Open Heaven For Today 2023 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Benefits Of Intercession
TOPIC: Benefits Of Intercession
MEMORISE: “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.” – Ezekiel 22:30 (KJV)
READ: 1 Kings 9:1-9 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do,
2 That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
3 And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this house?
9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 18-21
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE:
The greatest benefit of intercession is that God draws you closer to Himself. He tells you His next move because He needs you to intercede concerning it. When you are an intercessor, you get so close to God that you feel His heartbeat. You share in His very burden for the souls of men. God sees intercessors just like He sees Jesus because He is the number one intercessor. 1 John 2:1 says He is always with the Father, advocating for us. Intercessors carry a strong burden for the souls of men, just like Jesus did when He laid down His life for mankind. Moses – a true intercessor, illustrated how much he carried this burden in Exodus 32:31-32:
And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
He asked God to forgive the people of Israel or remove his name from the book of life. That is how much the burden of the souls of men is on intercessors. That is why intercessors are in the same department as Jesus Christ. Jesus is their Head of Department and whatever prayer comes from that department is seen by God as coming from Jesus Christ Himself.
Solomon cared about the people of God more than he did about himself. That is why, when he only asked for wisdom to lead the people right, God decided to bless him far beyond his expectations. Intercessors hardly have personal prayer points because before their needs arise, God has already resolved them.
Real intercessors don’t intercede just for their own benefit. Intercession is borne out of love and passion for the souls of men. Like Daniel in Daniel 9:1-19, when an intercessor sees the promise of God not being fulfilled in the life of a person or nation, he or she would begin to pray concerning that situation. He or she would keep reminding God of that promise until it is fulfilled, just to ensure that God’s will is established and that the souls of men are preserved from danger.
KEY POINT:
True intercessors carry a burden for the souls of men and in turn, God carries their burdens Himself.
Open Heavens 2023 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven for Today 2023
