God Has Called You to Intercede!

I have a very personal Word to share, one that I think Holy Spirit is prompting me to write because it is going to cause MANY breakthroughs in the lives of those around you.  Please listen:

GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS, HE IS CALLING YOU TO INTERCEDE

What does “intercede” mean?  Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines intercession as the following:

To intervene between parties with a view to reconciling differences. 

Even if you aren’t aware or don’t know WHO it was – if you are part of God’s Called Remnant, a Born-again Believer who has chosen to accept Jesus as Savior, made Him Lord OVER your life – it was because someone, somewhere prayed for you!  They interceded FOR your salvation!  You may not know WHO that was while your feet stand on THIS side of the grave, but one day you will know.

THE HEART OF THE FATHER IS SALVATION. 

Peter 3:9 tells us:

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

John 3:16 tells us:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 4:12 tells us:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

Lifting someone(s) you love up in prayer is the HIGHEST form of love you can give for them.  They don’t have to know that you are praying for them – sometimes it is better for you just to keep that between you and the Father… You may be the only one who has accepted Jesus as your Savior, made Him Lord over your life in your family and that is *not* always met with joy… In fact, many of us have been persecuted BY loved ones FOR our faith.  Their lack of understanding can cause division between you because of your faith – Jesus told us not to be surprised by it, take a look at John 15:18-25:

 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.

Being rejected by loved ones because of your faith is a VERY painful thing, and if that is what you are experiencing because of your faith, I pray that the Father will comfort you by His Holy Spirit.  I’ve been there and I know what it is like – listen, Jesus also indicated in Mark 6:4:

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”

Remember, now that you have become part of God’s Called Remnant – a follower of Jesus, you have made an enemy of the devil… Oh yes, he is FURIOUS with you because your salvation is another victory for Heaven!  The Bible says in Luke 15:10:

 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 

They had a BIG party in Heaven over your decision to accept God’s greatest gift, salvation!  So how does ol’ slewfoot respond?  He causes division in your family because of your faith!  Why?  Because he knows the BEST way to hurt you is to use the people you love most to do it!  All of a sudden you have become “the black sheep” in your family.  Maybe a sibling has become Mom and Dad’s favorite!  Instead of fine china, you are treated like a paper plate!  Expendable. And if you are not careful and choose to walk in the flesh instead of in the spirit, you can allow those painful darts of the enemy to push you away in anger.

I’ve gone through situations where I have been treated unkindly by those I love most, but when you have become born-again (has made Jesus your  Lord and accepted Him as Savior) and maybe the only one in your family who has done so,  you have to choose to  LOVE them in a higher form then what they can understand – NOT a “fake” kind-of-love but a “Jesus” kind-of-love and that means accepting the fact that you have now entered into a spiritual battle, and you are fighting the GOOD fight of faith for your family.  And more often than not (because they are spiritually blind) they don’t see it, you can undergo spiritual attack. You are waring for their salvation. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

That is why it is important to do as the Bible says in the book of Ephesians and put on your spiritual armor EVERY day!  Take a look at the full chapter of Ephesians 6:10-18:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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 realm. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Notice that last sentence to keep on praying for ALL the Lord’s people!  That’s called intercession!  Prayer mixed with love are our MOST powerful weapons when undergoing spiritual warfare, and oh yes – you WILL undergo warfare whether you want to or believe it or not, we ARE in the middle of a war that has been going on and on since for ages. But thanks to the Father, the victory IS ours in Christ Jesus.

THE BATTLE IS SPIRITUAL NOT FLESHLY. YOU CANNOT COMBAT IT IN THE WAYS OF THE WORLD. 

If you are experiencing this kind of attack, I KNOW it hurts!  I KNOW you *may* feel like JUST walking away! JUST going off to lick your wounds! But you have to go to the Father in prayer! Let Him know you are hurting!  Let Him know your despair over how you have been treated!  

NO ONE KNOWS BETTER THAN JESUS HOW IT FEELS! HE KNOWS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE OSTRACIZED! RIDICULED! REJECTED!

Isaiah 53 says it all:

Who has believed our message and to whom has the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a Man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment, He was taken away. Yet who of His generation protested? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people, He was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After He has suffered, He will see the light of life and be satisfied, by His knowledge, My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.