Jolene and I were stunned to discover our friend Colleen Sherman passed on to glory this weekend. Colleen always sparkled like a diamond, exuberant and full of life! One of the most discerning intercessors we knew, Colleen possessed the rare quality of sincerity without naivety.
So many leaders were impacted by her legacy, both in New England and the nation! Yet her greatest passion was simply to be with Jesus her Bridegroom. At our loss, this dream of a lifetime has poignantly come to pass. She entered the whirlwind one more time, and was literally swept off of her feet.
Securing Your Perimeter Through Prayer
Welcome to phase two of the Turnaround Project. We’ve entered the whirlwind, and now we are invited to dwell and ascend.
Yesterday we shared a vital dream for 2015. In the dream, prophetic worship leader Misty Edwards visited our home and focused her attention on our windows. I then spoke with Misty about bringing a reformation to special forces.
At its core, this dream conveys God’s intense desire to transform our lives and homes into open windows of heaven. God is always focused on His house—but this year His eye is especially on your house as His house. His House shall be called a house of prayer.
A primary step in any special forces mission is to secure the perimeter from the enemy. And the Lord is inviting you to secure your perimeter through prayer!
Daniel’s Lead
I feel strongly we are being called to follow the prophet Daniel’s lead in this quest. We are actually entering the days of Daniel, who stayed at his window and watched as the future of nations were framed through intercession and prophetic release. We live in the overflow of his efforts even today.
In the midst of Babylon’s warfare, Daniel’s own home became a refuge of God’s presence, communion and revelation. An open window to heaven!
Remarkably, this portal never dissipated or disintegrated throughout Daniel’s entire lifetime.The Bible makes clear that this was neither a weird spiritual coincidence nor a sovereign gift requiring no effort on his part. Instead, Daniel countered a spiritually hostile environment by intentionally securing his perimeter through consistent prayer—at least three times a day, for most of his lifetime.
Daniel came up higher. You can too! You can secure your perimeter through prayer. Your home and your life can become an open window to heaven.
Praying Three Times a Day—Through Feb. 14
“Therefore King Darius signed the…injunction. Now when Daniel knew the document was signed, he entered his house… and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before His God, as he had been doing previously” (Daniel 6:9-10).
Have you ever noticed how the enemy came at Daniel specifically because he was praying? Friends, there’s a reason you’ve encountered so much resistance in your prayer life. The enemy fears your prayers because they are so effective in securing ground for the Kingdom!
Daniel persevered even when his life was threatened, resolving to maintain worship and prayer three times a day. In the end, not only did God deliver Daniel from the lion’s den, but He greatly accelerated his career. “So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Dan. 6:28).
Again, I feel the Lord desires us to follow Daniel’s lead. Now through February 14, please consider adopting 15 minutes of prayer three times a day—morning, afternoon and night. Praying in the Spirit three times per day is part of the discipline the Lord has asked me personally to embrace during this time. In fact, it’s as important to Him as any dietary restrictions. My guess is that many of you are being called to a similar focus.
Daniel as a Governmental Prophet
Lets briefly review the results of Daniel’s efforts. A prophetic leader in government, Daniel combined breakthrough prayer and fasting with discretion and diplomacy to catalyze dramatic political turnarounds.
Daniel faithfully served seven kings in all, sharing with them Throne Room intelligence that literally set a new course for the nation. In process he confronted idolatry, took down lions, survived a fiery furnace, and prophesied the deposing of at least two kings.
The final king he served, Cyrus, funded the restoration of the Jews to their homeland, and the restoration of the Jewish Temple.
The Daniel Fast
Because Daniel was a governmental prophet, his legacy has become a great inspiration to leaders and intercessors in Washington DC. And it’s become very popular to go on 21 day Daniel fasts. We love them, and they are very effective.
But it’s important to note that Daniel never set out to fast 21 days. Instead, he fasted until an angel of the Lord materialized tangibly in his presence. That after breaking through the Prince of Persia’s last line of defense!
Friends, that’s the kind of Daniel fast we need today! Please keep your time of fasting. But consider maintaining your pursuit as long as it takes for breakthrough to be manifested in your life and home.
Spiritual Housecleaning
Finally, here’s some advice on preparing your home for this season of encounter. It’s probably good to do some spiritual housecleaning. Get rid of anything you might feel the Lord would be offended by. Ask Him to make you aware of any and all “familiar objects,” including books, CDs, DVDs, etc., that actually open up portals of access to the demonic realm.
Get rid of them… quick!
Please also evaluate your television shows and internet content as well. It might be good to consider a media fast.
Jolene and I make it a practice to anoint each room every few months, pleading and applying the blood of Jesus afresh over all the gateways of our home. It’s important to command all demonic powers to leave.
Finally, we suggest that you rededicate your home to Jesus Christ. Re-establish covenant with Him! In response to this covenant consecration, ask Him to open up the windows of heaven, shut every gate of hell, rebuke every devourer, and secure His covenant blessing for your future.
Friends, it’s time once again to make your secret place a safe place. Secure your perimeters through prayer! And like Daniel, you will find that both you and your home are becoming an open window to heaven.
Amazing! Hi. I am from the Rochester, NY area. On Saturday morning I attended the GAP meeting at Jubilee Church. Sandy Wall shared how she was led by the Lord to keep a fourth watch. That evening as I was going over notes and recent journal prayers, the Lord gave me a picture of a man standing I front of deepset window in a stone wall. I knew that the man was either David or Daniel and after vi ing it some thought I assumed this was Daniel. Lord took me directly to Daniel 9:3. The scent of healing balm/oil surrounded me ( this has been happening at various times for the last two months). I realized that the Lord was calling me to 3x daily prayer. The lovely aroma lasted for a long time. I made my journal entry and I re-aligned (wrote out for a time such as this) the decree of King Darius. The name of Jesus is ointment poured forth. Thank you so much for this word. You have now confirmed this assignment. May God multiply your favor.