This blog was previously posted. I am posting it again.
Now that I have dismissed the ‘elephant’ from the room’ [see previous post, A Nation of POW’s Part 4] . I can continue my thoughts about our nation being a POW-Prisoner of Words. Are we willing to fight for our nation with the weapon of prayer?
Let’s walk through the letter to the Ephesian Christians and arrive at our battle station. Ephesians 1,2,3 reminds us our glorious position in Christ. Because of God’s Grace, we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. (Ephesian 2:1-10). Ephesians 4:1-32 exhorts us to ‘walk’ worthy of the calling with which you were called [that was what Paul taught in Ephesians 1,2,3]. Ephesians 5-6:9 is devoted to instructing us how to “…walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”[Ephesians 5:2. NKJV] However, in Ephesians 6:10, the scene changes; Paul turns our attention from our horizontal relationships in the world and focuses our attention upward at the spiritual world. Specifically, what we need to realize, is that our focus is not upward, because we are seated “ in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”; so we are not looking up from a weakened position, we are positioned to look from a place of victory seated in Christ. I submit that unless we understand our position of sitting ‘in Christ’ in the heavenlies, and walking “…circumspectly not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil [emphasis mine](Ephesians 5:16-17 NKJV), we will not be able to “stand strong in the Lord and the power {kratos-God’s authority, dominion, majesty} of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10) [Word Wealth, NKJV Study Bible, Strong’s Concordance, #2904}.
James 4:7,8 (ESV) says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God (in prayer) [Franklin Graham insert], and He will draw near to you.” Notice the order of the words, first submit, then resist. The word submit is hupotasso [Strong’s #5293]. It literally means to stand under, which means to be in subordination, obedience, submission, subservience [I submit to you that this is what is required for sitting and walking as spoken about in Ephesians] {Word Wealth NKJV Study Bible} The word resist is anthistemi [Strong’s #436], compare antihistamine, from anti, ‘against’ and histemi, ‘to cause to stand’. The verb suggests vigorous opposing, bravely resisting, standing face to face against and adversary, standing your ground. Anthistemi tells us that with authority and spiritual weapons granted to us we can withstand evil forces. {Word Wealth NKJV Study Bible} I conclude that before we can ‘stand’ and resist, we need to submit. Jesus is Lord, NOW; He is the King of the Kingdom, Now; We are seated in Christ, at the throne of God in the heavenlies, NOW. Where Jesus is Lord, in the lives of His followers, they can ‘stand’ against the evil forces of darkness.
Ephesians 6:12 identifies our opposition. We are battling against the spiritual forces of darkness. These spiritual forces of darkness are causing havoc in this nation spewing out fiery darts of verbal abuse that are battering us like the wind of a violent storm, inflicting damage, uprooting foundations, and stripping us of our rational thought process. They are causing mayhem, unrest, division, and turmoil. In spite of their constant bombardment, these spiritual forces of darkness can be restrained and even silenced if God’s people will lift up their voices to the Lord in worship and praise, seek His face, intercede for His people, confess their sins, and ask for His intervention in the affairs of this nation. Let us remember that God is Sovereign over all nations. Please read Colossians 1:9-23 and lift those words up to the Lord in prayer.
What authority allows us to be so bold? The Word of God. Jesus said, Matthew 28:18 (NKJV), “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Remember we are in Christ in the heavenlies. Accompany these words with Colossians 2:13-15, “And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him [that is the basis of your authority, (my insert)], having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out [exaleipo, Strong’s #1813, a removal or obliteration][NKJV Study Bible Word Wealth] the hand writing of requirements that was against us, which is contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers [which ones? Those mentioned in Ephesians 6:12] he made a public spectacle of them [meaning Satan is put to an open shame; he is defeated, but not destroyed (yet), Pastor Evans, Christ Church, Livermore, CA] triumphing over them in it.” In Christ , we can boldly “come to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” [Hebrews 4:16] Our intercession is not petitioning the Lord with a Republican or Democrat agenda or proposal. We are asking the Lord for His will to be done; we are standing “strong in the Lord and the power of His might.”
Ephesians 6:13-16, encourages and instructs us to prepare to wage a spiritual assault “against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.’ [Ephesians 6:12b NKJV] How? By putting on the whole armor or God, so that we will “…be able to withstand in the evil day [that’s today] and having done all [by way of preparation] to stand firm.” [Ephesians 6:13b NKJV]
Why? So that the Body of Christ can fight the WAR that confronts us. We must remember that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood [humanity] but against evil spirits. We are told to stand clothed in battle attire. Part of that battle attire includes the following: Ephesians 6:16, “…above all [most important] taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.” Satan is the one initiating the verbal attack. He is the one dispensing the fiery darts. He is the father of lies, the deceiver, and the accuser of the brethren.
I am not advocating telling the Lord what to do. I am encouraging the Body of Christ to lift up their voices to the Lord in worship and praise, calling upon the Name of the Lord to restrain the principalities of evil in the heavenly places that are besieging our nation with lies, deceit, false accusations and destructive agenda. Satan’s words have made this nation a populous of POW’s-Prisoners of Words. How did Jesus respond to Satan’s words in the wilderness? Jesus said, “it is written”. He used the Word of God. Ephesians 6:17b-18 instructs us to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer [is literally ‘every order of praying’ the specific method by which spiritual warfare is carried out” (NKJV Study Bible)] and supplication in the Spirit…” Notice, we are combating the words of the forces of spiritual darkness with God’s Word. In doing so, we are wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying in the Spirit. [Ephesians 6:18, Jude 20, Romans 8:23-28] This is spiritual warfare; the same kind Daniel encountered. (Daniel 10)
Nehemiah faced a verbal onslaught when he was rebuilding the walls and the gates of Jerusalem. [See Nehemiah 3:33-4:17] Nehemiah prayed,(Nehemiah 4:36 NKJV) “Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back the taunts on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives.” Nehemiah prayed an imprecatory prayer; I am not advocating such prayers; but I am not ruling them out. What I am advocating is to pray against the verbal onslaught we are facing. If the Spirit of God leads you to pray an imprecatory prayer, you must do it. As I have said repeatedly, Satan’s agenda has been to bombard this nation with verbal rhetoric to immobilize its citizens and attack the Body of Christ. Consequently, many in our nation are POW’s [Prisoners of Words]. It is time to be freed from our incarceration.
F.O.C.U.S. on the Lord means Focus On Christ Using Scripture, submitting yourself to Him, then Focus On Conquering Using Scripture-stand your ground, using your sword of the Spirit. Read the Word of God, turn off the extraneous voices, be extremely selective of what you listen too, and what you read. Be a Warrior for the Lord in PRAYER, not a whiner. Instead of being a Prisoner of Words, be a P.O.W. for the Lord, a Powerful Offensive Warrior, using the Word of God as your Sword of the Spirit. Remember prayer is a powerful offensive weapon of warfare that has been given to us to fight the battles that confront us as the people of God.
In conclusion, in Revelation, “the prayers of the saints” are mentioned specifically three times, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 8:3, and Revelation 8:4. In Revelation 5:8, they are mentioned as “golden bowls full of incense” offered by the twenty-four elders who fell down in worship and praise to the Lamb who was slain. In Revelation 8:3,4, they are mentioned being combined with incense to be offered before the throne of God in preparation to the sounding of the seven trumpets. Therefore, our prayers are important. They are used as P.O.W.’s. How? Revelation 5:8, Prayers of Worship. Revelation 8:3,4, Prayers of Warfare. The Lord is looking for His P.O.W.’s (Powerful Offensive Warriors) to offer up worship and praise before the Throne and words of intercession “…against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12b)
Blessings to you, a brother in Christ, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 