And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.  (Jer 29:7)

For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. (Dt 11:10-12)

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God has a plan, a destiny and purpose for your city.  But for that to be fulfilled we must take our cities back.

Before the foundations of the earth, God knew your city and the gift it would offer to those who dwell there.

God spoke to the Jews in Babylon; “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11) 

This was an evil city, yet God had a plan, just as He has for your city.  It’s up to each of us to seek His wisdom and implement His plan for our city.

How do we do that?

We can look through the history of our city to discover its purpose.

• Look for prophetic words spoken over your city.
• Search out the original establishment of your city and its purpose.
• Look for places the enemy has tried to build a stronghold.
• Seek God concerning the evil spirits that seem to have a fortified place in your city, they could be governmental, greed, sickness, divorce, drugs, etc.

For instance, my city, Dayton, Tennessee, is often referred to as “Monkey Town” because of the Scopes Trial which took place in 1925. In the court case, a science teacher challenged a city resolution to advocate for the theory of evolution.

Although this event occurred almost one hundred years ago, it is still celebrated today. It is a stronghold in my city. One that must come down.  As a watchman over my city, I choose to dig down into our history to get to the bottom of it and remove the root cause.  You must do the same in your city. These are important steps for us to take if we are ever going to take them back.

God desires to rebuild the walls of our city and make them a fortified place for us to dwell – but He needs us to accomplish that.  All authority has been given unto us (Mt 28:18).

This is where prayer and spiritual warfare are vital. It may be a battle – but if we refuse to give up – we will see the fruit of our labor.

Bind the Strongman

Jesus said, “How can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (Mt 12.-29)

To discern the principalities at work in your city can be as simple as asking God to reveal them to you. However, it may, as previously stated, require looking back through history to receive insight of where the enemy gained entrance.

When you examine the history of your city, you will find clues as to what is oppressing the people today. Remember, these are our cities! The only authority Satan possesses was stolen from mankind. He can only operate in this authority when we believe his lies and agree with his plan. We must bind him and the strongman operating over our city, rendering them ineffective.

Watch Your Words

Be careful what you say over your city.  Don’t join Satan as the accuser – instead have a heart of thanksgiving.

I recently heard someone say, “I love living in Rhea County.” It took me by surprise. At that time, I only saw traffic issues, bad roads and corruption. I had a negative attitude. I realized I had joined the accuser of the brethren in complaining about the negative issues. We must not come into agreement with Satan’s purpose for our city.  Instead, we must uproot those areas that need change in prayer.

Establish the Atmosphere of God in Our City

Declare God’s plan and purpose over your city and release faith into the atmosphere.

I’ll never forget the day I stepped out of my vehicle in Tulsa, OK at the City of Faith. I felt FAITH in the atmosphere.  I knew Tulsa had been prayed over unlike any city I had ever visited. That day God showed me that we can change the atmosphere in our city with prayer and worship.

So, what do we do?

Repair and rebuild the walls of our city through repentance, worship and prayer.

Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. (Is. 58:12)

The strongholds that exist (and all cities have them) may hinder the blessing of God being released. But they are not invincible. Strongholds are vulnerable to the Word of God and the authority given to every believer.

Repent of the sins of your city

The great intercessors of the Bible approached God with true repentance. Our prayers to God must be sincere.  We must align with God’s heart for our city. What breaks Gods heart, must break ours. When Nehemiah prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem, his prayers displayed his heart for his city. He said, “I and this people have sinned” (Neh. 1:6-7).

Perhaps you had no part in how evil entered your city, you can still pray and repent for it. Through repentance, reconciliation, and prayer, we can take back our cities.

How to Begin:

1. Always begin with thanksgiving, praise and worship.

It’s in this place that we can conceive His mind and heart for our city and change the atmosphere therein.

2. Evaluate your attitude toward your city.

If it is negative, ask God to reveal His heart for your city. Negativity will stifle the revelation that God wants to bring. True humility allows His heart to be revealed to us.

3. Pray about your city. Then wait on the Lord for insight.

Don’t rely on human reasoning or carnal knowledge. Seek the wisdom of God. He will guide us into victory. God wants your city to be one that belongs to Him and is blessed by Him, even more than you do.

4. Remember, He has a strategy. Ask Him for it.

Throughout the Bible we see wise men of God sought Him for strategies of battle. They didn’t assume one strategy worked every time. They inquired of God for a fresh answer to each battle.

5. Pull down the strongholds.

In 2 Chronicles 14, Asa took back his cities for God.  His strategy included:

1. Seeking God and obeying His commands.
2. Pulling down strongholds & removing idols.
3. Rebuilding the fortified cities.

Once he did those three things, the word of God says they built and prospered and God gave them rest on every side, with no enemies and no war!  This will be the fruit of our labor as we diligently stand in faith, praying for our city.

Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest. Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So, they built and prospered (2 Chr 14:2-7).

For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land— against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.  They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you” (Jer 1:18-19).                                                

6. Pray Through! Don’t stop until you see the spiritual walls of your city rebuilt.

Just as birth pangs let us know labor has begun, God’s Spirit stirs our souls to seasons of intense travail. We are in such a time.  We must pray until birth is imminent.  As we do, God will bring forth delivery.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and keep on knocking and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7).

Jesus has already paid the price for us to walk in authority over our city. It’s up to us to exercise that authority.

Victory is God’s plan for every city. As our walls are being rebuilt, we must continually ask God to guard our city.  To place angelic forces around it to keep it safe day and night.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (Ps 127:1).

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever (Ps 125:1-2).

Let’s press in for a city we read about in Zechariah 8:4-5.

Thus, says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

To join the city-by-city prayer movement to save our nation go to: http://city-by-city.org/

(Used with permission. Photo from DreamsTime.)

Kim Potter is a writer and the founder of A New Thing Ministries, which sends a daily teaching to thousands of people all around the world. Her articles have appeared on The Elijah List, Charisma, Spirit Fuel and iBelieve.com. Kim’s message is one of hope. She speaks to the heart of those who have grown discouraged or disappointed by the circumstances of life, imparting hope. For additional information, or to receive her daily writings, go to www.anewthingministries.com

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