The Intercessors Handbook

by Jennifer Eivaz

  By the grace of God, we got through it. But I will tell you that as a new prayer community, we prayed a simple prayer over that situation without realizing the extensive ramifications that prayer would have.

  All we asked the Lord to do was “change” the building department. I admit we were angry. I admit we wanted justice. I was not in a place of forgiveness by any means, and we kept that prayer for change before the Lord for well over a year after construction had ended.

  One day, we heard the news: The entire staff of the building department, including tenured members, had been laid off. That seemed impossible at the time, but it really happened. Unfortunately, this included one of our boardmembers in good standing, who happened to be a building inspector for the city. He had nothing to do with our situation, but I believe he got caught in the crosshairs of our intercession. I did not anticipate the power of our petition and watched our boardmember walk through a difficult job loss as the city government emptied its building department.

  I learned a very valuable lesson during that season: We need to think about what we pray before we pray it. We prayed a prayer out of our own hearts without bothering to seek the Lord’s heart first, and then our prayer came to pass.

  I heard someone pray one time, “Lord, if this certain person keeps drinking, just make him sick!” I normally would not think too much about that kind of thing, except now my experience with the building department had taught me better. What does sick look like? If that person takes a drink, do they get cancer or something? Do they throw up? Get ulcers?

  I know this seems out there, but you have much power in prayer. I once had a relative pray for her husband to change some behavior. She asked God to “make him sick if He had to.” The husband ended up with a degenerative disease and never got healed. God does not use sickness to teach people lessons, which means this person’s prayer did not come from heaven. It is a spiritual violation that strikes a bargain with the demonic kingdom to try to manipulate someone’s behavior.

  Notice what happened when Jesus’ disciples experienced rejection by a certain Samaritan village and reported it to Jesus. They asked if they should command fire to come and consume the village, as Elijah did (see Luke 9:51–54 NKJV). I am amazed at their level of faith—they believed they could command fire—but instead of praise, they got a swift rebuke. Jesus said to them, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55–56 NKJV). Notice that Jesus did not say their command could not happen. What He addressed, however, was their hearts, which were in the wrong place.

  Have you ever felt as the disciples did after being rejected by someone? Did you suggest to God that they should be punished for what they did to you? These are normal feelings, and we have all experienced them. We struggle to balance our feelings with the redemptive heart of Christ when we are mad, disgusted, appalled or experience injustice. Regardless, we are exhorted to pray and intercede “for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1). Praying for all people is not praying just for the people you like. It is praying for the people you do not like, too, believing they will turn from darkness to light and live victoriously for Jesus Christ.

  I will share with you another story of what can go wrong here. I sat in a conference one day next to a middle-aged woman who began to share her story with me. She had been a children’s pastor at a church in the Midwest and felt she had discerned her pastor’s wife operating in a Jezebel spirit. This is a very involved teaching, but in short, a Jezebel spirit can be characterized by manipulation, control, sexual sin and a counterfeit prophetic gifting. This children’s pastor began to pray and ask others to pray with her about the Jezebel spirit controlling her pastor’s wife. She believed she had also found proof her pastor’s wife had this evil spirit, and she gave her evidence to the church board and a denominational oversight committee. Sadly, the board and the denominational committee agreed and removed the pastor and the pastor’s wife from their pulpit.

  My mouth fell open as the woman described this. I looked at her and said, “In my church, we don’t call anyone a Jezebel, even if they are one.”

  That got her attention.

  Next I said, “Most people we call a Jezebel are just women in process.”

  I knew I had angered her. I could tell she was not receptive to authority in her life. What I believe really happened was she had become offended at her pastor and his wife. Instead of quitting her position, she chose to use prayer and accusation to remove them from their pulpit. Unfortunately, the board and oversight committee thought and acted just as foolishly. This is not the heart of Christ. It was actually rebellion, even though she felt justified in what she did.

  Hearts that are aligned with Jesus and His unfailing love for mankind will not condemn or overthrow. They pray for God’s Kingdom and God’s will to come into the lives of evil presidents, despots, and greedy businesspeople. They pray through genuine concerns and conflicts in a way that loves and redeems. They do not gather together in prayer to destroy people or nations. They do the opposite, in fact, and command resurrection life to flow into dead places. If you can pray redemptively for those who have angered and offended you, then you know you have the right heart in the matter and that you have maintained your alignment with the Holy Spirit.

  Jesus further taught the disciples about prayer through a parable about a widow and an unjust judge (see Luke 18:1–8). In the parable, the widow insists that she get justice from her adversary and pesters the unjust judge day and night about it. The judge gives in to her demands, not because he cares but because he wants her to stop bothering him.

  Through this parable, Jesus is teaching us to pray and not ever give up. He also finishes His story with a question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (verse 8). That is because faith looks like extreme persistence and becomes a prayer that does not give up.

  Our assignment is to pray relentlessly for nations, but Satan will try to convince us to give up praying. How does he do that? He provokes us to be offended at people and nations—because offended people stop praying. He persuades us to believe bad things happening on the earth must be a sign of the times, meaning a sign of Christ’s return to earth, and that therefore we should just accept it. If we think that way, we will fail to challenge patterns of destruction in prayer. Satan also tries to convince us God is judging people and nations for their evil, that somehow they have it coming to them, in order to restrain us from praying. There is a day set aside for judgment (see Acts 17:31), but today is not that day. All of these ideas and more are thrown at us intercessors to distract us from our assignment, which is the redemption of nations and the salvation of mankind.

  Praying in Agreement

  The Body of Christ needs to be in agreement concerning its assignment. One side of the church prays and shouts a message of extreme grace. The other side prays and shouts the message of God’s fiery judgment. Division has created sounds of confusion along the threshing floors of prayer, leaving us spiritually impotent in the bigger, weightier matters. But Jesus taught us to agree together in prayer for the redemption of nations because the sound of agreement is irresistible to our heavenly Father.

  When a church prays together, it means they have decided to unite their voices over the same thing before our heavenly Father. This kind of prayer is called the prayer of agreement, and our heavenly Father promises to answer this kind of prayer: “Again, 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 word agree in this verse is the Greek word symphōneō. This Greek word is where we get the word symphony, and it means “to sound together, to be in unison and to be in accord.” The church praying together becomes a pleasant and powerful sound, such as the sound of a well-orchestrated symphony. It is attractive to the ears of our heavenly Father and cultivates a favorable response.

  In the beginning of mankind’s his
tory, people shared one language and could unite very quickly as a result. We see in Genesis that the people began to build a tower that reached to the heavens (see Genesis 11:4). The Jewish historian Josephus added to this story, saying that Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, was angry with God about the Flood. Nimrod convinced the people to turn against God and build a tower too high for waters to reach, and he did this out of spite for the God who had flooded the earth.10

  Genesis further describes how the Lord came down from heaven to see the tower and what the people were doing. He said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other” (verses 6–7). This event took place at the Tower of Babel, where the Lord confounded the people’s language. Once their sound was confused, they could no longer unite in their purpose.

  In principle, this passage shows us the immense power of a united sound. A united sound means that nothing is impossible.

  God is a restorer of all things, but He will restore things to a more perfect order. When the believers were praying in the Upper Room and waiting for “the Promise of [the] Father” (Luke 24:49 NKJV), they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of supernatural tongues (see Acts 2:4). From there, other believers also received the gift of supernatural tongues as the Holy Spirit fell upon them (see Acts 10:46; 19:6). The gift of tongues is also referred to as a prayer language. When we pray in our prayer language, the Holy Spirit intercedes through us in the things that are past our understanding (see Romans 8:26).

  The gift of supernatural tongues is in contrast with what God did to the people at the Tower of Babel. A unifying language has been restored to the people of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. This language crosses all natural language barriers and can bring people together in prayer, even if they do not speak the same natural language. I have prayed in my prayer language with people of many different countries and native languages. The gift of tongues allows us to cross our language barriers and unite in prayer with one beautiful sound:

  How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.

  Psalm 133:1–3 NLT

  We receive distinct blessings when we come together in unity before God. The first blessing is the release of the anointing oil. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. He pours Himself out on us in power as we unify in prayer (see Acts 2:1–4). Being in unity also refreshes us. Contrast this with the feeling of being drained when you are in discord with other people. The Lord pronounces His distinct blessing on the place where the people have united in prayer. That blessing is a blessing of life. Things will live again.

  Praying in Your Church

  A church that prays together offers an outstanding display of unity that attracts the blessings of heaven. Many churches desire to have a vibrant prayer community but do not know how to build one or sustain one. Prayer is taught, but it is mostly caught. There are both practical and spiritual applications to consider.

  When it comes to creating a vibrant prayer culture at our places of worship, recognize that prayer is built like a muscle. We start small and then build over time. It is also a relational ministry and therefore needs to emphasize a community component. People come to a prayer service not only to pray and encounter God, but also to find friendship with other intercessors.

  There are a variety of things to consider when building a prayer community, but here are the ones I think are the most important:

  1. Set a Prayer Time

  The Scriptures speak of a set time for prayer: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon” (Acts 3:1, emphasis added). Accordingly, set a regular time to gather for prayer, and commit to it. Our first prayer service was on a Saturday night for one hour. We still have that prayer service, but we also have many other prayer times now offered throughout the week and on weekends.

  2. Choose a Prayer Location

  I am one of those people who can pray anywhere and at any time. I do not need music or props to experience prayer. When I worked in the corporate world, I would retreat to a bathroom stall for prayer. I think my co-workers thought I had a digestive problem! I didn’t. I was just praying.

  I realize, however, that most people are not like me and need a special getaway space for prayer. Again, Peter and John went to the Temple for prayer. The Temple was a meaningful space that was ready to receive prayers. You can designate a room in your church, meet at a person’s home or find other meaningful locations in your city to meet for prayer.

  3. Choose a Prayer Leader

  Our first prayer leader could not sustain a week-to-week commitment, so I became the prayer leader for our weekly Saturday prayer service. Leading a community in consistent prayer requires inner strength, commitment and stamina. Prayer leaders need to have humble hearts, a strong prayer life, a sound biblical foundation, good relationship skills and the ability to gather others to prayer. I also insist our prayer leaders carry a heartbeat for the local church and demonstrate loyalty toward those in church leadership.

  I do not believe all prayer gatherings need to be directly connected to one church or another, but whoever leads them needs to be mindful to build in prayer what Jesus is building. He is building His Church to shine in every community.

  4. Plan Your Prayer Service

  Prayer services need to be life-giving and experiential, which requires good planning and ideas to keep attendees focused and interested. Before the prayer gathering, prepare some prayer points and Scriptures, and perhaps also prepare some light teaching or exhortation. The prayer leader communicates specific prayer directives and then facilitates the prayer service in various ways with the people in attendance. We also instruct our prayer leaders to pray in alignment with the mission of our church, as established by my husband and me.

  5. Deal with Problem People

  Very rarely do I come across a problem person in our prayer sessions, but it does happen. This might be a person who uses the prayer time to preach or who dominates the room with unusually long and loud praying. Other problem people do not follow the prayer leader’s directives and attempt to redirect the prayer time to their own interests. This is usually done in ignorance but needs to be confronted. You should never let one person ruin the prayer time for others.

  Praying as You Go

  I believe God has been preparing you, through this book, for greater intercession. In some ways, God has allowed me to be a forerunner in prayer so I could give you road-tested keys and help you navigate some trickier terrain.

  As you step into your unique journey of prayer, your awareness of God’s voice will deepen in meaningful ways. Remember that prayer is first a dialogue between you and God, full of intimate, precious moments that make praying a “want to” rather than a “have to.” At the same time, the Holy Spirit will beckon you into strategic intercession for others. You will watch history unfold as your words before the Father transform into winds of change for the very thing you brought before Him. Prayer is no little matter. It is power, and praying people are powerful people. You will become one who thwarts demonic plans within your metron as you prepare the way for hell’s prisoners to be released to receive salvation. The Holy Spirit delights in you and cherishes your partnership in prayer.

  As you have read and digested the principles in this book, have you noticed a greater sensitivity to the Spirit and the spiritual realm growing within you? An intercessor encounters a wide variety of spiritual happenings, as the spiritual realm is set in motion by our prophetic intercession. Angels, demons, the voice of God, intercessory dreams, visions and pro
phetic encounters are normal in the life of an intercessor. As problems arise, we are quick to discern the root causes of them so we can pray effectively. To the intercessor, no problem is impossible. It just needs the right spiritual key, something you will search out in the Word and in prayer until you find it and apply it effectively.

  Whenever God intends to do something on the earth, an intercessor is on the scene long before anything happens. These intercessors are friends of God, and God shares His secrets with His friends. You are one such friend. He will tell you what He plans to do and bring you in to be a part of it.

  Do not be surprised when the Lord sends you on secret missions to secret locations to pray, to perform prophetic acts and to make scriptural declarations. As His ambassador, do not be shocked when He opens doors for you to pray for and speak to men and women of influence in the nations. This is the life of the intercessor. Where He sends you, you will go. You are part of an elite force in His private army of saints. It is humbling to be a part of something so great.

  Are you ready to experience the adventures of prayer? There is always more! The journey of prayer never stops unfolding. Someday we will meet each other and see the impact our lives have made. I believe we will be awestruck at how many people and nations were preserved, rescued and saved because we lived to intercede.

  Kingdom Prayer Principles

  Prayer is the first ministry of the modern-day Church. The reach of our prayers is the nations.

  We govern our whole world with prayer. Prayer is the most powerful exercise of godly authority on the earth.

  A praying Church overturns demonic plans, puts angels on assignment, cleanses atmospheres and creates conditions for the visible invasion of the Word of God into the nations.

  We need to cultivate and embrace a lifestyle of prayer.

  Christians who do not pray or do not make an effort to pray as a church community forfeit their authority. They do not realize they are the reason many people remain hell-chained in their communities with no other way of deliverance.