Transcription
We share this morning on how to pray effectively for your destiny partners. How to pray effectively for your destiny partners. Esther chapter 4 verse 15-16. The voice.
Once again, Hatak returned to Queen Esther with Modakiah's message. In turn, she sent a reply back to Modakiah. Says, "Tell Modakiah." Verse 16, "In preparation for my audience with the king, do this. Gather together all the Jews in Souza and fast and pray for me. Abstain from all food and drink. My mates and I will join you in this [Music] time. After the three days and after the three days I will go into the king and plead my people's case. Even though it means breaking the law and if I die then I die."
What is intercession? Intercession is the act of praying on behalf of other people. Intercession is the act of standing in the gap, using God's own language for intercession. That I sought for a man who will stand in the gap. So intercession is the act of standing in the gap on behalf of other people to offer prayers to God. To offer prayers to God. And that was exactly what Esther was requesting for in Esther chapter 4:15-16. That was exactly what Jesus made reference to in Luke chap 22:31-32. Luke 22:31-32 Amplified Bible. He said, "Simon, Simon Peter, listen. Satan has demanded permission to sift you all of you like grain." Verse 32 said, "But I have prayed especially for you."
Anyone listening to this message who urgently needs intensive prayers on your behalf unto God concerning certain things. May the Lord stir up voices of intercession on your behalf and on time in the name of Jesus. He said, "But I have prayed, not I will pray, because time is of the essence." Time is of the essence. He says, "I have prayed especially for you, Peter, that your faith and confidence in me may not fail." And uh, you, once you have turned back again to me, strengthen and support your brothers in the faith.
Who is an intercessor? An intercessor therefore is someone who consistently. The fact that you interceded on a Sunday doesn't make you an intercessor. Just like when people get themselves involved in something not on a permanent basis, not on a consistent basis, it excuses them from being qualified as among those who are now identified with that particular thing. So an intercessor is someone who consistently, who consistently stands in the gap on behalf of other people to offer prayers to God.
In Luke chapter 2 verse 36-37, Luke 2:36-37, the voice version, it says, "At that very moment, an elderly woman named Anna stepped forward. Anna was a prophetess, the daughter of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for seven years before her husband died and a widow to her current age of 84 years. She was deeply devoted to the Lord, constantly, constantly in the temple, fasting and praying." Constantly in the temple, fasting and praying.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is our heavenly intercessor. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25. Hebrews 7:25 New Living Translation. It says, "Therefore, he's able once and forever to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf." Our Lord Jesus is our heavenly intercessor.
The Holy Spirit is our resident intercessor. Because the Holy Spirit is in us, each one of us. Romans 8:26-27. Romans 8:26-27 New Living Translation. It says, "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father, who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying. It's a coded language understood by heaven. For the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." So anytime you are praying in the Spirit, you are 100% correct in agreement with the perfect will of God, the plan of God, and the timing of God. When you pray in the Spirit, you can never be wrong. We can pray amiss when we pray in our understanding. But when we pray in the Spirit, it's always 100% on target.
Who is an intercessor? Intercessors are people who carry the burden of God. They carry the burden of God. They pray and intercede with the prayer points that God wants them to pray with. They pray and intercede with the prayer points that God wants them to pray with.
Why must we intercede? One, we should consistently intercede for peace and unity in our families. Peace and unity in our place of assignment. Peace and unity in our community, in our church, in our local church, in our denomination, and also in our nation. Number two, we should consistently intercede for those we are not in a position to advise or correct. We should consistently intercede for those we are not in a position to advise or correct. For instance, our parents, our elders, our leaders.
First Timothy 4:1-2. Why must we intercede? The third reason is to attract divine protection. To attract divine protection from enemy attacks on behalf of the people we are praying for. Acts chapter 12 verse 5. I pray that at every point in time in your journey of life, when someone, people need to pray also on your behalf, there will be more than enough voices of intercession. Amen. And I also pray that when you also will need to pray on behalf of some other person, you will do so consistently and you will do so intensely, so that there will be a very timely breakthrough in your prayers in the name of Jesus.
We should always remember that many times, it is not every impending danger that may be directly revealed to the potential victim. So whenever you have a revelation, a dream, a vision, whenever you have privileged information of something bad or something evil concerning certain people or even your loved ones, you should quickly pray. You should quickly intercede and cancel it. Pray against it. Ask that the Lord will avert it, and the Lord will always do so. Can the people say amen? Amen.
Now, something very important that you should please also take note of is this thing about interceding for God's instruments, men and women that God will decide to use directly or indirectly at different times and circumstances in the journey of life. Interceding for God's instruments. God doesn't only need people who will pray for others. He's not only looking for intercessors. He also needs people to enforce his will on earth. To enforce his will on earth. So whenever you hear or you know of someone who is so passionately committed to carry out God's agenda, huh, you should begin to also pray for that person. And then the moment you find someone who has not just moved beyond the desire and is now actually carrying it out through different patterns, as the case may be, you need to begin to pray for that person. Your prayer and fasting, your consistent intercession for that person will be very instrumental in their success. And that also will mean that you will also be part of that success of that instrument in God's hand.
In Esther chapter 4:15-17, Esther 4:15-17, when Esther was going to turn around the evil policy that sought to kill the Israelites at that time, she asked that everyone of them on her team should fast and pray for her. And that is why she received so much favor. You know, they all prayed as requested. So by the time she now stepped in front of the king, she received so much favor from the king. In the same vein, we need to pray consistently for our leaders. Our leaders in different capacities. They may not tell you, but they face a lot of battles from the forces of evil and also from human agents who do not mean well for the land. They need your prayers and our prayers to win these battles. In this group also are pastors. It is not enough that they are God's anointed. They are God's chosen vessels. That actually makes them principal targets for the kingdom of darkness to attack. So you must pray for pastors and ministers of the gospel because they are consistently under sophisticated spiritual attacks, traps, and temptations.
Now, in closing it up, there are some keys to optimum results in prayer that we need to remind ourselves of in this, in the light of today's message. The first key, that is number one, is that you need to have a personal list of strategic prayer points for the people. This list will have prayer points for the people, for the person you are praying for, the people you are praying for. You must have a list. You must have a list.
Number two, your prayer points should be proactive and offered ahead of time. Your prayer points should be proactive and offered ahead of time. There are times when the timing of your prayers becomes a major advantage. This is very, very important. Very, very important.
Number three, some prayer points should include the names of specific people. And this is essential in spiritual activity, positively or negatively. For quicker and better results in prayer, you may need to sometimes pray with the names of some specific people. And that is why you see spiritual people will ask you for the name of that your child that you are concerned about. They will ask for the name of that person you are discussing with them about the person you are so burdened about. They will ask for the name of the person. So you need to pray with the names of your loved ones. You need to pray with the names of your destiny helpers, your destiny partners. You need to pray with the names of some key people in your life.
In Genesis 49:28, easy to read version, it says, "These are the 12 families of Israel. And this is what their father said to them. He gave each son a blessing that was right for him. He gave each son a blessing that was right for him." Now, when as their father was going to release this prophetic blessing upon them, watch something that happened that day. He mentioned each of their names. He didn't say this one. Instead of saying this one, you should ask for the son's name. A mother is with you. Don't say this one. No. Ask the mother, "What is the name of this your son?" You must mention the name of that son. There's a big difference in the realm of the spirit between when the name is mentioned and when the name is not mentioned. So, as he was going to make pronouncements, each of them, he mentioned their names.
Verse 22 said, "Joseph is like a wild donkey, like a young donkey by a spring, like calves grazing in a pasture. People attacked him and made life hard for him. Men with arrows became his enemies, but he won the fight." I declare to Joseph's, Esther's children and men and women of destiny listening to this message, you will win the battles of your destiny. You will win the battles of your life. Those who come against you with arrows will be defeated. Those who plot against you will be exposed and disgraced. You will never go down. Whoever wants to put you down, they are the ones that will go down. All the days of your life, the Lord will protect you in the name of Jesus. Please sit in the presence of the Lord.
So verse 23 said, "People attacked him and made life hard for him." So there is nothing new you are going through. It is a pattern. "Men with arrows became his enemies." And there's a reason why this is being mentioned for you to know the capacity of the caliban capacity of those that were against him. Said, "Men with arrows became his enemies." He said, "But," that means however, no matter what. He said, "But he won the fight with his mighty bow and his skillful arms. He gets power from the mighty one of Jacob, from the shepherd, the rock of Israel, the God of your father who helps you all the days of your life." God will help you all the days of your life. God will help you all the days of your life. God will assist you. God will protect you. God will support you all the days of your life. God will fund you in the name of Jesus Christ. You will never be stranded. You will never be stranded. At critical times, God will show up. Your story will always end well. Any experience of your life will always end in victory. [Music] In the name of Jesus Christ, please sit in the presence of the Lord.
He said, "And the God of your father who helps you, may God Almighty bless you and give you blessings from the sky above and from the deep below. May he give you blessings from breast and womb. My parents had many good things happen to them, and I, your father, was blessed even more." "Your brothers left you with nothing." Take note of this. Say, "Your brothers left you with nothing." He said, "But now I pile all my blessings on you, as high as a mountain."
Number four, always round up your prayers, your intercession with prophetic declarations of what you are expecting God to do. Mark 11:23. Mark 11:23. Just as there is need for specific and strategic prayer and request, there is also need for specific and strategic prophetic pronouncements or declarations.
Number five, you may sometimes need to give exclusive attention to a particular prayer point. So there will be times you would need to give exclusive attention to some particular prayer point on behalf of the person you are interceding for. And take note also, this also implies that there will be times we need to pray for just one person.
And number six, you need to pray as frequently as necessary. You have to also feel in the spirit the frequency of prayer that your spirit will give you a clearance on for that particular prayer assignment. There are some issues you will have to pray every day. Some issues you can pray once a week and it will be okay. Some even some issues you can pray once a month and it will be okay. But you have to get the frequency right.
And the last one, number seven, avoid duplication of prayer points. We need to avoid duplication of prayer points. This is very important. Let's not waste time praying 20 prayer points and five of those prayer points are just the same thing. It doesn't make sense in the spirit realm. So let's ensure, look at each prayer point very well. And if they are saying the same thing, sometimes you need to match, just merge them together. And so instead of 20 prayer points, we have 15. Repeating the same thing over and over adds no value in the spirit realm. So avoid duplication of prayer points.
Number eight, you need to update your prayer list from time to time. You need to update your prayer list from time to time. The prayer for your son last year cannot be the prayer you are still praying as at today. Things have changed. Circumstances have changed. The challenge that was there last year has been overcome. That son needs a different prayer now. So you need to update your prayer list from time to time. And then sometimes God will give you a fresh leading, there will be a fresh leading revelation concerning that person or prayer project. So you need to update your prayer points from time to time.
Number nine, you need to pray in the Spirit as often as you can. You need to pray in the Spirit as often as you can. Romans chapter 8 verse 26 to 27. This is very, very important. Many times when you actually decide to pray for certain people, you may be shocked that there is something very, very urgent or critical that nobody knows about. So if you are to pray only by your understanding, you would not pray about that thing at all. But when you pray in the Spirit, the Spirit knows everything.