IHOP Adventure: Parts 3 & 4

Sometimes if you have trouble remembering the great things that have happened to you, the best thing to do is evaluate the change in your life and work backwards. I can tell you that something shifted in my life in a powerful way. I've been greatly impacted by their lifestyle of prayer and fasting, their unrelenting drive to contend for the Kingdom to invade, their passionate "lover and a fighter" bride and forerunner relationship to God, their depth upon depth of prophetic ministry both in music and in preaching. Some might ask why God chose to move at IHOP...I would ask why wouldn't He? They have prayed 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year for 10 years straight, and a move of God broke out. They eat, sleep, and breath prayer in cries for the last great global revival that will usher in the second coming of Christ. Of course, they haven't seen all that they have prayed for in the beginning stages of this awakening, but certainly this could be the beginning.
I went to the prayer room and was simply blown away. There were rooms for deliverance, prophetic, healing, Israel, travail, and more. Someone or band continuously playing live music, declaring the Word of God and interceding through instruments and singing. I have no doubt that from that room major disasters have been cancelled, 5-fold ministers have been called, lives have been saved, nations have been re-directed. How do I know this? John Wesley once said "God does nothing apart from the prayers of His people." God has chosen for us to partner with Him, and contending in prayer releases the finished work that He so desires to release. He just simply won't do it without us releasing His power through prayer. This is so much deeper than I can elaborate right now, so I apoloize for stopping here -- but I won't leave you hanging. Read Dutch Sheet's "Intercessory Prayer" and you'll never look at intercession the same again.
I left IHOP with two major takeaways, everything that I just said as one of them. I am not suddenly an IHOP maniac that is going to say they are the only ones who have it going on and I want to get out there. There are so many great movements across this country, such as what is going on at Bethel in Redding and the RAMP in Hamilton -- and of course, my church Victory Christian Center! My heart burns for this region, for VCC. There have been words spoken over this church of a great move of God coming to us. I just have finally gained the revelation via my trip to IHOP that God's promises are unlocked by intercessory prayer. Sounds silly that I didn't realize this before, but prayer is everything.
I'm becoming more and more consumed with the passion to pray and fast, to contend for the awakening to come in this region, for revival to break out at Victory that will completely be authenticated by the precious presence of the Holy Spirit showing up in full demonstration of Salvation -- deliverance, healing, and redemption.
So there you have just some of what God did. I know I didn't go into details of actual events, such as Misty Edwards in the prayer room singing about the redemption of a harlot. If you want to know more, just ask! Thank you for praying for me while I was there -- it was a trip I'll never forget!

With admiration,
Chris

IHOP Adventure: Part 2/4

Hey everyone!

So three guys jump in a car on Thanksgiving weekend, drive over 800 miles for an encounter with God that would change our lives. Sounds crazy, and I'm glad that I live in this world of crazy -- because this trip has been amazing.

Last night we went to the Awakening service, and right away God connected me with a friend from Victory! She came to our church years ago and left and came to IHOP. It was really good seeing her again and hopefully we will all connect later on tonight.

Julie Meyer led worship for the first half and it was incredible. These IHOP artists have an amazing ability to weave together multiple songs and use them to lead us into God's presence. They have more excellence, creativity, and depth in their music department than any ministry I've seen or learned about.

We got to witness Mike Bickle, Lou Engle, and others officially recognize Wes and Allen as the leaders of this Awakening. It was a beautiful thing to see fathers release sons to run with something that could forever change the course of the IHOP community and even the world. Mike has not spoken a single word in the webstreams that I've seen, and to see Mike so proud of them made my heart glad. Something else that was remarkable was this: Allen is the president of IHOP U, and Wes is on staff under him. Allen recognized that God's hand is on Wes to lead the Awakening, and submitted himself to his leadership in regards to it. I thought that was a beautiful display of how the body of Christ can work -- choosing to submit to those who God's hand is upon for a specific task, even if they are under your leadership. Wow.

There is no superstar mentality here. Everyone contributes, from the worship leading to the ministry. There hasn't even been preaching -- just the leadership recognizing what God wants to do and run with it.

A highlight of the night is when Julie Meyer prophesied over Wes...she began to sing over him something that God sang over Him in a dream, and oh my...it was overwhelming!

Something shifted in me at a certain portion of the night that I know that I'm set free from. I wont share it yet, for now it is "secret history" as Bill Johnson would call it. All I know is that I got the main drive of what I came for last night, and I'm THRILLED!

btw, Misty Edwards led worship for the second half. Amazing. She is definitely my favorite worship leader ever.

Today we are going to the IHOP prayer room and then to one last service before we begin the long journey home. Please pray for me -- I'm excited at what God is doing in me!

With admiration,

Chris

IHOP Adventure, Part 1/4

This weekend I'm going to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MO! I'm leaving Thansgiving night. It will be short, but I know that God wants to do some significant things on the inside of me.
To give you some backround, God has awakened their University, and they have been having nightly meetings where healing, deliverance, souls saved have happened in amazing ways. I've been tuning in via webstream and Holy Spirit has been depositing things in me, so now I'm on my way to receive first hand!
To be honest, I've never done anything like this before -- and by that I mean I've never jumped into a car with little planning and drove across the country seeking an encounter with God. But I know that something significant is going to happen as a result if me going.
So I do have a cast of characters joining me in this adventure! Wayne Anderson is coming with me, and I'm really glad that he is. Wayne is my cousin and in YMC as a first year student, and I greatly admire his gift of faith. This is the man who went to Lakeland a year and a half ago with no money or a place to stay -- just completely on the stirring of the Holy Spirit to go for it. God changed him forever down there and now he is with YMC pursuing his destiny. He told me about the IHOP meetings and we soon realized that we needed to get down there. Wayne had no money -- but stepped out in faith as he so often does by committing to come with me. As a result, someone blessed him yesterday with money to go! One thing I want this weekend is the grace of the 1 Corinthians 12 faith that he operates in to rub off on me!
My brother Justin Loncar is also going. I call him my little big brother because he is younger than I, but certainly physically bigger than me! But more than that, I admire him because he has the kindest heart of anyone I know, constantly thinking of others before himself. He may be younger than I but I learn things from him, just like I'm learning great faith from Wayne -- oh, the beauty of the body of Christ to be able to learn from even those you have been given a measure of authority over!
Please pray for us as we travel. We live at 8:00 PM Thursday and will drive all through the night! I'll update you through blogs. If you'd like to watch the live stream of the services, go to ihop.org/watch. They are 7PM - 1 AM nightly.
I love you and can't wait to share all that God does! Happy Thanksgiving!