Prayer That Shakes the Earth By Rebecca Greenwood
The Lord is positioning His church to become people of action who will advance the kingdom of God. We are Christ’s ambassadors; we are called to represent His rule. Wherever we are, the kingdom of God is also.
First Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (NIV).
Investigating this Scripture, we will discover that the Greek word for belonging, peripoiesin, when used here, carries the following meaning:
- A set apart nation
- A people consecrated for God’s own possession
- A consecrated class of people
- A purchased people
- An acquired people
- A people for purpose
- A people for action
God has chosen, purchased, acquired, consecrated and set us apart in order for us to move forward in purpose and action, completely trusting in the Lord and knowing we cannot do anything in and of ourselves. God not only wants us to walk in an intimate, personal relationship with Him, but from this place we are to also move forward with the mentality of standing in the earth for Him and advancing the kingdom of God. He is calling us to hear His plans and purposes, to get in there with Him and to effect change.
As Christ’s kingdom representatives, we are also representational. We are to establish a righteous paradigm in our areas of influence.
We serve an awesome God, who has made available to us favor, creativity, power, wisdom, strategies and all we need to cause the lost world to be drawn to Him and cultures to be transformed. No matter where we are placed-in our homes, neighborhoods, businesses and churches, God has equipped and anointed us for our assignments. What a powerful inheritance we possess!
The Measure of Rule
The Lord allots to His children special territories or assignments, wherein we have a physical presence and spiritual authority. For some of us, the territory might be an area such as the inner city, our neighborhoods or the marketplace. Some may be placed in professional leadership roles in businesses, schools, churches and governments. Others find their territories are people groups and the nations of the world.
There are some who carry a passion for youth and others, a strong desire to set captives free. Some may carry burdens in prayer. It is possible to have certain assignments for specific seasons and, as we grow with God, we’ll discover that our areas of influence and spiritual authority are increased.
Paul describes this principle in 2 Corinthians 10:13: “We will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you” (KJV).
The Greek word for measure is metron, meaning to “cut out an area or distance with a measurer’s reed or rule.” It refers to the size of one’s area of authority. Kanon, the Greek word for rule, refers to “a field of activity.” Here it means the power one has within a particular territory.
The Greek word merizo, translated distribute, carries the meaning of “a portion or share.” In putting these concepts together, Paul explains that the Lord assigns specific areas for each of His children in which we can move with power to make known the kingdom of God.
Paul’s measure of rule was to the gentile nations. As kingdom ambassadors, we, too, are to establish a physical presence. To be influential, we cannot remain hidden. We must build trusting relationships with others. We are to become praying people of our word, who reflect the love of Jesus and walk in integrity, character, obedience and humility.
Responsibility of Relationship
As a young mother, I taught piano lessons in our home. Understanding this was a territory entrusted to me by God, I prayed that He would bring me students who needed a revelation of the love of Jesus.
I received a phone call from Susie, a 16-year-old girl, originally from Thailand. The Lord told me she had a powerful call on her life. I was to give her lessons and intercede for her salvation
Before each lesson, I spent time in focused intercession for Susie’s salvation. She was placed in my measure of rule, and it was my responsibility to see her brought into the kingdom of God.
I did not preach or force my beliefs on her. I reached out in love and built a relationship based on trust. One afternoon in the middle of a piece of music, Susie suddenly stopped. “Miss Becca, can I ask you a question?” she said.
“Of course,” I replied.
“You are a Christian, right?”
“Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”
She said, “I have Christian friends in my high school who talk to me about Jesus. I am curious to know Him, but my family worships Buddha. I know he is a false and powerless god. I do not want a religion focused on the worship of a false god. I must know that Jesus is real before I commit to follow Him.”
“Susie,” I said, “Jesus is the Savior of the world. He wants to reveal Himself to you. Do you have a need in your life? We can pray and ask Jesus to help you. He will answer our prayer, and you will know He is the one true God.”
She replied, “I do have a need. I lost my glasses two weeks ago. My parents were mad at me because of the expense to replace them. Yesterday, I lost my new pair of glasses! I am afraid to tell my parents. Can we pray that I find my new pair before my parents realize I lost them?
“Absolutely,” I responded.
We prayed asking the Lord to help Susie find her glasses.
The following week, Susie arrived for her lesson beaming with excitement. She quickly exclaimed, “The day after we prayed I went to school. After English class, my teacher called me to her desk and opened a drawer. She pulled out the first pair of glasses I had lost!
“That afternoon, the bus driver handed me the new pair of glasses my parents just bought for me! Not only did Jesus help me find my new pair of glasses, He also found my first pair. I know He is the one true God. Please lead me to Him.”
We both wept tears of joy as Susie received Jesus as her Savior.
Susie began to experience a hunger for the Word of God. A Bible was purchased for her, and we would spend the first portion of her class working on piano lessons and the last portion learning about God.
Her Buddhist parents would have forbidden her to read the Bible, so she stayed up late at night, reading the Scriptures in bed under her sheets with a flashlight. During this time, the Lord began to give her an intercessory burden for her parents and family members in Thailand, who were trapped in the worship of Buddha.
One day Susie explained a difficult situation to me. Her parents were requiring her to go to the Buddhist temple to pray to Buddha and receive a blessing from the monk. She didn’t want to go but was given no choice. We asked the Lord to work mightily on her behalf.
The day arrived for her blessing from the monk. After her parents prayed to Buddha, a monk approached the family for the blessing, but as he reached out to touch Susie’s shoulder, he hesitated.
When he attempted to put his hand on her shoulder again, it was as if something hindered him from touching her. He bowed, as if to acknowledge the power within Susie, and then he left.
God performed that miracle. And in doing so, He showed Susie the authority she carried in her measure of rule.
During her last music lesson, Susie said, “Miss Becca, thank you for leading me to Jesus. When I graduate from college, I am going to Thailand as a missionary to lead my people to Him and to reach those gripped in darkness to the worship of Buddha.”
We both thanked the Lord for saving Susie, for His faithfulness in her life and for her calling to reach the Buddhist people of Thailand.
You never know where your prayers will take you. No matter what your assignment or measure of rule, when you recognize it and agree with the Lord about it, change and transformation will occur.
Watchmen on the Wall
We are not living in our neighborhoods and cities by mistake. God has placed us there as His kingdom representatives to partner with Him.
In Acts 17:26, Paul said, “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (NIV).
As we build a physical presence, we also carry a role and spiritual authority as watchman on the wall. In ancient times, a watchman was one who stood guard on the city wall. Anything he saw approaching from a distance whether good or bad, he would announce its approach. He had to be alert, especially against hostility or danger.
As watchmen in our territories, we must be on alert through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Lord has given each of us the responsibility to watch-to stand on the wall, see what is approaching, announce it and blow the trumpet. As we stand in this place of prayer, watching on the wall and hearing the voice of the Lord, we can announce and release His directions and commands. The key to effectively legislating authority in our jurisdiction is walking with the Lord in obedience and doing what we see the Father doing.
Pray, Hear and Obey
At some point we have all had this experience of godly authority, when we discovered an inborn ability to lead or encountered a situation that caused righteous indignation to rise up in our spirits. It may not be a frequent occurrence, but there are those times when unrighteous circumstances present themselves, and something within us takes charge of the situation.
This was the case for me several years ago. The Lord blessed our family with a home in a new neighborhood. It was a peaceful location with many Christian families, several growing church plants and a new field ripe for harvest.
We were driving through the neighborhood one day when my husband, Greg, and I noticed a sign on a corner lot that read: “Future Home for the Mormon Church.” Concerned that this was not the spiritual influence we desired in our neighborhood, I said someone needed to do something before they began to build on the land.
Greg replied, smiling, “You’re right! So when are you going to deal with it?” His challenge surprised me. Even though I did not want a false religion established in our territory, I had not thought about dealing with it myself.
The Lord was calling us to stand on the land and refuse access to this false religion. The following Sunday, we made a trip to the corner lot and stood in front of the sign. I asked Greg if he wanted to pray. He said: “You do it. I am here to agree with you as the Lord leads.”
I began to pray. It was not a lengthy prayer, as I knew our purpose. “Father,” I began, “we thank you for this neighborhood and the families who live here. Father, we thank You ahead of time for the work You are going to do in their lives. Right now we stand as legal landowners and homeowners and ones who have spiritual authority in this region. In the name of Jesus, we say that no Mormon church will be built. We say no to the spirit[s] of lying, error, [and] all Antichrist and witchcraft spirits attached to Mormonism. You are not welcome and will not gain entrance into this territory.
“We say no in Jesus’ name. We say the paperwork for this building will not go through, and that the bank will not approve the loan. The door is shut to you right now.
“Father, we pray for all those involved in this church. We agree that deception will be broken off of minds and hearts, and that salvation will spring forth into their lives. We thank You ahead of time for their salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!”
We poured anointing oil around the sign and claimed the land for the kingdom of God. We made this declaration five years ago. That Mormon church has not been built, and the sign has been removed. This is a demonstration of legislative kingdom authority, in the form of a united cry, arising from followers of Jesus Christ and refusing illegal possession or seizure of land in our measure of rule.
The world around us is waiting to be restored. There are lost souls searching for answers, land that needs to be cleansed, and laws that need to be changed. It is time to get in there with God and become women of action.
Allow Him to use you to effect change in your territory. When confronted with unrighteousness, let your declaration resound into the spirit realm: “Not in my city, not in my family, not in my territory, not on my watch!”
Rebecca Greenwood