Trayvon Martin: Turning Back the Cloud of Spiritual Oppression

I’ve been a resident of the Sanford, Fla., area for the past six
years, a business-man-turned pastor. This week I received a word from
the Lord about the current events in my city that was as clear as any
word I’ve received in the past 20 years. I knew that receiving such a
clear, strong and direct prophetic word was significant and I felt compelled to share it with the world.

I heard during prayer the voice of the Lord say
this: “If the church, civil and business leaders do not take
preventative spiritual action on the current events, we will be left
responding to physical violence in the streets of our cities.”

I clearly understood this as a directive word concerning the recent shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
While ministers-turned-politicians stir the pot and create a polarized
and racial picture of the recent events, God is urging church, civil and
business leaders to use the spiritual authority He has given us to stand against this dark and ungodly agenda.

After the Lord spoke those words to my heart, He directed me to 2
Kings 13. In this passage of Scripture, Joash, the king of Judah, goes
to the dying prophet Elisha to receive a blessing for battle. The old prophet directed the king to take his bow and arrows and shoot them out of the window as a prophetic act.
It was a symbol of God’s hand delivering striking blows of destruction
to the enemy’s army. The king responded with respect, but took only
limited action and therefore only received limited empowerment for the
coming battle. Ultimately the nation of Judah was defeated.

I believe this example illustrates how most leaders respond to
crises. We take limited action or simply give mental acknowledgement
that something should be done, but we miss our opportunity to stand up.
Soon we find ourselves responding to the devastating effects that ensue.
The reason God speaks to His people is to give us a strategy to divert
calamity, overcome the enemy and display His power in the earth.

Again, I immediately understood what the Spirit was showing me related to the current events surrounding the Trayvon Martin
tragedy. In short, the Spirit was saying that we are to take clear and
decisive action in this matter. We are not to hold our peace or remain
politely disengaged. We are to stand against the political pressure of
those preying on our community. We are to discuss the matter openly and
not as onlookers disturbed by events that don’t reach our door. We are
to take action, stand on the side of justice, and pray God’s will,
God’s peace, God’s order into the situation. When we hear others speak
of the matter as aloof onlookers we are to bring clarity by interjecting
the will of God into the matter. We are to bring godly perspective
where things are confused. When we do these things, we bring the kingdom
of God to bear on this event.

I enlisted our congregation this week to do a few things you may also
consider. For example, we are holding weekly corporate prayer meetings
that are open to the public on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. We organized a
prayer walk and prayer drive on Wednesdays. Some members of our
congregation have committed to taking an hour of their time to drive
through the neighborhoods of the city and pray for every home they pass.
And I will be participating in a round table discussion on Thursday
about this matter. We must stand up, speak out and stand to together.

Just like the King Joash who had the opportunity to act at the behest of the old prophet,
we will not sit back and watch or make a tentative response. We will
strike the ground again—and again and again—until this enemy of racial
and political misuse no longer exists in our city. We the church, we the
people and we the families of this community love and respect the
values of the Bible, our country and the laws of this land. It is our
response that matters now. Join me in turning back the cloud of spiritual oppression that is pressuring our city—and our nation—and stand up for righteousness.

About the author: Bart Malone is senior pastor of The Bridge Orlando. The church
recently relocated within the city limits of Sanford, Fla., about 20 miles
north of downtown Orlando. Malone challenged his congregation on Sunday
to take spiritual authority over the volitile situation in his city
regarding the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin, which has gained
worldwide attention.