The dark times we have entered aren't only socio-economic, it’s mostly spiritual. These dark times are a result of forces pushing back the holy power of God. Pedophilia being more acceptable, massive corruption in politics and business, plummeting wealth internationally, a culture sexualizing children, racial tensions and all the rest that disturb us, are a call to prayer for the Church, the Body of Christ. Prayer will penetrate the Darkness, and from there we can begin breaking it down and pushing it back.
Most of the time we pray, it’s more like a personal wish list, prayers of personal petition. In the prayer Jesus taught us, he has us saying, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done”, calling on us to bridge His kingdom to our life here. We’ve allowed ourselves to lose that relationship, our lives being ruled more by men than by God. That leads to deception and ruin; we see the results daily, experiencing the encroaching Darkness. We let ourselves become spiritually blind. Instead of pushing back the Darkness, we close more in on ourselves as the Church, as Christians.
While we do good works, there must be more prayer, both corporate and personal. When we look at the early Church, following Pentecost, prayer life was number one. The power of His Kingdom into our realm is brought by prayer. It began with Jesus, and his constant praying; he set the example. He would withdraw and pray often. He taught us how to pray. The Apostle Paul admonished us to pray unceasingly. Peter kneeled and prayed until his knees bled. Reading in Acts, the story of the early Church, people prayed and there were healings and miracles, new ministries, there were visions of God, people that lost direction found direction, and in the face of unbelievable persecution, the growth of the Church exploded. Acts 1:14 tells us these tangible results were the result of prayer, “all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication”.
This is a call to prayer, for all of us. It takes time and discipline. We each need to find a time to connect with the Holy Kingdom
When we open our hearts to Him, He reviews what’s there, and will cleanse us of those things that deceive and keeps us from living totally in tune with His will. Psalms 139 tells us “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. When presenting our day to Him, Psalms 5 tells us, “Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.” When we do this we’re asking for His power and anointing to come upon us; this will push back, penetrate the darkness that surrounds us daily. When we reach out, we expand our prayer beyond our immediate circle. We can specifically name those in need of prayer within our immediate circle, and we need to do the same outside the circle. Pick a country everyday and pray for their leaders and people to be delivered from the encroaching Darkness.
There is no predestined fate. Many think God has set in motion events, so just let it be, things will just be taken care of. God has called us to intercede, to bring His Kingdom into our realm. It's on us. God will only act where He is invited; He won’t do things just on His own. It’s more important now than ever, with the force of the Enemy blanketing us in more Darkness that we make the time for daily devotional prayer.
Additionally, as the Body of Christ, the Church must pray, corporate prayer, as if each of our churches is the only church praying. Kingdom power must be that amplified. The order of things has been violated, and we must pray as if our lives depended on it, and it does, to put things right and open His kingdom here on earth.
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