I Prayed have prayed
Father God, teach me how to pray. Holy Spirit, make me an intercessor. Jesus, pour out Your Spirit of grace and supplication on me, and use me to stand in the gap in prayer. Thank You, Lord. I love You.
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Father God, teach me how to pray. Holy Spirit, make me an intercessor. Jesus, pour out Your Spirit of grace and supplication on me, and use me to stand in the gap in prayer. Thank You, Lord. I love You.

Would you like to experience incredible levels of intimacy with Jesus? Do you want God to reveal His secrets to you and use you to bring Heaven to earth? You can do all these things and more if you learn how to become an intercessor.

 

The Lord will make you an intercessor if you want Him to. Be encouraged; no prior experience is required!

I gave my life to Jesus when I was 21 years old. Shortly after that time, someone I knew recommended that I read a book called Rees Howells, Intercessor. When I began reading the book, I got absolutely wrecked.

Rees Howells (1879-1950) was a Holy-Spirit-made intercessor. He didn’t just pray; he “put shoe leather” to his prayers by being willing to take part in the solution. He was willing to dedicate his life to see God’s will happen on the earth.

That kind of praying gripped me. Reading about someone who had that kind of influence with God through prayer gripped me.

I wanted to know God so well that I cared about everything He cares about. I wanted to love what God loves and hate what He hates. I wanted Holy Spirit to use me to pray on the earth–not just in weak prayers, but powerful prayers that shake the heavens and move the earth.

So I began asking God to help me. I asked Him to make me an intercessor.

I went to the intercessory prayer group at my church every week. On my way there and on my way back–and as often as I remembered during the week–I prayed these brief, heartfelt sentences:

  • “Father, make me an intercessor.”
  • “Father, use me at prayer meeting tonight.”
  • “Lord, teach me how to pray and intercede.”

And most important of all, I prayed the words of Romans 8:26-27 back to God like this:

“Father, I don’t know what to pray for as I ought, or how to offer it worthily as I ought. Let Holy Spirit make intercession for me with moanings and groanings which cannot be uttered; and You who search the heart will know what the mind of the Spirit is, for He makes intercession for the saints according to Your will.”

I asked God for those things daily. And you know what? Every time I prayed for those things, God would use me in intercession immediately. He didn’t disqualify me because I was a new believer; He used me anyway. He didn’t disqualify me because I still had plenty of sin in my life; He used me anyway while I was still getting to know Him and learning to live holy. I was no model Christian, but God used me anyway.

And you know what? He’ll use you in intercession too.

He’ll use you if you love Him; He’ll use you if you’re surrendered to Him. He won’t disqualify you if you’re a brand-new believer. He won’t disqualify you if you’re still learning to live without sinning. He just wants to co-labor with you; He wants to share the burdens of His heart and yours between the two of you, in intimate relationship with you.

And that “sharing the burdens of the heart in prayer” is called intercession.

So do you want God to use you as an intercessor? Are you willing to obey Him when He tries?

Those two things were really all I had going for me, but the Lord took them and used them. And He’ll use you too if you are willing and obedient.

God Himself will teach you how to become an intercessor.

Intercession is like any other skill; you learn how to intercede through practice and repetition. It’s a spiritual discipline that requires practice. However, that “practice” is a joy. That “practice” is an exercise in intimacy with God; an exercise in looking deeply into His heart and caring about what He cares about.

So what should you do if you want to become an intercessor?

Start by praying these four short prayers every day:

  • “Father, make me an intercessor.”
  • “Father, use me at prayer meeting tonight.”
  • “Lord, teach me how to pray and intercede.”
  • “Father, I don’t know what to pray for as I ought, or how to offer it worthily as I ought. Let Holy Spirit make intercession for me with moanings and groanings which cannot be uttered; and You who search the heart will know what the mind of the Spirit is, for He makes intercession for the saints according to Your will” (from Romans 8:26-27).

Then, find yourself a prayer meeting where people are already interceding.

You could go to an in-person prayer meeting or even an IFA prayer call! But wherever you go, find a prayer meeting where you can listen to people pray out loud in cooperation and agreement with other people. (Not just a prayer meeting where people sit by themselves in silence in a room; find a prayer meeting where there is true teamwork going on.)

Then, listen to the other intercessors. Notice what kind of praying God seems to sit on and what kind He doesn’t. But most of all, ask Holy Spirit to help you intercede—and to teach you to pray.

The easiest way to pray in front of other people (or in cooperation with other people) when you’re first starting out is to pray the Scriptures back to God.

When a certain prayer or Scripture passage weighs on your heart, pray it back to God. Speak the words of that Scripture passage back to God, adapting them as you need to in order to turn the verse into a petition, a praise, etc.

For example, if you open your Bible to Isaiah 62:8, you might pray that verse back to God as follows:

“Father, surely You will no longer give our grain as food for Your enemies, and the sons of the foreigner shall not drink our new wine for which we have toiled. But let us who have gathered it eat it and praise You; let us who have brought it together drink it in the courts of our God” (from Isaiah 62).

To pray the Scriptures back to God, just take the words of a Bible verse and turn them into praises, petitions, and requests. Every time you do, your prayer will be powerful—because it was God’s prayer first. J

Friend, God is simply looking for people who are willing and obedient.

He will use anybody who is willing. If you’re willing to intercede, and you’re willing to follow the Lord as He teaches you, He’ll obey you.

And as you pray and intercede, you will grow spiritually.

This is a key you should know about prayer: Prayer is simply conversation with God.

When you talk with the Lord, you’re in His presence. You’re staring at Him. And as you stare, you grow and change on the inside; you just can’t help yourself. His presence changes you. Being with Him changes you.

So how do you become an intercessor?

It’s simple: Be willing and obedient. Then, ask Holy Spirit to use you.

And He will.

Are you willing to let God the Holy Spirit turn you into an intercessor? If so, leave a comment below!

Jamie Rohrbaugh equips people to walk in the manifest presence of God. She blogs for a global readership at FromHisPresence.com, where she writes about prayer, the prophetic word, living supernaturally, inner healing, and Kingdom wealth. Her writing is featured on YouVersion, Charisma Magazine, The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. Her podcast, Take Your Territory with Jamie Rohrbaugh, can be found on iTunes and Spotify. Download her FREE ebook, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How To Use Them In Prayer and Worship, here.  (Photo by Unsplash.)

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John Kulinski
December 5, 2022

I am asking people to please pray for my wife Lynn Kulinski. After my wife got the Moderma vaccine she has had heavy bleeding and her iron was 4.8 this past July and it’s low again. My wife has had fungus on her nails for 6 months that is not healing with medicine. Myskie Kulinski is my wife Facebook account so feel free to message her to lift up her spirit. My wife hates to see the doctor and always says she is okay but she isn’t.

    Janeen Kingma
    December 6, 2022

    I’m thankful to God for many people who have shared possible physical remedies for healing from the vaccine: Jim Humble has a free book, which can be found online, on an amazing breakthrough called MMS, which is used by many others and me. Suggestions have included Lugol’s iodine, NAC, suramin, and many other amazing medicines not promoted by pharmaceutical based organizations, like CDC and FDA. Mercola.com is a website with suggestions. EpochTimes is covering health news. I pray you will be able to find sources of wellness news that will benefit you and your wife. Thanking Jesus that He is the author of health and strength and wisdom!

Alli
September 29, 2022

Father, teach me to pray.
Holy Spirit, use me.
Lord Jesus, show me Your heart.

    John Kulinski
    December 5, 2022

    I pray that God will bring you closer to him and help you build your faith in God to become more rights in his eyes.

Cathy Culpepper
July 21, 2022

I want to be an intercessor, but at present do not attend church. I’ve visited a few, but did not feel welcomed and didn’t feel God’s spirit in the church. I feel we need and should be praying for Revival! I feel our time is short and we really need to show an urgency of praying for our loved ones to turn to Christ and accept Him as their Lord and Savior! We need to pray the Lord’s prayer at least once every day, as it is asking for His kingdom to come and rescue us from this evil world! And please pray for me that I find the church that’s wanting me, I’m eternally grateful!

1
Herb Johnston
November 29, 2021

I have longed for instruction in how to pray like this for a long time. .
I even inquired of various Christian online groups through my email.
Thank you for this very simple but structured guide to prayer. I have not heard of Reese Howells before this. So I will come back to this tomorrow and reread it as it requires for me at least study and trying to remember each step-, it is a blessing and I certainly appreciate it. Lord thank you for our brothers and sisters and the experience that You give them- that they so willingly bring to us-and I pray we could plant seeds in the ground of our effort to nurture your love and wisdom into our brothers and sisters.
In the mighty name of Jesus..
Amen

12
Pastor Gerald Waldron
November 29, 2021

I know I will never be as close to JESUS as HE wants me to be, but I want to try to get there.

7
    Daylynne Starr
    December 5, 2021

    WHY NOT? If Jesus wants you to be anything — take it! He
    waits for you to receive it! That is what is called FAITH! Mark 11:24
    Jesus said: what ever you desire when you pray, BELIEVE you receive it and you shall have it. (para-phrased). Thats clear enough! That whole chapter is a lesson in prayer! You will become a mighty pray-er but you have to believe it all.
    Most people don’t understand that you can receive every blessing in the Word — but some of it takes a lot more faith than others! (smile).
    In receiving the Holy Spirit, the best (and easiest) way is after a strong message about faith (and HS) and in a heavy anointing afterwards, laying on of hands, by the person speaking –because the Lord confirms the word with signs following! (Mark 16:20).
    All you need is a little (or maybe a lot) of FAITH!

    3
Tialuga Seloti
November 29, 2021

I know that my first calling is to be an intercessor, and I am praying that the Lord teaches me and strengthens me.

13
Deb B
November 28, 2021

Father God, I love you, make me an intercessor and teach me how to pray and intercede.

10
Lola
November 27, 2021

Lord teach me to be an intercessor

13
Linda Caswell
November 27, 2021

This article is amazing. My testimony is very similar. I have been an intercession for 25 years now and I have read Rees Howells Intercessor. My prayer is to get back in with a group like this.

22
Vickie
November 27, 2021

I pray and thank God that the Holy Spirit make me an intercessor. I pray that God’s Holy Spirit would be poured out to millions of people around the globe and this country.. I sincerely thank IFA staff, Board Members, and Volunteers who have contributed resources to make this ministry possible.

31
Mark Kordic
November 27, 2021

Jesus found me as an 18 year-old and I was discipled through the Navigators ministry in college. I read Rees Howell’s book as well and have returned to this resource over the decades since. The Lord also led me to both read and meditate on the biblical prayer concepts taught by Watchman Nee, A. W. Tozer and E.M. Bounds. I also got involved in training with Intercessors for America as you were just launched. The Lord used all these tools to help me start a lifetime habit of intercession. Thanks to all IFA staff, volunteers and Board members who’ve contributed resources to make this ministry possible!

26
Brian lynch
November 27, 2021

Great article, Jamie. I pray, Lord Jesus, that You would pour out Holy Spirit upon multitudes of people. I pray for their salvation. I pray that You would raise up countless people to become Your intercessors. As you already know, our nation and world are desperately in need of prayer warriors. I thank You and praise You in advance for what you are now doing, and will continue to do. In Jesus’ name.

21
Anonymous
November 27, 2021

Thank you for such encouragement!

9
Dave Schulz
November 27, 2021

Lord, I know you called me to this ministry. Please give me the strength and guidance to do all you have designed me to do. And help me keep my hands on the plow.

25
Lisa Plummer Foti
November 27, 2021

Rees Howells’ life story wrecked me, too, as well as George Mueller’s. Father, help us to pray Your heart and Your agenda.
Holy Spirit, fill our mouths with Your words so we can partner with God, His kingdom come, His will be done- on earth as it is in Heaven!

33
Tina Hamdan
November 27, 2021

I want to learn how to become an intercessor.

God Bless and thank you!

Tina

31
    Susan CC
    November 27, 2021

    Tina, I am praying that you will be hidden in the shadow of Lord’s hand, as He hones you for His purpose. May you be blessed out of His abundance!

    He made My mouth like a sharp sword; He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished arrow; He hid Me in His quiver. Isaiah 49:2

    15

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