Spiritual Mapping
Here is some more about spiritual mapping… When we took Jesus Christ as or savior we were commissioned to go into the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). If you think about it, what this really means is that we are to bring the message of heaven to the physical world, which is earth. We are also told that the world is a hostile environment to the Word, and we are battling, not flesh and blood, but the rulers, principalities and powers of the Spiritual that have turned from God.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12)
We are God’s army, and we are at war. Yes, it is true that the Bible tells us who wins the war in the end; however the war is not over. Think about a professional football team that is down with just a few minutes left in the game. They don’t surrender and give up the game just because they know they have lost. No, the still fight on… Satan will use any opportunity to take a soul from our savior. Our job is to win and defend as many souls as we can. Even though the enemy is defeated he hasn’t given up the fight and every soul he can keep from Christ is one more victory.
We are warriors for Christ on the battlefield for human souls. If you question this, look at the following verses. (II Timothy 2:1-7; II Corinthians 10:3-7; Ephesians 6). If we are going to be successful in winning souls for the Kingdom then we better know our enemy, and we better know the battlefield. This is where Spiritual mapping comes into play. Spiritual mapping is reconnaissance. Spiritual mapping gives us a picture of the overall spiritual condition of an area and it gives us insight into what we are up against.
WHAT IS SPIRITUAL MAPPING?
It is an attempt to see our region as it really is and not as it appears to be. It is the researching of a city to discern any inroads Satan has made, which prevent the spread of the gospel and its evangelization for Christ. (Eph 6:12) It reveals the conditions behind enemy lines. In other words, spiritual mapping can be described as seeing a city or town, community or region from God’s perspective. And that includes its redemptive call, the seed sown into it by the early settlers, and how the enemy has gained legal ground there through wicked acts and worship.
WHAT SPIRITUAL MAPPING IS NOT
Spiritual Mapping is not an end in itself- it is a means to an end.
· It is not demon hunting or searching for names of demons, although the Holy Spirit will reveal names and /or identities where He feels we need to know.
· It is not a one person task, but teamwork.
· It is not about learning a lot of principals and carrying them out, but about doing the God appointed thing for your city.
· It is not the only way that God works in transforming the city, but it is a major component.
· It is not conclusions based on inadequate investigations. It must be done properly.
· It is not spiritual warfare, but a preparation for it.
THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUAL MAPPING
Spiritual mapping is not new. There are many Biblical examples. But today, the Holy Spirit is renewing the revelation of it to the body of Christ. Deuteronomy 1:22-23; Joshua 2:1; Joshua 18:4-6; Numbers 13:17-20; Ephesians 5:11
We are moving towards the last days and the greatest harvest the world has ever known. The Lord is allowing us to be partakers with Him in certain strategic moves that will enable the church to rise up in victory for the purposes of the hour.
THE ORDER OF SPIRITUALLY MAPPING A COMMUNITY
· The gatekeepers (spiritual leaders among the churches) commission the watchmen to spiritually map their community. They act as spiritual covering.
· The watchmen working in teams intercede, investigate, and collate the relevant data.
· The information is summarized in a series of reports released to the gatekeepers.
· The gatekeepers decide on the appropriate action deemed necessary i.e. identification, repentance, spiritual warfare, reconciliation.
· They lead and mobilize the watchmen into appropriate action- prayer walking, worship meetings, strategic level spiritual warfare and so forth.
· The gatekeepers participate with the watchmen rather than just allocating them to the task. Ruth 4:1-11
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SPIRITUAL MAPPING?
The main purpose is to give information that helps sustain fervent intercession and pave the way for effective evangelism.
· To see the city released from the strongholds of the enemy- enabling evangelism to be effective by first binding the strongman.
· To see the city transformed by the Gospel and the power of God.
· To see God’s Kingdom come in a greater way in our city.
· To see the redemptive call of our city realized.
· To see nations, regions, and communities released. Isaiah 58:6-end; I Kings 42-45; 2 Samuel 24:25; Matthew 6:10; Romans 1:16; Matthew 3:10; 12:28- 29
There are many examples in the Bible addressing territorial spirits which are spirits that are in control of a given area. 1Kings 20:23 gives us an example of spirits that control a hill country. “23And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.”
In Mark chapter 5 Jesus is speaking to a demon who called himself Legion, who speaks of his territory. “9And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.” (Mark 5:9)
Acts 19 tells us about Artemis, the Lydian mother-goddess who was worshipped at the mouth of the Cayster river long before the Greeks arrived. “34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?” (Acts 19:34-35)
One of the main reasons people tend to hear so clearly from God when they go away on retreats, and why healing and deliverance happens so much more prominently when people are out of their area, is because they are away from the familiar territorial spirits that know them so well in their home territories. This is also why it is a great idea to have some people from outside the area on your teams.
Most territorial spirits are well entrenched in their areas of influence, that is they have been there for generations, and are well versed at inhibiting our ability to flow in the Holy Spirit. Demons love darkness and they abhor being exposed and have taken great lengths to stay that way. It is our duty to bring all things into the light.
However, we must understand, our focus should not be on the satanic, we should be focused on Jesus. Too many people get so wrapped up in demon hunting; they lose focus of the goal, which is to bring the light of Jesus to the darkness. The idea of Spiritual mapping is to expose the enemy so we can bring in the light. We are commissioned to spread the gospel and to pray for the world around us. Spiritual mapping can do two very effective things for us even if we don’t yet have the authority to expel the demons.
The first thing Spiritual Mapping does is to get our heart focused on the condition of the community around us. The second thing it does is get us focused on the realm of heaven. Effective Spiritual mapping requires prayer, and a keen sense of the prophetic. Like anything else, practice improves our performance. What Christian does not want a better and more effective prayer life?
To keep us focused on God and on prayer, always incorporate drive-by praying with Spiritual mapping. The two should always go together. If you are thinking of doing Spiritual mapping and have never done drive-by or walk-by praying start by practicing that.
Jesus called His disciples to go out in twos and preach the good news. In Matthew chapter 10 He gave His men careful instructions. Jesus told them to inquire as to who was worthy in each particular city and to stay at their house. If the house was indeed worthy they were to leave a blessing upon it, and if it wasn’t they were revoke their blessing and move on. This instruction is a good example of how we should conduct drive-by or walk-by praying and Spiritual mapping. We should go out in at least groups of two and it shows how some areas are ripe for the blessing and some have been hardened. To maximize our effectiveness we must understand what places are ready and what places are going to need prayer.
There are many ways to do this, and the most effective thing we can do is ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. What follows are some guidelines for effective drive by praying. Circumstances and personnel may require some alteration. These are guidelines and not hard and fast rules. The most important thing is to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and to be open to the prodding of the Spirit. Secondly, it should be fun and it can be a great opportunity for people to practice their public prayer life.
As the name suggests, as you drive by or walk through an area or place, you pray over it. You can take it one step farther and stop and visit with people, and ask to pray over or with them, their property or their possessions. Feel free to invite people to join you on your journey, or to hand out water, food or even Bibles, as you journey around town. It is a great idea to keep a journal of your adventures so you can track your spiritual progress on an area.
You will find, if you make drive-by/walk-by praying an active part of your ministry, that over time, the Holy Spirit will give you a sense of certain areas that need certain kinds of prayers. As this happens you will see that your journal will become a kind of map for what areas need what kinds of prayers. Interesting how drive-by/walk-by praying turns into Spiritual mapping, isn’t it?
As with drive-by praying, Spiritual mapping does not follow any hard and fast rules and should be guided by the Holy Spirit. However, here are some guidelines that seem to be very effective. First, prayer and fasting before starting any kind of spiritual warfare is a great idea. Secondly, if you can get fellow believers to cover you in prayer before, and while, you are embarking on your mission, it avails much. If you have enough people, two or more teams can go together, or in different directions around an area.
A team should consist of at least three people if possible. If you are driving, one person should know the area and be familiar with the people, the roads and the history, and two people who are not as intimate with the neighborhood. The person who knows the area best would make the best driver which allows the others of the team to focus on praying and receiving from the Holy Spirit if all members of the team are experienced in mapping. If your team is new then I would recommend someone else drive and have the person who knows the area be the scribe.
The scribe is the person in the team who writes down what is being received by the Holy Spirit and impressions from the spirit realm. This can be a great confidence booster for new team members as they see first hand, confirmation of what they are receiving.
I am a firm believer in having people write down what they are getting while we pray or map an area. I use the same tactic when we are doing house cleanings, praying over a property, or doing prophetic prayer. I believe it not only keeps people honest, but it is a sure proof way of seeing how well the team is working together and seeing in the spirit. It is also very helpful in putting together prayer teams, deliverance teams, prophetic teams and the like. We are all different members of one body and we all have been given different gifts. When we work together we end up seeing much clearer than we would by working alone.
Likewise, if two cars are making the same journey around an area and writing down what they are getting, it is great confirmation when you compare notes and see that you are getting the same thing. Now this doesn’t always happen, and we have to be careful not to start trying to connect dots that may not be there. It is okay if you have a session and nothing seems to be coming together. Sometimes we just need more time for the picture puzzle to come together and sometimes we may not get anything. That doesn’t mean we should quit. There is always more prayer needed, and our prayers are never in vain. We need to make sure we have a good scribe who can write legibly and in good detail, so we can go back and keep track of our progress.
(from: http://www.deliveranceblog.org/index.php/2011/12/14/spiritual-mapping/)