HINTS ON INTERCESSION - part one
To intercede means to implore God on behalf of another. In other words, to do for others what they might not be able to do for themselves prayer wise. Intercession is a vital aspect of a prayer life. Prime examples of intercessors in the bible include Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Paul and Jesus himself. To not intercede is to deprive others of their blessings that God has ordained to come through us via the activity of intercession. Take up the challenge today to consistently pray for others in the name of Jesus Christ. In this edition and subsequently, we would explore various hints that could help you in your commitment to intercession. Happy reading!
Hint #1:- Intercede With The Power Of The Holy Spirit
It is foolhardy to think that one can do anything worthwhile, praying inclusive, without the power that the Holy Spirit gives. The scriptures records in the book of Job 32:8b that it is God’s breath (a picture of the Spirit) that gives men understanding. There are various issues involved in intercession which includes how to pray most effectively at a given time. You need the Spirit’s power operating strongly within you to know this and for you to do accordingly.
God has promised to spring into action in response to our praying but we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit to lead us on in the task of Intercession. You need the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; you also need to know that you are merely a vessel for the expression of God’s concern for others. The Holy Spirit stimulates you to intercede by giving you a burden to intercede from God and he can also show you how long it would take to take care of the burden. Recognize that the Holy Spirit is the enabler within us and that it is his power that makes what we pray about come to pass.
Hint #2:- Intercede By Seeing From God’s Point Of View
Since intercession involves sharing God’s concern, it therefore involves seeing from God’s viewpoint. This implies that the priority of the intercessor is to be close to God. The Lord promised in his word that if we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. To correctly pray for others, we have to correctly see the situation as God sees it. Everything bad needs prayer to make it good, and everything good needs prayer so that it won’t turn bad. Nothing and nobody (on the earth) is beyond benefiting from the prayer of intercession. But to intercede aright: presenting the case before God appropriately, involves sharing not only God’s concern but also his understanding of the situation.
We need to intercede, but not just anyhow. We need to do it as members of Christ’s representative priesthood on the earth, interceding as Christ himself would. Ask him to help you see what he sees and he would.
Hint #3:- Intercede, Using God’s Word
God’s word is the template of his will. As Jesus said, we ought to pray that God’s will be done. Intercession should not be done anyhow. Every intercessor must take his time to discover appropriate bible portions that reflect the intended result that one is looking for and pray with them. Examples of such include Daniel, who read in the book of Jeremiah of God’s promise to restore Israel back to their land. He used this as the basis of his plea before the throne of God. He sought that God would do his will – fulfill his word and God did so.
The disciples in the book of Acts chapter four quoted Psalm two in the course of praying. They sought to nullify the intention of the religious leaders to slow down the move of God in their days. God responded by doing many more miracles.
The word is variously described in Scriptures as a sword; an offensive instrument used in warfare. The word is the sword of the spirit; it is a double edged sword. It is able to cut through every opposition of Satan against the priority of God’s glory in the life of a person, a people or a nation.
The word of God determines what all the host of heaven must respond to. The word carries priority in all realms of existence (e.g. Lazarus in the grave). Consistently using the word is a key to effective intercession. The word used in intercession stirs up faith in the heart. And this is important for guaranteed results.
Hint #4:- Intercede By God’s Direction
Be open to God, so that at any time, he can drop a prayer point in your heart concerning any of his children and even for unbelievers. If you are a willing vessel, God would want to put his hand on you and use you in the work of intercession. Epaphras was described by Paul in his letter to the Colossians (4:12) as a man devoted to praying for Colossians. Samuel the prophet made a profound statement when he said that it would be sinful for him to stop praying for the Israelites. This implies that he was under God’s direction when he took to praying for them.
When you yield to God’s directive in intercession, he multiplies grace and insight to you in that regard. There is nothing like yielding to God’s direction. God wants you to intercede, so that he can do what he wants to do on the earth. Since God gave the earth to man at creation for him to dominate and rule over, therefore whatever God wants to do on the earth, he needs the partnership of man to get it done. That’s why you need to intercede under his direction to do it effectively. Intercession gives us the priviledge of partnering with God to have his will done on the earth.
Hint #5:- Intercede With Clean Hands.
The book of Psalms, in chapter 24, shows the kind of man that can “ascend into the hills of the Lord and stand in his holy place”. Such a man must have clean hands. In most places, to put the two hands together and raise them is a posture depicting a plea. To not have clean hands indicates that you do not qualify to intercede. Jesus proclaims that one should take care of the log in one’s eyes before he can see clearly to take out the speck on his brother’s eyes. You cannot be wrapped up in sin and be free to move in the spirit of intercession. Don’t be fooled, God still does not hear sinners.
Hint #6:- Intercede By Weeping/Groaning
To feel what God feels in a situation, sometimes we weep. Jesus himself wept not out of powerlessness but out of compassion. If you share Christ’s compassion, you will sometimes weep in the place of intercession. I am not referring to the cry of self pity or the crocodile tears of hypocrisy. The former does not move God while the latter attracts his disdain. Tears and groans are sometimes more eloquent means of intercession than words. If you do not share God’s feelings (a sign of being one with him) you would not be an effective intercessor.
Weeping is only a means of intercession when under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Samuel the prophet found this out when he continued weeping for days after he learned that God has rejected Saul’s kingship over Israel. God told him not to waste his time weeping; there was nothing those tears could do.
In the context of intercession, groaning reflects intense desire, whereby weeping shows compassion. If you find yourself weeping or groaning in the place of intercession, don’t think of it as something strange, God is accomplishing something through those outflows. Jesus exhibited both at the grave of Lazarus - the rest is history.
