Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…
Beep, beep, beep, beep…that’s the sound of my alarm going off every morning, very early when it’s still very dark. Everyone is still asleep.
Every morning I set my alarm to wake me up so I can start my day with prayer.
I’m always praying in the Spirit. This is my heavenly language also called the gift of tongues. I start with this prayer because Romans 8:26 reveals it is the Holy Spirit Himself who is praying for me and through me. When the Holy Spirit is interceding through you that’s when you start praying complete prayers. We do not always know what to pray for as Romans 8:26 states, but the Holy Spirit does and He will pray perfect prayers through you.
After praying in the Spirit for about 10 to 15 minutes, my entire spirit, soul, and body are “awakened” and then I can start to hear/feel the leading of the Holy Spirit in my prayer time.
I love to pray for my city - Hong Kong and for the nation of China.
I sense a spiritual ownership of the city and an authority to influence this city and China – that authority comes from Christ and He is the vision I have for this region of the world.
I declare that Hong Kong is a “city for Christ”. That’s what I see. I see Jesus’ gospel of grace transforming the city of Hong Kong and cities of China. I see a church full of the power and presence of God transforming and impacting the city of Hong Kong. Transforming the market place, transforming residential communities, universities, and schools, transforming the hospitals – transforming the rich and the poor.
Right now, the god of Hong Kong might be numerous things – money, status, power, and sex. This is why we need to pray, to break the spirit of these strongholds over the lives of people. As we pray, the Spirit of God goes to work on our behalf interceding for our families, workplaces, and friends. He intercedes for our loved ones – husbands and wives who need Christ; parents who need Christ; children who need Christ; friends and colleagues who need Christ.
It’s not that difficult to pray in the Holy Spirit every day. You just need to establish the routine by setting your alarm clock. It doesn’t really matter how long you go for – just set a time that works for you and the Holy Spirit will lead you. Find your own routine and commit to it.
As I pray in the Spirit I listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit who will bring scriptures and things for me to also pray and declare. So my praying is a flow between praying in the Spirit, praying scripture, and praying for people and things as I’m prompted by the Holy Spirit.
As you establish this pattern and process of prayer in your life, you can rest in peace and the knowledge that God will work in all things and through all things on your behalf. Worry and anxiety begin to disappear being replaced by rest and trust in God.
So let me encourage you to start praying daily in the Holy Spirit – this enables the Holy Spirit to go to work on your behalf for your city, your family, your friends.
This is how God transforms the cities of the world – through people who pray!