In our current culture, we are constantly bombarded by messages of tolerance for every viewpoint and behavior, no matter what it is. As we are confronted with the demands of tolerance, a cycle begins. We initially cry out to God in desperation; then, as we experience a series of defeats, weariness may set in, and finally, resignation. While we are tempted to give up the prayer battle, we must look to our Lord for help, examining our hearts to stay focused on God’s viewpoint as reflected in Scripture. Note this warning:

“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Things that make people fall into sin are bound to happen, but how terrible for the one who makes them happen! It would be better for him if a large millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch what you do!’” (Luke 17:1-3 GNT)

When it comes to prayer and intercession, this is a critical passage. It is God who defines what sin is. On moral issues, His Word presents the correct viewpoint. Just because something is popular doesn’t make it right, and just because the courts rule in a particular way, doesn’t mean the judges’ decisions are right. As we struggle with the cycles that tolerance creates, we must remember to persist in our intercessory calling. Prayer is always the correct first response.

A primary characteristic of an intercessor’s heart is desperation. God responds to our desperation with His mercy. Increasing demands for tolerance may chip away and neutralize desperation. If we begin to tolerate ungodly things, we will not retain this desperate stance. Intercessory endurance is vital as we continually examine our hearts to ensure our desperation and sense of what is right are not diluted and thereby neutralized.
How, then, are we to do this? As with all spiritual battles, we overcome by faith and perseverance.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith greater” (Luke 17: 5 GNT).

Our Lord’s words were just as challenging to His early disciples as they are to us some 2,000 years later. In essence, they were saying, “HELP!” and so must we. They understood their ability be “salt” in the lives of others was limited in their own efforts; they needed greater faith.

This simple prayer, “Make our faith greater,” is one we will need to pray in days ahead, perhaps more than any time in our lives. We will need greater faith to examine our hearts, greater ability to know God’s heart, and greater power to pray and believe our God can still work miracles.

Faith grows as we ask and believe God. Faith changes the thoughts in our head, the attitudes of our hearts, and the actions of our hands. God has called us to join Him in shaping history through prayer and fasting, and we live in a day that we must pray for a greater measure of faith to do this.

Intercessors, as we watch the seemingly limitless parade of evil before our eyes, let us evaluate all we see through God’s eyes, guarding our hearts and praying for greater faith. Lord, make our faith greater.

- Dave Kubal, President of Intercessors for America

It was quite a scene. The Israelites were at it again. Despite the patient leadership of Moses, the Israelites were on the verge of destroying themselves, forgetting the covenant relationship that Israel entered into with the Lord at Sinai. (Numbers 16) A rebellious majority formed a leadership alliance of 250 men and approached Moses and Aaron telling them that they had gone too far, that no one should have so much authority.

Fast forward to a similar situation in America today and voices would be raised, heads would roll. Moses’ response was one of absolute humility. He fell face down and instructed the people to show up the following day with their incense and incense holders and see who God would accept. The next day the glory of the Lord appeared to everyone and God told Moses and Aaron to get back so He could, “put an end to them.”

Again, Moses’ response was incredible. He fell face down and cried out to God to save the people, but the damage was done. God caused an earthquake to occur and swallowed up the leaders of the rebellious alliance, their families, and all their belongings. Then fire came out from the Lord and consumed the remaining 250.

You would think that this would have been enough to convince even the worst skeptics, but just a few verses later the Israelites are back at it, and this time it was worse. Not just a few, but the entire assembly of the Israelites revolted. As they gathered in front of the Tent of Meeting the same thing happened … only with a twist.

God instructed Moses and Aaron to get back so that He could destroy the entire nation, and with that a plague spread out from the Tent of Meeting and began to destroy the Israelites. With no recorded directive from God, Moses told Aaron to take his censer, incense, and fire from the altar “and hurry to the assembly to make atonement.”

Aaron sprinted from the front of the crowd toward the back as the deadly plague was released over the congregation. In front of him people were gasping, moaning, and dying. Chaos ensued as fear gripped the crowd, and the people began to stampede. As Aaron gained ground toward the edge of death, the scriptures say, “He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.”

There is a plague of death sweeping America today. Will you unite with us in our effort to Get America Praying by mobilizing thousands of additional intercessors to stand in the GAP between life and death, to help avert judgment and bring Christ’s atonement to this country? The plague of death is quickly progressing over virtually every area of our culture. Now is the time to pray and act with humility and concern for every American.

Join us on the National Day of Prayer and please visit GetAmericaPraying.com to learn how to join this nationwide intercessory effort.

—Dave Kubal serves as President / CEO of IFA

The road of the intercessor is a long one. Daniel is an example. In the year 551 BC Daniel received a vision of the rise and fall of empires. A six-year span of time was described in the vision where deceit would prosper as a “ram” (Medo-Persian Empire) and a “goat” (Greece) would battle both Media and Persia. Daniel was astonished and appalled, grew faint, and lay ill for several days after the vision. (Daniel 8) Nothing transpired until the year 539 BC when God gave Daniel another vision which foretold the restoration of Jerusalem and the coming of the Anointed One.

Two years later in 537 BC, Daniel received revelation of a great war which caused him to seek God and mourn for 21 days. A “Heavenly Warrior” appeared to him who described what had been going on. Evidently, for three full weeks a tremendous spiritual battle had ensued between this Heavenly Warrior and the “prince of Persia.” Even the Archangel Michael had been brought in on the action. Finally, after 21 days, there was a breakthrough in the battle against the “prince of Persia” and Daniel was given an up-to-date battle report.

Then the angel spoke words that every intercessor needs to hear: “Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed… peace! Be strong now, be strong.” (Daniel 9:19) These words were spoken to Daniel to impart strength and give him courage. Even the mighty Daniel, a valiant man who had endured much and suffered the inside of the lion’s den, grew weary.

It is natural and easy for intercessors to become weary and tired. But we need to understand that there are battles being fought in the heavenlies at this very time that we don’t know much or often anything about. We are unaware, but God and His hosts are engaged! Be strong, Intercessor! Realize that God has dispatched His mighty warriors. He is ever working behind the scenes in the heavenlies.

The Liberty Bell carries this quote from Leviticus 25:10: “… proclaim liberty and freedom throughout all the land….” This Bell was ordered in 1751 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pennsylvania’s Charter of Privileges, its first Constitution, signed in 1701. Fifty years of hoping—and certainly praying—saw many still waiting for God to bring this passage to reality. Another 25 years unfolded before the colonies would experience liberty as a country—as the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Revolutionary War was begun. After another 80 years passed, the abolitionists adopted the Liberty Bell and the Leviticus passage as their symbol of freedom. Finally, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863. Surely there was someone who was praying for liberty in 1701 who never lived to see 1776, and it is a certainty that those praying in 1701 did not live to see 1863.

Sometimes we, as intercessors, are called to pray for things that we may never see manifested or brought to resolution. Intercession is often tough enough without this truth, but this is also the raw reality before every praying believer. It is not whether we see victories; it is whether we are obedient and persist in our prayers. Let us continue in expectant faith and anticipate victories, but let us not give up if all is not “answered” in short order—or even in our lifetimes.

Listen now to the words spoken to Daniel, and hear them for yourself: “Do not be afraid, O man (or woman) highly esteemed … peace! Be strong now, be strong.”

It would seem that many who pray for this nation have seen some breakthroughs and political shifts in recent days; but keep yourself braced—we are engaged in battles whose total victory will not be seen until the Lord returns. We are standing on the shoulders of faithful Christian intercessors who founded this country. They demonstrated patience and stamina; so must we. Our task is not done until the Groom has come for the Bride. “Be strong now!” Even so, come Lord Jesus!

—Dave Kubal serves as President / CEO of Intercessors for America

“If that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.  And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would
benefit it.”  —Jeremiah 18:8-10

How does a nation corporately turn from its evil?  How does a nation corporately do evil?  In a nation of more than 270 million people there will always be a certain number of citizens doing evil. How much is too much for God?  Not everyone in our country has a relationship with Christ, so can we ever expect that evil will not be done?

These are troubling questions. Yet, we can find answers in Micah 6:8 that provide a lens to view today’s events as we pray for America. “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?”

God prescribes a three part definition for a nation to do “what is good” in His sight.

Do Justly.  Justice is the quality of being righteous or fair—seeing that people receive what is morally right, fair and appropriate. Justice also includes the concept of upholding law and order, as in the work of police, judges, and the courts.  For over 200 years our judicial system has been based upon Judeo-Christian values and principles.  Our founders understood how important it was for an external, unchanging code of ethics, derived in great measure from the Bible, to rule our judicial system.

One assault on justice that other countries are experiencing is when Muslim politicians, officials and judges move into power and begin to insert Islamic “sharia” law, a harsh system of law derived from the teachings of the Koran.  America has already had one congressman swear an oath to the Koran as he began his service to the Congress.  We need to intercede and win our Muslim neighbors to Christ; an even more intense spiritual battle is coming.  We must prayerfully guard Judeo-Christian justice in this country.

Love Mercy.  Mercy has an emotional element that is a compassionate concern for those that are in need.  We must pray that God would protect us as a nation from becoming emotionally desensitized to the legitimate needs of others.  Studies continue to show that one of the biggest influences upon the minds of our children which inhibits them from developing hearts of mercy is violent video games, now accessible even via cell phones.  H. R. Bill 5990 introduced by Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) is an attempt at preventing minors from purchasing these types of games.  Efforts such as Rep. Matheson’s need to be encouraged and covered in prayer.

Walk Humbly.  The need to humble ourselves and rely on God is the single most important element established by our founding fathers which enabled the success of these United States.  Our nation’s motto, “In God We Trust,” was printed on U.S. coins because one man,  Rev. M. R. Watkins from Ridleyville, PA, wrote to the Secretary of Treasury on Nov. 13th 1861 stating, “…This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed.  From my heart, I have felt our national shame in disowning God....”  It would be hard to say it any better.  We must continue to intercede for all in authority and for individuals like Rev. Watkins as they labor to lead us as a nation into humility.

As we consider how we can tip the scales from corporate evil to doing “what is good” in God’s eyes, we must earnestly pray, speak out, and take action to preserve our Judeo-Christian judicial system.  We must fight for policies of justice and mercy on our knees, and through humble, persuasive action.  We need to Get America Praying!

—Dave Kubal serves as President / CEO of Intercessors for America