During today’s prayer time, we are going to press in for those who are wounded on the spiritual battle field. The Lord is leading to uphold those who are in pain, doubt and are running away. We are going to intercede for those who will spiritually bleed to death, if we don’t intercede. This is an important day. Please be sure to pray the prayer at the end out loud. We will be speaking prophetic scriptures out loud over those who are in spiritual danger and distress.
We are living in a time when a great falling away is happening before our eyes. I remember how epic 2019 was for falling leaders, especially amongst high profile Christians. We have been plagued with so many stunning disappointments while headline after headline taunts the believer in Jesus with news of yet another person who is having a “deconstruction of faith.”
For the past several years, the intensity has increased to a fevered pitch, as more and more who were teetering on the edge of doubt and disillusionment fell like dominos. Each one emboldened, or rather, “knocked down” by the one before.
Jesus warned about this falling away in the gospels, and Paul details this more in 2 Thesselonians 2:1-12
The Great Apostasy
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
In verse 3, the word in the Greek for falling away is: 646 apostasía (from 868 /aphístēmi, “leave, depart,” which is derived from 575/apó, “away from” and 2476 /histémi, “stand”) – properly, departure (implying desertion); apostasy – literally, “a leaving, from a previous standing.” This is speaking of people who are believers who walk away from the faith. The scriptures tell us that this is a major prophetic sign to occur before the man of lawlessness (the Anti-Christ) is revealed.
We are seeing an increased attack on the minds of believers. People are discouraged. People are beaten down. Many are afraid and full of anxiety. Confusion is rampant and sin in the church is everywhere. With the sin comes a desire to compromise truth and to create a new idea of what God is for and against based on the made-up philosophies of people, instead of on the strength of the word of God.
Today, I felt an urge come over me to intercede for the weak, the fallen and those being drawn into Satan’s traps. God wants us to pray for both shepherds and sheep- those who are being pulled by the sins of the world away from Jesus. There are many who walked with the Lord in passion in years gone by who have been distracted by the world and discouraged by the darkness and confusion. The enemy is positioning these people for an outright about face. He wants them to completely turn from Jesus.
Jesus, however, is ready to leave the 99 sheep to go after the 1 who has strayed. Jesus is ready to fight for the broken and the bruised. Jesus is ready to carry those sheep on his shoulders back to the sheep fold. You probably know them. You know them by name- those who fell into a toxic relationship and because of hurt, shame and anger are losing sight of who God is. You know many who have gone through the worst trials and are overrun by emotions and pain. You know individuals who fell into public sin and desire to repent, but feel hopeless that God could ever restore them.
We have to pray for and welcome the broken and the lost back into the fold. There are many who are looking for hope. Can we be the ones who demonstrate the Father’s mercy and grace?
You may know people like this- people with faces and names- people you have walked with through many personal parts of life. You know them and love them, but God knows them and loves them more than you do. He wants to revive the dry and weary bones of the wanderer. He is waiting for the prodigal sons and daughters to come home.
Let us look at the prophecy from Ezekiel 37
The Valley of Dry Bones
1The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath a enter you, and you will come to life. 6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
7So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ”
Hallelujah! If the Lord is able to prophesy to the dry bones- a nation of Israelites scattered across the planet and call them up to bring them back after 2000 years of desolation, how much more can he call up those who are spiritually isolated, dry and separated?
Let us use Ezekiel’s prophetic vision to pray for those who are dry and seemingly dead! Now, I will explain that this is done in Ezekiel’s passage in a way where you are actually “speaking” or “prophesying” to the breath, the Spirit of God, and calling him to breath into the slain so they may live. We will speak these scriptures in prayer over the people we are lifting up and trust in the Lord to fulfill the healing, as we keep them lifted up in prayer.
“Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name!” I lift up your name oh God! You are exalted and mighty! Your power is displayed for all to see. Lord, prepare your people for your coming and for works to be demonstrated on the earth. I lift up the name of my savior Jesus. Jesus, your name is above all other names! You are my Lord. You are my God! You are blessed above all others.
There is no God like Jehovah! You are mighty, oh Lord! No other one is above you. You are highest. You are great! Praise you Lord!
Your kingdom come, Lord, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day everything we need for living. I need daily grace. Help me not to worry about what is to come, but only to fix my eyes on Jesus. Give us this day our daily bread. Provide for all of our needs, according to your riches in glory. Lead me and guide me in how to prepare physically in this world, but also fill me with the faith to trust you. You will lead me and I will follow you, Lord. Provide for my family’s need, Lord. Lord, you see what I will need, even when I can’t see it. I trust you, Jehovah-jireh, my provider.
Lord, I confess my sin to you. I ask that you will reveal all that I need to know to me. Reveal to me sin and pride. I don’t want to become prideful in fasting and praying- but wholly lean on Jesus, my Lord and savior. I forgive any and all people who have hurt me. I forgive in the name of Jesus. Bring to my mind anyone I need to name by name. Oh Lord, give me your wisdom and revelation.
Lord, today I come before you, seeking you on behalf of the people of God who have been scattered by sin, hardship and by satan’s divisiveness all over the world. Lord, you see these believers, these lost sheep who have left the fold. Lord, I know you want to call up all those who are broken, hurt, and are lying wounded on the battle field. I ask in the name of Jesus for the power from on high today to pray for a miracle to move through your people.
I ask, in the name of Jesus, for your power to flow through my prayers, infuse my faith with your power. Give me your eyes of faith to see hope in the most desperate situations. (Take time to write down the names the Lord brings to you to pray for.) Lord, I speak and ask for your mercy, grace and power to call up the dead bones. Call up the dry bones. There are so many lying on a battlefield, left to die spiritually by those who they led or those who trusted them. Many have fallen into sin. Some are devastated by a major life blow and have been filled with doubt. Oh Lord, please, in the name of Jesus, raise these wounded soldiers up from death to life. Call them up! Save them, Lord.
Raise up the sleeping church. Wake them up, in Jesus’ name! I call out to them, “Wake up, sleeper! Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you, in the name of Jesus!”
In the name of Jesus, I prophesy to these dry bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
I prophesy to the breath, “Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live!” Lord, raise these slain up from spiritual death to life. I speak life and hope and the name of Jesus over these dry bones.
(Repeat this prophesying over those you love who have fallen away.)
I pray that you will strengthen what remains of these who are laying on the battlefield. Strengthen the in their inner beings that Christ may dwell their hearts through faith. Build them up to know your love, which is beyond understanding. Give supernatural life to those who are dead.
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. (or into the sheepfold) Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ”
Lord, breathe your life into these dry bones, put meat on the bones and bring them to their feet- standing in your presence. There are many like Samson, who is blinded by sin and is stuck pushing a grinding stone in circles. They are under the whip of slavery to sin. Convict, Oh Lord. Bring them home. Bring them into the freedom of the Son of God.
I stand against all shame, doubt, confusion, mixed up thinking, discouragement, pain, and delusions in the name of Jesus. I command Satan to leave these people who are lying on the battlefield of defeat. I am praying for the resurrection power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to fill them with hope and to clear their eyes to see what is happening in the spirit realm. Satan, you cannot have these people any longer.
I stand against depression, suicide, fear, anxiety, and a spirit of heaviness in Jesus’ name. I command these spirits to stand down from the people of God. I stand in the name and power of the resurrection and pray, “Let the weak say I am strong!” I cover these broken and hurting people with the blood of Jesus. I cover them with prayer. I pray for encouragement to flow through their veins. I pray that you will awaken me, Lord, to see anyone close to me who is hiding in pain, in Jesus’ name. Let me be an encouragement to those who are feeling worthless and lonely. Bring me people to encourage, Lord.
Encourage me, Lord. Strengthen me, Lord. Deliver me from all of these attacks and strongholds of Satan, myself. I rebuke Satan’s attacks on me and my family, in Jesus’ name. I stand in the name of the Son of God, who loves me and died for me that I might live.
Father, in Jesus’ name, I pray that you will bring healing and renewed faith to these broken believers. Encourage them, Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
If you are enjoying this 40 day prayer focus, please get all your friends and family to join you. More than ever, we need people praying in unity.
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
Revealed Ministries 
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