Be real when you pray.  Let the real you show up to meet God.

Not the “you” you think people expect you to be.  Pray that God’s will for you becomes your desire.

~Cheryl Craft

Time spent with family and our church friends is necessary and beneficial.

Yet there are times we need to leave them behind and get alone with God.

What does it mean to us to be alone with God?

• To always be surrounded by others drains our strength. We have to be alone to regain consciousness of who we are and our purpose. In our aloneness we sense our weakness and dependence on God. We need time alone to maintain our Christian life and to renew our power to influence men for God.
• When we are alone with God we face spiritual realities. We withdraw from things that are seen to things that are unseen. We yield ourselves to the power of the heavenly realm and allow it to work in us. We consider the power of God: how he overcame the evil world and how we also can live free from sin in the power of God. In this time spent in God’s presence we are transformed and conformed to His likeness.
• In our time alone with God, we are refreshed in spirit. We meditate on His word taking it into our minds and spirit. We receive strength to witness to others of His goodness we have experienced after we have spent time alone with God.
• To be alone with God is a privilege. We examine ourselves and ask for his wisdom and strength. He imparts to us all that His Word means and gives guidance and direction to our lives. He works in a moment of time, but it takes us awhile to lay off cares and burdens and allow Him time to work in us as we wait on Him alone.

Our flesh is always in a hurry irritated and agitated by daily life. It takes time alone with God to lay our flesh aside and become quiet and calm before Him. We master our flesh and its tendency to rule our time, when we enter into our prayer closet and close the door.   I am reminded of this song we used to sing:

Shut in with God in a secret place.

            There in the spirit beholding His face.

            Gaining new power to run in this race.

            I love to be shut in with God.

Step out of this world and into eternity. Take time to be alone with God.

~Cheryl Craft

“Commitment is more than an action; it is a quality of mind. Jesus defined commitment when He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind” (Matthew 22:37, NAS).”

As we give ourselves wholeheartedly to our commitment, we receive strength to accomplish whatever is necessary to keep it. We see commitment in action when we turn to the Scriptures to read the story of Ruth. She pledged her allegiance, love, and devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi. If we commit to prayer as Ruth committed to Naomi, we can understand the quality of mind necessary to become a faithful person of prayer.

Naomi, her husband, and sons, journeyed to Moab to escape famine in their country of Judah. While living in Moab, her two sons met and married Ruth and Orpah, who were citizens of that land.  In the course of time, Naomi’s husband died, followed by her two sons. Hearing that the famine was over in Judah, she decided to return to her native country.  Since she had no other sons to marry the young women (which was a Hebrew custom), she gave them permission to remain in their own land and to marry men of their own country.

Responding out of their love for Naomi, both young women said they would go with her to Judah. It could be they accompanied her as far as the border. At this point, Naomi tried to persuade the young women to return to their families.  Both women said they would not return but continue with her. However, when Naomi again prevailed on them to return, Orpah kissed her good-by and departed.  One young woman, Ruth, remained with her.  What was the difference between the two women?

Both women loved her, packed their bags, and left town with Naomi. Both cried when she entreated them to leave her.  What did Ruth possess that Orpah did not?  She had commitment.  She determined that nothing but death would separate her from Naomi. Orpah had the same opportunity to go with Naomi as Ruth did, yet she chose to return.  We can only guess why Orpah decided to return home. Perhaps she saw no future in a strange land, or she was not as devoted to Naomi as it seemed. Could it be she did not love enough? To be weak in love is to be weak in faith, for love believes all things. (I Corinthians 13)  Whatever the reason, she turned back, and we do not hear of her again. Ruth, however, pledged her allegiance to Naomi. She declared her intentions with these beautiful words of commitment:

“Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; Your people will be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16, NASV).

With this statement, she declared her future.  She became a member of Naomi’s family, and the God of Israel became her God. When Naomi saw her determination, she accepted her commitment.  She no longer tried to persuade her to return.

As we examine Ruth’s commitment to Naomi and compare it with the commitment to prayer, we see that faith and love are integral parts of commitment. Ruth loved and believed in Naomi and in her God.  Faith and love are companions of commitment.  When we use our power of faith and love, we find commitment nearby.  Whatever a man loves and believes, he gives himself wholly to it.  Commitment is like glue; it holds together what we firmly believe until we receive it.  Commitment is important in all we do.  When we give ourselves to any project or relationship, commitment is present to help us carry it through to completion, even in difficult times.

Ruth’s declaration of love to Naomi was a continuation of the commitment she made when she married into the family. She embraced their culture as well as their God.

By so doing, she set a course from which she never turned back.  We do not know details of the first years of her married life, but perhaps her family and friends ridiculed her for marrying into a foreign family and accepting their God. Her love for her new family grew as the years passed. With courage and boldness she refused to allow Naomi to persuade her to turn aside from her love.  When we give our selves to prayer, there will be a time when our commitment is tested. We will be tempted to miss our prayer time by other activities, or friends may insist we are praying far more than necessary.  In this time of testing, our commitment holds us steadfast.

When we show our determination, life responds by helping us.  The people who saw Ruth daily gleaning in the fields to gather grain for her mother-in-law’s table, recognized her commitment.  They joined her by helping. Even Boaz, the owner of the fields, pronounced blessing upon her. He said, ”May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge” (Ruth 2:12, NASV).

Looking at Ruth’s relationship with Naomi, we see that she loved and believed in her. Commitment to Naomi followed naturally. Life was not always easy for Ruth. She gave up her people to become a citizen of a different country. Working long hours in the sun, Ruth provided food for Naomi.  She also joined her faith to the God of Israel, and accepted their covenant with God as her own. Ruth was not disappointed in all her choices, because Naomi remembered her commitment by arranging a marriage for her.

The rewards of our prayer commitment are many. When we commit to prayer, our passion encourages other to join with us in seeking God. In committing ourselves to God in prayer, we find a new authority we did not have before this time. We begin to see answered prayers, and people trust us to pray for them. Our faithful prayer has gained us access into the inner courts of heaven. Heaven recognizes our voice and responds.

Jesus had much to say about committed people.  They sell all they have to buy a field, because they know a treasure lies therein, or they sell all they have to buy a glorious pearl.  When His disciples asked Him what they would receive for leaving all to follow Him, He told them that people who committed all to Him would receive more in this life than they had given up, and eternal life in heaven. (Luke 18:29-30)

We can see the truth of this principle in the story of Ruth.  She gave all to join herself to the God of Israel.  She received more then she gave up. She had nothing but her faith and love wrapped up in the cloak of commitment.  It was enough.

Pledging our allegiance, love, and devotion to prayer, we receive the necessary quality that allows us to become faithful men and women of prayer.

To become a faithful person of prayer requires commitment.

Related Scriptures:

“There are many facets of prayer that we could speak about today: Intercessions, petitions, how to seek God, praises, worship are all aspects of prayer that are worthy of study. Today I want to talk about waiting on God in prayer.”

Psalm 68:35 Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 46:10; Psalm 23:2; Psalm 4:4

Introduction:

Before I comment on the principles learned, I would like to establish what crisis intercession is not. It is not lightly asking God to bless your friend before going to bed at night, nor is it a one minute prayer in the church service, nor is it talking about it to others with sympathetic tones. A crisis is a turning point when our prayer can make a difference. It is warfare, and you are on the front lines. Real crisis intercession allows the Holy Spirit to pray through you with groaning and tears. When you enter into this kind of prayer with all the energy of your heart, soul, and mind, you can change things in harmony with the will of God.

Important Elements of Crisis Intercession

To be effective in crisis intercession, you must love those for whom you are praying. Your faith works by your love, and as you love, you sacrifice whatever is necessary to get an answer from God. Your love holds you in continual prayer and is the bond that keeps you focused. When you pray for someone you don’t know well, pray for her as you would want her to pray for you in the same situation.

If you are asked to intercede for a special need, ask questions so you may know the exact need. Pray directly for the need by praying specifically. Don’t ask God to bless and leave it at that. After you understand the need, you may experience various strong emotions as you begin to pray. Fear may even try to overwhelm your faith as you realize the enormity of the need. But as you continue to pray, you can move from paralyzing emotions to a planned, concentrated effort to confront the crisis by the power of your prayer.

Intercession seems to fall into three stages: Determination, transition, and the waiting stage. The first is characterized by faith. This is the “I know God will answer” stage. The second is characterized by reassessment. This is “I still believe God will answer” stage, and the third is characterized by hope. This is the “I wait in hope” stage.

Determination

In the beginning stage, you are determined, strong, and full of faith. You feel a quiet confidence that God will hear your cry. In the beginning of your intercession, seek God for a promise to stand on. Choose a Bible promise that pertains to your situation, or ask God to give you a word for your situation. As you continue to pray and build your faith on this word, you will also receive direction from the Holy Spirit. Record this so you may remember the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. If you don’t see the answer to your petition after praying for while, you can use the promise and directions to renew your faith for continued prayer.

In our intercessions for the aforementioned need, we held fast to a word from God that He is a righteous judge. We also had a witness that God had called us to intercession because many of us who were praying interceded with the same burden on the same day. If you are part of a prayer team, it helps to know what others are experiencing in prayer. Usually the person who asks you to pray will keep you informed of what is happening and what others are hearing from God. It is as though each person receives a piece of a puzzle which forms a complete picture. If all the intercessors are receiving the same message that God is going to move and answer your prayer, this strengthens your faith.

It could also happen that the intercessors all hear another voice. On one particular day of prayer, several of us were told by lying spirits that our prayers were ineffective. I wrote in my prayer journal:

“Lying spirits came to me today accusing me of not knowing how to pray and that my prayers were ineffective. I wrestled with that a few minutes then came another voice which said that even with all this praying, I was getting nowhere.”

I suddenly realized what was happening and rebuked them, and they left. Immediately the Holy Spirit spoke and reaffirmed my praying. He said my prayers were effective in Heaven and accepted by Him. When I learned that others experienced the same thing, I did not feel so intimidated.

Satan will try to distract you. Learn to recognize the voice that always brings confusion and tries to distract you from your purpose. The fact that he tells you your prayer is ineffective is a good sign that you are winning some victories in the Spirit. There may even be other disruptions during this time, but keep your mind and spirit focused on the person or situation for which you are praying.

It is important to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as you pray. If a spirit of heaviness grips your heart, find a place to pray and follow that burden. When the Holy Spirit begins to intercede through you with groaning, you do not know what is happening in the Spirit, but continue to pray until it lifts. When you travail in the Spirit, you may be tearing down evil influence or removing hindrances to God’s will being done. You may not always discover what your travail has accomplished, but you can be sure that God is using your travail to remove spiritual barriers.

Transition

In the beginning stage of prayer, you may feel a great anointing. This can be interpreted as a sign that you’ve got your answer. Don’t stop here. This is the anointing you need to continue on. Don’t just pray to feel good about God’s power and presence; press on into the battle and pray until you get an answer.

After many days of prayer, you may become spiritually and emotionally drained. One morning as I began to pray, the scripture came to me, “Be not weary in well doing, you shall reap if you don’t faint.” This gave me courage to continue in prayer. Another day, I began my prayer with, “Lord, I’m so tired.” Immediately the Holy Spirit whispered, “Pray tired.” And so I did. On another occasion, He instructed me to pray with confidence and faith. I had developed a tension in my praying that grew out of anxiety. After this, I continued to pray with faith and trust in His leading.

On the 18th day of prayer I wrote in my journal:

“Encouragement came from the Lord today. I got up early to pray. I was so tired. I didn’t even know where to start to pray. I thought I had prayed it all. I went to the Word to find a beginning place for prayer. The scripture I found was, “Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Thank you Lord for a boost in the right direction.”

One important thing to remember is to keep energized. After two weeks of intercession, I recognized I needed new strength to continue. I broke up my daily prayer into two sessions. In the morning, I worshiped, read the Word, and renewed my faith. I sat quietly in God’s presence without strain or struggle as He ministered strength to me. In the evening prayer session, I continued in intercessions for the need. In this way, I found I could continue in prayer with spiritual strength.

Waiting in Hope

God will signal your spirit that you have broken through the spiritual barriers and that it is now time to wait on Him in praise and thanksgiving. Scripture reminds us that “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

After you receive this assurance, you know it is time to wait with patience for the promise. As you wait, there is a tendency to drop the prayer burden. Albeit in a different way, continue nonetheless to support the person for whom you are interceding. Take them with you into praise and worship. This will keep you focused as you wait and continue to watch for the answer. As you wait, you may become discouraged when you don’t immediately see a change in the situation, but when you remember the times the Holy Spirit prayed through you, you will be encouraged to keep believing. He does not lead you into travail unless He plans to answer. In the beginning of your intercession, faith empowers you to ask, but in the waiting time, hope empowers you to wait on God.

I hope these guidelines will help you to pray more effectively in your next time of intercession. If you desire to be an intercessor, the best preparation is to remain faithful in prayer, learning how to follow His leading in prayer. There is an element of the unknown in intercessory prayer. Your past prayer experience gives you confidence to step into this unknown. When David faced the giant, who was an unknown in his life, he remembered the times he killed the lion and the bear. Fortified with this confidence, he stepped out to meet the giant. If he had not won the lion and bear victories, he would have lacked confidence to step out onto the battlefield. This principle is also true in our prayer experience. If we remain faithful in prayer, we can have a base of past prayer victories from which to work. Be prepared in prayer, and when crisis comes, you can take up the smooth stones of prayer and slay the giant with confidence.

“Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer” (Psalm 61:1 NASB).

~Cheryl Craft