One of my favorite things to do is get people filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Why? Because there is so much power in praying in the Spirit.
Praying with our understanding is good and necessary. But praying in the Spirit brings us to another level. And I believe tremendous power is made available when Christians unite in corporate prayer.
Back in the ’80s we held Prayer Seminars on the Rhema USA campus. During these meetings my grandfather, Kenneth E. Hagin, would have the entire congregation pray corporately for the Soviet Union—for the Iron Curtain to come down. We prayed day after day and year after year. Once I thought, “Oh God, do we have to pray for the Soviet Union again?” I was ready to move on and pray for something else. But we persisted in prayer, and in the early ’90s that Iron Curtain finally came down.
There is something powerful about believers coming together in agreement and being persistent in prayer. Many times we want to pray once and expect God to “part the waters.” Some situations, however, require more than a “once and done” type of prayer. Sometimes things have to be fought in the spiritual realm for results to be seen on the earth.
“Corporate prayer infuses believers with boldness to go into our world and speak about the things of God.”
It is clear in the Book of Acts that the Early Church knew a thing or two about corporate prayer.
ACTS 1:13–15 (NLT)
13 When they [the apostles] arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.
14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, . . .
15 During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them.
Then again on the Day of Pentecost, all the believers were gathered in one place.
ACTS 2:1–4 (NLT)
1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.
2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.
4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
And Acts 4:31 (NKJV) says, “When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”
The Benefits of Praying Together
We see from these verses that one result of corporate prayer is, the Holy Spirit shows up! Praying in the Spirit in one accord allows Him to come in, explode in our midst, and do what He wants in us and in the world.
Another result of praying corporately is boldness. Acts 4:31 goes on to say “and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Corporate prayer infuses believers with boldness to go into our world and speak about the things of God. We receive power from being together and knowing we are not alone.
Holy Spirit Strategy
In these last days the Church needs boldness and power like never before! To navigate the crazy times we’re living in, believers must boldly speak and demonstrate God’s Word. They will also need something the Lord spoke to my heart earlier this year: praying out Holy Spirit strategy.
We can sum up Holy Spirit strategy in John 16:13 (NLT): “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”
Being led by the Spirit and listening to His voice is vital to navigating the End Times. It’s important for us to always be in tune with the Holy Spirit, because He is always in perfect unity with the Father. He prays the perfect will of God. When we are in tune with the Holy Spirit, He will show us things to come. As we pray, He will give us Spirit-led strategies for our personal lives and as a corporate body.
The Spirit of God knows everything. He wants to share that knowledge with His people so we can be prepared for what’s to come—both spiritually and naturally. He knows when there will be a recession and when there won’t. He knows when the stock market will crash and when it will boom. A businessperson who has the Holy Spirit living inside can always be successful if they rely on Him instead of on natural methods and strategies.
In the story of Joseph, the Holy Spirit warned Pharaoh in a dream that a severe famine was coming. So he had Joseph store up grain for the seven years before the famine. (See Genesis chapter 41.) When the drought came, Joseph’s Spirit-led strategy provided enough food to bring the nation through it.
If you’re a minister or a pastor, begin to pray out Holy Spirit strategies for your ministry or church. Then watch God place you strategically to carry out His End-Times assignment for you.
Make Prayer a Priority
Now, I get it. Everyone is busy. Distractions can be endless if we allow them to be. And it’s no accident that for the last two years Satan has fought hard to keep local churches from meeting together. He knows there is power when believers gather in one place and in unity. That’s why no matter how busy we are, we—the Church—must make meeting and praying together regularly a priority.
Ephesians 4:3–4 (NLT) says, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.”
Keeping ourselves united may not always be easy, but we must make the effort. Life as we know it will one day come to an end. Jesus is coming back, and everything in His Word will be fulfilled.
We have a part to play, but it’s bigger than you and me. It’s a whole-world thing, a Jesus thing! If we’re going to see miracles and revival across the world, it will take everyone—every generation—coming together in unity and harmony. It’s time for believers everywhere to join together and go deeper in prayer than we ever have. As we do, the Holy Spirit will show up, and we can let Him have His way in and through us.
Author
Denise Hagin Burns
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