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Five Priestly Prayers © December 2004 by Asher Intrater There are many prayers in the Bible, designated for different situations for individuals. However, I have identified five prayers that represent God's will as we intercede from a position as spiritual priests on behalf of the world around us. Our ministry team prays these together as a virtually "professional" part of our job description. These prayers reflect long-term goals; we should pray them with authority as ones who are intermediaries between God and mankind on behalf of King Yeshua. They should be prayed with a clear mind for the purposes of God, and with consistent perseverance until we see real changes in the world around us. I. Toward Heaven This prayer is the master covering for the other prayers. We are spurring God's angels to work in this world. We are asking for God's authority to take over the kingdoms of this world. We are inviting a heavenly invasion into our planet. It is empowering a present day increase in Yeshua's kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-8) This prayer starts with each person individually in his own Gethsemane cry of "Not my will, but Yours." It concludes with the final goal for all the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdom of the Messiah (Daniel 2:44, Revelation 11:15, Psalm 2). II. Toward the Church (the international community of faith) This prayer is not for a unification of Christian organizations. It is for the maturity and wholeness of the spiritual body of true believers around the world. The biblical concept of unity is the group result of people loving one another. Unity means a unity with God, coming into the fullness of His glory. We pray for every local congregation, every evangelistic ministry, and each "stream" within the greater body. It is a prayer for total restoration of all the aspects of the kingdom of God within the community of faith. That will lead the way to the second coming of the Yeshua where the restored kingdom within the Church will then flood over, transforming and resurrecting the rest of the world. III. Toward Unbelievers (and toward the nation of Israel) We need to intercede for the lost. Many people are so wrapped up in their own ministries and personal needs, that they forget this basic mandate. We pray for specific people we have shared the gospel with and for different people groups. They all need to be saved. We know that is God's will (II Peter 3:9, I Timothy 2:4). IV. Toward Governments The spiritual position of true believers is above the rulers of governments (see Ephesians 1:3, 1:20-23, 2:6, Jeremiah 1:10). In this society, we submit to those in authority in daily life, but in prayer we have a certain authority over them as spiritual priests. We are to be a prophetic community, influencing for good the government and society in which we live. The key to this prayer is for justice and righteousness to prevail. We pray for God to direct government leaders, whether they believe in Him or not (Proverbs 21:1). We pray for social conditions to be improved, for peace, for law and order, and for a society of religious freedom where the gospel can be shared. V. Toward the Devil I noticed two simple facts: in Luke 10:19, Yeshua gave us authority over all the power of the enemy; in Luke 11:22, Yeshua told us that if Satan's kingdom is divided, it will fall. So let's put those two principles together and use the authority in Yeshua's name to pray and prophesy that Satan's kingdom would be divided and fall. We do have a spiritual enemy. It is a group of evil angels who are in rebellion against God. We can cast them out of an individual, if the person repents. How much better if we can cause a spiritual "civil war" between whole groups of demonic legions! We declare it this way: "In the name of Yeshua, the kingdom of Satan is divided and fallen." Back to Articles 2004 Please PRAY for our ongoing ministry in Israel of indigenous evangelism, planting Messianic congregations, the discipleship training center, prophetic praise and prayer watches in Hebrew, and financial aid for the needy. |