There were three times Peter was in a lockdown. This was the 3rd time Peter was in prison for preaching the Gospel.

Being in a lockdown is nothing unusual for the people of Israel and the Bible.

Ps Jonathan feels that as a church family, there are two key points that we as the church are to pray into, based on verse 24. We are praying for the Word of God to grow and be multiplied and against what would hinder it.

While Peter was in prison, the fervent prayers of the early church caused supernatural breakthrough for Peter’s escape and freedom from prison.

We are called to fervent prayer. Our war is against powers of darkness and principalities.

Whenever a revival or a great awakening is about to happen in the darkest time, the enemy will try to hinder the work of the Lord, much like Herod throwing Peter into prison. The political and religious spirit tried to stop Peter and what God was doing. The same applies to the revival God wants to do in our nation.

Pastor Jonathan feels that we are being led to to fervently pray against these two things: the political and religious spirits in our nation.

The religious spirit:
* An interference to the flow of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers
* The Pharisees were caught up in the dos and don’ts of the law and missed the grace of Christ

5 attitudes of a religious spirit
1. Legalism: it is about earning through works rather than by resting in the grace and mercy of Christ
2. Critical mindset: being critical of what God is doing
3. Debating: debate with a form of godliness but without power
4. Opinion: opinion not from God but from man’s own wisdom
5. Judge: judgmental spirit against the work and move of God and cancelling it

We need to enter into the secret place with the Father for a heart change. To pray that these things would not enter into our lives, church and nation.

The Law in of itself was not bad. The Law was made to reveal our need for God, perfected in Christ Jesus.

However, burdens and additional laws were added by the religious leaders, which became a religious spirit.

Herod was so bound by the religious spirit that he sought to please people through the political spirit and consequently, try to shut down the move of God.

The political spirit is a power to serve one’s evil motives (Mark 3:6)

A political spirit:
1. Fears what it cannot control. The Pharisees could not control Jesus
2. It demonizes people we disagree with. The Pharisees demonized Jesus.
3. It creates division, an us vs them mentality. The Church should be know as being One
4. Spiritualizing the demeaning people of people who are of a different thinking and persuasion than us
5. Convinces people they are justified in applying a different standard of behavior on those they deem wrong
6. Blinds people to their own own wrong doing. It causes us to redefine dishonoring attitudes as virtuous attributes
7. People under it’s influence hunt in packs so they can feed off the self-righteousness of others.

We need to discern these two spirits and pray and be empowered to move in the opposite spirit, who is the Holy Spirit. We need to pray against these spirits that would hinder the move of God. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The purpose of this message is to stand in the gap and partner with God to pray against the political and religious spirit. Not to fear but to arise in fervent intercession. God is about to do a marvelous thing in our nation. (Acts 12:5) A breakthrough of the goodness and power God; a season of great harvest.

Prayer itself does not have power unless it is from the presence of God. A heart attitude of intercession and worship to the Lord.

We pray from the presence, with confidence to approach His throne, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1) Praying in fervent faith and intercession, offering a sacrifice of worship to Him.

A Word from the Lord can change everything. Minister to the Lord and delight in Him.

We need to pray against the religious and political spirit that would come against the move of God in our church and the nation.

The religious spirit always looks for the old things and is satisfied with it but a spirit of revival is always reviving into the new wine.

The political spirit is a controlling spirit that controls people for having breakthroughs, doing things for its own benefit.

Expect a powerful turn around in our lives and in the nation as we pray from the presence of God.