Sandy Warner ~ ~ swauthor777@usa.net ~ ~ www.thequickenedword.com


KNOCKING ON CLOSED DOORS  3/26/08

 

TEACHING:  What is Importunity?

 

The following scripture is importunity:

 

Luke 18:1-8 NLT

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. 2 "There was a judge in a certain city," he said, "who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. 'I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself, 5'but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!' " 6 Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this evil judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?"

 

The past few years we were in a season of importunity, which was incessant knocking. This was a 2 way reciprocation where God was incessantly knocking upon our doors, calling, wooing, challenging, desperate and intense for us to wake up and become prepared for the days ahead. He has been so insistent that in His unfathomable love He bypassed our tolerances and boundaries in order to wake us up and get our attention. It was like shaking someone awake who has been in a long slumber.

 

This incessant knocking has not been only one way, for we too have been persistently knocking on His doors, trying and testing His tolerance by our same repeated prayers, the same desires, the same heart for Him to answer us with His YES and NOW. We have been like Jacob, wrestling with God to move Him past His boundaries and bring us the blessing. We were saying, You have something I want and you are not giving it to me! And God was saying, You have something I want and you are not giving it to Me either!

 

The word “intercessor” in the Old Testament means to make intercession through impinging importunity.

 

IMPINGE SYNONYMS:  Impose, invade, to fall against; to strike; to dash against; to clash upon. Trespass, affect, bear upon, disturb, encroach, influence, infringe, intrude, invade, make inroads, obtrude, pry, touch, violate.

 

importunity SYNONYMS:  coaxing, dunning, insistence, nagging, persistence, pestering, plaguing, plying, pressing, urgency, urging.

 

Isa 59:16 KJV

And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor:  {# 6293} 

 

This Hebrew word is translated: 

paga`

OT:6293 paga` (paw-gah'); a primitive root; to impinge, by accident or violence, or (figuratively) by importunity:

KJV - come (betwixt), cause to entreat, fall (upon), make intercession, intercessor, intreat, lay, light [upon], meet (together), pray, reach, run.

 

Sometimes the Lord asks His intercessors to be an advocate and knock on doors on behalf of others.  It can be a very humbling and non glorious job.  The Lord will use the process to cleanse ones own soul through difficult circumstances and mistakes made.  However, true to God’s amazing way to using weak instruments,  He will use it all as intercession through importunity.  In the places where one dies to self will in place of His will, He would multiply all efforts of knocking on closed doors, to advance His kingdom on earth.

 

 

WORD TO PONDER:  KNOCKING ON CLOSED DOORS  3/26/08

Yes precious ones, knocking on doors is a difficult job.  You have walked through shame, and cast down your pride, embracing humility.  You have walked through rejection and cast down ambition, embracing My passion.  You have walked through innocent trust and disappointment in man‘s promises and cast down idolatry, embracing Me as your Source.  You have walked through angry retorts and cast down fear of man, embracing forgiveness.  You have walked through intimidation and cast down judgment, embracing holy boldness.  You have walked through misunderstanding and cast down self defense, embracing your Just Judge.   You have walked through an advocacy as a fool without dignity.  You embraced considering yourself of no reputation.  You have walked through the crushings of hopelessness, despair, loss of fellowship, abandonment, betrayal and much more.  You have cast down your body, soul and spirit at My feet to embrace death to self over and over again.  In all that you have walked out, you chose to lovingly forgive and be the sacrifice for My call to knock until your job was done.  

 

Even as you were willing to humble yourself to be used as a vessel of dishonor, I will grant you honor where honor is due.  I know you did not seek honor, you sought My will above all else and were obedient to the faith I planted within you.  Thank you beloved intercessors who have walked the road of importunity. 

 

You have moved the depths of this Papa’s heart, that inspite of everything, you still choose to love above all else.  Through a multitude of knockings My door is opened and you have yet to fully realize that impact upon earth.  Well done, beloved intercessors, enter in to the joy of your Lord.

 

2 Tim 2:20 KJV

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

 

2 Sam 6:22 NKJV

And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight.

 

1 Cor 13:7 NKJV

Love bears all things, love believes all things, love hopes all things, love endures all things.

 

 


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Words from the The Quickened Word are excerpts from the journals of Sandy Warner.  To better understand how God speaks, read Sandy’s book, “101+ Ways God Speaks, And How to Hear Him.”  Website:
www.thequickenedword.com    Email:  swauthor777@usa.net  
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