WAR IS NOT INEVITABLE[AtThisTime] PRAY IN TONGUES

I was woken early this morning by the "noise" of my spirit shouting silently in tongues. (Nothing can shout as loud as when silently praying in tongues!) Over this prayer was the clear message in English:

(1) To alert as many people as possible to this message. That it wasn't just for me.

(2) That the battle is spiritual, not physical. That if we Christians win the battle spiritually, the physical battle will not be necessary (2Chron 20).

(3) That the same negative spiritual power that was behind Nebuchadnezzar is behind Saddam Hussein. First we must bind this strong man in the background before his puppet, the strong man in the foreground will equally submit and allow his goods to be spoiled.

(4) In practical terms: we must win the prayer battle before that spiritual power will allow Saddam to submit to the unqualified unrestricted viewing of all sites essential to prevent war.

(5) That tongues is essential. That we cannot possibly pray accurately enough in sufficient detail in English to accomplish this depth of intercession.

The Holy Spirit will continue to pray in tongues through us (Acts 2:4) so long as we continue to co-operate with Him in this urgent occupation. Don't let other preoccupations quench Him, as can so easily happen.

(7) That fasting acts as an intensifier. Fasting amplifies the prayer. That any form of fasting is better than no fasting at all. Fasting from TV, or partial fasting, for instance. If you can't pray because of work but can fast, remember that "fasting is your whole body praying."

(8) Finally, that things would never have got this bad if only Christians had prayed. Far too many Christians are sidetracked on other good things and are neglecting the essential of prayer. Far too many intercessors are stuck on receiving revelation before praying when we already have the supernatural weapon par excellence of Holy Spirit gifted tongues. Pray without ceasing! Literal Greek: Pray without a pause!

THAT SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE sticking one's talent in the ground. The Lord was not too happy about that.

THE LORD set the rules. One of the rules is HE INSTRUCTS US TO PRAY ABOUT LEADERS ONGOINGLY.

HE INSTRUCTS US TO PRAY FOR PEACE--OF JERUSALEM AND OTHERWISE ONGOINGLY.

HE SET UP the great mystery of our prayers influencing His hand and world events. HE IS THE ONE WHO GETS A KICK OUT OF THAT. IT IS HIS WAY. It is HIS delight that we ENGAGE with Him in a world changing dialogue. Who am I to try and change His rules on such?

I almost cannot fathom that a believer would construe it otherwise.

I know Andrew Strom a bit--not Chris. I believe they feel a burden to stir up the gifts that are in The Body of Christ that each believer might be found to be busy about the Father's and the Master's business at Holy Spirit's direction. I can understand his focus in the article exhorting people to get with it in terms of intercession.

As Yong Yi Cho has noted--western Christians have classes on prayer; preach about prayer, talk about how essential prayer is--then don't pray.

OF COURSE GOD IS THE STAGE DIRECTOR AND MAJOR ACTOR ON THE SCENE. But HE--GOD ALMIGHTY exhorts us to pray without ceasing.

I once had a super crisis involving 5 families in an extremely conservative Lutheran mission. I called the committee head in Wisconsin in charge of the team. One family was at risk for losing their relationship with God entirely and 3 out of the 5 families were at risk for leaving the mission field. And all the committee had done for 3 years was make things worse.

I told the chairman that he had better get all the elderly prayer warriors in his church--all the praying elderly ladies to praying hard and long because he had a bigger mess on his hands than he had the first clue about.

He immediately responded in the most pontifical, haughty, etc. tones imaginable--NOW WE CAN'T GET TOO EXCITED ABOUT PRAYER. PRAYER IS

NOT

A MEANS OF GRACE.

I about fell through the floor. I learned later from the team that that denomination kind of thought of prayer as a sort of meaningless religious duty. They never expected prayer to change anything. They never really expected prayer to matter to God at all. What rubbish!

OF COURSE we are to use discernment etc. and do our best to focus on God's priorities in our prayers. Of course we are to seek His Glory and will. . . AND TO THEN PRAY ACCORDINGLY! That's another reason tongues is so essential to me--HOLY SPIRIT KNOWS FAR BETTER THAN MY CONSCIOUS MIND WHAT THE FATHER'S PRIORITIES ARE *AND* ****HOW**** TO PRAY IN CONCERT WITH THEM. I'm SOOOOOOO THANKFUL for that comforting service of Holy Spirit.

Incidentally, That chairman became such an obstructionist in the process--and the 5 families were so kind and loving toward one another AND WANTING TO DO GOD'S WILL but sooooo desperately in pain as well in their relationships--I knew to begin with that God had His hand on them.

But at one point talking to the chairman, I felt my spirit quickened that I had to warn him. I exhorted him simply but matter of factly that if he persisted in trying to trouble the team or obstruct God working a redemptive work in the team out--that God was likely to take the chairman out of this life. Of course he poopoohed the idea as utterly ridiculous. He continued his foot-dragging obstructionist stance and within a month or so he was dead of a brain aneurysm. The whole team knew The Lord had spoken as even did some others on the committee.

That sort of thing is going to become common place. People will either get with GOD'S program or be left in the dust or be taken forcefully out of the way.

You will see the simple phrase or 1-3 sentence prayers of young children stop whole armies or mobs or earthquakes.

But you don't have to believe me--just stay tuned to life in our era.

As Christians, we should strive to align our beliefs with what is substantiated in God's word, rather than rely on feelings and experience.

I love this argument. It's so nonsensical.

OF COURSE THE WORD IS INCREDBILY AND CRUCIALLY FOUNDATIONAL.

BUT THE GREATS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT--MANY--DID NOT HAVE EVEN THE TORAH.

MANY IN OUR ERA HAVE NOT YET HAVE FOUND THE GOD OF THE BIBLE.

EVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, GOD OCCASIONALLY SEEMED TO DELIGHT IN KICKING THE SIDES OUT OF THE BOXES THAT EVEN *HE* HAD CONSTRUCTED.

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AND CERTAINLY FEELINGS MAKE TOLERABLE SERVANTS AND TERRIBLE MASTERS . . . THOUGH IT IS USUALLY THROUGH OUR FEELINGS THAT GOD FIRST GETS OUR ATTENTION AND MOST CONSISTENTLY TOUCHES US.

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BUT THE IDEA THAT WE SHOULD DO *SOMETHING* OR EVEN *ANYTHING* WITH THE BIBLE APART FROM, AS OPPOSED TO OUR *EXPERIENCE* IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF NONSENSE TO ME.

WE WOULD NOT EVEN BE AWARE; WE WOULD NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THE BIBLE, THE SCRIPTURES EXIST APART FROM OUR ****EXPERIENCE**** OF THEM!!!!!

And this notion common in groups which believe miracles etc ceased when John The Beloved ran out of ink at the end of Revelations--the notion in such groups that if one doesn't "give in" to all that emotional "sign gifts" stuff THEN one's theology will be more orthodox, safer, purer--that notion is a crock of horse biscuits.

It honestly sounds like a bunch of Sadusees. I'd have been sad too if I couldn't believe in the Resurrection.

I assure you that preachers who cling to the notion that their theology, exegisis etc. are all purer, safer, on more solid ground because they deny the present day supernatural work of Holy Spirit a la "THOSE [hideously awful] EXPERIENCE BASED CHARISMATICS!!!" is just plain self-deceiving hogwash.

I've observed that the errors of that group are just as many and just as serious as any of the errors of the Charismatics. . . . and their PRIDE is AT LEAST as serious if not orders of magnitude more so.

So, PLEASE excuse me if I don't buy into that dichotomy.

Do we really have the same NIV or some such Bible?

Amazing. The Bible is full of stories of prayer altering events. . . Old and New Testament.

I suppose you folk could take some comfort in your theology. You don't have so much responsibility to pray I would guess from your perspective. Sigh.

I don't know how God handles foreknowledge and free-will. And I don't think you have a clue about that either.

But I know His Word is true. And one of the truths in His word is MY SHEEP KNOW MY VOICE. We can hear God in the NOW.

And God delights to hear us and to adjust things accordingly. He even begins to answer before we ask. I don't know what that means in the context of 100% foreknowledge. But God said it and I believe it and that pretty much settles it for me.

Some might say that there are an infinite number of parallel universes. . . and that every significant decision point splits off a whole new parallel universe. Interesting idea.

I'm just thrilled that it is both my EXPERIENCE WITH MY BIBLE and my EXPERIENCE WALKING WITH GOD that HE DELIGHTS in my prayers and in demonstrating that my prayers make a difference. I wouldn't begin to want to rob Father God of that delight. And if you can't find that in your Bible, I suggest you get a more authentic version.

"THAT SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE sticking one's talent in the ground. The Lord was not too happy about that.

Trusting fully in God's divine sovereignty is sticking our talent in the ground?

"THE LORD set the rules. One of the rules is HE INSTRUCTS US TO PRAY ABOUT LEADERS ONGOINGLY."

There is a difference between praying that the Lord directs our leaders according to His perfect will, and attempting to bind spirits that the Lord uses to carry out His divine judgement on sinful mankind.

HE INSTRUCTS US TO PRAY FOR PEACE--OF JERUSALEM AND OTHERWISE ONGOINGLY.

I will pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but that peace will NOT occur until the Lord returns in Power and Glory and destroys this present evil world.

"HE SET UP the great mystery of our prayers influencing His hand and world events. HE IS THE ONE WHO GETS A KICK OUT OF THAT. IT IS HIS WAY. It is HIS delight that we ENGAGE with Him in a world changing dialogue. Who am I to try and change His rules on such?"

Scripture please.

"I almost cannot fathom that a believer would construe it otherwise."

Because I don't see any scripture that backs up your claims.

"I know Andrew Strom a bit--not Chris. I believe they feel a burden to stir up the gifts that are in The Body of Christ that each believer might be found to be busy about the Father's and the Master's business at Holy Spirit's direction. I can understand his focus in the article exhorting people to get with it in terms of intercession."

They may "feel" a burden, but it is of their own imagination. It does not align with scripture.

Where and when did God direct us to pray that the spirit of Sadaam Hussain be bound up?

"As Yong Yi Cho has noted--western Christians have classes on prayer; preach about prayer, talk about how essential prayer is--then don't pray. "

Who is Yong Chi Cho? Why should I listen to him? I pray unceasingly. I pray that God's Holy will be done in all things. So "Yong is wrong" about this "western" Christian.

"OF COURSE GOD IS THE STAGE DIRECTOR AND MAJOR ACTOR ON THE SCENE."

More unscriptural claptrap. God is not a stage director, nor is he an "actor". He is the sovereign and divine Creator of all things.

We need to recognize that authority and pray for the things which His word instructs us to pray.

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