#97 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

Jesus Christ – Anointed Savior) Pt4

“Give us this day the bread we need,

Forgive us what we owe to you,

as we have also forgiven those

who owe anything to us."

(Matthew 6:11-12)

New King James Version (NKJV)

Many may not be aware that’s there are two account of the “Lord’s Prayer” or “Model Prayer” as some like to call it. The first account was during Jesus’, “Sermon on the Mount” teaching found in Matthew 6; 9-13. The second account, come from the perspective of Luke the physician in Luke 11:2-4; nevertheless they are still regarded as the same prayer even though the events leading up to them are totally different. Interesting enough the second account of the “Lord’s Prayer”, was given approximately 2 ½ years after the one following the “Sermon on the Mount”. “Another time Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples approached Him. Master, would You teach us Your way of prayer? John taught his disciples his way of prayer, and we’re hoping You’ll do the same.” (Luke 11:1-2)

Let us pick up where we left off in our last lesson…

Give us this day our daily bread — whenever I read this verse of the prayer, it always reminds me of when the children of Israel were in the wilderness; how they complained of not having enough to eat. they had nothing to make bread with, so the Lord sent manna for heaven, which appeared each morning like the dew on the ground. However it wasn’t long before even this did not satisfy them, “The Israelites had a strong craving for different food, and the Israelites started complaining again. Who will give us meat to eat? Remember in Egypt when we could eat whatever amount of fish we wanted, or even the abundant cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But this, this can hardly be called food at all! Our appetites have dried up. All we ever have to look at is manna, manna, manna.” (Numbers 11:1-6)

The people’s ingratitude not only frustrated Moses but it angered The Lord God, He was furious about their ungratefulness, lack of faith in His ability to provide for them. So when we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread…” we should be grateful for whatever the Lord provides. Let us not become like the children of Israel and complain to the Lord about what we have. Also know that the Lord is not just providing us with natural bread but He also provides us with “Manna from Heaven” as we read His word daily. “It is written, “Man does not live by bread alone. Rather, he lives on every word that comes from the mouth of the.” (Matthew 4:4) because we are comprised of a ‘spirit, soul and body’ when we think in teams of eating we must understand that our bodies need the proper nutrients in order to function properly, which in turn feeds our soul (intellect), but if we neglect feeding our spirit it too will not function properly. This daily spiritual provision is not just for us alone, for when we pray give us this day our daily bread, we are in fact asking the Lord God to provide sustenance for the whole earth, as we are feed we in turn feed others with what we have eaten from the word of God.

[] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors — “If we say we that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:8-9) Although God is loving and forgiving He cannot forgive of sins we will not own up to and confess, it then He can forgive us of our sin(s) and cleans us from all unrighteousness. One would ask, ‘does this mean that I have to name each and every one of my sins in order to be forgiven by God?’ There’s an interesting thing about true confession:

1. - You must be truly broken in spirit in order for true confession occurs. — “ The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.”(Psalms 34:18)
2. - You must be willing to confess your sin(s) and return to them no more. — But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
3. - You must believe tha God has truly forgiven you of your sins and forgive yourself — The book of Acts tell us, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19) Father God will not only forgive you of the sins you confess but once true repentance has accrued, your brokenness becomes the key to unlocking the chains to all your sins. God doesn’t only forgive you of that sin you’re confessing or repenting of; He forgives you completely and cleanses you from all your unrighteousness.

Now just as He has forgiven you He expects you to forgive others just as He has forgiven you of your offenses. Too often we take the forgiveness of God for granted and when it comes time to forgive others we are cold and harsh towards them. This attitude comes from not remembering that all unrighteousness is sin in the eyes of God; therefore, nothing that anyone can do to you is worse than the sins you’ve committed and asked God to forgive you for. There are no big sins and little sin in God’s eyes… sin is sin! “If you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

When someone hurts you or offends you, learn to forgive them quickly, blow it off…let it go, at that very moment that you feel it trying to plant a root of bitterness in your heart against that person. “LET IT GO!!!” it’s not worth letting that root grow inside of your heart. It is often much harder to up root that bitterness than it is for it to be planted so don’t let it take root. According to Matthew 18:7 “Judgment to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—therefore it will be doomsday to you if you do…” you must decide now what you’re going to do with offenses after they’ve arrive. It’s Your Call!

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your daily provisions spiritual and natural. Forgive us when we have not shown our gratefulness for all that your have provided. We will give You thanks daily for all You give us spiritually, naturally and financially. Thank You for reminding us daily to forgive those who have offended or hurt us in some way. We will not carry offences in our hearts allowing them to become roots of bitterness. We will release them quickly and give you praise for being free for offense. Thank You Father for Your forgiving us and cleansing us form all unrighteousness. We give You praise and glory in Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen!!!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#96 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

Jesus Christ – Anointed Savior) Pt3

“Our Father Who is in heaven,

Hallowed (kept holy) be Your name."

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Other than the work of intercession, which is being done on the behalf of the body of Christ, by Christ seated at the right hand of the Father; I believe there is no greater prayer of intercession being prayed that that of “The Lord’s Prayer.” Now I know that there are some powerful prayers being prayed on behalf of mankind here on earth; however, when the Lord directed the disciples to, “pray on this wish” He was not teaching them to pray a selfish self-centered prayers; although many of us have taken this prayer and personalized it during our daily devotion…it was not intended to be a personal prayer of petition.

I love hoe the ‘Message Bible” translates Matthew 6, v 6-8 - “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:”

Reading this always make me stand in awe when I read it...here’s why. Although we are called to encounter a personal and intimate relation with the Lord it would seem that it’s meant to be private and yet not personal. It would seem God never intended for us to spent hours of time in His presence seeking personal gain or begging for bigger houses, fancier cars more riches; but instead spending those hours in His presence bring before the needs of others. “This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need...” your Father knows what you are in need of even before you ask; therefore we know we’re not begging Him to take care of our need but agreeing with His word that He has already done it. I find it interesting that this prayer is not personal but corporate —

                           1. Our Father…
                           2. Give Us…
                          3. Forgive Us…
                          4. Lead Us Not…

Although we should pray this prayer daily and believe that the Father God will do it, we pray it corporately. Let’s take a look that this pray in the context of corporate intercession:

• Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name — When we think in terms of our Father being in heaven it is not an indication of distance but rather an acknowledgement that He’s seated high above our situation yet being our Father He is personally connected to us. Because His throne us in the heaven He rules and is the God of the whole earth, not just America. By praying “Our Father” we make Him all inclusive He’s all our Father, it reminds us continually that everyone of us are God’s children and should be treated as such. Knowing this of course gives us a calm assurance that we’re not coming to a stranger; but it instantly shifts us out of the natural (earthly/fleshly) realm into the supernatural (Spirit, Power and Authority) realm of the Kingdom and presence of God.
• Hollowed is Your Name — We are not telling Gods Name to be Holy, we’re making a declaration to every realm and kingdom that our God is ‘HOLY’ who He Is, that He’s All Powerful and that He posses all Authority, this is our God First and Last the Beginning and End of all things, for He is the author and creator of all that is and that is to come. By declaring that His Name is Holy is also a declaration that we His people are also “Holy,’ yes I know that we don’t always feel that we are Holy; but beloved it’s not about our Feelings, it’s about our Faith in Our Heavenly Father. Remember that we must know the God we serve by Name:

- Jehovah-tsidkenu – God Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)

- Jehovah-m'kaddesh – God That Sanctifies (Exodus 3l:13)

- Jehovah-shalom – God Is Our Peace (Judges 6:24)

- Jehovah-shammah – God Is Always There (Ezekiel 48:35)

- Jehovah-rophe – God Our/My Healer (Exodus 15:26)

- Jehovah-jireh – God Our/My Provider (Genesis 22:14)

- Jehovah-nissi – God Our/My Banner (Exodus 17:15)

- Jehovah-rohi – God Our/My Shepherd (Psalms 23:1)

• Your kingdom come, Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven — Father God reestablish Your Kingdom here on earth as it once was, just like it is in Your Heavenly Kingdom, make it the same way here on earth were we now live. We not just me but we want Your divine will to be done here on earth, in every nation among every tongue. We’re not just praying this for our single homes, but for everyone here on earth. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) We’re declaring to God the Father, we except Your Will, whatever You permit or allow we say, have Your way Lord God.

So we seek the will of the Father in our lives in our homes in our world…Amen! We will conclude this lesson in our next lesson for now let us pray…

My Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, who rules and inhabits the heavens, let Your Kingdom come down and be displayed here in earth, so that we look just like a mirror image of Your Kingdom. Thank you for making us holy even as You are Holy. Teach us how to follow You Father, give us a steadfast heart, mind and spirit. We acknowledge and declare that “For Yours, is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory both now and Forever. In Jesus precious name, Amen!!!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#95 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Jesus Christ – Anointed Savior) Pt2

“This is why the Father loves me: because I freely

lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again.

No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will."

(John 10:17-18)

Message Bible (MSG)

One of the greatest qualities of an intercessor is the ability to look beyond their own lives, pain or suffering and see the needs of others. I’m reminded of the song verse which says, “He looked beyond my faults and saw my needs.” As intercessors being able to step out of self and perform a selfless act of interceding on behalf of someone else is paramount; undoubtedly, I know of no one who has ever achieved this but Jesus Christ. Pressing beyond His on pain, suffering, rejection and shame to intercede for others, it’s what we all should be striving for as intercessors. Oh it’s easy to do it when all is going well but what about, when all hell breaks loose in and around your life; how easy is it to maintain the selfless action of intercession?

The apostle Paul said it like this: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” (Philippians 3:13-15) I must say this is one of life’s greatest challenges even for me; to continue to press in spite of the obstacles placed in your path. I would not dare lead you to believe that I myself have mastered this area of my prayer life, but yet I still press.

There are countless times, which are documented in the bible were Jesus stepped out of Himself and interceded for others, even though He Himself was facing the impending agony of death. Jesus know His life’s purpose was to become the ransom for man sins; yet He never focused on the shadow of the cross, which stretch out ahead of Him; but instead, He cast His focus on the multitude of sick, dying and hungry souls encompassing Him as He journeyed. Now let’s take a look at some of those people Jesus encountered:

1. A woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years —“Jesus insisted, “Someone touched me. I felt power discharging from me.” When the woman realized that she couldn’t remain hidden, she knelt trembling before him. In front of all the people, she blurted out her story—why she touched Him and how at that same moment she was healed. Jesus said, “Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!” (Luke 8:45-48) While on His way to the cross he took time to heal the woman with a bleeding condition that no medical doctor could heal. Her faith in Him as the Messiah drew her to the hem of His garment and there she was healed made whole.

2. Jairus’ 12 year old daughter raised from the dead —“But when he had sent them all out, he took the child’s father and mother, along with his companions, and entered the child’s room. He clasped the girl’s hand and said, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up.” At that, she was up and walking around!” (Mark 5:21-43) Jesus raised Jairus' daughter inspite of the unbelief of the mourners who mocked Him when He told them she was not dead only asleep, and He had come to awaken her. How many of us have fallen asleep and are in need of Jesus to come take us by the hands call us by name and say, "Get up!"

3. A women caught in adultery about to be stoned to death — “The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?” “No one, Master,” “Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.” (John 8:3-11)

Although He was willing to die, He was not willing to see others die in their sins not even this woman caught in the sin of adultery. Woman where are your accusers? Their gone, then neither do I accuse you…go and sin no more. The forgiveness of sin, what a powerful weapon against the devil; we too like Jesus have the power to forgive sins. “Then He took a deep breath and breathed into them, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?” (John 20:23)

4. Roman Soldiers forgiven who were crucifying Him—“When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, and the other on his left. Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Luke 23:39-43) When is the last or first time you’ve ever forgave someone while you were being persecuted, wrongfully judged, rejected, beaten and spat upon? Never? Neither, have I but thank God, we may never have to; because, of Jesus’ redemptive work of the cross.

5. The Second Thief on the cross forgiven and promised he’d be in paradise—“One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!” But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.” He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43) This man did not know who Jesus was and there is no records which indicate that He had ever seen or interacted with Jesus before that day. No doubt just like many others He could see He was not guilty and did not deserve to die. Watching the persecution of Jesus did not make him pity Jesus but believe on Him; that He was in fact who they said He was…"The King of the Jews” “The Messiah” then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you enter your Kingdom’. Jesus said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)

In our humanity we may find it very difficult to step out of our circumstance, out of our own suffering and pain long enough to consider someone else’ suffering and seek to ease their pain. The Apostle Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Let us daily strive to continue to follow Christ Jesus, even is we stumble, fall or slow down, don’t quite; “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in us would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears” (Philippians 1:6) We need only continue to trust Him and believe what His word tells us, in this we cannot go wrong.

My Prayer: Ahh Heavenly Father, it is You who has begun this great work of righteousness within us and I’m confident that no matter what it looks like, what it feels like, or what the enemy tries to tell us You will complete the work of Your hands in each of us. Forgive us for those times when we have grown weary in the fight and may have even laid down or sword and shields. But we will not quit we will pick them back up again and continue to war in the spirit and pray Your will into this earth. Thank you Father for Your restoring work being wrought within us…in Jesus’ name we pray Amen!!!
Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#94 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Jesus Christ – Anointed Savior)

“It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised

from the dead, who is at the right hand of God,

who also makes intercession for us."

(Romans 8:34)

New International Version (NIV)

In this lesson we will cover the life of the ultimate Intercessor, “Jesus Christ” there is so much to cover it may take a couple lesson to complete but let’s see how far we can get in this lesson. I truly struggled with whether or not to cover the life of Christ the ‘Greatest Intercessor of the Bible’ in this lesson or later; however, my conclusion was this, if not for the intercession of Christ during both His earthly ministry and after His ascension, we would truly not understand intercession at the magnitude we do today. “It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." (Romans 8:34) Thank God He ever live to make intercession for the saints.

After all, It was through watching His life as an intercessor that has taught us the true meaning of what it means to “Stand in the Gap” in intercession. “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” You see Jesus intercession didn’t just start when he arrived there on earth but since He was pre-existent with the Father He work of intercession began in the garden when Adam and Eve first sinned. Even then the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were working on a plan of redemption. It had already been decided that someone who could remain spotless would have to come down and pay the ransom for the sins of mankind.

“And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.” (Isaiah 59:16) “I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.” (Isaiah 53:12) Once Christ made the commitment to pay the ransom for our sin He knew that He had to stay in constant communication with the Father via daily prayer for instructions and to be strengthened for the day’s tasks. Knowing that Jesus prayed and interceded on a daily basis should be encouraging to us as intercessors knowing that we are following in the footsteps of the Master Intercessor.

So what kind of intercession did Jesus do on a daily basis? Let’s take a look at some instances of Christ’s intercession.
1. He prayed of the generation of the future —“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.” (Matthew 19:13) It was through this prayer that we came to understand that God’s Kingdom cannot be entered with high mindedness but we must become humble as little children.

2. He prayed for his present disciples and future disciples — “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.” (John 17:6) Jesus knew that once He was gone that the enemy would launch his most fierce attack ever upon His disciples; believing that they would be at their weakest since Jesus was no longer there to help them.

3. He prayed for all His future disciples — “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.” (Hebrews 7:23)

4. He prayed for those of us living today — “Earlier there were a lot of Levitical Priests; however all of them died and had to be replaced. But Jesus’ priesthood is permanent. He’s there from now to eternity to save every one of us who comes to God through Him, always on the job to speak up for them.” (Hebrews 7:23) Because Jesus has a priesthood which will never pass away, He is ever praying and interceding for the souls of the lost and those who are His. This assurance we have too, “He that keeps Israel neither slumbers or sleeps.” (Psalms 121: 4) He is always watching over us.

5. He prayed for those who had unbelief — “Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Whether it was a father whose son was posed with a demonic spirit, or a crowd who was questioning His power to raise the dead, Jesus prayed for those with unbelief that they might believe not on Him but believe that He and the Father were working together. It appears that no matter how many miracles Jesus performed before them or how many He feed from five fish and two loaves of bread, they still doubted He was the Son of God…The Messiah sent from God, to take away their sins.

How much like us they were, for we too still struggle with our belief that He will help us, that He will show up on time to get the rent paid, the lights turned on or the water and gas bill paid. Time after time He comes to our rescue and yet we still find ourselves questioning if He will do it again. Beloved He is the same yesterday, today and forever; if He did it once or twice He’ll do it again and again!!!

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for our Great High Priest, Savior, Friend and constant Intercessor Jesus Christ. Thank You for sending Your Son to pay the ransom for our sins, and for redeeming us back to You. Help us to learn for Jesus’ example of intercession and follow His lead in prayer and intercession. Help us to not become weary in well doing, help us not to faint. Renew us again in your power and grace. Father we call back those intercessors who have fallen away and grown weary in prayer. We call them back to their place of intimacy with You and their place of prayer warriors, watchmen on the wall of Your house. Jesus we bless Your Holy Name and give You honor and praise. Give us a stronger passion and desire for prayer and intercession for You people in Jesus name, Amen!!!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#93 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Simeon - The God Receiver

Anna – God’s Favor and Grace)

“For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared

in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the

Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel."

(Luke 2:25)

Message Bible (MSG)

Now we move into the new testament in search of more Great Intercessors of the Bible. In this lesson we will learn about the prophet’s “Simeon and Anna” who both received Jesus as the Messiah, "God’s Salvation." “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Simeon was not just in the temple to pray that day but was there on assignment, by the Holy Spirit. The text doesn’t tell us how old Simeon was but we can denote from his statement, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel." that he has been waiting for many year and was now a very old man.

Simeon was not just waiting to see just any baby, but waiting on the scripture to be fulfilled, which foretold of a child born to a virgin, whose name would be called “Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father and The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6b) For this he had waited in anticipation for many years. Each day praying for the deliverer of the world to be born; so much so that the Holy Spirit told him that he would not taste death until he saw the Messiah. What an incredible testimony of a true intercessor! Would that someday, this would be our testimony that; because, of a prayer we had prayed God sustained our life just so we could see the fulfillment of what we had asked for in prayer. Truly in this story we see the essences of the verse, “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength…”  (Isaiah 40:31)

That day was unlike any other for Simeon for the scriptures says, “The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God: I love Simeon’s response, “God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.” (Luke 231-32) We have often heard the phrase, “Patience is a Virtue.” Well in this case it truly was, because now Simeon would as last have what he longed for; because Simeon’s wait was twofold, on the one hand he would see firsthand the Consolation of Israel, yet on the other he would get to enter into rest. “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.” Now Simeon could close his eyes and rest knowing the one day the Christ Child would conquer death, hell and the grave and he would enter into eternal rest with the Lord.

After proclaiming salvation and redemption not just for the Israelites but for the gentiles as well, he turned and blessed Mary and Joseph telling them. “This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, a figure misunderstood and contradicted—the pain of a sword-thrust through you—But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.” Now having done what he was instructed to do by the Holy Spirit, he could go home and rest.

Shortly after Simeon had acknowledged who the child was the Prophetess Anna began proclaiming the good new to all the people their in the temple. "Now Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fasting’s and prayers.” Like Simeon, the prophetess Anna had been watching, waiting and praying day and night for the promised one, the Christ Child to appear and here He was right before her eyes. Now Anna’s was a much different reaction to seeing the Messiah, than that of Simeon. “At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.”

Because of her faithfulness to prayer and fasting in the temple all those many years Anna was considered a Mother to Jerusalem; like any good mother she was concerned for the welfare of the children of Israel and daily lifted them up in prayer.“She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fasting’s and prayers.” Seeing the Christ Child she knew that God had finely answered her prayers by sending a deliver to set her people free. Never under estimate your prayers and intercession whether it’s one single person or nations; because if God has placed them on your heart then He has also anointed your prayers with a “Breaker Anointing” (Micah 2:12-13) to shatter the strongholds of the principalities which holds them captive.

Simeon and Anna like so many intercessors today are laying down their lives to stand in the gap for the people of this world. So to we should look to see the salvation of the Lord just as Simeon and Anna did. The prayers and intercession we send forth today will alter the futures of multitudes; because of the anointing which breaks the yoke right off their necks and the shackles off their feet.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank for examples like Simeon and Anna who help us to understand the value of waiting upon You. Thank You for renewing our strength as we may grow weary in the waiting, keep us strong with our eyes focused on the horizon of your promise. Father thank You for anointing us to pray with the force of the “Breaker Anointing” over the lives of those You have assigned to our lives. We know with an assurance that You will fulfill Your promise and bring deliverance to every people group, nation tribe and tongue. In Jesus precious name we give You praise... Amen!!!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#92 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Malachi – My God's Messenger)

“Edom says, “Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places.”

So the LORD who rules over all responds, “They indeed may build, but I will overthrow.

They will be known as the land of evil, the people with whom the LORD is

permanently displeased.”

(Malachi 1: 4-5)

New English Translation (NET Bible)

 In our lesson yesterday we studied the prophet Obadiah — his intercession and prophetic announcement of judgment over the Edomites. Edom was being judged by God, because of their pride and arrogance and refusal to help their brother Judah who was being attacked by enemy forces. To make matters worse they even helped there enemy by rounding up all of the survivors and selling them into slavery.“You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.” (Obadiah 1:13-14)

God did just what He had promised and destroyed Edom; however, they still did not learn their lesson, “Edom says, “Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places.” (Malachi 1:4)  So what lesson was that; having to suffer the consequences of displeasing the Lord God Most High. They still thought they could usurp God’s authority and do things their own way “So the LORD who rules over all responds, “They indeed may build, but I will overthrow. They will be known as the land of evil, the people with whom the LORD is permanently displeased.” (Malachi 1:5) 

By the time of Malachi began to prophesy in Israel they had suffered much as a result of their rebellion, one would think that by now they had a clear understanding of the consequences of not obeying the Law’s of God. One would think that they would never do anything wrong or contrary to the will of God, but not so.
“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar.“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

Even though the Temple of God had been restored, the people returning to Jerusalem from exile had lost their passion. It wasn’t long before they became overcome with apathy concerning the things of God. Even the priest had become corrupt and spiritual weariness. They no longer took pride in following the Law of God concerning the Temple and offering of sacrifices. “By saying, that the LORD’S Table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.”

Malachi, was confronted by a people that were struggling, grasping at belief that God still loved them. They were looking at all of their misfortune refusing to acknowledge the role they themselves played in bring about their circumstances. “You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” Because you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord’s opinion, and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?” It was Malachi’s job to show the people where they had erred in the things of the Lord. Then they could take responsibility for their sins and repent—turn back to God.

God said, “I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the LORD who rules over all. Who can endure the day of His coming? Who can keep standing when He appears?" I’m sending my final answer to your sinful way, you backsliding I’m sending My Messenger and He want take no for an answer and non will be able to resist Him. But this time He will refine your hearts He will wash you and purify you...

"For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap, He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the LORD a proper offering. The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in former times and years past.”(Malachi  Then you will serve Me once again as you did when you first Loved Me. This all reminds me of the passage in Revelation where the Angle tells the church to return to their First Love.

Here again, we see the true heart of the Father, “On the day when I act,” says the LORD Almighty, “They will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” All He wants and has ever wanted is for His children to Love and Obey Him… isn’t this after all what every parent want? “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

We today could us a Malachi to remind us from whence we have fallen, so that we can do our first works over again and return to the Lover of our souls. For we too find ourselves struggling to follow closely after God. Malachi made a call to repentance, which should prompt even us today to turn and live righteously before the Lord God. Yet it offers us renewed hope that God has not finished with His work of salvation, mercy and grace for His children.

My Prayer: Holy and Gracious Father, we come tonight like King David, “Lord we’ve gotten out of step with you now for a long time… We understand that what you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter us, then; conceive a new, true life within each of us. Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub us and we’ll have a snow-white life. Tune us in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes; give us a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in us, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of our lives. Don’t throw us out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in our lungs. Bring us back from exile; put a fresh wind in my sails! Give us a job teaching rebels Your ways so the lost can find their way home to You.” (The Message Bible) Father, create in us clean hearts and renew a right spirit within us, don’t let us turn away from your loving-kindness…in Jesus precious name we pray, Amen!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#92 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Obadiah – Servant of Yahweh)

“Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,

you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.

On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth

and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem,

you were like one of them."

(Obadiah 1:10-12)

New King James Version (NKJV)

In this lesson we will look at the life of intercession of the Prophet Obadiah, whose name means, “Servant of God” although some believe it to mean, “Worshiper of God” either way it all translates the same, as we are worshipers of God and His servants as well. What is even more interesting about his name is that God chose him to deliver a message of destruction to Edom because of their refusal to come to the aid of their brothers Judah (Praise).

That fact that these two nations were related because of Jacob and Esau there was no reason whatever that Edom would refuse to help in a time of need yet they did. Not only that but they stood by and watch while foreign nations attacked Judah. Therefore God judged Edom because they allowed bitterness and indifference to cause them to disobey God’s Principle Law, “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.” Now the Edomits were not under the law of Moses yet they were still responsible to God, because they knew they were close relatives to Judah and for conscience sake should have known they were braking God’s law of love.

I guess one could say that most of us are guilty of this crime from time to time. In our society today many people out of fear of retaliation refuse to get involved when they hear or see a crime being committed. What we fail to realize is that this is an immoral act and we too can be judged by God as a result. “The one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it is sinning” (James 4:17) Many times I’ve heard people say, “Why does America always run to the rescue of weaker nations when they are being attacked?” Well whether we like it or not America is obeying the principle law of the Lord… “Love your brother, as you love yourself.” Also, “But whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him?.” Obadiah was the right man for this task, of letting Edom know that God was going to judge them for their willful refusal to help their kinsman. Not only this but they were being judged for their pride and arrogance, they felt that they were better than Judah.

In fact they were glad that it was Judah being attacked and not they themselves, they were actually celebrating the fact of Judah’s trouble. “You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much, in the day of their trouble.” (Obadiah 1:12) as if that wasn’t bad enough when the children of Israel (Judah) fled for their attackers Edom captured them and sold them into slavery. “You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.”(Obadiah 1:13-14)

So now you must face the “Day of the Lord” the day of God’s judgment against you! “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been. But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance. Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.” The LORD has spoken.” (Obadiah 1:15-18)

Sometimes I think we forget that there is a law of ‘Reciprocity’ you reap what you sow, but trust me my friend there is. This is what Edom was getting ready to learn the hard way. What we must remember is that God has promised to protect His children and that means all of them. When we perpetrate some offense against one of God’s children we will have to pay the cost of our deeds or actions…there’s no exception to the rule. The interesting thing about the Law of Reciprocity is this it works both ways…or perhaps I should say cuts both ways. Whether your deeds are good or bad you will be repaid for them.

"People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria and Benjamin will possess Gilead. This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev. Deliverers will go up on[c] Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau and the kingdom will be the LORD’s.” (Obadiah 1:19-21) God final word was total destruction for Edom there would be no survivors once His judgment was completed.

My Prayer: Father, forgive us for those times when we stood idle by and watch as our brother or sisters were being attacked by the enemy and did nothing in their defense, forgive us for not intervening on their behalf , yet expected You to defend us in our time of trouble. We’re sorry and will strive to do better in the future. Help us to walk in love towards our brothers and sisters no matter what they may do or say just you continue to love us no matter what we do. Thank you Father for Your mercy and grace on our behalf we pray in Jesus’ name Amen!!!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#91 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Joel – Yahweh is God)

"Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.

Let the priests, who minister before the Lord weep

between the temple porch and the altar."

(Joel 2:12,17)

New King James Version (NKJV)

In this lesson we’ll be looking at the life of the Prophet Joel, whose best known for the prophecy or the release of the Holy Spirit. The thing we want to look at in the lesson is how his life of intercession so closely mirrored the call God made for an intercessor. "And He (God) saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right." (Isaiah 59:16 amplified) We’ve learned that being an intercessor is a person who intervenes for truth and righteousness for others.

The prophet of Joel admonished the people that they should fast, pray and morn in Chapter 2: 10-12, 16-20. Joel had a double vision, which would revealed the “day of the Lord” being ushered in by dreadful suffering if there was not true repentance. “Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to GOD, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, this most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now; maybe he’ll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all’s said and done, there’ll be blessings full and robust for your GOD!” (Joel 2:13-14)

"I looked for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." (Ezekiel 22:30) Israel was being invaded but this was a result of their rebellion and punishment by God. There the prophet Joel God was calling the people to repent, “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning...Let the priests, who minister before the Lord weep between the temple porch and the altar." (Joel 2:12, 17)
This call to repentance also came with a promise, “I will drive the northern army far from you...and those in the rear into the western sea...I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed....I will pour out my Spirit on all people. You sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men wills see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Isn’t it amazing that even when God has to discipline His children He has still built-in a provision for their repentance once it’s completed.

The truth is that God hates to punish His children, but finds it is necessary for time to time in order to get their attention and get them back on the right track. “Return, O backsliding children,' says the Lord; 'for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion, I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him.” (Jeremiah 3:14) It would seem nothing has change in all these years, many times we get off track and find ourselves feeling the heat of discipline, but like Israel we quickly run back to God and get right back on track. Well at least most of us do...for some gentle discipline for the Lord is sufficient; however, for others it may require something much harsher base on our temperaments. This passage in Jeremiah is not a licence to continuing in our backsliding, but rather a reminder that no matter where you go or what you do the Spirit of God is constantly reminding us that, we belong to Him, we need to return to Him and that the Father Loves us.

So what was God’s response to the children of Israel’s return to His Commandments with prayer and intercession? It was a promise of restoration of those things which they had lost during their rebellion. In answer to their obedience and intercessions, the Lord promised He would restore everything that had been taken away. He also promised He would pour out His Spirit on all people. But not just restoration to their old lives but to a new one, “...never again will my people be shamed....I will pour out my Spirit on all people. You sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men wills see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”(Joel 2:27-28) Remember what Jesus said to his disciples just before leave to return to heaven? “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (Luke 24:49) The day of Pentecost was the fulfillment of that promise God made in Joel.

Every since the fall in the garden of Eden God has been working to fulfill His plan of redemption for His children, to bring us back to right standing with Himself. The final stage of that is yet to come but in the meantime we continue to pray and intercede that the Father’s will be done in this earth…no matter what it looks like or how bad it may seem, continue to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, in Earth even as it is in Heaven.”(Matthews 6:10) That day too will come just as all others promises have been fulfilled.

My Prayer: Father God, thank You for pouring out your promise of the Holy Spirit upon all human flesh. We continue to ask that Thy will be done in this earth realm, let Your Kingdom now come in our nations and in our government and in our lives and families. Father forgive us of our sins for our trespasses, thank You for the promise that one day this mortal will take on the immortal likeness of Jesus Christ and we will be able to once and for all put an end to the deeds of this sinful flesh. Father we give you praise and glory for You are worthy of all honor!. We thank You for Your many blessings in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!!!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#90 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”
(Hosea – Concealed by the Lord)

“When the LORD began to speak through Hosea,
the LORD said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman
and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife
this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD."
(Hosea 1:2)
The Message (MSG)

I’ve always found the story of Hosea the prophet an interesting one meanly; because, Hosea takes on a different level of intercession, that of physical identification with the objects of his intercession.  For the majority of us when we identify with those we are interceding with it is in spiritual form not physical. Although there are times in intercession you the intercessor will experience an intense sense of urgency or overwhelming sense of need during intercession. These feelings are often the spirit man picking up on the emotions of the person they are interceding for.  However, for Hosea, what he had to identify with for Israel he had to live out before them in the natural not in the spirit. “When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”

The Lord wanted Hosea to show the people just what their actions were to Him, so Hosea was instructed to marry promiscuous women because the children of Israel were playing the harlot to other gods.

How many of us would have been able to endure such betrayal as being married to someone who perused many lovers. I know some may say they know just what he went through because they too have experienced the same thing.  Hosea at this point in the history of Israel was actually identifying with Christ in that he was taking on the shame of the people in an effort to show them the era of their ways. In order to do this Hosea had to become closely identified with them and marrying Gomer helped him to do that. “So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” You see now Hosea was identifying with God because he would be married to a wife that would play the harlot just like Israel had with their worship of false gods. We want even discuss what the religious people of that day had to say about him and his choice of wives; however they never once realized that it was they who was playing the harlot not Hosea.

Now the Lord would began to name Hosea and Gomer’s children symbolicly to represent the spiritual condition of the children of Israel, “Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.” “In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezrel.” God will punish and bring to an end” He wanted the people to know that their deeds would not go unpunished.  “Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea,

• “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel that I should at all forgive them. Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God, will save them.” 

• " After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

Even though the Lord was rejecting the children of Israel He said, “Yet will I show love to Judah” we as children of the Most High God can take comfort in this one thing…our God is a merciful and loving God. “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.”Gomer eventually left Hosea and went back to her life of promiscuity and Hosea was content to let her go, but God said no, go and get your wife, in fact you must buy her back.

The intercession of Hosea is one with a happy ending in spite of all of the heartache he had to endure. “The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”  So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.” God wanted Israel to know that in spite of their adulterous ways, He had a plan and that was to buy them back out of slavery.  This passage actually goes far beyond the Israelites condition at that time. In fact it came all the way into the future where we were and redeemed us back too.  

This last passage brings up a very important point of intercession; always know that your intercession goes much further than the person you are interceding for at that moment. In fact your intercession reaches forward into the future to ever generation that person’s life touches. When my great Aunt Carrie Kendrick, prayed for her family, her prayer transcended time and space and found me; without even knowing it, her legacy of pray and intercession found me, as a result of her intercession. Now my life touches generations not just here in America but around the world because of Aunt Carries intercession.

God truly loves and cares for His people and continually shows them that he does…“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.  But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.” So too God loves us with an everlasting love. Even though we don’t always follow Him as we should. Just as Hosea redeemed his wife so too God redeemed us from our bondage as well.

My Prayer: Father God, for gives us for not always following You as we should. We do not want to be like Gomer and the children of Israel, worshiping strange and false gods.  Thank You for Your redemption plan and for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to buy us back out of slavery, paying the ransom for our sins.  As we intercede for the lives you instruct us to pray for we now know that we will touch generations with our pray that will serve you with their whole hearts. Thank you Father for your love and mercy in Jesus’ name we pray…Amen!!!

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#89 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Zephaniah – Concealed by the Lord)

“Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who has upheld His justice.

Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be

hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger."

(Zephaniah 2:3)

New King James Version (NKJV)

I love the fact that the name ‘Zephaniah’ means (concealed or hidden by the Lord), which becomes a very key fact in the prophecies of Zephaniah. In our opening scripture passage we see, “Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who has upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Here we have a promise from the Lord to those who upheld the justice of the Lord and sought righteousness and humility for they may be hidden or concealed in the time of trouble by the Lord.

Although the judgment of the children of Israel was going to be bad God still was showing His hand of mercy. The sad thing about all of this was that the people were putting their trust in everything, except the Lord. In chp.1:14-18 The Lord was letting them know that nothing they had made would be a defence against his wrath.

•  No Mighty Warriors: “The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out.”
•  Not even their fortified cities: “A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities And against the high towers.”
•  Not even their silver and gold would not be able to save them, “Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.”

There is a day when not even man’s strength, or towering skyscrapers or gated communities nor resources will be able to protect them from the Almighty God’s judgment. They were placing the trust in all the wrong places and things. But the Lord had already told them, “And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil.” Hasn’t this always been the case with mankind, they think that because they get away with wrong doing that they will also get by…but they want says the Lord.

Zephaniah knew that the Lord was merciful and His true heart wasn’t to destroy His people, “But, it’s not too late to turn back to God, to seek righteousness and humility.” Zephaniah tells them they are a people without shame, because they refuse to repent, they had grown callus to their evil society. That reminds me our society today how we continually refuse to acknowledge our sins; instead we try and justify them. When we repeatedly sin we will become callus and no longer feel guilty or remorseful; the more we sin the easier it becomes too sin.

Zephaniah told the people that they would not listen to the words of the prophets and leaders who continually pleaded with them to repent. “Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God.” The prophet Zephanian wanted to remind the people that all God wanted was for them to seek Him, to fellowship with Him, “Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth,Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’s anger.” Just seek the Lord, that’s all He wants of you… but they would hear. This verse basically is the sum total of what God wants from any of us, to love the Lord and Seek Him and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Another interesting point I would like to stress is that God wasn’t just judging the children of Israel but even in their rebellious and backslidden state He was also judging the nations who were mistreating His people. What an amazing God we serve, that even when we are not doing what we should; He will still not allow anyone to mistreat or persecute us. “I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore as I live, says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.”

Zephaniah starts his last chapter with the word, “Wait” admonishing the people to put their trust in the Lord. He concludes this chapter with a promise that God is faithful and will bless His people. He will save Himself a remnant and return them to the Holy Mountain (Jerusalem); there will be peace in Jerusalem, justice and no more shame. “In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against Me; for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain. At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I gather you; for I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes,” Says the LORD.” Yes there will once again be rejoicing in the Holy City Jerusalem. Says the Lord…what great Love the Father has for His people!!!

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for letting us know that you loving kindness is always there for us, and that You always look out for your people even when we do wrong, Your loving arm of protection is still out stretched towards us. Father, bring us as a nation back to You. Turn us from our sin and bring us to repentance. Father always keep your promise to preserve a remnant for Your sake, in every nation. Thank you Father we pray in Jesus’ name Amen!!!
Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning

#88 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

(Micah - Who is like the Lord?)

“One who breaks open the way will go up before them;

they will break through the gate and go out.

Their king will pass through before them,

the LORD at their head. "

(Micah 2:13)

The Message (MSG)

Before I truly know the full depths of the call of intercession which is upon my life I felt as though I was strange even quite peculiar, which is somehow funny because as a child my mother would often say, “Mardina is my most peculiar child,” I never quite knew what she meant. I only knew that it meant that I was not like the others; but in what way, I did not know until I became a child of God. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:” You see the interesting thing about light is that it’s hard to hide, it always finds a way to be seen and it always dispels the darkness no matter how dense it may be. 

The prophet Micah other than being somewhat short is best remembered for three important things:
 

1.)    He foretells the story of Christ the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem, (Micah 5:2)

2.)    He also shares  an important verse about trust in the Lord and how we should love others (Micah
         6:8)

3.)    He concludes all this with chapter seven telling us about the great mercy of God

However what I would like to draw our attention to in this lesson is from our reference scripture form Micah 2:14 — because I believe it sheds yet more light on the role of the intercessor: “One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head.” (NIV) In this passage we see someone with a “Breaker Anointing” that’s Jesus, who is also ‘The Great Intercessor” it is Jesus who endows us as we pray and intercede, what the Holy Spirit leads us to pray. What is this breaker Anointing for you might ask? Well it’s to break through the gates (not wall) in order to break up hindering strongholds that keep people from getting out.  The enemy establishes these gates to prevent the body of Christ for accomplishing the will of God in the earth.  Sinners are also held captive within these strongholds; this is why we require a “Breaker Anointing” to clear the path by breaking through the gates of the enemy’s strongholds, so they can be free, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them.” Once they can clearly see and hear the gospel message they will also realize their need to be saved.

While I was in the mission field in Mexico I had experienced this “Breaker Anointing” first hand, although I did not understand what it was at the time. I was in a church service and we were in praise and worship, as I worshiped in the presence of the Lord, I suddenly begin to pray in the spirit in a way like nothing I had ever experienced before. I seemed as though my words were soaring past this earthly realm which we inhabit.  It reminded me of a picture I once sketched initial “The Intercessor” we it seemed as though her intercession was penetrating the atmosphere and breaking through the barrier of darkness.  I had no idea why this was happening or what was being accomplished, I only knew that once it was over, I felt completely drained of all natural strength; I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep somewhere. But that wasn’t the first nor, the last time this would happen and from that day forth the Holy Spirit has used me many times were ever I go in this manner. Now however I realize that during this time there is a stronghold that is hindering the move of the Holy Spirit in that service and it must be broken through that souls, the word of God or special healing ministry might go forth.  

This Breaker Anointing is also used to cover pastors and leaders of the church, because Satan knows that, “When the head is sick the whole body is sick.” Intercessors cover the church they are commonly known as, Gate Keepers, “The sons of the gatekeepers” (Ezra 2:42) or Watchman on the Wall, “On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent.” Often the Lord will alert the intercessor of events or situation within the church body, so that they can alert the church leaders. This is why often time’s true intercessors will often have a prophetic gifting. This does not mean that they are necessarily prophets although it could.  An intercessor can prophesy and not be a prophet, but all prophets are intercessors. This is mainly because intercessor often enters the realm of the supernatural while they’re in prayer. Don’t feel uneasy when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you began to pray in the spirit or in your prayer language. Many times you will even pray in a language which is unfamiliar to you, (not you normal tones or dialect) this is because when you pray in the Spirit you may be dealing with strongholds in other regions not just where you live.  

Micah says, “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.”(Micah 2:12-13)

It is our job as intercessors to first pray and cover the body of Christ, and hear from the Father; then relay that word to the church leaders, if possible. Sometimes intercessor will encounter opposition from church leaders if they don’t understand the role of the intercessor within the church body.  But don’t not allow this to discourage you because God will work out the details, all you need to do is be obedient, do your part and allow god to do the rest. 

My Prayer: father, give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church and wisdom to know what to do with what we hear. Continue to teach us how to pray both in the natural and in the Spirit. Thank you Holy Spirit for helping us to know what to pray and when to pray, show us the thing we must know and do.  Thank you Father for you graciousness and mercy we pray in Jesus’ name Amen!!! 

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace! 

Follow this link to "Morning by Morning" http://prayin4you.blogspot.com

Sign up to receive the daily post Via Email

I hope you will Join to become a member of

Morning by Morning