BY VERBAL BEAN

We want to enter into the steps of successful praying, and Daniel’s five point prayer. I Timothy 2:1 gives us the channels of approach. I could not tell in two weeks anything more valuable than to learn the channels of approach: supplication, prayer, intercession, and thanksgiving.

What do we mean by “channels of approach?” Spiritual parallels are found throughout the Old Testament. One of the spiritual parallels is the approach to a king. An individual, even the queen, could not just walk in and make her request. She had to be invited, or else if she came uninvited, and the king reached out the golden scepter, and touched them it meant you could go ahead, and approach and give your request.” That’s in God’s Bible, and it’s there for an example.

Approaching the king is not done in any manner that you want. We are dealing with the King of kings, and the Lord of lords! He will not accept every manner of approach. He doesn’t want great lengthy phrases, well-worded sentences and large words. Attitude is the main thing God is looking at in our life. We must learn our approach to God cannot be casual, or cannot be at our own will. We need to come on His terms, or we’re wasting our hour in prayer. Believe me, there have been many hours wasted in what was thought to be prayer time. It was not the right approach.

I contend by the study of His Word, and by practical personal experience, there is a channel of approach every time you pray. God will accept one channel of approach. I contend if you try any of the others when He’s calling for one, you’re wasting time. Since we spend such little time in prayer, we need to make it count.

If I could do one thing, and it’s boiling inside of me. If I could somehow stir, awaken and teach you to be great prayer warriors!

You would forget great oratorical ability, sermonizing, and I’m not discrediting good preaching. I believe you need to have something to feed the people every once in awhile. But you’ll forget a lot of that if you’ll learn to pray.

When a man knows how to touch God, he can have results if he can’t half talk! That may seem a little bit exaggerated, but I know what I’m talking about! I’ve seen preachers that way. They had results, yet you started to compare their speaking ability to someone else. Have you ever heard a great sermon that did not get anyone in the altar, or did not inspire anyone to pray through, and the sermon was great? You wouldn’t have been embarrassed to hear it at one of the greatest gatherings, but the results were not there.

God has a channel of approach He’ll accept. Boys have these CB’s, and they know more about channels and the value of them than most of us. If you’re going to talk to a man on channel nine, don’t turn to thirteen, you won’t find him. Well, I’m trying to tell you, God’s on thirteen some nights, and we’re on nine, and we wonder why no results. You fret, become discouraged, your prayer life starts dying, because it’s not interesting anymore. The results are not coming.

Friend, when you start getting some genuine results, you’ll be at the prayer meeting the next morning! There’s nothing more exciting than getting a prayer through to God. To know I said, “God, I want this,
would you do this,” and a few days pass, you look up, and there it is! Man, you know you prayed that prayer!

It’s very possible that nobody prayed it, but you! Whether they have or not, I generally always claim my part of it, and I don’t believe I’m wrong to do that! I need to encourage myself in the Lord, and that’s
one way to do it. I don’t glory in it. I did not do it because I was anything great, but I do like to give myself a little credit, because it builds my faith. I believe that’s a secret to successful praying.

That doesn’t mean he gets up and says, “Folks, I was the one that did all that praying!” I don’t mean that. I need to give myself credit so my faith might be built up!

Our entire subject is prayer, and yet prayer is one of the channels of approach. When you start to emphasize one point anywhere in the Bible, to drive points home, or turn a spotlight on a certain subject, it may sound like you are contradicting another subject, when all you are doing is bringing out this one. I want you to understand this as we go into this subject of prayer.

Prayer is simply talking to God. “While I was speaking in prayer,” I was talking to Him. This type of praying does not necessarily mean you feel all that much. It does not mean you would be talking in tongues, or weeping. You don’t feel any particular spirit. You’re simply talking to God, but don’t hang up there, justifying not praying through, saying, “Boy, I’m praying now.”

I start out with prayer and try to get the rest. I seek for supplication. I open my channels for intercession. I want thanksgiving if it will come to me. If none of this comes, I search my heart; if everything’s clear, and I know it’s right with God, there’s no hindrance for me to go further and deeper in prayer, then I’ll just
accept prayer tonight. I’m just talking to God.

Some folks think that, “I’m not getting my prayer through unless I’m feeling a mighty vibration.” I want to feel it, I seek to feel it and I believe you ought to pray through often. I don’t believe you ought to go a long time without talking in tongues.

I know a doctrine of one time talking in tongues, and you can live for God from then on. That’s wrong. Somebody is doing you an injustice. You need your soul renewed, or you’re going to dry up spiritually, and
lose your faith. You’ll lose your inspiration. Everything about you will die. You need to be refilled. Don’t take prayer as a justification that Brother Bean says that, “Oh I’m not supposed to feel anything, so month in and month out I just dryly say, “Good night Jesus.” That’s not what I’m talking about.

If you have searched out the channels, and they don’t show up a red light, or some kind of a signal, then just go to talking to Him, as friend to Friend. Don’t let doubt come in your mind simply because you’re not vibrating with weeping, rejoicing, or talking in tongues. Man, I believe when I get down, and I’ve searched my heart, and nothing is wrong, I don’t feel anything, just talking to Him, I have as much confidence that He’s hearing me, as if I were screaming at the top of my voice with weeping, because it’s one of the channels of approach.

Generally, prayer takes more faith than the others, because you don’t particularly have much feeling. Yet some of the greatest answers I’ve ever received from God came from just praying.

Pardon personal references, but I’m like the Apostle Peter,

“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

1 remember praying for a man who was deaf, and wanted prayer, and I didn’t feel a thing. I prayed just through obligation to God and to the man, honoring his faith. I laid hands on him, and it seemed like
the driest prayer of my existence! That man came to church the next morning, hearing!

A brother I knew used to pray for the sick quite often. He was praying for a lady one night, and he just said “Oh God, heal this woman in Jesus’ name.” She looked up and said, “But Brother, I’m REAL sick! ” So he grabbed her and shook her a little, and said, “Oh God, heal her! Oh heal her in Jesus’ Name,” and she was satisfied! She could not imagine that without some kind of a massive shaking, that he even was sincere.

This is the error that you’ll find in peoples’ minds about praying. I don’t believe I should just drive around and pray. I believe that I need to get down on my knees, sometimes. I need to get alone with God, but I can walk and talk with Him, like I walk and talk with Brother Davis, friend to Friend. “Brother Davis this is the way it is,” and so on, talking as friends.

I’ll show you by the Bible that there is an attitude that God enjoys in you, when you can stand up like a man, and approach God as a friend. Prayer is simply talking to God without any particular feeling. Be
sure you’ve checked your heart to see that it’s not something that’s wrong with you for the reason you’re not feeling anything.

The next step into prayer is supplication. Supplication is a little more intense than just praying. Generally, supplication has feelings. It has tears, or it has some emotional feeling involved when you get that deep into prayer, and supplication helps our faith. The spirit of supplication will come on you a little more intense, and it helps you to know that God is helping you pray. That’s why some folks become confused when they don’t get that feeling, they think God is not hearing them. It doesn’t necessarily mean that He doesn’t hear, because you don’t have the spirit of supplication.

Intercession is the deepest prayer you can pray. When you have received the spirit of intercession, you’re as far into that inner court of talking to God that you’ll ever get. You have arrived at the holy place. There is no such a thing as a deeper, more intense communion, between your soul and your God than intercession.

Generally, intercession is with great groaning. It is as what Paul said, “Groaning that can not be uttered.” It is the despair of the soul. It’s a time when it seems like you must have the answer or die. Intercession is that type of praying that takes physical strength. Most people don’t even know what intercessory prayer is.

I usually look for the intercessors when I go preach a revival. I look to see if God has one in that church, and thoroughly encourage him, because I have seen them save a service.

One particular place I was at, there was a little woman that was the intercessor in that revival. I saw the service tie up, and things were not moving, and I’d glance over at her and there she’d be getting drawn
into knots, physically. I’ve seen her literally fall over on the seat with groaning that cannot be uttered. It wouldn’t be but a few minutes until things started breaking, and happening, because she went into that inner sanctuary with God.

Generally, intercession is a particular prayer, for a particular thing and generally, for a particular time. Very seldom would you ever go into intercession that there would not be quick results. Maybe not
immediate, but quick results. Intercession usually produces the current answers, because they’re particular prayers for particular needs, for particular times.

It requires that you are going to allow your soul to become lead and directed in prayer. You cannot be your own, because at three o’clock in the morning the Spirit may bid you, and you can’t say that you’re sleepy, or, you prayed at nine, because intercession means “I’ve got to have it now!”

The high God of heaven knows the answer is needed out there badly, and you would think that God would go ahead and do it, but He won’t. He’s chosen that men pray, and as I’ve often said, God doesn’t care until we care. If that’s not true, why do whole cities lie waste, and nobody there is saved? Why doesn’t He just go save them? God has chosen that through the prayer and intercession of men, souls would be saved and
things would happen. Certainly, He knows what we need before we ask, but He won’t do anything about it until we ask. He has chosen the method of prayer. So, He, knowing what’s needed, reaches out and says,
“Okay, I need you.”

Let’s say it’s Brother Jimmy Lee at three o’clock in the morning, and he’s open for calls twenty-four hours a day, and a real prayer warrior is open for calls. He can’t say I’ll pray at ten o’clock in the morning. He’s got to say “I’m ready Lord anytime,” and that’s the very reason why a lot of people shun it.

Let’s say there’s a need over here, a desperate need. God sees it, and He searches his camp out, and says, “There’s a heart I can touch, and he’ll do it, I can trust him.”

You’ll never be used in intercession if you haven’t been consistent in living for God. If your life is not consistently faithful, you’ll never know this spirit of intercession, because He’s got to know you before He’ll trust you to go that far.

God gave me an example of intercession. A friend of mine and I were in South America, and one morning at about four o’clock we were awakened with a terrible burden of prayer.

When I say that intercession is a particular prayer, for a particular thing, that does not mean that we always know what it is, but the Bible teaches us that “The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities” (Romans
8:26), and prays for us. Sometimes, “We know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26).

We felt such a heaviness to pray, and for two and a half hours, I mean hard praying; travail, groaning, not knowing what it was, but you can rest assured it was some particular need.

We boarded the plane, and were going to Bogota, and on the way we were to stop at an airport. The runways ran right out to the water’s edge, and at that time of the year there was heavy, dense fog. The pilot
could not see his way at all, and he was depending entirely on the tower giving him information.

They evidently gave him the wrong information, or else he didn’t follow it as he should. We looked out and the wheels of that plane were just a matter of two or three feet from the Caribbean! He had undershot the
runway I’d say a good half mile! Instead of the plane gradually rising, it seemed like a strong hand picked it up at least 100 feet! Instantly I felt a strength! Finally, the plane landed, and, of course, we waited around for the fog to clear away. We got back on the plane, and started on for Bogota.

We were sitting in the back, and here came the pilot. He walked down the aisle, and he walked pass everyone until he came to us. He stood there and said “Gentlemen, would you like to come into the cockpit, and watch us fly the plane?”

Planes have always fascinated me. I could almost live in one. “Well, man, yes! I didn’t know it was possible.” My partner was with me there, but he wasn’t that interested. He just peeped in, went back and
sat down, but I went in and sat on the third seat between the pilot and co-pilot. I saw the mountain peaks before any of the other passengers did. I saw the deep gorges, and the canyons. I saw the landing strip.
The other passengers were simply looking out a little window, seeing things as they passed them, but I saw them a long time before we got to them.

We arrived at Bogota, and I said “Would you Gentlemen like for me to go back while you land?”

The pilot said, “Stay here. It’s okay. Watch us land it.”

I heard them talk to the towers as they passed different cities. It was a thrill to me. This was lesson number two God was giving me on intercession. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it’s been very valuable to me since then.

To put the icing on the cake for me, God gave me the scripture, “Oh thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. entirely on the tower giving him information.

They evidently gave him the wrong information, or else he didn’t follow it as he should. We looked out and the wheels of that plane were just a matter of two or three feet from the Caribbean! He had undershot the
runway I’d say a good half mile! Instead of the plane gradually rising, it seemed like a strong hand picked it up at least 100 feet! Instantly I felt a strength! Finally, the plane landed, and, of course, we waited around for the fog to clear away. We got back on the plane, and started on for Bogota.

We were sitting in the back, and here came the pilot. He walked down the aisle, and he walked pass everyone until he came to us. He stood there and said “Gentlemen, would you like to come into the cockpit, and watch us fly the plane?”

Planes have always fascinated me. I could almost live in one. “Well, man, yes! I didn’t know it was possible.” My partner was with me there, but he wasn’t that interested. He just peeped in, went back and
sat down, but I went in and sat on the third seat between the pilot and co-pilot. I saw the mountain peaks before any of the other passengers did. I saw the deep gorges, and the canyons. I saw the landing strip.
The other passengers were simply looking out a little window, seeing things as they passed them, but I saw them a long time before we got to them.

We arrived at Bogota, and I said “Would you Gentlemen like for me to go back while you land?”

The pilot said, “Stay here. It’s okay. Watch us land it.”

I heard them talk to the towers as they passed different cities. It was a thrill to me. This was lesson number two God was giving me on intercession. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it’s been very valuable to me since then.

To put the icing on the cake for me, God gave me the scripture, “Oh thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

… Blessed is the man whom thou chooses, and causest to approach unto thee” (Psalm 65:2,4).

Blessed is that man to whom God says, “Would you like to come into the cockpit? Do you want to watch Me fly this thing?”

There is such a thing as walking with God until you can see mountain peaks ahead of you. Some people never know what’s going to happen until it happens. They’re just peeping out, riding as a passenger. I
refuse to be that type of a preacher. I refuse to be so lackadaisical, and unconcerned, simply peep out a peep hole, seeing where others have been.

Every now and then, “God, would you trust me to call me to the cockpit, and let me know what’s going to happen, the storm that’s ahead, and prepare me for it? Tell me about it.” I’m not a busybody, I just want
to get into the cockpit with Him! I like the communion, I like to hear the conversations that are going on. Man, it’s a thrill for me to watch Him maneuver the thing! Praise God! It’s the greatest thrill on earth! I’ll die believing that two hours we spent in intercession is what saved us from ditching the plane in the Caribbean. I’m convinced it was. I believe the hand of God picked the plane up! Fantastic, or whatever you want to say, I believe that.

There was a salesman on that plane, for that particular airline, and he was very concerned. He said, “Do you realize that we were only about two feet from that water? That’s a miracle!” I believe with all of my
heart the intercession of two hours saved the whole plane, and all the passengers!

On top of that, was the little practical lesson of allowing a pilot to pass others, and come to my seat and say “Would you like to come into the cockpit?” I was thrilled! The other party, I do not criticize him for it, but the spiritual application is typical. He wasn’t interested, he peeped in and went on back, and rode as a passenger.

Many times we’re satisfied to sit with our little “Good night Jesus,” when He’s begging us, “Come on in! I’ll show you the intricate parts of this thing. I’ll show you mountain peaks out yonder! I’ll tell you about things out yonder that others cannot know. I’ll carry you on the wings of the morning, and let you see what’s fixing to take place that day!”

Friend, to me that’s valuable to a preacher. If you’re going to pastor a church, you’d better know ahead of time what’s fixing to happen. You’d better have that Fellow up there managing that rig come tell you
to come in and let you know what’s going on! You’d better live in such an atmosphere of prayer and consecration that “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest.”

Not a pilot of a little South American airline, but the high God of heaven said, “Here’s a seat for you for a while, and I’ll tell you some secrets.”

“He revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

If you want to know something, walk in the spirit of prayer and every once in a while, He can get you in on that particular prayer.

Sister Freeman, a missionary to South Africa said her first voyage over, they had a number of children, five or six, and a little bitsy baby. Everyone of the children developed whooping cough, and the baby
developed pneumonia. She had some nursing experience, and she said, “I knew my baby was dying.”

When out on a ship, and someone dies, they bury them at sea. She had the horror of thinking about watching them put her child overboard, into that ocean.

She wrestled with them for days and nights, because they were all sick. She said she was so exhausted, she could not pray anymore. All she knew to do, was kneel by the baby’s bed, and say “Oh God lay me on
somebody’s heart! Let somebody, somewhere pray for me.” She said she was kneeling, and all of a sudden, it felt like a warm breeze blew into the ship cabin. She saw her baby’s chest relax into normal breathing,
and into a normal sleep, and was well!

She received six letters from widely separated areas. All of them said the same thing! “Sister Freeman, what was wrong with you and the baby on a certain date? At a certain hour of the day? We were compelled to
pray!”

“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest.” God reached way up in the United States somewhere, to this one, “I’ve got a child out there that’s in despair. She has whispered to Me to lay her on somebody’s
heart. Would you take her?”

“Yes Lord, I’ll go into the cockpit; I’ll carry the load.”

He reaches for more, and all of them on exactly the same date, exactly the same time, said the same thing! “What was wrong with you and the baby! ” She checked it out, compared it and it was identically the
same time that she had knelt there waiting, and said “Lay me on somebody’s heart!”

Go ahead, and preach your sermons, and have everybody walk up to you and say, “Oh that was a great message.” But if I could know God would trust me, to go into the cockpit, and talk to Him about a specific
need, Friend, that’s the height of honor! What do you think blessed means anyhow?

“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest.” He says, “Come here, I trust you. I can trust you with a burden, because you won’t shun it. You won’t say, I’m too tired. You won’t excuse yourself, because you’re too busy. I trust you. Come in the cockpit.” The need is great. Oh heaven help us!

“As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8).

When you reach an intercessory spirit for a soul, you can almost guarantee you’re about to get that one! I never have entered into intercessory that I didn’t get results!

What do you suppose is the attitude you should have, so you would always be available for God to talk with you about one of these channels of approach? Do you think being foolish, carnal and carrying on your frivolity entices the spirit of prayer? I believe there’s an attitude, a spirit of prayer. You may not be praying all the time, but the spirit is with you.

Brother Free made the statement that “Every man has a handle on him.” Let me use that same statement of those God uses in prayer. He’ll use you, if you have a handle available. You can’t run wild all day, and
then all of a sudden, “Man, I feel a burden!” It doesn’t work that way. That’s why the Bible said to a preacher,

“Shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (II Timothy 2:16).

That doesn’t mean you can’t laugh at all, but you can get so frivolous the spirit of prayer will leave you. It will not abide with the unconcerned, unconsecrated heart. It won’t stay there. It has to have that heart sensitive, and an attitude of prayer.

If you desire anything, let it be said of you, “That’s a praying man”. Not for the honor that’s involved as the Pharisees desired, but I’d rather it be said I was a praying man than a preacher. Even a great preacher, because a praying man can produce, where a preacher can’t. That’s not nearly right, that’s RIGHT! Yes sir. I’m positive about it. It’s been proven to be right. Peter wrote,

“I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth” (II Peter 1:12).

We’re not necessarily taking these channels in order of importance. You could have done all four channels of approach in one prayer time. You could have gone into prayer, supplication, intercession, and  thanksgiving before you finished.

If you diligently sought after them, but you cannot cry necessarily, or feel much vibration, don’t let that cause you to feel your prayer isn’t going through. Don’t justify your carnality, coldness or indifference.
I search for the deepest prayer I can get every time I pray, but if it doesn’t come, I take the channel He’s receiving that day. If He says channel nine, I’m going to tune in on channel nine. After all, I want results. I’ve got to come on God’s terms, or I can not receive results.

Supplication is a little more intense than just praying. You have more feelings and emotions involved, generally. Intercession is the deepest prayer into which you can go. Intercession and travail are synonymous terms. I personally believe that’s as deep in prayer as a man can go.

Intercession is a particular prayer, for a particular thing, for a particular time. Usually, when God will take you to that depth of prayer, there’s something distinctly needed right then. It does not generally fall into the memorial-type praying. I think we could spend hours telling experiences to prove that intercession is a particular prayer for a particular time, and a particular need.

When you write out the check, you put the amount, and pay to the order of If you put a name in there, you tend to get better results, and a date even will help you out. This sounds contradictory, tonight, but it’s not. Paul mentioned that

“We know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

Paul wrote in Corinthians, “I will pray with the spirit” (I Corinthians 14:15).

Paul was referring to a speaking in tongues in prayer. There is a speaking in tongues type of intercessory prayer, where the Holy Ghost takes over. I don’t know what to ask for, here I am talking in tongues. Some folks think that they are getting a blessing, when it is the Spirit bearing their infirmity, and praying for them. There’s no telling what they’re asking for. Paul said “I will pray with the understanding also ” (I Corinthians 14:15).

It’s clear that when the Spirit is praying there isn’t understanding. Why else would he make the statement that sometimes I pray, and understand what I’m praying for, and sometimes I pray in the Spirit? There are times the Spirit takes over, and bears your infirmities to God. He spoke of them as groanings that cannot be uttered. When we go into intercession, we do not always know for what we’re praying for.

God ordained prayer and taught for it to be specific.

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

The God that introduced intercessory prayer knows when He deals with your spirit to call you, He is calling you for a specific need. Whether your understanding is fruitful or not, you’re praying for a specific need. Though it be groanings that cannot be uttered, and, at the moment, you may not know a thing about what you’re praying.

We were praying one night, when all of a sudden a spirit of intercession hit, and we went into deep travail. I felt death from somewhere. I did not know what for. We prayed, and it lifted for a moment, then it hit again until we finally prayed through.

We found out later that my sister was in a very dangerous situation. A man had escaped from prison. One of the meanest, roughest fellows in the whole country was standing at her door. He walked around the
windows, and she was alone. He came to her door, and when she came to the door, he turned to run. He stopped and turned around as though he was coming back, then went on.

To show how accurate intercession is, I believe we were following that man’s steps! I believe intercessory prayer lifted, when that man was running. When he stopped, and started back, intercession came back on
us. Please forgive me, if that seems a little farfetched to you, but I believe that’s how accurate the Spirit can follow a need.

Gentlemen, if you want a fruitful ministry, believe me when I say you’re going to learn this place often. “Blessed is the man whom God chooseth, and causeth to approach unto him,” the psalmist said. The
Pilot called us into the cockpit. Instead of just being a passenger looking out a little window, I was in the cockpit seeing the mountain peaks ahead.

Blessed is the man that God would choose to come into the cockpit with Him. You’re not going there with a lot of frivolity. I believe the best way for me to be an intercessor, is to consistently, contact God, daily. Even if it’s not kneeling, and I believe we ought to spend time kneeling or sitting alone with God. But, when I’m driving a car, or I’m on the job, if I’m going to be trusted with intercessory prayer, then I need to stay in tune with God where He could call me into the inner sanctuary.

I need to be consistent in my touching heaven. I can’t laugh and be frivolous and carry on, and not take anything serious all day long. Then expect, bing, the Holy Ghost to say “Okay, come on in now, I want
to talk to you.”

I don’t mean by this, we live a monk’s life. We can enjoy life, but on the other hand, there is a certain frivolity that grieves the Holy Ghost. Oh, Gentlemen, please hear me tonight. I don’t know when I have ever been more burdened to teach a class, than I’ve been to teach this one. If I could get this in you, and we didn’t have any more school. I’m not depreciating the other subjects at all, but God knows we’d have some preachers if you’d love this place of intercession. It takes physical strength to do that.

Maybe I’m straining at a gnat. Maybe I’m drawing too thin a line, but this Bible said,

“That men pray everywhere” (I Timothy 2:8).

There are times when God speaks of men as the human family in general, but I don’t believe He was referring to it there. I believe He was actually talking about men, because the next verse He gives the women instructions. It takes some strength to intercede. Sometimes it takes a man to do that. I do not say it boasting, but I’ve been to the place in intercessory prayer that my stomach was sore for days. It was
identical to travail, and the Apostle Paul made it clear about travail. A genuine man says,

“I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).

1 would like for you to note that any man God ever used, or any group of men God ever used were men who knew how to weep.

“The man of God wept ” (II Kings 8: 11).

How can I reach a soul or be of benefit to a saint if my concern or burden for them does not ever cause me to weep? I don’t mean be a sissy. I don’t mean when problems come, you sit down in despair, and “boo hoo” over it. Be a man, but Brethren, there comes a time when that heart needs to get in such a place of despair, hunger, and compassion that it melts. Godly men were weeping men.

“Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of ‘the daughter of my people” (Jeremiah 9.:1)!

“I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people” (Isaiah 22:4).

This excludes the frivolous approach you see at times in the pulpit. The showmanship that has developed in recent years.

Don’t misunderstand me in regards to your guitar playing. I enjoy listening to you play. But don’t lean on talent. If you’re going to be effective, learn the way to an altar of prayer, and don’t be in a hurry about it. God can be absorbed.

If there’s anybody that needs a reserve of anointing its a preacher. Because you’re on call twenty-four hours a day, and you don’t know what minute you’re going to need anointing to solve a problem, pray the prayer of faith, cast out a devil, or counteract a spirit.

If I walk with God like I ought to, my very presence is going to bring God wherever I’m at. If you ever read the book of Charles Finney, you’ll note that he went into a factory, and never opened his mouth. People knew who he was, and they were mocking and laughing at him. He walked through just looking the factory over, and everywhere he went, people were weeping, crying and repenting. Before he finished surveying the factory, the manager shut the thing down. He said “We can’t do anything, they’re all crying, so let’s just have church!” Finney hadn’t said a word to them! He had been alone with God until he had absorbed enough of the anointing. Did not Moses absorb God until his face shone? These little rushed up jobs of “Good night Jesus.” Plug in and feel a little bit, and run on, because you’re so busy. That’s not going to produce it.

Gentlemen, the saints that you preach to, and not only saints, sinners can tell when you’re anointed and when you’re not. You can’t deceive them! You may shout and get all fired up, and I believe in excitement.
I get excited now and then. But, let it be holy excitement! Let it be from a prayer room! Let it be the product of absorbing God!

The little woman stayed at His feet long enough to cry enough tears to wash both of His feet, that’s what He enjoyed. He wasn’t particularly enjoying the philosophy of Simon. Simon wanted to go into some of the
great details no doubt. He had Jesus visiting with him, and Jesus wasn’t paying him any attention.

There was a little woman who had slipped in, and fell at His feet. She stayed long enough to cry enough tears to wash both of His feet. Do you believe it’s important? Did He not tell Martha,

“Thou art careful and troubled about many things…Mary hath chosen that good part” (Luke 1O:41-42).

Where was Mary? Sitting at the feet of Jesus.

There will be times when you will be so busy, and the danger is you’ll be doing it for God. You will be carrying out the duties of a preacher. So preoccupied that you will justify yourself not to pray, “I’m doing this for the Lord.” You’re running out of strength. You’ll run out of power, and what you do will not be successful.

I’m convinced if I will stop, and take time to get alone with God, and absorb His presence, I can do more in an hour’s time, after I’ve absorbed Him, than if I’d have slaved all day long within my own human  ingenuity. It will just take experience for you to know how valuable that is.

God used men that could weep.

“Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar” (Joel 2:17).

It didn’t say let the priest learn how to preach great sermons! Who’s here to contradict that? I believe a man ought to get in that pulpit, and have something to say. But, every now and then. the preacher needs
to leave that pulpit, and get between there and the altar, or his preaching is going to be void, vacant, and powerless. Have you ever wondered why you heard great sermons, and nobody came to the altar? If
I had my choice tonight between preaching a great sermon, and having a prayer answered, then I’d take the prayer. I do enjoy preaching. The men that have had me would say, “Amen.” My father-in-law would say,
“Amen” to that. No doubt I preach too long, because of just plain personal enjoyment. When I can get anointed, I love it. But if I had my choice, and God would say, “Son, I give you a choice of picking out and never missing. I mean I’ll give you marvelous sermons every time you get up there, and you’ll never ‘drop your watermelon,’ as the old saying goes, or finding a place of intercession. I’ll give you the choice.”

I’d say, “Give me that spot over there; I like that talking to You about souls.” Oh I love it! It’s the sweetest moments that ever passed over my soul. When I can weep between the porch and the altar.

Correct me again if you’d like, but when I have mixed my spirit with the Spirit of God, when I have blended my compassion with His, I feel that I actually take a part of me, and inject it into the souls of those that I am praying for. I become a part of the people whom I have influenced and prayed through. If I have blended my soul with that Spirit of God, that has a way of getting into them.

You say, “What importance is that?” You’ll just have to pastor a church to know. If you’re pastoring a church you do not feel a part of, or they don’t feel a part of you, you have a problem. But when you have
so thoroughly blended your spirit with the Spirit of God, until God just takes you and his Spirit, and mixes it out there among those people, you can lead them better.

It’s almost like the difference between a child that is the product of your own loins, and one that you took in. You don’t even know them, they’re just strangers. Sometimes, that child never feels a part of you. How could he? He doesn’t know you. But that one you produced yourself, is going to bear some of your own spirits and attitudes.

I contend that it’s valuable for a preacher to be used, melted and poured out where he actually blends into his congregation.

“Blessed are ye that weep now” (Luke 6:21).

“Weep with them that weep” (Romans 12:15).

People are not dumb. They’re not half as dumb as you might think. If you have not prayed, been concerned, and you’ve become a mechanical preacher, or you’ve become an hireling, the people will be able to tell. Sinners can tell it. But, if I have enough care for them, that I weep with them that weep, I’m touched with their needs. I am an example of he who came here, and died for us. I’ve received a Spirit from him. How many times have you ever read it in God’s Bible where Jesus was moved with compassion? I must be like Him! I’ve got to be like Him!

There are some people that can cry at the drop of a hat, and not even mean it. I’m talking about genuine compassion, that can be felt and discerned. Children can tell when you’re compassionate with them.

I’ve seen preachers that seemed like they were so encumbered with their office and position that they were afraid to be on a human level. I don’t mean to ever get to the place where saints call you “Verb.” But,
you can become so preoccupied that you never put yourself on a human level.

I thank God for the feeling I have for children. You’d be surprised at the people that don’t have time for the suffering and sick. Praying for the sick is just one of the drudgeries of the ministry, as far as they are concerned.

It can’t be Brethren, it just can’t be! You need enough compassion, down to earth human love and care for the human family that you’d have time. Look at the Master sitting there, a busy, busy man. Brother, He
had a lot to do! I don’t believe He wasted a moment while He was here, but there He sat with children on His knees.

“I’m a preacher! If you’re going to reach me, you’ll reach me through fourteen secretaries!”

I take folks to the office, but sometimes it’s just good to stand there behind the pews and talk to them. Rather than having folks feel they’re almost walking into the President’s office. They should honor you, and don’t ever let them dishonor you, but you need to get on a level so that you can feel their hurt, pain and needs.

(Shoemake) I don’t allow them to play music in my church after service. I counsel with a lot of my people right out in the audience. No one plays the organ, piano or any music. When the altar call is over, we
shut down all the music so we can go around in the church.

(Bean) Jesus Christ didn’t set up an office, and say, “All you folks that want Me now, see Judas, then come through Peter and by the time you’ve come through Matthew, you may get to Me.” I found Him treading
along a dusty path to the old pool of Salaam. He walked into the garden with men, human beings.

You must be a human-lover to be a preacher, and if you’re not, you’d better pray until God gives it to you, because they’ll get on your nerves. You’ll hear so many of the problems, you’d almost wish you’d never seen one. You almost wish you weren’t human yourself If you’ve had a good bath of love for humanity, you can be patient with them. Sometimes you feel like saying “Get out of here, I don’t want to bother with you anymore!” You’ll notice one thing, the Master did pull the disciples aside for a period of rest, but you won’t ever find Him saying, “Get away, leave me alone, I’m not to be touched now!” The majority of the time they found Him feeding and healing the people, because He loved them.

He’s our example Brethren, Weep with them that weep. That’s a lesson you’ll have to learn if you’re to be successful.

“The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping” (Psalm 6:8).

“For I have … mingled my drink with weeping” (Psalm 102:9).

When the problems of your church, the deficiencies of your saints, their awkwardness, or their failings become a common joke, you have lost the touch. Not that comical things won’t happen, they will. But
when it’s a common joke to you, I’m saying you’ve lost the touch. Human beings, and their weaknesses should be your concern, if you’re going to be a successful preacher.

“They shall come with weeping and with supplications will I lead them” (Jeremiah 31:9).

“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12).

“Now tell you even weeping” (Philippians 3:18).

“When I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4).

Read these scriptures a little more carefully, and read the surrounding stories, as to what caused them to weep. The great example, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

“I cried with my whole heart” (Psalm 119:145).

Oh, what could happen tonight, Brother Lee, if the men sitting in this room, would suddenly see a need of a soul, or a revival, and start crying with their whole heart? With the confidence and the boldness that Moses had on that mountain. With the persistence of a Jacob, that said, “I will not let you go until you bless me. ” With a compassion for the people like Moses when he said, “If you take them, blot my name out.” What in the world could happen? Could you imagine what kind of revival it would produce?

In Topeka, Kansas, when the outpouring of the Holy Ghost came in the early 1900’s. A small group of young men like yourselves began to weep, cry and pray. Heaven opened and poured out the latter day
outpouring of the Holy Ghost.

Who says it couldn’t happen again? Who says that this group night here, if you and I would say, “I’m not just to this school to be away from home, but I want to touch God. I want to move God in behalf of needs. I want revival! I’d like to see some things, myself. I’m tired of hearing what Daddy told me he saw! Of Grandpa telling me he saw a certain thing one time. I’d like to have a revival myself!”

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

David had something in mind. He knew what God had done for his forefathers. He was saying, “That doesn’t do me any good. I had fainted unless I could see the glory of God in the land of the living.”

Brethren, you’re going to have to see it for yourself, or we will become a generation of mechanical believers, if there is such a creature. Just habitual Pentecostals. Somebody told me it can work, but I’ve never seen it. I must see it for myself or faint.

I feel like for each one of our ministries, we need to every once in a while see some glory of God in the land of the living, or your ministry will finally die! You must have it. We can have it! It’s so simple to have it.

I’m contending that the promises from Genesis to Revelation in this Bible were made to encourage you to ask God for what He wanted to give you in the beginning! Isn’t that something? He wanted to give it to
us so badly, until He says, I’m going to put a promise in here, and it says, “Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16).

But that may not reach some hearts so I’m going to put another promise in the Bible in case that one didn’t reach him.

“If two of you agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them …” (Matthew 18:19).

Some that may not grab that one, so I want them to have it so bad, I’ll give them another promise, “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (I John 3:21-22).

This is how badly God wants to give some things! The variety of promises, and every one of them say exactly the same thing. God could have just wrote on one page, and said “Whatever you want, ask in my
name, and I’ll do it.” That ought to have been enough for anybody, but that’s hard for some people to believe! It’s so simple it’s hard to believe. That I can ask anything in His name, and get it. So He says,
“They may not accept that. Individuals can’t receive certain words like others, so I’ll write this one to fit another personality.”

The whole goal and purpose was so you could come and get the rich blessing that He longs for you to have.

“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, 0 Lord” (Psalm 130:1).

There could be two interpretations to that, no doubt. It could have been the problems he was in, but I’d rather think that he meant depths of prayer. Casual, general prayers do nothing to God. Forget it. You’re wasting your time. You’d be better off mowing the lawn or something else.

“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayer and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death” (Hebrews 5:7).

There’s something about that scripture that gets all over me. Strong crying’s. Who is this talking about? Jesus. In the days of His flesh, offered up strong cryings, and tears. Do you believe He was a sissy? Do believe He was emotionally unbalanced? No. He was consumed with compassion and love for the human heart.

Oh God, send it on this class, and let it eat you up, until nothing else seems good.

“Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness ” (Ezekiel 12:18).

Ezekiel was in such a state of concern that food didn’t mean that much to him. He possibly wandered if he should be eating today or fasting? You have asked for a task, Men, when you signed the little application
that you wanted to be a preacher! You asked for a task! You’re not your own, you’re sold out. Man, you couldn’t find any papers on you now. The Master’s got them all!

If you’ll stay that way and commit yourself to be trusted with the spirit of intercession. I have never gone to that point that I didn’t come out with victory. Not one time have I ever interceded that I didn’t come out with victory. This makes me wonder why in the world we don’t do it more. Every prayer can’t be intercessory prayer. But it ought to be more frequent than it is, because of the need of the hour. Jeremiah said if his head was just a river, he wanted to cry more than he had cried. Please keep in mind Hebrews 5:7. Mark it in your Bible and read it often.

Here I am praying, talking to God about certain needs, and all of a sudden, I begin to feel a more intense feeling. I am shifting into another gear. It’s not important that you know that you call this supplication. It’s the fact it gives you faith to know what’s happening, and before it’s over, you have groanings that cannot be
uttered.

There’s been an idea given among us, that a man that weeps is weak or a sissy. He should always contain his emotions. I’ve seen many times when I’d walk to the pulpit under such a burden, that all I could do
was weep. The altar would fill up, and I hadn’t said anything. God will use you and your emotions to bring others to that place. We need to provoke one another to love and to do good works, and how can I with
cold indifference? I can’t say, “Look, you worship, you cry, you pray,” and I mechanically stand there and never turn myself loose.

I found out instead of driving them into worship and weeping, if you’ll get it on yourself, they’ll follow you in a moment. Very few times have I ever been used of God, to break down and cry, that the whole bunch didn’t start crying.

After you have done that, did you know the majority of the time you can almost preach anything you want to and they’ll take it? You could hardly make it too hard. Some of the hardest messages I’ve ever preached have been blended with weeping. There was no objection, because they knew I wasn’t trying to take advantage of it. They knew I meant it. I was interested in their souls.

Don’t ever get the idea that just being mean, and hard is the way. There are times you’ll have to rebuke. There are times you’ll almost become something you’re not to keep a church clean. But, on the other hand, I say it should be done,

“With all long suffering and doctrine” (II Timothy 4:2).

This Bible declares that there are places where Satan’s got a seat. There are churches where he actually has a seat. There are individual lives, that he’s taken captive at his will. Who is going to recover them? They’ve fallen into the snare of the enemy, and who is going to get them out of it? They have no strength to recover themselves. They are bound, tied, chained, but you become the defense attorney for them. You become what Jesus Christ was if you want to know the truth. It’s got to be in your mind. Jesus Christ stood up one day, and read out of the book of Isaiah the prophecy concerning Himself.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

He read this, then said, “This day has this been fulfilled in your hearing, and he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down (Luke 4:20).

1 don’t think there’s any further explanation needed. The anointing was on Him to do what? To preach deliverance to the captive. I’m not underestimating its value and importance. He has chosen that by
preaching we be saved.

But delivering the captive doesn’t always mean getting a sermon. To deliver a captive you need to get down where he’s a captive. There are forces that have him, and the only way the yoke is broken is because of the anointing.

There are sometimes you’ve got to say, “Look devil, there’s a soul out there you have tied up, and I’ve come after him. I’m going to deliver him from your captivity. I’m going to fight my way through darkness,
unconcern, all sorts of havoc and bondage, and I’m going to weave my way through by faith, supplication and intercession until the bands are broken!”

You’ll never accomplish anything unless you learn to war with spirits through intercession. I went to a place one time, and if I’ve ever seen a place tied by the devil, the preacher was tied, his wife was bound by the spirit. The church was about to completely disintegrate. There were all sorts of spirits in that place.

The first night the Lord showed me adultery, and lying. It had become a habitation of devils, and they were still having church. When I started revival, for the first three days there were so many spirits, I couldn’t even get anointed. They seemed to overshadow what fire was burning.

If you don’t think that’s possible, the further we go in this age the more you’re going to face that. You’re going to face darkness until you’ll wonder if you’ve even got the Holy Ghost, much less called to preach! Unless you learn these tactics of prayer and intercession you’re going to be lost.

About the third day, I went into prayer. I was deeply concerned because I had not been able to move anything, for the darkness was so great. The seat of Satan was there. All of a sudden in my prayer it was almost identical to coming up against a man. I brushed up against a power, and that spirit began to wrestle with me. Criticize me if you want, but I wrestled on the floor with that spirit and I began to talk in tongues in a rebuking tone. You would have thought I’d gone mad. I was talking in tongues furiously, with a rebuke.

For three hours I wrestled with that spirit. It had set up headquarters in that place, and had everything from the pulpit on back, totally bound. This talking in tongues was not a blessing. It was God’s spirit bearing my infirmities, and praying for me. There’s no telling what I told the devil. There’s no telling what kind of rebuke he was getting from God through me. I couldn’t understand it, but I knew it was a rebuke, and I knew I wasn’t mad at anybody. I had no reason to be doing it, except I had met the champion of that place, and it was time to see who was going to win.

After about three hours I felt a lifting of the seat of Satan, and it wasn’t long until the church was freed from that bondage!

This is why I’m telling you, Brethren, that if you’re going to be sold out to God, you can’t say, “Well, I prayed my hour.”

Sometimes you can touch God in fifteen minutes. Three hours later you could still be talking to Him, and hadn’t got what you need. Let’s not simply time ourselves. Let’s get results.

Somebody had to meet that spirit head on, and dethrone it in that place. Generally, saints are not built to see that. God didn’t plan for them to see all that, but He planned for you to, and to be the intercessor for it.

(Student) Have you ever been to the place where, no matter how much faith, you had it seemed you couldn’t reach God” (Bean) Definitely! That’s why I’m teaching you the channels of approach. It doesn’t seem like he’s here, but you’re praying. Is there an example of anybody in the Bible that had that problem?

“Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days” (Daniel 10:12-13).

He heard you the first time. He’s hearing you. He’s definitely hearing you, that is, if there’s no sin., If a man has searched his heart, and found no sin. I don’t care what feelings he has, faith doesn’t demand feelings. I believe He’s hearing me.This is exactly what was happening in this particular city. The king of that city, which I believe is a spirit, withstood our revival for three days, until he was dethroned. You know how he was dethroned? Through intercessory prayer. There is no other way to do it.

I repeat that I’m not depreciating preaching. Sometimes, I believe you must preach. The devil will turn loose for good Holy Ghost preaching, but I don’t believe I could have preached enough sermons to move that spirit. I had to meet it in prayer.

There are times that I’ve interceded that I didn’t know what it was concerning. I’ll never forget one night in an old camp meeting up at the C.C. camp at Curlyville. We were in a prayer meeting that night. There was so much God until I was scared nearly to death to open my mouth. We went into intercession that lasted almost all night. I don’t know what it was about. A man was there seeking for the Holy Ghost. He prayed through, and later turned out to be a preacher. I’d like to think possibly it had to do with him, but I’m not sure.

The thing is, we have to commit some things to his trust against that day, and the rewards will be given. We’ll understand it all better bye and bye. I believe that’s what Paul meant when he said, “I will pray
with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also” (I Corinthians 14:15).

I’ll trust the Holy Ghost to know the need, and He bears my infirmities, and prays through them for me. (Student) A while ago you mentioned something about weeping. Have you ever wept behind the pulpit with no results? (Bean) Oh yeah! The same way you could preach with no results. God’s reaching for a heart somewhere, but it doesn’t always mean He’ll reach it that night.

Jeremiah wept, and did you realize Jeremiah never got one convert? A man that will yield himself to the tenderness of the Holy Ghost will see more in that altar. You could scare a lot of people into the altar, and the Holy Ghost uses fear. But I’d rather that soul come to the altar with that tender weeping and pleading of a preacher, than for them to come simply out of fear. It seems like love wins them and lends strength to hold them.

I believe we wash our souls by weeping. This list I’ve given you is proof that all of the men that God used were men who could break down and cry.

(Student) I feel that there’s a hairline difference between supplication, and intercession. Could you perhaps give us something that would completely set them apart?

(Bean) It’s not that important to separate them. I believe I can get more from God if I know what approach he’ll accept today. I believe every time I go to pray, there’s a particular approach that He will accept. Sometimes He won’t take anything but thanksgiving. I might as well hush about asking. I could get far more if I just go ahead and thank Him. Supplication is a little more intense than praying. Sometimes you go to pray, and it seems like God is nowhere to be found.

If you don’t understand that there is such a thing as just praying, you will doubt that your prayer is going through. Anything deeper than prayer is easier to believe, because you are feeling something. If God is provoking you with feeling, it gives faith that something will happen, or He wouldn’t have done me that way. Supplication is a step beyond praying, but it is a step short of than intercession. Intercession goes to the depth. When interceding, you’re giving God everything you’ve got. You feel like you’re emptying out your insides.

Here’s what I think is confusing us in some respects. To take this word by itself, you wouldn’t even have to be crying to intercede for somebody. You’re interceding, but I do believe there is a prayer of intercession, that Paul describes as groanings. It’s deeper. You’re interceding to God for a particular need, maybe for a friend, or just praying.

That’s what Abraham was doing. He wasn’t rolling around on the ground, he was standing there talking to God as friend to Friend, saying, “God, you mean you’d destroy a city if there was fifty righteous there?”
Bargaining with Him. It didn’t say he was sending out gushers of tears. But he was interceding. Just talking to God. Any type of praying can be interceding, but I also believe there is an intercessory prayer, that goes beyond just saying, “Oh Lord, Brother Davis needs help.”

In my experience, when I go into travail, which I contend is the prayer of intercession, it’s the deepest prayer. It takes more strength, emotions; it takes more of you than anything else. When I go there, first of all, I’m going to have more faith, because the Spirit is pressing me.

“Helpeth our infirmities” (Romans 8:26).

It’s carrying me to the throne. That’s going to build my faith. I don’t know of a time in all my praying, and interceding, when I went into this prayer that I did not get results, or that it was not an immediate need. I don’t want to leave the impression that you need not expect immediate results out of prayer, nor do I want to leave the impression that supplication is some far off answer.

There was a Gentleman that came to one of our revivals, and he had hearing aids in both ears. He could hardly hear even with the hearing aids. They went out on him during revival, and he came up one night
for prayer. I never felt God. Man, I mean that’s the least of God I ever felt, 1 guess. I laid hands on the old man, and prayed. The next morning he came with no hearing aids, listening to normal conversations! You could hardly answer quicker than that! And I never felt a thing. So I’m not trying to leave the impression that you cannot get quick results from any of these others, but intercession is a particular prayer for a particular time, for a particular thing, and generally demands an immediate answer, or He wouldn’t have pressed you that hard.

I told you about Sister Freeman’s case of the baby. It looked like it was dying, and these people were in widely separated places. She kneeled by her bed, exhausted, wrestling with those children for days on that boat. The baby had pneumonia, and she envisioned them unloading it overboard into that ocean. She was too tired to pray, so she said, “Oh God, lay me on somebody’s heart. Let somebody pray for me, and this baby.” While she was kneeling it seemed like a warm breeze started rolling into that ship cabin, and that baby began to breathe normal, and went into a normal sleep, and was well!

Sister Freeman received six contacts from widely separated areas, “Sister Freeman, what was the matter with you and the baby, on a certain night, or a certain day, at a particular time.” All stated the exact time and the exact day, and said the exact same thing. “We were compelled to pray.”

In all of my experiences, there is a compelling force, due to the urgency of a need. There’s generally an urgency attached to travail, or intercessory prayer. It doesn’t mean that prayer will not get immediate results. Man, you might get it like that! Pray believing that you will. The purpose of this teaching is to build your faith believing that you’re talking to God, though not crying one tear, not talking in tongues, and don’t feel a thing. If your heart’s clean, and you’re not justifying yourself being cold, and indifferent. “Oh God
hear the need.” Praying. I believe He hears that as quickly as He hears the other. But there’s a time that He carries you to prayer, because of the urgency. The general occasions I’ve gone to intercessory prayer, it was of a greater importance. It was a more difficult situation. If I just had to pray, and not feel anything, over this same thing He’s leading into travail over, it could be that I would not have as much faith as I need.

I can see why the Spirit would help my infirmities, and give me the power of prevailing prayer. Brother, when that gets a hold of me, there never crosses a doubt in my mind! I’m fixing to get me an answer! There’s an assurance with that type of praying, and I believe that’s the reason He does it, if He presents us with a problem without also assisting us with a heaviness of prayer. It could be that we would not prove to have enough faith at that moment. The situation may be bigger than we, when He gets a hold of you, and He starts tearing  your insides out. You know you can’t get loose from it, it’s not something you can control. It’s gushing out, it’s an uncontrollable thing, to try stop it would be painful. The Spirit is assisting me.

(Shomake) There’s a lot of things I think we do for ourselves. Prayer and supplication would go to ourselves. Intercession or to intercede is on behalf of somebody else. It’s for somebody other than ourself.
Supplication would bring it to ourself. You could bring supplication to yourself.

(Bean) The majority of the time when travail comes it’s for the other  individual. Supplication also can be intercession. It can be the act of interceding, because Daniel was saying,

“And presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God” (Daniel 9:21).

Intercessory prayer will take you much deeper than supplication; however, intercession can be supplication. Daniel was including both Israel and himself, and he used the term prayer and supplication. Paul said,

“The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26).

What is the Spirit doing with you? The Spirit knows the urgency, the demand, the need. You’re led into supplication. I don’t want to stop with a dry prayer. If the Spirit wants me to go to the depth of prayer, I’d better go on, because the Spirit knows the urgency of it.

Please don’t confuse your minds by supposing you can pray a simple prayer, and it not be with deep concern. I believe that in the driest prayers of my existence I can be sincere, and be desperate for the
answer, but not always does the Spirit help me to be in the spirit of supplication or intercession.

This is where you will be tested in your consistent faithfulness to prayer, when you’re praying through dry places. If I knew I could get at least a touch of intercession about anytime, or feel that, man there’s no problem there. The Spirit’s shoving me on. But sometimes I have to walk into that prayer room, and the flesh didn’t even want to come. It had so many other things it wanted to do.

I’ve heard people say, that if you’re not touching God you’re not doing any good, you might as well get up. I believe I am a doing good. I may not be feeling much, but I believe I’m doing good. If I’m not doing any more than teaching Verbal Bean a little self-denial to stay there before him, and it takes persistence to pray when there’s no desire to pray. It takes determination, and it takes a big hunk of aith. Praise the Lord! Oh, I like this!

I’m asking you to write out at least a simple Bible lesson on prayer, as though you were fixing to teach next Sunday night, in your own words, with your own scriptures. If you’re going to be effective, either pastoring, evangelizing, or whatever, I believe you need to be able to dig out some good messages on prayer. If you can’t do that, you’re going to have a difficult time having revival.

No revival pattern is the same. I never have started revival the same in one place as I did another, but one of the first things you start with in revival is preparing hearts to pray. If you can’t communicate the need for prayer, you’re fixing to lose valuable, valuable results.

There are times that I have gone to prayer, and then the Holy Ghost hooks on to that praying, and I began praying in the Holy Ghost. There are times when I’ve yielded to intercessory prayer, and had to say
“God, please let up a little bit, I’m about to die! You’re about to kill me!” There’s such a burden, such a weight that the human body can only stand so much.

That’s intercessory prayer. It’s past simply praying, or even offering supplication to God. It’s where the Holy Ghost hooks on, and you get down to a real depth of prayer such as you are not capable of getting
into unless the Holy Ghost intercedes, and assists you in your praying.

There’s nothing more faith-building than praying in the Holy Ghost. Plus, you actually get acquainted with the anointing, by praying in the Holy Ghost. That may not register with you, but you get acquainted with the anointing by praying in the Holy Ghost.

(Student) Do you feel that the exercise of some of the gifts of the Spirit would cause an individual to more readily go into intercessory prayer?

(Bean) I feel before you can be used of gifts, you need to know the depth of prayer. Before God could even trust you, and as a result of Him opening those channels, and you become accustomed to those channels. Naturally, if a gift operates and reveals, you will have already been acquainted with this, or He wouldn’t trust you with a gift.

I don’t necessarily think that every time I get a revelation, or someone gets a gift of knowledge, that person, themselves, will always be the intercessor. I’ve seen the time when the gift of the word of knowledge was in operation, it would reveal something, and someone out there would pick it up with intercession. Maybe the man that gave it or the individual suddenly delivered their soul, and had been left high and dry. Somebody else picked it up, and began to intercede. This happens quite often in a service. I’ve seen saints instantly after the revelation of the will of God, would burst into intercession, travail.

Thanksgiving is almost like channel twenty-one on a CB, it’s hardly ever used. It is seemingly out of place when you go to pray. If they were singing I’ll Fly Away, fine. Or, if they had it pepped up real good, fine, but thanksgiving? In my personal prayer life? You’re missing many answers unless you understand that there are times when God will not take supplication, prayer, or intercession; the only thing He’ll receive is thanksgiving. There are times when you kneel before Him, that He’ll take nothing but thanksgiving. You’re wasting your time. I’ve gone to Him and puckered up, and squalled about something I needed, and it wouldn’t cry. All I could feel was “Thank you Jesus!” he channel He wanted me in was praise, and you see when I’ll obey, and fit into that, I don’t need to ask at that moment.

One missionary said she was desperately praying for a specific need and all of a sudden an empty basket dropped in front of her, and she said, “Lord, what does that mean?”

He said, “Fill it with praises, and I’ll answer that request.”

We could get so much more from God if we understood, and sometimes it’s hard, because it looks like it’s going to fall in, and you kneel down, and you think surely you ought to pucker up and cry. I’d get my face
all screwed up and it still wouldn’t work! Can’t I get a little supplication in here? No, it won’t work. You hit dead end streets, until all of a sudden you feel something begin to roll inside to say “Thank you Jesus! ” “Thank you Jesus! ”

My wife’s grandfather was preaching revival for Dad Kilgore. He was in the church praying one day, and Dad Kilgore came in, knelt down, and for one hour he did nothing but say, “Thank you Jesus. Thank you
Jesus! Jesus I love you! Thank you Jesus.” He didn’t ask for a thing.

“Man, that’s wasting time! I need to get in there and get some things asked so I can hurry and get out of here, and get all of this done.” I tell you the quickest way to get your answers is to come like He’s taking you. If He’s wanting thanksgiving, man you’d better just straighten your face up, and get you some words of praise, and He’ll answer your request.

Fill the basket with praise. “Brother Bean, you don’t know how serious this is!” It doesn’t make any difference. Do you know what I believe happens sometimes? I believe that’s where faith goes in gear. When
you can quit squalling, begging, asking and just go to thanking him. Faith went into gear right then. You just shoved her in grandma! hings are about to happen. Praise God! Oh I believe it! I believe God requires that sometimes of our faith to not ask for anything but rust that He will do it.

When I get to some other points, I don’t want you to think that I’m contradicting myself, because I’m getting to some points to where I stress that we need to specify and ask certain things.

What if God’s not taking? Who am I to judge, who am I to say, “I’m oing to do it my way Lord, and you’re going to hear me!” You can’t threaten God. You’ve got to take Him as He says. He reaches the golden scepter out there, and if you accept it on his terms, you’ll get far more results, and after all surely that is what you are looking for, is divine results!

God is very affectionate. He enjoys worship. You are nearest to the original purpose for God making man when you are praising Him. Not when you are listening to sermons, or preaching; God didn’t make man to
preach, or to hear sermons. He made man to have fellowship with Him, and for man to love Him by choice. You are nearest the original purpose of God making man when you are lost in the spirit of worship.

Not only should thanksgiving be in your private prayer life, but a preacher needs to have a spirit of worship if he is to be effective.

You are a leader of worship, and how can you force others to do that which you cannot do yourself It is even hypocritical to ask others to  do that which you would not do. That’s why I cannot understand how
people praying around an altar, can tell a seeker “turn loose, come on, obey God, worship the Lord,” and that very saint telling them that, hasn’t turned loose in months. It’s very hypocritical to ask others to
do things that you would not do yourself If you are to be a leader, and that’s what you are, you must also have the spirit of praise and worship. It should not be forced, or mechanical. You should love God enough that you’d want to do it. I contend that a lot of things could be received from God much quicker, if you would learn the channel of pproach of thanksgiving. Sometimes He won’t take anything else, so fall into it, and yield yourself, and see what happens. Great results.

I’ve seen some of the greatest healings in my own life when I ceased to pray, and began to praise Him. After all, Jesus said,

“Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17).

He healed ten lepers, but where were the other nine? Only one came back to give Him praise. God was very concerned that nine would not come, and that’s about the percentage you’ll find of thankfulness among
people towards God.

I have found when I go through dry places, and my mind is trying to scatter on me when I go to pray, the best way for me to get into the Spirit is to quit asking and start praising God. Often, I’ll Just start walking, loving and praising Him. Offering words of thanksgiving, and quoting scriptures that are in His honor.

A preacher needs to learn scriptures of praise. He needs to get in the book of Psalms and find scriptures to inspire others to worship. There’s a few scriptures that Paul mentioned, that have been a blessing n this church. I start quoting them when it’s dry.

“Giving thanks, unto the Father, which hath made its meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12- 3).

There’s a power in quotation of the word of God. Words like,

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God in him I will trust. Surely he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust” (Psalm 91:1-4).

Sometimes when Fin praying, I like to remind God of his greatness! He holds the wind in his fist, and the sea in the palm of his hand. He calls the stars by their names, and sets upon the breath of the earth, and has every hair on your head numbered.

When you go to touch God, one of the best approaches is to love him. To be affectionate toward Him. Some folks think it’s almost a weakness to show emotions to God. But, God made you with a tickle box. He made
you with tear ducts, and made them to respond to Him. He wants response out of them. He doesn’t want you to shut that door on His face. He wants us to rejoice, and weep.

“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep (Romans 12:15). “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

So in our approach to God, many times, the best way to touch Him is to just start thanking Him. Maybe you’ve tried asking for something, when everything’s dead and dry, and you can’t touch him. Forget it, and
start loving, and praising him. Where there’s worship there’s going to be a God, and where there’s God there’s going to be worship! He inhabits the praise of people. He comes to those that worship Him. So
if you’re going to be formal, cold, with no emotion toward God, you’re going to miss some of the greatest blessings of life.

“Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23).

1 don’t believe He disliked the rest of them, but He loved John. The reason He specifically mentioned His love for John, is because there was no time when they’d sit down, that John wasn’t over there leaning on His breast, and showing Him affection. God enjoys affection.

There are some things you will not get except through thanksgiving. I haven’t seen anyone receive the Holy Ghost without praising the Lord! You may have, but I haven’t seen one, and I do not boast when I say this, but I’ve prayed hundreds, even thousands through to the Holy Ghost. I’ve never seen one yet get it without praising the Lord!

There are great victories in praise. Look in your Old Testament and see the examples. The armies of Israel went out one day with no swords, no spears, no artillery. What went ahead of them? God instructed the choir and the orchestra to lead that battle that day. Can you imagine going to battle with a man blowing a flute and one beating a drum? Here they go singing, playing instruments and going to meet the enemy! The enemy was scattered, and defeated totally that day! Which tells us, and you need to teach your saints, if they’ll worship they’ll win victories! There are victories through worship, praise and thanksgiving that you’ll get no other way!

I believe you’ll get a deadlock in your church, in your personal experience and in your prayer life, if you never break over into genuine worship.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

1 believe it! I want to emphasize that these are direct, distinct channels that God will choose to call you to approach Him through, but, it is possible in one prayer time you could have touched everyone of them. When you get down to pray you may be in prayer for awhile, then you may go into supplication, and before it’s over you may be in intercession. After you have interceded, you will reach its peak and will feel the deliverance. There’s nothing that will give more faith than intercession. If you’ll carry through with it. Usually after intercession there’s a time of thanksgiving. So it’s possible that in one prayer time you could have gone through all four channels.

This is the reason I feel like to break these down into distinct channels is to build your faith. You will search for supplication, intercession or for thanksgiving. If it does not come, you make the second step to successful praying. You search your heart, and there isn’t anything wrong, you did not get anything deeper than a communion with God. Then, it helps my faith to know there is a level of prayer where even though I didn’t feel anything, I know He hears me. The reason for explaining these channels is to give you more faith in praying and to understand what’s happening.

When you get into the spirit of praying, you’re not going to say, “Okay, I’m doing number one, supplication,” or “now I’m in number three,” because that’s not the point of bringing this out. I believe
if you will keep this in the back of your mind, your faith will build up as you walk into the channels.

Search for intercession. There are people that have prayed for all their Christian experience, and have never reached intercession. They don’t know it’s available; so they never go for it.

When thanksgiving comes, it can be confusing, and so easily overlooked, but I found out the more you love him, the more he’ll do for you. If you’ll praise your God with a sincere heart sometimes you don’t even
have to ask him anymore. Some of the greatest results I’ve ever had, were when I quit asking, and started thanking Him in advance for it. In the channels of approach we listed supplication, prayer, intercession, and thanksgiving.

Prayer is talking to God as you would to your friend, with a confident boldness. Yet not necessarily with a shock that would knock you down, but faith, believing that he’s hearing.

Supplication is more intense than prayer, but it does not mean that because it’s more intense, it’s more effective than prayer. It is moving more of your emotions, and it’s generally a faith-building thing for God to do you that way.

Intercession is a particular prayer, for a particular thing, at a particular time. It is the deepest, most intense prayer that you can pray, and it generally yields an immediate answer.

We are not taking the interpretation or meaning of the word, “intercede,” and applying it wholly to this one channel of approach. That’s not what we’re doing, because prayer itself is interceding.

I could be dryly praying for a man’s healing, and would be interceding, but there’s a deeper prayer than that, and the best term we can fit it with, and Paul evidently knew that, is intercession. Intercession is
more than saying, “God save somebody, or do something for somebody.” This is the groanings that cannot be uttered. It’s a synonymous term to travail.

Supplication can be for yourself, and that’s why I never did think of it in terms as Brother Shomake, as strictly the interceding for others. I can’t remember interceding for myself, but I don’t know any reason
why you couldn’t travail for your own needs.

The levels and descriptions of prayer are similar to the levels and descriptions of the operation of the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit being different in operation, but the self-same Spirit, so he is using these terms to distinguish prayer into levels. It could be prayer, supplication, or intercession, but all of it would be for someone else.

Again, when we talk about praying for our own needs, the same channels or degrees of prayer could be applied. We could kneel down, and say “Oh God, I wish You would help me today with this problem I’ve got,” or it could be groanings that couldn’t be uttered, but it’s still for your need.

Thanksgiving is an important phase of your prayer life. I believe there are times when God won’t take anything but thanksgiving. I’ve gone to Him and puckered up to ask him, and cry a little bit, and it
wouldn’t come. It seemed like it was all hitting a brass wall, then all of a sudden it dawned on me! I began to feel a spirit to thank Him. Not only for what He was going to do, but what He had already done.

This attitude moves God to answer prayers maybe you’ve been praying for months. If you’d just stop, and start thanking Him. Search for the channels, and make the first few steps by yourself to find it. Put
your feet in the water before Jordan opens, not only in prayer, but in anything that you do. Not only in prayer, but in finding the will of God for a sermon, and every service. That doesn’t mean that the first
part of the service will be like the last part. It may change five times during a service, but you and I need to be as the children of Israel.

“Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night” (Acts 26:7).

THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS TAKEN FROM PRAYER BY VERBAL BEAN, S.G. CARRIER EDITION, 1993, PAGES 15-59. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.