June Watchword: Orlando and the Keys of the Kingdom

I just watched a video where a young man who lived through the terror attack on Pulse Nightclub in Orlando begged the nation, “just keep praying.”  In the aftermath of this attack, thousands of people are now posting “Pray for Orlando” or “Praying for Orlando” on social media sites.  However, unless we really know what to pray and how to pray, we are simply offering a few words of bland comfort.  

The reality is that the atoning work of Christ gives us complete authority to bind the powers of darkness and release angelic ministry to bring healing and restoration.  When we say we are “praying” it is not simply to offer comfort.  When we say, “we are praying” it means that we are about to pick up the priestly mantle Christ left behind when He ascended.  It means that we are about to bind the powers of darkness and bring healing to the heart of man on the basis of what He accomplished through His death, resurrection, and ascension.  When we pray, we pray as people who hold the keys to close--and lock--the gates of death and hell.  

The Keys of the Kingdom:
During His earthly ministry, Jesus told the apostles: 
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  

Notice that Christ said this in the future tense—“I will give you the keys…”  This is because He had yet to acquire them through His atoning work.  However, several decades later, when He appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos after his death, resurrection, and ascension, the same living Christ said: 
“I am the Living One; I was dead, but behold I am alive for ever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death and hell.” (Revelation 1:18)

Here, we see Christ is firmly grasping the keys of authority in His hand.  Through His atoning work, He now has the power to restore all things.  It is this fully victorious Christ who abides in us right now.  When events around us shake the world, it is our sacred responsibility to seek the face of Christ and allow Him to exercise His authority through us.  When we do this, we step into the greater authority described by the prophet Isaiah:
“I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Isaiah 22:22)

As believers, we can no longer afford to be reactionary.  We must discern the plans and plots of the powers of darkness…and effectively shut them down through pre-emptive prophetic intercession.  Whether or not we take up this mantle of prayer will determine our future as a nation.

On that note, here is a list of of specific prayers we can pray in the aftermath of these events, in order of urgency and priority:
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Prayer Points for Orlando

1. Pray for Victims’ Grieving Families: 
   As a kingdom of priests, the primary power we have been given is the power to bless others.  Each victim has left behind brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends who love them.  Pray and release angelic ministry to bring words of healing, comfort, and salvation to all those involved. 
   
   
2. Pray for Recovering Survivors:
   Over fifty people are still recovering from major and life-threatening injuries.  Pray for swift healing, pray for the medical staff caring for them, and ask the Father to release a wave of healing power over them.
   
   
3. Bind Confusion, Hatred, and Divisiveness:
   The enemy’s plan is often to use attacks like this to fracture our nation even more.  Politicians and zealots use these tragic events to promote their agendas, leading to confusion and inaction.  Let us bind confusion, hatred, and divisiveness—and resolve to search our own hearts until the calm, quiet love of the Father is all that remains there.
   
   
4. Release Clarity, Unity, and Wisdom:
   Pray for our law enforcement, our governmental officials, and other leaders.  Ask the Father to remove the blinders and release total clarity on what happened, unity in a common-sense response, and wisdom in how to discern and prevent future attacks.
   
   
5. Prayers to Expose and Eliminate Threats:
   Current intelligence reveals that this horrific attack is only a foretaste of what the enemy wants to bring to our shores.  Let us pray that the Lord will expose every Islamic terrorist threat and domestic terror threat before it happens, so that we can eliminate as many as possible.
   
   
6. Pray for the Body of Christ:
   Unless we have salt and light, our nation will only decay more and turn darker.  Pray for a spiritual awakening that will begin in the Body for Christ and quickly accelerate to bring in the greater Glory and Harvest the Father has promised.
   
   
7. Pray for a Harvest from the LGBT Community:
   Many of those who are currently desperate and lost in the LGBT community have powerful callings and anointings from the Lord waiting to be unlocked.  The Father is getting ready to draw them back into the fold, wash them with His love, redeem them with Christ’s blood, and consecrate them to be His “Most Holy Ones.”  We need to get a vision for the great harvest that is coming and begin to reach out much more to those who are hurting

Survivors gather during a vigil, from the Orlando Sentinel website

When we say, “we are praying” it means that we are about to pick up the priestly mantle Christ left behind when He ascended.  ​