"Prayer For The Nation" by Nancy Dufresne

On one occasion, Brother Hagin stated that he was concerned about the direction the nation was going, and one of the primary reasons he started Prayer School decades ago on the Rhema campus was to pray for the nation. Just as he saw a need of praying for the nation, we too see a need to continue praying for the nation.

A few years after Dad Hagin went home to be with the Lord, God spoke to me and said, “Brother Hagin’s prayer life held some things in check in this nation, but since he has moved to Heaven, there has been a void in prayer for the nation, and as a result, wrong people have gotten into office. Pick that up.” We in the Body of Christ are responsible to pray for the nation so that there is no void or deficiency.

As we pray, we want to pray in line with the Word and with skill in exercising our authority.

There was a precious woman I knew who was mighty and skillful in prayer. She told of the occasion when she saw two angels in her room talking to each other. One angel asked the other one, “Can we tell her about the political needs of this nation?”

The other angel replied, “Yes, because she doesn’t speak against the nation or its leaders.” They could trust her with revelation about the nation because she didn’t speak against the country or leaders. We may not always agree with our political leaders or with things going on in the nation, but we must be certain not to speak inappropriately against our nation, state, city, or leaders. We must watch our words, for bitter and sweet waters can’t flow out of the same fountain. If we speak wrong, our faith won’t work as it should. Even if we don’t agree with our leaders, we must make certain we don’t harbor any offense against any public official. To have an air of offense about us will hinder our faith from working.

Matthew 6:6 records that Jesus instructed, "...pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." There is a reward for praying. When we pray for our nation, the reward will manifest in our country, state, and city, as well as in our lives.

The Word shows us God’s interest and involvement in the nations. First Timothy 2:1-4 reads,  “I exhort therefore, that, first of all (make it a priority), supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (God is our Savior, not government); Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

God would not instruct us to pray for the highest offices in the land if our authority didn’t reach there. Our authority reaches to the highest office in the land, for it stems from the highest seat in existence – God’s Throne. The authority of the elected officials is temporary, lasting only as long as their term. But ours is eternal, for our authority is our birthright, granted at the new birth.

Matthew 16:19 records that Jesus stated, “And I will give unto thee the keys (dominion, authority) of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (This means that heaven will back us up.  – Kenneth E. Hagin) We don’t ask God to do something He has authorized us to do. WE bind & WE loose. God works through us. There are things that won't be bound until we bind them, and things that won't be loosed until we loose them.

Dad Hagin taught us to bind Satan from the economic, political, and social arenas of our nation. I also have included binding Satan from our education system, judicial system, and media.

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PRAYER FOR THE NATION

I Timothy 2:1-4 — I exhort therefore, that, first of all (make it a priority), supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (God is our Savior, not government); Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I pray for all those that are in authority on the national, state, and local levels. I lift up the president, vice-president, senate, congress, gov't agencies, Supreme Court justices, judges, governor, mayor, law enforcement officers, military, and all in authority.

For those leaders that are unsaved, I ask You to send laborers across their paths. Satan, you take your hand off their minds, so that the light of the Gospel may shine in.

Father, I ask You to give wisdom to those in authority to govern in a way that fulfills Your will in the earth and blesses the people — that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

I pray that Your anointing be strong upon them to help them accomplish their task. Give them strength for the task, and keep them by Your power to fulfill Your plan. Surround them with the right people, right words, and right counsel, and expose, protect, and deliver them from wrong people, wrong words, wrong counsel, and from all evil. I say that no weapon formed against them, this administration, or this nation shall prosper. I pray that they and this nation be kept by the power of God, and that the angels of Heaven keep them and this nation safe from every harm and strategy of the enemy.

I pray for divine rest, strength, refreshing, joy, and peace for President Trump, First Lady Melania, and their family.

Protect our military, police, and firemen, and help them to be victorious over those causing harm.

II Thessalonians 3:1,2 — Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

I pray and believe for Your Word to have free course and be glorified in this nation, state, and city, and that unreasonable and wicked leaders will be exposed and removed from office, and You raise up right men to serve in those positions.

I pray that unrighteous laws be overturned, including the abortion law, and that righteous laws be enacted and upheld. I pray for the hidden things to be revealed. Expose and deliver us from all evil and corruption in our government, judicial system, education system, and media.

I bind the agenda of socialism and any other agenda that would rob this nation of freedom and pray that You deliver us from it, in Jesus’ Name.

You have appointed and anointed men to occupy seats of government, so I pray for victory for all the right candidates in the next elections, that Your will be done. I call for the right men, men of God’s choosing, to come forward to lead, and I seat them in their office. And I remove the wrong ones from their positions. They are dismissed, in Jesus’ Name.

Matthew 16:19 — And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven (dominion, authority): and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (This means that Heaven will back us up. — Kenneth E. Hagin)

Satan, I bind you and command you to take your hands off this nation, off this state, and off this city. Take your hands off the social, political, and economic arenas. Take your hands off the educational system, judicial system, and media. I loose the power of God to accomplish the will of God, in the Name of Jesus.

"Is What You See Greater Than What God Says?" by Nancy Dufresne

I'm reminded of a testimony of healing I heard years ago that I often think about. A woman had gone to the doctor and was told that she had a growth in her breast, so they set up another appointment for further tests. At her next appointment, they did an ultrasound on her. With the ultrasound equipment, the doctor was able to display an image of the lump in her breast on a screen. As he did, he turned the screen toward the woman so she could see the lump.

He pointed to the screen as he explained to the woman what they were seeing. When she saw the lump pictured on the screen, she spoke quietly in her heart to the Lord. “Oh Lord, if only I hadn’t seen it. Seeing it makes it more real.”

The Lord spoke back to her, “Is what you see greater than what I say?”

How that question checked her! She caught herself, realizing her wrong thinking. “No, Lord,” she answered, “what I see is not greater than what You say.”

Then she reminded herself of what He had already said in His Word. Quietly to herself, she rehearsed His Word. “Your Word says that ‘Himself took my infirmities and bare my sicknesses.’ Your Word says that ‘by Jesus’ stripes I was healed.’ ” As she lay on that examination bed, she quietly refocused her attention on the Word instead of on the screen.

As she lay there, continuing to put her attention on God’s Word and worshipping Him for it, suddenly a wide, bright circle of light appeared on the screen. Everyone in the room saw it. Slowly that bright circle of light began to close in and grow smaller and smaller around that lump. As the circle of light grew smaller, it completely encased the lump, and when it did, the circle of light disappeared, and then the lump was also gone off the screen! The lump had dissolved, and she was completely healed!

That miracle happened for the woman because she redirected her attention away from what she was seeing and toward what God said. The Word was greater than what she saw, and when she focused on the Word that was greater, what she saw changed.

How often we are surrounded by circumstances that are so visible, hear things that are so audible, or feel things that are so tangible. Yet, we must always remember that what God says is greater than anything we may see, feel, or hear.

Don’t believe anything more than you believe the Word!

Just because circumstances may be so loud or so tangible, that doesn’t change the truth of God’s Word! His Word is greater!

As Christians, we live by words — God’s words! Those around us are living by what they feel, see, and hear, but not us! We live by words! Since God said it, that’s what we hold to, regardless of all we may feel, see, and hear. Living by what God says gives us the best life. It’s such a joy to know that we aren’t destined and doomed to live by circumstances that are constantly changing, but we get the privilege of living by what God says, which never changes.

One key to enjoying the kind of life that God authored for us involves our attention. When that woman had her attention on what she saw, she was troubled. But when she turned her attention from what she saw to what God said, she partook of the best flow — the flow of the Word, the flow of healing.

We must practice holding our attention on God’s Word when circumstances are so loud and boastful all around us. We don’t get good at anything without practicing – that goes for spiritual things as well as natural things.

Many think they have faith problems when they really have attention problems. Your faith is connected to your attention. Where your attention goes, your faith goes. Some frantically struggle to get more faith, when they really need to discipline their thought life to hold their attention on the right thing instead of on the wrong thing.

Let’s practice every day on the small things of daily life – holding our attention on God’s Word instead of on changing, shifting circumstances.