Let me just say this: God is NOT done with you yet! You'll read about this and much more in Wanda Alger's article as she shares:
Now that's good. No matter how seasoned you feel...God has great need of you! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
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If you are a part of the older generation who questions your worth or influence in this season of your life, God says, "I have need of you!" If you have been faithfully interceding for this next generation and have become weary in well-doing, God says, "I have need of you!" If you have lived a life of challenges and setbacks, but come out victorious, God says, "I have need of you!"
If we are to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) it will take faithful, dedicated, and mature saints to encourage, equip, and empower those who follow us. If we are to see the full turn-around of this nation that so many are praying for, it will require fathers and mothers rising up and taking their place. To many God says, "You're not done yet!" So, unpack your bags and settle with the fact that Heaven has need of you.
Where most of us only look to the next five or ten years of our lives for vision and purpose, God looks much farther. The God of both testaments consistently looks for a generational inheritance that spans at least three generations. In order to firmly establish a national, godly foundation with roots that are healthy enough to grow, mature and bear fruit, it requires an intergenerational contending so that an entire culture is transformed.
"...I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob..." (Exodus 3:6)
That which we have fought for, battled for, and persevered for must be instilled within future generations if we are to see the Kingdom of God manifest fully on the earth before His return. Without the younger generations receiving the wisdom, insight and guidance from those who have gone before, we will continue to wander in the wilderness as a nation and never live the legacy God intends. Without the faithful intercession and engagement of seasoned saints, the Church's prayers will be limited and the Ekklesia incomplete.
A New Weapon to Displace Hope Deferred
For those who doubt their ability to continue standing in the gap to steward this mandate, God wants to give a new weapon for intercession. For those who have carried heartache or disappointment from unmet expectations or unfulfilled dreams, God wants to mantle you with a new faith and perspective to empower your next season.
"...the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair..." (Isaiah 61:3)
Though some intercessors have been called into times of travail in the spirit and weeping for the lost, there are also many whom the Lord is calling forth with the weapon of joy and laughter as a weapon against the enemy. This is not any human-induced demonstration of laughter, but a Holy Spirit mantle of absolute faith and confidence in the King who can laugh in the face of pure evil.
"The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He sees that his day is coming." (Psalm 37:12-13 ESV)
"But You, O Lord, laugh at them; You hold all the nations in derision. O my Strength, I will watch for You, for You, O God, are my fortress. My God in His steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies." (Psalm 59:8-10 ESV)
A Verdict of Joy for the Future!
In previous years, the Lord poured out a gift of "holy laughter" on the Body of Christ. Its purpose was to diffuse and unseat a religious spirit that was taking over the Church. It was a demonstration of His character, and reminder of the fruit of the Spirit for us as Believers. However, the joy in this season is not just for ourselves—it's for others, as we stand in the gap of prayer together, displacing the demonic strongholds that are seeking to devour our nation through fear and terror. It is fueled by faith and releases supernatural power to depose principalities.
For those who have held back their engagement in the heavenly places of prayer and intercession because of past heartache and heaviness, the Lord is offering a new mantle of joy and praise to unseat the adversary. You do not have to carry the burden of yesterday's griefs or the sorrow of unanswered prayers. Jesus already did.
"Surely, He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But, He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)
The Righteous Judge is issuing an invitation into the courts of Heaven to present cases before the throne with absolute confidence in His Word, His power, and His purpose. He is also giving opportunities to come alongside the rising sons and daughters of faith who need your perspective, your counsel, and the legacy you carry. Where your accuser has sentenced you with a spirit of heaviness, the Judge is now rendering a new verdict of JOY for the future. Through the victory of the Cross, you can move forward with great freedom and anticipation of what He will do through your faithful partnership in the Kingdom.
The Lord says, "I have need of you!" For those who answer the call, your legacy will not only be assured, but your reward will be recorded for generations to come.
"Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession." (Psalms 2:8 ESV) (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Wanda Alger
Email: wandaalger@ifapray.org
Website: www.wandaalger.me
Wanda Alger is a field correspondent and writer with Intercessors for America and has contributed to numerous online publications such as Christian Post, Charisma, and Spirit Fuel. She is a recognized five-fold prophetic minister with DOVE USA and is the author of several books including, "Oracles of Grace: Building a Legacy of Wisdom and Revelation." She and her husband, Bobby, pastor full-time in Winchester, Virginia.
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Being in my 60s, I so appreciate words like this for the seasoned generation, as I'm beginning to walk into the second half of my life. In some ways it feels like I've only just begun!
