“ “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”.”
God’s expectation for the church has not changed; fear him, walk in his ways, love him and serve him only. Deuteronomy 10:12 is straight forward and does not need any explanation. Man has however chosen a path that does not bring God glory. As intercessors we must train our spiritual senses to pick up these things and pray against them.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 “3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” People have become lukewarm and not ready for the word to challenge their life style any longer. Their ears are itchy for something else but unfortunately there are only two paths-God and the world. Since they left God, the only other option is the world. It’s unfortunate that these are “ Christians”. They have been enticed due to their itchy ears. They have invited the trouble to themselves. Luke 16:15 “”He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” We can only pretend before man but never before God, He created man and knows everything about man. He knows even the intention of the heart. Jeremiah 17:9-10 “9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “10 I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
How can the church defeat this enemy?
1. Divorce from the world and tear down anything that belongs to the world: Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” The only way the church can stay away from this kind of captivity is by dwelling in the word and not in the world. James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Why will God use the term adulterous people? Simple because we are his bride but we have committed adultery with the world. We want to be in two places but the Bible says in Revelation 3: 16 “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
Pray for the deliverance of the church from this spirit. Pray that the church must divorce from the world and tear down anything that is attached to the relationship. Jeremiah 1:10 “See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
2. Renewed mind and be transformed by the word of God: Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The way to remind the mind is by the word of God. Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Pray that the church will go back to the word of God so the mind can be renewed.
3. Seek God in the place of prayer and worship while he may be found: Psalm 27: 4 “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” The psalmist was a dweller and he understood the secret to bring down God’s presence and blessing. Jeremiah 29:12-14 “ 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Pray that the church will go back to seeking God in worship and prayer.
4. Dwell in the word of God: Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” This can be done by studying the word of God. 2Timothy 2:15. Pray for a desire to study the word of God. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”.
5. Walk in the spirit: Galatians 5:16-18 “16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Pray that the church will walk in the spirit.