By David McDowell

I first started to pray when I was a very small boy.  By the age of eleven,  I had a picture of God fixed in my mind.  He was a very old man with a kind-looking face and a large white bushy beard  and moustache and was ever so warm hearted.  I carried this picture of God though adolescence and on into adulthood.  It stayed with me in the RAF, War service and later as a young policeman,  after the war ended - until my conversion.

In a little country village in Armagh,  I got into conversation with a cattle dealer.  It was through this man that God explained the problem of sin and separation from himself.  My spirit was quickened;  under deep conviction and awareness of my snful nature,  I came to Calvery and received the Lord Jesus Christ as my very own Saviour.

I now had a completely new picture of God,  and by faith I entered the Realms of the Spirit.  I could relate to God in the form of a man, Jesus,  who said,  "He that has see Me has seen the Father"  I had loved Jesus from boyhood,  but now He was my very own Saviour and closest friend.  Over the years I studied Him from many different angles.  He is the 'fairest among ten thousand to my soul.  He is the pearl of Great price. His beauty and wonder has blown my mind;  after fifty years I find I'm only beginning to scratch the surface.  To talk,  praise,  worship and pray to Him is joyful and exciting.

Practically,  I never expect anything else but answers to my prayers.  Prayer to me was so very exciting.  I could hardly wait;  every free moment I could muster,  I would enter His presence.  I married  a Christian girl and we were so happy together.  The Lord blessed us and we had two sons and three daughters.

I expected prayer to be answered.

Prayer really inspired me.  I expected answers and they came.  For example, Harry lived next door.  I liked him.  He wasn't a Christian.  Harry taught me all he knew about fly-fishing and how to tie flies.  Married eighteen years,  he had no children.  I knew he longed for a son,  so I added him to my prayer list.  Nine months later a son was born, and they named him after me!

Another lady who was friendly with my wife was anxious for children.  She had been married for 21 years and had given up hope.  I prayed.  Yes,  she had a son too - and then a daughter.

Normal fruitful mothers heard about this,  and the power of prayer - and avoided me if possible!!  That all happened 42 years ago.  God is a prayer  - hearing,  prayer - answering God,  as I have proved ever since.

One night,  ten years ago,  I was seated in bed in my pyjamas,  reading the Bible.  I was reading about the Gift of the Holy Spirit and the Filling of the Holy Spirit.  I could not recall having received this Gift.  This concerned me.  A powerful,  awesome presence of God filled my bedroom. I had never raised my hand to God in my life,  but this strange irresistable force lifted my arms and hands heavenward.  A strange language came from my mouth.  I knew I had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I thanked God for the Gift,  and haven't been the same since!

The Holy Spirit began to teach me about Intercession and spiritual warfare,  and is still teaching me. Prior to this,  I had never really understood the Holy Spirit.  Now I was being filled every day and I endeavour to remain in an overflowing condition.  Certianly my prayer life took on a new dimension,  and 'praying in the Holy Spirit'  is very powerful indeed.  I had never heard anyone speak in tongues,  so I didn't know what it was like.  Praying and interceding in tongues is mighty 'To the pulling down of strongholds'.

Towards the end of my police career,  I was a controller in the Central Command Room in headquarters.  This experience was to be of great value to me as a Controller in the Divine Control Room.  In the Control Room was a high ranking Officer or Commander-In-Chief.  He had the authority to pull in extra manpower when things were serious enough to demand it.  For years working under such a man was my daily routine.  I now work in God's Divine Command Room.  Every, morning, very early,  He gives me fresh orders. Who carries out the orders and ministers?  - Angels!

One cold winter's day towards the end of the war,  I landed at Liverpool landing stage.  We were aboard a famous troopship called the 'Sobieski,  which had come enroute from West Africa and picked us up at the Azores.  As the ship docked,  the Captain spoke to us and gave the Order for the Day.  It was:

'Come  landlord,  fill the flowing bowl,  until it doth run over'.  

Every morning,  my dear Saviour gives me the orders for the day.  It is to let his Holy Spirit flow through me.  He fills my flowing bowl,  as I allow him. It flows from the 'Fountain of Life'  His orders are sacred.  Amazing thing too to have angels carry out God's orders.  They are His divine Ministers.  The dear Holy Spirit is in charge down here.  He is in me,  my Counsellor and close friend.

Putting on the Whole Armour of God

Each morning,  very early,  he calls me.  When awake,  I address him.  Then I bodily mime the 'putting on'  of each piece of armour described in Ephesians,  Chapter 6.  When fully armoured,  sword in hand,  I call and mount my battle steed.  He is a big black stallion.  His name is  'Victory'.  My battle-cry is "The precious blood of Jesus!"  From there on,  it is attack,  attack,  attack,  attack.

When I came home from the 1939-45 war,  I had a battle wound and scar.  Part of my anatomy was lost on the battle-field,  but I survived.  Thousands of my air-crew comrades laid down their lives.  We Christians live in enemy territory down here on Earth.

Satan - a dirty fighter - a master strategist  

Spiritual warfare can be very dangerous.  There are many hazards and hidden booby-traps alongside head-on confrontation with Satan and his cohorts.  He is a dirty,  evil fighter.  There is no respite ever.  It is total commitment.  A front-line infantry soldier faces the enemy.  There is no turning back.  Have you engaged in the battle yet?  Have you any scars?  Satan is a master strategist.  To know his schemes requires careful study.  His terrain can be anywhere.  He is able to attack your thinking and will do battle mostly in your head and mind.  Satan knows the scriptures. However it is the word of the living God which defeats him.

At  present I intercede into 62 countries.  This necessitates an in-depth study of each country.  I use an index system and study current affairs to help keep up to date.  Praying in tongues is a major part of the intercession.  The Holy Spirit highlights certain important matters each morning and throughout the day.

For example,  He has brought me into the 'House Churches'  in communist China.  I spend a lot of time there.  I also go into the prisons in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.  I interceed for my brothers and sisters who are incarcerted there,  and I also write to them and to the prison authorities.  I have been very successful here.

I also spend a lot of time 'with' Mother Teresa and her Sisters in Calcutta.  I spend some time in the Comoro Islands off East Africa.  South Africa is a big concern,  and I spend long hours of intercession  'in'  that great country.  South America is tough territory.  Another highlight  of my intercession is the Nadeb tribe,  situated on a tributary of the Amazon in Brazil.  We do battle with the drug barons of Bogota,  Ecuador,  Venezuela and the Central American republics.  I spend a lot of time 'in' Mexico City,  San Paulo,  and the U.S.A and Canada.  Israel,  of course,  is very special and I take my rstand alongside her against the spiritual enemies surrounding that nation.  Europe and the Middle East require special forays,  commando attacks,  ambushes and campaigns each day.  Strongholds have been torn down and enemy forces defeated.

From my bedroom window,  I look out over Stormont and Belfast.  From this vantage point,  I intercede over all points of the compass.  I keep a compass correctly set before me always and I pray along each line and meridian.  Spiritual warfare over Belfast and all Northern and Southern Ireland has seen victories in the spiritual realm.  I had great excitement anf fun some years ago 'tearing down'  the Berlin Wall and wrecking the communist ideologies.  Some time before,  I spent a week 'in' Frankfurt,  Germany,  in a (spiritual warfare) commando raid.  It was marvaellous,  too,  smashing down the citadels of Satan and entering Russia,  Romania and Albania.

'I intercede into 62 Countries.

 This necessitates an in-depth study of each country..'

I have never visited Israel in the flesh,  but the Holy Spirit takes me there every day.  To battle with the spiritual forces behind the enemies of Israel is an honur and a privilage.  The Jews scattered worldwide I include in my Israel intercession and spiritual warfare.

Spiritual warfare in Northern Ireland has cost me much.  My eldest daughter and her baby were killed in  tragic circumstances.  She was a district nurse and was saved when I was 7 years old.  My wife suffered a nervous breakdown.  My own health took a battering,  spending many weeks over a year,  laid aside in pain and suffering.  Attacks,  attacks, attacks,  from the Enemy.  The worst attacks were spiritual,  and in the mind;  demonic evil attacks.  Attacks from false brethren,  and those not as false.  Dirty warfare indeed,  but Victory in Jesus all the way.  Hallelijah!  IGod does not have many real committed intercessors - but  he does have some!  It is demanding.  It is dangerous.  It can be frightening.  But it can be Victorious.

On two occasions,  God has spoken to me with an audible voice.  On one occasion demons litterally physically caught me by the legs,  when I put out the light to go to sleep, and tried to through me out of bed onto the floor.  I weighed 18 Stone,  but they tried.  it took a good hour with 'the sword'  in my hand to exorcise them,  but I got rid of them for good.

My main thrust at home is to identify the evil principalities and powers over Belfast and Londonderry and the towns and illages of Northern Ireland.  Spiritual warfare takes me deep into Southern Ireland, too.  I have many strategic points there were I go (and I do mean literally) and stay;  Tralee,  Killarny,  Wicklow,  Dublin,  Dun Laoghaire,  Athlone,  Galway,  Connemara, Mayo,  Sligo and Donegal,  to mention a few.  I spent a weekin  Tralee with a dear brother,  engaged in spiritual warfare within the principality of an old Irish warroir chieftain.  Tralee is an old army garrison town.  we intercessors believe occult involvement by unsuspecting people,  together with the disturbing of graves of ancient Irish warriors  (Navan 

Fort) and old Irish kings has unleashed evil forces in Ireland.  Archaeologists are delving into old sites.  and old Celtic and drid curses have,  we believe,  been activated.  

Our government and security forces cannot win this battle against evil,  but God can,  and He has delegated His authority to all believers down here,  through his dear Son jesus,  with the Holy Spirit,  to go in and attack 'the gates of Hell,  and we know that they cannot prevail against us.  Intercessors must win eventually.  God is on the throne,  and He is in direct control.  Jesus has given us the authority down here... but our mainline churches here badly need revival.  Only God can do that.

At the end of the 1936-45 war I was with a mobile squadron of American Mustang fighters - 93 Squadron.  We were based at Udine in Southern Italy.  We anticipated then that trouble was brewing in the former Yuogoslavia,  and we were on full alert.  It didn't come about,  however, until after the death of Marshall Tito.  We have all seen what happened in that beautiful country.  It  has been torn apart.  Now I am back  'in there'  as an intercessor - not with the RAF but with the Divine Commander and the King of Kings.  We are winning too,  which will soon be evident in the media.

Israel & Middle East

World attention will soon focus again on Israel and the Middle East as the enemies of Israel mass forces against her.  The USA is soon coming into turmoil and her leaders need much prayer and Divine help.  There are many brilliant Christians and intercessors in that great country,  but they need our help.

Here in the United Kingdom,  our own Queen and Royal family have,  I believe been especially targeted by Satan.  They need special intercession.  Also our prime Minister,  the cabinet and colleagues are under constant spiritual attack.  They need our daily prayers.  Because Britain is now multi-racial,  special intercession is needed.  Britain is sitting on a time-bomb of her own making.

Many evil forces are arraigned against her.  We see a rising tide of homosexual activity,  pornography,  child abuse,  break up of marriages (especially cristian ones);  fraud on a massive scale,  greed,  hatred,  murder,  overflowing prisons,  back-slidden clergy,  occult practices,  drug misuse,  alcoholism and compulsive gambling are all symptomatic of the underlying current of spiritual evil.  Intercession is needed to bring poor Great Britain back to our 'first love',  back to God,  back to Calvery and our dear Saviour.

Interlaced with intercession is the daily study of the written word of God.  A deep working knowledge of the Bible is essential.  To use the Sword of the Spirit,  we need to be trained in its use.  The word must be learned,  remembered and spoken out.  Intercessors must live a holy life.  To get into the Divine Throne Room,  holiness is essential.  Are you willing,  my brother,  my sister,  to commit your life fully to Him in his service.  He needs you.  Let's go for it.  Victory in the name of Jesus!

By David McDowell 1995

NB  In Christian publishing it is not unusual to receive requests or even ask ourselves, for  special permission to use articles of huge significance to the body of Christ.  I should mention, this piece by David McDowell,  written around 1995 has been requested to be reprinted more than any other article ever  published in the history of LIGHT INTERNATIONAL! 

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LIGHT INTERNATIONAL -

The Global Review of Christianity 2017