Crisis Intercessors

Crisis Intercessors*

'Paramedics of Prayer'

Crisis Intercessors are 'in touch' with urgent needs and are on line with God at all times. Crisis Intercessors are the 'paramedics of prayer', rushing in and out of the throne room with urgent requests for the Father on behalf of others. When this gifting is combined with a spiritual warfare anointing, crisis intercessors are the watchmen who intercept and do battle with trespassers in the war between kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness.

Crisis intercession is not only for leaders, but also for healings, finances, family, nations or any other pending issue on the Father's heart. Although crisis intercessors are usually called upon to pray for problems occurring in the 'now', there are times when God will give them an intercessory burden today, to ward off tomorrow's trouble.

Our heavenly Father not only knows trouble's timing, but He also when where and when to position crisis intercessors at just the right time, to enable them to partner in prayer for the situation. Often these intercessors don't know why they are feeling called to prayer - only that they have a strong sense that they are 'in place'. Details often come to them, as they respond to the urgency to pray and begin to cry out. The key is stay prayerfully close to God. God can streamline our steps to get us to appointed places of intercession, even when we can't understand why we are there. Even mature crisis intercessors tho, can fail to recognize God's signals and obey them at these times. There are many times when God is wanting to prepare the spiritual ground for protection long before an incident or need has occurred, by aligning the prayers of crisis intercessors. One of the hardest things for a crisis intercessor tho, is we do not always know 'who' we are praying for – we only know we've heard the 'alarm' – PRAY!

Crisis Intercession coupled with warfare can bring down walls or break assignments, in one swift instant! But like King David, we need to learn that being the man of the hour in crisis intercession is not something to base your future on. Remember he was given a prayer strategy of crisis intercession when he cuts of the arrogant head of Goliath? Yes, his heroism made him a target of jealousy. David spends years after that moving from crisis to crisis, which built his character and taught him how to identify with the hurting and rejected people. Though he was a man who knew how to fight, he also became a man of mercy and worship!

Crisis intercessors have a similar DNA – they have a desire to bring healing tho those who are hurting. The key is to lean first upon God for strength and strategies. ( Ps. 60:11, 108:12) When our hearts are fully knit to God's, He will generally bring along trustworthy friends, who can confirm His messages and strategies during crisis intercession. Only when we are in right relationship with God and others, can we be sure we are exactly where we belong and are hearing correctly from God.

Are you A Crisis intercessor?
-Are you commonly awakened with an urgent need to pray about a person, place or problem?
-In your regular times of prayer, are you often struck with a sense of pending emergency?
-Do you thrive in times of crisis, when others are sinking?
-Is your daily routine often interrupted with a call to pray about a face, a name that has come to mind, or situation you've witnessed?
-Do you find you have no rest in prayer until the crisis is over and you've got the assurance you're assignment is completed?

Pitfalls of Crisis Intercessors:
Believing you are in the right place for the right reason is often a challenge for crisis intercessors. It's common to second -guess yourself, wondering if it's just your imagination compelling you to go and do or say something, or whether it is really the Lord. ..Let's explore some other pitfall that can present challenges to a crisis intercessors:

-Feeling guilty for not responding when the opportunity to intercede is neglected
-Looking for a crisis in every situation
-Neglecting to use wisdom in corporate intercession and instead interrupting with any idea or impression rather than a true crisis.
-Running on adrenaline form crisis to crisis instead of being faith focused
-Getting a drug-like high from the crisis'
-Procrastinating or putting oneself in dangerous situations or time crunches, and then crashing at the end.
-Moving from crisis prayer to crisis prayer without spending time in a loving, intimate relationship with the Lord
-Refusing to release the situation because you don't see, hear and feel the results, EVEN THO the Holy Spirit has given you the inner witness to do so
-Carrying guilt for life and death situations that are not manifested in victory
-Basking in the past and so you end up missing the present
-Falling prey to the enemy's ' if onlys' and accusations for not praying long enough or hard enough
-Accepting judgement from others when you've already prayed it through, receive the peace of God and cannot muster up another prayer
-Taking on the burden personally

One challenge for Crisis intercessors is to conqueror our 'fear of man' in order to hear and obey the strategies of the Lord. Remember that crisis intercession flows out of an intimate love relationship with God, rather than from a service mentality. Allow humility to become your defense, by recognize your complete dependence on God, and make sure your motives have been submitted to the Father before you intervene in a crisis. Don't step outside of the boundaries God has set for you, and give yourself permission to make mistakes! Everyone makes them – none of us is perfect! If you need to grieve over the mistakes, do it, but set a time limit on the grieving. Always remember that the glory belongs to the Lord and not about 'us' and our prayers .

*taken from the the book 'Intercessors' by Tommi Femrite, E. Alves, K. Kaufman

Financial Intercessors

Financial Intercessors *
Faith for Funding

I will be spending a bit more time on Financial Intercessors, simply because of the current economic climate! This is a season, where the world is fretting about provision and finances...and I believe that God is going to use this time, to show His provision! It will be during this season, I believe that more and more financial intercessors are going to be raised up released into different assignments that need heaven's funding, both on personal levels and business levels.

Many of us know the name of “George Muller” - his autobiography is inspiring for Financial Intercessors. George become one of God's greatest financial intercessors. God redeemed his earlier penchant towards money ( through conning people and stealing). His purification toward money resulted in financial power and throughout his lifetime he refused to ask or even tell another human being about the material needs of the many orphanages and schools he founded . Yet, every need was met through prayer!

For some the term 'financial intercessor' conjures up wrong picture. Now a days we are hearing the term, “Market Place” ministry and 'Market Place' intercessors are being raised up and released to work along side kingdom businesses and business people. These intercessors have been anointed by God to line up under heaven's financial corridors to summon funds on behalf of others. The anointing to believe for large sums of money is not to be confused wit the gift of giving – which does require resources. The amount of money financial intercessors have is irrelevant: these people are rich in faith for financial miracles for others! God will, however, use the prayers of financial intercessors to move on the heart of others who do have the gift of giving. At times the heavenly Father will even anoint them to pray in ideas that will promote prosperity, for those they pray for in the market place. God also partners with Financial intercessors to protect the finances of others!

God's word tells us that Satan seeks to 'steal, and kill and destroy ( Jn.10:10), the body, soul and spirit of each of us. One way he seeks to extinguish us is by imploding our individual and corporate financial structures so that we will not be able to underwrite the ministries that need our help. If Satan cannot succeed in victimizing our businesses, he then attempts to infect our minds with a lust for materialism or afflict our bodies so that our finances are funneled in preserving our physical frames,rather than building up Christ's Body. The church has lost sight of how our business people need to be covered in prayer . This is why God has raised up financial intercessors.

Financial intercessors can commonly see the blockage preventing financial breakthrough. For example, a couple of years ago I did an experiment: I matched up intercessors with business people, for a 3 month time period. I asked the business people to send me thru their kingdom vision for their business and also what their 3 biggest blockages or problems they were currently facing. The intercessors were never given the 'name' of the business, simply the first name of the business person and the vision etc. They were released to pray...and I was the co-coordinator of information between the two group. Within weeks, those business people who were 'using' their financial intercessors and sending thru more information, both of breakthroughs and warfare, began to see a shift in the blockages. One very prominent business man from the U.S., had a breakthrough with some banking finances that he'd been 'hitting a wall' on , for over three years! Partnering financial intercessors with business people is just one way that financial intercessors can be used to release heaven's blessings! God longs to give us the wealth of nations, to promote His kingdom on the Earth!

Sometimes God will raise up financial intercessors to give them supernatural ideas. The Kraft Foods company began with the desire to perpetuate the gospel. Chocolate lovers are aware that Hershy started with a desire to sweeten the lives of abused and orphaned children. Welches developed a grape juice that is used in Communion services globally. Its Christian roots sprouted from a desire to send missionaries overseas. Sam Tam, author of the book “ God Owns My Business” become one of the only people in the world to legally deed a $40 million business over to God! Weathly businessman R.G. LeTourneau said, “ It's not how much of my money that I give to God that counts. It's how much of His money that I keep for myself.” Financial Intercessors recognize it all belongs to Father God. Those whose motives have been purified have no problem asking the Lord to finance heaven's plans upon earth.

When Financial Intercessors Meet Corporately:

Tommi Femrite gives the example that after teaching on the various prayer annointings one day, she gathered those in the meeting to come forward. She called all the financial intercessor to the front, to ask the Father how much HE wanted to provide in the offering that day. The other intercessors were to pray for the financial intercessors to hear clearly and have faith to believe for that amount. She then asked the financial intercessors to set their faith in agreement with the Lord for that sum. Next, they were to pray that the other intercessors would hear the amount they were to give and be obedient to the voice of the Lord. They then all prayed that the gift of financial giving would be released. The buckets were passed and they broke for lunch. During the break the offering was counted. After lunch she called the financial intercessors together to share what amounts they were believing for. Their answers ranged from 7,00- 50,000 Swiss franks. One intercessor insisted, “ Whatever the highest amount is, double it because God always wants to do more than we expect.” ( can you hear the faith of a financial intercessor!!?) When the offering was counted, the total was ( now remember the highest amount given)......$105,000 .00 Swiss franks!

Are you a Financial Intercessor?

-Do you have bold faith to believe God for large sums of money?
Do you carry a burden for the financial needs of others?
-Do you get excited about seeing individuals, groups or organizations prosper?
-Does God ever give you dreams or visions that would further His kingdom?
-Has He ever used you to network others for financial prosperity?

Pitfalls of Financial Intercessors
Faith is a key to financial intercession, however a financial intercessor should not think that he/she must engineer a place for harvesting the amount of money needed. Also...be care of getting yourself into debt because God did not release the funds you'd hoped He'd supply. Here's some other pitfalls:

-Thinking that you have to be rich to believe for great amounts of money for others.
-Condemning and doubting self while taking on responsibility and pain for meeting the debt, when only God can supply the need.
-Attempting to manipulate God through works when He does not deliver in accordance with your timing.
-Refusing to allow God to purify the motives of the recipient before funds are released.
-Sharing with doubters who water down your faith.
-Encouraging others to make pledges based on emotion rather than the basis of what God has dictated.
-Freezing with fear when the Lord calls you to become a channel for an amount of money or an idea that is bigger than you ever thought you could believe for.

Remember, God's financial intercessors are called to be rich in faith for the funding of the dreams of others! In being obedient to that call, they often realize the fulfillment of their own dreams. Why not cast your prayers for someone else's funds upon the water and see what comes back?!

* from the book ' Intercessors' by T. Ferrite, E.Alves, K. Kaufman.

Soul Intercessors

Soul Intercessors *
“God's Midwives”

These are intercessors who carry almost a deep anguish for souls to be birthed into the Kingdom. They prayerfully stand in the gap between the two kingdoms: light and dark! They are very aware of those who are lost, and their deepest passion to pray prayers that will direct them to the Kingdom of light! Soul intercessors can often be in prayerful travail for those that they are believing to experience a spiritual birth .

Those called to be soul intercessors need to be especially aware of 'timing' - like the kind found in Ecclesiastes 3. While interceding for the lost, you cannot 'force' a birth, nor can you wait too long ! In the natural there are consequences of this lack of timing and the same is true of spiritual consequences. Remember Ecclesiastes 3 says there is ' a time to be born'. It's important for soul intercessors to know the timing of God in their intercession as they pray and perhaps witness to those God is calling them to pray for.

Soul intercessors have a big grasp on the horrors of hell, and so they cry out on behalf of those who will spend eternity there. These intercessors can be used to pray the worst enemies of society into the Kingdom of God because they have such a grasp on the torment that await the unsaved. If you are a soul intercessor the picture or 'sense' you have of hell, truly motivates you to pray for the lost at any cost.

Also, soul intercessors have a sense of 'lost souls' that is far more encompassing that the average person. You can be one who has a heart for the lost on the overseas mission field, but at the same time, you can be aware of those in your own neighborhood, city, place of work or school . They are aware that the 'lost' are not just the poor, but can be the financially wealthy. A soul intercessor has an awareness that the 'lost' are all those who have no connection with the Heavenly Father or His family – regardless of geographical location, financial or educational status!

Soul intercessors are the ones who need to be up front when an altar call is given. They are the ones who want to ensure that those that come to the Lord are given the Word ( right away) as well as warm loving arms! Part of the 'birthing experience' ( for soul intercessors) is also to make sure that new babes are passed on to loving shepherds.

Are you A Soul Intercessor?

-Do you have a burden to pray for the lost on a regular basis?
-When you're with a stranger, do you find yourself wanting to know if the person is saved? Are you burdened to pray until he or she is?
-Do you long to see more altar calls in your local church?And so you want to be up there praying with those that come forward?
-Are the lost drawn to you?
-Are scriptures for the lost easy for you to remember?

Pitfalls of Soul Intercessors:

Birthing is an arduous and fatiguing process – not one for the one being birthed, but also for those standing alongside as the 'midwife'. As you can see God's midwives are called to an extraordinary measure of persistence, but the fruit of their efforts will last throughout eternity. Here's some of the pitfalls the soul intercessor can face:

*feelings of futility over the number of lost still be saved
*being discouraged form not hearing praise reports
*judging rather than identifying with those that are in sin
*experiencing apathy caused by inabliity to understand the horrors of hell
*falling prey to condemnation for taking on the personal responsibility of another's right to choose
*being bored from repeatedly speaking to the same verse but to no avail ( no fruit)
*becoming fatigued from praying for days, months and years without results
*lacking follow-through in prayer when a soul has been birthed.

Remember, our responsibility as a Soul Intercessor is not to change others; it is to pray that their circumstances will be aligned so that they will have the opportunity to choose. When we enter into praying for souls, we enter into the ministry of Christ – reconciling the lost to the Father. The reality is tho, not everyone will receive the gift of salvation and you need to be prepared for that truth – however painful it is! BUT...there will be those that do....and that hope and joy, is what keeps a Soul Interessor fueled!

* from the book “Intercessors' by T.Femrite, E.Alves, K.Kaufman – for a more indepth teaching on Intercessors, please pick up this book from your local bookstore, or if it's out of print, order from Amazon.com

Worship Intercessor

Worship Intercessors
'Sacred Romancers'

Though we're all called to worship, worship intercessors are those who are tuned in to heaven's audio chambers. When their hearts ae rightly aligned, their spiritual antenna's hear heaven's rhythm pumping out of the throne room on behalf of God's people. Worship may sound to these intercessors as the adulation of praise, the tearful song of mercy's identification, victorious shouts, the drumbeat of warfare, the clapping of honor to the King of Kings or even the waltz of sacred romance.

Some worship intercessors will respond with musical instrument, others with songs. ( ps. 33:1-3) some with dancing, others with clapping ( see Ps.150:4, 47:1) some with bowing, others with raised hands ( Ps.95:6 141:2)

This intercessor's prayers often flow with singing, that can melt a hardened heart ( if in a group or singing over a person), this kind of singing can heal heart and set captives free.
-My friend Diane often operates in this! She often begins to pour out her heart in prayers that flow into powerful songs of deliverance, or sweet songs of God's love for the person she's praying for! She will often get 'songs' during our prayer times and will 'sing out' rather than 'pray out'!

Worship Intercessors release the cannons of faith against the walls of resistance. They carry spiritual artillery for breakthrough. The bible is full of stories that tell us of worship that went on before great battles or breakthrough – Paul and Silas in prison for one -King David – Jehoshaphat – and more!

In all these situations, three common threads intertwine to form a cord for hauling in the breakthrough: sacrifice – sanctification and surrender. Worship Intercession that ushers in God's presence must have all three, and cultivating those character traits takes time. Remember, spiritual Growth is a process.

Pitfalls of Worship Intercessors

-fearing the response of others more than God's call to responding
-refusing to move out in your gift because of fear of comparison
-succumbing to rejection when the worship is not honored as a form of intercession
-believing that only those with a perfect pitch are anointed
-Lacking discernment in timing
-trying to set the stage with words, rather than moving out into the gift
-being unteachable and overstepping the boundaries of others
-thinking that song is only way to pray and losing the balance: prayer and song
-using the gift to be recognized for your singing

Are you a Worship Intercessor?

-Do you often sing your prayers or use a musical instrument to commune with the Lord?
-Do you give either all or just a few bars of a song, in response to prayerfully?
-Does praising the Lord occupy must of your prayer time?
-Does God give youa song to sing over person, situation, or land?
-Do you often wake up with a song on your heart?
-When the group is asked is anyone has a song, can you usually say 'yes'?

Worship intercessors should guard their heart to ensure that the your desire to worship do not overshadow His presence – in other words, don't put the gift before the Giver. Be faithful to how God is using YOU to pray

Mercy Intercessors: God's stethoscopes!


Mercy Intercessor's are amazing. They are just as able to weep for their enemies as they are for their friends, because they have a Cross centered view of all God's creation. They see the need for forgiveness rather than judgement and they are often chided or corrected for ministering to the 'wrong people'. Mercy intercessors often identify with the hurts of both those who have been beaten and those who have done the beating.

Mercy intercessors make the choice to identify with the hurts and needs of others. They will often surrender they own needs in prayer to cry out on behalf of the hurting. They are the ones who are most often seen weeping – and men who are mercy intercessors often struggle with their inability to restrain their tears!
Mercy Intercessors are usually the first to sign up to go on hospital visitation programs, because they can't stand to think of people lonely, or suffering, without wanting to cry out for their healing.

Let me say this about tears: When you let tears flow, you are releasing something on three levels: spiritual, emotional and physical.
tears unleash the heart of God – they show our spiritual dependence upon the heavenly Father. They are an outward sign of our inward brokenness and need for Him. ( Ps. 34:18, 51:7,8)
tears unleash a spirit of identification. They demonstrate a heart that is connected with others. Rom 12:15 gives us the key to friendships “ rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those who weep'...Jesus tears representing His identity with the hurts of people
tears unleash physical acts of healing: the medical profession states that there is a physical change in our bodies when we cry – causing healing hormones to be released and some of the physical stress that is trapped within is able to be alleviated.

Pitfalls of Mercy Intercessors:
While identifying with a person can be a strength, it can also become an hindrance. Don't get so deep into identifying with the pain of others, that the burden takes you out personally and spiritually. Here are some other pitfalls to watch out for:

-Rescuing: wanting so desperately to save others from pain, that you prevent God's hand of corrective discipline form accomplishing His purposes.
-you can feel judged, mocked or quenched by others who feel uncomfortable with tears.
-You refuse to deliver a 'hard word' b/c it might hurt some one's feelings
-you get involved where God has not called you to go
-you grieve to the point of giving up your lives in despair rather than laying down your lives in prayer, to plant seeds of hope and change
-feeling lonely, unappreciated and hurt when others don't hear a call to meet the needs of others
identifying to the point of depression
-refusing to let go when God's season for helping someone is over.

Are you a Mercy Intercessor?
Do you grieve over issues you know are breaking God's heart?
Do you struggle with or judge others who don't seem sensitive to the pain going on in the hearts of others?
Are you accused of being sensitive to the wrong people?
Do people find it easy to share their hurts with you?
When people share their pain with you, do you have difficulty letting it go?

Remember: mercy intercessors need to hope in God...not in people! Don't be despart for answer; rather surrender to God's wisdom for the the people and the situation. Surrender your right to control the outcome of another person's choice – even if you want them to chose the RIGHT way! Refuse to judge the motives of others and don't take it personally if not everyone sees the needs you do.

List Intercessors

*much of this comes from the book " Intercessors" by T. Femrite - E.Alves- K.Kaufman
List Intercessors

When someone calls you for prayer, is your automatic response, to find a piece of paper to right down their prayer request and any other details around it? Then you are probably a 'list intercessor.' Do you have little pieces of paper with prayer requests kicking around your house, on your desk or in your Bible? Do you have lists of prayer requests on your fridge or tucked safely in your bible or journal? Then you are probably a list intercessor ! Remember tho: not all lists are prayed the same way!

Some jot their prayers down on paper, others use pocket tape recorders or MP3 devices. Others may make prayer walls, prayer lists or use a prayer journal – where they not only write down the requests, but go back and write in when the answers come. Some list pray-ers use pictures to remember to pray , and/or list the needs under each picture. Others simply have a bulletin board with pictures, notes or verses, that remind them during throughout the day to take a prayer stand for those God has assigned them. Other's use maps – maps of their neighbour hood or their city. Some people use the telephone books, and pray through a column a day! Others will comb through newspapers. Not all list intercessors will gather their sources the same way. See, not all lists are the same, nor are they prayed the same way.

Not only will list intercessors gather their sources and information differently, they may also sort that information in unique ways. Some divide their lists by topics: salvations, healing, finances, families, individuals. Some will assign one day to each topic. Others hold their lists before the Lord and ask for direction as to who or what to pray into for that day. Others still may pray scriptures over those the Lord has assigned them.

List intercessors are awesome! ( Aren't they all!?) They are known for their dependability and perseverance. They strengthen those they pray for with their loyalty and unwavering love and of course, their dependability. These prayer people are tenacious and consistent in their prayer support.

If you have a list intercessor praying for you, they will often know your schedule better than you know it. If you're on their list and they've said they are going to be praying for you, you know you will be getting prayer. Some list intercessors are so organized that they will pray for people every day at a particular time. A list pray-er will pray about any subject you give them , but they prefer having a list to follow. They find freedom in structure – it frees them up, once prayer needs are organized, to think about other things.

List pray-ers need to watch out that they don't fall into the trap of thinking only regimented prayer can be effective. It is important that tho you have a list to go through, that you also be willing to linger over any particular prayer request until you feel that it's done. List pray-ers tend to be more effective because of their particular style, when they are praying independently. Those who are created with a need for diversity can find list praying ( especially praying over someone else's list), inhibiting, confining and yes...boring. Also...list pray-ers can feel obligated to take on prayer assignments that are given to the 'on the run' – people who just stop in the moment and ask them for pray. They can learn to pray 'in the moment' .

“ Many Christians have erroneously decided that because they don't pray lists, they are not intercessors.” from Chp. 2 of “ Intercessors” This of course, is simply not true! Those who pray, need to know their prayer style in order to be effective and also to be encouraged!

Right now, in the Body of Christ, I am seeing a shift happening. Where we have spent a lot of time learning how to hear from God on an individual basis, and we've learned how to pray in our prayer closets – it is time to learn again, how to pray corporately. So..despite all the different styles we are learning about, we also need to know how to make those styles work in a corporate prayer meeting!

Here's some things to look for to tell if you are a 'list pray-er' and also pitfalls to be aware of, if you are! Remember, every strength also has a weakness – so be aware of yours!

Pitfalls:

*Burnout! What for it! We can get so many people on our lists, that we are not able to properly pray the way we want to. We can also have such long lists that we start to feel guilty about not being able to pray for them all. The key here is to know how long your assignment is and be able/willing to hear God say your assignment is done.
*Becoming judgmental towards others who either deviate in a meeting, from your list or a list.
*Believing there is no other way to pray, and in doing so can find it hard to fit in to a corporate prayer meeting.
*Lack of compassion when praying over a list complied by another person.
*Allow the lists to become more important than what is on the Father's heart at the moment – again important in corporate prayer meetings.
*Being determined to pray thru the entire list each time you pray.
*Experiencing condemnation when you don't pray the entire list.
*Letting the list become so long that futility causes you to give up prayer.
*Becoming overwhelmed and frustrated when your lists grow without seeing answers to prior requests
*Lacking boundaries to say 'no' to those whom has not asked you to put on your list ( assignment)

Remember, God is more interested in your heart attitude than in your performance in prayer.

Are you a List Intercessor?

*Do you find freedom in structure?
*Would regimented prayer inhibit you or release you?
*Have you recorded the dates of prayer requests?
*Do you pray over the same people consistently?
*When called to pray for someone, do you start by making a list?

Remember: to honor your relationship with God and others on your lists. It's really important to let the love of God shape your prayers for His people! Set priorities for your times of prayer, and be disciplined. Record what you receive in prayer – including dates and details. Be open and flexible to God's call to add or delete the people, places or issues that are on your list. Understand too, that not everyone is committed to, or finds life in lists – even yours!

Biblical example of a list pray-er? Ezra ! Book of Ezra he lists all those who returned to Jerusalem, the heads of clans, those involved in mixed marraiges. Basically God used him to spur a great revival! He's know as 'Ezra the scribe'. He's believe to be the author of most of 1 and 2 Chronicles, and this noble man of God records lists in all of his writings!

Issue Intercessors

*These intercession-types can be found in more detail in a book by 'Tommi Femrite-Elizabeth Alves - Karen Kaufman' called " Intercessors"

Issue Intercessors

Those who pray over issues will find that the Holy Spirit imprints an assignment on their souls/spirits. Sometimes issues flow out of their own hurts; other times the Lord simply drops a burden, like a seed, into the heart's soil and then pours out prayers to water it.

An 'issue' of intercession can be a lifetime assignment. Some intercessors who get burdens to pray for certain issues, will become involved in ministering to the very people involved in those issues: eg. Sex-trade workers, homosexuals, run-aways, pornography, violence against women . Othertimes, an issue of intercession can last just a season. The key is to be able to hear the Lord when we are to carry on, or when we are done and can release the burden.

Issue intercessors are those who stand against injustices. Their gift mix ( or as it can also be known, ' prayer-power mix) is often combined with mercy or warfare, to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. Only when LOVE is the driving force behind an issue intercessor is there enough passion to finish the assignment. Also..coming from a motivation of 'love' will help an issue intercessor from falling into cynicism, judgment or criticalness.

All issues eventually effect the family, and whatever affects the family will ultimately affect the nation and vice versa. Issue intercessors, therefore, will often prayerfully ban together to fight for changes in the laws that govern the nation .

Whether the issue is children, widows, singles, blended families, abortion, pornography, eduction, political concerns, gang violence, prostitution, or something else – the key to prayer for issues is to align with those who have the same focus and walk in agreement with those that are like minded. Otherwise, an issue intercessor can often themselves in prayer meetings whose goal is something different, and they become frustrated that no one is seeing the bigger picture OR they begin to feel isolated and out of 'sync' with the other prayer people around them.

One of the keys for an issue intercessor besides finding others who share the same burden, is to learn to adapt their gift of being seeing the bigger picture ( or the issue) in any prayer meeting, and being able to pray in that vein. How does the burden they carry, fit into the context of praying for their church, or city?

Pitfalls of Issue Intercessors:

-Focusing on the positive side of our prayer burden is only one way to discover your anointing. Have you noticed that our positive attributes also have a negative side? That is true of intercessors as well. The very strengths that can cause us to ride the wave of victory, can also be used to plunge us into discouragement and other problems. Align with the wrong people: those that have lost the love and redemption aspect of their prayer assignment and have fallen into negativism and criticalness – is just one of things we need to be aware of.

-Becoming frustrated or angry with others who do not share the burden over the same issues.
-Thinking our issue is the only important issue.
-Wearing the issue has a 'red badge of courage' that can lead to or turn into pride.
-Allowing the issue to become so consuming that the Lord begins to take second place.
-Wanting to rescue based on soulish love rather than a call of God.
-Exceeding the boundaries God has set for helping.
-Becoming so filled with gravity surrounding an issue that your spirit becomes dry and parched.
-Succumbing to guilt and confusion when the issues outweigh the number of laborers.
-Isolating from, rather than aligning with others who have the same call/issue to pray for.
-Praying for the praise of people rather than the praise of God – the one who assigned the issue in the first place.
-Losing your identity as first a son/daughter of God – and getting identity from the issue.

Are You an Issues Intercessor?
-Do injustices against others cause you to want to pray?
-Do you see people crying out in hopelessness and despair, when others don't?
-Are you a defender of any or all of the little children of the world?
-Can you think of something that makes you want to pound the table and weep?
-Can you think of something worth prayerfully fighting for, that flows out of your own, or someone else's hurtful experience? ( eg. Rape, violence, hunger, prejudice etc.)
-Has God provided you keys to open doors, into tightly locked hearts? If so, do you realize that you may be called to pray for those people?
-Do you find yourself hearing or watching things on the news ( or in the newspaper) that sends you into prayer?

Choose to spend time at Jesus' feet, speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. Ask Him to fill you with love as you pray. Remember, that everything about God is 'redemption' – so even those who are a part of the problem, God may require of you to also pray for. Keep 'love' always in your heart as you pray...and He will fill your mouth with the prayers that move mountains: Ps.81:10 “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.”