Called to be an Intercessor/ OMBS7/ Tithe with Joy

Called to Intercession

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. - Matthew 5:4

Do you know what Jesus was really talking about when He said those words? He was talking about the mourning of the intercessor. He was teaching about the comfort that comes to the intercessor when he is assured by the Holy Spirit that he has prayed through. To pray through means "to break through the barriers that have stopped the work of God in the lives of others." It means using your spiritual armor to push back the forces of darkness that surround them. There's a desperate need for believers who are willing to do that today. There's a need for intercessors who will go before God and reach out for His mercy and compassion for the sinner, for the sick and for this downcast world. For prayer warriors who will stick with it until they have the assurance inside, in their spirits, that every barrier is broken and every area of bondage has been abolished. God is looking for intercessors like that—and there are certain things that won't happen on this earth until He finds them. There are blessings and moves of God that won't come until someone gives birth to those things by prayer. Even the Lord Jesus Himself was ushered into the earth by intercession. Remember Simeon and Anna? They were both intercessors, prayer warriors of God. They'd spent years in spiritual mourning, praying for the Messiah to come. But when they were done, they experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit. For when they saw Jesus as a tiny baby in the temple, they recognized Him and rejoiced. If you're wondering if you're one of those who's been called to intercession, then you probably are. God is calling believers everywhere to experience that unique kind of mourning and comfort that only the intercessor knows. He's calling you to lay down your life for others through prayer. Somewhere in the world, someone needs you to pray them through. Spend some time on your knees today.

PRAYER - "Evil Communications Corrupt Good Manners"

If Jesus is not risen from the dead, then our faith is baseless. We might as well do as the heathen say: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!" But do not be deceived. Christ is risen. However, if you companion with unbelievers, and engage in conversational intercourse with them, your godly way of living will be destroyed. Don't kid yourself. If you listen to enough of unbelievers' vain talk, your righteous intentions WILL be compromised! Stop talking so much with the world. Talk with God!

1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners."

PRINCIPAL - "Men In Understanding"

"I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." Paul truly loved the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, but he cared far more that men may know and understand the things of God. "With all thy getting, get understanding," Proverbs 4:7. Are you a CHILD or a MAN in understanding? Only those with great and holy desire ever attain to the MASTERY.

1 Corinthians 14:20 - "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

PRINCIPLE - "I Die Daily"

Are you a born-again Child of God? Two minds inhabit you: a godless carnal mind and a new spiritual mind. The carnal mind endlessly seeks to please the flesh. It is a slave to the world, the flesh and the devil. The spiritual mind, born of God, abhors temporal things and seeks the things of God. Jesus said that a man must take up his cross or he cannot be His disciple. Our flesh must be crucified. Are you a carnally-minded person? Carnality has to be crucified. Die to yourself.

1 Corinthians 15:31 - "I die daily."

PROPHECY - "The Gift Of Interpretation Of Tongues"

When someone in the Church gives a message in tongues, Paul taught that there should be an interpreter present. Both people must operate in the gifts of the Spirit. This calls for a spiritually adept congregation who are well acquainted with the ways of the Spirit. An interpreter is not the same as a translator. A translator renders speech word-for-word from one language to another. No one knows the unknown tongue word-for-word. An interpreter supernaturally explains or expounds upon what was said in the unknown language.

1 Corinthians 12:10 - "To another the interpretation of tongues."

Tithe With Joy

And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance...that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth...and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there. - Deuteronomy 26:1-2

Tithing. Most Christians aren't very excited about it. But they should be—and they would be if they understood how to do it properly. Scriptural tithing stirs up faith. It activates the power of God in our lives when we do it in gratitude and joy, expecting our needs to be met abundantly. In Deuteronomy 26:8-9, God told the Israelites exactly what to say when they brought their tithes. He instructed them to acknowledge the fact that He had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt and to say: "The Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: and he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey." What does that have to do with you and me? God has done the same thing for us! He's brought us out of a life of bondage and poverty into a life that flows with the abundance of God. So when you bring your tithe to the Lord, follow the example set by the Israelites. Make it a time of rejoicing. Make it a time of realizing anew the wonderful things Jesus Christ has done for you. Thank Him for delivering you from a land of darkness and scarcity and bringing you into His promised land of plenty. Thank Him that it is a land of mercy, a land of joy, a land of peace and a land of prosperity. Tithe in faith, expecting the rich blessings of that land to be multiplied to you. You may soon find it to be one of the most exciting things you can do.

Plan of Salvation read acts 2:38