Christy Johnston

A Changing of the Guard...

Christy Johnston

A Changing of the Guard...

A Changing of the Guard...

In my recent prayer times with the Lord, I have been sensing a seismic shift in the Spirit, and as I have been praying, I have been hearing these words, “There is a changing of the guard in My Church.” As I was asking the Holy Spirit what this means, I heard Him say, “I am leading My people back into intercession. I am removing the distractions and the unnecessary works; I am leading My Church to be a people of prayer once again.” 


I began to see a vision of a church service, where I was looking up close into one congregation which I knew represented His people across the earth. I saw about one hundred people in this gathering, and there was something strikingly different from the regular church services we are used to in the Western Church. The entire body of people, both men, women, and children were on their knees, even sprawled out flat on the ground, and they were each uniquely gripped in prayer. Gone was the typical and expected church ‘service’ that one might be used to, for the entire Church was in the grip of intercession, crying out in accordance with the cries of the Spirit of God. All I could think was, “This looks like the Church of Acts.” 


I could then see the Holy Spirit; He appeared like a large and mighty eagle hovering over the congregation. With wings outstretched wide over His Church, He was beating His wings as He hovered just above them. With every movement of His wings, a new wave of intercession would be birthed across His people, and I realized, the wind of His wings was releasing wave upon wave of intercession, prayers that were in accordance with His heart. Travails of prayer could be heard in unison with every beat of the eagle's wings. It was then that I noticed something was happening in the atmosphere around the congregation.

 

A fresh wind was beginning to pick up, a bit like a tornado, around them, but it was not destructive. It reminded me of the burning bush with Moses—a burning fire that didn’t singe one leaf on the tree. This tornado was beginning to form around the people through their intercession, yet, it was not causing any destruction in their midst, but rather, I noticed, their intercession grew wilder and more powerful. I then saw in this vision, an expanded bird’s eye view of the streets around the church. I noticed the Church was positioned in the middle of a dark and poverty-stricken neighborhood, the streets looked ‘war-torn’, covered in trash and run down. 


At first, I noticed these winds of intercession remained around the people in the building, however, as their cries continued to increase, and their prayers continued in travail, the wind began to move outside of the four walls and pick up momentum within the streets. Again, the wind was not destructive, but I began to see physical demons hiding in the shadows of the poverty-stricken streets, and at first, they could only hear the sound of the wind and it sent them into a wild panic. Then, as quick as the sound came, the wind soon followed. I saw these demons and recognized them as stronghold principalities over this particular region I was witnessing in the vision. They began to shriek in terror, running to and fro trying to escape the forces of this intercessional wind. I even saw one demon try and hold onto a trash can, desperately clinging to its ‘territory’, to no avail. The wind swept it away, and along with every other principality, they were blown into a chaotic tornado until each of them was no more. 


At this moment, I could still see the Church, in ongoing prayer, and I could see the mighty eagle of the Holy Spirit, continuing to beat His wings as He hovered over His people. Each beat of His wings, continued to release a new wave of prayer, followed by a new wind that at first swirled around His people, and then went forth into the communities around them. This was a wind that was setting all things right again, exposing darkness and unseating principalities. At that, the vision ended.

 

"For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind

And declares to man what are His thoughts,

He who makes dawn into darkness

And treads on the high places of the earth,

The Lord God of hosts is His name."

Amos 4:13

 

There is a Changing of the Guard.

Pondering over this, I kept thinking about the phrase I have been hearing in my spirit, “A changing of the guard.” When I was a girl of just five years old, my parents and I visited the United Kingdom, and the highlight of our trip for me was visiting Buckingham Palace, where I was hoping I would get to see the Queen. While I didn’t get a sighting of the Queen as I had hoped, we happened to arrive at the exact moment when we got to witness the Ceremony of the Changing of the Guard and I’ll forever remember it. According to the Royal Family website, “The Changing of the Guard ceremony marks the moment when the soldiers currently on duty, the Old Guard, exchange places with the New Guard.”

 

I believe we are about to see a new guard of intercession grip the hearts of God’s people across the earth, as the Lord is leading His people back into their positions as people of prayer. I believe this will come suddenly, where Pastors and leaders will become seized with the unction to lead their people into repentance and prayer. The religious spirits will be in an uproar because the Church is about to change guards, it won’t be “service as usual”, our gatherings will shift into a supernatural dimension where I can hear the people of God crying out in unison, “Holy Spirit, have Your way.” 


There is a new guard, a new order, and a shift that we are about to step into the throes of, and I encourage you, don’t resist this changing of the guard. To Church leaders and Pastors, I encourage you, to prepare for what the Spirit of God is doing—and be open to going where He leads—for it is not going to look anything like you had planned. The Holy Spirit is looking for a people He can rest upon in this hour, for a people who will be open to lay down their will and their plans, for a people He can birth this new wind of His Spirit through.

 

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

 

There is a sound coming, and it is about to break every sound barrier before it. There is a wind coming, and it is going to violently topple religious thinking and mindsets, it will unseat demon principalities and expose the hidden workings of darkness. He is longing to release this sound through you, His people. Are you ready? Are you willing? Are you surrendered? Don’t hold onto your plans tightly, be willing and pliable to surrender to His will and His way, for in this hour, there is a changing of the guard, and I can hear His wings beginning to beat.

 

"Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting." Acts 2:2





Sow a Seed

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

By Nate Johnston July 11, 2025
Inbetween what you were doing and what you are stepping into. Inbetween alignments you had and the tribe coming. Inbetween the last seasons revelation that sustained and carried you and the fresh oil coming from the crushing and warfare. Inbetween language and a message you knew fluently and a new sound in your belly you don’t yet recognise. Inbetween an old mantle that had to go and the mantle you don’t understand or know how to fully trust yet. Inbetween breaking and the incoming breakthrough.. Inbetween feeling exhausted and spiritually crashed, and the fresh fire and awakening stirring inside you. Inbetween the battlefield of your last season and the new day dawning. Inbetween the old wineskin and the fresh outpouring. Inbetween the funeral song and the full recovery. Inbetween the robbery and the recompense. And this is where the ground under your feet feels shaky. Because it’s the garden of gethsemane and instead of praying and prophesying you just want to sleep through it. You want to be anaesthetised instead of enduring the unknown. But I’m writing to you today to say.. ENGAGE! Wake up mighty church. For you aren’t lost. You are the way makers. The soldiers of the breach! And this is a moment where PRAYER and prophecy will unlock the way. Lift your voice mighty ones!
By Nate Johnston July 11, 2025
At first, stepping into a mantle feels unfamiliar and daunting. It’s like the moment that Elijah threw the mantle around Elisha. It was a moment of decision. It was a moment of knowing something needed to be let go. Something had to be forfeited that felt comfortable, that felt… normal. That felt effortless. And I believe that many right now are in this uncomfortable and awkward place where you’re holding on. This awkward and uncomfortable place where there’s something new on your shoulders, and it’s forcing you to a decision because you can’t hold both. You have this mantle, this activity, this assignment, this calling. You’ve been walking in that. You know how to do it well. You know how it operates. You know what it does. Yet there’s this strange sense you’re meant to burn it to the ground and move into something new that feels unfamiliar, that feels unusual, that even feels not like you. It feels like death to everything you’ve ever known about yourself and what you’re called to do. And it feels like a moment where you’re in this awkward place of deep surrender, heart circumcision, and having to yield and surrender all your plans and expectations to God. It’s a moment where the Lord is saying to you, “There’s something greater I have for you. I know it doesn’t make sense right now. I know this is not what you expected that I would put in your lap. Yet, this is what carries my glory. And today the Lord is saying, Will you choose me? Will you choose my glory? Will you choose to step into a greater mantle that’s going to lead you and your family forward for the days to come? Will you surrender your idea of your calling and your destiny? Will you lay down your dreams even to pick up mine? And as you do, I will cause you to flourish and thrive. I’ll cause you to expand to the left and to the right, where you’ve been living in survival, where you’ve been playing it safe, comfortable. This is your breakout. Place mantle upon your shoulders and watch me move mightily upon your life. It’s time to shift out of the dysfunction that’s been sitting there as you’ve been in autopilot, going through the motions. It’s time to step into that fresh mantle that comes with fresh authority, fresh power, and breakthrough. It’s going to break you out of the prison you don’t even know that you’ve been living in. And for those of you who are asking my advice on how to practically begin to step into this mantle, I would say to begin your day on your face before the Lord, just surrendering everything that’s in your hands and in your heart. If it feels painful, it might be that your identity has been wrapped up in your last season’s activity or in the pain and woundedness of things that happened or didn’t happen in your past season. This is also an opportunity just to lay it at the feet of Jesus. I believe the story of Elisha is so applicable for us now. We want a goodbye ceremony just like Elisha did wanting to say goodbye to his mother and father. We want to spend a season in grief, waving off the past season’s accomplishments and failures. It’s a season that is so seductively trying to keep us bound, when the Lord is actually saying right now, “Will you just shut the door?” Will you just shut the door, and will you step into what you don’t understand as a worship? It’s one of those moments where you just have to close your eyes and say, “Okay, Lord.” I know so many who are going through this right now. I’m going through this right now. I know pastors who are shifting into an apostolic grace. Prophets who are beginning to build things and do things that they never had on their radar. It’s a season where you don’t feel qualified for the thing that God’s calling you into. And you don’t feel anointed. But the ironic thing is you are anointed for it. You just don’t know how to operate in it yet. So my advice to you is: get before the Lord. It’s a threshing floor moment. Bring it before Him. Let Him take the old, and let Him begin to help you step into the new.
By Nate Johnston July 11, 2025
Inbetween what you were doing and what you are stepping into. Inbetween alignments you had and the tribe coming. Inbetween the last seasons revelation that sustained and carried you and the fresh oil coming from the crushing and warfare. Inbetween language and a message you knew fluently and a new sound in your belly you don’t yet recognise. Inbetween an old mantle that had to go and the mantle you don’t understand or know how to fully trust yet. Inbetween breaking and the incoming breakthrough.. Inbetween feeling exhausted and spiritually crashed, and the fresh fire and awakening stirring inside you. Inbetween the battlefield of your last season and the new day dawning. Inbetween the old wineskin and the fresh outpouring. Inbetween the funeral song and the full recovery. Inbetween the robbery and the recompense. And this is where the ground under your feet feels shaky. Because it’s the garden of gethsemane and instead of praying and prophesying you just want to sleep through it. You want to be anaesthetised instead of enduring the unknown. But I’m writing to you today to say.. ENGAGE! Wake up mighty church. For you aren’t lost. You are the way makers. The soldiers of the breach! And this is a moment where PRAYER and prophecy will unlock the way. Lift your voice mighty ones!
By Nate Johnston July 11, 2025
At first, stepping into a mantle feels unfamiliar and daunting. It’s like the moment that Elijah threw the mantle around Elisha. It was a moment of decision. It was a moment of knowing something needed to be let go. Something had to be forfeited that felt comfortable, that felt… normal. That felt effortless. And I believe that many right now are in this uncomfortable and awkward place where you’re holding on. This awkward and uncomfortable place where there’s something new on your shoulders, and it’s forcing you to a decision because you can’t hold both. You have this mantle, this activity, this assignment, this calling. You’ve been walking in that. You know how to do it well. You know how it operates. You know what it does. Yet there’s this strange sense you’re meant to burn it to the ground and move into something new that feels unfamiliar, that feels unusual, that even feels not like you. It feels like death to everything you’ve ever known about yourself and what you’re called to do. And it feels like a moment where you’re in this awkward place of deep surrender, heart circumcision, and having to yield and surrender all your plans and expectations to God. It’s a moment where the Lord is saying to you, “There’s something greater I have for you. I know it doesn’t make sense right now. I know this is not what you expected that I would put in your lap. Yet, this is what carries my glory. And today the Lord is saying, Will you choose me? Will you choose my glory? Will you choose to step into a greater mantle that’s going to lead you and your family forward for the days to come? Will you surrender your idea of your calling and your destiny? Will you lay down your dreams even to pick up mine? And as you do, I will cause you to flourish and thrive. I’ll cause you to expand to the left and to the right, where you’ve been living in survival, where you’ve been playing it safe, comfortable. This is your breakout. Place mantle upon your shoulders and watch me move mightily upon your life. It’s time to shift out of the dysfunction that’s been sitting there as you’ve been in autopilot, going through the motions. It’s time to step into that fresh mantle that comes with fresh authority, fresh power, and breakthrough. It’s going to break you out of the prison you don’t even know that you’ve been living in. And for those of you who are asking my advice on how to practically begin to step into this mantle, I would say to begin your day on your face before the Lord, just surrendering everything that’s in your hands and in your heart. If it feels painful, it might be that your identity has been wrapped up in your last season’s activity or in the pain and woundedness of things that happened or didn’t happen in your past season. This is also an opportunity just to lay it at the feet of Jesus. I believe the story of Elisha is so applicable for us now. We want a goodbye ceremony just like Elisha did wanting to say goodbye to his mother and father. We want to spend a season in grief, waving off the past season’s accomplishments and failures. It’s a season that is so seductively trying to keep us bound, when the Lord is actually saying right now, “Will you just shut the door?” Will you just shut the door, and will you step into what you don’t understand as a worship? It’s one of those moments where you just have to close your eyes and say, “Okay, Lord.” I know so many who are going through this right now. I’m going through this right now. I know pastors who are shifting into an apostolic grace. Prophets who are beginning to build things and do things that they never had on their radar. It’s a season where you don’t feel qualified for the thing that God’s calling you into. And you don’t feel anointed. But the ironic thing is you are anointed for it. You just don’t know how to operate in it yet. So my advice to you is: get before the Lord. It’s a threshing floor moment. Bring it before Him. Let Him take the old, and let Him begin to help you step into the new.
By Nate Johnston July 9, 2025
There are three key assignments at work trying to drain your strength in this season. Recognize them and resist them. The first is a shift in anointing and assignment. We’ve entered a new season where the grace, oil, and unction on your life have moved. What worked before no longer carries the same power, and trying to operate in past mantles or rushing into things prematurely will leave you feeling frustrated, depleted, and under unnecessary warfare. When God’s anointing isn’t on something, it drains you instead of refreshing you. Constant frustration, irritation, and exhaustion are signs that you’re out of alignment. Instead of rushing into action, take time to sit with God and discern what He’s doing now. There is a new mantle, a new message, and a new assignment resting on you. Pour your energy into discovering it in His presence. When you wait on His clarity, you’ll stop operating in trial and error and begin to walk with precision. This is not the time for hurried decisions. The enemy is manufacturing false urgency to pressure you into creating something from the flesh, not the Spirit. But God is never in a rush. If peace isn’t present, neither is His hand. Don’t move until there is clarity. Don’t be seduced into birthing an Ishmael. Wait on the Lord. The second assignment is the attack of familiar voices. As you step into something new, the enemy often uses familiar people and old soul ties to try to gain access. These voices may come under the guise of concern or reconnection, but in reality, they are distractions. They pull at your time, energy, and focus, trying to insert themselves into what God is building in your life. This is the same spirit that came after Nehemiah through Sanballat. Sanballat didn’t want to reconnect; he wanted to tear down what was being built. Nehemiah responded with, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” That must be your posture. The enemy is sending familiar spirits to break your focus and bait you into battles that aren’t yours. Not every voice from the past deserves a response. If you entertain the wrong conversations, you’ll lose momentum in your assignment. Guard your access points. Recognize the manipulation in disguise and don’t mistake surveillance for support. The third assignment is overload. The enemy wants to drain you by keeping you busy, overcommitted, and scattered. This includes saying yes to things outside your grace, getting caught in unnecessary drama, and pursuing good ideas instead of God’s instruction. We live in a world of nonstop information, social media, texts, videos, podcasts, and endless voices. Even spiritual content can become noise when consumed without discernment. This overexposure leads to confusion, decision fatigue, and spiritual numbness. If you don’t slow down and guard yourself, you’ll move out of intimacy with God. The enemy sends wild goose chases, gossip, and spiritual distractions to keep you exhausted and off-track. Guard your mental space right now. Protect your mind and what you feed on. Ask yourself, “What am I consuming that’s clouding my discernment?” If you’re feeling constantly tired, irritated, or foggy, it’s time to unplug and get still. The enemy knows that if he can slowly rob your peace, you’ll make a mistake. So, how do you avoid being drained by these assignments? Stay grounded in the secret place. Make time with God a daily priority. Wait for clarity before you move, and don’t let pressure push you. Discern God’s voice above the noise and set boundaries without apology. Protect your energy from old soul ties and manipulative conversations. Unplug. Stay focused on your assignment and don’t abandon your post for unnecessary battles. Learn to rest without guilt. Test every connection and make sure it brings peace, not confusion. If something pulls you away from clarity, it’s not from Him. And know you’re not crazy. Your job is to pause, discern, protect your oil, and stay aligned. He will take care of the rest.
By Nate Johnston July 7, 2025
Ok, this is a word for those who have been dealing with years of narcissistic robbery.. One of the most pervasive demonic assignments I’ve ever witnessed in my own life and in the lives of many believers is the Jezebelic assignment. It’s been normalized across the body of Christ and in the world, often labeled as narcissism or seen only as a psychological disorder, rather than a spiritually rooted one. Because of this, people don’t know how to discern it, confront it, or evict it. It has become more than a spiritual stronghold. It’s become a culture. A way of living, responding, and relating that is deeply destructive. I grew up in this environment, and I would say 90% of the body of Christ has, too. Culture enforces it. Our world, in many ways, is systemically narcissistic. It has caused deep bondage and emotional wounds, even manifesting as mental and physical illness over time. Last week, as I was sharing prophetic words, going live, and praying over people, we saw many healings break out, especially last Thursday night on our Vision Live. I’m still in awe of what God did. But as I was praying and asking the Lord how He wanted me to address the Jezebelic element, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw a garden that looked completely dead. Roses that had once bloomed were now black, shriveled, and decayed. The whole garden was poisoned. In the middle of it was a deep pit, and out of that pit grew a short, ugly tree. Its roots spread underneath the entire garden. It reminded me of The Secret Garden, a movie I loved as a child. I knew immediately that the dream was from the Lord. He was showing me how the Jezebelic spirit has poisoned the gardens of many believers. It’s been at the center of our spiritual lives, hidden beneath the surface. We’ve tried to tend the garden around it, but we’ve never dealt with the root. Last week, I spoke about catching the foxes from Song of Songs. We manage our pain around this spirit, but now God is saying: Enough is enough. I’m pulling it out. As I continued to pray, the Lord brought me to the story of Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21. In this passage, Jezebel conspired to steal Naboth’s inheritance so she could give it to Ahab. But Naboth refused to sell. His name in Hebrew means “fruits” or “produce” and is closely tied to the idea of prophetic fruitfulness, legacy, and inheritance. In one translation, it represents “prophecies and words” Naboth’s vineyard is symbolic of the prophetic call, the anointing, the promises, and the inheritance God has placed on your life. But the Jezebel spirit is a thief. It will lie, manipulate, gaslight, and even kill to rob you of that vineyard. Just like in my dream, it seeks to plant toxic roots in the very soil that was meant to bear fruit. It poisons what was meant to be pure. This is exactly what has happened to so many believers. You’ve been fighting invisible warfare against something that’s been spiritual all along. And every time you try to confront it, in churches, in relationships, in ministries, you get gaslit. You’re made to feel like the problem, when in fact, the spirit that’s been tolerated is the real issue. But the Lord is saying now: I am taking the root out. I am exposing it, and I am evicting it. That’s why it’s uncomfortable. That’s why everything feels like it’s coming to the surface. That’s why your mind has been under siege. Because a false foundation is being torn out, so a holy one can be laid. Then I heard the Lord say something that hit me deeply, and I believe it will hit your spirit too: “As I uproot this spirit from your life, you will not only be healed in your mind. You will be made whole in your body, your finances, your marriage, your family, and your destiny. I’m not just healing you, I’m reordering your life from beginning to end. I am restarting your prophetic timeline.” Let me say that again: God is restarting your prophetic timeline. Imagine that dead garden in your life, the one you thought was beyond recovery. Now imagine the root being pulled out, light returning, and life beginning to flourish again. That garden represents your prophetic call, your purpose, your destiny, and the words spoken over you. The things that felt delayed, blocked, or stuck will begin to move. Where there’s been no favor, favor will flow. Where doors were shut, doors will now open. You will reclaim your vineyard. God says, “I am reclaiming you. This is a Jubilee moment in your life. I am demanding repayment of the robbery of the Jezebel spirit. Everything stolen must be returned. Your inheritance, your health, your time, your voice, your clarity, your legacy, it’s all being reclaimed. I am giving you back the vineyard that was stolen.” Now let me pray: In the mighty name of Jesus, I command every Jezebelic assignment, every generational stronghold that has taken root in your life, to be uprooted now. Be broken from your heart, your calling, your destiny, and your mind. Be uprooted in Jesus’ name. I decree Jubilee over you. The Jezebel spirit is being overthrown. The vineyard is being reclaimed. Your prophetic garden is coming alive again. The delay is over. Cycles are breaking, and the play button has been hit. Your prophetic timeline starts again today. And finally, I release this charge to you. This moment will require courage. It will require boundaries. You will be called to confront some relationships, environments, and mentalities that have tolerated the spirit God is removing. It’s time to say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, “ and walk in it. No more compromise. No more confusion. No more being stuck and your destiny on hold. Your vineyard is yours again in Jesus' name!