Intimacy and Intercession

Intimacy and Intercession

Beyond programs and prayer meetings, what is about intercession that God loves?

What is ultimately the purpose of prayer?

Matthew 21:13

And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'"

· God wants our churches to be houses of prayer

· God wants his children to be houses of prayer

John 15:4-8

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

· Prayer is ultimately abiding in intimacy with Christ, hearing His voice from His word, and then praying or speaking those words back to Him

· It’s about God moving our hearts through His words, and then you moving His heart with your words

· The result is God releasing His resources—His power, His money, His people, His wisdom, His creative ideas, His favor—being released into the earthly realm

The foundational principle is: Intimacy leads to Intercession and Intercession leads to Intimacy

We abide in HimàHe speaks to us from His Word moving our heart (His desires and will)àWe speak to Him from His Word (our desires and will) and move His heartàHe releases His power, creativity, ideas, favor into our realmàWe bear kingdom fruitàGod gets the glory

· The mystery: We are asking God for what He has told us to ask him and then He releases what we ask.

· The goal: bearing fruit that brings glory to God

But you must speak it out! Life and death is in the power of the tongue.

Intercession-pagha, "to make intercession"; originally "to strike upon," or "against"; then in a good sense, "to assail anyone with petitions," "to urge," and when on behalf of another, "to intercede" (Ruth 1:16; Jer 7:16; 27:18; Job 21:15; Gen 23:8; Isa 53:12; Jer 36:25).

· In Genesis 1 we see the Spirit of God hovering over the unformed earth—nothing changed over the chaos and darkness…then God spoke

· Genesis 1:1-3

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

· When Jesus declared “Let there be light” then the Holy Spirit released light

· The Spirit would not release light until God declared it.

· The Spirit is released in cooperation with the Father and Son

· Psalms 33:6

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

· Jesus heard from the Father and spoke the words and the Spirit released power

It is as we abide in Christ, listening to Him from His Word, that He prompts us in how to pray. Then we cry out to him with our tongue, asking for His will on a matter. The Spirit guides us, leads us, empowers us

Our words cooperate with His Word and the Holy Spirit and the Spirit actually prays through us to the Father

Romans 8:26-34

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. NKJV

· We govern the universe through intimacy with Christ. It’s only through intimacy with Him that we bear kingdom fruit

· We enforce the kingdom on earth by speaking out God’s will asking for 4^th dimension resources to be released into the 3-dimensional world

· James 4:2

…Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

· We must ask, cry out to God in response to Him showing us His heart. It’s only as we let Him speak to us, that we then speak to Him