…Through every prayer and petition, praying in every season in the Spirit, being watchful to this same thing with all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints… Eph 6:18
Persevering in prayer, all the time, for ALL saints. WHAT??? So it’s the saints, the brethren, we should be continuously and with perserverence praying for, and not for the world, or cities or nations.
Ian Vincent 
March 30, 2009 at 11:55 pm
It was just a general comment, considering that satan has shifted many Christian’s emphasis away from real relationships, from the Body life, to more grandiose concerns which are a reflection of their own unbalanced sense of self importance and which feeds their fleshly desire to be important.
It’s a very real trend i’ve encountered. Satan doesn’t mind a Christian praying for the world and city wide revivals just as long as he can keep a Christian detached from reality, from real life, from being personally committed to other brethren, and persevering in prayer for them. He is an expert at giving people ‘good’ things to do which keep them from functioning in their true gifted position in the Body, by the Holy Spirit.
To be an ‘intercessor’ for the nations whilst being detached from NT church life/relationship is like being an intercessor on board the Titanic. Looks noble and good, but it’s out of touch with reality.
March 31, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I wasn’t ruling out praying for nations, i was meaning to say that often it’s an escape from being in a supportive relationship of prayer to brethren we are in fellowship with. If we fulfill our responsibilities in the Spirit serving the Body in the relationships God has ordered for us, then, if there’s any energy left, after we’ve been faithful to them, then pray for nations and cities etc.
The responsibility aspect could be compared to a natural family, how parents would be out of order to neglect their children in favor of ‘bigger’ and ‘grander’ things.