Intercession

As we look at spiritual warfare for one more day, let's learn about intercession.  One of the most prominent intercessors we see in the Word is Daniel.  Go and read the book of Daniel (ch. 10) and you will find a man of prayer that did not stop his times of prayer and intercession for anything.  Also, our Savior, Jesus, when He was enduring the stress and pressure of sin before He took the cross, was sweating blood because of His intense intercession for us.

Intercession is more than just simple prayer.  It is a type of prayer that goes to depths that you didn't know existed.  It is place where you may be calm on the surface and yet fighting hard on the inside.  Sometimes, it's not even about the words.  It may come out in moans and groans or even the crying of and crying out of your heart.

Romans 8:26,27

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for.

But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying,

for the Spirit pleads for us believers^[l] in harmony with God’s own will.

What does that mean to you?  Has your heart cried out?  Do you know the feeling where you can spend time even sitting in silence and yet your heart WEEPS?   Oh, to be honest, I am not sure I really understood this until Josh was gone.  I was at peace with how things were working out; I knew God was in control.  BUT my heart CRIED....my husband's soul was LOST.  I mean...was he going to heaven or hell if he died?  It's not my place to say, but has your heart felt that desperation to pray for your spouse--knowing it's life or death?   This is an ETERNAL question!!!  If Josh had died and gone to hell, that is FOREVER.  Does your heart cry out?   Are you desperate?  Desperate for your MARRIAGE or your spouse's SOUL??  Praying for your marriage is good, but praying and interceding for your spouse's soul--THIS is what will bring about lasting change. 

Jude 20-25  "But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear— hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

Has your spouse turned away from so many things?  (not just your marriage)  This described my husband when he was serving the Lord and then he chose to give up his faith and moral values and instead choose a lifestyle contrary to a believer. It is going to be a downward spiral unless you fast and pray for the Holy Spirit to speak loudly to their hardened heart.  They are denying their Lord God in so many different ways and it is up to you to intercede on their behalf.

We all have different circumstances, but the issue is that Satan wants to do whatever he can to steal your marriage.  He wants to creep in and harden your heart AND your spouses.  Is it YOUR heart that will be hardened more easily?  Be ready!! Don't let it take you by surprise.  Satan is trying to get two birds with one stone.  Satan doesn't care if it's your heart or your spouses.  Our fleshly desires can lead us into sin and take us further than we want to go, but it's the hardness of our hearts that leads to death.  Is this describing YOU or your spouse? 

Believe it or not this was eye-opening to me just now, but we have listened in the last few months about the struggle with not wanting to stand, not wanting to fight, etc., etc.  The road isn't easy, but it's worthwhile.  AND the biggest warning we can give is not to allow hardness to creep in. We get e-mails asking HOW did I allow Josh to be a part of our lives?  I did it by keeping my heart soft.  It's something you HAVE to ask God for, and He will do it.  God knows a heart of flesh is necessary.   So, in praying and interceding for your spouse it's not just their soul that needs to be transformed; it's yours, too!

I (Josh) need to pop in here real quick with an example from our life.  After I was caught and refused to break it off, I got really bold with my actions.  So, Serena got more bold with her prayers.  As I was getting ready to leave for the evening, Serena would kneel down in front of the couch and started praying in tongues....REALLY LOUDLY!!!  For one, I had never heard her pray like that.  And it is very hard to make preparations for an evening of sin-filled activities and know that your wife is getting it done in the spiritual realm!!  OK...I'm done, Babe....back to you...

Then, may I add....that was NOT easy to do. In the flesh, I really just wanted to grab you, shake you, and make you listen to me.  I wanted you to see what horrible choices and decisions you were making. BUT I knew it would do no good and only make you more determined. I didn't know WHAT to pray, THIS was why I had to pray in tongues.  When my heart knew no words...I allowed the Holy Spirit do the talking. 

Hebrews 3:12-15 "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."

Never give up on your deceived spouse. There are consequences to their disobedience and the sins of unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, or adultery. I can reassure you that even if there was only strife in your marriage, God was trying to get at least one spouse to start praying and interceding to remove the strife and sin that had started to creep into your marriage relationship. Even if you believe your marriage is stronger than ever....it's never so strong that prayer won't benefit you.

Josh and Serena