Tag: prayer

Prayer for the Mountain of Education During the Month of Av

September 13, 2018

Linked to the Tribe of Simeon, the month of Av (July 13- August 11, 2018) is associated with the time the twelve spies explored the promise land. Ten spies brought back a discouraging “evil” report, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is the fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there….” Two spies, Caleb and Joshua, brought back a good report, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Av is the month:
• to believe the good report.
• for the divine will of the Father to be executed!
• to advance through partnerships.
• for a new level of discernment

Mountain of Education decrees for the month of Av:
• Although there are giants in the land we say with Joshua and Caleb, “Our God is mighty and although there are giants who have strongholds in the land by our God we are well able to overcome!” We decree that we are well able to bring education under the jurisdiction of the God and creator of the Universe!

• We decree that this month of Av is the time to turn the tide of unbelief – we no longer look at the Mountain of Education as unmoveable. This mountain will be transformed by the power of God!

• We decree that strongholds of humanism are broken over Americas Schools.

• We decree that Mountain Moving Faith will rise in believers across America to change education.

• We decree that as we start a new school year, this is the year for the divine will of the Father to be executed in the cultural Mountain of Education!

• We decree that divine partnerships are established this month that will advance Godly education and expose ungodly, corrupt, practices in American education.

• We decree that the Godly decision makers will rise to a new level of discernment that will penetrate and destroy the culture of death in our schools.

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.

The School Alarm is Sounding!

June 11, 2018

In school, I never remember an emergency that triggered a school alarm. Today school is a different place. School shootings, fights, fires and lock downs are commonplace. The school alarm is going off in the natural, but there’s also a school alarm going off in the Spirit as well. The question is: will the intercessors heed the sound?

On April 20 1999, Eric Haris and Dylan Klebold went on a shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. When it was over, the two boys had killed 24 students, one teacher and wounded numerous others. One month later, the community hosted a grief meeting that gave students, teachers, parents and local pastors a platform to express their feelings.

A friend of mine and I drove to Colorado to attend that meeting. As each person came to the microphone to speak, the underlying theme—almost without exception– was that each one had felt something was about to happen. No one had any clue what it was, but felt God told them there was some impending catastrophe on the horizon. One pastor related how he had se
en the boys dressed in their Gothic attire and knew God was telling him that the boys were planning some horrible deed.

Even though many people knew that danger was coming, not a one mentioned intercession as a means to avert a disaster. The deaths were laid at God’s feet but He was not given credit for possibly giving a way out by prompting those who knew Him to heed the alarm that was going off inside of them and pray that the calamity would not happen. We not only need prayer that will deal with education’s past and present, but we need preemptive prayer that will disengage the enemy in future events.

From that Columbine meeting, there were three ways God had given warning:

1. An inward alarm went off while in the presence of the perpetrators.
Many saw Haris and Klebold and sensed the evil. Both boys were avid fans of death centered video games and heavy metal music with lyrics of death and destruction. The boys carried the evil with them and those astute in the Spirit could sense danger.

2. An inward alarm sounded as they entered the school building. They “knew” danger was near.
Some of the speakers, on walking into the school building, knew that something was going to happen.

3. Alarming dreams were given—of being in a dangerous situation at school.
The signs were there but ignored. I don’t think the praying people in Columbine were oblivious to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, but rather, they simply didn’t know how to intercede. Intercession is quickly becoming a lost art as not many are taught how to pray in situations where, without God’s intervention, disaster will happen. It’s time for the church to take up the mantle of Elijah and pray for our schools to not only avert danger, but change the entire structure of the Mountain of Education. We can see things change—if we pray. (Read more on this at takingthemountainofeducation.com)

Give it 10 minutes
I suggestion that you give the alarm you are sensing ten minutes of focused prayer as quickly as possible. See what the Holy Spirit speaks to you during that time. The burden may lift and that’s all that’s needed, but perhaps you’ll get direction on how and what to pray at a later time.

Often if we think something will require hours on hours of intense prayer, it will never get done. The task will look too overwhelming. It’s better to be instant in prayer. Hearing God’s voice takes time and practice and it is best not to let the task look too big in the beginning.

Intercession is an absolute act of faith – Faith in the ability of God to change the future is the driving force behind intercession. If anyone ever tells you that that kind of faith that changes circumstances, nations and hardened hearts is easy, they would be lying. It’s like a muscle that isn’t used very much and at first it’s extremely difficult but with continual use, it does get easier. That’s why it’s called “exercising your faith.”

“But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” Jude 20

The Roar of Prayer!

April 11, 2018

 Many of us, when asked where God is, without missing a beat would reply, “He’s everywhere!” And of course that would be absolutely a correct answer. He IS everywhere. But I can tell you, that most of my prayer life has not reflected God was everywhere, because I had a predominate mindset that God was “out there” somewhere in heaven. I knew better, but wasn’t able to truly translate that into my prayer life.

I knew the scripture in Romans 10:6-8 where Paul said, “Do not say not in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is to bring Christ down) or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming…’ ” (Romans 10:6-8). Somehow, I manage to ignored that scripture and continue to pray to a God in out there someplace. I continually asking Him to come down and hear my prayer.

I knew that I wasn’t the only one who felt the need to cry out to God in heaven. So many of the songs I hear Christians sing in worship, are directed to a God in Heaven. We are all probably familiar with the words of one familiar song, “God, hear us from heaven. Come down and heal our land.” Even when I Googled the word “Intercession” to find a suitable picture to share with you about prayer, most ALL of the pictures showed someone lifting up her hands to the heavens with a colorful cloud burst in the background. Do we have another picture of intercession that comes to our minds more than someone crying out to heaven? Maybe a picture of a lion?

One day as I was praying, and of course, I was crying out to God to come and help whatever situation I was facing. Tears were flowing. I heard the Holy Spirit say a phrase my mother used to say when I would cry without a reason. Simply put: she would say, “Dry up!” And around my house, when my mother issued a direct order. I obeyed immediately! But this was the Lord speaking to me, so I thought, “How does He know I’m sincere if I don’t cry and somewhat beg Him (I couldn’t admit that it was outright begging). I sensed His saying, “I will hear you when you pray out of your inner man with power and conviction.”

So that got me to thinking, Where is God? I mean, where is the God we pray to and go to in time of trouble and in time of worship? I’ve been a believer for a lot of years and this should have been settled a long time ago. As well as being “out there” He is equally “in there.” He is everywhere and as a believer I am connected to Him by His divine matrix.

We have the power and ability of God living inside of us. So next time I’m tempted to cry and beg God, like I have done so often, I will think of the Lion of Judah who lives on the inside of me. He wants me to pray with boldness that comes from the inside out. Let’s begin to roar like the Lion of Judah and believe God for miracles in America and in particular in America’s education. We can make a difference and we will when we come before Him in a Holy Boldness!!

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

 

 

In My Opinion … Maybe We Could Consider Forgiving Them

March 22, 2018

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a talk on forgiveness. There wasn’t a lot of new material that I hadn’t heard before, but as I listened, the Holy Spirit gave new insight, and a way to pray for America’s educational system.

 

Increasingly educators endorse liberal and anti-Christian agendas much to the chagrin of those of us who follow Jesus. The National Education Association (NEA) facilitates the teaching of all things liberal– climate change, sex education, gender identity, etc. Every year the NEA and its 50 state branch offices go deeper and deeper into anti-Christian, progressive, and immoral teaching, all the while, they think they are doing the right thing. For the most part, they believe they are actually setting our children free from the constraints of religion.

 

This is the same attitude the Jews had who crucified Jesus. They actually thought they were doing humanity a favor by killing a person they perceived as a horrible imposter. But Jesus did something unheard of in return for the cruel treatment they gave Him—He forgave them! As He hung on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).” Later when He appeared to the disciples and commissioned them he said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven, if you do not forgive, they are not forgiven (John 21-23).”

 

Forgiveness has many benefits but, one thing it does that is significant is that it rewrites history. Jesus on the cross is not the end. He rewrote history when he rose from the grave and made salvation available to all of us. Because He forgave, we can now identify with Him and live our lives serving a living God who provided a way for us to know Him personally. We have a future because Jesus rewrote history!

 

In DC next week, I want to rewrite history. I will take a team of intercessors will go to pray at the NEA building and we will do an act of forgiveness. Because it’s nearby and needs prayer, we will pray at the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society is one of the main perpetrators of evolution.

 

Would you agree with us as we pray and forgive, that these institutions can, and will, be redeemed and history will be rewritten?

 

Common Core is Dead!

March 19, 2018

Did you hear the news that Common Core is Dead? The obituary was rather short, a mere 250 words, not much for such a weighty historical effort, and for the most part, the media paid little, if no, attention. My guess is that they long suspected that Common Core would find its way into the graveyard of programs developed by past US Presidents that did nothing to improve this nation academic test scores. Every President since George H. W. Bush has had a national educational program implemented through the Department of Education: Bill Clinton—Expanding Educational Opportunities; George W. Bush—No Child Left Behind; Barak Obama—Race to the Top which included Common Core. The surprising thing is that none of the federal programs worked!

 

January 18th Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spoke at a conference hosted by the American Enterprise Institute on “lessons learned”  about school reform specifically during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Her conclusion was that the only thing the two Department of Education programs had in common was that they were federal programs. Secretary DeVos said, “Common Core is a disaster, and at the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core is dead.”

 

Many times we pray and we never see the answer to our prayers.  I dedicate this article to the many prayer warriors who have prayed in small home groups for years for America’s schools. Their prayers intensified when Common Core became the . Yes, some of the teaching methods of Common Core were questionable, but teachers know new methods of teaching come and go. It was the clandestine agenda that lingered in the background of Common Core that was more dangerous than teaching methods. The curriculum was produced by globalists who want a moralist society that is easily controlled. They followed the footsteps of Communists like John Dewey who began in the late 1800s and worked diligently (and successfully), in our public schools to produce global citizens for the 21st century.

 

Secretary DeVos’ new plan for education is for the states to exercise control over their individual educational programs, and for more “parental empowerment.” She stated, “Ideally, parent and teacher work together to help a child discover his or her potential and pursue his or her passions.” Her statements do not mention the federal government.

 

Secretary DeVos’ statement on Common Core is a brave move. In her declaration, she stood against the largest, most powerful, and most liberal labor union in the United States, as well as a lot of other liberal educators who will consider her demented. Let’s pray for Secretary DeVos—protection from verbal attacks as well as safety. Also, pray for her to complete her mission to reform American education. Pray for our schools to teach students to grow in the knowledge and the grace of God!

 

In my opinion…the cost and rewards of being a Christian in education

March 14, 2018

IMG_2140 (1)

Okay, let’s take a personal survey. Please put a check-list by each of the following instances that have happened to you, in order to be fair—lets say, in the last ten years?

____ heckled in public

____ spit on in public

____ run out of town for your views

____ had your words misconstrued by the media

____ falsely accused of mishandling money

____ faced an angry crowd that didn’t want to hear what you had to say regardless

____ accused of not caring about those whom you serve

____ assaulted for your beliefs in Christian values, i.e. marriage is between a man and a woman, a child is born with a specific sex, etc.

 

I can check off two on the above list, and if I stretch it three. That’s not enough to claim the rewards of someone who has been persecuted for righteousness. But there is a lady who can check off every item and then add a few on the list, and that’s the US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. I’m not stretching the truth—thanks to the media, every incident has been documented in great detail.

 

When Jesus was on the earth, He demonstrated the Kingdom of God, and many times the result was that people demonstrated demonic activity. That’s exactly what is happening today. It’s not Secretary DeVos’ policies they dislike, it’s the fact that she’s a power broker for the Kingdom of God. So it doesn’t matter what policy changes she proposes like school choice, vouchers, state’s rights, diminishing the role of federal government in education, etc. All her ideas are rejected simply because she knows Jesus and cares for the well-being of the children in our nation.

 

Would you join with me in praying for Secretary DeVos?

  1. Pray to dispel the spiritual darkness around our educational system.
  2. Pray Matt. 5:11-12 for Secretary DeVos. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

Prayer is Doing the Work

May 27, 2016

Praying for a school, isn’t for the faint of heart. No getting around it, prayer is work. That’s because prayer is believing in God who hears and answers us when we call on him. One of my favorite scriptures is John 6:29, “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'” So what helps us do the “work of believing?” I’ve listed four things that it takes to at least get going in prayer.

  • Faith – it takes faith to believe God for change in our schools
  • Knowledge – we must know how to pray targeted, effective prayers
  • Energy – it takes a lot of effort and energy to pray, whether it’s making the effort to get together with a group to pray or to go walk around a school and pray
  • Perseverance – one time prayers, while nice, are not likely to produce the long-term results needed to produce the radical change we need in our educational system.

    Prayerwalkers
    Prayerwalkers

I remember when I first prayed at a local school. As an educator, I had some idea of the battles going on in the classrooms of the schools where we prayed, so thoughts prayer would be simple – but prayer often needs some “warm up” and sometimes requires a “jump-start” to get going. The four things I’ve listed above gives the “warm up” and the impetus to get going and keep going, until we see the results!

God bless you as you engage in His work!

PRAYER

Jesus, you said to pray for laborers to go into the field of harvest. I pray for multitudes of faith-filled believers to come to the forefront of the battles for the minds of our children. I pray they will believe You for transformation and reformation in American education.

CONFESSION

I have the faith, knowledge, energy and perseverance to pray until I see this school transformed from the inside out by the glory of God!