THE POWER

OF

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

By Angelene Jacob

Edited by Geoffrey Keyte

©2013 Bethel Publishing Company

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

Published by:-

The Bethel Publishing Company

12 Park Hill Crescent

Beaufort

Gwent

NP23 5RN

United Kingdom

Other e-books published by the Bethel Publishing Company include:-

         The Holy Wars by John Buchan

         The Book of Heavenly Love – compiled by Geoffrey Keyte

         There is Power in the Word of God – Angelene Jacob

         The Book of BIG Prayers

The Power of Intercessory Prayer

What is intercession? First of all, intercession is sacrificial prayer. It focuses less on you and more on others. It asks God’s power to be unleashed in the world.

Intercessory prayer involves spiritual warfare. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, and it is not fought with carnal weapons. We win these battles on our knees!

2 Corinthians 10: 3 – 5

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Through intercessory prayer, you can subdue the forces of hell and render Satan powerless, because “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling sown of strongholds!” Through Intercession, you can change the course of history. Through prayer and intercession, you can touch your community and impact your world.

God has placed all that He is and has at your disposal in prayer. No principality or power can stand against the person who knows how to pray.

SECRET” POWER UNLEASHED

One of the greatest “secrets” of getting answers to your prayers, including intercessory prayers, comes through understanding the power of praying with the promises of God. It’s a principle that we see demonstrated in the lives of men throughout Scripture.

Two examples, Moses and Jacob, claimed the declarations of the Lord. So did Peter and John. After the two apostles had been threatened by the Pharisees not to preach in the name of Christ, they gathered with fellow believers and proclaimed:

Acts 4: 24 – 26

“Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine (plot) vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ”.

God knew what His Word proclaimed, yet Peter made a point of repeating it again: Lord, You said, ‘Why do the heathen rage?’ You declared that ‘the rulers would stand up’… You said, Lord.’

Acts 4: 29 – 30

After praying about the promises of God, Peter stated: “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus”.

What was the result?

Acts 4: 31

“After this prayer the meeting place was shaken, where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness”.

Noted English Pastor of the nineteenth century, Charles H Spurgeon, said, “It is the strength and not the length of your prayer that brings an answer to your prayers; and the strength of prayer lies in your faith in the promise which you pleaded before the Lord.”

PRAYING PROPHETIC PRAYERS

Prophecy, like God’s promises, can be prayed into fulfillment. Daniel was reading the Word of God when he realized that the Lord had promised the Restoration of Jerusalem, though it had not happened.

Daniel 9: 2

He declared: “I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem”

Daniel 9: 3

Daniel tells us he stood on the word of God and prayed: “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes”.

When the prophet Daniel read the words found in Jeremiah 25 stating that Israel would be in Babylon for seventy years, he said to himself, “That’s a promise God made,” and he made the decision to pray the prophecy into fulfillment.

Another example is found in the Old Covenant concerning the promised Messiah. God announced He would send the Messiah, and a man named Simeon prayed it would come to pass.

Luke 2: 26

“And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ”.

Later, when Jesus was brought to the temple, Simeon took him into his arms and said, (Luke 2: 29 -30), “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen your salvation”.

What had Simeon’s prayer been for so long? “God send the promise!”

Prayer demonstrates our dependence upon God and recognizes His ability to meet our needs to do the impossible.

Today, as you intercede for your loved ones and those around you, begin to pray these prophetic promises found in God’s word:

         Habakkuk 2:14 “The earth shall be lifted with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea”

         Psalm 22:27 Father, You declared, “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the families of nations shall worship before thee”

         Matthew 24:14 Lord Jesus, You promised, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

         1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed. And enlarge my territory”. And God granted Jabez what he requested.

As you read and study the Scriptures, the logos (written word) will become Rhema (living revelation Word) in your life. We read in Psalm 80:18 “Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name”.

The WORD arouses and activates His power in you.

And once the quickening comes, you will pray and intercede with greater power.

PRAYING IN THE NAME OF JESUS

The name of our Lord Jesus has given you the authority to be victorious in prayer! The Bible declares that anything we ask will be accomplished when we pray in Jesus’s name. These powerful promises come from the lips of the Master Himself:

         Matthew 18:19-20 “If two of you shall agree touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.

         John 14:14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”

         John 16:23 “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.”

As believers, we have been given unlimited use of Jesus’s name. When we pray in His name, we go in His authority and in His place, professing the power of His awesome, mighty name.

We can pray in faith and confidence because Jesus said, John 16: 23-24 - “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full”.

Jesus means, “I guarantee it; I give you My word, Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you.”

Intercessory prayer is a powerful weapon available to God’s children for use against the enemy. Persistent intercessory prayer produces results and unleashes supernatural power for victory.

As a believer, do you know what kind of awesome power is available to you through prayer, especially as you pray for another?

Ephesians 1:17-19

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.”

Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of his saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results.

Prayer reaches to everything, takes in all things great and small which are promised by God to the children of men.

Romans 8: 17

“As God’s children, we are joint heirs with Christ”, and part of our authority in Christ Jesus is the power of answered prayer, especially in the area of intercession.

God is not looking for religious activity in your life.

He’s looking for individuals who long to fellowship with Him and for those who are hungry for the power of God to be poured out upon a lost, hurting, and dying world.

WHAT IS GRACE?

Did you know that in a quick study, I found 171 references to grace in the Bible? From this study, I also found that ‘grace’ was referred to in the following ways:-

HIS FAVOUR

In Genesis 6:8 Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. When we see ourselves as God sees us, we see His favour. His unconditioned love and acceptance of us, through His Son Jesus, is far more gracious than our own opinion of ourselves.

GOD’S HELP

Many scriptures refer to how God’s grace is sufficient for us, and a true strength when we are weak.

GOD’S GIFT

The Word of God refers to God’s grace as an unearned, unmerited undeserved favour from God to us through Jesus.

GOD’S WISDOM. BLESSING AND MERCY

GOD’S SALVATION

When we sum it all up, God’s grace is everything that comes to us through salvation and encompasses the victory in life to inherit every promise from His Word.

GOD’S GRACE IS A POWERFUL WEAPON, MADE AVAILABLE TO EVERY BELIEVER

To gain a clear understanding of this powerful weapon of grace, used to empower every believer, let’s take a look at an instance in the life of the Apostle Paul.

Just like the believers of today. Paul encountered circumstances, people and situations that were placed in his life by the enemy to purposely discourage him and distract him from fulfilling God’s mandate on his life.

He needed divine strength to live in victory over these hindrances and walk in the reality of every promise given to him in God’s word.

In the Book of 2 Corinthians, we read of how Paul was faced with a deliberate hindrance, inspired by the devil, to agitate, frustrate and discourage him. He referred to this problem as a “thorn in the flesh”.

Over the years there have been many opinions concerning what Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ was.

The most popular theory amongst scholars and teachers of the world is that whilst Paul was doing the work of the Lord amongst the people, there was a certain man, possessed and inspired by the devil that would constantly interfere or frustrate the work Paul was doing.

While Paul was encouraging and working with the believers this man would begin sowing seeds of doubt and strife in the hearts of these believers and oppose Paul on every side.

The ‘messenger of Satan’ sent  to buffet’ him, caused Paul to become extremely discouraged – so much so that Paul called out to the Lord on three different occasions for Him to take this man out of his life!

How many times are we faced with situations, people or circumstances that discourage us to the point of despair?

We beg the Lord to intervene and remove the challenge from us, just like Paul. We are convinced that if the obstacle is eliminated and out of the picture, our breakthrough will come.

Just like Paul, this thorn in the flesh is stopping us from having victory in a particular area of our lives and ministry.

Well, God did respond to Paul, and his desperate plea for help. However, His response was probably not what Paul expected to hear!

2 Corinthians 12:9

“But, He said to me, My grace (My favour and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you (sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully); for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in your weakness”.

God’s response to Paul was that His grace was all he needed to gain victory over his problem. When I spent some time studying this scripture with reference to the original Greek translation, I began to understand exactly why God responded to Paul with these words.

God’s grace is an extremely powerful weapon made available to every believer to overcome any attack or successfully oppose any spiritual force sent to deliberately frustrate or hinder God’s perfect will from being fulfilled in our lives.

The Greek word for the word ‘sufficient’ in this verse is ‘arkeo’. It means to be sufficient and satisfied; to give more than enough protection, power and help. It denotes a picture of a man who possesses great wealth and huge amount of resources, more than enough to accomplish any endeavour he would ever attempt.

Paul is saying in that verse that God’s grace is more than enough to protect you, empower you and help you with any problem you encounter in life. You will find that God’s grace is satisfactory to meet all your needs and will make you sufficiently strong to deal with any situation you encounter.

The Greek word for ‘strength’ in this verse is ‘dunamis’, the word also used to describe dynamic power. This is the strength that releases sufficient power and possesses the ability to make the necessary changes.

What changes are we talking about? Well, most often in life, changes in our circumstances are a direct result of the change in our perspective and attitude towards those circumstances.

Paul needed a new surge of divine power that would change his perspective and empower him to successfully overcome his struggles.

The Greek word for weakness is ‘astheneo’ it describes a person who feels weak, unsettled and distresses.

Paul was not speaking of physical disease or he would have used the word,’ aesthenes’, and it confirms that he was talking about distressing and unsettling emotions, as a result of the conflicting circumstances he was facing.

God’s promise to Paul and us, when we chose to open our hearts to Him and humble ourselves by casting the cares on Him, acknowledging our weakness (can’t carry the burden on our own), is that His strength would be made perfect in us.

The Greek word for perfect is ‘teleo’, it means perfection, completion or something that is mature. The thing to notice here is that the Greek tense here accentuates the continuing action.

It means that this inflow of supernatural strengthening power is just not made available sometimes but it is available continuously all the time.

The verse can be translated like this, “My power is constantly being perfected in you whenever you feel weak, and it will transform your thinking and inwardly fortify you to live successfully in life”.

God’s grace is a powerful weapon that will empower. It puts us in a position to see our circumstances from His perspective. Understanding that the God within us has all the power, wisdom and ability to cause every obstacle or challenge to be overcome changes everything!

In spite of the challenges you are facing right now, and no matter how weak you may feel, when you activate God’s grace in your life, you will walk in the fullness of a victorious life.

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

GOD IS SEARCHING FOR INTERCESSORS

To pray for another person is one of life’s greatest joys and privileges, because intercessory prayer unleashes God’s power in behalf of the ones for whom you pray. God responds to your prayers for others by meeting their needs.

Prayers for others combines the powers of God’s word with the power of prayer in dynamic ways that bless both the intercessor and the person for whom the prayer is offered, because God hears and answers prayers.

Reach out to God in behalf of others.

Watch God work in the lives of others.

         Family Need of Prayers

         Financial Needs of Others

         Healing Needs of Others

         Spiritual Needs of Others

         The Fruit of the Spirit

         Personal and Emotional Needs of Others.

Prayer for others is a priority in the kingdom of God, as Paul pointed out to Timothy: 1 Timothy 2:1

“I urge therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all…”

So, pray for others, believe that god will always honour His Word, and enjoy the blessings of the important ministry of intercession.

Table of Contents

Other Books

The Power of Intercessory Prayer

SECRET” POWER UNLEASHED

PRAYING PROPHETIC PRAYERS

PRAYING IN THE NAME OF JESUS

WHAT IS GRACE?

GOD’S WISDOM. BLESSING AND MERCY

PRAYING FOR OTHERS