30+ Powerful Intercessory Prayer Points for the Church

Intercessory prayers for the church

Why create intercessory prayer points for the church? The use of the word church as a noun in modern-day can often be divided into two forms. One being “church” and the other being “the church”. The latter refers to the body of Christ as a whole.

The church is that bride that the Lord will return for. Our days are marked by a massive blow of our ministries and their offspring. Today more than ever, the gifts of the spirit are more spread, fulfilling the scripture that promises that in the last days, the Lord would pour his spirit on all man.  

Acts 2:17: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

That outpouring is evident today. The prophetic gift is alive and well, as are all other spirit gifts! We bless the Lord for his grace. With this great outpour, there has been a crisis of a lack of discipleship. In the more unfortunate cases, gifted individuals are disciplined by gifted men/women who have lost their way in ministry. They have fallen into the trap of self-love.

2 Timothy 3:2 King James Version (KJV)

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

You only need to look around, and you will see this. The love and glorification of money are more prevalent in the church today than ever, which is a toxic spirit. We are fed the lie that the camel can suddenly squeeze through the eye of a needle.

For others, it is with the greatest and noblest intentions of doing great for Christ that they have become overcome by a desire to chase their own glory. This is an often implicated reason churches want to brand “themselves” differently.

We have the desire to set ourselves apart so our efforts can be recognised, so we may be patted on the back. We forget that our God sees in secret to reward in public. Our reward is from a man when we seek man’s approval.

Denominational Spirit: prayer topics for church

Denominational spirit has made it such that I feel I am better than the next person because of where I worship. Have we forgotten the words of Christ when asked about a place of worship?

John 4:23-24 New International Version (NIV)

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

We, as a church, have become so bent on giving Christ a bride that he has not requested. Casting Crown coined the phrase “The God we want or the God who he is.” 

• Lord, teach me to love your bride as you did.

This is the reason why our church leaders begin to fashion themselves as rock stars and performers. The man of God we want, not necessarily the one God wants. Performances fill pews. Filled pews fill offering baskets. God forgive us all for being part of these charades we put on when we play church without the one we should be meeting with. 

My church/our church vs the church: Prayer for church

There is a sort of syndrome within the church that “I am better than you”, “My pastor is more anointed than yours”, and “Our church is cooler/better than yours.” We will usually deny this because it isn’t very Christian of us. Some of us will sooner go evangelising than simply love our neighbour from a different Christian denomination.

It makes sense; we spend so much money on a building that needs to be filled with people who can give to it to keep the doors open. We need to say or present ourselves as the best “church” to keep these people in. There is no Jew, Gentile, Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal or anything else. We are of Christ.

Warfare prayer points for the church: Will he find faith?

Luke 18:8 King James Version (KJV)

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

• Father, forgive us for increasingly becoming a faithless generation.
• Make me a man/woman of great faith.
• Grant me grace, wisdom and boldness to inspire faith in others.
• May your church become a true city on a hill that cannot be hidden. 
• Our light will shine before the man that they may see your best again!

Lovers of self: intercessory prayer points for the church

Our preachers are becoming more concerned with building brands. This is the way of the world. When our leader within the church is all focused on “me” “me” “me”, we have a problem. “I healed”, “I prophesy,” “I I I”. God help us all. We are warned that these times are upon us. It is not the leaders’ fault. The flock is equally culpable.

We fill the pews of those that “look” good or “look” blessed. The empty pews are of those that don’t look the part but are screaming for the righteousness of God. We forget that it has never been about looks. Christ was described as “nothing that would attract us to him” King David was not brought forward for anointing because he didn’t look the part. 

The church, of all places, should know that God is not looking at the things we look at. Material is not an indicator of blessings from above. Satan gives that to those who bow to him. Do you not remember Christ being tempted? He was offered the same things we now think pastors/prophets are blessed for having!

2 Timothy 3-5 (KJV)

3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

• Father, make our leaders a people like you. 
• Raise leaders who lead like you, washing feet and giving up your life.
• Remove from their hearts boastfulness, pride and all that is ungodly.
• Raise leaders not to covet what the world has, but cast their eyes fully upon you.
• May we not desire and love pleasure more than we do you!

Hurt in the church

The church repeatedly fails to be a true representation of our father in heaven. Many people come into the church with misplaced expectations and leave it more broken. We are supposed to be a place of healing, a sanctuary for the weary and heavy ladened. Yet, we don’t always do that. At the core of it all, we need prayer points for the church with bible verses, so we can pray the word of God.

• Lord forgive us for those we have turned away from you. 
• Forgive us for times that we unknowingly stand in the way of people trying to get to you.
• Give us a heart for the broken! A heart like you have. 
• We pray for those whose view of Christ has been marred by how the church has represented him.
• Make us a true, authentic representation of the father. May they see you when they see us!

Open our eyes to False teachers

John Bevere eloquently put this across. It is not blatantly false that will get us, it is those that “seem” right to man, which will lead us to death. False teachers creep into our midst by seeming right. Our people are desperate, they are preyed on because of that desperation. 

2 Peter 2 (KJV)

2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

• Lord for every false teacher arising, raise ten men and women to stand for the truth.
• May our ears not kindle to heresies.
• Your word says that you sheep know your voice, teach us to know what is not of you when it is presented to us, no matter who presents it or how it is dressed.
• May we not be swayed by miracles and presentations. Satan comes as an angel of light. 

Discernment

Our times, perhaps more than any that have come before, are in desperate need of discernment. We are constantly bombarded with information. Christian and pseudo-Christian, as well as downright evil, is thrown at us.

The scripture tells us that there is a certain way that seems right to “man”, but in the end, leads to death. Discernment is of the spirit, and it transcends man. Our prayer is that the Lord would equip us as a body of Christ to discern what is truth and what is not.

1 John 4:1 – Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

• Lord, open our eyes to see the falsehood even in those we may hold in high esteem.
• May nothing stand in the way of seeing your truth.
• Open the eyes of those who false teachers have deceived.
• Open the eyes of those who may be unwittingly falsely representing you.
• Makes us lovers and defenders of truth at all costs.

Arrogance/Refusing correction

Psalm 105:14-15

14he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
15saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!”

This is a scripture that we see thrown around often nowadays. In context, God would never let his prophets be oppressed. They would wander from one kingdom to another serving. His warning and protection went ahead of them. 

Today, it is sometimes used as an excuse for men of God to do wrong. Who are you to correct me? Do you not know God says, “Touch not my anointed ones!”

• Touch not my anointed ones

Peter corrected by Paul

Today’s church is filled with leadership that is keen to have people wash their feet than to be the ones who wash the people’s feet. We have a sense of grandeur which is not Christlike. Paul, who was fairly new to the faith, called out Peter, a veteran who had walked with and broken bread with Jesus himself. Peter was humble enough to accept correction. Why are we, today’s leaders, not walking in that same wisdom?

• A fool hates correction, Lord; may we not be fools.
• Build humility in our leaders.
• Make our leaders correctable and coachable.

Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

• Teach us to love as you did.
• Open our eyes to our faults.
• Search our hearts, oh Lord. Remove any wickedness.

Correction built on the relationship is the model that Christ created. It worked for him. The Pharisees were believers. This shows you that, at times, the greatest opposition to Christ comes from within the church. After all, it is the church that denied him, it is the religion that crucified him.

Are we opposing Christ because tradition and denomination don’t sit quite right with who he is? None of us is immune to deception. This is why the man God said was “after his heart” would pray that that heart is searched by God.  

Also, pray for church leaders and pastors

Prayer points for church growth

Prayer points for the church with bible verses

 ^{Hebrews 10:25} not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A25&version=NIV

• Father, bring us together as a body of Christ.
• Your word says where two or more meet in your name, you are present. Teach us to desire your presence.

^{1Peter 2:2} Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

• Lord, pour a craving for your presence in our lives.
• Pour pure spiritual milk into our lives.
• Show us what spiritual milk is, and stir us away from falsehood.

^{James 1:17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

• Lord, you are the giver of every perfect gift.
• You remain true, never shifting.

^{Matthew 6:21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

• Lord, may our treasure be in you.
• Remove worldly desires from the heart of the church so that we may fully seek and pursue you.
• May our hearts rest on you.