September 11, 2006

"Our Sufferings"
 
Our sufferings alone, if they are accepted with that "yes Lord," gain tremendous territory of authority for others.  Suffering is so rich.  It has a power, the power of the Cross.  The greatest tragedy, as many people have said, is wasted suffering - Not suffering in itself, but suffering that is wasted, that is not used to help others for the graces which they need.  We must ask God always to cleanse us from anything in us that is natural.  This is the only way we can gain these territories.  He is taking us from our natural inclinations, from all that is natural - the natural way we love, the natural way we react, anything natural about us - into the supernatural so that we will be filled more and more with His divinity.  This is definitely a ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Paul said, "God wishes to make us qualified ministers of the Holy Spirit," qualified ministers of this ministry.  This is how He does it.  If we allow ourselves to be led, He will make us more and more Spirit-filled, more spiritual, so that we can go into this powerful ministry - the spiritual ministry of intercession.

Paul said, "I fill up now in my body what is still lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His body, the Church."  (Colossians 1:24)  This is what we are talking about.  Do not let a headache be wasted, do not let heart piercings be wasted.  Do not let anything be wasted.  You are gaining tremendous territory and power in your suffering.  Paul said, "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake."  Can we say that?  Have we gained that kind of territory?  "I rejoice now in my suffering for your sake because you are getting grace."  Even though there will be days when we really drag, we can rejoice!  "Thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord!"  Grace is going out; power is going out.  We are in a whole community of intercessors; it is interesting to see the dynamic of God moving when you are around intercessors.  All intercessors - in our community anyway  - are not in intercession at the same time - at least not the heavy, territorial, burden-bearing intercession.  I think it is because those of us who are not in intercession can pray for the others that are carrying heavy loads.  When we are carrying heavy loads they can pray for us.  God will take care of it.  He will balance everything out.  We do not have to worry, thinking, "Is anybody going to be praying for me?' He will take care of us if we are taking care of his needs.

What we are really doing here is allowing Jesus to be the intercessor within us.  We are allowing Him to continue being the lamb within us and to distribute these graces from Calvary, these graces from the Cross, through us now.  There will be travail.  There was much travail in Jesus' life.  He is "The Intercessor."  Jesus wept over Lazarus.  He wept and He groaned.  Something deep - very deep - was going on within Him. 

"Lazarus, come forth"  (John 11:43).   Resurrection can come out of travail.  Paul knew this too.  He was in deep travail many times.  He says, "Oh my children, my little children, I am in labor again so that Christ may be formed in you" (Galatians 4:19).  If you are having travail, labor pains, heart piercings, burdens, then rejoice!  Anything which you are asking at that time is going to happen.  We have to be careful here. Remember that the grace may not be received by the one for whom you are praying.  We have to allow for people's free will.  But the grace is going out.

Travail, heart piercings, Calvary, territorial intercession can produce miracles, absolute miracles.  Now the Holy Spirit, as one writer mentioned, is God's birthing agent.   It happens like this. When we pray, when we are in travail, when we let God and the Spirit have their way, the Spirit goes out and breathes new life into people.  The Spirit will birth all sorts of things into people - maybe new faith, maybe hope, maybe more love.  You never know what it will be.   The Holy Spirit is the power of God.  When He moves and He broods or He hovers or He overshadows, He is the Lord and giver of life.  We say this every time we say the creed, "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life."  This is how we are parenting.  We are giving life through the Spirit in this spiritual ministry of intercession through our heart piercings, through our love.  It is all about love.  We give birth to Jesus, always Jesus.  What the Holy Spirit was actually doing in Genesis when He breathed over those waters was giving birth to God's new creation, to the earth.  That is exactly what He continues to do now.  He gives birth to God's new creation - to earthen vessels.  We must trust Him.  This is what He is doing. Remain in Him.

Excerpt from Mother Nadine's, "The Power of Territorial Intercession," Omaha, 2005