intercession, Religion, College Term Papers.com


		Data Bases
		• Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism?

		Links
		• Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com

		Free Essays
		• Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers

Search Lots of Essays

Back to Subjects - Religion

intercession

intercession There are many meanings to the word intercession: 1. to have a conversation on behalf of, 2. to plead with or for another, 3. to make a petition on behalf of another, and 4. to approach a King to plead the cause of others.1 God has used a countless number of people as intercessors over several years. There are many recorded in the Bible and many modern intercessors have had books written about them. For example, Esther was a great intercessor in the Bible because she risked her own life by going into King Ahasuerus courts to plead for her people to not be sentenced to death according to the decree in which Haman made. She would have been killed if she had not first prepared herself and had not found favor in the sight of King One of the great intercessor of modern times that has been written about is Rees Howells. He gave his whole life to intercession. He went through every aspect of intercession and was very willing to lay his life down for people he did not even know because he had Jesus’ love so overflowing within him for everyone he met. He once came to the point of dying because he took on the intercession for a tubercular women. He came to the point of having the disease himself and coming to the point of death to see The greatest intercessor of all though was and is Jesus. He came to the earth in the form of a man to experience all man have to experience. While He was on the earth he would pray for man, healed man, and even bless man when He was cursed by man. When all was to come to the end, He then died to take all of mankind’s sin, and then showed man by His resurrection that he can have dominion over sin. Most importantly though, by all of this He stood in the gap and made a way for man to once again have a relationship with God which intern would entitle man to have eternal life. He showed that in order to be an intercessor, willingness to lay everything down must first be applied, then the steps of identification, agony and authority will follow which will be explained in this paper. God calls everyone to be an intercessor, but some people experience intercession in a deeper way than others. Although this is true, all people must go through the laying down of their own lives in yielding to the Holy Spirit, because He is the one Jesus sent to The Holy Spirit can not work through man at all unless first he gives up his whole life as a yielded vessel in His hands. No two people can be in charge of the same life. Man must give up all his selfish desires, ambitions, plans for his life and submit himself to whatever the Holy Spirit may have for him. The Holy Spirit though very capable, cannot take these things or work them out unless first the person has the willingness for Him to do so. Although very difficult every single thing must be handed over in complete submission. He must have all of the persons time, the way the person speaks to another, where the person goes, every decision must be left in the hands of the Spirit. If not than true intercession cannot be worked within him. If man were to be in control of his time and the Spirit was trying to intercede through him, than the man would never take time out of his schedule to get on his knees and pray for another individual because he would always find something else that has to be done right at that moment. If the Holy Spirit had that time than the man would have time to intercede and also accomplish everything else that is to be done for that day. God does not desire for us to be lax, but to accomplish everything that is set before us plus follow Man also does not need to have control of what he speaks or were he goes either for God needs to control every decision, because if man did than the love of Christ and the witness of God’s divine nature would not shine through his life. If man were to control his own daily life than for one, no one would think any different of his life from their own and no one would want to have the love that he has found in Jesus, and two the one being interceded for would also not see the love of Christ within him and would have no hope of If man had his choice of ambitions, than he would never go where the Holy Spirit was leading him. Sometimes intercession can cause a person to sell everything he has or even just give away everything, so that man may move to where he is interceding for or even just be for identification for another which will be talk about more later in the paper. God says that He has dreams bigger than a man can dream or even imagine for himself. A plan that reaches far past that which he could ever think or hope for. A plan that will complete his life far better than his own plan could ever do. Most importantly about preparing to be an intercessor, man needs to know how to hear God’s voice. Without knowing the voice of God he could not know who to intercede for, when to intercede for them, how to intercede, and when he has gained the victory for the intercession. Knowing when he has gained victory is extremely important. He must also know that victory is there at the beginning, for Jesus has won the victory over all sin and death and that is what the man is fighting against. If he does not realize that the victory is there at the beginning and the intercession is very long than he can lose all sight of hope and become discouraged, but if he believes that Jesus does have that victory than he will always know that when he becomes discouraged he can look to Jesus and see the victory in which he won on the cross. Another very important step to laying things down is not only yielding to the Spirit, but taking everything to the cross. Looking to the cross seeing Jesus there and seeing what He laid down for man so that he might have a relationship with God and might receive eternal life should give man every reason to want to lay his own life down. Jesus’ sacrifice was the complete and ultimate sacrifice, and man can do nothing or even lay down anything that would compare with what Jesus did. When man intercedes for someone than he loves that person like his own brother, and he will lay down his life for that person. For it says John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than thins, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”5 For if he was truly his friend he would want to do anything to see that he was doing well even to the point of death. That is why Jesus laid down his life for us, because he loved us so much and wanted to see us live eternally in with Him in heaven. Once all is given over in yields to the Holy Spirit the life of intercession can begin within a man. The first step of this life is identification. Identification is to make identical, to treat the same or to connect or associate with closely.6 This is exactly what Jesus did He came down in the form of a man. He left his throne to come down to dwell among man, to become just like man, tempted in every way that man is tempted. He came to show man that there is a way that man can overcome sin and be made into the image of Jesus came down and was born a baby just like every man was, but when He was born He did not come in an extravagant way like a king should, but He was born in a manger surrounded by animals like cows, pigs, sheep, ect.. It also probably smelled pretty horrible in there, too. He also did not come out speaking profound statements or healing people, but He came out crying, screaming, speaking unintelligible baby noises, and was helpless like any other baby would be when first born. When He became older, He worked with His earthly father in a carpenter shop, and probably played with His friends like any other young boy would. He even walked away from his parents once to go talk to the elders, and His parents were frantically searching for Him. He continued to grow and went through everything man goes through. He became a man and His intercession went to greater depths. When He would pray it would be like no other time anyone has gone through before. He would stay up all night sometimes just interceding for all mankind, and once He interceded so much that He Jesus was man’s perfect example of identification. The things He asks of man could not even compare to what He in coming down in the form of a man. Whatever he asks of man to give up is like a speck of dust to what He did when He gave up His place in heaven to come down and intercede for us. God also will never ask us to do anything that we are not able to do. If we do not have the faith to see it come through than God will not give us that to intercede for. It does not give Him pleasure to see us suffer, that is why He sent us His Son so we did not have to go through and be bogged down by things of the world. He only wants what is best for us, but the only way we can attain that is by listening, laying down, and identifying Each intercession builds on the next. We must first do the small things before we can accomplish the bigger things, because if God were to give us the bigger intercessions first than we would be so overwhelmed by it. This why God only tells us one thing at a time in our calling or in the intercession because if He were to tell us all that it was to involve at the beginning than we would lose hope at that very point. He may ask man to give up certain things but He knows he can handle it. Therefore anything that He asks man to give away, do, or even where He asks us to live during the intercession will not be too much for him for as it says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”7 The second portion of an intercessors life is agony. Agony is great mental or physical pain.8 Jesus showed man through His great sacrifice the greatest agony of all, dying on the cross. That day must have been the most horrible of all, hearing about it is bad enough but watching it or even experiencing it must have been the most horrifying Jesus first of all was betrayed by one He called friend, and then taken away to be tried in front of a court. He was put before a countless number of people to be told his fait. While He stood before them, they scoffed at Him and mocked Him. He was even chosen over a criminal to crucified. Before His crucifixion, the people put a robe on Him and a crown of thorns and then they spit on Him and mocked Him saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”10 Jesus was then stripped of the robe and His own clothes then beaten thirty - nine times, one more and He would have died, on top of that He then had to carry His own cross up the hill of Once He was on the cross they continued mocking him saying, “If you truly are the Son of God than come down and save yourself.”11 They also put above his head the as an accusation, “This is Jesus, The King of the Jews.”12 After all of this Jesus still loved everyone of those people. He was laying His life down even to the point of death for all machined. His own heavenly Father forsake Him as He took all the sins of mankind upon Himself and filled the gap between God an man that was there from the fall of man. In this example, man can see that there is no greater cost than what Jesus did. God does not even ask most men to do this for another, only if it is necessary. God does want man to come to the point though were He would lay down his own life to the point of death to see one healed, but man does not have to if he were only interceding for one to know Jesus. Sometimes though, God does call men to be martyrs for Him, but this is only given to those that are willing to give all for Christ. A martyr is one who chooses to suffer death rather than to deny Jesus or His work, one who bears testimony to the truth of what he has seen or heard or knows, as in a witness in a courts of justice, one who sacrifices something very important to further the kingdom of God, or one who endures severe or constant suffering for their Christian witness.13 It is a privilege to become a martyr for he has the privilege of taking on the sacrifice that Jesus did, laying his life down for another. Millions of people have laid down their lives for Jesus and to further the witness of the Gospel. For example in Acts 7 there was a man named Stephen was asked to stop declaring the gospel but he said he would not, so under the supervision of Saul, later to be called Paul, he was to be stoned. While being stoned he cried out saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”14 He then knelt down and said for everyone to hear, “Lord Jesus do not charge them with this sin.”15 After he was stoned the overseer Saul was so touched he begin to want to know that love that Stephen did, so he was born again and he became one of the greatest apostles of all time. Just because of one man’s total commitment to God thousands were saved through the ministry of Paul. One life committed to speaking, walking, and living out the gospel and love of Christ can change even a whole nation. Martyrdom does not only mean dying though but a man can also be a “living martyr.” A living martyr is one that complete dies to self. A man that daily lays down his life and comes to the point that nothing of self can touch him. A dead person does not respond when someone hits or kicks him because every bit of his responsiveness is gone, all of his nerves and brain waves are gone; therefore, if a man is dead to his flesh than if a desire or temptation rises than he will not be swayed by it. Once again God will not ask man to die to self all at once, for he could not ;but He will ask man to do it in small steps. For example, God asked small things of a man named Rees Howells. First God asked him to fast one meal in the afternoon, but he did not obey for the pressure of his mother and his flesh was too great so he ate but felt so guilty and asked God what he could do to make up for his disobedience. God told him to keep his hands raised for the period in which God had asked him to pray, this was further help him In all of these examples man can see that it is very possible to be in the place of agony in the intercession and maybe live through it or have the privilege of being a martyr and seeing thousands or maybe only one saved, either way would be worth the cost of showing Jesus’ love to a dying world. The third and last step to intercession is that of authority. Authority is the power to command or influence resulting from knowledge, prestige, etc..17 Jesus showed us this after He took the form of a man, suffered for us, then rose again. In this He was given the While on the cross He took the authority of taking on man’s sin and making atonement for it. Before Jesus did this man’s sin was only covered over till Jesus came by some means of sacrifice by an animal, but after Jesus died He gave man the right to ask for forgiveness of his sin. Jesus also took the authority over death and hell by going down to hell and taking the keys to death and Hades as it says in Revelation 1:18.19 He then became seated at the right hand to the Father where he rules and reigns and still intercedes on man’s behalf. Through all of this Jesus has also given man authority. As man intercede he will gain that authority that Jesus has paid for him to have. The authority to resist to the devil and make him flee as written in James 4:7,20 and speak to the demons and the principalities and powers of the air and they will scatter. Jesus does not want man to be defeated that is why He has sent the Holy Spirit to lead and intercede though him. This is so man fight though the intercession within every step guidance of the Holy Spirit to overcome all that is within that specific intercession. An example of one who had gained authority in many of intercessions is once again Rees Howells. In one of his intercessions he was to love an outcast by the name of Will Battery. This man had not slept in a bed for two years, lived in a tin mill, was dirty, unshaven, and wore socks but never tied his shoe laces. Rees was to love him as Jesus would have loved him. he had to go spend time with him and become his friend, hanging out wherever Will did. Rees begin to do anything he could to see that this outcast was in total comfort. No matter the cost of his time or even his money, he gave it all up just to see this man saved. In this Rees gained victory and authority to tell the devil that he has This gives man great hope that he can have authority over every power that comes against him. He can overcome anything that come up without any problem but once again he cannot do this unless he is dead to his flesh. How could he take over someone else’s sickness and gain authority over it if he has not first taken over his own. All have this has brought me to see that anyone can be an intercessor, as long as they first commit themselves to God and yield there flesh to the Holy Spirit. To become as a dead person seems so simple when I look at the sacrifice in which Jesus made on the He gave up His throne to become a man and to come dwell among men and show him the way in which to live his daily life. Showing man that there is a way of being perfect and becoming the image of God and it is through just laying every bit of self, pride, ambition, and dream for his own life and surrendering at the foot of the cross. Jesus experienced agony by being beaten, scoffed at, mocked, and then dying on the cross, and all of this for men who every day deny Him, disobey Him, and use Him to attain what He wants and then leaves Him until the next worry or need appears. He still took away all man’s infirmities, hurts, sickness, loneliness, and sin; and was then turned Through all of this though, Jesus conquered death and gained authority still on man’s behalf. That man would not have to try to conquer death or sin in himself but could rely on Jesus to vanquish all he experiences and runs into when he is interceding for Jesus is the ultimate example of what the life of intercession should be. Man can attain what this life of intercession is to be if he only gives up his all into God’s hands and never tries to take it back. Trusting, listening, and relying on Jesus to pull him through will be the key to an intercessory life. Bibliography:

Word Count: 3590