How Angelic Warfare Affects Your Prayers
Most Christians do not realize that the spiritual battle raging between the forces of good and evil in the realm beyond our five senses affects every details of our lives, especially our prayers.
From Ezekiel 28 and
Isaiah 14 we learn how much power and wisdom God originally gave “Lucifer.” This should help us to understand how
formidable a foe we now have, and how diligent we must be in resisting him.
Three weeks later an
angel showed up. The angel told Daniel that his prayer had been heard when he
first prayed. The angel at once responded to bring him the answer.
But why did it take the
angel three weeks to get to Daniel?
Because Daniel did not
have enough faith?
No, it was because “the prince of the kingdom of Persia”
withstood the angel twenty-one days.
This “prince” was not a human being, but a
high-ranking, territorial evil spirit.
Daniel 10:12 - … “Fear
not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart
to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words
have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of
the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days,
but Michael, one
of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of
Persia,” English Standard Version (ESV)
We do not know the
details of their confrontation during those three weeks, but this account makes
it
clear that spiritual battles raging beyond our senses may be the reasons why
certain prayers take time to be answered.
Daniel’s attitude,
however, is pivotal in this record.
At the end of one day
of prayer, he did not say to God, “Oh brother, you give me a vision and no
explanation, and now you’re asleep up there! I quit!”
Then twenty days later
an angel pulls in and says, “Where’s Daniel?” No, it didn’t happen that way.
Daniel continued to have faith and look to God, and he did receive the answer
to his prayer.
A verse in the Church
Epistles illustrates this same truth.
1 Thessalonians 2:18
For we wanted to come to you—
certainly I, Paul, did, again and again— but Satan stopped us.
The Greek word for
“stopped” was “used of impeding persons by breaking up the road [as by digging
a trench across it], or by placing an obstacle sharply in the path.”
We see that, in the
temporal realm, God is not totally in control of all circumstances.
But He and His Son are
right in there with us, working to help us go over, under, around or through
whatever obstacles the Devil puts in our paths.
In Acts 14 we read
that Paul was stoned, yet through the prayers of the saints the power of God
healed him.
God is not a spiritual
vending machine, where we just push a button and out pops what we need.
Often we must hang in there for quite a while, as Job
did, and continue to expect
God’s deliverance.
Often we must hang in there for quite a while, as Job
In the context of
spiritual warfare, it is significant that our heartfelt praise to God is a
catalyst to help roll back the forces of darkness.
2 Chronicles 20:22 - And
when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an
ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come
against Judah, so that they were routed. English
Standard Version (ESV
Are you
struggling with a big decision or wondering how your eternal future will play
out?
Why not
talk to the God of the universe and let Him work in your behalf?
He says,
“I will instruct you and teach you the
way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm
32:8).
Ask God
to show you what to do. Pray the following prayer:
“Heavenly Father,
I admit that I am
a sinner and my sins have separated me from You. I now want to turn away from
my past sinful life and begin a new life with You.
Please forgive
me. I now receive your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my Lord. I
believe and confess that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose
from the dead.
I want to receive
all that Jesus Christ has provided for me as my Savior. Your Word says, ‘Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved’
(Romans 10:13).
I believe and
confess that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes
unto the Father, but by Him.
Lord Jesus, I
pray and ask You, to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I thank You
that you have given me eternal life, and according to Your Word, I am born
again.
Heavenly Father, thank
You for the gift of the Holy Spirit that is in me now. I surrender my life to You.
Use me for Your
glory.
In Jesus Name.
Amen.”
Related Posts:
“Mighty
Man of War” Robert Gay
lyrics
He's
arising, arising in our midst
As
a migthy man of war
Clothed
in battle armor
And
wielding a two-edged sword
We're
conquering all His enemies
and
laying them at His feet
So
arise O God
Arise
as a man of war
So
arise O God
Arise as a man of war
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