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Intercede More - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) December 2, 2022

The Bible states in Proverbs 11:25 - A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.


So many of us read this and think it is talking about finances alone. Read that scripture again and now realize that it also speaks to being generous in the place of prayer.


The Lord has called each of us to step into the ministry of intercession. We are told to pray for people in 1 Timothy 2:1. Additionally, there are numerous examples of great intercessors in the Bible who were elevated by God because they stood in the gap for others. We've discussed such men and women and they include Daniel, Esther, Abraham and Isaac. We've also considered the power of intercession through a modern day example with the escape of the kidnapped foreign missionaries from their captors in Haiti.


And of course there is the Great Intercessor Himself - Jesus - who gave His very life so we could all have access to eternal life in heaven. Romans 8:34 - Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Further, Apostle Paul instructed us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 - And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ (NLT). Jesus obeyed God the Father and was given the keys to hell and death, made head of the church. He was elevated, His enemies placed at His feet.


If imitating Jesus by genuinely interceding for others will also elevate you, shouldn't you be interceding more?


Therefore, we need to spend more time interceding for others. We have to be willing to put the prayer needs of others before ours. That is one of the key tenets of this fellowship. It's not just for us to gather and enjoy each other's company but for us to lift up people, nations and other things to God for His grace and mercy. The Lord calls us to be unselfish not just during Praise & Pray (for others), but to show our faith by interceding for others even when not gathered here.


God has given us this and other instructions to help us and to bring us to the fullness of life Jesus died for (John 10:10). When we instead lean on our own intelligence or the wisdom of the world, we end up creating delays and introducing frustration into our lives. James 4:17 - Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it (NLT). To know that you should intercede and to not do so is to rebel against the Lord and we are taught in 1 Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” May we never reject the word of God. May we never rebel and in turn be rejected, cast down and trampled underfoot, IJMN, Amen.


Let us not forget that intercession is key to our journey as believers in Jesus and His Father. And as we have stepped into the last month of 2022, I pray we will take intercession more seriously. Join us at Noon EST where we will joyfully fellowship with glad hearts before we stand in the breach for people in our fellowship as well as others.


God bless you and see you then!




Here are some related posts on intercession:

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Believe First - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 29, 2022

Believing in God isn't always easy. It can be hard to have faith especially when we're waiting on something we believe is crucial. And yet, the Lord has called us to believe in Him. Even more importantly, we are called to believe in Him before we see what we're waiting on. Notice, it's not the other way around? God hasn't told us, "I'll give you that thing you asked me for then you will believe in me." No, He's called us to believe in Him before we receive.


That's the difficulty for most of us. We want to see first in order to believe. Gideon, a Judge in the Bible, had a similar attitude. He tested the Lord multiple times. Now, God in His mercy and unlimited understanding indulged Gideon but we should not aspire to be like him. After all, Jesus was critical of people who wouldn't believe until they saw first, saying in John 4:48 - ...“Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” (NLT).


And yet, we recently discussed that Jesus instructed us to believe in His works at the very least (John 14:11). We thank God for this option but it is not and will never be the standard we should settle on. In fact, Jesus encouraged us to do otherwise in John 11:40 - Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”


And that is why we must make that conscious decision to believe first. It is the way to truly witness God's glory just as Lazarus's sisters experienced at the resurrection of their brother (John 11). Or, as was the case for the centurion who believed Jesus had power to heal his servant without seeing or touching him (Matthew 8). Then there were the two blind men in Matthew 9 who Jesus asked if they believed He could heal them. They said yes and their sight was restored.


Each of these examples displays the need to believe first. We must not be like those who require God to show them who He is before they have faith in His capacity to do what they're waiting on. This is a choice each of us must make. God in His love and mercy is working to make us deeper believers in Him by showing us His miraculous strength and capacity to not just answer our prayers, but go beyond them.


Let me share a recent example from my life. I managed to watch the USA vs ENG FIFA world cup match and it was a 'nail biter'. No offense to the English, but I wanted the Stars & Stripes to win. Though I had work to do, I anxiously screamed at my screen instead. Eventually, I had to pray because I was tired of the stress. So, I did just that and asked the Lord if the English team would win. I heard no and felt peace. I turned back to my work, trusting that the Lord would keep His word.


He did, Hallelujah! England didn't win though neither did the US as the match ended at a 0-0 draw. Nevertheless, this was a reminder to trust the Lord. To believe His word and His character, for He's loyal and cannot lie. I didn't have to wait till the end of the match to believe in Him. I relied on scripture and my prior experiences with Him. Yes, I know, praying about a football/soccer match seems so inconsequential compared to the many things I could have sought God's face on, but the point here is that God is faithful. His word will never fail. Believe in Him first regarding everything, including a sporting event. It is well.


I pray you will join us for fellowship at Noon EST. Come prepared to thank God, pray for others, and consider how to believe in Him all the more.

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Be Still (Unfair Treatment) Pt 5 - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) November 25, 2022

For the last 3 weeks we've looked at how we react when we are treated badly. We've considered how fearfulness keeps us from obeying God's instruction to "be still" and let Him handle those who've been unfair or even wicked to us.


Praise the Lord for He has repeatedly promised to defend those who have been afflicted (Psalm 9:18). He has declared "Vengeance is Mine" in Romans 12:19 and because He cannot lie (Titus 1:2), we can trust that He will deal with all oppressors. We need simply wait. Don't believe that will ever happen? Well, the Bible says different in several places including Psalm 91:8 - You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.


This begs the question of how to react when we witness God's punishment at play in the lives of the wicked.


Once again, The Bible tells us how we are to behave and it might not be what you expect. Proverbs 24:17-18 - Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. In addition, Jesus commanded us to love one another (John 13:34). Therefore, gloating and taunting those who are experiencing God's judgment is not what we are to do as believers.


Instead, we are to always walk in reverent fear of the Lord. When, not if, we witness God's judgment against the wicked, our job is to thank Him. Not to gloat. Moses and his sister, Miriam, provide an example of how we are to behave. In Exodus 15, the way they reacted to the downfall of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea was to sing in praise and worship to God. This is not to say that they weren't happy to see their pursuers destroyed. However, in that moment of great victory, they trained their gaze on the Lord and not what happened to the enemy.


Hebrews 10:31 tells us It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath] (AMP). Hence, when believers see the wicked receive the results of their hard work, they must be careful to react as the Lord instructed. Each of us must never forget that if not for God's grace, Him rescuing us from sin, and bringing us into His righteousness, we could equally experience the judgment awaiting the wicked.


So, when you see someone get their 'just desserts', please don't say, "That's what they get" or abuse them in your thoughts or words. Just rejoice in God for being just and mighty. Praise Him for who He is.


Thank You Father for Your grace and mercy upon us. Thank You for redeeming us and sending Jesus Christ to reconcile us to Yourself. Thank You for it is this blessing, this privilege, that we need not fear the sudden disaster and ruin that befalls the wicked (Proverbs 3:25). Help us to also love others. To You be all the glory and the praise, IJMN, Amen.


See you at Noon EST for fellowship.


(PS: I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving 2022.)



Read more about the "Be Still" Series:

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