The Sufferings of Intercession

Within the following post I would like put forth a new insight that has shed some light on the activity of intercession for me. Throughout the writings of Paul we can see a theme of “fellowships” that have been laid out and he called us to. His epistles speak of the “fellowship of the Son” (1 Cor. 1:9), the “fellowship of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1), the “fellowship of faith” (Philem. 6), and even John notes a “fellowship” we have with “one another” (1 Jn. 1:7). But the one we will be addressing throughout this post is what Paul refers to as the “fellowship of sufferings,” found in Phil. 3:10. I have always looked to this verse as being mostly the partnership we make with the Spirit through our denial of self unto the pursuit of holiness. For instance, I will deny giving into my carnal desires, fast from food, entertainment, external pleasures, pray on a consistent basis, try to be humble, and view this as the majority of that which Paul called us to in this fellowship (excluding the “external sufferings” that we will briefly discuss below). And it is this, but only a part. It’s one side of a two-sided coin.

The Glory of the Wrestle – Part 2

In trying to build on what was said in part 1, I would like to begin this post by stating the Lord cannot fully bless a man until He has first conquered him. The degree of blessing that can be experienced by an individual corresponds exactly with the amount of completeness God has had victory over them. And it is in the illustration of Jacob wrestling with God this is no more apparent.

Little did Jacob know, while standing on the ford of Jabbok, when the sun began to set and darkness commenced to cover the land that his victory would be found in defeat.

The Glory of the Wrestle – Part 1

In the beginning God…

What does it mean to engage with a being that created the very air you are breathing and the ground you are walking upon? What is dialogue’s formula when the one you are speaking to “hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7)? Thankfully, because of the Cross, the only formula needed is a persistent “yes” that maintain’s an agreement with the Spirit’s leading, which in turn will fuel the exerting of oneself to do the things the Word calls us to. As we agree with His ways and pursue the knowledge of God through prayer and fasting, we grow in grace and enter into a Christian lifestyle that is an advocate of scripture — for this is Christianity in its most simplified form.