Building An Intercessory Prayer Team
Continued
The first thing a true intercessor will do when receiving a prayer request is to ask, Lord, what is your mind on this matter? Your team work will be greatly eased if you are all praying in the manner. The unity of spirit is important to the birth of a successful ministry as we, individually and corporately, lean upon the Father, waiting for His will, until we receive understanding. This prepares us to pray in unity with one another and in agreement with Him. These are the prayers that seem to be answered in the heavenlies as soon as they are spoken, for we speak the very desire of God. These are prayers that bring down showers of blessings, bringing glory to the Lord as He is revealed in power and strength, in grace and mercy and majesty. To become united in the spirit and praying the will of God, is achieved by praying His Word.
Intercessors also pray for world, national, and local political leaders. Some people actually think it's good to pray against evildoers and oppressive leaders, even to pray for their death. Not that God would pay any attention if you did, but, such thinking poisons your attitude. Pray that the Spirit would guide them or change them. When James and John asked for permission to do harm to their enemies by praying for divine acts of judgment, Jesus reminded them of why He was there:
"For the Son of Man did not come to destroy peoples' lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:56).
Intercessory prayer aims to build people into what God wants of them, not to tear them down.
All that is shared with you is to be kept strictly confidential.
Prepare your mind and heart by examining yourself and making repentance and confession of sin to God. Seek to humble yourself and open your heart to the Holy Spirit.
Ask those you are going to intercede for, "What would you like me to pray for?" If you need further clarity, ask, "How would you like me to pray about this...?"
The use of God's words is very personal to God. It deals with how we pray for ourselves, our spouses, our children, our churches, our cities, and our nations. Our words are being aligned with the words of Christ. Jesus only did and said what He saw His Father doing and saying...this is our example.
We must watch and listen before we speak because there is life and death in the tongue, and God is adding a new authority upon our words as His children to speak life into nations, people, situations, etc.
Intercessors must know His words more then ever before, and to align their words with His Word. Be careful of those calling themselves intercessors and is not dwelling in the Word of God, they tend to pray their will and not God's will. This is not only about His written Word, but the words that He speaks daily and wants to release through us. God desires that healing comes forth from our mouths, not harm. Proverbs 12:18 says, "There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."
Ask God for gifted intercessors and prayer warriors. Draw up a business plan that will include the allocation of resources to the prayer team and its activities. Write a description of how you will interact with the team. How frequently will you contact them? How often will you write a newsletter, email, or phone team members? What will it cost to do that? What resources are required to communicate with your team? How might your spiritual gifts minister to the team? Ask the Lord for a vision of how you will work with your prayer team.
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