Taking Our Cities For God - by John Dawson

We who minister are hindered by the spirits that oppress the city we 
minister in until we discern the nature of the enemy's deception and 
bind the strongman by acting in the opposite spirit. You will 
generally be buffeted by the same temptations as others around you, 
because of the spirits ruling in a given area. Any effective ministry 
will be subject to satanic attack. Satan has two weapons: to accuse 
and to deceive. We live our lives in the midst of an invisible 
spiritual war. One of the most dangerous things we can do is simply 
ignore this reality. 

Evil principalities rule through perverting the gift of a person or a 
city. In other words, he takes what is good and misdirects it to be 
used for evil. We cannot call a city to repentance without calling it
to an ongoing purpose. 

In the place of prayer we will receive from God a specific strategy of 
spiritual warfare and a specific strategy of evangelism. We as 
believers hold the fate of our cities in our hands. Business-as-usual 
is not good enough - there is not enough time. There are two 
fundamental steps in spiritual warfare. First, we must discern the 
nature of the enemy's lie. Then we must exercise the authority of 
Jesus in order to thwart satanic activity. Once his deception is 
exposed, we can see how to apply the specific promises in the Word of 
God that are the basis of our faith and authority. Discerning the 
nature of principalities at work in your city can be as simple as 
asking God to tell you what is going on. But he also wants us to use 
our minds in reasoning through the things He has already taught us and
in applying them. 

Through repentance, reconciliation and prayer, the present generation 
can work to repair the broken down walls of the city. Is there a 
pattern you can discern in the defeat in the life of your church or 
of the church in your city? God will confirm a strategy through 
several witnesses. The prevailing spirits will dominate the secular 
culture unhindered until the principle of agreement based on harmony 
in relationships is employed. The true size of the church in birth 
potential is proportional to the number of believers walking in 
relational harmony. Broken relationships can hinder the effectiveness 
of our prayers. 

In today's cities we need people of faith, like Joshua and Caleb, who
see hope for the future even in the presence of powerful enemies. Ask 
God to fill you with His divine perspective. Once we have discerned 
the gates of our city we are ready to act. We prepare for spiritual 
warfare by understanding our provision as believers for exercising the 
Lord's authority over His enemies. We are destined to rule with 
Christ. God is planning to share the responsibility of governing the 
universe in justice and mercy. The demons have already been defeated 
and judged, but our privilege is to execute on them the judgment 
(Ps 149:9). We partner with God by applying the resurrection power of 
Jesus. He has delivered us from the power of darkness. He has disarmed
principalities and powers. Satan and his fallen angels were defeated 
at the cross. Satan has two primary characteristics: he is an accuser 
and a deceiver. He has assigned certain demons to certain territories,
nations, cities, and subcultures. Jesus demonstrated his power over 
demons and has passed this power on to His followers. 

We should not focus on the evil and ignore the evil one who causes it.
Christians are to operate in the unseen realm and take initiative to 
take territory from Satan. The prayer of a human being can alter 
history by releasing legions of angels into the earth. There is a high
price to be paid for victory - personal discipline, prayer and 
obedience. Positive political reformation will only grow out of 
territory gained in the unseen realm. Getting the exact names of 
demons is not necessary, but it is important to be aware of the 
specific nature or type of oppression. Be concerned, but don't be 
discouraged. Fear is the enemy's tool and has no place in the heart 
of the believer. We are to go to prayer with high praise on our lips, 
not a complaint about the apparent power of the adversary. There is 
no reason why we, the church, should concede one square inch of this 
planet to the government of territorial spirits. Through Jesus we have
 gained stewardship of the earth. 

Everything begins with worship. The opposite behavior, murmuring and 
complaining, is a sin that God will not tolerate. Such conduct poisons
the atmosphere, robs others of their faith and produces death and 
defeat. Reacting to the environment in this way will darken our 
spirits and stifle the revelation that God wants to bring. Revelation 
only comes to the grateful because gratitude is evidence of humility.
Murmuring is evidence of unyielded rights. If you are negative and 
downcast, you will never minister to this generation. The way to get 
rid of the darkness is to turn on the light, to establish God's 
presence in the midst of His people through praise. 

Spiritual warfare begins on a personal level. Spiritual battles are 
won by following revelation given by the Holy Spirit. If we will 
listen with childlike dependency, He will guide us into victory. When
we wait on God and give Him time to move, He moves. Our spiritual 
authority is proportional to our humility and dependence on God. He 
will only bless what He has initiated. The key is to seek God until 
you know Him. Become familiar with His voice through spending time in 
His presence. One basic strategy to spiritual warfare undergirds all 
other strategies: Do the next thing God tells you to do. 

The intercessor experiences the broken heart of God and identifies 
with the sin of the people. When God has tested us and has found a 
heart totally dedicated to His purpose, then He gives the promise of 
access to His power. At this point, our prayers become effective in 
releasing great power. He can only exercise an authority proportionate
to the yieldedness of the human vessel. Total dependence on Him is the
key. My only hope is consciously to acknowledge my desperate need of 
Him. 

When we come against the enemy, we, by faith, manifest the aspect of 
Christ's character that is the opposite of the temptation facing us. 
We must see what is in our hearts and honestly acknowledge it before 
God and repent. Then we must cultivate the opposite characteristic. 

Fear is really faith in the devil, a person or yourself. We must 
travail in birth until God's purposes are birthed. That which is 
conceived of God will eventually come to birth. If you are praying for
one who is in bondage, you are not released from that burden until the
person is saved, set free and set in order. The level of a spiritual 
victory is directly affected by two conditions: the intensity of your
desire and the size of your faith. We are too easily tempted to a life
of ceaseless but barren activity, because we want the approval of the 
people who follow us. When we minister to people either through prayer
or preaching, we must give the Holy Spirit access to our emotions. The
only thing that will sustain the intercessor through a long season of
prayer is continual revelation from the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy
Spirit the intercessor makes the suffering of others his own - he 
completely identifies with the sufferer in his physical and spiritual 
condition. Sometimes just hanging in there can be an act of spiritual 
warfare. No victory is instant. 







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