As I sat in her cozy office in Pensacola, Florida I witnessed a humble spirit, a compassion for souls and a special move of God on Lila Terhune. She makes it very, very clear that Jesus alone gets all the credit. She gives HIM all the glory for the move on her life, and her desire to share ‘Him’ through the teaching of prayer . By: jan hicks

     Lila, originally from California, lived a short time in Mississippi before moving to Pensacola, Fl. in 1995. This move occurred just 3 months into what the world refers to as the ‘Brownsville Revival’. Lila is the Prayer Coordinator for Brownsville Assembly of God.
     Lila and her husband Bob are both in the ministry, ordained and licensed. They have served the Lord Jesus for many years. They have four grown children, several grandchildren and are even blessed with great-grandchildren who Lila faithfully states are “all ‘earmarked’ for the Kingdom.”
     Lila was not raised in a Christian home, never heard the gospel, but because of a praying friend and the drawing of the Father by the Holy Spirit, she was saved in 1961. Through the friend who had witnessed and prayed for her for three years, Lila saw the power of prayer in her own life.
     Prayer has since developed in Lila through the years. She says she blames a lot of that on her husband Bob. Lila says, “When you have a husband who worked in the motion picture field as a stunt man, not knowing what he’d face each day would certainly make you develop a prayer life.”
     Although labeled by many as ‘Intercessory Prayer Leader’, Lila said she never really called herself an intercessor, as if it is different from someone who prays. She says she is a ‘believer’ who understands that we are all called to pray; we are all called to be intercessors. She further states, “Anyone can develop intercession to a deeper level, it is all in relationship. We try to teach that, encouraging others to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. Intercession and the love for others, the burden for the nations, will all come as an overflow out of what God is doing in your own heart. Prayer is always the answer.”
     Lila then shares about our sovereign God and how HE can do anything He wants to do, but He has chosen to wait for people to pray. She states, “I talk to Him about this often something as important as the destiny of the nations, as the destiny of mankind, ‘God, you have left this in the hands of spit and dirt, of clay’. Evidently He sees something in us that we don’t see!”

     When asked about the revival, Lila states, “We believe the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit the world has ever seen is next on God's calendar and it will include all churches and people who are open and hungry. The Revival at Brownsville is merely a tiny taste of what He has prepared for "His Beloved." The heart of God and the central theme of this Revival has been and is on souls. He is teaching us that the most effective intercession is through praise, worship and intimacy with Him. Our actions have to be changed; we have to become people of principle, integrity, and people of blessings, where our words are not cursing people, but blessing people. We need to be people of constant repentance, keeping very short records of anything, coming into the presence of God with clean hands and a pure heart.” Lila believes that during our prayer time, we need to get away from rebuking and start blessing. She says, “You’ll get a whole different perspective of what God wants to do.”
     I asked Lila what is revival? She answers, “Revival, the word means to raise something from the dead that was once alive. I think the word revival is for the believer, for the church. God is trying to wake the church up. We are the ones that need to be revived, revived to Holiness, to commitment, to prayer, revived with a compassion for the lost. The church has been a club rather than an entity; it’s been a social gathering place. I believe the deep work that God is doing now is bringing us to our knees. The cry is for the harvesters. We need to pray for a revival in the church, revival of the believers, God to awaken those that sleep. Revival takes your social life, your family life, your personal life. Your life becomes revival and you have to become committed to that.”
     When the Lord started dealing with Lila about interacting with other groups, other denominations, Cross Pollination Inc. was birthed. She has written a book sharing her vision about the symbolism of bees’ cross-pollinating and God cross-pollinating His Church with His glory. The book, “Cross-Pollination” is a wonderful illustration of the work of the Holy Spirit.
     I asked Lila to share with the readers a final word of encouragement, she says, “Keep up the prayer, it is working. What God is doing is not a one man show. We are in cooperation together, one sows, one waters, etc., we work together for the Lord. Be Encouraged.”