October 10, 2012
The Intercessor and the World
This is an appropriate title for the last chapter. The entire book switched between the personal and the global. I really like this book because it not only encouraged and challenged me in my faith, but it really painted a vision of what could be especially the last chapter on revival. I rank this book up there with the book on breakthrough prayer as a must read.
Biblical: 10
Readable: 10
Inspirational: 10
Practical: 10
Total: 40/40
Many books are poor on practical steps, but not this one, there was actually some activities to do at the end of the chapter which I like. This book had stories as well as extensive use of Scripture. Overall, I really like this book. There is this feeling at the end of a good book that I am quite sad that this is the last chapter.
As good as the book was, this day was aweful. This is now day five of the fast. Starting during the afternoon, I felt tremendous pain with nothing to bring relief. It was possibly something I ate, but I don’t know. This week I have also been having more muscle spasms. Today was horrible. The only positive now was it was the first King’s game of the pre season and they won. I finally asked my brother to put my clock next to my sofa where I now sleep and can now listen to the radio while resting. I can listen to music and talk radio now. One thing that was quite insensitive of my brother was that he aid I can listen in his room and I said I cannot walk upstairs, I have been sleeping downstairs for several weeks because I cannot walk upstairs and he did not think of that. Needless to say, I know I ned to forgive him in my heart. Overall, today, the book has been good, but today really sucked.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:U-16
"While in North Africa, I realized that reaching that region of the world for God was going to take an army of dedicated prayer warriors and a passionate, loving bride of Christ to dismantle the ruling powers of darkness that now captivate and imprison millions of people. What will speak to the multitudes? It has to be people who are completely captivated by God Himself, who are dedicated to His heart for the world and filled with His love and compassion. This will move the hearts of the people because they really are looking for His true love and compassion to fill the God- sized void in their lives.
It is you and I, as we are increasingly in love with God and His cause, who will make the difference. You may ask, How can I bring the touch offesus into my world through my personal prayers? How can my personal prayers change the world? Let's look into the heart of God for the nations and discover how we can be the salt of the earth and the light of the world through our prayers and lifestyle."
People really have God-sized vacuums that they try to fill with so many other things. Everyone is searching for something. I too am searching. It is those Godly men and women filled with the love and compassion of God that really make an impact on the world. I know because I have met some of them. They really light up a room and encourage others. Sad to say, in the church where I am at now, there is not anyone like that. I hate to speak negatively about a church, but seriously, the love and compassion of God cannot be found in the church where me and my dad now attend. When it is rare that someone visits, the people make no effort to welcome them. There is no mercy ministry at the church and no outreach effort. Where God’s love is not present, missions is weak.
"Terry Teykl, author of "Ushering People into God's Presence," says,
Simply put, personal prayer ministry is one person ushering another into God's presence through prayer. It is a human encounter through which God ministers to the needs of one of His children. It is grace in action, and it can happen at any time, in any place.1"
"Be aware of the needy world around you. Enter each day with a desire to minister the life of Jesus to others in some way. Ask the Lord, "To whom can I minister today? Make me aware of the needs of others, and show me for whom You want me to pray." Watch for God to open doors of opportunity. Have an expectant heart. Believe that God wants to use you every day in some way to bless others with the touch of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will guide and give you opportunities.
Ask God for guidance, and learn to listen and wait. Wait upon God for guidance. Listen to the Holy Spirit. He will guide you in prayer that will reach deeply into the spirit of others. Learning to wait before praying helps in praying the prayers God desires rather than ones we think are important.
Go forth in faith, and ask individuals if you can pray for them. Many times people are afraid to offer prayer because they think that lost people don't want prayer. Actually the opposite is true. People are more willing for us to pray for them than we realize. When we go out willingly to pray for others, God sees our faith. These little steps of faith are like seeds that will bring forth a large harvest in due season. My husband and I train others in prayer evangelism by encouraging them to pray for the needs their neighbors express. Try it, and I believe you will be surprised at the response.
Realize that spiritual need is at the core of the problem. Many times physical and emotional problems are connected to the spititual tealm. Be sure to pray through possible areas of sin and any strategies of the Devil. Often someone comes to me with a surface problem and I find a spiritual stronghold at the core. Though we may start with the mention of a surface problem, as we pray, God reveals the spiritual stronghold so we can bring it before the cross. We then find that the surface need is met.
• If God reveals a course of action, encourage the person to follow through. It may be confession of sin, restitution toward others, or some act of obedience. Encourage the person to obey the Lord and to follow through by taking action.
• Stop when you are done. Sometimes we try to help the Holy Spirit, but He may want the person to approach Him alone. Faith grows the most when people take action themselves. We need to know when we are finished so we don't hinder the progress of others by doing everything for them.
• Keep your motives pure, making sure God gets the glory. We want God to be glorified. Continually give Him praise and thanksgiving after ministering in prayer to others, knowing that it was all His work and we were His privileged vessels."
This is one piece that I have enjoyed about the book. It is this practical steps and ideas that make this book really stand out. I have rarely asked non Christians how I can pray for them because I assume they don’t believe in God or prayer. I should really try this. Being at home most of the time I don’t get to meet people. So, I have joined an online prayer network and I see how many people are really hurting right now. I mean a lot and so many real issues like addictions, broken hearts, poverty, illness, and so many things. Sometimes God seems so much smaller than the problem and I forget God is still sovereign.
"God is looking across this whole earth to find those whose hearts are as His, those who will intercede. Will you be one to stand in the gap? God is looking for intercessors. Will you be one who intercedes for the nations? Will you let God lay a country on your heart for the purpose of prayer? Can God give you His passion for the world? A key to our authority is when our heartbeat aligns with the heartbeat of our almighty God.
While a student at Moody Bible Institute, I was impacted by the life of school founder Dwight L. Moody. He was known for his effectiveness in winning souls to Christ. During one of his famous evangelistic tours, several British clergymen asked why he could be so effective. He was just an uneducated man. He then brought them to his hotel room. Pointing out the window, he asked them what they saw. Each man described the people below. Moody looked out the window with tears streaming down his cheeks. He told them that he saw thousands of souls that will spend eternity in hell if they do not find Christ. Moody saw people differently from the average person. He saw eternal souls, and it changed his whole approach to life. We as intercessors must see the lost just as he did. This will impact not only our prayer lives but the way we live as well.
Begin to pray for the wotld. Ask God to lay a burden on your heart for a nation, a people group, or a particular region. You may want to pray for troubled areas of the world you hear about in the news. God wants every one of us to open our eyes, enlarge our vision, and begin to pray for the needy world around us. There are many ways to ptay. Some intercessors like to pray through prayer cards with prayer requests for different nations. Others like to pray over a large map of a country. Some like to use the book or website for Operation World, which lists detailed requests for every nation.3 Each method is valuable, but the main thing is to begin.
As you incorporate prayer for the world into your prayer life, be creative. Let the Holy Spirit lead you. Let Him burden your heart for different parts of the world. Adding countries into your prayer life develops your effectiveness in a powerful way. I like to pray for a different nation every day. Your burden for the world will grow, and you will begin to see the world and life in a new way. Our own problems seem smaller when we focus on the needs of whole countries and people groups. Bringing the touch of Jesus to the nations is a powerful way to pray."
I love the story about Moody. We need to see people not just as people but people who spend an eternity in hell or heaven. Even with that perspective, it is not always helpful. I know my mom and brother will spend an eternity apart from God but I feel so powerless to do anything about it. Each morning as I have breakfast with them, I feel so powerless to change their hearts. I want them both to know Christ, but they resist the Gospel no matter who shares it to them. They right now are content with their lives and have no need of God. This is sad.
"Thank God for how He is working in the nations. "How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! . . . God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne" (Psalm 47:2,8). Pray for just laws, for righteous moral standards, and that the Word of God will be given its rightful place. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).
Pray that God's people will walk in holiness, the fear of the Lord, and obedience. "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). Pray that the church will reach out to the poor, needy, and imprisoned. "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Hebrews 13:3). Pray for God to send His workers into the harvest field. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). Pray that 24/7 prayer and worship will start in every major city in every nation. "These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7)."
And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals, because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation."
(Revelation 5:9)
"While I am very excited about what is happening, yet as an intercessor, I can never forget that over half of the world's population has never heard of Jesus. The task ahead is still enormous. As darkness covers the earth in the last days and darkens the people, the glory of the Lord will shine brighter and brighter, brighter and brighter in the face of a people who love Him absolutely and uncompromisingly. In this way, the whole world will know that there is a God who reigns in the Heavens and man will be left without excuse on the day of Christ's appearing. The Spirit is still heralding a call for watchmen to join the great choir of intercessors." - Michael Howard, Tales of an African Intercessor
"God's people are His preserving agents for a world that is corrupted and degenerating because of sin. Your life is designed and commissioned by God to enhance a community and to preserve what is good and right. There is deep significance today for a godly life that is involved in its community. The presence of Christ in you makes all that He is available to others. His salvation can free an addict, mend a broken home, heal the pain of the past, restore a wayward child, and comfort a grieving heart. All of this is available to those around you as Christ expresses His life through you. - Henry and Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God, Day-by-Oay
In the ministry of prayer and intercession, we must remind ourselves daily that we are to be salt and light. It is with a sobering sense of responsibility that we realize that the very life of God in us touches the world around us wherever we are. Just as Jesus, we must not only pray in our closet but also recognize that as we rise from our knees and go forth, we are God's hands, feet, and mouths to a lost and desperate world. We are commissioned to live our daily lives speaking words of life and truth to those who are hurt, broken, and lost. What a tremendous task this is!
Our prayers have tremendous effect on the world, and often God uses us to be the answer to our prayers. We are the ones to reach out and speak the truth of the gospel. Begin to pray for God to give you opportunities to shine His light into the world and enhance what He wants to do in the lives of your friends, coworkers, and neighbors. We must live what we believe."
I often share this idea with friends who seem discontent at their jobs. God places us right where we are so that He may use us to share the love of Jesus there. Right now, I have no office or workplace, but I do have my home. I feel so powerless at home because I am in the worst health and when days that I have incredible pain I get really depressed and sometimes frustrated. I do not seem Christlike at all on days like these. I wonder sometimes if God can ever use me to touch lives when I get so discouraged and so upset at myself.
"We should no longer hide our lights. It's time for every intercessor to step out by faith and shine for Jesus in this dark world. Reaching out with the gospel of Jesus always lights a bigger flame of passion in my own prayer life. Because we are the salt of the earth and lights in the world, with hearts full of thanksgiving to God, we need to pray that the church will fulfill its responsibilities in a world that is dying without Christ."
"Continually radiate the gospel message and the light of God's glory.
1 encourage you to realize all that you have in Christ. May the truth presented in this book motivate you in your prayer life. You have the chance to develop intimacy with the living God. You can choose to depend on Him, and this opens the way for His unlimited opportunity to bless you. You can learn to speak words of life that can uplift and bring grace to everyone you meet. You can hear God's voice and walk in the purposes of God for your life. May your personal prayers change the world!
You can learn how to pray the promises of God and cultivate perseverance in prayer even in difficult situations. You can learn to pray God's purposes rather than dwell on your own problems. You have the ability to make God your stronghold and choose life rather than death. You can know what it means to be forgiven for everything you have ever done wrong. You can personally prepare for the revival that is coming on the earth and bring the touch of Jesus to others through prayer. This gives you and me every reason to thank and praise God.
Henry and Richard Blackaby remind us,
There is no mistaking the effect of light upon a darkened place. Light boldly and unabashedly announces its presence and vigorously dispels darkness. God's desire is to fill you with His light. He wants you to shine as a brilliant testimony of His presence and power in your life, so that the darkness in the lives of others around you will be displaced by the light of God's glory.4"
Prayer:
Father, this world has so much darkness. I want to be Your light to the nations but I am not even light in my home. I got really depressed today about my health situation. I continue to pray for healing and breakthrough in my life. I pray that somehow I can be salt and light, a preserving and shining witness of Christ. I see with the eyes of Moody, but feel powerless to help a dying world to experience the love of Jesus. I badly want to touch the lives of the nations, but feel tremendously weak and in this season feel like You are silent. Please help me to see that You are still sovereign and still care.
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