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 John Mulinde

We are going to try and expand abit more what we shared in Intercessors Training for Singapore: Session 1 article.

Let’s go back to Isa 59.

Isa 59:1-2: Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that he cannot save, nor is his ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated you from God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Father yet one more time we come before You, teach us Your ways and make us effective intercessors, let Your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven, so help us Lord.

A lot to do with prayer is perception.

How do you perceive what you see or hear.

If you see things as God sees them, your heart will be moved towards God.

But if you see them differently from say your own perspective, then it will be much different.

What we see in Isa 59, is from God’s vantage point.

First of all, He tells us His hand is not too short, it is possible for Him to answer.

Neither can he not hear us, he’s not death.

But He let us know, why He would not answer, and certain conditions to be met.

v2 tells us our iniquities have separated us from Him, and so there is a gap.

We saw in Intercessors Training for Singapore: Session 1 article, God says don’t you see what they are doing.

Let us continue now and read from v3-8.

God is telling us what He sees when he looks at them. Let us read.

v3-8: Your hands are defiled with blood, fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies, and tongue has muttered perverseness. No one calls for justice, nor plead for truth, they trust in vanity, and speak lies, they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. Their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed innocent blood, their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not, there is no judgement in their goings, they have made for themselves crooked paths.

This is the kind of situation, where God will say, you see what are doing, don’t pray for them.

And that is one way to look for SG.

Don’t you see what they are doing, you want me to bless them, and reward them with my Holy Spirit.

As we pray for them, we need to acknowledge that, we may have done wicked.

And Lord we are not blaming you for what has happened.

There’s also something else, God does not only see the outside.

He also hears the inside.

Have you ever considered, that serial killer the govt is looking for, you hate him.

But if one day you had a one on one with him, you may hear his heart, maybe it was something that happened when he was a teenager.

He was wounded one way or another, and he got into that state.

Maybe he hates what is doing, and wants to stop, but keeps doing it again.

And sometimes he hates himself.

And this is the other aspect, that God hears too.

Where they lie down in their beds, and wonder how did I get here, what is going on with me.

And when God listens to those cries, those are cries are captivity.

Of people who are unable to help themselves.

And when God hears that, do you know what He looks for? An intercessor.

He says I hear the cry and pain of their heart, why can’t I find any.

Just like how he looks for a man to stand in the gap.

So when things are bad in the nation, God is not looking for a Shepard or teacher, because the people are blind and death.

But the intercessor is the solution, in this situation.

So let’s continue our reading from v9-15.

Now we are not looking at the sinful people from the outside, but hearing them from their inside hearts.

We are listening to their struggles.

v9-15: Therefore justice is far from us, we look for light but there is darkness, we grope for the wall like a blind. We stumble in daylight, like dead men in desolate places, we mourn sadly like dogs. We look for salvation but it’s far from us, and justice there is none. For our transgressions are with us, and for our iniquities we know them. In transgressing and lying to our Lord, speaking oppression and uttering from our hearts falsehoods. Justice is far back, and truth is fallen in the streets, and truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

So how you think, God feels about them when He hears their heart.

He created them in His image, He created a plan for them, and desires to bring them to His desired end.

That is what God says about every muderer even.

There are no plans of evil, but only plans of hope.

I want to bring you to your desired end.

What is it? Your destiny, the reason I created you for.

So you hear these words?

These evil, wicked people whom we normally judge from outside.

We don’t hear their struggles in their hearts, and turmoil, but God does.

And when he hears these cries of oppression, He looks and asks where are the intercessors.

Let us read the next verse.

v16: Then the Lord saw there was no man, and wondered there was no intercessor.

Do you hear that? In such a situation, there is only one solution, an intercessor.

You know these people are heading towards judgment.

I know in the last session, we look at the high bar and price we have to pay, as intercessors.

And do you know why we pay it?

Because we love Him.

Do you know why Jesus laid down His life, do you think it was easy?

Even Jesus prayed, let this cup pass from me, but not as I’m willing, but if you are.

Father let your will be done.

So the momentum that makes us intercessors I love for God.

When we love Him more than we love ourselves.

Then we say, not my will Lord, let your will be done.

But some say, I’m not an intercessor, I don’t want to pay such a price.

We come to worship the Father in His throne room, and say Father I love you.

But he says wait a moment, I’m looking for an intercessor.

Do you want to be in that situation?

Because you are not as much in love with Him yet.

Remember Isa 6, God asks whom can I send, who will go for you, and Isaiah volunteered.

And you worship God, and asks, but you are not willing to run for him, so he bypass you looking for another man / woman.

Is this the relationship with him we want?

I think we want to be there, when he needs us.

In Ezek, God comes to Ezekiel saying, come I will show you what they are doing.

He took him to the temple, showing them the elders worshipping the sun god, and say do you see what they are doing.

And he took him to see the woman, worshipping the stars.

That is the confidant of God, God will open His heart to you, because you are willing to carry his burden with him.

In Prov 8, He says I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find me early.

So are you those whom God says come I will show you.

Or are you those who say, God come later.

God says those who seek me early will find me.

So what kind of relationship you have with God?

I want to let you know what you see in SG, all those liberal views they have.

On the outside you see how wicked they are, but inside they are in torment and oppressed, and God feels it and wants to set them free.

And God needs an intercessor, who loves him enough to lay his life down.

Let us read again, but further down the passage.

v16-18: Therefore God saw there was no man, and wondered there was no intercessor. Therefore his arm brought salvation, and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, a helmet of salvation, and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing. According to their deeds, he will repay, recompense to his enemies.

Do you see what is happening?

God will not ignore forever those in need of help.

If there is nobody, God goes down himself putting down the garments of war, the helmet of war, and put on zeal.

And he comes down, and say I’m going to fight the enemies, to do what? To set the captives free.

As God is doing that, where are the people who are not intercessors?

God says, wait I got things and business to do.

To some God will say wait, but to the intercessors He say comes with me.

Don’t you want to join God in such moments?

It’s not about what the praise is to you, it’s what it means to him.

I love those who love me, those who seek me will find me early.

There are people who are called friends of God, like Abraham.

God says, can I hide what I’m going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah.

And immediately after knowing, Abraham interceded for the nation.

He is already tormented inside, and feeling the turmoil.

He is not happy, when God wants to destroy them.

The Bible says, he takes no pleasure the destruction of wicked.

When Abraham was interceding for Sodom, you know where he based his argument?

Not on Sodom, but on God, if He would destroy the land with righteous.

Saying I know your heart, you don’t take pleasure in that.

What if there are 50, would that calm you down Lord? God says yes.

What if there are 40?

I feel bad God, when you are tormented in Your heart, please calm down Lord.

In Mount Sinai, Moses plead for the nation, and said what would the people think you manage to brought them out of Egypt but cannot bring them to promised land.

Then Moses said, remember your covenant.

Then God said, ok, but get out of my sight right now.

There are certain things we can bring to the Lord to make him calm down.

But only intercessors can come down.

Remember the verse, where God says even if he come down, I will not hear, so we are all not equal.

God says I love them who love me.

The love of an intercessor is a confidant.

When God showed Ezekiel what people had done, He was looking for intercessors.

As you pray and feel God said don’t talk to me about them.

But as you continue, and bring his word to Him.

You sense a change of atmosphere, and now he is saying.

Look what they are doing, what they are saying.

When you feel such a change, you are making progress.

From don’t talk to me, God says look at what they do.

That is a sign he is engaging with you.

And when the time says, He says I will set them free.

I know it’s not them, but the devil working through them.

They are captives, and have given themselves to this captivity.

Rom 16: Don’t you know whoever you give yourself to, you are slaves to them whom you obey.

God is saying I know it’s not them, they had a choice, but they chose captivity and chose evil.

When you hear that in prayer and sense that, it means you are making good progress.

You are coming to a place called the pavilion of intercession.

Now He is talking to you as a partner, telling you what is at stake.

He may even reveal to you the specific demonic power that is at work.

So then, the focus of your prayer changes.

You are now seeking them to be delivered from the demonic.

That is where you come to begin and see the covenants they have made with idols long time ago.

You see the reason, why they gave themselves over to this oppression.

When a pastor is in deep intercession, sometimes he prays for things you never expect to pray for.

Why because God is revealing the source of the captivity, which is usually not obvious.

And before you can break that bondage, you need to bring repentance.

By the time you get to that level, something is happening out there.

The people are starting to get conviction, your prayers have touched their hearts.

They are tired and want to change, but cannot because they are in bondage.

And sometimes the Lord, will reveal to you what they are saying.

Gideon did not know what his enemies were saying, and he was afraid.

But God says come, and showed them the people were actually afraid of him.

And so sometimes, God opens a channel allowing us to hear what they are saying.

And this builds a faith, you know you are making progress.

And when you bring repentance, you reach a point, God says it’s done.

You can now go and break the bondage.

You feel it boiling in your heart inside, scriptures are coming rapidly.

As you confess those scripture, your spirit is being stirred up.

It’s not by power or might, it’s the working of the Holy Spirit.

So you feel it rising and rising.

Therefore you say to the devil, you have no right to hold the people in captivity.

Jesus died so you can be free.

So those convictions are spoken to your soul.

So you pray to the devil, in Jesus name you must let go.

And you speak the word, and you feel the power behind the word.

You know you are effectively breaking through bondage.

The Holy Spirit leads you in the choice of words, in the warfare.

And sometimes, the Bible says he who speaks in other tongues, build himself.

Sometimes in the middle of the warfare, you feel you are taking a retreat, and the Spirit leads you to pray in tongues.

Allow it, and once you do it, the Spirit leads you to the battle.

And sometimes the battle lasts for days, and you may even pray in tongues for an hour.

And it builds you up.

There’s nothing better knowing you are in the hands of the Holy Spirit.

He is using you as a battle axe: he releases you into war, pulls you back, and releases you back.

When finally the battles are over, you feel the pouring in of the joy of the Lord.

It pours in wave after wave, and you feel like your whole being is breaking with joy.

Some people shout, others break in tears, but you know inside it is done.

And you praise the Lord in celebration.

And you come out of that prayer room, and can call the other person don’t worry it’s been settled.

And if they are still concerned, you say wait and see, it has been done, the Lord has intervened.

Won’t you want to have such a relationship with God? To be His confidant.

And when God says come let me show you, it’s time to learn new things, see another side of things, see captives go free.

It’s not time to think about what will it cost me.

But it’s a time to get excited, yet another experience from God.

Every experience the Lord takes you through, within the experience there will be a line to cross.

And the line says, I will use this if only you are willing to drop this.

So every battle has a surrender line you need to give up.

Sometimes we fail, and pull back.

How many read the book by Reels Howels?

I advise all to read the book, and if you read it you need to read it again.

Reels shares many times the Lord let him to a place of surrender.

And it’s amazing, the things he has to surrender.

And one day he was praying for someone, and God says if you would lay down your life he will live.

And Reels interpret it as, if I die in place of this person, he will live.

So Reels left prayer 2-3 days, but felt no joy.

Then he mustered the courage to come back to the Lord.

And the Lord said, I was giving you an opportunity to be a living mother.

To lay down your life, but you wouldn’t let go.

Now with every surrender God leads you, a new level of authority is given to us.

It’s like you get promotion.

You know in the army, the higher the rank, the more people serve you.

Even the devil, remember when Jesus was walking in Jerusalem, the demons say we know who you are the Holy One of God, have you come to destroy us before the time.

So every time we surrender, God gives us more authority.

And the devil knows how to recognise that as well.

So there’s nothing to lose, and everything to gain, amen.