Breakthroughs Demand Godly Occupation and Influence!

With Ricci Johnson-Wilson

Transcription of September 6, 2024

 

Dream/Vision

August 30th, I had a dream that merged into a continuous vision from the Lord that continues even today. It is a constant image before me. It was an image of our nation with a thick barrier over the top. At first, I thought it was a callous, but upon closer examination, I saw that it was not hardened. It was still pliable, more like the thick skin of a blister.

Friction or burns can cause blisters, and I knew that there were certain elements that brought about this blister and at the same time, I sensed that if it was left unchecked, if something did not implement a dramatic change and press through this pliable layer, a callous would certainly develop over the land and we would be in serious trouble with the Lord.

I saw this image before me day after day, for several days. I saw a portion of the Ecclesia trying to press through the pliable barrier upon our nation, but it was a great struggle. The intercessors came alongside them, and together, we pressed through in prayer, and we were finally able to break through to the surface together.

Surrounded by the intercessors, the Ecclesia burst up and out, peeling and tearing back the pliable blister that formed over the land. As they did, an incredible movement occurred in the land; the New Breed of Believers the Lord spoke to me about clear back in 2018, rose up through the opening and spread out across the land. They became involved in future events, they prayed, they sought the will of God for them, the Church, and the nation. They saw the criticality of occupying now for the future of their posterity. All fear of man left them, and they began to war against corruption and compromise in the land!

These New Breed of Believers began to infiltrate and influence the people of the land in righteousness and integrity. Every arena of the nation was impacted by their presence, and some areas were permeated by the influence of righteousness and justice. I saw these permeated areas as they shone brightly on this image of the nation that was before me and it was glorious!

This was a breakthrough moment! My spirit was pulled upward and out in keeping with what God was doing among His people and I could see and feel all that was occurring in the land.

The New Breed of Believers were occupying!

It was not just within the confines of our Church buildings or Bible study sessions, it was people infiltrating school boards, city governments, state governments, congressional offices, all who refused to be part of corruption! They refused to partake in the cultural Marxist push of lobbyists and corporate America! These corrupt systems began to shrivel up and fade away because they were not being fed by those who once supported the corruption, knowingly or unknowingly!

They occupied media, academia, and financial realms, something was happening throughout the nation! Every arena was occupied with the New Breed of Believers!

Then, the nation began to rise, literally rise in elevation. Upon asking the Lord what the elevation meant, I learned that this increase in elevation depicted the moral excellence of our nation.  

The refined America came forth, and apathy and despair broke off the minds and hearts of the people and the nation rose and began to shine once again.

This movement impacted people in other nations with victories and breakthroughs they never could imagine. These New Breed of Believers began to influence and inspire people and leaders in other nations to rise above corruption as well! It was so powerful!

The Lord drew me to Daniel of the Old Covenant, showing me how he was used to influence the Kings of Babylon, the Medes and the Persians and his efforts helped preserve, and elevate them in captivity and even restore them to their land in His appointed time.

Let’s look at the life of Daniel.

We view Daniel as a powerful prophet who prophesied profound and detailed events. So detailed in fact, liberal scholars argue they could not have been prophecies, but rather, events recorded after the fact. Jesus refers to Daniel warning the Israelites in Matthew 24:15 to flee when they see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. And of course, there are prophesies he spoke that we have yet to see fulfilled.

However, Daniel was also a great influencer who knew how to occupy even within the nation of Babylon.

Daniel’s life and prophetic legacy came at a great price. He was taken into captivity by the Babylonians in the first round of captives. He and a few who we read about in the book of Daniel, were brought into the service of King Nebuchadnezzar to be included as advisors within the palace. Isaiah prophesied these specific events in Isaiah 39:3-8: their sons would be taken captive and made eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon. It was customary to castrate the boys who would serve in the palace, even, or perhaps especially if they were of the seed of royalty from the conquered nation.

As teenagers, Daniel and his three friends, were held captive, made eunuchs, and educated in the ways of the Babylonians. The intent was for them to understand and flow in the ways of the Babylonians in order to better serve them and help them rule and conquer other nations.

Yet, God was with them and had plans for Daniel, this young boy would rise to great power within the Babylonian Kingdom and then within the Medo-Persian kingdom. God would insert Daniel that he might occupy in this corrupt society and fulfil His will and influence the path of His people within the nation they lived, yes, even in captivity. Ultimately, Daniel would be the instrument God would use to turn the heart of the Persian King Cyrus to release the Hebrew people to return to Jerusalem.

How was this possible? How is it possible to live in the most powerful nation of the then known world, serve one of the most powerful rulers of the day, as a captive and still rise above and serve God’s plans and purposes for your life and the life of your people?

Daniel 1:8-16 provides us with the answer

“But Daniel determined (KJV says ‘purposed’) in his heart that he would not defile himself by [eating his portion of] the king’s rich and dainty food or by [drinking] the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might [be allowed] not to defile himself.”

There are four points here that will help us rise above circumstances so we can occupy and influence wherever God places us:

  1. We have to determine in our heart to fear God over man: Daniel was a student of Torah and understood the writings of the prophets and knew, first and foremost, Proverbs 29:25 would be his lifeblood. “The fear of man bringeth a snare but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Only one who fears God over man will purpose or determine in their heart, at the cost of their life, to not eat what the king offers. (Remember, this is the same Nebuchadnezzar who threatened to chop his wise men into tiny bits if they didn’t tell him what his dream was in Daniel 2.)
  2. We have to choose to remain pure and not defile ourselves: (Daniel 1:8) Daniel had a choice to make, keep himself pure from things offered to idols or remain true to the diet God gave the Hebrew children at Mount Sinai on day one! Daniel knew it was customary for wine and meat prepared in other nations to be offered to their gods before consumption, he would be defiling himself if he consumed them. He had to act on what he determined in his heart. We each have that opportunity to take a stand on critical issues for both us and those around us, will we take that stand?
  3. We have to choose to occupy where God places us. (Daniel 1:8) God desires that we would remain pure and avail ourselves to His positioning and not our own. In addition, Daniel stood up for the other Hebrew children who were with him giving them courage to do the same. He was a pillar within this small circle of Hebrew children, and he became the voice of righteousness in the midst of a very corrupt society.
  4. We must choose to influence the world with righteous standards rather than bowing the knee to theirs. In fact, we should influence the environment God places us in to such a degree that they recognize the benefit embracing God’s standards. (Daniel 1:11-15) Daniel proposes to the keeper of the eunuchs a change in their diet trusting God to take care of their physical needs in the midst of it, and ultimately, the entire group is influenced on this righteous dietary path at Daniel’s request. (Daniel 1:16) Later we will see how he influences the entire training arena and ultimately, every arena in which God places him.

Daniel’s stance in the very beginning was key to his future in this empire. These tests of his adherence to the Word of God in the midst of captivity, corruption, and the confusion that would result from becoming a eunuch were key to God elevating him and granting him the wisdom, knowledge, revelation, and understanding to rise to a position of great power and influence in the Babylonian Empire. (The Nebuchadnezzar Cylinder as well as the Cyrus Cylinder mention Daniel by his Babylonian-given name as instrumental in decisions they made on behalf of their kingdoms.)

I’d love to go through the bold and courageous stances of these four Hebrew children in great detail as they matured into wise men with influence throughout the kingdom, touching on the interpretation of the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar that we read in Daniel 2 or how that dream led to a giant statue that the King demanded they worship or be thrown into the fire in Daniel 3—and how God protected them when they were thrown into the fire. Or even how Daniel cared for this pagan King as he ate grass in the field like an animal during the seven years of his insanity, but I believe for the purposes of our message, we need to skip ahead to Daniel 6, the later portion of Daniel’s life.

To set the stage for this, Nebuchadnezzar has likely died, and son and grandson are now co-ruling the Babylonian kingdom. In Daniel 5 we have the interpretation of writing on the wall and then the transfer of power from the Babylonian Empire to the Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel has been in captivity for decades and now, on the night Daniel interprets the writing on the wall, the Medes and the Persians are taking over that Babylonian empire and we move quickly into Daniel 6 to find ourselves learning of Daniel’s continued righteous stand now under the Medo-Persian Empire.

Daniel’s reputation preceded him. This humble Jewish boy had become a man of power and great influence. When Darius the Mede takes over this portion of the empire, Darius sets 120 satraps over the kingdom, with 3 presidents over them, Daniel being one of these three presidents. It’s kind of like having one King, with three Governors under him, and 120 congressmen who answer to those three Governors all spanning across a good chunk of the middle east.

Daniel is a man of great power and influence, wisdom and understanding, and he still answers first and foremost, to Jehovah, the great I AM who delivered His people out of Egypt and Who will, according to prophesy, deliver His people out of this captivity when the 70 years is up. (Jeremiah 26:8-11)

Daniel has had powerful experiences with the Lord, and nothing is going to change his pursuit of God at this point in his life. Remember early on the four points from Daniel 1 that were essential to his survival, his influence and his occupation in Babylon?

  1. He determined in his heart to fear God over man.
  2. He chose to remain pure and undefiled
  3. He chose to truly occupy where God placed him
  4. He chose to influence the Babylonian kingdom with righteous standards rather than bowing the knee to theirs.

And here, (most Bible scholars believe Daniel to be in his 80s) he’s been through King Nebuchadnezzar, his son and grandson, and now, Darius the Mede rules in one area, and Cyrus the Persian rules in another, and Daniel has access to them both given his positioning by God.

However, there were people who desired to remove the righteous man from his God-given post. They dug into Daniel’s closet searching for something they might be able to bring him down with and there was nothing! His only perceived “weakness” was his prayer life and unwavering devotion to God. The man prayed facing Jerusalem three times a day! So, they sought to “expose him” and bring him down for this “weakness”.

Let that be a lesson to all of us, may the only flaw our enemy can find in our lives be our prayer and Word life!

In Daniel 6, we read how they appealed to either a prideful or a misled and deceived king to sign a decree that according to Medo-Persian law, the King was bound to, requiring anyone who asked anything of any god or man for thirty days shall be thrown into the lion’s den.

Daniel 6:8-15

8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be altered.

9 So King Darius signed the writing and the decree.

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

11 Then these men came thronging [by agreement] and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

12 Then they came near and said before the king concerning his prohibitory decree, Have you not signed an edict that any man who shall make a petition to any god or man within thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed or repealed.

13 Then they said before the king, That Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, does not regard or pay any attention to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.

14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed [over what he had done] and set his mind on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored until the sun went down to rescue him.

15 Then these same men came thronging [by agreement] to the king and said, Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed or repealed.”

 

Daniel, in keeping with who he was, fearing God more than man, continued to pray openly to God three times a day. (Daniel 6:11) The men immediately report it to the king, and with great regret over what he’d done, Darious labors all day in an attempt to deliver Daniel from the penalty of the lion’s den (Daniel 6:14)

Daniel had occupied and influenced the king so much in his time with him, I believe a breakthrough occurred in Darius leading ultimately to the breakthrough for the Israelites as a whole.

Why do I believe that?

When Daniel was brought to the king to be thrown into the lion’s den, the King said, “May your God, Whom you are serving continually, deliver you!” (Daniel 6:16). Then he, the King, did what he’s seen Daniel do from day one; he prayed and fasted all night.

When Daniel is rescued by the hand of God, the King makes this decree:

Daniel 6:26-27

“I make a decree that in all my royal dominion men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God, enduring and steadfast forever, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed and His dominion shall be even to the end [of the world]. He is a Savior and Deliverer, and He works signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth—He Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

The passage goes on to say that “this [man] Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

A decree, “to fear the God of Daniel!”  Now, that is occupying! That is the impact of occupying the nation in which you live with Godly influence, and that is how we bring the breakthrough!

Daniel’s rise to a position of honor among men began with his reverential fear of God and his refusal to compromise regardless of the consequences. His life concluded with the same thing, a reverential fear of God and a refusal to compromise regardless of the consequences! Again, this is how we influence; this is how we occupy; and this is how we receive our breakthroughs!

This is what the Church needs to step into to not only break through that blister over our nation, but peel it back, destroy the remnants of it, and work to elevate our nation!

Back to Daniel…  we just want to see the kind of breakthrough that comes from his righteous occupation. From this event, Darius the Mede honors Daniel. Daniel also has an audience with Cyrus the Persian King. And in the moment of opportunity, Daniel shows Cyrus the scrolls of Jeremiah which mentions the 70-year captivity (Jeremiah 25:8-11) and Isaiah (Isaiah 45) which prophesies Cyrus by name as the one who releases the captives. Can you imagine the influence of his testimony NOW, after Darius tells Cyrus that Daniel survived the lion’s den?  We know from Ezra 1 that Cyrus did indeed release the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to restore the House of the Lord.

The Cyrus cylinder mentions Daniel by name as being instrumental in his decision to return the exiles to Jerusalem. Historical, archeological evidence, confirming Scriptural events! Always beautiful to see!

Now, let us connect Daniel’s life of occupation, influence and the breakthrough his presence brought the exiles to the dream and then vision the Lord gave that I’ve carried the last several days.

The Lord said that Daniel was an example for the Church to follow. His life of integrity, his pursuit of God and the four core values Daniel determined in his heart not only led him but granted him great influence and an ultimate breakthrough for his people. This is what we are called to walk in as well. This is how we gain the breakthrough we seek for us and our posterity.

Again, what were the four points from Daniel 1?

  1. We determine in our heart to fear God over man.
  2. We must choose to remain pure and undefiled
  3. We must choose to truly occupy where God places us
  4. We must choose to influence the world with righteous standards rather than bowing the knee to theirs. Right now, with what we see in many churches today, this is our biggest problem. If you go back to the message “Our Red Sea Moment Approaches” that I did several months ago, I listed 10 plagues impacting our freedom as a Church and the nation. Every one of these issues are sin-issues yet, they have found a home within the Church, and we need to repent and turn from the path we are on. (This message can be found on our website.)

If we will do this, and be willing to follow the Luke 19:13 command to Occupy until He (the Lord) comes, not only will we enter avenues of influence we never imagined, but we will stand the test of man, kings, fire, hungry and ferocious lions, and we will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and He will declare “well done My good and faithful servant.”  (I will teach on Luke 19:13 from a literal and a spiritual plane this week.)

Together we can bring this nation into a place of excellence for our posterity. Together we can fight for justice and righteousness, is it not the foundation of His throne!?! Together, we can pursue the path of God and prepare this nation for Him to rule and reign in our land! And, then, we will have the privilege of witnessing the greatest outpouring of His presence in and through this land the earth has ever seen!

I want to close with the following visions from 2021, because I believe the first vision I shared, and these last two visions are one and the same the same and we are about to see them come to fruition!

Vision December 10, 2021 – “The Outpouring”

I was in prayer, seeking the Lord, aching for the intimacy that He’s promised to those who seek His face. My cry was not only for myself, but for the intercessors who seek Him day and night that He would save our nation.

I had two visions:

First vision:

I saw the earth and the heavenly realm. Between these realms was a barrier. I could see the saints standing on the earth, praying.

The prayers of the saints were two-fold in their intent as well as their results:

One was to weep over the sins of the land. (The blood that’s been shed on this soil through abortion and human trafficking cries out to God for justice.) As they repented before Him, the blood that appeared as fire on the soil, was diminished, cooled, and eventually appeased. I knew the heart of the Father had been appeased by their repentance.

Second, was to cry out, making an appeal to Heaven, that our Father would visit us and pour out His glory on the land. As they cried out, I could see that they were carving away at something with whittling tools. A closer look revealed a callous that had grown thick between the two realms. The cry rose and fell in a beautiful harmonious flow, it was a true appeal in unity, for God to visit His people.

The callous had become paper thin from the intercession…and the Father began to rise from His Throne…

Second vision

The Lord allowed me to see from the heavenlies, I saw the above vision from Heaven’s perspective. I stood before Him as a child, small, awaiting the Father. He was on a great Throne.  I looked and saw the barrier or callous between Heaven and earth transition from very thick to very thin…The Father stood up, stirred by the cry of His people, and He leaned over and poured Himself out, like Holy Spirt on Pentecost, and the Third Great Awakening was upon us. He rolled out across the nations. This was a move of God beyond any of us can imagine and it rose and fell across the surface of His people with such a beautiful harmonious flow…I am at a loss for words. The outpouring was so great, it was indescribable. The Lord was showing me what would be released in January 2023, and what will come of that if we will press through these challenges to usher in His presence in profound and glorious ways.

Let’s set our heart to pursue this for us and our posterity!

Much love,

Ricci Johnson-Wilson