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The Prayer of Intercession

📖 Daily Grace Devotional

Date: Saturday, September 20th, 2025
The Prayer of Intercession — and the Mandate to Proclaim

TO THE BIBLE

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.” — 1 Timothy 2:1 (KJV)

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” — 1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” — Romans 8:26 (KJV)

“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but, seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.” — Acts 13:46 (KJV)

Devotional Insight:
— Intercession in the New Covenant

Intercession in the New Testament is a magnificent, Spirit-enabled partnership with the heart of God. It is not the Old-Testament model of pleading as a substitute for the Mediator — that role belongs singularly to Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). Rather, New-Covenant intercession is a declarative, enforcing, Spirit-led action: we stand in the gap, we refuse to agree with the enemy, and we release heaven’s resources into human situations.

The Holy Spirit helps us when words fail (Romans 8:26). He prays through us for what is exactly in the Father’s will. Our job is to yield—to listen and then to enact that will in the realm of prayer, confident that Christ’s blood and advocacy have already procured the victory.

But intercession has an unavoidable complement: proclamation. The early apostles did not only stay in the upper room; they went into the marketplace, synagogues and courts to declare the Gospel with boldness. Paul’s pattern was intercede, then go—and where he could not enter, he sent others and prayed harder (see Acts).

WHY BOTH ARE NECESSARY

  1. Intercession breaks spiritual resistance — it dismantles principalities in the unseen, loosening the ground for salvation and righteousness.
  2. Proclamation enforces what intercession opens — the Gospel spoken with power takes territory; it changes minds, breaks demonic narratives, and brings people into covenant reality.
  3. Silence hands ground to the enemy — when Christians are quiet, lies germinate unopposed.
  4. Falsehoods become cultural norms because no one is declaring truth aloud. That vacuum is where ungodly ideologies and abuses gain traction (we must name and oppose them in prayer and proclamation).
  5. Jesus and the apostles modelled both: they spent seasons in fervent prayer and then went into the streets to preach. We must not divorce the two. A SOBERING TRUTH

The enemy advances where God’s people are silent. Today, some of the most destructive cultural narratives have spread because too many Christians retreated into private faith and failed to speak truth publicly and lovingly. Intercession alone without proclamation leaves people trapped. Proclamation without prayer is powerless noise. The Church’s mandate is both—pray until the stronghold softens, then proclaim until lives change.

PRACTICAL STEPS — How to Intercede and Proclaim Effectively

  1. *Begin with Spirit-led Intercession

  • Spend time in tongues and Spirit-prayer (Jude 1:20; Rom. 8:26). Ask the Spirit to reveal specific strongholds to pray against.
  1. Declare Scriptural Truths Boldly

When intercession yields insight, craft short, Scripture-based proclamations to speak in public and private (e.g., “By Jesus’ Name, this city will know the Gospel”).

  1. Be Specific and Strategic

Don’t pray vaguely. Name cities, institutions, schools, and policies. Ask the Spirit for targeted phrases you and your prayer partners can agree on.

  1. Mobilize the Church to the Streets

Combine prayer meetings with intentional street proclamation, evangelistic outreaches and community acts of mercy. Prayer prepares the soil; proclamation plants the seed.

  1. Train and Equip Labourers

Raise, send and support labourers (missionaries, evangelists, teachers) who will both pray and preach. Paul’s success came through teams that modeled both disciplines.

  1. Use Love as Your Tone

Proclaim truth with compassion. Aggression repels; humble, courageous truth draws. Our aim is to rescue, not to shame.

CONFESSION & PRAYER

Father, thank You that in Christ we do not mediate for sin; You have provided the perfect Mediator. We join You now in intercession by the Spirit, standing in the gap for our families, our cities, and our nations. Release boldness into Your people to proclaim the Gospel with clarity and love. Break every lie that has been given unchecked, and let truth rise. We will not be silent. By Your grace we will pray and we will go. Amen.

ACTION CHALLENGE (Today)

Spend 15 minutes in Spirit-prayer (tongues or yielded intercession). Ask the Spirit to name one local stronghold.

Write one short, Scripture-based proclamation about that stronghold (2–3 sentences).

With one other believer, commit to declare that proclamation publicly this week (at an outreach, a prayer walk, social post, or conversation).

FURTHER STUDY & SCRIPTURES

Acts 4:23–31 — corporate, Spirit-filled prayer that produced bold proclamation.

Romans 10:14–15 — proclamation is essential for people to hear and believe.

Isaiah 58 / Matthew 25 — prayer + compassion for real social transformation.

Ephesians 6:18–20 — prayer and boldness in proclamation are linked.

Be encouraged: the Spirit multiplies obedient intercession and proclamation. When we do both, the gates of darkness cannot hold. The nations are nearer than we think — let us pray, then speak, and then go.

©️ Jeremiah Owofio

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