As we start our annual week of fasting, below are some thoughts to guide our prayer:
Towards the end of last year I felt God speak to me from 2 Samuel 5:17-24
David has been crowned King over Israel and made Jerusalem his capital. The Philistines attack to extinguish his reign before it’s properly established. David asks God what to do and God tells him to go out and fight as God will give him victory. This is what happens.
20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.
This was a very significant prophetic word for us in the past, particularly when God did many miracles to enable us to buy our building.
The story continues with the Philistines attacking David again. Again David asks God what to do and God tells him to creep around behind the Philistines and wait until …….
24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”
To me this means waiting until you perceive the evidence of God moving against your enemies and then following behind what God is doing.
While God gave us a particular strategy for 2010 when we bought our building, his strategy is different now. We need to wait until we perceive the evidence of God going ahead and fighting on our behalf.
Then a couple of weeks ago praying for someone, I felt the Holy Spirit point me towards Psalm 18
4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet…………..
13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
This speaks of God fighting on our behalf, his fury being unleashed against enemies because he hears our cry for help.
Then in a conversation with a friend, he mentioned some verses from Esther 7. Haman has plotted to have God’s people exterminated but God’s favour rests on Esther to stop this. After Haman’s plot is exposed we read:
7 The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. 8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.
The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”
Again this points to Jesus’ (the King) fury at his bride (the church) being molested by enemies.
Last Friday as the elders gathered to share what we felt God was saying for our fast, both Keith Calder and Sean Dooley spoke of a sense to take both the prophetic words God has spoken over KingsGate and the promises of God in scripture and to pray them back to God.
As we wait until we perceive him going out to wage war against the spiritual enemies that do not want us to achieve the mission he has given us, by keeping us distracted, disappointed and in delay, we just keep praying his promises back to him. Keep adding faith to what God has said by declaring it over KingsGate and our people. Sitting on those words with God, asking him how he interprets them and how he wants to fulfill them.
Prayer points for today:
- Thanking God for his promises over KingsGate collectively and individually.
- Praying some Psalms back to him. Psalm 18, 23 & 24 would be good suggestions.
- Praying some of the significant prophetic words over KingGate:
I am the Lord who lives among you. I am a mighty deliverer. (Zeph 3:17)
I am the God of more than enough.
I am transforming you to be a church without walls that brings transformation to the community around you.
Have a great day and hopefully see many of you tonight for prayer at 7:30pm in KingsGate, Kingston.
Love
Paul
