Powerful intercession results when believers, committed to faith, obedience, and personal holiness, learn to discern the heart of God and war in heaven on behalf of others. Consider these ten qualities as you stand in the gap, aligning your heart and mind to Christ.

Discuss issues you care about with other intercessors.

View Comments (2)

1. Intercessors have a relationship with the Father.

“Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:7).

Prayer is first and foremost relating to our Heavenly Father. It is from our position as His son or daughter that we talk with Him, meditate on His Word, and participate with His work on earth. Our first priority in prayer should always be to fellowship with the Father.

2. Intercessors pray out of love for others.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Understanding the love of the Father for us, and others, provides the needed perspective to pray for those who don’t know Him or can’t see Him. We may not like what others do or agree with their decisions, but God’s heart for them is unchanging and is always redemptive.

3. Intercessors have faith in what they cannot see.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Faith comes by reading, listening to, and embracing God’s Word. It comes as we worship and praise Him. It grows as we focus our heart and attention on what He has already accomplished in our lives. Getting rid of anxiety or fear and nurturing a faith that is unshakable enables intercessors to move mountains and displace strongholds.

4. Intercessors obey God.

“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

The fruit of our prayers is often determined by our own walk of obedience to God’s Word. He will entrust spiritual authority to those who follow through with His commands. Powerful intercessors are determined to walk in personal obedience and pray from a place of total surrender to God’s will and purpose.

5. Intercessors pray under the authority of the King.

“I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over Me” (John 14:30). “He was heard because of His reverent submission (Hebrews 5:7).

Jesus had authority over the enemy because there was nothing the accuser could bring against Him in the courts of heaven. Because Jesus was in submission to His Father and was free of sin and compromise, He had legal authority over the evil one. Intercession has power when one is submitted to God’s appointed spiritual authorities, both in heaven as well as on earth.

6. Intercessors understand the grace of Jesus Christ.

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,” (Ephesians 1:7-8)

Only through God and his resurrection power are we are worthy to be called His sons and daughters. As we approach our Father in prayer, let us humbly remember that God alone has restored us and that the grace we experience from God can, and should, be extended to others as we pray and act.

7. Intercessors pray for hearts to change.

“The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

Ultimately, any sin issue is a heart issue. As we intercede for those struggling in sin and darkness, we ask for God to go straight to the heart, that it would be hungry and thirsty for Truth. Praying for this deep region of the soul can bring the Father’s healing touch and convert even the hardest of hearts.

8. Intercessors pray for truth to be revealed.

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father— He will testify about Me” (John 15:26).

Truth is what sets the heart free. People are held captive by the father of lies. Lack of information and ignorance of God’s Word can be displaced when we pray for accurate facts and a clear presentation of Truth. Jesus is the Living Word who reveals the Heavenly Father’s heart to those searching for answers.

9. Intercessors pray for unity.

“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Corinthians 13:1).

There is power in agreement. Our spiritual adversary knows this and works to unite the ungodly in order to accomplish his plans. Intercessors pray in unity and for unity, asking God for oneness of heart and spirit in order to resist the enemy’s schemes and stand firm in God’s righteous purposes. Spiritual power is multiplied where God finds agreement (Matthew 18:19, “If two of you agree on earth…”).

10. Intercessors pray for tangible evidence of God’s hand.

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4).

Many who are lost and wandering are looking for evidence of a loving God. The church was birthed in signs, wonders, and miracles in order to display God’s power and love to those who were truly seeking. Intercessors believe that the power of God’s love will be experienced in personal and tangible ways. Powerful prayers are offered with great expectation in a supernatural God who moves in love and power to give hope to a dying world.

Share this article to help others pray!

(Photo Credit: Intercessors for America)