Intercession: To Stand In The Gap...

The English word "intercession" is derived from Latin intercedo, which means "to come between". A very good illustration of it is what God spoke to Ezekiel: Ezekiel 22:30 "I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one". If you're familiar with the story of Nehemiah, you know that He came back from exile (around 445 B.C.) to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. So, the first thing he does is to "assess the damage". Nehemiah 2:13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. The second is to "reveal" the plan and gather people around to help him to do the work. Nehemiah 2:17-18 Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach". And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. The third is to "stand against" (resist) the enemy, because they tried to discourage and make them afraid in order to stop their effort. Nehemiah 4:1-3 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish stones that are burned?" Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall". Nehemiah 6:9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done". Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. Nehemiah 4:21 So we labored in the work, and half of the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. The fourth is to deal with people's oppression, that came from their own rulers and governors. Nehemiah 5:7-8 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, "Each of you is exacting usury from his brother". So I called a great assembly against them. And I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?" Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. Nehemiah 5:15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. The fifth is to deal with the enemy's conspiracy: Nehemiah 6:2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono". But they thought to do me harm. When the enemy sees the progress of their work, they knew they couldn't stop them, so they tried to deceive and kill the "overseer" (Nehemiah). Do you remember the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7 that Jesus Christ spoke about? Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered"'. The enemy knew if they killed the leader (overseer), the would manage to stop the work and defeat the people. Of course in Jesus' case, it didn't happened because Jesus Christ interceded (prayed) for them, just as He told Peter: Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. Pay attention that Jesus said "when you have returned", not "if you have returned", because Jesus' prayer was according to the will of God. The sixth is to stand against the false leaders and false prophets who made Nehemiah afraid: Nehemiah 6:14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid. The seventh is to finish the work: Nehemiah 6:15-16 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God. 

Now, after reading all of that you might be asking: "What does that have to do with me?" Good question! Please, bear with me, because this is extremely important if you are "rebuilding the walls of your life or your church". In the same manner, it works for us just as it did for Nehemiah and his people, those seven "accounts" happen to all of those who are in the process of "rebuilding the walls". The first thing to do is to "assess the damage" and "count the cost". See what Jesus Christ spoke about "building" (rebuilding): Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it. When we start "rebuilding our spiritual life", we must know what needs to be repaired (rebuilt) in our lives and the only way to know that is asking the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us, otherwise we'll never change, because our hearts are deceitful: Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? But, before we start "rebuilding", we must answer this question: "Do i have what it takes to finish the work?" In other words, "do i have perseverance, patience and commitment to endure anything in order to finish the work?" God is working IN us: Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. Fellow workers means "to be involved in the same activity", God wants to work within and through us, our work is (if we are children of God) to allow Him to change us and to do His will. The second is to "reveal" God's plan and gather people around to help us to do His work: We cannot work alone, there is no "lone rangers" in the Kingdom of God. We need each other to be able to "rebuild the walls" of our lives and our churches, Paul addressed this issue when he wrote: 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. Individually we have to work to "rebuild" our spiritual lives, or as Paul wrote, work out our salvation: Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. But as a church, we are a body, as members of this body, we cannot function (work) by ourselves. The third is to "stand against" (resist) the enemy, because they will try to discourage and make us afraid in order to stop our effort: If your read the Gospels, you'll see how many times Jesus Christ Himself dealt with his "enemies", not only with satan and his demons, but also against the people who opposed His ministry: John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of lies. We are told to resist the enemy: James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. The fourth is to deal with people's oppression, that sometimes come from our own leaders: Matthew 23:1-4 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers". The fifth is to deal with the enemy's conspiracy: Matthew 5:11 Blessed are you when people revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Acts 23:12-13 And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. John 10:10 The thief (devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. The sixth is to stand against the false leaders and false prophets who will oppose us and try to bring fear in our lives: Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. The seventh is to finish the work: James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. God is calling us to pray and intercede (stand in the gap), and the best way to learn how to do it, is to learn with the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us: Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Here is the key to a successful intercession: Interceding according to God's will! Our worst mistake when praying and interceding for ourselves and other people (church), is that we pray for our (people's) desires and don't ask God to know what is His will for us (people), and most often, we are not successful. Why not? Because we should know better that God will always answer our prayers according to His will and not according to ours. On the other hand, there is a way to have our desires fulfilled: Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Why is that? Because when we "delight" ourselves in the Lord, we will for sure, delight ourselves in His will, meaning, we will understand that His will is good, pleasing and perfect! Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. When our minds are renewed by God, we start thinking and desiring His will for us, we are no longer satisfied with our own will and desires, even when they are good (don't get me wrong). Do you remember what God said? Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. We don't need to be a genius to realize that our thoughts are here on earth and God's are in heaven, meaning, He sees and knows everything, from eternity He already "preordained" (predestined) what we should do and be, we only need to "conform" (from the Latin conformare "to fashion, to form, to shape; modify"), ourselves to His will. Now i can see clearly how i failed (there times), when God was moving (revival) in the churches i was part of. Those first six "accounts" happened in these churches. The first time i was a baby (spiritually speaking), the second i thought i was mature, but i was naive, and in the third time i just badly failed, i didn't "stand in the gap", i didn't endure (persevere) to the end, i gave up too soon. I thought it depended only in the pastor to see "revival", but actually, we were all guilty of failing to stand and prevail, to "seek until we find", to persevere to the end. God is not interested in "revival" for revival's sake, "revival" is only the result (consequence) of obeying His commandments, which is summarized in two: Mark 12:30-31 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength". This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself". There is no other commandment greater than these. As a church (body of Christ), we are failing to observe those two commandments, that's why when revival starts, the result is either division or numbers (lots of people), either way, it does not prosper, because the "foundation", which is love, is not there. Today we want "revival" without "renewal", as Jesus said: Mark 2:21-22 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. We pray a lot, we fast a lot, we have many "worship" services, we read the bible a lot, but when it comes to love our neighbor as Jesus loved us, we fail. If you pay attention to Jesus' ministry, everything He did, He did it all for love. Every teaching, every healing, every correction, every miracle. He showed the way to His disciples, the way of love, a sacrificial love. That's why when "Pentecosts" came, the disciples were ready for it. Jesus prepared them for that day. That's why they experienced God's glory "in" and "through" their lives. They reflected Jesus: Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. Today, we are filled with pride (my church is bigger/better than yours), education (my pastor is a PhD), we have our churches filled with "skeptical" believers (we talk the talk but don't walk the walk), we value the organization more than the organism (body of Christ, people), etc. It is time to wake up from our spiritual slumber and start loving as Christ loved us.

Not Of This World...

This may sound nonsense to you, but just think about it for a minute. Have you noticed how many movies are dealing with aliens (i mean "beings" from another planet, not people from another country) and outer space life? If you are a movie lover, you probably did, if not, this will definitely sound nonsense to you. There is one movie, i think, is a very good example of what i want to talk about. It is called "Elysium". The movie's storyline is this: In a far distant future, year 2159, there are two places to live in, "Elysium" and the devastated earth. The ones living in "Elysium" are the wealthy and privileged ones. In this "space station" people are free, happy, enjoy everything good life has to offer, "but wait, there is more" (as they say in the infomercial), they have a cure for any kind of sickness, meaning, no more pain, no more suffering. Meanwhile, on earth, people are living a miserable life, barely having enough to survive, be controlled and slaved by the ones "up there". Of course, the "poor" ones are always trying to reach the "paradise". If you didn't watch this movie, do it, and pay attention to the things i'm saying. This is not new, since for a long time, this is played in the real life here on earth. There are the "third world" countries (poor ones), were some "tugs" (politicians and filthy rich) enslave the population, deplete the country's resources,  kill and steal to get richer and more powerful. On the other hand, there are the "first world" countries (rich ones), were you have freedom, opportunity to improve your way of living, have access to health and wealth, you only have to set your mind on becoming successful and you will be. So, if you live in the "poor" country, you are told that your country is as horrible as it is, because the "rich" ones (countries) are making you pay for their "health, wealth and happiness", and they don't want your country to "break free" from "slavery". If you live in the "rich" one, you are told that's not the case, the "poor" countries are "poor" because their people don't work, don't make any effort to improve their quality of living. Because of this, migration occurs, "poor" people want to get into the "rich" countries to improve their (and families) lives, and not just that, but also to save their lives, due to wars and famine. That's the "fictional and natural" part. But there's also the "spiritual" one, and this is as real as the "natural" one. If you read and believe the Bible, you know that in the beginning God created heavens and earth and created mankind to take care of His garden and expand it to the ends of the earth, and all God did was good. So mankind rebelled against God and "died" (spiritually speaking), but God knew before it happened, even before creation He already had a plan to rescue humanity, 1 Peter 1:20 He (Jesus) was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake; Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love. His son comes in the form of a man, to "serve" and give His life for all. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For the ones who believe in Jesus Christ, He is preparing a place to live with Him eternally: John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Of course, for the ones who don't believe in Jesus Christ, there's also a place, which was never God's will for them to live in that place, because it was prepared for the devil and his angels: Matthew 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels". So, there's only "two" options for humanity: Eternal life with Jesus Christ and eternal death with the devil! So, if you heard the question "is there life after death?" and didn't have an answer, here is the answer: YES, THERE IS LIFE AFTER DEATH! The flip side of it is that there is DEATH AFTER DEATH ALSO! Do you remember what the Lord told Adam in the "garden"? Genesis 2:15-17 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die". Do you remember what the devil told Eve about God's commandment? Genesis 3:4-5 "You will not certainly die", the serpent (devil) said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil". Question: Did Adam and Eve die? Was God primarily speaking about the "natural" death? The answer to the first question is "yes, they did". To answer the second one, we have to pay attention to what happened after Adam and Eve sinned against God. The blame game starts, Eve blames the devil, Adam blames Eve, but the truth is that God's commandment was for Adam, he (Adam) was the responsible party and if you read your Bible you will see that the "original sin" was attributed to Adam, as in this verse: 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since death came through a man (Adam), the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man (Jesus Christ). Answering the second question, God was primarily talking about the "spiritual death", the natural one came as consequence of the first one. Since, all humanity comes from Adam, we're born dead (spiritually speaking), but to all of us who believe in Jesus Christ, He raised us (born again) from death and gave us eternal life. So, when we die, we are "confirmed" in our present (the time of death) state. If we are "born again" we will live eternally with Christ, the ones who rejected Him and are "spiritually dead", the natural death will only "confirm" their actual state: Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars, they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. There are lots of opinions about the subject, but to me, it is plain and simple: First death took place with Adam and that separated us from God: Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. So, when we "naturally" die, we only confirm our actual state, dead or alive! There's is no "second life", if your're born again, you already have ETERNAL LIFE, but there is the "second death". From the "first death" that came from Adam, we had no choice but to be born spiritually dead, but we all have a chance to be "resurrected" (born again) and have eternal life, but from the "second death", which is the "confirmation" of ones rejection of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, there is no more chances, only eternal separation from God. Ok, what does "Elysium" have to do with all of this? Good question! If you pay attention to the "subliminal" message that is been propagating from the movies and tv series, you'll see that the devil is "luring" the masses to believe that God's justice is actually an injustice, that God does not care for the human beings, that God will only save the "privileged" ones, that God chooses a few ones and forsakes the vast majority, that God is the one to blame for all the injustice, wars, famine, poverty and disgrace that we see everyday. God, in eternity already chose all humanity, when He gave Jesus Christ to pay for our sin and to give us eternal life, now we must choose between life and death. As for me, i chose LIFE: Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Remember the words of Jesus Christ: John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

What is the Will of God for Your Life?

Knowing the will of God for us, I believe, is a matter of the "heart". What do i mean by that? Let's God Himself answer that question: Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Many preachers nowadays are saying that if you just read the Bible you'll find the will of God for you, that's all you need! I personally believe that, as much as holiness, it is a process, the more you seek Him, the more He will reveal Himself to you, the more you know Him, the more you will be "conformed" to His will. This is what Paul the apostle wrote: Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The "renewal of our mind" is a process. When we're "born again" our spirit becomes ready, but then the process called "holiness" starts. Our "mind", "feelings" and our "will" need to the changed (renewed). In the process God will start to "reveal" His will for us, the "holier" we get, the more we will know His will. Now, pay attention to what the word "holy" means: It mean to be "set apart for God". Of course the more we walk with Him, the more we will change, the more we will abandon the "works of the flesh", as Paul mention in Galatians 5, to the point that we will achieve the goal of Christianity, that is: Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. See some examples of people who walked with God:
Abraham, Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless;
Enoch, Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Noah, Genesis 6:9 "a just man, perfect in his generations, who walked with God."

I know that there is a lot of controversy in the church about this subject, but you will only know the "truth" when you "walk" with Jesus Christ. Here are some Bible verses that talk about the will of God: 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; 1 Peter 2:15; 1 Peter 3:16-18. If you want to know God's will for your life, you must start reading the Bible. In the Bible we will find what we need to live the life God planned for us to live, but, even if some scholars disagree, I believe there's also a specific calling (ministry, work, etc.) God planned for us to do. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Don't try to be "holy" by doing something, just walk with Jesus and He will "sanctify" you. I'm not writing this post to try to convince you to do what i want, but i want you to "prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" for you, because i've been "proving" His will for my life and i can tell you that there's nothing better than that. Here one post that shows you what i am talking about: "Personal Testimony: Fasting".