This is the 18th article in a series entitled Wonderful Counseling. The associated articles can be found by clicking on the link in the sentence above.
The Victory Has Been Won!
I have heard many people pray something like this when helping a person dealing with the effects of generational devastation: “I break the power of (you fill in the blank for the sin, curse, or devastation) in Jesus name.” I cringe at such prayers; although, I think the Lord graciously honors them.
My understanding of the gospel is that it is a proclamation of who Jesus is, what he did for us, and what he will yet do. It is an announcement of victory over Satan and his forces, including sin, sickness, death, and the traditions of men. It includes an invitation to repent, be forgiven, receive eternal life, and become God’s completely reconciled child. It also includes the expectation that anyone who accepts the gospel will follow Christ as his disciple and be part of his missionary army of disciple makers. (If you wish to read more about the gospel, click here.) For this reason, I believe our prayers over people suffering generational devastation should be more of a prophetic pronouncement of their liberation, based on Christ’s finished work, along the lines of Isaiah 61.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; Isaiah 61:1 (NASB)
Jesus taught us that we have what some people call the power of binding and loosing. The idea is that we have authority in Christ, which is enforced by the Holy Spirit, to bind and loose people. Here is what Jesus said.
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19 (NASB)
Without delving into the details of what is meant by binding and loosing, the point I wish to make related to what we are studying is the following:
- We have authority from Christ to declare that people have been set free.
- This authority is based on what Jesus has already accomplished for us.
This takes all the pressure off of us in this matter.
Our only job is to stand by faith in the victory Jesus has already won.
But let me caution you here: anyone who does this should prepare for battle. The devil does not like to let his prisoners go any more than Pharaoh wanted to allow Israel to leave Egypt.
Standing in the Gap
The mental picture associated with standing in the gap is someone who becomes part of the wall where it is broken down and gets between the enemy and the people under attack – a sort of mediator or savior, a hero, a knight in shining armor. In the Old Testament, many cities had defensive walls for protection against enemies that often roamed the countryside. Broken down walls became the symbol of abject defeat and humiliation because enemies could come and go unhindered, leaving the people defenseless. When people find themselves in such a situation, they need a rescuer to rebuild the walls and stand in the breach during the process. Nehemiah was an Israelite who was consumed with a desire to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, which had been destroyed by the Babylonian army. The words below describe his heart in the matter and illustrate perfectly what it means to become a “repairer of the breach” or an intercessor, a person who stands in the gap for others.
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire." 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, "I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father's house have sinned. 7 "We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 "Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.' 10 "They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 "O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man." Now I was the cupbearer to the king. Nehemiah 1:1-11 (NASB)
Nehemiah was granted permission by the king to carry out this momentous task. He met with fierce opposition every step of the way. It required great courage and wisdom for him to begin, continue, and finish the task. Along the way, he instructed his men to build and be ready to defend against threats of attack from Israel’s enemies.
When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah. 17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. 18 As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. Nehemiah 4:15-18 (NASB)
Standing in the gap means that we choose to be someone who takes responsibility for standing by faith upon God’s promises for the benefit of ourselves and our family, or others, so that generational devastation will be stopped in tracks and God’s blessings will begin to flow.
It means we are ready and willing to endure whatever attacks may come our way. It will be worth it.
True Heroes
Those of us who have never been in combat cannot know what it is like. Saving Private Ryan made an attempt to recreate the horrors of D-Day. I cannot measure how successful the movie was in doing this, but it did give me a new appreciation for the soldiers that helped win our freedom and the enormous price they paid on that fateful day. Soldiers did not get to choose whether they were to be in the first wave or land later in the day when the worst was over. Those whose lot it was to be among the first paid for it with their lives, but their courage and determination pushed back the enemy, making it easier for succeeding waves of troops to push their advantage forward. The progress made that day was minuscule in terms of ground gained, but major in terms of obstacles overcome. It would be wrong to compare what they did on D-Day to what General Patton’s tank forces did later in relation to ground gained in a day. I imagine you see where I am going with this.
Those who volunteer to be the first in their family line to stand in the gap against long standing generational devastation are like those soldiers on D-Day. They deserve our admiration, encouragement, and support. Those who succeed will establish a new family legacy built on Christ and are true heroes.
The Devil’s Smack Down
Whenever some long oppressed person tries to stand to his or her feet in resistance, the oppressor usually tries to intimidate that person with a vicious retaliation. The devil tries to dissuade all would be intercessors by fiercely attacking them. When Moses announced to the enslaved Israelites in Egypt that God was going to rescue them, the first thing that happened was that Pharaoh retaliated, making their lives even more miserable. This was very discouraging, and it required Moses to stand by faith for the people. He had God’s promise. That was enough for him. It must be enough for us, too, when the devil tries to smack us down.
Spiritual warfare is real. If you don’t yet believe it, try sharing the gospel. Try breaking loose from generational devastation. Try leading a church or a worship team. Try being a disciple making parent. You will quickly find out. Our warfare is not against people. Ultimately we must make a stand against spiritual forces of evil, who may use people.
We are able to fight by faith by standing on the what Christ has already done. We start off as victors in this warfare.
Our job is to stand in his victory against every counter attack.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:10-13 (NASB)
As Winston Churchill so famously said and demonstrated:
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
Those who make the decision to become family heroes by standing in the gap against generational devastation need to adopt these words for themselves. We are able to stand with the help of almighty God.
The next article will give steps we can take to secure our families’ freedom in Christ.
