Rules of Engagement

Hi Ladies,

Here are the remaining “Rules of Engagement” for warfare prayers for your mate-to-be. They will help smooth the pathway for your answer.

#3 – Pray in the Name of Jesus. The demonic forces we confront when we intercede against the adversary do not recognize us as being threats, nor as being capable of defeating them, because in our own strength we are not.

The only Authority and the only Name they acknowledge is the name of JESUS CHRIST, the NAME above all names, KING of kings, and LORD of lords. No other name has this power, and certainly not ours. The simplest way to establish in Whose name we’re praying is to actually use the words, “in the Name of Jesus Christ” in our warfare prayers…then neither we nor the devil will mistake Who is doing the commanding.

Matthew 28: 18 – “Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Luke 10: 17 – “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

#4 – Never pray against another person. It is essential to understand that in warfare prayer, we’re not coming against individuals, but are doing battle in the heavens against rulers of darkness and wickedness, and against spiritual principalities. Concentrate on the actual enemy, not on people who may be acting negatively toward you, or those whom you may perceive as behaving poorly toward your future spouse.

When you are interceding on behalf of a mate in the physical realm, you must confront the forces that seek to hinder him in the spirit realm, for as Ephesians 6: 12 cautions, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places.” Other people are not the enemy; the spirits which reside in and control them are.

#5 – Expect a battle. Nothing about warfare is ever without conflicts, and if there were no skirmishes, it wouldn’t be war. When you begin the processes of binding, loosing and intercession, often people and situations may seem to go badly or will turn against you unexpectedly.These adversities may appear unrelated to what you are praying about, but actually can be directly linked. The strategy of Satan will be to distract you from the warfare you’re engaging in, so that you will falter in the attempt, or become so distressed that you’ll abandon it entirely.

For example, if the man you’re praying for is already known to you, he may suddenly act differently, perhaps becoming distant or seeming uninterested. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged from interceding on his behalf, but keep in mind that God has the matter ultimately in His Own hands.

Your purpose, as the scripture in Ezekiel 6: 12 states, is to stand in the gap, and ask God to meet his needs, not to pray yourself into this man’s life. Never let your motives become double-minded because neither God nor the devil will be fooled.  And no matter how fervent your prayers, Our LORD will never overrule the man’s own desires on your behalf.

Exercising godly wisdom and discernment is required. Dictionary.com defines Discernment as “acuteness of judgment, and understanding”.  It is the ability to know the differences between opposites, and what makes one choice right and another wrong.  In spiritual matters, discernment is critical. Unless we are able to distinguish between impulses that are from God versus those from the devil, we can easily become confused, with detrimental results.

Ezekiel 44: 23 – “…teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”

I Corinthians 2: 14 – “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:  neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.”

Discernment shows us who we are fighting against, and his strategies against us. And it will render the adversary’s weapons useless. Until next week… Joy and Shalom!