7 PILLARS OF A LIVING INTERCESSOR  9/25/06

Intercessors are called, but few are chosen.  To be chosen, is to have gone through the fire and yielded to His Sovereignty through death to self.  In the process, also yielding to Him to perfect the character/ alignment of one’s body, soul and/or spirit to His image.

An intercessor may walk their whole life in preparation for one moment in history: for the moment they cast their vote and pray just one prayer.  It is like Moses when he interceded for Israel.  So intercessors are not necessarily  prayer warriors, that pray all the time and thus their volume of prayers is what bears weight in the kingdom.  Rather it is their walk in the Lord that bears the weight. 

PONDERINGS:  The pillars of walking and being sustained in this place of intercessory assignments are: Free will, Sacrifice, Faith, Hope, Love, Favor, Peace, Partnership.

These pillars are all gifts from God’s grace and measure, so they are not earned nor are they the criteria of being chosen for a task.  They grow with each assignment.  So these are the marking or gifting of an Intercessor.  Here is a brief description of these gifts.

1.  Intercessors are Volunteers, the calling is not commanded of them.  Each assignment is offered, then accepted by free will with no coercion by God in the offering.  But the option is made clear in advance, that there are risks, challenges, and great reward, no matter what.

Isa 6:8-11 NKJV

 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send,

And who will go for Us?"

Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'  10 "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart,

And return and be healed."

Then I said, "Lord, how long?"

2.  Intercessors have the Gift of Giving and receive pleasure in sacrifice, even if bittersweet.

Ps 50:5 NKJV

"Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice ."

Isa 53:10-11 NKJV

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.  He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

3.  Intercessors have great Faith for breakthrough when in the midst of the sufferings of many loved ones.

1 Sam 30:6-8  NKJV

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring the ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?"  And He answered him, "Pursue , for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all."

4.  Intercessors have Hope enough to visualize the victory, the point of breakthrough.  This hope carries them through anything that comes their way, acknowledging that nothing passes by them by accident.  That whatever burns was meant to burn and whatever is multiplied is meant for great harvest for many. 

Rom 5:3-5 NKJV

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations , knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

5.  Intercessors have stubborn love.  This is God’s Fatherly heart for His people,  that simply won’t quit or change.  God’s love covers a multitude of sins and it is that love that an intercessor draws upon when the chips are down.

1 Cor 13:7 AMP

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

1 Peter 4:7-8 NKJV

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins ."

1 Cor 13

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 6 It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

8 Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear. 9 Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! 10 But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear.

11 It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.

13 There are three things that will endure — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.

NLT

6.  An Intercessor is marked with great Favor of being daily loaded with benefits.  The provision is liberal Favor/ Grace in whatever gift is necessary in heaven and on earth to be able to complete the assignment, stay stable and be kept.  The provision is ALWAYS more then enough.

Ezra 7:19-20 NLKV

And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasury.

7.  An Intercessor knows the power of walking in Peace.  It requires learning how to daily lean/ abide to find the balance of keeping one’s peace in daily living.  God’s peace is the barometer that holds him stable and when that peace is challenged, the intercessor will do whatever is necessary to re-gain that peace. 

Rom 16:19-20 NKJV

For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. Amen.

8.  An Intercessor becomes God’s Partner and is willing to express His heart in whatever way He sees fit to express it.  The partnership eventually becomes the greatest joy, passion and desire to be able to give pleasure to Him and receive intimacy from Him in the process.

Ex 33:12-17 NLT

12 Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Take these people up to the Promised Land.' But you haven't told me whom you will send with me. You call me by name and tell me I have found favor with you. 13 Please, if this is really so, show me your intentions so I will understand you more fully and do exactly what you want me to do. Besides, don't forget that this nation is your very own people."

14 And the LORD replied, "I will personally go with you, Moses. I will give you rest — everything will be fine for you."

15 Then Moses said, "If you don't go with us personally, don't let us move a step from this place. 16 If you don't go with us, how will anyone ever know that your people and I have found favor with you? How else will they know we are special and distinct from all other people on the earth?"

17 And the LORD replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend ."

xxx

WORD TO PONDER: BROKEN HEARTS OF STONE  9/27/06 

Yes, it is true, precious one, until your heart was broken, it was never truly open.  I have been plowing through the stony ground of your heart and making it tender.  In the process, I have removed rocks of offense, those stones that would cause you to stumble, should they continue with you in your journey.  As you have offered each offending hard place to Me, as your Loving Surgeon, I have with purpose and passion plunged in to save your life.  My great and loving mercy is with you and I promise you healing on the other side of brokenness.  Do not withhold yourself from your family of believers.  My desire is to give you one heart, even as I have called you as one body.

Ezek 11:19-21   NKJV

Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.

John 17:11-12 NKJV

Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.