The power of intercession.indd 1 2/26/2007 2:52:52 PM
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Available at leading book stores or order directly at 021 918 8811 THE POWER OF INTERCESSION produced by Carpe Diem Media 2007 Carpe Diem Media First edition, first print 2007 ISBN 978-1-920156-43-5 eisbn 978-1-43220-242-2 WebPDF eisbn 978-1-43220-241-5 Epub Typesetting Justine Horn Editor & Translator San-Mari Mills Cover design and illustrations Magdie Claasens Printed and bound by CTP Book Printers **Unless otherwise indicated, scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publisher s. **Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. CONTACT DETAILS Carpe Diem Media P O Box 5801 Vanderbijlpark 1900 Tel (016) 982 3617 Fax (016) 982 3618 E-mail boeke@carpediem.co.za Website www.carpediem.co.za
CONTENTS Preface 7 Prologue 9 1 What is intercession? 11 2 The fruits of intercession 17 3 The focus of intercession 24 4 The power of united intercession 33 5 A house of prayer for the nations 40 6 God rules through the prayers of his children 45 7 Rule with Christ 48 8 Jesus as Intercessor 54 9 The intercessionary trinity 60 10 Can God change his mind? 67 11 The paradox of intercession 72 12 Intercession is more than prayer 78 13 Intercessory worship 84 14 Travail 91 BENNIE MOSTERT 5
15 Intercession as supplication 100 16 Intercession is wrestling with God 105 17 Prevailing intercession 108 18 Intercession and fasting 117 19 Danger areas in intercession 126 20 Wrong ways to pray 133 21 Intercessors must have clean hands 145 22 The discipline and price of intercession 150 23 Would you still be prepared? 156 The power is not in intercession, the power is in God and in Him alone. Our focus must never be intercession. God is our focus, God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
PREFACE We are all dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants, a wise man once said. I have read much during the years. Books by Andrew Murray, A.W. Tozer, Roy Hession, Henri Nouwen, J.I. Packer, Madame Guyon, Fenelon, Jessie Penn-Lewis, Oswald J. Smith, manuscripts of the Egyptian desert monks, theological books, dozens of books on prayer, biographies, etc. Where I have been able to acknowledge, I did so. Concepts and ideas of other writers are incorporated in places, but are often difficult to indicate. These are my insights into and understanding of this topic as it has taken shape in me through the years, in acknowledgement of the fact that I drank from many fountains. What you will read are not new laws and by no means the last and final word on the topic. Take what is a blessing to you and leave the rest. Intercession is one of a Christian s most essential privileges and responsibilities. It is part of our priestly role. Intercession is BENNIE MOSTERT 7
not in opposition to worship, praise, thanksgiving, personal requests and other forms of prayer, and it does not replace these either. No form of prayer is more important or more spiritual than any other. This book explains intercession in more depth and wishes to emphasise the importance of intercession.
PROLOGUE It was Rees Howells who said in a crisis situation during World War II: Prayer has failed and only intercession will take us through. This might sound strange to many people; it did to me the first time I heard it. During the past many years I came to a better understanding of intercession. It has been a difficult but exciting road. I am convinced that if the church in South Africa and worldwide is at all interested in making progress with the commission to make disciples of all nations, prayer alone will not be enough. We will have to turn to intercession. The aim of this book is to explain the difference between prayer and intercession and to clarify the different facets and effect of intercession. As a church, we should take action and proceed to attack, and launch an offensive against the wave of darkness that is flooding the world. Satan is not going to sit back and watch humankind being saved. He is going to fight. Let us not be BENNIE MOSTERT 9