Prayer is like breathing. It becomes oxygen to our spirit.
When we pray, we feel alive and connected to God. In prayer, we can distinguish His voice and encounter the realm He lives in. Prayer takes the dryness out of our souls and releases refreshing rivers into our world. It is not just something we do for a few minutes here and there. We integrate prayer into our lifestyle and make our lives a living prayer.
I learned to pray in the fires of desperation. It was during those times when I felt my world caving in that I discovered how to reach out to God for answers. With gut-wrenching tears, I would ask Him the tough questions, tell Him all my fears and contend for answers. I rested in knowing God was not offended by my authenticity and would respond just as honestly. I learned how to listen and trust His voice in tough situations. He was working everything for my good. It was all going to be okay.
Many people do not even think about prayer until they are handed a problem they cannot solve. Find out you have a terminal disease, for example, and suddenly you have a prayer life. Get a miracle because of prayer, and now you are committed. Prayer becomes the first thing you do instead of the last. You have discovered the power of prayer, and you will never be the same.
Intercessors are most often birthed in crisis. Once you have seen the impossible made possible through prayer, something happens on the inside of you. Faith is birthed in your heart, and prayer takes on a fervency in your life. You just know that you know prayer will change what needs to be changed.
Still, we run into situations that seem not to respond to prayer. When this happens, know that God is not withholding His clear promises from you. Rather, there is something you do not understand about His Word or about the spiritual realm. God always has an answer, but we do not always know how to appropriate it. These are the gaps I hope to bridge in my book, The Intercessors Handbook, helping you connect not only to prayer but also to answered prayer.
All the principles of prayer covered in my book are rich treasures excavated through the trials and wildernesses of my life and ministry. I have taught them diligently to my church and to anyone who would listen. Now I am glad to share them with you.
The book was a project held in my heart for several years before the outset of writing it. I did not consider myself a writer and could not find the grace or the time to produce it. Then one day, I received a Facebook message from a prophet and minister living in Anderson, California. Her name was Mary Andersson, and we had known each other for only a few years. Mary receives dreams from God on occasion, and she had been given a dream for me. In her dream, I had written a book about prayer. It was a handbook, she said.
When Mary sent me the dream, I felt the tangible anointing of God come upon me. It felt like a calm liquid, filled with power, on my whole being. From there, I was able to start writing and wrote the first edition of this book, which I self-published.
The first edition was written to my church. We have a unique prayer history, which I will share with you in the chapters of this book, and I wanted something written down that newcomers could read and assimilate. I also knew the book would go farther out, such as to the other places where I minister, but not too much farther.
To my surprise, the book began selling in the United States and even internationally. It sold in Canada, South Africa, Australia, England, Latvia, New Zealand, Japan and a few more places. The content resonated with intercessors. They desperately needed validation and instruction for the things they were encountering in the place of prayer. I was overjoyed to become that bridge, someone who could help them pray with greater confidence in their unique spiritual climates.
Finally, a lovely woman approached me about writing a book for Chosen Books after reading some of my featured articles in the Elijah List. I could not resist the challenge and responded with an enthusiastic yes. We decided to rewrite and expand the handbook. I think it is much improved over the first edition, as it is written for a broader audience and includes even more content to help you process the unique work of intercession. My team of intercessors is praying over this book and all those who read it, that prayer would come alive all over the globe and be effective!
The preceding was excerpted from The Intercessors Handbook: How to Pray with Boldness, Authority and Supernatural Power, by Jennifer Eivaz (Chosen Books, © 2016).
Jennifer Eivaz is a vibrant minister and international conference speaker who carries the wisdom and fire of the Holy Spirit. She presently serves as an executive pastor with Harvest Christian Center in Turlock, California, and is focused on raising up a passionate and effective prayer community that is tempered with love and hears the voice of God accurately. Jennifer loves the presence of God and is a prophetic voice to her church and to others. Her teaching style is authentic and aimed at the heart, having been built on her personal testimony of God’s incredible goodness and miraculous display in her life and in the life of her church. Jennifer is a graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is married to HCC’s Senior Pastor Ron Eivaz, and they have two wonderful children. She’s a featured writer for several online publications including the Elijah List and Charisma magazine.
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