Transformational Prayer

The Transformation video is one of the most powerful videos I have seen on the power of transforming prayer. The section of the video we will watch tonight profiles the city of Almolonga, Guatemala and the amazing things that happened when God’s people made a stand against the evil in their community and united in prayer and fasting to bring about the changes they desired.
1. Transformational prayer confronts the powers of darkness that rule over a community. Paul understood that principalities and powers ruled over cities and nations (Ephesians 6:10). The nation of Haiti is one vivid example today of a nation that has been ruled by demonic powers. This nation is one of the poorest nations in the world and the power of satan is evident in the nation. Voodoo is one of the religious practices of the Haitians. An article in the Times of London, January 15, 2010 addressed the problems that are created with the Voodoo beliefs in the recovery effort.
“Voodoo is fundamentally a home-based cult where each family has their own collection of household gods, many of them Catholic saints. In many households, it sits comfortably alongside a family’s Catholic observance... More than eight in ten Haitians are officially Catholic, with about one in ten Protestants. But an unknown number also practise some voodoo rituals as well... The Haiti people have had so many batterings that when something terrible happens, they just say, “Bon dieu bon", or “God is good”, whatever happens. In other words, it is God’s will, we must accept it, there is nothing we can do about it.” This fatalistic attitude keeps people from making changes and makes them feel that they deserved every bit of evil the enemy has done to them. One of the buildings that was destroyed in the earthquake was a large Catholic cathedral. The archbishop of the church was killed when the church collapsed. This event has effected the minds of the Haitians because they see that the church was powerless to stop the earthquake from damaging it and they have lost faith in the church.
Much is being done in the nation and it has been the focus of many missionaries an estimated 4,500 missionaries are serving in Haiti. Progress is being made but true transformation has yet to be manifested in the nation. My hope is that the earthquake that struck this nation will shake the world wide church to begin praying for the transformation of the country. The demonic forces must be pulled down, the strongholds of the enemy must be destroyed, the syncretism of pagan and Catholic beliefs must be replaced with the truth of God’s Word and it is through prayer and proclaiming the gospel in word and deed that we will be able to accomplish this.
There are many nations in crisis today especially in Africa. The bloodshed and violence that continues to destroy many countries is escalating. I read recently about all the evil that is happening in the Congo where people are being raped, murdered, tortured and taken as slaves by warring groups of people. Nicholas Kristof wrote the following in an article in the NY Times, Sunday January 30, 2010
“Sometimes I wish eastern Congo could suffer an earthquake or a tsunami, so that it might finally get the attention it needs. The barbaric civil war being waged here is the most lethal conflict since World War II and has claimed at least 30 times as many lives as the Haiti earthquake… A peer-reviewed study found that 5.4 million people had already died in this war as of April 2007, and hundreds of thousands more have died as the situation has deteriorated since then.”
I have to admit I was not aware of all that is happening in the Congo and there are probably many other atrocities happening in the world that few of us are aware of. What can we do?
The world wants to use violence to stop violence but God’s plan must first be adopted and that is to pray against the principalities and powers that are ruling over the nation. I want to encourage you tonight to become a world Christian and by that I mean to ask God to put a country on your heart to pray for transformation to take place. Research the country, find out what the enemy has been doing to rob,kill and destroy the nation and begin to pray against him and his evil works.
Our prayers are more powerful than bullets and bombs. If we are not praying against the evil powers we are not using the most powerful weapon God has given to the church. We must believe that our prayers are powerful and that they will bring transformation.
2. Transformational prayer involves repentance. The city of Almolonga repented of the evil they had allowed to infiltrate their community. Their apathy or feeling of powerlessness to change the community kept them from praying for the transformation that was needed. We must be willing to allow God to search our hearts and reveal areas of sin or tolerance of sin that we have allowed to be established in our lives and in our community. These must be identified, repented of and renounced.
Recently in Santiago,Sacatepeqez there was a campaign in the community to tear down all the idols of Maximon.
Wikipedia offers this information about Maximón
The origins of his cult are not very well understood by outsiders to the different Mayan religions, but Maximón is believed to be a form of the pre-Columbian Maya god Mam, blended with influences from Catholicism. Maximón may also be called San Simón. Originally, he was believed to be a Catholic priest who had looked after aboriginals during early 1600s.

Where Maximón is venerated, he is represented by an effigy which resides in a different house each year, being moved in a procession during Holy Week. During the rest of the year, devotees visit Maximón in his chosen residence, where his shrine is usually attended by two people from the representing Cofradia who keep the shrine in order and pass offerings from visitors to the effigy. Worshippers offer money, spirits and cigars or cigarettes to gain his favour in exchange for good health, good crops, and marriage counseling, amongst other favours. The effigy invariably has a lit cigarette or cigar in its mouth, and in some places, it will have a hole in its mouth to allow the attendants to give it spirits to drink.

Posters were placed throughout the community calling on the people to reject Maximon and embrace Christ. Months of planning and prayer had gone into this event and on the day of the massive outreach many people repented and renounced their beliefs and gave their lives to Christ.
When Paul was in Ephesus (Acts 19) he preached against the magicians and the worship of Diana. He called the people to repent of the worship of false gods and to renounce everything that was associated with these false beliefs. The people responded by bringing all their books and burned them. They also refused to buy any more idols of Diana which affected many businesses in the community. When we pray for nations in need of transformation we must pray for repentance in the hearts of the people and a willingness to separate themselves from all forms of evil they have allowed in their lives and in the community.
3. Transformational prayer must include united prayer of the Christian community. The churches and believers of Almolonga gathered together to pray as a united body of believers against the work of the enemy. God honors prayers of agreement. When we are in agreement we have power to bind and loose the work of the enemy and release the power of God to work supernaturally in the community. Churches must lay down their differences and realize that the enemy is not their brother or sister but it is the demonic forces that are working against them. Too often jealousy, competition, speaking lies and rumors, false accusations are tools the enemy uses to keep believers from being united. Jesus’ prayer In John 17:20 was that the believers would be one. It is still his prayer today because a united church that recognizes the true enemy and prayers in unity against him, will be a powerful church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18-20). A united church has the power to break through the gates of the enemy and take possession of what he has stolen. We are to be on the offensive against the enemy not the defense!
In Acts 12, we read of the imprisonment of Peter and his impending death sentence. It did not look very promising for Peter as James had previously been murdered by the same mad man, Herod. The response of the church was to unite in fervent and constant prayer to the Lord on behalf of Peter. God sent an angel in the night to miraculously rescue Peter. United, fervent and constant prayer moves the hand of God.
4. Transformational prayer has a price that we must be willing to pay. Pastor Mario’s life was threatened when the pistol was placed in his mouth. The enemy will do everything he can to take you out of the picture when you get serious about praying against him and taking action to bring unity to the church. He knows that we have authority over his works and that prayer is our main weapon to defeat him. Revelation 12:11 states that we overcome the enemy by the word of our testimony, the blood of the Lamb and being willing to lay down our lives for the Lord. Pastor Mario was willing to do that and God responded by defeating the enemy and bringing transformation to the community.
Daniel was a man of prayer and he was willing to risk his life to be obedient to pray for the people of Israel that were in captivity as he was. He also prayed for the ruling nation of Babylon and his prayers brought transformation.
“What was the result? What was the fruit of this life? What was God’s response to Daniel’s life of prayer? Daniel was able to see his people return back to their native land Israel in his life time. During the time of Daniels personal crisis, Zerubbabel was leading a contingent of Jews back to Palestine from captivity. What is more a year and six months after Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9 the tabernacle of the LORD, the place of His habitation among his people, was beginning to be reestablished. Could any strength of man in the political or finical arena have achieved this? Daniel could have worked all his life in one of these dimensions to free the Jews and failed miserably. Yet, by appealing to heaven, God extended his hand down to earth and did what no human effort, collective or otherwise, could have done. With prayer and fasting Daniel stirred the heavens, and in so doing moved things on earth. “ Monday Mourning Revival Prayer
I don’t think Daniel would have seen the changes that took place had he not been willing to pay the price to continue to pray for transformation. We may not face death threats because of our prayers but we must be willing to pay the price of being consistent, being fervent, dedicating time to prayer daily, praying with others corporately, fasting as God speaks to our hearts to do, and praying persistently over the long haul if we want to see transformation take place.
I pray tonight your heart has been both challenged and encouraged to pray like you have never prayed before. Prayer is our ministry first and foremost, everything we do after prayer should be the result of our prayers and the direction God gives us in prayer. It is easy to be a worker bee in the Kingdom of God, there are always good things to do and they are important but they cannot replace or be a substitute for a life of prayer especially a life of prayer focused on transformation of nations and individuals.
I want to encourage all of us tonight to make prayer our priority on a daily basis. Make it more important than eating food, watching TV or playing video games or reading good books. Ask God to give you a passion for prayer, a desire to pray for the transformation of a nation and individuals God has placed in your life. Finally join a group of intercessors who pray in unity and faith.
I believe we will see the fruit of our prayers and it will be and encouragement to keep praying as we see the works of the enemy destroyed and nations and people liberated from his cruel control.