Tag: Department of Education

Don’t Back Down – Your Prayers Change History

August 28, 2018
Standing for LIFE in front of the Supreme Court

Lately, I’ve been reminded of the first time I took fifteen intercessors to Washington, DC to pray. Early in the planning process I contacted Sandy Grady, who had worked for years as a key intercessor for David Barton of Wall Builders. As I shared with Sandy my desire to pray at educational sites in DC, she said, “Nancy, everyone who comes to DC goes to the same places. They go to the White House, the Capitol building, the Washington Monument, and other famous landmarks. But I’ve never known a group to go to the National Department of Education. Please go there and pray. Our schools need our prayers and intercessors don’t think to include education in their prayer trips to DC. What you want to do will be hard, but don’t back down.”

That was in 2001 and Sandy’s words never left me. That first time to pray at the Department of Education was every bit as difficult as she’d prophesied it would be. Over and over, I heard her words ring in my spirit, “Don’t back down. Don’t back down. Don’t back down.”

In order to go inside the Department of Education building one must have an invitation from someone employed there. Somewhere I’d been given the name of a man from Oklahoma—Jim—who worked in the Department of Education, so I called him a couple of weeks before my group was to be in DC. We had a nice chat. He agreed to host our group, give us a tour of the building, and allow us to have a brief moment in the building’s small auditorium to pray. I hung up thinking everything was all set.

I called Jim early on the day of our visit. He didn’t answer of return my calls. With our appointment “iffy.” I gave those in the group an option to stay behind if they wanted to not take a chance on whether or not the appointment would actually happen. Eight people decided to stay behind. To be honest, I was the most frightened of any one in the group, but I felt the need to go as Sandy’s words repeated over and over in my mind. “Don’t back down. Don’t back down.”

We entered the National Department of Education building, went through security, and asked to speak to Jim. Instead of Jim, two burley security guards came to greet us. They demanded to know why we were there and what our relationship was with Jim. I told them we had come to pray for America’s educational system and gave them the name of the man from Oklahoma. One man left and a few minutes later came back and told us that Jim was busy and couldn’t meet with us.

Scared, I then asked if there were a room we could use to pray. The security men ushered us to a small auditorium where we placed chairs in a circle and began to pray for America’s schools. They eventually realized we were harmless and disappeared. Twenty minutes later, “Mr. Oklahoma” showed up and confessed he had been afraid and had backed out (without telling me). He redeemed the time as he showed us around the building and introduced us to the head of the Department of Education as well as key people in the building. We ended up praying in every office, even the office of the head of the department. It was a victory that would not have happened without one seasoned intercessor telling me, “Don’t back down. Don’t back down.”

No matter what circumstance you find yourself in as an intercessor for you, your family or for the children of America, don’t back down! It’s not an easy task and certainly not for the faint of heart, but persistence and tenacity are paramount when taking on a spiritual giant.

Should We Do Away with the Department of Education?

August 27, 2018

The US Department of Education employees approximately 5000 people and has an approximate annual budget of $69 billion. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics there are 57 million elementary and secondary school age children in the United States, of which 8 million are either enrolled in private schools or homeschooled. That leaves 49 million children educated by America’s network of public schools and for whom the Department of Education serves. Does the Department of Education produce $69 billion dollars worth of results for the public school children in America? It produces no curriculum, teacher training, or personalized educational training. So what does it do?

According to the Dept of Ed web site, they have four areas of concentration:
1. Establish policies and administer financial aid,
2. Collect data and oversee research on America’s schools,
3. Identify major issues and problems in education and bring national attention to them,
4. Enforce anti-discrimination in public education.

Since the US constitution does not mention education, but the constitution does state that all powers not mentioned in the constitution are delivered to the individual states. Which is the reason why many Americans believe that the US Department of Education has no constitutional standing and must be dismantled. I believe that it is imperative that we pray on a regular basis for the Department of Education—it will remain only if it serves the best interest of our children and improves the educational quality of our schools.

Prayer for the Mountain of Education During the Month of Iyar

May 3, 2018

Nancy's Picture of Magnolia Blossom

Prayer for the Mountain of Education During the month of Iyar In 1985, Then President Ronald Reagan appointed William Bennett as the Secretary of Education. While in office, Secretary Bennett actively sought to reform American education. He supported classical education, school vouchers and curriculum reform. He openly criticized schools for their low standards, once referring to the Chicago public school system as “the worst in the nation.” His time at the Department of Education was a window of opportunity to truly reform education. Since Secretary Bennett left office in 1988 we have not had another open window – until now.

Thirty years later we have another opportunity to transform American education with President Trumps’ appointment of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. She is a strong supporter of public school reform, charter schools, school vouchers, and curriculum reform. In order to succeed, Secretary DeVos and her team of educators at the Department of Education need a dynamic prayer force behind them. If they succeed, we succeed, our nation will produce better educated children with Godly character and have a knowledge of God.

The month of Iyar (April 16 – May 16) is the second month of the Jewish calendar and is the month of light, healing, transition, and revelation. This is the appropriate time for us to combine our faith decrees with our prayers to see change in the whole culture of the Mountain of Education.

• We decree God’s light will shine on the Department of Education and every school in America. All that is good will be recognized and will grow. Evil will be exposed and extracted.
• Iyar is the month of transition. Our schools in this nation will be transitioned to a new level of increased performance. Ideas that were once impossible will transition to the possible.
• We decree that all people with the intent to advance an agenda separate from God’s education agenda will transition out at every level from the Department of Education in Washington, DC to the local school.
• We decree this is a time for love, forgiving and healing of relationships. Love and forgiving will flow at every level as teachers and administrators work together for the good of America’s children.
• We decree that Secretary DeVos and each member of her team will find his/her place of strength during this time. That strength will silence her enemies.
• We decree healing to America’s children who have suffered for lack of educational opportunities.
• We decree there will be increased revelation in America’s schools and especially at the Department of Education. Secretary DeVos and her team will see clearly how to proceed to make America the best place in the world to educate a child.