Alistair Petrie is an apostolic leader who has ministered in many nations around the world teaching on prayer and national transformation. In his book, A Sacred Trust, Petrie shares four types of  defilement from Scripture which can bring curses on the land and the people who live there. Even after the cross, when these ungodly practices take place in a community or region, whether from the past or the present, they open the door to demonic assault if there is no repentance or change of heart. It is only when we humble ourselves before the Lord and acknowledge these evil practices, that the sin is erased and the defilement is cleansed.

O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us…O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.  (Daniel 9:16-19 ESV)

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Petrie encourages intercessors to identify these defilements that may be affecting their community and say prayers of repentance and cleansing in order to take back the land and prepare the way for revival:

Idolatry: Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. (Jonah 2:8)

• Idolatry is worshiping anyone or anything other than God. Possible idols include specific classes of people or races, political parties, having a higher education, the accumulation of money or a reputation among men, religious institutions or icons, social status or worldly entertainments, etc. We must confess any idol which has received more attention or focus than the Lord in our lives and ask Him to cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, and restore our first love back to Him.

Immorality/Fornication: The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

• These practices not only reveal a rebellious spirit, but mock the holiness of God. When immorality is left unchecked, the church loses its authority on the land. We must confess any known sins associated with the acts of the flesh and apply the finished work of the cross in its place. We must also then replace these practices with humble submission to the Lord and demonstrate our desire to pursue a holy and righteous life. As we walk in the fear of the Lord, He will pour out a fresh love in our hearts that will burn away the flesh and replace it with a fiery passion for the King.

Untimely Bloodshed: Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed. (Numbers 35:33a)

• Bloodshed comes through murder, crimes of various sorts, sacrifices associated with cult worship, any war on the land, abortion practices, etc. Bloodshed also opens the door to spirits of anger, rebellion, bitterness, jealousy, rage, criticism, etc. Not only must we confess these defilements; we must displace their influence by walking in the opposite spirit in how we treat others and care for our neighbors. We must pray for unconditional love, selfless service, and a covering of peace among the people in our community and region.

Broken Covenants: The earth is defiled by its people, they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. (Isaiah 24:5-6)

• There are consequences to promises not kept. These can include broken contracts, agreements, treaties, and spoken agreements between individuals, groups, or organizations in the land. These may be covenants from past generations that continue to impact the people on the land, or current covenants which go against God’s Word. We must acknowledge any covenant that has been broken and determine to make things right among those impacted. We must also break covenant with any individual or organization which is not in line with God’s purposes. God will never break His covenant with us, but we can break our part of the covenant with Him when we are joined with any unholy or broken covenant.

If we are to see our nation transformed by the power of God, it must start at the community level. As intercessors pray over their own communities, wisdom and insight can be sought in regards to these defilements, even from previous generations, and how they may be poisoning any well of revival. In addition to prayers of repentance, Petrie also recommends taking communion on-site as a way of rededicating our land back to the Lord.

The Lord will establish you as His holy people, as He promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to Him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock, and the crops of your ground—in the land He swore to your ancestors to give you. (Deuteronomy 28:9-11)