Prayer for divine intervention – the only national recourse!

In the Book of Joel 2: 12-17, at that time the nation was facing hopelessness, famine, poverty and a lack of vision - not even for prayer - Joel outlined, after reviewing the condition, that the people have no other recourse but to pray for divine intervention or else they would be finished.

He taught the people the pathway to prayer, fasting, humility and also declaring God's promises that as long as they complied there would be a birthing and renewal, and that dreams and visions would come forth.

Without a doubt, with what our nation is going through, prayer for intervention is the only way out now. Only through the Holy Spirit can change come. Only through His Spirit can we reduce poverty. Poverty is a state of the mind. The only way it can be broken is through God's spirit. Otherwise, we will have greater hardship.

Even if a leader comes on the scene and truly wants to bring change to and for the people, without God's spirit, they will reject and crucify such a leader. When people have been abused over a period of time, if they are not healed, then those hurting people will hurt good people. They will quickly embrace an abuser or a liar and reject a person who truly loves and cares for them.

Have you ever noticed that a person in an abusive relationship may cry out for change, and when the change comes they reject the good thing and return to the abusive situation to which they have become accustomed? This is what has been happening in our politics. The people are under a stronghold. They can no longer discern good from evil.

Change starts from within the mind and only the Holy Spirit can bring that change. Otherwise, the people will not even be able to discern when good comes. As we learn from Jeremiah 17: 5-9, forming alliances with other nations in order to bring about change is only a deception and it will bring greater hardship, deception, suffering and more taxes! Unless the stronghold is broken from the minds of the people, the people will continue to wander in the wilderness. New Age doctrine will not bring the change needed!

Poverty, greed, immorality, hopelessness, pride and murder are all strongholds which cannot be cured by amending laws or imposing new laws.

Even the protests taking place in the United States regarding injustices and racism cannot be dealt with by civil rights movements. They have not addressed past situations. Racism and injustice only change their colours. Only spiritual weapons can address the strongholds of racism. If the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson would call a 40-day fast, cry out to the Lord and ask the Lord to deal with the strongholds that are dividing the United States of America, then justice and healing would take place. All that is happening now is a distraction so that the enemy can work subversively.

Carnal weapons are designed by man. Philosophical points of view will not bring change. Theologians without God's Spirit will not bring change. Economists or international financial bodies will not bring change or solutions without divine revelation. The people, as Joel 2: 12-17 states, have to return to God in prayer, fasting, weeping and mourning.

Practice the Rs

We must begin to practise all the Rs. Repent, restore, return and recover.

When you look at the countries of the West, and in particular the Caribbean and the United States, the people are becoming renters and not owners. The entire middle class has been wiped out - in much the same way as the communist or socialist countries. Governments are fast become rubber stamps. An entire generation is merely sitting idly - doing little. Meanwhile, politicians are crying out for people to put them in power for change.

The only way change comes is when the politicians have a change of mind! Furthermore, they must recognise that only a godly vision can bring about change. The normal way of doing business no longer exists. Otherwise, regardless of their good intentions, their abused lover - the people - will end up judging them instead.

Remember, if an abused person does not get healed, then they are going to hurt their new lover and judge them using all the abusive experiences they have gone through over the years.

n Steve Lyston is a biblical economics consultant and author of several books, including 'End Time Finance' and 'The New Millionaire'.