While seeking out what the Lord wanted to say about 2024, Jennifer LeClaire was led to read in the book of Nehemiah. It was here that she noticed three different times where the Scripture says that the enemy burned down the gates.
“He said, ‘the enemy is trying to burn down the gates,'” LeClaire says of this revelation. “Now, in ancient times, this was literal, but now the Lord is speaking symbolically, figuratively. The enemy is targeting gates at all levels of society. It’s not just borders. It’s the seven mountains. And this is not a new strategy, clearly, but it is escalated because the Lord showed me the enemy is no longer interested in merely coming through the gates. He wants to burn them down completely.”
LeClaire says that this target means it is especially critical that those who are called to be watchmen on the wall, and as gatekeepers through intercession and prophecy, must be alert of what is going on. She also says it is key for the church as a whole to stay connected to Christ and alert for what may come.
“Now we know the Lord will raise up a standard as the intercessors pray, but we need to understand not just what the Lord wants to do, but how the enemy is moving against God’s will so that we’re positioned rightly for this era of war,” LeClaire says.
LeClaire says that it is the enemy’s goal to transform our society with his darkness instead of light.
“He wants to see idolatry and immorality prevail in cities and nations. God wants to bring revival,” LeClaire says. “The church in general must remember—we must remember—that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church. We must not allow the spiritual pressure that we’re feeling.”
LeClaire says that by giving in to the spiritual pressure that the enemy wants to place on us, we become deterred from praying and seeking God to do the great and mighty things that He has planned to do. It is Satan’s goal to get us to lay down our weapons of warfare. She says it is at the gates that those with authority typically are—administrators of justice like judges and offices. It is at the gates where prophets declared the power of the Lord, and so it is this spot the enemy seeks to attack.
“The gates are where councils are held. The gates are where prophets proclaimed the messages of God…so the enemy wants to burn down the gates,” LeClaire says.
LeClaire says that as we move forward those who are called to be watchmen must partner with those who are called to be gatekeepers in order to thwart all advances of the enemy.
“Watchmen must partner with gatekeepers at a higher level. We’ve seen for many years the watchmen on the wall, the gatekeepers guarding access; we need a new level of cooperation, a sharing of prophetic intelligence, praying together between the watchmen intercessors, the watchmen prophets and the gatekeeper intercessors,” LeClaire says. “The watchmen see from far off; the gatekeeper has a different perspective because the gatekeeper’s job is to guard the gate. So, we need the watchmen and the gatekeepers to really connect with one another…through the avenue of worship and prayer that’s going to prevent the enemy from burning down these gates.”
As we head into 2024, we should seek the Lord diligently, listening for what He wants us to know, how to pray against the enemy’s tactics and how we can shine the light of Christ to the darkest places. 
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.
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