Five Prayers of Spiritual Warfare for Your Family

We welcome you here in Times Square Church and all over the world. What a joy and privilege for me to be in Times Square Church again as Pastor Tim. So my wife Chantal was telling me that the first time I came to preach here, she was pregnant with our 35-year-old daughter who's now 35 years old. So we've been coming here for 35 years. And this is a big stretch for me as a husband. A couple, a few days ago was our 39th wedding anniversary. Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Chantal doesn't always come with me, so I'm gonna have her stand up, please. Can you stand, honey? She... Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! I heard many of you say, boy, Pastor Tim married up. Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Yes, I did. But it's not only 39th wedding anniversary. Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and it's her birthday.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Now, all the men say to somebody next to you, expensive weekend, expensive weekend. Oh! Oh! So it's a thrill to be here with you. Thank you, Pastor Tim and Cindy, your kindness and hospitalities. We're so, we're just, I have a brother who's not a believer yet from a very different lifestyle, a lifestyle of crime, than the lifestyle we were in before. And I consider Pastor Tim my brother, my Christian brother. I love you, Pastor, and I'm asking you to pray for him. He carries an extremely heavy weight, heavy load with the ministering here, the preaching week after week, but also the messages here, the books that he writes. The daily devotional is incredible, the weight of it. And I was telling him, some of you that are older may know this, but Charles Spurgeon was one, in his era, wrote messages that were read around the world. And I believe this is 21st century moment, it's a 21st century moment where already,

Pastor Tim's devotional. And what a privilege for all of us, and everywhere I go, everyone I meet is watching Pastor Tim on the everyday devotional, but it's a staggering amount of work, and the spiritual weight, and the spiritual attacks on him, on his family. So the Bible warns us against flattering lips, but admonishes us to give honor to whom honor is due. And I wanna honor my friend and my brother today. And can we honor our pastor today, Pastor Tim? We love you. I wanna bring a very pastoral and practical message. I spoke this to our church during our time of fasting and prayer this year. Five prayers of spiritual warfare for your family. Five prayers of spiritual warfare for your family. Spiritual warfare for our family, for a prodigal son or daughter, or praying for your father, or your mom, or your dad, or a brother and a sister, or your parents, your sons, your grandsons. Spiritual warfare for our family is a warfare that is well-known, but every sincere Christian knows this well. We pray for our sons and grandsons, and pray for grandchildren, and brothers, sisters, husband-wise, we pray for prodigals to come to God, or to come back to God. We pray and intercede, grieving over their sin,

but at the same time, we pray in faith that they would not continue pursuing wasteful things, and would come back to serve God with all their hearts. And I know that this is a burden for believers all over New York, and you here, but all over the world. And I love this prayer of Samuel, who's interceding. We've prayed this prayer of Samuel in 1 Samuel 12. Samuel 20, 23 is interceding for a whole nation, and Samuel said to the people, do not fear. I know you've done, yes, you've done all this wickedness, but yes, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. How many of you are interceding and calling on God for someone in your family? You're just, you're standing in that gap. And do not turn aside, for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. But for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you his people. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. And this is not meant in any condemning or judgmental way. The word sin here in Scripture simply means to miss the mark, to miss the will, the commandments, in this case, the purposes of God, to miss God's unchanging, changeless

intentionality to save even to the utmost and you know that that Stopping the prayer of a father of a mom of a dad of a of a grandma stopping the prayer Quenching aborting the prayers of a believer is one of the devil's Heaviest attacks to try to stop yourself so something rises in us and say far far will it be from me to sin against the Lord In ceasing to pray for you now in 42 years of pastoring. I've seen different three four attitudes and conditions of the heart of Parents or grandparents that have been praying and praying for for long times for wayward sons and daughters Sometimes a the hurt becomes a it's a danger the hurt can becomes a a bitterness that there There's a harshness sometimes a blame and angry I can't believe you you let the things of God and you all the mess you've caused and you the anger is how how a child a son a daughter would it's been treating you or a grandson or You're bringing shame to the family. I'm just it's an attitude sometimes of the pointed finger I'm praying that God the only prayer I'm praying is God change you I would like to suggest as a dad and as a grandfather also That as we pray for wayward sons and daughters, we're not only to pray Oh God changes them We're to pray God changed me God changed me changed my heart and even in retrospect Search me Oh God and see if there's anything that I could that I could say I I get that I have to ask forgiveness of a son of a daughter that has grown as an adult They the the second attitude would be is an attitude at the other end at the end of the spectrum of being crushed You're just crushed By guilt the enemy the accusers bombarding you and blame how could I I missed it as a father as a mother I I did how can this have be happening in my family a sense of guilt that can rob you of your joy and the liar Bombarding you the third attitude is is to be To to literally be fear with anxiety filled with fear and anxiety for them. I'm worried about him. I'm worried about her I'm worried. Where is she? Where is he? What is he doing? He's destroying his life and the fear the fear just eating eating at you and the last attitude is an attitude where you simply give up or you you you abdicate your your relinquish the fight and And the battle and I'm here to death to give you some prayers today and pray in the name of Jesus all over the world

Watching this message that something would rise up in you. I will not relinquish I will pray to resist the enemy and to reclaim Sons and daughters for God and I want you to give him praise in advance for what he's gonna do in your heart So five prayers of spiritual warfare for your family When we pray in spiritual warfare for our family, we pray to resist and to reclaim first Peter 5 verse 7 to 9 Casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you be sober be vigilant Because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion Seeking whom he may devour Resist him. Would you say out loud resist him? Resist him steadfast in the faith casting your cares upon him Yes but don't just stay there because casting our cares upon him can become just a a Weeping can become a complaining can become just a a wallowing in our hurt I'll just I'm just casting my cares. No be be sober be vigilant your adversary The devil is like a roaring lion. I'm amazed that I I checked this out this is not AI but there's all these videos from South Africa of Tourists when I thinking of the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour tourists on safaris in South Africa and you see them and a there's a guide and they're filming themselves and And the lions are pretty close and then Wow One video in particular high millions of views They the one tourist is getting too bold is getting in closer and closer And I said, hey, sir, don't go so close and then the lion charges and you hear and then there's an article explaining There's the worst thing you can do if the lion charge if you're chased by the lion The worst thing you can do is run which is what I would like to do But he said and these words to stay with me He said that you hear the guide say that when the lion charges don't run Just stand your ground and speak to it calmly It works in marriage too, but that's in a different thing So I want to say today we will not run we will not quit we will pray resist and reclaim

What belongs to the Lord? To resist Biblically is not in any way holding on for dear life. I'm resisting or accepting surrendering or trying to survive. It's not passive, it's not resigned in any way. The biblical term for resist in 1 Peter and it's found in James also, in the original Greek, is antithesmi. And antithesmi means to stand force against force, to withstand, to oppose with greater force, to oppose while holding your position. It's a military term. And to reclaim means to take back something that is yours. And also another use of the word reclaim that I find interesting is to make land such as desert or areas that have been flooded or devastated suitable again, healthy and fruitful again. We are resisting the enemy and reclaiming that what has been stolen will be, we're opposing the name of Jesus, the word of God, the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to reclaim, resist the enemy and reclaim in Jesus' name. 1 Peter and in James, the resistance is not emotional, it's positional. We submit to God, cast our cares upon him and we are sober and alert. And our authority to resist does not come from personal strength, but from submitting to God. And the verb in the aorist imperative form in the Greek

underlines a clear and decisive action. Take your position and once and for all and hold there. I'm praying in the Holy Spirit that some of you will get back to that position of intercession after this message today. Resisting the evil one is not dialoguing with him, it's not arguing with him. It is to refuse to drift on his turf, his grounds, staying firm in obedience, opposing force to force to reclaim what belongs to the Lord. Now in 2 Corinthians 10, we pray to resist and reclaim and it speaks this way. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. That's praying to resist and reclaim. Paul acknowledges the unavoidable reality, the believer lives in a body, in a world that's marred by weakness and human tensions, relational conflicts, but our human tendencies and mistakes and limitations, but he draws a crucial distinction. We walk in the flesh, but we do not do battle according to the flesh.

In other words, the human condition does not limit us to our human methods or resources and limitations. And it's interesting because when Paul addresses 2 Corinthians 10, he responds, you can read the context, he's responding actually to accusation of weakness and inconsistency against him, of lack of apostolic authority, his opponents judged by visible outward criterias, his lack of eloquence and presence and social authority. And Paul affirms that the real battle is of an entirely different order. Our weapon, our capacity to pull down strongholds transcends our feelings of unworthiness or inadequacies. Weapons are not of the flesh, they are divine, they are powerful. Paul introduces a war language, yet immediately he reframes it spiritually, not human weapons. Well, you've come to know this, that all our human efforts in arguing does not bring people back. Manipulation, intimidation, domination, illogical, relational, moral argumentation, but the weapons are powerful through God. Dunamistoteo in degree. The power does not come from Paul, does not come from the church, the power comes from God himself in you and through you. In the ancient world, it's to bring down strongholds, and the stronghold was a place of deeply rooted resistance.

And you face this with people in your family, with people that you're trying to reach for God. Systems of thought, ideologies, autonomous and stubbornly closed reasoning, intellectual or spiritual pride, willful spiritual blindness. The stronghold exists in the mind before it manifests in behavior. Paul clarifies the nature of the stronghold. He uses the word arguments, which is a logismoi. degree. These are self-sufficient, proud, egocentric reasonings that hold people captive, unaware of eternal realities. Thoughts, patterns that are close to God and now are often fed by hundreds of hours on social media, in mirror chambers, just being fed their unbelief and ways of explaining the world without God or against God. Every lofty thing raised against the knowledge of God, what a powerful image. The proud elevation, intellectual or spiritual pretension, an alternative truth competing with God's revelation in your loved one's heart, mind, soul, and spirit. The battle is not against intelligence, but against pride and the fallen human nature of those whose spiritual understanding is darkened. Our ultimate goal is their acceptance and acknowledgement and obedience to Jesus Christ. The battle is not an end in itself. Paul gives his purpose to take every thought captive and bring them into the obedience of Christ. This is not an annihilation of thought. This is a voluntary submission to Christ. Thought is not destroyed. It's reclaimed, it's reordered, and it's realigned. This is what we pray for. The gospel does not suppress thinking. It reforms the mind around the lordship of Christ. Paul, as an apostle, affirms that his authority, our authority, is not coercive, but it's transformational. It's rooted in the truth of the gospel and the active power of God. We do not, we do not, we walk in the flesh, but we do not wrestle in the flesh. Our weapons are not carnal. They are spiritual by the power of God, the virtue of God, to bring down stronghold so that men and women would come to him. Let me give you a testimony to encourage your heart. This is from a, this is a testimony from 16 centuries ago. Not 1600, 16 centuries ago, 386 after Christ. It's the testimony of Augustine of Hippo, who has won, has become, became one of the most well-known influential

theologian of his day and writer on Christendom. He cited and studied in the seminaries and Bible colleges and faculties of theology, and his mother, Monica, had two sons, and she had, she was forced into an arranged marriage with a man who was completely against the things of God, but nevertheless, she prayed, and she prayed, and one son followed the lord, while the other was intrigued by secular, pagan, and even satanic philosophies, and he lived the life of decadence, taking mistresses and living a life of debauchery to his mother's dismay and sadness, and for 17 years she prayed. And some of you fathers, some of you mothers here online, you know, you know those long, those years and years of battle for a son or for a daughter, and when she asked her bishop why God had not answered, he encouraged her with a sentence that lived through the centuries, and it still resonates today. He said to her, watching her all these years, weeping before God and interceding, he said to her, it is not possible that the son of these tears should perish. I'm here to say to a mom today, every tear God has seen, every prayer has been heard, and God is moving in the invisible in ways you can't imagine. At the age of 32, Augustine was gloriously, miraculously saved, as he heard a voice in his tormented soul, and in his book, Confessions, he will testify later, and say that he was told, he was so tormented, but he said, he said, I was taking it, I was taking pride. The one person who would never, I never wanted to let know that I was tormented was my mother. I didn't want her to know I was tormented, but he was so tormented, and then he said he heard a voice in his worst moment saying to him, tolle lege, which means take and read, take up and read, and he picked up the Bible, and there's a verse in Roman that just pierced his heart. He was gloriously saved, left his secular career, and sanctified his life, was baptized, became a servant of God, a writer that has been read for centuries, and he tells his story in Confessions that his transformation was such that he was walking down the street in Italy, and then some of his, his mistress, his past mistress came with friends, and they were chasing him, trying to get him back to the old life, and then in the middle of the street, the mistress said to him, Augustine, it is I, Augustine, it's me, and he says, I know, but it's not me. It's not me anymore. We stand, and we pick up our weapons, and I want you. to give God praise for a son, for a daughter, for a brother, for a sister, for mom and dad. Come on, if you can do better than this, say, oh God, oh God, come and do it in my life. Come on. We pray to resist and to reclaim. And when we pray for spiritual warfare for our family,

we pray for our own restoration, acknowledging our need. The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, through God, through the strength and divine capacity God gives us. Please listen, we are limited in what the Holy Spirit and what we receive from the Holy Spirit of God when we are not ready to recognize or to acknowledge our need. And in these long, long-term spiritual battle for a loved one, we need a divine capacity to pray. It needs to be God in a, the recognition, God, I need restoration myself. I'm praying for him, for her, but I need restoration myself. I need divine capacity to continue to pray, to be patient, to be wise, to know what to do, what to say, to forgive, and to even continue to believe. I want us to to look closely at the example of Daniel in scriptures, because every parent, every husband that prayed for his wife, or a wife praying for her husband, every parent, every mom and dad and grandparents, even the children praying for your parents, have known this intensity of prayer, where we intercede in such a way that their burden, even the, we take their sins upon us, we become one like Christ with the one we are interceding for. That's how Daniel prays in Daniel chapter 9. He says, oh, he says, oh God, he says, oh God, incline, incline your ear and hear, open your eyes and see our desolation, and the city which is called by your name. We do not present our supplication before you because of our righteous deeds, but because of your great mercies. Oh Lord, hear. Oh Lord, forgive. Oh Lord, listen. Oh Lord, act. How many of you have prayed this way? Oh, do not delay for your own sake, my God, for your city and your people are called by your name. I can't even read that sentence all the years without, without an emotion coming in my spirit, without a battle in my spirit, saying, oh God, that's my, my son, my daughter, your name is upon us. Your name is upon my family. Your name is upon them. They were dedicated to your name. So you see, there's this intensity of intercession and God answers Daniel by reminding him that each single prayer is heard and that there is a warfare in the invisible, in the heavenlies, as you pray and intercede for your loved ones. And so many people are new that have come to faith here at Times Square Church. This is how God answers him. In Daniel chapter 10, suddenly, in verse 10, and suddenly a hand touched me, made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, oh Daniel, man, greatly beloved, please insert your name in there. Claude, Tim, Cindy, greatly beloved, greatly, oh man, greatly, Daniel, man, greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright for I'm now, I've been sent to you, messenger from heaven. And while he was speaking this word to me, Daniel says, I stood trembling. Then he said, he said to me, do not fear

Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before God, your words were heard. I speak this to you today, wherever you are in the world, from the first day you're interceding, your words, your words were heard from heaven and I have come because of your word. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia, which stood in me 21 days and behold Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me, but I've been left alone there with the king of Persia. It's a fascinating, it's like a glimpse into heavenly. It's a glimpse that from the first day you spoke, you prayed, you were heard. Please take it for your own battle. But from the first day you prayed, heaven heard you and heaven began to move. There's movement in heavenlies, in the invisible world, invisible realms that you do not see, but God is responding. God is acting. God is preparing. But he says there's an opposition and in the imagery of the old testimony, he says that there was a battle. There was a battle between the demonic and the divine fighting. But please remember Daniel, your beloved and every prayer has been heard and heaven is moving. And the thing that's, please don't miss this now. God reminds Daniel of truth and promises and power and might and his faithfulness responding to prayer. But please hear me. Daniel knew this. Daniel modeled this. Read the previous chapters. Daniel knew this. He believed this. He testified this to others. And he had lived it out himself. I know this. I believe in prayer. He had tested this. He had lived it out against the worst threats and pressures. But he needed supernatural restoration himself. This is how he responds.

I think many of us will identify with this. This is how he responds. This is a man who knows. This is Daniel. This is a man of God. And his testimony is strong. But in this moment when God is saying, this is my vision, this is the response. Verse 14. Now I've come to make you understand that what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers for many days yet to come. Then he had spoken such words. When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face towards the ground. He didn't say, yeah! Praise God! Let me go! Alright, here I come! I turned my face towards the ground and became speechless. He just looked at the ground in silence. And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips. And I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, My Lord, because of the vision, my sorrows have overwhelmed me. I retained no strength. For how can this servant

speak of himself, how can I talk with you, my Lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now. Nor is there any breath left in me. This is a message for Christians that are out of breath spiritually in 2026. Out of breath and praying for this son, or this daughter, or this battle, or this husband, or my grandkids, or this person I'm interceding for, or my husband, or my wife. And it's such a humility, such a transparency. He is so vulnerable, so human, so real, so transparent. God says there, Hey, I want to give you the vision of things to come. We have great vision, my God. But he's just, he's not fighting it, he's not arguing it, he's not he just puts his head down and he looks in silence to the ground and then it's the Holy Spirit, it's the messenger from God that allows him to speak. He can't even say it, but the Holy Spirit puts his finger on his heart

and he says, he touched my lips I was able to say, I'm out of breath, I have fears, I don't know how to pray for that person anymore, I'm worried about them, I don't know what to say, I don't know what to do, there's no breath left in me. And listen to what God, the messenger says in verse 18, Then again, oh again, the one having the likeness of man touched me and strengthened me, hallelujah. And he said, O man greatly beloved, fear not, peace, peace be to you, be strong, be strong. And then this is the testimony of Daniel, so when he spoke to me, I was strengthened. And I said, okay now, let me, let my Lord speak to me, for you have strengthened me. I'm speaking to someone that you are without breath in the presence of God in your battle, don't hide it, just come and say, oh God, and the one with the appearance of the son of man will touch you again, he will

strengthen you again, he will speak courage with you again. And you know what Daniel's name means? It's a mix of two Hebrew words that mean God is my judge and God is my might, the mighty God, the judge God the mighty God, God my judge, God my might, and this is the spirit of God rising in us saying, God is the ultimate judge, God has not rendered his last verdict on my family, the accuser can accuse, but my God is all powerful to move, give him praise please. Hallelujah. When we pray for our family, five prayers for spiritual warfare for your family, we pray to resist and reclaim, we pray for our own restoration, acknowledging our need, and we pray for regeneration in the heart. We must pray more than a change or improvement in behavior in their choices and decisions and often times parents, grandparents

we focus focus and become obsessed with their behaviors, they don't come to church anymore. They they're drinking, they're smoking, they're smoking weeds she moved in with them, she's quitting her school, they're doing this, they're doing that and we're, oh I heard him cursing, he said, oh I don't like the person, I don't like the group he's hanging out with, oh and I invite him and I invite him, please I'm a father and a grandfather. I'm not minimizing the behaviors, how much it can move us, how much it can sometimes worry us, but please, please understand that what needs to happen is the regeneration of the heart. Sometimes we're focusing on the conduct on the outside, but it's the heart. And when God, I'm going to read to you a verse in Titus, because the people, we don't know much about Titus, but we know that he didn't come from a good, respectful, Jewish, lawful, God-honoring background, but rather from a culture, a pagan culture, anti-God practices, and Greek, decadent, immoral philosophies. But he and the believers under his ministry had been transformed by Jesus, and Paul reminds them what they were before the regeneration took place in their lives. Some of us, my wife and I are among the first in our family, entire family for the last 75 years, that have come to faith, and we've been Christian a long time. And then your kids grow up, and

oftentimes you forget what you were like before God changed your heart, before he regenerated your heart. This is what Titus does. We read Titus 3.3. He says, for we ourselves, this is for us today, for we ourselves, we also once, we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Say to the person next to you, that was me. Say that to the person next to you. But how many of you are ready to celebrate that second part? But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, that he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Hallelujah. Say with me, the washing of regeneration. Let me explain regeneration. It's a theological term. Let me make it real to you. The biblical definition of regeneration. Regeneration is the sovereign act of God by which the Holy Spirit gives new life to a human being who is spiritually dead, inwardly renewing the heart so that the person is able to believe, to repent, and to live for God. Pray for that, and all the rest will flow out. Regeneration in theology is a monergistic word. It comes from the Greek mono, alone, and ergon, work, meaning a single source acting alone. It's the theological understanding that God is the soul agent who initiates, accomplishes salvation to which the human being responds in repentance and faith. It's an inner transformation, not merely a moral improvement. They need to be regenerated, transformed. Regeneration transforms us deeply in mind, and in soul, and in spirit, and conscience, and will. It's always, it's inseparable with the

work of the Holy Spirit. When the true work of the Holy Spirit is taking place in someone, there is regeneration. There's this transformation. It is the restoration. It's so beautiful. It's the restoration of divine life. It's linked to the recreation of humanity as God intended it in the image of God. Regeneration grants access to life, transformation, and communion with God. It's real change of nature, not merely a relational change. It affects the mind, the will, the affections. It produces visible fruit. Regeneration is not an improvement of humanity. It is spiritual resurrection. It does not merely produce a convinced believer, but a living heart made able to repent, and to draw night to God, and receive a new heart. And everything stems from the heart. Now please listen to this prayer of a father. In Proverbs 4, he says, My son, give attention to my words. Incline your ears to my saying. Do not let them depart from your eyes. For they are life to those who find them, and hell to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it will spring the issues of life. So when you're praying for someone, you're interceding for your family. Don't focus on all the exterior things. Pray for their heart. Pray for regeneration of the heart, because from the heart, everything else will flow. Everything else will fall in place. Now I hear somebody say, I know, I know they should protect their heart more than anything, but she's not protecting their heart. They're letting everything go in. They're making wrong decisions. So let me say it this way. The supernatural regeneration of the heart must be our focus to our prayers, but it also must be our focus and our faith.

You say, I know the heart is everything, it stems out, but my son, my daughter, that person is not protecting his heart. He's allowed so much filth in there. The heart, his heart is filled with lies and darkness, but this is where we focus on faith. And Ezekiel says this, I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take away the heart of stone and I will put a heart of flesh in you. I'll put my spirit in you and I will cause you to walk in my statute and I will keep my judgment and do them. And you shall dwell now in the land that I gave to your father. You have someone next to you that is not protecting his heart. Pray and you can believe and God is still the God who takes in, comes in, takes in the heart of stone and he gives a heart of flesh. He gives a heart that is alive for him. That's regeneration. Just last week, I received a, it was an announcement from the city that a man from our church, who's been heading one of the largest Christian ministry in Montreal to the homeless,

and he just, the city sent a notice of his new promotion. He's having an, him and his wife both lead two ministries that are ministering to literally tens of thousands of homeless people in Montreal. They're from our church, but he came to the Lord under our ministry and they're just, his father-in-law, his father-in-law was a backslider who came back to church, to the Lord in our church, and he began to pray and his daughter was dating this guy who's a gang leader, he really was, shot people, was shot, stabbed, and he did all kinds of very violent crimes. And one morning, his daughter, he came to the Lord, his wife came back to the Lord, his daughter came back to the Lord, but she was living with this guy and they had kids together. And then one morning, she comes before service, she says, Pastor Colton, we have to cancel church. We have to cancel church. Well, Julie, we gotta cancel church. You have to cancel church. He's been talking about her boyfriend. He's been strong out on cocaine the last three, four days. He hasn't slept, he's got weapons, he's got things, and he's going nuts against the church. He had been telling me for months and months and months, he was threatening, and he says, yeah, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna blow it up. I'm coming this Sunday, that pastor,

I'm gonna blow the whole thing up. She says, we have to cancel, we have to cancel. So it was very pastoral with her. I said, no, no, Julie, no weapon form against us shall prosper. I believe it, and we'll pray together, it's gonna be okay. Hey, security, come here, come here. Yo, guys. And the guys were more on the alert, but we have 2,000 seats, so he came, and he sat in the back, and Emmanuel tells the story that he came, sat in the back with all these crazy intentions. He left the stuff in his car, but he came with all these crazy intentions, and he says he wasn't even in the sanctuary yet. He says he walked in the lobby, he says he walked in the lobby and felt the love of God, and felt it just, and this is a guy who now, on a good day, is 280 pounds, and this is, he's huge, and he just is, coming back then with dreads and the look and everything else, and he come and he sat in the back, and the love of God just waves and waves and waves over him. He gave his life to Christ, and this is what God said, this is the regeneration. After that, it just, as God regenerates the heart, there's change in behavior, there's change. Now, all these years, him and his wife, Julie, are ministering to the homeless in Montreal,

years and years later. Listen, I'm here to say there are no limitations to what God can do when he regenerates the heart, so you begin to pray. Go, God, I pray for the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit for that person. I want you to give praise, prophetic praise for that person you will be interceding for. When we pray, fight prayer for spiritual war for a free family, we pray to resist and reclaim, we pray for our own restoration, acknowledging our needs, we pray for regeneration, and we pray with resilience and release. Now, when you look at the story of the prodigal son, which most of you know so very well, and it's Luke chapter 15, but I wanna come to the end, the last part of it. You know the son, so full of, such an ingrate son, I can't even wait for my dad to die, I want my money now, and then he runs, he runs, he takes it all, a riotous living, and the Bible says that when he had spent it all, he had rose a city. famine in the land and he began to be in want and he went and joined himself verse 15 of Luke 15 and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him to his field to feed the swine and he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate and no one gave him anything but when he came to himself we look inside and say he looked inside himself in the Greek he said how many of my father's higher servants have bread enough and and to spare and I perished with hunger I will arise and I will go to my father I will say to him father I have sinned against heaven and before you and I am no longer

worthy to be called your son make me like one of your hired servant and here rose and came to his father did you notice please notice that it wasn't while he was clubbing the money and going to parties and living it up that he looked inside of himself it was when famine came and he found himself eating with the pigs I want to say to you this way this is very theological let the pigsty do its work parents grandparents let the pigsty do its work the the we don't don't don't pray don't let the mom and dad let them eat some of the pods that the pigs ate don't pray God prevent him prevent him or her from the pigsty pray God preserve him protect her through the pigsty and speak and use the pigsty to speak to their hearts and bring them to their deep deep realization and repentance that it's all empty without God as parents we want to give our kids the best and we want to give them what we didn't have it many of us that came to Christ as adults with bad childhood there's something in us I want to give them what we didn't have many parents did not we did not have Christian parents or positive wise balanced parenting models they we do our best with what we have and sometimes we spoil them and we don't teach responsibility enough sometimes we we want to see not sometimes all the time always want to see them so want to see them succeed and we hate to see them suffer so we're trying to shelter them from everything we try everything we have to prevent them from suffering the consequences of their bad decisions and harmful choices we're so strongly want to be loved by our children most of the most of all that this creates consciously or not the temptation not to confront them with their bad choices and to be the parents that always saves the day we want to believe at all costs that this time when we when we pay when we cover when we absorb when when we absorb the cost when we intervene again to save the situation that death so they don't pay the consequences that this will be the right time this is the this is it now and the very worst a very worst of this is when parents or grandparents wives husbands can actually become enablers of addictions and sinful and destructive behaviors here's

a good prayer here's a good prayer Lord let sin become bitter that grace may become sweet let them come to a place where they realize their sin and you pray wisdom that God protects them but I believe this is a release this is wisdom that I had to learn that our prodigals have to sometimes have to allow them to go and pray that through what they're going through God comes and speaks to their heart at the our church as Pastor Tim says almost 10,000 people all our sites together so we have a lot of parents praying and and there's a lady a mom who called us at the end of the year my wife knows her well and her son grew up in the church it's not it's not a bad kid but he's been messing around and he's been and and and then one thing led to another hanging out with bad bad dudes and he ended up in a car that did something so he gets arrested and he gets thrown in jail for six months and the the mom was just just horrified she's broken my we don't know anything she doesn't know the system they they don't have a night and never had anybody in their family go to jail they don't and she was oh my son my poor son he's a 35 year old Muslim man my poor boy he is my boy boy my boy child my boy and I'm not again belittling prison but my boy my child you know he doesn't have his toothbrush he doesn't have his this doesn't have that he doesn't know anybody and I said let's pray and I'm gonna send a chaplain to him and let's pray the chaplain began meeting with him he came to the Lord came out and now every Sunday I'm walking in for prayer every Sunday he's there with his servant On he needed a pig style. He needed to eat some paws He needed and and breath so I want to encourage somebody would you would you give God praise and say God? Protect them guard them guide them, but reveal their hearts And as the musicians come I close with this when we pray for a spiritual warfare for our family we we pray Lord teach me to pray with resilience, but but with release I release them to you I release them Oh God to you with with That you would come and and and and bring regeneration to their hearts transform their hearts And you restore me in your in your presence to do battle until the victory come I pray for a renewed

revelation In Luke 15 20 the father is God and And the son is creation away from him There's something there that after all the years of reading the parable of the prodigal son in Verse 20 arose and came to his father and when he was still a great way off The father saw him. He was looking you can imagine a father looking as God looks love and compassion Looking and he had compassion and When the boy was so still a far off and who was making a few step towards towards the father He thought he thought he's coming back just to be a slave at least I'll eat The father ran. It's an amazing scene. It's father runs runs the field What a day Fell on his neck kissed him There's something in there that that I felt a a loving correction of the Lord in my for my own battles. I Began I began to pray for a different perspective I'm speaking to moms and dads and grandparents. Are you praying for someone? There's still so far off There's still still a far off But instead of looking Far off your perspective being in in in blame I'm not anxiety and bitterness and self accusation That we can say Oh Lord God give give us your heart I want to begin to look with faith and assurance and patience and love and peace and compassion and forgiveness and peace and Absolute confidence in your heart and your Intention and your desire and your power to bring our sons and our daughters back If you need it if some

it's in some battle that are so long long seasons of battle years and years for the Prodigals that are drift away. They seem to be still so far off they in their attitude their Reactions and their speech and actions and conditions and a situation doesn't seem to be getting any better they just seem to be drifting away in those here. I need a renewing of my revelation of my perspective on how completely being renewed like it's in 2nd Kings chapter 6 Elisha is a servant and he's powerful powerful Kings our army enemies are coming in and and the Hebrew word in English Translated the armies were surrounding but the Hebrew says the the the the enemies were like choking the city They were suffocating the city and sometimes we feel that the person we're praying with that has no way out This is just seems so locked in therefore they said the enemy sent horses 2nd Kings 6 chariots great army there and they came by night and Surrounded the city and when the servants of the man of God arose early and went out There was a great army surrounding the city with horses and the chariots and his servant said to him I lost my master. What shall we do and Elisha responded? Elisha answered do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are with them Servants is all he's seeing just like you and me all you see is what you see All you see is a humanity All you see is is that is so far off all you see is an enemy that seems to be choking everything out But second Kings 617 Elisha prayed and he said Lord I pray open his eyes that he may see that the Lord opened his eyes of the young man and he saw and behold The mountain full of horses and chariots and a fire all around Elijah. Oh God renew my revelation of heaven Working on my behalf all of the resources of heaven. Would you give him praise, please? I Want to close with this a testimony from a Lady from our staff we We started the church, three couples, four couples, just with 30 people, and this couple co-founded our movement with us.

We raised our kids together, and she was a doctor in biochemistry and fellow calling to the ministry, and became woman pastor of our church, and now the mother travels the world. She travels the world in the French world. Her husband was a high-level banker who left his high-paying job to come to be the treasurer and then the administrator. They're both in ministry with us from the beginning, and she wrote a testimony recently, and it's with their permission that I read it because she had two sons, and one of the sons really, really drifted away. So let me read it to you just in her own words, and I'm praying that the Holy Spirit would bring faith to you online, to you here in person. Philip was born in a Christian family. He grew up in church, Sunday school, youth group, serving with teenagers, even a mission trip to Haiti. Everything seemed off to a good start, but between the age of 16 and 18, something shifted. Certain experiences pulled him away from God, and a series of poor choices followed. Cannabis, street Xanax, alcohol, other drugs. Little by little, we watched our son slip through our fingers. He had been doing well in school, but he gave it all up. Family tension exploded. Rebellion towards God took root.

Dark thoughts intensified, and this downward spiral lasted 10 years, 10 long years. For 10 years, her husband, Luke, and I prayed, she says. We cried, we hoped, we prayed again. We went through confusion, anger, disappointment, discouragement, and so much grief. And during that time, we continued in ministry, preaching hope every Sunday while our own home was falling apart. It was one of the most painful battles of our lives. During that period, we walked with them, and during that period, one morning, my friend came into my office, and he wept, and he says, this was so hard today. He says, I had not been down in my son's basement in a while, and when I came down in the basement, I opened the door of his room, and he had been writing curses against Christ sentences all over the walls. And my pastor friend, administrator friend, man of prayer, he says, I walked back in with paint, and I was painting over the curses, praying in his spirit for his son. But in his presence, God, she says it was the most painful battles of our lives, but in his presence, God renewed our strength. He gave us the grace to never give up on our son. At one point, we had to give him an ultimatum. Phil, it's detox or the door. This is not a pattern.

Every family has to pray through every situation. This is not a one-size-fits-all. He went to a treatment center. He came out sober, but still empty. Detox had helped his body, not his heart. She says he wanted to stop. He made efforts, but emptiness was still there. Then one day, while I was praying, I clearly sensed God say to me, bring him with you, as she goes around and preaches. I was scheduled to preach in France. I invited him to come film, because he had taken some classes in camera work. That's when everything changed. During a conference behind his camera, he heard the testimony of a woman from the Bronx, a former addict transformed by God. Her story pierced his heart. That evening, he said to me, Mom, I need to talk to her. She came, they talked, she prayed with him. At that moment marked the beginning of his return to God. This is years later now. Today, he's totally sober. He works as a cameraman, a director, and a Christian center. Last summer, I had the privilege of doing their wedding. He married a wonderful woman. I think a picture will appear. Wonderful woman who loves the Lord. I teach a class every week.

I teach a 39-hour class in our Bible college, a bachelor's degree. I teach communication. He was sitting there with his tattoo everywhere. He's loving God, serving God. He's sitting there wanting to become a preacher, wanting to preach. He's loving God, serving God. He's sitting there wanting to become a preacher, wanting to speak, to stand for God, sitting in the class. He's studying. God didn't just repair his life. He completely transformed it. And this is from one mother to all of us. And as I've learned one thing, if I've learned one thing, it's this. As long as there is prayer, as long as there is hope, God has not spoken his final word in Jesus' name. Alleluia. Alleluia. Can we stand? Can we stand and give God a standing ovation for his faithfulness and his purposes in our families from generation to generation to generation? Come on, fill the house, fill the house. We have to shake, shake the lies of the enemy. Come on, shake the lies of the enemy, shake the lies of the enemy in Jesus' name, in Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. So this is what I had in my spirit for you online. You, you are, you are, you're one with us in this moment, but I really felt today just this pastoral word, just as a father and a pastor and a grandfather speaking to brothers and sisters, and I just felt in my spirit that we would, we would be, this would

be a day where we draw a line, this would be a day where we come in and we stand in faith and we say, oh God, come and restore my own heart for something. And as I was preaching, I, I've been praying that the Holy Spirit would rekindle. It's not something that's emotional, it's something that is supernatural. So this is the call, this is the call, whether your main floor or balcony. I, I think sometimes there's a moment where we have to make a stand again. After five years, two years, five, ten, twenty years, you're making a stand again, that you will move out of your seat and come forward and saying, I'm coming to stand in intercession. I'm coming to believe, oh God, I am coming. And you come, and as you come forward, you begin to say the name out loud of the person you're praying with. Lord God, uh, uh, not, far from me that I should sin against the Lord by stopping to pray for that person. I will pray. I will resist and reclaim. God, I will pray for supernatural restoration. I'm like Daniel. I know it's true. I know your answer. I know there's a vision, but I need to be touched by the Son of Man. I need my soul to be rekindled by the Spirit of God, and God will not let you down. God will not refuse you. I will pray for supernatural regeneration. I've been praying that he would stop this, and stop that, and meet this, or do that, but I'm going to pray for regeneration, a transformation of the heart. So, so we're going to sing a song, and, and I, I, I believe you sang it before with heart, but today this is not a song. This is an intercession that, that says, that says, God, you are my way maker. When I, oh God, you, you are here. When I don't see anything, you are moving. When I don't know anything, you are moving. Oh God, you heard me from my first prayer, and heavenlies are moving on my behalf. I'm calling moms, and dads, and husbands, and wives, and grandparents, and sons, and daughters to come forward. Maybe you never come forward in church, but come forward and say, Lord God, I'm coming to fight. I'm coming to the, to be renewed myself in the name of Jesus, and all over this place, and online. God is going to move on your heart online for your family. So would you lift our hands all over the building. This has become a war room. Even before we sing, can I hear the people of God. Can I hear prayer rising up from Times Square Church, from 51st and Broadway to the world, crossroads of the world, going to the nations online in the name of Jesus. You are here, oh God. You are here, oh God, and you will move on our behalf for our families in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You are here. Come on, let's pray. Moving in our lives. Make your declaration of faith today. I worship you. Hallelujah. I worship you. You are here, working in this place. Hallelujah. I worship you. I worship you. You are here. You are a way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper,

light in the darkness. My God, that is who you are. You are a way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness. My God, that is who you are. You are here, touching every heart. I worship you. I worship you. You are here and you are here, healing every heart. I worship you. I lift my hands in worship you. You are Lord and you are here, turning lives around. You're worthy of my worship. You are here. I worship you. I worship you. And the singers say, you are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker.

My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. My God, that is who you are. You are a wingmaker. was giving them to us. God, you can exceed what we can only say with our own human words. You can take heaven and come down. Come into that apartment. Come on that college campus. Go into that bar. Go into, God, right now, that nation. Go into, God, that crack house. Go into, Father, every place. And we're going to believe for miracles today. Miracles. Go into lifestyles that won't seem to break or budge. And we're going to believe for miracles, oh God. So can we pray for this? God, let there be movement this week. Ask for movement this week. Movement. Movement that would encourage. Movement that would see God has been working. Even as Ricardo and Elder Vicki were telling us, even when I don't see it, you're working. And hallelujah, you never stop working. And we thank you for that. Thank you for this encouraging word today. For those all over the country, all over the world, right here at 51st and Broadway, we begin to say, thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.