SUSTAINING BURDEN AS AN INTERCESSOR
Luke 2:36-38
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
An intercessor has been entrusted with the divine mandate to stand in the gap, as it was written in the book of:
Ezekiel 22:30-31
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.”
Where God is seeking for a man or woman who will stand in the gap, we have lots of factors that can keep us standing or doing otherwise. Ephesians 6:13b said, “…having done all, to stand…” meaning after attending to legal or illegal matters, let standing be your heartbeat, until you stand each day, you have not finished the day. After going to the market, still stand, having taken care of children, still stand, having attended to your daily schedule, still stand!
How do we fulfil this daily expectation as an intercessor?
How do we stand when nothing is standing in us?
Many atimes we desire to keep a burden of prayer for a while, but along the way, you end up losing it, your heart is already light about the matter, while the prayer is not yet answered.
How do we handle a prayer burden that has not been answered, and your heart is light already? How do we solve the problem of not being actively active at the duty post?
There is a woman, Anna, a Prophetess, though a widow, who gives us the simple answer. Despite all she had gone through, she held a singular prayer point for over 40 years, praying daily for ‘the Redemption of Jerusalem’, and until she saw her answer brought to the temple, she didn’t drop her burden and prayer point. These are the factors that helped her:
1) Luke 6:37 “…which departed not from the temple”
Intercessors must learn to live perpetually in God’s presence.
How do we do this in this generation with lots of activities and distractions? Learn to live, not leave God’s presence. Be conscious of His presence. Paul said, “…in Him we live, we move, and have our being…” (Acts 17:28). Whether you are in the office, at home, or outside, be conscious that you are before God. Imagine you are before your boss, and you have the consciousness that you are before God, it guides your discussion and action. Prophetess Anna dwelt in God’s presence always. It’s one of the simple factors that help an intercessor keep burdens for a long time. Don’t leave your house and leave God’s presence behind. The Psalmist said, “… And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.” Ps. 23.6 (AMP)
2) Luke 2:37 “…but served God…”
Intercession is a service to God. A high Calling. It’s not a showmanship of who knows how to pray; this service is unto the Lord, just like other ministries serve the Lord in their capacity, you are also serving the Lord. Some people take intercession as a group prayer done by prayer warriors. No! Intercession is a call, they are the ‘Permanent Secretary’ of the kingdom, they remind God of His promises He has not fulfilled, they don’t give God rest day and night until His righteousness breaks forth on nations and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. To sustain burdens for long, change your mindset that intercession is what you do with a group of people in your church. Intercession is a service to God.
3) Luke 2:37 “…with fastings and prayers”
Jesus told his disciples that there are some spiritual depths you can’t reach without fasting and prayer, not prayer and fasting. We know you pray every day and every time as an intercessor, but when last did you sought God’s face with fasting and prayer on the matter? You can’t expect God to be committed to what you are not committed to. To what extent can you go to seek God on a matter until your answer is released? A Christian can take ‘Yes, No, or wait on God’ for an answer on a matter, but Intercessors don’t settle for that. They keep praying until the answer is Yes! We pray UNTIL…to keep a burden for long, learn to engage in FASTING AND PRAYERS.
4) Luke 2:37 “…Day and Night”
The Bible says we should pray without ceasing. It’s a pity most intercessors don’t obey this rule. It’s like a chemical process; if it’s stopped halfway, you might not get the desired result. As an intercessor, learn to raise altar Day and Night. A trained intercessor should know we have hours of prayers with an angelic watcher on duty for those hours. You can contact Sniper Academy to learn more about this. God put the earth in order and principles. There are some prayers you pray at a particular hour, and you have a speedy answer because the Watcher assigned for that Hour is on duty. If you want to sustain prayer for long as an intercessor, learn to observe prayer hours (12 am, 3 am, 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm, 9 pm).
For more information and counselling, contact Sniper Academy through:
Whatsapp: +49 1521 4730173
Mail: info@spiritualnipers.org
Call: +234 707 772 2755
