I’ve never prayed that God would kill anybody. I know the Lord is compassionate, even toward His enemies. Second Peter 3:9 (NASB) says God is patient, “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
But I also know the Bible gives us permission to get aggressive in prayer when we are under spiritual attack. When all hell breaks loose, God permits us to go on the defensive as well as the offensive. Jesus, for example, taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13b)—a powerful prayer that invites the Lord to intervene and defend us.
The apostle Paul spoke often of aggressive “spiritual warfare” prayer. He wrote: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2 Cor. 10:4). Prayer can be a tool of blessing, but it can also become a weapon when we or God’s kingdom come under assault by the invisible forces of hell and by the wicked human beings who are used like puppets by demonic powers.
There are times in history when we must take the gloves off and get ruthless in our spiritual resistance. We can’t play nice when our nation is under attack. This week I’m spending three days fasting and praying for America—and I’m finding courage from the imprecatory prayers in the Psalms. These are specific prayers that ask for God’s judgments on His enemies.
Psalm 60:11-12 is a great example of a judgment prayer. It says: “O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.” When I ask God to “tread down our adversaries,” I’m not asking that He kill anyone, but I am asking that the enemies of righteousness—both people and demons—would be silenced and defeated.
Psalm 44:4-5 says: “You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob. Through You we will push back our adversaries; through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.” This is a promise that when we trust in the Lord to fight our battles, He will visibly defeat our enemies.
I invite you to join me in praying for deliverance for the United States. There are four spheres of our nation that I am praying about during this tumultuous season:
- America’s universities and their professors. It has become obvious that our university campuses have become the Petri dishes of evil in our culture. The cult of political correctness began on the campus, and now a whole generation is brainwashed. Now a movement toward socialism and Marxism thrives in places like Harvard, Berkeley—our major state universities. Even though most of these schools began with Christian foundations, today they have turned to the dark side of atheism and communism.
- The mainstream media and Hollywood’s elite. There was a time when America was known for its free press and for a media that held our institutions accountable. Today, many of our best newspapers have been hijacked by leftists. Meanwhile our news and entertainment companies are pushing an immoral agenda down our throats as they shred what’s left of family values.
- Lawless anarchists. I never expected in my lifetime to see angry militants marching through the streets of Portland, Seattle or Chicago setting fires, destroying businesses, and taking over federal courthouses and whole city blocks. Some protesters say they are doing this for racial equality, but the truth is these outraged antifa activists don’t care about justice. They are bent on destroying America as we know it. They want a country with no police, no laws and no private property.
- Politicians bent on destroying godly values. What is most shocking is that the very people Americans elected to represent them in local, state and federal government are pushing an agenda of third-trimester abortions, anti-family policies, transgenderism, social engineering, open borders and lack of police protection. The rise of New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was elected in 2018, has proven how easily it is for an ultra far-left candidate to win in today’s divisive political climate. Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
We can’t just sit back and sing another chorus of “Kumbaya” while the devil mounts the most aggressive assault on our nation in a generation. Don’t be intimidated by the resistance. We have so many examples in the Bible of brave intercessors who watched God smash His enemies in response to one bold prayer. It’s time to pray. Get ruthless in faith as you suit up for this spiritual battle. {eoa}
