LORD RAISE UP INTERCESSORS

The Bible is replete with teaching and stories regarding the power of prayer, and down through history we know of many saints who were prayer warriors. Yet, we live in a PRAYERLESS GENERATION, if a local church has a prayer meeting, it is the least attended service of the week or month!!!
I am not writing this blog because of the wonderful way the Lord has led me after seeking Him for new direction in ministry (because of my age and health), into a Ministry of Intercession for ministries around the world, but because one of the men I am committed to pray for daily has written and asked me about seeking to raise up Intercessors in his church.
Every Pastor and local church and church plant needs to have Intercessors laying hold of God for them, as the enemy sure does not want to see the church grow, nor a church plant grow and be established as a New Testament church.
Let me tell you a powerful true story. There is an old established local church in Australia,(130-150 believers) that had been Pastored by one man for 15+years, it was a good solid church. The Pastor resigned believing the Lord was leading him in a new direction. soon after the new Pastor arrived the Lord told him the church would drop down to around 30+ members, this happened quite quickly. The Pastor felt led to seek out some women whom he felt could be used in Intercessory prayer ministry. They began to meet regularly for prayer and some of them discerned there was a demon sitting on the roof of the church controlling the situation. They informed the Pastor, and he encouraged them to take authority over the demon, and see it dealt with, and it was cast down. Within about one year the church grew to over 1100 believers, ALL BECAUSE OF THE POWER OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER.
You may say that is an extreme illustration, but I can verify it is true, and it highlights the power and need of prayer.
At least in the Western world, we are aware the Church is struggling, and we seek to devise new methods to grow the church but generally exclude concerted prayer from our plans.
Every ministry and every local church needs “Prayer Partners/Intercessors”, who will be committed to pray for the Lord’s blessing  on the ministry and local church, and to pray against the “wiles” of the enemy.
Whoever reads this blog, if you are in ministry, you need Intercessors to pray for you, and if you are not in specific leadership make yourself available to the Lord to pray for those who are on the front line and see them succeed  in building the Kingdom of God.
We have not been in Pastoral Ministry for over 30 years, as the Lord led us into Bible College Teaching Ministry, but in our last church we gathered some Intercessors together and saw the church grow from 40 to over 400 in about eighteen months, prayer was an important key to our growth.
I trust this blog will challenge you to do something about raising up Intercessors to “hold up your arms” in your ministry.
I have some suggested guidelines I can give you, you can contact me through WordPress if you have subscribed to my blog, or on [email protected]    Let us raise up an army of Intercessors who’s praying will turn the tide and we see revival in our day Amen.