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YWAM DTS Notes Intercession based on lectures by Bev
Tuddenham In addition to the
prayer formula, I would suggest also taking prayer requests from the school,
from the base, from other YWAM bases and praying for specific needs mentioned by
individuals during this week on intercession. We could name the 75 or so
countries in Indian Ocean gateway and pray over each nation. We could show
video clips of specific needs in countries, like Algeria that we had on Friday
night.
Biblical
intercession can be compared to advocacy. Jesus is our advocate, as is the Holy
Spirit. We have the privilege as intercessors to also be advocates, bringing
peoples “cases” before God as their representative. Paul tells us to not only
look out only for own needs but for the needs of others. …do not merely look
out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Phil
2:4 (NASB) There are classic
examples of intercession in Scripture. Jesus priestly prayer is the best
example, "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of
those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are
Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 "I am
no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to
You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that
they may be one even as We are. 12 "While I was with them, I was keeping them in
Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them
perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
Jesus prayed for the
Disciples and for us, future believers
13 "But now I come to
You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made
full in themselves. 14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated
them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 "I do
not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.
16 "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 "Sanctify them
in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have
sent them into the world. 19 "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they
themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20 "I do not ask on
behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that
they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Jesus prayed about
God’s glory and making His name known
22 "The glory which You
have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23
I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world
may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24
"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am,
so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before
the foundation of the world. 25 "O righteous Father, although the world has not
known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I
have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with
which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
John 17:9-26
(NASB)
Another great example is
given to us by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. For this reason I bow my
knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth
derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His
glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted
and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is
the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ
which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Eph
3:14-21 (NASB)
Other biblical examples
of intercession are Abraham talked to the Lord about Sodom and Gomorrah and his
nephew lot. Abraham came near and said, "Will You indeed sweep away the
righteous with the wicked? 24 "Suppose there are fifty righteous within the
city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the
fifty righteous who are in it? 25 "Far be it from You to do such a thing, to
slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are
treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal
justly?" 26 So the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the
city, then I will spare the whole place on their account." 27 And Abraham
replied, "Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but
dust and ashes. 28 "Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You
destroy the whole city because of five?" And He said, "I will not destroy it if
I find forty-five there." 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose forty
are found there?" And He said, "I will not do it on account of the forty." 30
Then he said, "Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty
are found there?" And He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 And
he said, "Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are
found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of the twenty." 32
Then he said, "Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once;
suppose ten are found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of
the ten." 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the LORD departed,
and Abraham returned to his place.
Gen 18:23-33
(NASB)
Moses interceded for the
children of Israel, Then Moses entreated
the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your
people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great
power and with a mighty hand? 12 "Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With
evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy
them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your
mind about doing harm to Your people. 13 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply
your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have
spoken I will give to your descendants , and they shall inherit it forever.' "
14 So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His
people.
Ex 32:11-14
(NASB)
Another area of
intercession is prayer walking. Prayer walking is usually made together by a
group of believers for the primary purpose of intercessory prayer on location. I
led a team to do that last year in Bangkok. It was exciting to walk around the
outer perimeter of the classroom seven times, blow the trumpets and shout as
Joshua and the children of Israel did.
We are to pray for those
in government authority over us, as well as other authorities and pray for the
unsaved. First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and
thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in
authority , so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and
dignity . 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Tim
2:1-4 (NASB)
Then of course there is
the whole area of praying for the sick. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must
call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will
restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has
committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to
one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective
prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature
like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain
on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the
sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. James
5:14-18 (NASB)
"I looked for a man
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
Ezek
22:30 (NIV)
The Bible in Basic
English says, “take his station in the broken place before me for the land”
Where ever I go in the world there are broken places and broken people. O Lord
use me to stand in the gap to help others. I realize that there really is only
One who can truly stand in the gap for mankind. I thank God He did find a Man to
stand between my sin and a holy God.
My progress in
understanding more of Him
I have prayed most of my
life even long before I became a Christian and I have felt that God has spoken
to me or led or guided me numerous times, but still in prayer usually it is just
a one sided conversation. I believe God wants more of a two sided conversation
not limited to His Word and occasional intermittent guidance but much more day
to day. What a challenge to filter out what voice inside is God’s? What is
mine? What is the enemy’s?
Satan’s strategies
I was reminded this week
that there really are spiritual battles going on all the time. Satan is the
prince of this world right now and he has done much to blind peoples eyes. We
must pray that God’s light will pierce the darkness.
The Enemy wants us to
think the things God wants are not so.
Understanding myself
I had previously been
proud of my independence, thinking it was a good thing, and thinking that those
who always bowed to all authority, or who seemed so dependent upon groups or
teams were just weak and foolish. I began to value team work several years ago
as a pastor but still found that is an area in my life that needs some more
attention.
Prayer is a battle. The
heart of worship and prayer has to be cultivated.
There are more than 100
billion galaxies, perhaps as many stars as the sand of the sea. See Psalm 8.
God is infinite, intricate, humble, immeasurable, omnipresent, creative,
omnipotent, eternal, indescribable, love, the Alpha and Omega, exciting,
amazing, precise, personal, Most High, sovereign, faithful, sustainer, concerned
with the macro and the micro, beyond imagination, and spectacular.
David strengthened
himself in the Lord, focusing on Him rather that on his circumstances. Joshua
was told to be strong and courageous and not to afraid or dismayed.
We overcome the Accuser
because of the blood of the Lamb Rev. 12:11
Prayer is a way we
represent God to others and others to God
Who are we in
comparison to the universe God has made?
We are ants, microbes,
insignificant, dust. But Scripture indicates we are heirs, known by God, even
every hair on our heads, and He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts.
He even wants to give us the desires of our hearts. We are commissioned by Him
to represent Him.
Prayer is creating new
realities with God. Gen. 1:2 Ushering in the light. In
Genesis 1,
God created by moving v. 2, speaking v. 3, separating vv. 4, 6-7, 14, 18,
defining and naming vv. 5, 8, 10, gathering v. 9, exposing v. 9, filling, v. 14,
programming vv. 14-18.
Prayer should be a rich
place of learning.
Eph. 6:18 says to pray at
all times and I Thess. 5:17 sasys to pray without ceasing.
We must seek out God’s
ways before praying and wait on Him
Make me know Your ways, O
LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the
God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.
Psalms 25:4-5
(NASB)
We are invited into the
secret counsel of the Godhead
Who is the man who fears
the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. 13 His soul will
abide in prosperity ,
And his descendants will
inherit the land . 14 The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He
will make them know His covenant.
Psalms
25:12-14 (NASB)
There is such power in
the tongue. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love
it will eat its fruit.
Prov 18:21
(NASB)
Paga is the Hebrew word
for meet. We have the privilege of meeting with God. We are His heralds or
ambassadors.
We are a holy
priesthood.
And coming to Him as to a
living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the
sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual
house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture : "BEHOLD, I LAY IN
ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL
NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but
for those who disbelieve, "THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME
THE VERY CORNER stone," 8 and, "A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE"; for they
stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were
also appointed. 9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION,
A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of
Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once
were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED
MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
1 Peter 2:4-10
(NASB)
We are brothers,
companions in struggle, we are kings, delegated authority by God. Rev. 1
We are to be assertive in
prayer warfare. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the
flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely
powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and
every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking
every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Cor 10:3-5
(NASB)
Finally, be strong in the
Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that
you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces
of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of
God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done
everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS
WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having
shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to
all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all
the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and
petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert
with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf,
that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with
boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains ;
that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Eph
6:10-20 (NASB)
…and my message and my
preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power,
1 Cor
2:4 (NASB) See also
Psa. 22:3; 93:2; and Ex. 19:5-7.
Worship is foundational
to kingdom advance
The name of the LORD is a
strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe .
Prov 18:10
(NASB)
And He said to them,
"When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Luke
11:2 (NASB)
They brought up the ark
and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the
Levitical priests brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the congregation
of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many
sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 7 Then the priests
brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner
sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim.
8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the
cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles . 9 The poles were so long
that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen in front of the inner
sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and they are there to this day.
10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at
Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came
out of Egypt. 11 When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the
priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to
divisions), 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their
sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing
east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets
13 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard
with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their
voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when
they praised the LORD saying, " He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is
everlasting," then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14
so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the
glory of the LORD filled the house of God. 2 Chron 5:5-14 (NASB)
The answer to prayer came
through Jahaziel vv. 14-17, then worship followed in vv. 18-19. The people went
out praising and the enemies destroyed themselves vv. 20-25.
Hallel is Hebrew meaning
bright, shine, boast, splendid, clamorously foolish, like when David danced
before the Lord bring the Ark of Covenant back.
Sometimes praise is the
prayer strategy.
Platform – any military
vehicle from which weapons are launched.
Gen. 38:24, 29 Judah
means praise and Perez means break through.
The names of God can be
used as keys in prayer.
As we prayed for
Scriptures to address the needs in Perth, we as a school came up with
Hebrews 4:12;
Revelation 19:11-16; II Cor. 6:1-10; II Peter 3:8-9, 15;
Exodus 3:7
and Revelation
14:14-16.
Scriptures on
Thanksgiving Phil. 4:6-7; I Thess. 5:16-22; Col. 4:2-6;
John 6:11,
22-24. Here we see
miraculous multiplication.
The fruit of thankfulness
is peace of mind. Thanksgiving releases harvest. Thankfulness causes us to
focus on God rather than on our circumstances.
Principles of
intercession are:
- Praise and
thanksgiving
- A clean heart Ps.
66:18; Ps. 139:23-24
- Inviting the Holy
Spirit, resisting the Enemy, and casting out imaginations or preconceived
ideas
- Wait upon the Lord,
share with others, pray
- More thanksgiving
Truth confirmed
As we watched the Moody
Bible Institute film clip on space travel at the speed of light, I was reminded
God is infinite, intricate, humble, immeasurable, omnipresent, creative,
omnipotent, eternal, indescribable, amazing, precise, the Most High, sovereign,
faithful, sustainer. As Bram said, He is concerned with the macro and the
micro. God did indeed stretch out the heavens.
Thinking of praise and
worship and their relationship to prayer I was reminded of my favorite Psalm,
Psalm 34.
Here are 10 things I am
thankful for since coming to Perth:
1.
New close friends
2.
A comfortable apartment
3.
Opportunity to be involved in
Impact World Tour
4.
Opportunity to be involved in
evangelism
5.
Opportunity to work with
Australian Relief and Mercy Services
6.
Opportunity to help people with
children’s ministry training
7.
Opportunity to study Thai with a
Thai couple here
8.
Conviction over pride and
independence
9.
Our leaders in the school
10. Our speakers in the school
What God is saying to
me
There is a connection
between worship and prayer and spiritual warfare. Be sure to focus on Him
rather than my circumstances. When we watched the Impact World Tour promotion
video, we were challenged to write down the names of God that came to mind. I
just saw and heard needs in the city. That there are 1.4 million people, young
people 10 to 25 make up 35% of the population, only 3 – 5 % of those go to
church, so 470,000 are unchurched. There are many who are hopeless and even
suicidal like Pete’s nephew. There are needs for more volunteers, more local
churches to be involved, for visas, for money. But the challenge was a good
one, fellow students came up with many names and attributes of God which
addresses the needs mentioned. So I need to focus more on God rather than on
the needs. I can’t see the Forest for the trees.
Implementation
I won’t complain when
encouraged to stand in spite of leg and back pain, because soldiers don’t sit
down in battle. I will try to focus more on God rather than my own needs or the
needs of others. The focus must be on Him. Like Peter walking on the water, he
was fine when his eyes were focused on the Lord but when his focus was on the
waves he was going down. |
