00:01 Emcee:
Welcome to the Strategic Intercession Podcast where we share powerful prayer techniques, inspiring stories and tools to help you lead with wisdom and confidence. Hosted by Melanie Boudreau, a seasoned leader in focused prayer. Whether you're leading in church, government, or business shaping your industry, this podcast is for you. Now, here's your host, Melanie Boudreau.

00:30 Melanie Boudreau:
Everything we do as believers flows from our calling to co-labor with Jesus, from fulfilling the great commission to destroying works of the enemy, to transforming our spheres of influence. Jesus invites us into partnership with him. Understanding how to pray with his authority is key to this beautiful collaboration. I've just returned from 10 days in Bogota, Columbia where we saw God's power flow as his people stepped into their authority in Christ. Working alongside global Revivalists, Paul and Angelica Rapley, we witnessed over 1,800 healings, 342 salvations and 161 discipling Bible studies initiated for new believers.

01:15 Melanie Boudreau:
We saw lumps and masses disappear, paralysis, healed, blind eyes opened, metal vanished from bodies and many other demonstrations of God's power, including what some might call ordinary healings like restored knees. This is the God we serve. If the Great Commission is for today and it absolutely is, then so is the empowerment that enables it.

01:44 Melanie Boudreau:
In this episode, I wanna share something beautiful that Holy Spirit revealed to me about co-laboring with Jesus through prayer. There's a way things work in prayer. That's something John Eldridge highlights in his book, moving Mountains, praying with passion, confidence, and authority. He explains that effective prayer aligns with certain principles, saying there is a way things work. He suggests that understanding these principles is crucial for a fruitful prayer life.

02:16 Melanie Boudreau:
I agree, and what I'm about to share will help you know how to pray with the authority Jesus has entrusted to you. As we begin, I want you to set aside any preconceptions about prayer. What you're about to discover will transform not just how you pray, but how you partner with Jesus in advancing his kingdom.

02:38 Melanie Boudreau:
For over 15 years, I've served with Apostolic intercessors network, which we call a IN, an organization that creates confidential, vetted prayer teams for generals in God's kingdom. And when I say generals, I don't mean military officers. I mean functional generals in ministry, arts and entertainment, business, government education and media. These are Christians who understand their kingdom mandate to bring Christ honoring transformation to their spheres of influence.

03:11 Melanie Boudreau:
An honest evaluation reveals just how few Christian leaders have the prayer coverage they need to fulfill what God has entrusted to them. Tommy Fright, founder of a IN, taught me a profound lesson about this. She could discern when she needed to expand her prayer coverage by assessing how much warfare she was experiencing, harassment, things going wrong, loss of favor, inadequate funding, strife and division. She noticed that these challenges proportionally decreased when she increased her prayer coverage.

03:47 Melanie Boudreau:
That's exactly why we created the strategic intercession platform. To equip transformational leaders with the prayer coverage they need to push back warfare, secure breakthrough, and fulfill their God-given assignments. So the key idea is this, whether you build your own prayer shield or partner with an organization like a IN, what matters is having people who consistently hold your needs before the Father. No one can delegate their personal prayer life, but you can and should have others cover you in prayer.

04:22 Melanie Boudreau:
Interdependence requires humility and God exalts the humble.

04:30 Melanie Boudreau:
As we explore this beautiful privilege of co-laboring with Jesus through prayer, I want to share how this understanding transformed my own prayer life and how it can transform yours too. God has called us all to co-labor with him, and it's one of the most beautiful privileges we have. In John chapter 20, verse 21, we see a powerful scene after Jesus's resurrection, he passes right through a closed door to address his disciples. My first thought was like, wow to Jesus, there is no such thing as a closed nation.

05:06 Melanie Boudreau:
Among other vital statements, Jesus declares, as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you this statement, establishes our lifelong assignment to co-labor with Jesus, to work effectively with him, we need to understand his mission. The Bible makes it clear. In Mark chapter 10, verse 45, we read, the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many.

05:34 Melanie Boudreau:
Our parallel assignment is found in one John chapter three, verse 16. By this, we know love that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. Jesus came to destroy the works of the enemy as one. John chapter three, verse eight tells us, and to bring light into the world according to John chapter 12, verse 46, and to do the father's will as we see in John chapter six, verse 38, and to bring abundant life as promised in John chapter 10, verse 10, and to call sinners to repentance as shown in Luke chapter five, verse 32, when we co-labor with him, we participate in all these aspects of his mission, including walking in the great commission, destroying works of the enemy, transforming our spheres of influence, leading people to Jesus, being light in dark places, laying down our lives for others and appropriating God's goodness in our spheres.

06:38 Melanie Boudreau:
But here's something vital to understand. Jesus didn't stop working after his resurrection. Hebrews chapter seven, verse 25 tells us he lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. As we co-labor with Jesus, we join him in this ministry of intercession, but not just any kind of prayer. Have you ever wondered how Jesus prays? I don't think He focuses on problems saying things like, father, have you seen the economy?

07:09 Melanie Boudreau:
How is John supposed to sign that contract in the face of such uncertainties and Pastor Bill, his flock is such a mess. Instead, Jesus declares the promises and provision of God over situations. This understanding transforms not just how we pray, but how we partner with him in advancing his kingdom through prayer that carries his authority on that point. Back in episode 12, we explored what it means to co-labor with Jesus in divine healing.

07:41 Melanie Boudreau:
To do so, we move away from a weak petitioning prayer model and command healing in Jesus name. I invite you to visit strategic intercession.com to check it out.

07:55 Melanie Boudreau:
Now, let's look at how different expressions of our relationship with God shape the way we pray. You might find yourself identifying strongly with one of these, but stay with me because understanding all three will shift your understanding of prayer as we consider how to co-labor effectively with Jesus through prayer. I wanna share something important about how we relate to God. We express our relationship with him in different ways, each serving a beautiful purpose in our walk with Him. First, we are children of God.

08:27 Melanie Boudreau:
This is a precious aspect of our relationship with him. We figuratively crawl into his lap and pour out our hearts, and he absolutely loves it. Philippians chapter four, verses six through seven tells us, do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition. With thanksgiving present your request to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus As his child, we petition asking for what we need.

09:03 Melanie Boudreau:
We cry, receive his tenderness and find comfort and peace in his arms. Crisis intercession flows naturally from this relationship looking backward at what has happened, bringing our problems to him and receiving his comfort and peace. This intimate connection with our father is vital and precious. However, while this childlike relationship is essential for intimacy with God, it's not the role from which we see the greatest breakthroughs in prayer. Children don't typically get important things done.

09:37 Melanie Boudreau:
Another beautiful way we relate to God is as his friend, like Adam and Eve, walking with God in the garden. We enjoy simply being with him, sharing life's moments, and experiencing his presence every day. I've discovered this friendship aspect of prayer in delightful ways. As an avid hiker and photographer in Colorado, I've found God to be quite playful and even funny in our interactions. Unlike most women, I love photographing insects and God has become my photography partner.

10:09 Melanie Boudreau:
He often highlights little wonders that no one else would notice. One day after hiking for over an hour without spotting anything interesting to photograph, I playfully said to Jesus, this is not like you. I've been walking forever and you haven't shown me a single interesting thing to capture. Suddenly I felt his presence right behind my left shoulder. I turned quickly half expecting to see him. Instead, there it was a large flower head with an insect sitting perfectly on top and behind it, a rainbow fragment decorated the clear sky.

10:45 Melanie Boudreau:
As a backdrop, I laughed and got my shot. These friendship moments with Jesus are precious and vital to our relationship with him, but like our identity as children, friendship alone isn't how we partner with him in getting kingdom work done. Now we come to something powerful, our role as the bride of Christ, the bride of our great eternal king.

11:11 Melanie Boudreau:
Think of Queen Esther from the Old Testament. When her people faced destruction, she didn't just plead with King Xerxes as a supplicant. Instead, she exercised her authority as queen issuing decrees in his name that saved her people. She operated not just from relationship but from a place of delegated authority. As the bride of Christ, we too can pray with authority looking ahead rather than just reacting to circumstances. We exercise the authority of our king to establish his will on earth.

11:44 Melanie Boudreau:
This isn't about demanding what we want. It's about partnering with Jesus to see his purposes fulfilled. Take a moment to reflect which of these ways of relating to God, child, friend, or bride feels most natural to you. Which one do you rarely step into? Remember, strategic intercession is built on a foundation of intimacy with God. So if you primarily exercise authority while neglecting other more tender ways of relating, you may also need to consider the other roles.

12:23 Melanie Boudreau:
Now, let me share a simple example to help you see precisely how authority works in practice. Imagine a mother who gets caught up on the phone and leaves her five young children unattended in the main room. Whenever I share this in other nations, by the way, I like to joke that maybe this only happens with American children, but let's be honest, it's universal. After she finishes her phone call, the mother returns and finds that chaos has erupted balls flying indoors, a lamp shattered on the floor, kids jumping on furniture and a curtain hanging off its rod.

13:01 Melanie Boudreau:
But watch what happens when she puts on a stern face and declares, I am the mother here, stop. Sit down. Instantly the children lock eyes with her and obey waiting for her next instruction. Here's the profound truth. She was their mother the whole time. She didn't suddenly become their mother when she reentered the room.

13:24 Melanie Boudreau:
What changed? She stepped into her authority and everything shifted. Chaos gave way to order through the simple exercise of existing authority. If our precious children can create such chaos in the absence of exercised authority, how much more do we face unnecessary challenges instigated by the demonic realm? When we fail to exercise our authority and prayer, the enemy will interfere with your God-given assignment.

13:55 Melanie Boudreau:
As much as you allow through a lack of exercise authority, we need to enforce truth. God's promises and provisions and shut down attacks meant to hinder God's call on your life. This kind of prayer flows from our understanding that we are co-laborers with Christ. We're not just praying. We're joining Jesus in his ongoing ministry of intercession like Jesus, we put a stop to the works of the enemy. When we understand this, our prayers shift from desperate pleas to authoritative declarations aligned with his purposes.

14:32 Melanie Boudreau:
Let me show you how this looks. Practically speaking. Say you're facing a financial crisis, it's natural to feel upset. Of course, you'll spend precious time in Jesus' lap as his child, sharing the details of the emergency, asking for help and receiving his comfort and peace, but then you arise into your position of authority in Christ. From there, you enforce truth through declaration in the name of Jesus.

15:04 Melanie Boudreau:
I declare all my needs will be supplied as we read in Philippians chapter four verse 19. Father, as I seek first year kingdom and righteousness, I declare everything my family needs will be added to us. From Matthew chapter six, verses 31 through 33, your word declares those who seek you lack no good thing. Financial provision is a good thing. I enforce this promise over my life now. In Jesus' name found in Psalm chapter 34, verse 10, you are my shepherd.

15:38 Melanie Boudreau:
Therefore, I declare I shall not want. You are faithful and true to your word as declared in Psalm chapter 23 verse one.

15:50 Melanie Boudreau:
So here's a practical way to develop this kind of authoritative prayer life. In your daily Bible reading, create two columns in your journal. In the first column, record what each passage reveals about God's character. These revelations become fuel for worship, and since God inhabits the praises of his people, this creates an atmosphere for breakthrough. In the second column, note the universal truths and promises that apply to God's people. These become the basis for your declarative prayers, not wishes or hopes, but enforcing established truth from your position of authority in Christ.

16:31 Melanie Boudreau:
This simple practice will transform your prayer life from reactive petitioning to proactive partnership with God. The impact we witnessed in Bogota wasn't just about healing. It was about believers stepping into their God-given authority in Christ. That same authority is available to you, not just for healing prayer, but for every aspect of advancing God's kingdom in your sphere of influence.

16:59 Melanie Boudreau:
For more resources to deepen your understanding of praying with authority, I encourage you to take these steps. First, start your journaling. Practice today. Watch how it transforms your prayer life. Second, if you haven't already, listen to episode 12 Authority and action Healing Prayer for Kingdom leaders about effectively praying for healing in Jesus' name. And third, download our free declaration guide, praying with confidence and authority when you subscribe for free@strategicintercession.com.

17:36 Melanie Boudreau:
This guide will jumpstart your journey of praying with kingdom authority. Remember, Jesus lives forever to make intercession, and he's invited us to join him in this ministry as his bride. We have been given authority to pray in partnership with him, seeing his kingdom come and His will be done. As we close, I invite you to reflect on this when you want to pray in a way that gets things done, are you relying on a petitioning model of prayer or are you stepping into the full authority of your identity in Christ?

18:10 Melanie Boudreau:
The bride of Christ has been given authority. It's time to use it, and as you go about your day, watch for opportunities to step into your authority in prayer. You're not just asking for things to change. You're partnering with Jesus to see His will established on earth as it is in heaven.

18:32 Emcee:
Thank you for listening to the Strategic Intercession podcast. We hope you found today's episode inspiring and helpful. Don't forget to subscribe, share this podcast and visit strategic intercession.com for more resources. We're grateful to have you as part of our community. Until next time, blessings.