Tuesday, October 13, 2015

#103 Rule #4: The Spiritual Preparation


C. Peter Wagner: "Assure the spiritual preparation of participating leaders and 
other Christians through repentance,
humility and holiness.

Violate this rule or take it lightly, and you will end up with many wounded, discouraged and unhappy warriors.

I need not elaborate on this in great detail because chapter 6, (#60 Spiritual Boot Camp), dealt in depth with the spiritual condition of the individuals who participate in praying for a city.

When Edgardo Silvoso began to implement the "La Plata Plan" in Argentina, he found that the spiritual level of the church members in the city was not extremely high.

Many of them, as a matter of fact, were demonized to one degree or another. Many had succumbed to temptations of the flesh. They desired to serve God, but they knew they needed some help.


For this reason, Silvoso postponed any public warfare prayer until some inner healing was done. Cindy Jacobs was called upon to do an inner healing seminar, first for the pastors and their spouses and then for the believers in general.


When my wife, Doris, who accompanied Cindy on the trip, returned she said that in all her ministry she had never seen an outpouring of the power of God to this degree.


At points in the seminar hundreds and hundreds of people were weeping aloud in repentance. Many confessed their sins. Enemies reconciled and became friends.


One crippled woman who was suffering from polio forgave her mother under the power of the Holy Spirit and was instantly healed. Another who had lost her cheekbone in an automobile accident became the center of attention as those around her watched the new cheekbone being formed before their eyes.


The net result is that the faith of the believers is now high, they are praying for each other, they are breaking curses left over from the days when some were in witchcraft, they are casting out demons, and the vessels that God wants to use to take the city are being cleansed. The Body of Christ is more holy than it was before.


Whether they are holy enough for strategic -level warfare or when they will be is not an easy question. One of the signs of this maturity is that believers begin truly obeying Christ as well as  just following Him.


God's demand for holiness often separates the sheep from the goats. John Wimber says,


   'In the 90s look for increased tension between Christians 

    who see Christ as their helper and those who see Him as 
    their Master. I suspect that churches will split over these 
    issues.'

I wouldn't doubt it at all."


(Google image and my emphasis added)





Warfare Prayer
#103 Rule #4:
The Spiritual Preparation
By C. Peter Wagner
(pp. 171, 172) Regal Books



    Father, as I go through this day, may I sense Your presence with me. May my thoughts be Yours, and may I speak them in every situation I come against.
    Do a work in me that will make me more like Christ. I want to be holy unto You, so that my life counts for the Kingdom. Keep me from thinking I'm better than anyone else, by keeping me mindful of my dependence upon Your Holy Spirit's help to accomplish what You impress me to do.
    I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Ps. 47:1 "Clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph."

Today’s quote: Larry Crabb- "It's time for the people of God to enter the primary battle we're all fighting, to connect with each other not about our problems but about our desire to know God." (Taken from p.152 of Connecting).

Some thoughts today: God wants to know you intimately. Hang out with those who know Him well.

~ Let Christ be formed in you. People will see Jesus through opportunities you have to glorify and honor Him. Our goal should be to edify others.


~ After making a mistake, apologize and tell of your need for God's help to do what it's right.



15th- Thursday’s post:  #104 Rule #5: The Research
C. Peter Wagner
17th- Saturday's post:  Created for a Purpose
Lee Forbes
18th- Sunday evening's post:  Finding the Joy
Karen Oglesby
20th- Tuesday's post:  #105 Rule #6: The intercessors
C. Peter Wagner

A popular post:   Travail, A Spiritual Happening  Dutch Sheets tells us,  “When choosing the term, [travail], the Holy Spirit uses a physical phenomenon—childbirth—to describe a spiritual happening or truth. In doing so, His emphasis is not on the physical realm but the spiritual..."


Let's enjoy the season...







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