The ministry of intercession
In the Book of Luke 18:1 Jesus taught that men ought ALWAYS to pray & not to faint. This emphasizes that prayer is neither based on circumstances nor need but relationship. We pray to God for who He is before what He can do. This verse also confirms that Prayer is not the preserve of afew, like ‘the Intercessory department’ will pray for us. Prayer is the preserve of anyone alive. Men (of course includes women) ought always to pray. Have you been praying? Prayer has various dimensions. There are requests, petitions, supplications, Thanksgivings, decrees, warfare prayers & meditations, all described in the holy scriptures.
To effectively pray you need;
√ Diligence – Deut 28:1 the LORD begins by giving a condition to His blessing, if ye shall ‘diligently…’ Prayer is work & it works!
√ Faith – He that cometh to Him must believe that He is & that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him diligently (Heb 11:6). Again the aspect of diligence enshrined in faith. Abraham ‘believed’ God and he counted it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). This faith has 2 facets; the intrinsic conviction that God is able & faithful to his word, as well as the readiness to perform the works associated with what you believe, a man of God calls this, the labor dimension of faith. Faith without works is dead, remember?
√ Repentance – God’s hand is not too short that it may not save nor his ear too dull…but our iniquities have made a separation. Ask God to forgive your sins today that your prayers be heard
√ Humility & brokenness – God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Approaching his throne with boldness to obtain grace in times of need is not mere courage but conviction in humility that he is our father. The Bible says ‘I have found David my servant, whom I have anointed with my holy oil..’ Stay humble!
√ A heart of love – This is the greatest commandment, that ye love one another. Loving God with all your heart, all your mind & all your strength & loving your neighbor as thyself.
√ Pray the scriptures – Jesus spoke in the wilderness according to the word of God, ‘It is written ..’ Praying without scriptures is simply vocalizing personal wishes & ambitions to a holy God. Praying in the scriptures is expressing the Will of God by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the LORD does not work outside the Word of the Father. The Word of God cannot work without the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word was with God & the Word was God, and the Word became flesh. Ignoring scriptures is fighting on your own!
√ Embrace unity – And the apostles were of one mind, one accord. Unity is so powerful that in Gen 11, the builders of the tower of babel drew the attention of Heaven.
√ Forgiveness – When ye stand to pray, forgive (Mark 11:25-26). If you don’t forgive you cannot be forgiven! Is there someone you need to forgive? You can be helped today…simply reach out
√ Seek help from genuine servants of God – There are situations that require reaching out to anointed ministries to help you deal with. Whilst there are counterfeits, originals are established by God. Elijah was told of 7,000 prophets that had not bowed to Baal. The Lord can lead you to a genuine platform where He is helping many on a daily basis. To some he gave apostles, to some prophets, to some evangelists, teachers and pastors the objective being perfecting the saints (Eph 4:11)
√ The secrecy of prayer – Another major aspect of prayer is having a closet, where the enter, close the door behind you & secretly pray to your Father who will reward you in the open. Corporate prayer is scriptural. Jesus taught in Matt 6:6 about secret prayer as the foundation of one’s prayer life. It underscores separation, focus & undivided attention to prayer. It is high level prayer lifestyle enshrined in discipline & intimacy with God. Do you have a closet of prayer? You can begin today