From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Rather than taking on a city's physical or spiritual "strongman" by myself – or you doing it by yourself (both are dangerous), how does the Bible teach us to pray, intercede, and do other warfare over the city or country in which we reside?
Did you know there are key examples in the Scriptures on how to work together with others to do battle for your city and country – and stay safe at the same time?
Read Cindy Jacobs very focused article on how to fight for your city with the help of other Believers. It has great insight from the Scriptures that will guide you in your intercessory warfare.
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NEW!
Prophetic School 2013
by Bobby and Becky Haaby, Stacey and Wesley Campbell, Denny Cline, and Don and Christine Potter
7-Set Conference Teaching
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Cindy Jacobs:
Overcome the Strongman and Tremendous Revival Breaks Forth
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils." Luke 11:21-22
As you read the previous Scripture, what picture leaps to your mind? What or who is the strongman spoken of in this passage? For some this question elicits the image of a huge, foreboding creature with its wings spread over a city. Others think of someone like a Hitler who threatens the peace of nations and people groups.
Which is right? Is the strongman an Ephesians 6:12 ruler of darkness or is it actually a person – who through some dark, charismatic influence is able to control governments, laws, and the thinking of people? Is it possible to a degree that both suppositions are accurate?
For a clearer understanding let's examine two passages where strongmen were addressed in the Bible. Ezekiel 28 begins with an address to the prince of Tyre. God is evidently speaking though the prophet Ezekiel of judgment on the prince of Tyre. However, in verse 12, the king of Tyre is addressed as having supernatural attributes.
In Isaiah 14, the king of Babylon is addressed in terms of judgment as a physical being through verse 12 where the test reads, "How you are fallen from Heaven, O lucifer, son of the morning."
In the same passage there appears to be a physical ruler being addressed as well as the supernatural being who stands behind the human structure. This could be explained as the LAW OF DOUBLE REFERENCE. This law applies when a visible creature is addressed, but certain statements also refer to an invisible person who is using the visible creature as a tool.
How Do We Overcome?
If, indeed, the strongman can be represented by a person, such as the king of Babylon, who is a tool of an unseen power of darkness, how do we "overcome" the strongman? How do we disarm him? The Bible says he is disarmed when one stronger than himself overcomes him. Few Christians would disagree that God, who is the King of the Universe, has power which far surpasses any power of the evil one.
There is clearly no contest! One of the mightiest ways God, who is the overcomer, displays His power is through a Church that overcomes through prayer. So if satan has been able to set up his thrones and dominion through wicked rulers, it's because the Church has not been overcoming the strongman in intercession.
Dr. Peter Wagner gives us insight on Scriptural overcoming in his book, Warfare Prayer. He states that the Greek word for overcome is NIKAO. It means "to conquer" and is a prominent warfare term.
A fascinating instance of how intercessors in a nation overcame their strongman comes from Panama, once ruled by Manuel Noriega. He was evidently highly affected by satan's kingdom. Different Panamanians have described to me the agony of a nation whose highest ranking government official killed those who opposed him. They shared about the sound of helicopters in the night, which flew over the jungles and dropped black garbage bags containing the remains of those who posed either real or imaginary threats to his dictatorship.
It was a well-known fact that Noriega consorted with occult leaders and practiced "voodoo" and other forms of magic. The empowerment he received from these forces of darkness protected him for a season. He indeed seemed to be an invincible strongman. However, there was one army in the nation whose leaders understood that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds and strongmen!
Various Christian leaders organized a prayer army. This army focused its spiritual weapons through intercessory prayer in a unique way – all night prayer vigils by bus!
The warriors would pray throughout the nation once a month in this manner: while a leader led the prayer through radio broadcast those interceding on buses were also to agree together with those who had to stay at home with their families.
The strongman's troops never suspected they were being undermined in such an "innocuous" way. Of course, most of you know the end of the story. Noriega was deposed and was sent to prison in the United States.
Of course, Noriega was not the real enemy; he was simply being used as a tool of satan over the nation. However, as long as he was in power and yielding himself as a tool, the law of double reference indicates that he also represented a spiritual strongman.
Daniel 9 Strategy
There are various intercessory strategies, which are useful in overcoming the strongman. Daniel demonstrated a powerful model for overcoming in Daniel 9 by systematically confessing the sins and iniquities of his people. His nation of Jews was held captive n Babylon. Release came through his standing in the gap and remitting the sins of his people.
In this passage we do not know whether or not Daniel knew he was overcoming the power of the strongman, the prince of Persia. He simply heard from the Lord and interceded for his people. This intercession allowed necessary revelation and help to come from the Throne Room of God.
1 Timothy Strategy
Other intercessory strategies for overcoming the strongman are given 1 Timothy 2:1-2: Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
We are first exhorted to employ various weapons of intercession for all men. Why is this? Could it be so they will not be deceived into allowing unrighteousness to enter their land through ungodly government? They are told essentially to be alert in intercession. This "all men praying" is done through various means: One is by establishing prayer cells throughout a whole city to insure that every household in a city is covered through intercessory prayer.
Recently in Toronto, Canada, each of 25,000 Christians meeting for city prayer received a page of the phone book. The effect of prayer for every name on the pages resulted in intercession for just about everyone in the city. This kind of intense bombardment breaks the power of the strongman off of the minds of the city's people (see 2 Corinthians 4:4). Another example is in Azul, Argentina where the pastors divide the city and literally walk its borders claiming every habitation for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Leaders Targeted
Another important strategy given in 1 Timothy 2:2 is that of praying for kings and all who are in authority. The strongmen who stand behind human structures particularly target leaders. I have heard more than one person remark on how a certain governmental leader went into leadership with the best of intentions and the purest of hearts only to be corrupted and then compromised.
The invisible strongmen wants this to happen because of one main reason, and 1 Timothy 2:2-4 embodies it. God desires us to live quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and reverence because He desires all men to be saved. It takes strategic spiritual warfare for this to be accomplished.
Result: Revival Breaks Forth
Once the power of the strongman is broken off of an area there comes an open Heaven over the area and tremendous revival breaks forth.
I am convinced if we were to study the awakenings, renewals, and revivals of the past we would see the above elements in demonstration. It is simply an incredible experience to witness in an area where the power of the strongman has been broken. People are receptive, hungry, and open. They have had the blindness broken off of their eyes and the light of Jesus Christ falls abundantly upon them in the transforming power of salvation.
Cindy Jacobs
Generals International
Email: generals@generals.org
Cindy Jacobs is a respected prophet who travels the world ministering not only to crowds of people, but to heads of nations. Her first calling is and always will be prophetic intercession. Each year she travels and has spoken on nearly every inhabited continent to tens of thousands. Yet, in her heart is the memory that Jesus left the ninety-and-nine to go to the one. Generals International is an international church movement, reforming the nations of the world back to a Biblical worldview. They are achieving societal transformation through intercession and the prophetic.
Cindy has authored seven books, loves to travel and speak, but one of her favorite past-times is spending time with her husband Mike and their children Daniel and Mary Madison along with her five adorable grandchildren.
