There are a number of contributing things that bring about prevailing intercession.

We are to plead the name of the Lord Jesus in our intercession. Consider the Lord's teaching:

John 14:13,14 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."

To ask in someone's name, is to ask in the person, character and purposes of that name. To plead the Person of our Lord Jesus in prayer is to be certain of acceptance by God the Father.

There was only one suitable hall in the small town which could be used for special services. The preacher, new to the town, tracked down the owner. He learned in the process that the owner was a difficult, querulous man, and was told he would not get permission to use the hall. He arrived in the street in which the owner lived, but was not sure of the actual number. He stopped a young man and asked if he knew in which house the owner of the hall lived.

He also said he wished to use the hall for the preaching of the gospel. The young man gave him directions to the house, then took a card from his pocket and scribbled a note saying: "Please let this man use the hall," and signed it "Bob". To the preacher's amazement he was received well by the owner of the hall, and granted the use of the hall free of charge. He asked: "Why are you so generous to me?" The man replied: "I can refuse my son nothing, sir."

To intercede in the name of Jesus is to be accepted, heard and answered for His sake, not ours. To plead the name of Jesus is to plead His character, that is, His worth. He is the worthy one. It is not our worthiness but the worthiness of Jesus that "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing ... in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3 NKJV).

It is quite obvious that the more the intercessor acts and develops in the character of Jesus, the greater the prevailing answers obtained from God will be. To plead the name of Jesus is to ask according to the mind and purpose of His name. The Son will do anything that will bring praise to, and exalt the name of the Father. The intercessor who prevails brings only that kind of asking that will glorify God. He will not be motivated by selfish and lustful things. He will intercede for what the Son wants in a given situation. To plead the name in this intended way is to come into realization of the promise: "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:14 NKJV). That's prevailing intercession.

Thanksgiving and praise prepare for and precede effective intercession. That is how to come into God's special presence. We are instructed to:

Psalm 100:4 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

"Gates" in the Bible speaks of the place of counsel where the elders of the city had their meeting place. The intercessor is to enter the counsels of God with thanksgiving, clothed in the garments of praise. The intercessor will not only find acceptance, he will prevail in his requests.

"Courts" speaks of the royal dwelling place. To be occupied with giving thanks to the King Eternal and the praising of His name, opens to us all the treasures of His goodness and power. The intercessor is invited to bring thank offerings to God:

Psalm 50:14-15 "Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

The troubles and difficulties which the intercessor may be experiencing are not to be used to rob the Lord of the thanksgiving that is right and due to Him. That is the time to "sacrifice thank offerings".

Often the supplicator will be confident that no vow has remained unkept. The life reviewed shows tithes paid, promises fulfilled, sacrifices made, relationships maintained, yet no sense of prevailing in prayer. There has been an offering of somber gloom only, to God. He waits for the sacrifice of thanks in fulfillment of your vow, that you would come into His presence with thanksgiving in your heart, and enter "his courts with praise" ( Psalm 100:4 KJV). Keeping this vow brings you into release before God and brings you to look at the trouble or problem in the victory of God's all-sufficiency.

There can be no kind of intercessory prayer where thanksgiving would or could be out of place.

Philippians 4:6 "... in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Thanksgiving is essentially part of God's will for us, as we read in Paul's letter to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

It is the will of God that we thank God at any time, any place, about everything and in everything. Thanksgiving and praise to God destroys the devil's attack that would rob us of our faith. It keeps us from flinging at God the lying misrepresentations of the enemy. Thanksgiving and praise to God reinforce our knowledge of God, and enlighten our understanding of His loving kindness and faithfulness. Thanksgiving and praise to God, enable us to see the trouble or problem from heaven's point of view, and remove from our minds the shackles of earth's bondage, so that we can ask with outspokenness before the throne, and yet be open to the mind and purpose of God in the matter of intercession.

There is nothing cold or noncommittal about prevailing prayer. It costs the giving of the whole man.

Colossians 4:2 "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;"

Paul exhorts that there be continued persistence in prayer. The word "devote" (See Colossians 4:2, NIV) implies passionate effort.

Of the fiery and effective apostle Paul,

E.M. Bounds wrote: "Behold he prayeth" ( Acts 9:11). "This is the epitome of Paul's history, the solution of his life and work."

Paul was a passionate devotee of the Lord Jesus and it comes out even in his praying. There are times when our intercession will only prevail when we get passionate in our asking. Passionate, prevailing prayer is God's method through which He gives the victory.

E.M. Bounds also said: "Men are God's method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men, men whom the Holy Ghost can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer."

When our whole being is under the power of the Holy Spirit, we will intercede in the passion and power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord taught the need for passionate persistence in intercession in the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8 ). God is not like the unjust judge - the point of the story is that persistent, passionate prayer prevails. Our Lord not only taught this, He practiced persistent, passionate prayer.

Hebrews 5:7 "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;"

His prayer for resurrection was answered and He lives in the power of an endless life. His passionate prayer prevailed. Passionate prayer involves struggle. In Romans, Paul urged his brothers in Christ:

Romans 15:30 "Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,"

Passionate prayer involves continued wrestling, as did Epaphras:

Colossians 4:12 "... always laboring fervently for you in prayers."

Intercessory prayer is not the easy thing that is sometimes implied in simply asking and receiving. In that asking, persistence plays a vital part. It involves struggle, and even at times wrestling.

James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."