After surviving cancer, a stroke and the death of her husband, Bishop Marva Mitchell believes God has raised her up to take the excuses out of the body of Christ.

Bishop Marva Mitchell is a “no excuses” kind of leader. In 1988, when she realized local children weren’t eating on Saturdays because they weren’t in school to receive free lunches, she fed them. And when she discovered that these same children couldn’t read proficiently, she taught them.

In the last 14 years, the church she pastors, Revival Center Ministries International in Dayton, Ohio, has won numerous awards for its truancy prevention and substance abuse programs. This year the governor of Ohio appointed Marva to his task force for faith-based initiatives, and she became chairwoman of Dayton’s faith-based committee. Marva also travels the world training pastors and teaching churches how to become more involved in their local communities.

Surprisingly, the 54-year-old does all this relying heavily on a cane or wheelchair. A massive stroke in 1993 left her completely paralyzed on her left side. Doctors thought she wouldn’t live another 24 hours. If she did, she’d be a vegetable, they said, and if for some reason she wasn’t comatose, she’d certainly never walk.

They were wrong on all counts. Even though she can use only her right hand and has limited vision in her left eye, her condition hasn’t slowed her down in her work for the Lord.

“I believe God raised me up to take all the excuses out of today’s church body,” says Marva, who is also a breast cancer survivor. “If I can get around, and I’m still considered physically challenged or handicapped, if I can do what I do, nobody else has any excuse.”

A CALL TO PREACH
Raised by her aunt and an uncle who was a pastor, Marva grew up in inner-city Pittsburgh. Describing her childhood as “difficult,” she says she ran away at the age of 17 and lived on the streets for a year. She was “one step from prostitution” before God pulled her out, she says.

She met Willie Mitchell in a nightclub where she worked, and the two married in 1967. A year later, they accepted Christ and Willie answered a call to preach, something his wife never expected. For 10 years the couple served at a church in Troy, Ohio, then moved to Dayton in 1988 to start an inner-city ministry.

Though content with being a pastor’s wife and mother of their seven children, Marva began sensing that God was calling her to preach. However, her denomination didn’t support preaching by women, her husband didn’t believe in it, and for years she herself had been teaching against it.

When the couple started traveling within charismatic circles, they began to see women being used by God in ministry. “I could recognize the Spirit of God,” Marva says. “I realized there was more to it than what I had been taught.”

Later, she attended a conference where Bible teacher Marilyn Hickey prophesied to her. “Everything she prophesied to me took place, and it really amazed me. I began to see women God was using mightily.”

She told her husband the Lord had called her to preach, and though it meant leaving their denomination, her husband supported her.

“God spoke to him and told him, ‘Who are you to say who I chose?’ And he listened to the voice of the Lord. He went to his overseer and told him, ‘I know God has called my wife to the ministry, and as a preacher, I’m going to have to leave.’

“God also spoke to us and told us it was time for us to leave because there were people He wanted us to reach who were outside of the denomination. It wasn’t an easy step at first. We found ourselves alone in some instances and ostracized, but we were determined to do what God told us to do.”

The two began to co-pastor, and the church became more and more influential in the Dayton community. Initially designed to teach sidewalk Sunday school to inner-city children, the church’s outreach evolved into a feeding ministry, then an award-winning literacy program and even a program for truancy prevention. When they discovered that many of the children they were working with had parents on drugs, they started offering drug treatment services.

The effectiveness of their work eventually allowed the church’s nonprofit arm, Project Impact, to receive federal funding. Today the organization operates on a $1.5 million budget and has 38 people on staff. Yet despite their success, the ministry has been well acquainted with grief.

In January 1998, Willie Mitchell discovered he had bone cancer; the prognosis was grim. Though the church prayed for a miracle, he died three months later, leaving his wife to take the helm of a 1,000-member church and a network of more than 20 churches.

Marva, who had just battled back from her stroke and cancer a few years before, was devastated. “Willie was my best friend,” she says, “the father of our children, my partner, my lover, my mentor. He was everything in my life.”

Even though she had been co-pastoring with her husband for 10 years, the new responsibilities left Marva overwhelmed and many times feeling as if she wanted to give up. “I gave up so much, I gave up giving up,” Marva says. To make matters worse, the church membership soon began to dwindle, reaching a low of about 600 people.

Even so, in 1999 the members of the ministerial fellowship asked her to become their bishop. Marva felt honored but reluctant.

“I wouldn’t allow them to use the word ‘bishop’ at the ceremony,” she says. “I told them, ‘I’m not going to do this.’ But the strange part about it is, I was doing this a year before my husband passed because he was so sickly. He was sending me to the churches then, so I did the work two years before I ever took the title.

“I don’t need a title to do a work; I need heart and an anointing. And since I possess both of those, I didn’t need to possess the title.”

Marva has warmed up to the title in the last few years as others in ministry have recognized her position as bishop. She says the church has stabilized, returning again to 1,000 members, and she believes this is a season of new beginnings for the church.

“I see Revival Center Ministries being very effective in the inner city, reaching out, working with youth and families. We have been appointed, I believe, to help inner- city churches see the need.”

She says churches are getting the message and credits her book It Takes a Church to Raise a Village (Treasure House) for helping to stir many congregations into action. Now she’s working on a second book, The Church in Disguise, which challenges the church body to “stop pretending.” Marva believes today’s church is often disguised as a circus–complete with jugglers, clowns and wild animals.

“It’s a place where people go to get a good feeling,” she says, “but they have no responsibility. They leave an offering, and there’s no relationship.

“We set up a stage, and we hired a bunch of performers, and the world is saying, ‘Somebody, help!’ And if the church is not a hand in their community, then they really don’t need to be in the community.”

Marva admits she has a strong voice, a trait that has always marked her. While advocating that married women remain in biblical order, not usurping their husbands’ authority, she encourages women in ministry to be themselves. “Do what God called you to do,” she says. “Stay with the vision God placed in your heart. Don’t try to be anything else but what God called you to do–and be a praying woman.”

Even someone as no-nonsense as Marva admits to having had a few excuses of her own over the years. “The first time I went to Egypt and stood in front of a congregation of men, I thought, Lord, what is this all about? I can’t do this. These men were looking at me like they wanted to kill me, but the Lord said, ‘Preach!’ I didn’t want to, but I did. Since then I’ve been willing to try anything.”

The side effects of Marva’s stroke occasionally bring on times of discouragement. “When those times come, like God told Moses, ‘I am.’ He does it. He brings me through every time because He’s faithful.”

Plus, she wishes she didn’t have to always wear sneakers. “It’s kind of funny to be wearing a business suit and Reeboks–they just don’t match!”

But, she says, that’s not the point. “I thank God I can walk, even though it takes me a longer time. The Bible says the race isn’t given to the swift or the strong, but to those who endure.

“So I’m in an endurance race. I can’t walk, I can’t run, I can’t even dance. I can’t lift up my hands unto the Lord. But what I can do, I do. I know as long as I keep trying, God is going to keep giving me strength to go through.”

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Adrienne S. Gaines is news editor for Charisma.

God is calling His people to communicate better with Him and for Him—to get in touch with Him in a way that makes a difference. It is time for the church to learn to pray adult, knowledgeable, well-informed, intelligent, strategic, Scripture-based prayers that will help bring the supernatural plans of God into earthly reality and destroy the works of the devil. Time has run out for prayers that are based on selfish needs and that reflect culture, custom and tradition.

In order to heed the call, we must first make sure we understand the basic purpose for prayer and how to effectively use it. Prayer is a supernatural tool created by God that allows natural human beings to communicate with Him in the supernatural realm. It was created for His purposes, not man’s purposes.

Prayer is not ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication), nor is it a posture or attitude. Though these elements are important for producing results, they are simply components necessary for effective communication—not prayer itself.

Prayer is a supernatural entity governed by its own set of principles. It is an invisible reality. Like the wind, we are unable to see it, but we see the effects of it. Without prayer it is impossible for human beings to transcend the natural realm and impact the supernatural realm, where the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness operate.

Hundreds of books have been written about prayer. I am not a scholar on the subject, yet neither am I a novice. My approach to prayer is simple.

As I’ve studied various aspects of prayer during the last 10 years, the Lord has revealed strategies that have produced significant results and impacted thousands of people. Employing these strategies has provided the necessary spiritual foundation to build our Power Center—the multi-faceted complex that houses Windsor Village United Methodist Church, employs more than 200 people and pumps approximately $15 million per year into the local economy—as well as fund numerous related projects: a master-planned community that will include 454 single-dwelling homes, a prayer center, a family life center, a tennis complex, two commercial catfish ponds, a business park, a YMCA, a public elementary school and a community park. Though these community development projects are materializing through the hard work and faithfulness of many professionals, the genesis of this God-inspired vision was in strategic, Scripture-based prayers.

At Windsor Village, we use two primary methods of prayer: praying God’s Word and praying in tongues. Our method of supernatural communications is based on 1 John 5:14-15: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

In this passage, God promises to hear the prayers of the believer if the believer prays in accordance with His will. What is the will of God? His will is His Word—the Bible. God is legally bound to adhere to His own Word, but He is not obligated to answer anything outside it.

Jeremiah 1:12 tells us that God watches over His Word to perform it, and Isaiah 55:10-11 states that God’s Word will not return to Him void but will accomplish what He has designed it to accomplish, and will “prosper in the thing for which [He] sent it.” God has created His Word to perform and produce results, and it is His Word that He acts upon.

Furthermore, the Word of God is food for life. Luke 4:4 tells us that “‘man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'” Without God’s Word as a source for nutrition, our spirits and souls become malnourished.

Building a Powerful Prayer Ministry
The spiritual maturity of our church increased rapidly after my pastor-husband, Kirbyjon, and I began to emphasize the importance of prayer. As the people grew and as God’s vision for the church was being manifested in the natural, it became paramount for us to operate supernaturally. We had to effectively address the increase so that growth, both natural and spiritual, would continue. In order for the church to operate as dictated by Jesus, we had to become skilled in both the natural and the spiritual realms.

To address the spiritual need, we created a special department at our church called the Department of Supernatural Services and Communications (SSC). This department, which I oversee, houses the prayer ministry, miracles and healing ministry, Repairers of the Breach (ROB) deliverance ministry, youth prayer ministry and Christian education. The purpose of SSC is to teach people how to operate in the supernatural power and authority of Jesus Christ.

Supernatural Services and Communications provides services that minister to the individual and empower the corporate membership to operate more fluidly in the supernatural. Responsibilities include developing programs and systems that inform and educate about the supernatural; interceding and ministering through prayer; providing prayer counseling; coordinating church family fasts, prayer vigils and corporate prayer events; and providing spiritual guidance.

SSC began more than nine years ago as a small group of seven people who prayed regularly for the corporate church. Through a methodical, systematic and patient process, the steadfast efforts of a small group of people flourished into a movement of prayer.

You may not be responsible for the prayer ministry at your church as I am for mine, but I believe the principles we have learned can help you no matter what type of prayer effort you may want to initiate or participate in. Based on our experiences during the development process, I offer the following suggestions:

Seek the Lord’s guidance about His plan for your prayer ministry. Ask Him to help you determine the mission or objective of the prayer ministry; what should you pray; how you should pray; who your target population is; and why you are developing a prayer ministry. If your prayer ministry will be in any way involved with your church, be sure to obtain pastoral approval before starting it.

Establish the primary avenues for praying. God may give you a different direction than He gave us, but after seeking the Lord and studying the Scriptures about prayer, we decided that we would pray in two ways: pray the Scriptures and pray in tongues. Since most Christians have not been taught how to pray Scriptures, we began to slowly teach people how to search the Bible and find Scriptures that applied to specific prayer petitions.

First, we encouraged intercessors to read the Scriptures verbatim as their prayers. Next we taught them to incorporate their prayer petitions into the Scriptures. We placed intercessors in small groups and encouraged them to practice this technique during corporate prayer. Most people had difficulty just praying in front of other people.

During this time, we found that many people did not have the biblical foundation to adequately pray, so we gave the intercessors brief teachings about topics related to prayer ranging from “How to Operate in the Holy Spirit” to “Knowing Who You Are in Christ.” After three years of teaching and practicing, intercessors began to pray with ease scripturally appropriate prayers.

Develop a prayer strategy. Whatever you’re praying for, develop a specific approach to pray for the need. We write most of our prayers, researching each prayer topic and composing a prayer that is based on Scripture knowledge obtained about the topic. We then incorporate our prayers into a prayer strategy that is intentional and specific. We develop prayer strategies for all the various ministry efforts and community development projects.

For example, during the construction of the Power Center (once a rat-infested, asbestos-filled, dilapidated, 98,000- square-foot, old K-Mart building on 24 acres), the prayer ministry developed prayer strategies that targeted its financing, construction and operations.

We researched the Bible in order to understand God’s directions and promises for social and economic empowerment of a community and interviewed key planners of the project in order to gain the technical specifics involved in refurbishing the property. Our strategy included writing Scripture-based prayers, organizing a 500-member prayer effort, and conducting weekly prayer walks that targeted the legal, financial and business communities; local, county, state and federal agencies; architects and construction companies.

We were intentional, tenacious and consistent. As a result, the Power Center today is a vibrant, productive, economic, social, educational and medical force in the Houston community. Numerous professionals were instrumental in making the vision a reality; but the key to its development was that my husband, who is the founder of the Power Center, made prayer the foundation.

Develop a training program. Continuing education is a key to praying effective, productive prayers. Provide training that will help your ministry members to grow in their walk with the Lord and their ability to communicate with Him.

Through the process of developing a prayer ministry, you may learn, as we have, that most people are told to pray but lack the adequate skills and tools to do it. In other words, they do not learn how to pray on their Christian journey. Don’t assume they know; teach them!

Hold prayer partners accountable for living a holy life. Require prayer partners to conduct their lifestyles in accordance with biblical teaching. In other words, expect them to change habits, behaviors, attitudes and anything else that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible.

For us, lifestyle is critical. We do not want anything in the life of a prayer partner to hinder the prayers that are offered to God on behalf of our church membership.

When a prayer partner sins (and occasionally one does), we encourage him or her to repent quickly and get help (professional counseling, if necessary) to make sure the sin is not repeated. Our prayer partners will tell you that their lives have improved greatly as a result of the required discipline.

Expect God to answer. It is important that you collectively decide you will believe the entire Bible and operate in accordance with its principles and instructions. For example, since Mark 16:17-19 tells us that every believer should heal the sick and cast out demons, it is important that you believe this and work to operate accordingly. Remember, prayers without faith are useless. We have to pray believing God will answer.

We are successful in prayer because we expect God to hear our prayers and bring them to pass (see 1 John 5:14-15). We operate in the power and authority that has been given to us through Jesus Christ, and we fight valiantly against the works of the devil.

Prayer is not a glamorous ministry, and the results are not always immediately visible. However, we have persisted in our efforts to systematically train people how to pray, and we have remained steadfast in our intercession for the church. As a result, we are seeing the fruits of our labor. Be consistent in praying and in leading others to pray, and you will be amazed at what God will do.

Read a companion devotional.

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Suzette Caldwell is co-pastor with her husband, Kirbyjon, of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston. She is also president and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Kingdom Builders’ Prayer Institute, a community-based organization that prays for the Houston metropolitan area and teaches people how to pray.

I thought I was losing my mind. Following a sexual assault, I was nervous, worried all the time and suffering with agoraphobia.

I was afraid to leave my home. Whenever I went out alone, I’d be stricken with panic attacks. My heart would begin beating erratically, making it difficult for me to breathe.

A panic attack is brutal and debilitating. For relief I began taking prescription drugs, but unfortunately, they were addictive.

Living in a drug-induced daze, I lost track of time, seasons and holidays. I couldn’t hold a conversation, and I had the attention span of an infant.

Eventually, agoraphobia and its underlying issues were dealt with, but I was left in a wasteland of chemical dependency. Then God intervened and refreshed my spirit with a megadose of willpower and courage.

I was able to stop using drugs “cold turkey,” but it was hard. I had cold sweats, nausea and the sensation of pins and needles pricking my arms and legs. But the Great Physician healed me.

Today I have a new lease on life through Jesus Christ. I am no longer in bondage to panic attacks and addictive drugs. God has delivered me out of my spiritual bondage into an eternal hope.