Personal Prayer

24-7 Prayer Podcasts

24-7 Prayer has produced seasonal of podcasts leading people in prayer around different themes.  From Easter to Pentecost 2008, the first 24-7 Prayer Spaces podcast came out in audio form and is still available to download here.   This incarnation of the Spaces podcast was an inspiring and relevant 10-minute devotional helping you to make space for God each day. It was hosted by the Guildford Boiler Room community with 24-7 Prayer and Survivor Records. Written by Pete Greig & Mark Knight.

In the summer of 2009 24-7 Prayer called the world to pray for the continent of Europe with the 24-7 PrayerCast.  This 5 minute video podcast featured people from across the continent sharing their thoughts and leading us in prayer.  The videos are still available to view on 24-7 Prayer's YouTube page.

Most recently, 24-7 Prayer Spaces returned in 2011 with 5 minute devotional videos leading people in prayer through the season of lent.  With hosts like Pete Greig, Carla Harding and Etienne Piek, these five minute films led thousands of people in prayer across the globe.  Download them for free here.

Prayer Spaces is a contemporary daily devotional that will help you on the journey... We, at Survivor, are delighted to pull our resources together with 24-7 to create these podcasts. Les Moir, Survivor Records, 2008

Prayer & Fasting

Hungry for God?

There are simply no shortcuts to His presence, and the surest path to holiness, purity and power is found in the powerhouse combination of prayer with fasting. So writes Mahesh Chavda in his dynamic book The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting. Chavda, a respected evangelist, contends that fasting boosts the intensity and effectiveness of our prayer at least tenfold, and often a hundredfold. He sees it as a key to releasing victory in the midst of difficulty, the miraculous invading the impossible and supernatural intervention changing human intention. This exploration is only a very brief introduction to fasting and will certainly not answer all your questions but hopefully it will give some pointers. It is strongly recommended that you read one of the listed books at the end of this article if you intend to fast regularly – Chavda's, in particular, is excellent.

What is fasting?

Fasting is the voluntary giving up of something we normally do regularly (watching TV, food, chocolate, surfing the web, alcohol) in order to increase our focus and time commitment for God. Most commonly fasting is linked to food and can mean a normal fast from all food, a 'Daniel' fast (see Daniel 1:12) of a very simple diet or a group fast. Richard Foster comments in his book The Celebration of Discipline that fasting is at the heart of worship. We give something up to demonstrate our love for God and our dependance on Him first and foremost. Foster also notes that fasting is a useful tool in personal discipleship as it is often when our comfort is removed that the negative sides of our character are revealed.

Some 24-7 groups have set up a fasting rota to cover their prayer period. This can be a great added dimension to a 24-7 Prayer season and can particularly strengthen intercessory prayer. Fasting is not a command but a very flexible and encouraged discipline and can be adapted to all sorts of situations. A total fast of food and drink for any length of time or an extended fast of more than a couple of days should not be attempted without reading up a bit more and getting some advice. Also if you struggle with an eating disorder you probably need to chat to someone you respect before starting any sort of food fast.

Why should we fast?

Because….

• Jesus expects us to fast (Matt 6:16-18) and suggests that there are answers to prayer we will be unable to get without fasting (Matt 17:21)
• The Bible is full of it – Esther, Anna, Cornelius, Paul, Daniel, Ezra and David all fasted
• The early church practised it (Acts 13:3)
• Breakthroughs in the past have been linked to it – Luther, Knox, Wesley, Spurgeon, Brainerd, Edwards all fasted. Whenever Charles Finney (who led about a million people to Jesus) felt the anointing of God receding in his life he would get away to pray and fast for several days.
• Revival breakthroughs today, particularly in Latin America and Africa, see fasting as essential.
• Roger Forster says that fasting drains away unbelief (and then the Word of God builds our faith).

We need to take fasting seriously.

What should we expect to see happen through fasting?

Fasting is not a 'cure all' for all our spiritual struggles or a short cut to a happy, problem-free life. It is a weapon in our walk and warfare as Christians. Fasting is also not a competition and we do not fast to earn answers or twist God's arm. We fast to intensify our connection with God and improve our communication so prayer is more effective. It humbles us and brings us to an awareness of our need of God. It renews the sense of balance and priority in our walk with God. It heightens our spiritual sensitivity and clears the channels of communication with God. It hits at our deep-seated selfishness and strengthens our self control. It clears the ground for greater spiritual breakthrough in our lives and the lives of those we come into contact with.

Recommended for further reading:

The hidden power of prayer and fasting Mahesh Chavda Destiny Image An inspiring, instructive handbook on fasting – full of stories linked to prayer and fasting as well as wise principles to help you.

Into The Fire Che Ahn Renew A story of a church movement in California which has also been inspired by the Moravians and committed itself to pray and fast around the clock until the gospel has reached all people.

God's Chosen Fast Arthur Wallis Around for quite a while now so probably qualifies as a classic; very practical coming from a guy who wrote and lived passionately for revival

The Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster This excellent book that explores many different spiritual disciplines has an excellent chapter on why and how we can fast.

Prayer & Kindness

Random acts of kindness are an easy way of making prayer practical and seeing it bless people. It can moves our prayer focus away from ourselves and our needs and onto the welfare and needs of others. They can often be small things that only one other person will notice – like paying for the person behind you on a toll bridge, or reverse haggling in a charity shop/thrift store.

Be aware of the situations where you can bless someone else with your actions. These often come up spontaneously, so be ready to act and pray on the spot. If possible it's also good to practice anonymity and not take the credit for what you've done. Why don't you try:

• Do your households washing up and praying that you can all have clean hands and a pure heart
• Treat the people you work with for lunch and pray that your love and attention reflects that of their Saviour
• Send a friend chocolates or flowers anonymously and pray they better understand how much God loves them
• Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in the queue and bless them with joy
• Leave food next to a sleeping homeless person and pray that the Father would provide for their needs
• If you have money for luxuries why not ask God to point out a person you can give some to
• Help a person struggling with a heavy load carry it to their destination and pray that they know the yoke and lightness of Jesus

If this idea intrigues you and you'd like to know more why not read “Random acts of kindness: 365 ways to make the world a nicer place” by Danny Wallace.

Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina is a way of reading and praying the Bible out load, which was first taught by a man called Origen, way back in the third century AD. It is a foundational practice for at least four major monastic traditions. Lectio Divina means 'holy reading', and it is a discipline which helps us to mix the word and the Spirit together, so that we go deeper in our relationship with God. It consists of four different steps: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation.

Give it a try:

1. Read: Choose a passage of Scripture (anything from one verse to 15 verses). Start by asking the Holy Spirit to shine light on it as you read. Read it through several times. If possible, read it out loud.
2. Meditate: Think about it. Make your brain work hard. What was the person writing tryingto say? What happens in the story? What does it mean for your life today? Is there one word or phrase which really shouts at you from the page? What is it saying about you and your life today?
3. Pray: Respond to God. Speak out to him your personal response to what you've read. Tell him how it makes you feel. Tell him what comforts you and what challenges you. Ask for his help to live out the truths you've uncovered today.
4. Contemplate: Stop. Be still. Stop talking, stop asking and slow your brain down. This is the time for listening to him, for letting the Holy Spirit talk back to you. Spend some time silently listening to God. Go beyond all the words you've read, and allow God to root you in truth and wrap you in love

This activity can also work with a small group if you take it in turns to sit in silence and read and share thoughts together.

God Consciousness

Frank Laubach wrote many journals about prayer and communication with God. On New Years Day 1937 he wrote, “God, I want to give you every minute of this year. I shall try to keep you in mind every moment of my waking hours.” Unceasing prayer gives us focus and helps us to centre on God, whatever else is going on around us.

Try Laubach’s “Game with minutes”: See how many minutes in a day you can become conscious of God’s presence, come up with ways to remind yourself to think about God, observe where He is in your surroundings and talk to Him. Keep God in mind, talk to him throughout the day, look for him in the ordinary events. Is he trying to get your attention? What is he saying to you? Offices, universities, supermarkets, restaurants, coffee houses, jet planes, green spaces: God is everywhere, look for him, listen for his whispers.

God after a sleepless night, I open my eyes laughing, for we are together Laubach

Is there any place I can go to avoid your spirit? To be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, you’d find me in a minute-you’re already there waiting! Psalm 139:7-10 The Message