Praying Together vs Fervent and The War Room

Author Amiee Byrd, who is a contributor on Mortification of Spin, has written a follow-up to her stellar review of Fervent authored by Priscilla Shirer.  The book was inspired by the popular movie The War Room in which Shirer had a starring role.  In it, she offered advise on how Christians should pray.  Byrd brought to light Mrs. Shirer’s “disturbing theology.”  (See links below) Therefore, no one should listen to her advice on prayer.

In this piece Aimee Byrd offers a book recommendation on prayer that contains sound, biblical theology:

Prayer - together

Remember The War Room? In my own circles, I heard from more than a handful of people who walked away from that movie saying they were inspired to pray more. One of my concerns was with what kind of theology on prayer and the God whom they were praying they also walked away with. I was especially concerned about that after reading and reviewing the lead actress’s bestselling book based on the movie. Priscilla Shirer’s Fervent was more about women’s struggles and Satan’s strategies than it was about God and prayer. I concluded my review pointing out that Shirer opens the book saying that praying with precision is key, and I wished that there was more precision in her teaching on prayer itself, her biblical exposition, and her theology on sin, God’s revelation, and spiritual warfare.

So I wonder, how has the prayer life of those who watched The War Room or read Shirer’s Fervent changed a week, or a month, after being inspired? Has their prayer life improved in a sustainable way?

I’m going to put my neck out there and guess, no, no it hasn’t. But whenever someone recommends a book that has disturbing theology in it, I like to be able to reply with a recommendation of my own. So I am happy to offer Megan Hill’s new book, Praying Together to anyone who was intrigued by The War Room or Fervent. In fact, it’s a great little book that stays true to its subtitle: The Priority of Prayer in our Homes, Communities, and Churches.

Hill’s book does something Shirer’s does not—it focuses on the God we are praying to and a correct theology on prayer.  I also love that she explains what is happening when we pray. While Shirer focuses on Satan’s strategies, Hill teaches us that since we are relating to a Trinitarian God, “in prayer we approach a loving, listening Father, and we are helped by the intercession of the Son and the groaning of the Spirit.” She quotes her own father as explaining, “’When we pray, God talks to God.”(23). You see, Hill teaches us that God’s being, attributes, and work on our behalf has everything to do with our prayer life. And then she goes to God’s Word to teach us about the act of prayer and the fruits of praying together.  Continue reading

Related:

See our White Paper on Contemplative Prayer and Angels, Demons & Spiritual Warfare   

 

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10 Responses to Praying Together vs Fervent and The War Room

  1. Faith May 31, 2016 at 1:35 pm #

    I noticed that while circulating various churches, that movie was all the rage (the war room). Without knowing anything about the movie, I knew something was wrong already just by the fact that Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer were in it. Both are contemplative endorsers, so a big red flag there. I did not see the movie (I never go to these) but I read a lot of reviews. I got a feeling for it that way, but noticed some things that the commentators did not even notice. There is probably more, but that was enough. Firstly, to get advice about prayer all we need to do is pick up the Bible and it contains all we need to know. Second, Jesus told us “When you pray…” followed by instructions. What more do we need? Third, regarding spiritual warfare, see Ephesians 6. You also must rid yourself of any items of occult significance (see sin of Achan, google for the chapter). Renounce any influences you think may have been there, repent of any sin, and pray on the basis of Jesus’ shed blood, in Jesus’ name. Fourth, there are elements in that movie that resemble the occult. I did some research on this and in witchcraft one method they use is to create a ‘sacred space’ and that is the ‘war room.’ The difference between going ‘into our closets’ as Jesus said, and this, is the object of our faith.
    Some critical distinctions include:
    1. Who is the object of your faith? Is it in God, or some object, arrangement, or in the ‘space’ itself? Does the person believe the space holds any ‘magical powers’ of itself? If your faith is in the arrangements and spaces, that is witchcraft and voodoo.
    2. Is your faith “in your faith”, or in God? Word of faith heresy puts one’s faith ‘in their faith itself’ rather than in God. It is not a formula, it is not magic, it is not based on your own strength.
    3. Who is sovereign, you or God? Some people lose sight of the fact that God is sovereign and they think that if they follow the right formula, they can obtain what they want as a heavenly pinball machine from a genie in the sky, if they recite it all just right. Who is subject to who here? You are subject to God, not vice versa. That is another trap of the occult, trying to manipulate the world to their own ends for their own means, like a puppet master. Instead of God on the throne they put themselves on it. (They can’t, but in their own minds).
    4. Do you pray for God’s will to be done, or your own? It is natural to have requests, and we are told to bring requests to God, cast our cares upon Him, etc. But ultimately, He is sovereign and we need to acknowledge that. “May Your will be done” should be in the prayer. (Not ‘our’ will. God knows best.) That was Jesus’ prayer before He saved us, and that is our model to follow.
    5. Then, what is the nature of our prayer? Is it for the persecuted Christians around the world? The gospel to reach the ends of the earth? The orphans to be fed? Our unsaved loved ones to get saved? More opportunities to serve the Lord? Surrendering so He can take over in us and conform us to His image through sanctification? Or, “Lord, what is your will for my life? Is there anything you want me to do to serve you more/better/etc. such as go as a missionary/etc.?” Anything along those lines? Or…. something more like “can I please, oh pretty please… get a new jet? With whip cream and a cherry on top? Prettyyyyy pleeeeeease?!” Or some other selfish desire from a self centered motive? I get “Help, I need a job so I can survive!” But some of the requests I hear… oy. It is a good gauge of where we are spiritually to hear people’s prayer requests.

    Bottom line is; prayer is not a means to get what we want so as to achieve our own ends like a magical incantation to a genie in the clouds. It is to seek out what God would have us do by serving Him and achieve what He wants according to His will and for His glory. He is in the control room, He is Lord, not us.

    Amen!
    : D

  2. Jean Pillow May 31, 2016 at 2:00 pm #

    I just left my Tuesday morning Ladies Bible Study with a Priscilla Shirer book (Armor of God) after having seen the first video in that series of studies. I’m rather new to the church, but I’ve seen this War Room craze take a hold here very quickly. I’m very aware of who and what Ms. Shirer is all about and that is why I bought the book and I’m attending the videos. I’m praying that the Lord will quide me to Gods Holy Words for the answers I will need when the Holy Spirit urges me to speak out against all of that.

    I know I will have a huge group against me, but that ddn’t stop me when (on my first time to their Ladies Bible Study) I felt The Holy Spirit urging me to speak. I had to disagree with several ladies talking about how the current Pope is go godly and how God put him their to bring the Catholics and the Christians together. God really undertook in that situation in a marvelous way
    .
    In Priscilla’s Armor of God book on page 8, Ms. Shirer said, “Because we have a __________ with Jesus Christ, we are seated with him in heavenly places. Ms. Shirer mentions this several times in the first chapter video. I know there’s something wrong with that statement, but I don’t quite know it specifically.

    Am I wrong? We don’t go to Heaven. Not our soul, spirit, body or mind. Jesus is there at the right hand to His Father pleading our case. What is your “take” on this? Thank you for your help.

  3. Faith May 31, 2016 at 2:04 pm #

    Also,

    the exact words are:
    “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22; 42

    not MY will, but YOURS be done!
    ( :

  4. Faith May 31, 2016 at 2:36 pm #

    Dear Jean,

    Hi and blessings to you, looks like we are in the same ‘line of ministry’!

    When I read that one line, I was floored because this is “the plan” of the enemy:
    1. apostasy of church (aka revival)
    2. compromise with sin and world (aka ’emergent relevance to sin’)
    3. contemplative mysticism (aka eastern and pagan practices with Christian terms)
    4. ecumenism (unbiblical unity with apostate denominations, Catholics, false relgions such as Islam, modern judaism, yoga, etc….) leading to the one world religion under antichrist
    5. dominionism (falsely thinking man can usher in the kingdom of God) which will be a one world kingdom of ‘tolerance, peace, unity, brotherly love’ under antichrist
    (not to mention one world economy with mark of beast)
    6. pantheism… thinking that ‘God is in all’ including nature and humanity (lie of devil in Garden of Eden)
    7. All things will unite under antichrist, (p. f.) and biblical Christians will be reviled and persecuted, it has already begun
    8. rapture is pre wrath, so we will see rise of antichrist (2 Thess. 2), when one man takes the stage, that should remove all doubt as the antichrist will be the first real one world leader until overthrown by the Lord at His return. MANY will worship the beast.
    The church is being deceived into following antichrist. Christians can never unite with Catholics (or anyone) until that group comes into the biblical truth, we have no unity with anyone unless it is around the truth of the Bible.

    I know this is a lot and it probably sounds like it’s ‘over the top’ but remember this, because it is already in motion and well underway.

    About that statement, I googled and found nothing about the first part, but the second part is from the verse below and refers to our unity with Christ, who is at the right hand of the Father. It’s just about our connection.

    “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…” Ephesians 2; 6

    Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, maybe He is trying to show you something specific. They twist scripture to deceive. They lead astray slowly. When I have a feeling, it is for a reason too. Anyway, steer clear of this pope in particular, as you know. He has made the following statements:

    1. Biblical Christians are a cancer on the church that need to be removed (or ‘ideological’, google it and see for yourself)
    2. It is ‘dangerous’ to have a personal relationship with Jesus ‘apart from the catholic church’
    3. atheists go to heaven based on their ‘good’ deeds
    4. gays are okay with him too
    5. Jesus is like isis, and evangelism like jihad
    6. ‘all paths lead to God and all are his children’ and numerous interfaith remarks and actions
    The list goes on, and it’s long, just google ‘pope francis remarks’ and see for yourself. But these are all anathema and antithetical to biblical Christianity.

    Follow Jesus to the end!
    God bless you!
    ( :

  5. Manny1962 May 31, 2016 at 6:39 pm #

    Well said Faith, isn’t it like man to take the simplicity of the Gospels and twist it to make more complex than it has to be. Even something as sublime as prayer, with instructions included from Jesus Himself no less! Oh such a great apostasy! Folks, that time is so near, Faith is right, it has begun, the Apostasy grows daily, remember what the book of

    2 Thessalonians 2:3-

    “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the APOSTASY COMES FIRST, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,”

    Can anyone say the “church” is not characterized as utter APOSTATE?

  6. Faith May 31, 2016 at 7:11 pm #

    Thanks and yes Manny, I often hear people talking about some future ‘falling away’ and I think… future?! The apostasy has been going on since the late 90’s and really took off around 2000 (PDL, etc.) and has been accelerating. That’s been like almost 20 years now. Many bloggers even refer to it as ‘the great apostasy’ (of 2 Thess 2) because to most of us it is obvious. You can’t even find a biblical church anymore, they’ve all been taken over by agenda 21 Inc. The apostasitis is everywhere, I sometimes call it ‘the fog’. Like a fog of deception, no one sees through it and it’s like “what apostasy?” and it’s like “uh, the one in your hands called PDL, or ecumenism with rome, etc. etc.” examples abound.
    Of course it will get worse when they roll out the interfaith ‘revival now’ stage for that ‘Christian’ rock concert complete with antichrist and false prophet, and, if you join the ecumenism now… while supplies last, you can receive the mark of the beast completely free, and they’ll send you their “worship of the beast” guide… for only $49.99! (Golden calf not included.) (Note: resisters will be tossed into fiery furnace… like us)
    Then, you have all the people truly falling away from the faith altogether. In the neighborhood where I live there are many ‘ex-Christians’ who are really jaded, and some of it is due to all the apostasy that was already there in the 80’s, the politics and so on, not that there is an excuse but just that there are so many categories out there.
    Always good conversing with you Manny and I always love your comments too!
    ( ;
    God bless you!

  7. Faith May 31, 2016 at 7:33 pm #

    On another note, I always overthink and realize I can clarify another thing… you know how that goes. There is a difference (huge) between pantheism and God in us. It’s like this: as believers we get the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity (yes, God) living in our hearts when we are born again. As much of a mind blower that this is, it is in the Bible and we are called the Temple of the Holy Spirit. So many verses to list, so little time. What makes this possible is the cross, the veil was torn and reconciliation to God was made possible through the cross and that fellowship includes God living in our hearts. (Yes, some old Testament saints had this, but now it is available to more because Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and sent the Holy Spirit, and you know the whole story.) But we must come to the Living God and repent and be reconciled through the cross for this. Otherwise, God does not live in you. There is no divinity in humanity or nature, etc. but only God. He so graciously shares His nature with us when we are born again. It is such a wonderful feeling and you truly do feel the difference! Anyway I have a tendancy to want to clarify the details (and there are many…). Thanks for bearing with me. I just wanted to say it because of that remark above that is biblical about prayer and so on in the article. One of my favorite bible verses about the intimacy that is ours with God is this one in John 14:
    “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
    18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
    “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
    ( :
    And notice this one in verse 29 and 30:
    “Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
    I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me…”
    and John 16; 13-14
    “However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.”

    Love, peace, and grace to all the brethren.

    • Dawn February 9, 2017 at 10:01 am #

      I have been so blessed by reading the comments of the saints. Thank you all!!

  8. Manny1962 May 31, 2016 at 8:17 pm #

    Amen and amen! So many cannot see the apostasy! There’s a site that I visit to get financial information from various world markets, it is not a Christian site and I would caution not to read posts by readers as they let the expletives fly. But, as the bible says the sons of this age are craftier than the sons of light, the articles themselves are extremely informative from a secular point of view, it’s astonishing, they understand the implications, they see the signs of a single world economy, world hegemony and world currency, but as they have no biblical reference point, they don’t see the spiritual side of what is happening.

    zerohedge.com

    I caution, it is not a Christian site. I go for the articles, not to post comments, it is not Christian friendly. But the information is invaluable.

  9. Jeff June 8, 2016 at 10:17 pm #

    The entertainment industry is a “mountain” this movement is climbing the fastest. War Room was filmed in a couple of NAR churches local to me, but when they market this stuff they are very low key about who is actually behind it. And if it’s influenced by the New Apostolic Reformation, it’s going to to look really good on the outside, but be full of deadly doctrine on the inside.

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