George Otis, author of Twilight Labyrinth, travelled the globe researching why some geographical locations are more spiritually oppressive than others and why spiritual outpourings come to some regions and not others. He said this:
I came to the prayer movement not through faith, but through research. For nearly a
quarter century, God, in his kindness, allowed me to witness his transformational handiwork in literally hundreds of international communities. As I scrutinized these breathtaking stories, I found, somewhat to my surprise, that prayer was a pronounced and common thread. Not merely in some of the accounts, but in all of them! And the pattern held when I took time to investigate historical revivals over the past 450 years. The inescapable conclusion was that transforming revival is the inevitable consequence of fervent, united, and prevailing prayer.
Quite simply, nothing of eternal consequence happens without prayer!
One of my favorite examples of the power of prayer is Daniel Nash who, at age 48, decided to dedicate himself completely to prayer for Charles Finney’s meetings, which are now known to us as The Second Great Awakening. When Holy Spirit would reveal the location of the next meeting, Nash would go to that town, gather one or two likeminded intercessors and would travail in prayer until the heavens were open in that place. When opposition arose, they would pray even harder, until breakthrough came. Charles Finney gave the following well-known account:
When I got to town to start a revival a lady contacted me who ran a boarding house. She said, “Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and two other men have been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven’t eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for three days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning. I thought something awful must have happened to them. I was afraid to go in and I didn’t know what to do. Would you please come see about them?” “No it isn’t necessary,” I replied. “They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.”
Isn’t it interesting that Yeshua, the Living Word, God in the flesh, actually PRAYED. Out loud. On a regular basis. Why? When He was teaching His disciples to pray, He first reminded them that their heavenly Father already knew what they needed before they started praying. So, informing Him is quite obviously not what this is about. We are to pray for the same reason Jesus prayed…
Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is fulfilled in heaven. –Matthew 6:10, TPT
Yeshua knew the mind of the Father and intentionally aligned Himself with it, and we see from His wrestling in the Garden of Gethsemane that this was not always easy. Then He manifested that spiritual substance into the material realm through His own thoughts, feelings, actions and words. Even though He WAS (and IS) the Word, He still spoke the word, modelling for us the process. A very important spiritual protocol that servants of both God and the adversary must abide by is this: Verbal notification must be given in order for things to happen on the earth!
Of course, it is the Father’s heart to lavish His blessings on mankind all the time, and, in the eternal realm, those blessings have already been poured out. But He is looking for an earthly point of agreement to usher that reality into the dimension of time. When our souls align with what our spirits know, and our words give it form, it is created. That is prayer. Prayer is the continuation and the culmination of the creative process of God. It is speaking your world into existence, just like in the beginning. Prayer changes your world and physically alters your brain.
The human brain will easily change its EEG pattern when it becomes “entrained” (in alignment) with the frequency of certain sounds. Your brain is constantly changing, rewiring according to what you are in agreement with. The scientific term “neuroplasticity” basically means that it is possible to sculpt your brain in the same way you sculpt your muscles at the gym. A new field of scientific research called “neurotheology” studies what happens in the brains and bodies of people who connect with the Creator. Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of research at Thomas Jefferson Hospital and Medical College in Pennsylvania and author of How God Changes Your Brain, says:
The more you focus on something — whether that’s math or auto racing or football or God — the more that becomes your reality, the more it becomes written into the neural connections of your brain.
Dr. Carolyn Leaf says it this way:
It has been found that 12 minutes of daily focused prayer over an 8-week period can change the brain to such an extent that it can be measured on a brain scan. This type of prayer increases activity in brain areas associated with social interaction, compassion and sensitivity to others. It also increases frontal lobe activity, as focus and intentionality increase. As well as changing the brain, another study implies that intentional prayer can even change physical matter.
Sadly, a life of consistent prayer is a discipline that many believers have never cultivated. As we enter into a new calendar year and a glorious new spiritual season, I would like to challenge you to embark upon this amazing adventure. Start by just saying yes to the wooing of Holy Spirit. Ask for and receive His specific strategy for you. He knows your needs, your schedule and your strengths and weaknesses better than you do, and His grace is always sufficient for victory.
I started doing Jumpstart 7 years ago to help the sons of God cultivate this crucial habit, and I would love for you to join us this year. From January 1 – January 31, you are invited to join me Monday through Friday at 6:00 am EST and Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 am EST. We will pray in the Spirit for 15 minutes. Then we will silently and individually encounter the heavenly realm together for 15 minutes (have a journal handy). Then, from 6:30-7:30, we will share the revelation we have received. Please begin with your video ON and your name visible.
To join, just log in to Zoom, with Meeting ID: 838 2936 7265 and Passcode: 433457. Or use this LINK
Your thoughts, your emotions and your words all change your reality. Heartfelt, spoken prayer, as the combination (agreement) of all those things, possesses exponential power. As you align with God’s thoughts and feelings and become entrained in His sound, your sound will align, your brain will change, your world will change, and THE world will change!
See you next year!
Virginia