Nothing can stir up spiritual warfare like building and growing a spirit-filled body of believers who will make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. Having been in the trenches of fruitful ministry, spiritual warfare is a guarantee. I know what it looks like, smells like, feels like, tastes like, and acts like. It’s godly people doing, saying, and responding in ungodly ways.

Beth Guckenburger shared at a 2024 CPC breakout that we don’t have to wait around for the enemy to make his move. We can indeed throw the first punch. Those first punches look like being wrapped in God’s word, fellowship with grounded believers, rest (anyone else respond badly when exhausted, or is it just me?), passionate worship in community, and especially prayer in the name of Jesus.

In prayer we make our declarations of what we know to be true and in prayer we can declare the enemy has no authority here. 

We are throwing the first punch and I’m bringing my Jesus guys and gals with me by creating a team of Prayer Partners among the new church I serve for the season of January through the end of June. We began inviting ladies high school age and older to be partnered with another lady for prayer. The men asked to be included. We have high schoolers through senior saints.

This is the email sent with expectations along with the prayer partners names and contact info:

Thank you for joining the Macland Community Church Prayer Partner Team and committing through the end of June to:
(1)    Pray with one another weekly by phone call, text, email, or in person, and
(2)    Pray for Macland Community Church (prayer prompts will be emailed each week), and
(3)    Agree at some point in the next six months to serve alongside one another at some event/opportunity sponsored by or representing our new church. Ex: We have several prayer team members serving this week as judges for a local elementary school’s writing fair and science fair.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

The weekly prayer prompts will be inspired by Rachel Jones’ 5 Things To Pray For Your Church: Prayers That Change Things For The Life Of Your Church published by The Good Book Company. The Good Book Company has a wonderful selection of little books to equip God’s people to pray for a suffering friend, your spouse, your parents, your city and so much more. I also love their children’s resources as they are filled with multi-cultural illustrations and simply written doctrine. 

Our pastors also suggested several phone-ready digital resources:

The Wake Up Call podcast/email – for this gal who listens to podcasts at a speed of 1.6, this is perfect to listen to while taking care of morning stuff. J.D.Walt even sings to you.

Lectio 365 app – this one offers a slower pace for both a morning and an evening time praying the scriptures.

A new church plant with many relationships just starting out, the Lord will most certainly grow these amazing folks closer to Him and closer to one another in the next six months through prayer. This is a high expectation ask and folks knew when they signed up the commitment they were making. Also this week: the first Faith Milestone: I Can Pray for families with 1st and 2nd graders. All this prayer….because we are in an old story and what we do right now will make a difference in 100 years. (Beth Guckenberger)

I remember receiving a note from a Jesus gal I admired when we served alongside one another for a season on a Walk to Emmaus many years ago. ‘May you be ruined for the mediocre things in life.’ 

Just ruined.

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord even the demons submit to us in your name.” Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Luke 10:17-20