The Call To Intercession (Article 6)

The Call to Intercession

“A Practical Excavation of Old Ruins.”

“God is looking for non-resistant vessels for His glory.” (Mark Dupont)

The experience of encountering God’s presence further boosts our faith. This is not the end all for our faith, because faith comes by hearing and this by way of the Word of God, being alive and coming alive in us with great power. We desire a continuation of experiencing and encountering so we become more like Jesus in thought, action, in our whole being. This is the Father’s will for us in Christ Jesus. We can ask, anything, why? Because this is Gods will for us, to be conformed to the express image of his son. Jesus says, “Ask the Father.” We must know the Father as he did. The sooner we attain this change the better off the world that we touch will be affected; this means family, church, world, in this order. Why this way?

Salt and Light

First, we need the removal of untruth, non-scriptural propaganda, healing of wounds, release from darkness and the infilling of more light. This is a process of daily renewal. We cannot expect yesterdays blessing to sustain us for the tomorrow we will encounter. If we try to do it on experience or self alone we will fail miserably. So the asking for daily soaking in Holy Spirit is not wrong. We are the salt of the earth and must not lose our effect to preserve and be keepers of the light. To keep something means to have it remain intact. We need these things to secure the armor of God and keep our minds in Christ. The Word of God must possess and have access to our whole self. We need to feed on the Word, which is living, heavenly food for soul, body, mind, heart and spirit.

Becoming

It is necessary for us to have a teachable spirit, able to be submissive. The ability to release ourselves into the centre of God’s will. We need to abandon our personal agendas and get absorbed into what God has in mind for us. This means that craving after the heart of God comes alive in us. There needs to be a passion for the person of God. This is all part of giving our complete selves. We MUST release our fears and our personal motivation so he can be seen and the fruit of his spirit will be seen in us. This is not an external application like make-up, but a transformation of our spirit, so embodied by the Spirit of God that they become one. This is Christ’s’ high priestly prayer for us in John 17. This is going to place certain demands upon us.

So this boils down to; who’s leading, God or us? We have to know what this means for each of us. We may be called out upon the water in the middle of the storm. This means hearing and accepting Jesus command. Even if we fail because the circumstances seem too great to endure, but we want to, right to the end. We are hearing above all the noise; we are focused in the storm. We walk on the Word of God, not the physical water, but we must wait for the command. Waiting has deterred many. We must learn how to wait.

We hear the voice of God on behalf of others and stand in the gap, where we may be the only source of hope for them. We know that if God does not intervene they will die.

This may mean feeling God’s pain on behalf of them, or feeling their pain because of the circumstances. Jesus suffered real pain on the cross for us.

How much are we willing to feel on behalf of others? The only way we will endure these things will be our connection with Holy Spirit and him strengthening us.

Becoming Yourself

God has made us all different and so we cannot expect each other to experience God in the same way, although there will be many things that overlap in our lives. It’s really this uniqueness that assists us to be a better working part of the body and church as a whole. Holy Spirit imparts to us different gifting, intercession being one part, but within this gift will be differences that enable us to function more completely. For a single individual to carry all the weight of intercession would be disastrous, but when we as a whole are operating according to God’s design and plan then this becomes more fruitful and the task less tiresome, because the many parts share the load.

Intercession takes on different phases or areas of gifting within the gift.

Ø Prophetic intercession has a very valuable place. Releasing at times greater power from God into situations or into people’s lives. It also brings revelation and opens doors to people’s hearts or minds and there is realization that this could have only come from God. Very necessary for strategy in a corporate setting.

Ø Words of knowledge are similar to the prophetic; they can also be revelatory and open doors in the spirit realm. Things that only God may know and so we pray for his mind or the mind of Christ for the situation. Opening of doors or breaking of bondage’s, places that the enemy may have control, reason for the control, entrance to the person or situation. Example: Unforgiveness = spiritual bondage that could = sickness.

Ø Words of encouragement from the heart of God to lift and heal or shed new light.

Ø Speaking with authority the voice of God, rebuking the darkness or loosing of Holy Spirit against spiritual forces. Speaking the Word of God through promises he has given or insights that Holy Spirit gives in the revealed Word. Binding and loosing.

Ø Visions, dreams, revelation, songs, faith, dance insights and so on. Rich release of Holy Spirit by our prayer/intercession, and suddenly touching others or situations has taken on a whole new meaning. We have become a healing salve, a refreshing drink, the breath of God, a burden bearer, the sword of the Lord, a powerful instrument of victory or a gentle touch of healing.

Faith not Feelings

What about when we don’t feel or see things happening, as we may perceive they should? Does this mean we stop praying? No, we pray all the more until we know we’ve broken through. Break through prayers result in inner peace, we must persist, not quitting too soon. We need to push our faith to its fullest. We daily remind God of his promises, calling on his goodness, faithfulness, mercy and intervention.

Soul Captivity

If you give in to the soul you become a captive to vain imaginations.

Our enemy the devil desires for our minds to be overwhelmed with doubt, fear, darkness, hopelessness, giving up, this is useless, nothing will change, I quit attitudes, a mind put into neutral so he can fill it with garbage or turn you against yourself and bring in soulish attitudes.

Mind and Spirit

Many Christians fail in their prayer life because they have not won the battle for the mind and are unsteady in walking in the Spirit as yet. Knowledge is only one part; understanding is working with revelation coming through the intuitive nature and this is ongoing in our learning. Once your spirit has become alive and active, your mind will begin to reason and work in conjunction to your spirit being fed from Holy Spirit. When there is an agreement your mind will assume a position of listening rather than objection and its understanding will become captivated with the new revelation. Once it reaches this acceptance it will automatically restrain the soul and any objectionable information it receives and begin to filter what it is receiving and rises up to block non-spiritual propaganda. This does not mean that suddenly its submission can be without fault or flaws. There is need for wisdom and a continuation of humility, a heart of repentance and exercising healthy spiritual attitudes. The enemy rules in the realm of the soul and can manipulate a counterfeit spiritual experience. We need constant discernment and that means listening closely to Holy Spirit and the “still small voice of the Lord.” Holy Spirit “LEADS”, but you can only be led if you are watching and looking ahead to where you are going. We will look more at “not leaning on your own understanding”, in another article.

Stop, Look, Listen

We need to be in a place where we can receive faith and release faith. We want to be used to give away blessing so we can get more blessing to give away. There is also the need to slow our pace, embrace meditation, feed on the Word and have a good balance of spiritual exercise and times of refreshing for our mind, soul and spirit. Need to know when to say no to others and get away to rest. Jesus many times got away from the crowds and often took the disciples with him.

This all leads to better prayer communication, discernment and developing an ear for the voice of God so we can understand his will more clearly. We become more focused on his heart, which means more of him less of us.

Questions:

1) Are we ready to abandon fear, and have a connection through prayer with others?

2) What type of demands will intercession place on you?

3) Do we understand the emotion of God’s love for us and for others?

4) Are we ready to shed tears, have deep groaning of expression and give ourselves to all that God desires of us in intercession?

5) Why is there a need to be surrounded by others of like faith and heart for God?

6) Do you now have knowledge, understanding of how the mind, spirit and soul work?

7) Do we understand the working of the gifts of the Spirit and welcome this from others ministering with us?

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QUERY (From Handbook)

The Call

1) EXPERIENCING? Why? What does this do? (Solidifies H.S. work in

You and increases your faith.)

The experience of encountering God’s presence further boosts our faith. This is not the end all for our faith, because faith comes by hearing and this by way of the Word of God, being alive and coming alive in us with great power. We desire a continuation of experiencing and encountering so we become more like Jesus in thought, action, in our whole being. This is the Father’s will for us in Christ Jesus. We can ask, anything, why? Because this is Gods will for us, to be conformed to the express image of his son. Jesus says, “Ask the Father.” We must know the Father as he did.

2) Why this order? Family, church, world.

The sooner we attain this change the better off the world that we touch will be affected; this means family, church, world, in this order.

It starts with you first, no change in you, little or no change to your family, which includes, church and obviously the world. You will not be affective nor will you pick up on what the heart of God is. (Not perfectionism here)

Does God work this order backwards? No, how can he. But the enemy can. When you become too focused on “your” ministry, the enemy will help you to loose perspective of life around you. Suddenly you find yourself becoming angry at being interrupted, disturbed when you are trying to be so “spiritual”. Blaming everyone and everything is against me. Stay balanced, not allowing your family to suffer neglect. Do not anger them when you are to serve. Your prayers will suffer and God may not always answer. The more the world affects you the less threat you are. Actually you are no threat at all.

Salt and Light

3) Daily soaking? Do you know what this means?

First, we need the removal of untruth, non-scriptural propaganda, healing of wounds, release from darkness and the infilling of more light. This is a process of daily renewal.  The Word of God must possess and have access to our whole self. We need to feed on the Word, which is living, heavenly food for soul, body, mind, heart and spirit.

Every living thing needs water, a soaking, caring for from Holy Spirit and the Word.

Propaganda: the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement. The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause. Does the enemy have propaganda? A cause? A system?

(Discussed in last chapter rest.)

Becoming

We hear the voice of God on behalf of others and stand in the gap, where we may be the only source of hope for them. The only way we will endure these things will be our connection with Holy Spirit and him strengthening us.

God has made us all different and so we cannot expect each other to experience God in the same way, although there will be many things that overlap in our lives.  For a single individual to carry all the weight of intercession would be disastrous, but when we as a whole are operating according to God’s design and plan then this becomes more fruitful and the task less tiresome, because the many parts share the load.

4) Being in touch with your emotions and God’s.

Feel: become aware, physical, emotional. Does God touch us? Example the sheep gate: shepherds would literally feel the sheep for cuts, bumps, feet etc. Does God do this for us? When we let him. Ps. 23, “He makes us lie down…”

Physician examines by touch, we learn these things for others by Holy Spirit working in us, through us, this can be difficult for many people, who are not in touch with their emotions. (I know I was one) Holy Spirit leaves us with impressions. Touches our instinctive aptitude (there are many things that are natural, mom automatically can know if her child is in danger, twins know about the other) also our intuitive understanding can be increased. We can be taught, be open, this is not being over the top emotionally, but stable and balanced. If you are inclined to be super hyper, sensitive, you may need the opposite calming. Know how to read yourself.

Many people can actually feel the pain of another, in their heart, or body.

Not uncommon, get to know why, for who, discern is this from God?

Keep notes on how your giftedness works, compare with accredited people, do research, press God for answers, and go by faith.

Becoming yourself – Areas of gifting

1) Areas within the gift. Know your strengths, i.e.: swordsman, marksman, watchman, discernment. (make a list for yourself)

Faith Not Feelings

What about when we don’t feel or see things happening, as we may perceive they should? Does this mean we stop praying? No, we pray all the more until we know we’ve broken through. Break through prayers result in inner peace, we must persist, not quitting too soon. We need to push our faith to its fullest. We daily remind God of his promises, calling on his goodness, faithfulness, mercy and intervention.

Our enemy the devil desires for our minds to be overwhelmed with doubt, fear, darkness, hopelessness, giving up, this is useless, nothing will change, I quit attitudes, a mind put into neutral so he can fill it with garbage or turn you against yourself and bringing in soulish attitudes

Many Christians fail in their prayer life because they have not won the battle for the mind yet.

Soul Captivity

All of us by now should have walked with Paul through the book of Romans, where we understand that we are to be walking in the Spirit. We should know also by now that we have absolutely nothing to give to God. Our righteousness, without what Jesus has done for us is garbage. There is no foundation within us to build on. We are to press on with a continuation of renewing of our mind. If our mind was good, there would be no need for a sanctifying process. If our heart was good there would be no need for God to give us a new one. But our new heart can be affected (infected) by a mind that does not yield to Holy Spirit influence and leading.

If we continue on with our old stinkin’ thinkin’ what happens?

We go back to Egypt, back to making bricks and back to being under a task master. The soul.

If we stay here we become captive of our vain imaginations.

We are not given a new mind. Why? We must take responsibility for the salvation process as it gets worked out within us, with fear and trembling. Why?

Fear and trembling not so much at God but, at how subtly with clever scheming our enemy can manipulate and destroy us.

We cannot afford to ignore the renewing process.

So why are we still praying and thinking with an old mindset?

Why are we still captivated by things pertaining to the soul and sensual things?

Why are we relying on feelings over being taught and led by the Spirit?

Because we are proud of what goes on inside our head.

But God resists the proud, so what do we do now?

2Chron.7:14 says, “If my people will… humble themselves… and pray”

It does not say, “Pray” first, why not?

Who does God esteem, come to live with, abide with, listen to?

The humble, the contrite, the poor in spirit, the broken, the lowly…

(See Ez.11.19, 18.31, 36.26, Rom.7.6)

Mind and Spirit

What was the most active part of us before conversion?

The mind; thinking up all manner of evil and activities to supply the hunger of the flesh. Gal.5

What part of us was inactive and dead?

Our spirit.

Now God has given us a chance to help ourselves by co-laboring with Holy Spirit. He has the jumper cables to supply the power to the deadness and get it going again, and he will teach us how to keep it going and resume the proper place God intended for us from the beginning.

This charge of Holy Spirit power is so great that it brings us into a completely new state of being, but if we are not careful the mind and soul can short circuit us and drain the life giving power and we return to deadness again.