In July of 2001 the Lord sent me on my first missions trip to Wales and Northern Ireland. Several months before traveling the Holy Spirit prompted me to get a passport. I didn’t know where I would be going but knew I needed to respond in obedience and apply for a new passport. Shortly after I applied for my passport a door of opportunity opened to be part of a prayer team going into Wales and Northern Ireland.
 
The Lord confirmed His word with a vision of a bright new boat on the seashore. He said, “Get in the boat, lift the sail and let the wind of my Spirit blow you to where I want you to go.” He also gave me a word saying I would be tilling the spiritual soil, and removing spiritual rocks so His seed could be sown in Wales and Northern Ireland.
 
Several months prior to my departure, I received prayer from the church. Each time confirming words came forth, the Lord continued to confirm His desire to send me on this trip.
 
I was launched into a new prayer ministry, and I set out on this adventure. I traveled to Blackwood, Wales and was part of a ministry team that was intent on accomplishing the Lord’s mission.
 
When we left Blackwood, Wales our driver took us on a scenic drive to northern Wales. The land was lush with green pastures, livestock, and meandering creeks and streams. From there we took a ferry from Holy Head to Ireland.
 
As we approached the ferry I heard the Holy Spirit say, “I weep for Ireland, I want you to weep for Ireland.” I also heard the Spirit say, “I am going to show you a different Ireland.” I felt intense grief as the Spirit showed me death in the land, and I was left to ponder why the Lord had shown this to me.
 
We arrived in Northern Ireland and set up a base camp in a hotel along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We prayer walked the cities, and prayed at sites of historical significance.
 
The spiritual warfare in Ireland was intense and I could feel darkness in the spirit realm. The Holy Spirit began to impress me to be cautious. Before leaving my hotel room I prayed declaring scriptural promises of protection from His word and received communion.
 
I then walked the streets of Ireland praying and worshiping everyplace I went. The Lord would give me scripture to pray, and prophetic directives. He said, “It is imperative that you say and do exactly what I tell you.” This was my first experience with strategic-level intercession.

 
What is strategic-level intercession?
 
Although I had been a Christian for years, and in the habit of praying in prayer groups, the Lord began to lead me into this fresh new way to pray. In the past, our group would spray our prayers out into the heavens much like a shot gun blast. We were so busy praying that we didn’t spend a lot of time listening. Had we tuned our ears to hear what the Spirit was saying to us, perhaps our prayers would have been much more effective.
 
Standing in a foreign land, in a place I never dreamed I’d be, the Lord taught me how to pray. He gave me scripture, saying, “Make a proclamation, decree a thing,” and I would do exactly what I was told. He would reveal specific information regarding sin in the land, and then tell me what He wanted me to do. Armed with His prophetic word, my prayers would go out and hit the specific target He revealed. I was no longer randomly spraying prayer out into the heavens, I was sending prayer bombs into strategic places. I had moved into strategic-level intercession, partnering with the Lord in prayer.

 
IDENTIFICATIONAL REPENTANCE
 
One afternoon, the Holy Spirit impressed our leader that I had an appointment in Drogeda, Northern Ireland. She quickly changed the plans for the day, and we set off on this strategic assignment.
 
As our coach approached Drogeda, the Holy Spirit said to me, “disemboweled people,” and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I knew He was going to reveal something to me.
 
My father once told me that he was a descendent of Lord John Russell. Lord John Russell was responsible for withholding food from the Irish during the Great Famine. While the people of Ireland starved the grain in Ireland was loaded onto ships and sent to England. In the 1600’s Oliver Cromwell landed in Drogeda with 70,000 soldiers and began a reign of genocide slaughtering 5/6 of the Irish race.
 
As I stood on the site of those atrocities the Lord gave me a vision: I saw rivers of blood running down the ravines, buildings full of people on fire, pregnant women disemboweled and raped, and atrocities to children. I heard screaming and saw the slaughter of hundreds of people.
 
I was then led to repent for the sins of my ancestors. My fathers side of the family are English, Irish and Scottish. My mothers side are Irish Catholic. The Lord chose to use me to identify with the sins of my forefathers, as I came from a family line that had been directly involved with atrocities on the land.
 
I prayed, repenting of the sins of my English forefathers and asked the Lord to heal the land. When I finished praying the Holy Spirit impressed another leader to now repent to me for what the English had done to the Irish Catholics. He prayed, standing in for the English and repented to me for taking my land, livelihood, religious faith, murdering my people, and causing me shame. When he finished repenting to me I felt the tangible, healing heat of the Holy Spirit enter my torso. As we stood in the gap and repented for the sins of our forefathers, we represented all the descendents of these people groups. The Lord is cleansing the land of bloodguilt and the generational sin that holds it in bondage.
 
After the prayer of repentance the Spirit would tell us which curses to break off the land. These curses have held our families in bondage for generations. We were led to take communion on the land and anoint the soil. We continued our mission in Drogeda as we prayer walked the towns in the general area, and visited churches where Masonic, and other occult symbols were openly displayed.
 
Since my first trip to the Celtic Nations in 2001, the Lord has continued to send me back into these nations. He has led me step by step into strategic-level intercession and identificational repentance.
 
In April 2002, I returned to Northern Ireland on another prayer mission. Prior to leaving the states the Holy Spirit said, “You will taste the fruit of your labor.“ When I found out our team was going to the Drogeda area I was dreading it. As we approached this town that had been bound in such darkness the Holy Spirit softly whispered the same word to me, “You will taste the fruit of your labor.” I did taste the fruit of my labor. As I walked down the same old streets, lined with houses that had previously displayed their Masonic plaques and symbols, I was pleasantly surprised to see the symbols were no longer on the houses. The spiritual atmosphere in the region was peaceful, our God had made an astounding change in Drogeda.
 
When a land is cursed it will yield no crops. In order to bring in a harvest of souls we must learn what is holding the land in bondage and pray for release.
 
Our work in praying for the land falls far short when we fail to gain a clear understanding of the history of our region. As in Drogeda, events that occurred hundreds of years ago still had an effect on the area, and on the people groups they represent. When we understand the history of a region we gain understanding about what keeps it in bondage. When we understand what keeps it in bondage, its strongholds will be revealed.
 
When we understand the strongholds in our area we can enter into much more specific prayer for our region. Strategic-level intercession will cause our prayers to hit the enemy every time.
 
SPIRITUAL MAPPING
 
When we begin to study the history of our regions for prayer purposes, we may want to get involved in spiritual mapping.
 
What Is Spiritual Mapping?
 
Victor Lorenzo, in Dr. C. Peter Wagner’s book, Breaking Strongholds in Your City, says, “As I see it, spiritual mapping combines research, divine revelation, and confirmatory evidence in order to provide complete and exact data concerning the identity, strategies and methods employed by spiritual forces of darkness to influence the people and the churches of a given region.”
 
Is This Biblical?
 
An example of spiritual mapping can be found in Ezekiel 4:1-3, “Now, son of man, take a clay tablet, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay a siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you will besiege it.”
 
It’s obvious from scripture that Ezekiel is waging a spiritual assault against the city of Jerusalem. Spiritual mapping helps us to gain an understanding of what the devil has been doing in our region so that we can pray much more effectively, laying a siege to his works in our area.
 
It exposes where he is working, and gives us a strategy for taking back the ground held in his grasp. Both Moses and Joshua sent out spies to investigate the land. Joshua sent two spies out, they were to survey Jericho and come back to Joshua with a report. The Lord then gave Joshua a battle plan for taking the city.
 
It’s important to remember that having information about a region is helpful, but it doesn’t replace the need for a God given strategy. Joshua didn’t go forward into battle, without having a battle strategy from the Lord.
 
With the battle plan in place for taking Jericho, Joshua was successful in taking the city. However, we see an entirely different scenario in the battle of Ai. Joshua moved ahead in presumption and paid a high price for it.
 
Overview Of Spiritual Mapping
 
I cannot stress enough that this is a brief overview of the subject of Spiritual Mapping. Before you begin spiritual mapping I would advise you to study some resources written by men and women of God who have been moved into this area by our Lord.
 
To begin spiritual mapping you will need to start by praying and asking our Lord to show you what your territory is. Once you’ve established your boundaries, you will then need to get a map of your territory and mark the areas where current enemy activity is taking place, or has been taken place in the past. You will need to research your city/region to uncover the roots of bondage holding it in darkness.
 
Researching Your Region
 
Christian leaders who have been involved in this practice have established some guidelines for this activity. The following list is a compilation of suggestions that I have gleaned from their resources:
 
1.  What place does your city have in this nation’s history?  How did my city come to be?  How did it grow?  What was its industry? Take a good look around your region. What activities are going on now?  Do they glorify God or Satan?
 
2.  Was there ever the imposition of a new culture or language through conquest?  Is the imposition of language and culture still resented today by those native to the area?  What gods did the early inhabitants worship?  And what was the influence on the culture by the Christian church?
 
3.  What were the religious practices of ancient peoples on the site?  Was there a witchdoctor?  Were there spirit guides?  What were their main religious ceremonies?  What were their practices relating to the dead?
 
4.  Was there a time when a new religion emerged?  What was the religion, did it honor God?  How were the native people treated by those in authority in the church?  Was there religious conflict?
 
5.  Has the national or city government ever disintegrated?  Is business a god or idol?  Is there corruption in the government?
 
6.  What was the business philosophy of the government?  Did business honor the people?  Was it honoring to God?
 
7.  Have there been wars that affected this city?  What were the battles, massacres and rituals? How did these wars effect the economy of the city?
 
8.  What names have been given to the city and what is the meaning of those names?  Names will reveal good aspects of the city, and also uncover demonic curses as we discern the words spoken over the city.
 
9.  What did military and religious leaders dream for the city?  What was their vision for the city, was it for the upper class, or did they make provision for the poor?
 
10.  Have there been traumatic experiences in the city?  Economic collapse, earthquakes, floods, race riots, unusual weather patterns?
 
11.  Were there any socially transforming technologies birthed?  Technological inventions that changed the area?"
 
12.  How are the relationships between races?  Is there racial prejudice and bigotry?  Are minorities expected to stay in their own area of town?  Has their been slavery and violence against people groups within the city?
 
In addition to this research, you will want to look closely at the art and statues in your city, and determine where alters to foreign gods have been set up. Where active occult groups meet, and gang violence abounds. The Lord will help you, He will reveal the secret things that only He knows, and direct you in how to remove the sin and idolatry in your land.
 
When you’ve completed your research on the area within your sphere of authority and influence, after much intercession and seeking the Lord for His strategy, it will be time to pray on the sites that you have identified on your geographical map.
 
The Lord will then put together His specific team that will go out onto those sites and pray according to His strategy.
 
A word of caution:
 
One of the most dangerous things that you can do is set out to tear down principalities and powers in your region alone. Do not move out in presumption, underestimating your enemy. Don’t think that because you have been given insights into the spiritual activity in your region it means that you are to use this information by going out alone and praying against that principality or power. This is a serious war and can be dangerous and life threatening.
 
When you receive revelation about a stronghold in your area, submit it to your pastor, prayer team leaders, or someone in authority. You must discern what the Lord wants you to do with the information He has given you before you do anything.
 
Most Christians will be used to dispel darkness where it has directly impacted them, their families and neighborhood. All members of the body of Christ are necessary for the Lord’s army to be victorious. It’s vital that we know what the Lord has anointed and called us to do. If called to intercede for those going to battle on the land, we don’t want to try and lead the troops. Without intercessor troops those praying on the land cannot do what they are called to do.
 
Believers who are called to go out onto the land and pray are given greater insight into the works of Satan in their communities. This is necessary, for the purposes of God to be established. The greatest mandate we have been given is to make disciples of all nations. The will of God is that none would perish. As the Lords kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven we will see a harvest of souls for His kingdom.
 
Strategic-level intercession is a tool that has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. He is leading us and teaching us how fight, in accordance with Ephesians, coming against strongholds, principalities and powers that hold our regions in darkness.
 
The purpose of all prayer, intercession, identificational repentance and spiritual mapping is to prepare the land so effective, fruitful evangelism can be accomplished, and a harvest of souls won for the kingdom of God.