Praying the Headlines

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  What a great promise we have in Matthew 21:22 for our communities.  Intercessors can get a heads up on the spiritual climate of their city and target spiritual darkness with prayer.

Recently, our local paper’s headlines read, Cops Uncover Grisly Sights which was a clarion call for needed prayer.  Police had discovered multiple mutilated animal carcasses in one outlying farm building and an apparent suicide in another.  Churches and intercessors are called to confront this kind of spiritual darkness in their communities so that righteousness rather than evil inhabit our atmosphere.

What defiles the Land?

Actions of people in our communities affect the entire population and therefore are a call for prayer.  Isaiah 24:5-6 states, The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.

Scripture reveals four ways that our land is defiled by its inhabitant’s actions.  The four areas concern sexual immorality, idolatry, the shedding of innocent blood and broken covenants

Leviticus 18:25 states, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.  This spewing can take many forms such as: famine, war, storms, earthquakes, fires, natural disasters, unstable governments, poverty, plagues, etc.

Cleansing the Land

Prayer warriors are called to cleanse the land through prayer and intercession for our communities.   The headline of our local newspaper often reveals where to target our prayer efforts.  This particular incident in our community seemed to involve idolatry as evidenced by animal mutilation which is often connected to occultic rituals.  Animal mutilation is also often a precursor to demonic oppression that escalates to murder.

 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 gives fighting instructions, though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;  and again in Ephesians 6:12, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. One of our primary weapons is believing prayer.

His [God’s] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 3:10.  With that understanding the church needs to declare God’s word over the defilements in our communities.  We can proclaim over our city, The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it….Lift up ye heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Psalm 24: 1,9.

Declare the Victory

The kingdom of God is voice-activated.  Prayer activates God’s will in the earth as it is in heaven.  As intercessors our vital role is to help enforce the victory of Calvary that God’s will might be done on the earth.  We can begin with praise to His wonderful mercy, forgiveness, lovingkindness and power. 

Christ has already won the victory at Calvary.  We need to proclaim His victory to set the captives free, to cleanse the land, to declare freedom to our neighbors.

As we pray, the headlines will declare our earthly victories.  I especially love the headline from our local newspaper No SOB’s Allowed. As I read further, I found that SOB’s referred to Sexually Oriented Businesses.  The city attorney had crafted an ordinance that prohibited adult sexually oriented businesses in our environs.  What a blessing for the inhabitants of our community to prohibit that kind of sexual immorality that would defile our land. 

War Tactics

We have a team of intercessors from various churches in our communities that gather to pray for our government, churches, schools, youth, families, and community concerns once a week.

On this particular prayer assignment a team will actually go to the site of the concern to pray.  First and foremost, like Daniel when praying for his people’s release from captivity, we will pray a prayer of repentance for the iniquities of ourselves and others.  For if we confess our sins. He is faithful to forgive us.

• 2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
• Give thanks and praise for the blood of Jesus that takes away the sin of the world and ask that His blood would cover and protect the intercessors and their families.  The team will take communion to declare our remembrance of Him and that it is in Him and through Him that we have the victory over sin and death.
• And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19. As we have been given the authority of the name of Jesus, we will bind the powers of darkness of idolatry and murder and loose God’s truth and life and light in this place. For Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
• Declare The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it….Lift up ye heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Psalm 24: 1,9.
• Agree with God.  For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Ps 86:10 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Isaiah 25:41. 

The victory is already won.  The end is sure.  Intercessors, take heart and declare the glory of the Lord.