The Art of Intercession Pt. 1

0:00 I am so excited about this. I want to welcome you to the Purpose Project podcast. During our time together, I will teach you how to pray, how to intentionally develop intimacy with your Creator, and challenge you to discover and embrace your God-ordained purposes. I am your host, Margie Flarrant. My prayer for you today is that you will be empowered and strengthened in the Word of God to move forward into your destiny. Matthew chapter 7 verse 24. We're going to speak this morning on the art of intercession.

0:41 Are you there? Yes. Jesus said in verse 24, therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock, and the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall. Why? Because it was founded on a rock. My friends, it's very important that you and I, especially in the days we live in, it's very important that we build our lives, build our marriages, build our families, build our churches on the Word of God.

1:31 Why? Because when the winds come and we know that they're going to be coming, when the storms come and beat against our house, our house will not fall. Why? Because we have a strong, firm foundation, and that foundation is the Word of God. Now, individually, you know that we are the house of God, amen? Amen. We are the temple of the living God, and collectively as well, we are the house of God and members in particular, and we all need one another, we all need to work together with one another, and I believe that unity continues to be formed and dwells in and amongst us, God can do some great and mighty things.

2:24 So individually and collectively, we are the house of God, but we don't want to just be a house of the Word, so to speak, or even a teaching center, Pastor. We want to be a house of prayer. We want to be men and women of prayer. We need both the Word and we need the Spirit in order to grow up. Are you listening? When I was in Bible school at Ramah, I sat under some of the greatest Bible teachers up till that time, and all that teaching, all that teaching, all that teaching, and I would come home and something on the inside of me was dissatisfied and discontent, and I used to say, what is that? What is that?

3:12 And God began to speak to me about being a house of prayer. He began to speak to me how we have it better than Adam and Eve, how God would come down in the cool of the day and He would fellowship with them. But because we have Jesus in our hearts, because we're the temple of the Holy Spirit, we can go to God any time, any place. And God began to speak to me about prayer, and he began to show me, Margie, the dissatisfaction you have in your heart is because I am calling you to seek my face. I am calling you to prayer.

3:53 Yes, you can have all that teaching, and all that teaching is good. But what about being alone with Jesus in the place of prayer and being that house of prayer? Amen. I heard when that Hayden said one time, she said, what's more important on a bird? The left wing or the right wing? You need both to fly, amen? What's more important in your life, your devotional time in studying the Word or your prayer life? You need both to fly. We need a balance of the Word of God and a balance of prayer time with Him, and therefore it will cause us to be strong in Him, amen?

4:42 Catherine Coleman once said, the greatest power given to any individual is the power of prayer. And you think about her ministry. You think about the things that was accomplished through her ministry. Lee Roy Brownlow said, let us not neglect prayer just because we do not fully comprehend the infinite power of the God at whose throne we kneel. I do not know everything about gravity, but I know it works. Amen. Now, in speaking on prayer, the Bible says in Ephesians 6, 18 that we are to pray always with all kinds of prayer.

5:26 How many of you know that scripture? So we're going to be speaking on the prayer of intercession, but you know that there are different kinds of prayer. And the different prayers have different rules that govern the answer to those prayers. For example, let's look at a sport. You can't play baseball with football rules. Amen? That would be a disaster. You have to play the right rules with the right sport. It's the same way when it comes to our prayer lives.

6:08 There are different rules that govern the different kinds of prayer without complicating things. Let's just briefly talk about the different kinds of prayer. What are the different kinds of prayer? I think there's about eight or nine of them. Number one, there's the prayer of faith. What is the prayer of faith? It's the one that Kenneth E. Hagan spoke a lot about. The prayer of faith. What things, so ever you desire, when you pray, believe you receive them and you will have them. You have to believe that you receive it by faith and you will have it.

6:51 Faith is a substance of things you hope for, the evidence of what you don't see. So the first time you pray, that prayer of faith, or that need that you have, believe that you receive it and you will have it. I could give you lots of examples. But one example that stands out the most is my very first answer to prayer that I had was when I was in Bible schools. About 19 years old I didn't have a car. And I needed a car. Everyone said I needed a car. You've got to have a car. And I prayed, I said, Lord, I come to you and I am asking you to provide for me a car. You said in your word that you would provide all of my needs according to your riches and glory.

7:36 And you said in your word that I have not because I have not. And I am asking you for a car. I'm asking for this car to be little. And I'm asking even that it be blue. I was a little specific. And I believe that I receive it and I thank you for it. And I left it at the feet of God's throne and I walked away. And I didn't pray it again because you pray that prayer. You believe you receive it, you'll have it and you go your way. Thanking Him for the answer. About a week later I was in a little church over there in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. And the pastor's wife came up to me and said, do you need a car?

8:18 I said, well, yeah. She says, well, we have somebody that wants to give a car away. And I was wondering if you would like it. I said, absolutely. And guess what? The car was little. It was blue. The only problem was it was a stick ship. So I had to learn how to drive that car. But I thank God for that car. I thank God for the prayer of faith. Are you listening? You know, the prayer of faith will even save the sick and the Lord will raise them up. God didn't say pray over and over and over and over for the sick. He said, lay hands on the sick, anoint them with oil and they will recover.

9:01 So that's the prayer of faith. Then we have the prayer of dedication and consecration. Luke 22, 42. I love this prayer. I actually have a book in manuscript. Someday I'm going to finish. What is the prayer of dedication and consecration? This is the prayer where you go to God and you're in a time of decision time. You're in your place of disentery. You're in a place where you're trying to decide what to do. Or maybe you're in a place where you're deciding whether or not you're called or not. Or deciding whether or not you want to go somewhere or not. And that's the place of prayer where you go to God and you say, Lord, not my will.

9:44 But your will be done in my life. It's the prayer Jesus prayed in the garden. He said, and even Jesus even said, let this cup pass for me. But Lord, nevertheless, it's not what I want. It's what you want. And you know the Bible talks about revival and that my people will be willing in the day of my power. I think many of us at times need to pray this prayer of dedication and consecration. Where we go to God and we say, Lord, not my will. Your will be done in my life. I give you my all. I give you my everything. I give you my fears.

10:25 I give you my insecurities. I give you my pride. I give you my I can do it attitude. And I give it all to you. And when you pray the prayer of dedication and consecration, what happens is this. God hears you, number one, because you're not praying to somebody who's not hearing you. Are you listening? Your prayers do not fall on deaf ears. As a matter of fact, every time you pray, your prayers are going up into the throne of God, and they are like a sweet incense to him. You can't see it. Are you listening? But when you pray, it is a sweet incense, revelation-spirited.

11:05 Check it out. But this is the kind of prayer where you go to God and you give him your all. I can tell you for myself personally, I pray this prayer every once in a while, when I just feel like it used to be because I was getting a little, I don't know, I'm the kind of person, I'm pretty much over at this stage. I just, you know, just couldn't believe it, God had called me in the ministry, couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe it. In that world, is that all about? Couldn't believe it. I'm a woman. You know, in those days I was young, I was raised with five brothers. They used to tell me to shut up all the time.

11:45 I was very shy, I was very quiet, and you want me to do what? I was like Moses, you know, I can't speak. You know, and then I'm not perfect. None of us are perfect. You know, which is the beauty of God is he looks on the heart. And before he ever formed you and your mother's womb, he knew you, and he ordained a plan and a purpose for your life. And what we need to do is we need to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and we need to come to him and say, Lord, it's not my will, but your will be done in my life. And you know, when you do that, he works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

12:26 You come out of that place of prayer, strengthened to do what he's asked you to do. Isn't that what happened to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? You know, the Bible says his soul was exceedingly sorrowful unto death, and I mean, he was struggling. How many have ever struggled? And what did he do? Instead of holding on to his struggles, he went to God in prayer. The Bible says he fell down on the ground, he surrendered his all to him, and he said, Lord, not my will, your will be done in my life. And when he came up on that place of prayer, and it took about three times of him praying like that, the Bible says he was ready. He was ready to do the will of the Father.

13:10 And I think that we need to pray that prayer maybe even today. Lord, not my will, but your will be done in my life. Especially those of us on the East Coast. I'm not being hard, but I'm going to tell you something. One of us, we got some major Italian, like, stubbornness going on. Yeah. I knew there was a name for it. I knew somebody could figure it out. You know, and there's just something about living on the East Coast that makes us a little hard. But I believe that God can take that stubbornness and that hardness, and he can turn it around and make us ministers that are flames of fire, that are meat and willing for the Master's use, who will say, we have decided we are going to go all the way with God and there is no turning back.

14:03 That's why I believe that the East Coast is destined for a great move of God. Because God knows the kind of people you are. He understands your frame. He puts you here, and you are on divine assignment from him. So there's the prayer of dedication and consecration. Number three, there's the prayer of worship, John 4, 21. That's the prayer that we prayed today. Lord, we come to you. We're not thinking about ourselves. We're thinking on you. We're setting our affections on things above, not on things of this earth. And we are just worshiping you. We worship you in spirit and in truth.

14:43 We love you. We long for you. We desire you. You're our Father. We adore you. You are everything. You told me you love me with an everlasting love. I'm going to give it back to you. Lord, I love you with an everlasting love. I worship you. Holy, holy, holy. Lord, God Almighty, Heaven and Earth is filled with your glory. I worship you. I honor you. I magnify your holy name. And you know the Bible says Psalm 1611, in his presence, is fullness of joy. And you come into his presence with worship and thanksgiving and praise, and the joy of the Lord becomes your strength.

15:28 And when you come out of that place of worship, you're strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man and you're stronger than you were before you ever worshiped him. Have you not read the Scripture that God never grows weary? That he never faints? And when we wait upon him, he renews our strength and we mount up with wings like an eagle and we're able to run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. God is seeking for true worshipers, those that would just worship him in spirit and in truth. It's the prayer of worship. You're not thinking about yourself. You're not thinking about your own needs. Your focus and your attention is on him.

16:15 Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Holy, holy is He. Sing a new song to Him who sits on. Heaven's mercy sings. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was and is and is to come. Think about it. And you know the beauty of being a house of prayer? You don't have to come to church to worship Him.

17:00 You know what I knew? I practiced this. I practiced the presence of God. How about you? I practiced the presence of God. How about you? If I'm the house of prayer, I don't have to go to church to pray. So when I'm at the grocery store, taking care of my family, I mean I must be at that grocery store five days a week. Especially when they're all home from college. You know, you know, your prayer times and your devotional times changes according to the season that you're in.

17:42 So when you pray, you don't want to pray grudgingly or of necessity. You want to come to God with a cheerful heart and not even with a religious heart. You want to come to Him because you like to be with Him and you love His presence. So when the kids are home from college, something happens to my prayer time. Now I have a certain deal that I... not deal. I have a certain place that I like to stay in when it comes to my private devotional time. I'm not going to tell you what that is because it's between me and God. So when the kids are all home from college, there's a lot more stuff going on in my house.

18:26 And so I have to adjust my schedule and my life without getting under condemnation. And so when I'm at the grocery store, I'm worshiping Him. I'm thinking about Him. I'm talking to Him. He hears you when you pray. Whether you're on your knees, whether you're walking, whether you're standing, whether you're driving, no matter where you are, you're the house of God. You're the temple of the Holy Ghost. He hears you. And I think when we practice that kind of praying, that everyday praying, that 18-hour-to-day praying, you know, every waking moment, thinking about Him, I think it develops friendship with God.

19:13 Intimacy with God. Friendship. Everybody say friendship. That's why I personally never feel alone anymore. Or lonely. I guess it's a better word. Why? Because I know that He's with me. I know that He's in me. And He said in His Word, I will never leave you and I will never forsake you. I am always with you wherever you go. Well, if that's true, I want to practice His presence. I just love that. You don't mind if I just stay here for a minute, do you?

19:53 I would encourage you to practice the presence of God. And this is the beauty of worship. You come out of this place of prayer, this house of prayer, you go off as an individual house of prayer, and the songs that you heard in church, you take with you. Because when you pray, something's deposited in you. Amen. And you've heard that song, that song is in you, and the beauty of the Holy Spirit is, He will bring all things back to your remembrance. And so for the next few days, you're probably going to be singing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Heaven and Earth, because that was the song that had a greater anointing out of all the songs that we're saying today. Notice that?

20:44 Are you listening? Or you can put a CD on, my favorite is Jesus' Culture. And you can play that CD, and you know that Lord, I want to see your glory like Moses did, flashes of light, you know, that whole song by Jesus' Culture. You could hear that song out of that whole CD, and that's the song that you need for that day. If you look on the inside of you, everyone say, look on the inside. Look on the inside. That's the song that your Spirit is singing to the Father. And so you can continually praise and worship and glorify Him and practice His presence no matter where you are.

21:28 Amen. I love that. I mean, I wrote this book in counter-gout to the habit of prayer. We talked about beginning with 15 minutes, and then progressing into an hour, we're to get the hour. Jesus said, just decide, couldn't you watch just one hour? Just one hour? Just give me an hour. But then God began to speak to me just about walking with Him. He enough walked with God. Walking with Him, really? I just love that. Walking with Him. That's why I can't be distracted by all the secular music. I can't be distracted by watching things on TV, basically, these days. I can hardly watch TV.

22:11 I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying I can't. I just can't. I went to a movie recently with my girl, my daughter, and one of her friends. And I gotta tell you, you talk about taking you right out of the presence of God. Just go to movies. What was it rated? I don't go to R rated movies. It must have been PG-13. And I gotta tell you, if my kids weren't there, I'd have gotten up and left. And that movie bothered me for days. Bothered me. Well, what was in it?

22:52 It wasn't blatant sex acts. I could say that from the pulpit, can I? You say it on the internet, on TV. Why can't we say it on the pulpit? It wasn't all that. It was more the content of, like, the days of Noah. Mm-hmm. Yes, very nice. Very nice. Right from the beginning. Partying, drinking, fooling around, adultery, crazy stuff. I don't want to watch that. Do you know what goes through your eye, gets into your spirit?

23:37 And you become what you behold? God said, I want a separate people. When God stood in the gap and interceded for the children of Israel, He said, we will be a separate people. Did everybody always follow that? Obviously not. It took them 40 years of wandering. But I will say this. Moses was so close to God that his legacy was not the miracles. Read Deuteronomy 34. His legacy was that he was a man who knew God face to face, as a man would speak to his friend.

24:19 And then it went on to talk about the miracles. That's what I want. Do you mind if I just stand here for just a minute and think about it? Say, Lord, that's the name of this church, isn't it? Say, Lord. I want to know God intimately, so connected with Him, that nothing can separate me. I know the Bible says nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He didn't list all the things. But you know, we separate ourselves from Him. See? And what does that mean? It just means you just got to get back. So when you find yourself separated from Him because of a distraction or something you watch or something that happens, or just the cares, you just hook back yourself back up and get right back into that focus, like that zone said about focus.

25:08 Get reached focus and focus your attention on Him. Hook yourself up to the inside and just start doing that, your thing again with God. That's why nobody can take your intimacy with God from you. You can go to some nation that forbids the Bible and forbids prayer, but you can pray anytime, any place, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. Continue in prayer and watch. I just want to encourage you today to develop friendship with God. Think about that.

25:50 When you get in your car, talk to God. Lord, where's my keys? That's a good one. No, here's a good one. Where's my phone? Lord, tell me where my phone is. Well, how's He going to speak to you? You hook yourself up to the inside and you listen. Amen? Lord, do you think this outfit is okay for the service today?

26:30 What do you think about this collar on me? Lord, what should I eat for dinner? I'm Margie, you're really getting crazy now. No, I'm really not. I would talk to Him like I would talk to a friend who sticks closer than a brother, who's sitting right next to me, but He's not even next to me. He's in me. Amen? I love that. I love that kind of praying. It's called practicing the presence of God. And then you know what happens to you when you develop that? Because you have to develop it. You have to train yourself. Because we're trained in this world.

27:11 We're in the world, but we're not of the world. And we're trained to be in the mental realm. So it's a spiritual training. It's a process. And what happens is, if you notice, when you practice the presence of God, when you walk through the door and you look like hell, when everybody turns and looks at you, they're not looking at you. God said, my presence will go with you. And I will give you rest. There's something about you that people see. There's something about you that people perceive.

27:54 And it's His presence. Thank you for listening to the Purpose Project podcast. For more content, video, and teachings like this, visit margieflorant.org.