Spiritual warfare and the glory of God

Still on spiritual warfare...and interceding for cities. We landed in Bangkok yesterday (am here for a 4-day break) - and on the way from the airport to the city, I was struck by how lining both sides of the expressway were small figurines/statues of gods...presumably gods of protection? This lovely nation with incredibly wonderful people are so steeped in their belief of Buddha...this stems from deep-seated beliefs that go centuries back, and which are tightly woven into the very fabric of society. How do we even break through ... I thought.

Anyway, on the plane-ride here, I continued to read John Dawson's book "Taking our cities for God", in between catching Liam Neeson in the movie "Taken" (a pretty good show!). One thing which John wrote about pertaining to spiritual warfare and territorial spirits struck me. Sounding a warning to what intercessors can be prone to do - which is try and delve too much into what territorial spirits are holding a city captive - he says: "God will reveal what we need to know when we need to know it."

"There has always been a danger of either denial of satanic activity altogether or focusing on it too much. If we gain knowledge of the name and nature of an evil spirit and publish it broadly, the enemy will only attempt to glorify himself openly or instill fear among the immature. Joshua warned the Israelites about this temptation. 'You shall not make mention of the name of their gods'. (Joshua 23:7)'

I liked what he continued to say. "After all, the problem is not the presence of the enemy, but the absence of glory. When our sin causes God's revealed presence to depart, the demonic swarm fills the vacuum. Therefore, our focus should be on repentance and priestly meditation rather than on becoming expert on the satanic hierarchy. Morbid fascination is a carnal appetite that can drive us to search out the hidden knowledge of the evil realm... However, the privilege of knowing God Himself should be the centre of our desire."

Prayer today: Father God, when you call us to push back the boundaries of darkness as intercessors, help us focus on the right things ... on repentance, and priestly meditation, and you. After all, even in the darkest places, the problem is not the presence of the enemy, but the absence of glory. May we be the vessels that bring light to darkness, and to show the lost your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.