FILL IN THE BLANK

Some thoughts on intercessory prayer.

I love to pray….just me and God…….but I really enjoy praying with one or more people. It just seems to bring out the ____________ in me. You fill in the blank.

Intercessory prayer is POWERFUL. But, if you are not neutral as you pray for a situation or a person….it can, and often does become a gossip/my opinion fest. This truly grieves the heart of God. I have been in meetings where the Spirit of the Lord was thick and flowing……and suddenly, the Spirit is quenched……..because someone expressed their will on the situation and NOT God’s. It’s like all the air went out of the room. You intercessors know what I am talking about.

I believe the Lord would say to us intercessors: Make no judgments where you have no compassion. I know you know what I am talking about……..you want God to “GET SOMEONE” because of their “grievous sin”. Or maybe you think you know more than God and start to tell Him what to do about a matter. It often seems like we spend a lot of time telling God about something He ALREADY knows EVERYTHING about. These are signs we have not come to neutral.

When we are in “neutral”, we have no will of our own in the matter of which we are praying. To pray God’s will…we have to shut-up and listen. I believe one of the true purposes of prayer is to get us in agreement with God……not trying to get God in agreement with us. How smart do we think we are? We are not God’s boss if He is truly Lord in our lives.

When we are in neutral, we are at peace in our spirit, confident that what God decides is the best. We have compassion on the sinner and not judgment in mind. I believe that as intercessors, God allows us to hear His voice as He invites us into His truth. We come into agreement with God – the Almighty, All Knowing, All Powerful One, and we are then privileged to join Him in His work. We speak His words in agreement together and then God moves!

So, check your motives, intercessors. Our words have the power to heal……….and to destroy.

TALK, TALK, TALK!

Have you been mislead by the mob?

More things continue to pop out of Acts 16 and 17! Maybe I should start reading somewhere else……. Amongst these passages are clues to fight the enemy…..and perhaps just as important…..clues to keep you out of the enemy's camp!

I am convinced that sincere Christians never mean to hurt anyone….but we can get caught up in a frenzy of talk, talk, talk and become a mob incited by the enemy. Check it out in Acts 16:22….and the crowd rose up against Paul and company….threw them in jail; Acts 17:5……the Jews became jealous and took some wicked men and started a riot; Acts 17:13…….Jews became and agitated and stirred up the crowds.

You say, well, these people were sinners anyway…yeah they were. But have you not seen the same thing happen in our churches or with your friends where a juicy item gets out among the ‘faithful’ and seems everyone wants to come into agreement with that instead of doing what God calls us to do in these situations, i.e., go to the person alone….Matt. 18:15-17.

Here’s what happens: unknowingly, a Christian will hear something against another, pass that along, and before you know it – there’s a church split or a friendship split. What actually happened is - that well-meaning Christian fell into agreement with the lies and power of the enemy. That means they fell out of agreement with God and into agreement with the other side. This was never their intention, they thought they were ‘right’ – but they forgot to check the scriptures, and before you know it satan has done what he wanted to do all along……cause dissension. But God’s purposes are fulfilled in unity. Ps. 133:1 – How good and pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity!

Agreement is VERY POWERFUL. Agreement means ‘symphony’, harmony – like in a symphony everyone plays their note together – different notes – but all in agreement. Matt. 18:19,…if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father…. You can come into agreement with God and his purposes…or you can come into agreement with satan and his purposes. Agreement is a spiritual principle so it works both ways. The moment you think you are immune – you will be trapped! Satan knows if he can get the Body of Christ stirred up over things that don’t really matter (things he blows out of proportion) he can keep us out of agreement……and that’s where the real power is – AGREEMENT!

So, search your heart – who are you in agreement with? Have you been misled by the ‘mob’?