The Authority and Perseverance of a Praying Believer

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. 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.

Daniel 10:12-13 NKJV

It is no coincidence that we have been discussing the authority of the believer in these blog posts! We are living in a time, friends, that is unlike any other time in history. We, the Body of Christ, the only physical representation of Jesus Christ on the earth today, are being faced with the greatest level of spiritual depravity since the days of Noah, as prophesied in the Bible. It is not optional, therefore, to remain passive to the things of God and the standards set by the Word of God as we navigate these uncharted waters.

It is more important than ever before–now, more than in other generation until this day–that we, the glorious Church, rise up in our power and authority, taking our rightful seat at the right hand of the Father on high in Christ, praying and releasing the power of Heaven on behalf of our neighborhoods, communities, regions, and nations.

Jenny and I have been following the current events in America very closely, from a place of confidence and faith in Jesus, and are convinced that our finest hour is upon us. The stark contrast between political parties has gone beyond mere welfare and foreign policy differences to outright warfare between good and evil. The platforms represented in this year’s election could not be more different.

As the Body of Christ, it is our responsibility and obligation–this is not optional for the Christian–to maintain a powerful force of good that will overcome all evil (Romans 12:21). In the spirit of faith and power, let’s look at what the Holy Spirit is saying to us today.

Our Battle is Spiritual

In Ephesians 6, the Holy Spirit clearly outlines the reality of a life of warfare that the New Testament believer finds himself engulfed in. We are commanded to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might,” to “put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Notice that we are fighting against “principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies,” according to Ephesians 6:12, and not against flesh and blood. We are not in battle against the humans involved in the political parties. But we are actively and intimately engaged in warfare against the wicked spirits that motivate and undergird the platforms and groups that attempt to suffocate the Gospel and bring Satan’s plans to success in the world today.

In one instance, as Daniel was praying over his country, the angel Gabriel showed up and brought the answer to his prayer before he said “Amen.”

Gabriel said, “At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter; and understand the vision…” (Daniel 9:23)

Now that’s the kind of manifestation I’m talking about! Wouldn’t it be great to have an angel show up before the end of your every prayer, bringing you exactly what you asked for every time? Well, we do have scriptural precedent for this type of manifestation… so you can expect this!

On the other hand, look at Daniel’s prayer in the very next chapter.

Daniel prayed, fasted, and mourned for three whole weeks before any answer showed up. Have you ever prayed and fasted about something for three weeks? May we grow in the areas of patience and trust. Many people succumb to the religious cop-out “it must have not been God’s will for my prayer to be answered,” or “Sometimes He says Yes; sometimes No.” These responses, however soothing in the present moment, are not in agreement with God’s nature and character as revealed in His Word.

Regarding prayer, God says that “…the prayer of a righteous man avails much,” and that the only spiritual weapon in Ephesians 6 that is an offensive weapon is “the Word of God praying always with all [manner of] prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:17-18)

In Daniel’s case, the answer came after three weeks. The angel Gabriel showed up again and lifted the veil between the natural and supernatural for just a moment, that we might understand what is going on in the unseen realm. Take note of what he said in Daniel 10:12-13:

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.

Daniel 10:12 KJV

Gabriel revealed that, again, from the first day that Daniel had set his heart to understand and pray, Gabriel was sent out by God to deliver the answer to him.

So why did it take three whole weeks to get to Daniel? If God gave the command to an angel (Gabriel, no less) to fly swiftly to Daniel, what happened? Doesn’t God’s Word always come to pass, no matter what?

Pay close attention, for this passage of Scripture reveals the behind-the-scenes workings of spiritual warfare and prayer.

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.

Daniel 10:13, KJV

Ah HA! So we know that angels are engaged in physical battles with the spirits of wickedness in the unseen realm, and that their battles take place in real, human time, and that their delay in the spirit realm can produce a delay in the natural, physical realm. Many times our prayers are answered by God, angels are released on our behalf, but forces of spiritual darkness, opposing the Word of the Lord, cause the answer to be delayed. This is incredible! If this wasn’t in the Bible, I would have a hard time believing it. What revelation the Holy Spirit has given unto us regarding the unseen world of spirits and prayer!

Our Authority Challenges Spiritual Authority

Notice that Gabriel referred to his adversary as the prince of the kingdom of Persia. Gabriel was not referring to a human prince, for any human is no match for a single angel in battle (see 2 Kings 19:35)

No, he was speaking of demonic authority that was connected to the human government called Persia. The word prince used in Daniel 10:13 is the Hebrew word sar, which describes a leader or a commander of soldiers.

Now we have another vital piece of information about the unseen realm: demonic authorities set themselves up in rank and order under a prince that aligns itself with kingdoms of the earth. The earthly kingdom of Persia had its own ruling demonic power and soldiers of demons that operated over that area.

In New Testament times, we who are born again by the Spirit of the Living God have been made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:21)

The spiritual forces of wickedness over the regions of the earth today are sitting in seats of power that you and I are designed to occupy. They are sitting in places of authority that are not rightfully theirs, but that which rightfully belongs to the Church.

They are using their power for evil, when the heavenly seats they occupy are created for good. In other words, authority to rule and reign in the heavenly places is clearly given to believers in Christ according to Ephesians 2:6 and Romans 5:17, but the powers of darkness are operating under Satan’s control and are using those seats of power for destruction and evil.

So, What Do We Do?

Our job is to release the power of heaven through our God-given authority in prayer. Ephesians 6:18 tells us that we are to pray with all manner of prayer. There are many kinds of prayer, and different rules apply to different kinds of prayer.

Here’s a brief breakdown of several different kinds of prayer we are to operate in as full-fledged, confident, aware, and equipped members of the Body of Christ:

  1. Casting your cares on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7)
  2. Prayer of Consecration (Matthew 26:36-46, Galatians 2:20)
  3. Prayer of Praise, Worship, and Thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15, Psalm 112:1)
  4. The Prayer of Faith (Mark 11:23-24, James 5:14-15)
  5. The Prayer of Agreement (Matthew 18:19-20, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
  6. The Prayer of Supplication (Ephesians 6:18, 1 Timothy 2:1-2)
  7. The Prayer of Intercession (Ezekiel 22:30, 1 Timothy 2:1-2)

To go into each one of these prayers is beyond the scope of this present article, but I wanted to show you that just as the enemy is organized and intentional about stealing, killing, and destroying, you and I are to pursue spiritual warfare in prayer with the same driven, intentional, and organized strategies. God has given us His Word and His Spirit, Who leads us and guides us into all truth. Praying with intentionality and perseverance will produce great results.

As for this current season, I want to share with you some practical Prayer Points that I borrowed from Brother Kenneth Copeland and his team at KCM. The following prayer points were written in the spirit of faith with solid, Scriptural background, and provide a practical application to the topic at hand.

I ask you to join me in praying these prayers over our country in this hour, as it is more important than ever before that God’s people rise up in power and our God-given authority to pray and affect our nation. Liberty, truth, godliness, and the path forward to the spreading of the Gospel truly are at stake.

I do want to mention that we do not place our trust for peace and safety in any political candidate. Although Trump does operate from a platform that is based on godly principles, supports Israel, and he does have an open ear to Spirit-filled Christians, we do not place our hopes and trust on any man.

Our Savior is Jesus and our true citizenship is in God’s Kingdom of heaven. Thus, it is our highest duty as citizens of heaven to bring light and truth to this dark and broken world, praying for Godly influence in the White House and Biblical values and morals to be the law of our land, not debauchery and wickedness.

I have no problem saying publicly that the Democratic platform promotes wickedness, strife, and religious intolerance. These are not good things for a country that was established on Godly principles and is (for now) controlled and motivated by a Constitution that honors and reveres our Heavenly Father. The Republican Party has its issues, to be sure, but when each of the two parties’ platforms are examined in a spirit of faith, it becomes obvious which platforms, laws, and promises are motivated by spirits of darkness and which platform is more swayed by the Spirit of God.

5 Prayer Points to Pray Right Now for the Election

It is with this spirit of faith and immovable, unrelenting, and passionate commitment to the Word of God that I leave you with the following Prayer Points over our country that KCM.org put out a few days ago. Jenny and I have been praying these prayers every day, morning and night, and I encourage you to pray along with the thousands of other pray-ers who are taking up their seats of authority in Christ along these lines.

Here is the link to the original article.

The following are 5 prayer points to pray right now for the election as submitted by former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann:

PRAYER POINT #1:


Expose and hold accountable those who practice the seven things God hates and He says are detestable to Him. According to Proverbs 6:16-17, There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: 1. haughty eyes, 2. a lying tongue, 3. hands that shed innocent blood, 4. a heart that devises wicked plans, 5. feet that are quick to rush into evil, 6. a false witness who pours out lies, 7. a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Pray it out:

Heavenly Father, we humbly ask that in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada please silence every lying tongue and convict the hearts of those who devise wicked plans intended to invalidate and nullify the expressed will of the voters. Stop those who would be quick to rush into evil. Expose and silence every false witness who utters lies and operates in deceit. Thwart the efforts of every person who attempts to stir conflict within their community.

PRAYER POINT #2:


Expose all wickedness intended to steal, kill and destroy the electoral process in these battleground states.

Pray it out:

Heavenly Father, we humbly ask that in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada that you “reveal deep and hidden things. You know what lies in darkness. Light dwells with You.” (Daniel 2:22) Please bring to light and expose every lie, deceit, deception, misrepresentation and illegal act intended to “steal, kill and destroy” the electoral process and the expressed will of the citizens and these states. (John 10:10)

PRAYER POINT #3:


Frustrate those who seek to steal, kill, and destroy electoral integrity and authentic, accurate vote counts in these battleground states.

Pray it out:

Heavenly Father, please, “Frustrate the plotting of the shrewd so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise or attain success.” May no weapon formed intended to steal, kill and destroy the authentic, accurate vote count and expressed will of the people in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada “be allowed to prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)

PRAYER POINT #4:


Frustrate and thwart the plans of those who attempt to sabotage the state’s election laws and subvert the expressed will of the people.

Pray it out:

Heavenly Father, please “Capture the wise by their own shrewdness and quickly thwart the advice of the cunning” (Job 5:12) whose intention is to sabotage and subvert state and federal election law and the expressed will of the people in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada. “Hold them guilty O LORD, by their own devices let them fall.” (Psalm 5:10)

PRAYER POINT #5:


Psalm 5 for protection and favor for President Trump.

Pray it out:

Heavenly Father, please “Give ear to President Trump’s words, O LORD, consider President Trump’s groaning. Heed the sound of his cry for help, for you are his King and his God. For to You does he pray. In the morning O LORD, you will hear his voice; in the morning he will order his prayer to you and eagerly watch. For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. Destroy those who speak falsehood. You abhor the man of bloodshed and deceit. But as for President Trump, by Your abundant lovingkindness he will enter Your house. At your holy temple he will bow in reverence for you. Lord. Please lead President Trump in Your righteousness because of his foes. Make his way straight before him. There is nothing reliable in what they say; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Hold them guilty, O God. By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out for they are rebellious against You. But let President Trump take refuge in You and be glad. Let him ever sing for joy. May you shelter him. May he who loves Your name exult in You. Bless President Trump, O LORD. Surround him with favor as with a shield.” Heavenly Father, please give supernatural wisdom, strength and discernment to the President and his advisors regarding how to navigate the road ahead. In the mighty Name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

Thank you, Michele, for giving us these five strategic prayer points —all directly from the Bible. So, in praying these, we are doing what faith people do. We pray the WORD and expect The WORD’s results!

This is much like the prayer in the fourth chapter of the Book of Acts where the place they were at was shaken by the visible power of the Living God. Praying this prayer in unison—agreement—will shake this nation once again toward its righteous goal.

We are the victors. We win.

Pray these prayer points with your family. Pray them in your groups. Pray them prayer in your church. Where two or more are gathered in agreement, the I AM is in their midst (Matthew 18:19).

5 Prayer Points to Pray Right Now for the Election, KCM.org

Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash

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