Saffron Planet
On April 17th at 7pm – 8:30pm on ZOOM
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I’m envisaging two parts:
- Discuss an extract from Chuck Cohen’s recent article on corporate prayer. (The part that we will focus on is pasted below but the full article can be found here: https://www.ifi.org.il/en/teachings/thoughts-on-corporate-intercession – the full text is below the links)
- Put these ideas into practice by praying for one particular burden that the Lord has laid on my heart, namely, the upcoming coronation of polytheistic King Charles III.
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EXTRACT FROM CHUCK COHEN’S ARTICLE:
Corporate intercession – IFI style
Yeshua said that if two or more agree in prayer – it will be answered (Matt. 18:19). Yet how can two or more individuals agree if they are not willing to submit to each other because they all see themselves as having the mind of the Lord for that specific topic? We deal with this issue by setting clear guidelines in our IFI prayer meetings – including who is the leader and who is part of the leadership team.
As leaders, we take the responsibility of listening to God for His goal, or goals, for that meeting and then we share those prayer burdens while making sure that everyone stays on the topic which is being prayed into at that time. While there is great freedom to pray within the topic, if someone starts praying about some other burden, we, as gently as possible, stop that and bring the group back in line with how God is guiding us corporately for that specific time in the meeting.
Intercessory prayer is spiritual warfare – whether we actually “bind” or “loose” anything or not. Most times we do not enter into direct “binding and loosing” warfare, and when we do it is not taken lightly as we have seen people get very hurt – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually – when they flippantly wave their sword around trying to cut off the head of the devil. When specifically led by the Lord to do direct warfare, we make sure that at least the leadership team is in one accord and enter into it openly declaring that our protection is in the blood of the Lamb (1 Pet. 1:18-20; Rev. 12:11). Spiritual warfare is war and not a game to glibly play by going beyond the authority that has been imparted to us by Yeshua, and that which is imparted to us is not a blank-check type of authority, but is given to us for a specific time and burden. It is imperative to understand that all authority in heaven and earth is now in the hands of our Lord Yeshua, (Matt. 28:18; cp. Dan. 7:13-14), but nowhere does it say that we possess it or can wield it as we chose.
Another thing to note is that it is hard work to concentrate on how our Shepherd is leading us today – and not to depend on how He led us yesterday. The best biblical example is King David fighting the Philistines. He got specific direction from the Lord and defeated them, yet when the Philistines gathered to attack again, David was careful to check with God as to whether he should deal with his enemy like he had before. But God directed him to do it differently the second time, resulting in another great victory (2 Sam. 17-25).
It is very easy – but very lazy – to put God in a box and think, “Hallelujah, this worked the last time, so I do not need to check with Him, for after all He does not change.” That thinking is shallow and completely misses what God is saying in the Word about the truth of His unchangeable nature, while at the same time, seeing that His specific directions for His people usually do change for each individual situation.
He has at times miraculously healed me and at other times, He has healed me through doctors. He has also provided my financial needs often miraculously, and other times through the faithful giving of many of you who continue to support us here in Jerusalem. [We do thank you very much for that.]
An army of intercessors
Since we approach intercession as the warfare that it truly is, then it should be obvious that an army needs a leader and people directly under him who help him. But without an infantry, the main body of soldiers, there is no army. Yet the soldiers dare not run around fighting whoever and however they choose. They come under the authority of the leaders and fight as directed by them.
Effective corporate intercession requires a military type of discipline to stay the course and finish the battle. It is never easy to tell people to stop praying for this or that because the corporate prayers are being diluted by a request that is shifting off from the given objective, yet as leaders we have a responsibility to protect the army from distractions, diversions, dilutions, or anything else the enemy tries to throw at us.
