In my last blog I talked about our land being defiled, there
are lots of sins in the land. Now I want to give you another big picture of
what goes on behind the “bad leaders”.
When
we see lots of injustice in our land, we tend to target our anger, frustration
towards the bad people, the bad leaders. But do you realize that there is a
much bigger spiritual force behind it? Ephesians 6:12 For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Over every city,
every nation there is a spiritual atmosphere. The spiritual atmosphere is
controlled by the spiritual powers behind it. It could be the powers of
darkness or the powers of light. When you travel to different cities, you
feel the spiritual environment of that place. Some places, for example Las
Vegas is full of lust and greed. If you go there, you can feel it in the air,
in everything and every person around you. You may even feel yourself being
drawn in or tempted with thoughts that are not normal to you.
Other cities convey an attitude of depression. Everybody
feels low, everybody is in self-pity. The moment you don’t say the right thing
they take offense. You feel the oppression all around you. You see it in the
faces of the people and hear it in their voices.*
The people living in that area/city under the dictate of
those spiritual forces are being affected by those forces. The people who do
not know Jesus simply fall victims and slaves to this power. Those of us who do
know Christ but who do not pay attention to what is going on the spiritual
realm will also become victims. On one hand, we love Jesus, confess the Word of
God, and pray for the change of the city; on the other hand, however, we do
what the principalities and powers over the city dictate us to do. We embrace
the lies and the deceptions of the rulers of the spiritual environment. It
affects how we look at entertainment, political situations, what we think about
our day-to-day realities. We may be Christians, we may go to church every week,
but if we aren’t walking in the ways of God and allowing Him to have full
control of our hearts and minds, we are allowing ourselves to be under the
control of the principalities of darkness.*
For example, after the election everyone was slandering our
political leaders left and right, even Christians, when the Bible clearly says
not to slander anyone (Titus 3:2), but because everyone was doing it, it became
“ok”. Bribe, racism are other “normal” things that go on everyday in our
society. We’ve unknowingly accepted the lies of the devil. That’s why God calls
us to be in this world but not of this world. Romans 12:2 : “And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind,…”
Now that I’ve told you that our land is defiled and that
it is actually caused by the spiritual powers of darkness behind it. What are
we to do?
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s
special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out
of darkness into his wonderful light.
God says we are a royal priesthood.
What is a royal priesthood? Who are they? What do they do? What role do they
play?
The word ‘royal
priesthood’ presents a dual role –
royalty and priesthood. Royalty: We are no longer slaves but we are
children of God. Priest: The people’s representative before God and thus were
required to live worthy of their office. They were specially set apart and
consecrated onto God. Our role is to know that we are sons and daughters of the
Most High King and the authority and power that have been given to us, but at
the same time we are the servants that have been set apart, to stand in the gap
between God and people, that usher in His presence, that calls on God “Let your Kingdom come, let Your will be
done, on earth as it is in Heaven”.
There is also an unholy priesthood, the priests of darkness.
They also do what we do. Except that they surrender to Satan. They say, “Come! Let your government come to my
land.”
If we are priests of
the Lord and we don’t take our priesthood seriously, the land will lean towards
the ways of darkness. The priesthood which prevails controls the land.
Ezekiel 22:30-31. 30 “I
looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on
behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them
with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have
done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
God wants us to pray and stand in the gap. He doesn’t want
to destroy a nation. If we don’t stir up prayer now, our sins will reach its
fullness and judgment will come.
Will
you take up your role as a royal priesthood and stand in the gap?
*Excerpts
taken from The Wake Up Call by John
Mulinde with Mark Daniel
