HomeDay 17 Forgiveness and Intercession
30/30 Prayer Event July 17th, 2009“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:25-26
As promised….
We know from yesterday’s post that forgiving others is required in order to experience God’s forgiveness, but don’t miss the forgiveness-intercession connection.
Believers are called to pray for others. The call is to pray for everyone, even your enemies. Praying for another person really means approaching and communicating with God on their behalf. It’s called intercession, and it is a powerful aspect of prayer ministry.
When we intercede, we pray that God’s will is done in the lives of another. True intercession is not made from a selfish perspective. Intercession is not made because we want someone to change in order to meet our needs, live up to our expectations, or obtain an apology. We intercede because we desire the will of God for their lives. We love them and want God’s best for their lives. True intercession is motivated by love. Are you beginning to see why forgiveness is so important?
Withholding forgiveness blocks the spiritual movement that happens as a result of prayer. Furthermore, it reveals a greater concern for yourself than the other person. In order to ask seek God’s best for another person you must have compassion toward them. Forgiveness is a great demonstration of compassion. When there is more concern about what is owed to you than someone’s soul, it is impossible to ask God to bless them. True intercession erupts out of deep compassion or concern for another person. You truly desire God’s best for them. Your act of forgiveness is simply releasing them from a debt. A debt they can not pay. Forgiveness does not mean an offense didn’t occur. It powerfully acknowledges there is no capacity to pay what is owed. Your act of forgiveness opens the door for God’s power and influence to enter the situation.
I could go on and on because forgiveness is such a rich topic, but I’d rather hear from you. Please share your comments, thoughts, or even your questions.
Blessings to you,
MC
July 17th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Thanks for the post on Forgiveness and Intercession. I have been told it’s harder for a woman to forgive and forget than a man. True or not I really don’t know, but my experience is that women do remember and bring up the past more often than men. I know there is true power in forgiveness however I feel far too many in our christian community have not tapped into this release. Through your experience do you feel women or men have more of a problem releasing the past over the other gender?
July 20th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
As I read this the other day I immediately realized why I have not seen the result of praying that my dad and my two brothers be saved “for real”; not just saying that they believe but living out that belief. Seeing a change in their lives. I realized that I had not forgiven them for things of the past. I am guilty of making the usual statement “I’m over it, that doesn’t bother me anymore” I have even prayed the prayer of “Lord I am giving this to you”. But until reading this post I really haven’t given it up as I truly have not forgiven them. I never knew that there was a direct link between forgiveness and intercession. It rings true what Jesus spoke about in Mark 11:25-26. My understanding of intercession is, it’s a gift. The Holy Spirit births the need to intercede so that God’s will in heaven can be done here on earth. However, how can I use that gift if I haven’t obeyed His word? Be reconciled. How can I not forgive them when He has so readily forgiven me? In truth my motivation for His intercession in their lives was not of Him nor was it pure. I will admit I prayed because I didn’t like the persons they were….are and how that related to me. It was self-centered not God centered. But God (thanks for grace) has allowed me to see His motives for their lives, that they would experience Him and love Him, for Him and thus live life, as you would say Pastor Cade, “qualitatively better”. I am truly thankful for the 30/30 prayer event as it is definitely renewing my mind. Thank you for your service to the Lord. Prayerfully interceding, thanks for truth.