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The rioting that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend caught national attention. The “Unite the Right” rally organized by white supremacists on Saturday, August 12, and the ensuing counter protests, has been reported with scenes of street brawls, chaos, and bloodshed, suggesting the violence was widespread and out of control. And yet, according to one first-hand testimony on the street, things could have been a lot worse had local intercessors not responded to heaven’s call to take a stand through worship and prayer.

Jon Quesenberry is the Director of the Charlottesville House of Prayer. He and a small band of twelve intercessors took to the streets on the day of the rally, positioning themselves between the gathering demonstrators, and began to sing and worship. Being alerted three weeks earlier about the rally, they had already been covering their city in prayer. Quesenberry had also been prompted by the Holy Spirit through a dream which revealed the schemes of the enemy to bring violence to the city and how to stand in the gap for their community.

The rally was to start at 1:00 p.m. (the protesters were going to start early at noon). The group of intercessors took their position from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. as demonstrators began to take their positions on either side of the barricades. As they started to sing and worship, Quesenberry describes what happened. “Worship silenced both groups for about an hour! We saw what public worship and prayer (declarations in partnership with heaven) can do. The most amazing thing is that we had an assignment from the Lord that was ‘counter protest.’ We brought a different atmosphere. Both groups backed away from us and neither group knew what to do with us. It really did stop the momentum of the hate (shouting) for almost an hour.”

Quesenberry describes his strategy as a “worship and prayer circle”. He says “…without the worship we would have been unable to maintain a prayer presence here because the noises around us were so distracting…the protesters began to yell at us, ‘Hypocrites! Hypocrites!’ and they began to chant against us, but they couldn’t overcome the worship.” He said that even the police began to back away from the group because they knew the area was safe. They later found out that their worship could be heard from a block away.

It was only ten minutes after his group felt they should leave, that the rally was declared “unlawful” by the police and the demonstrators were given five minutes to disperse. Not only was the gathering dispersed, but none of the white nationalist speakers ever got to speak. He said the few skirmishes that happened are the ones repeatedly being replayed on newscasts giving the impression it was much more extensive. He also noted that though there were several fights reported elsewhere, there were none where his group of intercessors stood. There was one tragic death in the street (as the crowd was dispersing) and another two officers that were killed in a related helicopter incident. Twenty-three people were reported to have gone to the hospital for treatment of injuries. Yet, Quesenberry said the local hospitals had been prepared for hundreds to be injured and many possibly killed. He believes that the completed prayer assignment from the Lord and other small prayer groups of intercessors and pastors throughout the city, is what averted much greater violence in Charlottesville on Saturday.

Quesenberry, a local resident, believes that over ninety-five percent of the participants were from out of town. Not only that, but almost half of the participants were from out of state. He believes his city simply became a staging place for these agitators who were looking for a place to promote their agenda. From what he saw on the streets that day, he says the issues we face are much deeper than political ideologies and racial differences.

We are involved in a continually escalating clash of cultures in our nation right now. That clash is not one side “haters” and the other side “lovers.” It’s not that at all. What I saw at the rally is two types of haters because there were terrible things being said by the protesters, but…it was the same coming from the counter-protesters. They were shouting things that should never be said to anybody…there were fighters on both sides.

There is no message that is going to overcome the divide between the clash in our nation. Education and empathy are not going to increase capacity for people to love one another. What’s purely needed now is spiritual awakening and it starts with mass repentance.

Quesenberry believes we have to repent “…not because we’ve done stuff wrong, but because we are a nation of sinners.” He references Isaiah 6:5 where the prophet says, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” It’s this kind of repentance that identifies with the collective sin of a nation that has power in the courts of heaven to change things.

Based on his observations, it would seem to confirm that these clashes are not simply the result of race wars or party differences. They are the result of sin and the absence of God’s presence. Without the tangible presence of God covering and overshadowing His people, we will always be prone to war with one another. As believers in Christ, our greatest demonstration to the world is our love, not just for one another, but for the One who reconciles all things to Himself (Col 1:20; Eph 2:16).

It’s time for believers to come out of their prayer closets and into the streets as carriers of God’s presence. It is possible to change the atmosphere with our praises (1 Sam 16:23; Acts 16:25). It is possible to silence the voice of the enemy with the sound of worship. As we face continual threats, not only as a nation, but as local communities, let us not forget the power of God’s presence to disarm the enemy’s threats and shift the atmosphere towards kingdom purposes.

  • Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent

View a short Facebook clip from Channel 29 showing the worshiping intercessors HERE. 

 

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Carolyn Watson
August 24, 2017

Oh father in heaven I come in the name of Jesus. Thank you for these faithful people who understand their reasonable sacrifice of worship. Father forgive me of my sin so I can walk more intimately with you. Father I pray in the gap for our nation. I pray for an awakening in the souls of men women and children to have eyes to see you ears to hear you and a heart of faith to be able to accept you through Jesus Christ our Savior we love you and declare you Lird of all. I ask all of this in the powerful and mighty saving name of Jesus amen.

Paz Zalamea
August 23, 2017

Thank You MARVELOUS LORD JESUS This is Your AMAZING GRACE and MERCY granted to us, to AMERICA

Let Your mercy be upon us, each new day! Be with our President Trump and VP Pence wherever they go! Grant them your FAVOR: a mouth and wisdom that all their adversaries cannot resist nor gainsay, each day‼️(Luke 21:14-15)

Stac
August 23, 2017

Our God is awesome, thank you for being obedient
intercessor.

Kawa
August 19, 2017

Love the fact that intercessors were in the streets. We must bring the church of Jesus, His body, to the World. Wow, the power of praise!!! But I do believe there is a learning here…the media addressed the motives and intentions of the originators and organizers of the event…period. The counterprotesters were made up of a hybrid of people. Some Were Christians, some non-Christians. They did not organize the event and they were not necessarily unified in their collective beliefs. They could not be covered wholistically. If it was a neo-Nazi, white supremacist rally, let’s call it that and denounce the event period. In a marathon, only coverage is given to the runners, not the walkers or people who give out water. Same for a breast cancer prevention walk. Attention in this case is not given to non-cancer diseases. The point is: to focus on the people who didn’t originate the idea of the event is like saying 100 Jewish men killed in the Holocaust abused their wives. That would be horrible to call out when the atrocities of killing 6 million of Gods chosen people is the matter at hand. There is sin wherever there is an absence of Christ. Call it out…period. And let’s not embolden others by making them think their actions are comparable or somehow less sinful because others are sinning as well. It’s called unconscious bias. As the Word says try me and know my heart and see if there be “any” wicked way in me.

Debra
August 18, 2017

Reading this form Australia and so pleased to read first hand accounts. We see the condemnation of President Trump for saying both sides behaved wrongly and he was right. From here I agree those statues are beautiful and part of history this is the kind of thing we saw ISIS do it’s just wrong. Continue to pray for your President he is right about the FAKE news only feeding us part truths and facts. You may not all like him but he is the man God put there so pray for this man as he under attack.

Lori Mahaffey
August 17, 2017

Lord, I praise Your Holy Name for giving our Christian fellows the strength to become a sounding board for You with song during this time. I pray we all remember this scripture in times of tribulations. “Let us the approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Martha Hamilton
August 17, 2017

Thank you for this noteworthy account of the incident and for the courageous act to not just be on the fray but to enter into the center of the chaos and bring calm in the storm. God is always present because of the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Reminder, He sent the Encourager, the Holy Spirit after His ascension to intercede with us and for us on our behalf night and day and most importantly for God’s glory. He is never leaving us nor will Jesus ever forsake us. We as God’s chosen ones, are accountable to one, Our Father in Heaven. I pray for complete protection from the evil one for our families, our communities and our ONE nation under the One True God. May those who attempt to dismantle history, warp justice, divide our heart and slander the innocent, be held to account and be prosecuted to the nth degree. Nothing can stand against the Great I Am. He is sovereign and in Him and through Him all things hold together. May America bless our Father and march on in victory through and in Jesus for His name sake. Amen

Joan Hartzler
August 17, 2017

Thank you for your witness and prayer! God bless you and may others be motivated to pray more and love more by this witness. Prayer does work!

Alex Posey
August 17, 2017

One last item.
Father unite believers in America in the same way you did the over one million saints in South Africa. Please protect us deliver us from evil and forgive us for our apathy and selfishness! We as for this in agreement in Jesus name amen!

Alex Posey
August 17, 2017

Lord again I ask now with my heavenly family, that even as the 1.2 million saints gathered in prayer in South Africa this year to pray and humble themselves before you and seek you for restoration from racial tensions. O God with whom all things are possible please forgive us our sins and deliver us from our wicked ways and come and restore your church in our land to her first love and let your kingdom come and your will be done in our nation as it is in heaven Father let it also be done in us and all over this nation! We cry out to you Lord have mercy In Jesus Name we pray! Amen! Also deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever in Jesus name amen!

Tammy Slaughter
August 16, 2017

we serve an unstoppable God!!!!

Tammy Slaughter
August 16, 2017

We serve an unstoppable God!!!!!

Felicia
August 16, 2017

Father, Raise up your children to pray, too many churches have no prayer meetings. And then Lord, teach these prayer groups to go out and pray in their communities.

Lord God, it is such a blessing to be apart of a work like this, where you witness for yourself the hand of God. May we all long for this, may we all that call you by name submit to your leading.

I pray that more of your children would know about this beyond our prayer fellowship here, and be encouraged and inspired as we have been. In Jesus name, Amen

Raymond
August 16, 2017

Thank you all and God bless everyone of you, we need to see a lot more of this.

Barbara Aamot
August 16, 2017

Praise God in the Heavens , praise God in the sanctuary, praise God in the hearts and minds and
spirits of all God’s creation. He is the almighty and everlasting and loving God. He is our Savior and our redeemer .We call on the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us on the path that He has set out for us.

Barbara
August 16, 2017

It is time for the Church to wake up, rise up, and speak up as these believers did in Charlottesville. Bless them Lord for their courage and obedience. May we all be so courageous and obedient to let the light of your precious Son dispel the darkness of sin that works overtime fueling hated in America. Heal our land Father as we repent for our prior apathy. Place a fire in our bellies for holiness and righteousness that cannot be quenched.

Frances Phillips
August 16, 2017

Praise God for these brave intercessors! Praise God that the darkness shall not overcome the Light! Praise God that His word is being declared and that it will not return to Him void ( useless, without result) but will accomplish what God desires and will succeed in the matter for which He sent it! (Isaiah 55:110

Jim
August 16, 2017

2nd Chronicles 7:14
Grace & ability to perform the command given:
Septuagint Bible:
When my people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray to Me and seek my Favor, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins, and heal their land.
• When my people: we Christians need to take responsible, and be accountability for the world conditions, the unsaved can’t see, and can’t really pray. As the church we are the plumb line in the sand, and the moral compass that moves the universe seen and unseen.
• Who are called by My name: if you are recognized by the unsaved, and they call you personally a Christian, then you have passed the first requirement to be ready to move on. An excellent beginning is to fellowship (do not forsake the assembling together), in a “free church”; that is to have Jesus as the head of your church, and not the state as is the outcome of a 501C3 corporation church. God Almighty says my name not “doing business as”, as a free church Jesus can run it. 2,000 years ago the early church had to fight being a Roman corporation, and many died, because of the refusal to be a state corporation.
• Humble themselves: Stop grieving the Holy Spirit. There is a shift here in ability, where you can receive grace to move on to the next command to pray [1 Peter 5:5 God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble]. Your soul at this point has to realize it can’t do anything spiritual except come to the end of itself, give up and cry out to God Almighty; your soul can stop blocking the Spirit from receiving; it can open up to the heart & confess from a connection to the spirit; Ps 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. In other words repent of your personal sins, not someone else’s sins.
• Pray to Me: (Not just pray, but move into the next phase toward Renaissance, pray to God Almighty directly), You can & need to be persistent “ask & keep asking, then progress to seek & keep seeking, and finally knock & keep knocking!” [Ps 34:17 (The righteous) cried, and Jehovah heard, and delivered them out of all their troubles.]; you are beginning to stop your suppressing & denial of the truth here. Judging others is also an attempt of the soul to create it’s own justification, and bypass Jesus’ work on the cross, by comparative self righteousness.
• Seek My Favor: Under the new covenant Heb… tells us “Come boldly to the throne of Favor/Grace”. Here you can draw near God Almighty [Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; and he will give thee the desires of thy heart.]; you can now begin hearing what God Almighty wants you to pray, especially about yourself, and not just what your soul desires to pray; before this you were caught up in soul worship (guilt, shame, condemnation, unworthiness, embarrassment, self pity, self absorbed, pity party, introverted), you were self reliant & unable to repent & turn to God. Instantly turning to God instead of self will bring you to the place of overcoming [past obedience & surrender]. The spirit of fear of relying on God kept you in a different kingdom, instead of completely in the kingdom of light.
• Turn from their evil ways: After seeking God’s Favor you now have drawn close enough to turn from your flesh, the world, & the devil [James 4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.], we see being subject to God is the step that allows you the strength to resist the Devil, without the nearness of God Almighty you can’t resist the devil.
• I will hear from heaven: you have now broken through the brass heavens, & your prayers are now being head, & you are actually repenting from your heart/spirit, & not just your soul or mind; your heat is opening up to God & man; your realizing your error; and your not blocking, or distracting from the truth anymore. Now, is the time to: Ps 32:6 pray to You in a time when You may be found.
• Forgive their sins: As you draw near God Almighty, & experience the grace of Jesus offers, you will begin to forgive God & all others you have judged including yourself; now God can remove the tormentors & forgive you, so that you can be sanctified [Matt 18:32-35
32 Then his lord called him unto him, and said to him, you wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you sought me:
33 shouldn’t you also have had mercies on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on you?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.].
• Heal their land: at this place what you have now bound on earth is also bound in the heavens, the “prince of the power of the air” is helpless, because as Jesus said, “he has nothing in Me”; the principalities & powers are defeated, along with the world rulers, and God Almighty will begin building His kingdom! The unsaved will now begin feeling the power of God Almighty & healing will be normal, evil will flee the country, because the conviction of God is to strong.
• At this point, God has judged His house, and can begin judgment on the world “1 Peter 4:17
17 For the time (is come) for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if (it begin) first at us, what (shall be) the end of them that obey not the gospel of God? ASV”; God has done what He promised in scripture” Matt 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 42 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. ASV”

James Tapscott
August 16, 2017

YES! Praise God! The President is correct! The two groups came with but one goal. create hate & division. Yes, the white racist were evil and we should stand up to their ideologies but not with violence as the others did. You then feed into their narrative When we went through the civil rights movement, we did not fight with violence, we took the insults, the fire hoses, the dogs, the billy clubs, the beatings, the lynching, the murders of both blacks & whites with dignity and with GOD’s help changed America’s heart! And now the devil is orchestrating his brand of protest, which is always full of hate & violence, and we have fallen into his trap! We allowed our faith in him to waiver and that always leads to what we see now! Like these people did as intercessors, STAND IN THE GAP! Don’t waiver or wilt because it did not do all we hoped for! We need to to continue to stand up in HIS STRENGTH, praying for mercy & grace! It will not be appreciated or aknowledged by the world. We are not doing it for “the world”, we are doing it for our HOLY GOD & j
JESUS OUR SAVIOR!

Wendy Hogan
August 16, 2017

Wow! This is so amazing! And this is the Good News, God’s standard being raised in the midst of the enemy’s doing, to foil his plans, and un-do the works of darkness. Thank-you for obeying. In the midst of so much darkness in our world, it is so good to see the Standard being raised and Light shining through.

jim schilleci
August 16, 2017

Thanks for being light in a dark place. Both sides ,like our country and the world, need Jesus the Christ in their heart and mind.Keep praying.

Julia Hall
August 16, 2017

Well GLORY BE TO GOD!!! My husband and I were in much distress over this incident and yet GOD had it all under HIS control due to your obedience to the Holy Spirit.

What we need now is a known presence that will come to a place where we can no longer be ignored by the media and stories distorted….hopefully leading to a mass repentance that is needed from us as a nation of sinners.

Thank you for your obedience to the Spirit and for giving a ray of HIS light of what needs to be in every city of every state in this nation to bring glory to the Father!!

Julie Kaveggia
August 16, 2017

Wow, this is so encouraging! I completely agree with this article. Thank you God for warning and instructing your people how to foil the plans of the enemy. Thank you God, for Godly men and women who are sensitive and emboldened to do as you instruct them to. Thank you God for your presence, authority and rule over the USA. Thank you God for delivering us from evil. We ask that this momentum would grow, that you would help your ambassadors to wake up, unite, organize and call upon your presence to rule over all darkness. Amen and Amen

Cathy Arnold
August 16, 2017

Thanks to God!
We have a prayer meeting tonight in Janesville, Wi.
What an encouragement! God answered !

Stephen Osunkeye
August 16, 2017

Thank God for the brethren that stand in gap praying even in the heart of the protest. Having read this write up,the writer make the same statement that the President make and make ” both side are heater….” This make this group look like supporting this bigotry God is not author of confusion what is the excess of our prayer when we cannot speak the truth.

Dee Griswold
August 16, 2017

I am so glad to read about this. I repeat, the media and protesters would never ever mention this. Ws do need to spread the word and experience of God’s power. I think we don’t see enough of this in America. Thank You for your good work. I am glad to be a very small part of it.

Sarah
August 16, 2017

Just imagine what was going on in the heavenlies with those fallen angels as you were worshipping the one true God! I rejoice to hear of your faithfulness to stand against our real enemy.

Marla Winkworth
August 16, 2017

Thank you for sharing something so positive, the Media was not interested in
publishing. These are exactly the things we need to be seeing, they will stem
the tides of hate and violence,as you so boldly displayed. Blessings.

Deborah Gallagher
August 15, 2017

Thank you for being obedient to the Lord and shifting the atmosphere.
Yes we must all stand together.

Sherry Shumway
August 15, 2017

Thank you so much for sharing this! This would have never been mentioned in the news media! Intercessory prayer and praise does make a difference in our communities! We need to get out of our prayer meetings and into our communities when the need arises.

Shirley Thiel
August 15, 2017

Blessings to you for being obedient to bringing God into this situation!!!

Lynn Frost
August 15, 2017

Psalm 149

Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the Lord!

Cheri Reed
August 15, 2017

Thank you brave ones for following Holy Spirits lead to bring prayer and worship
To the battle!!!
I agree with you on what needs to happen in our country!
There is a group of intercessors I’m facilitating . We have met 12 years
For our Sons And Daughters and include our nation and President and
Leadership weekly!

Sandra
August 15, 2017

It’s time for the Body of Christ to arise. Christians (true beluevers) know what this means.

Mike Sabin
August 15, 2017

Awesome
HATE killed JESUS … LOVE resurrected Him from the dead.

Pam Nowell
August 15, 2017

This.is precedent setting for every city about to be chosen for the enemy’s agenda anywhere in N America. Bravo. The beautiful opposite spirit of praise and worship to our God.

Joy Klaus
August 15, 2017

Bless, BLESS, B-L-E-S-S!!! you. This is the answer for white and black christians. Spread the word. Prayer: public, respectful, appropriate prayer is the answer. I am so proud to be a regular part of your organization. <3

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