This series on intercessors training for Singapore is based off my written notes, which I took as I attended a church conference on this topic in Feb 2025.

Speaker: Ps Shayne Payne

God chose you not because you are wonderful, He is wonderful

It’s all about Him, and what he desired.

Thank you Father for eyes to see, ears that hear, we bless Your name in Jesus mighty name.

To understand intercession, I had so much trouble, it’s a long journey of learning.

Nobody becomes an intercessor overnight.

Please understand the Holy Spirit is a good teacher.

If we are willing to give ourselves to be good students, he will give us things that will blow our mind.

There are things that God has installed for us, that we cannot imagine.

But it is the spirit of God that reveals to us.

He then becomes an integral part of engaging with God.

He know all things, the Bible says he searches the deep things of God.

And he comes to guide and teach us.

How much do you think we need to educate the Holy Spirit?

How about Jesus, he needs some lessons from us isn’t it?

When you’re praying, do you tell God what to do, or advise him how to fix the problem?

So are you educating him? Does he need your information?

So why do you give it to him.

And then when he is not listening, you insist he hears you.

Now is it working for you? Can we agree that it doesn’t work?

It works sometimes, but all the years I have been serving God, it doesn’t work.

And God reminds me, I’m God, but you are not.

These are some of the lessons I begin learning in intercession.

It means he is right, he knows what he’s doing, he’s not guessing.

He has plans, and they are well thought out.

And many times, we will not agree with him, and ask him to change his mind, and ask him to do the different way.

Many times if God reveals to us what he is doing, we will say no.

God, you’re right, your ways are good, your plans are perfect.

Beloved when you come to pray, that has to be your attitude.

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he taught them: Our Father in heaven hallowed by your name, let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

He says address that before you come to talk of your needs.

Have you been to heaven, have you been there, do you know how things are done there?

I want to see your people submit to you, as it is in heaven, in SG.

Let your kingdom come.

Instead we have been taught to pray, Lord give me my daily bread,  bless me, and if you do that I will pray about your kingdom.

Me first, and your kingdom later.

How can you expect me to pray of your kingdom when I have needs? Bless me first

But God says no, seek first the kingdom of God, and I will bless all your needs.

God says if you’re going to serve me, let it be about my kingdom first, then I will take care of your needs.

God your plans are perfect, let me serve you in your kingdom first.

I’m going to show you a mind shift, because intercession is all about him.

I have been in intercession for a long time, my mother is someone who start to pray a few hours before the sun rise, groaning painful kind of prayer, that hearing you want to cry.

And after that, she would come to gather us children to pray.

That’s the model of prayer, I grew up seeing.

And beloved for a long time, I didn’t understand it, because nobody prayed like that.

In school we are taught to pray, God bless me, and I will serve you.

But she would pray these agonising prayer, which I later understood to be intercession.

How many of you know what I’m talking about?

John shared earlier, that God reveals his heart, and looks for you to respond.

Do you care about what I care enough to respond, and partner with me.

I do worship, pray, speak in tongues, you try to do the prophetic acts, nothing.

It felt there was a door between me and God, and the door was closed locked from the other side.

I have been passed that door many times, but that day when I want to go there he does not want to talk to me.

It’s like the first time in life, God did not want to see me, and my heart got desperate.

God you’re rejecting me, and denying me?

The Lord is saying I don’t have time for you.

Lord I’m not here to ask you for anything.

Anyone of you has these friends that calls you only when they need help, and when you are feeling generous you respond.

And when you are having a difficult day, what would you do, you would say friend I don’t have time.

Lord I didn’t come to ask for anything, but to seek you, if you reject me who else do I turn to.

Lord you’re my God, I don’t have anyone else to turn to, please don’t deny me.

And I was praying in agony, because the Lord was intentionally denying me.

I cried and I pleaded, my heart was desperate, Lord please don’t do this.

Then I heard in my spirit, a door opened.

And when it opened, I was ushered into His presence.

And I saw him there, just weeping hysterically.

He was there in pain, a level of agony I never imagined.

He was perplexed about something, all knew it was his body, his bride.

All I know he was crying over his bride, and I stood here and just wept with him.

But after awhile, the prayer ended, and I was ushered out of the room.

About a week later, I went back to pray.

And prayer was normal this time, and I went before Him, and remembered what happened the week before.

And I asked Him, why did you deny me?

And what He said shocked me, he said it is because you don’t care, you only care about your interest.

You don’t care what I want.

And so I understand, when he is in that place of pain, he will only invite his friends.

Those that will weep with him, not everyone gets to go in.

Remember when Job friends came to see him, they were so appalled and stood there day and night for seven days and said nothing.

They grieved with him.

Job knew that in his misery, there will be people there that will sit with him.

They were not there to give him council.

He knew they will be there, to weep with him, even if they don’t really know what he was going through.

Lord I don’t want anything, I’m here to connect my heart with yours, that where you go I go, your heart will be my heart.

Your burdens will be my burdens, your joy will be my joy.

God I’m here to connect with you.

My friends when you pray this kind of prayer, it will test you.

My kids would say, mommy I love you, of course they want something.

But I want you to go pass that.

Lord you have blessed me with all I need.

And I’m here just to connect with you.

And I heard God say, your ways are not my ways, two cannot walk together unless they are in agreement.

And in my natural tendency, if I would not agree with him, my mind needs a renewing.

So I need to pray Lord I want my mind to connect with your mind, and your thoughts are my thoughts.

These are the things God delights to give, he calls them my friends.

Friends that will be with me in pain, weep with me, and hear my problems.

And immediately, they will offer themselves to be the solution.

Jesus told His disciples, I no longer call you servants, but my friends.

For the servant does not know what the master is doing.

But everything I hear from my Father, I reveal it to you.

Do you realise this is not normal anymore, where God reveals His secret.

Who wants that?

And when God says we are heirs, is so that we can carry his burdens in his heart with him.

Do you remember Eli high priest anointed by God, He was so disgusted with His house, and pronounced judgement.

Then he said I’m going to seek for another who would minister to me, according to what is in my heart and mind.

How would we know what is in the mind and heart of God?

Do you realise he has to reveal it?

He wants to do that, but beloved do you want that?

Do you want to connect with Him in that place? A place of deep intimacy.

He was saying to Samuel, I want somebody like that.

When I begin to learn that was what God looks for, I’m purposed to be the answer to that.

In my generation, I’m going to be that person, that says God I want to know your heart.

I want your thoughts to be my thoughts.

I’m not here for anything.

God you have blessed me, I don’t need anything else.

Instead talk to the things He is excited about.

Lord I want to know you, I want to touch your heart, I want to go there with you.

I want to be when you’re in pain, I will be with you.

Similarly when I’m in pain, I want you to stand with me too.

I want you Lord, to share your pain with me.

Dr John previously shared about Ezekiel where God was in pain actually, for His people.

Ezekiel prays God don’t you care about our suffering?

Then God says come, he was sitting among the elders of the house.

And took him from Babylon to the house of Jerusalem, and showed them what the people there are doing in a place that bears his name.

Look at what they are doing. Can you feel his heart?

When you read first 2 chapters of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, you hear God pouring out His heart in pain.

Let’s look at Isaiah 1:2.

Isa 1:2: Hear O heavens, and give ear O earth, for the Lord has spoken, I have nourished and brought the children and they have rebelled me, the Ox knows his master, but Israel does not know, ah sinful nation, a people covered with iniquity, children who are corrupted, they have provided to anger the holy one of Israel.

Do you hear him talking? Who is he talking to?

Isaiah was brought into a situation where he was hearing God lament.

God is saying I have brought up my children Israel, cared for them, nourished them, but they have forsaken me.

He said in v5, why do you care about them, they will only continue to rebel.

The Lord chastens them he loves, but they don’t love me anymore, so they won’t listen to me.

v5: the whole heart is sick, and the whole head faint

Do you hear what he is saying about his bride, the pain and agony of his heart.

Lord when you look at our nation, what do you see?

What is holding our nation, from what you want from the land?

What about our nation causes you pain, and the people that causes you to turn your face from us.

My God, you have made me a Singaporean.

Though you are not far from anyone of us, and I know you love this land.

And I’m here to agree with your claim for this land.

Lord what would it take, what is standing in the way.

Do you realise he wants to share with you?

Do you care enough? Or want to stay in a place that advise him?

One time in a church we are praying, and have been praying like this for a long time, and I got tired.

God’s reputation is he hears and answers prayer.

God we have been praying and it’s not working, and you have not answer.

It’s either prayer works or it doesn’t, and we have been praying a long time, and it’s a waste of time.

I was the pastor, I got so discouraged, got up and went to the back of the church.

We were praying with weeping God pour out your spirit, God come and do your work in our city.

I remember walking to the back of the church, and raising my voice, is this too big for you, am I just wasting my time?

Now about a month later, we were in the same prayer, people were praying, and that same sense of hopelessness filled the people.

So I started looking my watch, when are these people going to stop.

And I walked to the back of church, as I did so he entered the room.

And He said to me, do you have to remember what you said to me?

And beloved, I don’t have to remember anything, I probably won’t.

A video played in front of me, I was being recorded every word what I said a month ago.

I heard myself, and it was replaying, but what I did not realise in the video projection he was there in front of me and standing next to me now.

Both of us were watching the video, but in real life, he wasn’t there.

I heard myself saying to him, is this too big for you.

I can’t imagine what I said to him, I was saying that to God, and now he was there, and I wanted the ground to swallow me up.

But he wasn’t angry, it was more like this place of disappointment.

And he said to me, it’s not you who is waiting for me.

He said I’m waiting for you, but I didn’t understand.

He asks where are the people who promised they would obey me, and would do this and this for me.

And beloved, He went on and on, where are my people, I’m waiting for them.

And he wrapped up saying, it is not you who is waiting for me, I’m waiting for you.

And after that he left, and from then that changed my prayers.

Are the problems in your nation bigger than him, does he want to fix your nation, does he want to leave you in bondage?

Does he take delight in seeing wickedness in your nation?

He’s saying now, I’m waiting for you.

I realised he is not looking for the prayer people, those that come under the yell of God telling him what to do.

God 5 days, I’m giving you to fix this!

God says I’m waiting for my people, the intercessors.

And some of you might feel small, and you disqualify yourself from being intercessors especially when you hear about the standards.

But I want to say to you, that everyone of you God has positioned you in this land, and given you a measure of grace.

And are responsible to use that to engage him.

Some of you will touch the whole of SG, a street, a portion of SG, a family.

And he’s expecting you to be faithful with the measure of grace he given you.

He will not ask you what He has asked Dr John.

And he knows what he has given me.

So I want to change your mindset how we see intercession.

Our generation should not be passing on the burdens to the next.

He has given us enough power, to fix our nation.

It is all available to you, and you are going to decide.

Do you want to be the agent of change.

If what you have been doing is not working, it’s time to change.

Lord we have done all you have promised, come and answer our prayers for our land.

I was disappointed when I heard this kind of prayer.

Then I heard the prayer leader, come on pray God is hearing and very soon revival will be pouring over the nation.

Have you heard this kind of prayer, what do you do with that?

If it’s not working, you have an obligation to go back to the boss, get clarification what he wants.

He knows what to do, amen.