As I’ve fellowshipped with the Lord over the years, I’ve found He is very willing to answer questions. So as I was studying the book of Acts recently, pondering our mission as believers, I decided to ask Him one:

“Lord,” I said, “can You describe for me in just a few words how You envision the work of the Church?”

He responded by reminding me of what He said in the Bible about the ministry of Jeremiah:

Behold, I have put My words in your mouth…I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.
(Jer. 1:9–10, AMP)

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought of those verses as a job description for New Testament believers, but they absolutely are. Every one of us in the Church can point to them and identify our divine calling. We’re on a mission to root out, pull down, to destroy, and to overthrow the works of the Devil; and to build and plant the kingdom of God.

How exactly are we supposed to do that?

Do we hire a demolition crew to bring in a wrecking ball and a bulldozer, or call up a construction crew to swing hammers and pound nails? No. We do our work like Jeremiah did. We yield our mouths to the Holy Spirit and declare the Word of God.

“But Lynne,” you might say, “I’m not a preacher or prophet like Jeremiah was.”

That’s okay. You don’t have to be. You can yield your mouth to the Holy Spirit and declare God’s Word in prayer.

Your Prayers Are a Powerful Weapon
When it comes to building God’s kingdom and stopping the Devil in his tracks, that’s one of the most powerful things any believer can do. The Bible confirms it. It reveals again and again how, throughout history, God has moved in mighty ways when His people prayed. We could talk about any number of examples, but one of my favorites is found in the book of Esther.

It tells about a time when the king of Persia ordered the entire Jewish race to be slaughtered—“both young and old, little children and women, in one day” (Est.3:13 AMP). Facing complete annihilation, the Jews had only one representative who could approach the king on their behalf and ask for mercy—Esther, the young Jewish woman who had recently become the queen.

She had access to the king’s throne room, but the king hadn’t called for her in 30 days. If she went into his presence uninvited, she could be executed for it.

Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, urged her to take the risk. In a message he sent to her at the palace, he said:

If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?
(Esther 4:14 AMP)

Esther responded by sending him this reply:

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan and fast for me…I also and my maids will fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law: and if I perish, I perish. (v. 16 AMP)

Notice that, according to those verses, Esther wasn’t the only one responsible for the success of her mission. All God’s people were responsible for it. They had to work together to overthrow the Devil’s plan and build up a spiritual highway for Esther to walk on. And they did it through prayer!

All God’s People Are Responsible to Pray
The same principle holds true today. God has called all of us as believers to be responsible for the work of His kingdom. He hasn’t assigned just a few people to do it. He has prayer projects for you and me and every other person in the body of Christ.

If you’re not sure exactly what your prayer assignments are, you can ask the Lord to show you. He’ll not only reveal them to you, He’ll teach you how to work on them. He’ll put them in your heart until they become so much your own that you think, If I don’t do this, it’s not going to get done! The Lord is a Master at that!

I’m reminded of it every time I pull out my tattered, dog-eared copy of the book, Reese Howells: Intercessor. It gives example after example of how the Holy Spirit worked with Mr. Howells, showing him what his prayer assignments were and teaching him how to fulfill them. Reading that book has always encouraged me in my prayer life. And recently it’s been especially inspiring because of what I see happening on the world stage right now.