Blog 1 - Unleashing the Power of Strategic Intercession
Break through leadership barriers with strategic intercession. Learn to build a prayer shield, overcome obstacles, and align with God's will for greater impact and effectiveness.
Have you ever felt like your prayers aren't making a dent in the challenges you face as a leader? What if there was a way to pray that could actually shift situations and break through obstacles in your leadership or personal life? As a seasoned intercessor and the founder of Strategic Intercession, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside countless Christian leaders as they navigate these challenges. Today, I’m excited to share how strategic intercession can help you break through these barriers.
My name is Melanie Boudreau, and for over 15 years, I’ve served as an intercessor, team leader, and trainer with Apostolic Intercessors Network (AIN). I’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible power of strategic prayer in breaking through barriers and aligning leaders with Heaven’s purposes. While I love what AIN does and wholeheartedly endorse their services, Strategic Intercession is my personal initiative. Through this platform, my heart is to equip and empower even more leaders like you with the tools and insights needed to establish a strong prayer shield and walk in the fullness of your God-given authority.
I love what AIN does. This wonderful organization provides vetted, custom-tailored prayer teams to address the obstacles you face, in partnership with God to reach His goals for you. I wholeheartedly recommend their services, especially for those who recognize the importance of strategic intercession and can also afford to delegate what they do not have the bandwidth to do themselves, which is to create and maintain a prayer team. But, for the rest of us who choose not to delegate, I can train you how to set up an effective prayer shield for yourself.
I created Strategic Intercession to help leaders like you set up prayer teams for success.
As Christian leaders, we’ve all faced moments where it feels like we’re hitting a wall – whether it’s obstacles in our leadership, resistance from those around us, or just a sense of harassment and opposition that seems to follow us wherever we go. It can be exhausting, can’t it? But here’s the good news: we don’t have to face these challenges alone. God has given us an incredible tool to help us navigate these difficult seasons and come out stronger than ever. That tool, my friends, is strategic intercession.
My goal here is twofold:
- To equip you to pray strategically
- To train you to build a team of powerful intercessors to partner with you in prayer for the vision God has given you
Intercession refers to the act of praying on behalf of others, standing in the gap between God and those in need, a selfless service of advocacy. Strategic intercession is achieved through understanding and utilizing the authority God has granted in order to pray with greater efficacy.
In this episode, we’re going to explore exactly what strategic intercession is, how it differs from other types of prayer, and why it’s such a powerful weapon for Christian leaders. We’ll look at real-life examples of how strategic intercession can help us overcome obstacles and break through barriers, and we’ll even dive into some practical steps you can take to start incorporating this type of prayer into your own life and leadership.
Whether you’re a seasoned prayer warrior or just starting to explore the power of intercession, I invite you to join me on this journey. Together, we’ll discover how unleashing the power of strategic intercession can transform not only our own lives but the lives of those around us and advance God’s Kingdom on Earth.
Are you ready to dive in? Let’s go a little deeper into the different types of prayer and how they can impact our lives as Christian leaders.
Different Types of Prayer
First up, we have contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer emphasizes silent reflection, deep inner listening, and communion with God. This type of prayer focuses on building our relationship with God and cultivating intimacy with Him. It’s about spending quality time in His presence, listening to His voice, and allowing Him to speak to our hearts.
This is such an important foundation for our prayer lives because it helps us to align our hearts with His and to truly know Him as our loving Father. Without this type of prayer – connection with God – all other prayer becomes rote and meaningless. True intercession is built upon connection and union with our God. Contemplative prayer cannot be delegated to another, any more than intimacy in marriage can be. This kind of prayer is private and exclusive, deepening our love relationship with each expression of the Trinity.
Next, we have petitioning prayer. Petitioning prayer is when we come to God with our specific needs and desires, asking Him to intervene in our situations. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with bringing our requests before the Lord – He actually invites us to do so – it’s important to remember that earnest petitioning prayer is just one approach. It can express our utter dependence upon God, but it stops short of utilizing the authority God has entrusted to us in Christ. So, we use petitioning in conjunction with the other ways God gives us to pray.
That’s where strategic intercession comes in. This type of prayer takes things to a whole new level. When we engage in strategic intercession, we’re partnering with God to pray His will and purposes into existence. It’s not just about asking for what we want but about aligning ourselves with what He wants and declaring His truth over our lives and the lives of those around us.
Strategic intercession is about taking a proactive stance in prayer. It’s about seeking God’s heart and His strategies for the challenges we face and then boldly declaring those strategies into existence. It’s about using our authority as believers to bind the enemy’s attacks and to loose the blessings and breakthroughs of God. When we start to pray in this way, that’s when we start to see some truly amazing things happen. Strongholds crumble, doors open, and the impossible becomes possible.
The Power of Agreement
Now that we’ve talked about the different types of prayer, let’s dive into one of the most powerful aspects of strategic intercession: the power of agreement.
There’s something special about coming together with other believers and joining our faith in prayer. Supernatural synergy amplifies our prayers and creates an atmosphere for miracles to happen. In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus tells us, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (New International Version). How incredible is that? When we come together in unity and agreement, Jesus Himself is right there with us, ready to move on our behalf. There is power in teamwork!
I’ve seen this power of agreement at work so many times in my own life and in the lives of those I’ve prayed with. Let me share a small, fun story that happened to me recently. I’ve had cataract surgery and needed a change in my sunglasses prescription. I paid good money for my frames just a year ago, and when I tried to get new prescription lenses, I was told the frames were discontinued and no longer serviceable.
I am used to walking in favor – Psalm 5:12 asserts that the Lord blesses the one in right standing with God with favor surrounding them as with a shield. However, I was getting nowhere talking with the counter staff, and quietly left the store to call my husband to join me in a prayer of agreement for a resolution that would not cost us hundreds of dollars. Together, we declared God’s favor over my life. Then, I called the frame manufacturer and explained my situation. It still seemed there was no help on the way. I re-entered the store and was immediately informed the manufacturer had authorized new frames at no cost to me! While this was a small situation, the principle holds true at every level of complexity. Prayer changes outcomes!
Friends, this is the kind of power that’s available to us when we engage in strategic intercession together. When we come into agreement with one another and with the heart of God, we create an atmosphere for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. And yes, God cares even about the little injustices we face in our daily lives.
Overcoming Obstacles and Resistance
Now, let’s consider how strategic intercession can help us navigate the challenges and obstacles we face as leaders. Common obstacles might include constant off-setting, technology glitches, opposition from others, accusations, misunderstandings, or a general lack of favor. These can be frustrating and exhausting, but strategic intercession offers a way to overcome them.
By seeking God’s heart and declaring His will over these situations, we can break through barriers and see His purposes fulfilled. This might look like praying for wisdom in handling a difficult situation, declaring God’s favor in a challenging circumstance, or binding the enemy’s attempts to hinder our progress. Isaiah 54:17 assures us, “No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn. This peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And this is their vindication from Me,” says the LORD (Amplified Bible).
Establishing a Personal Prayer Shield
We’ve talked about the power of strategic intercession and how it can help us break through challenges and align ourselves with God’s will. But now, I want to talk about something absolutely essential if you want to see that power at work multiplied in your own life: establishing a personal prayer shield.
In 2019, on my way to Malaysia for a meeting held by Naomi Dowdy for Women in Strategic Leadership, I scheduled a layover in Hong Kong to help with jet lag and to reconnect with old friends. I arrived at an airport in total chaos – tens of thousands of protestors disrupted airport operations in Hong Kong as part of the larger pro-democracy movement.
I have a highly effective prayer shield, and upon landing, I immediately sent out a 911 message. Even though it was the middle of the night back home, Holy Spirit had just woken one of my intercessors who was awaiting word on the prayer need! She prayed me through that airport as my attention was on discerning God’s instructions on how to navigate the crowds and potential violent confrontations between the police and protestors inside the airport terminal.
Additionally, my hosts were stranded in Vietnam, and I not only had no way to get out of the airport, I had nowhere to go! While my intercessor prayed for my urgent need, the way opened for me to obtain local currency, an escort through congested public transportation, and a guide to the docks where my friends lived on a houseboat. I was treated to a five-star meal at the yacht club and delivered to my destination. I spent much of that night alone on the boat, praising God in awe for an unlikely rescue that could have never happened apart from His orchestration and intervention.
So, what exactly is a prayer shield? Put simply, it’s a group of committed prayer partners who stand with you in faith and intercede on your behalf on a regular basis. These are people you trust to pray for you, your family, your business or sphere of influence, and your specific needs and challenges.
Let me tell you, having a personal prayer shield is one of the most powerful things you can do as a Christian leader. When you have people who are consistently lifting you up before the Throne of grace, it creates a covering of protection and blessing over your life that is truly invaluable. Dependency on God and interdependency on one another is God’s way. We cannot achieve God’s purposes for our lives using our own way – which typically looks like personal prayers of dependency upon God, while practicing self-sufficiency!
I get it. Most of us have a crisis intercession hotline, people we call in an emergency to pray through our particulars. I definitely had an emergency in Hong Kong! But a prayer shield is more than that – we can partner with intercessors who hold our futures before God, opening the way before us and addressing obstacles, often shutting down barriers to our advancement before they even hinder us.
If you don’t already have a personal prayer shield in place, I want to encourage you to start one sooner rather than later. The call on your life matters! Begin by asking God to show you who He wants you to invite to be a part of your prayer team, and then reach out to those people and ask them to stand with you in prayer.
If you’re not sure where to start or how to go about establishing your prayer shield, don’t worry – we’ve got resources available to help you every step of the way. Just visit our website or reach out to us directly, and we’ll be more than happy to provide you with the tools and guidance you need.
The Value of Strategic Intercession
Whether you face obstacles in your personal life, challenges in your leadership, resistance in your business or ministry, or simply a sense of feeling stuck or overwhelmed, strategic intercession can help you break through these barriers. It enables you to move forward with greater clarity and purpose.
Throughout Scripture, we see examples of people who used the power of prayer to transform their lives and the world around them. From Moses interceding for the people of Israel to Esther standing in the gap for her nation, strategic intercession has always been a vital part of God’s plan for His people.
When we embrace strategic intercession in our own lives, we open ourselves up to a whole new level of spiritual growth and intimacy with God. As we partner with Him in prayer and seek His heart for the situations we face, we begin to see things from His perspective and align ourselves more fully with His will. Imagine the acceleration you will experience when you pray strategically and invite others to join you, harnessing the power of agreement.
That’s why I’m so passionate about helping Christian leaders like you develop a lifestyle of strategic intercession on top of your strong foundation of contemplative prayer. I truly believe that when we prioritize other types of prayer and learn to partner with God in this way, there’s no limit to what He can do through us.
At one time, when God invited me into a mission that seemed too grandiose, I balked! I cried out to Him, exclaiming the assignment was too far over my head. I sensed Him speaking into my spirit, “Who is your Head?” When we partner with God, His way – think dependency on God and interdependency on one another – nothing is over our Head. Christ is the Head of the church!
So, if you’re ready to take your prayer life to the next level and start seeing breakthrough in your life and leadership, I want to invite you to join me on this journey of strategic intercession. You’re not alone in this.
Together, we can learn to unleash the power of strategic intercession and see God’s Kingdom come in even greater measure through His call on your life. So, let’s keep pressing in, friends. Let’s keep seeking His heart and aligning ourselves with His will. And let’s keep declaring His word leading to victory over every challenge we face. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us as we partner with Him through strategic intercession.
Get Started
Well, friends, we’ve covered a lot of ground today as we’ve explored the power of strategic intercession and how it can transform our lives as Christian leaders.
We’ve talked about the different types of prayer and how strategic intercession takes things to a whole new level by partnering with God to pray His will and purposes into existence. We’ve looked at the power of agreement and how actually coming together with others in prayer can create an atmosphere for miracles to happen. We’ve also explored how strategic intercession can help us overcome obstacles and resistance and align ourselves with God’s will.
We’ve also talked about interdependence on one another, the importance of establishing a personal prayer shield, and how having committed prayer partners standing with us in faith can create a covering of protection and blessing over our lives.
So, as we close out our time together today, I want to leave you with a simple challenge: if you haven’t already, start taking steps to establish your own personal prayer shield. Invite others to stand with you in prayer and begin to unleash the power of intercession in your life and leadership. Share this episode with them to help them understand the difference between petitioning prayer and strategic intercession.
Free Resources
Thank you for joining the community at Strategic Intercession! As a subscriber, I’m delighted to gift you my e-book, Prayer Shield: A Guide to the Strategic Intercession You Need, along with its companion audiobook as a token of our gratitude. Visit strategicintercession.com to subscribe and receive your gift.
As I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to download our free resource, the “Building a Prayer Shield Worksheet.” This worksheet is designed to help you start creating a strong and effective prayer shield. Visit strategicintercession.com/get-started-worksheet to get your copy.
Please know that we’re here to support you every step of the way. If you need resources and guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out or comment via our website or on social media. We’re all in this together, and we’re believing for God to do amazing things as we partner with Him through strategic intercession. Together, we can see His Kingdom come, and His will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
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