GATEKEEPERS
MEN PROTECTING THROUGH PRAYER
BY FREDI TRAMMELL
Men, especially fathers, have a God-given role of providing stability in their homes, strong ideals of righteousness, and spiritual leadership in their families. Now, as we stride into the new millennium, a milestone has been reached! Apostolic men are courageously stepping up to the front lines of the spiritual battle and prayerfully assuming new power in leading their homes. They are promoting prayer, and they are setting designated times for supplications to God for their wives and for their children! Mighty, godly, and confident men are realizing the supremacy of prayer as they become God’s vanguard of protection
over those in their care.
Men are commanded in Scripture to “pray, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting” (II Timothy 2:8). In this last day, men who love God supremely are empowered by the Lord to push back the forces of Satan away from their homes, schools, and communities!
The GATEKEEPERS Emerge
God’s Spirit moved in the heart of Neven Hooter, a young father of two, during a men’s conference in Louisiana. Neven is a Sunday school teacher who is faithful to God and church. He returned from the men’s conference to his local church in Minden, Louisiana, with a changed mind and a charged heart. Within his soul had been birthed a tremendous burden to pray more for his family and to lead other
young family men in the direction of persistent and consistent prayer for their families. With the support of his pastors, T. W Barnes and Gerald Trammell, he began organizing a men’s prayer group with prayer focus being set for their families. He named the group “GATEKEEPERS.”
With the permission of his pastors, Neven presented his burden to his fellow brothers at church one Sunday morning. He opened his soul and told of his desperate desire to see his children serve the Lord. He became vulnerable and confessed his neglect to fervently strive to lead his family into the spiritual dimension in which they should be led. He acknowledged he had left the spiritual part of the home mostly to his wife. His burden quickly caught fire in the hearts of men in the congregation, and they began meeting once a month to pray together, focusing on the needs of their families. Interest grew, and the
GATEKEEPERS began to meet every other Sunday morning at 8:00 A.M. However, as prayers began to be answered and enthusiasm escalated, they felt the burden to meet every Sunday morning for prayer. Not only do they pray for their families but also for their pastors, their children’s Sunday school teachers, and for a mighty move of God in the services of the given weekend.
For about three years now, each Sunday at 8:00 A.M. sharp, the GATEKEEPERS of the First Pentecostal Church in Minden, Louisiana, have gathered in the church dining room for a brief time of fellowship with some refreshments. From the dining room, they march stalwartly together through their children’s Sunday
school rooms, praying as they go. Unified in spirit and with oneness of purpose, they defy every evil spirit that would dare attack their beloved families. After praying through the educational building, the GATEKEEPERS move on to their pastors’ offices. They pray the power of God down upon their pastors, and then they enter the sanctuary for a session of prayer, praise, and worship focused toward the Sunday services.
The GATEKEEPERS’ emblem is an iron gate designed and built by Robert Myer, a loyal gatekeeper in the Minden church. The gate bears the emblem of the cross at the top of each post. The crosses symbolize the blood on the doorposts of the Israelite homes when they were about to be delivered from Egyptian bondage. When the death angel passed by, this blood on their doorposts spared the eldest Israelite child in the house from certain death! Through prayer the GATEKEEPERS apply the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross of Calvary, and the name of Jesus to the doorposts of their homes.
The Lord is very pleased with the faithfulness of these great men. God is honoring their prayers by preventing spiritual death from entering their homes to destroy their families’ faith in God.
Fruits of Prayer Power
Neven Hooter, GATEKEEPERS founder, had the joy of seeing his nine-year-old son, Jared, become the first one in his church to receive the Holy Ghost after GATEKEEPERS was organized! The second child to receive the Holy Ghost afterwards was Jessi Watson, the daughter of another devoted GATEKEEPER. God has put His approval upon the GATEKEEPERS’ genuine efforts to see their families saved! Statistics reveal that in the year of 1997 alone, 400,000 prescriptions for the mind-altering drug, Prozac, were prescribed for children of ages six to twelve. In view of these and other shocking facts, parents and teachers must take
seriously the training and teaching of young children in their homes, schools, and churches. GATEKEEPERS keep righteousness inside the walls of their homes and at the same time defy the forces of evil attempting to invade their homes!
For more information, those desiring to organize a GATEKEEPERS men’s prayer group in their local church are welcome to contact the GATEKEEPERS at the First United Pentecostal Church, Minden, Louisiana. Call (318) 377-8712, or email the author at fredipray@innersoft.net A GATEKEEPER will be happy to offer assistance.
GATEKEEPERS’ PRAYER FOCUS
Sunday Morning Prayer Focus The following is an outline of the prayer focus that the GATEKEEPERS consistently follow on each Sunday morning:
For Sunday School Classrooms:
1. They pray for their children’s minds, hearts, and souls to be opened to learn from the Word of God as it is taught that morning.
2. They pray the anointing of the Holy Ghost and the blessing of God upon the teachers who will minister to their children.
Prayer Focus for Pastors:
1. They focus their prayers on victory for their spiritual leaders. They pray the whole armor of God upon them as they minister to families in the church service.
2. They pray for the families of their spiritual leaders to be strong, healthy and blessed of the Lord for service in the kingdom of God. They pray against the attacks of the devil upon leadership and their families.
Prayer Focus for the Sanctuary:
They enter the sanctuary with thanksgiving in their hearts. They entertain a victorious spirit, rejoicing with worship and praise. In this atmosphere:
1. They renew the dedication of their families to the service of God.
2. They pray special anointing upon the Sunday services.
3. They pray for souls to be born into the kingdom of God through repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
It Doesn’t Stop There
The GATEKEEPERS do not stop with their own families and their local church congregation. They move out into the community. Before the beginning of the new school year, they go to every school in the area where their children will be in attendance.
There they surround the school and pray. One Sunday morning of each month is devoted to the schools. Different schools are selected each month until all the schools are covered with prayer.
The GATEKEEPERS leave their vehicles and surround the buildings. With Holy Ghost empowered prayer, they anoint the doors of the schools with oil and pray a blessing upon the schools. They pray for the safety of their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends. They pray for every teacher in that school. This happens on Sunday morning, so there is nobody around the school facilities to hinder their prayers in any way. Some of the public school teachers (several in the Minden church) in their area who have heard of the GATEKEEPERS prayers have adamantly requested of the GATEKEEPERS: “Please be sure you go pray at the school where I teach!” What a ministry of prayer!
Prayer Focus for Schools:
1. They pray for the school administrators and teachers to be divinely endowed with wisdom and strength. They pray for these teachers and administrators to obtain strength from God to stand firmly on godly principles and teach a curriculum that contains such principles.
2. They bless the schools.
3. They pray for the Lord to cause His angels to encamp around the schools for protection against satanic schemes to destroy their children.
4. They pray a spirit of peace upon all those attending the schools.
THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED BY THE APOSTOLIC MAN, SPRING, SUMMER 2001, PAGES 4,5,6. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH
PURPOSES ONLY.
