One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is stagnation.  It happens when we quit moving.  There are lots of reasons why we quit moving and growing. Sometimes it just isn’t easy and we decide to stay where we are. It’s easier to stay than go. The press of other issues in life sometimes cause us to stop right we are spiritually. Obstacles from situations or other people often bring our spiritual progress to a halt.

One of the most dangerous reasons is simply lack of vision.  We’ve been growing, we are doing things in the Kingdom, we are seeing God move and there can come that moment of feeling we have arrived. The failure to have the spiritual vision that challenges us to keep moving is deadly.

Psalm 84 is a tool God has used to continually challenge me to keep moving – especially in my prayer life. I have used this powerful psalm to keep myself on a prayer pilgrimage. It is interesting that Psalm 84 speaks of pilgrimage (vs 5) because the whole psalm is really about dwelling in God’s house. How do you dwell somewhere, yet still be on a journey to that place?

I think that apparent contradiction is why it appeals so much to me.  You see, that’s where I am spiritually. Through Jesus, I now dwell in God’s house. Indeed, it can be said that you and I are God’s house in which He dwells through His Spirit. That is just solid biblical teaching.

But in living this out, I discover that I am on a journey – a journey of awareness of Christ’s presence in me. And like any journey, I must keep moving if I am to arrive at my destination. Without setting my heart on the pilgrimage of continually being attentive to the truth that Jesus lives within me, I will forget the amazing truth that I not only can, but am even now dwelling in the House of God! It is prayer that keeps me walking in this state of alertness.

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.”  (Psalm 84:5-7)

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Living enough years gives you time to look back on the mistakes of your life with some degree of understanding. It seems to me that virtually every mistake, sin, or mess-up in my life has come from failing to understand and appropriate the truth of Colossians 3:3. It’s really very simple…I died. In responding to the call of Christ, I was crucified with him and it is no longer I who live.

Rather than a morbid thinking of death, in reality this brings astonishing freedom. I don’t have to worry about “me” anymore. Dead men have no worries. Since there is still some degree of strength and energy in this body, I am now free to focus on God and others. What joy it brings to not worry about self, living free to love others!

This dying-to-self life of freedom and joy must carry over into our prayer life. Free from the burden of worrying about self, I am free instead to give myself to intercession for others. Why would I spend the majority of my prayer time praying for myself and my needs? I’m a dead man! I am able to pour out my prayers for others knowing that my life is “hidden with Christ” and totally provided for. God, of course, wants to hear my needs and desires; however, He also wants me to intentionally focus upon His kingdom purposes rather than defaulting always to my own issues. “Dead men praying” should be a good description of our life of prayer.

During the captivity of Israel in Babylon, things became pretty good for many of the Jews. As a matter of fact, after the 70 years were up, not everyone wanted to return to the land of Israel. Homes had been built, businesses were prospering, and families were comfortable. Returning to their ancestral home meant a long, dangerous journey, after which they would face the tough task of rebuilding Jerusalem. To this very day, there are descendants of Israel who have remained in ancient Babylon.

It could be asked, “Why would anyone leave comfort for a dangerous, uncertain future?”  As I reread the Book of Ezra, I didn’t have to look far to find the answer. In Ezra 1:5 we find the reason: “Everyone whose heart God had moved….prepared to go up and build the house of The Lord in Jerusalem.” The return of the Jews from captivity in Babylon to the land of their fathers was first and foremost the work of God.

It was The Lord who seventy years earlier had allowed the Temple of Solomon to be destroyed as a result of the continued sin of the people. When He determined that it was time to rebuild, He placed that task upon the hearts of those who were sensitive to His Spirit. It wasn’t going to be easy, but with His help, the House of God would be rebuilt.

You do know, of course, that the Spirit of God is still at work, calling His people to build His House. One of the clearest teachings of scripture is that God’s House is to be a House of Prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7, Mark 11:17). We are already experiencing this as God breathes upon the generations in such moves of God as the 24-7 prayer movement spreading rapidly across the earth. I believe that when the Church truly becomes that House of Prayer, we will see an amazing movement of the Spirit of God that empowers us to finish the task of world evangelization.

As we consider the task before us of building a House of Prayer, and then look back on the situation in Ezra’s day, dare we ask the question of whether or not the Church today is in a sort of Babylonian captivity? Have we become comfortable with church as it is? Does it seem too daunting a task to leave behind that which is comfortable and truly become a praying people?

Here’s the good news: God’s Spirit is still moving hearts to “go up and build the house of The Lord.” He is at work. The question before you today is: will listen to His voice and allow His Spirit to move your heart? Leaving behind the comfort of the ways you’ve always done it, will you move into uncharted waters and begin to build that which is on the Lord’s heart today?

“For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”(Is.56:7).

(C) Harvest Prayer Ministries

It’s over! The elections, I mean. For some there’s a sigh of relief. Some are jubilant, while others are despondent. That happens after every election. But there’s something different about this particular election. Not so much because of the candidates or even the results. It’s different because God has been doing something behind the scenes.

God has been energizing and mobilizing a movement of prayer in the Church in the United States. After crisscrossing the nation multiple times during these past few months, I would say that we have seen the greatest number of Christians praying . . .  perhaps more than ever in America’s history. Oh, we’ve still got a long way to go toward becoming a praying Church, but we have taken a significant step.

Across the nation, I heard Christians praying for God to step into this situation. The Body of Christ came together across denominational lines to humble itself before the Lord and repent. A cry for revival within the Church arose across the land. We began to recognize that the problem isn’t the White House, but our house.

It’s over . . . or is it? Not the elections, but this re-energized movement of prayer. November 7th might well be a more crucial day than November 6th, election day. Now we must decide whether or not we will continue to seek the face of God on behalf of our nation. It is now, after the heat of the political process has died down, that we see if the Church will allow the fire of the Spirit of God to still empower our prayers.

The Lord made it very clear to me last summer that this call to prayer for the elections was, in fact, not about the elections. Our national elections were simply the occasion that the Lord used to stir us to prayer. Now comes the test of our hearts. Will we still passionately seek the Lord in prayer? Will churches still come together to pray? Will we slip back into a “we can do it” mentality, or have we learned to depend upon God in every way through prayer?

I encourage every believer to keep praying. I encourage every pastor to rally your church toward deeper levels of prayer . . . for revival and for our nation. Don’t sit back now! Keep coming to 40daysofprayer.net and prayerconnect.net for encouragement and resources to help you pray with more passion and direction. May God bless our churches and nation in the midst of this prayer movement He has raised up!

“Being curious about Christ second coming is one thing, being ready for it is another, writes A,W. Tozer. “I cannot think of even one passage in the New Testament which speaks of Christ’s revelation, manifestation, appearing or coming that is not directly linked with moral conduct, faith and spiritual holiness. The teacher who engages in speculation to excite the curiosity of his hearers without providing them with a moral application is sinning even as he speaks.”

I’m much in agreement with this statement of Tozer’s. It shouldn’t surprise us that one of the reasons we are to live in a right way before the Lord’s return, is so that we can pray with greater power and effectiveness in these critical days. The Apostle Peter said it this way: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7).

The events and trends of our day have many Christians wondering if we are living in the last days. Unfortunately, the response of many is to worry and live in fear. The godly response is to pray. As we look forward to the Lord’s return, whenever that might be, we must live the kind of lives that allow us to replace fear with intercession that will release the Lord’s power and purposes into our needy world.

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries