The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Isa 52:10 NKJV

The Psalms are full of it. David petitioning the Lord to deal with this man or that situation. David knew he had enemies. He prayed that the Lord would deal with them before they got to him, or to Israel. Paul wrote in the same vein, with the same fierce determination that David wrote and prayed. “I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! (Gal.5:12)” is a pretty rough sentiment considering that the context talks of circumcision…

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7 NKJV

Two commands, two responsibilities. The second follows the first, and the order must never be turned. In many ways the commands define what it means to be a man or woman of God. Submission to God is the heartfelt obedience to the Kingdom of God. Jesus as Lord means a willingness from the heart for Jesus to be Leader and decisionmaker. I often think that not getting revelation, after asking about a situation gives me the liberty to make my best decision with the Lord’s backing.

Submission to God means a transparency about the worthiness of my thoughts and actions vis-à-vis the will of God, and making things right through the blood of Jesus.

Resistance to the devil does not mean a passive resistance, as a lesser might do to a greater, but an active crushing resistance that brings in the fruit of righteousness. In the great movie HARRIET, the character of Harriet Tubman, a true historical figure, says, “I will be free or I will die!” and throws herself into a river to escape her persecutors. THAT is the stand of a resistant one – no compromise with evil. “Give me liberty, or give me death!” the born again one, like Harriet, Patrick Henry declared to his countrymen. When liberty is living on the inside, it will fight with all its being to live on the outside. That’s the heart of warfare prayer…

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Acts 12:1-2 NKJV

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. Acts 12:5-6 NKJV

Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

But the word of God grew and multiplied. Acts 12:23-24 NKJV

Do you see it? Why did Herod die, and the word of God grow and abound? Because the intercessors demanded it. They said, “God, judge that man!” Lots of tinpot dictators have called themselves ‘god’ and gotten away with it for a time. What was different here? Warfare prayer…

I want to give you what I wrote a few weeks ago to the intercessors about warfare prayer.

“The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men. Ps 12:8 NKJV

I want to share something I saw in the Word this morning that has to do with the ministry of intercession. I was reading Psalm Ten and I saw something that really made me want to write to you guys. Here is a part of Psalm 10…read it slowly…it starts off with a question, then deals with the problem.

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?

The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. 

He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.”

His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.” Ps 10:1-11 NKJV

As I read this, I thought about the movie, THE GODFATHER, where Marlon Brando (“…give him a deal he can’t refuse…”) and Al Pacino lead a crime family, a story that was based on real people. Then I saw THE IRISHMAN, with Robert DeNiro playing the part of a Mafia assassin (“…you paint houses, don’t you…”) which is based on a real person. The characters in the movies all profess to be good Christians, good Catholics actually, and the ‘priests’ are wimpy and worthless ‘men of God’ who turn a blind eye to the evil all around them. As I read verses eight and nine I thought about drug dealers on street corners.

Then I thought about the question from verse one. Why do You do this, God? Why do You allow this to happen? Part of the answer is found in that verse in psalm Twelve – because vileness is exalted among the sons of men. Can you watch network television without being offended, or listen to modern music lyrics? What about the witchcraft that pervades our communities?

But the answer to it all is found in Psalm 10:12ff…

Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Ps 10:12 NKJV

The answer to the question as to why God does nothing, is that He is waiting for the intercessors to cry out to him and say, “I renounce vileness, and I demand You do something (Arise. O Lord!) about the wicked men who oppress the innocent and the humble!” When the intercessors stir themselves to fight for righteousness, that is when God stands up on their behalf.

But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand.

The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.

Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

The Lord is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land.

 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may oppress no more. Ps 10:14-18 NKJV

Don’t demand that God do something about the wickedness around us until we first renounce the vileness that we have allowed to be exalted.

But cry out to God for righteousness! God can raise up righteous men and women in all categories of life and influence. But He is waiting for us to first repent, and then ask and demand it!”

When I see civil liberties being crushed, I say that there is something far more evil afoot in the land than a health crisis. What I say to you I say to all…“Get in the game!”

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…