Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth (Large Print 16pt)

by Dutch Sheets

  The only problem was that I was in Guatemala preaching through an interpreter.

  "So," you might ask, "why should that be a problem?"

  Because my interpreter didn't seem to share my theology, and her convictions ran deep. She looked at me indignantly and said in no uncertain terms, "I won't say that!"

  Her words kind of interrupted my eloquent flow. "Huh?" I replied.

  "I won't say that."

  "What do you mean you won't say it? You're supposed to say what I say."

  "Well, I won't say it."

  "Why not?"

  "I don't believe in it."

  "Well, the Bible says to do it."

  "Where?"

  "James 4:7."

  Now, keep in mind that we were standing in front of a church full of people who were watching this obviously unpleasant verbal exchange between Brother Wonderful and his interpreter.

  They hadn't prepared me for this in Bible school. As I stood wondering what to do next, she began to look for James 4:7 ... Took her forever to find it. She then read it to the audience, I think. She may have been telling them how stupid I was for all I know.

  We tried to continue. She wouldn't allow me to quote any other verses, though. As I would mention one, she would take her time finding it and read it, I think ... Didn't take me long to figure out she didn't know her Bible very well, however, so I started paraphrasing verses so that she wouldn't recognize them as Scripture. After she had unknowingly said the verse, I would look at her with a smug smile and say, "That was found in . . ." At which time she would bore into me with very unspiritual eyes.

  We just never did seem to get that flow back.

  Laying Hold of the Victory

  Intercession, according to our definition, involves two very different activities. One is a reconciling, the other is a separating. One is a tearing away-a disuniting, the other a joining to-a uniting. This is what Christ did through His work of intercession, and it's what we do in our continuation of it. In light of this, it is important to realize that much of our intercession must be a combination of the two.

  It is often not enough to simply ask the Father to do something, although this is most Christians' total concept of prayer. Many times it is necessary to accompany asking with a spiritual "warfare" or "wrestling," enforcing the victory of Calvary. As Arthur Mathews said, "Victory is an accomplished fact, but it does need a man to lay hold of that victory and precipitate a confrontation with the enemy, and resist him."'

  Jack Hayford, in his book Prayerls Invading the Impossible, says:

  To see both sides of Jesus is to see both sides of prayer. It is to see the need for compassion, for care, for concern, for weeping with those that weep, for sympathy, for groaning, for aching deeply because of what you sense transpiring in human lives. And it is to learn the place and time for anger, when we see Satan's wiles successfully destroying; for indignation, when the adversary's program violates territory that is rightfully Christ's; for boldness, when demonic hordes announce their presence; for attack, when the Holy Spirit prompts an advance.2

  As with my interpreter in Guatemala, many don't believe in spiritual warfare. They believe Jesus took care of the devil and we don't need to concern ourselves with him. Others believe our actions, holy lifestyles, obedience and, I suppose, other things bind the devil, but we don't address him or his demons. Still others believe we can deal with or address evil spirits, but only in people. We cannot, they would say, command or rebuke demons in places or situations.

  This book is not meant to offend those who disagree, nor is it to defend my position on this subject. It would take an entire book-perhaps several-to adequately prove the validity and demonstrate the how-tos of spiritual warfare. Several wonderful books are available that thoroughly defend and explain the subject. I have listed several in the bibliography at the end of this book. My intent in this book is to establish the absolute connection between spiritual warfare and intercession, especially for-but not limited to-warfare for the unsaved.

  Paga Involves Warfare

  To be sure, extremes do exist. I heard someone recently describe a cartoon. It portrayed the devil with 40 to 50 strands of rope around him and several individuals next to him discussing the situation.

  "What do we do now?" one asked.

  "I say we bind him again!" was the response of another.

  Although imbalances occur, nonetheless, it is impossible to separate the word "intercession," paga, from warfare. Fifteen times it is used in this context 3 I tell you emphatically, violence and war are rooted in the very meaning of the word. It is translated in various ways when speaking of warfare: "attack," "fall upon," "strike down," "impinge," as well as others (see Judg. 8:2 1; 1 Sam. 22:11-19; 2 Sam. 1:11-16; the essence is the same in all of thempeople in battle attacking one another). Hear me clearly: Paga involves warfare!

  Again, Jack Hayford says, "But there is a way to face impossibility. Invade it! Not with a glib speech of high hopes. Not in anger. Not with resignation. Not through stoical self-control. But with violence. And prayer provides the vehicle for this kind of violence."4

  When we try to separate warfare from intercession, we do so to our own detriment. Much time and energy is wasted dealing with symptoms, when in many situations the real cause of the problem is spiritual or demonic: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12, KJV). We must guard against an overemphasis upon Satan and demons, but we in America err in the other direction. Most people stop in Ephesians 6:12 after the words "we wrestle not."

  Ignorance Is Costly

  Our ignorance of Satan and his tactics, as well as how to deal with them, is costly for us. Second Corinthians 2:11 tells us, "In order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes." The context is forgiveness, but a general principle is also revealed in this verse.

  The word "ignorant" is the Greek word agnoeo. It means "without knowledge or understanding of."5 Our English word "agnostic" is derived from it. Technically, an agnostic is not a person who is unsure if he or she believes in God. We now use the word this way; but in actuality, an agnostic is a person who does not know or understand, regardless of the subject. We also get the word "ignore" from the same root. In this verse we're urged not to ignore or be an agnostic-without understanding-where the devil is concerned.

  "Schemes" is the word noema. It literally means "thought."6 The verse is essentially saying, "Don't be without understanding of the way Satan thinks." Noema came to also mean "plans, schemes, plots, devices" because these things are born in the thoughts of the mind. For greater insight, let's insert all of them into the verse: "Don't be without understanding of the way your enemy thinks and operates-of his plans, plots, schemes and devices." Is there not also a subtle promise here? If God suggests we are not to be ignorant of Satan's schemes, He must be willing to reveal them to us.

  What if we are unaware of his schemes? He'll take "advantage" of us. The word is pleonekteo, which is a compound word meaning literally "to have or hold the greater portion" (pleon"the greater part"; echo-"have or hold") .7 It is easy to see why this is a word for "covet." It also means "overreach."'

  In boxing, the person who has the longer reach has the "advantage" and usually gets in more blows. The word is also translated "make a gain"; Satan makes a lot of gains on those who are unaware of his ways. Bullinger says it means "to make a prey of, to defraud."9

  Let's put all these definitions together: "To the degree we are ignorant of the way our adversary thinks and operates-of his plans, plots, schemes and devices-to that degree he will gain on us, prey on us, defraud us of what is ours and have or hold the greater portion."

  The greater portion of what? Whatever! Our homes, marriages, families, communities, money, government, nation, and more.

  Twenty-five years ago the Church in America was without understanding o
f what Satan was planning, and he got the greater portion of our schools. The same could be said of our government.

  Have you ever been taken advantage of? Have you ever received the smaller portion? In my Bible college days, we had a way of enlightening the superspiritual who thought it necessary to intercede for the world while giving thanks for a meal. They were ignorant of our scheme when we asked them to pray over the food. While they traversed the globe, we enjoyed the greater portion of their meals! It was a real test of their true spirituality. (I am deeply embarrassed by this abominable practice in my past and would never do it today. But for those of you who feel you must intercede over your food, save it for your prayer closet!)

  Paul was taken advantage of in 1 Thessalonians 2:18. Satan gained on him (pleonekteo) in the ongoing war over spreading the gospel: "For we wanted to come to you-I, Paul, more than once-and yet Satan thwarted us." We know Paul won more battles than he lost. But he was human and at times Satan succeeded in thwarting his plans. Please notice it doesn't say God changed His mind about where Paul was to go. It clearly says that Satan hindered him. Those people who would have us think Satan can do nothing except what God allows, and that we are to ignore him, should reread these two verses. God doesn't ignore the devil and neither should we. And he certainly does a lot of things God doesn't "allow" him to do.

  The only sense in which it can be said that God allows everything that happens on Earth is that He created the laws and principles-sowing and reaping, cause and effect, and the free will of humans-that govern the earth. We, however, implement these principles and determine much of what we reap and experience. Satan, too, understands these laws and uses them to his advantage whenever possible.

  Satan's Hidden Schemes Prevail

  I heard a minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma, tell of the deliverance of a person for whom he had prayed at length. It seems this person could never achieve any stability in life or in his walk with the Lord. He would find a job, then quickly lose it; then walk with the Lord for a while, then turn away. This cycle repeated itself again and again with no amount of prayer seeming to make a difference.

  One day as the minister prayed for this young man, the Lord showed him a picture of three demons that were following the fellow everywhere he went. They were not in him, but always there to influence him. The minister saw names over each demon, describing what they did. One at a time he bound them in Jesus' name and commanded them to leave the young man alone.

  From that moment on, everything changed. Stability came. Success followed. Eventually the young man became a wealthy businessman as well as a minister. And he is still walking with God today. It is always good and right to ask the Father to strengthen and mature individuals, but this man needed something more: someone to exercise authority and enact a deliverance. His instability was the symptom of demonic influence that he was not strong enough in himself to overcome. Satan had the advantage and as long as his schemes remained hidden, he prevailed.

  Although some issues concerning spiritual warfare are open for debate-certainly it is a subjective area-others are a certainty:

  • We are in a very real war (see 2 Cor. 10:4; 1 Tim. 1:18).

  • We are soldiers in this war (see Ps. 110:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:3-4).

  • We are to wrestle against all levels of the kingdom of darkness (see Eph. 6:12).

  • We are to resist the devil (which would in most situations be his demons) and he will flee from us (see Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9).

  • We are to tread on Satan and his demons (i.e., exercise authority over them-see Luke 10:19; Rom. 16:20).

  • We are to cast out demons (see Mark 16:17).

  • We have authority to bind (forbid) and loose (permit) when dealing with the agents and gates of hell (see Matt. 16:19).

  • We have powerful weapons designed to overcome the kingdom of darkness (see 2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:10-20).

  This is by no means an exhaustive list of warfare Scriptures. To be sure, God doesn't give us detailed formulas for doing all the previously mentioned warfare acts. God is not into formulas in any area of biblical truth. He is concerned with relationship and He gives us principles that must be applied as the Holy Spirit leads us.

  For example, the Lord does not give us a particular formula for a worship service. It is not important that we worship in exactly the same way, but that we worship. He does not give exact formulas for church government or placing pastors. Every stream of the Body of Christ seems to do it differently. What matters is not that we all govern the same, but that we have godly government.

  I'm not implying absolutes don't exist in Scripture; I am simply saying that rarely do they appear in the area of method. There is nothing sacred or unsacred about the method. What is important is that we walk according to the revelation of the Scriptures we have been given, and that we do this by the direction of the Holy Spirit. He alone knows exactly what is needed in each situation.

  Be a Pro Wrestler

  Likewise, in spiritual warfare the point is not so much how we wrestle, but that we wrestle. None of these assertions from Scripture about warfare are defensive in nature. They are all offensive. We are to aggressively deal with the forces of darkness whenever the challenge or opportunity arises. Five times the word "against" is used in Ephesians 6. The word in Greek is pros, which is a strengthened form of pro.

  Pro means "in front of,"" either literally or figuratively (in the sense of superior to). We use the concept today in the word "professional," or in its shortened form "pro." A pro athlete is one who is "in front of" or "superior to" others. Pros also has the connotation of stepping forward and facing toward something or someone." The symbolism in this Ephesians passage is of a wrestler stepping forward and facing his opponent. God is saying to us, "Step forward and face the powers of darkness. Be a pro wrestler!"

  Don't be like the bodybuilder visiting Africa, who was asked by a village chief what he did with all his muscles. The bodybuilder thought an exhibition might better serve to explain it, so he proceeded to flex his bulging calves, thighs, biceps and triceps, demonstrating how he performed in competition. After admiring this amazing specimen for a few moments, the chief inquired, "What else do you use them for?"

  "That's about it," answered the muscular man.

  "That's all you use those huge muscles for?" reiterated the chief.

  "Yes."

  "What a waste," muttered the chief in disgust. "What a waste."

  So many of us are like this bodybuilder. We're strong in the Lord, well equipped to deal with our adversary, but we never use our strength or our weapons. Step into the ring!

  As we wait upon the Lord, He will show us which strategy or method of warfare to use. God is a God of relationship. He is a Father who is passionately in love with His family and He prioritizes love over labor. It is our relational aspect of our walk with Christ that prepares us for the warring aspect.

  Devotion to Christ, the Springboard for Everything

  It is interesting, even paradoxical, but true, that warfare is often born from worship. Out of our waiting often comes warring. It is the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ that must be the springboard for everything we do. "But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3).

  Our depth of revelation in any other area of truth does not diminish the need for simple, pure devotion to Christ. In fact, it increases it. The larger the tree, the deeper must go the roots. Likewise, the more we spread ourselves upward and outward into the multidimensional aspects of the Kingdom, the more we must allow the decomplicating effect of our relationship with Christ to go downward.

  The context of 2 Corinthians 11:3 is deception. To whatever degree Satan can distract us from our relationship with Christ, to that degree we are walking in deception, regardless of how much other revelation we may be walking in.

  I want to mention three of the Old Testament words for "waiting" upon t
he Lord, each of which has a different shade of meaning. The first one is dumiyah, which means "silently waiting with a quiet trust. 1112 The thought conveyed is a strong, calm, quiet trust in the Lord. David said in Psalm 62:1-2, "My soul waits in silence for God only, from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken."

  The second word, chakah, means "adhere to" or "long for. 1113 "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield" (Ps. 33:20). This is what David felt when he said, "My soul thirsts for God" (see 42:2; 63:1). He was chakah-longing for God's company.

  The third word, gavah, means "to wait for . . . with eager expectation."" It also means "to bind something together by twisting" or braiding." The main thought, then, for gavah is "eager expectation and oneness; a joining, a braiding together." The following verses are examples of this:

  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord (Ps. 27:14).

  Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary (Isa. 40:3 1).

  Let's summarize the three meanings, putting them all together: "Silently waiting with a strong, calm trust, longing for His presence and eagerly expecting Him-for you know He'll show up-anticipating and then experiencing the oneness that results as your hearts become entwined." Hallelujah!

  Psalm 37:7,9,34 demonstrates how waiting upon the Lord can relate to warfare:

  Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.... For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.... Wait for the Lord, and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

  Waiting upon the Lord brings with it the ability to possess our inheritance. "Inherit" is the wordyaresh, also translated "possess," and means "legally an heir; military invasion in order to seize .1116 Those who wait upon the Lord inherit and possess-worship and warfare! It's like David waiting upon the Lord, longing for Him, worshiping Him, writing songs to Him, and the next minute rising up, grabbing a lion by the mane and ripping his head off! Warring and winning were born from worshiping and waiting.