Discovering Your Intercessory Gift
Discovering Your Intercessory Gift
Pastor Keith Hassell
Foundation Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18 All Prayer
1. We are called to be intercessors
a. The difference between prayer and intercession:
1) Prayer begins with man and ends with God’s blessing.
2) Intercession begins with God and ends with God.
b. Many do not think they are intercessors because of the normal idea of what an intercessor is. The truth is that we are all intercessors, but we do not all pray the same.
1) Example of clasping hands. Which thumb is on top? Change thumbs. It is odd. Which way is right?
2) Example of crossing the arms. Which elbow is on top? Change elbows. It is odd. Which way is right?
c. Prayer meetings. Many begin but few stay with it. Why? Because usually those who lead try to make everyone pray the same way. Therefore people begin to quit coming because they do not feel comfortable with it or they get bored because the topic or pattern is not their “nitch” in prayer.
d. The key to an effective corporate intercessory prayer movement in the body of Christ is to help each believer discover their intercessory gift and then to help them work with others of differing gifts in order to release the full potential and power of prayer.
2. An quick glance at these differences
a. Read letter by missionary to Mozambique
b. Different responses
1) List intercessors will begin to hold this dedicated missionary up daily.
2) Personal intercessors combined with list pray-ers will know this missionary’ schedule better than he knows his own.
3) Leader intercessors will pray for the needs of the missionaries, pastors, and rulers.
4) Salvation intercessors will cry out for the souls that need to be saved.
5) Financial intercessors will believe for the money to send carloads of Bibles.
6) Crisis intercessors will tune in with an ear that is open to God’s SOS alerts to trouble.
7) Mercy intercessors will respond with tears of compassion and deep anguish in their souls.
8) Warfare and research intercessors will fight the demonic forces at work by uncovering and breaking spiritual strongholds.
9) Worship intercessors will release worship to usher in the glory of God in that place.
10) Issue intercessors will summon heaven for religious reformation.
11) Family intercessors will intercede for the widows and children left behind.
12) Governmental intercessors will pray for the leaders of the country to affect change.
13) Church intercessors will pray for the ministry and teaching there.
14) People-group intercessors will drop to their knees for the Mozambiques.
15) Prophetic intercessors will speak forth proclamations and do prophetic acts to penetrate the spiritual ground in the heavenlies.
TYPES OF INTERCESSORS (Based on the book, Intercessors by Elizabeth Alvis, Tommi Femrite, and Karen Kaufman)
1. Issues Intercessors
a. The Holy Spirit imprints an assignment on their soul.
b. Sometimes these issues flow out of their own hurts
c. Sometimes it is completely a burden that the Lord has dropped upon them like a seed and then pours out prayers to water it.
d. These burdens may include issues such as abortion, the homosexual lifestyle, the media, Hollywood, crisis pregnancy, the abused women and children, the inner city, the poor, education, political agendas, legislation, the handicapped, etc.
e. Sometimes these issues can become a lifetime assignment
f. Many times these types of intercessors will find a way to being involved in meeting these needs
g. They stand against injustices
h. They are the ones who most often prayerfully ban together to fight for change in laws that govern the nation and affect people’s lives.
i. Problems can arise when issues intercessors strive to turn the focus of the prayer meeting to the issue on their heart.
j. The key is unity and to find those who also have the same burden.
a. Matthew 18:19 Two or three gather together in agreement
k. King Lemuel’s mom is a profile of an Issues Intercessor (Prov. 31)
2. List Intercessors
a. They are perseverant prayers
b. They place every important need on a list over which they pray on a daily basis
c. List praying is most effective when praying independently
d. List praying can frustrate the mix of anointing in a group
e. Those who feel a need for diversity in prayer find praying over another person’s list quite boring
f. A list pray-er is someone who will pray about anything subject, but they prefer to have a list to follow.
g. List intercessors find freedom in structure. They like order and arrangement so they don’t forget and so that they are focused.
h. List pray-er can become overwhelmed by the length of their list after a while when they don’t have time to cover it all
i. List intercessors may sometimes divide their lists into subjects and cover a different subject each day
j. List intercessors are frustrated in corporate meetings when everything on the list is not covered.
k. Ezra is a profile of a List Intercessor
3. Soul Intercessors (God’s midwives)
a. They move in deep anguish for souls to be saved.
b. The stand in the gap between two kingdoms for the sake of the lost and backslidden.
c. Soul intercessors are easily moved by the reality of hell and the consequences of sin. Therefore they cry out for these souls.
d. They can be used to pray in some of the worst enemies of society.
e. Soul intercessors can fall prey to condemnation for taking on the personal responsibility of another’s right to choose
f. They can become discouraged when there are no results
g. Soul intercessors can become burdened with the spiritual progress of new souls (Galatians 4:19 “My little children, for whim I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.”)
h. Paul is a profile of a soul intercessor
4. Personal Intercessors (Family Intercessors, Leader Intercessors)
a. Personal intercessors may have a burden to pray for the destitute and wandering individual
b. Personal intercessors may also have a burden to pray for leaders. These may include pastors, missionaries, spiritual leaders, various media people, sports celebrities, businessmen, governmental leaders, and those in education.
c. They are individuals who have been entrusted by God to carry confidential information in and out of God’s throne room for another in order to partner in that person’s protection, provision, and prayer priorities.
d. Three levels of personal prayer coverage (Peter Wagoner in Prayer Shield)
1) Level three: Everyone is an intercessor and the pastor asks for general prayer for him.
2) Level two: A smaller group with whom you have more trust or time invested with whom you contact in order to obtain specific prayer coverage. This includes praying for meetings, general family issues, etc. The pastor also prays for them and blesses them in the letter. The pastor needs to be involved in communicating back to those who pray.
3) Level one: One to three people who are highly trusted individuals who are usually outside of the congregation to whom the pastor can go to with heavy duty prayer requests. These are people who never volunteer for the job. They are hand picked and make a commitment to cover and intercede for you.
e. Three strands of personal intercession (Colossians 1:9)
1) Knowledge of His will---knowing what God wants that person to do
2) Spiritual wisdom---knowing God’s timing and strategy for what He wants to accomplish
3) Understanding---recognizing God’s reason or purpose for doing or saying something
f. Another reason God assigns personal intercessors is to prevent His people from both being deceived or becoming an instrument of deception.
g. Sometimes personal intercessors are assigned for a short season
h. They do not necessarily pray for their assignment every day but as the Lord brings them to mind.
i. Keep a journal of what you have felt led to pray for confirmational purposes.
j. Mordecai was a personal intercessor for Esther
5. Financial Intercessors
a. These have faith for funding of important projects or events
b. George Muller became one of God’s greatest financial intercessors. His purification toward money resulted in financial power. Throughout his lifetime, he refused to ask or even tell another human being about the material needs of the many orphanages and schools he founded and administered in England. Every need was met through prayer.
c. Financial intercessors are not those who pray for lots of money and promise God to give Him ten percent. No, their checkbook belongs to Him.
d. They may not have material resources but they pray for God to impassion those who do have the gift of giving.
e. At times the Heavenly Father will anoint them to pray in ideas that promote prosperity.
f. They also pray for the protection of other’s finances to overcome Satan’s attempts to undermine the work of ministry by destroying the financial base from which it is financed (John 10:10)
g. They usually see the blockage preventing financial breakthrough.
h. They will pray that all monies be used wisely and that God expose anyone who is “on the take” of God’s resources.
i. Sometimes God raises up financial intercessors in order to give them supernatural ideas.
j. Some are asked to live by faith in their personal lives as a gift of giving is released through them to others.
k. Joseph was one of God’s financial intercessors
6. Mercy Intercessors
a. They are people who are the good Samaritan of prayer.
b. They are the ones who travel the highways of the hurting, looking for someone to lift up.
c. They are God’s stethoscopes. They hear the heartbeat of the hurting.
d. They are as able to weep for their enemies as they are for their friends.
e. They extend forgiveness rather than judgment.
f. They identify with the needs and hurts of others.
g. They are the ones most often seen weeping.
h. Mercy is usually accompanied with tears to cleanse and soften hard places.
i. The Lord usually uses mercy intercessors to release His heart over a people group, nation, or issue.
j. They cry out for mercy when it seems that judgment is imminent.
k. They are deeply grieved over issues that hurt God’s heart.
l. Jeremiah was a prophet with a mercy intercessor’s anointing
7. Crisis Intercessors
a. Crisis intercessors are “on line” with God to receive urgent messages from heaven.
b. They are the paramedics of prayer, rushing in and out of the throne room with urgent requests.
c. Crisis intercessors many times find themselves divinely in “the” place of crisis in order to intercede.
d. The key is to stay prayerfully close to God.
e. God uses crisis intercessors to bring forewarning of impending danger. Sometimes this can be an uneasy feeling or it can be a heart tug.
f. Their ministry of prayer is immediate to the situation. They cannot wait.
g. King David was a crisis intercessor when he entered the battlefield with Goliath.
8. Warfare Intercessors
a. All spiritual warfare is a fight over TRUTH and AUTHORITY.
b. Warfare intercessors are the ones who fight to usher in truth by establishing God’s authority in places where Satan has a stronghold on people, problems, and places.
c. They are the military might of prayer.
d. Some warfare intercessors have been anointed with spiritual perception to discern the evil spirits that reign over various territories
e. Some are anointed with strategies for establishing God’s authority in places where the devil has taken both spiritual and physical ground.
f. Transformation I & II videos portray this strategy of prayer
g. Warfare intercessors must fight from a position under authority
h. Warfare intercessors must have intercessors or else they have no business in warfare intercession
i. Warfare intercessors must only operate out of three spheres
a. AREA (Where has God positioned you?)
b. ASSIGNMENT (What has God assigned you?)
c. AUTHORITY (What authority have you been given?)
j. Warfare intercessors fight for victims---those who have lost their choice to follow Jesus.
k. They wrestle for those who do not recognize the fight (Ephesians 6:12)
l. Warfare intercessors must be physically, spiritually, and emotionally fit. Weak and weary soldiers drain and dilute the troops.
m. Warfare intercessors must not hold any unforgiveness in their heart
n. Warfare intercessors must be strong in the Word of God
o. RESEARCH INTERCESSORS: One area of warfare intercession is the area of “research intercession”; These types of intercessors thrive on prayerfully collecting vital facts about strongholds and principalities. They help us formulate our plan of attack. (Spiritual mapping)
p. Jehoshaphat is a profile of a warfare intercessor
9. Worship Intercessors
a. Worship intercessors are tuned into God’s audio chambers.
b. They participate in the sacred romance of worship.
c. Some worship intercessors will respond with musical instruments, others with songs, others with dance, clapping, bowing, or raised hands.
d. God determines the method, we simply obey.
e. Worship intercession is used to either birth the release of our breakthroughs or to celebrate them after they have been fleshed out.
f. Worship intercessors minister from the heavenlies, the place of victory.
g. Worship intercession releases the soul’s comfort and heaven’s power. When you are feeling alienated or ambushed, worship intercession is the answer.
h. Worship intercessors are the ones who release the canons of faith against the walls of resistance. They carry spiritual artillery for breakthrough.
i. Worship intercessors will many times sing songs as a part of their prayer or enter into a song as a part of their intercession.
j. Hannah is a profile of a worship intercessor (Luke 1:46-55)
10. Governmental Intercessors
a. Governmental intercessors stand on God’s side as watchmen over political and church governments that represent the various countries, states, cities, neighborhoods, homes, schools and churches upon the earth.
b. Godly governments empower people. Ungodly governments use their power to oppress people.
c. We can change nations with our intercession (2 Chronicles 7:14)
d. Governmental intercessors pray for the government of Christ to rest upon the nations of the world (Isaiah 9:6)
e. They pray that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ (Revelations 11:15)
f. Governmental intercessors are sensitively aware of issues, legislations, court decisions, elections, etc. that affect the direction of nations and pray for God to intervene.
g. Governmental intercessors are positioned many times by God behind the scenes in such places of influence.
h. Some governmental intercessors are led to pray “on sight with insight.”
i. Daniel was a governmental intercessor
11. People-Group and Israel Intercessor
a. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is seeking to save the lost in every people group.
b. The term “people group” can refer to any group of people based on background, status, residence, occupation, health, knowledge, religion, race, nationality, etc.
c. God places a people group on our heart to pray for their salvation, for the gospel to find access, for laborers to be sent and raised up, for churches to be established, and disciples made.
d. God can use a sermon, an article, a television program, an experience, a trip, and other varieties of ways to impress upon you the people group He is asking you to pray for.
e. God endows these intercessors with mercy and causes them to identify with the people group He is laying on their heart.
f. These intercessors may be summoned by God to go to those lands to pray or even to live.
g. Israel intercessors have a heart to see the physical seed of Abraham brought to salvation. They pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for God to bless them.
h. People-Group intercessors are keenly aware of the need for reconciliation with other people groups and pray for this to occur.
i. Woman at the well is a profile of a people-group intercessor
12. Prophetic Intercessors
a. Prophetic intercessors pray the things on God’s heart, and then, under His direction, report the words, thoughts, images and actions He releases to be shared.
b. Prophetic intercessors must overcome the fear of man-pleasing as did Samuel who was afraid to tell the vision to Eli (1 Samuel 3:15)
c. Maturing in prophetic intercession means being trustworthy with the secrets of God, even if one’s own reputation must be bruised in the process.
d. Beth Alves, “We must be like vaults where God can hide His private words and thoughts, knowing that they will only be released at His discretion.”
e. When the Holy Spirit is praying prophetically through one of His intercessors, the intent is always to protect, purify, and prosper His bride, the Church.
f. Beth Alves, “Prophetic intercession is always submitted first to God’s sovereign authority ant then to His delegated authority. In other words, until the prophetic intercessor is under authority, that person is not equipped to assume the role of authority, even in intercession. This is because that authority is given for the purpose of protection, and to be outside of God’s protection is to subject others to possible harm.”
g. “Watchmen are those who keep the right people in and the wrong people out by lining up with God’s authoritative chain of command.”
h. “A believer’s call to the prophetic will be recognized by those in authority.”
i. God speaks to prophetic intercessors in many ways: prayers, dreams, visions, songs, proclamations, symbolism and prophetic acts. Before anything occurs in the natural, it is first released in the spirit realm.
j. Prophetic intercessors may release God’s will into situations through prophetic proclamations, meaning that they speak God’s perfect will into the unseen to call forth the seen things of the future. (Ezekiel 37 Vision of the valley of Dry Bones)
k. Prophetic proclamations may come through song.
l. Prophetic acts may also be used to usher in God’s will. (Ezekiel 37:16-22 Two sticks brought together to symbolize the reunification of Israel and Judah)
m. Keep a prophetic prayer journal of all God gives you and asks you to do.
n. Moses was a profile of a prophetic intercessor