Dear Intercessors:

Many of us in this Discerning the Times list are actively involved in the work of prayer in various prayer engagements around the world. It is costly in many ways: emotionally, physically, and financially. I want to invite you to consider how to pray for us intercessors and how to give financially to advance the vision. Then I want to share exciting news about a new area of growth.

Sorry I have been slow in getting these Discerning the Times updates out to you. The reason is that the Lord seems to have had me stepping back some from direct prayer encounters.

He has moved me into a more focused strategic level work in which he is helping me discern and articulate the Holy Spirit’s big picture plans. This has led me into the laborious effort of working on what may be books III and IV in the series on the Prayer Strategy for the Victory of Jesus Christ.

These two volumes will deal with exposing and defeating Satan’s plans to destroy America and Western culture through a combination of demonic strongholds—Reactionary Conservatism (Radical Right), Liberal Progressivism (Radical Left), Magic and the Occult, and Radical Islam.

Working to get this finished before the Mountain Top Equipping, frankly, is like writing from a fox hole while under live fire!

Short of taking me out, it seems that Satan is doing everything he can to prevent me from getting this work done. Which means I must stay under the protection of Jesus Christ and persist. I have been reading Psalms 90 and 91 a lot these days.

The intensely focused work of writing and planning has been frustrating. I see urgent needs yet cannot directly engage in their intercessory prayer work.

But please join me in praising our Loving God who helps us overcome when we are in the battle.

Praises

Praise God! The prayer work has continued to go forward through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. He is the one in charge of all of our prayer work.
Praise God! for Martin Boardman’s leadership in raising up intercessors worldwide.
Praise God! for you many intercessors and your several active cohorts. You continue to stand steadfast at your posts in the frontlines of this work of intercession.

I do have two requests for prayer which I believe the Lord is leading me to notify you about.

1. The Cost of This Global Work of Prayer

This work of prayer takes place through the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who directs this global prayer movement which advances the kingdom of God. The cost of his leadership was fully covered on the Cross.

For this work the Holy Spirit has called, anointed, equipped and connected hundreds of people. Hundreds more are being called to receive anointing, equipping and connection.

For many intercessors this prayer work requires a costly investment of time, and in some cases finances. As people seek to grow in this work they may take part in special equipping events and initiatives. They also sacrifice when they step into prayer engagements, which may involve high-level spiritual warfare and intercession.

The personal cost of this prayer work is huge, incalculable and fully known only to Jesus. On the Cross he covered the cost for our participation in the hidden work of intercession !

What I mean is that our shared work in prayer flows out of the love of Jesus. He fully manifested his love through his agony on the Cross for fallen humanity. Then he continued to manifest his love by his victory over death and the Devil.

We praise God for his goodness to us!

Our prayer work, though, does take a physical and emotional toll. We who intercede withstand demonic counter-attacks against us and our families. Sometimes sleepless nights come, as with Jacob, when we wrestle with God. Yet we are sustained by the Holy Spirit, as well as through our love and support for each other.

Satan knows the importance of this prayer work and relentlessly works to disrupt it.

How to Pray

Continue to pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Continue to provide a prayer shield for those doing this work of prayer which is strategic to the Kingdom of God.
Please pray that the Holy Spirit will raise up additional intercessors worldwide.

The Financial Cost of Intercession

What is not often recognized is the financial support needed by those who cooperate with the Holy Spirit in leading this prayer work. PRMI serves worldwide, with much of the work of the PRMI Leadership Team and staff behind the scenes.

The PRMI Leadership Team and staff…

Administrate programs and initiatives led by the Holy Spirit.
Communicate with intercessors, pastors and elders.
Provide onsite equipping and deploying of intercessors called into this global prayer work.

We who intercede and serve at PRMI are not abstractions! We are real people! For example, here we are doing the work of prayer.

The Jerusalem Prayer Endeavor Team praying in February for a couple who made aliya (emigrated) to Israel

PRMI equipping team prayed for by intercessors at the Mountain Top Equipping Camp in South Korea

Equipping a Cohort of Intercessors in the United Kingdom in March

I want to call your attention to the reality of the huge financial cost of this prayer work.

Jeanne is our PRMI staff member who also handles the finances. She recently updated me on our expenses for the prayer initiative, which is one of our four vision initiatives.

Prayer Initiative Monthly Costs

$11,500 Wages/Benefits for 4 staff
$500 Communication Expense: Includes Website hosting, GetGo, Skype, Live Stream, Mail Chimp, Dream Host
$3,000 Event Travel Expense

Total Monthly Cost $15,000

Many people who see the strategic importance of the work of intercession in the Kingdom of God do not realize that financial gifts enable the behind-the-scenes work.

Please share with those you know the vision of this critical work and the need for financial gifts. (See suggestions at the bottom of this email for how to share the need.)

Growth in the Prayer Initiative

From 2015 to 2017 the Lord had us focus on developing a prayer initiative to raise up intercessors. Prayer is the first step in participating in advancing the Kingdom of God.

Over this past year the Lord has really blessed us with a team who implement this prayer work. We are now praying in financial support for the team.

Prayer House

We are also making progress in growing the Community of the Cross as a hub for intercession. The infrastructure to support this initiative includes our plan to build a Prayer House. We are moving toward developing the building’s engineering and construction drawings.

Over the past two years we have received about $700,000 in gifts for the project. We need about an additional $600,000.00 to construct the Prayer House without incurring debt.

All of this prayer work, which the Holy Spirit is leading us into, must be sustained and further developed. Underlying these developments is the necessity of sustained prayer.

Jonathan Edwards noted…

It is God’s will through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of His saints should be one of the great principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world.

2. Special Prayer Cover for a New Vision Initiative

When we pray as led by the Holy Spirit, the Father advances Christ’s kingdom. And yes, we are experiencing the results of your prayers.

Doors are opening to PRMI on multiple fronts.

Let me tell you about the opening of one door that needs special prayer cover.

Last year the Holy Spirit gave the PRMI leadership team special guidance on our number three Vision Initiative, which is “Growing the Church.”

He called us to prepare ourselves to receive additional guidance on how we are to participate in advancing the Kingdom of God within that sphere.

Our year-long journey of praying into that guidance culminated a few weeks ago at the Community of the Cross. We gathered a team of DFI leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

We met for five days, intensively seeking God’s direction for the future.

The Holy Spirit moved!!!

He spoke clearly to us!

He conceived vision within us!

We are presently in that elaborate and delicate process of discerning and refining the vision that has been conceived. All this is in process, so it is too early to share with you much more than the overall guidance we received.

This guidance came in response to a question asked by Bill Gestal, President of the PRMI Board. Bill asked,

“What is the wave of the Holy Spirit that PRMI is called to embody, which the Lord is sending within the Body of Jesus Christ in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom?”

After three days of prayer, listening and brain storming, we believe the Lord gave the following answer:

Equipping [Congregations] to Embody, Proclaim and Advance the Kingdom of God in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

While we are still wrestling with the exact words, this is the basic idea we believe is from the Lord. We are now seeking guidance on specifics of how we are to provide this equipping.

We are so excited about this guidance because it seems that the Lord of the Church is calling us to take part in shaping the church in the West’s post-denomination, post-Christian culture.

Here is a picture of those gathered who took part in this Growing the Church Summit in March, 2018.

Growing the Church Summit at the Community of the Cross

Please pray for us! And please pray that God will protect the process of discerning and refining the vision He has given us. Also pray for those whom Jesus is calling to embody and take part in fulfilling this vision.

Do You Feel Called to Pray in Funds?

Is the Lord calling you as an intercessor to make it a special project to pray in the funds? We appreciate your prayers and thank you for interceding for PRMI. Please let Martin Boardman know you are praying by sending him an email.

YES, I Will Commit to Pray in Funds for PRMI. martinboardman@prmi.org

Prayer Requests

Please pray for people to commit to monthly giving through Sustaining the Flame. This is especially important for payroll.
Please pray for donations to train intercessors, translate Dunamis materials into other languages, and develop new initiatives.
Please pray for the finances needed to cover the continuing development of the prayer initiative, including for support of the leadership.
Please pray for the remaining funds to come in to build the Prayer House.
Please pray for additional donations to enable the vision of Equipping Congregations to Embody, Proclaim and Advance the Kingdom of God in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Is Our Loving God Asking You to Donate?

Are you being called to give a financial gift? We are thankful for every gift and know the wonderful generosity of donors who appreciate intercessory prayer. You can give online right here!

YES, I’ll Donate to Support PRMI. Donate

Are You Being Called to Raise Support?

Another option which would be greatly appreciated is for you to spread the word of our need for financial support.

You may know others who would be willing to help out if they knew of the PRMI vision. Please share with them the vision of this critical work and the need for financial gifts.

I have prepared an informational sheet for you to distribute. Info Sheet

Feel free to also forward this email to those whom you think may be willing to help or know those who may. Or you can cut and paste this blog’s address for them. Here it is: https://www.prmi.org/blog/the-cost-of-the-global-work-of-prayer/

How To Pray for the New Vision of Equipping Congregations to Embody, Proclaim and Advance the Kingdom of God in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Please pray for us to receive guidance! It is so critical for the future of PRMI’s participation in advancing the Kingdom of God.
Please pray that God will protect the process of discerning and refining the vision that He has given us.
Please pray for those whom Jesus is calling to embody and take part in fulfilling this vision.
Praise God! and provide prayer cover for the seeds just sown for PRMI’s participation in the Wave of the Holy Spirit for advancing the Kingdom of God within local congregations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
We believe the Holy Spirit is raising up a special cohort. Please sign up for this if you have a special burden to pray for the fulfillment of the vision and the people shown in the picture.

If you are called specifically to cover us in this process of discernment, please send a note to Martin Boardman.

Yes, I’ll Commit to Pray for the New Vision of Equipping Congregations. martinboardman@prmi.org

Thanks so much!!!

In Christ, Brad Long with Martin Boardman

P.S. We have listed several ways that you can participate in and support these areas of prayer. Please pray about how the Lord might lead you to be involved and then respond.