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

by Dutch Sheets

  Due to the nature of the Lord's dealings with me at that time, I told Him, "Lord, there is only one way I could know of a certainty that You are confirming these things to me through my Bible reading. When I arrive, they must tell me that I can either read the book of Habakkuk or Haggai." This was not a fleece, nor was I testing God. It was because of the things I had already sensed Him saying to me through these two books.

  Do you know the size of these books? They consist of eight pages in my Bible. What would the odds be, when not choosing my own reading-nor even the time of my reading, of my showing up and being told, "Here, read from these eight pages."

  I walked up to the lady in charge.

  "Are you Dutch Sheets?"

  "Yes, I am."

  "You are on in 15 minutes, after this person. You have your choice. You can either read the book of Haggai or the book of Habakkuk."

  I nearly passed out! You can believe I read the Word of the Lord with authority, making prophetic declaration over the government of this nation with absolute faith that revival is coming.

  Whatever He Says, Do It!

  God is calling the Church to a new understanding of prophetic action and declaration, functioning as His voice and Body upon the earth. When He speaks His plan to us, however foolish it may seem-to hold up a rod, speak to the spiritually dead, walk our neighborhoods, march through our streets, hit rocks, decree to the earth, lay hands on and speak to oppressive walls, walk across America, read the Bible toward the Capitol, speak to a nation that isn't listening-He needs us to DO IT!

  The Lord may lead you to go to the bedroom of a rebellious child and anoint things with oil, pray over clothing, speak over the child's bed, or some other symbolic act. Others of you will be called to make declarations over your cities and governments. Some will be told to march on land, claiming it for the kingdom of God. Whatever He says to you, do it. Be bold to declare the Word of the Lord over and into situations. Sprinkle the seed of His Word into the earth and expect a harvest. It will be established. It will arise! Life will come!

  "You do know now that you're called to do this, don't you, darling?"

  Questions for Reflection

  1. Define prophetic action and declaration. Explain how they "release" God. Now give some biblical examples.

  2. Can you explain the connection between God's Word, seeds and our Holy Spirit-inspired declarations?

  3. Can you find some verses of Scripture that would be good to decree for an individual's salvation? . . . Healing? How about Scriptures to decree over your city?

  4. Isn't God good?

  C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N

  THE WATCHMAN ANOINTING

  The Genetic Plague

  The only thing worse than shopping is watching someone shop. Except for my wife, of course. I don't mind at all following her around a mall for two or three hours. I show my interest periodically with pleasant little grunts-"Umph"; "Un-huh"; "Ahhhum." Sometimes I get downright wordy-"Yes' ; "No,, "Sure"; "HOW MUCH?!" I've gotten pretty quick at correcting that one: "Wow, what a deal!" I hastily add. About the closest thing I can compare "shopper watching" to would be watching a sewing match.

  Which is why I'm sitting in the food court writing while my wife and youngest daughter, Hannah, shop. It's one of those outlet malls where they sell you the flawed stuff "on sale." My oldest daughter, Sarah, is with me, reading. She doesn't like shopping, either-yet. I informed her on the way to our "food court refuge" of the gene in her-which God gave all women-that simply hasn't kicked in yet. Told her not to worry, it'll happen.

  In my studies of this genetic plague-most of them done through conversing with other men in food courts-I have discovered that no one knows for sure when the gene kicks in or what triggers it. It can hit anytime between the ages of 6 and 13. Sometimes it happens in the middle of the night; they just wake up with the shakes-flu-like symptoms. When it happened with Hannah, I was ready to anoint her with oil, until Ceci informed me it wouldn't help.

  "What do you mean it won't help?" I asked in surprise. "Of course it will."

  "No," she said, "it's her shopping gene kicking in. We've got to get her to a mall-fast."

  Mom was right, of course. She usually is. Hannah came home proudly holding her shopping bag, looking like she'd just caught her first fish. Women! Who can figure?

  To prove my point, I just counted the men and women in the food court and surrounding stores-26 females and 9 males. Half the males were kids that had been dragged there against their wills. Another was writing-yours truly-and the rest were grunting, "Uh-huh." I felt sorry for one guy; he actually looked like a zombie. I think he finally cracked under the stress.

  Ceci and Hannah are back now, getting something to drink and showing us their "deals." I'm grunting. Ceci is merely dropping Hannah off so that she can run back for one more thing. Seven-year-olds-apprentice shoppers-can't always keep up with the pros. They haven't had enough aerobics classes, for which the real motivation is shopping conditioning.

  Watching What You Watch

  Why couldn't God have made women to like normal things, such as sitting in a woods for days in sub-zero weather, waiting for a deer or elk to walk by? Now that's my idea of exciting watching! . . . Or watching a football game! I'm not into TV too much-unless it's a good sporting event. Ceci doesn't always understand me in this area, but she is kind about it. "Who are you rooting for?" she sometimes asks.

  "I don't care who wins," I often reply.

  "Are these any of your favorite teams?"

  "No, not really."

  "A favorite player or two, perhaps?"

  "Naw, I don't know much about these guys at all."

  "Then why are you watching the game?" she asks with a quizzical expression.

  "Because it's football," I reply as patiently as I possibly can. Sometimes people can't figure out the obvious. I'll tell you what puzzles me-why she and my two daughters like to watch stuff that makes them cry. Go figure!

  Many kinds of watching take place: TV watching, parade watching, watching the clock, stock market watching, bird watching (ranks right up there with sewing matches to me), and a thousand other things. I like to watch kids laugh. I hate to watch people cry. I've watched individuals born; I've watched others die.

  I once watched a lady in San Pedro, Guatemala, look for a watch. It was her husband's-he died in the earthquake of 1976. So did three of her kids. All she and her surviving infant had left were the clothes on their backs. Their small adobe home was a mound of dirt.

  When our interpreter asked her what she was digging for, she replied, "A bag of beans we had and my husband's watch. He was sleeping about here when he was killed," she said, pointing at an area of approximately 10 square feet. "It would mean so much to me if I could find his watch."

  We started digging.

  Although it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, we asked God to help us and waded into the three-feet-deep dirt. Right then I'd have charged hell for that watch. We found it an hour or so later.

  "Muchas gracias," she repeated through tears, as she clutched the watch to her breast.

  'Treasure" is such a relative term, I thought as I wiped my eyes. I wish the world could see this. Maybe some priorities would change.

  I watched another lady, holding her three-year-old daughter, walk away from a food line in which I was serving. She was the last in line for the soup. As she held out the jar she had found, we looked at her and said, "No mas" (which means "No more"). Then I watched her walk away, holding her hungry child.

  Things got all messed up at that point in my life. Neat little lists of needs disappeared. Certain important goals became strangely irrelevant. Things that mattered suddenly didn't. Bank accounts were looked at differently; success was redefined. Funny how one glance into four eyes can bring such chaos. In many ways, order has never been restored.

  Be careful what you watch.

  Be on the Alert

  The Bible talks about watching-in various ways and fo
r different reasons, not the least of which is watching in prayer. This chapter is about the "watchman anointing"-our calling and equipping as intercessors to be forewarned of and to pray against Satan's schemes and plans. It is a vital aspect of our intercession. Ephesians 6:18 says, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints" (emphasis added). The KJV version uses the word "watching" for the phrase "be on the alert."

  First Peter 5:8, in warning us about our enemy, says, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (emphasis added). Again, other translations use the word "watchful." The context of both verses is spiritual warfare. Each mentions our adversary and challenges us to alertness or watchfulness, both for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

  Another related verse, which we discussed in great detail in chapter 9, is 2 Corinthians 2:11: "In order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes." So as not to duplicate the material, I will simply summarize the deducted meaning we gave of the verse based on the Greek words used: "To the degree that 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."

  I want to draw four conclusions from these three versesEphesians 6:18, 1 Peter 5:8 and 2 Corinthians 2:11-as an introduction for this teaching:

  1. Protection from the attacks of our enemy even for believersis not automatic. There is a part for us to play. Though God is sovereign, this does not mean He is in control of everything that happens. He has left much to the decisions and actions of humankind. If God were going to protect or safeguard us from Satan's attacks regardless of what we did, these verses would be totally irrelevant to Christians. Somewhere in our theology, we must find a place for human responsibility. At some point we must begin to believe that we matter, that we're relevant, for ourselves and for others.

  2. God's plan is to warn or alert us to Satan's tactics. This is deducted from the simple fact that since God says not to be unaware of Satan's tactics, He must be willing to make us aware of them. If He says to be on the alert, this must mean that if we are, He will alert us. God wouldn't ask of us something that He wasn't also enabling us to accomplish.

  3. We must be alert-remain watchful-or we won't pick up on God's attempts to warn us of Satan's attacks and plans. If these attacks were always going to be obvious, alertness wouldn't be necessary. Isaiah 56:10 speaks of blind watchmen. What a picture! I'm afraid it has been a fairly good description of many of us in our watching roles. We're often like the disciples of old: We have eyes, but we do not see (see Mark 8:18). It's time we do more than gaze; we must alertly watch!

  4. If we are not alert and watchful, ifwe we are ignorant of Satan's schemes, he will take the bigger portion. He will gain on us, taking advantage of our ignorance. Contrary to popular belief, we really can be destroyed due to ignorance (see Hos. 4:6). We may not like to admit it, but Satan really has gained a lot of territory in America. Don't be like the desert nomad who awakened hungrily one night and decided he'd have a midnight snack. Lighting a candle, he grabbed a date and took a bite. Holding the date to the candle, he saw a worm, whereupon he threw the date out of the tent. Biting into the second date, he found another worm and threw it away, also. Deciding he might not get anything to eat if this continued, he blew out the candle and ate the dates.'

  Sometimes we, too, prefer the darkness of denial to the light of truth. Though the truth really does hurt at times, it is still truth. Denial doesn't change it. Where Satan has made gains, let's admit it and determine to take them back!

  Two New Testament words for "watching" make the connection to the Old Testament concept of watchmen: gregoreuo and agrupneo. Both mean essentially to stay awake, in the sense that a sentry would need to refrain from sleep. Some of the verses where they're found are the following:

  Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving (Col. 4:2).

  And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch. . . . Keep watching and praying, that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mark 14:34,38).

  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

  Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong (1 Cor. 16:13).

  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints (Eph. 6:18).

  But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36).

  The last two verses combine agrupneo with kairos, the strategic time (discussed in chapter 6), challenging us to be on the alert for the kairos times and pray accordingly. Again, so as not to be repetitive, we won't repeat the teaching. However, another look at the full definitions of gaga and kairos in chapter 6 will enable you to make the obvious connection between the watchmen and setting boundaries of protection.

  The Trophies of Intercession

  I will share one story, however, to illustrate. Cindy Jacobs, in her book Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, tells of walking in the watchman anointing at a kairos time. While attending a prayer gathering in 1990, she was awakened one night at 2:00 A.M. with a sense of alarm. As she waited on the Lord, He brought to her mind the picture of a couple and their three children, a family she knew was traveling in their van to the meeting. In this vision she saw a wheel on their van come off, causing a terrible accident.

  Cindy began to pray fervently for their safety and continued throughout the night. Upon their arrival the following day, she asked if they had had any problems with the right wheel. Though they had not, Cindy insisted they go to a garage and get it checked. The mechanic who inspected the van was amazed. He said there was no way they should have been able to drive the van without the wheel coming off.

  Upon returning from the mechanic, Cindy's husband, Mike, who had accompanied the brother to the garage, held up a bag and declared, "The trophies of intercession." It held the old bearings from the right front wheel.2

  That is the watchman anointing in operation, sensing the danger at a kairos time and establishing boundaries (gaga) of protection through intercession.

  Biblical Watchmen

  Let's broaden our understanding of biblical watchmen. What was their purpose? The term "watchmen" comes from the Old Testament and was used to describe what we would today call "sentries," "guards" or "lookouts." These individuals were responsible for protecting primarily two things: vineyards or fields from thieves and animals, and cities from invading forces.

  Those watching crops were stationed on rocks, buildings or towers to provide a better range of vision. Towers or outposts in the fields usually had sleeping quarters because it was necessary to keep watch day and night during harvest. The watchmen would take shifts-one working, one sleeping-and thereby watch 24 hours a day.

  This has great symbolism for us. In seasons of harvest, there is a more urgent need for watchmen, as the "thief" is going to do all he can to steal it, keeping the greater portion. It is little wonder that God has preceded the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever known-which is now happening-with the greatest prayer awakening in history. The Lord of the harvest is wise. I can assure you He has 24-hour sentries "watching" the harvest. May we be able to say with our Lord: Of those You have given me, not one of them perished (see John 17:12).

  These watchmen were also posted on the city walls, where they would function as sentries. The following are a few Old Testament references:

  For thus the Lord says to me, "Go, station t
he lookout, let him report what he sees. When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, a train of donkeys, a train of camels, let him pay close attention, very close attention." Then the lookout called, "0 Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower, and I am stationed every night at my guard post" (Isa. 21:6-8).

  Lift up a signal against the walls of Babylon; post a strong guard, station sentries, place men in ambush! For the Lord has both purposed and performed what He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon (Jer. 51:12).

  On your walls, 0 Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves (Isa. 62:6).

  From the walls of the cities they would watch for two things: messengers and enemies.

  Watching for Messengers

  They watched for messengers to inform the gatekeepers about when to open the gates and when not to. In those days runners were used to carry messages from city to city, and the watchmen would cry out when a friendly messenger was coming. Skilled watchmen could sometimes even recognize the runners by their stride before ever seeing their faces. In 2 Samuel 18:27, the watchman said, "The running . . . is like the running of Ahimaaz." Do you see any important symbolism here?

  Seasoned watchmen are often alerted by the Holy Spirit, before they ever have any concrete evidence, that certain "messengers" are not to be trusted. They recognize "wolves" sent to devour the flock, or "hirelings" with improper motives. They bring warnings to those in leadership. They recognize them "by their stride," as it were-something just doesn't seem right. They sense and discern. To be sure, we must guard against human suspicion and judging after the flesh. But I have learned to listen to my trusted watchmen (one of whom is my wife) when they tell me they are uneasy about so and so. They are usually right.