I consider myself an intercessor and it has taken the full length and breadth of 30 years to understand what intercession is and who I am in this gifting and calling.

Intercessors, in their various roles, stand in the gap for people in prayer and worship to enhance God’s presence, draw people in and bring them into a more intimate experience and connection with God.

Not everyone is called to intercede in this way.  There are many roles that intercessors play and one person does not do it all.

I am a dancer and along with other women, I dance in church during worship with ribbons, scarves and flags.

As intercessors we need to be sensitive to shifts in the spiritual realm.  We often find ourselves pressing into these shifts to enhance the worship and/or step into warfare to exercise authority over the enemy and his strongholds.

There are moments in worship on Sunday mornings when I grab a flag and begin to intercede with the flag during the height of worship. At other times, I will find myself entering into worship with the dance along with a scarf or hand movements. I have kneeled, bowed and stomped my feet.

There have been intense cries (like a battle cry) and shouts of praise. And though to some this may seem strange, this verse in Isaiah comforts me:

“The Lord will go forth like a warrior. He will shout out, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail (mightily) against His enemies.” (Isaiah 42: 10)

Prophetic acts like these are born out of intercession and are initiated and fueled by the Holy Spirit for a purpose. As such, intercessors need to be engaged body, mind and spirit.

These intercessions and prophetic acts are intended to help the congregation press into the spiritual realm and gain ground over the enemy and personal strongholds.

I am grateful that over the years our church has allowed us to learn and grow in this area of intercession.

Intercessors need to have a clear connection with the worship team (singers and musicians) and in my mind and from my experience we are a team.

For me, when the band strikes up, so to speak, an amazing orchestration can take place between the musicians, dancers, prayers and praisers.

I love engaging in the dance and intercession with the other women in our Sunday service. I can’t begin to describe the fullness and completeness I feel. The psalmist describes it perfectly:

“The singers as well as the players on instruments shall say, All my springs (my sources of life and joy) are in you.” (Psalm 87:7  AMP)

But, times are changing (rather quickly) and there needs to be open lines of communication within the various ministries of the church. Let there be fresh insight in realizing the significant role each one has to play in these times.

I am beginning to understand that my role as an intercessor is just a part of the strategy God is giving to the church in these days.

Before a battle in the Old Testament, the captain of the army would call for the singers, dancers and worshippers to go out before them as they engaged the enemy:

“He appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy garments . . and when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon. (2 Chronicles 20: 21–22 AMP)

In recent weeks, I have noticed an increased intensity in worship and it makes me wonder if there has been an escalation of the battle in the heavenly realm?

Is there a kingdom authority coming to the Church through worship, intercessions and prophetic acts that we have not seen before?

Is God creating waves to overflow the riverbanks and nourish the trees whose leaves are medicine and healing for the nations?

I truly believe that this verse is relevant for these days. God wants to engage the enemy to bring peace and restoration to your nation:

“Then He showed me the river whose waters give life, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. . . on either side of the river was the tree of life, . . and the leaves of the tree were for the healing and the restoration of the nations” (Revelation 22: 1-5)