• 08 Aug 2023

INTERCEDE II

MEMORISE:  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

READ: Isaiah 62:1 -7

1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,

7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

MESSAGE

God doesn't only need people who will pray for others, He also needs people to enforce His will on earth. For example, when elections are coming up in your country, you and other Christians in that vicinity should come together and pray fervently that only the will of God would stand. You must pray these kinds of  prayers not only during elections but all the time. The Lord,said in Isaiah 62:1 "For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.."

When you hear of or know someone working especially hard for the establishment of God's kingdom on earth, you should begin to pray for that fellow. Your prayer and fasting for that person will be very instrumental in their success and you will also be a part of that success. In Esther 4:15-17, when Esther was going to turn around the evil policy that sought to kill the Israelites, she asked that everyone on her team should fast and pray for her. That is why she received so much favour from the king, so that he quickly ordered the death of his well-trusted right-hand man who had generated the said evil policy.

We need to pray for our leaders. They may not tell you, but they face a lot of battles from the devil and need your prayers to win these battles. Pastors are included in this group, you must pray for pastors and ministers of the gospel if you want the Kingdom of God to continue to win against the devil.

Lastly, Matthew 5:44 says you should pray for people who despise and persecute you:

But l say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which  despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Can you pray for people who are about to kill you? That is what Stephen did in Acts 7:60 and we see the result in Acts 8:1-8 when Jesus came Himself to witness to Saul, who later became one of the greatest Apostles of his time. Pray for those doing evil too, for them to encounter God and they may be some of the greatest vessels of the Lord in their time.

PRAYER POINT

Spend some time praying for your country, your state and the people you know in the different categories discussed in today's massage.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 15-17

HYMN 3: ANCIENT WORDS

1. Holy words long preserved

For our walk in this world

They resound with God's own heart

Oh, let the ancient words impart

Chorus:

Ancient words, ever true

Changing me and changing you

We have come with open hearts

Oh, let the ancient words impart

2. Words of life, words of hope

Give us strength,

help us cope In this world,

where e'er we roam

Ancient words will guide us home