Complimentary Story
Whenever we pray for the salvation of a sinner, we are engaging in spiritual warfare. Think of the human heart as if it were a corporation, overseen by a board of heavenly Directors (Yahweh the Father, Jesus the Messiah, and the Spirit of Yahweh). When we sin, we take a percentage of our heart shares (that belong to Yahweh) and we sell them to the Adversary. As we continue to sin, we sell off more heart shares until there are none left to sell, and we fall into spiritual bankruptcy. Once this occurs, the enemy takes full ownership of the company and our hearts, by law, belong to him.
This is the liquidated state that unrepentant sinners find themselves. The Adversary holds a legal claim to their heart; and if we go barging into the board meeting with a megaphone, attempting to overthrow the Chairman of the Board, we can bank on there being some drama. Satan isn’t going to hand over the title deed to a sinner’s heart simply because we prayed a quick little prayer beneath our breath on our drive home from work.
Satan fought for the heart of that sinner. He legally won it, fair and square; and we are going to have to shake the very foundations of Hell to pry it loose from his white-knuckle death grip.
We must be prayed up before we can pray up others. We must not even think about praying one prayer for our homosexual friend, neighbor, family member, or coworker until we have first gone before the Father and done a thorough assessment of the giant log protruding out of our own eye (Matthew 7:1-5).
Because, guess what? Our gossiping mouth, our insatiable materialism, our total disregard for the poor, widows, and orphans in our community, and our tireless self-promotion on Facebook is just as detestable a stench in Yahweh’s nostrils as somebody else’s sex life.
Step One of any intercessory prayer journey begins with YOU.
What are YOUR blind spots? What are the loopholes and footholds that the enemy is going to rub in your face to effectively shut down your prayer efforts? Take account of these things now and make sure that your heart is pure and humble before Yahweh. Once you are for certain that Yahweh Almighty is the one holding 100% of the shares of your heart, you will be able to BOLDLY approach the throne of grace, and your requests will get a just and fair hearing.
Bear in mind that Yah holding “100% of the shares of your heart” does not mean you have achieved sinless perfection. It simply means that Jeremiah 29:13 has taken root: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Before entering into a season of intercession, interrogate your soul as the psalmist did when he inquired of Yahweh, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Pummel your own flesh as the Apostle Paul and beat your own will into subordination to the superior plans and purposes of Yahweh.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your blind spots; any sins, behaviors, habits, or attitudes that might be a hinderance to your prayers. Search your heart and pinpoint any lies you might be believing about God, His Word, His commandments, or yourself. Confess your sins, lay your burdens at His feet. Prepare your heart before the throne and ready your heart, soul, and mind to intercede on behalf of others.
Ask the Spirit to intercede for your lost loved one with groanings that you cannot utter and to do exceedingly, abundantly more than you could ever ask or imagine. Ask God to give you courage, faithfulness, and perseverance to pray until you receive an answer (Luke 18:1-8, Galatians 6:9, Luke 11:5-13). Praise Yahweh for any insights that He gives you during this time of prayer. End on a note of worship — extolling something about the name or character of Yahweh that sets Him apart from all other gods.
“I cried to [Yahweh] with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, Yah would not have listened. But truly Yah has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be Yahweh, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!” Psalm 66:17-20 (ESV).
This article is based on an excerpt from Vicki Joy Anderson’s book, TRANSforming Prayer: A 31-Day Prayer Walk for Your LGBTQ Loved One; available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle formats.
