Category Archives: Intercession

To Challenge YOU!

31 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Ambassador, Example, Generations, Intercession, Legacy

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The month of July is coming to a close today. This month we’ve been able to hear from so many different perspectives and glean so much important information and teaching on the infinite topic of leaving a godly legacy. Now I want to challenge you to take what you’ve read and heard, and live it out for Christ!

At the very core foundation of a godly legacy lies the heart of a man or a woman that is knit to the heart of God, inseparably.

The relationship is the key. Before the service, before the example-setting, before the giving…it all starts in the prayer closet with the word “relationship.” Where is your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Is He real in your life…is He real in your living?

Man makes “impressions” by looking at his peers and trying to measure up. God’s way is for man to look at HIM and to change his peers by being conformed to Christ-likeness. This is the essential ingredient in the leaving of a godly legacy.

Believer, what do you believe? Do you live as a man with a mark upon him – the mark of God? Does your face shine as the face of Moses when he came down from communing with God? Only within the relationship can the legacy be built. Apart from it, the legacy is not lasting – a mere shadow that fades into nothingness when man dies, taking the memory of a meaningless life with him.

The many people you have heard from during the existence of this blog have all been young people who have committed themselves to seeking the Lord. Our mistakes are many, as we are not perfect, nor the “example” by any means, for the world to follow. Yet, it is the heart that defines the man or the woman of God. It is our desire, as our team moves on to other things that God has brought across our paths, that our readers implement the following disciplines of seeking the Lord in their life, and in doing so, lay a foundation that will change the world and the impact of the Gospel upon the lives of the great host of onlookers we are surrounded by each day.

  • Commit to spend time each morning in the Word of God and especially in prayer!
  • Ask the Lord “What do you require of me?” and be willing to obey, no matter how difficult the answers may seem. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
  • Know what you believe. Do not compromise or back down on any point. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
  • Ask God to show you the needs of those around you: your immediate family, your friends, people in your grocery store, co-workers, and even the world.
  • Respond to the needs you meet, prayerfully and in humility. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ, the wonderful Counselor, to give you the words when opportunities come to share His truth.
  • Share the gospel – however impossible or difficult that may seem in your mind – with a lost and dying world.
  • Pass on the truths of the Christian life to those under you, and inspire godly living in all you come in contact with.

This blogging ministry has been a gift from God – an opportunity for those of us who have written for the blog, to lay a godly foundation, to be counter-cultural, to speak the truth boldly and be committed, to stretch our faith and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit as we’ve prayed about what to write, when, how…the list goes on. This ministry is not over. It is only just beginning: in the lives of each of you, our readers.

It is our prayer that we have been able to encourage you, but not only this, you have so encouraged us as we have received emails and comments and even just read the stats – realizing that people all over the world are reading and gleaning God’s truth. It is nothing of our own, but HIS to give. Wherever you are today, wherever God may place you tomorrow, GO. Give of yourself, lay down your life for the lives of those to come after you. Make a statement – not a statement that belongs to the world, but a statement that marks you as God’s man, God’s woman. Be strong and of good courage, and may our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you with might in your inner being, a lighted city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Stay in God’s Grip!

~Hannah, for the team.

There will be one final post at the end of the first week of August some time. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for your encouragement and support in this blogging ministry!

 

God’s Will?

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Intercession, Living, Lords Prayer, Meditation, Understanding

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It has been a while since we last visited the ‘Lord’s Prayer’. Let’s takes some time to meditate on it now. Last time we took a look at the holiness of our God’s name. We now turn our attention to the praying of God’s will: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven [Mt. 6:10]”.

The question, ‘what is the will of God?’ is an age-old question and has been discussed over and over again by many generations. Unfortunately, it is a question that has been mishandled and quite honestly, over analyzed. Way too often, we try to reduce the will of God down to something as concrete as holding an object in our hand, and to identify what it is.

We fail to realize that if we identify all that God is going to do in our life, it would cease to be a life of faith.

If we know all that is going to happen to us, whether today or tomorrow – let alone the next minute – then where is the faith in that? We are told in the book of Colossians, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” You received Him by faith, and you must therefore continue walking in Him by faith.

It is not for us to know everything that God is going to do. It is for us to trust Him fully and completely because He is the One who is all knowing. Romans 11:34 says, “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” The answer is no one. That is why we must trust Him and furthermore, why we should pray His will be done.

Our God is working all things good for the believer [Romans 8:28] and if that is the case, what else can we do but trust Him?

His will, will be done, and it will be good, as He has promised. We get the privilege, as His children, to be a part of bringing about this will through the means of prayer – of seeing Him reveal it as we walk this adventure called the Christian life. When our Lord tells us to pray according to His will, He is telling us that we are the instruments by which He will bring about His will. We are actually praying in [bringing about] the very will of God when we pray. This is not to take away from the communion aspect of prayer –this is equally
a gift and privilege. But, why else would our Lord teach His disciples to pray by telling them, “thy will be done”?

Then there are three important phrases that surround that all encompassing statement [‘Thy will be done’]: “Thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven.” It is God’s will that His kingdom come and that the ‘will’ distinctly be the very eternal heavenly mind and desire [His will] of God, which is lived, proclaimed, and prayed on earth by His chosen people!

So, this ‘will’ is not about trying to “figure it out” so we know what is going to happen. Rather, it involves a life that is consumed with seeking Christ on a daily basis and a profound sense of privilege and gratitude that God is using our very prayers to bring about His will. As we come to the meat of what God is teaching His disciples concerning prayer, we realize the importance of a thorough and growing knowledge of our God and a deeper understanding of His holiness in order to pray His will.

As we continue faithfully on a daily basis in this process, our prayer life will begin to show an indelible mark of praying according to the eternal will of God.

We will see prayers answered, and it will not be because of our great prayer life or faith, but instead it will reflect prayers with desires that have been purged and conformed to the mind of Christ. There will be a life that produces heart felt, scripture wrought, and spirit-filled prayers that are completely and utterly heavenly.

Daniel Cavanaugh

Father, Forgive Them!

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Chambers, Intercession, Missionaries

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“Quit praying about yourself, and be spent in vicarious intercession as the bondslave of Jesus. How many souls have we failed to bring through to God because of our crass unbelief in prayer?” ~Oswald Chambers

Someone once said that the most important aspect of the missionary call – and maybe even the most important verse in the Bible – is the anguished cry of Jesus on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is the basis of intercessory prayer, and it should be our heart’s cry every day.

Last month, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Bolivia with a missionary family. Many of the things I saw were heartbreaking… People trying to scratch out an existence in their small plot of farmland. Tiny, one- and two- room houses with not even the basic comforts of life. Young people just “hanging out” on the streets, with nowhere to go, nothing to live for. An entire culture of people enslaved by the double bonds of an ancient tribal religion mixed with Catholicism. As I saw all this, I was convicted by my lack of concern. How often do I cry out to God for the lost souls in Bolivia and other places? How many nights do I spend on my knees, begging God to send more laborers to His harvest? I came away from this experience with a new desire to pray – and a new sense of the consequences when we don’t pray. Take this thought with you today: How many people have not been saved, simply because of our unwillingness to spend a few moments in prayer?

~Christen

The Force Behind the Faith ~ Day 22

10 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in Faith, Intercession, Prayer, Testimonies, Uncategorized

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At the heart of the prayer of faith lies not the assurance that the answer will be the one we want, but the knowledge that the will of God will be done, and that its outcome will be the best possible one for our life.

I felt the gentle prompting in my heart; “Pray in faith. Ask me to do this thing.” I shrank back in doubt. Our family had asked for this very thing countless times and the answer had always been a resounding “No.” Why should today be any different? I tried to “gird up” my faith. “Lord,” I prayed, “If it is your will, I believe you can do this thing.” It was a safe prayer. I would not have to face the fear that I had believed something that was not God’s will. “Where is your faith?” The Lord seemed to say. “This IS my will. Ask me for it…better yet, tell me that you believe I WILL do this thing, not just soon, but TODAY.” I surely groaned inside. This was treading outside of my comfort zone. How was I to know what the will of God was? I opened my mouth again…dare I say it? “Lord, I’m too afraid.” I said out loud. I was sure I would laugh at myself later, but I was in earnest with the Lord. I still hoped, but I did not have the faith to say the words. I felt like a little kid who was still learning to walk.

How many times before had He already proved Himself to me?

Despite my lack of faith, God answered my family’s collective prayer. I looked back on the miracle a few hours later and realized the answer to prayer had met a direct need – a need that would have put us several thousand dollars in debt. Had it been a few days earlier, or a few days later, it would not have directly correlated to the meeting of that urgent need.

How can we step out in faith and pray? What if we pray the wrong thing without knowing it and have faith that it will really happen? Faith is the heart attitude, the unfaltering trust that God will hear, and that His answer will be supremely best. Paul wrote, “…The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:26-28).

Don’t let your faith die just because the outcome wasn’t your idea…

I know that in my moment of weakness, the Spirit interceded for me – He knew the sovereign will of God. There have been moments I have prayed in unfaltering faith for something I was sure was the will of God and it turned out to be opposite to my thought. In those moments, I can’t let the faith die simply because the answer is not mine. I can continue living faith and walking in it because the will of God has still been accomplished in my life and the life of those I’ve prayed for. And yes…there are times when God is silent and I have to cry out “God, I don’t know what you want me to pray for!” And the assurance rests on me that in the silence, the Spirit intercedes. What precious moments those are!

Pray in faith! Our intercessor is ALIVE!

~h

Intercessory Prayer, Pt. 2 ~ Day 25

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Confession, Daniel, Fasting, Intercession, Israel, Prayer, Repentacne, Uncategorized

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As I pondered the “entering in” of intercession, God brought to mind two men of God who poured out their lives on two separate occasions in intercessory prayer: the first was Daniel (See Dan. 9) and the second, Nehemiah (See Neh. 1).

I wrote previously about those things which precede intercession, but as I studied these men, I realized that there are some clear distinctions that leave a “mark” on intercessory prayer. What makes intercessory prayer, after all, any different than “Ask and it shall be given” – making a request to God?

What makes intercessory prayer different?

Daniel and Nehemiah – two called prophets of God – were partaking in the suffering of the Lord Jesus. They were acknowledging man’s depravity and agonizing over spiritual destitution and sin. Their prayers were marked by three things:

  • Fasting.
  • Sackcloth and Ashes (a cultural symbol of deep grief and sorrow; a broken, sincere humility).
  • Confession of the sins of the people.

God’s reputation was at stake:

Was there any other form of self-abasement that would more clearly identify their heaviness of heart and passion for the restoration of God’s reputation? These men were the kind of men God was looking for. They are the kind of men (and women) God is looking for today – not necessarily that intercession is always accompanied by the actual carrying out of these three works, but that the heart of them is present in every man or woman who intercedes before the Throne of God.

In Mark 11:17, we find Jesus in the temple overturning tables in righteous anger and thrusting the money changers from the place which they have so greedily robbed of holiness: “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves!” The word “prayer” in this passage means “fervent prayer; to earnestly invoke the power of God.” It is the Greek counterpart to the Hebrew word for “prayer” in Daniel 9:3 meaning “intercession; entreaty”. The temple was to be a place of intercession! Instead, Jesus found thieves – openly practicing plunderers – robbers of the truth.

To refuse the call to intercession is to rob God.

Daniel and Nehemiah were no such men. They could have packed their bags and set out to confront the sin. They didn’t. In the moment of realization, they sought the place of quiet and the Person of God to repair those breaches which were beyond human hope. There, in grief and heaviness of soul, they confessed the sins of those they interceded for.

Confession maintains a right relationship with God.

God heard their cries. He turned His holy ear to their interceding; he found two men whose hearts were broken as if over their own sin, grieving for the sins of His people. Contrary to our normal response, “It wasn’t my fault”, these broken men turned the heart of God in the place of mourning.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy!

And so you are called, and I am called, to take up the cross and follow – to follow Jesus, to follow those men who have gone before us and prepared the way. Some of our seed will fall on thorny ground and will be choked. It may be seized up by the birds, or never absorbed by the rocky soil…but that which falls in good earth will spring up and bare fruit, and what greater blessing than to know that those secret tears have revealed the glory of a joyful harvest? Plant and water…let God have the increase!

~Hannah

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