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I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1, NLT).
In the New Testament, the word “intercession” is used many times, but the word translated “intercede” in 1 Timothy 2:1 occurs only twice in the New Testament. The word literally translated means “hitting the target of God’s will.”
When our prayers hit the bullseye of God’s will, He will move heaven and earth in response to our prayers. As James 5:17 says, “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!”
Below I list four principles that will help effective intercession — to hit the target.
Keep Prayer Lists
Without prayer, our prayers will be one-and-done, with little remembrance of what we prayed last week. Some of my most strategic prayers, greatest burdens, and heart’s desires have been on my lists for years. I don’t forget them, I keep asking!
Know Your Grace
Paul writes, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you to not think more of himself than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3a). Each of us has received grace for our task, if it’s not our task there’s no grace or favor from God to accomplish what we focus upon — only work and struggle — with resulting frustration and discouragement.
Build Your Dossier
When applying for a job, we submit a dossier listing our background, education, and accomplishments, building support for our ability to do the job. In Acts 19, the 7 sons of Sceva attempt to cast out a demon using the phrase “We command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” The demon in the man, shrugging off their phony credentials, beat them until they were battered, bruised, and with tattered clothing.”
We must know our authority in Jesus, the power of the Spirit, and be led by God when interceding.
Define Your Desires
God syncs our true desires with our gifts and calling. Purging fleshly desires becomes foundational for effective intercession, as we can’t pray effectively without love, faith, and hope. In my personal praying, I’ve found that the desires to give to others, to disciple, to go on missions, and to study yield many answers to my requests.
Let’s remember Psalm 37:4, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”
Let’s hit the mark with our praying by using these four principles:
- Keep prayer lists
- Know your grace
- Build a dossier
- Define your desires
I like the following quote from an intercessor…
When we have immersed ourselves long enough in the way of Christ, we can smell the Gospel. So, we ask and do as we know He would ask and do.