Intercession … the Spirit & Power of Elijha

Intercession is the womb of Jesus’ spiritual Kingdom in the earth.  Intercession is the vehicle God’s uses to bring the will of heaven into the earth!

I recommend a short prayer to you…

Lord Jesus, you frequently commanded us to pray.  Lord send the Spirit and Power of Elijha into the earth to empower us to pray earnestly that your will might be done in the earth.

Many in the body of Christ have asked themselves, discussed with others and have pondered the seemingly overwhelming problems in America.

  1. Masses of people seem to be turning away from Jesus and the Church
  2. The minds of many seem to be turning to mental illness
  3. The hearts of many people seem to be turning cold, void of love, compassion, commitment, etc…
  4. People seemingly are turning away from the traditional definition of marriage
  5. People seem to be turning away from the basic morals that restrain us from killing one another
  6. National leaders seem to be turning away from the basics of civil discourse
  7. Parents and Church leaders seem to be turning away from their natural and spiritual children and children are turning away from their parents

While the items I listed seem like insurmountable ills in our society, I want to reveal God’s heart concerning these issues and His plan, already in motion, to address them.

Before I get into the Word of God, let’s consider a few biblical realities that have a direct impact on how God plans to address the issues listed above.

  1. God gave dominion of the earth to mankind.  This meant God gave mankind the authority to do with the earth as they saw fit.
  2. God was not free to do what He wanted in the earth unless mankind invited His involvement through prayer.
  3. Since the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, God no longer ruled the earth, mankind did.
  4. Mankind in turn gave that dominion over to Satan by way of obedience to Satan.  As a result, Satan now is the god of the earth.
  5. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection opened the way for a new regenerated human being.
  6. This new mankind has citizenship in two kingdoms.  The kingdom that Satan is the god of and the Kingdom where Jesus is Lord.
  7. The subjects of Jesus’ Kingdom have been given authority, while in Satan’s kingdom, to bring the will of Jesus’ Kingdom into the earth, thereby transferring dominion from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of the Son of God the Father’s love…Jesus.

If I asked you how to stop gun deaths in America, what would you say?  I suspect many people would have many different opinions.  However, in this article, I want to show you that the answer is found in the Word of God and only those walking in the Spirit and Power of Elijha can manifest the answer in the earth realm.   Let’s dive into the Word of God.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:   And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.  Malachi 4:5-6 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.  Luke 1:17 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

In the two passages of scripture above, we hear and have insight into the heart of God.  The passage from Malachi reveals that closing words of the Old Testament God delivered to His prophet concerning mankind in the earth.  The passage from Luke reveals the early words of God concerning mankind opening the New Testament.  Since God declares the end from the beginning, it’s safe to assume God wants to “turn the hearts” of mankind.  The question is, how does God plan to do it?  To understand this, we must first understand what the scripture means when it says God will send Elijha.

The Spirit and Power of Elijah

Simply put, when the scripture says God will send Elijha the prophet before the coming of  the great and dreadful day of the Lord, it means God will place the same mantel of anointing, power and grace on various men and women in the same manner He did for Elijha and Elisha.  As we see clearly from the passage in Luke, the Holy Spirit identifies John the Baptist as the first person in the New Testament to operate under the Spirit and Power of Elijha.  Now that we know what God means when He says He’ll send Elijha the prophet before the Lord, let’s understand a few other things.

There are two remaining visits to the earth by the Lord Jesus Christ.  The first visit is when He will appear in the clouds of glory, without setting foot on the earth, to rapture the Church.  Jesus’ second appearance will be with the Church when He’ll actually walk upon the earth.  According to the passages of scripture above, God will send Elijha the prophet (or those walking in the Spirit and Power of Elijha) before the Lord each time.  With that said, understanding that John the Baptist operated under the Spirit and Power of Elijha (the mantel of Elijha) during Jesus’ first visit to the earth, let’s take a look at something profound that was revealed by Jesus.

I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”  Luke 7:28 (NIV)

Wow, given what we’ve learned so far, how powerful is that?  Jesus plainly makes it clear that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist.  This passage of scripture is part of the New Testament when John the Baptist himself had doubts about who Jesus really was.  Think about that for a second.  As powerful and anointed as John the Baptist was, he still had doubts and questions.  Yet in all of this, Jesus’ testimony about John is that there was no person born before John that was greater than him.  This is a critical point that must not be overlooked.  Those that God has ordained to walk in the Spirit and Power of Elijha must recognize that they were not chosen because of their great faith, their great prayer or any other human virtue.  Those that choose to hear the call and obey “MUST” realize that it is “ONLY” by the Holy Spirit that this is possible.  Let’s see this is scripture.

Who Was Elijha the Prophet?

In order for many to understand the manner in which God intends to use them, we first must demystify how the Holy Spirit sees the life of Elijha.  While everything the Holy Spirit led men to write is important, what does the Holy Spirit want the New Testament Church to focus on as we understand the very first human being to operate under the Spirit and Power of Elijha?

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.   And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.  James 5:17-18 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

First, the Holy Spirit wants us to know that the Prophet Elijha was “JUST LIKE US“.  Please don’t simply glance over this.  It is vitally important to understand that you have issues and so did Elijha, but those do not disqualify you from operating in the Spirit and Power of Elijha.

I snagged the passage of scripture above from a section of the letter written by the Apostle James concerning the prayer of faith.  Verses 13 through 20 from James chapter 5 focus entirely on the subject of prayer or intercession.  It should also be clear that the defining mark in the life of Elijha, highlighted here by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle James, is the powerful intercession of Elijha.  It’s almost as if the Holy Spirit is saying, “MAN YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE POWERFUL INTERCESSORY PRAYER OF ELIJHA, HE WAS EVEN ABLE TO SHUT AND OPEN THE HEAVENS!”  Those are of course my words, but I hear them clearly.

The Prophet Elijha was recorded in the annuls of eternity as being a man of earnest or fervent intercession with the ability to download the will of heaven to earth.  So much so that we Jesus meeting with him and Moses, another powerful intercessor, on the mount of transfiguration.  The account of this event is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke.  However, only Luke’s account tells us exactly the purpose in this Holy and Divine encounter.  In Luke 9:28-36 we see clearly that intercessory prayer preceded Moses and Elijah meeting with Jesus in an “intercessory prayer meeting” concerning the Passion of the Christ.  So Jesus, a known intercessor is actually meeting with two of the most powerful intercessors in the Word of God to prepare and strengthen Him to go to the cross.  It should be crystal clear that Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him to give them a Divine lesson on the Spirit and Power of intercessory prayer.  Jesus is the eternal intercessor, further sealing His emphasis on the importance of intercessory prayer Hebrews 7:25.

Turning Hearts

So what exactly should we expect God to do through the lives of those operating in the Spirit and Power of Elijha?  What does turning hearts look like?  To answer this question, we need to be reminded of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the life and exploits of Elijha.

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.  Luke 1:17 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

First things first, as is customary for Jesus, He takes the revelations of the Old Testament and reveals, with greater clarity, God’s original intent.  In the original Greek language the word turn, used by Jesus, meant to reverse the wrong course of something and cause it to turn onto a course in harmony with the purposes and will of God.  Jesus provides even greater clarity to this concept by informing us that this turning results in disobedience in the heart turning to the wisdom of the just or righteous.  The just or righteous refer to those who, through intercession, are led by the will of heaven on earth.

Remember now, Jesus made it clear that John the Baptist was the first of those operating under this mantel in the New Testament, but that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John.  In addition, we’ve already revealed that the signature of Elijha’s life, made clear by the Holy Spirit through he Apostle James, was his powerful intercessory prayer life.  Now let’s take a look at some of the exploits of  Elijha to close this article.

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.  1 Kings 18:21 (NIV) (emphasis mine)

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.   When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!”  1 Kings 18:36-39 (NIV) (emphasis mine)

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.   And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.  James 5:17-18 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

To wrap up this article, here’s what can be expected from the intercessors operating under the Spirit and Power of Elijha.

  1. The power of God on them, through the Holy Spirit, will arrest God’s people in their tracks and usher in the conviction of the Holy Spirit that leads to repentance from the heart.
    1. Dismantling division and strife among God’s people
    2. A powerful ministry of reconciliation
    3. True inner repentance from those with disobedient hearts
  2. The power of God on them, through the Holy Spirit, will be successful in confronting illegitimate authority systems operating contrary to the will of God in the earth.
    1. Illegitimate authority structures inside and outside the Church
    2. Dysfunctional authority systems within families
    3. Corrupt authority systems within government and business
  3. The power of God on them, through the Holy Spirit, will cause the blessings and abundance of heaven to manifest on the earth in harmony with the will of heaven.
    1. Wholeness for fragmented and wounded people
    2. Wholeness for financial systems
    3. Wholeness for governmental systems (earthly systems established by the Kingdom of Men and embassies in the earth established by the Kingdom of God)

I recommend a short prayer to you…

Lord Jesus, you frequently commanded us to pray.  Lord send the Spirit and Power of Elijha into the earth to empower us to pray earnestly that your will might be done in the earth.