“So intercession is about Truth, huh?”
I thought maybe the simplicity of the statement would sound more profound if I said it aloud.
I had compiled the twenty-seven prayer verses onto one page.
Of course, I knew that:
- He is the God of Truth (Psalm 31:5)
- The sum total of His Word is Truth (Psalm 119:160)
- Every path He leads us into is Truth (Psalm 25:10)
- His Son, Jesus, who is also God, is also Truth (John 14:6)
- And that knowing Truth is to make us free (John 8:32).
So why was I surprised that the first category that He revealed regarding the intercessor’s guide was all about deceit?
I had already been praying 2 Thessalonians 2:11 for a couple of years. Although the verse talks negatively about those who refuse to love Truth, I had been using it positively to ask God to remove the veil that keeps people deceived.
You know, once someone refuses to believe Truth, they only have one option: to believe a lie (2 Timothy 4:4).
There is no middle ground.
I thought of my Chinese friends, who had not yet believed. It all had something to do with the fact that they were believing a lie.
I thought of my preteen daughters, who were struggling with their self-image. They were using a mirror instead of the face of Christ in which to see themselves. They too were allowing themselves to be drawn into deception.
I thought of myself, who used so much energy seeking after man’s approval rather than God’s. Somewhere in my own history, I had attached far greater importance to the applaud of others rather than the Truth of His Word (maybe that was the reason that my girls were still struggling.)
So my first prayer along the journey to intercession was just this:
“Lord, remove the veil that keeps _________ deceived” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
As you are willing to pray it for yourself first, you will then come to know the authority of praying it for others. (More about this in Chapter 9 of Hungry For More: Feasting though the Word).
What specific area of deceit is the Father calling you to pray over?
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