So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30 NKJ
An intercessor is one who goes to God on someone else’s behalf and prays for them. This is something we are all called to do, but for some it is a primary calling, something they spend a lot of time doing. I learned by reading a few books by C. Peter Wagner years ago that there are different types of intercessors. Some are “general intercessors” who like to write down prayer requests and faithfully pray over them day in and day out. There are “personal intercessors” who are like body guards. They feel called to stand in the gap and pray for Pastors or high profile leaders who may need more prayer covering because they encounter more spiritual warfare from the enemy. There are also “crisis intercessors.” These are people of prayer who will often be awakened in the middle of the night with a dream or during the day with a vision or strong feeling that they need to pray for someone who is having a crisis, often someone in danger and in urgent need of prayer. And lastly, there are “spiritual warfare” intercessors. These are intercessors who encounter a lot of spiritual warfare and often may be led to fast in order to gain breakthrough.
A lot of intercessors may function in more than one of these capacities or a combination of them at different times. For years I encountered a lot of spiritual warfare, spent a lot of time praying and fasting and was used by the Lord primarily as a spiritual warfare intercessor. And even today, when we travel to different areas, I often begin to sense the demonic strongholds and principalities over a city or area and sense the Lord calling me to intercede for that region.
Recently, we traveled to The Villages for a dental appointment for my husband. As we drove along, I began to feel a demonic oppression. I looked around and saw all the beautiful houses, golf courses, people riding on golf carts, etc. The Lord brought to my mind to pray against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (see 1st John 2:16). I know the Lord is not against people having money or being blessed, but it seems that wealthy people often get caught up in pride and different kinds of lusts and have no room in their heart for the Lord. I sensed this was a stronghold over this area. A stronghold happens when people who live in an area give place or open the door to certain types of demonic spirits or principalities by participating in those types of sins. The more people open the door to certain types of demonic spirits, the stronger the hold that the enemy will have over a region. Ephesians 6 says:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NKJ
As I prayed prayers of repentance for the sins of the people, against the strongholds and then for the people of this area to have a visitation from the Lord, I had a mental picture (vision) of what I believe was an angel with a hammer hitting a dome that was over this region in the sky. As he hit with the hammer and I continued to pray for a spiritual awakening, I began to sense the presence of the Lord and knew there was a breakthrough. If you feel that the Lord may be calling you to be an intercessor, I encourage you to find a prayer group and maybe a Bible study group that will help you to grow in this area. God bless you all.
In Christ ~Kelly Rowe
*For more teaching on this subject, please see my book entitled Essential Keys to Spiritual Warfare & Deliverance by Kelly Evans Rowe available on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.
A Deeper Walk 