A Birthday Declaration

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! January 20^th is the BEST birthday, in case you didn’t know.

I’ve always loved the fact that every four years, U.S. presidents get inaugurated on my birthday. I believe it’s connected to an assignment on my life to intercede for my nation.

120 is a multiple of twelve (12×10 = 120), which represents God’s government, and that is the cry of my heart –

Come Lord Jesus, reign and rule in my life.

Come Lord Jesus, reign and rule in my marriage & family.

Come Lord Jesus, reign and rule in my church & the Church at large.

Come Lord Jesus, reign and rule in my city & in my state.

Come Lord Jesus, reign and rule in my region & in my nation.

Come Lord Jesus, reign and rule on the earth.

My friend, James Aladiran of Prayer Storm, has a life verse based on his birthdate 11/11. “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (John 11:11). If you’ve heard any of his messages or read his recent book, you know how fitting this verse is for James. So, when he posted about it a couple of months ago, I got curious and wondered if there was a life verse for me, too.

I figured I’d start in the Gospels. John 1:20 reads: “He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Messiah.’” I could hear Holy Spirit cackling in my ear. (He has a great sense of humor.) Clearly, I am not the Christ (lol). Feeling sheepish, I wondered if this was just a futile exercise. Perhaps I was treating the Bible like a mere fortune cookie. But I felt Holy Spirit nudge me to keep looking. As Lou Engle says, you need to SEE YOURSELF in the story.

Matthew 1:20 reads, “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

AMEN! While I certainly do not equate myself with the mother of Jesus (I know she was just human, but still), this verse resonates with me because my dream is to birth God’s desires through prayer and intercession.

I want to be a womb for God, and I also want to awaken other wombs.

As I continued to process the significance of my birthdate, Holy Spirit reminded me that 120 is the number of Pentecost. The travail of 120 in the Upper Room ushered in the arrival of Holy Spirit and birthed the Church!

Lord, may my prayers always usher You in. May my life be marked by intimacy, labor, and fruitfulness. 

I don’t take this prayer lightly. God has taken me through a journey since 2014 that involves literal pain and heartbreak concerning my physical womb. I wasn’t ready to talk about it before because I didn’t understand the purpose behind my pain. As I look back, I can see that God revealed it to me gradually, but I only fully grasped it in 2021.

My greatest heartbreak is what God used to awaken the intercessor in me. (I’m also a pastor, but I look at every ministry role through the intercessory lens: “Your leaders… keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account…” Heb. 13:17)

Please don’t mistake my confidence for presumptuousness. I don’t claim to be a wildly successful intercessor. I have so much to learn. But I know where I need to go!

I declare that in my 37^th year, I will share the story of how the Lord transformed my pain into my life’s calling, and I will walk more fully in it. I will co-labor with the Lord to awaken other intercessors who will birth His desires and plans on the earth.

Thank you, Jesus!

Told ya I had the best birthday! ;D

Do you know the purpose for your pain? And are you ready to partner with God in intercession?