In Daniel 10:13, 20 there are references to certain “princes” that are identified by theologians as demonic oversight of nations. Did you know that Satan himself is called the Prince of the World (John 14:30). See also Ephesians 2:2, and 6:12.
Please read Ephesians 6:10-12. Paul’s point in this passage is not to produce a precise list of the species that inhabit the heavenly realms, but to signify the vast multiplicity of demonic forces allied against the church.
The point is that the church, in your community, is in a spiritual battle fighting against spiritual forces....
Satan seeks to keep this city wrapped in a blanket of sin, confusion, and oppression. John wrote that “The world lies in the lap of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
Like many other cities of the world, Summerville seems to be largely closed to the biblical Gospel (The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ - I Cor. 15:1-4), and to the transformative power of the Gospel in our daily lives, to make us into the image and likeness of Christ!
Is there any hope for such a city? YES! What is the HOPE? Where is the hope?
First of all, the hope is found in you - The Bible says, “WE wrestle”....Ephesians 6:12. Believers are the frontline forces in this spiritual battle for the souls of Chattooga County.
Second, Ephesians 2:2 teaches us that there is a spirit....a wicked spirit that works in the lost…to keep them bound. Even so, there is a Holy Spirit that works in the saved....to liberate us and to help us liberate others (Acts 26:17-18; I Cor. 6:19; I Thess. 1:9).
Next, there are angelic forces on the believers side in this conflict. (Hebrews 1:14)
And more than that….
Fourth, the Lord Himself is on our side (Ephesians 1:15-20; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:20 John 14:26).
Let us next focus on one aspect of this spiritual battle that we are engaged in; that of prayer for the city. It is through fervent prayer that we can remove the invisible barriers to the Gospel. Don’t overlook the fact that Daniel (see above) received his understanding while seeking God for answers, and that Paul’s words in Ephesians 6, above, were given in the context of prayer.
Jesus said, in Mark 3:27, “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.”
Strong man = Satan;
House = Domain (The present world);
Goods / Vessels = hapless victims he has taken captive…..
What Jesus is teaching is that if we wish to go into Satan’s territory and gain victories, we must first of all cripple the “strong man.” See Isaiah 49:24–25.
This Crippling of the “strong man” is achieved through prayer! The passage mentioned above in Ephesians 6:10-19 is, in all reality, a passage on the posture of prayer. Can you see how important prayer is in this spiritual battle as you read the verses?
When you read these verses, you see how spiritual the battle is and you also see how important prayer is (Acts 26:18; II Corinthians 4:3; Ephesians 4:18).
Jericho had supposedly impenetrable walls, but God told Joshua that they could take the battle to the city and win. In the very same way, we must view our city walls (barriers) as being well within the range of our spiritual artillery. The real question is not the height of the walls, nor their thickness, but whether God is prepared to demolish them.
God will not remove these barriers in a vacuum, independently of our own commitment and involvement, and that begins with prayer. Even after the walls of Jericho collapsed, Joshua and his forces still had to go up and fight the enemy.
When we pray that Satan’s power over a city will be removed, we are simply asking that the “strongman” would be weakened / hindered so that believers will have greater ability to claim victories for Christ! These victories begin with seizing opportunities to share the Gospel. We are trusting God to take away the satanic blindness from their hearts (II Cor. 4:4) so that they can consider the claims of Jesus Christ for themselves.
Consequently, a part of our praying must be going; we must be willing to be the vehicles that God will use to share the Good News of the Gospel with all who will listen. It is this Gospel (The Gospel of the Grace of God - Acts 20:24, I Cor. 15:1-8; Galatians 1:6-10), that will save us, and our city, from our sins (Matthew 1:21).
Comments