Intercession Deals with the Law of Creeping Things

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 1:25, 26

What are creeping things? Creeping things are things that sneak up on you without you realising. The Book of Genesis speaks of the different creatures created by God. One group of creatures was called creeping things.

Spiritually speaking, there are things that move upon us stealthily. Great changes take place over a long period of time. Most people hardly notice when these changes are taking place.

Let me give your four things that creep upon all churches:

a. Deception (e.g., the churches of Europe)

b. Wrong attitudes (e.g., laziness, complacency and unbelief)

c. Familiarity (e.g., not appreciating the gift of God in your midst)

d. Shifting of priorities (e.g., becoming health and educational organisations instead of being missionary societies)

Deception Is a Creeping Thing

How do you think the church in Europe degenerated from being a vibrant, missionary-minded society to becoming an atheistic and godless organisation? It did not happen over night. The spirit of deception crept on the church slowly. Deception is a creeping thing.

Familiarity is one of the most dangerous creeping things that invade the church. Without even realising it, the church does not hold their pastor in esteem. Of course, they claim they do, but in reality they do not!

Familiarity Is a Creeping Thing

I noticed as familiarity crept into my own ministry. What are the signs of this creeping familiarity? One of the things is a failure to appreciate the pastor. You will notice how the congregation responds to visiting preachers just because it’s something new.

I notice the level of response I receive when I am outside my church. I notice that the level of response I receive is higher outside my own church. The miracles are more and the receptivity is higher. This is one of the most natural phenomena in Christian churches today. Intercessory prayer is necessary to keep out these spiritual creepers. Intercessory prayer will fight that creeping familiarity that kills the flow of the Spirit.

by Dag Heward-Mills