Throughout the Bible we find men and women of God with special prayer assignments from God. Anna and Simeon in the temple were just two examples. Men and women of God were intercessors in the roles that God assigned to them. Find your place as God’s intercessor and stand on your holy ground.
1.) Prayer Partners -
Matthew 18:18-20 Almost every man of God had at least one close partner in prayer. Jesus had three, Peter, James, and John. Elijah had Elisha, Moses had Aaron and Hur, David had Jonathan and so on. Find at least one other person who has a "kindred spirit" of prayer like your own and team up for intercession. Covenant together that once a week you will meet faithfully at the same time and place for specific kind of prayer. (See Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
2.) "Heaven’s Gate" Around the Throne -
Revelation 8:3-4 depicts a scene around the throne of God where the angel of the Lord has a golden censer and much incense which are the "prayers of the saints upon the golden altar" before the throne. The angel then filled the censer with fire and cast it to earth in response to the prayers of the saints. This corresponds to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church as in Acts 2:1 when the church in obedience to Christ was "in one accord in one place" when the Spirit of God was poured out on the church. Heaven’s Gate is an intercessory prayer effort "to prepare the way of the Lord" for the services each Sunday by agreeing together to meet together "around the throne" at the same hour (Saturday at 10:00 p.m.) for at least a half hour of intercession for the outpouring of God’s Spirit on the services of the Lord’s day. There is no need to leave your home just kneel where you are together with an army of saints before the throne.
3.) "Watchmen" Over the House of God -
God reveals to us in Ezekiel 22:30 that he is "looking for men among men that would make up the hedge and stand in the gap for the land." Then again in Ezekiel 33:7-8 God told Ezekiel that "I have made you a watchman over the House of Israel." Each week two or three people dedicate themselves to intercessory prayer during the worship service. With enough people involved volunteering once a month to "stand in the gap" for the preaching of the Word would be sufficient. D.L. Moody had 200 intercessory in the basement directly under his pulpit every week praying for God’s anointing on his preaching and for the people. You can easily use the time to walk through the first six steps of intercession and then prevail in prayer for the service upstairs.
4.) Cleansing the Temple -
There were times in the Old Testament that the Temple of God had been defiled by some sin. At such time great care was exercised to "sanctify" the temple for God’s intended use. Such was the case as well with households that had a case of leprosy. In order cleanse the house prayer and anointing needed to be exercised to "sanctify" the house. Many churches today have prayer teams that meet early every Sunday morning (usually 6:30-7:30 a.m.) to quietly move through the sanctuary and each room of the church to pray over the place, people and events that will take place there that day. Often such prayer warriors are led to anoint the lintels and doorposts as well as the pulpit and instruments of worship as a sign of sanctifying those things wholly unto God. (Exodus 12:22 and Deuteronomy 11:20)
5.) Prayer Shield -
Every pastor needs a prayer shield. A prayer shield is a protective covering of prayer by dedicated men and women who understand the difficulties of being on the front lines. Moses understood this when in the battle against the Amalekites he assigned Aaron and Hur to be his "right hand" and "left hand" intercessors while the battle raged. (Exodus 17:8-16) There is not need for formal volunteers for this ministry. Only men and women who feel particularly called of God should embark on such and effort for they too will be part of the battle and targets fo the "fiery darts of the wicked one." Perhaps God will lead to you be a shield for others who minister in the congregation.
7.) Prayer Walking -
Prayer walking is not new. It is a biblical concept that has been lost in our mobile society. Prayer walking was first done by Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. Prayer walking is simply walking with God and talking to him about the ground and surroundings that you are covering. Joshua 14:9 "Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance." It is praying with your eyes open as you walk asking God to give you his eyes to see the world as He sees it. Like walking around the walls of Jericho it can be a faith walk for the strongholds of the enemy to be broken. It can be a walk around the church property, around you neighborhood, or your entire city. It is a great way to pray for you neighborhood, or your community. It is often evangelistic praying.
8.) Personal Prayer Retreat -
Jesus invited his disciples to "come apart and rest awhile." Jesus himself often spent quality time away from the crowds alone with God. We should too. Not everyone can be a daily intercessor but all of us can set apart special times (at least twice a year) for special days of prayer where we are alone with God to bathe yourself with prayer. It is a time to "draw near to God" and him to you. (James 4:8) A prayer retreat can be as short as a half day, or as long as two or three days, even a week. It can be alone in the woods, in a cabin, on a boat, or at home alone. Wesley Duewel’s book Touch the World Through Prayer has an excellent chapter on how to do your own personal prayer retreat. Try starting with a half-day Saturday, or half-day on Sunday afternoon and evening. Husbands help your wives in this matter since it is easier for you to escape the home routine than for her.
9.) Personal Prayer and Fasting - We have already seen that fasting and prayer is the only way to gain the victory over Satan’s stubborn strongholds. Fasting can be an enjoyable and refreshing experience if you make it a regular part of your life. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, was 72 years old before he did his first fasting and prayer and found it wonderful. Today he has done four 40 day fasts and is training and encouraging others to rediscover this lost spiritual discipline.
10.) Prayer Summits/ Prayer College -
The Christian and Missionary Alliance has an ongoing College of Prayer and Prayer Events where you can go for a few days to soak up teaching and experience a deeper prayer life. We will be announcing these prayer events as the information becomes available.