CONTENTS

1    Wake Up!

2    My First Experience With Early Morning Praver

3    Jesus Christ: Our Example for Early Morning Praver

4    Scriptural Support for Early Morning Praver

5    The "Firstfruits" Principle

6    Fresh Manna Each Day

7    Benefits of Early Morning Prayer

8    Conquering Your Promised Land Through Early Morning Prayer

PERSONAL PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

Chapter One

Wake Up!

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

1 Peter 4:7

This scripture, indicating that the end of all things is at hand, should give us motivation to commit ourselves to a daily time of early morning prayer.

To be sober means "to be alert; watchful; not lazy, sleeping, or caught unaware." The hour in which we are living demands that we be alert, awake and watchful through the power of prayer.

Just as no soldier would go into battle with guns firing around him without a weapon, helmet and proper gear, it is every bit as ridiculous to start your day without early morning prayer.

A few years ago, Sharon and I were in the Golan Heights area of Israel. Syria had invaded Israel in a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the great day of atonement, when all the Israelis were praying and fasting. Syria thought they could take Israel, but within a few hours, the Israeli jets and tanks were on their way to annihilate the capital of Syria. At that point, the United States president stepped in and stopped this action.

The Syrian Golan Heights area was covered with mines. Israel plowed areas so their tanks could go through, and we traveled on one of these roads. Our tour guide warned us, however, not to get out on either side of the road because of the mines.

Mines had been set an inch or so under the soil all over these fields. Any vibration from armored vehicles or people walking could cause the land mines to explode, with the potential of killing many people.

In this hour, many people are walking in mine fields with no sensitivity as to what is happening in the world. Marriages and mental, physical and spiritual health are being blown to smithereens. Traps have been set by the devil to distract God's people from their divine calling. We must have the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit to stay on track with God. Early morning prayer is one of the ways we can become more sensitive to the mine fields that Satan has set up for us.

On the positive side, though a battle is raging, this is the hour for the "great exploits" to come forth, which Daniel spoke of in Daniel 11:32.

Early Morning Prayer Isn’t for Everybody!

Early morning prayer isn't for everyone. It is only for people who are desperate for victory and who know they can't make it without God's help. It is only for those who are determined to win in this life and who are willing to pay the price to discipline their lives so they can be used for God's purposes in the earth.

Early morning prayer is for people who have a desire for God to be in their lives, not just on Sundays, but every day of the week. It is for those who want more than a facade of Christianity. They want Christ to flow in and through them out to others.

Perilous Times Are Here!

The world right now is filled with every form of evil, godless people and temptations. It is a very difficult time to be alive. We are in an hour that

Paul spoke of where people despise government authorities, they are haters of one another and they despise everything that is good.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 AMP, Paul said:

But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].

For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.

[They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers    (false  accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.

[They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.

For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].

Perilous times have come in case you haven't noticed! It is time to wake up and prepare to walk out your divine destiny through a commitment to early morning prayer. Your attitude should be, "With God's help, I will never be defeated!"

Watch and pray.

Chapter Two

My First Experience With Early Morning Prayer

After I was born again in May, 1970, I started working in the oil fields. Since I had to be at work by 7:00 a.m., I had to get up early.

I really don't know what initially motivated me to seek the Lord the first part of my day in prayer other than the fact that I just wanted to spend time with Him, but it has been a part of my life ever since. I would go out on our back porch with my Bible and just read the Word and talk to the Lord.

As that summer progressed, I had additional motivation for seeking the Lord early in the day. Most of the crew that I worked with in the oil fields was made up of rough men who needed redemption from ungodliness. They were professional cussers who could have taught cussing on the graduate level!

These men told some of the most perverse, vile jokes and stories, and because we had to ride in the same two-seater truck which held six men, we heard their conversations. One of the guys weighed about 240 pounds. We all wore hard hats, and he would sneak up behind me with a ball peen hammer and bong!!

Thank God for the one Christian friend, Ricky Irwin, who worked with me on this crew. One day as we were eating some of Mom's fried chicken, black eyed peas and corn bread (as they ate their dry sandwiches), the big guy and one of his buddies started pitching rocks at us, and they asked, "You want them here, or you want them out there in the trees?" Ricky and I looked at each other and took off running for the trees, their rocks pelting us in the back. We spent time in the trees until it was time to go back to work. That will drive you to early morning prayer!

Maybe rocks are being thrown at your life— the fiery darts of the devil, demonic thoughts, or verbal rocks.

If you get up in the morning and you're not prepared for the day in prayer, you will walk into a mine field or into a battle zone without adequate preparation.

There have been a few times over the years when I have missed early morning prayer, and any time I missed it, I could tell it by what went on in my day. Things happened for which I wasn't prepared to handle or respond to in a proper way. When I seek the Lord in prayer early in the day, my days go better. Yours will, too!

In Proverbs 8:17 AMP, the Lord says:

I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me.

Chapter Three

Jesus Christ: Our Example for Early Morning Prayer

Our greatest example for early morning prayer is Jesus Christ. He came to show us what the Father is like, but He also came to give us an example to follow.

One day, after ministering healing to Peter's mother-in-law, a crowd of people showed up with all of their sick and demon-possessed friends and relatives. Let's look at this account in Mark 1:3235:

And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

And all the city was gathered together at the door.

And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Verses 32-34

I have good news for you! Jesus is still healing the sick and casting out devils.

Drugs, alcohol and nicotine addictions, murder, insanity and all types of perversion and evil are caused by the influence of demonic spirits. Jesus Christ, by His blood, His Word and His name, can remove the evil influences from your life.

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Verse 35

Although Jesus had ministered healing and deliverance late into the evening, early the next morning He went to a solitary place to pray.

Jesus Christ, fully anointed with the Holy Ghost, understood the things of the Kingdom of God since He was twelve years old, yet He still got up early to pray every morning and be alone to commune with the Father. If He got up early to pray, how much more do we need to get up early and pray?

Chapter Four

Scriptural Support for Early Morning Prayer

In early morning prayer, you will find the living water of Jesus Christ so you can experience the power and glory of God every day of your life. In Psalm 63:1,2 NKJV, the psalmist David said:

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.

Isaiah said:

With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.

Isaiah 26:9 NKJV

In Psalm 57:8, David said:

Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

Each of these scriptures speaks of seeking the Lord early in the day. Many people are worn out and defeated before they ever start their day. If you allow it, Satan will bombard you with all the bad things you have done, all the things you haven't done and all the things you've got to do during the day, and it will become a weight before you ever crawl out of bed. You can have a different spirit, one free of weights and filled with godly wisdom, if you will seek the Lord early in your day.

You can whip the devil at the start of your day, because he has already been defeated. Your responsibility is to enforce his defeat. You will have to deal with the negative thoughts, attitudes and impressions that come to you from the devil, and an early morning prayer time affords you the opportunity to put him on the run from you by believing and speaking the promises of God's Word.

An example of how to put Satan on the run is, "It is written, the Lord my God teaches me to profit and leads me in the way I should go." (Isaiah 48:17.)

Chapter Five

The ''Firstfruits'' Principle

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9,10

The principle of giving to God applies not only to our resources but also to our time, one of our most valuable assets. If you honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of your day in prayer and meditation of the Word, He will cause your barns to be filled with plenty and your presses to burst out with new wine.

Firstfruits refer to the first that you receive. In a harvest, it is the first part of the crop. In the income that you receive, it is right off the top. We are to honor God first.

If you honor the Lord with the firstfruits of your day, He will fill your barns with plenty, which includes your checking and savings accounts. God is saying, "I will cause everything you do to prosper that is in alignment with My purpose and plan for you."

It is a spiritual principle that first things belong to God—the firstborn son, the first day of the week, the first part of our money and our time.

Matthew 6:33 is another reason for early morning prayer:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

To give God the first part of your day is to give Him your attention when you are the sharpest. When you give Him the firstfruits of your day, the principles of Luke 6:38 apply:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

The text of this scripture is dealing with forgiveness and mercy, but it also applies to other areas. Whatever you give to God, He will cause to be given back to you in multiplied form. If you give God time at the start of your day, He can multiply your time throughout the day. He multiplies by enabling you to have wisdom to handle things quicker. When you let God be the start of your day and the center of your life, He will order your steps and cause things to work together for your good.

If you are employed in a business, you need to know what to do at the start of the day. How long would an employee last if he worked all day, then came to the boss and said, "Boss, what do you think about what I did today?" The boss responds, "What you did is good, but it's not what I wanted you to do." That's how some people pray. They run their life all during the day and then at night, they reflect on it and, after the fact, ask, "Lord, what do You think?"

Regardless when your day begins, you need to get your orders from headquarters at the start of your day.

If you put a sailboat in the water and you don't set the sails properly at the start, when the wind hits, it may go in a direction you don't want it to go.

Many people set their sails, but they are way down the lake before they realize, "I am going the wrong direction." Their whole day is a mess. They have said and done things they wished they hadn't.

Difficulties, trials, problems and issues will come up, but when you are hooked up with the Overcomer at the start of your day and you set your sails with Him, He will direct you and you will move on through the winds of adversity, persecution and busyness and reach the goals God has set for your day. Jesus said:

In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

John 16:33 AMP

Some people say, "It doesn't make that much difference whether you start your day in prayer or not. You can pray at the end of the day." Let me ask you this. If you are going to New York from St. Louis, when would be the most important time to decide which direction to go on the Interstate? After you get to Los Angeles, do you then decide to check the map?

So it is with the start of each day. To start your day with prayer will cause you to be in the right place at the right time.

Get your orders at the start of each day!

Chapter Six

Fresh Manna Each Day

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they came into a desert, barren region, and they didn't have anything to eat. They murmured against Moses, and he spoke to God on their behalf.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

"This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ’Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent."’

Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.

And Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it till morning." Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

Exodus 16:4,16-21 NKJV

The manna had to be gathered fresh each morning before the sun became hot. Everything in the Old Testament is given to us as an example. In the Old Testament, God provided manna, and in the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the Living Bread, has become our manna. Jesus said:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 6:32,33,35

The pattern set for us in the Old Testament is that we need to seek the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit early and receive Living Bread before the sun hits the ground! Some people are living on stale bread! Fresh manna is available every morning for whoever will receive Him!

Some people want to be fed, but they don't want to feed themselves. I've got a word for them: Grow up! Mature Christians will learn how to feed themselves. They will learn how to bake bread and get that bread from heaven—revelation from God —on a daily basis. They won't be anemic, weak, or incapable of handling all the things the world throws at them in this hour, because they will have

Chapter Seven

Benefits of Early Morning Prayer

Great benefits will come to the person who takes time for early morning prayer. Here are a few of them.

1.    One of the greatest benefits of early morning prayer is fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That delight will draw you back again and again.

2.    You will have time alone with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You don't have to go anywhere to find God. You don't have to go to church to meet Him. He is with you all the time. He said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). "Abide in me, and I in you" (John 15:4).

During an ordinary day, most people have obligations and demands that keep them occupied. Without setting aside time at the start of the day to be alone with God, you could go all day and never spend five undistracted minutes with Jesus.

My wife loves to be with me in a crowd, and she loves to be with me when we minister, but she likes it even better when she can be alone with me. She wants both of my ears, and she wants me to talk to her.

How much more does the Father enjoy the time when we are alone with Him? He wants our full attention so we can share with Him and He with us.

3.    In early morning prayer, you can get an attitude adjustment. Some people make coffee nervous! Their attitude is so contrary to the Kingdom of God that wherever they go, they affect other people around them in a negative way. We need a checkup from the neck up to get rid of stinking thinking, as Zig Ziglar says.

When you start your day with prayer and let God wash your brain, your heart and your life, and you listen to His voice, He will adjust your attitude.

4.    When you seek the Lord in early morning prayer, you will receive godly wisdom. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...." Many people don't have wisdom because they don't ask for it. In some cases, people have wisdom and knowledge, but there is no application of it.

The Bible says to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), but many people are seeking first a cup of coffee, the newspaper, radio, TV or how to make a buck. They run after everything but God. When you start your day in any of these ways, even though you have knowledge of God's Word, these things will choke out the knowledge that you have. In its place, secular knowledge, ideas, feelings, or emotional responses will dictate your life.

When you start your day by ordering your life around God's Word and the Holy Spirit's anointing, then you will have godly wisdom for all of the challenges that come your way.

5. When you pray, you will have the strength in your spirit man to overcome the temptations of the flesh.

Paul had something to say about keeping his body in subjection to the Holy Spirit.

But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].

1 Corinthians 9:27 AMP

How do you bring your body into subjection to your spirit which is dominated by the Holy Spirit? By having a daily intake of the medicine of God's Word and early morning prayer.

In the critical hours before Calvary, Jesus took three of the disciples with Him to pray. While He prayed, they fell asleep. Jesus said to them:

What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:40,41

Early morning prayer will bring stability and strength to your life so you can overcome every temptation that comes your way.

Chapter Eight

Conquering Your Promised Land Through Early Morning Prayer

You need to find an hour for prayer each day —an uninterrupted time of sweet fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

When you understand the benefits to be gained and the losses to be avoided through a consistent time of early morning prayer, you will march around Jericho until the walls of your flesh fall.

With Christ's strength and wisdom, you can conquer your Promised Land and possess God's promises, but first, you must possess your own soul and body. If you can't win over your own body and mind, you certainly aren't going to take your Promised Land.

I am not saying that all victory is wrapped up in early morning prayer. You can't do away with everything else, such as walking in love, forgiveness and faith (believing and confessing God's Word) and being kind and gentle. All of these things have to be applied to your life, but early morning prayer will sensitize you to the Holy Spirit and allow God to speak into your life.

Early morning prayer should include a time of worship and praise, thanking the Lord for all He is and specifically for the wonderful things He has done in your life. It is a time to declare His promises: "Lord, thank You for redeeming me from the curse. Thank You that all things are working together for good in my life. Thank You that in my pathway is life, and there is no death."

Early morning prayer should include prayer for government leadership on the international, national, state and local levels. It should include prayer for your pastor and his family, the staff, congregation members and for your own family. It is a time to petition God for the things which you need and a time for meditation of the Word.

Early morning prayer for Tommy Barnett and his great congregation in Phoenix, Arizona, begins at 4:30 on the mountain behind his church. I've heard him share how God dealt with him about having a "Selah" time—a time to "pause and think about things."

When you pause and meditate on what God is speaking to you, it will cause good changes to come in your life.

The key to the largest and fastest growing church in the world—Dr. Cho's church in Korea with a congregation now running between 700,000 and 800,000—is early morning prayer.

The entire congregation prays. When any of their people have marital problems, they are sent to Prayer Mountain to fast and pray until it is resolved. If you pray until you hear from God, you will change your ways, too!

Some people want someone else to fix their problems for them, but God has given every person the power to hear from heaven for themselves.

Because you are hooked up with the Mighty One, you will have the wisdom, might and power to conquer your Promised Land!

Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted; the horse and his rider [the enemy] He has thrown into the sea.

Exodus 15:6,21 AMP

PERSONAL PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

Father, I want to be a champion for You, and I now realize that the first step is to join Your family by accepting Jesus Christ, Your Son, as my personal Lord and Savior.

I believe Jesus Christ was crucified on Calvary's cross, buried, resurrected and then ascended to pave the way for me, a sinner, to be adopted into Your family, Father. I renounce every work of darkness, and I accept You now, Jesus, as my Lord and Savior.

Empower me with Your Spirit, Lord, so I will be equipped to be a living epistle of the Good News of Your Kingdom. Lord, I want to be able to say to the people I meet each day, "Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1 AMP).

I desire to be led by Your Spirit, Lord, so I yield myself right now to a life of early morning prayer. I yield to the commandments of Your Word. Thank You for giving me an insatiable hunger for Your Word, Lord.

Thank You for new life in You, Lord Jesus, and for leading and guiding me in the way You would have me go all the days of my life.

Signature

Date

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and He will add all these things to you.

About the Author

Billy Joe Daugherty is the pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Present ministry outreaches include a daily radio and television ministry; monthly crusades in government-subsidized housing projects in the Tulsa area; and crusades held in other nations.

Victory Christian Center, established in 1981, operates Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute, and the World Missions Training Center. Other Victory Bible Institutes have been established in Russia, Mexico, Albania, and Czech Republic.

Billy Joe has authored several books including Faith Power, Absolute Victory, This New Life, The Demonstration of the Gospel, and most recently, Led By the Spirit, the testimony of God’s divine direction for his life and ministry.

Billy Joe and his wife, Sharon, were married in 1973, and have four children: Sarah, Ruth, John and Paul.

To receive a book and tape catalog, please write to:

Table of Contents

1 Wake Up!

2 My First Experience With Early Morning Praver

3 Jesus Christ: Our Example for Early Morning Praver

4 Scriptural Support for Early Morning Praver

5 The "Firstfruits" Principle

6 Fresh Manna Each Day

7 Benefits of Early Morning Prayer

8 Conquering Your Promised Land Through Early Morning Prayer

PERSONAL PRAYER OF COMMITMENT