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The following are some excerpts from Brad Burk’s book, “Changing the Atmosphere,” on how our prayers have the power to shift the spiritual climate of our communities:

When we focus on the enemy and what he is doing, we tend not to hear what God is saying. Then, what we say is what the enemy is doing, and we are inadvertently speaking out into the atmosphere what the enemy wants us to proclaim. Without realizing what we are doing, we are lending our agreement to the enemy’s plans. We do not want to speak out the enemy’s plans, but speak out the plans and intentions of God. We can become so involved in what the enemy is doing in the world, that we forget that God is in control, and that what we hear on some news broadcast is drawing us away from God by dread and fear.

During my quiet time, I once heard in my spirit that God was not a God that was against anything. My question was immediately, “What about Jericho?” What I heard was this, “I was not against Jericho, but Jericho was against me. It was in my way, and nothing can stop me and the direction I am going and taking my people.” Maybe I can put it this way. We are not called to defend ourselves against our Jericho, but simply follow God through our Jericho. How did they defeat Jericho? They followed the counsel of God and made a lot of noise (sound).

This brings us to 2 Corinthians 10:6, “…being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when your own obedience [as a church] is complete.” We see all kinds of evil and disobedience in this world today, but we need to deal with it properly. How do we punish every act of disobedience? By responding in complete obedience. Our obedience will automatically punish disobedience wherever it tries to hide. It is time for us to push back the darkness that is in our lives and in the world by becoming the atmosphere changers that God has called us to be from our seats in Heavenly places. Not by the things we decide, but what we see, hear, and know that the Father wants accomplished. Then we begin to be the oracles of God in the earth. As we come out of agreement with the enemy by not speaking and acting the way he wants, but by coming into agreement with God’s desires, the more we are going to see the atmosphere align with God.

In a small town, a pornography store opened up, and immediately the pastor gathered his intercessors to begin praying against this invasion. They prayed and prayed for almost two years, but to no avail. In fact, a few more pornography stores opened up in the area. As the pastor sought God about this situation, he felt in his spirit that God was telling him not to pray against these places anymore, but to bless them. This, of course, went against everything he believed and had been taught. At this point, he asked God why he should bless or even could bless such a place of sin. That is when he heard God say, “Don’t bless the pornography. Bless the people with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts that will seek God and the truth. And bless the buildings to become structures that will be used for godly purposes.” What happened? All the pornography stores closed down within a short period of time.

Could it be that God is revealing His prayer strategies in this season? That we were not called to pray against or pray out the works and situations of the enemy, but to declare God’s will, God’s way, and God’s heart into existence. As we declare, decree, and proclaim God’s heart, plans, and intentions into the earth, situations change. In other words, when we bring into existence the heart of God through what we say, we are flooding the atmosphere with light, and darkness automatically has to disappear.

• Excerpts from “Changing the Atmosphere” by Brad Burk.