For You I Am Praying – The Power of Intercessory Prayer

For You I Am Praying – The Power of Intercessory Prayer

Intercessory Prayer is the opportunity to pray for others. It is when we act as a mediator when we go before the throne of God.  Whether we are praying for someone who is sick, or going out to a job interview, or for someone who doesn’t know the Lord – the reasons are varied. It’s when we come before the throne of God seeking intercession on the behalf of another. Powerful things can happen.

Intercession is defined as the action of intervening [come between so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events] on behalf of another.  When we intercede, we are following the example of Christ, who sits on the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Spirit, who intercede for us.

Most of the time, we will hear about parents or family members, who are praying for the salvation of a loved one. It can be difficult for a believer to accept that their family member doesn’t follow the same belief system they have. Whether it is out of sheer rebellion or the family coming to know Christ later in life, the reasons can be multifaceted.

There are also the prayers for the success of individuals, during meetings, speeches, political races, and more. Prayers for struggling business, communities, and families who have suffered loss. Sick family members or community members who are under attack. There are so many reasons for this type of prayer.

Prayer is a powerful communication with God.

Intercessory prayer is the same communication on the behalf of others. Yet, why aren’t we praying?

We know the devil comes to ‘steal, kill and destroy.’ Most of the time we think of this as just destroying the physical into which the spiritual will also be affected. If you deprive someone of “things” or “possessions,” they may get depressed.

If you remove close family members, friends or loved ones, the difficulty to overcome grief can be crippling. When these things happen, our first response is generally NOT prayer. Many people no longer react by praying. Instead, we allow ourselves to be drawn down the rabbit hole.

This is where intercession becomes an incredibly important tool. Not only are we supporting our friends and family, by being there for them physically, we are also supporting their spiritual nature as well. Giving strength in the spirit to help themover come the physical.

We are living in a world that seemingly has turned away from God

By the actions of those in the world around us, the worship of ‘Gaia’ – whom they call ‘mother earth’ is prevalent. There have been several times throughout history where the masses have turned away from God and toward other things. Whether it is money, power, oppression, or the ideal of what will get them there.

Historically, the church hasn’t helped in these matters. The wars done ‘in the name of God’ where people were killed because they refused to be forced to give up their own beliefs. The Monarchs, who claimed godhood for themselves, and forced their people to have the same beliefs or die. The Inquisition. These are some of the things that we know, throughout history, have been done in the name of religion – forcing true believers into hiding in order to survive.

Even in today’s society, the word “Christian” often receives a negative connotation. Add to this, the fact that over the last year, it became (in essence) ‘illegal’ to congregate, taking away religious freedoms under the guise of ‘public safety’; meanwhile strip clubs and other such establishments were allowed to remain open.

Though some churches did manage to remain steadfast and open to their congregation through various means, the response was small in comparison to those who were willing to stay below the radar in ‘order to survive’. Have we so lost faith in our God?

Even for times such as these, God gave us His word to guide us:

2 Chronicles 7:14

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

I have mentioned this passage several times in the last few months as a reminder. We are called to prayer. We are called to intercede on the behalf of not only our churches, our communities, but our country.

We are called to stand fast. Be unmovable. We are called to PRAY. Everyone can pray. Prayer doesn’t discriminate. Prayer doesn’t have an outline. Prayer doesn’t require a calling. Prayer is our communication with an omnipotent God. Prayer can move mountains. Prayer can change communities. Prayer can change governments. Prayer can HEAL OUR LANDS.

There is nothing in this world quite as effective as prayer

One of the great things about prayer is that it can be done anytime, anywhere, in front of anyone. Prayer doesn’t have to be spoken out loud – like when Hannah prayed for a child. Her lips were moving but no words were heard. You don’t even have to move your lips. You can just pray from the heart inside of yourself.

Prayer will help you feel better. It will help you find solace and guidance. It will give you strength. It can change the world. No one can stop you from praying. Well, except you. You can stop it from happening by not doing it.

If we believe God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. If we believe that He keeps His promises. If we believe His Word never changes. If we believe He is our Rock. If we believe He will keep us under His wings of protection. If we believe He will send His angels before us. Then why can’t we believe in the power of prayer? There is no real reason.

The world is filled with fear. Fear that holds us in place. That locks down not only our feet but our hearts. Overcoming and/or facing our fears can bring people to tears. The idea can be daunting and overwhelming. This is why psychiatrists will tell people to ‘face their fear’. Once it is faced (and it may take multiple times), the fear will lose its power.

When someone has a fear of spiders, they will tell you to start with little ones first. If you can deal with these teeny, tiny spiders, you have made a baby step forward. Then gradually these baby steps, lead to full on strides, where you overcome the fear of bigger spiders – like tarantulas. There is a difference between being fearful of something and respecting it. In other words, you may overcome the fear of spiders, but still have a healthy respect that a black widow or recluse has a bite that could kill you.

There are many dangers in the world in which we live. Our fears can also be overcome in another way. We can “cast all our cares” on the Lord. We can learn to lay these fears at his feet. We need to recognize that not all fear is physically induced. Remember, we are both a physical being AND a spiritual one. Some of the fear we need to fight is in the spiritual realm. Some of it has to be overcome with prayer. It is the one thing that the enemy doesn’t want us doing.

The benefits of prayer are multifold

When you pray, things happen. I remember reading Frank Peretti’s book, This Present Darkness (and Piercing the Darkness). Even though this is a fictional novel, one of the things it did for me, was bring to light an idea about angels. That when we prayer, we give strength to the angels to fight battles in the spiritual realm.

Imagine this: an angel leaning against the wall, its head bowed, its wings folded… waiting. Now, imagine when you pray, you infuse that angel with heavenly power. His head pops up, his wings spread out, the light surrounding him shines brightly. The sword at his side glows brilliantly. He takes flight on a mission, set in motion, by your prayer. Wow!

Can you see it? The power of YOUR prayer. What is the mission? What did you prayer for? Was it for someone who needs guidance? Was it for the leaders of your community? Was it for a sick friend? Was it for yourself?

The thing is, there is no wrong way to pray. Prayer has power. Words have power. The Bible has numerous passages where it mentions the power of your words. Why it is so important how you speak. Proverbs 15:4 “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”

Make Prayer a Part of Your Daily Life

I would just like to encourage you to make prayer a part of your life. Whether you pray for yourself, things in your life or others, prayer is a gift given to us. We should use it. Not just to build up our faith. Not just to support ourselves and others. We should pray to draw ourselves closer to God.

Prayer is ultimately our ability to communicate with God. We pray, “in Jesus’ Name” as He is always interceding on our behalf.  Know that if Christ, who died for us, is willingly, lovingly interceding for us, then we can do it for others.

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

 

First Build a Strong Foundation; Everything Else Will Follow

First Build a Strong Foundation; Everything Else Will Follow

We have all heard the story of the man who built his house upon the sand and the man who built his house upon the rock. The lesson of the story is that it is important to choose what kind of foundation we will build on. Will it be weak or strong? Not only is it important factor when physically building something but it is in our spiritual lives as well.

If your foundation is made up of lies and taking shortcuts, then the life you grow will be built on them. When you try to shortcut your life. you can end up far away from where you want to be or planned to be. It is easy to find yourself off the path that God has set for you. Not only are you hurting others, but you are hurting yourself.  When you build your life on the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, gentleness and self control – you will find that your foundation is strong. It takes a lot to follow this path as sometimes it may seem easier to take advantage of people’s kindness to step on them and get ahead.  Yet in the long term, we are not only building our lives for this realm but also for the next one. (more…)

The Path to Joy – a Simple Message

The Path to Joy – a Simple Message

There is only one way to find true Joy for your life.  And it’s a simple way!  Here are some steps to follow:

(1)  Accept the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior.  (Read John 3:16).  He created you.  He wants you to be filled with the Joy of His Spirit.

(2)  Be obedient to His commandments.  And they are simple, too.  Love God first and foremost.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  (Yes, that means you need to love yourself, even as God loves you – so much He even died for you!).

Obedience, in this day and age, may seem difficult.  We naturally want to be “rebels” – with or without a cause.  Rebellion includes doing things our own way, disregarding God’s way – whether it’s not following the basic commandments, or failing to put God first and treat others as we would like to be treated.

I can tell you, from personal experience, that going away from the commandments of the Lord (which He has in place not to punish us, but to keep us in joy and peace), brings nothing but trouble.   It’s a lesson many of us have to learn the hard way – and sadly, some never learn.  But following in God’s way – the way as set out in the Scriptures – and asking Him for guidance and wisdom, and to open the door to walk in His will for our lives – brings so much peace and joy that it’s often beyond comprehension.  God is so good – He loves us and wants us to live full and joyful lives.  We can choose to respond to that love, or not.

I hope for you the peace, joy and love that passes all understanding, through His grace and mercy.

Snow – and Rest!

Snow – and Rest!

by Sue Forde

February 11, 2019

We’ve been getting quite a lot of snow in our western Washington area recently – to the point where many have been “snowed in” for a few days.  The snow causes the earth to take a rest.  And when it begins to melt, it nourishes the earth with water into the aquifer.

It’s only natural that after some time passes, we would start to get antsy – want to get out and get things done, at our usual day-to-day pace.  But perhaps we should take a lesson from God’s nature – when a blanket of snow falls on the earth, it’s a “time-out”.  Everything lies still and peaceful – and it’s beautiful!  That white layer of snow, untouched by anything or anyone, is something to behold.  We look out the window – or go outside for a short period of time – and enjoy it.

Our lives should be like that.  In today’s world, we rush here and there, with so many things “to do”, that we often overlook the sheer beauty of nature, and we get no real rest.  God has set the seasons for us – and with it, a lesson.  Take time out of our busy day to “think on these things” – the greatness of our loving Father, all that He provides for us each day, hour, minute and second.  Relax and don’t worry, as “everything” is in God’s hands – and YOU most of all!  He holds us each in the palm of His loving hand – and knows exactly what are needs are – and meets them according to His power and riches.

Worry is a tool of our enemy.  Stress, also, comes from that evil one who wanders the earth seeking whom he will destroy.  It’s sometimes difficult to pull our thoughts away from worry and stress.  We need to “make” time to just relax, read God’s word and His promises to us, and be filled with joy.  And, like the time of snow, we will become renewed and fresh – and ready to go again.