The foundation for intercession is love; you cannot effectively intercede for someone else if love is not involved. The reason why Jesus could interceded for us as he did, was as the second person of the Trinity and the creator of all things, love drove him to intercede and to sacrifice himself: Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. His choice to come down in the form of a man made him inferior to the Father, in the fact that he took of his glory, this gave him the right to be the example to us of how to pray to the Father in intercession for others. Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. This is why, when Jesus said “Father is greater than I” this was not a contradiction of his deity, it was a confirmation of his love and sacrifice and the extent to what God was prepared to do, in order to redeem his people back to himself. Intercession takes a person out of their comfort zone and courses them to really push through and stand in the gap for others. It allows a person to focus on the real issues and places them before God. This is why, in order to truly intercede, first of all you have to know the promises of God so that you can prophesy back to God what he has already said concerning us. Moses understood this and so when God said he was going to destroy Israel and raise up a new people, Moses could focus on his intercession: Deu 9:13 “Then the Lord told me, ‘I have examined this people, and they are stubborn indeed. Deu 9:14 Let me alone! I will destroy them and blot out their name under heaven. Then I’ll make you into a nation that will be mighty and more numerous than they are.’ Deu 9:15 “So I turned and went down from the mountain while the mountain was on fire. The two Tablets of the Covenant were in both of my hands. Deu 9:16 Then I saw how you had really sinned against the Lord your God! You had made for yourselves a calf, a cast idol. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord your God had commanded. Deu 9:17 So I grabbed the two tablets and then threw them out of my hands, breaking them before your eyes. Deu 9:18 I fell down in the Lord’s presence, just as I had the first 40 days and nights. I did not eat food or drink water because of your sin. You had sinned by committing this evil in the sight of the Lord, thereby provoking him to anger. Deu 9:19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord against you, because he was irate enough to destroy you. But the Lord also listened to me at that time. Deu 9:20 It was as had been the case with Aaron, the Lord was very angry and about to destroy him, but I prayed for Aaron at that time. Deu 9:21 Now, when you made the calf that made you sin, I grabbed it, burned it with fire, crushed it, and ground it thoroughly until it was pulverized to powder. Then I threw the powder into the river that was flowing from the mountain.” Deu 9:22 Moses Interceded for Israel “You provoked the Lord again at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-hattaavah. Deu 9:23 When the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea and told you, ‘Go possess the land that I gave you,’ instead you disobeyed what the Lord your God said. You didn’t trust him or listen to his voice. Deu 9:24 You have been rebelling against the Lord since the day I knew you. Deu 9:25 I fell down in the Lord’s presence for 40 days and nights, because the Lord said he was ready to destroy you. Deu 9:26 So I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Oh Lord my God, don’t destroy your people and your inheritance whom you redeemed by your power. You brought them out from Egypt in a powerful way. Deu 9:27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don’t pay attention to the stubbornness, wickedness, and sinfulness of this people. Deu 9:28 Otherwise, the people of the land from which you brought us will say, “The Lord wasn’t able to bring them out of the land that he had promised them. So he brought them out to kill them in the desert because he hated them.” Deu 9:29 But they are your people and inheritance, whom you brought out by your mighty strength and awesome power.’” When we intercede for our friends and family, we should do so as we stand on the promises of God, because many times the person that we are interceding for is doing things they should not be doing. They do not understand how valuable they are to God and have believed the lies of the enemy concerning them. Other times it may be someone who does know God and you are backing that person up in prayer. Either way, we stand on God promises. Just before Jesus left he prayed this prayer of intercession for all of us: Joh 17:9 “I am asking on their behalf. I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you gave me, because they are yours. Joh 17:10 All that is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine, and I have been glorified through them. Joh 17:11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name, the name that you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one. Joh 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them by the authority that you gave me. I guarded them, and not one of them became lost except the one who was destined for destruction, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Joh 17:13 “And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. Joh 17:14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Joh 17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one. Joh 17:16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Joh 17:17 “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. Joh 17:18 Just as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. Joh 17:19 It is for their sakes that I sanctify myself, so that they, too, may be sanctified by the truth. So as we intercede for people let stand on the promises of God. Parallel Business Principles You cannot truly build a Reliv business if you are not willing to serve others and stand in the gap for them, it is called being a mentor. Too many people u unfortunately think that all they have to do is sponsor the right people, who is going to go crazy and bring in all of this business. They do not understand that leaders are not sponsored, they are developed. You have to be willing to go the extra mile for people and lead by example, how can you tell a person they must sponsor people if you are not sponsoring people? How can you tell someone they should plug into the system, if you are not plugging into the system? How can you say to people don’t just focus on the money, when all you do is focus on the money? Be that true intercessor on behalf of the distributors that you sponsor and go out and help develop the Reliv leaders of tomorrow, with all integrity. Do not let your current situation negatively affect your attitude. ******************************************* Jason Gregory Business Coach & Mentor Reliv *******************************************
1 Comment
iris caprioni
5/2/2016 04:49:01 am
Absolutely spot on. Servant leadership.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Click Image below to see an opportunity to work with a group of believers, passionate about helping people with their health and their finances. Click image Now!Me and Aneela with the European Chairman of Reliv International Click below to watch some powerful Christian videos KINGDOM PEOPLE AuthorFor the past Eight years, I have been hosting a weekly prayer call for the believers in the offline company that i work alongside. Looking at biblical principals and seeing how we can apply them into our businesses. Archives
May 2018
|