THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY OF THE BELIEVER

12/9/2023

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

There is a priority that the Lord requires we give to praying for others, and here is why. The devil prays, and when he prays, he is ruthless, relentless, and effective. The Bible refers to him as the "accuser of our brethren" (Revelations 12:10), and what is an accusation, if not a form of prayer? Satan gathers arguments and then goes into the presence of God and legitimately presents these arguments as to why earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, pestilences, and harm should come to certain people in certain locations. 

Make no mistakes about it; the enemy has been adept at his form of priesthood for a long time. He went to God about Job (see Job 1:5-10) and secured rights to afflict him. And in Zechariah 3:1-2, we find that he even accused the High Priest of Israel at that time but failed.

Because the enemy is unrelenting, we, too, must never slack. Otherwise, things that shouldn't happen will occur. Many believers look at things on the surface. They think that life and ministry are done by mere social interactions and deeds but there is an alternate universe where the things that happen here are determined. And 1 Timothy 2:1-2 is the LORD's invitation to you to participate in this throne room process. It says, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

Understand that God is a righteous Judge, and in His courts, the best arguments carry the day. This is why when you begin praying for others, you start with supplications. What are supplications? Isaiah 41:21 says, "Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forth your strong reasons," says the King of Jacob." You present your case with scriptures. Why should the violence in Trotwood be extinguished? And what priesthood (in the forms of rap music and public policy) have kept and even worsened the kind of violence that we hear about in that part of the city? Your job as God's priest is to take up a lamentation on behalf of that place or some other place that God puts in your heart and pray daily. 

The next aspect is "prayer," and here, it means making entreaties. It means hallowing the Lord for His awesomeness to do and accomplish whatever He desires among people. This part of your priestly praying is worshipful and subservient to God. Here, you are mindful of how great God is and of His majesty. 

Next is the actual intercession. Intercession is mediation. The people have done wrong things in the sight of God, and you are repenting on their behalf and asking for God's mercy and revival. They may even deserve a blessing, but those who should speak for them are not doing so in the spirit realm, which is where you come in. The Bible tells us that God is actively seeking intercessors everywhere people live. In Ezekiel 22:30, God says, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." Child of God, as God searches in this hour, let Him find you. He needs an intercessor for that country, state, community, and family that often gets your attention in the forms of premonitions, dreams, and mental flashes. 

Lastly, thanksgiving is your acknowledgment that God heard your prayer. 1 John 5:14-15 says, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." As this is the case when you pray for others, then your thanksgiving is your title deed for a miracle among the people you are praying for. 

Right now, where you are, I want you to pray for a person, community, or country as you are led and punctuate your time with the Lord in thanksgiving.

God bless you. 

Faith-Filled Confession

I am God's priest, and I do my duties with the sincerity that brings glory to God and peace among people so that the gospel spreads and many are saved, in Jesus' name.

Prayer Points:

Psalm 122:6, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you."

• Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

• Pray against plans to use the crises in Israel to launch other attacks in the United States.

• Pray for Washington and all who are in positions of authority in the United States.

One-Year Reading Plan: Daniel 3-4; 1 John 3