"The way we pray will decide the way the universe goes," says Derek Prince.
A bold claim. But I believe there is support for what he says.
Prince, author of Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, uses the example of the prophet Daniel whose steadfast praying brought about a memorable response from the angel Gabriel in Daniel 10.
Daniel was terrified by the mighty angel's appearance near the Tigris River
Gabriel told Daniel he had left heaven with the explanation of the vision as soon as the prophet prayed. Buthe had been delayed by the "Prince of Persia ", a demon angel was only able to get through because the archangel Michael came to assist him.
Gabriel then gave Daniel a summary of future history - the rise and fall of empires.
Prince says this story shows that Satan "seeks to control the empires of earth through its rulersin order to make its leaders and governments instruments of his will".
He adds: "We must pray for our governmentsin order to frustrate Satan and to bring our governments under heaven's control."
Prince notes we humans find it hard to believe that our prayers haveworld -shaking significance. We feel insignificant, but God has given us important roles as prayer warriors. The Bible says we will see our prayers answered if we pray according to God's will (1 John 5:14-15).
The apostle Paul says that the weapons he fights with are spiritual and "have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). The strongholds are spiritual strongholds under the control of Satan.
In Ephesians 6, Paul outlines the spiritual weapons available to all Christians in defending against attacks from Satan - and the offensive weapon of the word of God. He concludes by urging believers to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).
An example of a powerful intercessor springs to my mind - Rees Howells.
Howells was a Welshman who played a large role as a young man in the Welsh revival of the early 1900s. That revival changed the face of society in Wales - God's influence spread everywhere.
But Howells felt that God was directing him to intercede for people and the world around him rather than become the face of the revival. He was an effective evangelist but intercessory prayer was his calling.
He and his wife became missionaries to Africa where he continued his ministry of intercession. Then, a revival broke out in southern Africa in 1915-1920.
Later, he founded the Bible College of Wales with prayer as a major priority. Throughout World War II, the Bible College students prayed intensely against Satan and satanic forces as Britain was under attack. They believedtheir prayers were answered as Britain emerged intact.
There are other examples in the Bible and history of God working miracles as people intercede for their cities and their nations and forthe people around them .
Jesus used the word of God - the scriptures - as a potent weapon in fending off Satan's attempts to tempt him in the confrontation in the wilderness just after Christ's baptism in the River Jordan (Matthew 4).
Jesus spoke the scriptures. Jesus had memorized scriptures and declared them with his mouth.
Prince says we should rememberthat Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit as he rejected Satan's temptations. Are we yielded to the Spirit's guidance as we face satanic attacks?
Other weapons are the name of the Lord and the blood that Christ shed on the cross on our behalf. Praising God and testifying about Jesus' victory on the cross are ways of combatting Satan.
For many years, I ignored Satan and his work in our society. But, like many Christians, I havebecome increasingly aware that the evil one is active in our country and in the larger world.
Iam aware of the pitfalls of becoming obsessed with Satan. He has been defeated by Christ on the cross.
I particularly like Guy Chevreau's approach in his book Spiritual Warfare Sideways: Keeping the Focus on Jesus. Chevreau says that worshiping God is especially powerful in fighting evil. Keeping the focus on God and praising him led to significant victories in the Bible.
The important thing for me is that I must be vigilant - "alert" as the apostle Paul says.
And I must be ready to put on the full armour of God as the apostle outlines in Ephesians 6.
I cannot disregard Satan's efforts to sideline the kingdom of God in our city and country.
A bold claim. But I believe there is support for what he says.
Prince, author of Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, uses the example of the prophet Daniel whose steadfast praying brought about a memorable response from the angel Gabriel in Daniel 10.
Gabriel told Daniel he had left heaven with the explanation of the vision as soon as the prophet prayed. But
Gabriel then gave Daniel a summary of future history - the rise and fall of empires.
Prince says this story shows that Satan "seeks to control the empires of earth through its rulers
He adds: "We must pray for our governments
Prince notes we humans find it hard to believe that our prayers have
The apostle Paul says that the weapons he fights with are spiritual and "have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). The strongholds are spiritual strongholds under the control of Satan.
In Ephesians 6, Paul outlines the spiritual weapons available to all Christians in defending against attacks from Satan - and the offensive weapon of the word of God. He concludes by urging believers to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).
An example of a powerful intercessor springs to my mind - Rees Howells.
Howells was a Welshman who played a large role as a young man in the Welsh revival of the early 1900s. That revival changed the face of society in Wales - God's influence spread everywhere.
But Howells felt that God was directing him to intercede for people and the world around him rather than become the face of the revival. He was an effective evangelist but intercessory prayer was his calling.
He and his wife became missionaries to Africa where he continued his ministry of intercession. Then, a revival broke out in southern Africa in 1915-1920.
Later, he founded the Bible College of Wales with prayer as a major priority. Throughout World War II, the Bible College students prayed intensely against Satan and satanic forces as Britain was under attack. They believed
There are other examples in the Bible and history of God working miracles as people intercede for their cities and their nations and for
Jesus used the word of God - the scriptures - as a potent weapon in fending off Satan's attempts to tempt him in the confrontation in the wilderness just after Christ's baptism in the River Jordan (Matthew 4).
Jesus spoke the scriptures. Jesus had memorized scriptures and declared them with his mouth.
Prince says we should remember
Other weapons are the name of the Lord and the blood that Christ shed on the cross on our behalf. Praising God and testifying about Jesus' victory on the cross are ways of combatting Satan.
For many years, I ignored Satan and his work in our society. But, like many Christians, I have
I
I particularly like Guy Chevreau's approach in his book Spiritual Warfare Sideways: Keeping the Focus on Jesus. Chevreau says that worshiping God is especially powerful in fighting evil. Keeping the focus on God and praising him led to significant victories in the Bible.
The important thing for me is that I must be vigilant - "alert" as the apostle Paul says.
And I must be ready to put on the full armour of God as the apostle outlines in Ephesians 6.
I cannot disregard Satan's efforts to sideline the kingdom of God in our city and country.
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