We are going to be talking about
Intercessory Prayer a little. Some thing that is often talked about in church circles but needs more practice.

What is Intercessory Prayer? Is it just praying for others? What is the Spiritual principle behind it?

Why do we need to have Intercessory Prayer? Does God really need our prayers in order to work? Is He bound by what we do or do not do? What role does our prayers on behalf of others play out in the end?

Is there a time in your life when somebody's prayer for you, or your prayers for somebody else have made a really impact and changed things? Tell us how. And tell us why you think God answered those prayers.

Are you in need of Intercessory prayer? How can we pray for you and your loved ones during this topic?

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~VINCE~ IN ~CHRIST~
SDA-TODAY moderator

This restless world is just illusion
All at once, there’s a message from above
This senseless world of mass confusion ....
In the name of love
There’s a message from above ... (Sammy Hagar 2000)

My brain is too tired to post a response about what intercessory prayer is, but I ask that you pray for me and my family at this time. The next week or so is the 3rd anniversary of my brother's suicide. This time of year is just difficult, some years are worse than others and this year is one of the more difficult years for some reason. Please pray for me. Thank you

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Sarah Moss
*Prayer Changes Things!*

I believe that Intercessory Prayer is praying for the spiritual and material needs, not wants, of others.

If Christ requested Intercessory Prayer from his three sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethesemane, then don't we need it also?

I believe that it isn't an option; it is a must!

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

quote:

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Originally posted by Mrs Sarah Moss:
This time of year is just difficult, some years are worse than others and this year is one of the more difficult years for some reason. Please pray for me.

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You've got it!!! Already done, and i will continue to pray for your family.

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~VINCE~ IN ~CHRIST~
SDA-TODAY moderator

This restless world is just illusion
All at once, there’s a message from above
This senseless world of mass confusion ....
In the name of love
There’s a message from above ... (Sammy Hagar 2000)

He said to him, "What is written in the law
What is your reading of it?"

So he answered and said, ""You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and "your neighbor as yourself."'

And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."
Luke 10:26-28 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

I think prayer is an important part of a successful Christian life. It is something talked about more often then done in some places. It is something we have talked about here before, and something I hope we keep to talk about for years to come. Better yet still, some thing we do!

Prayer can also be a reflector or indicator of ones relationship with God.

How? Well you can't really have a strong relationship with someone you don't talk to can you? The word relationship means how you relate, to someone. It is not a question of if we have time but rather a question as to if we make time, to be with someone. Time is short for us all, how we use it reflects our priorities in life. Where are your priorities?

I know when my Christian walk with the Lord is in struggle or not as pronounced as I would like it to be I can almost always trace it back to my Pray life. God wants us to love him with all our hearts, mind and soul. When I think about that it is awesome.... the word soul means "your whole being"!!! Thus what it means is to, love God with your whole heart, mind and complete being!

When we ask God to change our old heart of stone into a new heart with Love from Heaven, then it becomes easy to Pray and spend time with God. It will become our new heart's desire! And that new heart desire is a good thing to ask for in Prayer!

Now what about intercessory prayer??? Well that is where the Part about loving your brother as yourself comes into play. It can get real easy to get selfish in prayer life if your not asking God to keep you humble and true. God wants us to ask our hearts desire of Him and HE IS KIND, GOOD, AND LOVING, thus He will give it to us.

The question is what is the heart's desire? Well, that depends where you standing in Christ. Are you embracing Christ or Self? Do you not know you have two hearts, not one? You have a rotten heart of stone given to you at birth, and a NEW BORN AGAIN heart given to you a conversion. It is the seconds Heart's Desire God wants fill wishes from. The Old self must constantly be put to death, daily. Paul called it "Crucifying Self". The War of the Flesh and the Spirit. God can give us Victory over the old self when we ask (in prayer!).

To sum up my point here is when we turn to God and love him with our whole soul and He puts a new heart, a converted SELFLESS heart in us, and our old self is dead, then we WILL start to love our Brother as ourself! And instead of just being our selfish wants and desires in our hearts we will want to pray and ask things for all God's People.

Hmmm... How pleasing it must be to God, to see us turn from our polluted, messed up self and care for others and lifted them up to God in Prayer!

Intercessory prayer, is not just good for the one your praying for but indeed for yourself, as it moves your focus more on other people and how they need the Love of Jesus. It is pleasing to the Lord to see us display in His Power, a kind of selfless love that is rooted in him.

Does God need us to pray of people? I have seen this issue skirted around alot. Let me tell you straight... he needs somebody to ask, or accept. He can bend or break thorough free will. We ask God to do something for somebody else to things (perhaps more) happen. 1) We are asking God to intervene on somebodies behalf. 2) we are displaying God's kind of love reflecting in us from Him.

In short our prayers for others is a relationship issue with God and our fellow man which cuts to the heart of the matter in Luke 10:26-28 .

Looking forward to other peoples thoughts this week.

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~VINCE~ IN ~CHRIST~
SDA-TODAY moderator

This restless world is just illusion
All at once, there’s a message from above
This senseless world of mass confusion ....
In the name of love
There’s a message from above ... (Sammy Hagar 2000)

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

We are told to pray for one another, it isn't a chore, it's a privelege we often neglect.

In Dec. of 1999, I had an experience with 'intercesory' prayer that has stayed with me.
The morning of the 29th, before I rolled out of bed, I prayed my usual prayer asking God to take over my plans and ideas for the day, but, I added something new, I asked Him to watch over my family, specifically my wife, my oldest and youngest daughter.
I ahd never done that before, and later that day, when they were on their way to Bay City, I prayed for them again, this was around 7pm or so, and named them along with my oldest daughters at the time fiance, now husband, and continued to pray for them off and on for about 15 minutes, then the urge to pray left.
Half an hour later, I got a call from my youngest that they had been in an accident, hit head on.
NO ONE was killed, all were injured, some worsew than others, but, all were alive.

I read somewhere that God will not force His way into anyones life, but, if He is invited, by the person or someone else, that gives Him the right to go into thwe individuals life and call them to repentance.
My $0.02

BTW, please remember me in prayer for the next few weeks especially, they are changing some of my meds and increasing others, my diabetes is not under control yet, and my arthritis is really kicking up lately.
Thanks.

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Examine me, O LORD, and prove me: try my reins and my heart. Ps.26:2
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in men.Ps.118:8

Another point about intercessary prayer i would like to make is it brings unity.

Let me give you an example. Last Friday i was out doing some things i needed to do. It was raining very hard and at one point before noticing it a had drove through some water that was deeper then i realized. When my car get too wet it has a hard time starting, untill it drys out. So my car would not start thus leaving me stranded over 50 miles from home on a firday afternoon. I did all i could to start the car and was unsure what more to do. I prayed and prayed and nothing happend. So i figured i'd have to get the car towed home. Before i did that i called my wife. And she prayed too. It was not until we had both prayed that it worked. There was unity in our request to the Lord.

And that is how prayer can be some times, Intercessary prayer shows God you are thinking for someone other then yourself and can often even help put you in unity with God's will. And that is something we all need.

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~VINCE~ IN ~CHRIST~
SDA-TODAY moderator

This restless world is just illusion
All at once, there’s a message from above
This senseless world of mass confusion ....
In the name of love
There’s a message from above ... (Sammy Hagar 2000)

Intercessory Prayer is praying for one another.

Can you find any better unity than that!

__________________________
Psalms 119:165 "Great peace
have they which love thy law:
and nothing shall offend them."

Daryl

Does God answer prayer? What about His own prayers? Do they get answered the way He wants? The God we pray to lost 1/3 of His angels, nearly the entire human race, and while a human on earth His own disciples deserted Him. Not too impressive, eh?

Don't take me wrong. I love God and believe He can and does answer prayer. But I also think it's important to remember His limitations. Yes, He's God. But He will not force anybody to do anything against their or His will.

I do not feel we should get all up tight about whether or not God can or will answer our prayers. Nor do I think we should feel like the answer to our prayers depends on how feeverishly we go through the motions of prayer. We should not think that by pestering God with our prayers that He will finally get sick of it and grant us our request.

Do know what I mean? What thinkest thou?

quote:

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Originally posted by Mike Lowe:
We should not think that by pestering God with our prayers that He will finally get sick of it and grant us our request.
Do know what I mean? What thinkest thou?

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Luke 11

A Friend Comes at Midnight
5 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves; 6for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7and he will answer from within and say, "Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? 8I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
* 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11If a son asks for bread[1] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

Matthew 7

* 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

NKJ

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~VINCE~ IN ~CHRIST~
SDA-TODAY moderator

This restless world is just illusion
All at once, there’s a message from above
This senseless world of mass confusion ....
In the name of love
There’s a message from above ... (Sammy Hagar 2000)