Revelation 8:4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.
Intercession fills the spiritual realm like sweet incense and shifts the atmosphere of heaven. Scientifically, smell can have a strong effect on emotions because “the olfactory system” (sensory system), is closely connected to areas of the brain that are involved in emotion, memory, and learning. Pleasant smell improves the moods while unpleasant smells impairs our emotions. The metaphor is true in the spiritual realm and “intercession is the incense that ignites divine activation”.
The intercession of Abraham intervened and delayed the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah until Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family was brought out of the promiscuous city. Moses begged God for mercy on the people of Israel who rebelled and reveled against Him. Moses took the sins of Israel on himself and beseeched God for grace. The intercessions of Abraham and Moses rose up to heaven like the sweet smoky aromatic intercession.
Our intercession for the lost, bound and broken is like a sweet smelling fragrance to the Lord. The intercessory smoke of incense has a voice in heaven. We might not see its effect in the natural world immediately but the Lord will remember His covenant with us and release angelic hosts to deliver our dear ones from the rut of sin and the chains of curses.
Spiritual Activation:
1. Sweet: Our intercession must be sweet and acceptable to the Lord. Take the sins, bad choices and silly stupor of your dear ones on yourself and go to the Lord with brokenness and repentance. Intercession from a contrite heart defuses sweet incense in heaven.
2. Shift: Sincere intercession will shift the mood of heaven. Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened (Exodus 32:14).
3. Sacrificial: Sacrificial intercession of dedicated time of prayer and fasting for our dear ones rise up to heaven like sweet incense to the nostrils of the Lord God Almighty. Intercession is a spiritual warfare. Intercessory prayer offered sacrificially and selflessly will be certainly answered.
Intercessors, who do spiritual warfare of sweet smelling sacrificial selfless intercessions, are “divine game breakers”. Sweet smelling incense is a divine activator.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, may my intercession for my dear and near ones be like sweet smelling incense. Amen.
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