All of us are called to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We are called to pray always and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). Yet God is ALSO interested in the quality and effectiveness of our prayer lives.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The most effective prayers then are those that bring a manifestation of God's will as revealed in the Scriptures to the situations on earth.

God wants none to perish and be lost. The Scriptures says that God "desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). The Lord is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

People do perish however for lack of heart knowledge of God. Even in places where the gospel is broadcast, such as America, Satan operates by blinding the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see perceive the truth.

"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Remember that the weapons God has given us are "to cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ".

Strategic intercession then pursues God for the lost, seeking that the major barriers in people's thinking, the spiritual powers that people have yielded to which are against Christ, be removed. We can only hope to do this by following God's instructions, which the Bible gives us concerning these matters.

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made FOR ALL MEN, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth."

(1 Timothy 2:1-4)

This passage gives the strategy for taking a community for God. To mobilise the church for this task however, requires that the leadership unite around Christ and a passion for his glory. Intellectual strivings must give way to spiritual strivings in prayer against demonic power.

We all told to pray for ALL MEN. I submit that this is not telling us to pray generally, but specifically, and individually, for all men

Let's say we live in a community where 3% of the population are true Christians. What is needed is to mobilise this 3% to pray for all the other 97% by name. The 3% would have to pray for about 33 different people each to have everyone covered by prayer. Before long, 5%, 8%, 10%, 15%, 25% of the population will be born again, since prayer is powerful. If the prayer movement continues, the 25% can bombard heaven persistently for the remaining 75% continuously. Each person would only have to pray for another 3 different unsaved people and they would be covered in prayer, and get a real opportunity to respond to God's message. The satanic powers which normally bind their minds would be bound themselves by the prayers of the saints.

To achieve this goal, Christian leaders must embrace it and promote it. Everything that grieves the Spirit of God must be given up. In particular, we have to give up the love of money to be involved in this vision. The love of money is one major reason church groups cannot co-operate effectively. Money represents power and influence by natural ability. Churches with lots of money can construct bigger facilities, invite more popular speakers who attract crowds, operate more programs to help the community, and attract more attention

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