It Still Works...Even at the North Pole
We have been talking about impacting the invisible realm of the spirit, in order to bring about change in the visible, natural realm. When Christ announced the creation of the church, His ekklesia on earth, He made it very clear that this church would need to understand how to release His governmental authority first and foremost in the spiritual realm - “heavenly places.”
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19 NASB).
Spiros Zodhiates, in his amazing Hebrew/Greek, Key Word Study Bible says, “A more accurate translation of verse 19 from the Greek is ‘And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever thou shalt bind on the earth shall be as having been bound in the heavens; and whatever thou shalt loose on the earth shall be as having been loosed in the heavens.’”
The keys (authority) Christ said He would give us were obviously spiritual, not physical. This, of course, means the binding, loosing, and overcoming of the gates of hell would all happen in the invisible, spiritual realm, as well. We, the church, must win our victories first in these “heavenly places.” Then we can reap the fruit on earth.
This is why we appeal to heaven; it releases power in the heavens, to give us victory on earth. Some are given unique prayer assignments. The following is an example of an unusual assignment in order to release breakthrough in the spirit.
In 1998 John Halvorsen received an unusual assignment from the Lord. He heard it through Genesis 13:17: “Arise, walk the land, the length and the breadth of it, for I intend to give it to you.” Sensing this was God’s voice speaking to him, John began to walk - from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, praying for America every step of the way. He followed Highway 61, the Great River Road, asking God for a free flow of Holy Spirit’s river to flow across our nation, bringing a mighty revival.
1999 found him walking from the Pacific Ocean in Oregon to the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware. He prayed for American intercessors to hear the need for deeper prayer for our nation, sensing turbulent times were ahead. In the year 2000, John and his wife Sandy drove the perimeter of America. God had given him a scripture for each state. Along the way, they stopped in four particular cities to blow the shofar and call for the winds of revival to blow through America: Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City. And the assignments haven’t ceased.
In 2015, John heard the Lord direct him to take the Appeal to Heaven flag to the North and South Poles, making prophetic declarations from the ends of the earth. He reached the North Pole in 2016 and in 2017, the South Pole. I’ve seen photos of him there with violent winds blowing, as he planted The Appeal to Heaven flag in the frozen ground.
John has also walked over 6,000 miles across Europe and Asia, from Portugal to the Chinese border, praying and declaring God’s word, asking that His presence would cover the land. His wife Sandy joined him on that adventure, just as she did on their first Prayer Walk America journey of 1998.
As recently as 2019, John prayer walked 3200 miles from Los Angeles to Chicago, to New York City. Wow.
Today, you will find John and Sandy once again, walking the land, answering God’s assignment for them. They are currently walking from Miami to Seattle, their fourth walk across our nation. John will cover about 3,500 miles, calling out to God, asking Him for a spiritual awakening to come to our great land. You can find out more about them at prayerwalkamerica.com or find them on Facebook: Prayer Walk America, An Appeal to Heaven. Keep your eyes peeled. I believe they are crossing the heartland right now.
These are long journeys - some as long as nine months. Why are the Halvorsens convinced God has asked them to walk across America, and even Europe and Asia? They are convinced, as am I, that God desires to bring another great awakening - not just to America - but to the entire globe. So, you may say, if God desires for it to happen, why are they spending their time, money, and energy walking and praying. And they aren’t young ones - they are my age! But as I’ve been teaching you from Scripture, God’s will is not automatic. He desires to work through you and me, His people, as we cooperate and partner with Him, filling the bowls of heaven (Revelation 5:8) with our prayers and decrees, cooperating with Holy Spirit to bring an unprecedented move of God.
Pray with me:
Dear Lord, we thank You for courageous men and women like John and Sandy Halvorsen. They are not unlike Your friend from the desert, John the Baptist, who cried out to You from unusual places. We ask that You keep them safe and healthy. Send new friends along the way to help, bringing them food and provisions, and co-laboring with them as they proclaim Your Word and will across this great land.
On this day, when all across America people continue to celebrate our nation’s birthday, we give thanks for our many freedoms. We partner with You, Lord, and cry out for a great move of Your Spirit to come to this land. God, mix our prayers with the prayers of our nation’s founders who made incredible sacrifices to see this land established. We are grateful for their vision and determination.
Come, Lord, sweep across America with a fresh wind of Your Spirit. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our decree:
We decree that America will once again fall in love with Jesus, and we pledge to do whatever it takes (even walk across America) to see it happen.
Click below to watch the prayer.