PRINCIPLES OF INTERCESSION & SPIRITUAL WARFARE
By Candy Nuno
Definitions:
PRINCIPLE: 1. A guiding sense of requirements and obligations of right conduct 2. A basic law, axiom or doctrine
INTERCESSION: 1. The act or an instance of interceding 2. A prayer to God on behalf of another or others
SPIRITUAL WARFARE: 1. Of, relating to, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material – in the waging of war against, to destroy, or undermine the strength of an enemy.
Principles Scriptural References
1. Humbling Ourselves Humility:(unpretentious, unassuming, unpresuming, submissive, meek, respectful.)
James 4: 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore {it} says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”James 4: 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
2 Chr 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Phil 2:5-9Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, {and} being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.
1 Pet 5:5-11 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in {your} faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen {and} establish you. To Him {be} dominion forever and ever. Amen.
2. Cleansing Our Hearts and Developing Fear of the Lord
Cleanse: purify, remove defilement, unadulterated, unmixed, sterile, become inoffensive, become blameless, virtuous.Fear: Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power
Ps 51:10-11 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
I Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.John 9:31 “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him.
Ps 19:9-11 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Thy servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Isa 66:1-2 Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? “For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.
Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Eccl 12:13-14 The conclusion, when all has been heard, {is:} fear God and keep His commandments, because this {applies to} every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
Prov 2:1-5 My son, if you will receive my sayings, and treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God.
Prov 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverted mouth, I hate.
Prov 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, and refreshment to your bones.
3. Relying on the Holy Spirit
Rely: depend on, count on, have confidence in, trust in.
Acts 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
1 Cor 2:9-10 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and {which} have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed {them} through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Rom 8:26-27 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for {us} with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to {the will of} God.
4. The Heart of God is Praying with Love and Compassion
Love: Affection, friendship, devotion, regard, passion, sympathy, concern, care, sisterhood, brotherhood, appreciation
Compassion: Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.
Isa 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
Matt 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Heb 13:3 Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
Mark 6:34 And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
Ezek 11:19-20 “And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
5. Pitfalls of Intercession
Pitfall: trap, ambush, snare, danger, quagmire, dead fall, booby trap, land mine, toils, quicksand, stumbling block, hurdle
IGNORANCE: Many Christians are ignorant of the spiritual warfare they face. The danger of ignorance of the spirit world can lead to foolishness.
FEAR: One cannot be inwardly fearful of engaging the enemy. Satan loves sin, fear, and attention. Do not give him any of the three. Do not fear the power of the enemy. God is greater! Know who you are in Christ Jesus and know the Word of God.
UNDERESTIMATING THE ENEMY: The Bible says do not be ignorant of satan’s devices. He comes as an angel of light to deceive. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He binds the minds of men, etc. Be on guard, watchful and full of wisdom and light.
SPIRITUAL ARROGANCE: If we go into spiritual warfare and expect to have God’s power without humility on our part we are in trouble. The minute we begin to think we are doing it ourselves we become vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. We must stay in unbroken, intimate fellowship with the Lord and in His Word and relying on the Holy Spirit. Do not let go of your dependency on the Lord.
LACK OF PERSONAL INTERCESSION: Intercession, personal or otherwise, is one of your most utilized source of spiritual power and certainly the power of the Holy Spirit. Have definite assurance of being covered with intercessory prayer from others and by yourself for yourself.
UNGUIDED PRAYER: If you confine your intercession to your own understanding you may not only miss God’s intent, but may hinder His plan. Wait on God until he confirms His will to you. Listen to God in prayer.
POOR TIMING: When you get the revelation of God for prayer wait for His timing to pray it. Sometimes you will pray it within minutes, but may have to wait for hours, or even days or weeks before you are to pray. Hold His wisdom and guard it until he says to pray it.
GOSSIP: Biblically, a “gossip” is someone who reveals secrets and is compared to being a murderer. It is of utmost importance that when we are involved in an intercessory group that we steer away from discussing matters pertaining to personal issues. We can pray broad blessings over people but do not want to move into sensitive areas that might have the potential to turn our time of prayer into a time of gossip.
SCRIPTURES ON PRAYER
James 5:13-16 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Samuel 1:27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.
Matthew 5:44 .’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Mark 11:24-25 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Matthew 6:6-9 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: `Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ‘ For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN JESUS’ MINISTRY
In studying spiritual warfare the Christian’s positional security is to always remember to focus on Christ first, asking the question how is the Lord glorified in each and every situation. Just as people working in banks are taught to spot counterfeit bills by studying the real ones, we too are to keep our primary focus on the Lord and God’s Word and not get sidetracked into any sort of “demon chasing.” Jesus’ ministry however did include exorcisms or deliverances. More healings of Jesus are related to satanic influence than any other single factor. The Gospels are full of his actual conflict with satan, which reached its climax on the cross. A famous New Testament scholar, George Eldon Ladd summarizes the essence of Jesus’ ministry by saying, “God’s kingdom in Jesus’ teaching has a twofold manifestation: at the end of the age to destroy satan, and in Jesus’ mission to bind satan.” The apostle John characterized Jesus’ ministry the same way in 1 John 3:8 “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus talked about, thought about, taught about and personally confronted the devil and the demons under His command regularly. To ignore or underestimate a wicked and aggressive enemy is foolishness. Some world leaders thought the best thing would be to appease Adolf Hitler when he first began his expansive European conquests, and by doing so they helped kindle World War II. It is not farfetched to understand Jesus’ coming to earth as analogous to a military invasion. He came with the kingdom of God, and He preached the gospel of the kingdom. Who was on the defensive? Satan, the ruler of this world. None of us should in any way forget that the ultimate owner of the whole world is God. Satan never has been, nor ever will be, the owner of planet Earth. His kingdom consists in the control he possesses over people who inhabit the earth, and he maintains that control by securing their allegiance through various means known as “the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11) Likewise, the kingdom of God that Jesus brought is not a land that has territorial boundaries, but rather the reign of Jesus Christ over human beings. Wherever people declare their allegiance to Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God is in their midst. The battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of satan is essentially a battle for people and for their allegiance. Before Jesus came, virtually every person on the face of the earth had pledged allegiance to satan. The exception was the relatively small group of descendants of Abraham called “the people of God”, the Jewish people, but even they were not immune to serious problems with spiritual allegiance. When Jesus died on the cross, satan not only suffered his most crippling defeat, but from that time on his ultimate doom was sealed as well. No wonder satan did and continues to do everything he possibly can to prevent the spread of the kingdom of God. He lusts for people’s allegiance and their worship, but he is defeated and he is losing. Beginning from the days of Jesus until now, every significant step forward for the Christian movement has been won through spiritual warfare. The war is not over. Even though our enemies are already defeated they are not dead, not even sickly. Peter sees satan as walking around “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). The best of spiritual warriors today avoid the mistake of naively underestimating the power of the devil. Satan is no wimp. The very first time Jesus ever allowed His 12 disciples to go out to minister on their own He did two important things relating to the spiritual warfare undergirding their evangelistic mission:
- He gave them power over unclean spirits (Matt. 10:1)
- He commanded them, “And as you go, preach, saying “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers raise the dead, cast out demons.” (vv. 7,8)
When Jesus met Paul on the Damascus road, He sent him as a missionary to the nations, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God” (Acts 26:18). Because the devil gives up no one under his power without a fight, little doubt remained in Paul’s mind that he was in for a career involving heavy-duty spiritual warfare.
The task of evangelization today is the same as the day of Jesus and the apostles. Therefore, those among God’s people who are called to the front lines to take unbelievers from darkness to light will need the same spiritual equipment Jesus Himself had. Jesus said “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12).
The only way such a thing could happen would be for us to drink from the same well from which Jesus drank. The water in this well is the Holy Spirit. Jesus also said, “He who believes in Me,…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (7:38), which John explains in this way: “This He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive” (v. 39). The Holy Spirit was the source of all of Jesus’ power during His earthly ministry. We can do the same or greater things than Jesus did because we have access to the same power source. Jesus also agreed to obey the Father completely during His time on earth. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (v. 8). Jesus’ obedience was voluntary and it was temporary. It consisted of the greatest display of humility ever known – agreeing to totally suspend the use (not the possession) of His divine attributes so that the only nature Jesus was using on earth was His human nature. That is why Jesus is called the “second Adam” (see 1 Cor. 15:45-47). Both Jesus and Adam were under a covenant of obedience to the Father. Neither one had been contaminated by original sin. And both were tempted by the devil in the same way – invited to break their covenant of obedience. Adam’s temptation was to eat the forbidden fruit, which he did. Jesus’ temptation was to violate His agreement of obedience by using His divine nature. He could have taken possession of satan’s kingdoms without worshiping satan, but He didn’t. If He had, He would have disobeyed the Father. The temptation ended, Jesus’ covenant of obedience had remained intact and the devil had been defeated. Afterward all of Jesus’ ministry was done as a human being. He depended entirely on knowing the will of the Father.’The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do” (John 5:19). He depended entirely on the power of the Holy Spirit. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38). He said, “I cast out demons y the Spirit of God” (Matt. 12:28). He judged only because the Father had delegated that authority to Him (see John 5:22) We can do the same works as Jesus, as He said we would, if we, like Jesus, are entirely dependent on knowing the will of the Father and on the power of the Holy Spirit.
We will never do the works as well as Jesus because He enjoyed several advantages we don’t have. Jesus had no sin, either original sin or actual sin. Jesus had a completely unobstructed channel to the Father along with a combination of complete faith and complete obedience. The corollary is that although we may never reach the perfection of Jesus, the nearer we do approach it, the more powerful we can expect our ministry to be. Can we withstand the devil in a high-level power encounter as Jesus did? Can we cast out demons as Jesus did? Can we live holy lives and display righteousness as Jesus did? Why not? Jesus said we could. Our human nature is not the variable. The variables are our characters, our obedience, our faith and our fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit. In the context of the story where Jesus sent out the 70 to preach and minister the kingdom of God when they returned they said “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (Luke 10:17). Later in His debriefing session with the disciples, Jesus makes two significant points, one relating to priorities and one relating to authority. Regarding priorities, Jesus said, “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (v. 20).
Spiritual warfare is not to be regarded as an end in itself, but a means to the end of seeing lost souls taken from darkness to light, from the power of satan to God. Salvation is eternal, but spiritual warfare, at best, will give us only temporal results. Regarding authority Jesus said “Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19) Not only do Christians have the authority to war against these powers of darkness, but if called by God to do so, we have the responsibility to as well. If we do not pray against our spiritual enemies, they will, indeed, prey upon us. Perhaps the most outright indication that Jesus gives us power over all the manifestations of the enemy is the permission to use His name. Jesus said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). More specifically applying it to spiritual warfare: “In My name they will cast out demons” (Mark 16:17). When we enter into battle, we do so in the name of the Son of God. Our authority is awesome if we use it with the wisdom God gives to guide us. Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth to displace the long standing kingdom of satan. He ministered through a human nature like ours under the authority of God the Father.
When he left, He transferred the authority to His disciples, and through His disciples to us. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:18-19). Satan has from day one regarded that statement – the Great Commission – as a declaration of war. For that reason, Jesus said the kingdom of God comes with violence, “and the violent take it by force.” (11:12). One of the important ways we need to use this power if the kingdom of God is to advance in our church, our communities, in the nation and over the entire earth is to overcome or bind the strongman.