Thoughts for Life: #106 Letters to Intercessors

C. Peter Wagner explains
the importance of letters to
the intercessors:

"Doris and I periodically write
a long letter to our I-1 and
I-2 intercessors.

We are very open and honest
with them.

When major decisions need to be made, they are the first to know and they pray us through them.

None was more important than the decision we made to
coordinate the United Prayer Track of the A.D. 2000
movement, which they all were praying about.

As they prayed with us for weeks and even months, they
began hearing clearly from the Lord that the A.D. 2000
movement was a major item on the heart of God for the
1990s, and that the invitation to be a part of it was a
call from Him.

As much anything else, these divine assurances through
our prayer partners convinced us that God wanted us to
make this high-level commitment, which has had radical
implications for our future ministry.

When we write that letter, we always include our ministry
itinerary for the next few weeks so they know exactly where
we are and what we are doing.

We also enclose copies of vital correspondence on issues
we are dealing with, reports I write or receive, photocopies
of crucial articles and the like.

Jane Rumph types this letter and mails it to the I-1 and I-2
prayer partners. Then she edits it to make it shorter and to
remove the sensitive material and sends the edited version
along with the itinerary to the I-3 intercessors.

This obviously requires considerably more effort than we had
to expend in the days when our prayer partners were all
members of our Sunday School class.

As Cindy Jacobs says,

'People need to be thanked often for their prayer sacrifice.
They work hard at this.'

When a particular need arises, Doris or I will call our out-of-
town prayer partners on an individual basis. Jane Rumph is
also tooled to initiate a prayer chain when the whole team
is needed for urgent prayer.

She phones those who are out of town and Joanna McClure
contacts the locals.

Most of the time, however, the seven prayer partners who
live in other parts of the country are the ones who initiate
telephone conversations with us.

Sometimes they do it simply because it has been a long
time since we have talked. Other times they call with a
fresh word they have received from the lord concerning
us or our ministry. Every one of their calls is a great
encouragement to us."

#106 Letters to Intercessors, in the series taken from C. Peter
Wagner’s book, PRAYER SHIELD, How to intercede for pastors,
Christian leaders and others on the spiritual frontlines.
(pgs. 188-189) in book by Regal Books

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Prayer Shield, rev. and updated ed.: How to Intercede for Pastors and Christian Leaders

C. Peter Wagner

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Let’s pray:

Father, when I have a need,
remind me to call or text a
trusted friend to pray with me.

When I'm praying for someone,
and I feel inclined to call them
to see how they're doing, may I
do it.

I believe it's important to let
them know that they're being prayed for, and that I'm concerned about how things are going.

Help me be an effective prayer partner with others. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: 1 Chron. 28:10 "Take heed now, for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it."

Today’s quote: Max Lucado – “Read books to your kids. Play ball while you can and they want you to. Make it your aim to watch every game they play, read every story they write, hear every recital in which they perform. Children spell love with four letters: T-I-M-E. Not just quality time, but hang time, downtime, anytime, all the time! Cherish the children who share your name. Succeed at home first!”

Some thoughts today: Despite all you've gone through, God has sustained you!

- Your perspective is what is important when there's two opposite opportunities before you. Pray for God to give you His plan for your life. Your decision may very well have a profound effect on the rest of your life.

- We all have levels of faith. The more we see Jesus moving in our lives, the stronger our faith becomes.

8/2- Saturday’s post: Discernment vs. Criticism Par 2 Jean Oathout

3rd- Sunday's post: Walking Through Dark Valleys Dr. Charles F. Stanley

3rd- evening's post: Tenderhearted Ginny Merritt

5th- Tuesday's post: #107 Avoid the Dangers C. Peter Wagner