Calling Up the Reserves
I was fortunate to be able to participate in Lou Engle’s recent 222 conference in Colorado Springs. It was a challenging and at times heart-wrenching several days. As I often do, I was pondering what God was doing in the meetings, so I can move forward with Him into the new.
Although the whole conference was rich and significant, I especially have been pondering the last night when Dutch Sheets was the scheduled speaker. Many have described this as the most amazing, intense prayer gathering they have ever been in. There was unity, travail, worship, intense intercession and a feeling of birthing and breakthrough.
As a backdrop to my thoughts, there was much discussion during the whole weekend of the significance to what has been birthed in Colorado Springs, Cindy Jacobs and Lou Engle rehearsed many of the significant prayer events and movements birthed in Colorado Springs. I remember being at some of these and have heard stories of others. My husband and I have not just lived in Colorado Springs, we have been called here and have worked to steward the destiny of this city. These stories feel like part of our heritage, but also part of our birthright. Cindy emphasized this to a group of Colorado Springs leaders that we must steward the wells that are here in our region. This is not so that our lives here will be more pleasant and prosperous, but because of the calling on this city to be a spiritual warfare hub that births prayer into the nation and the nation. I explain our calling to the city so that you understand that this is my perspective as I share this. I don’t expect you to have the same calling to this city, but hope you are seeking out the destiny of the city you live in.
As I surveyed the room on Sunday night, I saw so many in the room who were active members at Dutch’s church when he pastored here. These were people who were there the night the Lord encountered Dutch with His heart for America. They remember being quietly ushered out of the sanctuary. These were people who gathered to pray night after night in December 2006 when Chuck prophesied to Dutch that he was in a battle with Baal and needed to call for 21 days of prayer. These were people who were marked by presence of God when the Lord came and rested here for 90 days in 2008. Many of these people are now in their 60’s, 70’s and 80s. They came out in force that night. I also saw many from the host church that have battling for years in the city and also many from Lou’s faithful tribe. It was an interesting mix of over 700 like-minded people.
I was reminded of the word the Lord gave me in November of 2023 concerning 2024.
I heard the Lord say, “I am calling up the Reserves.’
I heard a call go out, “Report for duty.”
When I think of the reserves, I think of 3 types.
1. Soldiers who have served full-time active duty but have now retired to serve in the reserves.
2. Those who are “weekend warriors.” On the weekend they are soldiers but during the week they are focused on their job and family.
3. Those who want to get an education and see this as a way to pay for their education. They are being trained and educated.
I saw all of these types of reserves in the prayer army being called up to active duty throughout the room that night.
As the meeting started, I started to listen to the Spirit and see what the Lord was saying about the meeting. I do this so I can intercede for Dutch, the meeting, and to pray in agreement with what we hear from the Spirit. The verses the Lord led me to Sunday night were Is. 35:3-4.
“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God He will come and save you.”
Or as it says in The Passion Translation,
“Strengthen those who are discouraged. Energize those who feel defeated. Say to the anxious and fearful, “Be strong and never afraid. Look, here comes your God! He is breaking through to give you victory! He comes to avenge your enemies. With divine retribution he comes to save you!”
I was pondering these verses and the fact the Lord is calling up the reserves when I was reminded the local news was reporting Sunday afternoon that there were 2 fires in Colorado Springs. One was on the Air Force Academy grounds, and one was on Fort Carson. I have never in my over 25 years of living in this area heard of fires at both bases at the same time and I can’t remember any fires this time of year. Many times, when something is happening in the natural it is a sign of what God is doing in the spirit realm. As I pondered this, I felt the Lord was showing me He was reigniting His prayer army, both the Air Force and the ground troops.
As Dutch got up to speak, we could tell God was engaging with him powerfully. He shared of his encounter with the Lord all those years ago, where he wept with the Lord and received the Father’s heart for America. He spoke of a recent experience of being marked again and there seemed to be a convergence of those encounters that night. He seemed to be weighing what the Lord desired for him to do. As He yielded the meeting to the Holy Spirit, travail broke out all across the room and we were able to go into a place of intercession that was rare and incredible.
We experienced a reigniting of the prayer movement, an uncapping of the wells in this city which Cindy Jacobs had challenged us to open up, and a birthing of the new prayer army for this time and season.
Going back to what the Lord shared with me concerning calling up the reserves. He also shared:
There will be fresh uniforms/mantles.
Updated weapons of warfare.
We must let go of the past season, both victories and defeat, to be able to step into the battle before us with fresh vision and faith.
We need to be rightly aligned.
This is a critical time for us to pray for our families, our cities, states, nation and the nations of the world. So much is hanging in the balance, but just as Is. 35:3-4 says, it is not a time to fearful-hearted, but to stand strong and know God is coming with His vengeance and the recompence of the Lord. We need to pick up the fresh mantles available to us, letting the Lord strengthen and refresh us where we feel weak, believing He will put new weapons in our hands so we can not just war, but war victoriously. Let the Lord reignite your prayer life!
You can view meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATm1ZRYMwXs