In the sermon 'Praying for Christ's Kingdom,' Peter Allison explores the nature of Christ's kingdom as described in the Bible, particularly focusing on the Lord's Prayer from Luke 11. The sermon emphasizes that Christ's kingdom is an internal, spiritual realm where righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit flourish. It contrasts this with Satan's kingdom, which is characterized by deceit, power, and worldly influence. Allison discusses the spiritual battle that exists between these two kingdoms and how Satan's forces can influence the world through deception and power. The sermon highlights the importance of prayer as a tool for advancing Christ's kingdom and defeating Satan's influence. By praying 'Thy Kingdom Come,' believers acknowledge the pervasive power of sin and Satan and seek the propagation of the gospel, the strengthening of the church, and the ultimate triumph of Christ's reign on earth.

Please turn in your copy of God's Word to Luke chapter 11. Hear God's word beginning at verse 1. Now it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased that one of his disciples said to him, Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples. So he said to them, when you pray, say our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. And he said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has come to me on this journey, and I have nothing to set before him, and he will answer from within, and say, Do not trouble me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give to you.

I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For to everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks, finds.

And to him who knocks, it will be opened. For if a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit?

To those who ask him May our soul keep His testimonies and love them exceedingly. Our Heavenly Father, we ask that this word that we have heard might be mixed with faith in us. We ask that you would teach us this morning. And please sanctify this vessel of clay through which your word is proclaimed. In Jesus' name, Amen.

We've spent a lot of time the past several weeks talking about how we approach the throne of grace and to whom we are praying. To a holy God who is our Father, who has given His name to us so that we are brought under His fatherly care, that we are given the liberties and privileges of the children of God, that we are joint heirs with Christ and are given the spirit of adoption by whom we cry Abba Father. Today then we want to look at this next petition, which speaks about what we are to ask for. We've looked at to who we are praying and to how we are to come. Now Jesus begins in this model prayer, where he's teaching his disciples how to pray, he begins to teach us the things that we are to ask for.

And the very first thing that he says we are to ask for is that his kingdom would come, that his kingdom would be advanced. Now, we are going to be talking a lot about kingdoms, obviously, and we should define it again. We've looked at this previously, but just to refresh our memories, Christ's kingdom is where Christ's rule, or where God's rule is mediated through Jesus Christ. It's where God's rule is mediated through Christ. So God rules in all things.

He directs as we see in Job everything that Satan does. His voice as we read in Psalm 29, it directs all things from the courses of the stars to the to the dear giving birth to the Affairs of men and nations. It's God's voice that does these things but his kingdom His kingdom is where that rule is mediated through Christ This is not something that is externally visible Directly the effect is visible But not the actual kingdom because Christ's kingdom Jesus said is within us The The Pharisees asked when Jesus kingdom would come they asked Christ When's your kingdom going to come because that had been promised. They rightly recognized that God had promised that His kingdom would come, that it wasn't present in a way that it wasn't present at the time they were asking. They knew that from the Old Testament.

And Jesus said, the kingdom doesn't come by searching. You're not going to say, look, see, there it is. Because he said the kingdom is within you. Paul told the Corinthians, do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? 2 Corinthians 13.

And if Christ is in you, Paul told the Romans, your body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. Paul told the Galatians, my little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you." This kingdom is where Christ reigns in our hearts, so that we are completely changed, so that we are new creatures, so that sin no longer has dominion over us that it once had. Christ is now our King. He reigns within us. He changes our desires.

He changes the very direction of our life. Where we once were going this way seeking our own pleasure, our own lusts and desires, we now are going a different direction. Seeking Christ's kingdom. Seeking His glory. Doing the being led by His Spirit, seeking what He calls us to do.

Paul told the Romans, for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It's not external things, but it's righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So Christ's kingdom grows when righteousness, peace and joy flourish and grow. That's Christ's kingdom growing. It doesn't grow when the church gets a million dollars and builds a big, big building that can be seen for miles around.

Christ's kingdom grows when His Word dwells in us richly and righteousness, peace and joy are growing. These are the fruits of the Spirit and as they grow within us, as we exercise these things more and more, as peace reigns in us and not fear as We have joy in the midst of all of our circumstances our joy isn't isn't tied to the circle to our external circumstances Our joy is tied to Christ reigning in us, and His Holy Spirit dwelling with us. That's the kingdom. But that kingdom, while it's not visible in its essence, it certainly has a big effect on the world. And so Isaiah said of Christ's kingdom, of the increase of his government, there will be no end.

He will rule, Paul said, until he has put all enemies under his feet. All enemies. The last enemy being death. So that's a basic working definition of what Christ's kingdom. When we talk about praying for Christ's kingdom to come, this is what we're praying for.

Now Christ's kingdom though isn't the only kingdom. There is another kingdom that is directly fighting against Christ and against His kingdom. See, Satan also has a kingdom. It's not his by right, he's stolen it. He's in that sense a thief of great proportions, as well as being a liar and the father of lies.

But he is presented in Scripture as being a ruler and having a kingdom. Satan was created as a warrior angel. In his prophecy against the king of Tyre, Ezekiel makes reference to Satan as being created as a cherub. Those are the warrior angels, next to the seraphim, who are the ones who are in God's presence. He said in Ezekiel 28, you were in Eden, the garden of God, every precious stone was your covering.

Now he's speaking of the king of Tyre. But I believe this is, for reasons we'll get into a little bit later, I believe he is also speaking of Satan himself, who was the power behind this wicked King Tyre so so he says You were in Eden the Garden of God every precious stone was your covering the Sardis the topaz the diamond the burl the onyx The Jasper sapphire turquoise emerald with gold the workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. Now, don't think cherub meaning a little cutie little puffball, right? A cherub is a mighty, fearsome, warrior angel.

You were the anointed cherub who covers. I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity was found in you.

By the abundance of your trading, you became filled with violence within, and you sinned. Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. I think there's more in here than just the earthly king of Tyre. I think the earthly king of Tyre was inhabited, was driven by these demonic forces, as many of our rulers today are. The king of Tyre, as a human, was born of Adam, or born of a descendant of Adam.

There was never a time when He was perfect without sin. So I think there's more here than just the king of Tyre. Satan was this cherub who fell. Satan rebelled against God who created him. Satan turned against the very God who had given him his existence and he tried to take God's place, to be God himself.

And Isaiah describes this in Isaiah 14, how you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, Son of the morning, how you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened nations." See that? What was Lucifer doing? Entire weakening the nation. For you have said in your heart I Will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne above the stars of God that this passage is spoken of Nebuchadnezzar in a Babylon But it's it's also again just like the one of passage in Ezekiel about Tyre is being spoken about Lucifer. You have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north, and I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High." Satan was wanting to be God, to be God Himself. God says, you will be brought down the shield to the lowest depths of the pit. And when the seventy disciples, you remember a few chapters ago, returned from the mission trip that Christ had sent them on. They came back rejoicing because they were made to have authority over sickness and even the demons were subject to them.

And Jesus after telling them, don't rejoice because the demons are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, He said, I saw Satan fall like lightning from the heavens. Making reference to what Isaiah talked about. So, Satan was an angel that God created, a mighty angel, a powerful angel, who rebelled against God and tried once to be God. That's his goal, to be God. And he has a kingdom.

Scripture ascribes to Skainton a kingdom with having power and authority. John 14.30 Jesus said, I will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is coming and has nothing in me the ruler of this world He's talking about Satan there, but he's describing to him rule and authority a real a real rule a Real authority now the judgment now is the judgment He said John 12 of this world now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Yes, Christ will be victorious, but there is a kingdom here. Speaking to the Ephesian Church, Paul said that they once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience. They once walked according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience they once walked according to the prince of the power of the air a spiritual power that had rule that people followed In referring to the coming work of the Holy Spirit in convicting the world, Jesus says in John 16 that he will convict the world of judgment because the ruler of the world is judged.

Speaking about Saint in there again, Lucifer. Writing to the Corinthian Church, Paul says that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded. Speaking of, again, the work of Satan to blind people. And he calls him the god of this age. He's a he's a ruler He has a kingdom he has Power he has real power and he can perform amazing things Paul told the Thessalonians that the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan.

With all power, signs, and lying wonders. But they're still wonders, and they're still powers, and they're still signs, and they deceive many people. By the power of Satan, Pharaoh's magicians were able to duplicate the miracles that Moses and Aaron performed. When Aaron cast his staff down, it turned into a snake. They were able to do the same thing with their staff.

Except Aaron's staff ate theirs up. When the water in the Nile was turned to blood, they were able to do the same thing. They weren't able to stop what God had done, but they were able to make more water into blood by the power of Satan. There's a real power. Paul told the Thessalonian church that we wanted to come to you, even I, Paul, time and time again.

But Satan hindered us. Satan has real power and he uses it against Christ and against his people. And Satan can move people. Satan can move and he even influenced Christians. Luke tells us a little later in the book that Satan entered Judas, surname Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve and so He went his way and conferred with the chief priests and the captives how he could betray Christ He did that because Satan moved him to do that David numbered the people because Satan moved him to do that sin Satan moved Ananias to lie about how much they sold their property for.

Peter said to him, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? Satan can move people. Satan can even move Christians. Satan and his fallen angels, we call them demons or spirits, can possess people. I think that's different than being moved by somebody.

We all deal with Satan's influence when he puts thoughts in our minds or moves us to do things. But Satan and his fallen angels can actually possess people so that they act with superhuman power. Luke records the account of Jesus casting out a demon in the Gadarene man, the Gadarene demoniac, who was so strong that he couldn't be bound even with chains. He just broke them. People were afraid of him.

They were completely unable to restrain him. He had demonic power in his body because demons possessed him. In his case, legions of demons, many, many demons were possessing him. Demons can possess people today and give them seeming superhuman powers. You see, Satan is at war with Christ and His people.

From the Garden of Eden, where Satan attacked God by tempting Eve and getting Adam and Eve to eat the fruit that God had forbidden them to eat, to his attempts to destroy the line from which Christ would come by having Pharaoh kill off all the Israelite sons, boys that were born, to having Athaliah try to kill off all the descendants of the line of David, to Herod killing off all the babies born in Bethlehem in that area. Satan has been attacking the church. He's attacking the reign of Christ, attacking God's people, attacking in any way he can. In any way he can. Those attacks, he continues to make war against the church today.

Against Christ's kingdom. Peter tells us to be vigilant because our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. This battle is described in Revelation 12. This cosmic battle that describes all of history since the Garden of Eden, not quite since the beginning. Remember in the beginning what God created was good and perfect.

Revelation 12, and war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail. Nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and sainten. There you have it, the devil, Satan, the dragon who deceives the whole world.

He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. So there was not just Satan, but there were a number of fallen angels that fell with him. The Bible says that those who are with us are greater than those with them. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the kingdom and the power of his Christ have come For the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

And they did not love their lives to death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea for the devil has come down to you Having great wrath because he knows he has a short time so revelation tells us later that Satan was bound such that he is no longer able to deceive the nations. This is the time in which we live. He is bound in a specific way that he is no longer able to deceive the nations.

But Peter says he does still walk about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but he is limited in this millennial age, he is limited in a way that he wasn't before. He is not able to deceive the nations like he was before. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Christ. St. John is enraged with this woman and her offspring are those who keep the commandment of God and have the testimony of Christ. So it's speaking of the church here.

Satan is enraged with the church and he's gone off to make war with that church. He's making war with those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Christ. That's the battle. We are in that battle brothers and sisters. This kingdom is very real.

It has real power. In fact, Satan can even infiltrate the church Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light But Paul said to the Corinthians in Corinthians 11 But what I do I will also continue to do that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we were in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers. Paul wants to cut the opportunity of these people off because they are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, he says, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness Whose end will be according to their works?

False saying don't be surprised brothers and sisters in the Corinthian Church, that you have saintically driven and motivated people in your midst. Satan himself can be seen as an angel of light. So therefore, Paul argues from that to all of his ministering, thus arranged, the ones that Revelation says were cast out with Him. They can also, we shouldn't be surprised if they also appear unto us as ministers of righteousness. But what we know, Paul says we know them because their end will be according to their works.

See, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, Jesus said, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me you who practice lawlessness." So Jesus is saying right in the church, there will be people who claim to do things in Christ's name, who seem to do things in Christ's name, who don't know Him, who don't know Him at all, but who are in fact practicing lawlessness. Satan is the power behind the wicked kings of the earth.

We read in Revelation how Satan deceives the whole world. He's the power behind these kings like Tyre, the king of Tyre and Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel, The Prince of Persia is said to withhold a messenger coming to Daniel. The Prince of Persia withholds him and he is helped by Michael who elsewhere is called an archangel. The Prince of Persia, what does he mean?

Well it's the King of Persia or the King's representatives, his army, his generals, his ministers, But they are Withholding this messenger and there is a spiritual component to this war They may be flesh-and-blood people, but there is a spiritual power that is behind them and this person this messenger who is sent to Daniel, is helped by Michael the Archangel, and enabled to be set free from the Prince of Persia. The Prince of Persia. That's in Daniel chapter 10. Daniel is in a deep sleep, in a vision, and suddenly a hand touches him, which made him tremble. And he said, O Daniel, man, greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright for I have now been sent to you.

And then he said, Do not fear Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humble yourself before God, your words were heard and I have come because of your words, because Daniel was praying. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia." He said, I came, I started to come, the very first word, but for 21 days I was withheld. And then he says at the end, and now I must return to fight with the Prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth indeed the Prince of Grace will come." Referring to Alexander the Great who would seek to conquer the world. But I will tell you what is noted in the scripture of truth. No one upholds me against these except Michael, your prince." This is spiritual warfare, directly connected to the kings of the earth.

Wicked kings of the earth, Moved by Satan. Possessed by Satan. Not everyone, Paul said in Ephesians 6, says that we don't battle flesh and blood, we battle spiritual powers in heavenly places. Finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we don't wrestle flesh and blood, but against principalities, that's a kingdom, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand And he goes on to tell us about the armor that God has specifically given us for this battle. The Satan's kingdom is organized as well. Psalm 2 is another description of this great cosmic battle of history. And Psalm 2 tells us that the nations, the kings of the earth, conspire. That means they take counsel together.

The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together. They conspire. That word, conspire, is a good word. It's not a bad word. Satan has tried to make it a bad word today.

So if you believe in conspiracy theories, you're crazy. No, the Bible says there are conspiracies. The wicked rulers are conspiring together against Christ. It's not crazy to believe in them. It's not yes.

There are crazy conspiracy theories, but conspiracy theories just because they're Conspiracies aren't crazy at all. They're very biblical We need to take that word back It's a good word it accurately describes what's going on And that's why I think Satan has moved people to mock that word. It's a good word like the rainbow. Or like the word gay, which describes somebody who is cheerful. These are good words that have been corrupted by Satan's followers.

Conspiracies are biblical. They exist. We don't want to be led astray by silly things, but they are real. Why do the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, let us break their bonds in pieces and cast their cords away from us. That conspiracy, that planning together by the rulers of this world continues even today.

It's going on right now. The Roman Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, The Masonic orders are very closely tied into the Kabbalah and to the Luciferians in their plans to destroy the church for Satan. They are actively working. They are organized. They are global.

They are powerful. And a lot of those workings that have been so very secret, because Satan is a ruler of the darkness. And all that he does and all his followers do things in the dark. Satanic rituals usually take place in the middle of the night. But a lot of that stuff is starting to come out in more recent years.

And all of the abuses that go on in the Roman Catholic Church are starting to come out. Because they are one of the biggest propagators of Satanism and of all of the occult activities. It's come into, it's come in very prevalent in our land. All of Hollywood is satanic, the vast majority of it. So much so that even the non-Christians, even the non-Christian Hollywood insiders are recognizing the pervasive, pervasive satanic influence, not just in Hollywood, but in everything they produce.

Non-Christians inside Hollywood are now speaking about the pervasive extent of the occult and the influence of the occult in everything that they produce, in all their movies, in all their entertainment. The whole entertainment industry driven by Hollywood is often powered by people who are occupied by, demon possessed. Remember demon possessed people don't always look like Hollywood portrays them. They can look like an angel of light. The United Nations is a satanically based organization.

It is set up by people who are led by Satan. The World Health Organization is similar. It is set up by a man who is led by Satan. These organizations were set up to promote satanic goals of world dominion. Remember Psalm 2 says that's what Satan is doing.

The whole scripture record from Genesis to Revelation is that Satan is making war against Christ and His church. The founder of the World Health Organization said that we have been fed all manner of poisonous certainties by our pastors and Sunday School teachers and parents and it is our job to eradicate the concept of right and wrong. He was a follower of Satan. The United Nations has Satanic connections and meditation rooms. The people that power it, that are behind it, that set it up, are long satanic families.

There are families that just like you might have grown up in a Christian home and been baptized as a baby and brought up into the church There are people that grow up in homes that are dedicated to Satan and they are Dedicated to Satan from a very young age and they are taught to receive the satanic demons of their bloodlines and given to them from very young ages. They are people who commit horrific, horrific, unspeakable abominations. And this stuff is going on all over the world, especially in our country. Especially in our country. There are hundreds of thousands of children that go missing every year.

They're never heard from again. Many of them are sucked up into this. We heard a lot about Epstein. It's just a little tip of the iceberg of a global satanic attack on the family, the church, and the state. Just like the king of Tyre, just like the king of Babylon, just like Pharaoh, just like the Prince of Persia and this Prince of Greece that we read about.

We're all moved by demonic powers. So many of the rulers in our own land are moved by demonic powers. They have taken demonic oaths, been initiated into demonic organizations. And this is a highly organized kingdom. Satan's kingdom is highly organized.

They really do conspire together. They really do conspire together. But you need to read the rest of Psalm 2. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall hold them in derision." This is these kings of the earth that are moved by Satan. Then he shall speak to them in his wrath, and distress them in his deep displeasure.

Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said to me, Jehovah has said to me, You are my son, speaking of Christ. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations of the earth for your inheritance, the ends of the earth for your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron, you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Now therefore be wise, O Kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in him." And see that's what Jesus is teaching us to pray for in this petition, Thy Kingdom Come. We're acknowledging in this petition that all mankind is under the dominion of sin and of Satan And we are praying that this sin them that the kingdom of sin and this kingdom of Satan that is so pervasive and so powerful may be utterly destroyed as God has promised it in his word that he will.

We're praying that the gospel be propagated throughout the world. We're praying that the Jews would be brought into the kingdom, that all of the Gentiles would be brought into the kingdom and brought from this darkness into light, that Christ would reign in all their hearts. We're praying that the church would be furnished with gospel officers and ordinances and purged from corruption. We're praying that the church would be up supported and maintained by the civil magistrate as the founding constitutions of our country established and decreed and recognized. And I'm not talking about the one of 1787.

We're praying that the ordinances of the gospel, the ordinances of Christ might be purely dispensed and made effectual in converting Those that are yet in their sins in confirming and comforting and building up Those who are in the church and in Christ we're praying that Christ would rule in our hearts. That's the kingdom That's the essence of the kingdom and that he would hasten the coming of his of His reign in the Second Coming. We are praying that He would be pleased, so pleased, to exercise the Kingdom of His power The gospel of the kingdom might be preached and proclaimed in all the world. Paul told the Thessalonians, he said, pray finally, brethren, second Thessalonians three, Finally, brethren, pray for us. Pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified just as it is with you and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for not all have faith." That is the essence of this prayer, this petition, Thy Kingdom Come.

We're praying that the gospel may run swiftly and be glorified and that we would be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men who are moved by the power of Satan. And that is the gospel hope. Christ came so that the kingdom of Satan will be defeated. And prayer, the prayer of his saints is the most important tool in that war. It's through the prayer of the saints that God is pleased to act and that God is pleased to cause the gospel to run and to be exalted.

Almighty Heavenly Father, we thank you for your instruction and your word so that we are not ignorant of Satan and his devices. We ask Father that you would increase our fervency in prayer. We ask that we might go from here today encouraged and strengthened and resolved and equipped by your power to fervent and diligent and frequent prayer. Indeed that we might be able to pray without ceasing. Father, we acknowledge that in the weakness of our flesh how hard it is and how easily we are discouraged and distracted and dissuaded.

We ask Lord that you would strengthen us for this warfare. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.