God looks for those whose hearts are prepared to be intercessors before Him. Intercessors have hearts in tune with God's heart. They are so acutely aware of what is at stake, for their land, that they will stay before God as long as necessary in order to obtain God's answer. That is why you do not volunteer to be an intercessor. God enlists you. Why do we not intercede as we should ? Perhaps we are afraid to put God to the test. We worry that God might not answer our prayers. Yet God promises that if we ask, we will receive (Matt. 7:7). We may fail to intercede because we believe the busyness of our everyday lives is more effective than prayer. Jesus warned that apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Without being intimately acquainted with God and His will, all of our labors are futile. Perhaps we fail to intercede because we misunderstand the heart of God. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem as He interceded for it (Matt. 23:37). If we truly have God's love within us, we will feel compelled to plead with God on behalf of those who face His imminent judgment. Intercession is a lonely business. There may be many days or even years when there appear to be few results for your labor. Yet intercessors can be the only ones standing between a family and God's judgment, or between an individual or nation and God's wrath. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
Mankind hungers for power over everything. Power over the great and the small. Over creatures and the rest of creation. It was that, that was the crux of the lie that Satan wove into his words to Adam and Eve.
You will be like God, knowing good and evil.
This world has in countless ways proven they cannot, at all, handle a mere fraction of the power necessary for their craving desires for that kind of power.
In Christ, we who pray, learn what Jesus said. That if we wanted to become the greatest we must become the servant of all. To gain means to lose hold of everything. It's found in one place. Prayer. Moses is regarded both in Jewish circles and without as one of the greatest in human history. He didn't think much of himself or his oratory abilities. He humbled himself before his God. Talked with Him so often one-on-one that he was considered to be a friend of God.
David was considered to be a man after God's own heart. How would that come to be? A life spent in constant conversation and duplication of what he found in his talks with his God. David recognized his own unworthiness. He asked the Lord who was he and who was his house that the Lord had brought him this far?
Some may say "Oh, that's them! They had a special relationship with God that I could never have! Just look at them! I am not like that! Look at where they lived. Look at..."
You know, it's astounding just how well we can come up with excuses. You realize in your agreeing with that last paragraph you sounded exactly like Moses in the beginning of his life with Christ? Christ? You just said the Lord? One and the same. The Jesus Christ of the New Testament is the same one referred to as The Lord in the Old Testament. But getting back to your disbelief. Moses tried hard to make a case that the Lord Jesus needed to find someone else to be His voice before Pharaoh. It only slightly worked. His brother Aaron was brought in to speak. Look at the life of Moses. His fears were totally unfounded. He spoke with God so often that he even began bringing back the holiness he experienced being in the same room as the Lord Jesus.
But...
Look...just look my friend. The Disciples were indeed 12 ordinary people. Look at their stories. We who are in Christ are no different than anybody that has come before us in Christ. Our times with our Lord Jesus are just as powerful and impactful and important as theirs was.
To put prayer into perspective, prayer alters the course of human events unlike anything else since the creation of mankind. Prayer caused the creation of the nation of Israel. Prayer caused the fall of the nation's that came up again her. Prayer was at the heart of the creation of the United States. As much as there are people trying to rewrite history, prayer was there! I am not strictly speaking of what we can read of the history of the United States, but the little talked about history of her enemies. Islam has been around for centuries. George Washington was told before we had really settled into our newfound status as the United States, having broke away from England that Islam was at war with us. The only reason being is because we were going to be a Christian nation. How did they know?
They didn't have cell phones or internet. How did Islamic nations know? Because The enemies of God know who those who belong to God are. Satan hates it beyond measure when the people of God pray.
The Spiritual giants we read about both in the Bible and human history lead powerful lives of prayer.
Jesus could just as easily made a command decision to prevent Peter from denying Him. What does the Bible say? He prayed for him. But that didn't work! Didn't it? Jesus had to allow Peter to go through it. What Peter went through shaped Peter for the ministry to come. He indeed was restored as Christ had said he would be.
Prayer is our chief method of talking to and learning from God. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. How does a teacher teach? By speaking and by doing.
I don't pretend to know a profound amount of the things of God. What I do know had been taught to me. Some have mentioned that I should be careful in regards to what version of the Bible that I read. Let me turn that around right now. The Holy Spirit uses all kinds of versions of the Bible to reach those whom will say yes to the free gift of Salvation. He is absolutely not bound by a single version. He is God! As Moses was told about his supposed inability to speak before Pharaoh, who do you think created the mouth? Who created speech? Who created those translations? Who maintains them? It's the Holy Spirit! They may not be exactly the same from one to the next, but God can still use them to reach a lost soul!
Prayer is what perpetuates Christianity. Prayer is what enables Christians to grow closer to God.
Prayer is what turns a person into a friend of God.
Prayer is what changes both the person praying and the person being prayed for.
Prayer is what brings us closer to what we are going to be I in Christ.
Prayer is better than your first cup of coffee. Better than anything you can do to start your day. It removes guilt, it removes pain, it removes loneliness, it removes whatever is between you and God once you give your life to Him.
It saves others.
If you aren't praying, and you claim to be a Christian, why not? Guilt? Let go of it, it was nailed to the cross along with every other sin you have or will have committed.
Jesus is waiting for you. If you are indeed a member of the family of God He's waiting to hear from you.
If you are not yet...think about your reasons why. Are they worth it? Is your denial of Jesus worth what you are struggling to live through on your own? You are tired, you are weary. You may even be fighting illness. Let go of whatever reason you are holding onto and simply ask Jesus to save you. To come into your life. You can then experience the love of God and begin your own friendship with the one who saved you, Jesus.
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