In my last article, I shared part of a prophetic word from Kenneth E. Hagin and talked about the importance of praying into prophetic words. We do this by praying and declaring the word aloud to God and then asking Him to fulfill it. In this way, we agree with His word—what He has already declared—and partner with Him to release the fulfillment of it on earth. Though God is sovereign, He chooses to work through us. Everything He does on earth originates in the prayers of His people.
In 1 Corinthians 3:9, Paul says we are co-laborers with God. In the beginning, God gave authority over the earth to Adam and Eve. They then gave it to Satan when they sinned, but Jesus regained dominion and authority over the earth through His death and resurrection. Before He ascended to heaven, He restored that authority to the church. This means God needs our partnership to enact His will on earth. If we want to see His word fulfilled, we must go boldly before His throne of grace (see Heb. 4:16), and we must contend for revival in our land. Sin has abounded in our nation, but God’s grace abounds so much more (see Rom. 5:20). God longs to pour out His water of the Spirit on the parched ground (see Isa. 44:3); we need to ask for the rain—for a flood of His mercy in our lands, because He delights in showing mercy (see Zech. 10:1, Hab. 3:1-4, Mic 7:8).
God promises us, in Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV), “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” But for many of us, “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things” have choked our prayer lives, making us unfruitful (Mark 4:19). Today, I believe God is raising His standard against these distractions and anointing us with fresh oil. God is igniting His church to fervently intercede for God’s will to be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven.
We need to live in the light of eternity. Heaven is our true home, and God is our true Father. One day, each of us will leave this earth and give an account to our Father for the way we lived. When I stand before Him, I want God to say I co-labored faithfully in His kingdom work; I prayed when no one was watching; and I maintained my first love. I want that for you too.
God is inviting us to co-labor with Him: “I need you to step into a season of a more consecrated time of prayer because some things will not happen unless My body births it,” He says. “It is My will, My plan, My desire. But I need My people to enter into prayer, especially the kind of praying we call travail and intercession.”
For more on how God is calling us to arise as mighty warriors of prayer, listen to The Purpose Project on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
