How do I Find Intercessors to Pray for me?
I had a wonderful email from someone on the Mission Field, asking 'how' do we find the intercessors we need to make up a prayer shield. That really got me thinking. My own personal prayer shield has been up and running for over 10 years...a number of the prayer shields that I've set up for other leaders, have been running as long and one even longer ( 15 years). The question made me stop and go back to remembering, what it was that I first looked for..
When I first 'accepted' the fact that my husband and I also needed a prayer shield - it was hard! I'd prayed for other leaders for so long, I struggled with thinking that 'I' was worth asking others to commit to praying for me. That's probably the biggest hurdle to get over! Once I decided I wasn't so 'strong' that I could do my mission on earth without prayer support...I began by praying and asking God to show ME if there were already people in my life who might be able to pray for my husband and I personally. These are the ones who shouldn't necessarily be family members - sorry!! But as a mom, I know that sometimes my mother-heart, interferes with my kids being able to tell the 'raw' prayer requests that need my covering. Now.. I can grow into that ability...but if you are starting a personal prayer shield, I wouldn't 'stack it' with family members! Too much information sometimes, is not necessarily good for them...and YOU need to be able to ask for those things that you are really needing prayer for, without worrying that your situation ( or you heart) is going to be misunderstood!
So...keep looking..start praying...and then if you feel you find someone, do a trial run - like pray test run! You might want to do it a couple of times, to see how it goes. Are they able to hear your requests, and take them seriously, without panicking ? Do they give you feedback? Have they actually prayed..and then relayed what they were 'sensing' on your behalf? If so...then maybe you've got an intercessor who can be one of your inner core!
When you first start out...you should probably aim for at least 2-3 inner core intercessors. As you begin to work with them..you'll know if you need to add more to that inner core. How? Well, if your inner core of intercessors starts telling you that they are getting 'hit' with spiritual attacks alot..it could be that they need more support - so consider adding to that area of your prayer shield.
The other level of intercessory, is what I call the outer core - or level 2. These ones are just as important, but they are the ones who will be mainly praying general personal prayers for you ( 'please pray for provision'...or 'pray for our health' etc.)...AND they will be the ones who pray mainly for the ministry - what you are doing! They can be trusted to pray over new plans and strategies. They can be trusted to pray over resistance that the ministry is facing. They are wonderful intercessors this group..and many of them are probably 'list' pray-ers! So, your emails to them should be in point form...so they can pray thru it easily!
Then there are the next level of intercessory/prayer support . That level is the ones that get a basic public email from you - something that is sent out from your church, on your website, your blog etc. These are ones that can be the largest group, but they are given more generic information. They like to be a part of something that support a ministry, and will also be very supportive. These are not necessarily ones that you have a personal relationship with, but they do believe in your ministry and want to support by prayer!
So....does that help? I hope so! It takes alittle bit of work to get a good prayer shield up and running. It also takes some trial and error...and some tweeking - but in the end, it's well worth it! A leader who gets proper prayer coverage, will last longer...and enjoy the ministry more, because he/she doesn't have to carry the weight of it all on his own!
Let know how you do!
When I first 'accepted' the fact that my husband and I also needed a prayer shield - it was hard! I'd prayed for other leaders for so long, I struggled with thinking that 'I' was worth asking others to commit to praying for me. That's probably the biggest hurdle to get over! Once I decided I wasn't so 'strong' that I could do my mission on earth without prayer support...I began by praying and asking God to show ME if there were already people in my life who might be able to pray for my husband and I personally. These are the ones who shouldn't necessarily be family members - sorry!! But as a mom, I know that sometimes my mother-heart, interferes with my kids being able to tell the 'raw' prayer requests that need my covering. Now.. I can grow into that ability...but if you are starting a personal prayer shield, I wouldn't 'stack it' with family members! Too much information sometimes, is not necessarily good for them...and YOU need to be able to ask for those things that you are really needing prayer for, without worrying that your situation ( or you heart) is going to be misunderstood!
So...keep looking..start praying...and then if you feel you find someone, do a trial run - like pray test run! You might want to do it a couple of times, to see how it goes. Are they able to hear your requests, and take them seriously, without panicking ? Do they give you feedback? Have they actually prayed..and then relayed what they were 'sensing' on your behalf? If so...then maybe you've got an intercessor who can be one of your inner core!
When you first start out...you should probably aim for at least 2-3 inner core intercessors. As you begin to work with them..you'll know if you need to add more to that inner core. How? Well, if your inner core of intercessors starts telling you that they are getting 'hit' with spiritual attacks alot..it could be that they need more support - so consider adding to that area of your prayer shield.
The other level of intercessory, is what I call the outer core - or level 2. These ones are just as important, but they are the ones who will be mainly praying general personal prayers for you ( 'please pray for provision'...or 'pray for our health' etc.)...AND they will be the ones who pray mainly for the ministry - what you are doing! They can be trusted to pray over new plans and strategies. They can be trusted to pray over resistance that the ministry is facing. They are wonderful intercessors this group..and many of them are probably 'list' pray-ers! So, your emails to them should be in point form...so they can pray thru it easily!
Then there are the next level of intercessory/prayer support . That level is the ones that get a basic public email from you - something that is sent out from your church, on your website, your blog etc. These are ones that can be the largest group, but they are given more generic information. They like to be a part of something that support a ministry, and will also be very supportive. These are not necessarily ones that you have a personal relationship with, but they do believe in your ministry and want to support by prayer!
So....does that help? I hope so! It takes alittle bit of work to get a good prayer shield up and running. It also takes some trial and error...and some tweeking - but in the end, it's well worth it! A leader who gets proper prayer coverage, will last longer...and enjoy the ministry more, because he/she doesn't have to carry the weight of it all on his own!
Let know how you do!
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