Government and the Military in 2023

Pray for Government and Military 2023

(by Rev. Siegfried Tomazsewski)

Let me open with a commonly known scripture before I share what I believe God has put on my heart for this month’s prayer.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2 KJV)

Over the past 40 years, I have travelled to over 110 countries as an evangelist and have been privileged to minister in relatively open countries and also to the underground church in so-called closed countries. We have witnessed the rise and fall of governments , aided by the military and opposed by the military. We have seen democracy overthrown and kings crowned, only to be dethroned again.

In some countries corruption is painfully obvious while others look good only because they are masters at hiding what is really taking place. Many local problems are the result of poor governance that results in poverty, power shortages, and even makes room for crime rooted in racism and discrimination.

Before I give some prayer points, let me point out that there are also problems unrelated to poor national government. There are great needs in church leadership and government that we need to pray over earnestly.

We understand the special role the military plays in the defense of the nations. All too often, though, governments abuse their military might with power-plays or the illegal invasion of other countries. Sometimes the military is used to overthrow a national government and it is not always easy to know whether it is good or bad for the country.

I want to point you to two important instances in the Bible. First, the way Peter was quick to raise his sword when Jesus was to be arrested; we all know the story! His human nature and his temper dictated his action, an action which Jesus rebuked strongly. But, right after the day of Pentecost, scripture says that Peter stood up and raised his voice, and what took place then is remarkable. The truth is, Jesus never called us to raise physical weapons, but spiritual weapons, the weapons of praying and preaching.

Secondly, Jesus never spoke one word against the Roman or the Jewish government, even though he was very outspoken against the religious establishment of the day. The Bible exhorts us to love, not condemn. It is all too easy to judge and criticize leadership and the government, but this is NOT what we are called to do. Our motivation should be to pray for our leaders and government, to bless them, even the ones we do not care for! We need to ask the Holy Spirit to change hearts, because changed hearts and changed lives will change nations.

So let us pray:

• For the Holy Spirit to move in our nations to change hearts
• For Christian politicians to stand up and raise their voices, not their fists
• For Christians in Government to start praying for one another, not looking for the worst in each other
• For military leaders to be led by the Holy Spirit, not by their own will, to focus on peace in the nation and not war
• To be bold and pray for rulers that are not godly to be removed peacefully and godly rulers to take over with righteousness

Lastly, as a German, I can truly bear witness that God can change seemingly impossible situations, notably, the coming down of the Berlin wall in 1989. What a mighty testimony to the power of God!

So, let us pray for freedom, righteousness and an empowered church that will pray for the nation. Let us pray for our nations to be subject to God, undivided, and for the persecuted church to be strong.

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)

This is true for our political leaders, military leaders, and church leaders.

Rev. Siegfried Tomazsewski 
Evangelist 
President – Calling Ministry, Inc. 
Director – Global Evangelist Alliance (GEA) 
Vice President/CEO, One God – One Decade – One Africa (1GDA) 

Repent on Behalf of Your Government and Your Military

(by Lilian and Bjorn Schmid) 

Before making any statement of repentance we need to understand how much God loves us (John 3:16). Jesus came to give us life to the full (John 10:10b), but we must follow Him and obey His commands (John 14:15) to fully realise and enjoy the life He offers us. Possibly the Bible verse that describes this best is this: 

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV) 

God is love, He is kind and He is patient (1 John 4:7-21), yet He is also the God of justice who hears the cries of those crushed by any oppression or injustice (Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8). Throughout history, many nations have come under God’s judgment for their sins, when they take God’s patience and love for granted. In the Bible we observe that when people acknowledge their wrong-doing and turn away from it and back to Him and His righteousness, God intervenes and His kindness is extended to them again. This action is repentance. 

Repentance means not just running back to God but running away from anything that would keep us from God. In his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul challenged them on their behaviour to each other and laid out a list of sins that would keep people from inheriting the Kingdom of God (see also Galatians 5:19-21). 

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NIV) 

On the day of Pentecost after being filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter publicly challenged the thousands of people present for the celebration to see who Jesus really is, what they did to Him in their ignorance, and to: 

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” (Acts 3:19 NIV)

Intercession involves repentance for others, i.e. not just for yourself. The Bible also tells us that Moses (Exodus 32:7-14), Daniel (Daniel 9:3-19) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4-11) repented on behalf of their nation to God; they interceded for their nation and God listened and answered their prayers. 

Repentance is a true transformation of the heart to repent on something that caused grief to God, which puts a huge barrier between us and God and between our nations and God. Moses, Daniel and Nehemiah confessed their own sins, the sins of their families, their ancestors and their nation, and asked God to forgive them. 

There are five main sins that every nation will confront (e.g. Jeremiah 19):

1. Idolatry: Psalm 115:4-8; Exodus 20:3-6, 22:20, 23:13,24,31-33. 
2. Killing of Innocents (including the unborn): Genesis 4:10-11, 9:6; Deuteronomy 19:10, 27:25; Psalm 106:38; Matthew 2:16-18.
3. Sexual Perversions: Leviticus 18:23, 20:12-13; Deuteronomy 27:20; 1 Corinthians 6:16,18; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3. 
4. Greed: Proverbs 1:19; Luke 12:13-21; 1 Timothy 6:6–10. 
5. Broken Covenants: God provided many covenants to the people of Earth and to Israel (Creation Covenant: Genesis 3:14-19, Covenant with Noah: Genesis 9:8-17, Covenant with Abraham: Genesis 17:1-21, Mosaic Covenant: Exodus 19-24) and each covenant has promises that God will keep, and conditions that we must agree to and keep in order to receive blessings from God, and judgement from Him for failing to agree or keep. But because people kept breaking them, God offered His Only Son as a perfect sacrifice to establish a ‘New Covenant’ with us humans (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:4-13, 13:20) – this covenant also has promises and conditions (1 Thessalonians 5:9; John 3:36) but God has provided for us to be forgiven if we repent of our sin and follow His Son Jesus. 

Today we see patterns of corruption in our governments (and the military forces they control), often sourced from humanistic philosophies in the distant past, but being made ‘new and radical’, or ‘disruptive’: 

• Increasing power and influence of self-centred minorities; 
• Allocation of public funds to non-essential services and groups with questionable alignments and motives; 
• Reinforcement of ‘State-Church Divide’, especially in schools and higher education – the drive for a God-less society; 
• Equality of Christianity with other religions; 
• Promotion of anti-God, anti-family, and anti-life ideologies; 
• Libertarianism and erosion of the foundations of God-fearing government and law; 
• Promotion of pagan objects, traditions and festivals under the guise of ‘multi-culturalism’ and ‘national heritage’. 
• Artificial constraints and punitive measures on freedom of speech, thought, and religion; 
• Reintroduction of tiered society – ‘Us and Them’ – and devaluation of human individuality. 

Because policy and law makers have not dealt appropriately with these corrosive influences being pushed by the enemy of God, the issues below are some clear and visible symptoms that our societies are becoming weak to resist further evil, e.g.: 

• Rife pornography and ‘Sex’ political parties;
• Known and unknown Substance Abuse;
• Disintegration of the traditional family and heterosexual marriage;
• Human trafficking and slavery;
• Unlimited abortion of ‘unborn’ humans;
• Gender Confusion of children and same-sex marriage;
• Euthanasia of the elderly, the sick, and young people without hope;
• Increasing divide between the ‘well-to-do’ and ‘under-privileged’. 

To try and get our focus back on Him and His ways, God is allowing major disasters to shake us and our ‘comfort levels’: 

• Natural disasters – severe storms, large hail, widespread floods and fires, earthquakes; 
• Plagues – Ebola, COVID-19, and others; 
• Financial crises; 
• ‘Wars and rumours of wars’. 

It is time for we the Body of Christ to wake and take action in earnest prayer: your country is part of the Kingdom of God. 

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15b ESV) 

Lord have mercy on us the Church, 
Lord Have mercy on people who have sinned and are sinning against You, 
Lord have mercy on people who are following other gods, 
Lord have mercy on our nation and our leaders, 
Lord have mercy and forgive our sins. 

Read Daniel chapter 9, then ask our Heavenly Father to reverse the curses from our breaking of covenants with Him, and ask Him bring true revival to our nation (revival that glorifies Him only, and not us). 

We acknowledge the following: 

• Jesus is the King of God’s True Kingdom
  Where the king is, there is the kingdom; Jesus is both the faithful ruler and the righteous citizen of the kingdom: “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:21b ESV) 
• Jesus Revealed His Purpose for the True Kingdom
  Jesus described his mission saying, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 4:43b ESV) 
• Jesus Declared the True Kingdom is on Earth as it is in Heaven
  Jesus explains the Kingdom and invites people to enter into it, He declared that the Kingdom is “on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10b ESV) 
• Jesus Demonstrated the True Kingdom
  Through his works, Jesus shows the power of the Kingdom and His authority over the prince of darkness: “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20 ESV) 
• Jesus Overcame the Enemy of the True Kingdom
  Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross destroyed all the power of the enemy: “he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30b ESV) 
• Jesus Deployed the True Kingdom
  Jesus sends His followers out as ambassadors of the Kingdom with the Great Commission, giving assurance that: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) 

We declare: 

“Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.” (1 Chronicles 29:12 ESV) 

We pray: 

Before You Father God, 
We declare (name your state or country) is the land of the Holy Spirit, 
And it belongs to King Jesus. 
We are His people and He is our King. 
Our government is subject to His Kingdom. 
Our military is under His rule. 
We invite You Jesus, 
Our Lord and King, 
To rule over our lives, 
To rule our government and military, 
Forgive our sins against you Lord and give us clean hearts, 
We surrender all to Your mercy and judgement. 
Amen.