The Power of Intercession

THE POWER OF INTERCESSION

“Of what infinite importance is the place the intercessor holds in the KIngdom of God! Is it not indeed a matter of wonder that God should give men such power? Yet there are so few who know what it is to take hold of His strength and pray down His blessing on the world. God rules the world and His church through the prayers of His people. That God should have made the expansion of His Kingdom to such a large extent dependent on the faithfulness of His people in prayer is a stupendous mystery and yet an absolute certainty. God calls for intercessors; in His grace He has made His work dependent on them. He waits for them.”


May God motivate us to take hold of the powerful ministry of prayer and intercession. I am convinced that prayer and intercession is so powerful, so mighty and so far reaching that no words can describe its’ true worth. I love prayer and intercession. I saturate myself with whatever I can learn and read about this tremendous ministry. I love prayer meetings. I am absolutely convinced that prayer moves the hand of God. I have been involved in prayer for over 30 years, and I believe in it wholeheartedly. I have dedicated my life to help facilitate the worldwide prayer and mission’s movement. I want to give my energy to encourage prayer in every believer because it is just too important to take lightly. I believe that all of us are called to pray and intercede. Every Christian must learn to pray. Many of you are called to a high level of prayer and intercession.

In order to grow in prayer, we must realize that everything good is costly. Prayer and intercession will cost you. We read in Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful”. This is not some half-hearted endeavor but it will cost sleep, time, and energy. We have to exercise our faith because we don’t always see the results immediately. It’s a choice to pray and not give up. We must see with the eyes of faith and vision the potential and power of prayer. Vision determines priorities, and our priorities determine our destinies. It needs to be a high priority in our life. I made it a priority in my life years ago, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

“What an unspeakable grace to be allowed to deal with God in intercession for the supply of other’s needs! To be able to take part in Christ’s great work as Intercessor is such a blessing. It is wonderful to be in close union with Him and to mingle my prayers with His! What an honor to have power with God in heaven over souls and to obtain for them what they do not even know or think!”

God is making sure we mean business with our vision. He will test us in perseverance and faith. We must get desperate. God is looking for people who will prepare the way for the Lord. Prayer must be a choice, a priority, and a discipline. God wants to impart greater faith in your life for prayer. Wherever you are in prayer today, God wants to bring you further. He is not condemning you or comparing you with others. God wants to take you from where you are to where He is. We’ve all gotten somewhere, and we can all go a lot further. God wants to develop a strong life of prayer and intercession in each one of us.

“What a mystery of glory there is in prayer! On the one hand we see God in His holiness, love, and power waiting and longing to bless man. On the other hand there is sinful man, a worm of the dust, bringing down from God by prayer the very life and love of heaven to dwell in his heart. But the glory of intercession is so much greater: when a man is bold and asks from God what he desires for others. He seeks to bring down on one soul, or it may be on hundreds and thousands, the power of the eternal life with all its blessings.”

I want to share with you a few big keys that I have used in unlocking the door to fruitfulness and power in my own prayer life. This week in “The Power of Intercession”, I will share five keys. Next week in “The Spirit of Intercession”, I will share four more. I encourage you to pray daily regarding these keys. We long to be wholehearted and passionate. We long to do great things for God. We long to make a deep and lasting impact. In order to do this, we must lay hold of prayer and intercession with all our heart. God is maturing us for harvest. Although I have mentioned these keys individually in one way or another in other letters, they need to be emphasized again and again because they are so vital to power in intercession. I believe that these keys, if taken seriously and applied, will open a wide door into your destiny.


Keys to Power in Intercession

“Intercession! Would one not say that this is the very holiest exercise of our boldness as God’s children? It is the highest privilege and enjoyment connected to our communion with God. It is the power of being used by God as instruments for His great work of making men His habitation and showing forth His glory.”
· Cultivate praise, worship and thanksgiving - Worship and praise God throughout the day. Worship changes our lives and how we see our situations. It is a joyful key to living successfully in the end time. As we ascend to the throne room in worship, then we can descend back into the harvest field here on earth, pray, and war for its release. God can give us keys during our seasons of worship that unlock the path before us and bring glory into our situations here on earth. Everything in us should give praise to the Lord." David says in Psalm 34:1, "His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Practicing praise and worship throughout the day will lead us into a more powerful life of intercession.

· Raise your view of God - He wants to give you a bigger picture of Himself. Raise your expectation level of what God can do in your life supernaturally through prayer. What glasses are you looking through? How do you see God? How does He see you? Whenever God brings us to a new level spiritually, we must adjust how we see God. Warfare is not primarily taking authority over the devil but it is discovering the majesty of God and His supremacy. Many of us feel small. That’s ok if we see how big God is in us. Our view of God is most important and will bring us into a more powerful life of intercession because we begin to view everything from the greatness and supremacy of Christ.

· Let God stretch your faith - Believe Him for something bigger than yourself. “Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God." Are you trusting God for something that is bigger than yourself that only He can do? Are you stepping out of your comfort zone and asking Him for things that are God-sized and not man-made? Let us keep in mind that God will not do anything without believing prayer. We read in Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Exercising faith empowers our prayer life.

· Practice fasting in your own life - Have regular times set aside for fasting and prayer. Fasting empowers intercession. Fasting and prayer purifies us and makes us ready for harvest. The benefits of fasting are numerous. Fasting brings the body into subjection, breaks down barriers and helps us to focus on God. It sets the captives free and breaks every yoke. In Isaiah 58, we find 24 benefits of fasting. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6. Fasting is key for a life of power in intercession.

· Practice purpose-driven prayer - Focus on God’s plan rather than your own needs. When we focus on the negatives and our own needs, we are practicing problem-driven prayer. Purpose-driven prayer focuses on God's overarching plan. By faith you can pray for his maximum glory to be achieved in any situation. This frees the Lord to replace your problem with His provision. God wants to move us into a much higher realm of His purposes. As our hearts touch the heart of God, we begin to have His desires and goals. We see things as he sees them. We are committed to His glory. A powerful life of intercession is a life that practices purpose-driven prayer.

God wants us to be powerful in intercession. He wants to release each one of us fully into our destiny. Where are you today? Are you willing to pay the price to develop in your prayer life? Is prayer an ever-growing object of intense desire for which you long and live? Are you willing to rise up to a new level in intercession? I believe you can. When we get to heaven, we will never, ever regret the time we have spent in prayer on earth. It is then that we will see the reality of the glory of God that was released on earth through the power of our intercession.

“If we, as helpers and fellow laborers with the Lord Jesus, are to share His power of intercession, there will need to be with us as well the travail of soul that there was with Him, the giving up of our lives and their pleasures for the one supreme work of interceding for our fellowmen. Intercession must not be a passing interest. It must become an ever-growing object of intense desire for which, above everything, we long and live. It is the life of consecration and self-sacrifice that will indeed give power for intercession.” Quotes by Andrew Murray