When Prayer Warriors Enter the War Room
If you've seen the movie, The War Room, you know the importance of fighting on your knees for those you love. I saw it last week and loved it!
Spiritual warfare is one of my favorite activities. Over the years, I've been privileged to mentor many people in how to war effectively. And I've been so blessed because of it.
Since I'm super busy getting ready for Camp Grandma this weekend (more on that in the next blog post), I thought I'd pull a fast one and share a bit out of my book, Intercessors, God's End-time Vanguard: How to Pray Effectively For the Things That Matter Most.
But first... my heart
I want you to know that my heart in writing this book was to engage believers in an ancient, ongoing conversation, where they will:
- Experience God’s power through answered prayer
- Discover what it means to be a supplicant, warrior, and watchman
- Learn how to put on the armor of God and why they should
- Recognize a demonic stronghold and learn how to dismantle it
- Know what is available in the weapons arsenal of a prayer warrior
- Create spiritual warfare prayers using the legal library of the Court of Heaven
Here's an excerpt that's Basic Spiritual Warfare 101:
Anyone operating in God's Kingdom carries the assignment of spiritual warfare. In this assignment prayer warriors face the forces of evil and war against them. The warrior’s role is one of enforcing Christ’s victory, which was won at Calvary.
Jesus won the right to the hearts of people through His work on the Cross; Satan was the loser.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:13-15).
Unfortunately, Satan didn’t take defeat lying down. He still seeks to steal, kill, and destroy the lives of people all over the world, including those you love (John 10:10).
His attacks are in direct defiance to Christ’s victory.
They usually take the form of guerrilla warfare.
Jesus has authorized us to enforce His kingdom rule against the forces of evil in the spirit realm, as we take His gospel to the physical nations of the earth.
He said to us: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . . ” (Matthew 28:18, 19).
According to Mark 16, anything that gets in the way of “going and making disciples” comes under the authority given us by Jesus.
He said to them,
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well (Mark 16:15-18).
Authority over hell (driving out demons), authority over natural limitations (speaking in new tongues), authority over the animal creation (picking up snakes), authority over natural laws (drinking deadly poison), and authority over sickness have all been delegated to the believer who acts in the name of Jesus as His representative. (For several examples of this authority in action, read Acts 8:4-8 and Acts 28:1-10.)
Facing your Enemy
We might compare the task of a spiritual warrior to a policeman. It's the assignment of the local police to enforce the laws of the land in a community where some refuse to recognize the authority of the United States government.
Satan refuses to recognize the work of the Cross wherever he can deceive people into believing that it didn’t happen. Our job is to remind Satan of his defeat and refuse him the right to operate illegally.
When the name of Jesus and the authority of His work and Word are brought against Satan, he and his forces must cease their work of destruction.
Ephesians 6:12 identifies these forces as rulers, authorities, and powers operating in the heavenly or spirit realms. These rulers of darkness continue to resist us as we move forward in the plans of God.
Jesus stated, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12).
Prayer warriors are those forceful men and women who willingly fight for the progress of God’s kingdom. This kingdom is unseen, and its boundaries are in the hearts of people.
Warriors on the walls
At every outpost there are prayer warriors fighting for the continued advancement of the gospel. Not only do they refuse the Enemy the right to gain entrance through a breach in a wall, they push his forces back and lay hold of territory once occupied by him.
Because of the faithfulness of prayer warriors, God’s kingdom walls are ever expanding. These warriors stand in the gap and war for another, so that God’s purposes become reality in that person’s life.
They fight for their churches and communities in the spirit realm with weapons and strategies that might appear unusual to others. Their battles take place in the heavenlies, but their victories are seen by all.
God has provided an prayer warrior with armor, weapons, and strategies to use against the Enemy, as well as insights into His nature and battle plans.
Want to know more about the armor, weapons, and strategies of a warrior? Check out Intercessors: God's End-time Vanguard: How to Pray Effectively For the Things That Matter Most. For less than a cup of coffee you can pick it up on Kindle. It's also available in paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
How how you found spiritual warfare helpful in praying for those you love?
I'd love to hear your thoughts,
Susan
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