Many Americans watching the rhetoric and legislation coming out of Washington have a question:

What in the world is going on?

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Americans have watched as inflation, government spending, and attacks on personal freedoms have soared to levels we never expected just a few years ago.

Meanwhile, we have witnessed a string of high-profile leaders, both in broader culture as well as government, fall in scandal amid allegations of sexual assault.

Most recently, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation after allegations of sexual misconduct. While Republicans may be tempted to celebrate, we should really mourn.

In a time when leaders seem to have gone astray, the everyday American is left wondering how this can happen and what we can do about it.

Good question.

I believe we are seeing the fruit of a deep root of lust in our nation’s leaders. As the Word tells us, “the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20).

Our nation is one where people are encouraged to chase their dreams, to go hard after what they desire, to engage in the American tradition of the “pursuit of happiness.”

This is a good thing; however, somewhere along the way our leaders have left the purity of the American spirit and embraced the spirit of “more.” A spirit of lust has engulfed our nation’s leaders, and we see it manifest in many ways… first in the steady stream of sexual scandals but also in the increasingly greedy spending bills coming out of Congress. The lust of man includes the lust for money, for increased programs and entitlements, a never ending expansion of government influence and power.

In fact, I believe this spirit of lust is working with envy and greed, an unholy trinity based on a deep thirst for more. This may seem a bit ethereal and hard to grasp, but it’s important for intercessors to understand what spirits are in operation so they can pray strategically.

Insider Intercessory Intelligence 

In the face of this dire challenge, we seem to be losing.

However, while the problem is complex, the solution may be more simple.

I spoke to a Christian source on Capitol Hill who told me something very interesting. In regards to the latest push for debt-based federal spending, she said that the fiscally responsible members of Congress grew weary in opposing the irresponsibility. Despite fears over out-of-control debt and rising inflation, they caved. She even said these late night votes (the latest bill passed after midnight) wears them down.

The Watchman

Again, the problem is complex, but with our Father’s help, the solution can be simple. First, we must take up the mantle of the Watchman to warn our nation of what is happening.

At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 3:16-19)

We have an obligation to warn the nation that its reckless trajectory will mean doom. As intercessors, we can see what is coming. We must pray but also raise our voices to warn that disaster is coming. Economic disaster is the first of many different hardships that follow. It may be that nobody listens, but at least we will have done what we can and can stand before God with a clean conscience.

I fear the next generation will look at us and say…. why didn’t you do something?

Aside from warning, we must pray. Our prayers can be strategic when we understand that lust, greed, and envy are working together in our leaders to twist their sense of right and wrong and set us on a breakneck pace to economic collapse. Rising inflation, endless debt, increasing federal handouts, ever-growing bureaucracy, constant encroachment on personal freedoms….all of these are symptoms of a ruling class that wants “more.”

The desire drives them on, without growing weary. Meanwhile, the defenders in Washington who are fighting back have grown weak.

Let’s lift them up in prayer, warn the nation, and believe that God will intervene.

With this in mind, let us pray: 

-Father, we pray that you would deliver our leaders from the spirits of lust, greed, and envy that have overtaken so many. Bring freedom into our land, or replace these leaders with righteous ones who honor your Word and operate in the Spirit of Wisdom.

-Lord, give us the courage and boldness to speak up in this hour and warn our nation to repent, to turn back to God and to set our nation back on a trajectory of peace and stability, of freedom and financial prosperity. Lord, don’t let it be too late.

-Holy Spirit, strengthen those in Washington, D.C. who have grown weary in standing for you and your wisdom. Strengthen their weak knees and faltering hands. Put conviction, selflessness and courage in their hearts to fight for our nation.

Verses to press into as you intercede on this issue:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9

“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble…” -Hebrews 12:12

Casey Harper is a writer in the Washington, D.C. area covering national politics. He has worked for The Daily Caller, The Hill, and Sinclair Broadcast Group. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Casey’s work has also appeared in Fox News, Fox Business, Washington Examiner, and USA Today. Follow him on Twitter: @CaseyHarper33. (Photo Credit: Canva.)