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Let’s see the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:6-20,
“But Peninnah made fun of Hannah because the LORD had closed her womb. Year after year it was the same – Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Hannah would finally be reduced to tears and would not even eat…
“Once when they were at Shiloh, Hannah went over to the Tabernacle after supper to pray to the LORD. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance. Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD. And she made this vow: ‘O LORD Almighty, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut’.
“As she was praying to the LORD, Eli watched her seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ‘Must you come here drunk?’ he demanded. ‘Throw away your wine!’
“Oh no, sir!’ She replied, ‘I’m not drunk! But I am very sad, and I was pouring out my heart to the LORD. Please don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow’.
“In that case, Eli said, ‘cheer up! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.’
“Oh, thank you Sir,’ she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
“The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the LORD once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the LORD remembered her request, and in due time she gave birth to a Son. She named him Samuel, for she said, ‘I asked the LORD for him.”
This is a story you know very well. Hannah was married to a wealthy Levite – Elkanah from Mount Ephraim in Israel. The couple lived joyfully and in harmony, but could not produce children. After some years, Elkanah went and married a second wife – Peninnah. Peninnah came in and brought with her strive, jealousy, and acrimony.
Elkanah’s home that was once peaceful suddenly turned into a theatre of war. The evil of polygamy. Hannah was at the receiving end. As if it was not enough that she has been sorrowing for not having a baby, Peninnah began to remind her of how unproductive, worthless and unwanted she has become in that home.
Peninnah would make fun of her and even go to the extent of taunting her as they went to the church. After going through all these, the bible said that Hannah would cry and cry until she was reduced to tears, and would refuse to eat. I believe Hannah must have been a ghost of herself. Imagine a person that would cry, starve and sorrow always – for years.
This was the condition of this woman. In verse seven, the bible made it clear that this was the case of Hannah every year, “year after year it was the same.” It was the same childlessness, the same mockery, the same disappointment, the same fruitless efforts and the same dashed-hopes. I pray that every perennial negative situation in your life would be broken as you read this message, in the name of Jesus!
There are people who are going through Hannah-like situations today. They go into a new year hoping to get the best or at least get better. They hope for a better job, a better relationship, comfortable home, blissful marriage, higher spiritual level, etc. But that same year would end without them achieving any of these expectations. Some keep going in that circle of failure year after year. No promotion, no breakthrough. Something that looks like much motion and less movement.
Hannah came into that marriage with very high expectations, hoped year after year to realize them, but received disappointment, mockery, taunting and tears instead. Thank God she decided to settle it once and for all, and she chose to do that in the midnight. She knew that midnight is the most appropriate battle arena for desperate people.
After supper (in the night) one day at Shiloh, Hannah headed for the Tabernacle. She went there praying to God. She cried unto God to change her condition. God is always aware of what we go through, but most times, He waits to see our seriousness to change the situation. If you’re comfortable with your condition, God will also let you be. But if you will rise and face it squarely, holding unto God to do something about it, definitely, you will see His mighty hand bringing deliverance to you.
Hannah was desperate (Verse 15, Good News Translation). And she decided that her condition must be changed that night. Yes, until you’re desperate, you may not get anything phenomenal from God. I mean godly desperation.
Hannah went to the Tabernacle at night and prayed; “O LORD Almighty, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a Son.” She was serious and direct to the point. She was specific. “God all I need is a son and you will give it to me this night. Enough is enough!” I believe Hannah told God.
I hope you got something from that prayer. She started by reaffirming the almightiness of God. Though she was passing through terrible situation, God was still Almighty. Though, in deep anguish, in pain and crying bitterly, God remained the Almighty. He remains omnipotent, omnipresent and supreme. Our problems should not becloud our view of God’s almightiness, care, love, grace and sovereignty.
He remains God and will always be in control. No situation can change Him. Hannah said: “O LORD, you are the Almighty.” Then also, when going into midnight prayer, go with specific prayer points (unless you received some other prayer Rhema along the line). God wants us to be specific and organized.
After that night’s encounter with God at the Tabernacle, and the prophetic word from the Priest Eli, Hannah cheered-up and began to eat well again. She needed nobody to tell her that her prayer has been answered. One of the things you will notice after midnight encounter with God is that your burdens will be lifted off you. You’ll go into the next day full of confidence and full of God’s presence. That was why I said earlier that a midnight champion is unconquerable. It builds hope and capacity to wait for God’s promises and timing.
Hannah in due time gave birth to a son. Not an ordinary son, but one of the greatest prophets ever lived. God also gave her other sons and daughters. Great expectations are birthed through midnight prayers. God blessed Hannah. And instead of sorrow, pain and mockery, He put a new song on her lips. I see God putting a new song on your lips today as you go into midnight battles. Hannah sang:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD!
Oh, how the LORD has blessed me!
Now I have an answer for my enemies,
as I delight in your deliverance.
No one is holy like the LORD!
There is no one besides you;
There is no Rock like our God.”
PAUL AND SILAS
Chapter Three
Paul and Silas
Midnight prayer is the surest arena for breaking satanic bondages and limitations. No matter how strong and difficult the yokes, they cannot resist a persistent and prolonged midnight prayer. The devil knows this very well, and that is why he will do everything to discourage you from getting up in the midnight to pray. Midnight is like a spiritual highway, and like I say, most of the things that happen to us are programmed into our life at this period. So, when you also get up and battle at this nocturnal time, you’re invariably taking part in deciding what happens to your life.
There are so many people living in satanic bondages today. There are so many individuals, families and groups that are unknowingly struggling with satanic yokes. There are millions of people walking on the streets with their hands and legs bound in the spirit with chains by powerful satanic forces. I know this will sound strange to some people, but it is a fact. It is a spiritual matter. You can only be aware of this if the Spirit of God chooses to show you.
Recently, I saw in a revelation a woman I have known for more than 34 years bound with chains – hands and legs. I was shocked. If not that I was sure that the vision came from God and that I have personally passed through the same experience, I would have doubted it. Now, what has been happening in the woman’s life is also a sure confirmation of that revelation. She has not known anything called breakthrough since I knew her.
When you experience perennial problems in your life or in your family; year after year, you face the same kind of problems, or you feel you are hindered from crossing certain limits in life, then it becomes advisable to go into prayers and ask God to show you the source of your troubles. Most times, it is the work of Satan and the agents of his dark kingdom.
In Africa and also in some other parts of the world, it is not strange to hear that agents of darkness chain destinies, fruitfulness, progress, or even health of people in the spirit realm. Victims of such satanic manipulation will struggle throughout their life.
They will do every thing humanly possible to have breakthrough in life, but will never succeed. Some will even be programmed not to get married, not have babies or have a successful carrier. All these happen. We not only see them in the lives of unbelievers, but unfortunately, amongst believers also. And I believe this became possible because the church of today is not living in the fullness of the power of God.
We go to church and have mechanized services without His anointing. Remember that the word of God said that the anointing (the presence of God) will always break every yoke. But does the church of today have the anointing? Today, the church is unfortunately fast asleep, and remember that Jesus said that the enemy comes to sow tares while you sleep.
Midnight prayer is one of the ways that God will use to return the power and the anointing to the church and also to individual Christians. And when this power comes, it shall break every yoke, every chain and every satanic stronghold. Let’s see in the bible where and how the chains of the enemy were broken through this.
“They were severely beaten, and they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So he took no chances but put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open and the chains of every prisoner fall off!”
Acts 16: 23 – 26
You know the above story. At Philippi, Paul and Silas conducted a deliverance ministration that landed them in trouble. They were beaten, bound with chains and put into the inner dungeon of the prison. Dungeon is an underground prison cell. This is what was mostly used in those days. The Jailer also particularly instructed them to make sure that these men of God did not escape. This is exactly what Satan and his agents do to people in their captivity. They mess their victims up and also keep them as hostages. Like I said earlier, a lot of people are bound with satanic chains today. Millions all over the world!
These people move around like normal human beings, but when you see them in the spirit they are bound with fetters. This is usually done through witchcraft and other demonic manipulations. The victims of this kind of satanic influence will live all their life without any meaningful success, unless those fetters are broken. Some, their destinies would be locked up by these enemies. They will have nice dreams, work hard, but will never achieve them.
Others, their businesses, their wombs or marriages would be held. We have also seen cases where projects (like buildings) were stopped through this kind of manipulations. They will simply cripple the person’s source of income or inflict him/her with an incurable sickness and that will be the end of the project.
There are others that have been used for money rituals, sacrifices, etc. Though they are alive, but they will live as imbeciles all the days of their life. Others are also manipulated into sinful habits like drinking, stealing, prostitution, gambling, etc, and will be ultimately destroyed. We also see people who are held in bondages by demonic spirits e.g., marine spirits, ancestral spirit, territorial spirits, violent spirits, etc. We saw some in the bible.
Some of these things may sound strange, but they are very true! There is no limit to the operations and wickedness of the kingdom of darkness. And every environment has its own peculiar situations. We have seen a case where a lady in Africa, at her late 30s was married to a very powerful demonic entity that visits her all the way from India. I ministered to this lady personally.
This demonic personality comes with an invisible aircraft that only the lady will be seeing and dodging. Immediately the aircraft lands, a white man would alight from it and come to stay with her. After which it goes back to where it came from. It made it impossible for this very pretty and tall lady to get married in the physical or even go to school. Imagine, at that age she could not learn basic arithmetic or grammar. She would always have loss of memory. This was her situation until that yoke was broken.
We see this type of cases regularly in deliverance sessions. The operations of the kingdom of darkness are so vast and terrible that you would sometimes meet cases that you will find very difficult to comprehend. Some have been chained by Satan and demons assigned to watch over them like the Jailer was instructed to watch over Paul and Silas. Any demonic entity assigned to watch over you will be blinded from today, in Jesus’ name!
One can also be in the church and still be a victim of satanic fetters. When you live in sin, you go into satanic bondage. Ancestral links or evil arrows can also lead to this. (See my book ‘Breaking Generational Curses: Claiming Your Freedom’) Whichever is your case, God has promised to break the chains and set you free. In Isaiah 61:1, He says,
“… that captives will be released and the prisoners will be freed.”
He also said in the same Isaiah 49:24,
“Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior? Who can demand that a tyrant [Satan] let his captives go? But the LORD says, ‘The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved.”
Praise God! If those conditions describe your situation, then, this is the time for you to wake up in the midnight and fight for your destiny. It is sure a very serious business. You must go it violently. And you must not stop until the chains of the enemy are broken and all your blessings retrieved. Do it now!
Paul and Silas got up in the midnight prayed and sang unto God and what was the result? There was an earthquake in the place and the chains on their hands and legs were shattered. They all fell off! I have not seen any greater power than that of praise and prayer in the midnight. No chain of the enemy can withstand them. This is true. The prison doors were forced open. You can try it. Praise God for hours every midnight and see what your life will turn into. You will become a supernatural being instantly.
I have made enough comments on these ‘twin spiritual dynamos’ in this book and in others. You will soon read many shocking revelation on their effects in the spirit realm by former grand occult masters.
It is not only individuals that can be in satanic chains. Families, villages, cities, countries, even churches go into bondages. The primary aim of the dark kingdom doing this is to keep the people from the light of the gospel, to deny them God’s blessings and to permanently have control over them. We have also said earlier that the devil does not want man to have a close relationship with God. And that he knows the benefit of this type of relationship because he has once enjoyed it. He is envious of the position of man in God’s programme. He hates man and consequently, will do everything possible to keep him in perpetual bondage.
On the family level, there are many that live in terrible bondage. Some are in bondage of sickness, failure, and poverty. Others live in sinful habits. Some are suffering because of the attacks or evil arrows shot into their families by agents of the dark kingdom. I know a family that has three insane people. Then other families by their own practices have brought satanic yokes upon themselves through worship and sacrifice to demonic spirits. Some even have altars for these false gods right there in their homes. Some parents also dedicated or introduced their children into this worship of demons. All these attract the chains and bondage.
If your parents or forefathers served idols, demons or practiced any form of occultism, then there is an urgent need for you to undergo a deliverance process, so as to break the satanic chains off your life. You cannot serve Satan without being hooked by his fetters. Now, know that through persistent midnight prayers such satanic yokes and covenants in the family can be broken.
Then, there are cities, villages, towns and countries that are also bound with satanic chains and are kept in the enemy’s prisons. You know this by the way the people live, what they worship or by the things that happen in that environment. There are places you go and you can immediately discern the demon spirits that are in operation. Others worship different kinds of demonic territorial spirits and principalities.
I know of a village in the eastern part of Nigeria that serves a demon that lives in a lake. When it is time to sacrifice to this demon, the chief priest will take a live goat to the lake. There, the man will take the animal close to the bank of the lake, while holding the rope tied to its neck.
Then he will make some incantations and immediately a fish-like creature will come out of the water and start moving towards the goat. Once it gets to it, it will swiftly chop off the head of the goat and swim back into the water with it. Then the worshippers will begin to rejoice that the deity has accepted their sacrifice. They will return home to feast with the remaining meat; which they will cook and eat.
Others worship deities that live in the forests, on the trees, on mountains, etc. I know some villages that still worship snakes, monkeys, crocodiles and pythons. These reptiles would come into their rooms and stay. They are always treated as special guests. They can lie on your bed or even hang there, stirring at you in your kitchen. They must not be hurt, rebuked or killed. Go to Idenmili area of Anambra State and see this.
There are also territorial spirits that live in human beings, especially mad people. All these are spirits holding these places in bondage. They keep these areas in chains, and until they are challenged and driven away, the inhabitants of these places would be struggling with the yoke of the enemy. (We saw this type in Mark Chapter Five).
Some of these spirits hinder development, progress and even the gospel. The solution is engaging these demonic forces in midnight battles. Sometimes they will resist and even threaten you. In some cases, it will take many nights. But if you stand your ground and persist, they will ultimately bow and be forced to leave. But you must be prepared and well-determined. The bible said in Ephesians 6:10-12
“…Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power, put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.’
“ For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”
I hope that message is very clear? The enemies we are battling with are a formidable and highly organized force. So you must know your stand in God and the dynamics of the war before you go into it. We will comment more on how to prepare for these battles later.
Churches and ministries can also be in Satanic Chains. This might sound strange, but it is true. Demonic forces can hold down a church that is not moving in the fullness of the power and the spirit of God. And it is very easy to detect such churches. The symptoms are: lack of holiness, lack of development (physical and spiritual), and rapid decrease in membership, stagnation, constant quarrelling and hatred among the members, and even among the ministers. We see all these happening in some of our churches today. All these are caused by powers of darkness; to make sure that the affected churches do not fulfil God’s programme for them.
The devil knows very well that a united church is the avenue through which God wants to spread His will, save lost souls, display His Power and ultimately humiliate the enemy. So he will do everything to see that the church does not expand and that it is also kept in permanent confusion.
I once served in a church in the oil-rich city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. This church had existed for 13 years before we came. Up till the time we came, the not-too-large building was yet to be completed. There were no doors, no windows and no ceiling in the church. The membership was going down rapidly. Only a few friends from the same tribe kept coming to the place. The power of God was not there and very few people were making what looked like progress at the place. And not just that, the members and ministers lived in immorality and practiced witchcraft, even inside the church.
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I remember once our prayer team was holding vigil and I suddenly announced that somebody (a young man) in our midst was practicing occultism, bringing charms into the place and still coming to pray with us. And immediately, the senior pastor interrupted me and reminded me that he was still in-charge. He was living the same life as the young man – in immorality and witchcraft.
Months later, the same man was accused of various immoral acts and the worse; he planned to poison me for exposing their diabolical and immoral activities in the so-called house of God. But God’s power, presence and grace were heavily upon me. These kept them off. In fact, he acquired the poison, but the Spirit of God informed me that he was afraid to use it on me. Yes, He builds a hedge of protection around those that fear him!
You needed no prophet to tell you that this was completely a dead church. A church with a beautiful name but was held down by the powers of darkness. When we came there, God led us to form a praying and deliverance team. (It is imperative for every church to have a standing and formidable praying and deliverance team). We started holding prayer meetings every night in that place. Sometimes we would fast in the daytime, and come to the church to pray through the night. I mean real intercessory prayers. We did that consistently for several months.
What was the result? The power of God came mightily upon the church. The chains and yokes of Satan were broken off the place. The powers of darkness were chased away, though not without fierce resistance. But God prevailed. Miracles, signs, wonders and powerful deliverances began to take place in the place.
Consequently, the membership began to grow rapidly. The once dead church was revived. The building was completed and the members began to prosper tremendously. The members also became more dedicated to God. This is what midnight prayers can do. In fact, we extended such programmes to other churches and also got the same results. The glory, power and blessings of God will come down when the church learns how to exploit the power of midnight prayers.
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Now let’s go back to Paul and Silas. They were terribly beaten and thrown into that dreaded underground cell. The bible said that around midnight they began to pray and sing praises to God. Unusual! People that were severely beaten with wooden rods, instead of nursing their wounds and pains, decided to sing hymns and praises. Now, when we serve God in an unusual way, in unusual environment, He will begin to do unusual things on our behalf. True!
Again, I also believe that it will only take a man that is filled with the Holy Spirit and has sold totally to God to sing and praise God in such an excruciating, humiliating, harrowing and extreme situation.
What do you do when the enemy strikes? Do you weep and blame everybody, including God? Or do you genuflect and look for a way to escape; even if it means denying your faith? We must ask God to give us the spirit of courage and faith, even in the face of life-threatening situations. The bible said that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power.
Then, why would these men of God wait until midnight before doing what they did? I believe they must have known something about the potency of the midnight prayers. They must have known that great battles of life are best fought at midnight hours and it is also possible they have had the experience in the past. After all, the apostles held so much to what they learnt from their master Jesus.
He was also doing it at midnight. They sang and prayed. These are the two main businesses during midnight battles. We will take them one after the other. The first is prayer.
PRAYER
Chapter Four
Prayer
Prayer is communicating with God. Making your requests to God and receiving answers from Him. It is a two-way communication between man and God. God variously in the bible encouraged us to commune or pray to Him. In fact, the word of God said that we did not receive because we have not asked. Jesus Himself said that,
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you asked for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.”
Luke 11:9-10
And this is exactly what we do in midnight prayers. It is a time to commune, relate, and communicate with God. It is a time to ask, seek, knock and make our request known to Him. If fact, I see the midnight prayer more as a time to knock vehemently and violent on the doors of heaven. And you heard what Jesus said, that it is when you knock that the door will be opened for you. So, if you have been asking and seeking and have not had your breakthrough, now you must begin to knock.
Through prayers we birth the will of God on earth. Through prayers we break the yokes, chains and bondage in our life and around us. Through prayer we stand in the gap for others. And through prayer, we draw souls into the kingdom of God. We must go into midnight prayers with all these in mind. Praying is like admitting that as humans, we are limited, but God remains infinite and omnipotent. He can do all things.
Abraham Lincoln, the former American President understood this very well when he said,
“I am oftentimes driven to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I have nowhere else to go.”
True! He knew that it was only from God that he could find help at the time of need. Thank God for such men. America is blessed to have had such godly men as leaders. These are the people that laid the solid foundation for that most prosperous and most powerful nation on earth today. I pray they retain this foundation. (Read my recent article In God We Trust? on www.ezinearticles.com/gabrielagbo).
There are numerous great men and women in the bible who knew, sought and received God’s deliverance at their time of need through prayers. Look at the accounts of Samuel, Jehoshaphat, Esther, David, Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Daniel. Let’s take a look at a few of the very powerful ones. See the account of Samuel in 1Samuel 12:16-18,
Samuel
“Now stand here and see the great thing the LORD is about to do. You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the LORD to send thunder and rain today… So Samuel called the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain. And all the people were terrified of the LORD and of Samuel.”
Jehoshaphat and Judah in danger
“After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat ‘A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.’ (This was another name for En-gedi.) Jehoshaphat was alarmed by the news and sought the LORD for guidance. He also gave orders that everyone throughout Judah should observe a fast. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD.”
2 Chronicles 20:1-4
Esther
“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die.” Esther 4:15-16
Joshua
