One time a pastor’s wife from California shared with me how she almost fell into the trap of getting too busy with the affairs of life to guard her post in prayer. Some Christians from her area were having a prayer meeting in Sacramento to pray for the capital of California and bring the influence of God to bear on that state and on the nation. She said, “Lord, I can’t go up there to that prayer meeting because I have to homeschool my children that day.”

The Lord answered her and said, “If you don’t go up there and get in your prayer place, the day will come when you will be unable to homeschool your children!”

At some level, that’s true for all of us. If we let ourselves get so busy enjoying our privileges and blessings that we don’t have time to pray, Satan will eventually rob us of them. If we let Satan have his way, we won’t just lose our educational options; we’ll lose our Christian freedoms of all kinds. If we were to let him have his way, terrorism would spread like wildfire, unrestrained all over the world. Nations would slam shut to the Gospel. Righteous leadership would disappear from the face of the earth.

But, bless the Lord, Satan won’t have his way because those of us in the Church aren’t going to let him. We’re going to exert our authority and stand fast in prayer as faithful soldiers of the Lord. We’re going to keep God’s light shining and restrain the powers of darkness.

We’re going to keep Satan on the run and bring God’s influence to bear upon governments until they yield to His will and throw open their doors to Him. And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the nations of the earth. And then (and only then!) the end shall come.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:1 – 14