Last week we left off discussing how two aspects of God’s character, His Holiness and His Nature, don’t seem to mix. The reason for this is because, they DON’T! God is looking for someone who will stand in the gap and COVER the sin. He cannot intervene where there is sin without compromising His character.
The ONLY way He can break through into our lives and into the lives of our loved ones without compromising His character, is to find someone who will cover the sin so that the sin is no longer seen, but only the blood of Jesus is seen.
We see this in the Bible with the story of Stephen in Acts the 7th chapter verse 6. As he was being stoned, we see that Saul of Tarsus was standing there and approving this act with passion in his heart for the torture of the Christians. What did Stephen do? He prayed a PRIESTLY Prayer. He asked the Lord to not lay that sin to their charge. Notice he did not look out at them on a “horizontal” plane or position if you will, saying “I forgive you,” but it was from his third Heaven stance with the Lord. He was from a “vertical” position seated with Christ in heavenly places remitting and covering their sin and the punishment due to them. What happened in the very next chapter, Acts 9 1-6? We see that Saul has an encounter with the living God. Acts 9:1-2. Now was Saul seeking out Jesus, or a revelation of Him? NO! So what happened? Why was he met with a revelation of Jesus Christ when he DID NOT seek Him out? What gave Jesus the excuse to intervene when Saul was not seeking Him out? IT WAS STEPHEN’S PRIESTLY PRAYER. Stephen became a priest! The Priest RELEASES divine intervention and it releases divine REVELATION! Do you have a loved one that is NOT walking with the Lord, and you have been praying and praying for them with no results? Do you want the Lord to come in with HIS divine revelation just as He did with Saul of Tarsus? Release a Priestly Prayer. Stand in the gap and cover the sin. Say, “Lord I ask you right now as I – BY FAITH – step into that place of a priest on behalf of ______, I ask that you forgive the sins. I apply the atoning blood of Jesus over his/her sins and I cover them, and not only that, but I remit the punishment due them. Forgive them Father!” YOU WILL see the intervention of heaven! As you do this, the next teaching that I will write on will be that NEXT after you become a Priest, you will become a KING and declare and decree what God says about them.
The most powerful prayer of forgiveness is when it is prayed out of a place of woundedness. Why? Because the person who is wounded the greatest has the greatest authority to pray that prayer! When you have been wounded in horrible ways, and abused as a child or an adult, or when you have been misunderstood and hurt, YOU are the one with the GREATEST AUTHORITY to pray a PRIESTLY prayer more than anyone else!!! ALSO, do you want God to bring VENGEANCE on the enemy that caused you so much pain? Well…do you know who your enemy is? It is not that man that sexually abused you, or physically abused you! See, man is either driven by the Holy Spirit, or demonic spirits. Demons RIDE people that allow them to. Those demons HATE you and so they USE people, and the closest ones to you, to do horrible things to you, and to bring you harm. IT’S THE DEMONS that you want God to bring HIS VENGEANCE on! That is not to say that the person that allowed himself or herself to be used by those evil spirits are innocent! No they had a CHOICE! BUT so do you! To FORGIVE the person. See, God wants to bring vengeance on the demons, but He can’t. It’s like His hands are tied! HOW you say? Well, unforgiveness is a SIN. Again, remember, God can not intervene where there is sin! The devil is smart, and he is very legalistic.
So if you can, go with me and imagine, the devil goes to God and says, “You can’t do anything about this situation. She/He is in sin. She/He is holding hate and unforgiveness in their heart against this person. So God, this is what your word says…it says that unforgiveness and hate are sins! You will NOT compromise your Character, therefore your hands are tied! We can continue on to use this person to bring more torment on her/him from the outside, and we have the legal right to bring the torment INSIDE her/him because of the sin!” You see? NOW the moment you RELEASE FORGIVENESS out of your MOST wounded place, YOU UNTIE GOD’S HANDS!!! He will NOT ONLY STEP IN WITH A VENGEANCE AND VINDICATION ON YOUR BEHALF and if you can see Him getting off His throne with such furry against the enemy, and ripping the demonic spirits off the person, bringing punishment on them, but that person that has been the perpetrator NOW CLEARLY SEES Jesus! Just like Saul of Tarsus. See, when a person has the divine revelation of Jesus, SIN IS NO LONGER AN ISSUE!!! Do you see the power you have???
I pray that you begin to get a revelation of how much power the Lord has given you, especially when you feel that you are in a situation in which you are the victim. As painful as it can be, it is an opportunity for you to turn the table on the enemy, and do what JESUS did for YOU, for others…. Moving you from the position of victim, to VICTOR!
Next week we will see how the Cross is our example, and that as we follow Jesus’ example, we truly will operate in that same place of releasing the captives, and watching blind eyes see….
