An army of women is being mobilized by God to influence nations, demonstrate signs and wonders and confront the end-times demonic forces. Over 2,000 women from around the world gathered at the Unwavering: Anchored in Christ Gathering hosted by the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC). This is the first women’s conference in over 10 years hosted by IHOPKC, with keynote speakers Lisa Bevere, Heidi Baker and Diane Bickle.
Bevere opened the conference challenging the women by saying, “We need an emerging of the virtuous and the capable that’s a force for good.” She shared a testimony of a U.S. Army leader calling her when her book, Lioness Arising was published. The leader was forming a special operations team of women, Operation Lioness, to go into Afghanistan to provide basic medical services and outreach to women. He said women were needed to win the war because they can change the culture.
“We’re God’s special operations team,” said Bevere. “We need to deny the limitations of our self and carry our cross. My cross is personal. It isn’t a sacrifice. It’s what the cross did.”
Founding a 24/7 house of prayer has been a cross carried by Diane Bickle, cofounder of IHOPKC. When Diane and her husband, Mike, started IHOPKC in 1999, the concept of a house of prayer and worship was foreign to most churches. There weren’t a lot of houses of prayer in 1999, and today there are an estimated 25,000 around the world.
Pioneering a 24/7 ministry devoted to equipping people to start houses of prayers or partner with churches has thrust IHOPKC in the middle of an end-time conflict with Jesus’ leadership as outlined in Psalms 2. “This is the beginning of the rumbling and ranting against Jesus,” said Bickle. “We believe the word of God brings freedom. But people think God’s word promotes bigotry and hatred. Christians are in the cross fire.”
While the authority of the Bible is under attack and Christians are being martyred for their faith, Bickle said that IHOPKC is set on furthering God’s agenda of 24/7 prayer and worship. “Today there are 25,000 houses of prayer around the world when years ago, there were just a handful,” says Bickle. “Muslims are coming to faith in record numbers and signs and wonders are breaking out. Three thousand more people groups have not heard the gospel, but in 2030, experts predict that they will hear the gospel. The greatest revival is yet to come.”
Heidi Baker, author and founder of a Christian humanitarian organization, Iris Global, has experienced revival in Africa. This was her first time speaking at IHOPKC and she opened the session on her knees crying out to God. “I’ve never spoken here, but I’ve prayed for you for years,” she said. “I’ve snuck into the prayer room many times throughout the years.”
During her session, she shared a testimony of leading a witch doctor and his girlfriend with leprosy to the Lord. A team member filmed the interaction which was shown to conference attendees. The feared witch doctor came to her holding several poisonous snakes to kill her. Instead of calling for security, Baker says God challenged her to see the man through His eyes.
“I saw an orphaned boy protecting himself with snakes,” she said. She told the witch doctor, “You’re under a lot of pain.” His resolve to kill her was broken, and she led him to the Lord. She dug up a pit to burn the snakes and baptized him and his girlfriend. She then put a diamond and ruby ring on one of the stumps of the girlfriends’ fingers that was covered by leprosy. The gift was an unforgettable demonstration of God’s love in calling a leper a princess and daughter. Today the witch doctor is a pastor, and the woman is healed of leprosy, says Baker.
Baker exhorted the women to connect to God and to each other. “You can’t do anything without the body of Christ,” she said.
Leilani Haywood is the Online Editor for SpiritLed Woman. An award-winning writer and author of Ten Keys to Raising Kids That Love God, Leilani blogs at Keeping It Real. Talk to Leilani on Twitter or Instagram.
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