PRAISE   FOR

BEYOND THE VEIL

Alice Smith got it right in Beyond the Veil. She has touched the heart of our Savior and showed a way that we can go behind the veil and yet live and witness in this world. She has blended prayer, evangelism and discipleship in a beautiful and inspiring way. Thanks Alice, for being open to share the treasures God has shown you.

Arthur Blessitt

The Man Who Carried the Cross Around the World in Every Nation

When I read Alice Smith’s Beyond the Veil when it was first released, it opened up a new vista for prayer for me. This new edition amazes me by its ability to both teach principles that deepen my prayer life and at the same time provide a devotional experience of the presence of God.

Dave Butts

Chairman, America’s National Prayer Committee

Intimacy with God is the key to all victorious warfare. Alice Smith’s Beyond the Veil is one of God’s special tools to help intercessors understand and apply this vital key. It could revolutionize your understanding of intimate intercession.

Dick Eastman

International President, Every Home for Christ, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Beyond the Veil is a call to intercession to advance God’s kingdom and undergird evangelism. Alice Smith shows how effective intercession involves intimacy with Christ through His Spirit, joining with Him in what He is doing (Rom. 8:26,34). In this book, she effectively employs typological interpretation of the Tabernacle to provide a picture of what it means to enter the Lord’s presence through intimate intercession.

Dr. Gary S. Greig

Senior Editor, Theology and Acquisitions, Regal Publishing, Ventura, California

Rarely do books so challenge and yet so reassure. Alice Smith dispels the phony elitism and guilt that can surround the word “intercessor.” Even as she encourages those specially called as intercessors, she still manages to welcome everyone to the practice of intercession.

Steve Hawthorne

WayMakers, Austin, Texas

Beyond the Veil is full of revelation that will transform your life. Alice doesn’t just know about intercession but lives an intercessory life before the throne of God. Your prayer group will greatly benefit from these golden nuggets from the heart of God.

Cindy Jacobs

President, Generals International, Red Oak, Texas

Alice passionately invites us to go beyond the veil with the Father. Let’s not ignore her invitation.

Chris Mitchell

Christian Broadcasting Network News, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Alice Smith meets us where we are. Beyond the Veil communicates intercession from a practical level, where learning is a pleasure and passion for more of Him becomes a treasure. Alice imparts to us what she has received from countless hours at His feet. Read, relish and intercede!

Jill Mitchell O’Brien

President, Kingdom Connections International, Inc., Houston, Texas

Alice Smith’s Beyond the Veil is a heads-up call to intercession. While chapter 1 alone is worth the price of the book, the bonus features just keep on coming. If you want to know how to discern God’s intentions for this critical hour, this is the place to start.

George Otis, Jr.

President, The Sentinel Group, Lynwood, Washington

God has gifted Alice Smith with much-needed insights into the ministry of intercession, which arise from her deep spiritual sensitivity and solid biblical foundation. She exhibits a consistent record of ministry to the entire Body of Christ. This book is the result. Read it! It is an absolute must for the intercessory ministry that will envelop a city-reaching thrust.

Ed Silvoso

Founder, Harvest Evangelism, San Jose, California

Published by Regal

From Gospel Light

Ventura, California, U.S.A.

www.regalbooks.com

Printed in the U.S.A.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible,

New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Other versions used are

CEV—Contemporary English Version. Copyright © American Bible Society, 1995.

ISV—Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, International Standard Version®.

Copyright © 1998 by the Learn Foundation, Yorba Linda, CA. Used by permission

of Davidson Press. All rights reserved internationally.

KJV—King James Version. Authorized King James Version.

THE MESSAGE—Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson,

1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

NKJV—Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982

by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© Copyright 1996, 1997, 2010 by Alice Smith. All rights reserved.

Revised edition. Beyond the Veil was originally published in 1996

by SpiriTruth Publishing.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The Library of Congress has cataloged the first edition as follows:

Smith, Alice

Beyond the veil / Alice Smith.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-08307-5135-8 (trade paper)

1. Intercessory prayer—Christianity. I. Title.

BV210.2.S59 1997

248.3 2—dc21

CIP 97-33487

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

Rights for publishing this book outside the U.S.A. or in non-English languages are

administered by Gospel Light Worldwide, an international not-for-profit ministry.

For additional information, please visit www.glww.org, email info@glww.org, or write

to Gospel Light Worldwide, 1957 Eastman Avenue, Ventura, CA 93003, U.S.A.

As a tribute to the past,

and in anticipation of the future,

I affectionately dedicate this book to my husband,

Eddie, my partner in the ministry.

In Loving Memory

of my sister Martha Jean Hallmark, who died on

Resurrection Day, April 7, 1996. Martha Jean was full

of enthusiastic joy, even to the end. With her infectious

laugh and sparkling personality, she displayed for all to

see what the apostle James meant when he said,

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers [and sisters], whenever

you face trials of many kinds” (Jas. 1:2).

CONTENTS

Foreword

Acknowledgments

1. Can You Hear the Call?

Face the Facts!

In our sin-infested society, where death and despair are obvious, there is something we can do: We can experience the power of intimate intercession.

2. A Higher Purpose

Bridging the Gap

“All intercession is prayer, but not all prayer is intercession.” Learn how intercession can affect the course of a nation, save lives or bring healing. Learn to recognize the triggers God uses to prompt us to pray.

3. Cultivating a Lifestyle of Intercession

On-the-Job Training

Prayer is every Christian’s responsibility. However, some in the Body of Christ have the gift, or the office, of intercession. Learn how our differing spiritual gifts enable us, through corporate intercession, to be more effective against the enemy.

4. Priesthood of the Believer

“Priestly Kings” and “Kingly Priests”

The Old Testament priesthood helps us understand our responsibilities as priests before God. Discover how God performs miraculous encounters when we assume our priestly position.

5. God’s Pattern: The Tabernacle

A House of Prayer

The tabernacle was simply a shadowy, earthly outline of the true heavenly sanctuary. Today, we are the spiritual Levites! As priests, our ministry is to stand in the gap and pray for other people and causes.

6. Launching Out

Developing Character

Godly character and integrity are requirements for intimacy with Christ. Discover the upside-down principle for spiritual intimacy.

7. The Journey Toward Intimacy

Identified in Death

Fruitfulness in our lives requires the breaking of our outer person, so our spirit can commune with the Spirit of Christ in us. Prayer is the key!

8. Romance of the Heart

From Covenant to Consummation

Some believe that to be Christ’s Bride refers only to our future life with Him. Yet we are meant to experience this joyful relationship this side of heaven. Learn how the Bride is to fulfill her destiny now!

9. Come Beyond the Veil

God’s Call to Intimate Intercession

Do you hunger for deeper intimacy with the Lord? Learn throne-room etiquette, the protocol of intercession. Journey beyond the veil into the holy of holies where God’s immanence and His transcendence meet!

Discussion Leader’s Guide

Endnotes

Suggested Reading

Index

FOREWORD

We who are living today have the privilege of living in the midst of the greatest worldwide prayer movement Christianity has ever known. Check it out with any church historian. Never before have so many people from so many different Christian traditions, in so many places, and using such creative methods, been praying so intensely and so long. They are praying inside their churches, in their homes and out in their communities. Some outdoor sports stadiums are being filled with tens of thousands of believers for literal all-night prayer meetings.

As a predictable part of this prayer phenomenon, which seems to be increasing in magnitude on almost a monthly basis, a high-profile corps of specially gifted prayer leaders has been emerging. Reflecting on almost five decades of moving in Christian leadership circles, I cannot remember when, in the past, lists of the most influential Christian leaders would include those whose major contribution to the Body of Christ was prayer ministry. Today such a list would be regarded as poorly informed if such names did not appear on it. The usual evangelists, pastors, executives, missionaries, authors and scholars are now joined by “prayers” as high-visibility role models for the Church.

What makes this ironic is individuals with the gift of intercession ordinarily do not want to be up front. Their major service to God is in the closet, not on the platform, and they are happiest in the secret place with their Father. By definition, however, movements have leaders and we are now blessed with increasing numbers of closet people who are also at home on the platform.

Alice Smith is one of these individuals. She has been a central figure in the lives of my wife, Doris, and me for many years. It began during one of those rare but exhilarating occasions, clearly orchestrated by God, in which previous strangers bond almost instantaneously and begin a lifetime relationship. Alice tells the story, which took place in David Yonggi Cho’s church in Seoul, Korea, later in this book. I tell it from my perspective in my book Prayer Shield (Regal Books). The upshot was that Doris and I later invited Alice to serve God, and us, as our I-1 intercessor. Ever since, she has been faithfully standing in the gap on our behalf.

For 19 years now, prayer has been my principal area of research, writing and teaching. I have developed a measure of professional competence in the field, not as an intercessor per se, but as an interpreter and coordinator of the world prayer movement. I display this credential in order to give credibility to this statement: Beyond the Veil is a book that is one of a kind. Unprecedented numbers of excellent books about prayer are now available. However, none that I know of takes us so sensitively into the mind and heart of a bona fide intercessor.

If you have ever joined me in asking the question, What is it that makes these intercessors tick? then you will love this book.

As you turn these pages, you will frequently hear the voice of God. For some this book will bring insight and discovery. For others, however, it will evoke a divine call to a lifetime in the ranks of those whom God desires to take beyond the veil!

C. Peter Wagner

President, Global Harvest Ministries

Chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute

Colorado Springs, Colorado

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My football-coach daddy would tell me, “Alice Lee, I don’t care how many times you fail, don’t you ever give up!” I can’t begin to tell you how many times I wanted to “give up” while writing this book. However, I have both my earthly father and my heavenly Father to thank for not doing so.

I am especially grateful to my husband, Eddie, for the honor and respect he shows those who devote their lives to prayer. For all the years you survived my endless questions, sleepless nights, uncontrolled tears and radical acts of obedience, God bless you, Eddie. No words in the English language could ever express my gratitude for the many hours you have spent encouraging, reading and editing this book. I love you.

To our children, Robert, Julie, Bryan and Ashlee, who were instruments of God’s grace as they released me to pray and write. To Ashlee, our youngest child: You gave up so much to allow me time to write this book. You knew how important this was to me. I pray the Lord will impart to you a double portion of the mantle of intercession. You, Ashlee, live in crucial days of humanity.

To my late parents, Gene and Martha Day: Thank you for 51 years of loving each other and for faithfully taking us to the house of God.

To my late father-in-law, Robert Smith: You were a splendid example of what Jesus would look like if He were on the earth today.

To my late mother-in-law, Marguerite Smith: Rarely have I seen a woman so radical for Jesus. Your boldness to share the gospel with the bikers, Hell’s Angels, the high school football coach and others amazed me. By example, you helped me accept my assignment from God for my generation.

To Peter and Doris Wagner: Thank you for your reassurance that one day this book would be a reality. You are “spiritual parents” to so many of us. Only heaven knows the personal sacrifices you both make.

To my older sister, Jo Ann McDougal: You are a support for our family. Because of you, we are stronger.

To my brother, John Day: God used you as a tool to teach me how to fast, travail, persevere, fight and believe Him for victory. Every time I see you, I know the power of answered prayer.

To the U.S. PRAYER CENTER staff, Board of Directors and intercessors: for your selfless sacrifice of prayer and ministry to people worldwide.

To Kyle Duncan: Many thanks. Regal was blessed to have you as their associate publisher. You believed in this message and I am grateful for your continual encouragement.

To Karen Kaufman: Thank you for editing this book for me. You are a diamond from whom brilliant rays of God’s glory shine. You light up my life.

To my intercessors: With your labor of prayer and God’s divine mercy, it is finished!

To my heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ: You are the Apple of my eye, the Joy in my heart, and my Best Friend. It is my great pleasure to be your Bride.

1

CAN YOU HEAR

THE CALL?

Face the Facts!

It was a beautiful fall day—a perfect time to curl up in a chair and read the mountains of journals that had been accumulating on the floor of my den. Fully appreciating the break from all responsibility, I felt relaxed and carefree. I had just completed a magazine when, as I glanced down at the next journal in the stack, I was jolted by its horrific headline: “Killer Kids: An American Tragedy.” I could feel a tightening in the pit of my stomach as I picked up the journal and opened it to the featured article.

My heart raced when I read, “Fourteen-year-old Eric Smith was convicted of bludgeoning 4-year-old Derrick Robie to death. His lawyer attempted to prove the teen’s innocence, saying the reason for his action was a mental disease—intermittent explosive disorder, which causes eruptions of uncontrollable rage. Eric was sentenced to a maximum prison term of nine years to life.”[1] Stunned, I felt tears flow down my cheeks as I found my way into the prayer closet, knowing the only answer for the decadence of our society is a divine visitation of almighty God.

Our society is decaying and degrading. Abortion, murder, rape, suicide and war ravage every continent. As Kay Arthur, outstanding Bible scholar and vice president of Precepts Ministries, has said, “America’s cup of iniquity is full.” Not only that, but hunger, starvation and disasters abound. Our world is chaotic. Society is being destroyed by its own evil devices.

We are foolish to think we can solve these problems ourselves. Contrary to popular belief, education is not the answer to AIDS, drug abuse, crime, premarital sex or the many other ills of our world. It’s time for us to admit we are helpless! Many of our best plans, including many plans of the Church to minister to the poor, have failed. One example of this is welfare spending.

Welfare spending in the U.S. has grown rapidly since President Lyndon Johnson launched the War on Poverty in 1964. Even with inflation adjustment, welfare spending in 2008 increased 1,300 percent, while the population grew by only 50 percent during this period.[2] Who has the answer?

Powerless, Prayerless and Purposeless

We, the Church, have the answer! The answer is the presence and power of God expressed through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. But many of us have sought more for His presents than His presence. The Church is generally powerless. We’ve sought the power of God rather than relationship with the God of power. We can’t say, as Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). When the world needs us most, sin, division and faithlessness have left us impotent.

We’re unable to do the works Jesus did, let alone the greater works He claimed we would and could do. He told us that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). So why aren’t we doing them?

The apostle Paul could say, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Cor. 2:4). Yet we must pitifully beg the world to believe us for our word’s sake. We aren’t doing His works because many of us are too out of touch with God for His Spirit to display His power!

Perhaps the Church’s strength is its own greatest weakness. Refined and rigid, the Church has assessed, prioritized, planned and prayed with superficial consideration for God to bless our plans. Strangely, we have overlooked a powerful key to the ministry of Jesus, who said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19). Jesus’ power for ministry was a result of an intimate relationship with His Father. It’s crucial that we discover what is on God’s heart and join Him! Only by intimate prayer are we able to discover what He is doing. “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants” (Amos 3:7, NKJV).

Our powerlessness is largely a result of our prayerlessness. We are eating the bitter fruit of our failure to pray. Our children, government, churches and society are reaping the result of dry eyes in the pews and crusty hearts in the pulpits. Ed Silvoso says it well in his book That None Should Perish:

When Christians begin to pray for the felt needs of the lost, God surprises them with almost immediate answers to prayer. In fact, prayer for the needs of that one-hundredth sheep is the spiritual equivalent of dialing 911.[3]

Another problem is the depth of commitment. Not only are we prayerless, but we’re also purposeless. Rather than reach the world with the gospel, most of us are satisfied to attend weekly services, which are too often “weakly” services. Where is the “salt” in our society? Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matt. 5:13).

Salt that has lost its saltiness (or flavor) takes on the taste of the food with which it is mixed. Ironically, the Church has taken on “the flavor of the world.” With easy beliefs in the pew and lack of conviction in the pulpit, the Church can’t offer what the world longs for. As someone has said, “We are good, but we’re good for nothing!” We are not willing to die for Christ, much less lay down our lives for one another.

My husband’s father, the late Dr. Robert E. Smith, was an example of one who was willing to lay down his life for others. He demonstrated not only purpose but also commitment. For years, Eddie and I watched as Dad and Mom would pay their bills and then cash the remainder of their paycheck and drive into northern Mexico to share their money with several struggling Mexican pastors. Robert—we called him Dad—had faithfully pastored several churches, was president of the Valley Baptist Academy (a secondary school for Latin American children), served two terms as chairman of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, and for more than 17 years was area missionary for the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

When Eddie’s mother passed away, I spent one afternoon reading hundreds of beautiful expressions of love for both Robert and Marguerite Smith sent by their friends.

I will never forget one letter in particular. It was from Dr. Paul Powell, then president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annuity Board. Many years ago, Paul was pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas. Each summer, churches bring busloads of people to the Valley of Texas for mission trips. (I know because I was in a youth group that went there several summers.) Dad would take them across the border into Mexico. Paul Powell’s church was one of those churches. In his letter to Dad, Pastor Paul said:

I remember the first visit with Dr. Smith at Diaz Ordaz, Mexico. You [Robert] stopped before we got to the International Bridge and said, “I want to warn you, once you see the ignorance and spiritual darkness of this city, you are as responsible as I am for doing something about it. Do you still want to go?” That made a lasting impression on me. I shall never forget it and will forever be indebted to you for it.

(You will be blessed to know Paul Powell acted on what he saw. He understood the purpose and responsibility of the Church. He went back to Green Acres Baptist Church, his church at the time, and raised more than $40,000, of which $20,000 was used to help build a church in Mexico. The other $20,000, given to the missions’ fund of the Southern Baptist Convention, was twice the amount Paul’s church had ever given to missions at the time.)

United We Stand—Divided We Fall

Not only are we powerless, prayerless and purposeless, but we are also polarized, pulled apart and pitted against each other. Division reduces the Church’s effectiveness by causing it to operate in a spirit of dysfunction, disharmony and disillusionment.

Why should the lost world believe

us when we have so little confidence

in God or each other?

Jesus warned us about this when He said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matt. 12:25). The city of Zion and the household of God are divided while Christian brothers and sisters argue over minor doctrinal differences and complain about services that linger past noon while people from every nation slip hopelessly into eternal hell.

Christ is the only solution to our counterproductive grumbling and bickering. The perfect example of unity is the relationship between the Father and Himself, an intimate relationship revealed throughout Scripture. Christ said, “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23, emphasis added). Our world doesn’t believe us! Why? Because we are not one with Jesus Christ and we are not one with each other. Why should the lost world believe us when we have so little confidence in God or each other? We must imitate the unity Christ and the Father have modeled for us if we are to successfully build His kingdom.

At the building of the Tower of Babel, the Lord explained, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them” (Gen. 11:6, emphasis added).

Satan has learned this lesson well. Satanists defend witches while abortionists support gay rights and vice versa. When will the Church grasp what the Father said? When will we begin to stand with each other across denominational and cultural lines as one person, Christ’s Bride, for the intention of God?

Linking Hearts and Hands

I remember a news report about a little boy who wandered away from his family in a state park. After a couple of days of air searches, an alert was released to encourage people to come to the park for a final sweep. Thousands of caring people gathered on the campgrounds and received instruction. As directed, they clasped hands and formed a single line hundreds of yards wide. They walked slowly through the wooded area. In almost no time the search ended. There, in a small ravine where he had curled up in the cold of the night, lay the dead body of the tiny boy. The grief-stricken father’s response was sobering. He simply said, “If only we had taken hands sooner, my boy might still be alive.”

Is this what a grief-stricken heavenly Father will say to us? “If only you had taken hands sooner, millions would not have slipped into outer darkness.”

Unity comes when we link hearts and hands in prayer to partner with the Father in His plan and purpose for saving the lost. And when we are prayerless, we are powerless. Overcomers are developed in the prayer closet. The more time we invest in effective prayer, the longer we will be able to stand as one, empowered and authorized to trample the enemy under our feet.

Remember, behind divisions in the Church are spiritual forces of darkness that can only be dislodged by prayer. Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). This conquering authority for the Church is found in prayer. Let me say it again: The person who is prayerless is powerless.

Chosen to Partner

We who pray unite with the Father as partners to bring about His purposes and plans on earth. Through prayer the Church becomes salt and light in this troubled world. God has chosen a partnership based on daily intimate prayer. So it’s our failure to relate to our heavenly Bridegroom, who knows all and can do anything, that robs us of our privilege to partner with Him.

Spending time with God in prayer, learning to believe His Word through obedience and abiding in Him are keys to our relationship. “If you remain [abide] in me and my words remain [abide] in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). The Lord will entrust the powerful things of His kingdom to those who abide in Him.

Some wrongly assume that what the Father is going to do He’ll do with or without us. Right? Wrong! We are God’s chosen partners. Need I remind you of Joshua’s battle in Exodus 17? Moses told Joshua to go fight the Amalekites while he lifted his hands as a token of victory. As long as Moses’ hands were lifted, God enabled Joshua’s army to win. When Moses’ hands began to drop, Joshua’s men began to drop on the battlefield. Listen! This was life and death! Sons and dads died. Spears were driven through their bellies, and arrows pierced their hearts!

It was a critical moment. Moses didn’t say, “Well, if God wants our army to win, it will. He doesn’t need me. I am too inadequate to be used of God this way. After all, He’s not only sovereign; He is also omnipotent. God will use someone else to do it.” No!

Aaron and Hur were summoned to duty until the battle was won, knowing to hold up the hands of their leader, Moses, meant life or death for others! After the victory was secured, “Moses built an altar and called it, The LORD is my Banner. He said, ‘For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD’” (Exod. 17:15-16). We too are responsible to hold up the hands of others, especially our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

Why, Lord?

Rather than instant obedience, we often sit around and question why. For example, Christ told us the importance of persistence in prayer. He is the One who said to keep on asking and you will keep on receiving, keep on knocking and it will keep on being opened to you, keep on seeking and you will keep on finding (Luke 11:9-10). Yet I hear people teach that to ask God for something more than once is unbelief. If this teaching were correct, why would Jesus have declared, “Pray always and do not faint” (Luke 18:1-8)?

The more we know Him, the more we

love Him. And when we are hopelessly in love

with Christ, our goals are lost in His.

Kay Arthur once told the following wonderful story that illustrates how perseverance brings us to a place of intimacy in prayer:

My husband Jack and I were watching a medical program on television one night. They showed an open heart surgery. Two human hearts were lying side by side. Each was beating at different rhythms. The surgeon moved them together, until the tissue of one heart touched the other. Suddenly, both assumed the same rhythm.[4]

This is an amazing picture of intimacy. As our hearts touch the Father’s heart, we assume the same rhythm, the same desires and the same goals. The more we know Him, the more we love Him. And when we are hopelessly in love with Christ, our goals are lost in His.

His burden becomes the focus of our intercession. We see issues as He sees them. Our hearts become united with His. The hungering heart that burns with desire for intimate communion will taste the joys of heaven and experience the ecstasy of seeing people prayed into the kingdom of God.

Intercession Is the Key

Dr. C. Peter Wagner said that in the decade of the 1980s we saw the restoration of the prophetic ministry, and in the 1990s we saw the restoration of intercession. Since the start of the new millennium, the apostolic fathers and mothers are mentoring others for what will be the greatest harvest of the ages. Regarding the prophetic purposes of God, this desperate generation cries out to be mentored by those people who know their God intimately!

Still, many don’t bother to develop intimacy because they aren’t convinced their prayers will make a difference. Perhaps you too wonder, To what extent does God honor our prayers? That question is best answered by observing what God has done through the intercession of others. Let’s consider one of the great revivals in American history.

In October 1976, James Edwin Orr presented a lecture in Dallas, Texas, giving the account of the Great Revival of 1800 in America. He described the deplorable conditions of the society, both secular and sacred:

There was an unprecedented moral slump following the American Revolution (1775-1783). Drunkenness was epidemic. Out of a population of 5 million, there were 300,000 confirmed drunkards. Profanity was of the most shocking kind. For the first time in the history of the American settlement, women were afraid to be out at night. Bank robberies were a daily occurrence.[5]

In 1794, conditions reached their worst. Of course, dire circumstances never open the illimitable resources of heaven, but prayer does. A Baptist minister named Isaac Backus, known as much for his praying as for his exhorting, had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. The impression left upon him? There’s only one power on earth that commands the power of heaven—prayer.[6]

He wrote “Plea for Prayer for Revival of Religion” and mailed it to ministers of every denomination in the United States, pleading with each pastor to set aside the first Monday of each month as a time to open his church all day in order to conduct extraordinary prayer for revival. As a result, people humbled themselves and began to cry out to the Lord for the decadence of the nation. God poured upon them the spirit of supplication. (Burning, believing, prevailing, persuading, persevering, intimate prayer always precedes a move of God.)

Fan the Flames of Revival

The intercession of Backus and those who joined him fanned the fires of revival during 1798 in New England. Churches were unable to accommodate those inquiring about salvation. Multitudes were won to Christ. As the flames of revival were fanned, new fires were kindled.

By July 1800, unprecedented numbers began arriving in Cane Ridge, Kentucky. A multitude estimated at 11,000 flocked to this camp meeting. (The largest city in Kentucky was Lexington, which had a population of only 1,800!) James McGready, a staid Presbyterian pastor from Pennsylvania, described the scene:

The cries of the distressed rose almost as loud as [Methodist pastor] McGee’s voice. Here awakening and converting work was to be found in every part of the multitude, and even some things strangely and wonderfully new to me.[7]

The Cane Ridge Camp Meeting of 1800 brought a change to the spiritual climate of the United States. Tens of thousands of souls came into the Kingdom.

Six years prior, one humble and desperate Baptist minister named Isaac Backus had called for a national day of prayer for revival and, from this humble call, revival swept across all denominational and racial barriers!

Let’s retrace the steps of this revival:

1.  A solitary man had an encounter with the Holy Spirit.

2.  A solitary man initiated the effort.

3.  A united prayer emphasis developed.

4.  Revival came!

Revival begins in the prayer closet! It’s the result of fervent intercession!

The reason so few accept God’s call to intimate intercession is that we don’t understand His original purpose nor are we committed to it. We are too busy living out our own agendas to take the time to get to know Christ intimately; for it’s out of this intimacy that intercession flows.

When we get serious about prayer, the tears, fasting and travail of intercession will cause heaven’s golden bowls of incense to overflow:

Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8).

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand (Rev. 8:3-4).

Before the throne of God, the prayers of the saints rise as incense to the Father, and He smells the sweetness of their cries.

Our prayers, coupled with the Father’s unlimited compassion for His children, will set into motion the greatest outpouring of His Spirit the world has ever seen. Revival fire is coming! Will you be ready? Will you be a part of it?

Time is fleeting! Earnestly ask the Lord to fan the flames of passion for Him in your life of intercession. You will never be the same! Souls are at stake! Listen to the voice of your Bridegroom. He is calling you! He loves you! Jesus longs to fellowship with you! Jesus wants to tell you His secrets. “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them” (Ps. 25:14). Hear Him today!

A Window of Opportunity

If you’ve been remiss about prayer, start today. God is giving you another chance. This may well be your last chance. Join what is already the greatest prayer movement in the history of the Church!

George Otis, Jr., states in his book The Last of the Giants:

Multitudes still wait in the valley of decision: the question is simply who will reach them first? Never before has the competition for souls been so fierce. Never before has the Church had to contend with such a diverse assortment of rivals so utterly committed to the principles of activism. Fortunately, it is into just such an hour that God has promised through the prophet Joel to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.[8]

Two billion Christians worldwide are committed to prayer for global revival and the completion of the Great Commission. Twenty million report intercession is their primary calling.

World prayer is now focused on unreached people, the neediest of whom reside in the 65 nations of what is known as the 10/40 Window—an imaginary rectangle that stretches from the 10th to the 40th parallel north and extends from Spain to Japan. There are signs of revival! There are signs of unity! The Father is giving the nations to His Son as an inheritance! And we are joint heirs with Jesus. This qualifies us to ask for the nations as well (Ps. 2:8).

The door of intimacy is open to all who will enter. The Lord delights when we, yearning to know what can’t be naturally known, enter the holy of holies through prayer with simplicity and humility. Beyond this veil, which formerly separated us from the holy of holies (Matt. 27:51, NKJV), we will touch the heart of God, bask in His loving affirmation, tremble at His unlimited power and authority, and come away forever changed. Let’s be willing to lose all to gain Christ.

Unveiling the Truth About You

1.  Why do you believe the Church holds the sole answer for today’s troubles in the earth?

2.  Society sees the Christian church as powerless, prayerless and purposeless. With which of these areas do you battle most? What measures are you willing to take to experience change?

3.  How do you personally express and experience unity with other believers? What is the heart of the Father regarding the effect of unity (John 17:23)? What steps will you take to encourage unity in the Church?

4.  What evidence would prove that prayer is a priority in your life? How have you majored on doing for God rather than being with God? How has this affected the depth of closeness you now experience in prayer?

5.  What concerns you about the divisions between denominations, races and doctrines? What are you willing to do to help bridge the divides among us?

6.  Since Jesus is looking for partners in intercessory prayer, how can you link your hands and heart with others to see change in your church or community?

7.  In what ways do you need to experience personal revival? Family revival? Revival in your church? Your city? Your nation? What price will you pay to bring it about?

DEVOTIONAL

Leaving the Struggles of Prayer

Do you struggle with prayer? If on some days prayer isn’t so hard and on other days prayer appears to be next to impossible—good! You’re normal. But why does this happen?

When Eddie and I were in evangelism, we travelled and lived in motor homes and travel trailers. In our “portable home,” we had our choice of two power sources. We could either draw DC electricity from the storage batteries or we could generate AC electricity with our gasoline-powered generator. Either source would allow for decent lighting, but we chose to use the generator-furnished AC power (just like in your home), which was enough to run our microwave, TV, hair dryer, and other electrical gadgets that we needed.

Like in those moving homes, in you there are two major power sources for everything you do. You’re either empowered by your soul (your mind, will and emotions) or your spirit (that place in you where God lives). In fact, one or the other will generate your prayers. Your prayers are either soulish or spiritual. Occasionally it’s hard to differentiate between the two. But like our gasoline-powered generator compared to our storage batteries, spirit-generated prayer is far superior to soul-centered praying. This is the source of your struggle.

If you’re struggling in prayer, you’re likely praying soulishly. You’re praying out of your humanness instead of out of your divinity. The apostle Peter wrote, “God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world” (2 Peter 1:4, CEV, emphasis added). This battle is really good in some ways. It enables you to see the distinction between when the soul is driving your prayer and when the Holy Spirit is producing your prayer (Rom. 8:26).

First Corinthians 6:17 reads, “But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit with him” (CEV, emphasis added). So anyone who has been born again has the Spirit of Christ. Jesus’ most familiar disciple, John the beloved, wrote, “God has given us his Spirit. That is how we know that we are one with him, just as he is one with us” (1 John 4:13, CEV, emphasis added). When the Spirit of God, who lives in your spirit, is producing your prayer, your petition is lifted like a hot-air balloon. The heat generated by your passion for Christ causes the “balloon of your prayer life” to rise. It ascends above your anxiousness, your uncertainty and your distractions. As it climbs, the Holy Spirit propels it toward the matters that are on the heart of Father-God. As the balloon soars skyward, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Eventually, as the temperature in the balloon begins to drop, you lose elevation. What are you to do? No problem. The air in the balloon must be reheated. As you turn your heart’s focus once more from your ideas and your quests, and again delight in who He is to you, your passion is rekindled, the temperature rises, and your balloon ascends to new and more magnificent heights.

This is how you maintain soaring prayer with Jesus. Struggling or straining to love the Lord or to perform won’t renew your love. Focusing your thoughts on the Lord Jesus—His promises, His person and who He is to you—will! As you brag on Him and thank Him for who He is and what He has done for you, the Holy Spirit stokes the fervency in your heart and fires up your passion for Him.

You no longer self-consciously struggle against your own opinions, feelings and will. You’re unaffected by your surroundings. Now you’re towering above earth’s atmosphere in the heavenlies. You’re not lost in space, but you’re lost in His presence! You’re soaring the unexplored, the area reserved for those who diligently seek Him. When you reach cruising altitude, the wind of the Spirit of God begins to steer you again into what is on the Father’s heart.

An unbroken person will never find the faith necessary to submit to the Spirit of God. Without brokenness we remain self-governing and view matters from the external, resisting any work from the inside out. Unable to yield to the process of brokenness, and driven to safeguard our own heart and protect our territory, we’ll sadly stay earthbound.

Aren’t you hungry for a fresh, intimate encounter with the Lord? Guess what? You’re not as hungry for Him as He is for a fresh, intimate encounter with you. He yearns for you! Psalm 25:14 says, “God-friendship is for God-worshipers; they are the ones he confides in” (THE MESSAGE). Think about it! There are secrets on the Father’s heart today He longs to share with you.

2

A HIGHER PURPOSE

Bridging the Gap

One night a little boy was overheard praying, “Jesus, take care of my daddy and my mommy. Also take care of sister, Jane, and my baby brother, Bobby. And take care of my puppy, Snuggles. Oh, by the way, Jesus, take care of Yourself … if something were to happen to You, we’d all be in a mess!”

Yes, we would all be in a mess! For it is God Almighty choosing to interface with us through prayer and intercession that offers us hope in this desperate hour. But if intimate intercession is the answer, why do we pray so little? What is prayer and how does it differ from intercession?

Going Between

Webster defines “prayer” as “the act of asking for a favor with earnestness.”[1] He defines “intercession” as “pleading in favor of another.”[2] “Intercession” is derived from the Latin word inter, meaning “between,” and cedere, meaning “to go.” So intercession means “to go between.” To go between what? you might ask. Intercession is going in prayer between what God wants to do on earth and what Satan wants to do on earth. This is why Jesus said, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10, KJV). We perceive what’s on the Father’s heart and then pray His will into the earth, synchronizing heaven on earth, praying until the invisible becomes visible (Heb. 11:1-2).

We often think of intercession as synonymous with prayer. In his book Prayer Shield, Peter Wagner says, “We use the terms interchangeably. However, technically they are very different. Prayer generally means speaking, to request, to talk, to commune, to fellowship, to offer petition, and supplication. Intercession on the other hand means coming to God on the behalf of another.”[3]

Intercession involves the whole spirit, soul and body. And when the Father gives us intercessory burdens, each of these areas will be affected. To prepare, we must do the following:

• Work toward a disciplined life

• Pursue a regular prayer time

• Maintain a clear conscience

• Partner with God for the needs of others

• Instantly obey

Paul said to the Colossians, “We always thank God, … when we pray for you … For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you… . I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col. 1:3,9,29). The word translated “labor” is kopiao. It means “to toil, to become weary or to be fatigued.”[4] The word translated “struggling” is the Greek word agonizomai, meaning “to agonize, to fight or to contend against.”[5] Paul was describing something more than prayer. He was laboring in travail for the power of God to dispel works of darkness.

Intercession can literally order or change the course of a nation, a city, a family or a church. It is neither emotional hype, rituals, prayer lists nor obligations. It is a Spirit-led privilege. Magnificent and wonderful revelations are the result of intimate fellowship with the Lord through prayer and intercession.

God Speaks To and Through Intercessors

Our former church in Houston, Texas, had sent a missionary to Latvia (an independent Baltic country formerly under Soviet control). A team from our church was invited there in 1992 to provide instruction about lay ministry. During our visit, I felt the Lord speak to me in one of the prayer meetings for the American missionaries who lived in Latvia.

That snowy November night, about 15 of us (some of whom we did not know) nestled together in a small apartment rented by our American missionary. As the praise and worship concluded, stillness settled over the room. Unexpectedly, I heard the Lord speak softly in my heart. He told me that the American missionary sitting across the room was scheduled to make a proposal to a high-ranking Latvian official the next day. I felt the Holy Spirit say that what the missionary would propose to the government official was of the Lord. I was compelled to tell him this message!

I asked the Lord, “Are You sure this is right? I don’t even know this man and You want me to tell him something this extraordinary?” I took comfort in what John and Paula Sanford say in their book The Elijah Task, “Though our freedom to fail is not to be used by us as license to escape from responsibility, a part of a prophet’s sanity-saving armor is the happy knowledge that if he [or she] goofs, God is big enough to take care of it.”[6] I was praying the Lord would cover my “goof” in this situation, so without further instruction, I gingerly walked across the room to this stranger and asked if he would let me pray for him.

The missionary, Larry Stout, nodded affirmatively. Placing my hand on his head, I tentatively started to pray for him under my breath. After delaying as long as I could, I leaned over and began speaking the message I believe the Lord had given me.

“Sir, I believe the Lord was speaking to me about you a minute ago. He told me you are going to have a meeting with a very important Latvian government official tomorrow.”

Immediately, he put his hand on top of mine and began to weep softly, shaking his head with a yes. (I can’t tell you how relieved I was to see this.)

I continued, “I also believe the Lord said there is something in your heart you want to share with this high-ranking official, but you are unsure if it’s from God. The Lord said to tell you that it is from Him and you will succeed.”

When we finished praying, I learned that Larry, a missionary and educator from Pennsylvania, had an appointment with the Latvian president the next day to present his proposal for teaching Judeo-Christian literature in Latvian schools. Larry wanted to propose that Latvia establish a National Day of Prayer, but he wondered if this was God’s idea or his. He was blessed and relieved by the Lord’s confirmation that night.

At the meeting the next day, the president agreed to use the curriculum and established Latvia’s first National Day of Prayer, May 29, 1993. Hallelujah!

It was revelation imparted during intercession that encouraged Larry. Understanding the word “revelation,” at best, can be difficult. Cindy Jacobs, in her book The Voice of God, explains:

I am aware that the way I use the word “revelation” may be disturbing to some sectors of the Church. The word “revelation” is used here not to refer in the technical sense to the words of Scripture. “Revelation” is used here in the broader sense of the word in such passages as Matthew 11:27; Romans 1:18; 1 Corinthians 14:30; Ephesians 1:17 and Philippians 3:15 to refer to communication and prophetic words from God that are not equal in authority to Scripture.[7]

Revelation can come from three sources:

• The Holy Spirit

• A demonic spirit

• Our soul (a psyche or soulish realm)

Never assume you are right about everything you hear. God gives us revelation to feed our prayers, not our egos! Even the apostle Paul said, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Cor. 13:12); “For we know in part and we prophecy in part” (v. 9). Rather than claim to say for certain what God is showing you, share with others what you think God may be saying. Then ask the Lord to confirm what you shared.

Do not be offended at the idea that your revelation may have come from an active imagination or last night’s extra-spicy food! No one is right all the time! Relax, risk, and free yourself from the need to be right every time. Always remember to check your motives. Sadly, so many gifted prophetic intercessors have become unteachable. This is the worst time in history to be a know-it-all. Because prophetic people tend to be edgy and rough at times, they are easily wounded by those who don’t understand their assignment. A lack of accountability and a hit-and-run mentality among those who are prophetic need to stop if they expect to be used of God in this critical hour.

Listen to others, even if you think you know better than they. This very well could be a test from the Lord to see if you are ready for promotion. Why would God use a hurt, bitter and wounded soldier to speak for Him? He won’t. So allow the Lord to use your pain to purify your motives. We who are correctable and humble are the ones the Lord will advance to new places of influence.

Because an intercessor is likely to receive more revelation than others in the Body of Christ, the temptation can be to think of this as a spiritual badge. Not true. Revelation isn’t a spiritual badge; it’s a sacred honor! Being privy to spiritual knowledge places us in a position of greater responsibility to pray for others and greater accountability to God.

Revelation isn’t a spiritual badge;

it’s a sacred honor!

Intercessors who have developed a close relationship with Jesus Christ are trustworthy with the information God shares with them. They hold 80 percent of what they receive from the Lord and reveal only 20 percent. Seasoned intercessors hold as a sacred trust the revelation they receive, most of which never leaves the prayer closet. I know this is true for me. We partner with God in a place of hiddenness. We depend on the Holy Spirit to show us what, how much and when to share.

When is it right to reveal revelation? Let’s look at three basic guidelines:

1.  Words of encouragement—Exhortation, affirmation and blessings are a “green light.” Deliver them joyfully.

2.  Words of warning—Correction and rebuke are considered a “yellow light.” Deliver the word only after you have received confirmation from the Word of God or spiritual leaders, and then, do so cautiously.

3.  Words of judgment—Destruction, despair, doom and chastisement are a “red light.” Stop! Deliver them obediently, only by God’s direction! Remember, “In the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14, KJV) and the prophet is “subject to the prophets” (1 Cor. 14:32, KJV). These words need to be submitted to pastoral leadership before being released.

“It is important to make a distinction between prayer and intercession,” states Cindy Jacobs in Possessing the Gates of the Enemy. “Not all prayer is intercession. In fact, many people never truly intercede. They simply pray prayers of petition asking God to meet certain needs. True intercession is actually twofold. One aspect is asking God for divine intervention; the other is destroying the works of Satan.”[8]

Peter Wagner tells us, in his book Prayer Shield, “Theologically, intercession is the act of pleading by one whom in God’s sight has the right to do so, to go before Him in order to obtain mercy for someone who is in need.”[9]

James gives us the basis for pleading the case of another in need. James 2:13 declares, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Why does the intercessor ask for mercy?

Penetrating the Pit with Prayer

Mercy is at the heart of all God does. We are most like God when we are merciful.

Several years ago, Eddie and I attended a citywide prayer meeting for pastors and prayer leaders. For our prayer time, the director asked us to divide into groups according to the section of town in which we lived. Our group consisted of 15 people, the majority of whom were pastors. A woman began to pray, “And, dear Lord, please reverse the curse on the satanists in our area. May they fall into their own pit.”

I was stunned, appalled, shocked and upset! After what seemed like eternity, I began to pray, “Father, thank You that although we deserve judgment, You offer us mercy. I pray for mercy to be given to each satanist in our city. May they experience Your unconditional love from some Christian crossing their paths. Bring Your salvation to them.”

Believe it or not, the lady resumed with the same manipulative and controlling prayer. We should not pray our own wills and agendas on others. Many pastors, evangelists and ministry leaders are discouraged, frustrated and confused because their church members pray witchcraft-type prayers over them instead of prayers that reinforce God’s love and grace to them.

A few years ago I taught in another nation where the woman speaker ahead of me addressed the congregation with instructions to believe God for the death of several Muslim clerics. Then she asked the 2,500 women to stand as she read the first of several names. In a frenzied pitch, the women began to announce, renounce, declare and rebuke the clerics, with instructions for God to kill them. The atmosphere was bombarded with a spirit of witchcraft. I was shocked, appalled and grieved.

When it was my turn to speak, I had tears in my eyes as I told the group how I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, but what they had just done was witchcraft, and the Lord was grieved. I explained that before the cross and resurrection of Christ, you and I were, indeed, under the wrath of God. But Jesus tore the veil in two, approached the mercy seat and sprinkled His sinless blood, forever removing the wrath of God. Jesus offers mercy today. Praying for the death of these Muslim clerics was a vivid and shocking example of how destructive witchcraft prayer can be. God doesn’t want to answer this kind of prayer, but the devil is more than happy to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Question: What if the Lord planned for these Muslim clerics to be great Christian evangelists who could turn the Islamic nations upside down for God’s kingdom? Our reckless and angry prayers can have impact. Like famous talk-show host Rush Limbaugh says, “Words mean things.” Pray for the mercy of God to touch and change lives, for we don’t know His plans for those who now might be our enemy.

Intercession is the act of standing in the gap between the need we see and the provision of God that we long to see. It can pertain to the need of a person, a church, a city or a nation. Although the Father does not need us to complete His plan for the ages, He continues to call us to participate in its fulfillment. He allows us to participate in His plan because He still wants an intimate relationship with us, and the primary way to facilitate intimacy is through intercession. In How to Be Heard in Heaven, Eddie, my husband, wrote:

God has delegated dominion of the earth to us and invites us to be His partners in prayer. (Gen. 1:27-28, and Ps. 115:16.) It’s time that we mature in prayer and become intentional, trained allies with God in extending His kingdom on the earth. Once we become kingdom-oriented, we graduate from problem-centered praying to purpose-driven prayer. We discover that prayer’s higher purpose is to accomplish God’s eternal agenda. When we begin to “tune our prayers into that frequency,” self begins to fade, and Christ becomes the focus of our prayers. Then God will be honored to hear them.[10]

As Eddie says, “Father God is inviting us to joint-venture with Him in the family business.” The Old Testament provides many examples of intercession. For example, Moses interceded for the nation of Israel and the people were spared (Exod. 32; 34). Nehemiah was ordained by God to intercede, unite the people and then rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. Anna “served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37, KJV), looking for the Lord who would bring redemption. Simeon did the same.

The following is an outstanding description of the work of intercession from Job 33:19-30. Read and study these Scriptures carefully:

Or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in his bones, so that his very being finds food repulsive and his soul loathes the choicest meal. His flesh wastes away to nothing, and his bones, once hidden, now stick out. His soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the messengers of death. Yet if there is an angel [malak—messenger, priest, prophet or ambassador[11]] on his side as a mediator [luwts—to interpret or intercede[12]], one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, “Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him”—then his flesh is renewed like a child’s; it is restored as in the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. Then he comes to men and says, “I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.” God does all these things to a man—twice, even three times—to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him.

Can you see how powerful this is? Let’s look at the process. First, this man, who was once healthy, now is sick unto death. Second, an intercessor (angel—priest, prophet or ambassador) takes the assignment to pray for salvation and healing. Third, the intercessor pleads the case before God on his behalf. Fourth, the man is healed and stands before the congregation to declare, “I sinned and perverted what was right, but God saved, healed and delivered me. He has redeemed me from going down to the pit, and I will enjoy the light of God.” This is the power of intercessory prayer.

Touched by the Cries of His Children

Our compassionate, covenant-making God is touched by the cries of His children. Sovereign yet a faithful Father, He enjoys granting our requests. A primary task of the intercessor is to stand in the gap for the lost. We know it’s not God’s desire that our neighbors perish without Him. Jesus died on the cross for them. Peter reminds us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

Our prayers can’t usurp their free will; but they can till the spiritual soil, so that when the seed of God’s Word is sown into their lives, it will have a greater chance of taking root.

Years ago I was in a Friday prayer meeting with about 75 of our church members. As we were seeking the Lord for those who needed a touch from Him, the name Barry (not his real name) flashed in my mind. I didn’t know anyone by that name, yet the Lord continued to burn the name in my heart. Finally, at a natural break, I asked the group if anyone knew a man named Barry. “Yes,” came the urgent response. “Barry and I work together,” Thomas answered. “I have been very concerned because he’s been extremely depressed lately.”

As we divided into small groups, Thomas joined the group I was in, so we could pray for Barry. Amazingly, as we prayed, again a flashing vision came to my mind. I saw a man sitting at a desk in complete confusion and depression. We prayed fervently until a sense of rest had descended upon the group. The next afternoon I received a call from Thomas. “Alice, you are not going to believe what happened last night!”

“What?” I asked curiously.

“I called Barry this morning and told him how you had received his name by revelation from God and how we had prayed for his safety.” After a long pause, Barry told Thomas what happened. “‘Last night I was sitting at my desk feeling total despair. Deciding the fight was not worth it, I had determined to end my life. Suddenly I had a supernatural impression that God was present in the room—I wasn’t to harm myself and I would receive answers later.’ So he went home. I told Barry how Jesus Christ wanted to be his Lord and Savior. He was so open and ready to hear. He asked if he could talk to you. I gave him your number, okay?”

Later that day I received a call from this influential businessman in our city. We rehashed on the phone all that had taken place the night before. I shared with Barry how Jesus Christ died for his sins and He desires a relationship with him. Barry couldn’t get past the idea that God would have given me a revelation about him. He asked, “But why would God show you this about me?”

“Because He loves you and wants to give eternal life to you,” I explained.

It took several days for Barry to realize he was lost and hopelessly separated from God. But none of us could have known the rest of the story.

Tuesday night after the Friday-night prayer meeting, Thomas suffered a heart attack and went to be with the Lord. This was a grievous time for our church, his family and even Barry. I called Barry the day before the funeral. With deep sorrow for the loss of his friend, but with much more definition about the reality of eternity, Barry accepted Christ as his Savior.

After Eddie and I had had lunch with Barry several times, I lost contact with him and often wondered where his decision had taken him. Years later one of our prayer partners, Greg, unknowingly sat next to Barry at a large men’s meeting. After introducing themselves, the two men began sharing the details of how they had become Christians. When Barry mentioned my name, our friend Greg told Barry he was a friend of mine. With great excitement, Barry spilled out the story you have just read. Barry and his family faithfully serve the Lord today.

But what happens in the case of those who perish? They slip through the gap. In some cases, perhaps it’s because someone was unwilling to be the go-between, to pray and to fight the spiritual battle for their soul. Who is standing in the gap for your lost friends and relatives? What prayer price will you pay to see them saved?

History records that Frederick the Great wrote to one of his generals, “I send you with 60,000 men against the enemy.” Upon numbering the troops, however, it was found that there were only 50,000. The general expressed surprise at such a mistake on the part of his sovereign. Frederick replied, “I counted on you for 10,000 men!”[13] How much time can the Lord Jesus count on from you to pray in the many souls who need to hear the gospel?

Intercepting and Interchanging the Enemy’s Plans

Suppose you know a person whose life is being destroyed by sin. You know this isn’t God’s plan for this person, but what do you do?

1. Accept the Burden from the Lord

Because the Lord is a gentleman, He will never force you to bear a burden. He may, however, offend your mind to change your heart. The Lord has chosen to partner with us, so together we may fulfill the Great Commission. But if we refuse to participate, He will find another:

He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him (Isa. 59:16).

The Lord often communicates His burden to intercessors through what I call triggers. These prompts, or triggers, for intercession come in various forms. For no apparent reason, you may sense a strong heaviness come over you (Matt. 11:28-30). In your mind you know you aren’t in sin and the family is fine, yet heaviness remains over you. This is the Lord’s way of saying, “Go pray.”

At other times an overwhelming desire to weep falls on you (see Rom. 8:26). Again, this comes suddenly and for no known reason. The Lord is asking you to slip away and intercede for something or somebody. He may not give you the second step until you take the first step.

I’m amazed at the number of emotionally and mentally depressed Christians who take antidepressants. Medicines might be fine for a temporary crisis in your life, but please exercise caution should you form the habit of using antidepressants as a crutch. No doubt doing so will suppress the burdens that God might have assigned to you. Many of these depressed Christians are receiving a trigger, God’s call to intercede. The weight of God’s burdens has overwhelmed them, and instead of running to the prayer room, they run to the medicine cabinet.

Other triggers God uses to get our attention to pray include:

• A mental picture (Acts 21:10-11) of something or someone

• An intense longing to be alone with God (Ps. 42:1-2)

• A dream (Acts 2:17-18)

• A physical weakness such as Daniel experienced (Dan. 8:17-18,27)

• A dull heartache (Rom. 9:2)

• A burning in the pit of the stomach (Luke 24:32)

• A flushed feeling (Isa. 40:29-31)

• A small, quiet voice in your mind saying “Pray” (Matt. 14:23; Luke 6:12)

• A sense of emergency (Dan. 7:15)

• The flash of a name or face across your mind (Acts 9:10-14)

The next time one of these triggers appears, be like Samuel, who when he realized the Lord was speaking to him, said to the Lord, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:10).

Agree with God. Pray:

Father, You have determined that we are partners and that You will act according to my prayer. You want to use me to stand in the gap for something important to You. I agree with Your plan. Send Your Holy Spirit to make a way where the enemy has brought spiritual blindness and hindrance. Come with a powerful breakthrough for Your name’s sake. I know You are more interested in my availability than my ability. I give myself to You. Amen.

2. Identify with God’s Desire to Intervene

Once you have accepted the assignment to intercede, recognize it’s His desire to intervene. You are being asked to stand in the gap between what the Father wants and what the devil wants to do. Jesus stated in His prayer, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” True intercession senses the burden of God, synchronizes heaven with earth, prays and believes that God will make the invisible, visible. Hebrews 11:1-2 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good testimony” (NKJV). Thank the Lord for the opportunity to see the kingdom of darkness replaced by the Kingdom of light. Exercising priestly authority, ask the Lord to intercept or stop the devil’s plan to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Cry out to God for mercy, and remind Him that “mercy triumphs over judgment!” (Jas. 2:13).

3. Intercede by Faith for Breakthrough

Pray for God to establish His plan in the person’s life. Make sure you are praying through instead of through praying! Don’t give up! The Lord is looking for perseverance in the prayer closet. Stand in faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Nothing blesses God more than earnest faith. Around our ministry we have a slogan:

P.U.S.H! Pray Until Something Happens!

Once a breakthrough comes, stop praying! To press further leads to unbelief. Let me put it this way: “When the horse dies, dismount!” The burden from the Lord may return later. If so, it’s not a sign of unbelief but a trigger that more intercession is needed to see a lasting breakthrough. I love sports, so let me describe your assignment using the analogy of a relay race. Hardly any race is more fun to watch than an Olympic relay race, when four of the best runners on the track and field team run as one. (I was disappointed when both the men’s and women’s U.S. 2008 Olympic relay runners dropped the baton during the finals. They obviously lost their focus of the gold medal.)

P.U.S.H!

Pray Until Something Happens!

Even with prayer, relay teamwork is sometimes needed. You may have a heavy heart about a nation, a family member or something else. For weeks, months or years you faithfully intercede to see change. Although the victory hasn’t been realized, one day your burden is gone. What happened? Questions come to your mind: Do I have sin in my life? Do I not have enough faith? Didn’t I pray correctly? Is this what happened to you? No. What you have experienced is relay intercession. You carried the baton (prayer burden) for a season, but the Father transferred it to the next person. Now that next person will carry it until the burden is passed to another person, and then another person until the victory comes. Don’t fall into the trap of self-condemnation or confusion. You’re part of the intercessory team for assignments that need extra prayer cover. If it’s your turn to carry the prayer baton, don’t be like our United States relay runners and lose focus and drop your baton along the way. Hang on!

The following may also be evidence that a breakthrough has come:

• A peaceful rest comes over your heart, similar to a sigh.

• Your tears dry up.

• An inner joy bubbles up inside.

• The Holy Spirit speaks to you.

Sometime ago, in preparation for a class I was to teach, I was looking for the word “intercession” in the dictionary. But my eyes fell on the words “intercept” and “interchange.” It seemed the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, Alice, this is how the kingdom of God destroys the kingdom of Satan.

The word “intercept” is a verb, requiring action. To intercept something you must stop or interrupt its progress or course of action. “Interchange” means to replace one thing with another. “Intercession” is to stand in the gap between what is happening and what God wants to happen. So the intercessor intercepts the plan of the enemy, prays a petitioner’s prayer and causes a spiritual interchange.

David F. Wells, a professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, states, “What, then, is the nature of petitionary prayer? It is, in essence, rebellion—rebellion against the world in its fallenness, the absolute and undying refusal to accept as normal what is pervasively abnormal. It is, in this its negative aspect, the refusal of every agenda, every scheme, every interpretation that is at odds with the norm as originally established by God.”[14] Intercession is expressing a holy dissatisfaction with the way things are and taking the steps necessary to bring change through prayer.

I envision a day when thousands of radical intercessors with militant, reckless abandonment for Jesus will stand up for the lost, stand against the powers of darkness and stand for the kingdom of God. John the Baptist was radical! Paul was radical! Elijah was radical! Are you radical when it comes to prayer? We need to heed the challenge Dick Eastman gives us in his book The Jericho Hour:

Intercessors who become weary in their warfare would do well to remember that our victory is already assured. We only must fight! Note Paul’s concluding promise to Roman believers that “the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20). The word “crush” is from the Greek suntribo meaning “to trample upon, break in pieces, shatter, bruise, grind down and smash.” What could be more decisive? Indeed, our victory is decisive in every way. It is assured over the world (1 John 5:4, 5), over the flesh (Gal. 5:24; Rom. 7:22-25), over all that exalts itself against God (2 Cor. 10:5) and even over death and the grave (1 Cor. 15:54, 55).[15]

“A story is told that in the darkest hour of the war with Germany, when the destiny of civilization was trembling in the balance, the Congress of Allied Women meeting in Paris adopted the ringing slogan, ‘Believe victory! Think victory! Preach victory! Live victory!’”[16] We would do well to make this our slogan in these days of turbulent and fierce spiritual battle.

Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

Speaking of spiritual battles, did you know the Lord will use an intercessor to save the life of another? In the book of Jonah, God asked Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to prophesy and call for repentance. Instead, Jonah chose a little R & R, not rest and relaxation, but rebel and run.

Consequently, Jonah found himself spending three days and three nights—not in a plush Hyatt Regency Hotel—but in the belly of a fish! The Lord was insistent that Jonah was His “man for the hour.” Jonah finally repented, and the fish vomited him up on dry land. With holy fear, Jonah obeyed the Lord’s call to Nineveh. Revival came to Nineveh, but Jonah was angry. Obviously, he felt God should have destroyed the city, and with shocking and penetrating clarity Jonah retorted:

O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live (Jon. 4:2-3).

The Lord argued His point for sparing Nineveh after Jonah spewed his complaints. God said:

But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city (v. 11)?

If the Lord will go to these lengths to save sinful Nineveh, we should be encouraged that He will also speak to us for the sake of others. Don’t be like Jonah who ran from God’s call and was angry with the assignment God had given him. Jesus knows His reasons for using you in prayer for what appears to be impossible odds for victory.

One Monday morning during prayer, I sensed the Holy Spirit speak to me concerning my brother, John Day, a retired State Farm Insurance agent in Waco, Texas. I received a quick mental picture of John in a car accident, with a distinct feeling that the enemy was planning to kill him. This spiritual news flash wasn’t hard to believe, considering “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). As my husband, Eddie, says, “Sometimes the Lord lets you see the cards the enemy’s holding.” Immediately, I took the need before the Lord. I prayed:

Lord, thank You for this assignment. I accept the call to intercede, and I trust that You will stop the devil’s plan to destroy my brother. Thank You for the promises given to me about Your purposes for John’s life. I stand with You this day on behalf of him.

Then I stopped praying and opened my eyes. (We do not pray to the devil, we speak to him, as Jesus did.) I said:

Spirits of darkness, as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are under my authority. Jesus has told me about your evil plot. You have no right to kill my brother. I refuse your strategy and command you to loose John now. Be gone!

All day the burden to pray would come and go. I continued to offer up prayer without doubt or unbelief. Tuesday, I called my brother. “John, how are you doing?” I asked.

He replied, “Praise the Lord, I’m doing just great, Alice Lee. God is good, isn’t He? Wow! We serve a great God!”

If you feel you should warn someone of pending danger, please use caution with your words. To have called my brother and said, “John, the Lord showed me a vision of you dying in a car accident,” wouldn’t have blessed him! It could have bred fear in his heart.[17]

Job said, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me” (Job 3:25). I didn’t tell my brother the specifics, but I did ask him to be extra careful while driving that week. After asking Eddie to pray, I invited several friends to agree with us in prayer for my brother. Throughout the week the urgency continued, so we kept praying.

During our Sunday evening church service, I slipped out to call my brother. He was in church, so I left the following message on his recorder: “John, you know the Lord has had several of us pray for you this week. I believe He has revealed the enemy’s plan to harm you. Please be very careful. We continue to intercede for your safety.” (Notice that when I was given permission to share this with him, I worded it carefully so as not to provoke fear.) I purposely avoided words like “kill” and “car wreck.”

At 11:00 P.M. John returned my call. “How did you know that I might have a car accident?” he asked. “Friday, I narrowly missed a head-on collision. I remembered your caution while I was in my car. It may be strange, but I have had this eerie feeling all week that the devil was trying to kill me. Then Saturday, while stopped at a red light, I was hit from behind, and my car was forced into an intersection that normally has heavy traffic. But supernaturally, no car was coming from the opposite direction. I’m okay, though. I’m grateful that the Lord revealed this to you.”

Because of the prayer covering, Satan’s scheme was foiled. Yes, John had been hit from the rear—it’s just like the enemy to slip up from the backside!—but John was safe and alive.

Why was John even in a wreck after our prayer? God gave us victory! The enemy wanted him dead; God wants him alive! Ours is to obey, not to question. I’m convinced John is alive today because of prayer. Can you see how standing in the gap can change the outcome of what would have otherwise happened? There really was an interception of the enemy’s plan, and an interchange as a result of intercession.

You might ask, “Does God really put us in that kind of position?”

Yes, He does!

Teaching at a large church in Singapore, I was asked, “Are you suggesting that God would put something as serious as life and death in the hands of an intercessor?”

That question sounds strangely like Cain’s question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9). Absolutely! And this is war! Skirmishes still occur. In war, casualties happen! Part of war is backlash. Everywhere I go I get questions asking about crippling backlash, assuming it’s always an indication that they were not obeying Jesus. No! We can’t put all our pet doctrines in a box! Unfortunately, there will be times we engage in warfare without God’s direction. And other times we assume our battle stations and suffer the backlash of the war, and it was God’s assignment for us. This is real war, friend! It’s not as if we get to shoot real bullets at the devil, but he shoots blanks back at us. It’s time we wake from our slumber to realize the dimensions of our responsibility and also the cost!

Do you know intercession is now Jesus’ full-time occupation? The writer of Hebrews reminds us that “therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25). At times, we stand in the gap for a person’s eternal life (his or her salvation). At other times, we stand in the gap for a person’s physical life and safety.

When we receive a word from God to pray, we should first agree with God and accept the burden. Second, through believing prayer, we should identify the fact that the Lord wants to change the situation. Third, we should intercept by praying for mercy, or if it is a life or death scenario, then engage in spiritual warfare addressing the strongman directly. (Remember, don’t close your eyes when addressing devils!) Finally, we should pray and then believe a transfer has taken place in the heavenlies as God releases His answer.

Intercession: Persevering Prayer

Pray faithfully until you see a breakthrough. The great intercessor George Müeller said, “When once I am persuaded that a thing is right, I go on praying for it until the end comes. I never give up until the answer comes. The great fault of the children of God is that they do not continue in prayer. They do not persevere. If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until they get it.”[18]

Remember to continue in prayer for a need if the burden is still on your heart. That’s not unbelief. Continue to pray! The Lord will never give you a false burden. The very fact you sense urgency for breakthrough is enough to believe the victory is yet to come. The Lord will tell you when a breakthrough occurs. And until He does, pray. Jesus taught the importance of praying with persistence:

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” (Luke 18:1-7).

God isn’t punitive and mean. He is not sitting on His throne like a pompous king, laughing at you while you pray. Absolutely not! His intention for this kind of persistence is to instill an unwavering faith in the face of every obstacle. And this kind of faith is developed by stretching our “faith muscles.” The parable finishes with, “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (v. 8).

Intercession is a passion, not a pastime.

Well-known theologian Walter Wink said, “History belongs to the intercessors.”[19] If so, then the future belongs to them as well. We, the Bride of Christ, should find a place in this world where we will invest our prayers, our tears, our fasting and our very lives. Many of us are selfishly serving the trinity of the flesh: me, myself and I. The Lord is looking for those who will extend through prayer the kingdom of God into the Church, the city, the nation and the world. Intercession is a passion, not a pastime.

Perhaps you wonder, How do I get the call? The answer is found in Matthew 25:23: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

Be Faithful in Small Things

Ashlee is our youngest daughter. When she was almost six years old, she and a young friend were trying to choose which Saturday morning cartoon to watch. After some searching, Ashlee came into the den where Eddie was studying.

She asked, “Daddy, can I watch Ghostbusters?”

Eddie replied, “No, Ashlee, I think you can find something better to watch.”

Ashlee conceded with a smile and left to look for something else. Soon she returned to ask about another program. Eddie again suggested she look for something better to watch. The third time she approached him, Eddie pointed to her chest and asked, “Ashlee, who lives in here?”

She looked down at her chest and answered, “Jesus.”

Gently he counseled, “Ashlee, Jesus lives in you. You can watch any program He says you can watch.”

With a smile and a sense of relief, Ashlee turned to leave. Suddenly she stopped to explain, “Dad, the reason I was asking you is just in case I don’t get in touch with Him today.” The truth is we all have days when we don’t get in touch with Him.

Ashlee was trying to be faithful over the small things in her life!

And don’t let anyone tell you they hear God clearly 24/7. They are lying if they do. Why do I say this? If the Lord spoke to us all the time, we would never pursue Him to discover His will. Part of our amazing journey into intimacy is the hunger and pursuit for more of God. The reality is that we all see in part and know in part, just as the apostle Paul said in Corinthians, so none of us hears God perfectly.

It begins with being faithful over the little things in our lives!

If you want God to give you a vision for Israel or a burden for your city or the world, then be faithful to intercede for your family, neighbors, pastors and church. Be faithful in prayer over a few things, and He will enlarge the horizons of your spiritual authority! We can’t expect to be given the kind of revelation Moses received if we’re not first faithful to walk in obedience like Joshua. Joshua was Moses’ sidekick for many years. He faithfully served and learned from Moses until it was time for him to be promoted. As we obey step by step like Joshua, the heavenly Father can trust us with greater spiritual authority. It’s crucial we are faithful over those things we can see before we can expect to be trusted with the unseen.

Intercession calls for us to deal with the unseen. John Piper once said:

If you do not know that life is war, you will not know what prayer is for. In the Christian life, life is war, a spiritual battle that happens to us from the day we are born to the day we die.[20]

This personal spiritual struggle is part of the larger, unseen conflict being played out in the heavenlies. The outcome of the battle is already decided. All who have placed their faith in Christ will eventually participate in its victory. However, the intercessor is involved in enforcing the defeat of the enemy. Are you ready? You can intercept the enemy’s progress and bring about a spiritual interchange.

Let me encourage you to move beyond the veil, touch the heart of God and regard the triggers of your own heart as you partner with Him in defeating the enemy!

Unveiling the Truth About You

1.  What are some indications that God is training you to be an intercessor? Are you willing to learn? What are the fears you have about this calling?

2.  How does God speak to you? Dreams? Visions? Triggers? Prophecy? Are you able to accept the reality that what you think you heard is not always what He said?

3.  In what ways would you say you are a teachable person? (When you are corrected, do you leave the church or learn to discipline your life through spiritual authority?)

4.  Are you trustworthy? Can you hold revelation you’ve received from God until He releases you to share it? Is information or intimacy more important to you during prayer? Why?

5.  What are some physical triggers God has used in your life? Tell me about several of them. Did you understand what you were to do at the time you received them?

DEVOTIONAL

Receive Correction

Can you give away something you don’t have? Of course you can’t! Yet we somehow have the idea that we can consecrate our unsurrendered lives to God. There’s only one thing we can wholly give to the Lord—that is the right to ourselves (Rom. 12)!

In God’s character-building school there is a basic operational principle. If when we are tested, challenged, corrected or rebuked, we choose to receive the correction with grace and humility, then God continues to promote us. But once we are bitter, take offense or try to defend our rights, then He registers our reaction, noting we aren’t ready for any higher position of authority. Why? Because we surely can’t handle the criticism or pressure that comes with more responsibility.

God tested King David’s reaction to correction through the words of the prophet Nathan. When David and the beautiful Bathsheba had hardly risen from their bed of adultery, David made arrangements for her husband, his faithful military officer Uriah, to be killed on the front line of battle (2 Sam. 11:14-27). David cunningly arranged circumstances to make allowances for his sin. But God says, “Be sure that your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).

Following the time to mourn Uriah’s death, God sent His prophet Nathan to confront King David with his sin (2 Sam. 12). Nathan told David a story about a poor man with one sheep—a family pet. He explained how a rich man stole and ate the poor man’s only sheep. Thinking the story was true, King David grew incensed and demanded the rich man be arrested and immediately executed for such a thoughtless and selfish act. Calmly, Nathan told David, “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7, KJV). The story was a parable about David’s own life.

How would David, who had unlimited power in his kingdom, respond to Nathan’s accusation? Would he turn his anger toward Nathan to have him executed instead? Would he deny his sin with Bathsheba? Would he ignore his sin and continue to live a life of royalty?

Thank God, David immediately confessed his sin and repented. His words still echo through the halls of history: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12:13). David obviously was a man of humility. With grace he accepted the correction due him. He didn’t compound his backsliding with the sin of hypocrisy.

No one enjoys correction. To face discipline is never fun. In fact, it’s quite painful. Sometimes the criticism is justified, but other times it isn’t. But correction is necessary if we’re to remain spiritually healthy. To listen and heed correction builds character and often opens the door to future opportunities for us. The person who is spiritually unteachable repeatedly addresses the same issues until he or she learns to receive correction with grace.

The discipline might come incorrectly, but that’s not the problem. The question is, When we are challenged, corrected, rebuked or even misunderstood, what do we do? How do we respond? Do we snap back a retort and defend ourselves? Do we lash out and point the finger at another? Do we sulk, run away or make excuses for our behavior? These are common responses, to be sure. Remember, in every correction there is a kernel of truth. Find that truth, and allow God access to change your character. If you do, the devil will be unable to find a way to accuse you with future attempts. God wants us to react supernaturally to these provocations. If we receive correction, submit to the discipline and are changed, God opens doors of promotion in due time.

I was a church leader, Sunday School teacher and pastor’s wife in the 1980s. I received an interesting challenge one day. I didn’t know Suzy very well when she walked up to me and said, “Alice, you have the anointing of Moses, but you lack the gentleness of Jesus.” Suzy then casually spun around and walked away! What? I thought to myself. Just who does she think she is?

I always submit to prayer every criticism that comes my way. I did the same with this criticism. I argued with God about what Suzy said. I was shocked when I heard the Father speak to my heart, “Alice, Suzy is right.” Right away I repented for my lack of mercy for others and asked Him to change my character. Within a week, I went back to Suzy and told her the story. I hugged and thanked her for the opportunity to be changed by God. To this day when I see Suzy, I am reminded of how the Father used her timely correction to build my character. What about you? Will you receive correction and be changed too? There’s a higher purpose for your intercessory calling than what you thought, for His ways aren’t like our ways.

3

CULTIVATING A LIFESTYLE OF INTERCESSION

On-the-Job Training

The role of intercession is the duty of every Christian; however, many Christians are unaware of the difference between the role and the gift of intercession. Peter Wagner provides insight about this in his book Prayer Shield:

All Christians, without exception, have roles that parallel most of the gifts. For example, not all Christians have the gift of an evangelist, but all have the role of being witnesses for Christ and leading people to the Lord.[1]

Jesus didn’t say, “If you pray” but “When you pray.” It’s important for every believer to pray. All Christians have the role of intercession, though not everyone who prays has the gift of intercession.

Many Roles, Different Callings

I define the gift of intercession as “a special grace given by Christ to pray for extended lengths of time on the basis of an intimate relationship.”

This gift doesn’t make intercessors more special to God than others, just more available for prayer. Surveys have shown the average American pastor spends 15 to 22 minutes a day in prayer, and the average American Christian prays less. But intercessors, as a rule, spend much more time in the prayer closet and sense real joy and fulfillment in doing so. As with all spiritual gifts, people spend time doing what their gifts motivate them to do.

Because intercessors are motivated to pray, hours in prayer seem like minutes to them. As they enter the realm of wholehearted worship, they are drawn into timelessness. These times are used by the Holy Spirit to move them from one spiritual level to another. Their hunger for more of God drives them to make time for intimacy with Him. Prayer is not usually an effort for intercessors.

Of course, there are times in life when such desires are difficult to fulfill, such as in the case of a young mother with babies, a busy executive or a single parent. During such busy times, intercessors create opportunities (times and places) for prayer.

In my book Spiritual Intimacy with God, I explain the cycles of intercessory life: “Spring seasons of our relationship with God are those ‘first love’ periods when the Lord is actively disclosing Himself, and we just can’t get enough time alone with Him.”[2] As is expected, spring changes into summer—the seasons of passion. “In a season of passion, prayer is fun and we feel powerful. We are ready to take on the devil, until we find that ‘the devil in the mirror’ is our own independent spirit.”[3]

Prayer is a relationship, not a ritual.

After the summer comes autumn—the season of stripping. In Spiritual Intimacy I write, “The works planted in spring and the fruit ripened during the summer are ready to be harvested, but we forget that harvesting means stripping the vines until they are barren.”[4] And lest we feel we have our prayer lives all figured out, we enter winter—the season of cave dwelling. “Winter kills! Surface things, selfish things, must die; only the root endures. Life goes underground. Living waters turn to icy lakes. Winter is like heart surgery without anesthesia.”[5] All of life goes through the process of seasons; both in the natural and in the supernatural. Don’t be discouraged. This is part of the learning curve as we cultivate an intercessory lifestyle.

Times and places for prayer are as diverse as the people who pray. As I mentioned earlier, we are all called to intercede, so those who don’t have the gift of intercession must discipline themselves to pray.

David Yonggi Cho, pastor of the world’s largest church in Seoul, Korea, says he spends 1 to 3 hours in prayer each day. Some believers strive to tithe their time; some pray 2.4 hours a day (calculated on a 24-hour day). Others pray a tithe of their waking time, or 1.6 hours, each day. Start with small amounts of time alone with Jesus. As you get to know Him, you will want to be with Him more and more. Remember to give yourself grace. It takes time to develop a prayer life, so press in and don’t give up.

The time you give the Lord in prayer will bless Him and you. Remember, prayer is a relationship, not a ritual. The more time you invest in a relationship, the more intimacy and trust you’ll develop. Whether yours is the role of intercession or the gift of intercession, spending time with Christ is key to your spiritual growth.

Prophesying the Burden

Although intercession is not listed as a gift in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 or Ephesians 4, the gift of prophecy can be interchangeable with intercession. For example, the Hebrew word massa is translated “to prophesy a burden or to declare an utterance.”[6]

Often in the Old Testament, the prophets uttered the burden of the Lord (Jer. 23:33-40; Ezek. 12:10; Dan. 9:20-23). The gift of intercession can be expressed through prayer in a variety of ways (2 Sam. 12:16-17; 2 Chron. 15:14-15; Zech. 12:10-11). For example, the Hebrew word paga, “intercession,” means “to prophesy, or invade by violence, to struggle in prayer, or contend with an adversary, to fight or labor in fervent prayer, with force, crowd and press forward, or seize, to catch, travail and weep, to come between.”[7]

As stated earlier, there is the role and the gift of intercession. There is also an office of intercession. This office is recognized when the gifts of intercession and administration are coupled to create a leadership role in the Church. The Church should release into ministry those with the office of intercession and acknowledge that God has positioned them to help equip the corporate body for intercession. Those called to the office of intercession can often impart a passion for intercession and dramatically change the spiritual atmosphere by their prayers.

Those called to the office of intercession carry “spiritual weight” before the throne of God and inspire others with similar gifts and callings.

To find personal fulfillment and accomplish our God-given assignment, we should each learn our primary motivational gift from the seven listed in Romans 12, and we should become familiar with the manifestation by the Holy Spirit in and through our lives as described in 1 Corinthians 12. For, as Paul clearly says in this passage, each of us has a specific part to play. There are no general practitioners.

Intercession: One Ministry, Many Gifts

Our unity in service is best seen in our diversity of gifts. And each person’s gift mix is unlike any other person’s. No one else can fill your place. Therefore, if you pattern your intercession after that of someone else (emulation), you’ll be frustrated, ineffective and confused. To emulate another is a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-20). You’re to imitate Christ and no one else.

According to 1 Corinthians 12, “There are different kinds of gifts … different kinds of service … [and] different kinds of working” (vv. 4-6). All the gifts work together. For example, an intercessor with the motivational gift of mercy, as described in Romans 12, will pray differently than one with the gift of administration.

By looking at the diversity in our gifts, we can see the need for the different kinds of intercessors required to create a whole ministry of intercession. From the list of spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, let’s consider a few.

Administrative Intercessors

Administrative intercessors may have the gifts of leadership, giving, teacher, apostle in training, exhortation or faith. They sometimes serve as the “spinal cord” in the Body, carrying orders to other members by giving proper instruction or to set a strategy. They often form and coordinate prayer chains, telephone networks, newsletters and crisis lines to notify and encourage others to pray. Without these steadfast men and women as administrative intercessors, much of the intercession we experience today would be disorderly and inconsistent.

Cafeteria-Style Intercessors

There are women and men who intercede “cafeteria style.” Their prayer style continually changes. Like chameleon lizards that don’t remain one set color, cafeteria-style intercessors don’t conform to any particular mode or method. They are pliable and flexible in the hand of God. They can discern the Spirit’s direction, whether it’s to travail, to engage in spiritual warfare or to pray through a prayer list. These intercessors enter the flow of the Spirit with ease.

What makes these types of people unique is that they are able to transition and even lead the group to transition from one level to another (for example, from praying for the city to praying for the nation or the nations).

Crisis Intercessors

Crisis intercessors pray for emergencies and can perceive when traumatic events have occurred. Like an E.M.S. ambulance driver, these crisis intercessors are always on call. These intercessors sense the urgency in each crisis, may it be in the middle of the night or in the middle of the day. They are the search and rescue team for those who are wounded on the spiritual battlefield. Their gifts might include prophecy, words of knowledge, mercy, faith, healing, ministry/service, giving and/or pastor. We need intense people such as these who receive emergency calls and send immediate intercessory help.

Intercessors for the Nations

God is calling more intercessors for the nations today than ever before in recorded history. They are the prayer evangelists in the Body of Christ. They act as the knees of the Church. Evangelistic intercessors cross the streets or the city, or travel as missionaries to reach the lost. Eddie worked several years in Hollywood, California, with Arthur Blessitt, the cross-bearing evangelist. Arthur has carried his cross to every nation and island in the world. Thousands of souls have been transformed because Arthur is an intercessor for the nations. The prayers of intercessors for the nations often result in workers being sent to the right people in the right place for the right reason—to bring others to Christ. They may have a gift mix of evangelism, faith, miracles, service, prophecy, exhorter, giving, teacher, apostle, pastor and/or mercy. It’s their delight to stand in the gap of prayer for nations to see the last great harvest before Christ’s return.

Mercy-Motivated Intercessors

Mercy-motivated intercessors find great satisfaction praying for any event, city, nation or situation needing the Lord’s mercy. They breathe compassion and empathy into the spiritual lives of others and are able to empathize with and encourage the broken-hearted. They are able to love the unlovely in ways others can’t, for they have a spiritual discernment for hurting people. Mercy-motivated intercessors often move in the spiritual gifts of counseling, miracles, healing, pastor, giving and helps.

Prayer-List Intercessors

The primary purpose of some intercessors is to pray through prayer lists. They tend to have the gifts of administration, teacher, healing, faith, pastor and leadership mentioned in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. These prayer-list intercessors are disciplined as they faithfully pray through the structured assignments God gives them on their prayer lists. On occasion they will get emergency requests and prophetic instruction, but their priority is to persevere for the people, places and issues on their prayer lists.

Prophetic Intercessors

Prophetic intercessors seem to hear from God almost as much as they speak to God. Exhortation, faith, wisdom, words of knowledge, and discernment flow from the prophetic intercessor. Paul mentioned the eyes and ears of the body in 1 Corinthians 12. He pointed out that if the whole body were an eye, there would be no hearing. With those who are “eyes” and “ears” (prophetic intercessors), God often shares the secrets of His heart and the strategies of His work. God reveals His plans to them and at times He reveals to the prophet the plans of the enemy as well. Prophetic intercessors, take heed! Remember, there are others in the intercessory prayer movement who God needs to help fulfill the assignments He has given. So be sensitive to those in the Church who have spiritual gifts different from yours. Pride easily can derail your position otherwise.

Special-Assignment Intercessors

There are intercessors who have special assignments to pray for religious, political or social leaders. They have nurturing pastoral gifts and developing apostolic gifts. It’s important to love, compassionately minister to and shepherd leaders in prayer. The primary concern of these special-assignment intercessors is for the protection and care of the leaders they serve. At times they experience an emotional attachment to the leaders. Leadership can misunderstand the intercessory calling of these intercessors if the leaders aren’t familiar with their shepherding hearts and pure intentions.

Warfare Intercessors

Some intercessors are prayer warriors involved in spiritual warfare, which requires the revelatory gifts spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12. Their gifts may include faith, tongues, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits and/or prophecy. Prayer warriors are uniquely aware of the battle in the heavenlies. If the Church doesn’t understand and learn from these intercessors, the Body won’t see the spiritual battle developing. Like a spiritual radar installation, a prayer warrior continually surveys the unseen heavenly realm. When he or she locks in on a prayer concern, this warrior acts as an eye in the Body of Christ (they spiritually see the unseen battles that rage). The Lord reveals the enemy targets designated for demolition. Like laser-directed smart bombs, these kinds of prayers are directed by the Spirit of God to hit specific targets.

Corporate Intercession

All the gifts should work together for the good of the Body. Yet for several reasons corporate prayer remains generally ineffective. One reason is we sometimes expect everyone to pray like ourselves, as if we all have the same spiritual gift. Then when someone doesn’t conform to our criteria for intercession, we reject their method of communing with God and grieve the Holy Spirit.

Another reason corporate prayer is often ineffective is that we fail to recognize we’re all at different levels of spiritual maturity. This isn’t bad; it’s just a fact. However, when someone imitates the anointing of another, not only does the entire group suffer but the Holy Spirit is also grieved. We are cautioned in Romans 12:3, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

Unholy Chaos

Unmet expectations and failure to recognize the uniqueness of others in the Body can produce chaos. For example, imagine this scene: The prayer meeting begins. One mercy-motivated sister prays passionately with tears, as a fevered crisis erupts in her heart. Her unbridled emotion irritates the man next to her. His primary gift is administration. He’s thinking, If they would just let me organize this group, we could accomplish something.

Across the room is an intercessor who discerns a spiritual battle raging. Because of a strong gift of discernment, this believer reacts with warfare prayer. With predictable intensity, she thrashes her hands through the air, screaming fiercely at the rulers of darkness. Others sitting in the room are thinking, My God, someone give this poor woman a Prozac to calm her down! (Prozac is a medication used to treat signs of emotional depression.)

Near her is a man who always prays from prayer lists—for him it’s almost a sin to do otherwise! As he prays in his calculating methodical manner, others grieve God as they roll their eyes, tap their watch or yawn while thinking, This is a waste of time.

Next, the seasoned prayer warrior prays and intimidates the rest of the group with refined and polished prayers.

Eventually one who is totally off-track begins to pray. When the group is directed to pray for reconciliation regarding racial division, this person shifts gears and begins to pray for the puppy caught in the drainpipe. There is no focus, no flow. The result is a mess! What is the answer?

We’ve all been in these kinds of prayer meetings! We should come to appreciate our diversity in unity. Corporate intercession can be as effective and as powerful as a nuclear warhead—if each member accepts the others’ spiritual gifts. Remember, all gifts are to be governed by love. As we understand teamwork and cooperation, our different ways of praying will work like a well-oiled machine. I don’t pray like others; I shouldn’t expect others to pray like me. The discipline of God in each life affects the depth of that person’s prayer. If we accept each individual’s style of prayer, understanding that he or she prays from his or her motivational gift, then God will be blessed, the enemy will be crippled, and the group will be united.

Do we believe it’s wrong to use prayer lists? Is warfare prayer wrong? Should we hold back our tears? No. Each of these facets of intercession is appropriate because they work together toward the common end—if we will let them.

Spirit-led Spiritual Leadership

For effective corporate intercession, the leader has to provide clear instruction. The leader’s job is to discern the direction of the Holy Spirit and point the way for the group’s prayers. We facilitators are to help each person pray from his or her Spirit-led gift. This is accomplished as the leader does the following three things:

1.  To begin, the leader invites the Holy Spirit to reveal the Father’s prayer assignment. Corporate prayer meetings are not for personal issues! It’s a time to hear the burden of the Lord together and ascend with one voice before the throne.

2.  The leader provides firm, loving direction during the corporate prayer time. The leader has to discern when the group has drifted from the Holy Spirit’s direction and should not be afraid to lead the group to stay on track. As the leader, you may not always get it right, but people need to know that you are taking responsibility to lead! (I have messed up plenty of times, but the group was supportive because I remained open to God’s direction.) The direction may include any of a variety of prompts.

• Gentle interruption of a person who has a misdirected prayer (off-track)—He or she will be asked to return to a particular issue.

• Prevention of anyone monopolizing the prayer time—If this becomes a problem, the person will be approached in love and quietly told, “Please don’t pray again this evening so that others have the opportunity to participate” or “Please allow others the privilege of praying.”

• Prevention of anyone from using prayer to gossip about private matters that shouldn’t be known by the public—The person will be told, “These are not issues all of us need to know about. I prefer moving on to something else.”

• Halting a person’s condemning and judgmental prayers—This reminds the group that God alone is the judge, and we are to ask the Lord for His perfect will to be done.

3. While each intercessor petitions the Lord differently, the leader maintains unity of heart. The goal of corporate intercession is to assert the same focus until the group has “prayed through” and corporately senses a breakthrough. (This may be signaled by silence or the end of weeping.) Then the leader may be led to focus on another burden if the group wants to continue.

For instance, a group may start praying for Bosnia, then shift to political unrest in Bosnia, then to the children in that nation and then to salvation for the people of Bosnia. Often groups become distracted when they change tracks. One person might start with prayer concerning the political unrest in Bosnia; then someone in the group changes to pray about abortion in India and another intercessor prays for the Sunday-morning worship service. Can you see the splintering? So it’s the leader’s responsibility to redirect the group back to the assignment of Bosnia. The goal is to maintain the group’s focus on one burden at a time.

This is how the group should work together: Unity may be felt as silence blankets the room. A holy hush suggests each heart is discerning the will of the Father for the hour. Without warning, a woman passionately asks the Lord to forgive them for alienating the African-Americans who live in the neighborhood. She weeps with agony and soon others in the group experience the same burden as she.

A man with the burden of evangelism earnestly asks the Lord to save the African-Americans in the city and petitions the Lord to open doors for a network of African-American and white churches. Next, a man fervently repents for offending his black neighbor and promises God he will make it right. The spiritual atmosphere explodes with more clarity of direction. The Holy Spirit gently prompts a gifted teacher to read a portion of Scripture about unity and the prophetically gifted person speaks an encouraging declaration.

A few moments later another person cries out for racial reconciliation and healing in the nation. Fully absorbed in the unity of prayer, the faith to believe God soars. The cycle of intercession flows steadily for reconciliation. Then like a weight lifted, the group explodes into spontaneous applause. Quiet settles over the group again, as every believer senses the holy presence of God. United, corporate intercession has occurred. At the end of the prayer time, the leader spends a few minutes to debrief the group, to discuss with them what God was saying to them individually and corporately. This time of recapping establishes a sense of purpose, unity and completion.

The Balanced Body

As we have discovered, the ministry of intercession requires many gifts all working and praying together to keep the Body healthy. But it’s the spiritual gift of discernment mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 that helps maintain a balance and accountability for what it receives. Because of this need to discern, the Lord will often give dreams and physical symptoms to intercessors as burdens for warnings to intercede. These warnings help the intercessor identify what’s happening in the lives of others. But if the intercessor fails to realize that the physical symptoms are indicators from the Lord for prayer and doesn’t detach him- or herself from them, the intercessor might become psychotic and paranoid.

Years of counseling others have convinced me that many intercessors silently suffer in hospitals and mental institutions because they’ve misunderstood the burdens of God. Secular society looks for medical relief from life’s burdens, when the answer is often found in prayer relief.

By this I do not intend to negate every case where legitimate chemical imbalances might exist; however, much more attention needs to be given to spiritual causes of psychological and even biological symptoms.

Some intercessors have been accused of having psychosomatic health problems. The word “psychosomatic” comes from two Greek words. The first is psyche, meaning “soul”—the mind, will and emotions, or response center, of a person. The second word is soma, meaning “body.”[8] It’s possible to have psychosomatic symptoms when one ignores or refuses God’s burdens to pray.

Burden-Bearing Traits

Over the years, I have noticed those who are called to a life of intercession have certain characteristics (or traits)—some good and some not so good. Let’s look at a few.

Intercessors are burden bearers. Being a burden bearer can be difficult and requires faithfulness. Our faithfulness is first to the Father and His purposes. We’re to love the Father and receive His love. When our heart is knit to His, our love will be reflected in our responses—as was the case in the following story:

A kind old woman, passing down the street, saw a little girl carrying a heavy baby boy who was almost as large as herself. “Isn’t that a heavy load you’re carrying, little girl?” asked the woman. “No, ma’am,” the little girl flashed back, “he’s my brother.”[9]

But as I briefly mentioned in chapter 2, you may misunderstand the heaviness or sense of depression (burden bearing) that comes upon you for no apparent reason. You and your family are well, yet your emotions are suddenly unsettled. You may feel sad; you may even find yourself on the verge of tears. Thinking this is wrong, you might seek counsel or medication or even assume you need to repent of some hidden sin, even though the Lord brings nothing to mind.

Rarely does it dawn on you that this unsettling may be the Lord. The heaviness may not be related to you personally at all! God may have revealed it to you as a trigger for you to intercede. He may be wooing you to the prayer closet without telling you specifically why. It’s true. At times, God will ask you to bear the burden in prayer and trust the details to Him.

Sometimes God will bring illumination as you pray. Years passed before I began to understand the ways of God. The Lord has to break through the spiritual dimension and into our physical realm to trigger our mind to pray. My interviews with many intercessors have revealed that it’s not uncommon for intercessors to experience a dull ache in the heart. This pain may be a physical symptom of the Lord’s pain for those in need.

When you don’t know what to pray for, “go fishing.” I will usually begin to pray for my family members first. I troll through my list of names. Nothing. Then I “cast the line out” into the community and then the city and then the nation. Possibly a traumatic event is God’s assignment. Suddenly there’s a tug on the line, which tells me I have “a bite,” and the struggle begins! A passion to pray heightens and I hang on until I have experienced a sense of release.

Realize that at times the Lord reserves the specifics for Himself. This is one of the most difficult aspects of intercession. It requires inordinate faith to pray, without knowledge, until the release comes. Never forget, if you will be faithful to intercede, in time the heavenly Father will reward you in His own way.

Why are more women than men called into the ministry of intercession? Peter Wagner suggests, in his book Prayer Shield, the answer could be related to their experience of giving birth. He writes, “Mothers know even better than could the apostle Paul the full meaning of his statement, ‘My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you’” (Gal. 4:19, NKJV).[10] Yet I am encouraged to say in the last 20 years, I’ve seen a steady increase in the number of men accepting the call of intercession.

Birthing Answers Through Death to Self

Intercessors are acquainted with travail, which is a form of death to self. Jesus taught, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

In his book The Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray says, “Prayer is a form of crucifixion, of our fellowship with Christ’s cross, of our giving up our flesh to the death.”[11]

The Father has no favorites, but He

does have intimates.

No self-interests are allowed beyond the veil in God’s holy of holies. Death to self is a vital part of experiencing the fullness of Christ. As we abandon our goals, careers, future successes and desires, the crucifixion of self becomes complete. In Rees Howells Intercessor, a biography by Norman Grubb, we read:

But before He can lead a chosen vessel into such a life of intercession, He first has to deal to the bottom with all that is natural. Love of money, personal ambition, natural affection for parents and loved ones, the appetites of the body, the love of life itself, all that makes even a converted man live unto himself, for his own comfort or advantage, for his own advancement, even for his own circle of friends, has to go to the cross. It is no theoretical death, but a real crucifixion with Christ, such as only the Holy Ghost Himself can make actual in the experience of His servant. Both as a crisis and process, Paul’s testimony must be made ours: “I have been and still am crucified with Christ.” The self must be released from itself to become the agent of the Holy Ghost.[12]

Faithfulness to the Father involves both loving Him and knowing Him. Paul emphasized the importance of knowing the ways of God: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil. 3:10). To love Jesus like the Father loves Him is crucial in developing intimacy. Jesus is not a principle, nor is He a cliché used in spiritual warfare. He is a person to be passionately pursued. And this is how we cultivate intimacy with Him.

There is a dangerous trend among intercessors that are infatuated with the devil and committed to warfare without a deep level of intimacy with God. This is a subtle but serious deception. Undoubtedly, we are at war for the souls of humanity. However, remember the instruction in James 4:7-8 (NKJV): first “draw near to God” (intimacy); then “resist the devil” (warfare). The depth of our intimacy in prayer will determine our authority over darkness.

No Favorites, Only Intimates

The Father has no favorites, but He does have intimates. Believe it! God is looking for homemakers, lawyers, teachers, secretaries, politicians, plumbers and surveyors—people from all walks of life who will fellowship with Him! He can only share His heart with those who delight to be in His presence in the place of prayer. The Father wants intimacy with us more than we want intimacy with Him.

Many of us want to know the secrets of the Father’s heart. We want His anointing upon our lives. Yet we’re unwilling to make the necessary investment before His throne. As Mike Bickle, the leader of International House of Prayer in Kansas City, has said:

We will not be able to impart what we do not possess. We can repeat doctrines at an intellectual level without imparting life. We each play an important role in determining the degree of intimacy we have with the Lord. If we’re content with a small measure of intimacy, then that’s all we will experience. If we are willing to pay a price for deeper intimacy, we will experience it.[13]

The ultimate Christian experience is intimate union with God. Not only does intimacy satisfy our personal need for relationship, but also it compels us to pray His kingdom be established on earth.

To whom do you tell your secrets? Probably someone you consider trustworthy, someone who cares, someone with whom you fellowship, someone who understands and identifies with you. This is the kind of person the Father is looking for, too. He will share His secrets with those He trusts—those who will not share them with others until the appointed time. The Bible says, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man [or woman] keeps a secret” (Prov. 11:13). The trustworthy person will not gloat over the revelation of heavenly mysteries, as Paul refused to do in 2 Corinthians 12.

An intimate intercessor should spend a lot of time listening. Normally, prayer is a two-way conversation; but sometimes we are just to listen, as was the experience recorded by Daniel in the Scriptures: “Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground” (Dan. 10:9). Silence before God is a key to our relationship with Him. In this sense, silence is truly golden!

A room of quiet … a temple of peace;

The home of faith … where doubtings cease;

A house of comfort … where hope is given;

A source of strength … to make earth heaven;

A shrine of worship … a place to pray

I found all this … in my heart today[14]

Part of our silence should be spent in meditation. To meditate, as it’s generally understood, means to ponder, contemplate, or become absorbed in thought. This discipline requires time and practice. Like a master pickpocket, indeed, Satan seeks to sabotage our time and snatch God’s truth from our mind.

Evade Satan by learning the three building blocks of successful meditation.

Building Block 1: Isolation

Time alone with God is necessary to renew the mind. Turn off the phone and TV, or walk into the woods to sit before the Lord. This isn’t the time to engage in warfare or worry about your troubles but to reconnect with God by renewing your mind through the Word of God. Romans 12:2 exhorts us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Building Block 2: Concentration

The psalmist points out the importance of focused concentration on the Word of the Lord: We are to “delight [think] … in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:2).

Isaiah instructs us to concentrate our thinking on the Lord of the Word: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isa. 26:3). The soul—where the mind, will and emotions are—fights against the truth, so it’s essential that we teach our soul to be in subjection to the Holy Spirit and the Word.

Building Block 3: Association

We can associate physical objects with spiritual realities. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” This verse says to meditate on these truths. We do this by storing God’s Word in our heart because His Word “is truth.”

If you have a problem with speaking the truth, meditate on every word coming out of your mouth to make sure it’s truth. The Bible declares, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7, KJV). This isn’t New Age information—this is God’s Word.

Learn to sit silently and allow the Word to feed your spirit. Slowly read the Bible aloud. Listen to yourself say every word. Allow each word to empower you.

Popular nineteenth-century British preacher C. H. Spurgeon said meditation for a believer is like a cow “chewing her cud.” Meditation gets the sweetness and nutrients of God’s Word into our heart and life. Proper nourishment from the Word produces spiritual fruit and spiritual maturity.

It’s impossible to separate God from His Word. Therefore, the more time we spend in His Word, the more we become like Him. And as we grow in His likeness, our life becomes “others centered.”

Intercessors: People Who Care About People

Intercessors love others. They are relational. Not only are they genuinely interested in people, but because they are commonly gifted with “discerning of spirits,” they also often see the hidden intentions of others. God’s purpose in providing this gift is not that they might pry but that they may pray. Used incorrectly, these insights cause intercessors to become judgmental, nosy, suspicious and controlling.

When used properly, the gift of discerning of spirits adds spiritual revelation and power to our prayers. Eddie and I have discovered this as we have crisscrossed the United States and the world as ministers. By invitation of the pastor, we travel to a church or conference and conduct nightly meetings. In the ’70s we were at some meetings for as long as two weeks. In the earlier years, sometimes we were the singers; other times Eddie preached.

On one occasion in the early ’70s, we arrived in a church parking lot with our 24-foot motor home, pulling an 18-foot travel trailer. We were the guest singers that week. During the staff’s lunch break, Eddie returned to the motor home with a church photo directory in his hand.

While he lay down to wait for the pastor to return, I began to look through the photo directory. As I looked at family after family, individual after individual, I began to pray for them. Though I’d never met these people, I sensed the Holy Spirit reveal things to me about them. I circled faces and made marginal notes such as “needs healing,” “lost,” “needs the filling of the Holy Spirit,” “suffers severe rejection,” “walks in darkness.”

I received this information from the Holy Spirit for the purpose of prayer. On this occasion I was right, but I always risk being wrong. We can’t learn until we risk, and we don’t risk until we try. Failure at this point isn’t bad—in reality it’s part of our death to pride.

Later, Eddie showed my annotated copy of the church directory to the pastor. As he read my notes from page to page, Eddie said the pastor’s eyes began to swell with tears. Soon the pastor was weeping over his flock. He placed the book on the desk and said, “She is exactly right. These are the specific needs of my people.”

Intercessors are usually reliable people. They are often doggedly determined about the things of God. I cannot recount to you the scores of times God has revealed to me the need for salvation in the lives of friends. He’s led me to pray many hours for them. Because of this intense commitment among our friends, I am nicknamed “The Bulldog.”

Andrew Murray was an intercessor who understood commitment. He wrote in The Ministry of Intercession:

There are various elements of importunity. The most important are perseverance, determination, and intensity. Beginning with the refusal to at once accept a denial, importunity grows to the determination to persevere, to spare no time or trouble, until an answer comes. It then rises to the intensity in which the whole being is given to God in supplication, and the boldness comes to grasp God’s strength. It can be quiet and restful at times, and passionate and bold at others. It can take time and be patient, and then claim at once what it wants. No matter what its form, it always means and knows that God hears prayer and it will be heard.[15]

Intercessors are committed to God and to others and genuinely desire to see needs met. Eddie and I have nearly 60 personal intercessors who faithfully intercede for us. We can’t begin to tell you how special they are to us! Only the Lord can repay them for the investments they make in prayer for us.

Intercessors Are People, Too!

I love intercessors! I am one! Writing about their good traits is enjoyable! However, intercessors are people too, and they can possess some poor human traits. Even the good traits I’ve mentioned can become fleshy and bad when taken to an extreme. Because of the spiritual burdens they bear, intercessors can easily become moody. Heaviness or depression can creep into the intercessor’s life, so we should ask the Holy Spirit whether a burden is God-given or an attack from the enemy. When I’m not sure, I head for my prayer room, regardless!

Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is a requirement in an intercessor, but if care is not taken, it can preclude our sensitivity to the rest of the Body of Christ. Loud weeping that looks and sounds like a woman in travail may characterize an intercessor’s prayer life, but travail can be difficult for others to grasp. If others don’t sense the same intensity of travail, the intercessor should find a private place to pray so that he or she will not confuse or disturb those who may not understand. The one exception would be when corporate brokenness occurs among the group.

Other problems can include intercessors who become prideful of their relationship with the Lord and expect others to be like them, or intercessors who try to dominate a prayer meeting. Another issue arises when one person acts as if his or her prophetic word is the only insight needed for the moment. Frustration can also happen when a corporate prayer time becomes a shouting match with louder prayers, more eloquent prophecies or stronger emotions. Often corporate prayer may become nothing more than a soulish competition between personalities.

A wise leader protects the meeting from monopolizers and manipulators! In the early stages of our intercessory calling, we may behave as adolescents. We may think the prayer time is about us! However, the earmark of a mature, seasoned intercessor is sensitivity to the maturity level of prayer in others. It’s time to move our prayer life from an adolescent attitude into adulthood.

Christian leaders are learning about the ministry of intercession. As pastoral leaders become more aware, their interest to develop intercessors and appropriate the intercessory gifts in the Church will encourage the rest of the people to pray. Pastors, evangelists, prayer leaders and apostles are reading books that explain this unique, hidden and often complex ministry. They’re learning to identify the intercessors in their churches and organizations, making room for this vital ministry. Leaders need the strength the ministry of intercession provides.

Other professions are also beginning to recognize the need for prayer. A Christian psychologist phoned my husband, Eddie, one day to explain, “One of my patients came to you for counseling and seems to have misunderstood what you told her. I am calling to clarify it. My patient understood you to say she’s not manic-depressive and hallucinogenic.”

“That’s what I said,” Eddie replied.

“How can you say that?” asked the doctor.

“First,” Eddie questioned, “who said she is those things?”

“That is my diagnosis of her,” the doctor replied.

Eddie asked, “Would you like to hear my diagnosis?” With the doctor’s permission Eddie continued, “I found her to be more than a conqueror, a joint heir with Jesus, a new creation in Christ, a possessor of all things that pertain to life and godliness. Would you like to hear more?”

When the doctor assured Eddie he had heard enough, Eddie asked, “Do you want her to live up to your diagnosis or mine?”

“Well, yours, of course,” the doctor replied.

“Then I think I’d stop giving her yours, Doctor,” retorted Eddie. “When she got to my office she was living up to yours!”

“Well, she is clearly hallucinogenic,” the doctor insisted.

“Why do you say that?” Eddie asked.

The doctor responded, “She sees things that are not there.”

“No,” Eddie explained, “She sees things that are there.”

“You mean …” the doctor paused.

“Yes,” Eddie answered.

The doctor then asked if he could come in and discuss these issues. Since then, this psychologist and his wife minister in the power of the Spirit and not just by head knowledge.

Throughout her entire adult life, this lady had experienced depression and anxiety. She had also seen spiritual realities (demons and angels). While praying with her, the Lord revealed to Eddie that this woman was an intercessor. She never understood the burden of God and how to release it in prayer. As a result, she had failed to realize her concerns were the Father’s concerns. She didn’t know her spiritual sight was a gift from the Lord to equip her to engage in spiritual battle in prayer. She was liberated to learn this wasn’t a curse but a calling! Well-intentioned counselors had identified her prayer burdens as problems. She had been medicated to deal with the burdens God Himself had placed upon her heart! All she needed was biblical instruction and encouragement to help her understand the ministry to which God was calling her!

It Takes Time!

Information will not transform you. Formulas will not bring you into intimacy with God. A lifestyle of intercession has to be cultivated and maintained. Your inner person is like a garden. The disciplines of prayer keep it fertilized, watered, pruned and fruitful. Just as with any garden, time is needed for growth to appear. Seasons of difficulty and sunshine are required for your development. These seasons force the roots deeper into the source of your strength—Jesus Christ.

The following story illustrates this principle. A student asked the president of a school if he could take a shorter course than the one prescribed. “Oh yes,” replied the president. “But then it depends upon what you want to be. When God wants to make an oak, He takes a hundred years. When He wants to make a squash, He takes only four months.”

God wants you to be a mighty oak tree, not a spiritual squash. To become an oak, your roots must sink down deep. If you want to be a squash, your root system will remain shallow, and you will never have the vitality to linger long in the holy of holies with God.

Stir me, oh! Stir me, Lord, I care not how,

But stir my heart in passion for the world!

Stir me to give, to go—but most of all to pray:

Stir me, till the blood-red banner be unfurled

Over lands that still in deepest darkness lie,

Or deserts where no cross is lifted high.

Stir me, oh! Stir me, Lord.

Thy heart was stirred by love’s intense fire,

Till Thou didst give Thine only Son,

Thy best beloved One,

Even to the dreadful cross, that I might live;

Stir me to give myself so back to Thee

That Thou can give Thyself again through me.

—Author Unknown[16]

Love is the basis for intimacy, and intimacy is the foundation for effective intercession. Intercession is not a job; it is a love relationship developed between you and your heavenly Father. Intercession is a stethoscope to the heart of God. Your ability to hear His heart deepens with time. The more you listen, the better you know Him and His voice. Time in His presence will transform you. As you journey with Christ beyond the veil, you will experience the priestly privilege of intercession.

Unveiling the Truth About You

1.  Have you fallen into the trap of making prayer a duty, a ritual or an obligation? Would you release yourself from all perceived expectations of others? Will you be patient with yourself as you learn to intercede?

2.  The spiritual gifts in your life influence what issues motivate you to intercede. What type of intercessor are you?

3.  What is it about targeted united corporate intercession that makes Satan nervous? Are you willing to encourage people in your sphere of influence to appreciate the diversity of their prayer styles?

4.  Must you be a gifted intercessor to pray effectively during corporate prayer? Does your fear cause you to emulate others rather than pray in accordance with the gifts the Holy Spirit has given you?

DEVOTIONAL

Give Jesus Your Bouquet of Spiritual Gifts

For most of us, the words “spiritual gifts” bring to mind God’s gifts to us by the Holy Spirit—the gifts of teaching, prophecy, giving and the other four motivational gifts listed in Romans 12; the gifts of prophecy, miracles, wisdom, tongues and the other five manifestation gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12; the gifts of apostle, prophet, pastor-teacher, evangelist and the ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4.

Not only does God give us supernatural spiritual gifts, but He also gives us every physical gift: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Jas. 1:17, KJV). Health, food, clothing, family, friends, money and more are all expressions of grace from our “favorful” and faithful Father God who continually showers us with gifts—both inwardly and outwardly!

It’s not difficult to think how we can give back physical gifts to God—our time, prayers, tithes and offerings are good examples. But have you stopped to realize that we can also give a spiritual gift to God? Can you think of one spiritual gift we should continually shower on Him? You probably know where I’m headed now. I’m talking about an attitude of gratitude. Unfortunately, if there is one grievous and besetting sin in America today, it is the sin of ingratitude. As I travel the nations, the places where God seems to be doing the most are among people who are utterly and outspokenly grateful to Him for even the smallest blessings. This—a heart filled with gratitude and praise for who He is—is the spiritual gift He desires us to shower on Him!

A wife asked her husband of many years if he loved her. He told her of course he did. To which she said, “Then why don’t you ever tell me?” Dryly, he replied, “Honey, I told you ‘I love you’ when I married you. If I ever change my mind, I’ll let you know.”

We often live like this clueless husband—forgetting that the greatest spiritual gift we give to God is our love. To love Him means we focus our attention on Him and shower Him with our affection. To focus our attention means we merge His person and His will into every experience and aspect of our lives and our thinking. Because God does not change, if there is something we are doing that can’t be merged naturally with who He is, then we need to change.

We can’t continue to think and do what conflicts with who God is. To do so will make us unstable, and instability in one area makes us unstable in all our ways! James 1:8 tells us “a double minded man [person] is unstable in all his ways” (KJV). Loving God means we morph (or merge) our lives completely into His.

If you cherish the Lord, tell Him so. Don’t make God your mind reader; He has ears! Just as He hears the prayers of His people, He hears our praise. Only a God with ears would make birds sing, puppies yap and donkeys bray, and having done so brag, “This is good!”

God created you with the ability to verbalize and orally declare His goodness, grace and mercy. So speak your heart to Him.

But can’t He read my mind? you wonder. Doesn’t He know what I feel even before I feel it? Then what’s the point of saying it?

The Father loves to hear the melodic tones of the sparrow, but His heart hangs on every word of love and praise you speak. It’s honey poured out! The angels surrounding His throne envy the look that appears on His face when He hears you say, “Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul.” With all the praise the angels can muster-and they offer Him praise day and night—the simple sentence of gratitude for a life saved by grace is one they can’t express and will never experience!

Another reason for speaking your praise aloud to God is you need to say it. Matthew 12:34 says, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (KJV). Your heart and mouth are inextricably attached. They reveal each other. You are transformed by the words you say. If you constantly confess the negative, then your heart will turn more negative. As you constantly hear yourself praise and thank God aloud, your heart is changed!

Another reason to praise God out loud is to declare His victory to the entire spiritual world. From the day you were born, you will continue to be monitored by both God and the devil. Praising God aloud declares His goodness into the spiritual atmosphere where the enemy (the prince and the power of the air) can hear it. God has destined you, His Bride, to do this.

Yes, we have a heavenly Father who continually showers us with all good things. But does He have children who think about what they can give to Him? What spiritual gifts are you offering to the Lord today? Even if you haven’t a dime, the one gift you can consistently and continually shower on Jesus is the one gift He most longs to receive—a grateful heart of praise!

4

PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER

“Priestly Kings” and “Kingly Priests”

Have you ever wondered how a man can see himself as the Bride of Christ? It’s as difficult for a woman to see herself as a son of God. In my book Spiritual Intimacy with God, I explain this complex relationship. “When God refers to us as the bride—he means that he is married to the idea of remaking you and me into everything we are capable of being. Saying ‘I do’ to him is saying that you will let him love you into change—and eventually you will be so transformed that others do not recognize the former you.”[1]

The Old Testament term “priest” connotes the male gender. However, the New Testament consists of those who are “in Christ”—both male and female. That includes you! All sanctified believers are called to the priesthood.

The Old Testament Priesthood

An understanding of the role of the Old Testament priesthood is central to our function as the priests God calls us to be. Permit me to explain.

Isaiah prophesied:

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations… . And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast (Isa. 61:3-6).

Isaiah prophesied about a new breed of priests—the priests we are today! Priests who rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the devastated places.

Some today understand their priestly roles only in the negative sense, such as tearing down strongholds, attacking principalities, etc. True—that is to be done. However, we, the priests God will use in this last hour of history, will be more than a spiritual wrecking crew. We will rebuild, restore and renew!

Old Testament priests had several duties in the Temple. More than once, Exodus 28 says the priest’s primary duty was to minister to God:

And you shall take to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, so that he may minister to Me in the priest’s office. And you shall speak to all the wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, so that he may minister to Me in the priest’s office. And you shall clothe Aaron your brother with them, and his sons with him. And you shall anoint them, and you shall consecrate them, and you shall sanctify them, so that they may minister to Me in the priest’s office (vv. 1,3,41, NKJV, emphasis added).

We can easily become so engaged in the work of the Lord that we overlook the Lord of the work. Each morning our prayer time priority should be to minister to our Lord. Sing to Him, brag on Him, and read His Word back to Him.

God required the Old Testament priest to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people and to keep the incense burning. But the priesthood is no longer a select Israeli group, exclusive for Levites within the family of Aaron. To enter beyond the veil into the holy of holies is no longer something one man does once a year, at the risk of his life. Can I hear an “Amen” from you?

Jesus Christ has become the sinless sacrifice for our sin. Today, all who accept His free gift of redemption have access to the holy of holies as they move beyond the veil in prayer. When these sanctified saints enter in, the fragrance of what Jesus did in conjunction with their praises and prayers become incense before the Lord.

Peter defines us as “a royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). We minister to the King of kings, through our intimate relationship with Him. And when we do, we become His ambassadors to the world. We live in relationship with our Father, the King, at deeper levels, so the world can see our royal priestly lives and want to know Him.

My Early Days

I grew up in a secure family that expressed genuine love and represented the heavenly Father as a God of grace and mercy. Although I was in church from the cradle roll, my name was not written on heaven’s roll until I accepted Christ as my Savior at age 15.

Our family—which included my parents, the late Gene and Martha Day; my older sister, Jo Ann McDougal; my older brother, John Day, and his twin, my sister, Martha Jean Hallmark (who went to be with the Lord on Easter in 1996)—attended and served at the First Baptist Church in Lake Jackson, Texas.

It was there that Pastor Johnny Beard led me to Jesus. Jim Bob and Louverl Griffin were my music and youth directors, and this couple had a tremendous influence in my life. Their passionate love for Christ created a hunger inside me to experience what they had.

As a small child, I was very sensitive to the needs of others. Some said I had the gift of mercy (Rom. 12:8). Others suggested I might be too melancholic and needed to be less emotional. Fortunately, when I became a Christian, God revealed to me I was born to intercede! However, I had almost no understanding of this call to intercession.

During those early years, I wept and prayed for hours before the Lord. As questions about how to draw close to Jesus formed in my mind, I realized my prayer life was underdeveloped, so I began to collect a list of adjectives to describe my love for God. Song of Songs 1:3 says, “Your name is like perfume poured out.” To begin my time with Christ I would read the descriptions one at a time and then thank and praise Him for who He is. The devil accused me of hypocrisy because I’d made a list to help me express my heart to the Lord, but I ignored him, refused his lies and continued to brag on Jesus. I now have more than 300 terms to describe God’s majesty. Below is a sampling for you to use as you compile your own love ledger:

All-powerful • Bread of Life • Superior • Savior • Abba Father • Bridegroom • The Door to Life • Lover of My Soul • Lord • Jehovah • My Intercessor • Holy • Majestic • Gentle • Darling of My Life • Full of Mercy and Grace • Husband • King of All Ages •Joy Giver • Partner in Prayer • Apple of My Eye • Creator of All Things • Friend • Glorified One • Faithful One • Counselor • Master

To begin, I would pray for 15 minutes a day. Eventually this time increased to 30 minutes. As my prayer life developed, so did my desire to be near to the heart of the Lord … and to be His good friend.

One day as I casually conversed with the Lord, I experienced a deep longing for a more intimate relationship with Him. In His goodness, He introduced me to books by Andrew Murray, Rees Howells, Watchman Nee, Charles Spurgeon, Charles Finney, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Evelyn Christensen, Dick Eastman, A. W. Tozer and others—books that enriched my prayer life. Eventually doors of opportunity opened for me to meet people who understood my spiritual quest for intimacy in prayer.

Meeting Miss Corrie

One significant encounter happened in 1973 when I met Corrie ten Boom, author of the bestselling book The Hiding Place (which is also a movie).

The Hiding Place chronicles Corrie’s experiences during World War II as her family sought to protect Jewish refugees from Nazi persecution. Corrie and her family were arrested and imprisoned in a concentration camp where all but her died. Upon Corrie’s release from the concentration camp, she traveled worldwide, emphasizing the need to forgive our enemies in the power of the Lord Jesus and to be ready for His coming.

On this cold winter night in 1973, my heart was warm with the expectancy of meeting this prayer warrior about whom I had read so many stories. At age 23, though inexperienced in the ways of God, I was anxious to learn, and I had hoped this divine appointment would provide fresh insight for my spiritual growth.

Eddie and I attended a dinner party at the home of a prominent Christian businessperson in Memphis, Tennessee, in whose church we were in town to conduct a revival meeting. Our visit was clearly in God’s time.

The ambiance was light and the house was full of people we didn’t know. People were standing around chatting, as if nothing significant were about to occur. The fire in the fireplace burned brightly and the aroma of food permeated the air. After what seemed an eternity, the doorbell rang. Through the door stepped Corrie ten Boom and her secretary/travel companion. The atmosphere suddenly became electric, as if Corrie were escorted by a legion of angels!

My heart fluttered as I was introduced to this short, plump and vivacious friend of God. After the introductions and dinner, Corrie ten Boom sat in a chair to the left of the fireplace. Eddie and I sat directly across the room from her. I was spellbound. The flames from the fireplace danced in the dim-lit room and the glory of God was so present I could hardly breathe.

I watched with awe as Corrie spoke. She would talk to us one moment and then glance heavenward to listen to the voice of the Father. She would nod and even respond to Him aloud, and then quite naturally for her (and not at all “religious”), she’d resume talking to us.

I was overwhelmed! It was as though I were sitting in her prayer room! Her words were cloaked with adoration and humility as she spoke about her heavenly Father. She told us how in the horror of a lice-infested Nazi concentration camp, she had found “no pit was so deep, that God’s grace was not deeper still.” Her eyes glistened with tears when she recounted her experiences of answered intercessory prayer in the prison camp, as though each experience had become a nugget of gold. Corrie anguished as she recalled how her faith was developed in the midst of absolute hopelessness. Clearly I was looking into the eyes of a woman who knew the price of intimacy with God.

Some Christians live as though God wrote a

bestseller, the Bible, and then retired!

That night, by the Spirit of God, I saw the embodiment of a surrendered vessel, who through many years of brokenness, suffering and trials had grown close enough to her Father in prayer to hear His very heartbeat. I yearned for that same kind of relationship with Him and I longed to hear His voice with the same kind of clarity as Corrie had demonstrated.

Who Will Listen?

Jesus told us we would hear His voice if we would only listen:

The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice (John 10:3-5).

Some Christians live as though God wrote a bestseller, the Bible, and then retired! They act as if He’s left what happens here totally up to us. But the truth is, God is very active upon the earth, fulfilling biblical prophecy daily and finishing the work He began. His prophecies are coming to pass! Our living, loving, relational God speaks today! He’s never stopped speaking—we simply stopped listening. Do you yearn for God so deeply within you that your soul cries out to hear His voice?

Are you listening for the voice of the Good Shepherd? He’s promised to lead and direct you. Please don’t refuse His call to intercede. Lay down your inadequacies, your fears and your doubts. It doesn’t matter whether you do or do not have the gift of inter-cession—you can pray with His assurance that your prayers matter. The Shepherd knows you by name and will speak to you today. He wants to partner with you in His plans, so you can share in His joy.

Accept the Priestly Assignment

Not only are we invited to partner with the Father concerning His plans for our planet, but Jesus also invites us to join Him in the ministry of intercession. Remarkably, He sets the example. Jesus, the great intercessor, “is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25). So our role is not to become intercessors for Christ as much as it is to intercede with Him!

Furthermore, God chooses to work in this world in response to our prayer, even as Jesus in His humanity prayed and taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). This verse implies that prayer is integral if we are to see God’s kingdom come on the earth. Our assignment is to draw so closely to Jesus that we know God’s will.

The illustration below is an impressive example of how our prayer establishes God’s will upon the earth:

David Brainerd, missionary to the American Indians, once found a whole tribe ready to accept Christ when he approached them. The story is that as he was praying in the woods, some Indians crept toward him to kill him. As they stealthily approached, they saw a rattlesnake glide out of the bush behind Brainerd, poise its head as if to strike, then lower its head and slip away. The incident so impressed the Indians that they were ready to accept the “Great Spirit” to whom Brainerd was praying.[2]

Have we overlooked the tremendous priestly responsibility given to us in the area of intercessory prayer? I believe so.

Miracle Day in Korea

My visits in recent years to David Yonggi Cho’s church in Seoul, Korea, have convinced me of our tremendous priestly privilege to intercede. I’ve never seen so many people in one nation who are graced with the anointing to pray. South Korean Christians enjoy a phenomenal experience in God’s throne room. The following story is about an American pastor who is one of David Yonggi Cho’s board members; however, I didn’t know this fact at the time.

In 1989, I read a book written by a nationally known pastor involved in spiritual warfare. He had been a Christian only 10 years. Though I had never met him, I knew right away I was to intercede for him, his family and his church. A year later while in prayer, I sensed the Lord release some vital information for him.

I felt the Lord say that a female on his staff was deceptive. Because this was a serious charge, I shared these words with Eddie before I wrote a letter to this pastor. I didn’t include my return address, only my name. During a visit to Korea one year later, I learned, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”

Eddie and I sat in David Yonggi Cho’s 30,000-seat Korean church auditorium when I first met Peter Wagner, who was the guest speaker at the Annual Church Growth Conference we attended. Nine months before, while reading an article Peter had written, the Lord told me to pray regularly for him. I was content to pray for Peter without expectation that I would ever meet him. (I was accustomed to interceding for leaders I didn’t know.) However, the Lord had a different plan.

Let me offer a tip. The Lord monitors us when we pray for leaders because He watches to see if we intercede desiring self-promotion or from a genuine selflessness.

Although the Korean auditorium held 30,000 people and our group consisted of 4,000, throughout the session we noticed that Peter looked right at us.

During a break between sessions, Peter approached Eddie. He recognized Eddie was my husband and asked him if he could talk to me. Eddie, filled with curiosity, agreed. My back had been turned to all the activity, so I hadn’t noticed what had just transpired.

Peter addressed me while tapping me on the shoulder. As I turned and saw him standing there, I felt my face flush. He looked at me with his lively, dark brown eyes and inquired, “You’re an intercessor, aren’t you?”

I nodded nervously and replied, “Yes.”

Peter continued, “During the last session, the Lord pointed you out to me three times and told me you are an intercessor.”

I just stood there frozen in shock, not knowing how to respond. Several of his seminary students stared at me, expecting an answer. (Eddie said that’s the only time he has ever seen me speechless!) All I could think of was the 25 years I had given to prayer (at that time), and now the Lord had revealed to a General in His prayer army that I was one of the troops! The affirmation so overwhelmed me that I began to cry!

We talked briefly, and then Peter returned to the platform to speak to a pastor friend. Peter reported to his friend, “You’re not going to believe what just happened to me! God showed me a lady in the audience, and three times He told me she is an intercessor. I just talked to her and she is an intercessor. She lives in Houston, Texas, and she prays for me.”

The pastor asked, “Is it Alice Smith?”

Peter nodded, and then asked, “How do you know Alice Smith?”

“I don’t really know her,” he said, “but one year ago I received a letter from a lady named Alice Smith in Houston, Texas. She shared all the details about a possible problem on our staff. She was absolutely right! Our church administrator had embezzled a large sum of money from our church and I had to fire her. After she left, our offerings increased $15,000 a week. I want to meet Alice and say thanks.”

During the next break, I watched as both Peter and this pastor came down the aisle toward me. I could feel my body weaken with embarrassment! I was in shock!

For years I had prayed for leaders in the secrecy of my prayer closet. Now I was meeting two of the five men for whom I’d specifically prayed! The pastor explained the complete story and I was encouraged. He asked, “Why didn’t you put your return address and phone number on the letter?”

Sheepishly I admitted, “I was afraid I might be wrong.”

I-2 Information Overload

That evening Peter and his wife, Doris, asked me to become an I-2 intercessor for them. Peter Wagner defines an I-2 intercessor as one who has casual contact with the person he or she prays for on a regular basis. They may cross paths from time to time at church-related events, but not much more interaction occurs between them. I agreed, of course, because it was an assignment the Lord had given me nine months earlier. What a great honor! Early the next year, I became Peter and Doris Wagner’s I-1 intercessor, one who, according to Peter, is chosen by the Lord for a special relationship based on a personal trust in the Lord and each other.

For two hours that evening in South Korea, Peter and Doris shared the miraculous things the Lord was doing around the world. It was awesome, but frankly I experienced information overload that evening!

Later when we returned to the hotel, I remembered what I heard Leonard Ravenhill once say in Kansas City: “God doesn’t answer prayer—He answers desperate prayer!” I had a desperate prayer and desperately needed an answer fast! I prayed, “Lord, how can I pray about all these things Peter and Doris are doing? I don’t even know where to start. I feel so inadequate.”

The Lord spoke clearly in my heart, I have called you, and I will perform My purposes through you. Peace flooded my heart.

Worship and Intercession: Our Priestly Responsibilities

I realized that because God had called us to the role of priest, He would also qualify us for that role as we step into our priestly responsibilities of worship and intercession.

In the following passage, John identifies us as priests unto God:

Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth … who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, … has made us to be a kingdom and priests (Rev. 1:5-6).

The Church today talks about the priesthood of the believer, yet knows little about it. To the average Christian, the priesthood of the believer means “nobody has a right to tell me what to do.” It’s become a declaration of independence rather than an answer to God’s call.

We have mastered the art of going to

men for God, but we’ve never mastered the art

of going to God for men.

While we are knowledgeable and have respect for and are at times infatuated with public outer-court ministry, most believers know precious little about priestly ministry beyond the veil. We have mastered the art of going to men for God, but we’ve never mastered the art of going to God for men. Perhaps this is because intercession is a closeted ministry, which offers no recognition or glory. Our labor is hidden in the private place.

Worship and intercession—the harp and the bowl (Rev. 5:8)—are the priestly duties of the believer and the chief activities in heaven. John struggled to describe the worship and intercession that occurs in heaven:

From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder… . In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures… . Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” … The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev. 4:5-11).

Jesus taught us to pray His kingdom would come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So what is done in heaven? Worship and intercession! We are to pray heavenly worship and intercession will ascend from earth to the throne, as well.

Mere words fail to describe the immeasurable joy of intimate intercession! It’s heavenly! It’s not of this world! During intimate intercession, we move beyond the constraints of time with the Father and step into the eternal spiritual realm. There we gaze in wonder at the self-existent Trinity and walk away in total awe, knowing we’ve not only experienced the joy of worshiping in His presence, but we have also had the privilege to participate in a heavenly plan. However, these priestly responsibilities are not done at our convenience—they are done at our cost!

Yet in some circles, worship and intercession are subverted in subtle ways. They are little more than surface, outer-court experiences, sometimes reduced to emotionalism and hype—other times reduced to intellectualism. Both are soulish approaches to God who looks for those who will worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). God has established the inner court as His meeting place. It is here He chooses to commune with us.

David was a worshiper who experienced inner-court worship. He wrote:

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple (Ps. 27:4).

Now read the passage again and note the words “gaze upon” and “seek.” Upon whom did David gaze and whom did he seek? The Lord, of course. Yet our worship and intercession often become focused on lesser things.

While all worship and intercession cause destruction in the enemy camp, neither worship nor intercession should become focused on Satan. Both are to be God directed. To focus on Satan deteriorates the power of worship and intercession. Remember, worship and intercession are both ministries to God!

Worship and intercession are about the Father’s heart, not our problems. As we align our heart with His, we breathe in the life of His plans and breathe out our own. As we cultivate this kind of intimacy, we gain spiritual authority in the place of prayer.

The word “priest” in Latin means “bridge builder.” The word “priest” in Hebrew means “one who stands up and states his cause for another.” The priestly role of the intercessor is “to stand in the gap for others.” This is actually what Israel’s priests did for their nation. We priestly believers today are the spiritual reality of what the Old Testament priests only knew in the physical. Let’s press in and meet the requirements for effective priestly ministry before the Lord! We have the great honor of joining hands with our victorious God to dispel the darkness of satanic dominion in the lives of individuals as well as nations.

We must be wise to heed the words of the apostle Peter:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9).

Next, we will see the divine pattern for the building of the tabernacle, which can be summed up in Exodus 25:8: “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (KJV). This verse is the key thought of all that pertains to both the Tabernacle—as the habitation of the Lord—and the priest. We are to live and move and breathe beyond the veil.

Unveil the Truth About You

1.  Do you feel awkward being called the Bride of Christ? A son of God? A spiritual priest? Why?

2.  What is the primary role of the priest? Would the Lord say that you minister to Him? If so, how?

3.  What steps are you taking to improve your relationship with Jesus? What areas of your prayer life need help?

4.  How does God speak to you? What blockages keep you from listening to and hearing Him?

DEVOTIONAL

We Are the Priestly Temple

On each of the several times I’ve been to Israel, one of my favorite things to do is view the built-to-scale city model of Jerusalem and view what the Temple might have looked like in Solomon’s day. The Old Testament Temple was magnificent.

Across the front of the temple was a porch thirty feet wide and thirty feet high. The inside walls of the porch were covered with pure gold. Solomon had the inside walls of the temple’s main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains. Two columns were made for the entrance to the temple. Each one was fifty-two feet tall and had a cap on top that was seven and a half feet high. The top of each column was decorated with designs that looked like chains and with a hundred carvings of pomegranates (2 Chron. 3: 4-5,15-16, CEV).

No building could compare! Just picture this incredible building in your mind: Inside this gorgeous ornate temple the first layer of the walls and ceiling was fir wood overlaid with pure gold. (The wood from the fir tree is symbolic of our humanity, and the pure gold symbolizes the divine work of Christ in us.) Two sculptures of cherubim were overlaid with gold and were so large that their total wingspan stretched about 30 feet (v. 11). The Bible says the Temple was garnished with beautiful precious stones (v. 6). Solomon’s Temple was one of the wonders of the then known world.

One day, as I was thinking and praying about the Temple, the Father said to me: “Alice, as I overlaid the inside of the Temple with pure gold, so am I doing the same inside of you. I am purifying your temple and overlaying it with pure gold.”

The Lord has done this in me in many ways through the years, but one particular instance comes to mind. In 1972 Eddie and I were part of a genuine revival of repentance and salvation. We were the guest evangelistic singers for the meetings when the move of God began. All night long, night after night at the church, people would lay all over the floor groaning and crying out to God. The entire auditorium looked like a battle zone of slain soldiers.

For hours on end, people wept in repentance for even the smallest sin. A fifth-grade boy stood before the congregation and wept as though he had committed a grave sin. His sin was stealing and eating several cookies from the church kitchen. A wealthy woman confessed that she had kept for herself the perfect attendance pins the boys in her Sunday School class had earned. The conviction of God was palpable. I couldn’t sleep—I couldn’t eat. I was miserable as the Lord revealed my selfish, soulish immaturity. One night, instead of preparing for the service, I decided to stay in the hotel room. However, Eddie confronted me and my rebellion. I pouted and complained but went to the service anyway. That evening the Spirit of God touched me in a life-changing way. When I stood up from praying on the floor, a fresh wave of His holiness swept over me.

God’s preferred method to purify us is to test our faith. Peter says:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you have to suffer various kinds of trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when it is tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Pet. 1:6-7, ISV).

In our book Spiritual Advocates, Eddie and I address the issue of gold:

There is gold-plated, gold-filled, 10K, 14K, 18K and 24K gold. Master designers will tell you that the purer the gold, the softer it is. The same is true in our lives—the trials, like a refiner’s fire, burn away impurities. As a result, a softening takes place in our lives that makes us pliable and more easily conformed into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).[3]

Our loss of three babies, our losing every possession except for the clothes on our backs, the betrayals we’ve suffered through the years—God uses times of testing to purify our heart, if we will let Him. Such times will always make us bitter or better. The choice is ours.

David the psalmist posed the question, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?” (Ps. 24:3, KJV). Then David answered his own question: “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Ps. 24:4-5, KJV). We shouldn’t be surprised then that after David became king and committed his notorious sin with Bathsheba, he would pray, “Create in me a clean [pure] heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10, KJV).

Purity, integrity and impeccable character are prerequisites for effective ministry. Each is forged in God’s furnace and birthed out of death to self. These character qualities are essential manifestations of Christ’s life in us. So the tests the Father puts us through draw attention to our faults. It’s during such tests that we, and others, discover what we’re really like.

Purity is meaningless until it is tested. We will know we have passed a test of purity when we no longer say, “Do I have to give that up, too?” To even ask the question suggests we haven’t settled to be sold out for Christ. Once all questions are gone and our determination is sure, then the process of purity has begun to work in us. Although the world itself may not recognize what it’s looking for, I know that it is looking for Christians who dedicate their lives in surrender to God.

Purity for the intercessor requires continual exposure to Jesus’ presence. It’s transformation by adoration. He is in the process of overlaying your temple with gold. Come to Him today with your flaws, your faults and your failures. He, who loves you without conditions, will bring you to conviction, repentance and cleansing as you submit yourself to Him in voluntary devotion. Once purified, you can say with David, “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Ps. 51:13, KJV).

5

GOD’S PATTERN: THE TABERNACLE

A House of Prayer

You are the temple of God!

God often uses typology in Scripture to present His message to us: People, places and things mentioned in the Old Testament prefigure people, places and things in the New Testament.

For example, the book of Hebrews tells us that the Tabernacle of Moses was a shadowy, earthly outline of the true heavenly sanctuary, the real spiritual tabernacle, which was fulfilled through Jesus Christ (Exod. 25:40; Heb. 8:5). John wrote, “After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened” (Rev. 15:5; see also Exod. 40: 34-35; Heb. 8:2). All of the priestly duties performed in the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple were but a foreshadow of what was to come (Exod. 25:9,40; Heb. 8:2; 9:6,11).

Christ, the Tabernacle

Though more than one interpretation of the Old Testament Tabernacle can be cited, the primary interpretation is found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus angrily challenged the money changers, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19, emphasis added). They assumed He was talking about Herod’s temple in Jerusalem. But Jesus was actually speaking of His physical body, the earthly dwelling place of God that men would soon crucify.

John 1:14 tells us that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (NKJV). The Greek word for “dwelt” is also translated “tabernacled.” So Jesus not only became the Tabernacle, but He also tabernacles (dwells) within us.

Figure 5a

GOD’S TABERNACLE—THE BELIEVER

The secondary interpretation of “tabernacle,” then, relates to the believer. Today, we are the dwelling place of God on the earth. We are the temple of God, a house of prayer. Occasionally someone asks, “How can I hold a secular job, maintain a family and do everything else I need to do and still be a ‘house of prayer’?”

The answer is simple: It’s not where your knees touch the ground but where your spirit is that counts! It’s not the position of your body but the condition of your heart that matters! It’s not where you dwell when you pray but who dwells in you. These are the things that make you a house of prayer.

God made us to live in continual communion with Him. Jesus is in heaven and the Holy Spirit is in us. When we pray, something powerful happens. Things that were only physical in the Old Testament—the Temple, the brazen altar, the laver and the altar of incense became spiritual in the New Testament (see Hebrews). As the apostle Paul said, you and I are the spiritual temple of God:

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

The ancient Temple was a place to meet with God. The Temple priests expected to encounter Him within its walls. Today, when the world sees us, they see God’s dwelling place. As did the Old Testament Levites, we spiritual Levites should expect and should experience divine priestly encounters. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10).

God and Green Beans

Bryan, our second son, was five years old when he gave his heart to Jesus. He was still trying to understand the idea that Jesus lives in us and we are His temple when one night at dinner, after a complete examination of his food, he asked, “Does Jesus like green beans?”

“Yes, Bryan, Jesus likes green beans. Why do you ask?” I questioned.

He answered, “Because if Jesus lives in me, He has to eat what I eat … and I wanted to make sure He likes green beans.”

Smart kid! And he is right! Because we are the temple, Jesus dwells in us—in us and through us.

Figure 5b

THE OUTER COURT

We consist of three parts: spirit, soul and body. The Old Testament Tabernacle also consisted of three parts: the outer court, the holy place and the holy of holies. Nothing about this was accidental. It was all part of a master plan. The three parts of the Tabernacle parallel the three parts of the human temple.

The outer court symbolizes the body, our outer part (see fig. 5b). The body is visible, as was the outer court of the Temple. The body is an “earth suit” that enables one to live on this planet.

The holy place was hidden in a tent, much like our soul (our mind, will and emotions) is hidden within our body. And the holy of holies was the most sacred place in the Temple, the place where God dwelt and spoke only to the high priest—but only once each year! (The tribes of Israel set up camp around the Tabernacle. However, only a select group of priests could go inside and only the high priest could enter the holy of holies.) The human spirit is our holy of holies, where God comes to live at the time of our salvation (Rom. 8:9). It’s here that God waits to commune with us, not once a year, but continuously!

Two-thirds of us—our spirit and soul—are hidden. Only our body is visible. Yet most of us spend two-thirds of our time building up the one-third (our body) that will eventually return to dust. Paul offered us insight into this spiritual reality when he said, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18, KJV). Truly the spirit world is more real than the physical. The spirit pre-existed the physical world, for out of the spirit world God spoke the physical world into being!

Sanctification means to be “set apart for God.” Finis Jennings Dake defines “sanctify” from John 17:17 with the Greek word hagiazo, which means to separate from a profane to a sacred use, to consecrate self wholly to God and His service.[1] The primary meaning is separation, not making holy. Sanctification occurs within the mind, will and emotions (our soul). Yet our five senses (taste, hear, smell, feel and touch) often control our actions. When our senses are aroused, they stimulate our desires. The apostle Paul warned, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (Rom. 6:12). Sin is any God-given desire fulfilled in a God-forbidden way.

When we consistently entertain sensual or worldly soulish behavior, we place the process of sanctification on hold. Once we surrender our mind, will and emotions to the Holy Spirit within us, the process of sanctification resumes. Are you beginning to see how sanctification mirrors the Old Testament Temple?

The Old Testament Tabernacle (and later the permanent Temple in Jerusalem) was equipped with furniture. Unlike the buildings and shrines of other religions, the Tabernacle housed no idols or images. Why? Because God Himself dwelt there. When my grandchildren are with me, I don’t have to show you their pictures. They are present with me. The same applies with God in the Tabernacle—He was there with them!

The first item of furniture was the brazen altar; it was located in the outer court, where a priest began his approach to God (see fig. 5c). To the Hebrew, an altar meant “a slaughter place.”[2] This brazen altar symbolized Calvary’s cross, where Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter. It is at the Cross where we begin our approach to God.

Figure 5c

THE BRAZEN ALTAR

Paul E. Billheimer, in his book Destined for the Throne, describes the death of Jesus:

It was not the prospect of physical suffering which brought the agony in the Garden. That was nothing compared to the torture of His spirit. It was the anguish of a pure soul who knew no sin, facing the injustice of being “made sin” (2 Cor. 5:21), of being so completely identified with sin as not only to forfeit the fellowship of His Father, but to become the object of the Father’s loathing. This was no mere legal imputation of sin. He was made sin. He became the very essence of sin by dying as a sin offering.[3]

The victory of Christ on the cross became the perfect payment for sin and gave Him the right to foreclose on the devil (Heb. 2:14). So the brazen altar reminds us of Christ’s sacrificial death on Calvary for our sins.

Death to Self

Any discussion of the brazen altar would be incomplete unless it included at least a few words about our death to sin and self (the flesh or fallen nature within us is contrary to God). We cannot go into the holy of holies until we have made the choice to sacrifice (or submit) “self.” We do this as we:

• Recognize all known sin and confess it

• Release others through forgiveness

• Receive God’s forgiveness

• Renounce darkness

• Receive your righteousness in Christ

• Refocus on Him

• Remember, rely on and realign with His Word

• Regard His voice

• Rejoice in His sacrifice

Paul begged the Romans, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Rom. 12:1).

Salvation is a “death experience” that is born out of choice. So is the Christian life! Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31, KJV). Paul chose God’s will by sacrificing his own. We sacrifice our wills to God to choose His will.

A pleasing sacrifice placed upon the brazen altar gave the priest the right to enter the most sacred place, the holy of holies. The writer of Hebrews assures us that Christ’s perfect sacrifice qualifies us as spiritual priests to enter the holy of holies as well: “Since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way” (Heb. 10:19-20).

Jesus is “the way.” Because He is, all of us can pray; confess our sins; and offer our supplications, thanksgiving and petitions to the Lord.

Are you sensing the inner call to a deeper level? Are you willing to investigate the priestly function of selfless intercession within the holy of holies, beyond the veil? Then let’s consider more of the costs involved.

Undressed Stones and Unused Steps

1. Undressed Stones

The Lord told Moses:

Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it (Exod. 20:24-25, emphasis added).

Why do you think God told Moses not to build the altar with dressed stones or build it using tools? A dressed stone is a carved stone, smoothed with man-made tools. God warned him that man’s effort to carve smooth stones would be unacceptable. Why?

First, salvation is “not by works” (Eph. 2:8-9). Smoothing stones is a work of man. The only works that will ever satisfy God are His own. The second reason smooth stones were unacceptable is that an altar is a place of death. Only jagged, rough-hewn altar stones resemble death. We actually defile an altar when we attempt to improve it by adding our self-made works (education, money, reputation, service, good deeds, etc.) to His “finished work.”

2. Unused Stones

Then the Lord told Moses:

And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it (Exod. 20:26, emphasis added).

Why no steps? Steps represent humanity’s attempt to elevate humankind through promotion and a polished performance. The purpose for steps is to take us higher, but James warns, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6).

Pride was Satan’s downfall. Satan said, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly… . I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14:13-14). The center of pride is “I”; so is the center of sin. Satan had “I” trouble.

To paraphrase, God says, “Do not carve the stones of the altar, for that has everything to do with you and nothing to do with Me. Leave them rough hewn. And do not elevate yourself by using steps to approach Me at My altar.”

In other words, intercession is a place of hiddenness, a place of lowliness and humility. We don’t dress the stones by working up a burden. This is flesh and the Lord says it is defiled. Neither should we climb steps for self-elevation by trying to look religious or wanting to be noticed.

Intercession is God-directed, Christ-honored and Spirit-led. It’s the authored and finished work of Christ who is “the author and perfecter of our faith” flowing through us (Heb. 12:2).

Now let’s consider the laver, which the priests used to cleanse themselves.

Figure 5d

THE LAVER

The laver, a bronze bowl filled with water, was used by the priests to cleanse themselves for ministry; it was the second article of furniture in the outer court (see fig. 5d). Notice, this wasn’t a golden bowl, which would have symbolized purity. It was bronze, which is a mixture of copper and tin. To the untrained eye, bronze might appear to be gold, but it’s not. It’s a mixture. The laver was made of bronze to symbolize the fact that sin was still present. Bronze represented those things that were not yet purified or things that needed judgment.

The laver taught the priests purity. The water was changed daily and the priests were required to wash before any of their ministrations. We, too, should purify our heart and hands each day (Pss. 24:3-4; 26:6).

The water in the laver represents God’s Word. Today it’s vital we stay in the Word if we are to keep sin from seeping into our lives (Eph. 5:26; 1 John 1:9). Sin will keep us from the Word, or the Word will keep us from sin. The psalmist David said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Ps. 119:11, KJV).

Oswald Chambers writes in My Utmost for His Highest:

If we lose the vision, we alone are responsible, and the way we lose the vision is by spiritual leakage. If we do not run our belief about God into practical issues, it is all up with the vision God has given. It is essential to practice the walk of the feet in the light of the vision.[4]

So where do we find the light of the vision? We find it in the presence of God. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Spiritual light comes as we move out of the sunlight and into the “Son light”—as we move from the outer court into the holy place.

Figure 5e

THE HOLY PLACE

The outer court was open to the natural light of the sun, the stars and the moon, but the holy place could not have any natural light (see fig. 5e). The typology continues. As the outer court symbolizes a person’s body, the holy place symbolizes the soul—mind, will and emotions, or control center of the body. The soul is where choices are made; choices bring either greater light or darkness into our lives. Our choices are based on who or what power we have allowed to be in control. Part of the sanctification process is how to learn to submit our soul to the Spirit of God who lives in us.

Throughout the Bible, oil represents spiritual power in the same sense today that oil is a symbol of world financial power. As we consider the oil that fueled the lamps in the holy place, we’re reminded of the oil of the Holy Spirit that fuels and empowers us.

The golden lampstand consisted of oil lamps, not candles. Candles would burn out, but the oil lamps burned the continual supply of oil the priests poured into them. The golden lamp-stand’s flame was symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The lampstand wasn’t bronze. No mixture here. It was pure gold. Darkness cannot co-mingle with light. Inside the holy place, the priest walked by its light, which was divine light of the Spirit.

Figure 5f

THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND

Observation, reason and rationalization may be fine for natural things, but the things of God are often transrational. Intercession is dependent upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit. To illustrate this point through a family experience, one night while I was cooking, our son Bryan came into the kitchen for a snack. As he turned to leave, he casually said, “Mom, you need to have some candles ready.”

I asked, “Why do I need candles, Bryan?”

He replied, “We are going to have a bad storm and the lights are going to go out.” (The weather outside was beautiful. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.)

“How do you know that? Did you hear something on TV?” I asked.

“No, I just feel the Lord has told me we are to be ready for a storm.”

Bryan has a strong prophetic gift. So, confident that he was right, I found candles and set them on the counter. Less than an hour later, a huge thunderstorm and tornado roared through our neighborhood. The lights flickered and went out. The next morning broken tree limbs, roof shingles and debris were strewn throughout the streets.

Bryan received this information without natural knowledge—it was divine illumination. God speaks to those who speak to Him! And our communion with Him can best be seen through the similitude of the table of shewbread in the holy place.

Figure 5g

THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

The table on which the shewbread lay was made of shittim wood, overlaid with gold (Exod. 25:23, KJV). Shewbread was the center of union and communion for the priests (Num. 4:7, KJV). Twelve loaves of fresh bread were placed on this table daily. The priests were to abide in the holy place and eat the bread at the table (Lev. 24:9, KJV).

The table of shewbread is a metaphor for our communion with God, which comes as we fellowship with Him and eat of the Bread of Life—Jesus! Christ sustains the believer’s spiritual life. “Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35).

An intercessor’s greatest joy is found in our communion and fellowship with Jesus. Inner joy bubbles up and satisfies the soul, just as bread satisfies the body. Not only are we gratified through intercession, but our prayers also please God. It’s a sweet fragrance (perfume or incense) before the Lord (2 Cor. 2:15). Now we move to the altar of incense.

The altar of incense was at the very heart of the Tabernacle (see fig. 5h). As we have seen, incense represents intercessory prayer (Rev. 5:8), and intimate intercession and praise touch the very heart of God. The altar of incense was the furnishing closest to the veil. It was nearest the glory of God (the Ark of the Covenant). King David said, “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice” (Ps. 141:2).

Figure 5h

THE ALTAR OF INCENSE

Only the high priest and selected priests could minister at the altar of incense. It was exclusive to men—and only men of the tribe of Levi. And there were further restrictions. Leviticus 21:16-21 (KJV) says priests couldn’t be “blind” (for then they couldn’t see God’s glory) or have “a flat nose” (for then they couldn’t smell the fragrance of the incense) or have “a blemish” (for then they would be marked as morally impure) or be “crookbacked” (for then they would always look down, or be thinking negatively) “or hath his bones broken” (for then they would be unable to reproduce)—among other restrictions.

Praise God in Christ Jesus, these two offices have permanently united, and we stand in the righteousness of Christ. Women, children, Jews, Gentiles, Blacks, Caucasians, Asians, Native Americans, Hispanics—we all have the privilege to live as priests before the Lord. We are kings and priests unto God (Heb. 10:19-22; Rev. 1:6). As priestly believers, it is our great honor to burn the incense (to intercede and pray) before the throne of God (Rev. 5:9-10). Sadly, many refuse to offer pure and obedient worship to Him. Instead they worship on their own terms in their own ways to their own self-made gods. Be assured that God does not overlook this fraudulent worship. In fact, this is considered “strange fire.”

Strange Fire

Exodus 30:9 says, “Do not offer on this altar any other incense.” The first fire on the altar was divinely lit. On the day of the dedication of the Tabernacle, fire fell from heaven and lit the sacrifice. The altar of incense was then lit from the divine coals on the brazen altar, making it divine fire (God-made) as well. Any other fire was “strange fire” (Lev. 10:1; Num. 3:4, KJV). Any incense other than God’s prescribed incense was “strange incense.” When Korah, Moses’ cousin, and his company offered God strange fire, God killed them (Num. 16)!

Strange fire and/or strange incense speaks of false worship—any worship that originates from a source other than God. Sadly, today strange fire comes from both the Church and the world. God hates strange fire! The world substitutes strange fire, hoping God will accept it and them. He will not.

During a visit to India I was grieved to see people offering fire to one of their more than 300,000,000 Hindu gods all day. Offerings to false gods will never fill the empty hearts of those who offer these fires. Instead, their lack of fulfillment only compels them to create new gods. They hope to eventually find a god that will work for them.

The thick cloud and smell of incense in the Hindu temples is stifling, yet it brings no peace. God accepts only the sweet incense that originates in heaven—in His way and according to His time.

The Time of Incense

You might remember from Luke 1 that Zechariah and Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s parents, were “righteous before God.” Both were of the priestly tribe of Aaron, advanced in years and barren. In the same way, the Church today is a kingdom of priests, advanced in years, having had 2,000 years to learn the priestly skills, yet we are essentially barren—powerless and fruitless.

Luke pointed out that once when Zechariah’s priestly division was on Temple duty, he drew the lot to burn the incense (Luke 1:8-9). Imagine being chosen from a pool of approximately 22,000 active priests. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Verse 10 tells us that as he burned the incense, multitudes of people prayed outside the temple, for it was “the time of incense.”

As Zechariah burned the incense before the first coming of Jesus, our generation has drawn the lot to burn the incense before Christ’s second coming! Multitudes are praying around the world! We who burn the incense today will become saturated with its fragrance of prayer that ascends pleasantly before God. As we do, we will experience life the way God intended it—connected with and satisfied by Him in the holy of holies. When people who live in the outer court and in the world smell the fragrance of God’s lingering presence on us, they will be dissatisfied with strange fire and counterfeit incense. They will be attracted to the life they see in us, because we experience holy-of-holies communion.

Figure 5i

THE HOLY OF HOLIES

Within the holy of holies (see fig. 5i), we find the Ark of the Covenant made of two materials: shittim wood, overlaid with gold inside and out. The wood symbolized Christ’s human nature. God promised to raise a righteous “Branch” to rule over His people (Isa. 4:2). Jesus, in an attempt to identify with us, insistently called Himself “the Son of Man.”

Pure gold covered the wooden box, symbolic of His divine nature. The gold and wood together represented Christ’s two natures: His humanity (1 Tim. 3:15-16) and His deity (Heb. 1:3).

The mercy seat, adorned with golden cherubim, rested atop the Ark (Exod. 25:17-21). Psalm 80:1 says, “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel … you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth.” God’s presence with the Ark of the Covenant made it the most significant piece of furniture in the Tabernacle.

In the same way, God’s presence must be at the center of our individual and corporate worship. Without the presence of the Lord, intercession and intimacy are meaningless. If the presence of the Lord does not rest on a church or a people, they operate in the strength of the flesh and become a mere façade.

Second Chronicles 5:13-14 gives an account of God’s glory filling the Temple Solomon built. The cloud of God’s presence so filled the room, the priests could not even stand to perform their service! The goal of our worship should be to encounter God so completely that we lose sight of anyone or anything else.

The Ark of the Covenant rested in the holiest of all, or the holy of holies. Once a year the high priest would sprinkle the blood of atonement on the mercy seat atop the Ark for the cleansing of the nation of Israel. The high priest could never go beyond the veil into the holy of holies without the blood. God promised, “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you” (Exod. 25:22).

By the blood of Jesus, the Throne of Judgment has become a Throne of Grace! Holy God is righteous and just. When Israel broke the law of God, the people came under sin’s judgment. Sin must be judged to satisfy the requirements of God’s holiness. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). The blood-sprinkled mercy seat testified that a death had occurred. Once the blood was applied to the mercy seat, God’s outraged holiness was satisfied, and His mercy was again extended.

The typology continues under the old covenant: God accepted the blood of a spotless animal as atonement for sin, symbolizing the sinless blood of Christ. Jesus is the propitiation (translated “mercy seat” in Heb. 9:5, KJV) for all who believe on Him. Christ has taken His blood into heaven’s throne room. There He has sprinkled it on the mercy seat on our behalf, once for all!

And there is more: Notice the name “mercy seat.” This is the only seat in the Temple! No one other than Christ ever sat on it!

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties… . But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God (Heb. 10:11-12, emphasis added).

The fact Jesus sat down is proof of His finished work. With judgment for our sin behind us and the mercy of God before us, Paul gave the following blessing:

Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (Heb. 10:19-23, KJV).

Christian, this is your invitation! Boldly enter the throne room, because of Christ’s blood. Draw near with a sincere heart, full of faith. He hears when you ask for intimacy with Him! With full assurance of faith, you can stand in the place of intercession for things others say are impossible! Little is much when given to the Lord! Listen to His promise:

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn… . You will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy (Isa. 60:1-5).

Beloved, this is life beyond the veil! This is what will happen when we become a house of prayer. Never settle for less!

Unveil the Truth About You

1.  What does “tabernacle” mean? Why would the Father choose to have a physical Tabernacle/Temple in the Old Testament? How does the physical Tabernacle/Temple relate to us as spiritual tabernacles/temples today?

2.  What were the three parts of the Tabernacle/Temple? What three parts of you are represented by the three parts of the Tabernacle/Temple?

3.  To which of the three parts of you do you give the most attention? What steps will you take to see change?

4.  God gave Moses very specific designs for the furniture for the Tabernacle. What were the articles of furniture in the Tabernacle? How do they relate to your life?

5.  What was significant about the altar of incense? How was this a physical picture of what He wants your prayers to be?

6.  The veil of the New Testament Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51). Why is this significant to every believer? To the intercessor? Are you taking advantage of the privilege we have to go beyond the veil in prayer?

DEVOTIONAL

The Holy of Holies

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

PSALM 84:1-2

The angels know the dimensions of your dynamic relationship with the Lord. They see the yearning of God’s heart reflected in His face—a yearning to simply be with you. Heaven’s hosts applaud with delight as you enter through the door into the Lord’s inner chamber, the holy of holies, and are enveloped by the sheer radiance of His glory!

It’s difficult for us to imagine how in Old Testament times only one man, the high priest, could enter the holy of holies. And he could only enter once each year. Because he was the only qualified priest, the other priests would live their entire lives without ever having the opportunity to enter the holy of holies. And women? Forget it. It was a man thing. Now look at you. Peter says you are “a chosen generation” and “a royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9, KJV). As a priest of God, you are invited beyond the veil. Woman or man, you can enter joyfully and boldly at any time because of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on Calvary (Heb. 10:19-20).

Draw near with sincerity into the holy of holies, your heart full of faith as you wait expectantly for the Lord Himself to appear to you. Position yourself for what others say is impossible—an audience with the Most High God! And sure enough He arrives. As He symbolically walks into your prayer room, His train fills the temple. His glory cloud surrounds you and His presence mesmerizes. Almighty God is the center of it all—He is the glorious One! You bow, and then suddenly and unexplainably you fall on your face before Him. This is the most sacred spot on earth—or is this earth? Are you not caught up in His presence, lost in His glory? Earth has lost all significance to you now.

Intercession is a stethoscope to the heart of God. Shh! Listen! The more you listen, the more you’ll hear His heart. The more you hear His heart, the more transformed into His likeness you will become. Can you hear it now? That is the Father’s heartbeat. Listen carefully. You’ll soon discover His heart beats for your company.

Jesus invites you to a table set for two: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). He said if you would open the door and invite Him in, He would sit down and sup with you. At this table for two the Spirit of God prepares and serves the spiritual cuisine Christ offers you. The diet is varied. One day it may be a revelation; the next day it may be a reassurance. Another day the Lord may promise you an answer to prayer. Our nourishment comes, not only from His love words, but also through an audience in His presence. It’s good you have entered with an appetite for the Lord!

To know Christ in the intimate holy of holies, we must lay down our preconceptions. We’ll never fully understand heavenly protocol, so check all expectations at the door. After all, self is not allowed into this level of intimate intercession. This is no place for self-centeredness. That’s childish. This is no time to force our requests upon Him or take advantage of His attention with our gripes or greed. This Spirit-to-spirit communion will dissipate at the slightest evidence of self-domination.

Although the door of intimacy is open to all who will enter, few actually take advantage of this rich place of prayer. The Lord delights in a believer who yearns to know what cannot be naturally known except if he or she presses in beyond the torn veil into His holy presence. Jesus tore the veil. You must open the door. He stands and knocks—open the door and allow Him to sit at the table for two with you.

6

LAUNCHING OUT

Developing Character

I looked for a man [woman, teenager or child] 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 none.

EZEKIELI 22 :30

Arise, Church! Heaven summons you! God is forming an end-times army of believers who will stand in the gap and fight the enemy’s advance.

Permit me to explain.

Standing in the Gap

The Hebrew word for “gap” is perets, which means “a breaking forth.” In times of war, when the enemy’s assault left gaps in the city walls, leaders defended their cities by standing in the broken areas of the walls for their people.[1]

The prophets and priests in Ezekiel’s day, however, wouldn’t spiritually stand in the “gap” by encouraging the people to repent, humble themselves and turn to God; tragically, as a result God had to bring judgment.

Today we can still cite many breaches in the wall. Disunity, sin in leadership, cultural bickering and doctrinal arguments are just a few. God is enlisting an army of people who have counted the cost and are ready to fight. He is recruiting these who will suffer the boot camp of character development in order to maintain a lifelong front-line position in the Kingdom assault against His enemy, the devil.

“Gap standing” is difficult. It requires qualities such as humility, persistence, compassion, patience, integrity, servanthood, purity and intimacy. Those traits are resurrected out of death, uncelebrated in process and developed over time. Let’s consider them as we count the cost for each one.

Humility: The Low Road

Jesus cautioned, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23, NKJV). No other verse more succinctly delineates the idea of humility—to be modest, lowly and to defer to others.

“An official in India painted a graphic word picture of humility with his response to a complaining landowner, ‘I can make your field richly fruitful if only it lies low enough.’ He meant the land could be irrigated if it wasn’t too high.”[2] God can make any life fruitful if it is low enough, because God uses the humble—those who will defer to Him.

Humility means bringing all you are under His Lordship. It means becoming God-dependent. This kind of thinking is contrary to the world’s mindset, which promotes independence and self at the center of all that can be controlled.

John the Baptist said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). But society demands that we march in cadence with the materialistic Joneses who are always striving to one-up us.

It’s not popular today to appear weak or to lack for anything. Americans like big cars, big diamonds and big homes with big mortgages! This mega mentality has even crept into the Church. We are building megabuildings for our megachurches, so we can preach to megacrowds. Love for numbers can easily replace love for people.

Fast food, ATMs, cyberspace technology, high-speed Internet, iPods, microwaves, Global Positional Systems, and iPhones contribute to our struggle to manufacture instant humility. We are like the old Burger King® commercial that boasts, “Have it your way.” Instead of deferring to the process of the Holy Spirit in us, we become prideful and driven by our soulish nature. But humility is largely a result of maturity, which takes both time and experience. The road to maturity is dotted with potholes designed to keep us humble and teachable.

The apostle Paul wrote:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked (2 Cor. 11:23-27).

Which one of us would want our résumé to read like Paul’s? Yet Paul challenged the prideful Corinthians by explaining how his life in ministry was in total contrast to their assumptions.

We make the same wrong assumptions today. The prayer “Lord, use me” is a request often lifted up. But in God’s economy, though we may not know it, we’re really praying, “Lord, change me.” He changes us by bringing us into a place of lowliness. Jonathan Edwards said, “The best protection one can have from the devil and his schemes is a humble heart.”

Nothing develops humility more than failure. “During a lecture when a particular experiment failed to ‘come off,’ Lord Kelvin, a British science professor, addressed his students, ‘Gentlemen, when you are face-to-face with a difficulty, you are up against a discovery.’ This applies not only in science but also in personal living.”[3]

Difficult experiences test us. They show us where we need to change and what we need to learn. Disappointments are His appointments. They teach us how to trust. Jesus is bringing many sons and daughters to Himself and He will not shield us from the requirements of Sonship. When trouble comes, we have the opportunity to either humble ourselves before God or lift ourselves up with pride and resistance.

The path toward humility leads through death to self. When self is dead, humility has been perfected. Jesus humbled Himself unto death, and by His example the way is opened for us to follow.

If we can be offended by the words of

others it only proves that our death to

self has not been finished.

Do you want to know how far you have come on the path toward humility? You’ll find the answer in your reaction to the last offense you experienced. A dead man or woman does not react to an offense. If we can be offended by the words of others, it only proves that death to self has not been finished in us. When we humble ourselves with perfect peace despite injustice, then death to self is complete. Death is the seed; humility is the ripened fruit.

Building Character by Breaking Pride

Humility is cultivated in the classroom of humiliation. I began to learn this lesson as a young person, when my experiences in brokenness occasionally caused me to question my heavenly instructor’s intentions.

I was very popular in school. Among other honors, I was the class favorite, a member of the student council and a cheerleader. But after I trusted Christ as my Savior, word spread throughout the school that I had “gotten religion”! My pride was severely tested when some friends shoved me against a locker and called me a street-corner preacher. They said my religion would never last. Sarcastically, they said that in a short amount of time I would not love God as much as I did then. They were right! Today, after these many years, I love Him more!

But it was difficult for me to stand against peer pressure. At times I felt confused and hurt. I loved the Lord enough to hang in there and I did. (I am happy to report that many of the classmates who once opposed me are now Christians.) One by one my honors and then my popularity eroded. But I trusted the Lord to do whatever He needed to do to impart His character in me.

The process of character building involves a word most people don’t like to hear: failure. Some believers go to great lengths to hide their failures or to rationalize them away! In doing so, they resist the main instrument the Father uses to conform us into the likeness of His Son!

God used my failure to reveal my need to totally depend upon Him. The spring of my sophomore year in high school, I lost the cheerleader election by 34 votes out of a school of 2,000 students. I was heartbroken because those cheerleaders would serve for the next three years, until graduation. With rising frustration, I lost a student-council position due to a miscount of votes. During my junior and senior years, I lost the All-State championship for the best soprano vocalist. At 16, those were traumatic days!

I’d grown up in a secure, stable Christian home, rarely missing church services; however, I don’t recall anyone teaching me that brokenness could be my best friend. Scripture has a lot to say about the necessity for brokenness; still, it wasn’t popular to preach, “we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom. 8:17).

During my senior year in high school, I was given the lead part in the school’s stage production, The Music Man. I was excited! In my small hometown, the annual musical was a big event every year. Now I thought everyone will see how talented I am! (Vanity, vanity, all is vanity, huh?) Then three weeks before the production, I became deathly ill with mononucleosis. Bedridden for three weeks, I not only missed the musical, but I also was too sick to go to most senior-class events. Some nights I would cry, “What are You doing, Lord?” I even questioned His plan for my life. The downward spiral of failure continued into my days at college and my early years of ministry.

After Eddie and I married, we traveled in full-time evangelism, living on the gracious love offerings of small churches. It wasn’t easy. We bought our first home with a one-dollar-down VA loan. On the day escrow closed, Eddie was embarrassed: He had to borrow a dollar from the realtor for our down payment! Neither of us had one—we were broke! We slept on the floor and kept our clothes in boxes for six months because we had no furniture. Those were great times! But the breaking process continued.

By 1971, Eddie and I had lost our first baby. As a young married couple, we didn’t have insurance, and I was left to sit in the admissions office of the hospital in pain and grief, bleeding, while Eddie left to find money to pay the hospital for my treatment.

We bought a motor home in 1972, so we could travel more freely. At a Houston revival, our two-week-new motor home was stolen. We had already sold our permanent home and what little furniture we had. Suddenly, all we owned literally were the clothes on our backs.

Pictures, clothing, marriage license, class rings, school albums and diplomas, ministry files, family photos, jewelry and all our business and personal possessions were gone. And just the week before, Eddie had been given a beautiful and expensive classical guitar that was also stolen. Each night for 30 days, I struggled in prayer, unable to resist the question, Why?

Finally after about three weeks, I realized it was my proud heart that resisted the work of God in my circumstances. One month later, we received a call from the police that our motor home had been found, stuck in the mud in a rice farmer’s field. The two men who had taken it had stripped the inside. They burned everything they couldn’t sell. Our Bibles were all that remained.

“That was the work of the devil,” you might say.

“Dear one,” as our precious friend, the late evangelist Manley Beasley would say, “the devil is God’s messenger boy!” God used His messenger boy to reduce us to something He could use!

Reduced for the Master’s Use

In my prayer time I began to experience the sweetness of brokenness produced by meekness and humility.

By 1973, God revealed that when I became a broken woman, my intercession could be directed by God, because the smaller I am, the more room I have for Him. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). I clung to that promise, and so can you.

Humility is an attitude of the heart, not words from the mouth. Through our experiences with failure, we can learn submission to the Lordship of Christ. Humility is more than saying “I surrender all”—it is to surrender all. There can only be one Lord. All else must defer. And deferment will come through a process, a pathway of persistence.

Persistence: Refusing to Quit

Having a football coach for a father set me on the path to the persistence my heavenly Father would require of me as an intercessor. The word “quit” wasn’t in my vocabulary. We grew up on quotes such as “A winner doesn’t quit; a quitter doesn’t win” and “A winner doesn’t give up; he gets up.” The heavenly Father says:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Matt. 7:7-8).

A persistent intercessor is one who stands in spite of interference or opposition. He or she takes hold of a promise of God and intercedes until that promise becomes reality. At times even a verse can get hold of us, and if we persist, God will eventually offer revelation. This was the case as I struggled with Matthew 11:12 (KJV):

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

In my mind, this radical verse never seemed to fit the rest of the chapter. Then after years of pursuing God about it, He gave me the following understanding.

Taking the Kingdom by Force

Looking at Matthew 11:12 in context, we see that two of John the Baptist’s disciples had come to ask Jesus if He were the promised Messiah. John the Baptist was in prison, facing death, so he needed assurance that he had fulfilled God’s plan. Jesus answered the disciples by saying, “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (v. 5). In other words, yes, John the Baptist had fulfilled his assignment on earth.

As Jesus continued, He bragged on John the Baptist. He said John is the greatest among men; however, “he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (v. 11). Then Jesus made this radical assertion: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”

The word translated “suffereth” is the Greek word biazo, which means “to force, to crowd or to press forward into something.”[4] The word translated “violent” is the Greek word biastes, which means “an energetic and aggressive taker of something; to seize or to catch.”[5] So this verse with a literal transliteration says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is taken by force and they that thrust (or rescue) men take it forcefully.”

According to Jesus, the radical John the Baptist illustrated how the kingdom of heaven is taken. And not just John, but even the youngest believer can intercede to rescue souls from the kingdom of darkness by confronting the enemy’s strongholds to clear the way for souls to get into the kingdom of God.

This is how it works …

My daddy was a football coach. Every day in training, his boys would line up, lower their shoulders and run into a blocking sled. (If you don’t have a clue what a blocking sled looks like, visualize a capital L and add padding to the vertical part. That’s close enough to understand my story.) My dad would often stand on the rim of the sled to add weight that the boys had to push against. You could hear my daddy from across the football field shout above the grunts and groans, “Push, John, push. You’re not pushing! Come on and give it all you’ve got! Get your shoulders down into that pad and shove.”

This football exercise illustrates what Jesus described. Intercessor, believer, Christian—if we want to see people come out of darkness and into a revelation about Christ, then we must put our shoulder to the burden and shove the enemy out of the way, so those who are held in bondage are free to choose to enter the safety zone God has established for them. Through intercession, we persistently press the Kingdom message behind enemy lines for our coach (Jesus) with forceful targeted prayer. Satan will resist us! But put your shoulder to the burden and press forward anyway. Let’s be willing to aggressively break the enemy’s grip and clear the way of escape for his hostages.

This level of intercession requires hard work, which brings us to another interesting verse in this eleventh chapter of Matthew. Verse 28 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (KJV). We have typically used this verse to deal with our stress, financial problems and relational difficulties, but let’s investigate its deeper meaning.

The word “labor” expresses a continuous and repeated action. “Heavy laden” suggests an overburdened pack animal. The word “rest” here connotes an offer of refreshment by giving a drink of water. Therefore, this verse describes those of us who will be in the battle of forceful prayer for souls. Intercession is work! It’s labor intensive! Jesus didn’t ignore the labor involved in seeing the kingdom of God advance. He explained that the aggressive level of warfare required to overcome the gates of hell would leave an intercessor sapped of his or her strength. So in the midst of the battle for souls, we are to come apart, rest for a time and take a drink of living water before we return to our labor.

He gives us ample opportunity to rest, because our compassionate God cares for us, too!

Compassion: The Heart of Intercession

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). Compassion means to empathize with someone or to experience that person’s hurt with intent to alleviate it. Whereas sympathy offers emotional encouragement, compassion offers solutions.

Have you ever sat in your car at a red light, watched people cross the street in front of you and wept as you experienced God’s love for them? This same compassion compels us to pray.

The Holy Spirit desires to share His heart with us. We need only be open. He grieves over every lost soul and looks for those who will not only feel for the needs of others, but will also put those feelings into action through prayer. Compassion is the “heart” of intercession.

As we discovered earlier in this book, God often parallels those things that happen in the physical body with those things that happen in the spiritual realm. Sometimes I experience a dull ache in my heart for lost people. When this happens, I don’t focus on the symptom. Instead I recognize it as a sign the Lord gives to prompt me to intercede for them.

Author A. J. Gordon said, “I have long since ceased to pray, ‘Lord, have compassion on a lost world.’ I remember the day and the hour when I seemed to hear the Lord rebuking me for making such a prayer. He seemed to say to me, ‘I have had compassion on a lost world, and now it is time for you to have compassion.’”[6]

Interceding for others is one of the most compassionate things we can do for them. And Paul told us the Holy Spirit will help us to pray:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will (Rom. 8:26-27).

In the book of Colossians, Paul displayed this kind of compassion when he wrote, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Col. 1:3). Paul said he continually prayed (v. 9), giving himself no rest. In verse 24, he said, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you.” The Greek word for suffering is pathema, which means “pain, passion or emotion.”[7] Paul rejoiced in passionate, emotional intercession on behalf of the Colossians.

In his book The Last of the Giants, George Otis, Jr., reports the conversion of nearly 450 Muslim villagers in the North African nation of Algeria. It’s an amazing story. George writes:

According to testimony, on one unforgettable night in 1983—with no prior warning and for no immediately discernible reason—God Sovereignly descended upon this coastal township with gracious bounty. Moving from house to house, and communicating through a combination of dreams, visions and angelic visitations, God did not rest until every member of this Muslim community was properly introduced to His only begotten Son, Jesus. As might be expected, come daybreak, nearly every villager had a story to tell.[8]

Later, researchers who were curious about the reason for this visitation discovered this incredible piece of history: It was at this very location, in June of 1315, where Raymond Lull, a Spanish missionary, had been stoned to death by angry Muslims after he had openly preached in the market. Otis continues:

The blood of martyrs, it has often been said, represents the seed of the Church. In his book The Tree of Life, Raymond Lull wrote that Islamic strongholds are best conquered “by love and prayers, and the pouring out of tears and blood.”[9]

I can visualize Raymond Lull’s final moments as his blood moistened the ground, asking the Father one last time for the souls of his village. We serve a faithful and compassionate God. Who would have considered that nearly 700 years later, the Father would answer Raymond Lull’s dying prayer?

When I began to see my need to surrender everything to the Lord, I told Him I would die for Him, clean toilets for Him and do anything else He might require of me. To my surprise, He asked me if I would be willing to fail for Him. At the time, I didn’t see how my failure could glorify Him. I had struggled to succeed for Him, so it was difficult to understand the logic in God’s request. I’ve since discovered that human logic is of little interest to God. Reluctantly, I said, “Yes, Lord.”

The yes I said changed by life. It caused me to lean on His understanding, and taught me that when I walk in obedience to Him, He compassionately causes all things to work together for our good.

Have you deliberately committed your life to Jesus? If so, are you relying on who He is or who you are to qualify you for His service? As Christians we feel our value to God is in our knowledge, our expertise, our money or our service. The truth is, any old donkey will do! Not that He sees us as such, but the Father wants to teach us the importance of obedience. If we elevate our knowledge of Him above relationship with Him, then He’ll not release His compassion through us.

Paul exhorts us to “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15). As we demonstrate this kind of empathy, the world will know we are His, and they, too, will long to know Him. It’s true, when God measures a Christian, He puts a tape around the heart instead of the head.

Compassion is at the heart of intercession, and this quality is developed as we invest time in His presence.

Patience: Obedience to the Holy Spirit’s Timing

“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Rom. 8:25). A difficult aspect of intercession is patiently waiting for answers to our prayers, especially when we pray for God to cultivate in a person’s life the spiritual soil to receive Him. When I receive a revelation from the Lord that a person is lost, I wait for the Holy Spirit to prepare that person’s heart for the gospel. First Timothy 1:16 reminds me:

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

When the Lord reveals that someone in the church needs salvation, He does so in order that we will pray for that person. And we are to keep this knowledge in the prayer closet until the right time.

Through 40 years of ministry, the Lord has shown Eddie and me deacons, Sunday School teachers, church staff members, evangelists and even pastors who weren’t born again—but they are now!

Many people have walked down an aisle, signed a decision card, joined a church and even prayed a prayer. Some have been confirmed, water baptized and ordained to ministry—but they were never saved. Some might argue that they didn’t know what they were doing. It may have been that they knew what they were doing, but the person who counseled with them didn’t know what he or she was doing.

Salvation is more than a spiritual marriage

certificate that entitles us to bear His name;

it’s to be a love relationship that spills over

into everything we say and do.

It’s difficult to understand how someone can be active in church for years and not have a true conversion experience. But the Bible says the reason for this is that Satan veils the mind (2 Cor. 4:3-4). It happens more than you may think!

Years ago I was privileged to lead a friend to the Lord. She’d been a devoted church member and had served God for years, but she was lost. Many counselors had failed to help fill the emptiness in her heart. The harder she tried, the more frustrated she became. Penny said that when she read the Bible, it was a dead book. Prayer was laborious and dull. Yet she convinced herself that more Bible study, more prayer and more service would fill her emptiness.

This kind of religious experience is like being trapped in a loveless marriage. You go through the motions, but the relationship is void of intimacy. The two haven’t become one! Salvation is more than a marriage certificate that entitles us to bear His name; it is a love relationship that spills over into everything we say and do. Salvation is a matter of the heart, not a matter of the head.

The Lord revealed to me that Penny was lost. She had the head knowledge she needed, but God wanted to change her heart. Eventually Penny came to me for advice. This was an open door for me to suggest that she evaluate her salvation. Paul wrote:

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Cor. 13:5).

A person’s reluctance to examine him or herself should be a red flag. Evaluate yourself right now. It could be that your constant doubts aren’t the devil at all! It’s the Holy Spirit convicting you of your lost condition. Is Jesus alive in you? Do you have peace and assurance that you will spend eternity with Jesus? True eternal life can stand the test! Within two weeks, the Lord revealed to Penny that she was religious but lost! She was saved three weeks later. Jesus is patient. He doesn’t give up on us. Penny Jackson rejoices in this thought today!

The Assignment

When the Lord says that I’m to pray for someone like Penny, I write the person’s name and the date in my small prayer book. Then when the Lord brings the victory, I record the date my prayer was answered. This is my assignment record.

My job isn’t to confront or accuse anyone; my job is to exercise faith-filled sustained prayer until the Lord brings them revelation unto salvation.

You may be thinking, Who are you to judge others?

The answer is, I don’t judge them! I don’t mention anyone’s condition to the Lord; He mentions it to me! I merely fulfill the prayer assignments He gives me. I keep them in the secret place of my heart until the Holy Spirit does His work.

If I have heard the Lord correctly, salvation will come. But part of my assignment will be to give God time. When is the right time to talk to someone about their salvation? Easy. You’ll know the right time because the person will come to you and say, “I feel so drawn to you” or “You have something I need, so what is it?” This is your proof that the Holy Spirit has prepared the way for your witness.

Such is the case about perfect timing. A woman’s face was scarred severely in a fire; in fact, her disfigurement was so bad that it was difficult to believe she had once been quite beautiful. Unfortunately, she had a demanding little daughter who was embarrassed by her mother’s grotesquely scarred face. With shocking insensitivity, the heartless child withheld all affection from her mother, refused to be seen with her mother in public and would not bring her friends home to play.

The troubled woman quietly grieved over their relationship while the daughter became cruel and more distant with age.

Some time later, after the young woman had gone off to college, the mother became seriously ill and lay dying. The father called their only child home to say good-bye to her mom.

Aware of his daughter’s anticipated anger for being inconvenienced, her father stopped the young woman outside the door of the hospital room. He said, “I think it’s about time that you know something. Your mother has always been gracious and understood your feelings about her burned face. She knew you were embarrassed to be with her. All these years she has made me promise not to tell you the truth about her scars, but I am going to.

“When you were only six months old, our house caught on fire. You are so pretty, and you look just like your mom once did. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. Willing to lay down her life for yours, she broke through the arms of the firefighters, entered the burning house and rescued you. Tears coursed down the melting skin of her face as she emerged from that raging inferno with you in her arms. Severely burned and forever disfigured, your mother was overjoyed that you were safe and unharmed. Now you understand why she didn’t want you to grow up feeling guilty every time you looked into her marred face.”

Heartbroken, the young woman stood trembling outside the door of her dying mother’s hospital room. Memories of the ugly words she had spoken raced through her mind. She couldn’t erase the pain she had caused by ignoring her and even laughing at her in front of others. For the first time, she understood how her mom had suffered for her sake.

As the young woman walked into the room, her mother appeared as pale as the sheets on which she lay. The grieving girl threw herself across her mother. She cried, “Mom, I’m so sorry! Can you ever forgive me? I never knew how much you loved me and what you suffered for me. I’m so ashamed!”

The girl generously kissed her mother’s scarred face. For 20 years, the mother had waited patiently for her daughter’s love. With a faint smile of joy, she whispered, “Honey, I’ve already forgiven you.”

If the Father requires this same kind of patience from us before we see His glory, will we accept His assignment?

Integrity: Walking the Talk

If we accept an assignment from God, we can be certain that He will attempt to build our integrity. I love Psalm 26:11-12: “But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me. My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.” To paraphrase what David says:

In all my public trust I will walk uprightly and pay strict attention to truth, honesty, justice and mercy. I will not plan evil schemes or promote my own cause. I will be true to the integrity of the Word. I will live a moral life in private and in public. I stand firmly on principles of proper conduct and will not turn aside.

If each of us adopted this motto, we wouldn’t have as many cases of Christian fallout as we do today. Almost daily we watch a news report of a Sunday School teacher who has committed a murder or a pastor who has embezzled money or a Christian leader who has been arrested for prostitution. Oh, my heart grieves over the poor testimony we give to a fallen and lost world, and we can only imagine how grieved Jesus must be when we shame His sacrifice on the cross. Because we do feel His sadness, we should ask Him for a sweeping revival of repentance across our land. It’s true—we aren’t judges; we are family. Galatians 6:1-2 reminds us that “if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

The Lord wants us to have impeccable character. We should live sanctified (set-apart) lives—set apart from the world and set apart to Christ. I assure you, the Lord will test our integrity to prove to the world that we have chosen loyalty to Christ. Purity is developed in the prayer closet, but integrity is proven in the down-and-dirty world.

Integrity is meaningless until tested. We Christians often assume we have integrity only to discover through our own actions that it is sorely lacking. Then in brokenness, we approach the Lord with our appalling lack of integrity. He freely forgives, cleanses and gives us further tests to develop our character. Character building will always be a part of our Christian life.

Joseph, a Man of Integrity

Joseph possessed unparalleled integrity. Apparently a handsome young man, his prophetic gifts provoked jealousy among his brothers. Motivated by jealousy, his brothers sold him to a travelling band of Midianites for what would amount to about $13 in today’s U.S. currency. The Midianites then sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of the pharaoh.

The story is told in Genesis 39. We read:

When his master saw that the LORD was with him [Joseph] and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned (vv. 3-4).

However, the Lord tested Joseph’s integrity before He released him to greater levels of revelation and responsibility. Would Joseph prove faithful when given opportunity to sin? Potiphar’s wife provided Joseph’s next test:

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants were inside. She [Potiphar’s wife] caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house (vv. 11-12).

This was the second time Joseph’s coat had caused him trouble. The first involved the “coat of many colors” his father had given him. His brothers had used that coat, stained with goats’ blood, and a lie, to cover their sin. Here, Potiphar’s wife used Joseph’s coat to unjustly accuse him, too. A coat is symbolic of a mantle, a covering that identifies one’s position or one’s anointing. The devil tried to soil Joseph’s mantle of integrity before he could fulfill his Kingdom destiny.

The master’s wife punished Joseph for spurning her advances. In an effort to discredit him, she reported a lie to her husband, who then cast Joseph into prison. There are times when we’re to stand up and fight for justice and other times when we’re not to fight; instead, we’re to stand and see the redemption of our God. The Lord will reveal which position you are to take on each occasion. He will even use the framework of injustice to develop our spiritual maturity—if we will let Him.

This happened with Joseph. Eventually God made him administrator of an entire nation. He had counted the cost and paid the price. The coat of unrighteous accusation was replaced with a royal robe of honor. Our King stands waiting to cover us with regal robes of honor, but as we see in Joseph’s story, the right to wear the robes will be earned through tests and trials over time. We get integrity the hard way: We must earn it!

Servanthood: God’s Method for Success

Servanthood is the biblical basis for promotion. Speaking of Jesus, Paul said, “[He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:7-8).

An effective intercessor must be a servant, which goes against our nature. We prefer to be served. Oswald Chambers wrote:

Suppose God wants to teach you to say, “I know how to be abased”—are you ready to be offered up like that? Are you ready to be not so much as a drop in a bucket—to be so hopelessly insignificant, that you are never thought of again in connection with the life you served? Are you willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work and remain saints because it is beneath their dignity.[10]

In Scripture we learn that to win, we must lose; to live, we must die; to receive, we must give. To be the greatest in Christ’s kingdom, we must be servants of all. To serve in prayer is essential to Kingdom work. God says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Col. 4:2). The hiddenness of the prayer closet is uniquely suited for the servant hearted.

When I think of a servant, our eldest son comes to mind. Robert is a deeply committed husband and father, singer, songwriter and worship leader. He’s also the vice president of operations for our ministry. I am proud of the testimony of servanthood he has established throughout the years.

Although Robert functions in platform ministry, most of his service is done in secret. To willingly serve unnoticed and without fanfare is greatness. God continues to give Robert intimate worship songs to write, and as He does, Robert’s servant heart is released to lead congregations into the presence of the Lord. Robert lives to serve the living God. In time, the Father who sees in secret will reward him openly in ways he has never imagined!

Purity: Unsoiled by the World’s Spoil

Like Robert, we need to determine whom we will serve: this world or the kingdom of God. If we choose to serve God, then we are to “set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Let me share a story about purity.

“A man was washing a plate-glass window. He did a fine job except for one spot. He rubbed that spot, used soap on it, but he could not clean the spot away. A bystander, noticing his dilemma, said, ‘Sir, that spot is on the inside.’”[11] In the same way, certain spots in our character can only be cleansed from within!

You may wonder, What is a pure heart? Why is it important? And how can I have one? The answer is found in Psalm 24:3-4:

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

A pure heart has no conflict of interest. Purity is the result of continually being in God’s presence. A stream is purest near its source. So the more time we spend in private devotion with Christ, the purer our motives, behaviors and lifestyle will be. Then we’ll truly be living near the source: Jesus.

Purity flourishes as we commune with Jesus in the inner court. There, we develop purity as we confess known sin, walk in the light with others and linger intimately with the Lord. Vision establishes character. The pure, single-minded heart sees God. With our eyes on Jesus, our character is morphed to His image. If we focus on the things of this world, our character conforms to its image.

Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matt. 6:22, KJV). The believer who enters God’s courts with a pure heart—to be with Him rather than to get from Him—will be the darling of His heart. The Lord purifies us by His grace, but we have to look after the soul and body. We submit to God to become pure in spirit with “temperance” (self-control), which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:23, KJV), and we guard our mind and body. If not, our mind will become defiled. Then because of sin, our soul is defiled, so we immediately lose spiritual discernment.

To enter the holy place, we must refuse to lift up our soul to materialistic idolatry or false ideas about God. We can’t be motivated by fleshly desires and expect to stand in His presence. “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thess. 4:7). Since the purity God requires is impossible for us, we have to allow Him to produce it in us. The purity God produces will over time generate godliness as we consistently sit at the feet of Jesus.

Intimacy: Knowing the One Who Knows Us Best

The more time we sit in Jesus’ presence, the more intimately we will know Him. The more we know Him, the more secure and confident we will feel.

My definition of intimacy means “a very personal and private relationship characterizing one’s deepest trust and nature marked by close association, contact and familiarity.” Intimacy isn’t approached out of a sense of obligation; it is a love relationship between you and your heavenly lover. It’s difficult to teach the art of loving. The language of love is strange and unnatural to the one who does not love! But it is perfectly natural to a lover!

Intimacy transcends the rational mind. Our desire for intimacy depends upon the state of our heart. As our heart is, so are we before the Lord. We can advance no further or deeper into intimate communion with Him in the holy place of God’s presence than we have allowed our heart to be opened to and prepared by the Spirit of God. The Scripture says, “As he [a person] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7, NKJV).

With our mind we gather knowledge from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit uses it to nourish our inner spirit. The danger is that some Christians tend to believe that if they study the Word, spiritual intimacy will automatically result. This is false. Our understanding deals with divine concepts and images. But our intellect can’t reach the real life of our inner spirit. Spiritual revelation only occurs as we see, hunger and thirst for righteousness. With our heart reaching out by faith and trust in our magnificent Lord, He fills our hungry and thirsty soul with spiritual food.

In the hidden depths of your innermost spirit, your heart cries out for intimacy with your heavenly Bridegroom. You want to know the deep things about your heavenly Father. As you become aware of His good intention toward you, you will gain the confidence to move closer to Him. Why is this important? Because the effectiveness of your public ministry is dependent upon your intimacy with God in the prayer closet.

There are three steps to establish an intimate relationship. Let’s consider them.

Step One: Acquaintanceship

An acquaintance knows Jesus but is not particularly close to Him. At salvation, we experience God’s redeeming grace and His unconditional love; however, we don’t automatically understand how to fellowship with Him. Jesus, disappointed that Philip needed further proof that He was the Son of God, asked, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?” (John 14:9).

We can’t deeply love a person we hardly know. Though we can live with someone we hardly know, it’s critical we become intimately acquainted if we’re to deeply love that person. Jesus expressed this very problem to Philip. Perhaps you’ve been a Christian for many years and still don’t have an intimate relationship with Jesus. There’s more to being a Christian than going to heaven when you die.

The first step toward greater intimacy begins with getting acquainted with your Savior. Quiet yourself before Him. Don’t talk or pray. Just sit silently in His presence. Open your heart and be vulnerable to God’s touch. Let Him tell you how special you are to Him. He won’t rebuke a seeking heart. God is good! He’s aware of your hurts and fears. Trust Him.

Step Two: Friendship

An acquaintanceship that is cultivated becomes, eventually, a friendship. The following story explains this transition succinctly:

One day a happy Christian met an Irish peddler. He exclaimed, “It’s a grand thing to be saved.”

“Ah,” said the peddler, “it is, but I know something better than that.”

“Better than being saved?” said he. “What can you possibly know better than that?”

“The friendship of the Man who has saved me!” was the unexpected reply.[12]

Jesus told His disciples:

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last (John 15:15-16).

True friendship is rare, yet when it does occur, it bears the fruit of identity in thought, heart and spirit. We are His disciples, to impart His heart to others. We may enjoy His blessings and quote His Word, but are we His friends?

There was a special word for friendship-love in the original Greek New Testament. It’s the Greek world philia. Philia and the more familiar word agape are often translated as “love” in our English Bibles. God’s desire is for us to experience philia love, but His intimates move beyond the surface love to agape—God love.[13]

Step Three: Trust

Trust is a conscious choice, and it often conflicts with feelings (emotions). When Bryan, our youngest son, was a small boy, he asked his dad to put him on top of a large seven-foot-high concrete platform at the library. Eddie did so. After a few minutes, Eddie reached out his hands and said, “Jump, Bryan! Daddy will catch you.”

Bryan wasn’t so sure. Eddie said again, “Jump, son. I won’t let you fall. You can trust me to catch you.” Cautiously, but obediently, Bryan jumped into his daddy’s arms.

About four months later, Bryan was climbing a tree at a park. When it was time to go, Eddie reached out his arms to Bryan and quietly said, “Jump.” To Eddie’s astonishment, Bryan joyfully jumped into the arms of his loving father. Trust had been developed by choice. Trust had conquered doubt (emotions). Will you trust the Lord to hold you, to love you or to heal you? Will you jump into His loving arms? Trust Him. He won’t let you fall, for “those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever” (Ps. 125:1).

Most of the disappointment and pain we suffer comes from misplaced trust. We’ve loved God but trusted people. The Bible never tells us to trust people, but trust God only. People will eventually violate our trust and provoke anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. God will never violate our trust. Always remember, we trust God and love people!

Growing in Intimacy: An Encounter with Real Love

If you live or have lived in a dysfunctional home, the subject of intimacy may be difficult for you to understand. Before God was ever the Creator, Judge, Lawgiver or Savior, He was a Father. Our heavenly Father has the best in mind for His children. Still, many Christians doubt the Father’s love. Three things cause us to be reluctant to develop intimacy with God:

1.  Past hurts (woundedness)

2.  A poor father figure (betrayal, abuse or abandonment)

3.  Refusal to deal with personal sin (guilt)

We overcome these hindrances by dealing with the past and deciding for the present. Don’t become trapped—as have many in the Church today—in the “victimization theology” that says, “No wonder you can’t live in victory; look at all you’ve been through.” The truth is you can move from what you were to who God wants you to be as you allow Him to re-Father and refashion you into the likeness of His Son.

You may have had some unfortunate experiences, but you shouldn’t wallow in them forever! I recommend you read my book Beyond the Lie and learn how to escape the cycles of pain and abuse, and how to be freed from unholy strongholds. We Christians are new creations! Old things are to pass away! All things are to become new (2 Cor. 5:17)!

As our friend evangelist Bobby Conner says, “Get over it!” God has given us “everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3).

Because God, the lover of your soul, is love, who better to transform you into a lover?

Years ago a sacred painting exhibited in a provincial town represented Christ upon the cross—not pain-racked and dying with eyes closed and face marred—but with eyes of infinite love looking out at the beholder. The room in which the picture was housed was dark and the painting was lighted from below. While a group of people were gathered to look at it, an intense hush fell upon the crowd. Forgetting his surroundings, a man standing in the front row who had become deeply absorbed in the painting whispered to himself, “Jesus, I love you.”

A man standing at his side, hearing the whisper and deeply moved, said, “Yes, I love Him too.”

Swiftly the words passed from lip to lip, till every heart was stirred by a warm passion for the Lord.[14]

The power of the cross and the great unconditional love of God begin and end with Him. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Unveiling the Truth About You

1.  Why must God develop your character before He recruits you for the ministry of intercession?

2.  Of the characteristics listed in this chapter, which do you possess? Which do you lack? What will you do to create change?

3.  Do you fear an intimate relationship with Christ? What hurts, fears, guilt or other stumbling blocks separate you from Him?

4.  As you consider the steps to intimacy, where are you in the process? Are you satisfied with where you are? If not, why?

DEVOTIONAL

Seasons of Life

Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy;

at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

PSALM 16:11, KJV

Have you ever experienced such deep hurt that you were almost paralyzed with pain? The great Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon, in his devotional masterpiece Days of Darkness, said, “We need winds and storms to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten branches of self dependence, and to ground us more firmly in Christ… . The dearest of His children must bear the cross. No believer has enjoyed perpetual prosperity.”[15]

Conflict brings to the surface what is not of God. Our flesh nature is usually the first to respond to hurt and reveals our self-love. Once we recognize the difference between the flesh and the spirit, we are able to recognize the signs of death that operate in us. We can fully recognize death in our flesh by the “stink,” because nothing fresh is coming from us.

God promises us His mercies “are new every morning” (Lam. 3:23). When God produced manna to feed the children of Israel during their desert wandering, the manna appeared fresh every morning. It had an extremely short shelf life; it became stale in only one day. In the same way, our faith requires a resurrection every morning; yesterday’s victories won’t sustain us for today’s challenges. We need new revelation each day.

Life’s difficulties should remind us that death to self is necessary for our sanctification. Our separation from soulishness is like a snake shedding its skin—uncomfortable but necessary. When the old skin drops off, there is new soft skin in its place. Our soul has to experience a similar sloughing off, so it won’t hinder our spiritual development.

Thankfully, there are peaceful stages in our spiritual life when there are no storms. Yet when a crisis does arise, our response instantly reveals upon whom or what we’re relying. If we’ve been learning to worship and trust the Lord, even though the crisis takes us to the breaking point, we won’t break. Our confidence in the Father won’t fail. Sanctification will have its way in us. Our oneness with God will allow us to rest in Him, and our ability to rest in Him will bring joy to His heart and healing to our own.

Did you know the Christian life is seasonal? I briefly mentioned this earlier in the book, but that’s right, we all are seasonal in our lives. Just as the earth experiences fall, winter, spring and summer, we too have seasons in our spiritual lives. In the autumn season the days grow shorter and cooler; the leaves begin to turn color and fall as the ground becomes dormant. We too will experience a fall season when our relationship with Christ begins to cool. That’s when the Father will purge our soul, and the dead things in our life will fall aside. Our prayer times will focus on personal sin and the acknowledgement of our character flaws that need to change.

Then there is the winter of our Christian walk when everything around us feels dead. The spiritual ground is frozen hard. Meaningful prayer seems almost impossible. We struggle to hear the Lord speak. Dormancy comes. Don’t despair—this is normal. Although our mind isn’t able to conjure up prayer activity, our heart is eager to tune in to hear His voice. The important thing to do is remain faithful in the winter season of our prayer life.

During springtime the flowers begin to bloom, grass grows, the air is fresh, and birds sing. There is new life everywhere. In our spiritual spring times, the Word of God comes alive to us and revelation is fresh once more. Joy floods our heart.

And then we experience the summer. Prophecy comes alive as the brightness of God’s glory surrounds us. Worship is powerful and His voice is strong and clear.

Are you in a time of trouble today? Have hurts invaded your life? Do you feel numb, almost dead in your heart? Are you asking, Where is the Lord? If He doesn’t seem to be speaking, don’t be discouraged. “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24:10, NKJV). Your natural inclination is to struggle, strain and strive. My friend, this is the test of your faith. This is your exam. The teacher never talks when proctoring an exam, and so it is with the Lord. God never talks during the test. But once the test is over, He will comfort your troubled soul. There is no need to be anxious. It is a win-win situation. Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and sometimes He calms you in the midst of the storm.

When we process the seasons of life properly, we will pass the test—with integrity as the result. Without tests, we’ll never see the Lord. Without seeing the Lord, we will never reach our destinies in Him.

Rather than defend ourselves today, let’s embrace character development; then we will grow in the grace of God and He will fight for us!

7

THE JOURNEY TOWARD INTIMACY

Identified in Death

A lady once showed the famous artist Ruskin a costly handkerchief on which a blot of ink had been dropped. The handkerchief, she complained, was ruined. Nothing was left but to throw it away. Ruskin said nothing, but took the handkerchief away from her. Shortly afterward the lady received it back, but so changed that she could hardly believe it was the original. Using the ink blot as the basis, he had worked around it a beautiful and artistic design, changing what was valueless into a thing of beauty and joy.[1]

So it is with Christ. He takes the blots and failures of our lives and transforms them into valuable assets. Those hurts, disappointments and failures that appear to us as obstacles and threaten to ruin us are perfect opportunities for the Son of God to make us new—if we let Him.

Understanding God’s Way

Why does God allow us to experience different kinds of pain? All life is the result of some form of brokenness. The earth must be broken before the seed can be planted. The seed must be broken before the plant can grow. And the earth will again be broken before the new plant can emerge. Brokenness precedes every area of growth in our lives. This is especially true of our spiritual development. Spiritual fruit-bearing will require the breaking of the outer person, so the spirit can commune with the Spirit of Christ in us.

Prayer is the key! As we collapse into the arms of God, the outer person sloughs off like grave clothes. In prayer we:

• See the absolute holiness of God (Rev. 15:4)

• Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8)

• Understand the reality of His Word (Ps. 119:103)

It’s vital that we recognize how Christ works. Unless we understand the process, the journey can discourage us. As a matter of fact, if we don’t understand the process, at the point where the Lord Jesus wants to draw us into a deeper experience with Himself, we’ll unknowingly work against the journey toward intimacy. Deliverance from carnality and enslaved behavior is a key to overcoming. When we realize how unlike Jesus we are, our spirit cries out, “Lord, I want to know You and be like You.”

If we yield to Christ, we can experience this victorious power. Our human nature resists surrender to the will of another. And because of our stubborn, carnal love for self, the Father breaks us, so we may follow Jesus’ example and become “broken bread” and “poured-out wine” for His sake (1 Cor. 11:23-27). Broken bread produces life-giving service, and poured-out wine brings comfort to those who are hurting and perishing. Notice that the bread must be broken and the wine must be poured out.

As we reach the end of soul strength and begin to surrender to the process of spiritual maturity, we experience a freedom, a peace and a power we’ve never known. This process can take a few years, even a lifetime. Our journey to spiritual maturity occurs gradually and is a result of confronting many crises.

The dynamics of being drawn into intimacy are much like what happens during the birth process. When the crisis heightens by nature’s demands, the breaking of the water bag reassures us that one phase of life is ending to produce new life. God promises us that out of brokenness, abundant life will emerge, if we do not abort His process. Though it is difficult to understand why we need such agony, God provides the inner strength needed to take us through the labor to birth—and a complete work.

As the heavenly Bridegroom woos His

Bride, He destroys all her other lovers,

with self being the biggest of all.

In every stage of our spiritual growth, new opportunities can strip away our soul’s domination. The primary way of dealing with the “soul man” (commonly called flesh) is to deny it. We deny it any authority in our lives. The soul tries to rationalize, reason, figure and conclude what God is doing. But the Christian life is not to be a life of reasoning; it is to be a life of faith. And because it is a faith walk, any attempt to exercise willpower against the plan of God will only bring frustration.

Seeking the opinions of others will often delay the Spirit’s work, as well. The heavenly Bridegroom is wooing His Bride by destroying all her other lovers, with self as the biggest of all.

God’s plan begins as we elect to die to ourselves, so the Lord can bring resurrection. I’m not referring to the “new birth” (salvation); rather, I mean the metamorphosis in a believer that precedes Christ’s life flowing freely through that person.

In his book Lord, Teach Us to Pray, my friend Morris Cerullo says:

In His message to the seven churches, Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).

This scripture is often used in relation to salvation. However, Jesus was not simply talking about the unbeliever accepting Him into his heart. He was talking about the deep fellowship and communion He desires to have with us today. He said, “want to come in and sup with you.” The Greek word, “sup” in this verse is “deipneo” which refers to taking the chief meal of the day. Christ desires you to draw near to Him so that He can enjoy fellowship with you as a person enjoys talking with close friends and family during a special meal.[2]

Psalm 42:8 says, “By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.” Nothing disturbs the peace or lessens the passion of the person who walks in resurrection life because resurrection life produces the fruit of deepest love and intimacy with the Lord.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said, “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”[3]

Soulish Approaches to God

If only believers would gaze upward instead of inward, we would understand God’s way and wouldn’t seek intimacy with Him in soulish ways. God says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9). There are three ways believers typically approach God:

1.  Volitionally

2.  Emotionally

3.  Intellectually

Each case (which we will cover in-depth later in this chapter) is an attempt to enter His presence in our grave clothes. “Grave clothes” is a metaphor for the soul—mind, will and emotions. But resurrection life can only fellowship with resurrection life (John 4:23-24)!

On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, He left His grave clothes in the tomb. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, His command was, “Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44, NKJV). Many of us are bound by worldly attitudes, past pain, bitterness, self-righteousness, and actions that entomb us. The stench of our dead works and self-promoting talk prevents us from seeing the truth about ourselves and God. We, too, need to strip off the remnant of our old unregenerate selves before we can begin to experience true intimacy with Christ. Jesus showed us how this works.

“Jesus loved Martha and her sister [Mary] and [their brother] Lazarus” (John 11:5, NKJV). Nevertheless, He did not hurry to the tomb. Why? Because Jesus intended to resurrect Lazarus, not heal him (v. 11). Guess what? God’s not interested in keeping our soulish selves in repair. He wants to pronounce us dead. After all, 2,000 years ago, He signed our death certificates with His own blood (Rom. 6:6)! The best statement we could hear about ourselves today would be what Lazarus could not hear about himself: “Then said Jesus unto them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead’” (v. 14, NKJV). The next verse says it all! Jesus said, “I am glad … let us go unto him” (v. 15, NKJV, emphasis added). Jesus knew firsthand that death precedes resurrection!

The Volitional Approach

Death will cause us to abandon the three soulish approaches to knowing God—the first of which is the volitional, or performance, approach. People who value performance think they earn God’s love and favor by what they do for Him. Caught in the performance trap, they measure their relationship with God according to their productivity. Driven by performance, they become legalistic and impatient with others who aren’t performance oriented.

They not only judge others by their own disciplinary standards, but they judge themselves to the degree they suffer from discouragement and restlessness. These believers invent plans for God and rush in to zealously tackle any project. But because they constantly strive, their soul is never quiet and rested. They can’t know peace, because their internal taskmaster gives them no time off for their good-works behavior. They become so driven by their self-imposed standards that they become judgmental, frustrated, defeated and angry—often unknowingly with God.

They are spiritually imprisoned and restricted. So the Lord allows disappointments to come their way. Out of touch with their emotions, they are rigid and controlled, offering little sympathy for the pain of others. Spirit life can’t come forth, because they constantly guard their heart. They may want to express compassion, but they are controlled by their outer man and unable to do so.

To reach the works-driven believer, God creates a crisis. To break their volitional will, He allows physical affliction, a job loss or some other uncontrollable event. Still fearing failure and resisting brokenness, they seek affirmation from others by working even harder for approval, which delays the process of death to self. God will reveal their plight to them, for God alone can strip the soul.

Once brokenness has begun, the judgmental voice of self is gradually replaced by sensitivity to the loving, leading voice of the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit speaks to their heart, they become aware of His presence and experience a desire to obey. This doesn’t mean they become idle, but in time their activities become divinely directed and seasoned with supernatural love. As God crushes self, He replaces soulish activity with Himself, drivenness gives way to peace, and self-direction gives way to Spirit-led direction.

Those who approach God volitionally can advance toward intimacy when they seek Him with the same intensity they’ve sought the affirmation of people. They should learn to quietly meditate on the majesty of God. This will require focused effort, because in the past their outer person was in control. Altering their beliefs about who God is and what God is like is essential to their restorative process.

A biblical example of the performance personality was Martha:

She [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:39-42).

Oh, that those Marthas who are driven by a need to do more for God could understand the transforming power that awaits them—a power that will give them a life energized and motivated as it rests at the feet of Jesus and finds its strength from an overflow of His love within! This is what Michael de Molinos, the Spanish saint, taught in The Spiritual Guide: God will guide the soul by the hand and lead it through the way of pure faith, and “causing the understanding to leave behind all considerations and reasoning He draws her forward… . Thus He causes her by means of a simple and obscure knowledge of faith to aspire only to her Bridegroom upon the wings of love.”[4]

Steps Toward Intimacy

Here is how to approach intimacy with your Bridegroom:

Step 1: Sit quietly before the Lord. Read aloud intimate Scripture passages to Him (Pss. 46; 51; 119; Song of Songs). Speak slowly and with expression. Repeatedly throughout the day tell the Lord you love Him.

Step 2: Maintain an attitude of gratitude. Express your praise aloud, so you can hear yourself (Pss. 95:2; 100:4; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Pet. 1:8; Rev. 7:12).

Step 3: Ask the Lord for direction during the day. Don’t fill the day with busyness, but focus on loving people. Be attentive to the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to speak specific assignments to your heart. Be sure to ask Him for confirmation. This will help you recognize His voice (Pss. 19:7; 52:8-9; Isa. 26:3; Heb. 7:19; Jas. 1:25-26; 1 John 4:18-19).

The Emotional Approach

Not everyone approaches God volitionally, or with an emphasis on performance. Some people seek His pity and overvalue emotion, believing their tears will move God. Frankly, as important as emotions are, Scripture reveals that faith, more than tears, moves the heart of God. “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6).

Emotionally based believers are easily excitable and easily depressed. Their emotions, like roller coasters, take them to the highest highs and the lowest lows. Tragically, too many prayer warriors labeled manic-depressive run to doctors for antidepressants. Please don’t buy into the labels of the world. The Lord exposes soulish emotionalism, in the hope that we’ll learn to be spiritually motivated instead of emotionally driven.

Unless broken by God, people who are emotionally driven can succumb to gossip and manipulation; they can be absorbed in self-pity, depression, unhappiness, anger and moodiness.

Unlike those who are out of touch with their emotions, these people flaunt theirs. Immature enough, they’ll seek to impress or control others with their tears. The intercessors who have yet to yield their emotions to Christ find it difficult to discern between the Lord’s burden and their own. The core of the problem is self-centeredness.

God wants to develop an intimate, mature relationship with emotionally driven believers. But unless they die to self-pity and selfishness, they will fill their prayer times with continuous whining. Self-absorbed tears will blind them to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the needs of others. The Lord didn’t put us here so that others would continually minister to us. We’re to minister to others. Jesus modeled this for us:

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28).

We are to die to self-desire and express the same Spirit-life Jesus expressed. This is well illustrated in the story of the two well buckets tied on opposite ends of the same rope.

Day after day they would go down for water. They worked in the same well and carried the same water the same distance. One bucket was always happy while the other bucket was always sad.

After years of frustration, the happy bucket challenged the sad bucket in the middle of the well, “Why are you always so sad?”

The sad water bucket whined, “Because, it seems no matter how full I come up, I always go down empty.”

The happy water bucket replied, “Not me, I figure no matter how empty I go down, I always come up full.”

As we see in this story of two buckets, attitude is a matter of choice. Just as Jesus “endured the cross, scorning its shame,” an intercessor who becomes intimate with the King of kings will endure without complaint (Heb. 12:2). “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb. 12:3-4). We who have not shed our blood for others have no right to whine or complain. And when we catch God’s vision, we will share His concern for the lost and will lose sight of our personal needs.

But we’ll never have His vision if we have a divided heart.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (Jas. 1:5-8).

We can’t be sold on self and sold out for Christ at the same time.

The word “double-minded” in Greek is dipsuchos, which comes from the root dis, meaning “two,” and psuche, meaning “the soul.”[5] These Scriptures therefore refer to one who is “two-souled,” or one who has a divided heart. A heart is divided when the spirit grasps for faith and the soul clings to unbelief. Randy Shankle, in his book The Merismos, agrees:

If your heart is divided, you then have dual interests, dual desires and dual affections. When your heart is divided, you will negate the forces that will change your life and the lives of those around you. If you do not keep your heart, it will not come forth with the forces of life. Remember that to keep it means “to guard it or protect it.” What are you guarding your heart against? You are guarding against whatever desires to enter it, because whatever flows in will divide it.[6]

King Saul was driven by his emotions and divided in his interests. First Samuel 14 tells how he bound the men of Israel under an oath not to eat during the battle against the Philistines. Out of his vengeance against his enemies, his men were faint from hunger and exhaustion (v. 28). Later in the evening the king found that his son, Jonathan, who was in the woods, had not heard the oath and had eaten honey. Saul pronounced a death sentence on him! Saul’s officers saved Jonathan from the sword, but his father’s unbridled emotion almost cost Jonathan his life.

One chapter later (1 Sam. 15), King Saul ordered the Israelites into battle against the Amalekites. Samuel, the prophet, gave God’s instruction that they were to kill every man, woman, child and animal in the Amalekite tribe. However, King Saul, again driven by his emotions, disobeyed God by saving King Agag and the best of the animals. In his anger, Samuel reprimanded Saul and announced that God had torn the kingdom from him.

King Saul replied, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them” (1 Sam. 15:24). One minute King Saul was prepared to kill his own son; the next he was ready to spare a heathen king. Saul’s undisciplined, double-mindedness cost him his kingdom.

Steps Toward Intimacy

Fortunately, no matter how double-minded we have been in the past, God will extend to us the grace and mercy we need to change. We can partner with Him by taking three steps:

Step 1: Avoid introspection. Focus on the Lord, not on yourself. Don’t make impulsive decisions, but patiently wait for the Lord’s instructions. Don’t allow your emotions to overrule logical, thought-out decisions. When possible (and it usually is), you should wait for God to confirm His leading (Ps. 18:32-35; Isa. 26:3; Phil. 3:12; Jas. 1:1).

Step 2: Check your motives. Refuse to call attention to self. Refuse to use prayer for gossip. Refuse to have a critical spirit (Prov. 11:25; 1 Cor. 10:24; Eph. 4:29; Phil. 2:3).

Step 3: Turn on your worship songs and learn to worship Him with abandonment. Pray Scripture aloud. Then read from your favorite devotional. Forget your needs and press into the Lord. As you read the Word, allow each word to penetrate your spirit. Read parts of the Bible that will help you to stand firm in the faith. Renounce a double mind and ask God to help you be single-minded (Pss. 18:32-40; 55:17-23; 140:1-8; 144:1-9; Prov. 4:23; Rom. 2:23-29; Heb. 11; 1 Pet. 3:4).

The Intellectual Approach

As we’ve discovered, some people approach God through their performance (or will) and some through their emotions. There are also those who approach God by depending on the third part of the soul—their intellect, or mind. These believers develop and depend on formulas and principles for every situation. When their soul is dominant and unbroken, these people are often intellectual, power driven, restricted, haughty, stoic, untouched, insecure and idealistic. They insist on logical explanations for spiritual realities.

Their inclination is to elevate knowledge over experience. They sometimes control conversations with what seems to them to be their superior wisdom; their lack of restraint exposes their true nature. Sadly, they unintentionally reveal who they really are. They say more than they hear because they are fascinated with their own intelligence and the sound of their own voice. In truth, they are speaking soulishly and not from the spirit:

A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor (Prov. 18:7,12).

To set the intellectually driven believer free, the Lord has a twofold plan. First, He breaks down the outer person through encounters that challenge the person’s beliefs or intelligence; second, God divides the intellect from the spirit when the person begins to recognize the futility of self-knowledge. The first is done through the discipline of the Holy Spirit, while the second is accomplished through the revelation of the Spirit. During the dividing phase, the Word of God, being quick and powerful, separates the spirit and the soul:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

This twofold plan involves separating three soulish categories:

1.  Spiritual and natural forces

2.  Spiritual and natural abilities

3.  Spiritual and natural talents

In his book The Release of the Spirit, Watchman Nee interestingly delineates the need for God’s Word in the dividing of the spirit and soul:

What then does God’s Word do for us? It penetrates and divides. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. Its sharpness is demonstrated in the “penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow.” Note the analogy here: the two-edged sword against joints and marrow, and the Word of God against soul and spirit. Joints and marrow are embedded deeply in the human body. To separate the joints is to cut across the bones; to divide the marrow is to crack the bones. The two-edged sword can work thus in our mystical body. Only two things are harder to be divided than the joints and marrow; the soul and spirit. No sword, however sharp, can divide them. Even so we are wholly unable to distinguish between what is soul and what is spirit. Yet the Scripture tells us how the Living Word can do the job, for it is sharper than any two-edged sword. God’s Word is living, operative, and able to penetrate and divide.[7]

This dividing is more than an intellectual exercise. God’s Word permeates us, and His Spirit reveals to us our true motives. Deliverance only comes by a divine revelation of the real nature of things as we discover what is of ourselves (from our soul) and what is of the Lord (from our spirit). Once that’s revealed to us we can ask the Holy Spirit to deliver us and then empower us through brokenness to live a resurrected life.

Uzziah’s example points out the necessity for us to differentiate what is of the soul from what is of the spirit. Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king of Judah. “He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success” (2 Chron. 26:5).

Uzziah was successful. His credits would have filled a hall of fame. His army won every battle, and he was known for his splendid reputation. He built towers and waterways in Jerusalem. His fields and animals flourished. He had 307,500 well-trained, finely dressed military men. Yet the indictment came against him: “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall” (2 Chron. 26:16). The king entered the temple to burn incense, and in his defiance against the priests of God who told him not to enter, the Lord afflicted him with leprosy for the rest of his life. Indeed, pride led to his fall.

Jessie Penn-Lewis, in her book Life Out of Death, explains:

A true “self-effacement” does not mean a state of unconsciousness, it means that you become more acutely conscious, both of things around you and, above all, of Christ Himself. The only way you could know that Paul was “crucified” was that there was an entire absence of the “I” motive in all his words and actions.[8]

Steps Toward Intimacy

What motivates you? Would you like to be “crucified,” so you’ll reflect Christ in all of your words and actions? Let’s look together at the steps you’ll need to take if you are trapped in intellectual soulishness.

Step 1: Sit quietly before the Lord. Ask the Lord to render dead your outward person daily (John 4:23, 24; 12:24-25; Rom. 1:9, 8:4-8; 1 Cor. 2:11-14; 2 Cor. 3:6).

Step 2: Study the Scripture relationally, not academically. Glean the words to apply personally for you. Guard your heart from dissecting the Scripture. Read passionate verses aloud. You might want to record them in a journal so that you’ll know how you are doing each month. Tell the Lord how much you want a close, not just a cognitive, relationship with Him. Free your mind when you pray, and keep a pen and paper handy to write down the thoughts that clutter your mind (Pss. 63:3-11; 86; Phil. 2:1-7; 1 Tim. 6:7-11; Jas. 2:3-8; Rev. 12:11).

Step 3: Be real. Don’t hide behind the prideful walls of intellectualism. Realize that love is more important to God than human reasoning (Mark 12:33; John 8:32, 36; 1 Cor. 13; 1 Pet. 1:22; 3 John 4).

Stripping the Soul for an Eternal Goal

The Lord loves each of us too much to leave us where we are. Therefore, once we say yes to His ways in our lives, He will dig up the hardened ground of our spiritual soil and remove the hardness of our callused heart as He strips our soul. He uses three primary tools to bring us to total surrender, and He alone selects the most effective and timely tools for each circumstance. In varying degrees He will use:

• Suffering

• Brokenness

• Failure

Suffering

One of the most effective tools for building godly character in our lives is suffering. And though every person will suffer in his or her lifetime, for the Christian, suffering will eventually result in greater glory. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom. 8:17, emphasis added).

Many believers wrongly conclude that to suffer is the exception. Another popular thought is that a Christian should never suffer. Not true. Suffering strips us of overconfidence that we have figured life out. It’s a process that happens throughout a lifetime. Every stage of stripping the soulish life includes a beginning, a working out and a completion. The close of one stage is the entrance to the next. The process is similar in each stage. We’re sometimes confused because it seems the lessons are repetitive. Though the process is more or less repetitive, we are continually learning and becoming more sensitive to the Lord at each stage.

When we encounter stronger demonic opposition than we remember from the past, it’s because we have moved to a deeper level with Christ. My friend Francis Frangipane says, “New level, new devil.” Anointed by the Holy Spirit, we move forward aggressively against the powers of darkness. At each new level, there will be a new demonic strategy set against us. As our spirit lives are strengthened, the Lord will allow additional trials to test our newly acquired level of spiritual power. This is Christ’s resurrected life in us—the hope of glory! This is how we become overcomers!

We can say with David, “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress” (Ps. 4:1, KJV). The best news of all is that “to him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Rev. 3:21).

Brokenness

In his book The Merismos, Randy Shankle explains:

The key to releasing the spirit man is found in the word brokenness. What does brokenness do to a stony heart? It breaks it up. Jeremiah 4:3 says: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.” Fallow ground becomes hardened by exposure to the elements. If you allow your soul to be exposed to the elements [or world] for a long time and not to the things of Jesus, your soul man will harden over. It will become rough, rigid and nonresponsive to the touch of God.[9]

Jeremiah explained that before God could bring forth life from the people, He would allow brokenness to remove their soulish strength. Once the process of brokenness was complete, the spirit man could have preeminence.

In the spring of 1989, the Lord dealt with me about taking a sabbatical from selling real estate. At the time I was a successful real estate agent in Houston, Texas. I’d experienced a financially profitable year. In the fall of 1989, I went for a weekend retreat to spend time with the Lord. I knew in my heart He was going to ask some difficult questions of me. As I lay praying on the floor of a hotel room, the Lord clearly spoke to me.

Brokenness is not our enemy;

it is our friend.

He said, Alice, will you lay down your real estate business in 1990 to do nothing but minister to Me and pray?

I could feel my body tighten as I wrestled with my answer: Lord, I love my work and I am so good at it.

My inner resistance even surprised me. As He repeated the words, waves of love rolled over me. I cried bitterly to think that anything could possibly be more important to me than He was. He showed me that I found personal significance in my real estate success. Unsettled, I wept as never before.

Then with an indescribable love, He gently said, I gave everything for you. Won’t you give this to Me? The dam of resistance inside me broke and submission flooded my heart. Absolute surrender was my answer. I spent the next two months closing my real estate business. My assignment for 1990 was simple: Pray! This is the way of consecration, and with John I say, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the continual breaking process in my own life. I’ve come to realize brokenness is not our enemy; brokenness is our friend. God wants us to have “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). My definition of contrite is to be “humble or quick to repent.” When brokenness occurs, resistance, independence and pride are replaced with submission, tenderness, obedience and love.

Failure

Failure is especially difficult for the twenty-first century Western mind. We are taught from birth the importance of success. Whether it’s the young person in the beauty pageant, the teenager struggling to gain an honored math scholarship, or the little boy in the peewee or T-baseball league, the message is the same: Winning is everything!

The necessity to win feeds self-sufficiency. We find ourselves saying as the church in Laodicea did, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing” (Rev. 3:17). In other words, “I am a winner!” We are so accustomed to saying so that we can fake it if necessary. Perhaps it’s here that God meets His biggest challenge as He strips our soul. Here is where He must allow us to fail so miserably that we will never again trust self.

As Christ told the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). From utter failure, we find His grace sufficient! We can no longer boast of our victories or brag about our successes. We are no longer driven to succeed. We’re able to “boast all the more gladly about [our] weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on [us]” (2 Cor. 12:9). It’s liberating to no longer strive to succeed or feel driven to win. I’ll never again be manipulated by the opinions of others. No longer will I esteem myself and accept Jesus! Now I can accept myself and esteem Him!

The Submission of the Soul

To esteem God above self, we have to submit. Active submission is different from passivity. It’s voluntary participation in and partnership with the Father’s process.

Few have more clearly demonstrated submission to Christ than did the Spaffords, a fine Christian family who lived in Chicago during the 1850s. Horatio (known as H.G.) and Anna Spafford were pillars of the community, serving those in need. They were supporters of Dwight L. Moody and helped establish his ministry. The Spaffords faithfully served survivors of the historic Chicago fire of 1871.

By 1873 the stress of their relief work finally took its toll on Anna Spafford, and doctors advised her to take a vacation. H.G. had visited France years before and decided it would be a perfect place to take his family. He booked passage for his family on the Ville du Havre, the safest and most luxurious ship afloat. With great anticipation, the Spafford’s four daughters, along with their governess, prepared for the voyage. As the day of their departure approached, a business problem prevented H.G. from sailing with his family. He promised to join them as soon as possible.

During the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, on a calm, starry night, the Ville du Havre was rammed midship. Despite reassurances from the crew, the ship split in two and sank within 15 minutes, taking the Spafford family to the ocean’s depths. Anna Spafford felt her infant daughter slip from her arms by the force of the sea. Though unconscious, Anna was miraculously saved by a wooden plank. Only 57 people survived, including Anna and the governess. Gone were the Spafford’s four precious daughters.

Upon arrival in France, Anna cabled H.G. with just two words: “Saved alone.” In his grief-stricken state, H.G. quickly booked passage on another ship to meet his wife. Though H.G. lived like a recluse while on the ship, the captain at one point summoned H.G. to the wheelhouse. Peering into the starry night, the captain said, “Sir, this is the location where the Ville du Havre sank.” After gazing into the watery grave of his four precious daughters, Horatio wiped the tears from his eyes and retired again to his cabin below. There he took a pen and paper and wrote:

When peace, like a river,

attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say:

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

H.G.’s original manuscript reads, “Thou has taught me to know,” which has a much deeper meaning than “Thou has taught me to say.” But with either word, he expressed his constant faith in the face of disaster.

As you press forward with God from stage to stage, conquering your own soul and achieving victory on each level, you can then mentor others through the process. We can lead others no further than we have gone ourselves.

Unveiling the Truth About You

1.  Why does the Lord want to strip us of soulish self-interest? Have you misunderstood the process? Will you say yes to the process?

2.  With which of the soulish approaches to God mentioned in this chapter do you identify? How can you draw closer to Him?

3.  As you reflect on your life, where have you fought most against God’s will? Where do you need to surrender to draw closer to Him today?

DEVOTIONAL

Refuge During the Journey

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out

into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

LUKE 5:4, KJV

Many of us prefer to keep our boats safely tied to the pier rather than launch out into the deep with Christ. To be sure, when a boat is tied to the pier, it is sheltered within the harbor. But boats are designed for sailing, not docking. The real adventure begins in the open sea with the wind and the salty ocean spray in your face.

The same is true of your spiritual journey. If you are content to stay in port, tied to the dock, then you’ll have limited opportunity to know Jesus better. To discover who He truly is and your destiny in Him, cast off your moorings by faith and launch out into the deep. Forsake your fears and risk a deeper intimacy with Jesus; then you will learn more about Him, and in the vast ocean of His Spirit, you will find the very desire of your heart.

Simon Peter was so anxious to experience Christ’s supernatural power that when he and the other disciples who were in a boat saw Jesus walking toward them on water tossed by waves from a contrary wind, he asked:

Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus (Matt. 14:28-29, KJV).

But something happened to Peter in the process:

But when [Peter] saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Matt. 14:30-31, KJV).

Facing life’s trials is a lot like launching out into the deep or stepping out of the boat. When we step out and find ourselves confronted with overwhelming odds, we’ll immediately cry out to Jesus for deliverance. But the Lord says, “I want to do more than deliver you. I want to develop you.”

Even in the test Satan prepared for Peter, we see how Jesus intended it to develop Peter’s character: “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee” (Luke 22:31-32, KJV). Surely Peter must have been shocked to hear of Satan’s plan to sift him; but I’m sure he was relieved to know that Jesus had prayed for him. By now Simon Peter knew that the Father always heard and answered Jesus’ prayers. What could Peter have possibly thought when he discovered that Jesus didn’t pray for the relief of sifting? Rather, Jesus said, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Jesus prayed only that Simon Peter’s faith would stand the test and that the test would strengthen him, and he would strengthen others.

You, too, will be tested. The wind and the waves of the open sea will test your commitment to the Lord. He wants you to have more than a shallow experience; He wants you to know His depths. A deep relationship with God requires deep testing, and deep testing requires new faith. Once we pass the tests, we earn the right to walk with Him at deeper levels.

The psalmist said, “O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress” (Ps. 4:1, KJV). If the Lord harbored you at the same safe port all your life, you would never grow. Periodically, He calls you to launch out into the deep, to step out of the boat and walk through life’s storms with Him. If you refuse to trust Jesus or risk the journey, then you’ll never know the joy of deep intimacy with Him. Untested, you may remain unfit for service and possibly never reach your destiny.

Yet if you will step out of the boat in faith, you’ll learn who God is and who you are, and your faith will grow. These experiences will develop in you Christlike sensitivity and sympathy for others who face hardships. You will know what they are going through, for you too have journeyed there.

8

ROMANCE OF THE HEART

From Covenant to Consummation

This is a spectacular spring morning unlike all others. Throughout the house the air is charged with excitement! This is the wedding day. The Bride gazes into the full-length mirror with a look of disbelief. She snaps to attention and spins around to tell everyone about her Groom with whom she’s about to begin a new life. She explains, “He’s not just any man. He’s a King, and He is not just any king, He’s the King of kings!” She has letters from this stately King of all kings with promises of eternal things to come. She joyfully prepares for the wedding.

Chosen to Be the Bride

Inside her room, the Bride takes the necessary time to beautify herself. Her gown is white flowing linen. From her slender perfumed neck hangs an exquisite pearl necklace, a gift from Jesus, her fiancé, a symbol of the great price He’s paid for her (Matt. 13:45-46; Rev. 21:21). And now as the Bride gazes at her reflection in the mirror, joy floods her heart. Jesus, the Bridegroom, has chosen her, the Church, “to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27).

What is the Bride’s scriptural significance? What will be her wedded relationship with Jesus? When is it to occur? Many believe it is a future event, a future Kingdom reality. Here is a secret: The marriage is now—we are to experience the love of covenant every day. The wedding, when they become husband and wife, occurs at the new birth (salvation). In that moment, the spiritual union occurs and the Father pronounces them “one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17, KJV). The marriage is their life together (the Christian life).

The marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven isn’t the wedding—it’s more like an anniversary celebration; the wedding is the new birth—the marriage is the Christian life, the renewal celebration of sustained love. Solomon’s Song of Songs reveals a lot about this marriage. Let’s look into some of the phases of this intimate spirit-to-Spirit relationship.

The Honeymoon: Getting to Know Him

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens love you! Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers (Song of Songs 1:2-4, emphasis added).

When we spiritually plunge into the fathomless ocean of God’s love, consummation of a divine union occurs. Male or female, all are one in Christ. We are each His bride, one in Him (unity) and one with Him. This relationship is like sweet incense that fills the air. In the life of this new partnership, the bride experiences the joy of forgiveness and the assurance of life eternal. An inner awakening has occurred.

During the honeymoon phase of any new marriage, love is immature. As we see in this passage from Song of Songs, the Bride encourages her heavenly lover to meet her needs. “Let Him kiss me.” Her impatience can be heard in verse 4: “Take me away with you—let us hurry!” This desire for her needs to be met shouldn’t be considered bad, only immature; the Bride is still behaving in the adolescent stage of love that says, “It’s all about me!” This is true of each of us as we begin our relationship with Jesus. At first we depend heavily on His reinforcing love. Then as our relationship deepens, we learn to give ourselves to Jesus more freely.

And His Ways Shall Become My Ways

We can know our heavenly Bridegroom Spirit to spirit. He longs to know us and to make Himself known to us. And once we know Him, we should learn His ways. Sadly, some desire His benefits, but “they say unto God, … we desire not the knowledge of thy ways” (Job 21:14, KJV).

God called David a man after His own heart. David wrote, “Show me thy ways, O LORD” (Ps. 25:4, KJV). But God grieved over Israel because, though they knew Him, they never learned His ways (Pss. 78:40; 95:10). The psalmist explained, “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel” (Ps. 103:7, KJV). The Israelites knew what God did, but Moses knew why God did it. That is a deeper relationship!

One can be married to someone and never really know what that person does or why he or she does it. Until we fully understand a person’s ways, we can’t fully know his or her heart. King David understood this important aspect of intimate relationship: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Ps. 51:10,13, KJV). In Psalm 25:4 David asked God to show him His ways. In Exodus 33:13, Moses did as well. Only those who have sought and learned God’s ways can teach them to others! Only those who have known the deep joy of being His Bride can transmit that joy to others.

Basking in the Benefits

Why do married people try to find mates for their single friends? They intuitively know we are each fashioned by our Creator for relational intimacy and that intimacy is best exemplified by a bride and a groom. Let’s look at some of the benefits.

Companionship

One of the primary benefits of marriage is companionship. “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love” (Song of Songs 2:4).

Those who have lost a spouse report the awful agony of being alone. Loneliness is very painful, but the Lord didn’t create us to be alone. After creating Adam, rather than His usual pronouncement of “It is good,” God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18, KJV, emphasis added). It was the Father’s idea to create a woman for man. From the beginning, it was important to the Father that neither He, nor man, be alone. When God, in the Garden, fashioned a wife for Adam, He had it in His heart that one day He would fashion a Bride for Himself. And He did—the Church!

Sustenance

Not only does God intend we have companionship, but like any good husband, He also sustains us:

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste… . Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love (Song of Songs 2:3-5, emphasis added).

The Lord Jesus feeds us with His Word. He encourages us to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8). As we hear His voice and feed on His Word, we take hold of it. As we apply it in our daily lives, it takes hold of us!

The book of Ruth clearly illustrates the sustenance of the heavenly marital relationship. When both Naomi and her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, became widowed, both were without food. Traveling from Moab to Bethlehem, Ruth committed to stay with Naomi. When they arrived in Bethlehem, God granted Ruth favor as she gleaned behind the harvesters in the fields of Boaz, her father-in-law’s next of kin. Day after day, Ruth gleaned more than enough grain for Naomi and herself. When Naomi instructed Ruth to lie at the feet of Boaz during the night and to ask Boaz to spread his robe over her—a symbol of taking her under his protection by marriage—Ruth’s humility and surrender touched Boaz’ heart. In response, Boaz went to the city gate and redeemed the field of Naomi’s late husband, Elimelech. Upon buying the field in the presence of the city elders, Boaz fulfilled the law of a kinsman-redeemer and announced:

Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses! (Ruth 4:9-10).

When Boaz took Ruth as his wife, everything that belonged to Boaz now belonged to Ruth. From their relationship came Obed, the grandfather of King David. And through David’s lineage we, too, have reaped a husband and a King—Christ Jesus!

Affection

Like a loving husband, the Lord shows us His affection: “His left arm is under my head, and His right arm embraces me” (Song of Songs 2:6). As we enter marriage, the inner fountain of love increases. The heavenly Bridegroom wants to express His unconditional love for us. One difficulty we encounter is trying to measure up to this undeserved favor. We have “gleaned in the fields” so long that we feel unworthy to sit with Him at the banquet table. Not until we quiet our minds from the expectations of what we think He wants from us can we enjoy His favorable affection. Relax, for our Bridegroom loves us unconditionally. As outer-court striving ends and we become aware that He accepts us completely, an inward rest allows us to receive His genuine affection.

We have “gleaned in the fields”

so long that we feel unworthy to sit with

Him at the banquet table.

In no way does this refer to a sexual affection. I refer to an affection that transcends anything this world could offer: Heart-to-heart, Spirit-to-spirit love between us and almighty God.

Protection

Another benefit of this union is the security of His protection. “But you are a shield around me… . I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me… . I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side… . From the LORD comes deliverance” (Ps. 3:3-8). To experience a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, learn to hide in the shadow of His wing. Just as Ruth asked Boaz to spread his garment over her, our heavenly Groom longs to spread His garment over us to offer protection. His garment over us is love!

Moment by moment as we daily abide in Him, what comes our way has His permission. We learn as Paul did that “in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil. 4:11, KJV) and as did Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). So as our confidence in His protection grows, the trust level of our relationship deepens.

Developing Your Eternal Marriage

As we cultivate fellowship, Bible study, fasting, meditation, witnessing, service, prayer and faithful acts of giving and receiving, our marriage with Christ develops. Unfortunately, intimate prayer is the most easily overlooked.

Prolonged intimate prayer produces growth and fruitfulness in our lives. Time in His presence causes us to become so satisfied and refreshed, all other loves pale by comparison.

Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me” (Song of Songs 2:8-13, emphasis added).

His love words and grace words transform us—His Bride—forever. Fruitfulness results. A floral fragrance of flowers follows us everywhere, a love song lingers on our lips, and the sweet presence of a dove is heard cooing in delight of our union. Knowing our heavenly Bridegroom and what is important to Him becomes more important than life. United with Him through the new birth, we abandon ourselves and spend more time with Him. Joy fills our heart as we read His Word, listen to His voice and obey His gentle instructions. And the more we do, the more our heart cries out for an even greater revelation of who He is.

The Revelation

Of all the things God reveals to us, nothing is more precious, or more relational than the revelation of Himself. He’s under no obligation to share Himself with us, but He does. As our heavenly lover reveals to us secrets of His heart, we are deeply affected. Now, with our senses deadened daily to the self-life (Rom. 6:11), our spirit is magnetically drawn into the vast ocean of His love.

He has rent the veil, but we must open

the door! If we are to be complete in Him,

we must risk being known completely.

Amazingly, God draws us to Himself. “My lover spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me’” (Song of Songs 2:10). We have a choice. We can resist and remain in the outer court of effort and striving, or we can voluntarily turn our mind, will and emotions toward the Spirit and be drawn into His presence. He has rent the veil, but we must open the door! If we are to be complete in Him, we must risk being known completely.

Testing the Relationship

How will we be made complete? It will happen as our love is refined. Jesus says to “buy from me gold refined in the fire” (Rev. 3:18). James calls this “the testing of your faith [which] develops perseverance” (Jas. 1:3).

This testing is the most intriguing part of God’s plan. It is one of His ways. But many Christians today view God’s testing as rejection. On the contrary, one way He tests our relationship is to withhold Himself from us. He withdraws:

My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

I opened for my lover, but my lover had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer. The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls! O daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you—if you find my lover, what will you tell him? Tell him I am faint with love (Song of Songs 2:14; 5:6-8, emphasis added).

When God withdraws, He does it to teach us to walk daily with Him. The following story illustrates my point: As a very young boy, my husband, Eddie, enjoyed going to Woolworth’s variety store in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, with his grandmother. The moment they entered the store, he’d jerk his hand loose from hers and barrel straight into the toy department.

On one of their visits, Eddie made his usual dash toward the toys only to discover that the toy department had been moved. Suddenly he was less interested in toys and more interested in finding his grandmother. He scoured the store, crying out desperately for her.

Years later, she confessed that as Eddie came down one aisle looking for her, she would hide quietly behind a display until he had passed. When she finally did show herself to him, Eddie ran and grabbed her with such force, she wondered if he would have to be surgically removed! Why had she hidden from him? Certainly not because she didn’t love him. She treasured him. She hid from him to teach him how to walk with her!

Our heavenly Groom pulls away for a season so that we (His Bride) can experience the temporary loss of His manifested presence. He removes the spiritual riches (His gifts) bestowed on us as newly-weds. Sometimes He temporarily withdraws His voice and leaves us in silence. Sometimes He withholds our anointing for service to prove to us that we can do nothing of ourselves. It’s difficult to understand why He does this. And during these withdrawal seasons, the absence of His expressed presence and the sound of His voice produce a dryness of soul:

You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain (Song of Songs 4:12, emphasis added).

Notice the use of the word “my” in this passage. We are His Bride, and He will go to any length to have us to Himself. The words “a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain” suggest that the Bride had become frigid. The fountain of love and adoration that had once poured out of her had ceased to flow. Is your love for the heavenly Bridegroom cold? When He withdrew from you did you cease to pursue Him? Did you think He was mad at you? Friend, Jesus isn’t mad at you; He’s mad about you!

I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown (Jer. 2:2).

God refuses to be taken for granted. He loves to be pursued. So by being silent, or withholding His anointing from our lives, He creates a crisis in our heart, which in turn creates a hunger and thirst for Him within our spirit.

Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! (Song of Songs 4:16).

It’s as though we experience temporary death. The Lord removes our conscious experience of His grace and love. Our soul, tormented by this death (wilderness experience), struggles to find God, even if it means that we revert and serve Him in the flesh. When this fails (as it will), we’ll realize how we’ve taken our Groom for granted. Out of our grief and repentance come tears of godly sorrow. Our surrender draws the heavenly Bridegroom again to us with new tokens of His love.

We hardly recover before we again forget our lover, Jesus. The spirit wants what is of God, while the soul wants what is of self. The Lord grieves as He realizes we are so unfaithful. “Does a maiden forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number” (Jer. 2:32, emphasis added). We sink into desperation until which time our spirit takes preeminence. This cycle continues until we learn to completely surrender to our Groom.

Waiting in anticipation for His abiding presence encourages our pursuit. Passionate pursuit balanced with patience produces godly discipline. Such patience is a bit easier when we begin to know the process and the Father’s ways. In the plan of God, the process is the product. Our journey, as the Bride, is to stay in continual pursuit of our lover.

All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him (Song of Songs 3:1-2, emphasis added).

As we learn God’s ways during the periods of dryness, self-examination inevitably arises. Self-examination is good—unless we allow introspection to set in, which results in self-condemnation (Rom. 8:1). Godly self-evaluation will expose our hidden sins and selfish motives that spoil our relationship with the Lord. The purpose of self-examination is to purify our love and devotion:

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom (Song of Songs 2:15, emphasis added).

The “little foxes” are subtle sins that creep into our lives and seek to rob us of a meaningful relationship. Sins deprive us of intimacy and love. We rid ourselves of them and cleanse ourselves for Jesus.

As mentioned earlier, in the beginning of our relationship, He showered us with gifts as tokens of His love. Now He temporarily removes them, so an unhealthy root of self-dependency can’t form. You may ask, “If the gifts are so harmful, why does He bother to give them at all?” Our heavenly lover gives gifts to draw us to Himself. As we use and enjoy our spiritual gifts, an admiration of self arises. Along with pride in our spiritual victories, self-righteousness takes root in us. It’s easy to do. Then just as we begin to think we are something so special that we don’t need Him, the Lord withdraws His blessings. He temporarily withholds many spiritual gifts, so we can see a fuller revelation of how bankrupt we really are apart from Him. Our bankruptcy reminds us we can’t live Christian lives under self-rule.

Renewal: The Springtime of Our Love

Spring arrives. And it brings a rekindled assurance that God’s work is timely. Winter has passed. In her spirit, the Bride knows by experiential revelation that she is married to the Lord. Those areas of our life where thoughts, imagination, intellect and emotions once governed are now beginning to submit to the Spirit of God within us.

How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights! Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit… . May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples, and your mouth like the best wine….

Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love. The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my lover (Song of Songs 7:6-13, emphasis added).

Strangely, God doesn’t arrive expressing who He is to us but rather who we are to Him. As in many things of the Spirit, many of us have incorrectly assumed that our relationship is largely built on who He is to us; in fact, before He was anything to us, we were specially loved by Him: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Most of us are far more apt to accept how much we should love God than to believe how much He loves us. Perhaps it’s because one who loves as much as He loves us has great responsibility. The “old” in Song of Songs 7:13 might be His age-old promises (2 Pet. 1:4). However, just having the promises is insufficient. The “new” is our experience with those “very great and precious promises” (2 Pet. 1:4). Love is not really love until it has been given away.

All that’s taken place up to this point has been immature love (or selfishness), but now the Bride’s love is becoming selfless. “I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me” (Song of Songs 7:10). We respond to Him. We finally find faith enough to believe He means what He says. Our spiritual lover has established the courtship protocol: Seek and find. The fact that we begin the pursuit shows that we are committed to find mature love. In Song of Songs 8:1, the Bride says, “If only you were to me like a brother, who was nursed at my mother’s breasts! Then, if I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me.” By this she lets us know that her love for Him as her Lord and King is like the pure and simple love for a brother.

Few Christians feel they are a delight to the Lord. They misunderstand the courtship of heaven. They mistake His silence for rejection. Uniquely, it’s the revelation that we are a delight to God that releases us to move boldly into the throne room. Supernaturally assured of His love and acceptance, the Bride can now become what He needs:

I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment (Song of Songs 8:10).

Again, in no way am I implying this physical metaphor as sexual. This verse refers to the place where we bring loving comfort. Lifted above selfishness, we find a boundless capacity to love God from the depths of our spirit. The spiritual Bride now experiences life that springs from selflessness. Her sole joy is to please her spiritual lover. The Lord finds pleasure in her faithful, strong and mature companionship.

Does God have needs? In one sense no, yet in another sense (because of His self-limitation), He does. For example, Scripture teaches that He looks for people to stand in the gap and for those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He’s chosen to “need” a relationship with us and even equips us to fulfill His expectations within that relationship.

A Passion for Partnership

Inherent in our relationship with God is a partnership with a desired, achievable and fruitful end.

First, God wants us to partner with Him in filling the earth “with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” (Hab. 2:14, KJV). He does this by filling the earth with Spirit-born sons and daughters. You see, God’s never stopped making humans “in his own image” (Gen. 1:27). He will conform all who will let Him into the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29).

Second, He’ll achieve His goals while relating to us, because He calls us His Bride. At the new birth we became one spirit with Him, just as a man and wife become one flesh. Because a wife’s natural desire is for her husband, intimate love develops from this healthy relationship.

Passion breeds trust, and trust, a deep abiding companionship. Companionship leads to abandonment, and abandonment results in sacrificial love. Abandoned and faithful lovers will lay down their lives for each other. This is the kind of lover Christ is looking for today:

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned (Song of Songs 8:6-7, emphasis added).

Third, the Father calls this a marriage relationship. We are the Bride He gives to Jesus. Jesus is the Husband the Father gives to us. “For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth” (Isa. 54:5). Since the beginning of time the Father has desired a family relationship and fellowship.

Finally, this is a relationship with an anticipated result. He not only wants to experience intimacy with us, but He also longs for our intimacy to result in a conception that will produce fruit that remains (John 15:8).

Jesus Christ wants us, His Bride, to be pregnant with His burden for the almost 2.74 billion boys, girls, men and women who have never heard the love story of Calvary.[1] God is thrilled that you and I are part of His family, but He weeps for the many others who haven’t received His Spirit of adoption. The Bride should seek the bed chamber (prayer room) where this burden can be imparted. It’s vital that for the conception to take root, she be spiritually intimate with her heavenly Bridegroom.

The Lord is grieved that His Bride doesn’t want to conceive His spiritual seed in her heart. The chilling truth is that the Church has many other lovers: cars, careers, houses, busyness, entertainment, money and fame. “‘She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there… . You have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—would you now return to me?’ declares the LORD” (Jer. 3:6,1).

Sadly, some who do conceive aren’t willing to carry the burden to full term. Instead they abort His seed—for the burdens of God can be most difficult—and they never fulfill their Kingdom purpose. For the Bride to bear fruit requires more than love. It requires labor! The prayer room becomes a labor room for birth! Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25).

Giving Birth to Wind

Isaiah 26:17-18 states the condition of the Church in many parts of the world:

As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, O LORD. We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to people of the world (emphasis added).

Content to be “engaged” to Jesus, the Bride talks about Him and tells great stories about Him but fails to enter beyond the veil, into the holy of holies, to labor in prayer for the nations. He longs to have a Bride for Himself who will bear fruit after His own kind. We are to be “pregnant” with the gospel of Christ!

Replicating the Relationship

Once the gospel has produced life, the life it produces needs to be nurtured. We teach others how to experience intimacy with Christ by modeling it for them. In the natural, there are no schools for marriage and parenting except the home in which we were reared. In the spiritual, we who understand and experience Christ are learning to mentor others. As Paul demonstrated, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9, emphasis added). It’s important that we become present-day Pauls who’ll model genuine, intimate intercession and godly travail. Then we, too, can say with Paul, “Those things that you have learned, received, heard or seen in me, do.”

As mentors and teachers, we can impart to others those things Christ has formed in us. Christ now tells the Bride, “You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!” (Song of Songs 8:13). Our instruction is to teach others this spiritual love relationship we share with our heavenly Groom. Many wait to hear our voice speak the mysteries of divine love. We are more than the messengers. We are the message! Can you hear Jesus? He says to His Bride, “Let Me hear your voice.”

The Spirit and the Bride Say, “Come!”

Church, let’s humble ourselves and admit our failure. We are somewhat familiar with fruit bearing. Regrettably, in recent years the Church has been pregnant with its own seed and has borne fruit after its own kind (Gen. 1:11-12). We have given birth to “wind.” We are unable to distinguish between the work of the flesh and the work of the Spirit. We read how the cloud of smoke filled the Temple in the Old Testament. Yet today we seemingly can’t discern between dust and smoke: the “dust” of human activity and the “smoke” of God’s presence!

Clearly, we’ve not brought salvation to the earth. We have not given birth to overcoming prayers or given birth to people of the world. The time has come for the Bride to understand her calling and submit to her Husband:

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (Rev. 19:7-8, KJV).

Our heavenly Groom has prepared white linen robes for us to wear. He knocks at the door, but we’ve not made ourselves ready. We’ve refused to put on the robes we’ve been given. Like the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13, most of us have not filled our oil lamps in preparation for the wedding banquet. Time is running out.

For years the Church has looked at the Great Commission as a human evangelistic responsibility. Can you see how it is to be the result of a marriage partnership? The final result of our relationship with Christ is the completion of the Great Commission. It’s a joint venture, a partnership between the Lord and His Bride. It’s born in passionate intercessory prayer! To five billion lost and dying people, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” (Rev. 22:17).

Unveiling the Truth About You

1.  Why does it please Jesus to call you His Bride?

2.  What would it be like to be married to someone you hardly know? Are you living as if you are married to Christ? In what areas have you distanced yourself from your heavenly Bridegroom?

3.  What are some of the ways your relationship to Christ has been tested? Will the tests be enough to make you give up?

4.  Have you been giving birth to wind through your busyness, career, activities or even ministry? What has this done to your relationship with Jesus?

5. What will you change today to see love grow?

Note: The absence of the devotionals for the next two chapters is not an oversight; it’s intentional. Why? Because it’s my desire that as you read and focus on spiritual intimacy with Jesus, you will hear the sweet Holy Spirit woo you closer to Him. From the romance of love to the sheer delight of entering His presence in the final chapter, it’s my prayer you will never be the same. Now, let’s move our focus from devotionals to devotion.

9

COME BEYOND THE VEIL

God’s Call to Intimate Intercession

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

PSALM 84:1-2

Two thousand years ago as Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). At the sound of those words, He redeemed fallen humanity from eternal separation with God. With that, heaven’s windows opened and God reached into the Temple and tore the veil in the holy of holies “from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51). God’s heart was forever exposed to those who will seek Him. His heart was opened to all who will commune with Him. His throne room was made accessible to all who will enter.

“It is finished!” Finished forever are the days when God was unapproachable; gone are the days when His children had to stand outside the Temple as a high priest interceded for them. God initiated a new level of intimate intercession that can only occur beyond the veil. Such communion is prayer at its deepest level. And it’s available to all who will enter the inner chamber of the holy of holies.

The Inner Chamber

Many still have questions about the inner chamber: What is this inner chamber, who should enter, and how do they reach it? Some erroneously believe that only intercessors are welcome. But the truth is that any believer is welcome. Not all intercessors ever reach this level of communion with the Lord. There is little written about this deepest level of intimacy in prayer.

Let’s briefly review what we have discussed. In chapter 5, we discovered that a person’s body, soul and spirit are illustrated by the Old Testament Tabernacle or Temple. The body represents the outer court; the soul, the holy place; and the spirit, the holy of holies. According to the apostle Paul, we are the Temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19). For us to attain an inner-chamber, or holy-of-holies, intimacy with God in prayer, we need to bring the body (senses, or outer court) and the soul (mind, will and emotions, or holy place) under the submission of our spirit (holy of holies). It is our human spirit that has become one with the Holy Spirit.

What Is the Problem?

The problem is getting your body to submit to your soul, and your soul to submit to your spirit, so you are completely submitted to God’s Holy Spirit. But how do you submit your outer self to the Spirit within? This is the dilemma. The more you strive to submit your body and soul to the Spirit (through concentration and focusing on the Lord), the more outwardly driven rather than inwardly drawn you become.

While struggling to submit your mind to the Lord, you anticipate the fight and become more self-conscious. Consequently, the process itself defeats you. For this reason, many have given up and walked away from an encounter that might have forever transformed them. If that includes you, I encourage you to try again.

A Time and a Place

First, it’s vital you pick the right time and place to silence your mind. Find a place where you can spend extended time (perhaps hours) without being interrupted by the phone, the doorbell or anything else. If you don’t schedule the time, you will never do it! Make time with the Lord to be the priority in your day.

Remember, communion with God is relational. He longs to fellowship with you. The quest for intimacy begins with a quiet spirit and a mental focus on Him.

A Posture, a Position, a Pen and a Pad

Posture though important is purely personal. You may concentrate best by sitting, kneeling or even lying face down. What is more important is the posture of your heart. Close your eyes and you’ll have fewer distractions. Remember, Jesus said that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

The natural tendency for your mind to wander is part of your fallenness. The mind is not reborn as is your spirit, so it must be “renewed” moment by moment—brought under control as the apostle Paul wrote (2 Cor. 10:4-5, KJV). Plagued by mental aerobics, you may find yourself remembering people to call, things to do and places to go.

Early in learning this process of prayer, I fought these urges. Then I realized that fighting these distractions became a distraction itself. Feelings of guilt and failure that resulted were additional hindrances. I was caught in a vicious cycle, trapped in the outer court. Today, having a pen and pad close by allows me to stop momentarily and write these thoughts down, which frees my mind from the worry that I’ll forget something important. Honest seeker, don’t let the enemy condemn you. In time, you’ll learn to freely lavish your attention, as well as your affection, on the Lord.

Approaching the Throne

After the protocol of waiting silently yet expectantly before the Lord, begin to glorify the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Father

Praise Him for His attributes. Speak to Him with abandoned affection!

Father, I exalt Your name above every name. You are clothed with majesty and glory. I rejoice, for You are Lord. Receive all honor and respect today. I testify of Your magnificent love before angels and demons. There is no other God but You. You are the only God, the everlasting God. You are the great I AM, the ever-present, eternal God. You are a loving Father. You are my Father. I love You, I love You.

Allow loving expressions to bubble up from your heart. Pour out your affection on Him. Bless the Father for loving you so much that He would sacrifice His Son, Jesus, for your sin. Thank Him for always being there for you, for being such a wonderful Father. Thank Him for the Holy Spirit who helps you walk in holiness. Don’t hurry! Linger. Exalt Him with your praise! Enjoy the fellowship together.

Once immersed in worship, move on to concentrate on the Son.

The Son

Lavish praise on Jesus! Exalt His name. Thank Him for the miracles He performed or the way He handled different situations when He was on earth.

Jesus, You radiate with glory! You have gained the right to receive all honor, glory and praise! Thank You, Jesus, for the way You dealt with the woman with the issue of blood. She was so weary and discouraged after 12 long years. You treated her with such tender respect when You told her, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you” [Matt. 9:22]. I can almost see Your eyes of love as You looked kindly at her. You blessed and healed her publicly. You’re awesome, Jesus! Oh, I want to have that kind of compassion and love for people! You’re so precious. I adore You! I delight to sit in Your presence!

Thank Him for blessing you. Recognize the elements of His character: His mercy, His power, His patience and His faithfulness. Continue your worship as you celebrate the awesome presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit

Tell Him how much you appreciate His anointing and revelation.

Praise You, Holy Spirit. You are faithful. Thank You for making known to me those things that no eye can see, no ear can hear, no man can understand. You have all wisdom, understanding and knowledge. I praise You, Holy Spirit. Be the center of all that I pray. Rule and reign in my heart, mind and soul, so all that is spoken will bring glory and honor to the Lord.

Utter words of sincere gratitude for revealing God’s Word to you. Recollect the many whispered promises He’s kept. Thank Him for the answers that are yet to come. Bless Him for revealing the unconditional love of the Father to you. Thank the Holy Spirit, for He is a teacher—unfolding revelations about Scripture and convicting you of sin. Tell Him you cherish His willingness to encourage you after miserably failing to obey His lead. Magnify Him with every ounce of breath you have.

Ignite Your Worship with Praise

Remember the television commercial from some years back that showed two lovers running toward each other, arms outstretched, through a beautiful green meadow? Allow your heart to reach out to Him, and raise your hands as you seek His embrace. You will find that He draws near to you as you ignite the spark of love with your worship and praise. “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (Jas. 4:8). He is drawn near to the person who brags on and appreciates Him. He is attracted to sincere praise and intimate fellowship.

The heavenly activities of worship and intercession intertwine. In terms of a worship liturgy, this is the praise time—the time to celebrate His excellence and proclaim His faithfulness. The intimate, quiet, heart-to-heart, face-to-face encounter is yet to come. Nevertheless, this is an important part of the journey beyond the veil.

Hindrances to Breakthrough

If your attention is focused on your ability to sound good musically, your praise experience will be hindered. If you struggle with acceptance, it will hinder your breakthrough in intimacy. If you focus on your own inadequacy, efforts toward intimacy will fail. A healthy relationship between two people cannot develop if either strives to perform or attain acceptance. The same is true in spiritual intimacy at this deeper level.

Guard against soulish striving to enter a relationship with the Lord. Simply offer sincere affection. It’s your right to enjoy Jesus’ loving presence. Therefore, at this stage of prayer, resist all urges to deal with your failures, flaws or sins. There will be time for that on other occasions.

Abandoned affectionate praise drives back the enemy. “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” (Ps. 8:2). The enemy is left speechless. He flees at the sound of heartfelt praise for Jesus.

As your vision clears and your destination beyond the veil draws nearer, fiercely fight the inclination to get something from God. That’s both childish and selfish. Pour adoration upon Him because you adore Him. Simply relinquish your mind, emotions and will to the living Lord. Then, at some point in your praise, you’ll reach a plateau.

The Plateau

When no further words can be spoken, you’ve arrived. David illustrates this: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me” (Ps. 42:7). “Deep calls to deep” speaks of the Spirit of God searching all the depth of your spirit, so He can reveal the deep things of God to you. The Hebrew word tehon here translated “deep” is an abyss, for a surging mass of water forces everything into the deep sea or subterranean. The psalmist refers to the spiritual depths God invites you to experience. No longer conscious of time and space, this holy moment in the deep with God ushers you into the inner sanctum—a holy place. Thoughts of earthly surroundings are erased from your mind. You are lost in your love for Him and His love for you.

It’s as though you have climbed a mountain and reached its pinnacle. Relieved, you look out across the horizon, anticipating your next adventure. Speechless, you lose yourself in His presence. Simultaneously, all heaven celebrates your entry as a child of the King. Heavenly hosts applaud as you enter through the door of the inner chamber into the holy of holies beyond the veil. The sheer radiance of His glory envelops you.

Trust, the Doorway to Intimacy

You will pass through four relational stages as you interact with your heavenly Groom. The first is the acquaintanceship stage. Through the new birth you become acquainted with God as your Father. Unbelievable as it seems, you’re His child! Beyond that you develop a true friendship with Him. It’s sad that some children of God have yet to know Him as friend. Based on friendship and your daily experiences with Him, a deep trust is cultivated which is the doorway to intimacy.

Trust is the tear in the veil

through which He leads us into His

throne room or bed chamber.

Even here, you may find yourself uncomfortable with such abandonment to the Lord. Self-defenses begin to activate. Sadly, some of us have more faith in the enemy’s power to deceive us than in our Savior’s power to protect us, which implies that Satan is more relational than God. Once and for all you need to settle the issue that God is passionately in love with you. He will never give you a serpent for a fish, nor a stone for bread (Matt. 7:7-11). Remember, God Almighty calls us by the intimate name “My Bride.” John tells us in Revelation 21:9, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

So trust is the tear in the veil through which He leads us into His throne room or bed chamber. Come as you are. Bring your flaws, failures and concerns into His presence. Your impurities don’t threaten Him. He knows your heart, and His love for you is unconditional. He’s not going to leave you as you are. As you submit yourself in voluntary devotion to Him, His loving-kindness will bring you to a point of cleansing and forgiveness.

Consistent fellowship with the Lord produces:

• Purity—Time in His presence causes us to become more like Him.

• Revelation—Time in His presence increases our spiritual sensitivity and knowledge.

• Discernment—Time in His presence provides a Kingdom perception of spiritual realities.

From sacred hours of intimacy spent in His presence, you’ll experience transformation by adoration. Burdens lift and frustrations dissolve as you nestle under His divine covering.

The Eye of the Hurricane

The process of moving deeper into intimate intercession is similar to an airplane flying into the eye of a hurricane. The center of a hurricane has the storm’s lowest barometric pressure. As you experience passionate inner-court worship, you are released from life’s pressures. The outer winds of your life may gust with strife, turmoil, confusion, pain and responsibility. But as you enter the eye of the storm, you will experience a peaceful calm. At the center of your spirit, where the Holy Spirit resides, there’s no disturbance, only tranquility.

You have submitted your soul to God, resulting in a shift that begins an inner transformation. You “have put on the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Your will is now subject to His will; your emotions intertwined with His. You’re now cooperating with the Holy Spirit, waiting upon Him. An insatiable desire to know Him rises in you, because an overwhelming hunger for a divine impartation consumes your being. The Lord sees that He can trust you and becomes firmly convinced that your commitment is to His presence, not just His presents. His response, like a tidal wave of love, flows over you. His presence is a timeless reality. The spiritual atmosphere around you is electric as He covers you with His royal robe. You are His and He is yours!

Absolutely speechless, you feel the joy of this total companionship, and it is euphoric. Unsurpassed peace is yours! It’s as though you have escaped the shackles of earth and ascended into the heavenlies. Without saying a word, the Lord liberates you from care. Answers to prayer are yours without a single word being spoken. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt. 6:8). You are experiencing the intercession of Jesus.

Another way to describe this inner-court visitation is to compare it with a balloon: It’s as if the Spirit of God were inflating your spirit like a balloon. As your soul submits to His Spirit, the wind of God enlarges your spirit. “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21-22). It’s as if you spiritually breathe in the Holy Spirit and exhale the impurities of your own life. It’s an exchange—an impartation for a cleansing.

Consider 2 Chronicles 7, when God’s shekinah glory filled the temple. Neither the priests nor the people could stand when the glory came. When glory comes during intimate intercession, all thoughts of time and space, hunger and thirst, personal responsibilities and needs diminish. God wraps you in Himself. You release self-direction, for your one desire is to relate to the person of Christ. Your soul ceases to fight against your spirit. As the Holy Spirit draws you into the holy of holies, beyond the veil, your soul surrenders to your heavenly lover.

The Heavenly Host

The Holy Spirit is your host within the inner chambers of the holy of holies. He prepares and serves your spiritual food. You feast and fellowship at His table. You may receive a serving of revelation or perhaps a taste of His reassuring love. He may entrust you with a prayer burden to bear or with an instruction to fulfill. The Lord doesn’t always communicate His love by speaking words. We are spirit beings, so His affection may be expressed in spoonfuls of peace. You may weep and not understand why, or groan in your spirit as the Holy Spirit “makes intercession for us with groanings” (Rom. 8:26, NKJV). He may speak to you in parables, reveal symbols or give new meaning to a familiar Scripture. Sometimes He simply says, “Dear one, I love you.”

This may happen instantly. It may happen after 10 minutes … or possibly two hours. Time is irrelevant when you’re in love. Then again, you may sit silently in each other’s presence. The key that unlocks the door of intimacy with Jesus is to lay down all preconceived ideas. Leave your expectations at the door and enjoy communion with Jesus, no matter how much or how little you experience.

Don’t Impose on Your Heavenly Lover

May I offer an important warning? There’s no place for the self-life before the throne. Selfishness will even destroy a human relationship. This is no time for “give me something.” The most frequent reason for the abortion of intimacy beyond the veil is a believer’s insistence on making personal requests at inappropriate times. Sometimes, in our selfishness, we impatiently take advantage of our heavenly lover with our requests. We focus on our needs rather than on Him.

We impose on Him and presumptuously ask for something, even something good, overlooking the fact that He has waited so long to have us all to Himself. The Spirit-to-spirit communion will be broken if we seek to dominate or take advantage of this courtship of love.

Lord, You Alone Are My Desire

In time, the discerning Bride, safe in the arms of her Bridegroom, will symbolically see “that look in His eye” that communicates lovingly, Okay, Beloved, what do you want from Me? For years I took this as an opportunity to share my prayer requests with Him. Then one day, captivated by grace, there seemed only one correct answer, “Lord, I only want You.” Instantly, in the unseen heavenly realm, celebration was heard. It’s as though I could hear shouts of joy in heaven as I experienced a new breakthrough between Jesus and me. Given the opportunity to ask for anything, I chose to have more of Him! At the time I didn’t realize what I was praying, but I was changed as a result.

Amazingly, my new victory also ushered in a new level of authority! Unaware of my promotion in heaven’s court, I awaited His response. Imagine my delight when He answered, “Beloved, I give you more of Me.” A metamorphosis occurred as more of my old nature fell aside and my spirit was enlarged. A deeper level of true love had occurred.

Have you noticed how a husband and wife begin to physically resemble each other as a result of living together for years? This is true in the spiritual realm as well. Endless visitations in the prayer closet will cause us to look more like Jesus. We’ll be changed “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18, NKJV). Moses had been in God’s presence on the mountain. He returned from the mountain with such glory that he was forced to wear a veil. People will see God’s glory on us, too, as we spend time “on the mountain” with Him!

Intimacy for Intimacy’s Sake

Some say wealthy people have difficulty distinguishing their real friends from those who befriend them simply to get something. Today’s headlines are replete with stories of fortune seekers who marry for gain and leave wounded lovers in their wake. Surely the Lord has experienced His share of spiritual lovers who sought Him for self-promotion or selfish gain. Approach Jesus with a pure heart and a sincere desire for Him alone. Such selfless adoration blesses Him immensely and will change you completely!

As you enter the inner chamber, you must set aside your prayer list and not approach God as though He were a Santa Claus or a heavenly sugar daddy. Your list will be for another day. Today is not the time to seek revelation or a word, though one or the other may come. Or He may deposit nuggets of truth in your heart. But whatever He deposits ought to come from Him. This is a time of intimacy for intimacy’s sake. We’re here for communion, love and devotion and to hear the burden on His heart, should He choose to share one. This is the pinnacle of prayer! Time in the inner chamber is both our deepest and the highest moments with God on an earthly plane.

Lord, What Is on Your Heart Today?

The goal beyond the veil is to synchronize your heart with His. Ask, “Lord, what is on Your heart today?” He may either flood you with immense revelation, or He may remain silent. I have experienced times of both. He may, as He once did with me, utter one word. For me, it was “Israel.”

I asked, “Lord, what about Israel?” Immediately my heart broke and I wept uncontrollably, not understanding why. Suddenly I knew He had spiritually enlarged me with groaning from the Spirit to bear a burden impossible for a mere mortal. I was receiving the burden of the Almighty.

Mental images of children flashed before my mind. That was it! I was weeping for the children in Israel. (At this point it is critical to find and follow the path of the Spirit.) As I prayed for the children of Israel, my weeping intensified. It was the Lord’s way of showing me this was His burden. If I had changed direction by praying for other things, the emotional upheaval would have stopped—my tears would have ceased, and the burden would have drifted away. I would have aborted my intercessory assignment due to lack of discernment or sensitivity to the unction of God.

Another indication you may be aborting His burden is that a deadness settles in your spirit. Don’t be alarmed, just return to the first burden the Lord revealed to you. He may continue in that direction for some time. On the other hand, He may move quickly through several issues. Because intercession is about His burden, not yours, submit to wherever the wind of His Spirit blows.

As I prayed for Israel, when the travail stopped and the spiritual release came, I knew that my present prayer assignment for the children of Israel was complete. Sometimes the Lord gives specific names, places, dates and other pertinent information. He may give you a Scripture to read or to proclaim aloud, or you may even pray the Scripture.

Discipline yourself. Don’t quit praying before the breakthrough comes. If possible, the enemy and your flesh will distract you with outer-court issues. Satan and his minions will stop at nothing to cause you to abort God’s burden. They are absolutely terrified of what you’re doing and would give anything to have the power available to you in prayer! Even those who pray to Satan are limited by his lesser power. Your prayer is an appeal to your unlimited heavenly Father! So fortify yourself to pray until the burden lifts and you have a sense of victory in your heart!

Bearing Burdens with the Heavenly Bridegroom

As Christ’s Bride, you will never be alone again. He will share as much with you as you are willing to receive. You have the joy of sharing in the Bridegroom’s victories, but you must also share His burdens. Suppose you get a mental picture of a family member. Resist the temptation to make from your human perspective premature judgments or make requests of God concerning this loved one. Instead, ask, “Lord, what about this loved one?”

The Lord may tell you about a timely need. If so, agree in faith with Him. He may expose the enemy’s plans to harm your loved one. For example, He may reveal to you that the enemy has designed an airplane disaster for someone in your family. In that case, with ambassadorial authority, enter warfare intercession. Fight for God against the devil. Speak against the enemy’s plan and for God’s plan. If you don’t know how to pray, simply agree with God. Pray, “Lord, expose and defeat the enemy. Preserve Your purpose for my loved one.”

A mature intercessor will be

willing to bear the burden while God alone

bears the knowledge. This is faith

pressed to the limit!

A more difficult assignment comes when God places an intercessory prayer burden on your heart without an attached assignment. In other words, you receive the Lord’s burden, but you have no idea what it concerns. In this case, He asks you to bear His burden by faith and to intercede without knowledge (Rom. 8:26). The enemy sees this as another opportunity to deceive you and provoke you to abort the process. You may wrongly assume it makes no sense to bear a burden for something about which you have no knowledge. A mature intercessor will bear the burden while God alone bears the knowledge. This is faith pressed to the limit!

As the time of closure approaches, you’ll find yourself waiting for further instructions. When nothing else comes to mind, you might ask, “Lord, is there anything else You want to say to me?” He may or may not respond. Guard your heart from feelings of rejection or an immature attempt to manipulate Him if He remains silent. Of course the Lord may share with you the secrets of His heart. He may speak words of direction, revelation, affirmation or correction. The message will usually be very personal, so write down in a notebook whatever He says. Ask for His interpretation and application. Remember, however, He may say nothing at all. This too is His choice.

Periods of Dryness

Never assume that God’s silence indicates His absence. To do so communicates a breach of trust that says you don’t trust God to do what is best for you. And it also calls into question God’s integrity to lead you in correctly. As with any relationship, silence indicates that comfort and trust have been established.

Once when I was on a prayer journey to Israel, God spoke clearly and profoundly to me. I returned home spiritually and emotionally exhausted. I experienced a dry time in my prayer closet. Although soothed by the warmth of His love and sheltered in a meditative rest, all efforts to hear His voice failed. I was emotionally drained.

The Lord’s nearness was sweet, but I experienced little or no depth of intimacy. Through this and other experiences, I’ve learned that we are to faithfully come into the inner court with no strings attached. If we do, then periods of dryness or refreshing are the same. Why? Because we’ve learned to enjoy the Lord because we love Him, not because of His gifts or manifestations of His presence.

Beware of trying to acquire a bigger and better high. This is outer-court striving. Avoid striving at all costs: It’s a trap! Mature intercessors submit themselves to the discipline of the dry times. They consider seasons when the Lord is silent to be spiritual tune-ups. During these times, when He chooses not to speak, their spiritual ears are being fine tuned and opened to better hear His voice. They know that in time they will hear God again, even when He whispers.

The Lord monitors your faithfulness beyond the veil. The dry times provide the kindling that sparks fresh gratitude that will later explode in blazes of passion in the inner court when He speaks once again!

His Presence Awaits You Beyond the Veil

No words in any language can describe the splendor that awaits you in the inner chamber. As I have journeyed with Jesus through the years, I’ve noticed that only those who continue to press into the heart of God find their abiding place in Him. The believer who longs for and lingers—the one who wants a deep communion with the Lord—will find it. Friend, you can have as much of God as you want. Are you willing to invest your time and your tears? Will you allow anything to stop you from intimacy with Him? Do you long to know the joy of abiding in Him?

He waits to commune with you. If you’re hungry and thirsty enough, you’ll experience the fulfillment of His promise to all who seek Him: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:38).

No doubt all earthly thrills will diminish once you taste the delicacies of this sweet relationship beyond the veil.

Unveiling the Truth About You

1.  In what ways have you been a selfish Bride? Have you ever felt as if you were in this marriage just for what you could get? If so, are you willing to change?

2.  When and where is your place and time to be alone with Jesus?

3.  Have you said no to His call to enter the inner chamber? Have you become complacent in your love for Him? Will you be more sensitive to Him now?

4.  When prayer becomes difficult, do you quit? Have you experienced dry periods in your marriage to Him? Do you now understand the reason for those times?

5.  Will you renew your wedding vows to Him? Will you say “I will” when He calls you into the inner chamber? Will you abide with Him beyond the veil?

DISCUSSION LEADER’S GUIDE

This book has a dual purpose: (1) to rekindle our love for Jesus, our Bridegroom, that He might find us without spot or blemish, and (2) to equip us to partner with Him in what appears to be the last great revival and harvest of souls before His return.

Thank you for leading and facilitating your group. Your role will be to help members of your group hear God’s voice. Remember not to impose your beliefs on those who have spiritual gifts or worship styles different from your own.

Before You Get Started

First off, consider limiting the size of your discussion group. The optimum size for a discussion group is 10 to 15 people. A smaller group can make continuity a problem when too few members attend. A larger group will require strong leadership skills to create a sense of intimacy and participation for each individual.

Second, decide how often and when to have your group meet. If your group meets regularly as a Sunday School class or weekly at a private home, decide how many weeks to spend on the study. Be sure to plan for any holidays that may occur during your schedule.

Third, consider enlisting a co-leader to assist you with calling class members to remind them of meeting dates, times and places. Your co-leader can also make arrangements for refreshments and childcare.

Fourth, be creative. Although the book is only nine chapters long and could be covered in as few as six weeks by pairing some of the chapters, it can also be fit into a 12-week quarter by spending more time on certain issues, like character building (discussed in chapter 6) or the practical application of prayer as you engage your class in corporate intercession. Sensitivity to the members of your group and to the Holy Spirit will help you set the course you’re to take.

Fifth, have extra Bibles available. THE MESSAGE Bible, or New International Version, or The Living Bible can be helpful for people who have little or no Bible background. It’s important to explain that the NIV differs considerably and will be the main version used in this book.

Sixth, decide whether you will provide copies of the book or require members to purchase it. Keep in mind that people usually have a greater appreciation for a book if they have to pay for it. They also will be more apt to finish the course if they have money invested in it. If you want to use with your group an extended study guide of Beyond the Veil, you can purchase the study guide at http://www.PrayerBookstore.com.

Leading the Session

The first session is a great time to measure the spiritual climate of your group. Use these questions to create a sense of unity and determine the direction the group should take:

1.  How vital is prayer to your Christian life? Why? On a scale of 1 to 10—with 1 being weak in prayer and 10 being strong in prayer—how would you grade yourself?

2.  In what ways do you hope to see your prayer life change as a result of this class?

3.  Do you believe that the Holy Spirit speaks differently to each of us and that the way we pray can be related to our spiritual gifts? If so, what spiritual gifts do you feel operate in you?

4.  Describe a time when you were burdened to pray for someone that caused you to experience a physical trigger? If so, how did you respond to it?

5.  Why do you have a desire to develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus?

These questions, and other similar questions, will create a sense of unity among the class members and help them to discover their differences and their similarities.

Other questions will arise as you teach the book. They will significantly contribute to the group’s understanding of the subject. Encourage members to write down their questions and submit them privately, even anonymously, for your consideration. This allows you time to pray about how to answer the questions. (Of course, many questions will be answered as the chapters are discussed.)

Be aware of the basic principles for group dynamics and put them into practice:

1.  Arrange seats in a semicircle with the leader seated in the circle rather than standing in front. This setting invites participation and a more relaxed atmosphere.

2.  Create a discussion-friendly atmosphere. Here are some tips to guide the discussions:

• Receive comments and questions from group members without critique, even if you disagree with them. If they’re clearly unbiblical, ask questions that will clarify the issue, but do not reject comments; flat rejections will stifle open participation. Scriptures to clarify an issue will be helpful for all in attendance.

• If a question deviates from the subject, decide whether the question should be dealt with privately or during the session. A good way to know what to do with an off-subject question is to decide whether answering the question will have a negative influence on the spiritual atmosphere of the meeting and affect the whole group. If so, then offer to answer the question after class.

• If one person monopolizes the discussion, direct a few questions specifically to several other people. Or tactfully interrupt the monopolizer by saying, “Excuse me. That’s a good thought, but what do the rest of you think about this issue?” Talk with the person privately and enlist his or her help in drawing others into the discussion.

• Make it easy and comfortable for everyone to share ideas or ask questions, but don’t insist that everyone do so. Warm reluctant participants to the idea of sharing their thoughts. Invite them to read a passage from the book. Pair a shy person with someone else for a discussion apart from the main group, and ask reluctant participants to write down their comment and read it to the larger group.

• If someone asks a question and you don’t know the answer, admit that you don’t know and offer to try to find an answer. You might call on a mature intercessor you believe might have experience in the area in question. If it requires special knowledge, talk with a pastor or other theologian. If the question calls for insight from personal experience, invite comments from others in the group. However, limit the sharing.

3.  Guard against rescuing. The purpose of this group is to learn to pray for others, not fix them (for example, resist the urge to give marital counseling). This doesn’t mean that poignant moments won’t arise or problems won’t be shared, but the group is for sharing and prayer—not fixing one another. The leader should be open and honest about the desire to grow with the group instead of coming across as an authority about the subject. Direct those with more serious needs to seek pastoral counseling.

4.  Start and stop on time, as agreed upon before the study begins. This is important for those who have to hire a baby-sitter, arise early for work the next morning or have other responsibilities. Fail to honor their time limitations and chances are, you’ll lose them from the class.

5.  Lead members to discuss the questions and exercises at the end of each chapter. If you have more than eight or ten class members, divide into small groups of two or three. Then invite each group to share one or two insights with the larger group.

6.  Be sensitive. Some people may feel comfortable praying for others, and others won’t. Don’t force them. Set aside time either at the beginning or the end of the meeting to pray for one another’s needs.

7.  Encourage members of the group to pray daily for one another. This will promote and strengthen a sense of unity and love.

8.  Pray regularly for the sessions and the participants, asking the Holy Spirit to cover each person throughout the week. The Lord will honor your willingness to guide His people to more intimacy with Him.

9.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth and change lives.

END NOTES

Chapter 1: Can You Hear the Call?

1.  Rosaline Bush, “America Mourns: Children Who Kill,” Family Voice, January 1995, vol. 17, no. 1, p. 6.

2.  Adapted from the Heritage Special Report, published by the Heritage Foundation, September 16, 2009. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare. The argument in this article suggests that although government has spent more money on AIDS, welfare, teen pregnancy and other ills of society, the root problems still exist.

3.  Ed Silvoso, That None Should Perish: How to Reach Entire Cities for Christ Through Prayer Evangelism (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1994), p. 84.

4.  Kay Arthur, speech given in Orlando, Florida, during “The Special Call to Prayer and Fasting in America,” sponsored by Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ, December 5-7, 1994.

5.  Mary Stewart Relfe, Cure of All Ills (Montgomery, AL: League of Prayers, Copy Permission Granted), May 24, 1994.

6.  Ibid. Italics added.

7.  Ibid.

8.  George Otis, Jr., The Last of the Giants (Tarryton, NY: Chosen Books, 1991), p. 252.

Chapter 2: A Higher Purpose

1.  Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (Chicago, IL: R.R. Donnelley & Sons, 1970), s.v. “prayer.”

2.  Ibid., s.v. “intercession.”

3.  C. Peter Wagner, Prayer Shield: How to Intercede for Pastors, Christian Leaders and Others on the Spiritual Frontlines (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1992), pp. 26-27.

4.  James Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009), Greek #2872.

5.  Ibid., Greek #75.

6.  John and Paula Sandford, The Elijah Task (Tulsa, OK: Victory House, Inc., 1977), p. 106.

7.  Cindy Jacobs, The Voice of God (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1995), p. 102.

8.  Cindy Jacobs, Possessing the Gates of the Enemy (Tarrytown, NY: Chosen Books, 1991), p. 63.

9.  Wagner, Prayer Shield, p. 27.

10. Eddie Smith, How to Be Heard in Heaven: Moving from Need-Driven to God-Centered Prayer (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2007), p. 23.

11. Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Hebrew #4427.

12. Ibid., Hebrew #3887.

13. Frederick the Great, quoted in G.B.F. Hallock, Best Modern Illustrations (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1935), p. 270.

14. David F. Wells, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1981), p. 124.

15. Dick Eastman, The Jericho Hour (Orlando, FL: Creation House, 1994), p. 100.

16. G. B. F. Hallock, Best Modern Illustrations (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1935), p. 371.

17. If you want to know more about the area of personal freedom, I suggest you purchase my book Delivering the Captives at www.PrayerBookstore.com.

18. George Müeller, “How to Get Your Prayers Answered,” Sounds of the Trumpet (1985), p. 29.

19. Walter Wink, “Prayer and the Powers,” Sojourners (October 1990), p. 10.

20. John Piper, quoted in John Quam, “Reflections on Spiritual Warfare and the Ministry of United Prayer.”

Chapter 3: Cultivating a Lifestyle of Intercession

1.  C. Peter Wagner, Prayer Shield: How to Intercede for Pastors, Christian Leaders and Others on the Spiritual Frontlines (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1992), p. 47.

2.  Alice Smith, Spiritual Intimacy with God: Moving Joyfully into the Deeper Life (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2008), p. 39.

3.  Ibid., p. 42.

4.  Ibid., p. 44.

5.  Ibid., p. 46.

6.  James Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009), Hebrew #4853.

7.  Ibid., Hebrew #6293.

8.  Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (Chicago, IL: R.R. Donnelley & Sons, 1970), s.v. “psychosomatic.”

9.  Paul E. Holdcraft, Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1957), p. 28.

10. Wagner, Prayer Shield, p. 50.

11. Andrew Murray, The Ministry of Intercession (Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1982), p. 43.

12. Norman P. Grubb, Rees Howells Intercessor (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1952), p. 88.

13. Mike Bickle, “The True Prophetic Spirit” (teaching notes, Holiness Unto the Lord Conference, Metro Vineyard Fellowship, Kansas City, MO, 1990), p. 119.

14. Cyrus E. Albertson, The Treasure Chest (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1965), p. 194.

15. Murray, The Ministry of Intercession, p. 43.

16. Holdcraft, Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations, pp. 192-193.

Chapter 4: Priesthood of the Believer

1.  Alice Smith, Spiritual Intimacy with God: Moving Joyfully into the Deeper Life (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2008), p. 17.

2.  Paul E. Holdcraft, Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1957), p. 235.

3.  Eddie and Alice Smith, Spiritual Advocates: How to Plead for Justice, Stand in the Gap, and Make a Difference in the World by Praying for Others (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2008), p. 6.

Chapter 5: God’s Pattern: The Tabernacle

1.  Finis Jennings Dake, Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible (Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, 1971), p. 115.

2.  J. Vernon McGee, The Tabernacle: God’s Portrait of Christ (Pasadena, CA: Thru the Bible Books, 1975), p. 34

3.  Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1975), pp. 77-78.

4.  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1935), p. 71.

Chapter 6: Launching Out

1.  James Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009), Hebrew #6556.

2.  Milburn H. Miller, Notes and Quotes for Church Speakers (Anderson, IN: The Warner Press, 1960), p. 95.

3.  Ibid., p. 180.

4.  Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Greek #971.

5.  Ibid., Greek #973.

6.  Paul E. Holdcraft, “Compassion on the World,” Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1957), p. 279.

7.  Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Greek #3804.

8.  George Otis, Jr., The Last of the Giants (Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 1991), p. 157.

9.  Ibid., pp. 157-158.

10. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1935), p. 36.

11. Holdcraft, Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations, p. 142.

12. G. B. F. Hallock, Best Modern Illustrations (New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1935), p. 80.

13. Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Greek #5373.

14. Hallock, Best Modern Illustrations, p. 55.

15. Charles H. Spurgeon, “Charles Spurgeon Morning, April 29, 2009,” Heartlight®, 1996-2009. http://www.heartlight.org/spurgeon/0429-am.html (accessed October 15, 2009).

Chapter 7: The Journey Toward Intimacy

1.  G. B. F. Hallock, Best Modern Illustrations (New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1935), p. 364.

2.  Morris Cerullo, Lord, Teach Us to Pray (San Diego, CA: Morris Cerullo World Evangelism, 2007), p. 50.

3.  Antoine de Saint-Exupery, quoted in Michael de Molinos, The Spiritual Guide, 6th ed. (Sargent, GA: Christian Books Publishing House, 1982), p. 56.

4.  Ibid., p. 69.

5.  James Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009), Greek #1374.

6.  Randy Shankle, The Merismos (Tulsa, OK: Christian Publishing Services, Inc., 1987), p. 212.

7.  Watchman Nee, The Release of the Spirit (Cloverdale, IN: Sure Foundation Publishers, 1965), pp. 68-69.

8.  Jessie Penn-Lewis, Life out of Death, rev. ed. (Parkstone, England: Overcomer Publications, 1900), p. 49.

9.  Shankle, The Merismos, p. 218.

Chapter 8: Romance of the Heart

1. “Joshua Project,” Global Summary. http://www.joshuaproject.net/

SUGGESTED READING

Alves, Elizabeth. Becoming a Prayer Warrior. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1998.

Bickle, Mike. Passion for Jesus. Orlando, FL: Creation House, 1993.

Billheimer, Paul E. Destined for the Throne. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1975.

Blackaby, Henry T. Experiencing God: How to Live the Full Adventure of Knowing and Doing the Will of God. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishers, 1994.

Cerullo, Morris. Lord, Teach Us to Pray. San Diego, CA: Morris Cerullo World Evangelism, 2007.

Damazio, Frank. Seasons of Intercession. Portland, OR: BT Publishing, 1998.

Dawson, John. Healing America’s Wounds. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1994.

———Taking Our Cities for God: How to Break Spiritual Strongholds. Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 1990.

Dawson, Joy. Intimate Friendship with God. Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 1986.

Deere, Jack. Surprised by the Power of the Spirit: A Former Dallas Seminary Professor Discovers That God Speaks and Heals Today. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993.

Eastman, Dick. The Jericho Hour. Orlando, FL: Creation House, 1994.

———Love on Its Knees. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1989.

Facius, Johannes. Intercession. The Explaining Series. Cambridge, Kent, England: Sovereign World Limited, 1993.

Frangipane, Francis. The House of the Lord: God’s Plan to Liberate Your City from Darkness. Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 1991.

Fuller, Cheri. When Couples Pray: The Little Known Secret to Lifelong Happiness in Marriage. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Publishers, 2001.

Goll, Jim. The Lost Art of Intercession: Restoring the Power and Passion of the Watch of the Lord. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1997.

Graf, Jonathan. The Power of Personal Prayer: Learning to Pray with Faith and Purpose. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002.

Greenwood, Rebecca. Authority to Tread: An Intercessor’s Guide to Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare. Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 2005.

Grubb, Norman. Rees Howells Intercessor. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1952.

Hamon, Bill. Prophets and Personal Prophecy. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1987.

Hartley, Fred. Prayer on Fire: What Happens When the Holy Spirit Ignites Your Prayers Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2006.

Hawthorne, Steve, and Graham Kendrick. Prayer-Walking: Praying On-Site with Insight. Orlando, FL: Creation House, 1993.

Hinn, Benny. Welcome, Holy Spirit: How You Can Experience the Dynamic Work of the Holy Spirit in Your Life. Milton Keynes, England: Word Publishing, 1995.

Hinn, Sam. Kissing the Face of God. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma Books, 2002.

Jacobs, Cindy. Possessing the Gates of the Enemy. Tarrytown, NY: Chosen Books, 1991.

———The Voice of God. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1995.

Law, Terry. The Power of Praise and Worship. Tulsa, OK: Victory House Publishers, 1985.

Marshall, Catherine. Something More. New York: Avon Books, 1976.

Mills, Dick. He Spoke and I Was Strengthened. San Jacinto, CA: Dick Mills Ministries, 1991.

Munroe, Myles. Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer: Earthly License for Heavenly Interference. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2002.

Murray, Andrew. The Ministry of Intercession. Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1982.

Nee, Watchman. Spiritual Authority. Translated by Stephen Kaung. Richmond, VA: Christian Fellowship Publisher, 1972.

———The Release of the Spirit. Cloverdale, IN: Sure Foundation Publishers, 1965.

Otis, Jr., George. The Last of the Giants. Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 1991.

Penn-Lewis, Jessie. Life Out of Death. Parkstone, England: Over-comer Publications, 1900.

Prince, Derek. Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting: How Christians Can Change World Events Through the Simple, Yet Powerful Tools of Prayer and Fasting. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Derek Prince Ministries, 1973.

Sandford, John, and Paula Sandford. The Elijah Task. Tulsa, OK: Victory House, Inc., 1977.

Shankle, Randy. The Merismos. Tulsa, OK: Christian Publishing Services, Inc., 1987.

Sheets, Dutch. Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996.

———Authority in Prayer: Praying with Power and Purpose. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2006.

Sherrer, Quin, and Ruthanne Garlock. A Woman’s Guide to Breaking Bondages. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1994.

———The Spiritual Warrior’s Prayer Guide: Find Breakthrough in Any Situation. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2010.

Silvoso, Ed. That None Should Perish: How to Reach Entire Cities for Christ Through Prayer Evangelism. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1994.

Sjoberg, Kjell. Winning the Prayer War: Why and How to Pray for Where You Live. Translated by G. Orr. Chichester, England: New Wine Press, 1991.

Smith, Alice. Acercandonos Confiadamente al trono de la Gracia. Houston, TX. (Beyond the Veil in Spanish). This book can be purchased at: www.Prayerbookstore.com

———Beyond the Lie: Finding Freedom from the Past. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2006. This book can be purchased at: www.Prayerbookstore.com

———Spiritual Intimacy with God: Moving Joyfully into the Deeper Life. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2008.

Smith, Eddie. Breaking the Enemy’s Grip: A Step-by-Step Process for Overcoming Unforgiveness, Self-Condemnation, Sinful Habits, Bitterness, Past Wounds, and Other Bondages. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2004.

———How to be Heard in Heaven: Moving from Need-Driven to God-Centered Prayer. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2007. This book can be purchased at www.Prayerbookstore.com

Smith, Eddie and Alice. Spiritual Advocates: How to Plead for Justice, Stand in the Gap, and Make a Difference in the World by Praying for Others. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2008.

———Spiritual Housecleaning: Protect Your Home and Family from Spiritual Pollution, Revised and Updated. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2009.

Smith, Eddie, and Michael L. Hennen. Strategic Prayer: Applying the Power of Targeted Prayer. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2007.

Tenney, Tommy. The God Chasers: My Soul Follows Hard After Thee. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1999.

Wagner, C. Peter. Confronting the Powers: How the New Testament Church Experienced the Power of Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1996.

———Prayer Shield: How to Intercede for Pastors, Christian Leaders and Others on the Spiritual Frontlines. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1992.

———Praying with Power: How to Pray Effectively and Hear Clearly from God. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 2007.

———Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow: How to Find Your Gifts and Use Them to Bless Others. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1979; revised edition, 1994.

Wentroble, Barbara. Prophetic Intercession: Unlocking Miracles and Releasing the Blessings of God. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1999.

———Praying with Authority: How to Take Authority in the Heavens So the Will of God Is Done on Earth. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2003.

Wright, Alan D. Lover of My Soul: Delighting in God’s Passionate Love. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1998.

INDEX

20 percent

450 Muslim villagers

A

Aaron

abandonment

abiding in Him

abiding place

abortion

abortionists

acquaintance

active submission

adjectives describing God

administration

administrative intercessors

affection,

affirmation

African-Americans

agape

agonizomai

Algeria

All-State championship

altar of incense

Amalekites

ambassador

ambassadorial authority

America

American

Christian

Indians

Missionary

Pastor

Revolution

angels

Anna

Annual Church Growth Conference

Annuity Board for Southern Baptist

anxiety

area missionary

Ark of the Covenant

Arthur

Jack

Kay

as one people

association

Atlantic Ocean

Attributes

B

Backus, Isaac

balloon

Baptist minister

Barry

Beard, Johnny

Beasley, Manley

bestseller

Beyond the Veil

beyond the veil

beyond this veil

biastes

biazo

Bickle, Mike

Billheimer, Paul E.

biological problems

Birmingham, Alabama

birth to wind

Blessitt, Arthur

blocking sled

blood of atonement

Boaz

Body of Christ

Bosnia

bowl

Brainerd, David

brazen altar

bread of life

breakthrough

bride

Bride of Christ

Bridegroom

bridge builder

British science professor

brokenness

brother’s keeper

building blocks

“Bulldog, The,”

burden

burden bearer

burning in the pit of the stomach

businessman

C

cafeteria-style intercessors

Cain

Calvary’s cross

candles

Cane Ridge Camp Meeting

car accident

car wreck

carnal love

cartoon

cedere

Cerullo, Morris

chairman

Chambers, Oswald

character building

cheerleader

chewing her cud

Chicago

children

Cho, David Yonggi

Christensen, Evelyn

Christian psychologist

Christ’s Bride

Church, the

church photo directory

class favorite

cleansing

cliché

Colorado Springs, Colorado

committed

commune

communion

companionship

compassion

complete unity

concentrate

concentration

condemning

Congress of Allied Women

Conner, Bobby

consummation

convenience

corporate

intercession

prayer

correction

cost

counseling

courtship

crime

crisis intercessors

critical spirit

crucifixion

cup of iniquity

curse

cyberspace technology

D

daddy

darkness

Day

Gene

John

Martha

deacons

deadness

death to self

decision card

deliverance

depressed

depression

desire to weep

desperate prayer

Destined for the Throne

devil

dialing

diamonds

dipsuchos

direction

disappointment

discern(ment)

discipline

diversity in unity

divided heart

divine

illumination

light

nature

revelation

division(s)

domination of soul

donkey

“double-minded”

doubts

dove

dream

drug abuse

dry time

dull heartache

Duncan, Kyle

dwelling place

“dwelt”

dysfunctional

E

“earth suit,”

Eastman, Dick

Edwards, Jonathan

percent

Elijah

Elijah Task, The

Elizabeth

embezzled

emotional approach

emotional hype

emotions

evangelism

excitable

experience

F

failure

faith, assurance of

faithfulness

false

gods

worship

fasting

favorites

fears

fellowship

fire

First Baptist Church

fish

five senses

flash of a name or face

flesh

flowers

flushed feeling

foolish virgins

football coach

force

formulas

fragrance

France, Paris

Frangipane, Francis

Frederick the Great

friendship

fruit

funeral

furniture

G

gap

Gap standing

gay rights

general

Germany

Ghostbusters

gift

counseling

discerning of spirits

discernment

evangelism

exhortation

faith

giving

healing

helps

intercession

mercy

pastor

prophecy

service

wisdom

words of knowledge

glory

go fishing

godliness

God’s Word

gold

golden

bowls of incense

cherubim

lampstand

Good Shepherd

Gordon, A.J.

grandmother

grave clothes

Great Commission

Great Revival of

Great Spirit

Green Acres Baptist Church

green beans

Griffin

Jim Bob

Louverl

groom

H

Hallmark, Martha Jean

hallucinogenic

handkerchief

Harvey, Paul

Hawthorne, Steve

head-on collision

heart surgery

heavenlies

heavenly

Bridegroom

Groom

host(s)

lover

sanctuary

heaviness

“heavy laden,”

Herod’s temple

hidden

hiddenness

Hiding Place, The

high priest

high school

hindrances

Hindu

gods

temples

holy of holies

holy place

homes

honeymoon

house of prayer

How to be Heard in Heaven

Howell, Rees

human spirit

humility

Hur

hurricane

husband

Hyatt

I

I-1 intercessor

I-2 intercessor

importunity

impotent

inadequacies

incense

India

information

inheritance

inner chamber

integrity

intellectual approach

intellectualism

intense longing

intercede

“intercept”

“intercession”

intercession

corporate

gift

lifestyle

Beyond the Veil

office

role

intercessors

administrative

cafeteria-style

for the nations

mercy-motivated

prayer-list

prophetic

special assignment

warfare

“interchange”

intervene

intimacy

intimate

prayer

relationship

introspection

Irish peddler

Islamic strongholds

isolation

Israel

Israel(ites)

Israel’s priests

J

Jackson, Penny

Jacobs, Cindy

Jericho Hour, The

Jerusalem

John the Baptist

Jonathan

Johnson, Lyndon

Joseph

journal

journey

Judeo-Christian literature

K

Kansas City, Kansas

“Killer Kids: An American Tragedy”

King

David

Saul

Kingdom

kinsman-redeemer

kiss

knowledge

kopiao

Korah

Korea, Seoul

L

“labor”

laboring in travail

Lake Jackson, Texas

Last of the Giants, The

Latin American

Latvia

Latvian president

laver

legion of angels

Levite(s)

Life Out of Death

lifestyle of intercession

light

listening

little foxes

living water

Lord

Jesus

Kelvin

loud weeping

love

ledger

sacrificial

unconditional

lowliness

Lull, Raymond

luwts

M

malak

manic depressive

marriage supper of the Lamb

married

massa

McDougal, JoAnn

McGee, John

McGready, James

medication

meditation

mental institutions

mental picture

mercy

mercy seat

mercy-motivated intercessors

Merismos, The

Messiah

metamorphosis

Methodist pastor

Metro Vineyard Fellowship

Mexican pastors

Mexico, Diaz Ordaz

microwaves

Midianites

mind

ministry of intercession

Ministry of Intercession, The

misdirected prayer

missionary

missions

Mitchell, Chris

Molinos, Michael de

money changers

monopolize

moody

Moody, Dwight L.

Moses

mother

motives

motor home

Müeller, George

murder

Murray, Andrew

Music Man, The

My Utmost for His Highest

N

Naomi

National Day of Prayer

nations

Nazi

concentration camp

persecution

Nee, Watchman

Nehemiah

New Age

New England

O

oak

observation

off-track

offense

oil lamps

Old Testament priesthood

Orr, James Edwin

Otis, George, Jr.

outer court

outer-court striving

overcomers

P

P.U.S.H.

paga

pain

parents

partners

partnership

passion

pastors

pathema

patience

pen and pad

Penn-Lewis, Jessie

Pennsylvania

perets

performance

perseverance

persistence

personal issues

petition

philia

physical

symptoms

weakness

Piper, John

pit

plateau

“Plea for Prayer for Revival of Religion”

polarized

political unrest

pompous king

position

Possessing the Gates of the Enemy

posture

Potiphar

Beyond the Veil

power

powerless(ness)

“prayer”

prayer closet

prayer lists

prayer relief

prayer requests

Prayer Shield

prayer warrior

prayer-list intercessors

prayerless (ness)

praying through

pregnant

premarital sex

Presbyterian pastor

presence

press forward

price of intimacy

priest(s)

“priest”

priesthood of the believer

prophecy

prophesy

prophetic

gifts

intercessors

protection

protocol

Prozac

psuche

psyche

psychosomatic symptoms

public trust

pure heart

pure in spirit

purity

purposeless

push

R

racial

division

reconciliation

radical

rationalization

Ravenhill, Leonard

real estate

realtor

reasoning

rebuild the ancient ruins

recruits

red flag

Rees Howells, Intercessor

Regency Hotel

rejection

relationship

Release of the Spirit, The

renew(al)

repentance

“rest”

restoration

restore the devastated places

revelation

revival

Rio Grande Valley

risk

ritual(s)

river(s)

Robie, Derrick

role of

intercession

priest

root system

royal priesthood

ruins, ancient

rulers of darkness

Ruskin

S

sacred painting

sacrifice(s)

sacrificial love

sad

Saint-Exupery, Antoine de

salt

salvation

sanctification

Sanford

John

Paula

Santa Claus

Satan

satanist(s)

secrets

security

seed

self

self-

examination

interests

pity

selfish(ness)

sense of emergency

servanthood

sexual affection

Shankle, Randy

shekinah glory

shield

ship

shittim wood

silence

silent

silver or gold

Silvoso, Ed

Singapore

Sins 60,000 men

slaughter place

small, quiet voice

smart bombs

Smith

Alice

Ashlee

Bryan

Eddie

Eric

Julie Sharaby

Robert E.

Robert, Jr.

soma

Son of God

songwriter

soul strength

“soul man”

soulish

approaches to God

categories

souls

Southern Baptist Convention

sovereign

Spafford

Anna

Horatio

Spanish saint

special assignment intercessors

Spirit of God

Spirit-led

spirits of darkness

spiritual

authority

badge

battle

burdens

forces

gifts

Levites

lover(s)

realities

revelation

sight

tune-ups

warfare

Spiritual Guide, The

Spiritual Advocates

Spiritual Intimacy with God

Spurgeon, C. H.

stand in the gap

State Farm Insurance

state park

steps

stethoscope

stones

Stout, Larry

strange

fire

incense

strife

stripping the soul

strongholds

student council

suffering

suicide

superficial

supplication(s)

sustenance

sympathy

T

tabernacle

“tabernacled”

table of shewbread

Tarshish

tears

television commercial

temple

temptation

ten Boom, Corrie

10/40 Window

Tennessee, Memphis

testing

Texas

Dallas

Houston

Lake Jackson

Tyler

Waco

That None Should Perish

Thomas

throne

of God

room

time of incense

tithe

Tower of Babel

Tozer, A.W.

traits

transformation

travail

Tree of Life, The

triggers

trust

truth

twenty-first century

twenty-four elders

two-edged sword

“two-souled”

typology

U

U.S. Prayer Center

unconditional love

undressed stones

United States

unity

unreached people

unseen conflict

unused stones

Uzziah

V

VA loan

Valley Baptist Academy

verge of tears

victimization theology

Ville du Havre

“violent”

vision

Voice of God, The

volitional approach

W

Wagner

C. Peter

Doris

war

War on Poverty

warfare

intercession

intercessors

watchman

“weakly”

weakness

wedding

banquet

ornaments

weep(ing)

welfare spending

Wells, David F.

wife of the Lamb

wilderness experience

Wink, Walter

winner

winter

witches

Woolworth’s department store

Word of God

works-driven believer

World War II

worship and intercession

worshiper

wrecking crew

Y

youth directors

Ministry Contact Information

Conferences, Seminars and Retreats

Alice and Eddie Smith travel worldwide, teaching on

various themes related to revival and spiritual awakening.

Their topics include: prayer, spiritual intimacy,

intercession, deliverance and inner healing, worship,

spiritual warfare and mapping.

To host either or both of the Smiths for your next

event, call 1-800-569-4825 (U.S. toll-free) or complete the

online invitation form located at

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Other Books by Alice

and Eddie Smith

Books by Alice Smith

Delivering the Captives: Understanding the Strongman—

and How to Defeat Him (ISBN: 978-0-7642-0291-9)

Beyond the Lie: Finding Freedom from Your Past

(order at www.PrayerBookstore.com)

Spiritual Intimacy with God: Moving Joyfully into the

Deeper Life (ISBN: 978-0-7642-0539-2)

Books by Eddie Smith

Breaking the Enemy’s Grip: A Step-by-Step Guide for

Overcoming (ISBN: 0-7642-2998-2)

Strategic Prayer: Applying the Power of Targeted Prayer

(ISBN: 978-0-7642-0342-8) (Eddie and Michael Hennen)

How to Be Heard in Heaven: Moving from Need-Driven

to God-Centered CENTERED Prayer

(order at www.PrayerBookstore.com)

Making Sense of Spiritual Warfare (ISBN: 978-0-7642-0393-0)

Books by Alice and Eddie Smith

Spiritual Housecleaning: Protect Your Home and Family from

Spiritual Pollution (ISBN: 0-8307-3107-5)

Spiritual Advocates: How to Plead for Justice, Stand in the Gap,

and Make a Difference in the World by Praying for Others

(ISBN: 978-1-59979-374-0)

Drawing Closer to God’s Heart: A Totally

Practical, Non-Religious Guide to Prayer (ISBN: 0-88419-778-6)

For a complete catalog of Alice and Eddie Smith’s books

and materials, go to www.PrayerBookstore.com or call

1-800-569-4825 (U.S. toll-free) or 713-466-4009.

Beyond the Veil Study Guide

We have developed the Beyond the Veil Study Guide as

an accompaniment to this increasingly popular book.

Many churches, small groups and prayer cells use

Beyond the Veil as a study course. It’s excellent for

individual or group study. Order online at

www.PrayerBookstore.com. For quantity price

discounts or to order by phone call 1-800-569-4825.

Contact Information

Eddie and Alice Smith Ministries

7710-T Cherry Park Dr., Suite 224

Houston, TX 77095

Ph: 713-466-4009

Fax: 713-466-5633

Toll-free: 1-800-569-4825

Email:

usprayercenter@cs.com

Websites:

www.EddieAndAlice.com

www.PrayerBookstore.com

www.TeachMeToPray.com

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM ALICE AND EDDIE SMITH

Spiritual Housecleaning

Protect Your Home and Family

from Spiritual Pollution

ISBN 978.08307.51174

ISBN 08307.51173

Many families—even Christian families—suffer from unseen evil infestations. This doesn’t just happen. A demonically infected atmosphere is a result of “doors” that have been left open—doors of sin, even the sins of previous residents and of past generations! In Spiritual Housecleaning, Eddie and Alice reveal God’s prescription for detecting, diagnosing and dealing with these issues. In this enlarged edition, Eddie and Alice also offer amazing real-life victory stories. They examine what lays at the root of each experience and expose the enemy’s tactics for staking a squatter’s claim. They provide biblical tools with which you can evict the invisible evil tenants in your home and property. Spiritual housecleaning will transform your environment and, possibly, your life!

Available at Bookstores Everywhere!

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