We, as Christians, have been called to once again enforce Jesus' authority as occupying forces on planet earth, to go back into those zones, push back the forces that have tried to come in, and take control again and occupy our zones!
How do we do that? First, it starts in our own home. If you've got people in your home who are not in the place with God that they need to be, it's time for you to occupy your zone. It is time to realize that time is so short and we cannot allow a single one of our family members to miss out on heaven. We've got to get on our knees and begin interceding on their behalf as Jesus called us to do
We can't play religious games any more. We cannot come to church, warm the bench, pay our tithe, pacify our conscience and say that we've done our religious duty. We need to take our full responsibility, occupy our zones and get our families saved.
Your first priority should be to get your family saved. Don't let another year go by. Make it a point of contact that this is the year for your entire family to come into the Kingdom of God. And after you've accomplished that, start spreading out. Your zone can increase. You can begin interceding for other families.
Abraham's prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah is a clear example of the prayer of intercession. There is an important thing that we need to note from this account. Genesis 18:20 says, "And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now and see whether they Itave done now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it."
As I began to read this, I realized that the Lord came down because their cry was so great. I interpreted that as meaning God will come down when we begin to cry out to Him for our families, for His power, for the move of God, for spiritual intervention, for our own personal needs, etc.
When our cry becomes so great in His ear, God will literally come down. When we begin to cry and say, "God, we need you! We need Your intervention! We need Your help! We need you to move in the midst of our families," He will intervene. The cry of faith will bring God on the scene like nothing else will. The cry of faith invokes a blessing. The word "invoke" means to call forth, or to put into operation, or to bring it about.
Our cry of faith will bring God on the scene in our behalf and it will cause God to invoke a blessing upon us, or to bring it about or to cause the thing we prayed about to come to pass. Your answer will come.
I can't make you get serious about your family, your friends, your community, your city. It has to be by the Holy Spirit that He moves upon you to see the importance of God wanting us to be intercessors. Intercessors are the ones who stand in the gap.
Included in the idea of intercession is the fact that Jesus is our Advocate. Advocate meaning Intercessor or Counselor. An advocate is generally one who pleads another's cause.
Intercessory prayer defined is: standing in the gap, in prayer between a person or persons who have provoked judgment through their wrong doings and the actual execution of that judgment. Or to put it more simply, "Intercession in prayer is to hold back judgment."
God wants us to step outside our normal routine of life and put some time and energy forth. We need to step out of our comfort zone and get into zones where it is uncomfortable for us to reach out to the lost. Make time during the week to spend praying for others.
There are millions of people out there who don't even know that intimate relationship with the Father. They are dying and will go to a devil's hell. That's why He's trying to stir us up, to get us to go out there and share with them that God loves them so much.
He's saying, "My child, what is it that you need? Father will give it to you. What are you longing for? What do you have need of?" He is such a loving God, and people need to know that.
The Word says that Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us, and we are made in His likeness; therefore, we've been called to be intercessors. Conversely, there flows from the Father to Jesus, the answer for us. There flows from Jesus to us the abundant grace for every timely need. For every need that we have, there is an answer.
Regardless of the circumstance, regardless of how dark things look in your life, regardless of how you feel, if you continue in His goodness, in His grace and in His mercy, then you will continue to receive the timely answers to every need in your life.
If you stay in constant fellowship with Him through prayer, then you become so sensitive to His voice and you'll hear the answer to the needs that you have. That's what prayer does. It allows your spirit to be open and sensitive to hearing His voice, daily, hourly, minute by minute. You are constantly in tune to hear Him.
If you have a young person, or children in your home, I encourage you right now to call out your child's name and begin interceding for them. I want you to bind the forces of darkness, the forces of gangs, the forces of influence in this world against your children right now. If you don't do it, who will?
I just want to urge you today to make it the number one priority in your life to see to it that every family member you have is born again and serving God. Don't let up until they all come to Jesus. Spend time with the Lord every day and be in prayer for others not just yourself.
You'll see the blessings of God come on you and overtake you because of your obedience to God's command to be an intercessor. Don't let Satan occupy your house - start fresh today. Set aside time to pray everyday and occupy your zone!
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