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I am going to teach you some things on prayer and intercession. Now I have not taught on this subject in a long time; however, the Lord has just recently released me to do so.

Intercession is such a powerful tool for the Christian but it must be understood.

Intercession is praying for persons or lands, or pleading one's case on behalf of another. We have heard it called "standing in the gap" for someone. Prayer and intercession is an act of love and must follow the guidelines of love and faith in order to bear fruit in the way God intended for it to do.

Judgment has many definitions however; here are just a few that we will examine in relationship to this teaching. Judgment means:
  1. To pass sentence upon; condemn
  2. To appraise discriminatingly as an expert
  3. To form an opinion about
  4. To criticize or appraise
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
(Luke 6:37-38)
These scriptures are usually applied to finances, especially verse 38; however, they were not intended just for finances. They are a vital principle in the Word of God, so we will apply them to the area of intercession.

Sensitive To The Spirit Realm
You are spirit beings; you have a soul, and live in a body. Because you are a spirit being you can be sensitive to the spirit realm. Now, if you are born again and are baptized into the Holy Spirit, you will be even more sensitive.

For this reason, if you are not careful while in prayer, the enemy can come in and paint pictures, in the spirit realm, of people and their bondages. With this as his backdrop, Satan will try to get you to focus on the trouble and then pass judgment on the people instead of you agreeing with God's Word about them and their circumstances.

As Christians, if you are not careful, you can get sloppy in your prayer life. Then you fall for the enemy's trap and begin to operate in the flesh more than you do the Spirit. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Love (zoe love). He is always ready to reconcile. He is never out for revenge, but rather He is out to break bondages and heal brokenness.

John 3:17 says, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." We see in this verse that Jesus came into this world, without condemnation and judgment, to take judgment away. You do not have, in any way, the right to judge another person. You just do not.

Look at what the Word says to be like. Luke 6:36-37 says,
So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is [all these].37Judge not [neither pronouncing judgment nor subjecting to censure], and you will not be judged; do not condemn and pronounce guilty, and you will not be condemned and pronounced guilty; acquit and forgive and release (give up resentment, let it drop), and you will be acquitted and forgiven and released.
(AMP)
Let us look at this from our standpoint. Condemn not and you will not be condemned, forgive and you will be forgiven. Do you know what that is really saying? When you judge somebody, judgment will come back, good measure, pressed down, and running over will men pass judgment on you.

The Bible, in verse 38, goes on to say to give and it shall be given to you. This is a law, a principle of God. To put it another way, very simply: if you sow it; you will reap it. You give it; it is going to be multiplied back to you. So, if you have wondered where all the attitudes, that you have been experiencing, have been coming from, check your own giving record, in this area.

Judging Those We Like vs. Dislike
It is very easy to love somebody who pleases you, someone that you enjoy being around. You know they are fun and they make you laugh. Nevertheless, sometimes it is hard to love someone that is obnoxious, hateful, or always expects something from you.

A person who does not agree with you, but rather gives you their opinion and every reason why they have a disagreement, is just as difficult to love. That person can "rub you the wrong way." When you are in prayer, you are not praying about the good side of that person, you are not praying about the healthy, you are not praying about the part of that person that does not need help, but rather you are praying about the part that does need help.

Therefore, you have to do this with God's love. It is so easy to pronounce judgment on people. The Word says that when you judge you are wrong. God did not place you in the body of Christ to be judge and jury over somebody and to pronounce sentence upon them.

That is not your place. It does not matter how wrong they are; it is none of your business how wrong they are. It is your business to pray till Christ is formed in them. This applies across the board, not only to our so-called enemies, but also to those people close to us, like family members. Sometimes our loved ones are those who are judged the most. The more familiar you are with someone, the harder it is to be objective. You always expect more from those that are in close relationship with you. After all, they know better. Right!

It is very easy to see them through the eyes that are familiar with all their "stuff'," however, it is important to see them through the eyes of Jesus. When you do this, you operate in God's way and God's love so you will not be out there on the enemy's behalf causing division or strife.

Don't Be One Who Falls Far
If you go around judging people all the time, you will begin to see that people are beneath you. The more you learn, the haughtier you get and the higher your pedestal becomes. The higher the pedestal, the further you will have to fall, because you will fall. Those are not my words. The Word says pride goes before a fall.

When you pray with God's heart and do not make judgments, you will be praying right. It is so easy to make a wrong assessment of a situation, so we must be extremely careful.

You must remember that before the foundation of the earth God saw each and every person that would ever live, and chose, and provided for his or her redemption. It is from that same heart of love that we are supposed to walk, live, and conduct our business dealings and every other area of our lives.

Sometimes, church, that is hard to do. God does not condone sin, nor does He approve of it, we are not talking about that. We are talking about the position you take when you pray for a person, which is a position of what the Word says about that person.

We All Have A 'Good Work' In Us
The Bible says they have been bought with a price and that Jesus redeemed them from the curse, and that God perfects those things that concern them. The Bible also says He that began a good work in them will continue until the Lord Jesus Christ's return.

Understand, I am not talking about dealing with facts; however, sometimes you must deal with them. You do not judge the person though; you just deal with the spirit behind them.

Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Nevertheless, you say, "I don't condemn nor do I pass sentence on any one." Well, how about the time you said you know they are doing this, this, and this, and they are going to reap this, this, and this?

You are using your faith in the negative; you are using your faith to put condemnation and judgment, thus sentencing that person.

You condemn that person, you bring a sentence upon her/him, and you release it with the words of your mouth. In the same turn, you will be condemned, sentenced, good measure pressed down and running over.

Well, now that we have dug these ditches, put up the prison bars, and contained ourselves, don't you think it is about time we stop all of this, and turn around? It's time to stop keeping score and begin to walk in God's love.

Let us reverse it, now! Get yourself and the people you are praying for out of bondage by the words of your mouth. Agree with what God's Word says about them and you.

When you and I walk in God's love, there is always an answer and love never fails. Glory to God! I am for "never-fail-prayer." How about you?

Barbara Thorne Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Barbara Thorne
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Reverend Barbara A. Thorne was born again in 1945, at the age of nine and began fulfilling the call of God on her life in 1969. By 1970 she was working in the ministry as the pastor of a small Methodist mission house in Tuscumbia, Alabama. It was during this time that she experienced what most charismatic Christians would call revival.
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