SA PRAYER CIRCLES
“As in heaven, so in South Africa!”
Transforming South Africa by prayer
WHY WE DO IT
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
“Stop moaning, pray!”
Why should we pray?
Quite simply, the reason why we must pray for our cities and towns is found in Ephesians 6: 12 that tells us we are fighting a spiritual and not a physical war on Earth. Scripture warns us to be vigilant because “your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). All the enemy needs to steal and destroy in our communities, is for believers to be passive and do nothing.
Many of our cities and towns in South Africa are falling apart. Infrastructures are run down and municipalities are bankrupt. Crime, drugs, prostitution, pollution, joblessness, poverty and various other evils abound in our communities.
We often think that the problems we see in our towns should be solved by others: the police, community leaders, the people appointed to maintain law and order. But God created His children to be salt and light in a fallen world. If evil abounds around us, it is our responsibility, as believers, to fight against it.
In Christ, we have the power to reverse every evil in our towns and cities: if we pray.
Prayer is our strongest weapon against the moral and physical decay that are breaking down our country. The enemy has no power against believers who pray in unity and in faith on a consistent basis.
SEVEN PRINCIPLES
THAT UNDERPIN THE SA PRAYER CIRCLES’ STATEGY
The following seven principles give a deeper understanding on why we use the strategy that God gave us and why we believe praying for our towns and cities is an important assignment that God calls us to do.
Principle 1: We recognize unity is important to God.
Jesus prayed to God that “all of them may be one, just as you are in me, and I am in you” (John 17:21). The principle of unity amongst His children is important to God. Soldiers that are fighting a war, as we are doing in South Africa, will achieve nothing if they do not work together and move as one according to the instructions given to them by their commander. In the same way, if we do not unite with our eyes fixed on the commands of our heavenly Commander, we will not win the spiritual war that we are facing in our country.
The lack of unity in the body of Christ is weakening our defence against the enemy. Although South Africa has many churches, believers are divided on (often) minor theological or dogmatic differences.
We believe that is why God gave us the strategy to unify believers and overcome church divisions by praying in public spaces such as parks that are ‘neutral’ and not associated with a particular church or institution. Remember, Jesus said “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24-25). Unity in the body of Christ is more important now than ever in the history of our country.
Principle 2: We work as ambassadors of God.
2 Corinthians 5: 20 states “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us”. Just as a head of state sends an ambassador on a diplomatic mission, Christ sends us on a mission to represent him in both words and actions. Jesus used the concepts of salt and light a number of different times to refer to the role of His followers in the world (e.g., Matthew 5:13).
This implies responsibility for the children of God to act as agents for change in society. As God’s children and as His representatives, we cannot simply be passive onlookers to the decay and deterioration we are witnessing in our communities. We have a divine assignment to move out of our comfort zones and appeal to God for the changes that need to take place in our towns and cities.
Principle 3: We stand on the authority we have in Christ.
In Luke 10:19 Jesus told us: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy”. The authority that Jesus is talking about is delegated power, much like a policeman has. When a policeman steps out in front of traffic and holds up his hand to stop it, he’s not stopping cars with his own strength – he’s stopping them with the delegated authority that comes from his position as policeman. He’s backed by the law.
In the same way, we have been given authority to carry out the purposes of God in advancing His Kingdom and defeating the works of Satan in our communities. The devil fears Christians who understand their identity in Jesus Christ and their true place in the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 6:10 says, “be strong in the Lord and the power of HIS might”. That means you can step out in front of the devil, hold up your hand and come against his destructive work in your town or suburb because you are backed by the power of God’s might.
Keep in mind, this does not mean we should be prideful. Without God, we are powerless. We can only operate in delegated authority as humble servants of God.
Principle 4: We pray with love and compassion.
1 John 4:7 we read: “Let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God”. Also, John 3:16 tells us that God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son to us. In God, restoration always starts from a place of love. God gave His Son to us because He loves us. When Jesus healed the sick and fed the hungry, it was out of love and compassion for them.
When Nehemiah approached the king to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he was burdened by a ‘sadness of heart’ (Nehemiah 2:2) for the conditions of the city. Similarly, the Prayer Circles will only be truly fulfilling God’s purpose, if we operate from a place of love and a burden for the conditions that we see in our towns and cities. It is only when we are truly moved by the suffering of hungry children, the despair of people living in poverty, the pain of crime victims that our prayers carry the heart of God to others.
Principle 5: Sanctification is part of our assignment.
Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. To sanctify means to make holy, that is, to separate one from the world and consecrate a person to God.
It also refers to the process of how God transforms a person by His Holy Spirit, making them fit for a holy purpose. The principle is that we cannot represent God if we do not reflect and demonstrate His character. When we step out in our assignment to pray for our towns and cities, we should purposefully surrender to the process of sanctification, repent from our sins, and ask the Holy Spirit to purify and prune us to become more like Jesus.
Principle 6: We pray in faith and perseverance.
James 1: 6-7 says: “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord”. It is crucial that when we sign up for the assignment to pray for our country, we should approach God with unwavering faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
We should have the spirits of Joshua and Caleb who did not fear the giants in the promised land that God led them to, because they knew God was fighting with them (Joshua 14:10-12). Similarly, we should not be discouraged by the decay and deterioration we see around us. If we stand in the gap for our towns and cities, we should keep our eyes fixed on what we know God can do, not what we can do. We should persevere in faith until we see the breakthrough! God has proven to us over and over that He is faithful. He rewards faith and he can do the impossible!
Principle 7: We stand on the Word of God.
John 15:7 says: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Matthew 24:35 says “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”. God’s Word is a black on white contract that He has with us. Praying Scripture over our towns and cities is a powerful and effective way to bring the conditions of our towns and cities in line with the Word of God.
We read in Isaiah 55:11: “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”. If we stand on the Word and speak and proclaim Scripture over our country, it will bear fruit and we will see the fruit of our prayers.
These seven principles underpin the SA Prayer Circles’ strategy which is based on building unity in the body of Christ and calling believers to step up into their divine calling of being salt of light in the turbulent times we live in.
“The ultimate condition for a miracle
to take place, is an impossible situation.”
If you sense God is calling you to join this exciting movement or to start a Prayer Circle in your town, please JOIN SA Prayer Circles!
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
