One of the more prolific strategies of the spirit of deception is to create feelings of fear, guilt, and inadequacy in Christians about speaking up about the issues that dominate our culture. Instead of confidently standing up and speaking truth, far too many believers have been deceived into surrendering their voices, remaining on the sidelines when they should be speaking up.

Sometimes, the enemy twists the Word of God to convince us to avoid wading into the culture wars. We are told that it is unchristian to speak out against the popular narratives of our day because Jesus was all about love. For others, the fear of being canceled is so powerful that we choose silence to protect our reputations and bank accounts.

We tell ourselves, that’s not my problem and convince ourselves that wisdom is guiding our choices, but is it possible that we have been deceived into silence?

For some, deception comes in that little voice telling us that we have nothing to contribute or that our voices are so small that they won’t be heard. We agree with the lie that says we are weak and insignificant rather than heirs of the King.

For others, deception lulls us into a false sense of security, convincing us, “It’s not as bad as it seems” or “That could never happen here.” And so we hide within the safe walls of our churches, listening to safe messages that make us feel good about our lives.

At the root of it all is this simple fact: far too many believers have been convinced that they are on the losing side.

Day after day, year after year, the silence builds, leaving the world without a strong voice representing a biblical counter-narrative to the forces that rule our culture. As a result, God’s plan for the family is being redesigned, young people are rejecting their identities, and Marxism has infiltrated the power structures of the nations. But there is still time to turn things around!

It’s time for the church to break the silence! We are called to be His voice in this generation. We have been anointed and empowered to carry His Light into dark places.

We must shake off our every form of deception and find our place to stand. It might be in a prayer group, a school board meeting, or with one person that God has called us to speak to.

The first step is looking into our own hearts and examining if there are any places we have stepped back from the assignment to represent His kingdom to our generation out of fear, insecurity, or apathy. Are we being wise, or are we being fearful? Where have we believed a lie that silenced our voices and sent us into the shadows?

The good news is that when we repent of our agreement with the spirit of deception, we start to hear again. We begin to see where and how we should speak. We receive wisdom to know when God is saying it is strategic to be silent. And as we embrace the daily assignments to be His voice to the world around us, there is a re-empowering from the Spirit that attaches to our words.

As kingdom leaders, let’s decree that deception is exposed, that the church rediscovers its voice and steps into its assignment to release a bold, loving, confident, empowered counter-narrative to the lies of the enemy that have captured so many in our generation.

Decrees:

Father, we repent on behalf of a church that has lost its voice! Awaken Your sons and daughters to recognize where we have agreed with the enemy and surrendered our voices and our authority! We rebuke a defeatist mentality that says we are on the losing side! We serve a God who has never been defeated! We repent of giving into fear, insecurity, and apathy! We lay down the pride that clings tightly to reputation and ask You to liberate us from every choice that has caused us to be silent!

We declare that deception is losing its power over Your sons and daughters! We say that Your church is breaking free of deception to represent the wisdom, love, and power of Your kingdom! Our ears are being fine-tuned to reject every lie and embrace the fullness of our identities as kingdom builders and world shakers!

We declare that the heat of war is producing a glorious and powerful era in the church! May Your kingdom message burn on our lips! May our hearts be tuned to Your incomparably great love for this generation! We say that Your sons and daughters are arising with wisdom and grace to speak words of life that shatter deceptive narratives and liberate the lost, the hopeless, and the desperate! Now is the day when a kingdom counter-narrative arises to displace the forces of darkness at work in the world!

Scriptures:

Esther 4:12-16, Isaiah 62:1, Acts 18:9-10, Ecclesiastes 3:7