I want to speak to the importance of living with intention in this season of Open Books. Remember, a line has been drawn in the sand by the Lord, this is the essence of what we’ve been praying over the last several years. It’s an exciting time, but it’s also a very heavy time as we witness God move in this manner in the land. We need to consider, especially as intercessors, what this means for us. As people who are seeking God’s plans and purposes for the nation, how do we navigate a season like this?

First, I believe we need to recognize our purpose in the earth. We are the children of the Living God. We have His Spirit residing within us. This enables us, if we are willing to embrace this revelation, to live out His plans and purposes in the earth. We are not put here in this country, at this time in history, to merely be spectators. We are not appointed by God to sit on the sidelines and wait for the promises to be fulfilled. We are called to occupy. (Luke 19:13) This requires engagement with His Heavenly Kingdom as well as the kingdom (or country) in which we live. Remember, God partners with His people to accomplish His will here on earth. As the enemy has sought to separate us—as a nation—from God, an unfortunate result is a separation of the Church from God. We’ve lost our understanding of that relationship and what it means to apply the Word of God to every aspect of our lives both personally and in relation to the nation in which we live. We’ve forgotten, or never learned, how to live our lives as ambassadors for His Kingdom and bring the influence of His Kingdom into the nation in which we live. Our Founding Fathers were students of the Word of God. If someone wanted to hold office within the 13 Colonies, they were required to pass religious tests. Why? To maintain a protestant influence in this nation and ensure there was godly influence consistently shaping the political landscape of our country.

Second, we need to live with intention. And, to occupy, is to live with intention.

Last week I read Daniel 5 and planned to share some points on Daniel’s response to the events occurring in Babylon. These are excellent for us to glean from as these events were a perfect example of a line drawn in the sand. However, we ran short on time, so, we will start with these points and move into an important message from the New Covenant.

Daniel was a man of God who lived his life in captivity with great intention. How?

1) He kept his relationship with God the priority. Every ruler he encountered, even if they had great affection for Daniel, could have him executed on the spot. He had to rely heavily on God for his survival. Everything he did required him to live under the shelter of the Almighty.

2) He was an intercessor who prayed with intention thereby understanding the heart of God. He also did not allow circumstances to dictate:

• how or when he prayed

• force him to compromise on his worship of God and God alone

• shape how he relayed the Word of the Lord to powerful people.

3) He was a prophet. He knew it was God who called him to be a prophet to the nations and as such, he consistently spoke to rulers releasing the Word of the Lord with intention.

4) He was also a student of the Word who prayed through prophecy so he could live out the revelation of God with great intention in the nation in which he lived.

As a result of these four things, he knew the season he was living in when the writing was written on the wall. So, in Daniel Chapter 5, when the hand appeared and wrote out “Mene Mene Tekel, Upharsin.” Meaning, “you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.” Daniel recognized, from the timeline of Scripture, that the Babylonian Empire was falling.

Daniel knew the books were open and the line had been drawn in the sand by the Lord. Judgment was falling on the Babylonian kingdom making way for the Medo-Persian kingdom to enter in. Why? Because he was a studious intercessor, and he was appointed by God to be His light, even in captivity. This event, the tearing down of the Babylonian Empire, was a monumental event.

Babylon was seemingly an impenetrable city. The outer walls were 17 miles long, 22 feet thick, and 90 feet high. The city gates were made of bronze and there was a system of inner and outer walls and moats that made the city very secure. Regardless of how secure their fortress seemed to be, when God drew a line in the sand, the judgment was set!

Why? Their cup of corruption was full and the judgment of the Lord, through His servant Cyrus, was now being executed upon Babylon. God knew exactly when, and Daniel, the man who lived a life of intention, praying through prophecy, speaking when called upon, and standing as a witness of the moments God’s prophetic words were fulfilled in the earth.

History records that in 539 BCE, that’s 2564 years ago this October, Cyrus advanced into lower Mesopotamia and leaving Babylon last, conquered and occupied the surrounding territory. Seeing which way the wind was blowing, Nabonidus of Babylon had already deserted his city, leaving it in the charge of his son Belshazzar. The taking of Babylon was as bloodless and effortless as Daniel 5 implies. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, writes that the Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon by diverting the flow of the Euphrates into a nearby swamp. This lowered the level of the river, so his troops marched through the water and under the river gates. They would still not have been able to enter had not the bronze gates of the inner walls been left inexplicably unlocked.

Thereby fulfilling the word of the Lord prophesied by Isaiah some 200 years ago.

The Medo-Persian is the very kingdom of which Cyrus is the head, which God prophesied through Isaiah some 200 years ago would overthrow the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel knew and understood these things. In Daniel 5, he prophesies it himself and within hours, sees the fulfillment. Daniel prayed with intention, he sought the Lord for revelation through the Scriptures, and he spoke with the conviction that revelation brought. This is where God is calling us to live as intercessors today.

Daniel was a man who lived with intention in a fallen world. He watched the Babylonian nation fall right before his eyes. How can we, as we witness the impact of what it means to have God draw that kind of line in the sand and then open the books of corruption in our nation for all to see, apply Daniel’s actions to our own lives?

1. Do not allow offense to set in, regardless of what we see. Daniel did not allow offense to set in because he was in captivity. He may have been placed in high positions in the Court of these empires, but make no mistake, he was held captive for decades serving at the pleasure of those kings in this foreign land since he was just a teen. We have so much freedom in the USA and we often do not use it to further the Kingdom of God.

2. Remain sober and diligent before the Lord. When the world was intoxicated, Daniel remained sober and diligent before the Lord. Remember, they had to bring him into the banquet to decipher the handwriting on the wall, he was not invited with the other high-ranking officials.

3. View things through the lens of the Lord rather than our own.

a. Jewish scribes record that when Daniel met Cyrus, he showed him Isaiah’s prophesy calling him by name as the one who would release the captives to go build the Temple in Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:24-45:7)

b. When the time drew near, according to Scripture, for the people to be released from their captivity, (Jeremiah 25:11-12) he sought the Lord for anything that would hinder their release and then interceded on behalf of the nation (Daniel 9). Much like we do here at WFJM.

4. He spoke only what the Lord told him to say (Daniel 5). There is authority in the Christian because the Spirit of God dwells within us. We must use that gift, that authority, to release His Kingdom in the earth. This is in part, how we occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13). When we speak contrary to what God is releasing, we are resisting the Word of the Lord. That does not mean we are to receive anything and everything a self-professing prophet says, unfortunately with the advent of the internet, we have a lot of those running loose on social media. The truth is, we are to consider the words that come forth through the lens of the Word of God. We should use discernment, and remember, God confirms His Word through the mouth of 2-3 witnesses.

5. We must speak with intention, regardless of the audience. When we seek the Lord for His revelation, knowledge, understanding and discernment, our ability to speak with intention increases exponentially. (Ephesians 1:17)

6. We must pray with intention. When we hear the word of the Lord, we must pray for those things. As we pray, we begin to understand the heart of God in greater measure, and we can then pray even more effectively. When the Lord told mom that prayer would save this nation, she dedicated her life to the work of the Gatherings. I’ve watched her seek the Lord with great intention on the topic of every Gathering we have had. When the Lord told me I would see Roe v Wade overturned in my lifetime, I prayed with great intention until it was overturned. When the Lord speaks, we must pray with great intention, why? The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that He partners with His people to accomplish His Heavenly will here on earth. (Matthew 6:5-15)

7. We must remain active in our role as the revelation God is in motion. Daniel literally walked out history step by step with the Babylonian and then Medo-Persian leaders. The Jewish Scribes record how Daniel watched over Nebuchadnezzar while he lived as a beast eating grass for seven years. Why? Daniel knew the fruit that would come forth from the humbling of this king, he continued to serve him with great intention even during the season of his humbling. Daniel watched men—and kingdoms—rise and fall but he remained active in his post to ensure the revelation of God continued to be fulfilled in the earth. When we see the revelation God begin to unfold before our very eyes, we must step into the revelation. The momentum is here, engage with intention in the fight while it’s in motion!! We cannot sit idly by and let the revelation pass by like a movie and then get up and walk out and expect to enjoy the fruit of it all. We are part of God’s plan, step into the role He called you into, this is how we walk out the revelation of God.

8. Stay low. When the Lord opens the books, they will expose everything; may we, His intercessors, not be found gloating but remain humble and in prayer as 2026 brings forth the revelation of the Open Books.

Today, we see judgment falling on the democrat platform. The books are open. In Charlie’s death, they could not offer a moment of silence in Congress. Even in this shutdown, we see the agenda of the Democrat platform shining through. Pray the truth comes out, and Americans eyes are opened in this hour. The Democrats care more about the welfare of non-citizens and criminals than they do our military, our national guard, our senior citizens, or the government-funded welfare and medi-care care of our own citizens. It’s gotten so crazy, they are going to lose their moderate Democrats to the Republican party if this keeps up. Look at Fetterman! Their agenda is going to continue to be exposed in the days ahead. Then, God is going to eradicate this corruption from the heart of this nation. Even now, He is preparing others who will come and step into the role of leadership left vacant by the corrupt leaders.

We are also witnessing decline and ultimately, we will see the fall of the corrupt Media. The Trump Administration led the way for an historic Gaza Peace Summit. He was honored in Israel at the Knesset and then by Middle Eastern Nations at the signing of this treaty in Egypt. Thirty nations were there to endorse this event! How has the media responded? If Obama or Biden had accomplished this, the media would have covered it 24/7 and had them in for interview after interview to shower them with praises. They barely announced it; and then covered Biden’s and Obama’s opinions on the treaty. Of course, Biden took credit for the groundwork!

President Trump has successfully shut down seven conflicts in the world in just the last ten months. He should be hailed as the President of Peace. Instead, they ignore or persecute him.

The media does not do its job. Today, we have a Middle East Peace Treaty, and the Middle East is standing with Israel. Praise God, it’s like the dream the Lord gave me two weeks ago. The signing ceremony, a regal event! However, in Palestine, Hamas is rounding up the opposition and executing them in the street before they are disarmed. This is why we are calling for the disarming of Hamas. Why is the media not covering these horrific events? It does not fit the narrative, “Israel Bad: Palestine Good.”

As intercessors, we need to pray with intention into the things God is speaking in this hour. God will speak to and through His prophets, but if we do not partner with Him, pray into the revelation He is giving, take action when necessary, refuse distractions, vote, even run for office if you are called to fill one of those positions, the momentum of the Word of the Lord will be impacted.

I wanted to include New Covenant examples of leaders who sought the Word of Lord for guidance in furthering God’s Kingdom in the Earth.

There is, even in solid Word-based churches today, the belief that with the release of Holy Spirit, the office of the prophet became obsolete. Unfortunately, I believe this idea was reinforced by the advent of the internet and the many self-proclaimed “prophets” releasing “words from the Lord” that often contradicted one another or left people expecting different outcomes such as in the 2020 Election, or Covid, or who the Antichrist is, or even—perhaps most especially—the date the Lord will return. This has caused great delusion and/or discouragement in the church. I honestly believe, many of these pastors are simply trying to protect their flock from falling into some of the deception that is out there, and I certainly understand their concern. It’s unfortunate but this is why discernment in the believer is so important.

As the daughter of the founder of this prophetic and intercessory ministry, I obviously disagree with their assessment.

So, let us look together quickly at Acts 13 to see how the early Church relied heavily on men who were teachers and prophets to expand the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

We are also going to look briefly at the variety of backgrounds of these individuals that God uses to further the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus. We first meet this generous man in Acts 4 when he brings a gift and lays it at the feet of the Apostles to distribute to the early Church. As a Levite, he had a solid grounding in the Law. He is credited with seeking out Saul (Paul) and vouching for him to the Apostles who were fearful this conversion was not genuine. Barnabas boldly proclaimed the Gospel alongside Paul in his first missionary journey. A true teacher of the Word.

Simeon who was called Niger. Many scholars believe him to be the Simeon who carried the cross of our Lord that last stretch on the way to calvary. He was from Cyrene, a city in Northern Africa, modern day Libya. This city was a Hellenistic Center. Once Greek, then it became part of the Roman Empire, Hellenists combined Greek culture with Near Eastern customs. His sons also play key roles in the Church of Rome. (Romans 16:13)

Lucious, also from Cyrene, was a prophet and teacher in the early Church. He was a key figure in Antioch, just 300 miles north of Jerusalem, these become Headquarters of the Gentile Church. We see him again in Romans 16:21 as Paul’s kinsman.

This is somewhere between 15-18 years after Pentecost- after the release of Holy Spirit, let’s look at that Scripture again, now that we have a little more background on these individuals:

God clearly spoke through His prophets after Pentecost, and He still does today. We simply need to use discernment in who and what we listen to.

Now, I believe God is going to bring some of the youth that I spoke about last week, those social justice warriors, even those who have fallen to Islam up and out and into a place where God can use them for His kingdom.

I had a dream last week, and in the dream I heard the Lord say: “call forth the Manaens!” I stood up and went outside and found myself in unknown places, universities, IVY League Colleges, inner cities, NY, LA, places like these. I began to call them to rise up and take their place. When I did, the anointing was so powerful, I could barely stand under the weight of it.

I began seeing these young people rise up out of their classrooms, out of shops, out from the midst of protests, and come into the house of God.

Then, they went forth, and they spoke and spread truth to the masses. I saw videos of them flashing in front of my eyes, one after the other.

I woke up

When I had this dream, I had no idea who the Manaen’s were. I actually had the spelling wrong so I couldn’t find it in Scripture initially. The Lord led me to Acts and as I read through Acts, I found him.

Manean, who was brought up with Herod Antipas. This word “brought up with” indicates they grew up together in the palace, either foster brother or half-brother of Herod. This is the same Herod who beheaded John the Baptist and presided over one of the trials of Jesus, mocking Him before His crucifixion.

Manean represents a powerful transformation in the life of one who follows Christ. He went from the house of sin, persecution and murder to the house of God. As one brought up in the house of Herod, he would have received a superb education. He would have been fluently bilingual and come to understand imperial politics. He likely possessed social access and resources uncommon among first generation believers. He would been exposed to people of great power.

However, when Christ came on the scene, his life was forever changed.

The dichotomy of Herod and Manean is a message unto itself. Suffice it to say, he chose Truth over wealth, humility over power, and grace over influence. Herod was eaten by worms, Manean chose to serve in an eternal Kingdom. Manean become a man of prayer, a prophetic intercessor who sought the Lord for the growth and development of the critical missionary work of the Early Church.

So, when the Lord says to call forth the Maneans of this generation, He’s telling me that He’s preparing this generation for the furtherance of His kingdom in the earth. He’s preparing a prophetic group of young people who will seek the face of God, like Manean, and much like Daniel, live intentionally, always striving to occupy the realms in which they are assigned, releasing His Kingdom wherever they walk, and using the education they received, the understanding and revelation God has given them, to spread the Gospel far and wide with the resources He provides.

2026 is the year of Open Books. We need to live intentionally! We are going to see some difficult things, even experience turbulent times as God resets our nation on His plans and purposes for the land. God is going to expose it all! However, in the process, we are also going to see some glorious, victorious, history-changing events as God raises up the Manaen’s and sets a precedence for Spirit-led governance in the church today!

Blessings & love,

Ricci Johnson-Wilson

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