August 13, 2026
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Unleashing the Sword
There are several words for “time” in the New Testament. Chronos means time in general, the ongoing process of time. It can even be a unit or season of time.(1) We get our English word chronological, meaning arranging things in the proper order of time, from chronos. The word chronicle also comes from this word, which is recording what occurred over a process of time. For a farmer, the entire season of preparing, sowing, and reaping is a chronos season.
But during that season, there will be a critical, opportune time for harvesting. The window of opportunity. That is a kairos time. Kairos means strategic, significant, opportune, or right time.(2) Wuest, in his great Expanded Translation of the New Testament, even uses the word “epochal” to translate it (Acts 19:23). Whereas chronos is the general time something is done, kairos is the strategic time it should or must be done. “Good timing” is kairos. “Well-timed” is kairos.
In the parable of the sower (Luke 8:1-13), Jesus compares His words to seeds. He says satan comes to try and steal God’s words/seeds from our hearts before they can grow and mature, bringing forth harvest. Verse 13 tells us some people “hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
“Time” in this verse is kairos. What Jesus was saying is that satan’s temptations are often well-timed, not just haphazardly presented. His fiery darts can be well-timed, coming at “times” of vulnerability. One of Thayer’s [Concordance] definitions of kairos is “the time when things are brought to crisis.”
At satan’s temptation of Jesus, after failing three times, Luke 4:13 tells us, “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” “Season” is kairos, not chronos. The New American Standard translation rightly words it “He left Him until an opportune time.” Satan’s thinking was that he would back off, watch, and wait for the right time.
Another important passage that uses the word kairos is Ephesians 6:18: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” The word “always” is kairos.
The verse is not telling us to pray all the time, but at all kairos, strategically timed attacks of the enemy. The context of this verse is spiritual warfare. Verse 12 describes our enemy and his spiritual forces; verses 13-17 describe our spiritual armor. Then verse 18 tells us to be watchful and alert for one another; when we see or discern that a kairos attack of spiritual warfare is taking place against someone, pray for them!
In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus had discerned that there would be a well-timed, kairos temptation of Peter. But He stated that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail, that he would survive this test. And Peter did make it through the ordeal because of Jesus’ intercession. That is Ephesians 6:18 in action.
Iran and the Middle East have entered a kairos season. Satan sees it as a kairos time to attack and thwart God’s agenda; God sees it as a kairos time of breakthrough and harvest. Satan wants to create further chaos, destruction, and terrorism in the region, and expand radical Islam. But God is saying He has created a time when the powers of darkness in the region can be overthrown, and His Kingdom of light break through for millions.
The physical war in Iran is the fruit of the spiritual war. While the physical war must and will be won, this will not determine who wins the spiritual war. That must be determined by the church as we hear what God is saying, pray, and wage war spiritually. The spoils will be millions of people freed and born again.
How do we fight this kairos battle? The above-mentioned passage on spiritual warfare, Ephesians 6, and Christ’s temptation in Luke 4, both show us how. Ephesians 6:17 tells us to use the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” “Word” is the Greek rhema, meaning “spoken words.”(3) Declaring the Word of God against the works and powers of darkness is the single greatest weapon we have. The literal meaning of the word “confession” in Scripture is actually “saying the same thing.”(4) Thinking and meditating on God’s Word is important. It allows the seeds of truth to grow within us and increases our faith. But it isn’t a sword until we say it!
In satan’s temptation of Jesus in Luke 4, Christ didn’t argue with the devil, and He didn’t shout insults at him. Three different times He simply said, “It is written!” Then He quoted a verse of Scripture. There is no more powerful weapon against satan than the Word of God.
Tomorrow night at the prayer gathering in Middletown, Ohio, we will unleash the sword, declaring what God says in His Word about Christ’s victory over the powers of darkness. We will wield the sword of the Spirit. We will decree what Holy Spirit has been declaring to us prophetically regarding Iran, the Middle East, and the powers of darkness that have controlled the region for centuries. We don’t need to scream at demons, and we won’t. We will petition the Lord Himself and declare His Word…and the sword will do its work.
Pray with me:
Father, Your words are alive and powerful, sharper than any earthly two-edged sword. They form a spiritual sword that is devastating to Your enemies (Revelation 1:16; 2:12; and 19:15, 21). With them You will one day smite nations! The powers of darkness tremble at Your words.
And almost shockingly, You have told us we are authorized to release them. With them we bind and loose, forbid and allow, open and close, bless and curse, release Your Kingdom authority and declare Your will.
Guide us as we do so tomorrow night. Fill our mouths with Your words. Release through us the authority of King Jesus. Make “on earth as it is in heaven” a reality. Cause our words to be so heaven-echoing that they release angels and seraphim into the Middle East. May Michael and Gabriel once again deal with the Prince of Persia. Rend the heavens and come down! (Isaiah 64:1) “Break the bow of Elam” (Iran), “set Your throne” there (Jeremiah 49:35, 38), and liberate the people. Send revival!
These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our decree:
We declare that “The voice of the Lord is powerful, The voice of the Lord is majestic…The Lord sat as King at the flood; yes, the Lord sits as King forever.” (Psalm 29:4, 10)
Join us Friday night [August 14] at 7PM ET. You can find more information HERE.
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James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5550.
Ibid., ref. no. 2540.
Ibid., ref. no. 4487.
Ibid., ref. no. 3671.
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