How To Be An Effective Intercessor

An effective intercessor stands in the gap for others in a stance of love and faith. Christian intercession might be defined as love on its knees in prayer for others. It is asking God to intervene in the life of someone else. An intercessor stands in the gap for others. You are willing to stand between them and future judgment, identifying with the sins of those from whom you pray, asking God’s forgiveness and mercy on their behalf as if their sin was your own. Read the books of Nehemiah and Ezra for further study. Daniel was also a mighty intercessor.

Intercession holds the potential of being one of the most exciting, inspiring, creative and rewarding experiences in your Christian life. While in your prayer closet, you can pray around the world. You can partner with God as He brings freedom, salvation, healing and peace into nations, cities, families and individuals.Although intercessors are not often publicly rewarded or recognized for their service, they are a vital part of any growing church or ministry. Their steadfast dedication to intercession creates a bedrock foundation that allows the Lord to work in mighty ways.

Prophetic Intercession is God speaking to His people, directing them to the most efficient route to pray. An intercessor must pray with the belief that God directs, guides and speaks to us! To be an effective intercessor, one must stay humble and teachable.

Psalm 25:9 – He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

John 16:13 – When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Yield the Word of God

The word of God (the Bible) is the one tool that an intercessor must learn to use properly. Read the Bible and allow it to stimulate your prayers. As you enter intercession, keep your Bible at hand. It can spur you into active intercession, and it can speak deeply into your personal battles. Don’t rush, read the word slowly. As you do, the Holy Spirit will quicken certain passages to you that will offer an arsenal of powerful prayer strategies!

For Example:
Ps 37:8 – Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Most of us could probably stop and pray for a half hour at least about all the things we are fretting over. This verse could also stir you to pray for those who are constant worriers.

Pray The Word Just As It Is!
For example:
Psalm 91 and Ephesians 6:10-18 can be used as great prayers of protection over your loved ones, your church, and your pastors. Praying for the protection of your church and loved ones is essential if you are called into full-time ministry or are involved with deep intercession. Consider memorizing these passages!

Pray Blessings
The Bible is full of blessings and prayers of blessings. Here are a few to start you on your journey of discovery.

Speak The Word Aloud
Speaking and praying the word of God aloud ministers to your spirit. As you are praying for others, you are feeding yourself! Double blessing! It is vital that an intercessor keeps their spirit-man strong, healthy and vibrant.

Pray a Rhema word from the Logos word
Logos is the written word of God, AKA the Bible.
Rhema is a ‘now’ word. A Rhema word is best described as a verse that leaps off the page of your Bible and into your heart. You know that you know that God is speaking that word for you specifically at the exact time and moment you need to hear it. When we enter into intercession and pray that word, we are praying “Thy will be done on earth, as what is already done in heaven.” Our prayers make earthly circumstances line up to what already is true in heaven.

A Rhema Word is like a blank cheque with the invitation to fill in the numbers. There is money in the bank, just start writing those cheques. The storehouse is full of blessing for those for which you intercede. Sometimes the Lord gives you a Rhema word that you know is to be prayed, but you do not know why you are to pray it. In time, the Lord may show you why He directed you to pray this way.

Use the Word to Find Long-Term Strategies
For example, use the story of the prodigal son as a guideline for praying for your prodigals. See Praying for the Prodigals for further insight.

Be Precise in Prayer!
Try not to pray in generalities. “God bless Bobby and give him everything he needs or wants.” God wants us to be specific and direct, making our requests to our Father God, in the same way, a child asks their earthly father for particular needs. A child tells their father they are hungry, they say they need clothes, they say they need a hug. They are exact in their requests; they don’t say,”Whatever your will is, Papa.” and then hope that their father guesses what they need.

Pray for Insight for Physical Healing
Ask the Lord, is it this person’s time to go home? Most times, the answer will be a resounding no! Is it time for them to be raised up in complete healing? Then pray accordingly, no matter how bleak things might get. Pray what you feel the Spirit is saying, stand on the word!

A Strong Word of Caution From A Seasoned Intercessor

God shares His secrets with those who keep them. An effective intercessor is one who has proven themselves to be trustworthy. There may come a time when He prompts us to share the secrets He shares with us in those deep times of prayer, but until He releases us to share those things, we should remain silent. What God shows you in a time of intercession should be kept between you and Him unless you strongly feel the Lord prompting you to speak.

Luke 9:36 (RSV) “And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.”
Luke 2:19 (RSV) “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

I am forever grateful to Joy Dawson and Ruth Rousu, both seasoned intercessors, both women of God to whom I look up to as mentors. Much of this article is gleaned from their teachings.

I highly recommend the following books for further study.

For further helps, please read Developing an Effective Prayer Life
All Bible verses, unless otherwise attributed, are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

Until Next Week

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All Bible verses, unless otherwise attributed, are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

©1997, 2016 Katherine Walden

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