Gate Keeper
Georgia Coastal Region Prayer Event – (Lion with Key; Held at NCC, Statesboro) – Aug. 12, 2023
Thank you Father God, for the opportunity to paint this. I am so humbled that when I come to You in prayer, You share a piece with me. Thank you, Kathy Todd for taking a step of faith in asking me, and for Cissy Daniel for being willing to offer a witness for what the Lord was showing me, and to Pastors David, Murl, and Zac for supporting prophetic art at New Covenant. It is an honor to be here amongst the prayer warriors.
When I began praying and asking the Lord what He wanted me to paint, the first thing He showed me was a 3D image of Bulloch County floating in midair and a key. I got the impression He was unlocking something and He led me to this scripture in Revelation 3.
Revelation 3:7-8 (NIV) “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
The Holy Spirit was highlighting the city of Philadelphia in this scripture, so I did a little research. Philadelphia was a part of the Decapolis because it was one of the ten cities of the plain. It was built at the crossroads leading into Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia and it guarded and commanded an important pass through the mountains between the Hermus and Meander valleys where mail, trade, and commerce could pass through. Philadelphia was literally considered the “gateway to the East.” It was the keeper of the key to the door, or gateway to the eastern highlands and it held the power to open and close according to the will of the officials. In this scripture from Revelation, the Lord was reminding the Philadelphians of more important doors that He holds the key to and has the power and authority to open and shut.
With this scripture, it felt like God was referencing a spiritual gate, so I asked Him how He was doing that and how it coordinated with the Coastal Region.
The Holy Spirit said to look up Bulloch County. When I did, the first image that popped up was an image of the major highways of Bulloch County. Statesboro looked exactly like a keyhole with those highways, and I watched the Lord place a key in the keyhole of Statesboro in the 3D image of Bulloch County in my vision. The Lord later showed me a large lion, with all four paws on the regional land of Georgia, placing the key in the keyhole with His mouth.
I believe the Lord is placing His key in Statesboro, which is functioning as a Philadelphian like gateway of the region for Georgia through prayer. I thank you Father that you shut doors that no man can open, and that You are opening a door that no man can shut. I honor and glorify You as the original and ultimate Gatekeeper who shows us how to secure Your gates for Your glory.
I also heard “Lion’s gate” but was not sure if it was supposed to be for intercession or in the painting. At the beginning of the event, a woman came up, looked at the lion and said she had been hearing “Lion’s gate” all weekend. As the individuals present at the Georgia Regional Prayer Event prayed for the seven mountains (education, business, religion, media, arts/entertainment, government, and family), the Lion’s gate the Lord had confirmed earlier in the day was painted in the corner. It is His gate.
RM