By Bob Tolliver, Life Unlimited Ministries
(Originally written for the International Baptist Convention Highlights Magazine)

Since 1989 my heart has been captured by the idea of how to impact a city through effective ministry. Yet, in my years of vocational service that began in 1956, I have, perhaps like you, seldom seen a complete and significantly effective strategy that made any real long term difference. That notwithstanding, in scripture as well as in history, we see evidences of how cities and sometimes even regions or nations were dramatically changed as a result of God’s activity.

From the days of Jonah in Nineveh, to Philip in Samaria, to the apostles in Jerusalem, to the Great Awakening, and right up to this very decade, we find example after example of how God moved into a region, revolutionized the church and literally changed the landscape of society. And, the best most of us can do in light of our own lack of similar results is justify our own failures by such silly statements as, “well, society has changed” or “things are different now”.

I vividly remember as if it were yesterday a monumental experience I had in 1989. As I drove from my country home into the town where the church I pastored was located some ten miles away, God spoke to my heart in unmistakable terms. In a very visual way, He showed me the evidence of His presence hovering over my city, He showed me the looming storm of spiritual battle angrily gathering on the southern horizon, and He helped me recognize the prayers of God’s people that, appearing as many tiny plumes of smoke creating a canopy of divine presence, were holding back the impending storm. I was never so aware of the reality of the battle for souls and communities as I was that morning.

All of this raises a couple of questions. If both scripture and history verify that such kingdom advances have happened in the past and thus assure us they can happen again, why do we see so few successes today? Secondly, if we were to try to do something, what would we do, and how would we do it?

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES ABOUT CITIES:

My search for direction in reaching entire cities and towns has taken me into many forms of research and Bible study. This pilgrimage led me first to address the subject in my own church. As colleagues heard of these studies, I was invited to speak in conferences, do workshops, and ultimately teach the subject as a required class in Christian universities in Eastern Europe and South America. The end result was a comprehensive syllabus and an annual teaching assignment which I never anticipated. My heart has been held captive to such possibilities by certain Biblical principles, many of which you and I both know, but some of which may not be so familiar.

1. Every city exists for a Divine purpose it is to fulfill. I believe this is clearly taught in scripture. For example, according to Josh 21:13 there were cities designated as cities of refuge. Jer 49:25 identifies a city of praise. II Chron 8:6 and Gen 41:48 show us there were cities set aside for commodity storage in the event of famine. The very name for Jerusalem shows it was intended by God to be a city of peace. Other cities in the Bible were selected as cities for protection, for defense, for worship, for a namesake, and so forth.

2. I believe every city has a God-given purpose. I even found this to be true where I lived in Wisconsin years ago. In studying its history I found a repetitive pattern that revealed its intended purpose to be a city of prosperity, spiritual freedom and diversity, and a city of mercy to the suffering. Your city also has a God-given purpose that can be discovered as well, if you will take the time to research its history, pray, and seek God’s face.

3. Every city has a personal History from which it has come, a special Heritage it must preserve or correct, and a unique People it must serve. These factors generate the potential for both good and bad. A city’s history will often reveal God’s purpose as you see patterns or difficulties that have been repeated over years. Its heritage will reveal the good qualities that must be preserved and bad characteristics that must be reversed. Its people will reveal its true nature and character, because any city essentially is a reflection of the people living there.

4. Every city is only one generation away from possible extinction. If we understood that truth, perhaps we’d be more serious about trying to reach our cities now instead of simply enduring the conditions around us or being content to simply pastor churches instead of pastoring cities. Towns of Jesus’ prophesies and others, as well as places like Sodom and Gomorrah, clearly show us the danger of assuming there is plenty of time left.

5. If God's people don't preserve their city, Satan will steal it. While Jesus came to give life in abundance and fullness, Satan has the same motive as always . . . . to steal, kill, and destroy. That’s why Jesus was so adamant about our being salt and light. We are both the preservative that seeks to maintain integrity, and the illumination that exposes danger and shows the truth. All it takes for Satan to gain the upper hand is for God’s people to simply do nothing . . . or to do something in the flesh, no matter how sincere.

6. Because of its God-ordained purpose and the natural concentration of people, a city will always be a prime target in Satan's agenda to kill, destroy, steal, or rule over man, God's most prized creation. There are no days off from this reality. Your city will always be targeted, as will mine. The “city” may be one of millions, or just a few hundred. But, it is a target on Satan’s radar screen.

7. The social needs of a city exist because of hidden spiritual needs in the heart, and spiritual forces in the heavenlies. Too often we underestimate or refuse to recognize the reality of spiritual warfare. When ground is given in the heart of man, the attacks of the enemy are eminent. Whether it’s the flesh, the world, or Satan’s demonic hordes really doesn’t matter. A fight is a fight. Over the years I’ve seen the clear evidence that social problems such as poverty, family violence, drug use, immorality, and the like are directly linked to spiritual forces hovering over a region and creating unexplainable influence on a community. All Satan needs in order to exert his diabolical influence is a simple opportunity. Then, whatever social or human problems exist will be intensified through spiritual forces of darkness. The city where I currently reside has some 5,000 years of layer upon layer of spiritual oppression. Those influences will not be penetrated and removed easily . . . but they can be removed.

8. Satan has assigned specific principalities and powers over every community in the world. See Ephesians 1:20-23; 3:10;6:12; Colossians 1:16; 2:15; I Corinthians 15:45-49; II Corinthians 4:18 and other references to see that truth. For some reason many feel that embracing this idea is to be archaic or simplistic, but the Bible is clear that there is a structured hierarchy with a military form and strategy to destroy what God holds most precious, and to retain control over what God has created. After all, Satan is identified as the prince of the powers of the air, as the prince of this world and the god of this age. Until we recognize the reality of the battle and of the enemy as well, we’ll not get serious about the conflict.

9. Before a city's actions, lifestyle, and values can be changed, those spiritual powers over it must be challenged and defeated. There have been many occasions in my forty-seven years of ministry when I’ve watched people remain in bondage because nobody would get serious about the fight. At the same time I’ve watched the powers of darkness broken over entire communities because God’s people were willing to take the risk of doing serious battle in the power and authority that the mighty name of Christ provides. I am personally convinced that until we address the issues of our individual cities on both the personal, the social, and the spiritual dimensions, we’ll never see lasting change.

EVERY CITY IS REACHABLE:

10. Every city is reachable and has a particular “entrance” by which it can be accessed and affected. Some ten years ago, after I had already been teaching on “city reaching” for several years, I decided to do a word search on cities, towns, and villages. Needless to say, I ended up with a document many pages long filled with scriptures.

As I read page after page, Judges 1:23-26 suddenly exploded before my eyes. The story is simple. While God’s people had labored long and hard to claim the vast territory He had given them as their inheritance, there were pockets of resistance that had never been conquered. In some cases Israel simply made slaves out of the pagan inhabitants. In other cases, they just worked around them, always aware of their presence, but never able to fully receive the promised inheritance.

The Tribe of Joseph was attempting to complete the process. Bethel, the “house of God” rightfully belonged to them. They wanted to discover that secret way into the city in order to capture it; it was theirs by divine decree when Joshua apportioned Canaan out to the twelve tribes. They owned it, but they didn’t possess it. Bethel remained unconquered, and a scourge on the people of God. It was a bitter reminder of unfinished fulfillment of God’s promises and incomplete obedience of God’s people.

In scripture, cities are characterized as fortified places with walls, gates, etc, . . . . and secret ways into and out of the city for security purposes. Walls, gates, beams, elders, and other things are symbolic to a city and its varied characteristics; I deal with these in my syllabus on city-reaching.

When the spies from the Tribe of Joseph were doing reconnaissance on Bethel, they saw a man leaving the city. As they approached, they asked the man to show them the entrance to the city. I believe every city has a spiritual “entrance” that must be found. It can be a person, a condition, or a place. So, when you're thinking of "entering" the city for the purpose of reaching it for Christ, you need to be able to locate and access that "entrance".

It might be a person, as in this case ---- a "person of good will", a "person of influence", a "person of peace" or even a fellow believer. Sometime it can be an "old timer" who knows the history of the city. It could also be someone in the enemy's camp who reveals some such secret.

The entrance might be historical ---- an event that left the spiritual guard down and provided "place" (opportunity) for the devil as in Ephesians 4:27. The Greek word there indicates a specific "territorial place" in the spiritual world, . . . . such as a tragedy, an event, a curse, a decision, etc.

Or, it might be a condition ---- an area where defenses are weak, a gate left open, a "mound" that enables you to scale the wall, etc.

It could even be a place ---- a secret "passageway" or an unattended route, perhaps one that has been so neglected and unused that the residents don't even know it exists. It might be a "spiritual pathway" abandoned long ago by the powers of darkness, but still present.

11. A city-wide need requires a pastor who is willing to pastor his city and not just his church. Few convictions by the Holy Spirit have been as painful as this the day God showed me I really didn’t love my city, and I was more interested in pastoring my little congregation that I was in paying the price to reach my city. That’s when I realized that God calls us to pastor cities, not just churches.

Perhaps you never considered that idea. We know we are to love cities, reach cities, and so forth. But we think we’ve been called to only pastor churches. Consider the possibility of how your church might be affected if you chose to love and pastor your city, and let your church join in the process.

12. The key to both spiritual unity and to reaching a city is strategic, targeted, prevailing prayer. It is my personal conviction that the fundamental starting point for reaching anyone, whether it be an individual, a family, a neighborhood, or a city, is strategic prevailing prayer.

I use those three words intentionally . . . strategic . . . prevailing . . . prayer.

IDENTIFYING AND LAUNCHING A BIBLICAL STRATEGY:

Let’s examine these three words closely ---- prayer, strategic prayer, prevailing prayer.

1. Prayer: Jesus told His disciples in John 14:12-14 that they would equal and even exceed His works. That sounds almost ludicrous . . . almost blasphemous. And yet, Jesus said it. Once we get over the shock of thinking we might ever do such a thing, the next question we ask is, “How?”.

He has told us “how” in that passage and surrounding verses. He tells us that we will equal and exceed His works because He goes to the Father. With the Father, He sits at His right hand as our mediator, great high priest, and intercessor . . . as our authority. He represents us perfectly and constantly before our heavenly Father. But, He also tells us He is preparing a place for us for the future . . . our ultimate inheritance. He then goes on to assure us He is sending the Holy Spirit to live within us as our guide, equipper, and teacher while we’re here. He is our power.

Authority without power is a pipe dream. Power without authority is wasted energy. In an instant, we realize, that providing both, God has created an extraordinary heaven-to-earth and earth-to-heaven means of transmitting both communication and resources between Himself and us. The media of strategic ministry has been put in place.

Then Jesus makes a unique statement that reveals the secret. As He begins verse thirteen, He uses the word “and”. In English grammar that is called a compendium . . . a word that takes two separate sentences or thoughts, and links them together, creating a different and more comprehensive thought or statement.

In summary then, Jesus tells us we will equal and exceed His works. Because He is going to the right hand of the Father and is sending the Holy Spirit to us, we will do those things through the ministry of prayer made possible by the amazing, high tech, faster-than-light principle of prayer.

It’s not just any ordinary praying, however. He tells us five things in verse fourteen. He first tells us the Measure of our praying can be “whatever”. There are no limits. Then He reminds us of the Means of our praying ---- “ask!” It’s ok to ask. I’d rather ask wrong and be corrected than to not ask and miss out. Next is the Method of our praying . . . the thing that puts punch in our praying ---- “in My Name”.

The late Ron Dunn told the story of taking his children to the county fair during a family vacation. In order to expedite things, he bought a roll of tickets for the various carnival rides and positioned himself at the entrance to each ride where he could dispense a ticket to his four children as they walked past him. When they came to the Tilt-A-Whirl, he did what he had done before . . . gave a ticket to his oldest son, his third son, his daughter, and his second son. And, standing right behind the second son was a boy he’d never seen in his life, hand extended for a ticket.

As he hesitated in surprise, his second son turned around and said, “It’s alright, Dad. He’s my friend; he’s with me.” And that strange boy got a ticket in the name of Ron’s son. We need to remember that we get what we get from the Father only in the name of the Son.

The Might of our praying is found in the simple promise, “that will I do.” It is Jesus that does it, even if He tells us we will be doing it as in verse twelve. It truly is Christ working in us. Finally, and perhaps most important, He identifies the Motive of our praying . . . “that the Father will be glorified in the Son.” If there is any other motive than that, it is an insufficient one.

2. Strategic Prayer: Most of our praying is not strategic. It is generalized and often vague. For something to be strategic, it must be specific, it must be significant, and it must be sacrificial. In other words, our praying must be directed toward something very clearly identified, it must be significant enough to warrant that type of praying because of its importance, and it must become a prime target. You see, strategic praying is to the Christian what the missile is to the soldier.

It amazes me when I think that a missile launched from a ship in the sea hundreds of miles away can travel those vast distances, go through a window, and hit a selected file cabinet in a building the combatant never sees. More amazing, though, is the reality that I can launch a prayer volley against a targeted objective and unleash the awesome power of a sovereign, all knowing God who has committed Himself to act on my behalf and for His kingdom purposes.

This type of praying is tragically absent in most churches . . . . in most lives . . . . unfortunately even in the lives of those of us called to lead these churches. Far too often our prayers are hurried, generalized, frantic, faithless, and lifeless. It’s a miracle that God doesn’t severely reprimand us for such unscriptural praying.

Strategic prayer must be specific. We cannot afford to be so vague that even we don’t know what we’re praying for. It must be significant. What makes prayer significant? Its focus, its intensity, its purpose, and its passion. Prayer that has no focus, has no driving intensity behind it, has no real strategic relationship to God’s activity, and comes from an undriven heart is not strategic prayer. It is carnal to the core. Likewise, prayer that has no willingness to pay a necessary price for the answer will probably not move the heart of God to action.

3. Prevailing Prayer: What does that mean? Do we just keep on praying and praying over and over again as if we’re trying to convince God to take action? True prevailing prayer is not designed to get us to move God, but rather to get us to believe God. Prevailing prayer is more for our benefit than for God’s. It exposes our true motives and faith to ourselves.

This is illustrated in the life of Nehemiah. After receiving the report on Jerusalem brought by his brothers, Nehemiah’s first act was to cry out to God in prevailing prayer. I think we see two things about Nehemiah’s prevailing prayer. We see something about Nehemiah, and then we seem something he knew about God.

First, Nehemiah reacted to the report in three ways, according to 1:4. First he reacted in compassion. By his own testimony he declares that he wept and cried before God over the report. He also reacted in brokenness, because it says he mourned for days. This was not something he got over quickly or took lightly. Finally, he reacted in faith, expressing it the only way he knew how . . . . through prayer and fasting.

But, if you study Nehemiah’s prayer itself, you notice he did not try to coerce God into action because of his own burdened, broken heart. Instead, he boldly confessed some things he knew about God. Prevailing prayer is prayer that also declares some unchangeable facts we know about God. And, when God hears us declare His attributes and abilities, He moves into action.

As I read that powerful outpouring of a soul in agony for a city, I see five things Nehemiah knew about God that gave him the courage and confidence to prevail in such a blatantly bold manner. Just what five things did Nehemiah know that perhaps sometimes you and I forget?

First, Nehemiah knew something of God's majesty and power (1:5) He describes Him as "A Great And Awesome God". Nehemiah had not doubt that God was fully able.

Second Nehemiah recognized the importance of God's Honor and Faithfulness (1:5) He confessed that God was One who “Preserves the Covenant". According to Deuteronomy 7:9, God had made a covenant with Israel, and Nehemiah knew that for God to break that covenant would dishonor God and mar his character and reputation. Nehemiah understood that God would not allow that to happen.

Nehemiah also knew that God Honors Obedience (1:5c) He confessed that God expresses His "lovingkindness toward those who . . . keep His commandments".

Then Nehemiah prevailed because of God's Compassion and Grace (1:6). Because He knew this about God, he had no problem crying out to Him and beseeching Him by saying, "Let Thine ears be attentive and Thine eyes open". He knew that a holy, righteous, and just God was one of perfect love and inexhaustible compassion toward the repentant and humble saint.

Finally, Nehemiah never forgot the promises God had made toward Israel. He, therefore, prevailed because of his confidence in God's Purposes (1:8-10). It was God’s intent that Israel have a land. They were God’s servants. God had redeemed them for a reason. Nehemiah knew that.

Now, friend . . . . when you pray from such personal intensity flowing from compassion, brokenness, and absolute confidence in a God whom you know to be One of sovereign majesty and power, One who preserves the covenant and honors obedience, and you know beyond doubt that He is a God of compassion and grace Who will absolutely complete His purposes, you, too, will be one who can prevail in prayer.

THE BASIS FOR SUCH PRAYING:

What is the basis for such a philosophy of strategic praying? Well, consider these thoughts.

1. First, We are commanded to pray about everything. Since that is true, then there should be nothing we do in any of life, let alone our ministries, but what we should pray. Paul said in Philippians 4, "Don't worry about anything; pray about everything". Therefore, it's clear that our ministry tasks and duties should and must be included. To not include them is to disobey God.

2. Secondly, We are commanded to pray about Kingdom matters. Since our ministries are, hopefully, about kingdom matters, then we should be praying before doing. Missionary to central Europe Todd Golden told me several years ago, “We will not work where we have not prayed.” Even the model prayer says, "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it has already been done in heaven." If we are commanded to pray about kingdom matters, then we must either pray about our respective ministries, or we must admit that our ministries are our own and are not about kingdom matters.

3. Then, may we be reminded that God has promised to hear us when we pray. Therefore, why should we ever hesitate to pray about things pertain to our ministries, or our families, or anything else? If we know that He hears us when we pray, as the Apostle John assured in his first Epistle, and we know that He will answer, then why on earth would we hesitate to pray?

4. Also, God has declared He works proportionate to prayer, faith, and obedience (but not anything else). In looking at the more than 3,000 promises in the Bible, we discover that God has chosen to bless us and to advance His works in direct relationship to these three things. Good works, trying harder, coming up with a good idea, spending more money . . . . none of these activities guarantee any success. However, prayer, faith, and obedience, do just that. In light of that, it makes sense to "not work where we have not prayed." That would be a waste of time, though it might appear to be sound logic and good intentions.

5. Next, prayer multiplies the end results. One of the basic prayer principles is the gathering of two or more believers in agreement. Having two pray about something instead of one doesn't just double the effectiveness; the synergistic reaction of the Holy Spirit quadruples the results, rather than just doubling it. So, if prayer quadruples the end results, then it becomes totally logical that we should never engage in any ministry activity that has not been preceded by intense prayer.

Consider this question: which carries more water ---- one four centimeter pipe, or four one centimeter pipes? At first glance, we’d say they carry the same, but that is not true. If you draw four circles, each one centimeter in diameter, clustered together and touching each other, and then draw one four centimeter circle around them, you’ll discover at least five extra areas between them that increase the capacity by at least thirty per cent. Agreeing together in prayer multiplies end results.

We must also understand that the products of prayer are indispensable. If you and I could take the time to search out all the end results of prayer, we would quickly acknowledge that the products of prayer are so precious and so desirable, we cannot imagine living without prayer. Salvation of lost souls, healing of broken relationships, mending of broken and diseased bodies, victory over powers of bondage, . . . . all of these and more come as a direct result of prayer. So the question comes then, as to whether or not you want a ministry that is fruitful, or one that is just full of leaves. Why would we not choose to make that motto ours . . . . "We will not work where we have not prayed?"

6. Finally, to serve God without a vital prevailing prayer life is to try to climb a mountain without ropes, picks, shelter, food, and appropriate boots. Do you want to be like Caleb and say, "Give me that mountain!"? Then you'd better make prayer your absolute base camp.

THIEVES OF PRAYER:

One question that constantly haunts me about the prayerlessness of the Church in general, and my own personal neglect of prayer, is simple: "If we recognize that prayer is so vital to not only our Christian walk but also the mission cause of Christ, then why do we pray so little, and with so little passion?" Several years ago when we were traveling in and around Kiev, we placed a great deal of focus on prayer. In attending services in village churches and in listening to Bible college students pray, it didn't take long to see the disparity in their prayer lives and ours.

Whether it was a small group of students gathering around a classmate praying for a relative, an entire church crying out to God to deliver a village, or our little band of Americans and Ukrainians gathering around the glass coffins in the catacombs of Pechersk Lavra, it was evident that prayer was far more important to those people than it is to many western believers. To us it seemed to be a duty while, to them it seemed to be a privilege. To us we tried to fit it in, but to them they pushed everything aside until they were done praying.

Each week I receive prayer reports from dozens of different sources, all of which are filled with stories where individuals, families, churches, or even complete towns and cities have been radically affected by prayer. Yet, most of those reports are often from other places.

My conclusion is that many of us have allowed "thieves" to slip in undetected and steal the presence and vitality of life changing prayer. As I've tried to examine my own heart to discover those thieves that steal my prayer life, I readily admit that when it comes to the bottom line, it's really all my fault. It's not as if I have no control over these things; I just don't exercise simple discipline to bring them captive to the obedience of Christ as Paul declared to the Corinthian believers.

As I compared prayer in the western culture to its place and use in eastern European settings, I came up with these conclusions. Some of the thieves of prayer are . .

1. Too many blessings and not enough adversity: When you have much, you tend to pray little. When you have an abundance of resources, you forget that your real strength continues to be in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. This thief has successfully undermined the power and ministry of the Church from earliest times. It is no different today. We have far too many blessings to make us people of prayer. We suffer far to little adversity and hardship to force us to become people of prayer.

Since that is the case, I think we should be prepared . . . . prepared for our bounty to be stolen and for adversity to increase. In both Old and New Testament days, when it was necessary, God reduced everything to its lowest common denominator; we should not think He will treat this generation any differently. You see, friend, when you are blessed with so many things, it's difficult to focus your attention on strategic, targeted, prevailing prayer. It’s far too easy to become vague and superficial.

2. A Program mentality: Many of us who have been under the influence of western thinking have been trained to think of even the most simple and basic Christian disciplines of prayer, reading God's Word, ministering to the needy, fellowshipping with other believers, and the like as being no longer fundamentally necessary; important, maybe . . . necessary, not particularly. We feel we have moved beyond the baby stage and now stand as mature spiritual adults. When that happens you cease looking at the basics as necessary for life and you begin looking at them as just more program alternatives which we can take or leave.

I was shocked in class one day in Kiev when, in discussing a section in my "city-reaching" class called "Personal Preparation", one of the students asked, "Why do we need to waste class time with these teachings? We already know them; we have grown beyond them. What we need is to know 'how' . . . . what are the steps to reaching our cities?" I suddenly realized we may not be so far apart as I had thought.

Once you develop a programmatic attitude regarding prayer where you have to promote it as part of a plan or you have to put it on your calendar, then you are in very serious trouble. There are certain hoops you have to jump through . . . . such as making sure you actually pray during midweek services, especially since you usually call it prayer meeting . . . . such as taking time for a long list of prayer requests made up usually of people who are moderately ill or feeling badly. You have to pray a certain way with a certain sound. You have to be in a certain position.

We have made the average corporate prayer time a mockery because we have allowed a program mentality to steal the urgency and life of prayer from our hearts. We have created slots for praying that have become unintended and probably unwanted fences. Nonetheless, they are there.

3. Bondage to schedules: Similarly, because prayer is not a vital part of our lives on an intimate level, we find it easy to relegate praying to a certain place in a building or a certain time on the program. First you have the Prelude, then maybe the call to worship, then a welcome or hymn, . . . . and then finally the "Invocation"!, that great and lofty experience of trying to impress everyone in the building with your spiritual depth by praying in that well developed minister tone in special “praying tone and grammar”.

A little later we'll do it again when it's time for the offering, at which time, we may have one of the ushers or deacons pray a lifeless empty discourse of meaningless verbiage. Then, of course, we must also do it at the end of our sermons, and then we'll finally call on some one to offer the benediction (or we may do it ourselves). So, by the time our one hour experiment in religious activity has expired, we've spent a few short minutes saying prayers, but probably not many at all really praying.

Obviously there are exceptions to this scenario, but in far too many church gatherings, that's about all the praying that will be done corporately for the week, with the possible exception of a hand full who return for Sunday night or midweek services. It makes me wonder what Jesus thinks in that He said His House was to be called a house of prayer for all nations. Maybe it's because we've also turned it into a den of thieves by converting it into something never intended.

If you're tied to some sort of schedule or agenda, . . . . even a personal quiet time regimen, you'll discover your true prayer life has probably been stolen by the thief.

4. Spiritual anemia: Not only have blessings made us soft, but lack of spiritual food and exercise has made us anemic. We can develop some type of spiritual anemia that saps us of our strength and vitality. When we neglect prayer, when we neglect time in God's Word, when we avoid fasting, when we ignore time together with other believers, when we forget to have times of worship, and when we fail to have times of simple silence in the Lord's presence, we, too, can develop spiritual anemia.

When you don't feel energized and passionate in your spiritual life, . . . . when your heart fails to cry out to God like the deer longing for the water brook, your prayer life will suffer . . . . and maybe even disappear. If you want a vital prayer life, you must have a revitalized spiritual condition.

5. Hardened and encrusted hearts: Scripture is clear that the "cares of this world" will choke out spiritual vitality.

I remember as a teenager those special Summer days when I worked on my uncle's farm. In just a matter of hours my hands would be red, cut, swollen, and blistered. I had been away from the farm for several months and had returned with tender and sensitive hands. However, after a few more days of hard work, and after the blisters had broken and pained me, I would begin to see calluses develop. When that happened, I could pick up bales of hay and hardly feel the cutting of the wire. I could pull thorny weeds with my bare hands, oblivious to the sharp needles piercing my hands.

So it is in our prayer lives. We can allow things of the world, cares of life, even the routines and rituals of life make our hearts hardened and encrusted. As you and I labor in the harvest fields, we must not allow that to happen. We must always return to receive the healing, cleansing, and comforting balm of Gilead so that we will always be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit. Otherwise, we will discover too quickly but far too late that our prayer life has been stolen by the thief.

6. Foolish pride and self reliance: Nothing will steal your prayer life as quickly as pride and self reliance. When we decide we can handle a situation ourselves, or it's a sign of weakness to pray, or we don't want to break down weeping in front of someone, then we've got a huge case of pride and/or self reliance. If we're depending on ourselves to resolve a problem or try to manipulate a situation, we've made a tragic error.

Once we ever lose sight of the fact that we are nothing without Him, and that we can do nothing without Him, we'll stop praying. Why pray when you have control of something. The late Ron Dunn said years ago that, "we never really pray until we have to". I like Peter Lord's great statement . . . . "Make prayer your first choice, and not your last resort."

7. Too analytically adult and not enough simple child-like: How easy it is to try to analyze everything to see why something happened, or how it happened, or what we can do to fix it. We claim we need to be able to pray as informed as possible, when in fact all we're doing is trying to gain the satisfaction that we can figure it out.

We need to spend less time with the Lord sitting across a conference table with Him, and spend more time crawling up in His lap so He can fix stuff. Child-like faith is by far the greatest disposition to have in every situation where prayer is the order of the day. Take a look at how Jesus treated the great teachers of His day, and then look at how He responded to children.

Which would you rather have . . . . a harsh rebuke and exposure of your ignorance, or a loving smile and chuckle that welcomed you onto His lap for a big hug and a bearded nuzzle on your neck? You're never too grown up for that kind of tender and loving attention, and when you can come back to child-like faith where you just throw it upon His mercy, your prayer life will blossom like Spring's meadows on a sunny morning.

TAKING THE FIRST STEP:

The great New York preacher, Phillips Brooks said, "Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but wings."

You and I both know we ought to be men and women of prayer; there's no question. More so, we should be people of faith-filled, obedient, prevailing prayer. We know that as well.

So . . . . what keeps us from becoming that?

A simple decision . . . . . a decision that will snatch back from the thieves of prayer that most precious and powerful gift we have been given apart from our Salvation. As I have studied the history of the church with all its patterns that have developed over the past 2,000 years, I believe God has brought us back to this one final ingredient now being returned to the Church . . . . . the weapon and life line of prayer. It really is true, as Frank Laubach said, prayer is indeed "the mightiest force in the world". Would that we pray as if we really believe that.

For several months God has been burdening my heart for the city where Jo Ann and I serve. It is covered with a dark canopy of 5,000 years of spiritual oppression. Our ministry, as all evangelical Christian ministries in the city, is seen as a cult. The state church often works cooperatively with a corrupt political system to create major hindrances to our work. Yet, through it all, we are compelled to pray for our city.

Last Summer God began to prepare my heart for leading our church to become a congregation of strategic, prevailing prayer. Based on Acts 2:41-42, evangelism, teaching the word, fellowship, worship, and prayer seem to be the fundamental ingredients God expects to see in every body of believers. As I studied that passage, I also noted that, when those elements are found in abundance, certain things happen as recorded in verses 43-47. So, that became our framework of ministry.

As I presented this idea to our church leadership, it was illustrated as if building a house. The foundation is, of course, the person of Jesus Christ. Strategic, prevailing prayer is the underlying floor joist system that supports everything else. The authoritative Word of God becomes the sub flooring on top of that. Then Bible teaching/discipleship/leadership development, fellowship/ministry/service, and outreach/evangelism become the “rooms” of ministry with the canopied roof as unhindered worship above all.

As we concentrate on these five areas of ministry, we believe the results will be the same as found in Acts 2:43-47.

II Timothy 2:1-3 shows us Paul’s value of prayer. “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

If I am to have a truly strategic and effective ministry, then I must ask myself some important questions. For example . . .
1. Do I have a regular personal prayer life that is seeing results?
2. Am I praying for something that is impossible?
3. Does my praying bother the Devil?
4. Does my prayer life cause others to pray?
5. Based on the needs in my "city" and nation, am I satisfied with my prayer life?
6. Do I pray daily with my spouse?
7. Do I meet regularly with leaders in my church to pray for my city and nation?
8. Does my church have a prayer ministry that is truly strategic and intentional?
9. Am I part of an organized prayer ministry in my city?
10. Do I pray regularly with other pastors?
11. What significance do I feel a prayer movement has to the healing and restoration
of my city?
12. Do I understand that the quality of a strategic prayer life and ministry will be the
determining factor in the effectiveness of any other ministry I might have?

The most important ministry you will ever have is a prayer ministry. It is the primary means by which and through which God has chosen to act in fulfilling the work of His kingdom. While we may be uncertain about how God responds to some of our ideas, plans and efforts, we will never been doubt that God responds to genuine praying.

Since that is true, then it is perfectly logical for us to assume that a ministry to strategic, authoritative, faith-filled, prevailing prayer is the primary key to a ministry that is committed to building His kingdom.

So, now perhaps the decision is ours to make. It may be that the ball is in our court.