# 67 of top 100 Books
The Power of Covenant Prayer Frances Frangipane
Who is Frances Frangipane?
Francis is the founder of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids IA and has traveled throughout the world ministering to thousands of pastors and intercessors from many backgrounds.
Francis’ heartfelt prayer is to see established in every city, Christlike pastors and intercessors, united before God, revealing the love of Christ to their communities.
Over the past decades, Francis has served on a number of other ministry boards. However, in recent years he has gradually resigned from these various boards. As of June 2009, he has also retired from his position as senior pastor of River of Life Ministries.
In this more simplified life, Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry of God’s word.
His first book, Holiness, Truth and the Presence of God, was a compilation of his essays and sermons. It was published in 1985. He wrote his second book, The Three Battlegrounds, in 1989 when asked to speak on spiritual warfare at a conference in Kansas City. Both these books became best sellers.
Since 1985, he has written fourteen books including four In Christ’s Image Training manuals, which were developed for his online school, plus a number of study booklets.
Is it possible to do much faithful, earnest, and sacrificial work for others without genuine love for them? Out of a high sense of calling and faithfulness to their profession, a physician can become deeply involved in the needs of their patients without a tincture of special love for them. In the same manner, Christians may give themselves to their work with devotion and self-sacrificing passion without any strong Christlike love.
The lack of love causes a lack of prayer. Love will compel us to pray. It is the nature of love to forget itself for the sake of others. We talk a lot about the power of love. In one sense this is true, and yet the truth has limitations. The most robust love may be utterly inadequate. Inadequacy can be our hope and refuge. Why? All my passion and zeal eventually ends, and I have nothing. Insufficiency gives strength to the life of intercession. My love takes refuge in intercession, and the Spirit makes up for my lack.
The administration of the Holy Spirit is guided by one great principle: God gives the Spirit in response to our asking. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was given in answer to prayer.
What we must have is absolute, determined prayer. This is what lies at the root of the spiritual life and power of the church. The degree with which God gives His Spirit is determined by our asking. Is it possible for a man or woman to work and still keep the heavenly world in clear focus for the maintenance of the spiritual life? Read on.
In the most profound picture of prayer we find in the gospels, Luke 11: 1-13, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray in response to their request. We focus on the Lord’s Prayer and fail to realize that part of His teaching is the parable that follows. It is the parable of the man who has a friend that comes to him at midnight in need of bread. Because of the man’s persistence, he is fed. Jesus teaches in the parable that learning to pray with the power Holy Spirit is simply this:
“Ask and it will be given to you.”
“Seek and you shall find.”
“Knock and it shall be opened.”
“HOW MUCH MORE SHALL YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE W HO ASK HIM?” Luke 11:9-13
