Dear Pilgrim,
Thanks for your beautiful communication regarding intercessory prayers, and the importance of fellowship, and or joining hands, (not always literally, but in one accord) to pray about an issue or situation.
Pilgrim, I also believe in intercessory prayers, or prayers of agreement. However, until after reading Joyce Meyer’s book: The Power of Simple Prayer: How to Talk with God about Everything", my understanding of intercessory prayers, and prayers of agreement were unclear. After reading Joyce Meyer’s books, coupled with a few other authors in the field, I assumed that intercessory prayers and prayers of agreement could be carried out by anyone.
What is an intercessory prayer? According to summaries of various definitions, an intercessory prayer is a prayer provided by someone else for another person, or for others.” An intercessor is the one who takes the place of another or pleads another's case, or the one who intercedes.
Are there special people with special positions who can be intercessors, or are there people who have special relationship with God to offer intercessory prayers? I learned from Evangelist and author, Joyce Meyers that those who offer intercessory prayers are not of special class or “super-Christians,” called by God to a specific ministry of intercession. No, no. If that was the case, we would be running here there yonder to identify the few "super Christians" to intercede for us. Remember, the Bible is clear that all Christians are called to be intercessors, because we all have the Holy Spirit in our hearts and, just as He intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will we are to intercede for one another. Being an intercessor is therefore not a privilege limited to a small elite of Christians. In 1 Samuel 12: 23“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you,” which I understand to mean that it is in fact a sin not to intercede for others. However, Joyce highlights a point, which I found quite agreeable. That is, an intercessor must be in agreement, in order to successful play the role of an intercessor. For me, that means, the intercessor should embrace God's love; the intercessor also welcomes the Holy Spirit within their own heart, and is willing to intercede regarding the situation and issue without any prejudice.
In addition, after reading Meyers’ book and other materials from Max Lucado, T.D Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, among other authors, intercessory Prayers and Prayer of Agreement go hand in hand. That is, the intercessor must be in agreement to plead, or must be in agreement to unite in their belief and conviction, or faith to intercded for the other person, or persons.Can I pray for Wanda if we do not agree? Can you pray for your loved one if you do not agree or do not share similar views on the solution to the problem? Does the scriptures provide agreement that can help us in our faith during prayers?
As Christians, we must look for the fundamental agreement, which can be found in the Word. Read the scriptures, find the Word relating to challenge or the situation and pray according to the Word. For example, to pray about a financial situation Philippians 4:19 states: And my God will liberally supply your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus, while Matthew 18: 19 says: “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (coordinate our thoughts) about whatever they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.” Having read just the two scriptures, does the Bible give us the authority or opportunity to pray for our financial need, our needs for food, and clothing? Does the Bible or the scriptures give us the authority to pray for our children, our friends and love ones, or others we feel compassion towards?
Yes, Pilgrim, the Bible tells us that if any two on earth agree, it did not say if any two special people agree, or two most Holy people agree. No. If any two agree, Jesus would be in the midst of that agreement to see that it comes to pass. So, if you agree with another believer anything that lines up with the Word of God, He is there in your midst to carry it out. When I read Copeland’s summary of prayer of agreement, I was quite pleased by the way he described [prayer of] “You must have your spirit, mind and actions in agreement with the Word.” Yes! That is it. When you join to pray with someone, the fundamental ingredients for that intercession and agreement must be whether the SPIRIT, MIND and ACTIONS are at least on the same or similar par.
So my dear Pilgrim, we can pray for our needs and those of others. However, to do so, it is important to fellowship. I believe that through our own individual prayers, getting familiar with the Word, and fellowshipping, we can harmonize together, make a symphony together so that our spirits, minds and actions are in agreement with the Word.”
While agreement makes prayer work, my dear Pilgrim, we must remember as always that disagreement opens the door for the devil and evil spirits to come in, as stated in James 3: 16: “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”.
Today, let us pray for our friends and our children. As we prayed for my friend Wanda, and our Children, I am aware that we are united in Spirit, our thoughts and actions are in harmony regarding the situations on our hearts as we stand before the throne of God. We believed Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and have faith that our prayer request is within the Word, and it is well.
So in our prayer today, we agree and intercede for Wanda, and our Children:
Dear Lord, we come to you and hereby agree, according to Matthew 18:19 and John 17:15.“Father, we see in Your Word that You will supply all our needs according to Your riches in glory, and we pray as Jesus did for his disciples that our children will be protected from the evil ones in all areas of their lives. We are setting ourselves in agreement that our prayers for Wanda and prayer of peace and protection for our children and all children faced with challenges are met according to Your Word. We ask you God, in the name of Jesus to dispatch angels to surround Wanda and her family; send your angels in the name of Jesus to surround my son, and to surround Pilgrim’s children and all children, so that our children and all children are protected against all physical, emotional and mental incidents, and interferences.. Dear God, you are the mighty healer, do your work in our family and our children from this day forth. Teach us, give us the strength, and wisdom, open doors of opportunities; strengthen us always, mind, body, and spirit to see and protect our children from the thieves, and demolishers.. We thank you for silencing heaven to hear our prayers, we believe your angels are protecting our Children, and they are sheltered against the evil ones, and healed. We establish this agreement, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
In unision, let us say: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." AMEN
At the end of the above prayer, we can always pray, where ever we are. and even as we carry out our household chores. I’ve learned that prayer is not only when you're down on your knees, shouting out to God. Prayers can be simple; like a conversation with God. I pray when I’m in the kitchen, when I am shopping, brushing my teeth, walking down the alley, on the bus or the train, or working on the computer. Truthfully, recently, I fell back again in my prayer life, and the impact is recognizable. I remembered once feeling very guilty about falling back in my prayer life, and when I spoke with a friend, I was reminded that "we all fall, but the important things is to rise". And I read similar reminders in other books, including the bible. I am picking up again, and find myself smiling again that I am continuing on my walk with my Shepherd. I know that I will again be walking on air, as my heart begins to fill with his love; his presence begins to manifest in my life. Don't get me wrong, he is always with us, but the manifestation of his presence is felt when we embrace him.
You may want to know why I am praying for Wanda. Well, have you ever met someone and felt you have known this person throughout your life? Or have you met someone and then it hits you that this person feels like a part of you; when you begin to interact, you begin to wonder how you hold similar views on issues?
Well, Wanda is a friend. We met almost a year ago, and our friendship did not grow rapidly, but it developed really gradually. I have come to see Wanda as a sister. Believe me, outwardly, we are two contrasting individuals, but when we communicate, our ideas are similar. Sometimes, I am amazed at how we tend to use almost the same ideas, or words to describe a situation. We also share similar views about the educational system, and how it influences the development of our children. You will need to observe us to see how we are interchangeable, or how we sometimes hold the same position, or views on a topic, and sometimes utter similar words to concisely describe a situation.
I hope you meet Wanda someday. Until then, lets keep praying for our children, and the children of the world.
always,
musue
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Are you an Adulterer or an Adulteress?
Dear Pilgrim,
I received your response to my communication. I do hope that someday, you may feel comfortable to post your communication on this medium, so that others may also benefit from our discussions.
In your communication, you proposed that we delve more into the Bible verse, James 4: 4-10, that Bishop Darlingston Johnson used to preach on Adulterers and Adulteresses, and Friendship with the world. Bishop’s theme may not have been “Adulterers and Adulteresses,” but the topic seems appropriate for our discussion. Doesn’t it?
Bishop Johnson drove through his sermon using an anecdote of an adulterous woman, to illustrate how God feels when we move outside of our relationship with him, to become more attracted to the world as a friend. Not Bishop’s exact word, but his story of the adulterous wife went in this manner:
Imagine a woman who’s married to a faithful loving man. But the wife is not prepared to fully give her heart, nor spend her time with her husband. Why did she get married in the first place? Bishop went on to explain that in such relationships, there is the tendency for the person the wife is engage in extra marital affairs with to point at the husband and make derogatory comments such as, “You say you married the woman, but I’m sleeping with her,” or “You have the ring, but I have the woman.” That is the same way it is when we stray in our relationship with Christ. Like the good husband, who has an adulterous wife, God has given him-self fully and completely to us, so it is not unreasonable to give ourselves fully to him. Bishop said, “When we engage is adultery or adulterous act, by our actions, we become the enemy. God doesn’t hate us, but by our actions we are the enemy.”
Bishop went onto portray what an adulterous woman’s action is like: The adulterous woman’s extra martial affair is a demonstration of dishonor, towards her husband, who loves his wife, and a destruction of the relationship. By being adulterous, the wife demonstrates hatred; she brings dishonor, and ultimate betrayal and shame to the husband and the relationship, as well as her family.
Pilgrim, the adulterous woman is aware of her husband’s love for her, and like us, we tend to take advantage of God’s love for us by engaging in extra ordinary sins like the adulterous wife. We exploit God’s love and mercy by living an adulterous lifestyle. Bishop said, “As bad as it is for a woman to engage in an adulterous act to a man even if he is not the best man, can you imagine that it is exceedingly wicked for a woman to engage in adulterous act to a man who loves her? That makes her adultery exceedingly adulterous; her abomination to be exceedingly abominatious and her wickedness exceedingly wicked.” Drawing on the scenario of the adulterous woman and her loving husband to explain God’s love for us, Bishop said, “Apply this to our relationship with Jesus, and how our relationship with the world is hatred towards God.” When Bishop underscored how our relationship with the world can draw us away from God, I recalled my parents' words of wisdom: “be careful, the whole world is under the control of the devil.” I also reflected on some bible verses, including ones from my school days: 1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world, or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2: 16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
My eyes filled with tears as I sat through the sermon that Sunday. Isn’t it shameful to disregard God’s love, and also allow the evil ones to taunt God because of his love for us? Imagine being engaged in such wayward acts, and actions that are considered exceedingly adulterous, or exceedingly abomination and or wickedness that is exceedingly wicked. If Spiritual adultery grieves the heart of God, and makes him jealous, I can’t help wondering about other acts that are more unrefined. It hurts. Doesn’t it? Imagine when we give ourselves so freely to the ones we love, and our love is unacknowledged, and sometimes disregarded, and shunned. Think about that for a second. If it hurts us as human beings, think about God who created us, he looked at us, and smile thinking about the wonderful things he has planned for our lives. He invests in us, and watches us grow. Of course, he is jealous of us, because he wants the best for us. James 4: 5 says – “Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us?” He tries to protect us from the evils of the world, but then along the way, we turn our backs, and we get deeply entrenched in the world. God loves us so much, and he has made a lot of investment in each of us. That is why his jealously should be understood. God placed within us his Holy Spirit, God wants to see us prosper and not fail; God is jealous because he considers our body his temple, and not something to be tampered with by any acts that will make us unclean. Isn’t it therefore reasonable that he is jealous, and feels dishonored when we are deeply seduced by the world?
Bishop Johnson then talked about ways we can learn to live right with God. As I listened to the sermon, I began asking myself many questions: How does the world destroy our lives? What is the purpose of my life? Would I want to wear the crown that brings honor or dishonor? Remember Pilgrim, it was during our discussion on those issues and the questions that we began to brainstorm further in ways to walk in His path. We agreed after reading and researching the Word that God did not design the world to make us deny him [God]. Rather, it is when we develop affections for the world, including obsession with the things of the world, anxiety over money, material things and worldly goals; when we believe following God is too restricting, and begin to look for like-minded people who desire temporary pleasures that dishonor our relationship with God, and betray God.
Pilgrim, did you have the time to look at Bible stories and verses on the things of the world, and our relations with God in the following Bible verses: Matt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matt 6:21 “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
What happens if we are deeply seduced by the World? Bishop Johnson said, while God resists the proud, He is willing to give grace to the humble. Pilgrim, my heart felt heavy when Bishop explained that even when we become Adulterers or adulteresses in our relationship with God, God still loves us. Imagine that! Bishop referred the congregation to James. 4:6 but he gives us more grace. That is why the Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:8 also says: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Pilgrim, after our discussion on the topic, I thought about out struggles with the system of the world, and all I could do was pray to God. My prayers went in this fashion:
Dear God, I open my heart to you, and ask that your peace fill me. Give me wisdom, and strength to keep my eyes on you. Give me strength to resist the things of the world. Help me to be Faithful in my service to you dear God. In my marriage and home, provide me strength and honor as my clothing; and a good man who is upright in your sight, and who respects and loves his family. Teach me to always bless my family, and raise my children to grow in your words dear God. Teach me to relax in your loving care, dear God, and to release all my cares to you, knowing that you are upholding me and sustaining me in all that I do. Amen
I look forward to hearing from you Pilgrim, as I continue to feast on His word.
Sincerely,
Musue
I received your response to my communication. I do hope that someday, you may feel comfortable to post your communication on this medium, so that others may also benefit from our discussions.
In your communication, you proposed that we delve more into the Bible verse, James 4: 4-10, that Bishop Darlingston Johnson used to preach on Adulterers and Adulteresses, and Friendship with the world. Bishop’s theme may not have been “Adulterers and Adulteresses,” but the topic seems appropriate for our discussion. Doesn’t it?
Bishop Johnson drove through his sermon using an anecdote of an adulterous woman, to illustrate how God feels when we move outside of our relationship with him, to become more attracted to the world as a friend. Not Bishop’s exact word, but his story of the adulterous wife went in this manner:
Imagine a woman who’s married to a faithful loving man. But the wife is not prepared to fully give her heart, nor spend her time with her husband. Why did she get married in the first place? Bishop went on to explain that in such relationships, there is the tendency for the person the wife is engage in extra marital affairs with to point at the husband and make derogatory comments such as, “You say you married the woman, but I’m sleeping with her,” or “You have the ring, but I have the woman.” That is the same way it is when we stray in our relationship with Christ. Like the good husband, who has an adulterous wife, God has given him-self fully and completely to us, so it is not unreasonable to give ourselves fully to him. Bishop said, “When we engage is adultery or adulterous act, by our actions, we become the enemy. God doesn’t hate us, but by our actions we are the enemy.”
Bishop went onto portray what an adulterous woman’s action is like: The adulterous woman’s extra martial affair is a demonstration of dishonor, towards her husband, who loves his wife, and a destruction of the relationship. By being adulterous, the wife demonstrates hatred; she brings dishonor, and ultimate betrayal and shame to the husband and the relationship, as well as her family.
Pilgrim, the adulterous woman is aware of her husband’s love for her, and like us, we tend to take advantage of God’s love for us by engaging in extra ordinary sins like the adulterous wife. We exploit God’s love and mercy by living an adulterous lifestyle. Bishop said, “As bad as it is for a woman to engage in an adulterous act to a man even if he is not the best man, can you imagine that it is exceedingly wicked for a woman to engage in adulterous act to a man who loves her? That makes her adultery exceedingly adulterous; her abomination to be exceedingly abominatious and her wickedness exceedingly wicked.” Drawing on the scenario of the adulterous woman and her loving husband to explain God’s love for us, Bishop said, “Apply this to our relationship with Jesus, and how our relationship with the world is hatred towards God.” When Bishop underscored how our relationship with the world can draw us away from God, I recalled my parents' words of wisdom: “be careful, the whole world is under the control of the devil.” I also reflected on some bible verses, including ones from my school days: 1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world, or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2: 16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
My eyes filled with tears as I sat through the sermon that Sunday. Isn’t it shameful to disregard God’s love, and also allow the evil ones to taunt God because of his love for us? Imagine being engaged in such wayward acts, and actions that are considered exceedingly adulterous, or exceedingly abomination and or wickedness that is exceedingly wicked. If Spiritual adultery grieves the heart of God, and makes him jealous, I can’t help wondering about other acts that are more unrefined. It hurts. Doesn’t it? Imagine when we give ourselves so freely to the ones we love, and our love is unacknowledged, and sometimes disregarded, and shunned. Think about that for a second. If it hurts us as human beings, think about God who created us, he looked at us, and smile thinking about the wonderful things he has planned for our lives. He invests in us, and watches us grow. Of course, he is jealous of us, because he wants the best for us. James 4: 5 says – “Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us?” He tries to protect us from the evils of the world, but then along the way, we turn our backs, and we get deeply entrenched in the world. God loves us so much, and he has made a lot of investment in each of us. That is why his jealously should be understood. God placed within us his Holy Spirit, God wants to see us prosper and not fail; God is jealous because he considers our body his temple, and not something to be tampered with by any acts that will make us unclean. Isn’t it therefore reasonable that he is jealous, and feels dishonored when we are deeply seduced by the world?
Bishop Johnson then talked about ways we can learn to live right with God. As I listened to the sermon, I began asking myself many questions: How does the world destroy our lives? What is the purpose of my life? Would I want to wear the crown that brings honor or dishonor? Remember Pilgrim, it was during our discussion on those issues and the questions that we began to brainstorm further in ways to walk in His path. We agreed after reading and researching the Word that God did not design the world to make us deny him [God]. Rather, it is when we develop affections for the world, including obsession with the things of the world, anxiety over money, material things and worldly goals; when we believe following God is too restricting, and begin to look for like-minded people who desire temporary pleasures that dishonor our relationship with God, and betray God.
Pilgrim, did you have the time to look at Bible stories and verses on the things of the world, and our relations with God in the following Bible verses: Matt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matt 6:21 “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
What happens if we are deeply seduced by the World? Bishop Johnson said, while God resists the proud, He is willing to give grace to the humble. Pilgrim, my heart felt heavy when Bishop explained that even when we become Adulterers or adulteresses in our relationship with God, God still loves us. Imagine that! Bishop referred the congregation to James. 4:6 but he gives us more grace. That is why the Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:8 also says: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Pilgrim, after our discussion on the topic, I thought about out struggles with the system of the world, and all I could do was pray to God. My prayers went in this fashion:
Dear God, I open my heart to you, and ask that your peace fill me. Give me wisdom, and strength to keep my eyes on you. Give me strength to resist the things of the world. Help me to be Faithful in my service to you dear God. In my marriage and home, provide me strength and honor as my clothing; and a good man who is upright in your sight, and who respects and loves his family. Teach me to always bless my family, and raise my children to grow in your words dear God. Teach me to relax in your loving care, dear God, and to release all my cares to you, knowing that you are upholding me and sustaining me in all that I do. Amen
I look forward to hearing from you Pilgrim, as I continue to feast on His word.
Sincerely,
Musue
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