All Kinds of Prayers: Intercession

All Kinds of Prayers

Ephesians 6:18

Last week we looked at how Paul is urging us to pray on all occasions (always). It is not just a suggestion. To grow in your relationship with God, prayer has to be the central part of your life. He goes on to say, “with all kinds of prayers.” To assist us to be victorious, God has given us various kinds of powerful prayer. Many people don’t realize this to be the case.

Beginning with this Faith Builder, I am going to look at the various kinds of prayer Paul is referring to.

Intercession

We have the prayer of intercession where we can pray for other believers and situations that seem insurmountable. It is pleading with God for not only your needs but the needs of others. Intercession is warfare. It is refusing to let go until the Father’s will comes to pass.

Just like going into battle, soldiers cannot take on their enemy if they leave their weapons behind. We must go into the battle armed for spiritual conflict. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We have to first recognize that Jesus is in control of each situation. Ephesians tells us that Jesus rules over forces, authorities, powers, rulers, and all beings in this world. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He provides us with the Armor of God described in Ephesians 6.

Intercessory prayer is the key to seeing breakthroughs in your life and in the lives of those around you. Jesus gave a great model of intercession in the story of the persistent friend. We see a friend who knocks on his neighbor’s door at midnight to ask for three loaves of bread. The neighbor does not want to get up but Jesus said, “because of his friend’s persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:8). This passage is not showing us how God does not want to answer our prayers. It is showing us that through our persistent intercessory prayer, He will give us what we need.

How many times have you set out to pray for something or someone and you have been distracted? You had good intentions to pray every day but it only led to once a week and then once a month. Unfortunately that shows our Heavenly Father how serious we are about receiving what we prayed for. The Bible mentions God searching for those willing to fight the spiritual battle for their land. In Ezekiel, God says, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” Could the Lord be doing the same today in our country? Looking for just one who would intercede so our country would end up in revival instead of judgment?

The enemy of our soul does not want you to know the power of intercessory prayer. Your marriage, finances, health, job, friends, spiritual growth, your country, depend on your prayers.

We have been praying for Beth Bishop, Lorna Morse, Ed Bradner, and David Price – for the Lord to heal them of their cancer. Don’t give up! Keep praying as if their healing depends on you. I know there are many others you are praying for. That’s what I love about our church. We get busy praying fervently for God’s Will to be done. Choose today to show God how serious you are in your intercessory prayer. He is looking for that kind of gumption in someone.

Take the time to read Romans 8:26-34 and see how the Spirit of God is committed to us and gives of Himself in order to make intercession possible.

I am looking forward to Sunday as we continue to look at, “Defining Moments: On the Way to the Cross.”

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike