BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

B V O V : 2 1 reasoning mind. Our Father, who longs for us to partner with Him through prayer, has a beautiful way of opening our understanding so that we can not only grow to maturity in our prayer lives but thoroughly enjoy the journey. The spiritual laws that define prayer can be taught, but the nature of prayer and the ways of the Spirit are most often "caught." Brother Kenneth E. Hagin referenced this quite often when teaching prayer. So do I. Gladly, God has added to that the joy of learning by praying together. The fastest way to grow in prayer is by having an experienced, Word-grounded, Spirit-led mentor. This is where prayer is best "caught." Clearly, my grandmother was the first and foremost mentor in my life for prayer and innumerable other aspects of life. Although I heard her teach prayer in her Bible class, it was not a frequent topic. I learned by "watching" in prayer with her but I didn't have much working knowledge of Scripture. For a Copeland, that's a serious deficiency. About the time I turned thirty, I received clear direction from the Lord to begin teaching prayer. I respectfully told Him, "No, thank You." Since I had little Bible instruction, I actually had the thought, I don't think the Bible says that much about how to pray. Can you believe it?! My argument continued: Lord, I don't have much chapter and verse from the Bible on how to pray. And I'm a Copeland! Without chapter and verse, I could lose my birthright! But thank God for His patience and His system of mentors in the Kingdom. He had a true treasure waiting for me: Sister Lynne Hammond. Listening to a message of hers on prayer, my eyes were opened. I could "see" the ways of the Spirit revealed in the Word, then watch them unfold as she prayed. Her way of tying the Word with following the leading of the Spirit was evidence of her love for the Father and her closeness with the Master. For me, this was prayer-life changing. Quickly, I gained confidence enough to step out and teach from the Word, with chapter and verse, what I knew by the Spirit. For my weekly "Prayer School" I would often listen to Lynne, then go teach what I learned, followed by demonstration of the Spirit as we prayed. Prayer School grew rapidly as well as many, many Word-founded, Spirit-led prayer groups. Through Sister Hammond's ministry I came to realize that all spiritual truths can and must be applied to all elements of the Kingdom. The same spiritual laws that govern faith, love, the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit are fundamental in prayer. That makes sense since prayer is working with God, doing Kingdom business. I have been privileged to benefit as a student and as a friend of Sister Lynne for many years now. She is one of the many mentors, only some of whom are mentioned in this book. Their value to my walk with God is incalculable. Because of them, I've been taught and caught many encounters with Him. "But Pastor Terri, I don't know anyone! How can I 'catch' prayer like that?" I'm glad I heard Brother Hagin say that we can connect with the anointing on someone by listening with an open heart to their messages or simply reading their books (like this one!). Paul said in Ephesians 3:2-4, "Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace (His unmerited favor) that was entrusted to me [to dispense to you] for your benefit…as I already briefly wrote you. When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ" (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition). Of course you can pick up on a person's unscriptural, carnal motives and behaviors as well. Jesus said, "Be careful what you are hearing" (Mark 4:24, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition). That's why your own study of Scripture and fellowship with the Father by the Spirit is essential. He will never give you a serpent or a scorpion when you are hungry for the Bread of Life (Luke 11:11). God is for us! He's never going to say, "You prayed that wrong. Forget you!" No. He'll keep working with us. If we keep seeking His wisdom in the Word and paying attention to the promptings of His Spirit, He'll teach us whatever we need to know. The Word will tell us, for instance, how to be bold in prayer. It will tell us how to be reverent and humble. It will teach us about the dierent kinds of prayer—such as the prayer of agreement, the prayer of petition, the prayer of praise and worship, and the prayer of faith—not because we have to stop and analyze what type of prayer is needed in every situation, but so we can easily follow the Holy Spirit in using them. As we learn about prayer from the Word, all the aspects of it start to come together. They become for us the sword of the Spirit, and great power is delivered. I like how James 5 describes this in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition. It says: The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. Elijah was a human being One way we cultivate such sensitivity is by learning from the Word how to distinguish between the Holy Spirit's leadings and the impulses of our flesh.

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