This series on intercessors training for Singapore is based off my written notes, which I took as I attended a church conference on this topic in Feb 2025.

Speaker: Ps John Mulinde

We thank God for this fire he has brought us.

And we pray he will add one brick upon brick.

Let’s open this session with the book of Matt 6:9.

Matt 6:9-13: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Give us our daily bread, and keep us from evil, for yours is the kingdom, power, glory, amen.

We see the order of his prayer.

The first priority is we exalt him, magnify, and worship him.

Secondly, let your kingdom come, and will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

These are greater priorities than any need we have in our lives.

To see God as ruler of all, and his will done on earth as it is in heaven.

Today in this session, I would like to share the contention between the kingdom of God and kingdom of darkness.

The will of God, and all other contending will, my will, and the will of any others.

Do I love God enough, to want to see his will done.

Sometimes we tend to think of prayer as two parties: person praying and God.

But prayer has more than two parties, there is also a third party.

In the form of the devil, he is actively engaged in all acts of prayer.

Therefore we need to be conscious of him.

In his prayer, Jesus was not just conscious of the father, but also of the “evil one”.

In John 10:10: The thieve has not come except to steal, kill, destroy. I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.

So we must be aware the devil is lurking around, he wants to steal and kill and rob us of what we have.

When looking at our individual levels, that’s one thing.

But if we are looking at the scale of the nation, we realise this is intense.

Because if someone is trying to steal from us, then we need to be watchmen, be on alert.

Now I like to paint the picture before us, that would allow us to grapple with the idea of praying for a nation.

And also be able to pray, when there is no real crisis.

Like Moses standing in the gap and praying for Israel’s crisis.

But when there is no crisis around, how do we continue to intercede.

Again it is being aware of the environment we are operating in.

Eph 2:1-3: And you who were dead in sin, walked according to the world, and prince of the power of air, and walking according to your lusts and flesh, and were children of wrath.

I would like us to quickly make a painting in our mind, Paul is speaking to the believers in Ephesus, and he said to them God made you alive, when before that you were dead in your sins and trespasses.

I want you to first of all consider that, you were dead in your sins and trespasses, captives and prisoners, you could not set yourself free, and stop yourself, and completely in the powers of bondage.

When was that? Before you became a believer in Jesus.

So what is Paul saying? Now you are alive.

What does that mean for the nation we pray?

They are dead, captives, helpless, hopeless, unable to control their own lives, and at the mercy of those binding powers.

How many of your countrymen and women, and children of SG, are inside this state.

And if had an opportunity to make a difference, wouldn’t you do it, saying to the Lord here I’m use me.

If your prayer can set someone free, why not do it.

Here’s an argument why you need be an intercessor.

Those people who are not yet alive are dead in their trespasses, walking in the cause of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and are sins of disobedience.

What is cause of this world?

It’s the way the world moves, things, and behave.

The way the world goes after things, it goes after.

So Paul is saying, one time you were dead in your sins, captives unable to help yourself, and in the power of the world, driven and pushed by it.

You thought the way you thought, because you were a victim of the world.

If you have river like Nile that starts in Uganda and ends in Egypt.

It’s been around for thousands of years.

But it has never changed its course.

If you can understand that, then you can understand what the Bible say, the “cause of this world”.

The world flows in the same way too, for thousands and thousand of years.

And when you live in it, you have worldly desires, worldly drives.

So when you are in the world, you tend to feel at home with other worldly people, and feel at peace, fear the same thing, and are driven by the same drive.

Now it’s one thing to think this is who I’m, this is my nature and you are comfortable with that.

Until you come to realise all worldly people are the way they are, because there is a power driving them, the prince of the power of the air.

Who is that prince? It is the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

Other translations say, the spirit who is at work, working disobedience.

So there is a spirit working in people’s life, in rebellion, disobedience against God.

That’s why the Bible say, friendship with the world is enemy to God.

To be carnal minded is enemy to God, because it is generated by an evil spirit.

And the devil does not come to steal, kill, and destroy.

So the devil is not working in these people to make them good before God.

He is working in them, to steal what they have, and kill them.

Now think about SG and the people we are talking about who don’t believe in Jesus.

And so they are blind, and most people don’t even know they are captives, they don’t know what is at stake.

And they think they are enjoying life, because the devil uses their own desires to drive them.

So there is a secret desire, that the devil is used to drive things.

So in James 1, it says men is tempted by the desires of his heart, and if he give in, it produces death.

So there is a degree of enjoyment, indulgence, and attraction, which is what the devil uses.

He brings things they want, and majors in their desires.

Come on, you can enjoy.

But what they don’t realise, is when they enjoy these desires, they open themselves to the devil.

So the Scripture says, don’t you know whom you give yourself to, you are slaves.

So they gave themselves to be slaves of the devil.

And the devil is a harsh slave driver.

And so you can see the intricate system of bondage.

All of us were once in bondage too, fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, and desires of the mind; pride, ego, selfishness.

And this is how to devil gains influence upon you.

And Eph says we were by nature children of wrath.

So we were last time running after these desires, but running into captivity.

Think about it, that’s where SG is, heading to.

So those who have not believed in Christ, are at stake.

And even some believers who don’t follow the spirit but follow the flesh, they live in captivity.

So if even some believers are in that captivity, what is the percentage of believers who are really free.

And Jesus taught us how to pray, let your kingdom come, and let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And God says I have a representative here on earth, he will bring things for the better.

So everybody is watching you, in the middle of a dark world.

A dry and empty world, which is SG.

And everyday the Lord is watching you to engage with the throne of grace.

Not because there is a crisis, but because the status quo is unacceptable before the father.

SG needs help, and it’s redemption.

And you are the ambassadors of heaven, to bring the will of God down.

We have just talked about the cause of this world, what exactly does this mean?

If you stand in authority, you will realise there are circles of influence.

When you step into each circle, there is a whirlwind, that will drive you around.

Some people have tried to study, and they call it the mountains of the society.

In our prayer movement, we talk about these 5 spheres of influence.

Sphere 1: The religious sphere, where people conduct spiritual transactions, whatever people worship and pay homage to.

You may find someone professing to a catholic, Pentecostal, but his real religion is a demonic deity.

So we don’t go by who people profess themselves to be, but where their hearts is.

And where they pay homage is, where they give their hearts to, they give that deity authority, and influence to this person’s life.

So if you worship Jesus you draw the Holy Spirit, but if your neighbour worship someone else they draw another influence and spiritual powers upon them.

So think about it, SG is full of all kinds of spiritual powers.

So your land is occupied by all kinds of spiritual influences.

All the more reason for you to pray, let your kingdom come, let your will be done in SG, as it is in heaven.

Sphere 2: Family, there are values and principles of God for family. When we honour those principles, we draw God’s favour and blessing. For example, the law says, honour your father and mother, that you may have long life on earth.

So if we teach our people to obey the laws of God, we are attracting the favour of God and his blessings in the land.

What is we reject those principles?

Like you shall not sleep with an animal as one sleeps with a woman.

I’m the Lord, and that is the standard by God.

So when you break it and find people practising those lifestyle, what are you attracting into the land? Evil spirits.

And you are suffering the consequences of that.

The Bible also say, a man shall not sleep with another man.

And if you allow it to happen, it will defile the land.

And if you pray, oh God cleanse SG, without removing the source of defilement, it’s not going to change.

Third sphere: Business world, USA used to fight corruption a lot, deep far reaching corruption.

Go back in Bible Ezek 22, you gain an unholy gain by extortion.

You exploit the poor, for material gain.

So many times we forget God, and go for it at any cost.

And often when we get it, we are hurting somebody.

And where there is injustice, there is wounded-ness, and blood that attracts flies.

In the spirit this attract spiritual flies from the demons, who come in they are going to exercise influence on the land.

That’s why we pray, let your kingdom come, and your will be done.

That’s the work of the intercessor for his nation.

Fourth sphere: Governing power, if people in government are godly, they will draw God’s favour into the land, else they draw the opposite and set laws that are oppressive and attract God’s wrath.

Fifth sphere: Social norms, unwritten law of the land, if you do something that society does not permit, society is going to reject you.

And every society has its social norms, behaviours that are accepted, and those which are not.

In the kingdom of God, the word says, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.

As we fill ourselves with the word of God, we behave certain ways, and don’t behave in certain ways.

But as we live in society, and sometimes allow other influences to get into us, like education, media, entertainment, and arts, peer association.

Let us look at the younger generation of SG, what shaped their values, behaviours, opinions?

The word of God, or media, education, culture, entertainment.

Now you are a believer, you will be like Lot when he was in Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Bible says, that righteousness man lot cried everyday to the Lord, because of the wickedness of the land.

I know many believers don’t see these as burdens, but you are here because you have a heart.

And the Holy Spirit is showing you now, a great need in the land to intercede.

Even in a time like this, you look at the economy, politics, the social life.

Don’t you see the SG that is in need of prayer, and bleeding?

That is why God looks for intercessors.

Now you can understand when we talk about the cause of this world, look at SG these five spheres.

Who can bring the revival?

Not even the preacher, because the gospel is hidden from the blind.

Before the gospel can become effective, people need to be delivered.

They need to be set free, before the pastor has anyone to pastor and teach them.

So that’s where the role of the intercessor comes in.

If you don’t want to pay the price of the intercessor and live up to this, what do you want to live up to.

Jesus says those who don’t gather with me, is scattering.

So I don’t think there is a choice.

But don’t think it’s all your effort, but by his spirit in us, he who began a good work in us, will bring it to accomplishment, trusting he will finish it.

It’s all to say, here I’m take and use me, for your glory.