Welcome to the VisionCast for the Prophetic:

From Prayer to His Presence

by James W. Goll
Vision Cast January 2007
1-877-200-1604 | www.jamesgoll.com

I. THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC

A. Quote From Billy Graham

“Billy Graham asked the question, "What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity?” Some say that AIDS, abortion, war, poverty, sin, atheists, or liberal politicians are. Billy Graham said, “No! The greatest hindrance to Christianity today is Christians who do not know how to practice the presence of God.”

B. Quote From A. W. Tozer

“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the Church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament Church, 95 percent of what they did would stop and everybody would know the difference.”

C. Key Scripture - Exodus 33:15-16

Then he said to Him, If Thy presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?

II. FIRE ON THE ALTAR

A. Five Progressive Stations in Moses Tabernacle

1. The altar of sacrifice - the blood of Jesus.
2. The laver - cleansing and sanctification.
3. The lamp stand - power and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
4. The table of shewbread - fellowship of the Body.
5. The altar of incense - ministry of prayer.

B. A Portion of Moravian Church History

1. Lev. 6:9-13 - Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out. (v. 13)

2. In the 1700’s, unceasing prayer proceeded forth before the throne for 100 years from the Moravians under the inspiration of this verse.

C. Contemporary History

1. Czech Republic - In 1993, James W. led a group of intercessors to Czech and to Herrnhut. While ministering in Prague, the Holy Spirit said, “Have you ever considered the multi-directional dimension of prayer? Remember, what goes up must come down.”

2. Praying through the 10/40 window on October, 1993, 20 million believers across the face of the earth were united. This was historic. In October of 1995, over 30 million participated in the scheduled campaign “Pray Through the 10/40 Window II”. In 1997 the third such event took place with millions of believers praying for the unreached people groups of the earth. Every two years in the month of October this prayer thrust continues, where millions of people world wide pray for the gospel to go in to those nations.

3. Prophetically, the Church collectively stands at the altar of incense in this hour. This movement continues to grow and progress vastly!

III. THE INCENSE OF PRAYER

A. Primary Scripture

Ex. 30:34-38 - Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. And with it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. And you shall beat some if it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I shall meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. And the incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”

B. The Four Qualities of Incense

1. Stacte - This means to ooze forth as drops. It is used to describe the “Word of God.” We store up the Word and it bubbles forth into prophecy. Stacte came from a tree that was a day’s journey by walking into Syria. It costs us something to get and store up the Word of God in our lives, also.

2. Onycha - This came from the shell of a mussel or mollusk in the Mediterranean Sea. Again, there was a distance to walk to obtain it. It had to be ground into a fine powder and then burned by fire. This gave the incense its sweet odor. Our lives are to be broken before Him (Ps. 51:17). This is the offering that is well-pleasing to Him. Prayer is made up of an equal portion of the Word and brokenness in our lives.

3. Galbanum - This means “richness” or “fatness.” It is the substance that holds the other ingredients together. We must be “broken,” and yet we must believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. “He has freely given us all things in Christ Jesus!” This fatness is exhibited through the ministry of grace from the Lord to us. But it is exhibited by a life of faith and praise from us to Him.

4. Frankincense - This fourth element comes from the Hebrew word lavona. It means to be white. Prayer has an equal proportion of believing in His gift of righteousness to us. We stand white, pure, and clean before Him. Not because of what we have done or will ever do, but because of what He (Jesus) has already accomplished.

C. The Requirements

1. The ingredients must be gathered from long distances. It costs us something and takes time to develop a true prayer life.

2. It is to be an equal balance of all four ingredients. Some camp around the Word, others emphasize brokenness, still others declare the “fatness” message, while others stress holiness and purity. We are, however, to have a balance of all four.

3. The ingredients had to be made fresh every day. It could not be made ahead of time. We must walk in prayer on a daily basis.

4. Fire has to be added to it. This is our fervency and zeal. Is He worthy of anything less?

D. What is Prayer?

Prayer is not a methodology. It is more than “Seven Effective Steps.” Prayer is more than four qualities equally mixed together. It is communion with God; having a relationship with your Father. Prayer, the power of incense, is life!

IV. THE NEXT STEP

A. From Incense to His Presence

1. As the priest ministered at the altar of incense, he would take a fire pan filled with fire on the altar and add two handfuls of incense to it (Lev. 16:11-13).

2. He would now cross over the threshold into the Most Holy Place. Here rested the Ark of the Covenant with Aaron’s rod that budded, a pot of manna from the wilderness wanderings, and the Ten Commandments contained within it. Two covering cherubs faced one another on the lid of the Ark.

3. As the priest carried the firepan into the Most Holy Place, a smoke preceded forth and formed a cloud of glory. Between the cherubs was the seat of mercy. This is the place where God would meet with His people (Ex. 25:10-22).

B. A Strategic Word in Toronto

One time when in Toronto, Canada the Holy Spirit spoke to me. “I will teach you to release the highest weapon of spiritual warfare.” I wondered what would follow. Then He said, “I will teach you to release the brilliance of My Great Presence!”

 

C. Maintain Your Office - A Dream

I was given a dream where people from Minneapolis, Minnesota were coming to our house to pray with my wife and I. The numbers were growing and we moved to our basement to pray. Then I felt the need to be alone to seek my Master. I had to push away from everyone to get to my office to be alone.

While in my typical prayer posture in my office, my wife was on the other side of the wall re-wiring the house. She was taking out the 110 voltage wires and putting in 220 voltage wiring.

The main interpretation of this dream was that there is a fight to maintain our office before Him. We will bear much fruit as we maintain our office. (Just as New York City is sometimes called the "Big Apple," Minneapolis could be called the "Mini Little Apple." Therefore, Minneapolis symbolized apples, or fruit, in this dream. As we maintain our office and bear fruit, He will rewire our house and perform Galatians 2:20 (the crucified life) in us. The key to it all is maintaining the unique place we each have been granted before Him. By doing this, we will go from prayer to His presence. We will then stand steady in the world and be carriers of the brilliance of His Great Presence.

Let's Move from Prayer to His Great Presence!

James W. Goll

From the Desk of James W. Goll

Come spend quality time in His Glorious Presence by joining us in Nashville, TN this January 18 – 20, 2007 for our annual Secret Place Gathering. Our theme this year is Addicted to His Presence. You may register at the door and the evening meetings are open to the public with love offerings received.

Special speakers include Bishop Joseph Garlington, prominent African American minister from the Covenant Church of Pittsburgh, Tommy Tenney, author and screen play writer of One Night with the King, and Lou Engle prophet and prayer leader of The Call. Worship will be led by Lindell Cooley, Chris DuPré, Rob Still, Julie True and the Kimberly and Alberto Rivera. These will all be joining Michal Ann and I at this yearly event. A special luncheon will also be held on Saturday, January 20 with Lou Engle to cast the Vision for The Call Nashville on 7/7/07 Come and join us!

We are happy to announce that we will begin pod casting a free audio message each week beginning in February from our web site. This is an exciting step for us in our first step of launching our EN Media Center. Keep watching with us for more details as we step forward into this exciting new venture!

If you appreciated this Vision Cast – then you will love the book The Lost Art of Intercession. This prophetic teaching outline comes from our Watchmen on the Walls Study Guide and from a chapter of this book. We also have a great inspirational audio read by james W. Goll of The Lost Art of Intercession a 2CD set. These are great tools to help you grow in the Lord!

Thanks once again for standing with us. Hope to see you at our secret Place Gathering! Have a Great New Year!

Blessings My Dear Friends!

Dr. James W. Goll

If the ministry of James and Michal Ann Goll and Team has blessed you, please consider giving a financial contribution so that we may continue to serve you and others. Checks can be made out to Encounters Network and sent to our office address or contributions may be made on line as well. Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law and a receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Thanks for your consideration.

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