(Luke 15:10 KJV)
7. Fulfil your priestly ministry of intercession every day
As part of your job as a soul winner, you have the divine responsibility of labouring in intercession for the lost. To intercede means 'to come between or to cause to entreat.' The Bible says that Jesus has made us kings and priests unto God (Revelation 1:6).
In the Old Testament, the priest would offer sacrifices and present offerings unto God on behalf of the people so that their sins may be atoned for. Without the priest, it would not be possible for your sins to be forgiven by God, even if you brought the right sacrifice. In other words, the priests served a very vital role among the the children of Israel. Now, over in the New Testament, we are called to be a Kingdom of Priests (1 Peter 2:9). That means we serve as the bridge between the world and God. "Oh, but the Bible says Jesus is the way, so how do we now become the way?' someone may ask. You see, that's why Jesus gave us the Great Commission. And so without us the whole world will remain in darkness without hope of ever knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are the dispensers of His grace. That's why you are an ambassador of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Your heart must break with the things that break God's heart. Purpose in your heart to stand in the gap to receive mercy on behalf of this decaying world (Exodus 22:30; Isaiah 59:16). Pray for the lost! The Bible says Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 18:20-33).
God was extremely angry at the children of Israel for their stiffneckedness and wanted to wipe them off, but one man interceded for the whole nation- Moses. Observe this conversation:
But Moses pleaded with the LORD his God and said, " LORD, why should you be so angry with your people, whom you rescued from Egypt with great might and power? Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them in the mountains and destroy them completely? Stop being angry; change your mind and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and to give their descendants all that land you promised would be their possession forever."
(Exodus 32:11-13 GNB)
And the end result was: "... the LORD changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." (Exodus 32:14)
One of the keys to effective intercession is that you must recognise that it's purely on the basis of legal terms. Thus, your reference point for prayer must be the Word of God. God said, 'Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.' (Isaiah 43:26). And elsewhere, He said, 'Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.' (Isaiah 41:21) Why should God not allow them to wallow in their sins? Why shouldn't He unleash His wrath upon them? Because He is love, and does not want anyone to perish and His sacrifice of Jesus is enough to cleanse them and utterly deliver them from their trespasses (1 John 4:7-8; 2 Peter 3:9; Hebrews 7:25)
Paul wrote a letter to young Timothy and in it he said:
First of all, I encourage you to make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and prayers of thanks for all people, for rulers, and for everyone who has authority over us. Pray for these people so that we can have a quiet and peaceful life always lived in a godly and reverent way. This is good and pleases God our Savior. He wants all people to be saved and to learn the truth.
(1 Timothy 2:1-4 GW)
Ask God to cause His message to be honoured wherever it goes all around the world (1 Thessalonians 3:1). Pray!
Go ahead and speak in tongues!
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