Every week, we try to rally people in our region together to pray and worship - and we always encourage them to try to “pray the Word”, instead of just praying completely out of their own brain!  You wouldn’t believe on how many levels it helps to know that when someone is praying it is directly from the Bible, and hopefully very near to the original context.  To absolutely ENSURE the context is correct, we really encourage people to pray “The Apostolic Prayers”.

Really, there’s no reason to capitalize The Apostolic Prayers, because it’s not like they are their own little book or body of work.  This way of writing it, that even comes-across when speaking the phrase, may be the reason we are asked so often, “What do you mean by ‘Apostolic Prayers’?”  Simply put, apostolic prayers are the prayers prayed by the apostles in the New Testament.  Of course, most of the apostolic prayers are penned by Paul, but there are many more, too.

Now, of course, there has to be exceptions, that make the name not-quite-so-simplistically-accurate.  One of those exceptions is that the prayers of Jesus are often grouped into any compilation of apostolic prayers, too.  Why some, and not all?  Well, the real reason most prayer people use this compiled list of prayers is that they are prayers whose target is the Church.  So, for example, the last part of Jesus’s prayer in John 17, when He prays, “not only for those whom [the Father] has given me, but also for those that will believe,” we like to include those prayers in our reportoire (if you will).

Check out the power in this statement:

When we pray the prayers found in the Bible, for the same people the prayers were being prayed…. WOW!  We can KNOW that we are agreeing with the very prayers of God!  The Holy Spirit inspired these prayers to be written.  And Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father praying for the saints at this very moment.  Why not be assured that the prayers we are praying are directly from God!

So, that’s it in a nutshell.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Per Anthony’s request, here is a link to the compilation that we have adapted from the International House of Prayer - Kansas City for use in our local intercessory worship meetings: Apostolic Prayers.

In a world full of self-help and performance-driven evaluations it can be difficult for a believer to really embrace that they need other people - it is a requirement; it is the Church… it’s the way “a body” is suppose to work.

Okay, so, this is a blog, so I get to be informal and personal, right?  Well, here it goes.  The last several regional prayer gatherings I’ve been missing something.  We’ve been short on singers, so then it feels like I have to sing more, which means I have less time to try and listen to the Lord and feel comfortable with what I’m about to sing.  I’ve also not had clear vision on prayer topics in advance, so I wasn’t able to really come prepared.  And, as usual, we end up with a new mix of musicians every week, and sometimes I’m thinking, “Man, it would nice to rehearse sometime,” but, ya know, we’re pulling people from all over the region, and we’re trying to “be a blessing” not a burden on any of these musicians and singers… but, it’s just difficult to feel like you’re doing things to excellence, when everything is flying by the seat of our pants.

But, each and every week, I am blessed and amazed by the Lord and the way His Body works.  So, yeah, I may not have the songs to sing one week, but, Paul Howell does; Thank you, Lord!  I don’t have to be the one who can keep everything flowing and always has the song when someone else doesn’t.  I may not have the prayer topic, but the people in the room show up with things on their heart, and Matthew McSpadden leads us like a seasoned veteran.  And, the musicians, wow, the Lord has really blessed us with guys and gals who can just show up and flow.  Sure there’s other things we could do if we rehearsed, but, man, these folks are good.

Wouldn’t it be nice if our congregations worked this way, too?  Where one man didn’t have to have THE WORD every Sunday.  (Don’t get me wrong, praise God for gifted teachers and preachers - Lord, give them Your Word every week.)  But, wow, how nice would it be to be in a congregation that really worked together like the Body Jesus intended.  A place where a pastor could really be a pastor and take care of, and go get, people and pull them together to see them fed, sheltered, and taken care of.  They wouldn’t have to also try to be the teacher, the evangelist, the prophet, and the apostle.

Or where the administrator isn’t getting knocked for not being merciful enough, and the intercessor isn’t getting bashed for not being evangelistic enough…

Lord, mature Your bride.  Call us to, and equip us for, the exact place you have for us in Your Body.  Let us not think more highly of ourselves or our callings than we ought, and give the hidden parts even greater honor.  Thank you, Father, that none of us need to be “self-contained”, because You have connected us, and made us inner-dependent with one another - Your Church, Your Bride, Your Body.  Amen!

How many of you remembering hearing the word, and many phrases including the word, “Deeper” A LOT starting about 10 years ago? It was prayed; it was sung; it was cried-out… well, I think the Lord is about to answer that request, but it isn’t going to look (or feel) like people thought it would.

As I was praying and singing through Jeremiah 17 last week, the Lord really highlighted the part about the need for our roots to “spread out”, and the context in which that happens.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

If you’re from the Fort Smith river valley region, you’ve probably heard a commercial from a local “turf care” company talking about the best way to build a strong, healthy lawn.  They recommend that you totally soak your yard with like 2 inches of water, and then don’t water it again for quite a while.  This forces the grass to send its roots down deeper, as it stretches forth to keep trying to get at that last bit of water from the previous soaking, since above the ground it is getting totally baked by the heat.  Now, I didn’t just take a seriously major bunny-trail because I’m excited about the proliferation of lawn-care techniques: there’s a spiritual principle here.

Graciously, the Lord will absolutely SOAK US from time-to-time.  Also by His grace and wisdom, He will withdraw Himself and allow the heat to be turned up… He’ll allow the drought to come and linger.  That is the only way for us to “Go Deeper”.  If we’re constantly getting a little watering, our roots will never go very deep, and we will never be very stable or very durable.  We see it hear in Jeremiah, we see it in the Song of Solomon, chapters 3 and 5.  He lavishes, and then leaves.  Sometimes we pursue and find Him quickly; sometimes He’s nowhere to be found - or so it seems.  But, in those times, will we keep stretching out towards Him - the Living Water?

During these prayer times the Lord spoke to me, “I am about to answer their prayers to go deeper.  The roots go deeper when the heat comes.  The heat is coming.  Oh how I long for their roots to go deeper and spread out towards me.  Stand and pray for them, that they would endure the heat.  Make your own fruit, that I have given you by my Spirit, available to help sustain and encourage others when they falter.  Keep your leaves green, by making sure you, too, are stretching deeper, so that you can help shade the weary from the heat.  A shaking is coming; The heat is coming - before that all consuming fire, and before that all consuming shaking, because I desire that none should perish, but be strengthened with might, by My empowering grace.”

Join us as we pray for the strengthening, equipping, and edification of the Bride of Christ in the river valley.

Wow! It’s been over a month since a post - that’s unusual… but the Lord has been doing so much in the Fort Smith River Valley these last several weeks: 3 Great “Pray River Valley” gatherings, a really awesome “The Burn - Fort Smith”, several National Day of Prayer meetings, and a great weekend with our friends Doug & Rita Roberts.

First off - HIS WORD!  What a great time we had on Sunday, April 27th.  I got to lead worship for a group of about 80 1st thru 6th graders as they led the congregation at Heritage Church in Van Buren, Arkansas in worship and in reciting 26 verses from memory (A to Z).  The excitement in me when I hear children speaking scripture, especially scripture committed to memory is unbelievable.

I went straight from there to the Van Buren courthouse where about 100 believers from all over Crawford County gathered to “read the Bible in an hour.”  Slips of paper were distributed that contained chunks of scripture for each person (or family) to read aloud.  All of the slips were picked-up, and the Word of God was proclaimed aloud IN ITS ENTIRETY from about 2pm to 3pm.  Surely His Word will not return void, but accomplish that which it was sent forth to do.

A youth pastor in the area approached me about getting the “Apostolic Prayers” that we use during a lot of our intercessory worship (harp and bowl type) prayer gatherings for use with his youth group that night, and I hear that they spent a good portion of their youth service that night praying and reading scripture aloud, too.  I LOVE IT!!!  His Word is going forth all over county!

Then, this last weekend, Robin and I invited some friends of our in to hang-out and do some ministry with us.  Doug & Rita Roberts brought some incredible authorative teachings and prophetic words to many individuals and to our region this weekend.  We are continually blessed by their revelation of the true Body of Christ, how we should function in-and-through Kingdom relationships, and what in means to “be in Christ”.

Our last Pray River Valley meeting turned more into “Preach River Valley” (haha), but “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” and the Lord had a lot of incredibly important and meaninful things to say over the church in the river valley.  Doug shared a solemn word about “the abortion of the fathers” in our region, and how the Lord is wanting spiritual fathers to step-up in our region, and that we should be calling out more for the fathers to arise then for just the Bride to awaken and arise.  He described a picture the Lord was showing him over our region: a spider web.  That this is how the church was functioning at the moment… more like spiders building webs and trying to capture as many people as possible - but how spiderwebs are all about one thing: “feeding the spider”.  And if competing spiders get onto each others’ webs, only the strongest spider will survive.  Unfortunately, that is not spiritual strength or maturity prevailing, because this whole organization and scenario is a soulish one, and not a spiritual one.  What the church is SUPPOSE to be about is feeding and strengthening all of the individuals who gather - not capturing them to “feeding the spider”.

A group came down from the House of Prayer in Siloam Springs, Arkansas and prayed and worshipped with us.  What a faithful group: WE LOVE YOU!  One of the brothers shared a wonderful picture that the Lord was giving him that was both for Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.  (Our recording stuff wasn’t online, so I’ve asked him to write it down for me, so I don’t mess it up… so I’ll put that up later.)  Thank you, so much, Lord, that Your house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, and that You join together those who heart is turned to You through prayer, and that no competition will ever arise or persist in this beautiful expression of Your body.  Let us be a picture of unity for Your Bride.

Gals and Guys!  The Lord is SOooOOoo pleased with the faithfulness He is finding in Arkansas.  He looks to-and-fro for a man who will stand in the gap for his land.  He is finding them in Arkansas, and will hear our cries, leave a blessing instead of a calamity, heal our land, and cause His light to break forth like the dawn!  Thank you, Lord!

So maybe everyone else in the world has made this connection, but today during my lunch-time intercessory worship set, I was singing and praying out of Song of Songs chapter 5 and the Lord opened up something to me in His Word:  the closer we get to Him, and the more set-apart we become, the more He will call us back out into the world to share with others about Him… granted, I already suspected this and even encouraged it, but –BAM– it’s different when the Lord gives it to You rhema-style.

2   I sleep, but my heart is awake;
  It is the voice of my beloved!
   He knocks, saying,
   “Open for me, my sister, my love,
     My dove, my perfect one;”

We see in Chapter 2, that the last time the Beloved groom asked the shulamite to come away with Him to go and bound over the obstacles and establishments of the world that she did not go because she was afraid.  But then she realized her mistake and went running after Him and ran with Him.  This time she has a different excuse:

3   I have taken off my robe;
   How can I put it on again?
      I have washed my feet;
    How can I defile them?

This is the main part the Lord opened up to me.  What does her/our robe and washed-feet signify? I believe one application of His living and active Word here is this: 

The robe represents the white garments He gave us that we like to wear when we’re out among the world - but, too often when we’re at home and comfortable, we strip back down to our filthy rags.  Then, it’s too much trouble to have to “put the face on” again to go back out with people - and, honestly, most of us don’t really want to go out in the first place.

Then there’s the washed feet.  If being comfortable and a bit dirty isn’t a good enough excuse, let’s approach it from another angle.  Well, I’m already too clean to go back out where it’s dirty.  I’ve set myself apart from the world, and have been progressing from glory to glory… why would I risk being tempted, or getting sick (physically, spiritually, anything)?  We’re suppose to be set apart, right?  Let the lost come to our church buildings… surely they can see our steeples, right?  I will not defile myself again.

I could also see both of these things as being subtle enticements… the bride was trying to encourage intimacy with the groom, hoping that they could just stay in the place of intimacy, and not go out into the world.

The Groom is calling His Bride out! 

But let me be clear: you will have nothing to give of eternal value if you do not spend time and invest yourself into getting to know the Lord, His heart, His mind, His affections, in that intimate place of prayer and worship.  But, just like in the Song of Songs, there are cycles of spending personal, one-on-one time with our Groom, there’s times of just doting over one another (giving and receiving affections), but then there are those times of going WITH the Groom to show-off your relationship and to tell everyone about The Messiah, your Groom.

The world WANTS to know our Lord, but they’ve seen too much of us, and now they’re full of reserve, doubt, even hatred, and cynicism regarding our Groom.

The Daughters of Jerusalem

9   What is your beloved
       More than another beloved,
     O fairest among women?
  What is your beloved
     More than another beloved,
      That you so charge us?

Now the Bride could have went arm-in-arm with her Beloved to show Him to the world and draw people to Him… but, even though she missed that opportunity, she still went, and now she still evangelizes: 

The Shulamite

10   My beloved is white and ruddy,
    Chief among ten thousand.
16   His mouth is most sweet,
   Yes, he is altogether lovely.
     This is my beloved,
      And this is my friend,
    O daughters of Jerusalem!

Lord, help us to never lose the reality of the great commission, but help Your church regain and rightly walk-in the reality of the greatest commandment - that we would genuinely love You with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength.

Watchmen, intercessors, worshippers, Mary’s - share Your beloved with the world.

Evangelists, teachers, pastors, preachers, Martha’s - make the greatest commandment more important than the great commission (or at least equal).

Hello, Family!

I pray that you and your family were rocked by the realities of this past Holy Week… the Lord drew me back into Isaiah 53 for about 3 weeks leading up to Easter, and would hardly let me sing or think about anything else in my personal devotion times – What a paradox-paradigm in which we have to live and breath and find our being: that He was ‘a man of sorrow and familiar with sufferings’, and was also ‘anointed with the oil of gladness more than his companions’…. and that WE are to ‘fellowship in his sufferings’, yet be filled with ‘joy unspeakable’… This is something that the Lord is going to do this year in the place of prayer all over this region.

He is going to teach us how to fellowship in His sufferings and to come together solemn, with fasting and weeping, crying out and condemning… AND (not BUT)… AND still He will ‘make us joyful in his house of prayer’.

I invite you to join with people from all over the region at The Burn this Saturday at Living Way Four Square Church on Hwy 71 S, just south of Ft Smith. It will be from Noon until Midnight. Come to the Burn ready for personal prayer and devotion, and/or to enter into agreement with the prayers being sang over our region in an environment that we believe is much like it was in the tabernacle that David built when he appointed the singers and musicians to minister before the Lord day-and-night.

Here’s a reminder of our consistent Saturday rotation (that we’re simply refering to as “Pray River Valley” — just so that when I have time to work on our regional prayer website, the domain name will be the same as what we call it (www.prayrivervalley.com)).

First Saturday of Every Month
Crossroads Church
250 Rudy Rd, Alma, AR
Prayer Gathering: 6pm - 9pm (drop-in)
Intercessory Worship Training Classes: 3:30 - 5:30pm (RSVP to me, please)

Third Saturday of Every Month
Heritage Church
1604 Pointer Trail, Van Buren, AR
Prayer Gathering: 6pm - 9pm (drop-in)
Intercessory Worship Training Classes: 3:30 - 5:30pm (RSVP to me, please)

Fourth Saturday of Every Month
The Burn - Fort Smith
(locations and times will vary)

There are also many prayer meetings going on in congregations all around the area. Get plugged into yours, and be sure to visit others. I believe the Lord is going to use the prayer movement in a mighty way to establish unity in the Body of Christ… go connect with someone. Personally, my wife and I are praying, worshipping, and doing devotionals every Monday - Thursday at Heritage Church in Van Buren from 11am to 1pm.  Drop in anytime… sometimes musicians are playing and singer live, and sometimes we’ve got worship playing (like the IHOP Webstream) and we’re praying or doing devotionals — come on in!

Manifest Blessings!

Surely it is not just Christians that have to deal with the constant barrage of criticism from each other… surely it is just human nature to be so critical of anyone who is earnestly and honestly just trying to do what they feel like they’re suppose to be doing - Yes, that is it - it is NOT unique to the Christian community to be so judgemental… I think I know what it is.

The apparent truth is this: EVERYONE* despises and rejects anyone who is trying to hear and do the will of the Father with their lives.  It doesn’t matter if they are Christians, atheists, of other religions, or pre-believers - the enemy, the accuser of the bretheren, the prince of the air does everything he can to distort our communications, whisper in our ears, and divide us.  Whether it is marriages, denominations, friendships, or the Bride of Christ as a whole, I believe it is one of the main focus points of the enemy: divide, divide, divide.

I hate throwing around terms, especially when they apply to people, like “spiritual” - but, let me quote a scripture as a part of the asterik note on “EVERYONE” above. 

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corithians 2:14)

Often this “everyone” includes many in the church, because they do not take the time to spiritually discern the actions, attitudes, statements, missions, etc, of their fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord.  And, like in the previous article, we too often feel like the main call the Lord has called us personally to focus on is somehow what ALL believers should be focused on, and we fail to see that the Body has many members, and that each must do its own, differing part. (1 Corinthians 12)   We erroneously end up thinking that all believers must be “balanced” in their priorities, giftings, and focii, instead of embracing the glorious diversity of gifts and wirings the Father purposed in His Body so that we could grow up together by what every joint supplies into Christ who is the one true Head. (Ephesians 4)

This also extends beyond callings and giftings and into simple practicalities.  Let’s look at the difficult example of an intercessory missionary.  There are many varieties of callings under this one head, but, let’s look at a musician who has felt the call to focus their time in the place of prayer and worship to help others cultivate a life of prayer, get grounded and familiar with the Scriptures, and connect to the thoughts, will, and emotions of the Lord.  And, for this example, they feel led to soley raise support by which to live.  And, for this example, they feel led to record and distribute some of the songs they have been given.

Many in the church would criticise them for living solely on support, and would quote a scripture or two out of Second Thessalonians out of context like, “if you don’t work you don’t eat.”  These folks would insist that the person should at very least be bivocational and working a “real job”.  These same people might be fine with a “pastor” of a church being full-time, but somehow overlook the office of teacher, evangelist, prophet, apostle, or just a believer being obedient to the Lord - who is not just sitting around, but devoting their life to the Lord and to the equipping of the saints.

So, the same intercessory missionary feels led to record and release an audio CD.  Well, now people will begin quoting scriptures like “use the gospel for their profit” or something about not selling things in the temple.  They forget all about the criticism from above, and that “a workman is worth his wage”, and that the musicians, the engineers, the graphic artists, and lots of people put a lot of time into the producing, recording, and distributing of the CD.

Seriously, it’s like they can’t win… we can’t be “beyond reproach” from everyone - especially not if you’re trying to do what the Father is telling you.  Jesus tells us that this will be the case in John 15:14-24.  If we are trying to be about the Father’s business, they will hate us, just like they hated Jesus.  But, there is no better place to be than in the will of the Father.  Be found faithful in Him to the end.  By found blameless in Him.  Be beyond reproach in life and doctrine according to HIM - not according to “them”.  Being beyond reproach doesn’t mean being beyond scrutiny or attack - it means that, when it comes down to righteous scriptural logos and discerning rhema, you are doing all that you can do to be obedient to the Lord.

This same concept could be applied to so many different things, but let me give you one other thing.  Take a prayer gathering, for example.  If you try to just gather people in the place of prayer, people will accuse you of trying to “be a church” and will be fearful of allowing their members to come, for fear that you may end up stealing them away and forming a congregation - even if you clearly state that everyone who comes should be plugged into a local church, and that it is not the intention of this gathering to become “a congregation” - and your actually praying for the congregations and ministries in the area to be strengthened and encouraged.

But, at the same time, the same gathering could be criticized for not doing enough evangelism, being in a ministry bubble, or not doing some other works - spiritual or practical.  They don’t want the gathering to “be a church”, but they turn around and expect them to do all of works of a local congregation, otherwise they aren’t balanced enough.

Although we haven’t (to our faces) actually experienced ANY of the above criticisms yet, I was remembering some stories from other folks in similar ministries, and some of the attacks and criticisms they’d received from other believers - and it just breaks my heart, and encourages me to be vigilant in prayer.  The Lord has specifically asked me to try my best to live up to the call that Paul gave Timothy, to “be beyond reproach in both life and doctrine, so that both myself and my listeners might be saved.”  To some, this call would be deadly.  They might be too much of a man-pleaser, or too much of a “I could care less what you think, non-conforming rebel.”  But, just like almost everything else in my life, I have somehow avoided too much of either, all without being (too) luke warm (at times). 
Read the Word, Listen to the Lord, Ask of the Lord, Seek a Multitude of Council, Go Back to the Word again, Walk in the Light, and Do His Will - then let the accusations fall where they may.  Be graced in the seeking, and blessed in the doing!

This week, during a daily lunch-time prayer gathering, the Lord showed me something in Song of Songs that broke my heart.  We see in chapter 3 that the “watchmen” do not impede the betrothed’s search for her Groom, and she is able to quickly find her love (”Good Cops”).  However, in chapter 5, the watchmen strike and wound the bride, and forcefully take her veil from her (”Bad Cops”).  The Lord had me weep over the sad fact, that too often, the watchmen on the walls, those who consider themselves spiritual (which, in and of itself is not a bad thing - see Galations 6:1) - the intercessors and such, too often impede and wound the Bride.

The Lord has asked us to rally the watchmen in the Fort Smith river valley - to call and equip believers in the place of corporately gathered prayer.  One of the main reasons the Lord has asked us to do this is to undergird the believers and their ministries in this area.  We pray and ask the Lord to release more laborers.  We ask the Holy Spirit to empower those already laboring, and to reveal Jesus through the testimony of the Holy Spirit (both divinely and through believers) to this entire geographic region.

During this prayer time, the Lord said in an intense fashion, “It is my right alone to remove the veil from my betrothed.”  Through all of our teachings and compulsion, we can not open anyones eyes to see the value of communion with the Lord or the glory and beauty of our promised Groom, Jesus.  Let us not be found guilty of trying to remove the veil, or awaken love, before He so desires.  Certianly we speak of our love, our personal testimonies, and of our revelations found through diligently studying the scriptures, but we can not try to rank the importance of varying types of christian service/ministry or elements of worship.  The Lord is raising up a diverse, yet unified Bride.

NOTE: I’m speaking of the heavy-handedness that many who are spiritual impress upon the Body of believers - NOT on the pre-believers.  By all means, let us compell the pre-believers to come in. [Luke 14]

Please join us this Saturday at Crossroads Church in Alma, Arkansas for a time of intercessory worship.  There will be a training time at 3:30 for anyone interested in participating on one of our teams, or who would like to receive the training to help grow their own prayer/worship ministries.  The full meeting starts at 6pm and will end around 9pm.  It is a drop-in type meeting, so come for any or all that you can.

I certianly make no claim to greatness of musical skill, nor fall prey to false humily too often, but, although I realize my pitch isn’t too great a lot of the time, I thought I’d give you a taste of one of our recent gatherings via an audio clip.

I am so amazed by these singers and musicians.  For the musicians, this was the first or second time for most of us to play together, and the first time for all but one of these singers to ever sing in intercessory worship with me.  They are so amazing - first time or not.  This reinforces for me the value of using a “model” for our meetings and the way we conduct ourselves in these services.  Thank the Lord that what He had promised me about using a structure He has made true, “this is the stake & twine by which your vines can grow and flourish, not a rigid form that quenches and prevents.”

Let me point out a few elements you will notice in this clip…

The night had started out with some corporate worship songs (songs people were familiar with, or could quickly familiarize themselves with) so that we could all get our hearts and minds focused on the Lord which draws us (the believers gathered) into one accord, toward the Lord.  This clip starts as we’re coming out of the song, “Rend the Heavens”, and we began to sing spontaneously around some of the scripture from which the song is based - namely Isaiah 62 & 64 and a similar cry from Revelations 22:17.

The next thing that happens (around 2:45) is the intercessory, Matthew McSpadden, introduces a topic (”revival”) a target (”the river valley”) and a passage of scripture from which he will be praying (Acts 2:17-18).  He reads the scripture word-for-word, and then begins to pray using the language of that scripture for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the river valley.

Next, Matthew helps the singers by isolating a phrase from the scripture, “Pour out <Your> Spirit.” (verse 18)  Then, the singers echo that piece of scripture, and then begin to develop it - always trying to use scripture, word-for-word when possible, and as relevant and contextually accurate as possible.  I branch off the original passage, by calling from Joel 2, from which Peter was quoting in Acts 2, where it says to call an assembly, sound an alarm, gather yourselves together - and from Jesus’ similar direction to the apostles, that they should tarry in Jerusalem, and so they gathered together in one accord.  We establish a chorus using that Joel 2 verbage, where we all sing our prayer together and the room all comes into agreement (via song) with the scriptures being prayed.

After that, the prayer leader, moves into asking for some specific gifts of the Spirit (”gifts of healings” - 1 Corinthians 12) and prays that for his target (”the river valley).  Although he didn’t specify those scriptures, because this environment becomes a “singing seminary”, the singers know that what he is praying is directly from Acts 4:30, and so we base our songs off of the Acts 2, and now Acts 4 verses.  We again establish a chorus (using the exact Acts 4:30 verbage) and unite the room in the cry for the fulfillment of this same prayer that Peter prayed over the believers gathered with him.

Matthew then moves to Luke 11:13 and solidifies the fact that it is okay for us to echo Peter’s prayers - that it is okay for us to ask for what the Lord talks about in Joel and throughout scripture - that it is okay to ask of the Lord - that we can ask for the Holy Spirit to be poured out.  He prays around that scripture, and we sing it.

Yes, it’s simple; Yes, it’s repetative.  But, YES, it is Scripture; it is decent and in order; it is the heart of the Lord.  It is the same type of environment that King David knew would entice the Most High God to come and establish a dwelling place in his city, right next to his house.  We are contending for that type of dwelling place.  That the Most High would be enthroned on the praises of His people. (Yes, I know there are questions about the translation of that scripture, but, look at what David did and the Lord’s response to David’s Tabernacle and rallying of the singers, shouters, and recorders into this place of day-and-night worship - whether it’s an accurate translation of Psalm 22:3 or not, it is a contextual reality.)

So, that’s a taste of one of the things we’re doing in the Fort Smith river valley - Intercessory Worship - the mingling of prayer and worship.

I believe it was back in September during a solemn assembly hosted by the New Wineskins Prayer Room in downtown Ft Smith, when the Lord began to have us sing about “a cancer-free zone” in the Fort Smith river valley… that He was wanting to give the Church in this region authority over cancer, and that He would provide alternative occupations for oncologists if we would press-in and contend for this prophetic invitation He was offering us - so far, there are 4 confirmed “we’re positive it’s cancer because of it’s growth signatures, but we prayed, and the biopsies have come back completely cancer-free” and 2 (maybe 3) miraculous complete healings of people who were cancer-ridden and living on borrowed/prescribed time by their doctors… all in about 6 weeks time — the Lord is up to something in the river valley.

My point in writing this post this wonderful winter’s evening wasn’t to share the individual testimonies of these occurances so far, as much as it was to invite you to join us in this completely humiliating act of faith-stretching.  The Lord is asking us to ask for something, to pray things, and to claim things that run a high-risk of making us look like complete idiots - things we can not possibly fake or skirt.  He is asking us to ask for the “greater things than these, you will do” things.  He’s asking us to live like Jesus lived, where the world couldn’t contain the accounts of the miraculous things He did while walking the earth those 30-something years; where, like Him, we would go “town to town and village to village sharing the gospel of the kingdom and healing EVERY sickness and EVERY disease among the people there.”

Trying to imagine the hundreds of believers in Van Buren, Arkansas, plus the hundreds in Alma, plus the hundreds in Greenwood, plus the thousands in Ft Smith all walking in this faith, in this invitation, that the Lord will give us authority specifically and powerfully over cancer, is mind boggling.  Can you imagine the thousands of people who will begin to journey to our region to receive prayer when the word gets out?  Do we really believe that these kind of shear numbers of miraculous healings could even be possible?  Of course we don’t - not without “gifts of faith” that He gives us in order for us to be able to wrap our minds around the reality that is “His ways” instead of ours.

I received word last week from a faithful intercessor who has been praying over our region for, literally, decades.  About 15 years ago, they felt like the Lord wanted them to begin to pray for our region - that He was wanting to make it a “valley of refuge, healing, deliverance, equipping, and sending.”  This Word was echo’d (unknowingly, and we believe prophetically) by Rick Ridings (at one time from this area, but now running a 24/7 house of prayer in Jerusalem) at a visit to Grace Covenant Church in Alma, Arkansas some 12+ years ago.  The Lord was showing him a handful of “valleys of refuge”… places of power that the Lord was going to establish as the great and terrible day of the Lord gets closer and closer - the Fort Smith river valley was one of these valleys.

These faithful intercessors told me, too, that the Lord had moved them to begin praying for the civilian leaders of our region, that they would have foresight and wisdom to initiate and complete infrastructure projects that would allow our region to handle the torrents of people who will flock in-and-out of this valley of refuge.  I don’t know how much this “cancer-free zone” has to do with all of that, if anything… but, I’m excited and encouraged and fueled in my prayers.

Ask the Lord for gifts of faith to be able to wrestle with Him about His will to give YOU authority of cancer through your prayers for the sick.  Then start praying for people, with humility, with abandon.  You won’t make God look bad if the person isn’t healed - even if they end up using that excuse at some point in their life.  The Lord is not concerned with His reputation; nor should you be with His or yours.  “You have not because You ask not.”  Start Asking!

And, please, feel free to share any & all testimonies specifically regarding the healing/authority over cancer with us.