You can train yourself to become an effective intercessor, and to do that, you’re going to have to spend time to pray. The Lord Jesus said in Luke 18:1 that men ought always to pray and not to give up. One of the rules in intercession is that you must be persistent and continue in prayer for as long as it takes for you to see the desired result. In James 5:16, the Bible describes this kind of prayer as "earnest, heartfelt, continued…." Many miss out on their miracle because they give up too soon. They gave up when they ought to have continued in intercession about their desire. For example, when you’re trying to prevail through intercessory prayers for someone else to align with God’s will, you don’t stop until there’s a change. What you’re actually doing is concentrating the influence of God’s power toward that one for his or her good, and that requires some persistence in prayer. Not only must you be persistent, you must also continue in prayer for as long as it takes to see the necessary changes. You may have been praying concerning a loved one and it seemed as though the more you prayed the worse the situation became. In fact, that is a proof that you’re making impact and tremendous advancement in the realm of the spirit. So don’t stop there! Until you get that note of victory in your spirit and are certain that you have what you asked for, keep praying. Intercessory prayers could require for you to get importunate with the Lord, where you get overly persistent in your request and demand. Jesus cited an example of this in Luke 11:8. If there are issues for which you’re currently interceding or that you want to intercede about, pray, and don’t stop until your heart begins bubbling over with thoughts of the positive outcome of what you’ve prayed about. That’s when you know that your ministry as an intercessor has been effective.