Pastor Larry Booth, Our Father's House - March 10, 2010That should be a “no brainer” for any serious follower of Jesus…right? Let me say that as a pastor, I can always use more prayer support in the ministry I’ve been called to by the LORD.
The Prophet Zechariah was given an amazing glimpse into the spirit realm that should help motivate us to pray more for our spiritual leadership in our churches. “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan; ’The LORD rebuke you Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’” (Zechariah 3:1-2)
The insights we can gain from studying the prophets of the Bible will often give us a more complete picture of the spiritual conflict and nature of our adversary. Think about this particular example. The prophet of GOD is given a supernatural revelation of what is unseen to the world and often unseen to the people of GOD in general. He sees the level of resistance and opposition the priest of GOD is experiencing in his service to the LORD. We are not talking here about just a priest, but the high priest of Israel, the one responsible for going into the holy place. What do we see here? We see a level of resistance and opposition that is beyond the human in nature. Satan himself is standing at his right hand resisting and opposing what Joshua is trying to do in his ministry to the LORD.
How intense is this kind of conflict? From the text we can gather several amazing insights into the intensity of the battle. The LORD Himself enters into the picture and rebukes Satan, not once, but twice. A double rebuke reveals for us the magnitude of the battle we face every day in ministry. Another interesting insight we see in this text is the filthy garments that Joshua was wearing. (Zechariah 3:3-5) Perhaps his own sin issues opened the door for a major spiritual attack from the enemy? This could be a warning to all of us…to live out our walk with CHRIST 24/7. Thankfully, the LORD intervenes here, cleanses HIS servant and restores the proper order of ministry in the house. Aren’t you glad as well, that when we miss it and fall into the world’s traps, we have a REDEEMER GOD who rescues us and restores us. Hallelujah!!!
So…back to the opening question. Should we pray more for our leaders?
Most of the pastors in our region that I speak with on a regular basis would say that they sense the dial up of warfare over the region. I would agree. Our level of prayer and intercession must exceed the level of resistance and opposition or we will not gain any ground in the territory. So…if Satan is dialing it up…then the people of GOD must dial it up more to gain ground!!! That makes perfect sense to me. How about you?
The Prophet Zechariah was given an amazing glimpse into the spirit realm that should help motivate us to pray more for our spiritual leadership in our churches. “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan; ’The LORD rebuke you Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’” (Zechariah 3:1-2)
The insights we can gain from studying the prophets of the Bible will often give us a more complete picture of the spiritual conflict and nature of our adversary. Think about this particular example. The prophet of GOD is given a supernatural revelation of what is unseen to the world and often unseen to the people of GOD in general. He sees the level of resistance and opposition the priest of GOD is experiencing in his service to the LORD. We are not talking here about just a priest, but the high priest of Israel, the one responsible for going into the holy place. What do we see here? We see a level of resistance and opposition that is beyond the human in nature. Satan himself is standing at his right hand resisting and opposing what Joshua is trying to do in his ministry to the LORD.
How intense is this kind of conflict? From the text we can gather several amazing insights into the intensity of the battle. The LORD Himself enters into the picture and rebukes Satan, not once, but twice. A double rebuke reveals for us the magnitude of the battle we face every day in ministry. Another interesting insight we see in this text is the filthy garments that Joshua was wearing. (Zechariah 3:3-5) Perhaps his own sin issues opened the door for a major spiritual attack from the enemy? This could be a warning to all of us…to live out our walk with CHRIST 24/7. Thankfully, the LORD intervenes here, cleanses HIS servant and restores the proper order of ministry in the house. Aren’t you glad as well, that when we miss it and fall into the world’s traps, we have a REDEEMER GOD who rescues us and restores us. Hallelujah!!!
So…back to the opening question. Should we pray more for our leaders?
Most of the pastors in our region that I speak with on a regular basis would say that they sense the dial up of warfare over the region. I would agree. Our level of prayer and intercession must exceed the level of resistance and opposition or we will not gain any ground in the territory. So…if Satan is dialing it up…then the people of GOD must dial it up more to gain ground!!! That makes perfect sense to me. How about you?
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