Pastor Ray shared…
I have this mini-book by Brother Hagin. It’s called The Interceding Christian. I’ll read this to you.
In Ephesians 6:12 we read, “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 [wicked spirits] in high places.”
There are three heavens spoken of in the Bible: the heaven of heavens where God’s throne is, the heaven above us where the planets and stars are, and the atmospheric heaven right above us. The atmospheric heaven is the one this scripture refers to.
In this unseen world, Satan has the authority. He is ruling. That should be obvious to anyone. I was amused some time ago while reading an article by a columnist. He didn’t claim to be a Christian. However, he didn’t claim to be an atheist either.
He said, “Maybe you would call me an agnostic. An agnostic says, “If there is a God, I don’t know it. Yet I don’t really classify myself as an agnostic because I believe there is a God. But I can’t go along with what a lot of people even Christians, say about God. I’ve heard preachers say God is running everything. However, if He is, He’s sure got things in a mess!”
That columnist has a point. If God is running everything, He does have things in a mess.
However, Satan set up his kingdom here on the earth in the spirit realm when Adam sold out to him. He set up the powers, the principalities, and the rulers of darkness of this world that we have to deal with. And this is where we wrestle in making intercession.
It’s not with God. God is not withholding from us.
The scripture says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood,” but we do have to wrestle. It doesn’t just say, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. 6:12).
As Christians, we simply have to stand our ground, know what belongs to us, and refuse to be moved. Those who expect to float through life on flowery beds of ease are mistaken.
I am appalled at Christians who say, “Why did this happen to me?” Some people act like they are the only ones that things happen to. But the devil will throw every roadblock he can in the Christian’s way.
Instead of spending all your time trying to figure out why a certain thing happened, stand up, look the devil right in the face, and say, “Mr. Devil, I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me in God’s Word. You are not going to dominate me.”
That’s the reason Paul told the Church at Ephesus, “Neither give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:27). He will take a place in you if you will let him, but you have authority over him. …
2 Corinthians 10:4–5, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
In this spiritual war, we do have weapons, but they are not guns or grenades. Our weapons “are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” The powers opposing us are satanic strongholds; powers in the realm of darkness. This is where prayer comes in.
I held a revival in a church for a pastor whom I knew, loved, and respected. The people in the church were wonderful people, loved their pastor, loved me, and were receptive to the preaching of the Word. But this was the hardest place I had ever preached in my life. Every word seemed to bounce right back at me off the walls.
In the process of time, while I was between meetings, I was called upon to preach in that church again. It was the same crowd, but there was a marked difference. There was as much difference as between daylight and dark.
After the service the new pastor asked if I could see any difference in the church. “Was it any easier to preach tonight than it was before?”
“Why, there is no comparison,” I answered. “Everything was so free and easy tonight, whereas before it seemed bound and tight—spiritually dead. What happened?”
“I’d been here for months,” the pastor said, “and finally I decided I was tired of that dead spirit. I determined I was going to break through it. I set myself to fast and pray for that one thing.
“On the seventh day of the fast, while praying, I had a vision and before my eyes I saw the ceiling above the pulpit disappear. Sitting above the ceiling on a rafter was a spirit that looked like a big ape or baboon. God was showing me there was a spirit power right above the natural that was holding things back.
“I spoke to the spirit and commanded him to come down. He didn’t say a word, but I could tell he didn’t want to. Reluctantly, he came down. Then I said, “Not only must you come down from there, but you must get out of here.” And I pointed up at the aisle of the church. He started up the aisle, and I followed him. He would take a few steps and turn around, almost like a little dog with an expression that said, ‘Do I have to leave? Can I come back?’
“When he would pause, I would say, ‘No, get out of here,’ and I followed him to the front door of the church. There he paused once again. I kept commanding him to go out and finally he walked on down the street and disappeared into a nightclub.”
Sometimes in dealing with people as well as with churches, I have dealt with the spirit behind the person. Often in prayer, God will show you how to do it, just as He did with this pastor. But if we don’t know anything about spiritual praying, we are at a disadvantage.
Many times we blame things on people when there is a power behind the whole situation. We try to deal with the people. Sometimes even pastors will get up and beat the people over the head when it is the power behind the thing that needs to be dealt with. Who is going to deal with these satanic forces? God? No. Did he already deal with it? Yes!
Second Corinthians 10:4-5 says these are the weapons of our warfare. Not God’s warfare. Our weapons are not carnal, but they’re mighty through God. He has provided the weapons for us to pull down the strongholds. If we don’t do it, they never will be pulled down.
Pastor Lynne always told us to have the attitude of “If I don’t do it, nobody will do it.” If we don’t do it, nobody is going to do it. So we’re doing it.
When Daniel was interceding for Israel, he set his face to seek God. The angel came and said, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and 20 days but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me and I remained there with the king of Persia. Now I’m come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days. For yet the vision is for many days. The angel brought the answer. He came through with it but the key was Daniel. The angel didn’t just show up. Daniel set himself to pray. The key wasn’t God. The key wasn’t the angel. The key wasn’t the prince of Persia. The key to the whole situation was Daniel. He was the man who brought things to pass through persevering prayer.
That’s what we’re to do. We don’t quit. We’re like the EverReady bunny. For us, we have to be the way. I read something that Brother Hagin had said concerning praying for our leaders, first of all. And the last part of that scripture said, because it’s his will that every man, woman, child be saved. The thing is when we keep continually declaring over our country, we’re pulling things down, making a way that these things can be changed. It’s not just the people that are in the leadership but a lot of times it’s who is behind it. The devil is behind every single division that tries to come against the United States. He has a plan to block the way of the church to bring the lost into the light.
Prayed…
Persistence… contending and declaring Your will and plan for this nation … we take our place in You and declare this country is coming through… there are many, many breakthroughs… things are picking up…time is moving more quickly than ever before… changes have come but more changes have to come… thank You for the wisdom of Your Spirit showing and revealing to us the truth of Your Word…
It seems like there are certain locations in our nation that are having an effect on the rest of the nation in a negative way… that just came up in my heart… so we come with the precious holy blood, like a broom sweeping every part of our nation… those locations that are allowing and even calling for negativity, we call then down… the spirit behind it, which is deception, lies, evil plans, blockage against the church… we can it down… just like the pastor spoke to the spirit above the pulpit in Jesus’ name and said come down and get out… we declare it this morning “come down and get out…” we hold the blood against the operations of the enemy working thru men and women in positions of authority… in Jesus’ name…
Devil, you got to keep moving out… strife, division bring about every evil way so get out… state by state, we move from the north to the south, the eastern states and the west… we hold the blood over each state… in Alaska, Hawaii… we plead the blood all around the borders of this nation…
We apply the blood against surprise attacks in Jesus’ name… those that would rise up and cause trouble, we come against those activities in Jesus’ name… no weapon formed against us will prosper… we prosper in the things we set our hands unto and we speak against those wicked operations… we pray for the Church… we hold the blood of Jesus over the body of Christ all over the earth…
Barb shared…
I’d like to get back to where we started. The thing about Daniel was that he recognized that something wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. So he took that to the Lord and he said, “What about this? According to my calculations, this should have happened.” As the body of Christ, that’s what we need to recognize and say, “What about this, Lord? You said we would have a revival. You said that the body of Christ would be a spotless bride that when You came that we would be prepared for You. We haven’t seen it. So what about that, Lord? What about the revival? We believe according to our calculations that it should be now or we’re right there or it’s running behind.”
Prayed…
So in the name of Jesus, Father, we ask and call today for that revival in the earth… that You would move through Your body in such a way, Father, to move and motivate them to take this earth… it is our possession… it is our land… every step, every place that we tread, Father, every place You have prepared, everything You created, it’s ours. It belongs to us and, Father, there are people in the body that will not move unless You move on them. We need You to help. We need You to move in by Your Spirit and motivate those people to get them unstuck from where they are so they can walk in the fullness of Your plan… we need it now! We require it now! It was Your Word to us and so we believe it and hold to it and we make a demand on Your power today in the name of Jesus Christ.
Maybe we get into the thinking that “I’m just going to be patient and wait…” but there are things we must rise up and declare “Now is the time” for we know that it’s not our Father that is holding it back but the enemy that would try to block its way to us because it’s already been sent, it’s already been done and it’s already been won… so now is the time for some breakthroughs that have taken time… we open up the door this morning when we call for it… now! We’re not speaking and demanding of our God, we’re demanding the devil to take his hands off of it… we declare revival and an awakening in these days… the season that we’re in… this year that we’re still in… this is the first day of December, and we declare today “breakthroughs!” In every arena in Jesus’ name…
Breakthroughs are happening… revival is breaking out all over the earth… we declare today we’re not quitting… like Daniel didn’t give up but continually contended until the answer came… You said to Billye, the one thing that will change America is a revival that turns into an awakening, Lord… we prepare the way today… we open up doors and conditions… we speak to the atmospheric conditions to line up in Jesus’ name…
Father, we lift up those that have never experienced revival, that younger generation… that they would embrace it… I know You’re beginning to move… they’re experiencing You, Father… we come against fear in Jesus’ name… that they would yield to Your Spirit fully, even if it’s unfamiliar … that they would yield themselves to Your Spirit in such a way as to draw in the congregation in the name of Jesus… that they would step out in faith when You begin to move upon them… that they would yield and let that river flow… that people would begin to open themselves up to You and begin to yield… those in authority, Father, would begin to yield to the move… yield to Your voice… yield to Your calling… pastors, evangelists… lay people… the altar counselors, Lord… the youth workers, the children’s workers… that they would yield in Jesus’ name… it’s not for everyone else, it’s for them… it’s not someone else’s responsibility… it’s their responsibility to yield and flow with the Holy Ghost… Father, help them to be loosed into Your goodness and Your Spirit… let them be free to move and flow the way You want them to… it’s time to see what You promised… what you have spoken over us… over the body of Christ and over Living Word… that this place would be a beacon of light to this nation, that people would be drawn here because of the amazing things that you’re doing in this body… every member activated in the name of Jesus… everyone strengthened, prosperous and whole… yes, we’re stepping over those ashes in the name of Jesus Christ and we’re moving on in the name of Jesus… we’re moving past that stuff… we’re letting those things go, Father… so there are no hindrances to the body… nothing in the way… no work of the enemy can stand in our way… no evil spirit that can stand in the way of the plan of this body… you take your hands off of our ministers… you take your hands off of our money… you take your hands off of our people… we push you under today in the name of Jesus… a spirit of infirmity, you loose this body in Jesus’ name… spirit of poverty, leave this body in the name of Jesus Christ… spirit of insufficiency, get out of here in Jesus’ name… spirit of division, leave in the name of Jesus Christ… yes, we receive that fullness, that spirit of peace moving through… that spirit of shalom moving through… nothing missing and nothing broken here… breathe, breathe Your life into Your body… raise them up… dry bones, come together in the name of Jesus Christ… cause Your army to rise up in the earth and take dominion… operations of Your Spirit now… that weightiness of Your glory upon the church in the name… manifested… Lord, You said in the land of the living while we live in this earth, we will see your glory… Your anointing… Your revival in this earth… You are the answer to every problem… every political situation… Jesus is the way and the truth… the life and light of man… thank You for drawing them from all over the earth to Your light… that life force… reaching out… into Your body into the darkness and into the lost and into the Muslim community… drawing them into the truth… and the understanding… of the Gospel… Yes, Lord, thank You for bringing our purpose into focus today in Jesus name… those that have lost their way, Father, You bring their eyes back into focus… You bring their hearts back into focus with You… wherever you are all over this earth, I speak to you believers, come up in to the place where God has called you to be… walk into the fullness of His anointing for you… reach out in Jesus’ name… embrace Him and His word and His calling… it’s time to turn this thing around… it’s time to turn this ship around… you’re going to go our way in Jesus’ name… we’re turning you around today in Jesus’ name… we’re setting you in the right direction today… steps ordered… steps appointed… moving, moving… it’s time to move those pieces into place… time to move things around… it’s time to shift… moving in the right direction… coming into alignment in the name of Jesus… coming into full cooperation…
Pastor Ray shared…
Barb, when you started praying about the youth, I focused on the school at Maranatha, room by room by room. Twenty-five years ago, there was a teacher that got so filled with the Holy Ghost that she canceled classes and began to lay hands on the kids. They’d go out under the power. The children need to be taught to move with the Holy Ghost. What it means to be revived and directed by the Holy Spirit.
Prayed…
We pray over every teacher at Maranatha… beginning with Pastor Brian Sullivan and those under him and every teacher in Jesus’ name… we pray for the outpouring of Your Spirit upon them, that You would move through them… touch them with Your presence… that they would never be the same… the children changed to glory to glory… that they would never step away from You… open doors for the Holy Spirit… we welcome Your presence in the school… in the sports arena, over the coaches… we plead the blood over them… in children’s church on the weekends… the youth… we pray over the pastors over these young ones… we plead the blood over them and for the fire to burn within them… the atmosphere would begin to change… we resist every plan of the enemy to hold back revival… it’s coming forth in Jesus’ name…
