by Mrs. Anastasia Rebello
“A Soldier begins war on his feet while a Christian begins war on his knees”.
The principle of intercession is that a Christian bears another’s burdens and so fulfills the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). In face of adversity, sin, illness & Satanic activity …God’s word to His people is to intercede. (Isaiah 59:16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.). Prayer is the only way to unlock the power of God to release the signs to the miraculous.
The topic “power of intercession” is a very good post Pentecost topic. I am sure you have received a mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit at the Pentecost Rally, but has it led to any action? If you read the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles of Jesus after Pentecost really acted. They were so filled with the Holy Spirit that the went all across the land preaching & teaching God’s word. There is power when you intercede. Intercession is the backbone of any ministry, the backbone of the church. Most of us only intercede for our needs but Christianity means going beyond our needs to the needs of others. I had been meditating a lot on this topic of intercession. I believe a lack of investment of time & effort stands between God & complete victory. It is a decision to pray for others. A preacher once compared it to laying of tracks so that the engine can move. In the life of St Augustine, St Monica his mother prayed for her son 18 years for her son to change and come closer to God. It is not an emotional feeling, and if it is, it will vanish. Each of us have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week & 365 days a year. Why is it some of us accomplish more while others less? The answer is what we do with our time, talent and resources determine the quality of life we lead. So also in our spiritual life, if we do not have the time for prayer but have the time to spend hours in front of the TV or simply procrastinating, then I think we are deceiving ourselves. Every prayer group needs intercessors and every Christian has a responsibility to intercede. Intercessors can also be called investments in God’s vineyard. Many of us say we do not have the time, but if we put God & His mission first in our lives the rest will follow. When we make a decision to intercede & make an investment of our time God will bring back a larger investment. Martin Luther started with 2 hours of prayer but realized that he needed 3 instead of 2 so that he could intercede. He also learnt that he could do more by prayer than what was humanly possible.
The principles of Intercession :
Intercession is a voluntary action. It is done only out of love for God. An intercessor knows that he loves God so much that he is willing to obey.
One must identify what he needs to pray for before he begins intercession. I know there are some intercessors who pray for needs on different days of the week.
For example (a) needs of community, (b) needs of nation, (3) needs of self.
Intercession begins when crucifixion of self begins.
The Holy Spirit guides an intercessor. There are multiple intercessors in the Bible both in the old & the new testament. For example Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel… of the old testament & of the New testament Mary, the saints & Jesus the excellent of all intercessors. Jesus’ life on earth was only for 33 years, 3 years was ministry but for over 200 years He has been interceding at the right hand of the father.
There is Agony in intercession: If it dies it bears much fruit.
The intercessor finds a prevailing place with God- a state of grace (God’s divine nature working in us). Intercession is always hidden. The world does not see the power in this prayer until it is completed. Jesus was misunderstood in His intercession. Not until & after His resurrection did the disciples begin to understand “ Why did Jesus come?” Only after His ascension did they understand the Great High Priest entered death only to destroy it.
The two aspects of intercession:
To intercede with God
To stand against Satan, sickness & ungodly circumstances. The prophet Ezekiel points out that an intercessor must be willing to feel and bear the burdens of those who need our intercession, in order to be effective. (Ezekiel 4:4 Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. [1] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side.)
How to intercede :
Intercession means you are going into a battlefield to pray for the purpose that God has planned for His people whom He loves dearly. Always put on the armour of God prescribed in Ephesians 6:10-18 - Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Praise God- that He has chosen you in the same wonderful ministry as Jesus.
Make sure that your heart is clean by having the Holy Spirit remind you of any Unconfessed sin. (Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened).
Acknowledge that you really cannot pray without the direction of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.)
Die to your imaginations, desires and burdens . (Proverbs 3 :5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;)
Deal aggressively with your enemy the Devil.
Praise God in anticipation for the remarkable cell meetings or services you are going to have.
Wait patiently before God, silently listening to His directions.
In obedience and faith, utter what God brings to your mind. ( John 10:27 - 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.). Keep asking God for direction in relation to whom or whatever you are praying for. If possible maintain a diary.
When God ceases to bring things to your mind in prayer, finish by praising & thanking Him for what He has done.
Conclusion:
1) Pray & Prepare yourself to be an intercessor.
2) Learn to live in the vision and fulfill the purposes of God.
3) It will help you build community and make you a strong body in Christ.
4) There are several methods of intercession but I will give you a few simple ones.
- a) The Five Finger method, In the Five finger method the Thumb---represents those closest to us, the pointer finger represents those pointing a direction in your life for example teachers, Middle finger—one in authority, the ring finger is for the weak like the sick, the disabled.., little finger represents us.
- b) The Rosary,
- c) The Chaplet of Divine Mercy….
To conclude this teaching I would like to pray the prayer that Paul prays for the community in Ephesus. You too can use it for your family at home. ( Ephesians 3:14-21)
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[1] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'