The Violence of prayer
Dan 10:12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. Dan 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Dan 10:20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
Many of us do not understand the kind of violence our prayers initiate and release in the heavenlies. When we pray, the evil one seeks to stop the prayers from going up. Secondly, he seeks to stop the answers from coming back to us. There are many frustrated Christians in this world who are absolutely broken even to the extent of not praying anymore because their prayers have not been answered. They do not realise the kind of warfare that happens once they begin to pray, especially if those prayers have to do with the prophetic. The reason is what must come to pass the devil seeks to delay. The demons pleaded with Jesus when He delivered the Gadarene not to send them to hell before their time. They were seeking to delay their ultimate destiny. Likewise, the devil seeks to frustrate and abort Christians from praying by his evil devices of delay of answers to prayers and robbing them. The devil always seeks to abort our prayers and answers from God.
Many Christians confuse delay in answers to prayers to conclude that God does not want to answer them or that He does not care. How can a loving Father not answer the pleas of His child.
Luk 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Luk 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Luk 11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
So, we conclude that God knows the exact time He should answer our prayers and so, we must not stop praying till the answer comes. We see how Daniel had to keep praying till the answer came. He did not know that there was violence initiated because of his prayers. Please note that as soon as he began to pray, his prayers went up to heaven. The delay was not in the prayers going up but in the return of the answers.
Have you given up in your prayer life? Have you prayed according to the scriptures like Daniel? All the promises of God are yeah and amen in Christ Jesus. So also, are His answers to us appropriating the promises of God and the prophecies of God. Even the natural need of a Christian expressed in prayer could have significant warfare in the spiritual realm.
The violence associated with prayer can get pretty nasty. Personally, I have had numerous visitations of demons who have tried to physically attack me and cause many humans as their agents to attack me because I stand in the gap. Other ministers have reported the same in their lives, some of which were pretty horrendous. Yet, God protects those who are in the fray and often intervenes to set these attacks on their end. Many have lost their lives because they have not known how to fight in prayer and through prayer repel the attacks of the demons. In the last days, the principality called Apollyon will be released with many of his demons to attack the people on earth physically.
Rev 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
It has always been my desire to be effective in prayer. However, I am still learning how to breakthrough in many areas of prayer. I am also trying to understand the relationship of events that surround my life and others when I pray. As time has gone by, I have noticed that my prayer can produce violence in my life and others but with good results. Through prayer many hidden agendas are stripped away to reveal the true destroyer of lives and his perpetrations into circumstances of life.
For example, when I pray for deliverance over a person, I am often given discernment by God as to what is going on in that person’s life. The moment I begin to pray, they react violently because they are being moved upon by the demons in them or around them to manifest. Many even speak out involuntarily or on demand. This example of violence surrounding prayer is extremely dramatic. I get the same reactions around the world where God takes me.
In order to secure a demon’s kingdom, one has to get rid of the strong man. This is where true prayer guided by the Holy Spirit is essential. The strong man can be strong or extremely strong depending on the situation. However, since God has given us all power over all the power of the enemy, we can do something about it. It takes a discerning man who walks with the Holy Spirit to know what to do. This interaction can only happen through a personal relationship with God that is developed in prayer and understanding of the rhema word of God.
Violent prayer is not always needed because not all prayer is violent. However, when it comes to warfare and demanding that the devil leave us alone, it requires forceful prayer that may result in spiritual violence and depending on the situation even a physical manifestation. The person who prays always wins. Over time, we will know how to pray without fear or ceasing till the answer comes. Not all prayers it seems is answered in this lifetime and it may look like one loses a fight because of this or is looked upon as one who has not got the victory. One such prayer was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed that if it was God’s will, he should let the cup pass from Him. Yet, that never happened because it was not God’s will. We know now why it was not God’s will and we also know that Jesus won the fight through that prayer. We must be grateful to Jesus who knew exactly how to pray because out of that prayer we were saved even though it produced unimaginable violence.
Friends learn to pray how God wants you to pray otherwise you will be beating the air aimlessly with your prayers. Nothing will come to pass and when the devil sees an ineffective person praying, he attacks that person even more. Not only do we need to understand prayer for ourselves but for the sake of others and the establishing of the Kingdom of God. Our prayers will be ineffective when we do not walk righteously with God. So, first and foremost our lives must be in order.
1Co_9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 1Co_14:9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
Our days upon the earth now are increasingly difficult because the end is near. More darkness is going to follow. Men will lose their faith, and many will die of fear. Let us not be counted with them. Instead, let us be found praying and prepared with oil in our lamps and take seriously what it means to face God in prayer. Yes, prayer means, we face God and ask Him to do only what He can do. We must know how to move the hand of God, receive His answers, and do what He says. This takes courage, patience, and faith. Waiting on God in prayer while the world is falling apart takes a lot of faith.
My heart’s desire is, when we come to pray, we will be eager and not silent or mumbling under our breath. Instead, we would speak out loud what God puts in our hearts. Others who hear it can agree and get faith in it. Too many attend prayer meetings only to remain silent while a few others pray and hold the fort. Prayer meetings are for verbalisation not sitting quietly. God, please give us the understanding to pray.
Lots of love
Pastor Noble
09/08/2020