Royal Rangers Prayer Vigil

September 29, 2021

Royal Rangers has been through a season of challenges, but I don’t think it has been by accident. These past few years have been hard on our ministry, but we continue to change our would one boy at a time. If that doesn’t make Satan mad, what will? Satan wants to destroy our lives. He wants to destroy our marriages, kill our kids, and destroy our testimonies so that the gospel does not go out. Because of our mission to evangelize, equip, and empower the next generation of Christlike men, we are on the edge of spiritual warfare all the time. If we weren’t, then I would be concerned.

The enemy tries to make us believe the problem is our spouse, our boss, our kids, or our circumstances. Our struggle is not with a person, a business, or an organization. Instead, it’s a war of demonic powers, world pressures, and spiritual forces. There is an invisible world waging battle on our behalf that we can only see when our spiritual eyes are opened through prayer (2 Kings 6:8–17). Paul said the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh (2 Cor. 10:3–5). We must use spiritual weapons to fight a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10–18). We are at war, and in this war, intercessory prayer is vital (Daniel 10). In this battle, we can’t wait for the enemy to attack; we must take the fight to our enemy.

Look at Jesus’ life. He was fully God and fully man. He lived as a man so that we would have hope and have an example as to how to live (Heb. 2:16–18). Jesus was tempted with sin like lust, envy, anger, depression, false beliefs, and the desire to quit. He was tempted in all the ways we are tempted but didn’t sin (Heb. 4:15). What did Jesus do with the agonizing challenges before Him? He prayed.

The night before Jesus went to the Cross was the most difficult time of His ministry. To prepare for that difficult season, what did He do? He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asked His three closest friends to pray with Him because He needed them during this time of battle before going to the Cross (Mat. 26:36–38). He even prayed specifically for Peter because Satan had asked to sift him (Luke 22:31–32). Why didn’t Jesus just command Satan to leave. I personally believe He was modeling what it is like to walk in dependence on the Father. Remember, Jesus never taught us how to teach; instead, He taught us how to pray.

Like Jesus, we need our friends to join us in this battle. God is ready to do something exciting; however, it will be the hardest time of our ministry but the most rewarding. There will be assaults from the enemy, and there will be victories. As a result, we will be stretched. I believe God is calling us to a deeper walk with Him through prayer.

Let’s take the battle to our enemy. Will you join us in Royal Rangers Prayer Vigil October 8–9. Just as Jesus asked His disciples, we ask you. Will you pray for one hour? More information on the Royal Rangers Prayer Vigil can be found here.