​By Sandra Bontemps

​“Stand in the Gap”
As “Watchman on the Wall” 

“When You said , ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You , ‘ Your face LORD I will seek!’ ” Psalm 27:8   I have always loved seeking after God.  And sometimes He plays hide and seek.  He is then calling me to come up higher IN HIM.  And many times He takes me to a hidden place, under the Shelter of His Almighty Wings, where I spend glorious intimate time with Jesus, soaking and abiding in Him. Being a very gregarious outgoing people person, loving to teach, mentor, lead and serve the LORD in many different ways for over forty years in church ministry, I could not understand or fathom the changes that were about to take place in my life and personal ministry when God called me to lay everything down!   I was totally undone! Soon I learned that out of my zeal and eagerness to serve the LORD, as a leader, I had become more purpose driven rather than passion driven!


Ten years ago the LORD called me apart UNTO HIM and He spoke to me and said, "Sandra, I love you for your faithful heartfelt ministry and how you love Me. And I love your heart and  love for people.  But now I want you to lay it all down. I am going to teach you how to serve me more effectively in your ministry.  I want you to minister out of My heart and My love. And I want you to minister from the passion of Christ! And Sandra, I want you to know that I LOVE YOU FOR JUST BEING YOU, NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DO!  This  up close and personal encounter with God, stirred up a renewed passion for Christ within me and I began an amazing journey to learn more about prophetic Intercessory Prayer.  And through this time I established a stronger relationship and intimacy with Jesus than I have ever had in my entire life. I had spent two years of intense study on the prophetic gifts, and realized that God was directing and leading me to learn more about the true gift of powerful, prophetic Intercessory Prayer being led by His Holy Spirit.   God’s Word and His Holy Spirit are our strongest weapons. And He ask us to wrap ourselves in His whole armor to prepare for spiritual warfare and battle. (Ephesians 5) And PRAYER IS THE BATTLE!
God was calling me forth so I could face the enemy, know the enemy, and come boldly, courageously and confidently before God’s Throne of Grace in fervent prayer, as He tells us in His Word.
I then learned about different kinds of prayer.  Confrontational. Breakthrough. Rearguard. Travail.  Faith. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” Zechariah 4:6
I learned how God will empower us with His seven-fold Spirit when we need it.  I learned to pray, praise and welcome the awesome Spirit of God!  And instead of running from the enemy, in the sometimes paralyzing fear the enemy had used against me - I STOOD UP AGAINST THE ENEMY, with the Awe and Reverential Fear of our Holy God.  Wisdom. Knowledge. Understanding. Counsel and Might.  OUR GOD IS HOLY! HE IS A HOLY GOD!  HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!  Just take time and praise Him right now! NOW IS THE TIME!
“So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19
Praise God! He takes a stand on our behalf!  He displays Himself to overthrow the power of the enemy!  So boldly we can STAND ON HIS PROMISES, STAND ON HIS WORD and speak and pray His prophetic Word back to Him- as we STAND IN THE GAP AS WATCHMEN ON THE WALL AT THE GATE  - interceding in faithful prayer for our families, churches, nation, other nations around the world, especially for Israel. God clearly tells us that He will bless those who pray for and bless His chosen people!

Intercessory Spiritual Warfare Prayer “The victory of the Cross is extended only as faithful intercessors “wrestle” against dark powers and win through the power of Jesus’ name and blood.”  Dick Eastman
Too many Christians feel downtrodden and defeated by the enemy’s minions before the battle has even begun.    The result is that while we stand passively on the sidelines, the enemy runs completely amok.  It is time for all Christians to do an abrupt about-face and start learning how to outwit the enemy of our souls. Scripture says that we are more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us.  Covered by the Blood of Christ we are given the supernatural power of God’s Holy Spirit to pray with authority, power and conviction, offering prayers of submission, repentance, confrontation, faith, wisdom, healing, deliverance and breakthrough and more to stop the enemy dead in his tracks!
Put on the full armor of God and arm yourself with Prayers That Outwit the Enemy!” The enemy cannot overcome God.  The Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ have defeated Satan and the demonic forces.  It is time for God’s people to rise up, move forward in these end time battles, and invade Satan’s territory, and take back our rich inheritance in Jesus, to further advance God’s Kingdom on Earth.  Yes ,we have a heart to win the lost to Jesus, to let people know that through Jesus, we have salvation, eternal life.  But we need to ask God for forgiveness because we have not preached the full Gospel of Jesus!  Jesus brings restoration, deliverance, freedom and fullness of God and the righteousness of Jesus for us to live a joyful life on this earth daily, a life full of God's mercy, blessings and promises.  We need to fully understand the prayer Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. On Earth as it is in Heaven!"  This is an amazing, empowering message, that I will write and share soon.
NOW IS THE TIME!  It is time that we passionately pursue God and renew our lives and energize our prayer life. In order to be totally free we must die to ourselves.  We must experience the death of the Cross.  We must not fear this death in our flesh.  Such a fear will prevent us from entering into the Resurrection and crossing over into our next level of anointing, power and authority.  Part of this death will entail suffering and trials.  The truth is that whenever there is warfare in our lives that we will need to press through, there will also be an amount of suffering that we will encounter in overcoming.  Through Christ we are more than conquerors! We are overcomers!  And it is through this process of passionately pursuing God, that our godly passion originates and is completed.  Via this overcoming in the midst of great difficulties, we are able to move into New Dimensions of God’s best for our lives.
(Inspired by Dr. Chuck Pierce’s and Rebecca Wagner Systema’s book, “Prayers That Outwit The Enemy - Making God’s Word Your First Line of Defense.” Also authors of “The Future War of the Church”.)

Notes from Spirit Filled Life Bible that my beloved daughter gave to me.  

Intercessors (those ‘Standing in the Gap, Watching and Guarding the Gate)link God’s mercy with human need.  God is looking for intercessors to stand in the gap and usher in God’s mercy. Fasting and prayer birth signs and wonders, (Acts 13:1-14:28) as God confirms in His Word. Prayer is the proving ground of our faith.  
Unceasing Prayer is the key to Deliverance.  (Acts 12:1-17) Great deliverance comes through prayer, sometimes so surprisingly we may find it difficult to believe it ourselves! A prayerful quest for God leads to our finding renewed, restored spiritual strength. 
The Weapon of the Sacred Blood of Christ.  The blood of Christ provides every believer with the necessary provision to defeat Satan.  Praise God!  Life, salvation, redemption, restoration, regeneration, reformation, is in the Blood of Jesus.  The issue of Blood is right relationship, and our ultimate goal of God’s Covenant. Christ’s Blood is the only God-ordained covering for sin.  The Blood of Jesus is forever the only means of right relationship with our holy God. And we must learn to covenant with our God!
Seeing into the invisible discerning the spiritual issues and God’s perspective is a key to victorious praying.  Prayer brings revelational insight necessary for spiritual warfare.  Intimacy with God in prayer births blessings and victories for breakthroughs.  Faithfulness in continuous prayer is needed because spiritual warfare is continuous.   Consistency and order in daily prayers are needed for spiritual breakthroughs.  Prayer births supernatural boldness, unity, fruitfulness and fullness.   
A righteous man’s praying is energized by the Holy Spirit and amazing things happen.  Earnestness, intensity and diligence are part of God’s emphasis for prayer.  Fasting is referred to as a sacrificial form of prayer and produces results.   God may use angels to administer the victory for saints engaged in prayer warfare.  It is necessary to take authority in the spiritual realm to impact the natural realm.  Trumpets (shofars) have a unique place of sounding spiritual authority. (Numbers 10:1-10) Tears of sorrow, joy, compassion, travail and repentance all have a place in warfare.
 
THROUGH FAITHFUL, FERVENT INTERCESSORY PRAYER GET READY! GET READY! GET READY! Wrap yourselves in God’s glorious garment of praise!  In obedience, thank  Him throughout all circumstances, no matter how you feel.  This releases the supernatural power of God’s Holy Spirit to work on your behalf and others!  Then get ready! Get ready for the suddenlies of God and expect the unexpected! Get ready for not only a breakthrough!  Our loving, merciful God answers prayers!  He will bring breakthrough, breakup and break out for individuals, and through this He will change people's hearts, lives, churches and nations! NOW IS THE TIME!

JOY
RaJean Vawter


In the past, I've written on Hope, Contentment Without Knowing, Justice, Steady, Anger and Wrath, A Time For War, Warfare Ruts, Praying for Government, Discouragement, and Fear, among other subjects. These are all topics that we have needed to delve into these days. Especially throughout 2020. Even as I write this, in the United States - as well as every other country - the turmoil and friction is palpable. But have we considered joy? People often quote 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Philippians 4:6, both of which tell us to give thanks "in" everything. But I've never heard Ephesians 5:20 talked about in a lesson, sermon or even mentioned in conversation. But there it is in the midst of a list of instructions: "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." (Emphasis added) 


Ephesians 5:20 is not only a key to obtaining the joy we all long for, it is the reason for seeking joy. So how do we get joy when we're hurting and in pain, either physically or emotionally? Why does joy leave us so quickly when circumstances go haywire or emotional tornadoes hit us?


First of all we need to realize that joy is not gladness. We can see this by the simple fact that the two words are sometimes used with the word "and" between them. According to Psalm 51:8 joy is cheerfulness, specifically welcome, which gives the picture of an emotion of deep root, and attitude of the heart. Gladness is blithesomeness, glee or mirth specifically expressed outwardly. Psalm 105:43 adds another aspect to gladness - that of a cry, of shouting and/or singing. In other words, you can have joy without an audible sound and gladness without the deeper root of joy. In the Greek New Testament joy is a calm delight and gladness is exultation as we see in Luke 1:14. This difference makes sense to Believers who have experienced the joy of the Lord because His joy is so deep, long-lasting and easily engrained into the depth of our being. It's a joy that unbelievers search for by seeking one happy experience after another, after another. Even as Solomon wrote, "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that joy is heaviness." (Proverbs 14:13) Perhaps this is why the word "joy" is found more than three times as often in scripture as the word "gladness."


Of course, joy can be lost as David experienced when he cried, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation." (Psalm 51:12) This can happen to us too. People have experienced this quite a lot during the last year especially (2020). So the question arises, how do we get our joy back? And how do we keep it from waning in the first place? Here are some answers I've learned throughout all my many years.

• Talk to the Lord. "Give joy to the soul of Your servant; for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul." (Psalm 86:4)
• Worship Him. (Psalm 30:1)
• Say to yourself - out loud - "This is the day that the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24 emphasis added) As an FYI, if you do a word-search, you'll discover that David used the word "will" quite a bit. It was often a decision he made to worship, to rejoice and to be glad whether he felt like it or not. He is a good example of that Ephesians 5:20 scripture.
• If you're physically tired or weary, go to bed! It's hard to function, much less keep a positive attitude when our bodies need rest. When our children were young and didn't want to take a nap, I would tell them, "The mark of an adult is that when they are tired, they go to bed." Unfortunately, many, many adults have never grown up in this regard. In fact, research has shown that many automobile accidents are caused by drivers who are too tired and even momentarily go to sleep at the wheel. It's interesting that the word "rest" can be found 346 times in the Bible. I personally believe that the reason Americans don't give themselves enough time to sleep is that it is a form of self-idolatry. Time is the only thing we have in common with the rest of the world and we want more of it. We often don't go to sleep because there's too much to do - or to worry about. It's a form of trying to play God. Yes, there are sleep disorders. At one time I had three types of sleep disorders so I know. But, it's amazing how healing can come when we acknowledge what we need to do and what we need to give to the Lord. "Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him REST from the days of adversity, UNTIL the pit is dug for the wicked." (Psalm 94:12-13 emphasis added)
• Give yourself opportunities to laugh. Watch a funny movie. Read what I call the philosophy section of the newspaper (the comics). Just make sure your humor is clean and God-honoring. Your spirit, soul and body need what laughter gives to each part. Let the Lord "fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with rejoicing." (Job 8:21)
• Do whatever it takes (that you can afford) to recharge your batteries. If you get energy from being with people, don't wait for someone else to plan a get-together. If you draw energy from quiet alone-time, make sure that happens. 
• Take responsibility for your own attitude. Nobody can MAKE you angry or intimidated or frustrated or fearful. Those are decisions that our own little brains decide on their own. Yes, such negative emotions may be based on past experiences or from observing others but they are still our decision. And scripture lets us know how to deal with each one. The term "inner healing" was coined in the 1980s which basically means identifying the root of that emotion, understanding how it got there and then learning how to get rid of each thing that makes us angry or frustrated or fearful or sorrowful or any habitual negative emotion so that those inner dynamics don't have control over us any more. Proverbs 14:8 says, "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way." So be teachable, learn, grow! 

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)


















WARNING:


At this time warring factions, opinions and emotions are running high. If you don't want to lose your joy or gladness over a victory, take care to abide by Proverbs 24:17-18.


Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
Proverbs 24:17-18

​AND
RaJean Vawter

The vast majority of Bible translators try to be very accurate in their translations. Words and phrases may differ
because Greek and Hebrew words often have several meanings. But the message of scripture remains the same,
resulting in an amazing collection of 66 "books" that tell a marvelous story.
That said, what we often call "little" words and "little" ideas are often overlooked. Therefore, we who study
scripture and mold our lives around its teachings need to pay attention. After all, half a truth is not the truth. A
case in point is the command many people quote, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." But, since that is not
the full command, it is not the truth. The full truth is, "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
(James 4:7) Submission to God is the key to not only resisting the devil but the result that the devil will then flee!
There are many such cases in which, to gain the full truth of a passage, the word "and" is used. These instances let
us know that the insertion of "and" means "in addition to" and we must pay attention to separate aspects
included in a sentence. By paying attention to the "ands" in scripture, it is possible that what we believe about a
matter could change. Following are just a few examples.
James 4:8 - "Draw near to God AND He will draw near to you." The insertion of "and" lets us know that we are the
one who needs to start moving if we want a close relationship with the Master. Praying for God to make us spend
time in the Word or to pray is rarely productive. We are the one who must make the effort to sit down, shut out
the world, pick up our Bible and start reading. When you do, pay attention to the "ands" that are in the rest of
this verse as well as verse 9.
James 4:10 - "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, AND He will lift you up." Need an explanation as to what
comes first?
2 Peter 1:10 - "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call AND election sure . . . " According to
the Greek, your calling is your invitation. Your election is your divine selection.
I John 5:6-8 - "This is He who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ, not only by water, but by water AND blood.
AND it is the Spirit who bears witness because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven:
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; AND these three are one. AND there are three that bear witness on
earth: the Spirit, the water, AND the blood; AND these three agree as one." How does the word "and" affect our
theology in this passage? I believe it refers to the three baptisms that followers of The Way are to receive in order
to be God's effective witnesses here on earth. I know that many believe it is talking about the natural birth
process but such an interpretation is not indicated here as a requirement for the full Christian life. Neither is it
indicated elsewhere in scripture. To be born again, we must first receive the covering of the blood of Jesus which
causes us to have an "old self" that dies and a "new self" born again (Baptism of Blood). Then, according to
Romans 6:2-7 we must get that old self buried. Following that, we must receive the Baptism of the Spirit so that
the Spirit of God that has come into our own spirit can get out, manifesting itself for the purpose of effective
witness (which is the only manifestation of Holy Spirit baptism found in all the examples in the book of Acts). Such
an interpretation of this 1 John passage also lines up with Ephesians 4:5 which says there is "one baptism."
1 John 5:13 - "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know
that you have eternal life, AND that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." Once we start the
journey, we need to continue it.
1 John 3:2 - "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things AND be in health, just as your soul prospers."
Hmmm. Prospering evidently doesn't include health so it's added on. I think this is for another study.

Jude 2 - "Mercy, peace, AND love be multiplied to you." This could be yet another study. Fortunately, they are all a
part of the character and actions of God and are all available to us who believe.
Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is living AND powerful, AND sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the division of soul AND spirit, AND of joints AND marrow, AND is a discerner of the thoughts AND intents
of the heart." All of the "ands" in this verse are important but we need to particularly notice how it indicates that
the soul and spirit are two different things. As you know, the soul is made up of the mind, will and emotions. The
spirit of man is where the Holy Spirit comes to dwell when we are born again. From that point on, it is our job to
cooperate with and yield to God so that our mind, will and emotions line up with the Word of God. Not wanting to
accept the fact that the soul and the spirit are two distinct parts of our being, a minister we knew insisted that this
passage used "or" instead of "and." But the word "and" was inferred in the original.
Matthew 5:11-12 - "Blessed are you when they revile AND persecute you, AND say all kinds of evil against you
falsely for My sake. Rejoice AND be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you." This is one of those passages where Jesus is making sure all the i's are dotted and
the t's are crossed. In the Greek, the word "revile" means to defame, rail and taunt. Persecute means to subject
(someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs. "Rejoice"
means full of cheer, happy, glad, joy. "Glad" means to exult and jump for joy. Obviously, Jesus has it all covered.
Matthew 16:24 - "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself AND
take up his cross AND follow Me." Because of the word "and" used here, denying ourselves and taking up our own
cross are not the same thing as has often been taught. "Deny" means to disown, abstain. "Cross" means self
denial, and exposure to death. "To follow" means to accompany. This will preach. If we disown ourselves it means
that we ignore our own wants and even needs. For example, every time I've gotten my feelings hurt by someone, I
have to remind myself that I am supposed to be dead to sin (Romans 6:11) and dead men don't hurt. So then I need
to disown and put those feelings to death, deny the desire to vindicate myself by forgiving and go on about my
business unhindered by negative emotions.
Matthew 17:21 - "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer AND fasting." Some situations are not
either/or situations. Both actions are required. In this case, the Greek word translated "and" means "also."
Matthew 21:21 - "So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith AND do not
doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be
cast into the sea,' it will be done." Isn't having faith the same as not doubting? Obviously not. Faith means
persuasion, conviction, reliance upon. To doubt means to feel uncertain, especially about one's religious beliefs.
Perhaps this is why we sometimes pray a prayer in faith but don't see it come to pass. Deep down we're
wondering and not sure if God will answer. We say, "God is able" because we know He can do whatever. But we
don't have the assurance that He will. We are all very good at giving God our wish list and there's nothing wrong
with that. But what we really need is to get a rhema word from God as to exactly what He wants us to pray at that
particular time.
Genesis 2:24 - "Therefore a man shall leave his father AND mother AND be joined to his wife, AND they shall
become one flesh." The "ands" in this verse have been so ignored that we all know marriages where the man has
not obeyed this command. Some of us may even be that woman who has been unwillingly torn away from her
family. In fact, almost every society around the world has rebelled against God's best to the extent that the
mindset of the people is for the woman to go live with or near her husband's family.
Genesis 9:1-2 - These two verses are a good example of what, on the surface, seems to be redundant. "So God
blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, 'Be fruitful AND multiply, AND fill the earth. And the fear of you AND
the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on
all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand." But He's not just repeating himself. "Fruitful" means to bring

forth. "multiply" means to increase and bring abundance. "Replenish" means to fill, be full of, furnish, satisfy. And
"subdue" means to conquer and subjugate. One builds upon the other but they all carry different meanings.
Another example is one that is often misunderstood and misused in our American church family. It has to do with
widows and divorced women. I've heard a lot of people claim that divorced women who have not remarried could
claim all the special promises God gives to widows. Of course, God's promises of care and protection are the same
for everybody. But is there a difference between the widowed and the divorced? As I searched scripture, I found
the answer to be yes because of the word "and" and another little word - "or". Numbers 30:9 says, "But every vow
of a widow AND of her who is divorced, all which she has bound on her soul shall stand against her." Other verses
use the little word, "or.
 "They shall not take as wife a widow OR a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the
house of Israel, OR widows of priests." (Ezekiel 44:22)
 He shall not take a widow OR a divorced woman, or profane, or a harlot, but he shall take a virgin
of his own people to wife. (Leviticus 21:14) 
Finally, I want to close this teaching with a truth I learned about 12 years ago. A truth that will bring not only
enlightenment but encouragement to anyone in the deliverance ministry as well as to strategic-level intercessors.
It's a truth that can only be realized if we pay attention to the word "and." When we have to deal with a spirit of
death, we need to realize that death has a twin according to Isaiah 28: 15 and 18. In both of these verses, Isaiah
talks about a covenant with death AND with Sheol. In fact, verse 18 says, "Your covenant with death will be
annulled, AND your agreement with Sheol will not stand." That's why, when you cast out a spirit of death from a
person, you often don't see any result. You must also cast out the twin.
This is a rather dramatic representation of why we need to pay attention to the little things - including the word
"and" in scripture. "For who has despised the day of 'small things?' (Zechariah 4:10) We certainly don't want to.

THE CASE FOR PETER
RaJean Vawter

When a person speaks and lives in a righteous manner, they should be honored. Unfortunately, when some others see or hear such a person and they are convicted about something in their own lives, instead of accepting the conviction of the Holy Spirit, they laugh, put the person down or ignore them in order to excuse themselves. 

Such is the case with Peter. After a life-time of listening to sermons, taking many college Bible classes, attending lectures, conferences, retreats and reading theological books, I don't remember a single instance where the Peter who is talked about is the same Peter I've read about in the Bible for 68-plus years. I've even been snickered at for publically saying that he is one of my heroes. I've heard him described as a person who speaks before he thinks, who puts his foot in his mouth, is competitive, pushy and snoopy. From the pulpit he's been put down, denigrated and belittled.  "Well, you know Peter," speakers say. Chuckle. Chuckle. 

But that's not the true Peter. In fact, our world is badly in need of more Peters - both male and female. Take a look at the following character composite. Let me know if you find anything in this list that we shouldn't emulate.

Peter was a Hard and Dependable Worker. He and his brother ran a fishing business and that's where Jesus found him - at the marina working hard (Matthew 4:18). He worked so hard he developed strong muscles (John 21:11).

Peter was a Responsible Family Man. He supported his wife and cared for his mother-in-law, even when she was sick (Matthew 8:14).

Peter was a Natural Leader. Jesus not only chose him as one of the 12 apostles, scripture even calls him "first" (Matthew 17:1). When they had a question, the towns people went to Peter instead of his brother Andrew (Matthew 17:24). After Jesus' resurrection, when the disciples were at loose ends not knowing what to do with themselves, it was Peter who decided on a course of action to help them work out their nervousness and uncertainty. "I'm going fishing," he said. And everyone followed him (John 21:3). After the ascension, holed up with 120 other people, when Peter came up with what they should do besides prayer, everyone paid attention and took his guidance (Acts 1:15). Later, when the Holy Spirit fell with tongues of fire and they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a mob of people all talking at once, Peter was the one who "raised his voice" and everyone got quiet and listened. Wow! Only a true leader, anointed by the Spirit could do that without a microphone! (Acts 2:14)

When Herod wanted to please the Jews it was easy to find out who their leader was. Peter was the one who was seized and put in prison. And Peter was the one the church prayed for (Acts 12:3-5). 

After Saul was converted and became Paul, he spent time in Arabia being discipled by the Holy Spirit. Finally, after three years, he went to Jerusalem just to see Peter. Peter received him and they spent 15 days together (Galatians 1:18). Even though James, the brother of Jesus was leading the church at that time, Paul knew it was Peter whom he needed to check things out with. The two men realized that, while Peter had been called to preach to the Jews, Paul had been entrusted with the gospel for the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7,8). As an humble leader, Peter exhibited no competition with Paul.

Peter was Willing to Step Out in Faith. Of the 12, only one disciple was willing to get out of the boat and accept Jesus' invitation to walk on water (Matthew 14:28, 29). After the resurrection, the men fished all night with no success. When a "stranger" on shore told them to cast their net onto the "right" side of the boat, they wearily obeyed. When their nets began to fill up, John was the first to figure it out. "It is the Lord," he said. And stayed put. But Peter immediately forgot the fish and "plunged into the sea" (John 21:7). A born and raised, life-long fisherman forgets about fish?! YES! Fish no longer ruled his life. His love for and faith in Jesus did. 

Peter was Curious and Teachable. He was the kid sitting inn the front row, listening intently to the teacher and asking the questions the rowdy guys on the back row were too proud to ask out of fear of being wrong or that a question might be a stupid one. When the Pharisees got offended at something Jesus said, the disciples were embarrassed for Him. They told Jesus and Jesus responded with a parable they didn't understand. Silence. Except for the kid in the front row. "Then Peter answered and said to Him, Explain this parable to us" (Matthew 15:15).
Remember, it was Peter who called attention to the fig tree that miraculously withered overnight (Mark 11:21). Here are some other questions Peter asked - questions that not only did the other disciples want to know the answers to but that you and I do too:

• Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?" (Matthew 18:21)
• Behold, we have forsaken all and have followed You. Therefore what shall we have? (Matthew 19:27)
• Lord, do You speak this parable to us or also to all? (Luke 12:41)
• Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life (John 6:68). 
• When will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled? (Mark 13:4)
• Lord, do You wash my feet? (John 13:6) 
• Lord, where do You go? (John 13:36)
• Lord, who is he who betrays You? (John 21:20)
• Lord, why cannot I follow You now? (John 13:37) 
• Lord, and what of this one? (John 21:21)

Yes, in our pride we can (knowing the end of the story) decide that some of Peter's questions and responses to Jesus were "stupid" or not appropriate but Jesus didn't think so. He always answered Him lovingly with truth. Even when He needed to rebuke Peter (See Mark 8:32-33) the others were all ears. That's how it all got written down for us to learn from too.

Peter was so eager to learn, he let his curiosity lead him into what could have been dangerous situations. After Judas betrayed Jesus and he was hauled off by soldiers, Peter didn't run home and crawl under the covers. Instead, he dared to follow and even went in to the high priest's court so he could see for himself what would happen to Jesus (Matthew 26:48, Mark 14:54, Luke 22:54,55).  After hearing the women's report it was Peter who was the first one to hop up and start running to the empty tomb to check it out (John 20:2-6, Luke 24:12 ).

Peter was humble and willing to receive correction. We can see this in some of the examples given above. We can also see this when he denied Jesus three times, then remembered that Jesus told him he would do so. Weeping bitterly, he repented (Matthew 26:75), received the correction of the Lord and turned. The rest of his life is proof of his turning instead of following Judas' example.

Years later, he fell into sin when he acted hypocritically in Antioch, but when Paul "opposed him to his face," he again turned (Galatians 2:11-14). And again, we know that he humbly received the correction because he later commended Paul to the "pilgrims of the Dispersion." Read the high praise he gave Paul even while admitting that sometimes Paul's teachings are "hard to understand:"

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation - as also our beloved brother Paul according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures (1 Peter 3:14-16).

Peter knew how to think things through and reason them out. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry He got into Peter's boat to teach the crowding of the multitude on the shore. Peter and the others listened even while washing their nets. When Jesus finished, He told Peter to let down his net. It didn't make sense since they'd toiled all night and caught nothing but Peter's tired mind said, "Oh well. I'll do it anyway." He did and the catch of fish was astronomical. While his partners were focused on the haul, Peter's lightning-fast mind caused him to realize that he was in the Presence of the supernatural God. He "fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord (Luke 5:8). From that point on, instead of hooking fish, Peter was hooked on Jesus.

After being with Jesus and the other disciples for a considerable time, it is obvious that he was constantly processing what Jesus taught, what He did and where He led them. Finally, in the region of the heathen resort city of Caesarea Philippi that was full of many idols, Peter was the one able to articulate correctly the answer to Jesus' question about who He was. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:29). 

When Herod had him arrested, Peter's mind was so at ease, he was able to sleep deeply in the squalid, rat-infested prison even while wrapped up with two heavy chains. It took a light in his face and an angel striking him on his side, giving him orders and leading him out, for him to finally wake up fully and realize that he wasn't dreaming (Acts 12:3-11). Scripture specifically lets us know that he considered what had happened to him before deciding where to go and what to do.

That deductive reasoning didn't even shut down when he first saw the empty tomb. He took it all in, noticed the linens lying alone and went away wondering and marveling. He was probably still thinking things through when the two disciples from Emmaus ran back to Jerusalem, told their story, and then Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst, ate some food and opened their minds (Luke 24:12-45).

Peter Loved deeply and passionately so His First Inclination was to Defend Those He Loved. When Jesus told him about his coming suffering, Peter's knee-jerk reaction was, "This shall not happen to You" (Matthew 16:22,23). "I will never be offended . . I will not deny you" (Matthew 26:33-35, Mark 14:29). He was the one who reacted automatically and cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant (John 18:10,11). Of course, because Jesus always requires us to line up with the Father's will and ways, He gave Peter the divine perspective and put the ear back on (Luke 22:51). He never rebuked Peter for his heart of love and passion. And Peter never lost his favored position with James and John as the "inner three."

Peter was Trustworthy. Along with the above attribute, it was Peter, James and John (always listed in that order) who Jesus took with Him to heal Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:37, Luke 8:51), and took up to the Mount of Transfiguration to see Him conversing with Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1, Luke 9:28-36). It was Peter and John whom He sent to prepare the Passover (Luke 22:8), and the three were invited to join Him as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37, Mark 14:33). When the angel at the tomb gave instructions to the women, he specifically instructed them to "tell Peter" as well as the other disciples (Mark 16:7). Finally, it was Simon Peter - by name - whom the angel told Cornelius to fetch so he and his household would have a faithful, trustworthy person who would give further directions as to salvation and relationship with God (Acts 10:5).

Peter has Often Been Misunderstood. One of the primary proof-texts used for assertions that Peter spoke before thinking is the account of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:4, Mark 9:2-5, Luke 9:33). What people don't realize is the timing of this event. It took place during the Feast of Tabernacles. During that week-long feast, the Jews are commanded to build booths (shelters, little tents) in which to live for a week as a reminder of what their ancestors lived in for 40 years in the desert. The word for what Peter was offering to make was not an idol's temple as I was taught as a child. It can be translated as tent, cloth hut, habitation or tabernacle and you'll find all these words used (including booth) depending on what translation you read. In short, Peter was simply trying to be a good host and build what Moses and Elijah would need for the feast.

Peter was Bold and Full of Faith. He was always willing to speak up and speak out - as long as it was testifying about the Lord Jesus Christ. And he did not preach a wishy-washy Gospel. On the day of Pentecost he boldly told those Jews from all over the world, "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:36-38).

He refused to take credit for healing people in the "Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth" (Acts 3:1-8). He made sure people understood that they needed to repent because they were the ones responsible for killing Him (Acts 3:12-26), that people can "receive the word of God" (Acts 8:14), be baptized (Acts 8:16) but still need "to receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:15, 17, 18).

When Ananias and Sapphira lied to him and the Holy Spirit, Peter was bold about the effects of sin. Such boldness about purity of thought and motive set a plumb-line for integrity and honesty for all generations since (Acts 5:1-11). Peter's example that we must "obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29) applies to us today. He didn't have a problem pointing out a person's wickedness, bitterness or iniquity (Acts 8:18-24).

His boldness enabled him to heal people (Acts 9:33, 34) and even raise them from the dead (Acts 9:38-41). When God gave him an instructive vision God knew he had enough boldness and the faith to follow through with the new concept of incorporating Gentiles into the family of God (Acts 10:1-48). When the believers in Jerusalem contended with him, he patiently explained to them all that God had shown him and done through him. God honored his words and service such that those who'd contended with him "became silent and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life" (Acts 11:1-18). Because of his experience, Peter was later able to silence a similar dispute concerning the ministry of Paul to the Gentiles.

Conclusion: Because of all of these attributes, how can anyone denigrate or put the Apostle Peter down or make fun of him? He is a true hero of the faith and not just because he was later martyred. He was sensitive yet bold, devout yet human, teachable and humble enough to accept correction, dependable, responsible, trustworthy and passionate. What a leader and role model! Besides showing respect for this great man of God, it's time for the church to change our ways. Each one of us, whether male or female, need to take each one of the attributes given in this paper, measure ourselves by his example and become like he was. We need to. . .
GIVE UP
SHOW UP
SPEAK UP
BOLDLY
WITH PASSION
Just like Peter!

DISCIPLINED INTERCESSION
RaJean Vawter


Many people are glass-half-full people. Generally optimistic and cheerful, they are often satisfied with "good enough." On the other hand, glass-half-empty people are considered pessimistic and critical. True prophets are often accused of this - of only seeing the glass-half-empty, nit-picky and too particular. That's because they are concerned with obeying all of the details of God's instructions. Look at the following biblical examples:

• King Saul had a "good enough" mindset. In fact, he was happy when Samuel came to him after winning a great battle. With great boast he told the prophet, "Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord" (1 Samuel 15:13). But Samuel was not so happy. In fact, he was so grieved that he reprimanded Saul and pronounced a severe judgment on him - one that Saul fought against for the rest of his life. In true prophet fashion, Samuel made his now-famous statement, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). As if that weren't harsh enough, Samuel went on to point out the root of Saul's "good enough" attitude which is rebellion. He explained, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry (vs. 23). Whoa! That would be hard to hear, wouldn't it?
• After a succession of wicked kings, Hezekiah came to the throne of Judah (2 Chronicles 29-32). "He did what was right in the sight of the Lord (29:2). Because he followed his heart with action, he was able to turn the nation around, drawing the people into the prescribed worship of the Lord. God blessed to the extent that "he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter" (32:23). Unfortunately, he became sick and was near death. Fortunately, "he prayed to the Lord; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign" (vs. 24). Unfortunately (again), "Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem" (vs. 25). Fortunately, the King repented but the damage had been done and the glass was still half empty because of his period of pride. The Lord's prophetic pronouncement was that the wrath of God wouldn't come upon the people as long as Hezekiah lived but would take place thereafter (vs. 26). Whew! Hezekiah escaped. But to a culture that was very mindful of the generations, this was just as harsh a consequence as that given to King Saul. 

Sometimes things are "good enough" and even prophets have to learn to live with "it" - whatever "it" is. But when God tells us to do something, that becomes a matter of simple, detailed obedience. These two stories are good examples of how and why God requires the true prophets to be so "nit-picky." They are not an excuse for those who claim a prophetic gifting to go around criticizing people. We must note that the prophet Samuel was so grieved about King Saul's actions that he spent an entire night crying out in intercession for the King (1 Samuel 15:11). This kind of response can be seen in every case where a prophet of God is required to reprimand someone. It comes from a heart of love and the fear of the lord. Even then, each prophet had to wait for the Lord to tell him IF he was to speak to the matter, HOW he was to speak if the answer was, "Yes," and WHEN he was to do so.


Such is the case with this lesson. As prayers and intercession has increased across the nation, many pray-ers are being called to lead prayer groups either by their church, ministry leaders or directly by the Lord. Willing to serve, these leaders are often ignorant as to how to help their group grow deeper and more effective in the work of prayer. Therefore, God has pressed me to share with you what I have learned - to date. I'm expecting various responses all the way from, "Preach on, sister!" to "You're just being critical" or even asking me to take them off my mailing list. That's all OK. I just gotta write what God has told me to share at this time.


#1. The first thing that must happen for a prayer group to grow in effectiveness is a willingness to discipline themselves so they can move from prayer into intercession. "What's the difference?" you may ask. Prayer is talking to God, praying scriptures you are familiar with and lifting up needs based on what we know. Intercession happens when we lay all that aside, worship Him and wait on the Lord to show us what He wants us to pray. The prayers come directly from the Spirit of God and agree with what Jesus is praying (Romans 8:27, 34). He may give us scriptures, prayers, prophecies, visions or even prophetic acts to perform. But it all comes from Him, not our flesh or knowledge. An example is when Gary and I were in a part of such a prayer group. After waiting on the Lord, we were led to pray for people in the area around the Black Sea. Sound strange? It did to us too. Nevertheless, the group obeyed by following God's guidance as to how to pray. No one grasped at straws to figure out what to pray, we just waited for the Lord to give us direction. By the time we met together the next week, we learned that U.S. troops were being moved onto land bordering the Black Sea in Turkey. We were the forward guard for them.


When teaching on how to hear the voice of God in a third world country, I asked for a time of silence so all could hear whatever the Lord might want to speak to them individually or to the group. Instead of silence, the group of 5-600 women began to pray out loud as their custom was. When repeated pleas for silence went unheeded, I resorted to a term that my mother taught me was never "proper." At the top of my lungs, I yelled, "SHUT UP!" I was horrified of what I'd done. But the room got quiet. The Holy Spirit fell and prophetic words began to arise out of the group of women as they heard God speak to them directly. They learned that day, that it's easier to hear God speak when we aren't speaking ourselves.


Another time, a mature group we were in worshipped the Lord, then waited for direction. We waited, in silence, for an hour and a half! At the end of that time, the Lord prophetically told us that because we had refused to be uncomfortable in the silence but took our comfort in His Presence with obedience, we'd thwarted a major attack the enemy had planned against our city. We were all amazed. Surely the ways of the Lord are not our ways. 


#2. The second principle to follow is absolutely necessary. For a group to advance, each member of the group, especially the leader, must spend time with the Lord in repentance BEFORE the meeting. This is part of what the Old Testament Priests and Levites did as they consecrated themselves to the service of the Lord in the Temple. The reason I say that doing so is necessary is that when anyone comes into the Presence of the Lord or the Spirit falls on the group during worship, we are immediately aware of His holiness and our uncleanness. Our natural inclination is to start repenting of everything that comes to mind. This is good and is of the Lord. BUT . . . . if  people who desire to enter into the service of the King in a group setting, allow Him to show them what they need to confess and repent of before the meeting, this will not happen to them. When the Spirit invades the group, each member will be able to "press in" beyond themselves and into more of Him.


The first time I heard the term, "press in," was by a well known leader. I didn't understand what he meant. He'd started the meeting with worship. As the height of the worship grew, I didn't understand why he didn't start to lead us in prayer. Instead, he just kept saying, "Press in." Only later did I realize that prayer and intercession is, actually about us and life here on earth which takes the focus off of the Lord and onto things concerning the earthly realm. He was wanting us to press in to the Lord and go higher. It is, after all, from the higher realm, that, as we are "seated with Him in the heavenlies" (Ephesians 2:6) that we can hear His Voice more clearly.


This point is critical because failure to observe this discipline will short-circuit the efforts of the entire group. Leaders who do not prepare before the prayer meeting are often prone to begin to confess sin (often using general terms such as "we") and prevent the group from pressing in. I was in such a prayer group one time where the leader constantly used the group prayer time to confess her personal sins. Often she generalized under the false assumption that everyone else had the same besetting sins as she had, thus putting them on the others.  If a leader is not able to discipline him/herself in prayer, they will not be able to stop a group member from doing the same thing if necessary.


I was privileged to be a part of a mature group of intercessors for 10 years. The Lord took us to the point that He literally told us that if we had not cleansed ourselves through repentance before we walked through the doors of the prayer room, our sins would be revealed to the entire group. One day, I met a visitor on her way to the prayer room. I told her what the Lord had said and showed her where she could go to prepare herself. She didn't believe it. Unfortunately, during the course of the meeting God showed the rebellion that was in her heart to the entire group. She was so embarrassed yet rebellious that she stormed out.


#3. When we pray in the privacy of our own homes, it is not unusual for our minds, and therefore our prayers, to move quickly from one topic to another. That's just us being us and is OK - unless the Lord tells us differently of course. But if a prayer group does this, it will cause the prayer time to fall short of what God wants to accomplish through them. Leaders must be very sensitive to this, which I call "tossed salad prayers." (You know, a piece of lettuce here, then a tomato, an onion, some carrot, and some more lettuce, all mixed together.) Unfortunately, many leaders engage in this type of prayer themselves so they certainly don't stop a group member from doing so. But, the leader's job is to help the group focus. Whenever the Body of Christ is together, we need to take advantage of all the giftings God has placed in our members (1 Corinthians 14:26). When a need is presented, time should be given for others to speak out and pray the leading of the Lord on the same matter. Experienced prayer leaders have been known to interrupt someone who begins to "toss a salad together" by saying, "Wait a minute. Does anyone else have a prayer that needs to be prayed on this subject?" Surprisingly, this never interrupts the flow of the Spirit. Instead, it facilitates what He wants to accomplish through the group. When no one has anything else to pray, they move on to another topic which is often what the "tossed salad" pray-er was going to pray next.  


#4. At the conclusion of a prayer time, someone invariably goes up to the leader saying, "When we were praying about _____, I had a vision (or an insight or a scripture). I have concluded that either ignorance, pride, fear or an unholy view of themselves is the reason such people don't share what God gives them at the appropriate time. I say ignorance because such a person does not truly recognize the truth of 1 Corinthians 12:7. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. I say pride because they want the kind of recognition that would come if the leader were to specifically ask them for input. Fear can be of being wrong, of not speaking correctly or because of a past bad experience. This kind of fear requires inner healing to overcome. Finally, when we don't accept the view that God has toward His sons and daughters, it is disbelief that God means what He says about us and is therefore unholy. These things must be corrected for the proper working of any group.


When a prayer leader has such a person share in this way after the meeting is concluded, or when he/she begins to notice that certain members never pray, it is their job as a leader, to seek those people out and find out why. To follow scripture, every leadership position is given by God for the purpose of teaching, mentoring, mothering and/or fathering others (Ephesians 4:12). "We should no longer be children. . ." (vs. 14). Both leader and follower must grow up (vs. 15). That's because the Lord's goal is that the whole Body of Christ be "joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (vs. 16). 


When these four principles for group prayer are followed by both leaders and members, amazing times of intercession invariably happen and the Kingdom of God is advanced. In giving these principles am I picking on leaders? YES!!  Even our secular world knows that leaders of anything are responsible for their charges. Every leadership position incorporates the need to teach the followers whatever is necessary for the job at hand. Whether a leader fulfills his/her duty through the gift of teacher, exhortation, mercy, giver, etc., we receive a stricter judgment (James 3:1). We are accountable to God as to how we fulfill our assignment. That's why we need the whole Body of Christ with each member thereof functioning properly. After listing a whole litany of how we each sin and fall short of the perfection James gives as to why we need to be careful as leaders, he gave the antidote: Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:7-10). Be sure to pay attention to the order in which each action is listed. It's important.


We/you/I can do this because all things of God begin with Him, with prayer, and back to Him again. Let's get it right and follow the guidelines given in Scripture and through the experience of others.