Strength to Stand
There is no activity in the kingdom of God more important than that of intercession. And it is not without good reason that intercessors are sometimes called “prayer warriors.” They are truly front-line warriors of what God does on the earth. As such, they face much opposition. It is important for the intercessor to stay closely connected to our Heavenly Father, allowing Him to daily refresh and strengthen them. He is always to be our strength.
I feel that the following word from Gina Gholston is important for us, especially the intercessors. I believe it will encourage you. Without question, this word should also be received and activated by everyone, not just intercessors, but it was given to her in that context. Gina says:
“Recently, Holy Spirit has been leading me to pray for the intercessors. I don’t mean just casual ‘touch them, Lord’ type prayers. They have been deep, intense, and urgent prayers for wisdom, strength, protection, and health (both physically and mentally). I’ve also been asking for increased spiritual awareness and insight to manifest in the lives of those who have been called as watchmen on the wall of this nation!
“It may seem odd to consider praying for those who pray, but we absolutely must pray for each other. Hell is terrified of wise, bold, and spiritually informed intercessors. Someone once said, ‘The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.’ Demonic forces regularly target the intercessors in an attempt to blind their eyes and silence their voices. Therefore, we must establish a prayer shield over these watchmen warriors so they can stand undistracted and work with Holy Spirit in the place of intercession.
“Last year I received an encouraging vision and word from the Lord. In the vision, I saw people I knew were intercessors, and they were spinning around very swiftly like a top when it has been released from the string. Off to the side, I could see the enemy watching them, laughing and mocking. Suddenly, I saw the finger of God placed on the heads of these intercessors, and the spinning stopped. And in that moment, they began to glow with a brilliant light!
“Immediately, I heard the Lord say, ‘The nauseating dizziness and all of the confusion from the unexpected attacks launched against you have come to an end!’
“Then Holy Spirit said, ‘The attacks have not created a weakness! In spite of what the enemy tried to do, I have strengthened your spirit man, and what I have developed in you will now begin to radiate through you with a fervency that cannot be extinguished or avoided! Healing and strength are your portion! You are stepping out of a dark, spinning season into the light of My ‘now’ moment, and as you walk with Me I will shine through you with power and the manifestation of My might! The spinning is now becoming a ‘turning of events’...a turning in your favor!’
“Over the past few years, there has been an undeniable onslaught of spiritual resistance experienced by the praying church. BUT, Holy Spirit has put us in remembrance of this unchangeable truth: Greater is He that is in us, than any force of hell that comes against us (1 John 4:4)! Though the battle has been intense, our assurance is that hell cannot defeat us (Matthew 16: 18-19), and no amount of resistance will stop us as God works through us to fulfill His intentions for this nation! Now, the spinning is ending, and things are turning as the Ancient of Days rises on our behalf.
“Intercessor, your labor in the Lord has not been in vain! Your prayers and obedience have mattered, and now God is turning things. He has put His finger on us, and we will now rise with a greater intensity and radiance of His manifested Glory!
“I feel the Lord is saying to the intercessors:
‘Your relentless and persistent pursuit has captured the attention of Heaven. My eyes have run to and fro to find hearts that are turned toward Me. I have found such hearts in you, My intercessors, and now I will begin to show Myself strong on your behalf. This is a divine moment. Stay the course. Don’t get entrapped by your emotions. Don’t relax your stand on what I have said! My Word stands! Do not allow weariness to rob you of your due season! Don’t lose hope, and don’t discard your courage! I Am re-adjusting your vision and stabilizing your resolve. You will run and not grow weary! Shake off the dizziness. Reorganize for renewed activity. Be re-energized to mobilize! “Onward” is your command!’
“I sense there is an ‘increase’ coming on the intercessors—an increase of strength, vision, spiritual perception, wisdom, and strategy. God is taking us to another level of seeing and hearing in and by the Spirit. He is increasing our awareness of the authority we have in our speaking and praying. Our confidence in Him is increasing. Our boldness is increasing. We will remain steadfast at our post, and watch as Holy Spirit works through our prayers and declarations to set things in motion. The Word of the Lord will be activated to accomplish the purposes and intentions of God.
“I hear a clarion call echoing from the throne room of God to the heart of the watchmen:
‘Shake off distractions. Shake off disappointment. Rise! Take your place. Set your face like a flint toward Me. Stand! Do not be moved by what you see happening around you! It’s temporary. It will not last. There is a turning in the works. I have told you ahead of time, and now is the time! Believe My promises. Remember My Word! DO NOT DOUBT IT!’
“God has risen on behalf of the watchmen. He is putting His finger on us. The spinning is becoming a turning of events. Things are turning in our favor, and with a renewed ability to focus, we will continue to work with Holy Spirit as we stand watch on the walls of this nation.”
Pray with me:
Father, thank You for bringing the spin to an end, and for turning things in our favor. You have broken the snare, and we have escaped from hell’s attempt to stop us. We refuse to allow evil agendas to talk us into surrendering our post. We shake off the dizziness of the last season, and we take our steadfast stand as Your watchmen on the wall.
Thank You for healing us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so that with renewed focus and strength we can rise to finish what You have started in and through us! We trust You, and we will not be afraid. You are our strength and our defense, and You are our Salvation. Your favor is upon us, and You will establish the work of our hands. We breathe in Your awakening breath, and we shout with steadfast resolve, “Weariness will not rob us of our due season!” You, O, Lord, will satisfy us with Your mercy, and we will rejoice and be glad, for we shall see the performance of those things You have said and shown to us in prayer!
We stand on Your unfailing Word and promises. We stand on the prophetic words You have given us that America will be saved, and the entire earth will receive a powerful outpouring of Your Spirit. We stand on the promise that our children and prodigals are coming home. We stand on the truth that everything Jesus did for us is available to us now, and we receive it all by faith. We boldly declare the promise that no weapon formed against us will prosper.
Strengthen Your intercessors. Strengthen the body of Christ. Remind us not to grow weary in doing what is right, that as we stand we will prevail through You. We call in the great harvest. We call in the release of miracles. We call in provision. We release refreshing by the power of Holy Spirit. And we do these things and the wonderful and all-powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
Our decree:
We are stepping out of a dark, spinning season into the Light of God’s “now” moment. The nauseating dizziness and all of the confusion have come to an end. We are getting our focus back, and we will now rise with greater intensity and radiance of God’s manifested Glory!
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Today’s post was contributed by Gina Gholston. Portions were taken from her book Awakening the Church to Awaken a Nation. You can learn more about Gina here.