2 Thess. 2:7 Amp
Right now, God is marshalling His forces. Just as a nation would marshal its military forces to prepare for a possible war, He is assembling His spiritual army on the earth.
He is reminding every one of us as saints of the Lord that we are called to be soldiers for Him. He is commanding us in the body of Christ to be strong in His might, to put on the whole armor of God, and take our stand against the wiles of the Devil—not only in our own lives and families, but in our cities, in our nations, and in the world.
Although He loves each of us dearly and enjoys blessing us, the Lord of Hosts has more for us to do than sit comfortably in His spiritual pastures, feeding on His goodness. He needs for us to rise up now and fight His foes; to use the strength and revelation we’ve been given to take spiritual territory and expand the kingdom of God.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the details of day-to-day living, we forget that’s what we as believers are here to do. We get busy taking the kids to soccer practice and grocery shopping and going to work every day, and we lose sight of our true purpose. We start acting like we’re on the earth just so we can have a nice, happy life.
But we have a much higher calling. As members of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I are called to resist and restrain the powers of darkness in the earth. We are equipped by God to restrain what the New Testament refers to as “the mystery of lawlessness” that is at work in the world. It’s our job to hold back Satan’s forces until the time of the rapture comes and Jesus returns.
So load your weapons, soldier. Take your place in God’s army of prayer.
Scripture Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1–7
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”