Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.“
You can’t love your neighbor as yourself unless you first love yourself. Then you may ask, “Well, who is my neighbor?” I would answer, “Your neighbor is anyone other than yourself.”
In the Old Testament, God’s commandment to love your neighbor was given to Israel. But today, it is directed at everyone: Jews and Gentiles. We don’t know who belongs to God or who belongs to Satan, so we must love everyone (as ourselves) until God tells us otherwise.
all people are not God’s people….some belong to Satan ~Terri
get close to Christ so you know when to stay away from some people ~ Terri
[Note: Many times, love for your neighbor should only consist of prayer for your neighbor – at a distance – because we should never attach ourselves to toxic, demonic, or (blatantly) spiritually disobedient people; even if they say they belong to God (in the church). You should separate from them or you will become like them. Love yourself first by having a solid relationship with Christ, then we (His church) can hear from Him and love others the way He commands. Example: Would you allow a known robber or child molester to come into your home and have their way…in the name of love?]
I was talking to a church member who admitted to doing bad things to people but said they didn’t know it was wrong. Then I asked, “Well, if it was done to you, would it be wrong?”
And if we are born-again, God will tell us when we’re wrong.
We may be able to trick man, but not God.
Leviticus 19: 18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD”.
Agapao is the verb form of “agape”, and I describe it as wanting the best for our neighbor (and whatever Christ would want). This means we shouldn’t steal, kill, lie, cheat, or do harm to them (because Christ would not – except for vengeance, which belongs to Him). Agape has nothing to do with feelings but has everything to do with who God is and what He said.
One of the most important ways God commands us to demonstrate this agapao for our neighbor is through intercession. There are two types of intercession, but they both require humility and prayer in order to become a vessel on behalf of our neighbor. Therefore, if we are full of pride, we will not be able to love our neighbor as God commands.
we need to ask God for eyes to see others as He sees them ~Terri
The most general type of intercession is prayer that we initiate to God because of a need that we are aware of. The Holy Spirit is the intercessor who passes information from us to the Father > from the Father to us > and from us to our neighbors. Our prayer should be a back and forth (all day) from us to God and God to us, via the Holy Spirit.
This is the reason (many times) our prayers are answered differently from our request – the spirit has made intercession for us with the right prayer. As righteous Christians, we should be praying (something) for our country, our neighbors, our president, our families, and ourselves so the Holy Spirit can intercede on our behalf.
Luke 10:19-20 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Then there is the intercessor who is ‘called’ by God – which is the deepest level of intervention via the Holy Spirit. This is not group prayer, this is a one-on-one with God via the Holy Spirit. The Greatest Intercessor Of All Time is Jesus, who took our sins to the cross.
This intercession is initiated by God. God gives the intercessor power and authority for specific actions (via the Holy Spirit) to be performed (in precise obedience) for the purpose of freeing, healing or delivering someone. This type of intercession is neither feeling sorry for someone, standing in the gap, nor empathizing with someone; this type is ‘becoming’ that person (in spirit) as God commands so they ‘will’ be delivered. When God sends an intercessor, it is not to pray a prayer in hopes they get better…He sends them to take the place of that person in spirit with the assurance that His will be done.
Intercessors feel what the other person feels and cries out to God for deliverance – as that person. The intercessor does not choose the person they intercede for, and they don’t choose what to pray for. This information is received from the Holy Spirit from God. The assignment can last for a moment or for months, but there is always a specific reason for it, a specific way it is to be done and a specific outcome expected.
Leviticus 19:15 “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
God sometimes sends intercessors when His children are lost with layers of demonic activity in their lives; they know they’re lost but can’t get back. They could be so deep into their sins that pride blinds them in many areas. Sometimes intercessors are sent when someone has lost the will to cry out. When we lose hope, we usually cannot get it back on our own…someone must speak to us from the mouth of God. Hopelessness has not exit…without God.
Many times, God uses intercession as a last resort before he takes his hands off. Since God is loving and long-suffering, He warns before He does anything, and gives us a fighting chance to make corrections. He never does anything without telling us first. He also will not judge us on what we did not know, nor will He judge on what we would ‘probably’ do in a situation. He will judge everyone on what they have already done.
[Note: God will not ‘call’ you to be this type of vessel if you haven’t first been humbled by Him- because you will only exhibit pride – so don’t try this at home! ]
I didn’t know I was an intercessor until God revealed it to me years ago. I have interceded for people who at first seemed normal on the outside, but then I learned they were turmoiled inwardly. I’ve seen how fragile pastors can be as they lead a church full of souls, yet they struggle with pride, competing with God or thinking they can out-slick Him. I have often tried to understand how they could be deceived by Satan to have a fist fight with God after all the miraculous ways God worked through them and revealed His word. Or they may even go back to doing what they were delivered from and God either dealt with them or they just disappeared from ministry (or earth).
God has had me say something to pastors knowing what the reply will be. Knowing that it would cause them to spew demons at me, but I said it anyway and braced for shock. Sure enough, the demons spewed. I was like, “Lord, what was that about?” That’s when I learned that everyone must see their own sin (even what is in their hearts), or else they will be able to deny it in judgement.
There can be downsides to intercession. Intercession calls for strict obedience and if the intercessor is not following the commands of the Holy Spirit, they can do more spiritual harm than good to the person they’re interceding for, or to themselves. They can overstep their boundaries with over-involvement or get sucked into the bondage they were sent to intercede through; therefore, God doesn’t send people filled with pride who He can’t depend upon. This also showed me the extent to which God will go to get His children when they go astray. Nothing can separate us from the love of God – not even hell. God will come and get you! We are God’s children even when we are not good children, and he will rescue us when we lose our way.
obedience is my job…the outcome is God’s business ~Terri
Through intercession, God taught me that I must be obedient to Him in order to love my neighbor; but He handles the outcome. I learned that love is laying my life down and fighting the devil on his turf (at God’s command – or the devil will beat me up!).
There is no monetary compensation and no pat on the back for intercessors. You go into battle with the devil, and you don’t always see the outcome. Sometimes you don’t even see any progress in the person for a while; and many even resent you (I never really figured that one out). This is when an intercessor will either become better or bitter. Better is realizing that this is a divine work in obedience to Christ and not man, thereby growing in love and humility. Bitter is taking it personally and growing in pride.
Everyone is not called to be an intercessor (and many would never desire to be because of God’s extreme preparation for the call). But as followers of Christ, we are all called to pray powerfully in faith upon His word. If you are walking in righteousness, your prayer is powerful and can change the heart of the nation and people around you. God allows people in our lives so we learn to love who He loves as we grow in righteousness.
