The Lord has a wonderful way of rewarding things done in quiet. Intercessors stand in awe and surrender at the presence of God. They are His powerful warriors, who both invite, and deepen His presence among men. They are the unlikely and often unappreciated ones who are called to stand in the gap. They have changed the course of history, saved many lives, and have helped to redeem many souls. Intercession has revealed the heart and character of Jesus to those who earnestly seek Him. Intimacy with God is the greatest treasure that He bestows upon men.
Please review the following scriptures for added reflection on this subject:
Psalm 10:17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.
Psalm 21:2 You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Psalm 40:8 I desire to do your will, O my God your law is within my heart.
Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you.
Proverb 3:15 She (wisdom) is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
Isaiah 55:11 So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty.
Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 12:3 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
Philipians. 1:23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.
Intercession is our attempt to go to Christ to know Him so that His Spirit can be released upon us and upon the world. We don’t go to intercession to change God’s mind. We intercede to know who Christ is. This is the greatest reason and reward.
We stand guard. We pray we will be able to sense the Holy Spirit and respond to the Holy Spirit. Intercessors have discernment and wisdom. They are watching and seeing what’s coming. When we intercede, we get spiritual ears and eyes. When we pray for passion for God, we have passion to stir the heart of God.
Intercessors are motivated by love and not by fear. Intercessors just love to pour out their love for God. God’s attention is captured by those that love Him and seek Him.
An intercessor is a worshiper. The more praises and worship God hears, the more excited God gets about moving. Intercessors provide a foundation. Prayer happens first and then reality happens later.
Intercessors stir up love, which wears down the enemy. An intercessor is a soldier. They act as a covering or blanket for other believers. God gets touched by the love, worship and cries of the people and then acts. Intercessors pray for the unity and the strengthening of the body of Christ.
An intercessor doesn’t necessarily pray 5 or 6 hours a day. The Lord looks at the heart, not at a time clock. Some intercessor’s also travail and may experience strong emotions during their prayer times. They may physically experience the burdens of those for whom they are praying.
One of the most important things we can do in our walk with God is to pray first. If we don’t pray, we will lose a valuable source of blessing from the Lord. It is like walking blindfolded in the desert or jungle without any map.
Intercessors provide protection. A true intercessor is more concerned about the beauty and presence of God, then what the enemy is doing. An intercessor wants more and more of the God that they love. The more they intercede, the more they get the heart of God. The more we pray for each other the more we get the Lord’s heart. Prayer is a protection and a covering.
Intercession is like a sweet incense to the Lord, the most beautiful jewels we can offer. Intercessors have an ability to have a relationship with the Lord like no others. Intercessors are like a scout; they see in advance what to pray for and how to pray. They strike at the heart of the enemy by helping to strengthen the body of Christ.
It’s important to intercede out of love and not out of guilt. We take our cue from Jesus who was our first intercessor. It is more important for the intercessor to do what the Lord wants rather than what we understand. We don’t have to understand what we are saying or our dreams or visions.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, I will heal their land. As we pray God will heal our land. We need to pray for a spirit of repentance on people.
Jeremiah. 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Intercessors seek God with all their heart, not just for the answer. Intercessors are inviters, they invite God to touch His people so that His people will come to Him.
Intercession is a process, and makes the heart of God and the heart of the people the same. Ephesians. 6:19 Pray 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.
We can never pray for the saints too much.
Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.
Praying men will be saved and come to the knowledge of the ways of God. Intercessors build bridges between God and people. Intercessors are lovers. They pour out their love for God and pray that others will fall in love for God. Intercessors themselves become more and more filled with love as they seek the face and the heart of Jesus. Love is the driving and binding force in the kingdom of God. Love brings passion to cold hearts that have forgotten or never experienced the love of God. Love kindles hope and brings new vision and purpose. The kingdom of God is an affair of the heart and not just the mind.
Cautions:
– Pray only about the things we feel peaceful about. Don’t tangle with things God doesn’t give us to tangle with.
– Be careful to lay all of your thoughts and desires down when you intercede. Only pray about what God plants in your heart. Being a good intercessor is learning how to pray with God’s wisdom. A good intercessor always submits his prayers to the Lord.
– Intercessors are quiet and don’t brag about what they pray about or how much they pray.
Strongholds over cities and larger geographical areas are not a task for one person. This is usually for a group of seasoned and mature intercessors with the backing of churches who are called to intercession to petition God to handle the problem.
A good intercessor protected by the Lord as a covering of protection. Don’t go beyond your realm of authority, it puts you in the open for Satan to attack. This is very dangerous.
An intercessors life:
– Should be focused on Jesus as much as possible. God wants to capture your heart and mind by spending time with Him. He wants your attention with less and less distractions.
– The quality of prayers is determined by the condition of the heart. God is impressed with a heart full of love. A way to know you are an intercessor often is that you will be moved with compassion and love.
– Intercessors need balance, don’t cut yourself off from the body of believers. Intercession is not an excuse from loving people and relationships.
– Prayer is every action or movement or word we make toward God.
– An intercessor prays with all their being, mouth, body, etc.
– The most potent intercessor has no priorities except God’s: dreams, desires, etc…
– A good intercessor is not the general but a cheerleader.
– When you do intercession for God’s people, it is a great honor because you have an opportunity to serve God and have His heart.
– Intercession is not an obligation; it is done out of love.
There are times and seasons for certain types of prayer. God may have other things for us to pray about. Don’t try to impress God. Nothing can be accomplished outside of Him anyway.
– It’s better to have anointed prayers for a little while than to have many prayers without the anointing.
– God’s way to intercede is to pray for people you love.
– Pray the Word of God.
– Be around other intercessors.
– Intercession is not competition but cohesion with God. A good intercessor is humble, quiet, self-effacing, and doesn’t draw attention to themselves.
It’s important to lay down our sense of timing for the Lord and to lay down our expectations about how and when things should happen. There is a difference between prayer requests and intercession. Intercession is praying for what God wants you to pray about. There are different levels of intercession.
We pray but nothing gets done unless the Lord does it. Intercession should be a rejoicing and a trusting on the good deeds and the love of the Lord. We will never be able to determine the exact results of our prayers until we enter the kingdom of God. Intercession is an exercise in intimacy and a gift of love.
The Eagles Cry 