The Intercessors Handbook

by Jennifer Eivaz

  Although the battle looks different from person to person, it is a battle that must be fought. We first overcome these personal issues and any spirits attached to them, and then we have the faith to authorize freedom while praying for and ministering to others. It works that simply and is extremely rewarding to know how to lead others out of the hell-grip you were once in yourself.

  Authority for Tasks Assigned to Us

  Another way spiritual authority works is that God gives a territorial mandate to a person—such as a city, nation or people group—and the Holy Spirit authorizes that person for the task. For example, during a prayer service detailed in the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit spoke, saying, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). Also, we see in the Scriptures that the apostles Peter and Paul received distinguishing spiritual authority to evangelize two people groups. Paul was assigned to the Gentiles, while Peter was assigned to the Jews (see Galatians 2:8). Even today, God assigns men and women to evangelize different regions and nations. Consider Reinhard Bonnke’s call to evangelize Africa, Dr. Heidi Baker’s call to serve the people of Mozambique and Mother Teresa’s enduring work in Calcutta. The examples abound.

  When such assignments are given, the spirit realm recognizes a person’s authority in that place. The angels align to assist the authorized person as they carry out their assignment, and the demonic realm recognizes that person as having specific authorization and reacts accordingly, as well. As we read the stories of Peter and Paul in the book of Acts, for instance, we see Peter was let out of jail at least twice by angels (see Acts 5:19; 12:7) and that Paul was, too (see Acts 16:26). The demons also knew Paul by name, recognizing his spiritual authority above the authority of other people (see Acts 19:15). We see Paul and Peter were also men of worship and intense prayer, which must have been the fuel that helped them accomplish the assignments they were authorized to do.

  Authority to Ask for More

  Another way to receive spiritual authority is to ask God for it. For example, David was the promised king of Israel, but we see him receive his authority in stages. He first led military armies, then Judah and finally Israel. Not everyone is called to lead an entire nation, but we all are promised an inheritance in the nations. Psalm 2 teaches, “Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance” (verse 8). With that in mind, recognize that spiritual authority can grow and that asking God to give you spiritual authority is a prayer He encourages and will answer.

  My experience in praying for more spiritual authority is that it is not usually given in an instant but is given over time as we seek Him. You see, prayer is a form of humility. When we humble ourselves, God will lift us up (see James 4:10). Our humility opens divine pathways for elevation, and spiritual authority comes in the form of opportunities. Stewarding those opportunities then results in a further increase of opportunities.

  We know from the Word that each of us is given a measure, or distribution, of faith and a sphere of authority. Romans 12:3 says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” And 2 Corinthians 10:13 says, “We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.” In both these verses, the same Greek word is used to describe our apportioned faith and authority. It is the word metron, which suggests that we are anointed to minister within a God-assigned boundary. When we function within our metron, we see our spiritual authority produce something.

  We see another principle in the Word about stewardship. As the Parable of the Talents teaches, when we steward what we have, God increases it (see Matthew 25:14–30). In other words, your sphere (metron) will grow as you are faithful with what is presented to you. God rewards the faithful with more. This is a clear principle demonstrated throughout the Bible.

  Authority When Serving Spiritual Leaders

  In the Bible, we see that individuals like Moses, David and the apostles Paul and John were people with great spiritual authority—and certain people do carry a great amount. You might not have that level of spiritual authority on your own, but when you partner from the heart with others who do, you can walk in their authority as you help them carry out their God-given mandate.

  For example, in Numbers 11, we see Moses complaining to God about the burden of leading God’s people (see verses 11–15). In response, God devised a plan. He told Moses to gather seventy elders at the tent of meeting. As they came together, God took of His Spirit already upon Moses and transferred it to those elders. This anointing, once conferred, made it possible for the elders to help Moses lead the people just like Moses would. Strangely, two men who were listed among the seventy did not make it to the meeting place but stayed in the camp. When the Holy Spirit came upon the 68 elders at the meeting, the two missing elders also began to prophesy in the camp, signifying the Spirit upon Moses had come upon them also. This did not mean these men were prophets. Rather, it was a sign that the Spirit was on them and that they were authorized to lead alongside Moses.

  We see a similar pattern with the apostle Paul and his spiritual son, Timothy, whom he addresses as “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). We are introduced to Timothy in Acts 16, at the start of Paul’s second missionary journey, when Paul picks up the young disciple in Lystra. Timothy assists Paul, shadowing his ministry, and learns to assimilate Paul’s ministry values. Paul later writes to Timothy, “You . . . know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance” (2 Timothy 3:10–11 NLT). Finally, we see a measure of Paul’s anointing and authority being given to Timothy through the laying on of Paul’s hands (see 2 Timothy 1:6). This spiritual act is patterned after the Old Testament patriarchs, who passed their spiritual blessings on to their sons through the laying on of hands, an act given the full backing of heaven.

  I have seen this principle at work in my own ministry. I walk in the office of a prophet, as described in Ephesians 4:11, having been recognized by my church and other ministries in this spiritual gift. Now, there are different kinds of prophets. Some prophets see the word of the Lord in visions, trances and dreams and are often referred to as “seers.” Other prophets perceive or hear the word of the Lord through impressions, the inner voice or an audible voice. These distinctions have their roots in the Old Testament, and we still see them at work today.

  I am a seer prophet and lead a company of intercessors and prophetically gifted people who see the voice of God much as I do. The anointing on me in my metron has likely come upon them and is expressed in a similar way. If I were a different kind of prophet, or if this same group of people were aligned with a prophet in a different metron, the way most of them receive the prophetic word would probably be different. The anointing flows down from leaders to those who serve with them to enable them to run together.

  We Are Invited to Exercise It

  Once we know our spiritual authority and the ways in which it is distributed to us, we need to exercise it. We are being invited to discover our God-given spiritual authority so that we can be effective in bringing God’s will to earth. So, how do we become effective?

  Spiritual authority is first revealed in prayer, and then we learn through trial and error how to step into it. This means we will not walk in its fullness all the time, especially at the beginning.

  I know this from experience.

  In one particular instance, a friend from college called me up and told me her husband was in the hospital. I immediately went to see him and began praying for his recovery. He had been declared brain-dead after reacting to medication given to him by hospital staff. Over the next few weeks, I spent much time in prayer for his recovery and visited him every day, sometimes at midnight and one a.m. Despite much effort in prayer to revive him, he passed away, leaving behind his wife and four
children.

  Afterward, I was shocked at a visiting pastor’s comments. “This is God’s mercy,” he said. How could that have been God’s mercy, I thought, when a father dies and leaves his wife and four young children behind? As a mother of two young children myself, I simply could not accept his statement. At the same time, I knew that my prayers for the man had not been effective.

  In contrast, look at what happened when the apostle Peter encountered a similar need for prayer. While traveling through Joppa, he learned of the death of a beloved disciple named Tabitha (see Acts 9:36–41). The first thing he did was kneel next to her body and pray. We do not hear the details of that prayer or what God spoke to Peter’s heart, but we do see the results. Peter called her back to life, and she responded to his authority by opening her eyes.

  How did Peter authorize resurrection power in the life of that disciple? If I knew that secret, I would have raised the dead by now, including my neighbor! I have come to recognize the Bible is full of legislation, namely spiritual laws that govern our heaven-to-earth connection, and we must grow in our knowledge and power to exercise them. Unanswered prayers are the result of not knowing or understanding spiritual laws that are tucked away in the Word of God and revealed to us in the place of prayer. As James taught, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

  Do you want to be effective in prayer? Here are a few spiritual laws to consider.

  Pray the Will of God

  Many people do not pray effective prayers because they do not understand what the will of God really is. Things authored by Satan are often credited to God out of ignorance. We need to remember what Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). This offers us a helpful rule of thumb: If something is stealing from you, killing you or destroying you, then the source is Satan and not God. God’s will for us is full and abundant life, and our prayers need to reflect these differences.

  Pray in Faith

  Once you know the will of God and you have asked God for it, do not start reasoning as to why it will not happen. Remember what else Jesus said: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). We are to believe that God has answered our prayers before we see it happen, not after.

  How do you know if you have faith? By what comes out of your mouth. Again, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them” (verse 23).

  Let me share a personal example to help you understand what I mean. Our son was diagnosed with a neurological disorder at age four that affected his ability to speak and comprehend language. At the time of diagnosis, he could not even say his name. My husband and I did much prayer and fasting about it. We also put him in therapy five days a week, which continued for seven years, although it lessened in quantity over time.

  At the onset, Ron and I made a firm decision in prayer about our son’s healing. The Bible says that healing belongs to us in Christ (see Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24). Our prayer went something like this: “We thank You, Jesus, that because of the cross, our son is healed.” This is how we prayed and positioned the situation personally and before others. That does not mean we never discussed his symptoms or his diagnosis with medical staff, friends, family or school personnel along the way. We did. In prayer, however, we never changed our words, even in the tough seasons, when healing appeared out of reach. Our words remained the same because our faith remained the same: “Our son is healed in Jesus’ name!”

  I am thrilled to share that our son is now healed, fluent in speech and comprehension, fully mainstreamed in his junior high school and no longer in need of special education or resource support. This was a God-given miracle, given the severity of his condition, and a testimony of Jesus to our church, his therapist and the school system. It is an example of what praying in faith can look like.

  If you have positioned your faith on a clear promise from God, then take note of your words. If you are wavering in what you believe, you will become incongruent in prayer. This breaks the heaven-to-earth connection, causing your prayers to go unanswered.

  Pray in Agreement

  Lastly, let’s look at another word Jesus gave about how to pray. He said, “Truly, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). The Greek word for agree in this passage is symphōneō, which sounds a lot like our English word for symphony. It means “to harmonize and sound together.” This means that when we come together in prayer over the will of God, we need to be praying the same thing. When we do that, it becomes a sound irresistible to our heavenly Father, and He responds to that sound favorably.

  Going back to the story of my friend from college, I learned after her husband died that his treatment was not in agreement with our prayers. After he died, I asked the Lord to tell me what happened. He said, “Ask about the opiates.” I researched it and learned my friend’s husband was being given the strongest dose of sedation, at the permission of his family, since he was not expected to live. This is a common protocol for brain-dead patients. It keeps their body from tremors and convulsing but hastens their death at the same time.

  In other words, we were praying for him to live while he was being prepared to die. We were not in agreement, and our prayers did not get answered. This all happened in ignorance, of course, and if I had known the difference existed, I would have communicated with his family about it from the beginning. That is a tough situation to address, but to pray effectively, we have to understand and align with spiritual laws.

  Intercessors are often found standing—more like battling—between a problem and a promise from God. They are the freedom agents who legislate the spiritual laws in the land and have to know, without a doubt, their authority in Christ. The force of faith and the gumption to command every spirit to fall in line is what brings forth real and tangible victory into cities and nations.

  Know this: Behind every revival in history was an intercessor. Behind every nation that opened its doors to the Gospel was an intercessor. Intercessors can shape history from their prayer closet, causing the impossible to be made possible.

  Does that inspire you? Are you ready to be the man or woman who says yes to the assignment of prayer? If so, get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. It is time to claim the territory of God’s Kingdom.

  Kingdom Prayer Principles

  We are being invited to discover our God-given spiritual authority so we can be effective.

  Spiritual authority can grow. Asking God for more spiritual authority is a prayer He encourages and will answer.

  Many people do not pray effective prayers because they do not know what the will of God really is. Things authored by Satan are often credited to God out of ignorance.

  Prayer goes unanswered when we violate spiritual laws that govern our heaven-to-earth connection.

  Intercessors are often found standing—more like battling—between a problem and a promise from God.

  Thoughts for Reflection

  We have spiritual authority in the areas we have personally overcome. What are those areas in your life? How has your personal authority in those areas helped someone else?

  Why is faith necessary for answered prayer? How do you know whether you are operating in faith or not?

  Do you pray with a prayer partner or with a prayer group? Are you conscious of being in agreement as you pray? How have you seen the results of this type of prayer?

  Has God spoken to you about a specific assignment for ministry? How are you seeing spiritual authority and aptitude in that area?

  Are you aligned and serving someone who has more spiritual authority than you do? In what ways have you recognized more effectiveness in your li
fe because of that relationship?

  Are there any losses in your life or in the lives of people you know that you have credited to God when you should have credited them to Satan?

  How confident are you that your bold prayers are being heard and will be answered by God?

  5

  Are Territorial Spirits Real?

  As new pastors, my husband and I had to learn how to lead a difficult church. I have already mentioned that our church contained an assortment of power structures, all vying for dominance. Also spread within those structures was an enmeshment of long-standing families, mostly third generation, who were in leadership roles and yet did not demonstrate any evidence of salvation. The feel of church services at the beginning of our time there reminded me of what services were like at the Latter-Day Saints church I had attended—highly religious and lifeless. I knew that if God had called us to this church, then He would have to show us how to lead it.

  Now, a church is not the same as a business organization. You cannot solve church problems by relying on rational ideas, logical formulas or systems used in the secular realm. Church issues are spiritual issues at their core and have to be addressed spiritually. The church is first a spiritual organism. Jesus underscores this thought by explaining to Peter that His Church—the universal Church—is built on the rock of the Word, referring to Himself, and that the gates of hell will not overcome it (see Matthew 16:18).

  With that in mind, we attacked each issue in prayer and waited on the voice of Jesus—His specific instructions to our hearts—which then became our secret battle plans to turn each situation around.

  One afternoon, the Holy Spirit spoke to my husband to change the name of the church from Bethel Temple to Harvest Christian Center. The church, eighty years old at the time, had held the name Bethel Temple for at least fifty of those years. The name carried a lot of history and sentimentality. It also carried a negative reputation, because some congregants had troubled the city over the decades through politics and shady business dealings. With this in mind, Ron felt he could convince the church board of the need for a new beginning.