Intercession Tutoring

[PrincessBrideOfChrist]

Hi I'm just wondering if there are any Intercessors out there that would like to help me grow in my intercession gifting.

I have been told I'm a warrior but I certainly don't feel very warrior like! Lol! I would love to become what was prophesied over me though.

Any advice or prayer would be great!

Id also just like to fellowship and discuss these things with anyone sharing the same gifting...

 

[tturt]

I don't know if I have the same gifting but see "prayer requests" everyday all day.

But would enjoy discussing this subject. What are some topics would you like to discuss?

I have some thoughts on these but would like to discuss -
Do we pray Scripture based on the need? How do we offer to pray for someone you don't know? What does pray without ceasing mean to us?

 

[PrincessBrideOfChrist]

I don't know if I have the same gifting but see "prayer requests" everyday all day.

But would enjoy discussing this subject. What are some topics would you like to discuss?

I have some thoughts on these but would like to discuss -
Do we pray Scripture based on the need? How do we offer to pray for someone you don't know? What does pray without ceasing mean to us?

These are great topics!

 

[PrincessBrideOfChrist]

I think praying scripture is a huge tool. I mean Jesus Himself used scripture against Satan when He was being tempted didn't He.

It also seems a good idea to go with scripture because God gave us these words and Gods Word never returns empty.

There's also the benefit of knowing what you're praying is biblical and in tune with the Spirit.

What do you think?

 

[vespasia]

The best placeto start is to simply seek God.

Scripture is always useful and gives us some idea of the nature of God.

Have a look at the prayers already within the bible. You may also find working through the psalms helpful as these come from human hearts in all their hope, worry and ugliness and range in what they cover penitance to praise.

Learn to listen. Listening to God is something that can be easily neglected.

 

[If Not For Grace]

Every time we pray for someone we are acting as an Intercessor, whether or not it is requested by the receipient or of our own compassion. I believe we are all called to this Duty as christians as much as "gathering together" or Baptism or tithing or any other ministry. We can not consider ourselves christian if we do not participate in praying for our leaders, the unsaved or our christian familes.

I agree that Psalms is a great place to start to see how to pattern these actions. David knew two things..how to pray and how to repent..and He was likened a "man after God's own heart". I would like to hear from others who have made this a part of their regular prayer/ministry routines.

 

[TozerBGood]

Nita Edwards is a woman I have met (and joked around with), and have much respect for. She was the founder of Asia Alive, which is now called AliveGlobal.com, and they have a Prayer Center in Northern Virginia 12.2mi from the White House. They receive prayer requests from all over the world. They are in the intercession business, and offer training on it.

There is a book about her experience when she suffered from a 2 story fall in college, paralyzing her, and how she was actually dying. The book talks of how God spoke to her, and she spoke to only 4 people (the well known "God Smuggler" Brother Andrew was one of them) predicting to them the day and time of day of her own miraculous healing, and how God told her He was going to use her in Asia...it's called "Miracle In The Mirror" by Mark Buntain. The book is on Amazon. There are photos and hospital documents in the book, and for all intents and purposes, it looks to me like a documented, verified miracle for even the skeptical, and I have certainly never heard of Brother Andrew refuting this (He is from Open Doors ministry).

 

[TozerBGood]

Nita says the following regarding Prayer and intercession (which is what they do daily and so is logically quite experienced at it). She was referring to a case where someone had a long term cancer, and died from it. She was talking about how to pray for someone in a situation like that.

You may ask, “during such long months of difficult experience, what are prayer
partners and intercessors supposed to do?”
We must not turn intercession into mere sympathy with our fellow human beings, but
instead further channel their contact with God. In prayer and intercession, you bring the
person or the circumstance that impinges on you before God, until you are moved by
God’s attitude towards that person or circumstance. Intercession means filling up “that
which is lacking in the afflictions of Christ.” Perhaps this explains why there are so few
interested in intercession……..
First, let us briefly consider what intercession requires.
Never put yourself in his / her place and view reality from their perspective. Try to see the situation from God’s perspective. If we do not maintain our reality check with God, we will surely be crushed.
Also, when you have too much information about a painful situation, you may not be able to pray as you ought. Always try to maintain clear lines of communication regarding your concern with the reality you receive from God.
“Men ought always to pray and not faint” Luke 18:1
Frequently we find, establishing a definite contact with God is somehow replaced by
constant activity. At times, it may be easier to accomplish items that can be tabulated
than to simply pray.
• While interceding, you will discover there are no snares to hamper your relationship
with God.
• While interceding, maintain a completely open channel of communication with God.
• While interceding, do not limit God’s touch on that special person or circumstance
only, but also in the many lives surrounding that person or circumstance.
• While interceding, hold fast to the reality of Redemption, allowing God to do His
creative work.
Today as intercessors, may we be prepared to keep the rules and not quit as
we keep a steady stride, running our race with purpose to the glorious finish line.

While I agree totally with attempting to see things from God's perspective, I have often wondered about the part that says

Never put yourself in his / her place and view reality from their perspective.

The reason I wonder about that particular part is because didn't God Himself become a man, and see it from our perspective, being tried in every way, yet without sin?

When a tragedy occurs to you, who do you benefit more from? Someone who says "prayers sent", or someone who has already gone through a similar experience, and sends prayer? I can understand the effectiveness of the prayer of someone who is striving to see it from God's perspective, but if they have no experience whatsoever in the realm of tragedies...well it just seems to me like it would help if you can understand what it is like to have gone through a trajedy like that. We are able to comfort/console better when we actually have an inkling of what the person in need is going through. It just seems like good common sense to me.

So if you are a person, who... let's pretend... you used to be a drug addict, but had been saved from that. And it seems logical that you could better understand how to pray for another who was addicted to drugs, than a person who never/ever used drugs. (maybe my thinking is incorrect here...)

Hope I'm not confusing anyone, but you know we often tell ourselves, that one of the reasons trajedy occurs, is so we can emphathize and fruitfully pray for another who may be going through a similar circumstance (at least I think we do...).

But I do understand, that for some people, having too much information about a tragedy, or trial, can make you doubt anything can actually be done about it, and possibly make your prayer less effective, and cause us to pray, not really expecting an answer or solution.

 

[TozerBGood]

Nita also says this to the nagging question "Why does God heal some, and not others?"

The answer for me lies in God's purpose not only for the individual but for his purpose in the world. I believe God healed me because he had a work for me to do that would be accomplished by my being healed. Indeed, God healed me dramatically in an instant. I have told my story over and over all around the world. Many people have had their own faith deepened when they have heard what God did for me. Because of my testimony people know that God heals.
I have known people whom God has not healed. In fact, I have prayed for people but they were not healed. Sometimes I have a sense as to why. Perhaps the person has unforgiveness in their heart or bitterness from some experience. Sometimes they really do not believe God can heal. The Bible is clear that faith is believing God and that he does what he says he will do. There are some times I have not known at all why someone was not healed. In those cases, I have to accept that God is sovereign.
One of the most encouraging things anyone who is praying for healing for themselves or someone else can do is look up the scriptures in the Bible on healing. The gospel of Mark will really build one's faith when they read what Jesus Christ did as he went from place to place.
As you read the scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you what they mean. Expect God to speak to you through the scriptures, to open your spiritual insight and draw you into God's understanding about what you are praying about.

 

[TozerBGood]

I would like to share some rather long stories about my own experiences with intercession at my work place, which I believe you will find to be helpful. I have already typed them out, and so it is easy for me to Cut-n-paste them, but I do not want to be a "thread hog", but you did say "anything", and so perhaps this is what "anything" looks like. So I will just share a few true stories (which happened to me), and if you are bored with the long stories, I apologize for giving too much detail.

But It's up to you Princess, just how serious are you about being a warrior? Are you prepared to back up your intercessory prayer with action? Because in order to be a warrior, you will need to start caring for other people's salvation & ugly...nitty gritty details of peoples lives.

The subject of Intercession is at the top of my list, and I feel that we should be intercessors in our places of work. Or work should not just be a "job" to us, but is our "ministry".

 

[TozerBGood]

Story #1
A few years ago, it seemed like the Lord laid it the hearts of myself and a couple of brothers to start praying about our work place (approx 400 people). I had been praying for the people I worked with for some time, but now with 2 more brothers...well you know..."Where 2 or more are gathered in my name...".

We felt that satan was playing havoc with people's lives at the mill, and the town in general. It seemed like there were so many people who we came into contact with, their lives were messed up, divorces, drinking, and general dissatisfaction with the mill, and their jobs (dispirited...depressed... people). At times, it seemed like even christians were at odds with each other. I also had heard that the mill was being bought out by another company, which very likely meant downsizing even more, and we felt we needed to pray earnestly for some Godly leadership. I had been a supervisor in the mill for about 10 yrs at the time, and the other 2 guys were engineers.

So we agreed to meet once a week, to pray for our mill, and the people, and especially the leadership, and we started meeting on fridays (we went off the mill site), and would pray together whatever the Lord laid on our hearts. I remember us saying "We need to pray... expecting God to do something!", and on our first meeting, we began praying earnestly for a Godly mill manager. Our existing mill manager, was quite rude, crude, and arrogant against the Lord. We prayed with desperation IMO, but with expectancy at the same time (and if you're wondering, none of us are "name-it-and-claim-it" types. We just really wanted God to do something about the depressing conditions at work.)

Within 3 weeks of that 1st prayer, our mill manager quit, and the guy that moved into his position, was known to be a solid christian. The mill did better the next few years than we'd ever done previously...record profits, and safety records. The stress level went way down. Christians started linking together.

It was one of the more amazing things I'd ever seen. That IMO is a perfect example of prayer & intercession.

“Men ought always to pray and not faint” Luke 18:1"

 

[TozerBGood]

This 2nd Story was...
another example which happened to me almost 23-24 years ago. I was driving 43 miles back & forth to/from work each day, and would often converse with the Lord while driving, and I was thinking about the people I worked with daily, and that I should probably pray for them. So I began praying for them (naming them). Little did I know that this was actually the beginning of my intercession ministry at my place of work.

As I was praying for people I knew (driving along in my truck)... when I came to one guy (Rod...who I knew was a catholic), as I was thinking about him, and the problems I knew he was having with his kids (a rebellious teenage son problem), and for some reason I began to pray earnestly for this guy, and pleading with the Lord for his life. I had no idea why, but I mean I started crying/sobbing asking the Lord to have mercy on him. I didn't understand why I was praying like this. I'd never done anything like that before (or since).

Within a couple of minutes after I was done praying for him, I came around the corner to the main parking lot entering our mill, and there he was in front of the mill in his car, he had been waiting to make a left hand turn into the mill, when a huge service truck had just come down the hill, and rear-ended his little car. I think it was a Toyota, or Datsun, or something...not much protection against a service truck. The rear of the car was all crushed in, and Rod's seat & steering wheel were both broken (with him in-between them still), and people were running to respond. The car was not equipped with an air bag which was pretty new technology back then.

I immediately pulled my truck over, and got out. As I was walking up to the wreck, there were people from the mill, pulling Rod out of the car through the driver's window, and they brought him over to a guard rail and had him sit down, when I got to him. I sat next to him, and asked him if he was ok, or if anything was broken. He was obviously in shock, and didn't respond too well, and finally said he didn't know if he was ok. He was dazed, but didn't appear to be seriously hurt, even though the car was squished (kinda like an accordian).

For some reason, at that point, I noticed that everyone else had walked away from us, except for another guy who I knew was a christian (Bill), who had just walked up. So I said, "Rod, we're going to lay hands on you and pray for you, is that OK?" He responded quicker that time "Go for it!" he said.

So Bill and I layed hands on Rod, and prayed for him right there, that the Lord would preserve him and his family, and that there would be no problems that arose from this accident. I don't remember all the words I prayed, but I tell you I prayed whatever came into my head at that point. I then took him to the hospital (in my truck...nowadays we probably would have waited for an ambulance, but Rod seemed OK, so we did it), and we talked on the way about his son, who apparently had been contemplating suicide (or so Rod thought - they had found a loaded pistol in his room), and he and his wife were in disagreement about what to do, and so we prayed about that on the way to the hospital.

After I dropped him off at the hospital, I went back to the mill, and found out that one of the people who saw the accident up close (a college student who was working at the mill for the summer), swore that he saw 2 people in the car (Hmmm...when I got there, It was just Rod being pulled out). So I'm thinking here (of course) that it's quite possible there was an angel, and the Lord allowed that kid to see the angel, so I would know that He was the one to cause me to pray and plead for Rod's life (as a lesson to me).

Well... long story short..., Rod had no ill effects from the accident (one that should have givien him whiplash, crushed ribs, and maybe even a broken neck - you should have seen the car), and his family pulled together after that, and he is still working there today.

That was the first time in my job there at the mill, that it first dawned on me that I should be praying for people I work with. My 1st lesson in intercession.

 

[TozerBGood]

Story #3
So when I became a production shift supervisor (somewhere around 1996/1997 or so), this was quite a major change for me, as in a mill with 400 people, in a small town, your life becomes almost on public display. I hadn't ever been a supervisor before, and really hadn't received any formal training, and made some mistakes at first. But one thing I believe I did right, was pray regularly for the people on my crew (about 32 people at that time).

There was this one guy on my crew (Leroy) who was getting up in his years, but had a bad habit of putting his feet up, and sleeping soundly in the control room on Gvyd shift. He was the lead man on the Ladder for the powerhouse (boilers), and of course I was the new supervisor who didn't know anything about anything...I was just another "Engineering type" guy for them to break into the way things really were. Well I'm sure there's some truth to that perspective, and I guess as a new supervisor, I didn't have the guts to make a scene by simply challenging him on it, holding him accountable for a habit he'd practiced for years, and ignored by his previous supervisors (as long as the boilers kept running nobody cared except the upper echelons). I did say something about it, but it was pretty much summarily ignored. So I just kept praying for him, and the rest of the crew.

I found out from others on the crew, that Leroy was an alcoholic, who's wife had left him, and his kids wouldn't have anything to do with him, and he was just biding his time at work, and would go home and drink. Years of living like this is hard on the body, and Leroy's health wasn't so good (he was around 60 yrs).

So one day my boss (the Boiler Superintendant) saw Leroy going up some stairs, and stumbling, and so he asked me to talk with Leroy and see if I couldn't maybe talk him into retiring.

I was wondering about the ramifications of an instruction like that, and so I began to seriously pray and ask the Lord what I should do. At first I felt like I had no right to try to coerce someone into retiring, but at the same time, my boss told to talk to him, and as I was praying and contemplating, and an idea began to form in my head. I knew in my heart that I needed to talk to Leroy about the Lord, but didn't want him to be a captive audience... you know, a superviser abusing his authority, by forcing a man to listen to preaching from the boss.

So I prayed more, and decided I would ask Leroy to come to the office that night (we were working Gvyd shift), and tell him the situation (with my boss), and ask him if it was ok if I talked about the Lord. If he said yes, and then I would ask him if it was ok to pray with him, and if he said yes to that, I would ask him if it was ok to lay hands on him and pray for him. This was a bold move on my part, and I had no idea how this would go, and prayed even harder about it, and decided I was going to go to work early that night, and drive around the mill, praying that God would keep Satan or any of his demons from interfering and ordering them to stay out!

I was praying so hard, that I had forgotten to put gas in my car which I had forgotten was empty the day before, and I didn't notice it until I was almost half-way of the 43 miles to the mill. I couldn't really turn back at that point, and told the Lord that if He wanted me to talk to Leroy about Jesus, he was going to have to keep my car running until I got to work (where there was a gas station). Needless to say I made it to the gas station, and just as I had pre-determined, I then drove around the mill ordering satan to keep out.

Now some of you might be thinking I'm a little weird at this point (and maybe I am), but I parked my car in the parking lot, and as I was walking into the mill, I saw the black cat (nicknamed "blackie") that had hung about the mill for years, and I remembered the swine from Matt 8:31, and said to Satan's demons (which I had just ordered off the mill site, as far as I was concerned)... I said..."and stay out of the cat too!".

So that night, I did just as I had pre-determined, and called the boiler control room, and asked them to have Leroy come to the office. I explained what my boss had wanted, and asked him about his health and how he was feeling. Leroy had been to the doctor, but said he'd get over it. So I said to him, "Leroy, you know I'm a christian, and I want to know if it's ok if I talk about the Lord. He said that was fine. I talked to him about how the Lord knows Leroy, and how he wants the best for him, and died and rose for him, and how he can heal him. So I asked him if it was OK if I prayed with him about it...YES, that's ok. And we prayed, together, and after asking I also layed hands on Leroy and asked the Lord to heal him, not just his body, but his life, since the Lord knew more about Leroy than any of us. And that was it.

The next day, they told me that "Blackie" the cat was found dead in the PUD substation. We figured the cat had somehow electrocuted itself. The cat had been in the mill for years, and died the night I prayed with Leroy, and ordered the demons around, and to stay out of the cat. I honestly don't know what to make of that...it's downright strange.

I found out a few weeks later from one of Leroy's closer work assoiciates (another guy on the Crew who'd worked for years with Leroy) who said to me, "I don't know what you said to Leroy that night, but when he came back from your office that night, he wouldn't tell us about it, and he went for a long walk, and now he's acting different...he's changed".

Also, I never found him sleeping on Gvyd again , and his health dramatically improved, and he worked on my crew for about a 1.5 yrs more before he retired. I never did feel comfortable prying into Leroy's personal life, but I can only imagine that the Lord had worked some miracles there as well. It's kind of a touchy thing, and people are often guarded about their personal lives at work.

 

[TozerBGood]

Story #4
The bible indicates that the word of God never returns void...right? We often use that verse to console ourselves, especially if we are in the process of being mocked or belittled by non-believers. We also look to Jesus who said "Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.".

OK, I think I get it...or better stated, I will accept by faith that this is true.

There was a guy at work (Dan) who had a rather sharp tongue, and between he and his friend (James), began conducting some sarcastic questioning of my faith in Christ (using typical arguments, or excuses for not accepting Christ), and as I was talking to them about the Lord, I began to sense that Dan seemed close to accepting the Lord, even though he was quite sarcastic about it. Maybe I thought this because he told me he once almost went forward at the call (at a revival meeting, or something like that). He said he almost did, but chose not to at the last minute.

Well you know me, I began earnestly praying for him, and one day while driving to and from work (listening to recordings of Chuck Smith - Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, CA), and a thought popped in my head. I said to the Lord, "If Dan could just somehow hear a full bible study of the Gospel of John, I know he'd come to you Lord".

I had an old analog (non-digital) tape recorder/radio at home, plugged into a timer, which turned the power on to the recorder 5 minutes before the Chuck Smith program "The Word For Today", and would record the program onto cassette tape, and so I would listen to the bible studies back/forth to work each day.

So a few months later, Dan comes to my office, and saw a little scripture I kept on my desk "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest". He asked me "Do you actually believe that crap?"

I answered, "How can you knock something you know nothing about? I tell you that Christ is real, but you would have no way of knowing, because you've already closed your mind to the possibility."

He indicated that all the preachers he's ever heard...all sounded like nut cases to him, and just didn't make sense.

I told him I'd been listening to bible studies on the way to work and back, and that I was recording them, and I told him if he's truly interested in someone who can talk about the bible in a meaningful way, I offered to loan him my tape, and when he listened to it, I'd loan him the next, and we could just swap tapes every day. And he agreed to it.

So began my first (and only) tape ministry at work (HeHee). Now some of you may be familiar with Chuck Smith's "Word for Today", but he goes through the bible...in a linear fashion...page by page...book by book...and explains it. And guess where he was in the bible, the day Dan came to my office.......gulp.......the end of Luke, and was just getting ready to go into the book of John. Of course at this point I was getting pretty pumped, thinking Dan was going to have to come to Christ now.

So we were doing the tape swap daily, Dan would return the tape, and I would record the next day's message, and we went that way and covered the whole book of John, and beyond into Acts. Dan also told me, that he was walking in Corvallis, OR one day on OSU State College Campus (where both he and I got degrees in Chem Engr), and he said that someone named Daniel walked up to him, and said that the Lord told him to give Dan this bible, and he hands him a bible. So now Dan's got this bible at home, and he checking out scriptures. Of course when I heard that I was even more pumped, and I had people praying for Dan at church.

Now at one point during this period, the "Word For Today" deviated from the bible, and they played Chuck's annual "Sign Of the Times" evaluation instead (which is last days...rapture is getting near...middle east scenarios...one world government... type stuff), at which point Dan comes to me with the tape and says he was good with it until that point, and when Chuck was talking about middle east scenarios, Dan just couldn't accept that, and didn't want to listen to the tapes any more.

I was disheartened of course, and continued praying for him, but that was over 15 years ago, and Dan hasn't changed one bit to this day.

And when the bible says the Word of God does not return void, I believe it still, and I also will leap for joy, when I am mocked, but will do my best to pray for those who mock me.

And if Dan goes to his death, never believing in Christ, it will not be because I did not tell him in the best way I know how. My conscience is clear. Got it...?

Also, think of the ramifications of the fact, that because I asked the Lord if Dan could hear the whole gospel of John (which is the way I came to the Lord), God honored that prayer and made it happen, in spite of the fact that God also knew, Dan would ultimately reject it.

I am neither a calvinist or arminian, and believe in both "free-will" and predestination...they are both true as far as I am concerned, even though I can't explain how. And if I assume, Dan's heart is so hard, that he never accepts the Lord, I also can't explain why God would have had Dan hear the whole gospel of John bible study, knowing it was just "casting pearls before swine"? Simply because I asked Him for it?

I will just have to rely on the old addage "wait for further information", that and... not give up on Dan. He ain't dead yet.

 

[TozerBGood]

Story #5 - Being an Intercessor/Witness, can make enemies, but God is on our side.
This is the last personal story I think I will share in this thread. I have worked in the mill for almost 30 years now...driving back and forth 43 miles each way. You're probably wondering why we don't just move out there, but that's a completely different story (how God bought our house for us), and so I have had a long tedious career at this mill....(no...MINISTRY is the correct word here - our jobs are a ministry of both intercession & witnessing IMO).

So after I'd been a shift supervisor for over 4 years I got a new boss, and that boss did not like me one bit. He felt I should be stricter with my crew. I'm sure he also did not like the fact that I was open about my christianity with the crew, and he was systematically going about trying to get me fired. The mill manager at the time, was also somewhat new, and he was the rude guy (I mentioned in the 1st story...post#11)...the one who was arrogant against the Lord, and I would hear him use the Lord's name crudely, as many do, but IMO, a mill manager especially... should not be doing that...he is the Leader. Anyways, he didn't like me either. So the combination of the 2 (my boss, and the mill manager), I felt it wise to move into a different job. I didn't really like shift work anyways, as it keeps you from going to church half the time.

I noticed that the Electrical/Instrument dept had difficulty keeping supervisors. Believe me when I tell you, that nobody in their right mind would go looking for a job as a supervisor in the E/I shop, as they had just gone through 5 different supervisors in the last 5 yrs. I was not an Electrician, and I knew just enough about Electrical/Instrumentation to be dangerous. Nevertheless I began to wonder if I could do that job. Also, the Union VP (who worked on my crew) was talking to me and saying that the E/I shop moral was the pits basically due to lack of leadership - they were filing grievances almost every week - they needed help, and he thought I was the guy to help. I also had the 2 shift E/Is on my crew, suggesting I move over there, and help straighten the shop out.

So I went and talked to the head of the dept to see if they were interested in me, and of course as desperate as he was to find any supervisor willing to take the job, the guy started drooling, YES YES com'n over.

The next thing I know, the mill manager called me into his office, and he was ticked off to say the least. He literally ripped into me since he felt I should not have done that without going through my supervisor first, and I tried to explain to him that my supervisor was trying to get me canned. Long story short...he reluctantly agreed to the transfer, but I was on his blacklist at that point, and he was letting me know that I was that close to being down the road kicking rocks.

So right after bow season (Edit: it was late Sep 2001...yes... right after 911), I came back to work and started my new job. The first thing the Electricians did was file a grievance claim against the company with the State of Oregon, saying they hired a supervising electrician who didn't have a license. I don't know about other states, but in Oregon, you have to have a someone with a Supervisor's License over the E/I, and that person was my new boss..the E/I Supt, who told me not to worry about this, because a crew supervisor was not required to have a license in order to delegate work. I could not legally tell the people on my 2 crews (15 people total) how to do their work, but I could tell them what the desired end result should be. So in reality I was nothing more than a glorified baby-sitter, who just needed to stay out of the way (as far as the crew was concerned).

Well I was a little concerned, because every decision I made was being 2nd guessed by my own people, who had little respect for me, as I had not a clue what I was doing. I did not even know what "megging a motor meant" at the time. "Megging a motor? What's that?".

My first maintenance shut down...what a nightmare...I had no idea how long it took to do the jobs needed, and 2 days into the shutdown, they told me the shutdown was being cut short a couple of days, and anyone in maintenance will likely understand what a problem it is to be told a shutdown was X days, but now shortened to Y days, and add to that the simple fact that I had no idea what I was doing. IMO, I barely survived through that shutdown, ticking off my whole crew, who was dissatisfied with me to say the least.

Ei-Yie-YIE! I had come to the conclusion that I'd just made the worst decision of my whole career! (nope my friends...the word is MINISTRY) I figured I was going to have to quit or get canned...one or the other.

After that first shutdown, I scheduled some time off (the week of Thanksgiving), and my wife and I went up to Christian Renewal Center (A non-denominational christian retreat center - Silverton, OR) to seek the Lord. I was thinking of quitting, and needed to pray about it...SERIOUS PRAYER.

A WORD FROM THE LORD
While we were up there, my wife and I were sitting at a table in the main lodge, and in walks this old friend of ours (brief aquaintance is more like it) , and she comes and sits down to chat with us. Now this woman's husband is a staunch catholic, and she is a protestant in her faith, but she goes to the catholic church because her husband did.

She casually said to me, "Oh by the way, you can take this with a grain of salt if you want, but I believe I have a word from the Lord for you".

I hope ya'll understand, that we've had people give us bogus "Words from the Lord" before, and so I naturally was a bit skeptical. My wife and I gave eachother a look (you know...that knowing look of doubt that says "Get ready...here it comes").

So she said "This probably will sound kind of crazy, and I have no idea what you do for a living, but when I walked in that door over there, I saw you, and I got this distinct picture in my head of an alien looking space hat coming down on your head, and all these wires were coming out of the space hat, and electrical arcs & sparks going all around the hat, and the Lord says He knows about your struggles and wants you to persevere, and also wants you to know that he is going to give you supernatural understanding about your work, and raise you up into a position of authority, and He wants you to be a Godly leader in your place of work.".

She said, "If this is just crazy talk on my part, then please forgive me, and ignore everything I said".


You must understand, my wife and I had talked to nobody about what was going on at work, that I was considering finding a different job, and when this woman gave me this word, the great weight immediately lifted from my shoulders, and I HAD JOY IN MY HEART again.

The next week, I went back to work praising God for His bountiful mercies, and with renewed vigor. I served as the Electrical/Instrument supervisor there up until mid 2011, when I took a different Job as an Electrical Instrument Controls Engineer.

At the risk of boasting (which I am not doing), I tell you that the Lord did everything just as that woman predicted. The Lord did give me supernatural understanding of my work - for which I had no formal traing class. Also the Lord did raise me up to a place of authority, and it was even acknowledged by our arrogant mill manager, and the whole E/I shop began truly respecting me. The grievances in the E/I shopped dropped to an abrupt halt, and the crew moral dramatically improved (it took about 2-3 years). And now (10 yrs later) I plan/design Control systems which the E/I crews implement. And I still pray for the people I work with, as that is our ministry in the Lord.
“Men ought always to pray and not faint” Luke 18:1

P.S: [For those who now just HAVE to know what Megging a motor is...you use an instrument to send current through 3 phase motor windings and measure the resistance to ground or between phases, and determine if the motor is open/grounded/shorted]

 

[TozerBGood]

So I can really relate to Daniel (in the Book Of Daniel). Daniel had a job, which was a ministry. It was a ministry because he chose to believe God's promise made to Jeremiah (70yrs Prophecy).

I hear so many pastors talk about Daniel, focusing on his last days prophecies, and I almost never hear anyone talk about how Daniel relates to the common everyday christian in his/her job working for unbelievers in this near Godless country. I suspect there are so many christians today, who think of their job, as "just a job", and do not consider how the Lord may wish to use you and bless you at your job.

I know another Christian supervisor at work who's crew simply shined. Everyone in the mill noticed what a good crew they were. And when "Mr. Arrogant against the Lord" mill manager asked the supervisor what was his secret?, he got this simple answer "I prayed for good people". Well that just wasn't the answer he was looking for or expected, and the subject quickly changed.

Did you know that Daniel started out with a bad boss, whom God humbled? But guess who his next bosses were? Remember the story about the finger writing on the wall?

mene mene tekel upharsin, translated...God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end

I did a personal study on Daniel. Here's what I found...Daniel served during no less than 5 different Kings/4 Dynasties – Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus, Belshazzar, Darius, Cyrus (the last was named and predicted by Isaiah the prophet as the king who would allow the Jews to go back - Daniel didn't actually work directly for Cyrus, who in turn was Darius' boss). So after Nebuchadnezzar, Father & Son team, Nabonidus & Belshazzar’s were Daniel's bosses, and their hedonistic reign lasted 550-539 BC –and there is nothing written in book of Daniel until the very night of the end of that dynasty. It is believed that Nabonidus is away at a hedonistic temple for a period of time, and his son Belshazzar is ruling Babylon during his father's idol worship.

OK...think of the kings like mill managers...got it? Can you imagine what it was like for Daniel during Nabonidus & Belshazzar’s 11 year Hedonistic reign? Is it any wonder, that nothing is recorded of that time, except the end of it? I can just imagine Daniel reading the 70 Yr prophecy, knowing when it was coming to an end, and praying for a righteous boss (Darius... who was a General for Cyrus, and then made King of Babylon after he captured it). It's really not a lot different than our own place of work. Please look through the lists I made below (when I did my own study of Daniel) and think and pray about it in your own jobs. Please note what an intercessor Daniel was in his place of work.

Brief Description Of the Book of Daniel:
· Ch 1 – General Nebuchadnezzar II is now King of Babylon – Chaldean Dynasty now Rulers of The Known World
Daniel determines to do a type of fasting (no choice food or wine, just vegetables), convinces his immediate supv to allow it. Note this was not a permanent fast during the 70 yrs in Babylon...see Dan 10:2-3 where he fasts again)
· Ch 2 - Nebuchadnezzar ‘s Dream - Daniel reveals & interprets demonstrating supernatural understanding
· Ch 3 – King’s Golden Image- Fiery Furnace – Daniel is not mentioned for unexplained reason
(perhaps on an ambassadorial mission to Persia - just my guess - I can't accept theories that he bowed to the image, which doesn't make any sense at all...especially for someone who had the Excellent Holy Spirit of God)
· Ch 4 - Nebuchadnezzar warned – through pride he loses his mind for 7 yrs, and then has kingdom restored
(NOTE: I'm guessing that Nabonidus & Belshazzar’s Father/Son Dynasty is likely gaining power during 7 yrs. Some historians think Belshshazar was actually Nebudchanezer's great-grandson - but Daniel says it's his son - some confusion on this - click HERE for an explanation )
· Ch 5 – Belshazzar’s (son of Nabonidus) hedonistic feast – writing on the wall
· Ch 6 – Medo-Persian Empire - King Darius Now Rules in Babylon, Cyrus rules empire – Lions Den
· Ch 7 – Daniel given visions regarding world empires – 4 beasts – Keep’s it to himself
· Ch 8 – Another vision about coming Grecian Empire – makes him sick & exhausted
· Ch 9 – 70 yrs is almost up. Daniel prays for Israel and is told what will happen to Israel
· Ch 10 – Mourns & fasts again for 21 Days (no tasty food, wine, ointments) - has vision of Glorified Christ
(Compare descriptions Dan 10:5-6 & Rev 1: 13-15) – ministered to by angel
· Ch 11 – Daniel defines his ministry to Darius Vs 1 “I took my stand to support and protect him”
Also gives predictions of coming government – no longer keeping it to himself
· Ch 12 –Daniel continues predictions to end times – told it is “sealed to end of time”

Godly qualities Daniel had in a godless place ( like most people's job place )
· Broken & Humble (Dan 1:8, 9:3-19, 9:20-22-prayed & Fasted) (Dan 2:30- gave glory to God)
· Well spoken & respectful (Dan 6:21… “O king, live forever!”, Dan 11:1 “I took my stand to support and protect him” NIV Version)
· Cared about People (Dan 9 – prayed for Israel)
· Relied on God – not worldly methods (Dan 2: 27 – didn’t copy the magicians/wise men)
· Wise as a Serpent, Gentle as a Dove (Dan 6 Lion’s den – opened his window and prayed openly, knowing it would likely get him into trouble)
· Lived righteously in a fallen place (Dan 6 Lion’s den – only accusation was his faith)·
· Tried to please God first over Man (Col 3:23-24 ) Is it just a job…or a ministry? God most likely provided your Job.
Qualities Daniel had that we should pray for in our lives
· Wisdom & Knowledge from God (Daniel 1:17, Joseph also... see Gen 41:33-37) Pray for wisdom about work.
· An “Excellent Spirit” from God (Daniel 6:3, Dan 4:8) Pray for an excellent spirit from God at work.
· Powerful, Expectant Prayers (Dan 6:10) Pray about your work place & your job, since you’re working for the Lord, don’t you think He want’s to help? Be expectant of God’s help when you ask for it.
· Visionary – Dreams (Dan 2:14-19) MLK said "I have a dream!". Ask God for a vision/dream about how He might use you at work.

I strongly suggest that we consider these examples and take them to heart.

 

[PrincessBrideOfChrist]

Thank you so much for sharing all this! It's amazing stuff!

 

[tturt]

Yes, thanks for sharing.

 

[tturt]

Do you pray numerous times for the same request?

 

[FlowerGirl18]

Hey, I serve as a full-time intercessory missionary and it's definitely my passion and my calling. I would love to discuss those things with people who share my love and my calling for intercession and grow in that field together.
I firmly believe that intercession is prophesy. It's proclaiming God's promises into somebody's life. A very important part of intercession is confessing somebody's sins before the Lord, for they are unable to do it themselves (if you are interceding for an unsaved person). These are some of the things that have been on my mind lately.