There is a separation now going on — and it is the Lord’s doing.

IFA’s Texas state prayer group meets on Thursdays. Last week, before we began praying for our state’s significant needs, we experienced a shift in perspective. Several intercessors shared what the Lord was speaking to them, and we all noticed a recurring theme: There is a separation taking place now, and it is the Lord’s own doing. As we shared thoughts and scriptures together, I felt compelled to come and bring word to the IFA community about how we might apply these things to our personal lives.

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Pruning and Stripping

One prayer point that we and most intercessors are praying for is the exposure of corruption. One intercessor said that God’s exposure has already begun and that we’re going to start seeing more of that unfold. And she noted that the Lord is not exposing leaders only, but also all believers. “God longs to do so much through us,” she said, “but before we can do anything, we must allow Him to strip away and prune us. There are things we are holding onto that He can’t use in this season.”

We must be willing to walk in total surrender, holding nothing back. There’s nothing we can hide from Him anyway, even if we try, so let’s allow Him to expose anything in us that is sinful or no longer beneficial. 

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life (Psalm 139:23–24 NLT). 

The Exposure of Leaders

With increasing frequency, we’re seeing pastors and other spiritual leaders getting exposed. Again, the word that came to several intercessors involved the separation of those who will be obedient from those who refuse. In praying for pastors and their families, we asked that they would remain faithful to the Lord and His calling upon their lives. We also prayed they would have boldness, integrity, wisdom, the fear of the Lord, and humility. Our pastors and leaders need humility and grace to admit whenever they’ve sinned and to repent. It’s difficult to stand before a congregation and confess, but with God, there is mercy and forgiveness if we repent. When God exposes any person’s sin, His righteous judgment is an act of mercy. He is calling that person to repent and return to Him. The Lord cares more for the person than for the ministry; He’s more concerned about our character than about our anointing. 

A word of wisdom was shared with this prayer:

“As hard as it is for a pastor to repent and come clean, it’s hard for any believer to do so. Before we begin coming down on them with our harsh judgment, we would be wise to make sure there is no sin hiding in our own lives; otherwise, we are nothing more than hypocrites,” the intercessor said.

It is essential to pray for pastors. They are called to lead the Church of which Christ is head, and whenever a pastor fails morally, the entire Body of Christ is hurt. 

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’ ” (Matthew 26:31). 

This is precisely what Satan wants: a broken, divided Body of Christ. Now is not the time to be scattering, but to be gathering. Pastors need faithful intercessors who will stand in the gap for them and their families (see 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13). 

This prayer for any needed exposure of Church leaders was directed also toward governmental leaders. It was shared too that this exposure will reveal those who are faithful toward God and truly love this nation, and those whose hearts are set to do evil while in office. We prayed for leaders who profess Christian faith while in office, for their personal protection and preservation. We also prayed that those who do not know the Lord might have personal encounters with Jesus and experience changed hearts. We prayed that those who refuse to repent of their evil while in office would be replaced by others who will act righteously (see Psalm 109:8). The Scripture tells us that government officials need intercessors to pray faithfully for them (see 1 Timothy 2:1–4).

Another intercessor observed that all the pruning is preparing us for the coming harvest.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38).

That intercessor said: “The Lord wants us to know who we are in Him. He wants us to be sure of our calling. The Lord is sending us into places to pray, and some will go before our elected leaders with an opportunity to share our faith. In this season, God wants those who know what they are called to do to step out in faith. Our leaders need us; the lost and hurting need us; they need us to know who we are in Christ.”  

Carry Out Your Assignment

Every intercessor has a mandate, and it’s prayer: to stand in the gap on behalf of others, be that public figures or leaders, the Church, or those in a region or a nation. Intercessors have assignments. Some of those are specific to certain regions or areas. You have an assignment. Some of us are to remain hidden away in the prayer closet, while others will be called out onto the front lines publicly. In either case, you are necessary! 

Do you know that you possess a power that can move heaven and earth? It’s prayer. Effective, fervent prayer always brings dynamic results (see James 5:16). Prayer is powerful, but agreement in prayer among two or more intercessors is even more powerful, and the Lord promises that He is in the midst of that (see Matthew 18:19–20).

As we continued to pray about all of this, we were agreed that there is a need for discernment in this hour. Hebrews 5:14 talks about mature believers who have exercised their senses to discern good and evil. And this is available to all believers; we can all operate in discernment — hearing the Word of God is how we grow and avoid deception.

“Discernment is God’s call to intercession, never to faultfinding.” — Corrie Ten Boom

Eyes to See

We know that 1 Corinthians 12:10 cites a gift of the Spirit called the discerning of spirits. This is a supernatural ability to discern what is of God and what is not. A word of caution concerning this gift: This is not the gift of suspicion! The discerning of spirits is not an excuse to suspect and accuse anyone who doesn’t agree with you, nor does it involve calling out a “demon” behind everything. This gift can and does expose the demonic, but it can also make us aware of the angelic spirits, and even of the human spirit. The most significant operation of this gift is when we discern the work and move of the Holy Spirit. Though yes, the Lord can easily expose what the Enemy is doing, we don’t want to give the Enemy more attention than he deserves. We want our hearts to be in tune with heaven. We want eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that understands and aligns with what God is doing. The Holy Spirit Himself administers this gift. However, Paul admonishes the Church in 1 Corinthians 12:31 to earnestly desire the best gifts. I love the manifestations of all the gifts of God, but I believe the Church needs this gift more than ever before. This gift involves seeing as God sees and hearing as God hears, and then acting just when the Spirit calls for it. 

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear” (Matthew 13:16).

Will You Be a Watchman?

I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected (Habakkuk 2:1).

The watchman was often positioned in a fortress-type high tower. From there, he had an elevated view of the city. Watchmen were alert — they had to be. They were responsible for spotting incoming messengers, dangers, threats, and  approaching enemies, for declaring what they saw, and for warning the people. Intercessors often function as watchmen. We have an elevated position, not in ourselves or in anything we might have done, but simply because we are seated in heavenly places with Christ (see Ephesians 2:6). We see what God shows us in prayer. We are to “record the vision” when warnings come in dreams and visions, as Habakkuk did (see Habakkuk 2:2–3). From there, it becomes a point of intercession or assignment until we feel the release from God to move on. The Church, our families, our cities, and our nation need watchmen on the walls. Will you take your place and, like Habakkuk, remain expectant to hear from God? If you are saying yes for the first time, or if you are ready to recommit to praying for our nation, let’s pray together right now: 

Father, we praise You for responding to IFA’s prayer groups and in every place where people are gathered to seek Your face and will for the Church, for the city, for the nation. Thank You for every answered prayer, every miracle, and every plot of the Enemy that You expose. But we don’t just thank You — we worship You, for who and what You are: merciful, kind, holy, faithful, and good. You said that we should earnestly desire the best gifts, and so we ask for exactly that: Give us eyes to see in the Spirit! Speak, O Lord, and expose every evil scheme to us while we are in prayer — as You did with the prophet Elisha in thwarting the enemy plans. Speak in dreams, as we see described in Job 33:14–18, when deep sleep comes upon us. Speak in dreams and visions; speak in our ears; let us hear Your warnings! Let us take these dreams as points upon which to intercede as You direct us. And we pray for any watchmen who may have fallen asleep: Awaken them, O God, and help them return to their post. Let all Your watchmen arise — with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is sensitive to Your will. But the gift of discerning of spirits means nothing if we do not love others. So, give us Your heart toward the people for whom we pray. Give us the mind of Christ in every situation — devoid of our own opinions and selfish desires; give us a greater hunger for Your Word so that we might grow in discernment and avoid every deception! In Jesus’ name, amen.

What has God been revealing that He wants you to pray for? Encourage your fellow intercessors by sharing it in the comments.

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: PonyWang/Getty Images Signature via Canva Pro.