Eternal Glory *«Intercessor Corey Russell FOreruNNer BOOHS ©) Kansas City, MissouriFOreruNNer ® BOOHS Eternal Glory of an Intercessor By Corey Russell International House of Prayer Published by Forerunner Books International House of Prayer 3535 East Red Bridge Road Kansas City, Missouri 64137 (816) 763-0200 Ext. 2675 forerunnerbooks@ihop.org www. HOP org Copyright © 2007 by Forerunner Books All rights reserved. This book or parts of this book may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, of transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1982 by ‘Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Cover by Tom Morse-Brown Interior design by Dale Jimmo Printed in the United States of AmericaTable of Contents Session One: Gifts for the Journey itciscnermivch wesw eens d4seeee e+ od Session Two: Introduction to Eternal Glory of an Intercessor Cae aeaee -u Session Three: From Beginning to End s -2 Session Four: Old Testament Intercessors “ 37 Session Five: Jeremiah—The Reward of the Intercessor . . . Si Session Six: Jesus—God’s Intercessor . 6 Session Seven: Heavenly Places ... oes 87 Session Bight: ‘Teach Us to Pray ‘1 99 Session Nin: Your Kingdom Come .......6..:0000es0cseeeeeeeeeesseeeeessseeeeees n7 Session Ten: Vision for Fullness . 129 Session Eleven: ‘Apostolic Intercession .........260005 seve AT Session Twelve: Modem Interoeasars 2:3 -siscomsmumennansenesestsseteverenrcrerecerees 169 References/Recommended Reading 189Session One: Gifts for the Journey 1. _ GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY INTO INTERCESSION A. B, c D. E. Meditating on the Word of God Abiding in the Word Praying in the Spirit Fasting Silence I. _ PARADIGM SHIFT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORD OF GOD A. Intercession is about fellowshipping with God—being brought into His mind, His heart and His purposes, and then, from that place of union with God, releasing the Word of God to the people of the earth. Meditation on the Word of God is one of the most neglected secrets to effective and powerful intercession. 1. Meditating on the Word of God is a practical way of fellowshipping, with God. a. God has provided His Word as a means for us to be with Him where He is in the Spirit, and as an escort for getting us to that place. God's word is His invitation to us to be with Him in the truth. We are in danger of drowning on the open sea, and God's word is the rope adder thrown down to us so that we can climb up into the rescuing vessel! b. God's Word contains the DNA of God, the very spirit of God. Jesus said that these words infuse the life of Christ into us. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63) 1 von Balthasar, Hans Urs. Prayer. Trans. Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1986. p15.ETERNAL GLORY OF AN INTERCESSOR ¢. Aword articulates and manifests something that is hidden. 4. We desperately need a paradigm shift in the way that we relate to the Word of God. The purpose of this Book is to lead us into encounter with Christ C. “You are not willing” He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. Ido not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. (John 5:35—42) ‘We will not know God if we do not meditate on His Word, We may receive honor from men, but we will not have the love of God in us. Instead of feasting upon the wealth of the Word, we will be living on the fringes of the religious system, TIL ABIDING IN THE WORD: THE SEEDBED FOR INTERCESSION A. The secret to authority in intercession is found in one place: abiding in the Word. ‘The people who knew the most about the Word had no intimacy with the Word, and for this reason they crucified the Word (Jesus). ‘They completely missed their visitation. Abiding means God breathing His life into our souls through the Word. In Him (the Word) was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4, parenthetical comment added)4. ‘SESSION ONE: GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY Ifyou abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (John 15:7) When the Word abides in us, we are brought into the mind, will, emotions and purposes of God; therefore, we have authority in prayer and intercession. Strength and power in prayer is not found in our emotions, our resolve or ‘our endurance. We are strengthened in prayer by the life of God working in us and through us, which gives us faith to see the will of God be realized and manifested. Thave written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you... (1 John 2:14) “God breathed into His nostrils” In Genesis 2:7, God Himself formed man out of clay and breathed into his nostrils. Through the life of God, the clay became a living being. This is a picture of what happens to us every day when we come before the Word of God. When the very life of God is breathed into us, it transforms us, cleanses us, emboldens us and establishes us in the will of God, Adam spoke out of this breath, and his speaking was the mode of his dominion (God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would call them), ‘The very breath that went into Adam came out of Adam when he spoke. ‘This is a picture of intercession. We receive the life of God through the Word of God, and the living, breathing Word comes out of us with authority and creative power. ‘The restoration of the prophetic movement is a new approach to the Word of God. There is nothing more prophetic than the Word of God. It contains the testimony of Jesus.ETERNAL GLORY OF AN INTERCESSOR Vv. REVELATION PRECEDES FAITH A ‘We need a correct understanding (revelation) of sovereignty to pray with faith. 1. One of the most misunderstood aspects of God is His sovereignty. When I speak of God’s sovereignty, 'm speaking of God’s superiority over the whole created order: His absolute dominion over everything, His full pleasure in ruling, and His complete freedom from any outside threat. The Scriptures reveal what God has done in the past, what God will do in the present and what God will do in the future. His Word is backed up by His nature; it enforces His Word. Certain things cannot be circumvented: the Second Coming of Jesus, the establishment of His kingdom on the earth, and eternal judgment. Even these things are brought into being through the righteous involvement of the saints. Looking for and hastening (speeding up) the coming of the day of God... (2 Peter 3:12, parenthetical comment added) A massive amount of things in Scripture depend upon the righteous involvement of humans, both personally and corporately (prayer, fasting, unity, ete.) When most people see things in Scripture or hear a prophetic word (personal or corporate), they secretly believe that God will do these things in His own timing and by His own will, outside of their involvement. ‘The very release of revelation, whether through the Scriptures or through a prophetic word, is God’s invitation for us to come close to Him in intimacy and intercession. We partner with Him so that the revealed will of God is realized in and through us. We are all so guilty of receiving a personal or corporate prophetic word and spending our lives talking about that prophetic word and God's promise over our lives, buying books and CDs on the topic, going to conferences about it—but never waging war for the reality of that prophetic word to come to pass. This is what Paul made clear to Timothy.SESSION ONE: GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare. (1 Timothy 1:18) a. “According to the prophecies.” Paul reminded Timothy of the prophetic words that the elders had spoken over him. He was calling, ‘Timothy to remember these words and keep them before him. b. “By them,” These prophetic words would serve as the source or fuel for warfare, as well as the purpose of warfare. “You may wage the good warfare.” Timothy had to wage the good warfare so that the reality of prophetic words would be fully realized, 8. Waging warfare is necessary. a. This is spiritual violence: to lay hold of the purposes for which Christ laid hold of us. ‘The kingdom of heaven suffers (permits) violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12, parenthetical comment added) That I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me. (Philippians 3:12) b. What did Christ lay hold of you for? How do you find out? 9. We sit around our whole lives waiting for God to put a new chip in us and make us new people, but this is a fantasy. God’s greatest longing is for humans to be brought into the fellowship of His heart by laying hold of His purposes for us. What we are talking about is faith in prayer. Faith in prayer is not wishing, or hoping, or thinking that God is listening. It is a knowing—a fresh, living, bedrock rowing in the soul that God hears us, and that He moves at the sound of our voice. When the Son of Man returns, will He really find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)ETERNAL GLORY OF AN INTERCESSOR Cc Faith is the ability to see into the unseen. However, faith operates, or stands, only upon revelation, which is the faculties to see, hear and know the invisible. ‘We cannot step out into the spiritual realm if we do not have fresh revelation of its existence. If there’s no revelation, then there’s no fai D. _ Therevelationthat I’m speaking of is the revelation of God: His nature, His heart, His ability to act, our place before Him in Christ, and the glory of intercession. ‘This cannot be a one-time revelation that we had a few years ago. It must be an ever-increasing knowledge that continually grows in our souls. Once revelation stops, so does everything else. God has given us His Spirit so that we may know all of these realities. “Bye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God ... Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God ... But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 12,14) 1, The Spirit searches the depths of God. 2. God has given us the Holy Spirit. We may access the Spirit of God within us to know the deep things of the Spirit, thereby having the mind of Christ. As we begin to know those things, then we begin to think and live differently—not according to the natural, but according'to the supernatural. 3. God has given us the Spirit so we might know Him. We don’t fully know Him yet, but we have been given everything to enable us to grow in knowledge. 4, The question is, “How do we practically access the Spirit of God within us so we can know the deep things of God, and thereby live according to those things?”SESSION ONE: GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY V. PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT: ENGAGING THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION A Since revelation precedes faith, how do we practically access the spirit of revelation? One of the most direct ways to access the spirit of revelation is to pray in tongues. Paul gave us some amazing insights into the power of praying in tongues for personal edification—in other words, accessing the spirit of revelation. it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom (Matthew 13:11) He who speaks in a tongue edifies (builds up) himself... (1 Corinthians 14:4, parenthetical comment added) For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding ts wnfruitfl What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. Iwill sing with the Spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. (1 Corinthians 14:14-15) I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all. (1 Corinthians 14:18) Praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18) But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. (Jude 20) ‘These passages state some clear purposes for praying in tongues: 1. When we pray in tongues, we pray to God. 2. When we pray in tongues, we speak mysteries in the spirit. 3. When we pray in tongues, we build ourselves up. 4. When we pray in tongues, our spirit prays. 5. Paull made speaking in tongues a very high priority in his life.ETERNAL GLORY OF AN INTERCESSOR 6. Praying in the Spiritis part of the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6, which means that this serves as protection from the enemy. 7. We get rooted in faith when we pray in the Spirit. “Praying in the Spirit” means that our spirits are praying into the Spirit of God— the Spirit who searches the depths of God, the Spirit who knows all the things of God. We are praying into God; we are, so to speak, turning on a flashlight in our souls and going on a treasure hunt for God. When we see those things in God by the Spirit, we are able to pray with conviction in our souls, because we have seen the reality of what we are asking. We can’t ask something from somebody if we are not sure if they have it or not. For instance, we would have a hard time asking for one hundred million dollars from a middle-class working family with four kids. It would be easier to ask for the same amount from a billionaire who has no family and who has a generous spirit. Our asking is based on our knowing. VI. THE BENEFITS OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES. A. ‘When we speak in tongues, we keep a commandment of the Lord. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and Iwill also sing with the understanding ... let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 14:15,37) ‘When we speak in tongues, we walk in obedience to the Lord and experience more of the power of His Spirit while fulfilling His great commission. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands con the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17-18) Our prayer languages call forth the secret truths and hidden things only known in the intimate places of heaven But as itis written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)SESSION ONE: GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, inthe spirit he speaks mysteries. (1 Corinthians 14:2) ‘When we speak in tongues, we convey the glorious acts of God. We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. (Acts 2:11) ‘When we speak in tongues, we pray for things beyond our knowledge and comprehension. When we speak in tongues, our spirits stand side by side with the Holy Spirit, laying hold of all the promises of God regarding our inheritance in Christ Jesus. God gave the gift of tongues to all believers for spiritual rest and refreshing, and to circumvent the effects of weariness and stress. For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, to whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear. (Isaiah 28: 1-12) Speaking in tongues serves as protection from the enemy's schemes and works. Itis a special communication between our spirit and God's, (Mahesh Chavda’s Exercising our prayer languages releases the essence of wisdom, guidance, and discernment into us. (Prayer languages can be spiritually discerned.) Speaking in tongues ushers in holiness in speech, conduct, etc. VI. FASTING A. Nothing so tenderizes and prepares our spirits to encounter the heart of God like fasting does. Fasting causes our spirit man to more readily rise up, hear and perceive what the Lord is saying and doing. Fasting is a necessity if we long to grow in the spirit of prayer and in the ministry of intercession. Intercession is sacrifice (of time and energy) for the sake of others, and nothing so strengthens this call like fasting.ETERNAL GLORY OF AN INTERCESSOR vil. SILENCE A. The power of our words, the authority that comes out in intercession, is born and nurtured in the place of silence. Nothing causes me to feel like more of a stranger to this world like silence. B. Silence is the home of the Word, and the Word is the source of intercession. C. A great book for understanding this reality of silence is Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen. 10