The Word of God says, “Rejoice ever more, pray without ceasing! In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:16-22)

The very breathing of our soul is kept up through the Spirit-inspired prayer. If individuals or a fellowship neglect the prayer life, they are cut off from the very presence of Almighty God, and will soon find themselves in a lukewarm, starchy and indifferent condition. We may retain the form of Godliness, but have actually cut ourselves off from the very lifeline connecting us with God. Bro. Branham said, “You can sing too much, you can talk too much, you can shout too much, but you can never pray too much.” He cried out, “Where are the all-night prayer meetings?” If the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayed fervently in the days of His flesh, (Heb. 5:7) how much more ought we to seek the face of God and bring our shortcomings and needs before Him!

Prayer is the personal fellowship with God. When we come before Him in our secret chamber with humility and supplication, we bring our burdens, petitions and personal needs before the throne of grace. When we assemble ourselves, we come together to worship and praise the Lord; we adore Him and magnify His Name. The Holy Spirit can move only in the right atmosphere of prayer. If the prayer in the meetings is being neglected, the Spirit of God withdraws, because He cannot have the preeminence. The Scripture gives us clear guidelines as to how we are to come into His presence, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Ps. 100:4)

According to the Scripture, the sisters are also permitted to pray or to prophesy after the preaching of the Word during the period set aside for worship. The Spirit of God moves in all in accordance with the Word that was read and preached. Of course, it is possible to also worship the Lord in song, but as the singing has its place, so does the prayer during the service. Often, while the Spirit of the Lord moves during the prayer after the Word has gone forth, He shows visions and manifests all the other gifts according to the needs of the people. It is sad that some ministers misunderstand what the Apostle Paul said, “Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak…” Some contend that this Scripture implies that women should keep silent in the church altogether, but this only applies to preaching, teaching or interrupting by asking. According to 1 Corinthians 14: 29–32, a man holding an office of a prophet is permitted to interrupt the speaker if something is revealed to him. A sister could never do that. She is not permitted to speak. She is not restricted, however, when it comes to praying or prophesying during the worship part of the service. Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 11 of a woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head. The Bible does not contradict itself. The first portion of the chapter speaks about the praying and prophesying of sisters with their head covered, and in the latter part it says that the hair is given her for a covering. (vs. 15)

Bro. Branham preached strongly against women cutting their hair, yet somehow the idea is still prevalent amongst the believers, that it does not hurt to trim or cut the ends. The time has come, in which God’s people must be set completely free from the things of the world.

Just recently, the Holy Spirit dealt with the young sisters in our local assembly about this matter in the following prophesy:

“Behold, thus saith the Lord! My daughters, I have given thee ‘glory’ upon thy head, therefore take ye heed, that ye do not cut off from this ‘glory’, for I have given it unto thee, and I do not suffer you to trim it, for then another power will draw you away and is drawing you away already into another direction, and ye are turning your back upon My grace. Therefore turn around and repent and be ye cleansed from that spirit, for it is not of Me!”

Any spirit that makes us act against God’s holy Word is certainly pulling us in the wrong direction.

A woman is to be silent when it comes to preaching or teaching, but she can pray or prophesy. The prophet Joel spoke of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon sons and daughters alike. Peter referred to it on the day of Pentecost, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit: and they shall prophesy… For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” If we consider ourselves to be in this group, the called out ones by Almighty God, this promise belongs to us. It is high time that we rightly divide the Word of Truth and apply it correctly. Who dares to take away one word and add his own opinion to it instead?

If the part of the worship and the prayer is kept at a bare minimum during a service, the Spirit of God is unable to accomplish what He aims to do, and all that remains is a form of godliness without the demonstration of the power of God. Everyone, be it man or woman, who is baptised into the Body of Christ by His Holy Spirit, must find his rightful place and recognise his spiritual position and yield to the moving of God’s Spirit.

Each revival has had its prayer meetings and this last visitation of God will not be fruitful without them.

The Word of God says, “Rejoice ever more, pray without ceasing! In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:16-22) 

The very breathing of our soul is kept up through the Spirit-inspired prayer. If individuals or a fellowship neglect the prayer life, they are cut off from the very presence of Almighty God, and will soon find themselves in a lukewarm, starchy and indifferent condition. We may retain the form of Godliness, but have actually cut ourselves off from the very lifeline connecting us with God. Bro. Branham said, “You can sing too much, you can talk too much, you can shout too much, but you can never pray too much.” He cried out, “Where are the all-night prayer meetings?” If the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayed fervently in the days of His flesh, (Heb. 5:7) how much more ought we to seek the face of God and bring our shortcomings and needs before Him!

Prayer is the personal fellowship with God. When we come before Him in our secret chamber with humility and supplication, we bring our burdens, petitions and personal needs before the throne of grace. When we assemble ourselves, we come together to worship and praise the Lord; we adore Him and magnify His Name. The Holy Spirit can move only in the right atmosphere of prayer. If the prayer in the meetings is being neglected, the Spirit of God withdraws, because He cannot have the preeminence. The Scripture gives us clear guidelines as to how we are to come into His presence, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Ps. 100:4)

According to the Scripture, the sisters are also permitted to pray or to prophesy after the preaching of the Word during the period set aside for worship. The Spirit of God moves in all in accordance with the Word that was read and preached. Of course, it is possible to also worship the Lord in song, but as the singing has its place, so does the prayer during the service. Often, while the Spirit of the Lord moves during the prayer after the Word has gone forth, He shows visions and manifests all the other gifts according to the needs of the people. It is sad that some ministers misunderstand what the Apostle Paul said, “Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak…” Some contend that this Scripture implies that women should keep silent in the church altogether, but this only applies to preaching, teaching or interrupting by asking. According to 1 Corinthians 14: 29–32, a man holding an office of a prophet is permitted to interrupt the speaker if something is revealed to him. A sister could never do that. She is not permitted to speak. She is not restricted, however, when it comes to praying or prophesying during the worship part of the service. Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 11 of a woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head. The Bible does not contradict itself. The first portion of the chapter speaks about the praying and prophesying of sisters with their head covered, and in the latter part it says that the hair is given her for a covering. (vs. 15)

Bro. Branham preached strongly against women cutting their hair, yet somehow the idea is still prevalent amongst the believers, that it does not hurt to trim or cut the ends. The time has come, in which God’s people must be set completely free from the things of the world.

Just recently, the Holy Spirit dealt with the young sisters in our local assembly about this matter in the following prophesy:

“Behold, thus saith the Lord! My daughters, I have given thee ‘glory’ upon thy head, therefore take ye heed, that ye do not cut off from this ‘glory’, for I have given it unto thee, and I do not suffer you to trim it, for then another power will draw you away and is drawing you away already into another direction, and ye are turning your back upon My grace. Therefore turn around and repent and be ye cleansed from that spirit, for it is not of Me!”

Any spirit that makes us act against God’s holy Word is certainly pulling us in the wrong direction.

A woman is to be silent when it comes to preaching or teaching, but she can pray or prophesy. The prophet Joel spoke of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon sons and daughters alike. Peter referred to it on the day of Pentecost, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit: and they shall prophesy… For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” If we consider ourselves to be in this group, the called out ones by Almighty God, this promise belongs to us. It is high time that we rightly divide the Word of Truth and apply it correctly. Who dares to take away one word and add his own opinion to it instead?

If the part of the worship and the prayer is kept at a bare minimum during a service, the Spirit of God is unable to accomplish what He aims to do, and all that remains is a form of godliness without the demonstration of the power of God. Everyone, be it man or woman, who is baptised into the Body of Christ by His Holy Spirit, must find his rightful place and recognise his spiritual position and yield to the moving of God’s Spirit.

Each revival has had its prayer meetings and this last visitation of God will not be fruitful without them.