Highway of Holiness Intercession, Psalming, Spiritual warfare, prayer, Jesus
Sons to Glory book by Paul Jablonowski
Part 3 - Being Mature Sons - Intercession

 

Chapter 21

Highway of Holiness Intercession for the Nations

 

During August of 2001, I was privileged to be a part of a sovereign time of intercession just outside of the Chicago/Milwaukee area. I saw some old friends and met some new ones as a group of 12 musicians gathered together in a literal "upper room" in Martin and Robyn Green's new condo which they had just moved into the weekend prior. This loft room just happened to have two sky lights in the ceiling. I thought this was interesting because Robyn is the author of a book entitled, "The Open Door," which is a wonderful explanation of how Psalmists enter the open doors in heaven through spontaneous praise and worship.

What impressed me the most about this particular time of intercession, was that we had both the clear direction and the authority from the Lord to accomplish HIS will and purposes in intercession with such a small group. It is one thing to get a revelation of spiritual strongholds in a particular area and quite another thing to have the Lord's authority and direction to battle them. The Scriptures say we "cast out devils and demons," but we "wrestle" with principalities. Ephesians 6:12 - "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." By ourselves we have no authority over these wicked spirits, but Scripture is clear that Jesus DOES have authority over them, and when we are operating with HIS direction and authority then we have authority over them too. Col. 2:15 says that Jesus, "...disarmed/spoiled principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them."

We did this intercession through the medium of spontaneously played music, or "free flow" worship, or Psalming. The command and direction that the Lord gave us was to OPEN UP THE SPIRITUAL GATES over Africa and pave a "Highway of Holiness" from Cape Town South Africa through Cairo Egypt and on to Jerusalem Israel. It was a mission impossible in the natural, but we have a supernatural God! This was the first time I had been a part of such a music group where we corporately played what the Spirit of God was speaking. We were one in the Spirit and executed His will musically. This is what the arts were created for… to worship God! I cannot say that I understand all of the spiritual aspects of what we were doing or accomplishing, but I do know that Scripture clearly talks about spiritual gates or doors of entry that are access points in the earth for either good or evil.

Psalms 24:7 says, "Lift up your heads, O you gates! and be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in!" We need to know where these spiritual gateways are, and how to activate and operate in them so that God's purposes (and not the enemy's) can be fulfilled! The state of Florida during the year 2000 presidential election was an example of a spiritual gateway. There was much warfare being waged at this "access point" into the USA. Florida intercessors waged a great spiritual battle at this time, and I also participated in personal and corporate prayer for God's will to be done in my nation of America. The endnotes contain an internet link to some of the history and "spiritual warfare" information gathered by Florida intercessors during this "gate opening."34

We all gathered on Saturday, August 4th, 2001, in a small schoolhouse/coffeehouse church to record our musical intercession before the Lord. With this "gate opening" understanding from the Lord in mind, we waited upon our KING to give us direction upon our instruments. There were three different keyboardists, two drummers, one of whom was a percussion specialist, a flute player, a bass guitar player, myself on the guitar, and several singers and intercessors. A brother named Brett Cooksey started us off on the keyboards because he is from South Africa and has some real connection or functional authority with the land where we started our intercession. Also, Steve and Heather Lincoln who played on the drums and assorted percussion instruments are missionaries in Africa and have a real heart for the people of this land. Steve and Heather, who are originally from the UK, travel on a full time basis in Africa and abroad teaching on "free flow" worship, releasing creativity and spiritual mapping intercession.

One person told me on the way to the studio with tears in his eyes that the Lord had given him a revelation of what was about to be accomplished in the Spirit. He was deeply saddened because he knew there was about to be "a line drawn in the sand" between good and evil. He knew that God's judgments were just and true because HE only uses them to try to persuade people to repent and turn to Him as any loving father would discipline his children. He was shown that our "Selah session" was like a petition before a courtroom in heaven and that we were given an audience before the throne of God this day. It was only after this worship session that I was shown this same thing about the broken heart of God, and it broke me to tears also for all of the children and people who will never know the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father because they have rejected His Son. God's loving kindness and mercy really is everlasting, yet there comes a time when sin must be judged and justice meted out.

Not that our petition (proclamation) was any weightier than the thousands and millions of others who have prayed for Africa and Israel and the nations, but it was simply the SET TIME for these particular bowls of prayers in heaven to be poured out upon the earth. It is sort of like the last straw that broke the camels back... The last petition in the bowl which fills it up before God pours out HIS judgment in an effort to draw HIS creation back to HIM. We were given Psalm 102:13-17, some of which says, "You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the SET TIME, to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come... For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory, He shall REGARD THE PRAYER OF THE DESPERATE, and shall not despise their prayer." The Lord hears the cries of His people for justice and righteousness and at the set time He will answer.

"If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14)

The Lord used many confirmations to show me that what occurred at this intercession meeting was indeed the will and word of the Lord. Listed below are 7 things the Lord used to give further understanding of what He was doing:

1. When I returned to Huntsville Alabama, I was asked to share about this intercession trip at a local fellowship. As I was standing up sharing about this intercession time, I looked at the back of the wall and there were four flags each standing for missions that this church was doing in other countries. There were two on one side of the door and two on the other side. Two of them standing side by side happened to be South Africa and Israel, which just confirmed to me what the Lord was showing us about the connection between these two countries.

2. There was an intercessor at another local fellowship (Kyoko Sears) who did not even know about this intercession time, yet the Lord gave her the EXACT Scripture (Psalm 146) that we were psalming to the Lord at the exact same time of the day. Kyoko e-mailed me saying :

I appreciate you sending the report about the intercessory praise you encountered last week. When I read your report my mind immediately took me to the intercessory prayer I had encountered on August 4, 2001. Last Saturday evening around 10:30p.m., I was giving a praise offering to God by reading aloud Psalm 146 for He has been so merciful and faithful to me by preserving my health and giving me a new life in Christ Jesus. First, I was full of joy praising Him, but as I continue to read aloud His word, I was overcome with the Spirit of sorrow for those who were hurting and desperate. Then Psalm 146 jumped out (I thought it was literally going to come out from the Bible) and it was beaming with the golden glow. I have never experienced something like that in my life. I had to set aside the Bible next to me for His word was clear. Here I AM. I AM the WORD, the WORD you see is I. Cling on to my WORD and walk with me. Then I will preserve you and restore you. My WORD is LIFE. Share the message tomorrow with my people.... I was groaning for those who were hurting that I could not stop weeping from 10:30p.m. to 2:30a.m. I finally fell asleep around 5:00a.m. with a cold press on my eyes. I have never experienced such a strong intercessory prayer like that before. I shared the encouragement from the Lord with the congregation next day. I was very nervous for I am not a public speaker, but got across the bottom line, praise the Lord! I believe the Lord will literally build His highway that will lead to Zion and those redeemed will travel on it to worship Him there.... I will turn all my mountains into a road, my highways will be raised up. There they come, some from far away, some from the north, some from the west, and some from the land of Sinim. Sing heaven! Rejoice, earth! Break out in song, you mountains! For ADONAI is comforting his people, having mercy on his own who have suffered. (Isaiah 49:11 - 13)
Shabbat Shalom! Kyoko

3. I've read many articles about the spiritual connection between South Africa and Israel, but on the day that I left for this intercession trip I just happened to receive in my mailbox the "MOAZ Israel" August 2001 report. It talked about how the UN is preparing a World Conference against racism in South Africa on August 30, 2001. But this is really a facade which is nothing more than racists covering up their own sin of racism by equating "Zionism" as "Racist" so that they can hate the Jews. The enemy is trying to fight for this spiritual gate in South Africa, and we must not let him take it back!

4. Just as I was leaving Milwaukee, I found out that there was some kind of a "World Africa Conference" in the downtown Milwaukee area. Sometimes, what is happening in the natural is a reflection of what is happening in the Spirit.

5. This week in Jerusalem a line had been crossed in the relations between the Israeli and the Palestinian governments, as a suicide bomber exploded himself in a Jerusalem pizza restaurant killing 15 and wounding over 130 people. In response, the Israeli government took over the Palestinian headquarters in Jerusalem (the Orient House). God loves the Palestinian people, but He hates the way that they train up their children to hate and kill and destroy others. I cannot think of any worse deception than to think if you strap a bomb to yourself and become a suicide bomber in order to kill innocent men women and children then you are a "freedom fighter" and a "martyr" for God. This is very anti-christ, and the exact opposite of the type of death that Christ has called us to. Jesus gave up His life every day so that others might live, and if we want to bring forth HIS life into this earth then we must die to SELF, not die to kill others. While Islam's god requires you to sacrifice your sons to secure your eternal life, Christianity offers a God who sacrificed His son so that you might live!

6. Bob Jones, a well known prophet, had just re-released a prophecy given to him back in 1996 (Shepherds Rod 1996) which I read after returning from this intercession time. A quote from it says, "The Lord is promising to reveal His thoughts and His ways, which are much higher than ours. His is a "higher way" of holiness. It is to this place that we are being beckoned."

7.June 2005 - It has been four years since this time of intercession for Africa and Israel and I just saw another confirmation which ties this time of intercession to a worldwide Pentecost. It is called "The Global Day of Prayer" which is a national prayer movement that was birthed out of Africa at the exact time that we were doing this "highway of Holiness" intercession worship! I just came to know about the Global Day of Prayer this year when it came to my city in Huntsville for the first time. Apparently it was birthed out of Cape Town South Africa in 2001 (which is the same time and place for which we started interceding) and then each year spread to all the nations in Africa where they packed out stadiums to "pray towards another Pentecost" on Pentecost Sunday each year. What really caught my attention was one of their promotional videos where they pictured a map of Africa and drew a line from Cape Town northward (to Egypt) and called it a "Highway of Intercession!"35

In closing, I would like to try to convey the sense of destiny that I felt at this small gathering of intercessors. It really was not about us, but all about Jesus and what HE desires to do in this earth. He is looking for a people who are dead to self so that HIS life can live in them and accomplish HIS purposes in the earth. Opening the spiritual gates so that the KING can come through really is a serious matter, and it can make the difference between life and death for multitudes who do not know about the love of their Heavenly Father. He desires that ALL people repent and come to the knowledge of HIM, but when there are spiritual strongholds that hinder the salvation of souls, it becomes a serious mater to deal with them according to HIS direction and HIS authority. This type of spiritual warfare can be compared to the Air Force which goes in before the ground troops. The air warfare takes out the main hindrances (strongholds and principalities) so that more salvation and ministry can be accomplished on the ground towards those whom Jesus loves.

Isaiah 42:10-13 - "Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare His praise in the coastlands. YAHWEH SHALL GO FORTH LIKE A MIGHTY MAN; HE SHALL STIR UP HIS ZEAL LIKE A MAN OF WAR. HE SHALL CRY OUT, YES, SHOUT ALOUD; HE SHALL PREVAIL AGAINST HIS ENEMIES."