Morning Chapel Prayer Playlist
Morning Chapel Prayer Today
Pastor Ken…
Hello everyone. Welcome to Morning Prayer here at Living Word. My name is Ken. I’m one of the pastors on staff here. And good to have you guys with us.
Reflecting on my own prayer journey with the Lord…
Well, today I thought I would get us started by sharing a little bit more from Dr. Yonggi Cho’s book: “Prayer That Brings Revival.” And I have to say that I was reflecting a little bit last night, and I was thinking about my own journey with the Lord and in particular in prayer and how meaningful it has been for me through the years and actually how practical it has been.
Learning to pray for basic everyday things…
I learned to pray by praying for things that I needed in my everyday life. I have to say I have prayed for a job before. I prayed for and seen God move to bring me a car when I was in college. A friend, I remember the day, one of my early bosses said, “Ken, I just hired somebody I think you might like.” And he didn’t know that I had been praying for a friend, as an 18-year-old kid who hadn’t found Living Word yet. I was attending the University of Minnesota, and I felt like I wanted a godly friend to connect with. And God brought somebody right where I worked and began a friendship that still stands to this day. And I can go on and on. There’s so many things. I’m sure you can too. But I’m just really grateful for how God taught me to pray and to use my faith for really basic things. Things like a chair. I remember one time I prayed specifically for a particular kind of chair when I was in college. And then one day it showed up. Literally.
Prayer should be intentional…
I learned that prayer ought to be something that we should be intentional about. Prolific with specific regarding. Meaning when you pray, don’t pray some nebulous kind of general sort of prayer, especially the prayer of faith in particular. But pray specifically.
And journal your prayers!
Write down what you’re asking God for. Write down the scriptures that say you have what you ask for. Because the Bible says that we’re on safe ground. We’re on sure ground…
When we pray
When we intercede
When we supplicate
When we ask according to His Word.
His Word is our firm foundation as pray-ers. His Word is what inspires faith and gives us what we need, courage-wise and strength-wise to ask and then to stand until we receive fully what He’s promised.
God is a God of “yes”
And so I just want to encourage you to know that the God we serve is the God of “yes.” Scripture records that concerning His promises, His Word in other words, they are “yes and amen.” He is the God of yes. And it seemed like not only in Jesus’ earthly ministry, but all throughout the scriptures, God is encouraging, admonishing, cheering us on to ask that we might receive. Or as Jesus said, “that our joy might be full.” It was His idea…
That we would ask
That we would intercede
That we would consecrate our lives
That we would worship Him
It all works to our benefit…
Because the truth of the matter is, it all works to our benefit. Prayer isn’t an arduous “have to” from a religious sense. Prayer is a beautiful and everyday opportunity, even moment by moment opportunity, to engage with our Creator, to connect with Him in a way that is supernatural. And allows us to take advantage of what Jesus purchased for us through His redemptive work.
Making withdrawals on our spiritual bank accounts…
You see words in particular through prayer, faith decrees, the exercise of your authority is a means through which we can make withdrawals on our spiritual bank accounts. Oh, yeah. You and I have a spiritual bank account in the heavenly arena in Christ. You know that, right? I’ve talked about that before. Well, God is waiting for us to make a withdrawal today. Not just for ourselves, but for the plan of God in the earth realm.
Dr. Yonggi Cho…
And so that being said, I wanted to read a few excerpts from Dr. Yonggi Cho’s book, “Prayer That Brings Revival.” And his life and ministry were earmarked, really stood out because of his emphasis on prayer in his personal life and his emphasis on prayer in his ministry or church life. It was known and I think it’s still true today, that his church in Seoul, South Korea was a praying church. He set out not to have the biggest church in the world, but to have a church that was known as a house of prayer. And so they built specific places, even a prayer tower, where literally hundreds of people (and I believe that’s still true today) are praying pretty much around the clock for the church, for their nation, for the plan of God globally.
Prayer is making a connection of intimacy with the Father…
So is there a connection between the fact that they emphasized and prioritized prayer and the fact that Dr. Cho’s church became the largest church in the world? I believe there is. And I believe, as I’ve always said, that when we engage with the Father through relationship with Him in prayer and the Word, there is a connection that’s established, an intimacy that occurs. And as a result, we begin to experience heaven’s flow. And there comes an effortless and organic flow of life and resource and wisdom and power and anointing to do what we can’t do on our own (but God can) to produce this plan. Just like prayer produced the plan of God in Seoul, South Korea, and through Dr. Cho’s church, and is still producing it today.
Quote from Dr. Cho’s book, “Prayer That Brings Revival”
But he writes in this one passage, “Therefore, those who enter a ministry of intercession actually become an integral part of the fulfillment of God’s plan.”
That’s a good reminder, isn’t it? I think it is. Praise God, you’ve shown up. You’ve logged on to become an integral part of God’s plan, not just for your life, but for your city, for your nation, for what God is doing around the world.
Right now, there is a great call for intercessors…
And one thing is for certain is that there is a call, there is an invitation and a great need now for intercessors, for those who will give themselves to prayer. In fact, the Bible records that God is searching throughout the whole earth. And one of the things He’s searching for, in addition to the opportunity to show Himself strong on their behalf, is intercessors. He’s searching for pray-ers. He’s searching for people who will choose to co-labor with Him, to work with Him in bringing into the earth realm what is necessary now. What’s vital now. What is life and death important now. You know that right?
Your decision to pray can make all the difference…
Your choice to pray today. Your choice to tune in today can make all the difference in a positive sense to bring heaven’s influence into your life, into your family, into your work arena, into your nation. God is looking for a people who will give themselves to Him and become channels through which He can pour out the outpouring.
It’s happening. It’s already begun. Let’s just join Him in the work that’s already begun.
Revival breaking out in Northern Quebec…
I don’t have it in front of me here, but I heard that there’s a great revival breaking out in Northern Quebec. People are worshiping, getting saved, healings are occurring like by the thousands. It seems like a random occurrence, but it’s the plan of God.
God is pouring Himself out there and He wants to pour Himself out here and where you are. But will He find a people who will respond to His call to pray? He has chosen to limit Himself to the degree that we will cooperate and partner with Him. He’s a legal God. He doesn’t just do things randomly or sovereignly. Yes, there are certain sovereign events that are recorded in the book of Revelations, for example, that must occur. But much of what He can or cannot do in earth is up to us. And if we will respond to this opportunity… The great need is the need for prayer right now.
So He goes on to say this other excerpt…
“As we mature as Christians, we realize that being a Christian not only brings privilege, but also responsibility. As the main barrier to Satan’s influence in this world, we must see the importance of intercessional prayer. If we don’t catch the vision of our role as the salt of the earth and we lazily allow evil to gain control of natural circumstances that prevail in our respective countries, then salt will have lost its savor. At that time, Jesus said, “It is henceforth good for nothing. But to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot of men” Matthew 5:13.
We have also been called by God as a kingdom of priests, as a kingly priesthood.”
Priests are called to intercede…
In other words, we represent the priesthood of Christ on the earth right now. And one thing I know about a priest is that they are called to intercede. Jesus is our high priest. And even in the heavenly realm, the Bible records that He ever lives to make intercession. In other words, He’s passionate to pray for us, to pray for the church, to represent us before the throne of God, or in the courtrooms of heaven. He represents us in prayer. And He’s still interceding. Aren’t you glad? We follow in His footsteps? We must take up His call and intercede for what He wants.
Remember, prayer is partnering with God so that He gets what He wants.
And what He wants is good. Scripture records that His desire is to give us a hope and a future that is good. His desire is that we would increase more and more. And our children… His desire is that none would be lost and caught in the clutches of death and destruction and eternity in hell. But that all would come into salvation. That should be our heartbeat.
When we see a situation, when a person crosses our mind, or we have an unction of the Holy One, as the Bible describes it, to pray for a particular nation or people group or church or situation. God is going to have His way in this hour. God is going to have His way in Minnesota. Make no mistake about it. Pay no attention to the distractions on the right or to the left. Pay no attention to what happened last year. Today is the day the Lord hath made. His salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. Nearer to America. Nearer to the church. His delivering power, in other words. His saving power. His reviving power.
It goes on to say in the next section…
“We have also been called by God as a kingdom of priests. As a kingly priesthood, we have been given authority. The job of the Old Testament priest was to intercede for his people before the mercy seat of God. So also in our prayers of intercession, we function in our role as New Testament priests, standing in the gap for the needs of God’s people. God has determined that He will bring His children into co-rulership with Jesus Christ.”
We’re a co-ruler with Jesus…
You are if you have professed His name whether you realize it or not… So if you don’t know it, inform your yourself that you are in co-rulership. You’re a co-ruler with Jesus Christ.
“That He will bring His children into co-rulership with Jesus Christ. He does not rule over us. Not giving us any responsibility. He has delegated His authority to us to assist in His dominion over the earth. Ephesians 1:22 says, ‘And hath put all things under His feet…’ That’s Jesus’s feet. That’s the church’s feet. ‘…and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.’
In our exercise of spiritual authority, we are the recipients of our natural knowledge and wisdom, which have been quickened by the Holy Spirit. We also have spiritual knowledge that far surpasses our natural knowledge. This knowledge is given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Now, let me go on and quote a passage, Psalm 1:10…
“The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand.” Prophetic of Jesus, of course. “Till I make your enemies your footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion.” Anybody know who Zion is? That’s us! The church. So He is going to send the rod of His strength out, or from, Zion, from the church.
And he goes on to say…
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.” I just want to point out that God has placed the rod of His strength and His authority in us. And that it is to be exercised through us. Another thing that the rod represents is authority and prayer. In the wilderness, when Moses raised up his hand with the rod in his hand, the enemies of Israel were defeated. When he lowered it, when he relaxed and he sat down, Israel’s enemies overcame them and they progressed and had their way. Which I believe is a type of the importance of prayer.
We can rout the enemy every time…
When we hold up our authority, our rulership, the strength of God that is in our hands through our position and our place and our right to exercise that authority with the name of Jesus, with faith decrees and with prayer, we rout the enemy every time. There is no antidote to the power of God in the kingdom of darkness. They have no answers to when you lift up holy hands and begin to proclaim the Word of God. When you begin to worship, when you begin to rejoice, meaning re-joy! Because you stir yourself up by way of remembrance of the promises of God. You stir yourself up by opening your mouth and begin to declare His goodness.
So the rod of His strength and the rod of His authority that rules over the enemy in your life, in this world, comes through us. When you hold up your hands like Moses, when he held up the rod of his authority, his staff in other words, Israel was victorious and their enemies were routed.
The enemy is nervous cuz he’s fix’n to get routed…
So I’m here to tell you today because you showed up for prayer, your enemy is real nervous. And he’s fixing to get routed. Amen! Whether it’s fear, whether it’s a spirit of poverty, whether it’s discouragement, whether it’s the enemy meddling with your family members or in your finances, you’ve showed up on the radar screen of heaven this morning. You’ve showed up into the courtrooms of heaven.
The Bible beckons us…
“Come boldly to the throne of grace that you might obtain.” The throne of grace is a throne where you obtain, where you apprehend, where you take hold of what God has for you so that you might walk in victory today and overcome today.
