James 5:17-18
HIRE THAT MAN!
Who wouldn’t want to hire Elijah to work for them? Whatever you paid him, you knew he would be a valuable employee. What would it be worth to your organization to have someone who walks closely with God, who lives a life of unshakable faith, whose prayers are like arrows in the hands of a skilled archer, and could help you receive wisdom and direction from God on a daily basis? But are there any modern-day Elijah’s out there?
Have you ever noticed there are some people who seem to walk in favor with God and man? They seem to have the ability to bring peace wherever they go. No matter what problems and challenges are going on at the time, when they show up, the peace of God seems to come into the situation. Money comes in, sales increase, lawsuits are settled, employee issues seem to fade away. To some, it appears they are lucky charms. When they are around, luck shows up. The favor of God shows up. To those who understand, these people, like modern-day Elijahs, have an anointing to bring the Kingdom of Heaven into the marketplace.
MARKETPLACE INTERCESSORS
In this season, the Lord is calling and anointing marketplace intercessors to serve as modern-day Elijahs, Josephs, and Daniels. While praying for organizational leaders, families, health, and finances, these intercessors help connect people to the presence and power of God, and bring the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.
Just as the body has many parts, and each organization hires people with different skills, marketplace intercessors have developed unique skills to know the heart of God, hear his voice, see what He is trying to accomplish in the moment, and then pray the grace and peace of God into a given situation. These people are not theologians, but rather living epistles of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They live a life of faith, and are willing to believe God for what everyone else believes is impossible.
There is a trend and growing excitement of hiring and partnering with marketplace intercessors in all types of organizations in each sector of society (business, education, ministry, media, etc.). Some advantages these intercessors provide are described below.
MAKE BETTER DECISIONS
It has been said, where we are in life today is based upon decisions we made yesterday. Imagine, if every decision you made in your personal life and business was based upon hearing from God? Do you think you would be more successful in your business, marriage, relationships, and finances than you are today?
If there is a believer’s edge in the Kingdom of Heaven over our non-believer counterparts, it should be in the area of divine wisdom. If we are truly led by the Holy Spirit in our decisions, we cannot help but be successful in the marketplace and our personal lives. The fact that we have struggled for so long, is a sign we have not been making decisions based upon the leading of the Lord. Sadly, we have been making decisions the same way non-believers make them and then wondering why we don’t get better results than they do. Isn’t that absurd!
God is Spirit, and the primary way He speaks to us is through our spirit man. After becoming born-again, it takes time to learn how to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Depending on where you are in your walk with the Lord, you might still be struggling to discern between the voice of your intellect and the voice of Holy Spirit. Good intercessors can help you discern what you are hearing and help you grow in your ability to discern the voice of God and receive valuable direction and wisdom for your situation.
BRING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO EARTH
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered, and violent men seize it for themselves” (Matt 11:12). If it feels like your organization has been in a war, you probably have been. Spiritual warfare is an invisible battle in the spirit realm involving a power confrontation between the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of darkness. Although this battle is seen in the spiritual realm, its effects are both seen and felt in the natural realm.
As a believer, you are called to be a warrior in a Kingdom battle. Prayer is your weapon over the enemy. Prayer is the tool that makes the resources of heaven available to you to complete your Kingdom assignment and advance the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. The weapons of our warfare are spiritual and their consequences are displayed in the spirit realm, which then causes them to be manifested in the natural realm. Marketplace intercessors can help you fight the good fight of faith on the spiritual battleground to bring the Kingdom of Heaven into your business.
YOU WEREN’T MEANT TO DO THIS ALONE
It has been estimated that it took over 400,000 people to put the first man on the moon. Great feats are seldom accomplished by one individual. If God has called you to do something significant for Him, you probably won’t be doing it alone. It will take a team of dedicated people who catch your vision.
The Bible says we see in part and we know in part (1 Cor 13:9-12). Each of us has spiritual gifts that are distributed to us according to the Holy Spirit. No one is equally gifted in all of them. God has arranged the Body of Christ so that we need each other to succeed. Just as we hire employees who have marketplace skills we do not possess ourselves, it makes perfect sense to hire marketplace intercessors who flow in spiritual gifts we do not possess ourselves or are not currently operating in.
Even if you are gifted in all spiritual aspects, you lack the time to do everything yourself. You might be able to do everything, but you don’t have the time to do everything. The right marketplace intercessors can come alongside you and help you achieve your vision much faster than you could achieve it on your own.
There is a multiplication of the anointing (the authority of Christ) that takes place when people walking in agreement pray together. Some of the greatest revivals in the last few centuries were generated by a small number of people who came together to pray for revival in the land. It doesn’t take large numbers of people. Quality is often better than quantity. It is better to have a few people who walk in love, obedience, and unity with each other. These few people will be able to move mountains with their prayers and bring the Kingdom of Heaven into your situation.
Jeff Ahern is an author, public speaker, and former Naval Officer who has provided management consulting and business process improvement services to Fortune 500 and Government clients for over twenty years. He is co-founder of Sozo Services, Inc., a spiritual advisory firm helping business leaders succeed and achieve their personal and corporate goals by using Biblical, Spirit-led solutions.