Decree God’s Turnaround Verdict for Your Prodigal
In the fall of 2014, before we even sought to attain His national turnaround, the Lord gently rebuked us.
He wanted us to prioritize family turnarounds, according to Malachi 4:6: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”
The parallel verse to this is Luke 1:17. “And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
So on Christmas Day 2014, we started a year-long project with our Lamplighter Family called “Turnaround Tuesday.” Every Tuesday was set aside for contending prayer, framed at God’s invitation by Daniel 7:22. Our sons and daughters collectively were being held captive by demonic ideologies, addictions, the breaking down of standards of sexuality, and so much more. We prayed fervently for our own children and for the children of those connected with us for the Lord’s turnaround to prevail.
And a genuine Christmas miracle broke forth exactly one year to the day we began. For discretion’s sake, I won’t go into too many details. But our son, Jonathan, had fallen away from the Lord during his final few years in college. He had become so resolved in his path that he decided to break up with his college sweetheart, whom he had been dating since his final year of high school. That was a big step because he seemed hopelessly and relentlessly in love with her. But he knew his girlfriend’s bond with the Lord meant everything to her, and he did not want to violate it when he resolved to follow a radically different path.
Our family had secured college for Jonathan at a Christian university, which he had chosen in part so he could pursue his relationship both with God and his girlfriend. Then things spiraled. The college introduced him to schools of philosophy which seemed to negate his faith. Students introduced him to partying. By graduation, he had disengaged both from faith in Jesus and from relationship with his bride-to-be.
As we prayed for our son and daughter, our prayers were met with God’s decree. The words of Moses became the words of Jesus to their captors: LET MY CHILDREN GO!
In early December 2015, our son Jonathan contacted us. For the first time in years, he wanted to spend his birthday and Christmas together.
And on Christmas morning in 2015, again a year to the date we first began to pray, Jonathan experienced a dramatic visitation from the Lord. Jesus Himself appeared to him in a vision. With hands outstretched and open arms, the Son of God compelled our son to “return home!”
We were spending Christmas with my father in Sarasota, Florida, at the time. A knock came to our bedroom door very early Christmas morning. At least it seemed early.
“Hey, Dad, are you up?”
In a flashback to my son’s childhood, my first thought was that he woke up early to open his gifts. But it soon became apparent he had much more important things on his mind. So I got up, and we talked. The conversation went something like this.
“Dad, I wanted you to be the first to know. I came home last night!
Well, this morning actually.” “Came home?”
“Yeah. To Jesus! Dad, I had an encounter…”
Imagine a Christmas where your son, or your daughter, comes home to Christ! That’s the best present a parent could ever receive. On the day we celebrate Christ’s birth, Jesus was born anew in my son’s heart and life. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Isa. 9:6).
But the turnarounds did not end there. A few months later Jonathan began dating his long-lost fiancée again. It took a while for trust to be reestablished. But in 2018, a beautiful wedding in Vermont launched them into the very dream they had originally pledged their lives to gain. They repaired the past to redeem the present. And they are going strong for Jesus to this day.
This same year of prayer brought incredible breakthrough for our daughter as well.
God Is Bigger than Unforeseen Challenges
It was the moment every parent dreams of. My daughter, a new graduate from high school, sat us down to ask our perspective on plans she had made for the future. She had decided to pursue a career in the military. “Pray for me, I’m going into the Air Force,” she said. Then there was a short pause followed by a flash of a smile. “No, wait. Pray for the Air Force, because I’m going into the Air Force!”
We all laughed around the table. Probably because there might have been at least a little truth in the statement. I knew just what to pray. “Lord, contend with those who contend against my daughter, in the spirit and natural! Deliver her from all harm. Mature her in You. Save our children. AND SAVE THE AIR FORCE!”
Challenges totally arose. But through it all my daughter really did well … eventually. Ashley matured greatly through the process. She mastered new skills in a field that now has become her career. She prospered. During her time of service my daughter met and married a fantastic, highly responsible soldier who loves her wholeheartedly and treats her far better than any guy she ever dated before. They have similar interests. They are secure, stable, and hilarious together. A few years ago they even gave us a beautiful grandchild!
My point? When God promises to contend and save, He goes far beyond what we could ever imagine. This is absolutely true with both of our children.
One recent conversation brought me to tears. It went something like this.
“Dad, do you remember when we were little and you brought us to Washington, DC, and we toured the National Mall and all the memorials and I complained because I thought the mall you were bringing us to would actually have stores?”
I cringed. “Uh … yeah, as a matter of fact I do.”
“And you know how maybe I judged you for being excessively, overly patriotic ever since?”
My face turned red. I hoped she did not notice. “Well … yeah.”
“Dad, I just want you to know, after being in the Air Force I get it now. I really do. I appreciate like never before the sacrifices made to keep nation free.”
That meant everything to me.
Now let me tell you a secret I’ve discovered. The same God who is bigger than the unforeseen challenges your children and mine will face is also bigger than the unforeseen challenges we as a nation will face.
The promise remains the same. So does the pathway through to salvation. Even the captives of the mighty will be rescued. “I will contend with the one who contends with you. And I will save your children.”
This is just a taste of what can happen when you take hold of God’s Turnaround Verdict for your children and resolve to pray relentlessly for their breakthroughs.
God is an incredibly faithful father. He is actually very sentimental. He remembers, and He leads with His heart. I promise it won’t be long until your pleas are met with His decrees, in a way only He can bring forth!
Turnaround Tuesday
Your faith is being activated for your turnarounds as you read. But faith without works, or corresponding action, is dead. That’s why this project is a perfect companion for your journey.
Turnaround Tuesdays is an invitation for you to engage in fasting and prayer every Tuesday to secure God’s turnarounds for your sons, your daughters, and your world. You can connect with us and with other believers weekly. And you can grow in your faith!
Here’s how to engage:
Set aside time Tuesday morning, afternoon, or evening to seek God’s face for your children or loved ones. Pray! And be sure to write down impressions the Lord gives you.
Pray Daniel 7:22. Read through the passage devotionally out loud. Gain a vocabulary corresponding to His verdict of justice in favor of yourself, your children, your loved ones.
Pray God’s protection and blessing over your sons and daughters. Psalm 91 is a good starting point. Another amazing Scripture to decree is highlighted in the second chapter of our book, Turnaround Decrees.
If you’ve received your heavenly prayer language, pray in the Spirit over your children. You don’t necessarily know how to pray, but God does!
Connect with us weekly via Zoom calls or conference calls.
Start a “Turnaround Tuesday” group in your home, in your church, your workplace, or online. Joining with others is key!
Visit turnaroundtuesday.com online for more!
