Strategic Intercession and Warfare
Do You See as God Sees?
Part 1
Do You See as God Sees?
Part 1
Isaiah 59:15-16 - Yes, truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right]; therefore His own arm brought Him victory, and His own righteousness [having the Spirit without measure] sustained Him. (AMP)
Ezekiel 22:30-31 - “And I sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore have I poured out My indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their own way have I repaid [by bringing it] upon their own heads, says the Lord God. (AMP)
The Holy Spirit has been ministering to me many Triune Truths found in His Word. The number three in Scripture represents the number of unity, accomplishment, and the universe (Willmington, 1987, p. 217). In fact, the Holy Spirit, Who is my Teacher, the Intercessor Inside of Me, and My Counselor, has instructed me to ask His Intercessors three questions leading to many Triune Truths. God is saying that every intercessor MUST continuously answer these three ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS throughout their walk with Him as His change agent of prayer, intercession, and warfare in the Earth.
1. Do you KNOW Him?
2. Do you KNOW who you are in Christ?
3. Do you KNOW your intercessory assignment?
2. Do you KNOW who you are in Christ?
3. Do you KNOW your intercessory assignment?
Therefore, one of the primary purposes of The Intercessor’s Intimate Chamber website is to assist each one of us through the process of answering and LIVING OUT the answer to these three fundamentally ESSENTIAL questions, as the Godhead breaks, molds, and recreates us more into His likeness and image. After all, we are God’s Ambassadors, and therefore, it is our responsibility to represent Him in the Earth. Our increasing KNOWLEDGE in answering these three questions is dependent upon the extent to which we SEE (perceive and understand) as God SEES (perceives and understands). Furthermore, God is saying that our FAILURE to SEE as He SEES is a ROOT CAUSE of the current INEFFECTIVE nature of much of the PRAYER and INTERCESSION in the Earth. We are called and ordained to proclaim “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”, which we can only accomplish EFFECTIVELY to the measure that we SEE (perceive and understand) as HEAVEN (the Godhead) SEES (perceives and understands).
God’s diagnosis through His prophets of searching and finding “no intercessor” or “none to build up the wall and stand in the gap” DOES NOT mean no one was praying! Many were praying, and many are still praying… BUT the EFFECTIVE INTERCESSION necessary for REDEMPTION was NONEXISTENT. Jesus ALONE was able to INTERCEED through His Life, Death, Burial, and Resurrection for the REDEMPTION of Mankind. Yes! He did ACCOMPLISH His ROLE and ASSIGNMENT in the Earth. Yet, He is still SEEKING for INTERCESSORS to STAND IN THE GAP as His BODY and BRIDE to BUILD UP THE INTERCESSORY WALL through STRATEGIC INTERCESSION AND WARFARE! He is still SEEKING those who will ACCOMPLISH their INTERCESSORY ROLE and ASSIGNMENT in the Earth for the completion of His STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN.
Yet, we will ONLY effectively ACCOMPLISH our INTERCESSORY ROLE and ASSIGNMENT
in the Earth to the measure that we SEE (perceive and understand)
as Heaven (the Godhead) SEES (perceives and understands)!
The Triune Truth of the Godhead
The greatest Triune Truth of all is the Godhead Himself. The Triune Truth of the Godhead is this. Although the Godhead, Jehovah is One God and LORD over all, He coexists as three distinct Persons (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). I must admit that I have always taken the doctrine of the Trinity, as just that – a doctrine that I accept by faith. Then Holy Spirit, my Teacher, began to reveal this Truth as SO MUCH MORE to me than a doctrine to casually accept as Truth. He led me to seek Him further concerning the Triune Existence of the Godhead. So, I asked Him, “How can You be three distinct persons, yet ONE?” Surprisingly, He answered immediately, “We COEXIST together as ONE.” I am not merely sharing what I read in a theological book. This Triune Truth and the significance of this Triune Truth is that which Holy Spirit is now in the process of revealing to me Himself, causing the Word of God to become ALIVE in me, just as Holy Spirit is ALIVE in me! The greatest news of all is that this is not only for me. Holy Spirit wants each and every one of us to KNOW Him in this INTIMATE way… to LEARN of Him… to CONVERSE with Him… to INTIMATELY RELATE with Him as our TEACHER, COUNSELOR, and COMFORTER. So, let us look more closely at the TRIUNE TRUTH of the Godhead, so that we can more INTIMATELY KNOW HIM!
Jehovah our Elohim, Jehovah is One
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (KJV)
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - "Sh'ma, Yisra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources.” (CJB)
The Triune Nature of God
1 John 5:7-8 – “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (KJV)
1 John 5:7-8 – “There are three witnesses - the Spirit, the water and the blood - and these three are in agreement.” (CJB)
Now you may be wondering, “Why am I reverting back to Christianity 101, and what does this have to do with Strategic Intercession and Warfare?” Actually, the answer to this question is EVERYTHING!!! You see, believing and receiving the TRIUNE TRUTH of the Godhead is essential to question one, Do you know Him? We serve a TRIUNE GOD. Yet, how often do we minimize the TRIUNE TRUTH of the Godhead to a doctrine that we believe (intellectually accept), but brush off as something no man could ever really understand? Yet, God wants us to KNOW HIM in His fullness. He wants us to INTIMATELY KNOW all three Persons of the Godhead. He wants us to INTIMATELY KNOW the ONE and ONLY True and Living God, Abba Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit!
For when we KNOW Abba Father, we KNOW HIM as Almighty God and Father, and ourselves as His children, who mature into His Sons through the process of consistent obedience and true worship. When we begin to KNOW Jesus Christ, we KNOW Him as our Savior, Lord, Master and King, and ourselves as recipients of His matchless Grace, citizens of His Kingdom, and servants of the most High God. In fact, we can only KNOW Abba Father through His Son Jesus. When we grow to INTIMATELY KNOW Him, we KNOW Jesus as Abba’s one and only begotten Son, the Firstborn of many brethren, and ourselves as His brothers, friends, and joint- heirs, yet never losing our REVERENTIAL FEAR of Him demonstrated through our true worship and obedience to Him! After all, the FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of KNOWLEDGE, and there is no GREATER KNOWLEDGE than the KNOWLEDGE of the Godhead! Halleluiah! I pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that we are getting (SEEING, PERCIEVING and UNDERSTANDING) this Triune Truth!
In addition, we KNOW Jesus as the Head, and ourselves as His Body. We KNOW Jesus as the Bridegroom, and ourselves as His Bride. As the Holy Spirit was instructing me, I asked Him, “How can we be His Body and Bride at the same time?” He responded, “Just as the Head and the Body are ONE, so man and woman become ONE through marriage” (intimate knowledge of one another). Once again, it is all about the ONENESS! Then He began to show me that He has designed our families to reflect the same ONENESS of the Godhead! Also, the ONENESS of the Godhead reflected in our families should overflow into the oneness of the church (Body of Christ). Oh, how we have so far departed from the INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE of HIM! God is saying that we have DEPARTMENTALIZED and SEGREGATED that which He has ORDAINED to be ONE in Him!
For this reason, it is TIME for every Intercessor to ask them self the first essential question: Do you know Him? That means I must personally ask myself, "Christine, do you really know Him? AND… How well do you know Him?" For this reason, I have begun to cry out, “Abba Father, I must KNOW You! Jesus, I must KNOW You! I mean truly and INTIMATELY KNOW You!”
Wait! Before we get ahead of ourselves, we are not complete in our knowledge of the Godhead still, without the knowledge of Holy Spirit! So, my cry continues… “Holy Spirit, I must KNOW You! I mean truly and INTIMATELY KNOW You!” When we move past the head knowledge of the fact that the Holy Spirit is there to draw us to Jesus and INTIMATELY KNOW HIM, we begin to KNOW THE HOLY SPIRIT as God within us, and ourselves as His Temple, and symbolically the Arc of the New Covenant, as we CARRY HIS PRESENCE throughout the Earth! Of course, this again is only possible through the REDEMPTION of the Son, and our reverential fear, obedience, and true worship of the Godhead. Once again, I must ask, “Christine, Do you know Him? AND… How well do you know Him?” For God is saying that as we grow in the intimate knowledge of Abba Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit, we grow in the intimate knowledge of ALL, because they are ONE.
My God! Abba Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit! If we could only fully SEE (perceive and understand) this TRIUNE TRUTH, not only in our finite minds, but receive Him into the depths of our beings (soul and spirit), we would be TRANSFORMED through our INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE of Him – the Godhead – Abba Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit!
There is also SO MUCH MORE to this first essential question that we will address at another time in the Intercessor’s Intimate Chamber. Yet, did you notice? We have already stepped into the realm of the second essential question, Do you know who you are in Christ? AND… How well do you know who you are in Christ? You see, when we grow in our intimate knowledge of the Godhead, we grow in the knowledge of who we are IN RELATIONSHIP to Abba Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit! Who we are in Christ is interwoven in our discussion and growing knowledge of the Triune Godhead. After all, we are NONE OF THESE, apart from our relationship to the Godhead. He is OUR EVERYTHING! We would not only be nothing without His act of creating us, but we would be no more than His creation APART FROM RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM!
That is why the Enemy of our souls works so hard at replacing INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE and RELATIONSHIP with RELIGION! He knows the power of who we become IN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GODHEAD! He also works very hard at replacing INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE and FAMILY RELATIONSHIP with basic animal-like reproduction and mere church membership. Why? Because he also knows the power of who we become IN RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER! Yet, there is also SO MUCH MORE to this second essential question that we will address at another time in the Intercessor’s Intimate Chamber.
God’s Strategic Plan
Furthermore, the Godhead is a STRATEGIC GOD. In fact, as we hear, read, study, meditate, and memorize (Five-fold Eating Plan) the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation we begin to SEE (perceive and understand) the unfolding of God’s STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN. The Triune Truth of the Godhead sheds Light on all other Triune Truths found in God’s STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN. More importantly, we grow in our ability to SEE (perceive and understand) the presence of Abba Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit working TOGETHER AS ONE throughout this STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN from the Creation into Eternity, as we grow in the KNOWLEDGE of the three Persons of the Godhead.
Yet, before we discuss other specific Triune Truths related to strategic intercession and warfare, we must seek to SEE (perceive and understand) the BIG PICTURE of God’s STRATEGIC PLAN as He SEES (perceives and understands) it. I guess we could call God’s STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN His ASSIGNMENT in the Earth. Yes! We have now stepped into question three, Do you know your intercessory assignment? AND… How well do you know your intercessory assignment? One of the first Truths we must grasp is that all of our God-given intercessory assignments play a part in the Godhead’s STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN. We play a part of the whole assignment, just as we are a member of Christ’s Body and a part of His Bride. Though, there is also SO MUCH MORE to this third essential question that we will address at another time in the Intercessor’s Intimate Chamber, we will begin by discussing God’s STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN.
God’s STRATEGIC REDEMPTION PLAN is AWESOME, and each one of us POTENTIALLY plays an essential part of His plan through strategic intercession and warfare! How many times have we heard a parent, mentor, or teacher talk about the POTENTIAL that they see in a beloved youngster? They see such POTENTIAL that they push and prod by executing what they call “TOUGH LOVE,” in order to assist the youth in achieving the TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL that they see in them. We naturally want the next generation to become GREATER than us, to ACHIEVE MORE than us, and to SURPASS US in every possible way. Why? Because in so doing, we witness the passing on of a LEGACY OF GREATNESS that will never die! The Truth of the matter is that so did Jesus!
John 14:12 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (KJV)
Yet, Jesus teaching and definition of greatness differed greatly from most parents, mentors, and teachers, because He SAW (perceived and understood) GREATNESS ONLY as His Father SAW (perceived and understood) GREATNESS.
Luke 9:47-48 – “And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.” (KJV)
Matthew 20:25-28 – “And Jesus called them to Him and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men hold them in subjection [tyrannizing over them]. Not so shall it be among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, And whoever desires to be first among you must be your slave-- Just as the Son of Man came not to be waited on but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [the price paid to set them free].” (AMP)
A more specific question relating to knowing who we are in Christ AND knowing our assignment is this. DO WE SEE GREATNESS AS GOD SEES GREATNESS? Then once we SEE (perceive and understand) GREATNESS as God SEES (perceives and understands) GREATNESS, do we STILL desire to be GREAT? In other words, do we STILL DESIRE to reach our fullest Kingdom POTENTIAL, knowing that this can only be achieved through HUMILITY, SACRIFICE, SUFFERING, SELF DENIAL, SUBMISSION, OBEDIENCE, and DEATH, even unto DEATH ON THE CROSS?
For this is the true message of Salvation and Redemption that is so often lost in the simplistic “Gospel Message” of Salvation as presented through altar calls and sinner’s prayers that are running rampant in the American Church. Yet, when Jesus called out to His disciples, “Follow Me!” they SAW (perceived and understood) the COST so much more as Jesus SAW (perceived and understood) than we do today in our Western culture. Thus, we must SEEK TO SEE as God SEES with every fiber in our being if we are ever to truly walk out His call to discipleship and intercession.
Will God also say of us, “there is yet no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right]. There is yet no man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land.” God forbid! We must seek to KNOW HIM! We must seek to SEE as He SEES, no matter what the cost! We must not only be counted amongst those CALLED to intercession, but also counted amongst His CHOSEN intercessory army of SOLD OUT intercessors, warriors and change agents for Jesus Christ! WHO WILL ANSWER TO CALL TO TRUE DISCIPLESHIP? Who will shun the “easy broad way to destruction” and CHOOSE to walk the narrow way of the Cross? For the Truth is that there is NO OTHER WAY to the Father, but through Jesus, Who is the WAY of the CROSS! As the prophetic image below reveals, there is no other way!
Though our spirit be willing, in all honesty, our flesh is not only weak, but UNWILLING! That is why our FLESH must be CRUCIFIED with Christ, that we may no longer live, but Christ may TRULY and FULLY live in and through us. This LEAP from Christianity 101 to 24/7 LIFE (through death) ACACEMY is a LEAP OF FAITH we must all take if we truly desire and plan to be all that we can be in God’s Intercessory army!
Oh that every Christ Follower would answer the call to STRAGIC INTERCESSION and WARFARE. Oh, that we would seek to SEE (perceive and understand) only as God SEES (perceives and understands). Oh that we would focus only on laying down our lives and cry out for TRUE holiness to be manifested in and through the very depths of our soul and beings ALL THE YEAR LONG! Thank God for the Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday season that has recently passed… Yet, may this NEVER become a SEASONAL CRY alone... Rather, may this be THE CRY resounded in and through the BODY OF CHRIST 24/7 365 DAYS A YEAR!
So, THE QUESTION OF THE HOUR for God’s INTERCESSORS is not how much of the Word of God do we “know” with our intellectual mind, or how great (or even “anointed”) we appear to be in the eyes of man, how eloquently we can pray, or even what spiritual gifts we possess, but DO WE SEE AS GOD SEES? In fact, the EFFECTIVENESS of our INTERCESSION and WARFARE is directly tied to how EFFECTIVELY and CLEARLY we SEE (perceive and understand) as God SEES (perceives and understands). Furthermore, the EFFECTIVENESS of our MINISTRY is directly tied to the EFFECTIVENESS of our INTERCESSION and WARFARE.
Therefore, SEEING as God SEES is not an option! It is a necessity to every intercessor and prayer warrior in the Kingdom of God. We can only effectively answer and live out the three essential questions (1. Do you know Him? 2. Do you know who you are in Christ? 3. Do you know your assignment?) by SEEING as God SEES! In other words, we must begin our INTERCESSORY walk by to SEEING (perceiving and understanding) the Godhead, ourselves, and our assignments as God SEES (perceives and understands)!
FOR THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL WE EVEN BEGIN TO FULFILL
GOD’S INTERCESSORY CALL!
As We Walk with the Godhead Together in the Intercessor’s Intimate Chamber,
Our Eternal Focus and Aim will be to Increasingly and Continuously SEE AS GOD SEES!
© 2011 Christine Lombard, All rights reserved, used only with permission
Part 2 (Discussing HOW we SEE as God SEES) will be released
by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
References
Willmington, H. L. (1987). The Complete Book of Bible Lists. Weaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers,
No comments:
Post a Comment