When you pray hard and it hits the fan

Each Monday, Donna Partow offers a prayer call as one of the great benefits of membership in her 90-Day Renewal program for 2014, The Ultimate Year, which I just joined and LOVE.

On today’s prayer call, one of the members has been praying and fasting for her husband, and when she began fasting, he began experiencing vision problems. Here was Donna’s wise response:

“A lot of times we’ll be really praying and praying and it gets worse, and the devil says you pray and it got worse! Actually God knew it’s about to hit the fan, it’s about to get much worse, and that is why you feel that urgency to pray. That is the moment you have to press on in faith. God is inviting you to bring about that change.”

Do you relate? This also seems to happen whenever you are about to step out to do something for God, or AFTER you have done something great for God. You experience more intense spiritual warfare, or backlash from the enemy Satan.

God is greater than the devil. Continue to pray (and fast if you’re fasting), and keep your eyes on Jesus. The battle belongs to God. When the Moabites and the Ammonites were coming against Jehoshaphat and Judah, he resolved to go to God to pray and proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel as he stood in the assembly and he encouraged them:

“This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

Jehoshaphat and the people bowed to the ground and worshipped God and praised Him loudly. The next morning Jehoshaphat told them:

“Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”

God set ambushes against the Moabites and the Ammonites and the men of Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men of Mount Seir and destroyed them. Then they began to attack each other! By the time the people of Judah arrived, they found nothing but dead bodies. No one had escaped!

So Jehoshaphat and his men began to carry off the plunder – equipment, clothes, and other valuables. It was more than they could take away. It took them 3 days to carry away the plunder! On the 4th day, they gathered in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. Berakah means blessing. When you begin to seek God’s face, pray and fast, you will experience His blessings!

Jehoshaphat and the army returned to Jerusalem with joy, because God had caused them to rejoice over their enemies. The fear of God fell on the other kingdoms surrounding them, because they heard how God had fought against Israel’s enemies. Jehoshaphat had peace, because God had given him rest on every side. (2 Chronicles 20)

God wants to give you peace and rest from your enemies, whatever they are – marriage problems, financial struggles, sickness, your business not succeeding as you’d like, conflicts at work, frustrations, etc. Keep praying and don’t give up.

Want to know effective strategies in spiritual warfare. Click here for my book The Hands of a Woman: Everyday Women in Everyday Battles.

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