Prayers of The Saints

Kristine Cucinotta Murphy

2 Chronicles 29:11 – My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

There are certain ingredients used to burn on the “Golden Altar” : stacte, onycha, galbanum and pure frankincense. Any incense that was not made of these ingredients was forbidden to be offered.

Exodus 30:9 – Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

This was and is still a ritual practice in most religions. But, we must discern, rightly divide and keep from doing things as idolatry. Less there be no understanding to know what things mean in relation to the Spiritual condition of ones own heart.

The incense is a fragrance from an oil, burned by fire in reference to go up before the prayers of the Saints. What is a frangrance? It is, but an oil that has been pressed out by the petals or leaves of a fruit or plant. Then, when put in the fire creates a smoke.

2 Corinthians 4:8-12 King James Version (KJV)
8 We are troubled [or hard pressed] on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Zechariah 13:9 – And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

1 Peter 1:7 – That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Isaiah 48:10 – Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Let’s look at how I like to reference people to being a “rose”. When we are pressed like rose petals or mere grapes a substance comes out and produces a liquid, when burned makes a smoke that billows to the highest Heaven.

KeTorah itself properly denotes “smoke” for the altar, tabernacle and temple. It is called a “sweet incense” or keToreth ha-cammim:

1 Corinthians 6:19 – What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Exodus 25:6 – Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

But, we must beware of a “strange incense” or keTorah zarah:

Exodus 30:9 – Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

To which we all have heard the saying he or she is “blowing smoke” or “don’t blow smoke”. By definition “blow smoke” means : try to mislead or threaten someone by giving false or exaggerated information.

We must pay very close attention to the oils and smoke brought out of others and ourselves when we are pressed and tried by fire from words and actions made. They must even both match and match up to the very Word of God. There is no wiggle room allowed here. Someone can do a very good deed with a bad attitude as well as do a very bad thing with a good attitude. We must know them and test them.

Matthew 7:16-20 – 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Because the smoke we send up to God Almighty will determine whether our prayers are answered or not. And, be they are not answered, should be a significant warning not to enforce what we desire at that moment. If we run ahead of God, we are not in his perfect will and timing. That, determines if we find ourselves in a worse off situation or delivered from the one we are currently in.

It is critical for every Saint to have each and every step led by God, his Holy Living Active Word and Holy Spirit. Apart from these we are but living a life of sorcery in witchcraft, aka disobedience to God.

2 Chronicles 33:6 – And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Acts 8:9 – But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

2 Thessalonians 2:9 – Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

Galatians 5:20 – Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Ezekiel 13:6-9 – 6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.
9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.

1 Samuel 15:23 – For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.