–KC’s annual Prayer and Prophetic Conference
Around 1,500 people attended IHOP–KC’s annual Prayer and Prophetic Conference during the weekend of October 14–16. Mike Bickle, Allen Hood, Lou Engle, and others from the IHOP–KC leadership team spoke about the biblical principles of prophecy and gave practical tips for hearing and communicating prophetic words of exhortation, encouragement, and edification from the Lord to those who encounter in daily life.
Mike Bickle exhorted us to walk in the values, doctrine, power, purity, unity, and maturity modeled by the New Testament church. We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. We must respond to God with zeal for righteousness and justice and earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Mike provided long-term vision and practical tips for developing a prophetic spirit and walking faithfully in the prophetic ministry. God is establishing His Church in supernatural boldness in prophecy, as He raises up the greatest prayer and worship movement in history.
Speaking about prayer, Mike encouraged us to see that it is at the same time a great privilege and a fierce struggle, a place of abiding in Christ and of connecting with the Spirit who energizes us to love God, causing us to overflow in love for others.
Lou Engle reminded us that prophecy is not only a gift to the Church given for courage and edification, but it is the very testimony of Jesus and the counsel of God’s heart. Prophecy is a tool given for the full maturation of the Body of Christ, and brings us into agreement with the heart of God. We should seek to communicate God’s heart, desires, and plans by prophesying in accordance with what He has already said in His written Word.
God desires a people who are set apart for His glory, a prophetic Church commissioned as His witnesses. In his message, Allen Hood called for an entire generation to be endued with power from on high. We can only be sustained by encounter with the Holy One. Now is the time to consecrate ourselves to His service.
Free conference video archives of worship and teaching are available at IHOP.org.
Praying from the Psalms
Perspective. We all need it. Having God’s vision for our lives is vital if we are to walk in faithfulness and diligence. Without proper perspective, we tend to wander and fall short of our godly commitments and objectives. The life we’ve been given by the Lord is a gift. Our breath is precious. Learning to make the most of it requires spiritual wisdom.
If we desire divine perspective, we must pray. Better yet, pray God’s Word. King David had a remarkable understanding of the laws, precepts, and judgments of God, and a passionate love for His ways. Throughout church history, David’s psalms have been sung, prayed, and quoted, and have consistently inspired and encouraged generations of believers.
The early Christians continued the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at certain hours of the day or night, based upon expressions from the Psalms like “evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud”; “at midnight I will rise to give thanks to you”; “seven times a day I praise you” (Ps. 55:17; 119:62, 164). By the Middle Ages, monastic orders had developed devotional prayer hymnals based on the Psalter. To this day, the Liturgy of the Hours of the Catholic Church consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and other Bible readings, and is used daily throughout the seven watches of the day and night.
We gain much divine perspective and wisdom from reading and praying the Psalms. They contain a great wealth of personal prayers and devotional meditations, covering every human emotion and the many challenges of life. The Psalms give inspiration and direction in every season of our lives, from the highs to the lows.
Take verse 4 of Psalm 39: “Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am” (NASB)
How’s that for godly perspective? It may seem depressing to focus on death and how short life on earth is. But however sobering this may be, it is an understanding that David wanted to keep with him. He knew that life was fleeting, a mere shadow and vapor. We are frail beings. David’s prayer was to truly know the extent of his frailty. With a love for truth like David’s, the human spirit can learn wisdom.
Knowing that our bodies will die, it is wise for us to consider the life that we have been given. What are we doing with it? Perspective comes when we see clearly, and we see clearly when we read and absorb God’s Word and pray accordingly. If we do this, we will learn how to approach each day as the gift that it is, and to concentrate on what is important, so that we focus our attention on preparing for eternity with God.
Prayer for the Day
God, teach me to fear You. Teach me to consider my ways, that I might gain a heart of wisdom. Show me how fleeting this life is, and that I was made for more than temporal things. Cause me to consider how short is the measure of my days. With this understanding, grant me grace to live before You rightly with my time, money, energy, and strength. Let me not waste a minute of this life on the passing pleasures of sin that lead to a dull heart. Quicken my spirit to love Your ways, and set me aflame with passion for Your Son. Amen.
