Spiritual Identity, Pt1

What is the office of the intercessor? Is that biblical and where can it be found in scripture (God spoke of needing it- Ezek 22:30, Joseph stood in the gap- Gen 50:20, Moses stood in the gap- Ps 106:23, and Esther stood in the gap- Est 8. Additionally, the high priest stood in the gap- Ezek 44:15-16 and Heb 5:1. The gap is the distance that separates others from God (his person, blessing, promise, salvation). Intercession is a priestly function where we partner with the Spirit of God in praying and being an intermediary to bring the will of God to pass. God can work on his own, but he has chosen to work through our prayers.

(Agape church, Core virtue of identity) “We will never rise above our own understanding of who we are...and that understanding will affect every relationship we have.

On the Mount of Temptation what was Satan's first challenge to Yeshua (Matt 4): “If you are the Son of God...” He was challenged to validate his identity using Satan's methods which would have invalidated who he was. Satan's role was not to validate Yeshua, it was to violate him. This happened three times. 1st (bread)- He was challenged to validate his identity to meet his needs selfishly and in contradiction to the word of God. Yeshua's point is that he was about meeting his needs but in a godly way. This attack was on his person after fasting for forty days. 2nd- (Pinnacle of the Temple) He was challenged to validate his identity and mission as Messiah by sacrificing himself in violation of the word of God. He was to be sacrificed on the cross. 3rd- He was challenged to validate his identity by sacrificing his ultimate devotion and accepting a counterfeit salvation for the world. The temptations were on his personal needs/weaknesses, personal life/calling, and ultimate devotion/personal mission. All three tested Yeshua's humanity at his weakest point. This was the first opportunity for him to abandon his identity, calling, and mission. The second was in the Garden of Gethsemane where he was sorrowful even unto death and prayed for God's will concerning the cup of suffering (Matt 26:38-39). The next time is Yeshua's admission that he could ask for twelve legions of angels to protect him (Matt 26:53).

When Satan could not destroy Yeshua’s mission by violating his identity, persecution set in (Jn 15:20). This was designed to impinge his character in order to destroy his mission. Some of the Jews in Yeshua's time believed in who he was (the Messiah) and some did not, even in the face of miracles (Jn 14:11, Matt 9:5). But ultimately, the life of Yeshua bore out the fact that he did fulfill the messianic prophecies and reflect the ways and very person of God in his actions and speech.

The enemy will fight you, not because of your specific calling, but because you reflect the person of God in the world (2 Tim 3:12). Jesus' identity included putting HaShem on display for all to see personally and publicly. As intercessors, our calling is to put him first as well, in word and deed. If we pray down the glory, we must live out the word we pray.