The Rubber Meets the Road

with Iris Lloyd
Black asphalt, solid yellow lines, and dashes of white—a road for all practical purposes but metaphorically-speaking, the picture described represents Life. This column explores prophetic intercession, from its foundations to its application into today’s world and your part in God’s plan in this Kingdom ministry.

Prophetic Intercession. Two words that most people may not fully comprehend when they are used alone, so bringing them together generally does not bring about widespread understanding or acceptance. The more familiar term of the two, intercession, means “prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another.” A further study of the word intercede means “to intervene between parties with a view to reconciling differences, or to mediate.”
Prophecy, or anything prophetic, has long since been a word that sends panic into most believers. Visions of locust-eating, long-haired, loud-mouthed flakes come to mind as the word rolls off a speaker’s tongue. Well, according to His word, there WERE men and women like that who were used mightily by God for His purposes. That does not, however, mean that everyone is called to engage in that type of prophecy. A book definition is not being considered in the explanation of the word prophetic. This description comes strictly from experience. Prophetic means symbolic and representative of something. Joined together, these words mean performing intercession that is representative of acts that need to occur in the natural to allow an unlocking of the spiritual realm. And, yes, there are times when that may get a little flaky–but not TOO often!
Using Joshua 24:27 as inspiration because it illustrates the importance of events and where they happened. There is a pattern in the Old Testament to remember places of worship and how God worked. We remember that sin defiles just as obedience can bless.  Joshua 24 is a passage that reveals this principle in God’s directions to Joshua to use a rock as a witness and becoming, for this author anyway, the foundation for the prophetic intercession that He has led me to perform.
The most basic principle of prophetic intercession taught to me by Mrs. Annette Dotson Curtis, a wonderful Godly woman and cherished mentor, is that as we walk we have the authority as believers to invite or usher in the presence of the Holy Spirit by simply speaking “I welcome you here to this place, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” It’s as simple as that–even in a breathy whisper the power that He gains from this simple admission allows things to begin to happen of which we could never dream. Our words represent a relationship that can bridge a gap which allows a reconciliation to begin in the spiritual–THIS is prophetic intercession.

In closing, I would like to share my first-ever road trip. It was the fall of 2006 and my daughter and I decided to spend Thanksgiving in NYC. As we visited the United Nations building and the General Assembly room, I was suddenly aware of Annette’s frequent bidding to “loose the Holy Spirit” wherever we went. I simply prayed, in little more than a whisper, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I welcome you into this place and give you permission in the name of Jesus to come in to this place and have your way.” That was it. That simple prayer was repeated at Ground Zero, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the NBC studios, Rockefeller Plaza, Wall Street and many more locations as well as throughout the streets of Manhattan as miles of sidewalks and subway rails were used to usher in His presence as He directed. That was just the first trip, there have been several more with more in-depth initiatives completed–but this was the first and most necessary step that God used to begin a ministry that has spanned countless miles and numerous cities and cemented Him into my heart and life forever as a force that can move mountains while revealing His love to me in and through the process.
However, the most important work begins closer to home. You can practice the same principles, beginning in your own home and throughout your own town. By releasing His presence in your own sphere of influence, you can witness His mighty hand at work in a very personal way. Seeing Him move like this builds an unparallelled intimacy into your relationship with Him. I challenge you THIS MONTH to step out in faith at least once, release His power through your words, and watch Him begin to use prophetic intercession in your world–that’s where THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.
Iris S. Lloyd, Executive Director, Founder, LP Executive Services LLC