“And I saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no Intercessor”( Isaiah 59:16).
God’s will in every generation is spiritual wholesomeness. He longs for people who are aware of the spiritual mappings and are ready to change every negative spiritual dominance into a positive one. This could be achieved via intercessory prayers by the saints.
Prayers that set captives free from satanic strongholds, deliver sinners from the bondage of sins and create spiritual revival/awakening in churches… Such prayers bring about reformation and transformation in our lands.
However, God won’t do any of these things until he first raises a man, a woman or a group of people who will stand in the gap praying and fasting day and night until the assignment is fulfilled and the result of their prayers are manifested.
Ezekiel 22:1-31...
” Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.
There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, 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 mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord”.
In the above verses of the scripture, the Lord God revealed the state of the nation of Israel; the evil, the sins, the shedding of innocent blood and the abominations of the people
These people were deeply corrupt and entrenched in Idolatry, blood-shedding, wickedness and all manner of abominations. As a result of their sins and evils, He poured out His wrath and judgements on the nation.
God pointed out in the verses that regardless of the evils, sins and wickedness of this nation, He is looking for just an intercessor that could pay the price of prayer to change the situation of the nation.
God intends pardoning the nation of the evils, turn the hearts of the Israelites back to Him… if only He could find a man who meets the standards and principles of effective intercession.
God looks for a man
God said, I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it, but I found none. God lamented for He could not find a just, righteous Intercessor who would pay the price of effective intercession.
The Lord also said concerning the city of Jerusalem in the book of Jeremiah 5: ” Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgement, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it”
One Intercessor who met God’s standards was enough to pardon and avert His Judgements on the nation of Israel. This is God’s plan for all the people of the earth.
In Numbers 14:11,12 ” And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will these people provoke me? and how long will it be before they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they”
(God explained that because of their sins the lives of millions of Israelites were in danger of judgement). But Moses, a just, righteous man, Israel’s leader moved in with great compassion abated the anger of God. Israel was pardoned.
Moses’ persistent repentance and intercession to the Lord delivered the Israelites from God’s wrath. Moses interceded, ” Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according to unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven these people, from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word” (Numbers 14:19-20).
Note the word, ” according to thy word”. Moses bluntly rejected the mind-blowing offers, blessings from God to raise a mighty nation from him to replace the Israelites just for the salvation of Israel and to take them to the promised land so that the glory of God can be revealed among the nations.
God is looking for righteous and selfless Intercessors like Moses in today’s generation.
Who is an intercessor?
An intercessor is a man or a woman who receives revelations of what God intended to do. He is a person who takes the sins and problems of a person, a family, a village, a community, a city, a nation, a continent, the world, a church, among others to God through fervent prayers.
He fully identifies with their sins and problems and labours in persistent repentance, fasting, prayers and intercession until these sins are forgiven and judgement is averted.
An Intercessor wrestles in prayers day and night against the devil and his hosts. He prays for revival in the churches, cities, nations and for the salvation of the unsaved souls. He also prays for God’s plans and purposes to be done in every generation.
Biblical examples of such people :
Ezra:
A selfless and righteous intercessor whose repentance and intercession to God resulted in National repentance and transformation, revival in Israel in his generation.
Ezra’s repentance, fasting and intercession affected a great number of the general populace and leading priests. They called for radical reformation and transformation which is not voluntary.
The severity of their transgression called for severe repentance and intercession. The preservation of true worship was more important than preserving family units and other things. Isreal’s transgressions and the necessity of true obedience to the call to repent and intercede. Ezra’s repentance and intercession brought a great revival of true worship to the whole nation of Israel in his generation. The Bible says,
” Now while Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping, and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Isreal a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore… And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now, therefore, make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourself from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.” (Ezra 10:1,10-12).
God is in search of righteous and selfless Intercessors before He can send revival.
Moses
Moses was a selfless and righteous Intercessor: Moses was a man who challenged the most powerful king of the world, Pharaoh of Egypt, and subdued his magicians, sorcerers, and enchanters. His rod swallowed pharaoh’s, he defeated satan and brought a whole nation out of the slavery of over four hundred years.
Through Moses, God buried the whole Army of Egypt, including Pharaoh, his generals and war weapons in the red sea and brought God’s children out of the wilderness to the promised land.
Moses achieved this great feat not by physical war weapons, human physiology or ideology but through persistent and consistent repentance, intercession, warfare prayers and fasting for forty years. ( Exodus 8-15).
Anna
Anna was a selfless and righteous Intercessor. She was only a woman yet courageous and die-hard. Enjoyed marital life for just seven years. She had no friend, no family but spent over sixty years alone with God on her knees praying, fasting and worshipping the most high God until heaven opened. God granted her request. She saw the Saviour of mankind before her death. This is in fulfilment of the redemption purpose.(Luke 2:36-38).
Where are the righteous and selfless intercessors of our generation?
Contemporary examples of such people
John Knox
John Knox was a selfless and righteous intercessor (1514-1572). He was one of the greatest Intercessors for revival in history. He left a legacy of prayer. He lived in the days of Queen Marry of Scotland who once stated that she feared the prayers of Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.
The great heart of John Knox was deeply moved when there was great persecution of Christians in Scotland. Night and day he cried to God to save Scotland. At one time Knox was so greatly burdened for Scotland that he retired for secret prayer, but was soon discovered by some of his friends through his groans.
They heard him groan out, ” Give me Scotland, or I die!”. After a few moments, they heard him repeat these same words. “Give me Scotland, or I die!”. They heard him breathe out the longings of his soul until they found John Knox did not die.
God answered his wrestling Prayers. He forcefully took Scotland from Satan, bloody Mary tyrannical rule gave in to John Knox. God poured out His mercy. The Power of the Holy Spirit descended mightily. Deliverance came to the Nation, citizens and persecuted Christians. A great revival broke out and swept multitudes to the Kingdom of God, transformed and reformed the people of the land. The revival fire spread out from Scotland to other nations of the world.
Wesley L. Duewel: The prevailing prayer
The great intercessor, Wesley L. Duewel wrote in his book, Prevailing prayer”, For as far back I can remember, my mother had a prayer burden for China. Then, when God called me as a child to India. Mother prayed for India and China every day. She not only prayed. She gave sacrificial gifts to support the missionary work of OMS international in those two nations.
I cannot remember a family prayer time when my mother did not pray for both nations by name and prayed at some length with deep longing and earnestness. In fact, for the last twenty to thirty years of her life, I cannot remember hearing her pray one day in daily family prayer for those two nations without weeping because of the heavy burden she was carrying for their salvation. She was a very quiet person, not highly emotional, but she loved so dearly that she prayed with burdened tears day after day for these people.
Beloved, think of the reward God will give such prevailing, burden-bearing intercessor… Every prayer burden will be carried primarily before the Lord in the secret place.”(Mathew 6:5-8).
Happenings around the world in today’s generation calls for selfless and righteous Intercessors worldwide for revival and harvest of the lost world_
Islam a present threat
In our world today, millions of people are perishing and their works bear no fruits. Thousands of Millions of people are living in sins, evil and wickedness at the detriment of their souls as if Christ did not die for them. Millions of people in the world today are dropping like pawpaw into the grave without a ray of hope of eternity in heaven.
Islam has 1.907 billion, 1.193 secular/non-religious/Agnostic/ Atheist and 1.161 billion. Hinduism. 2. 5 billion out of 7.8 billion population of the world profess Christianity while the majority of them are in ignorance, captives of religion and Idolatry because there are few intercessors to stand in the gap for them.
There are thousands of missionaries across the world that need encouragement and strength for their labour to be fruitful in their various fields if there are many more intercessors.
There are millions of Christians who are afflicted and sick, who need Intercessors to stand in the gap for them before they can experience Christ’s touch for their healing and deliverance. There are many churches and mission agencies, evangelists that are labouring sacrificially with sweat and tears but with little or no fruits because there are no Intercessors to stand in the gap for them.
There are full-time Intercessors that have been placed by God at the forefront of the battle against the hosts of darkness for the Gospel’s advance in the nations, other Christians and for the needs of the Church.
They are labouring fervently in prayers on their knees secretly in their closets 24/7. They are most often faced with great trials, hardships and loneliness because there are no encouragement, financial support from the church and back up prayers by other lesser Intercessors.
God needs Intercessors to stand in the gap for the salvation of over a million deaths in China every year, about 25,000 Americans that convert to Islam yearly and about 5,000 British people that convert to Islam every year. More than half (55%) of Britons don’t belong to any religion.
God needs Intercessors that will intercede for revival in France which about 40 years ago had no single mosque but today has over 3,000 and is on the verge of being taken over by Islam. God needs Intercessors for revival In the US and Europe because the decline of Christianity continues rapidly.
The persecuted church in the 70 of 10/40 window nations needs more intercessors.
The nations of Israel, Uganda, South Africa, Sudan and Afghanistan and Ghana need intercessors now like never before. The church in South Korea has declined greatly and she needs intercessors for revival.
The Nigerian and African church has been choked with materialism and Idolatry of money and there is an ongoing Islamization agenda in Nigeria and other West African nations by Islamic terrorist groups. There is a great need for intercessors to stand in the gap for revival, deliverance and unprecedented harvest of souls. God needs Intercessors for over 55 million people in IDPs around the world that needs palliatives, and a large number of Bibles, Christian materials and missionaries to share the Gospel with them.
Will you answer the call of God to be His Intercessor today?
William E. Allen ( Author of the history of revivals of religion 1880-1960) says, revival always begins in answer to the effectual fervent prayers of spiritually revived Christians, who see sin and the world’s need as God sees it; and who feel the same hatred of sin, and love and compassion for sinners that God feels.
Andrew Murray (pastor and missionary 1825-1917) says, ” The coming revival must begin with a great prayer revival. It is in the closet, with the door shut that the sound of abundant revival will be first heard. An increase in the secret prayer of ministers and members will be the sure herald of blessing.”
The Lord gave me a vision and burning burden to pray for the coming great revival 24 years ago. This I have been talking about, writing, dreaming, expecting, fasting, weeping and praying ceaselessly on.
The Revive Us Again publications have awakened many Christians around the world.
I strongly believe worldwide earth-shaking revival is coming that will move all over planet earth and turn many people from sin, self, idolatry, satan, give God the right place in our hearts and sweep multitudes of sinners into the church in preparation for the return of Christ for the rapture of His Church- Bride.
Many are already involved in fasting and prayers for it and many more are still needed.
I invite you to join me today.
God bless you.
John Abiola
REVIVE US AGAIN SERIES 55.
globalintercessors7@gmail.com.
