Genesis 18:27-28 (NKJV) Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
When we stand in the gap between God and the onslaught of the devil, we are shielding our loved ones from the fiery darts of the evil one—this is the work of the prayer of intercession. We need to realise that we are interceding from the position of victory and enforcing the victory of Jesus Christ over sin when we use His name. Therefore, let us trust that God is already acting in the spiritual realm while we wait for the result to be manifested in the physical realm.
Romans 8:26 (NKJV) Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
As a New Testament believer, we can partner with the Holy Spirit when we pray, and He will intercede with groaning and through tongues what we cannot articulate in language. The Holy Spirit will intercede for us in accordance with the will of God. Therefore, we should allow the Holy Spirit to pray through us freely, even if we are uncomfortable or unaware of what He is praying through us in our tongue. This is why the Apostle Paul, in the epistle to the church in Corinth, encourages us to pray in the understanding as well as in the Spirit.
Praying for unknown cases happens when the Holy Spirit burdens our hearts to pray. It could be that someone in our family is going through a difficult time or danger, so God impressed upon us to pray. Alternatively, God could impress upon our hearts to stand in the gap even if we do not know the person or the situation because He needs someone to pray. In such instances, we will normally pray in tongues, but we can ask God for revelation regarding what we are praying about and who we are praying for.
We can intercede from a position of faith and confidence regardless of whether we are praying for our loved ones, cell group members, the city, or the country. Jesus has all the authority over the devil after His resurrection because He has disarmed the devil. Jesus is seated far above all principalities, dominion, and might. The church of the living God is the body of Christ, and Jesus is the head of the church. Therefore, if the devil is under Jesus’ feet, the church has the vested authority to ask the demonic forces to back off, giving us confidence that we can take authority over the situation and enforce the victory of Jesus Christ!
Sermon Series： Intercession
当神激励我们祷告
创世记 18:27-28 亚伯拉罕说：“我虽然是灰尘，还敢对主说话。 假若这五十个义人短了五个，你就因为短了五个毁灭全城吗？”他说：“我在那里若见有四十五个，也不毁灭那城。”
当我们站在神与魔鬼攻击之间的破口中时，我们就是在为我们所爱的人屏蔽那恶者的火箭——这就是代祷所做的工，我们需要意识到，当我们以耶稣基督的名祷告时，我们是在得胜的立场上代祷，并宣告耶稣基督已胜过了罪。因此，当我们等待结果在物质领域显现时，让我们相信上帝已经在属灵领域行动。
罗马书 8:26 况且，我们的软弱有圣灵帮助。我们本不晓得当怎样祷告，只是圣灵亲自用说不出来的叹息替我们祷告。
作为新约的信徒，我们可以在祷告时与圣灵合作，我们无法用语言表达时祂会以叹息和方言来代祷。圣灵会按照神的旨意为我们代求。因此，我们应该允许圣灵自由地通过我们祷告，即使我们感到不自在或不知道祂通过我们的舌头祷告什么。这就是为什么使徒保罗在写给哥林多教会的书信中，鼓励我们要以悟性祷告，也要在灵里祷告。
有时圣灵会让我们的心沉重，为未知之事祷告。这可能是我们家里有人正在经历困难或危险，所以上帝给我们祷告的负担。或者，上帝可能会沉重我们的心去站在破口中祷告，即使我们不认识这个人或情况，因为他需要有人来祷告。在这种情况下，我们通常会以方言祷告，但我们可以求上帝启示我们是在为什么祷告，以及为谁祷告。
无论我们是为我们所爱的人、小组组员、城市或国家祷告，我们都可以凭信心和确信来代祷。耶稣复活后拥有对魔鬼的一切权柄。祂解除了魔鬼的武装。耶稣坐在远远高于一切执政的、掌权的和有权能的之上。永生神的教会是基督的肢体，耶稣是教会的头。因此，如果魔鬼在耶稣的脚下，那么教会就有权力吩咐魔鬼的势力退去，我们也有了能够掌控局面的确信，并强调耶稣基督的胜利！
讲章系列：代祷
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