As Streams Renew the Desert
I received a word in early 2026 taken from Psalm 126:4: "Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert" (NLT).
Psalm 126 describes the emotions of the exiles as they returned to their land after many years. It was a surreal and joy-filled moment, but alas, the land was still in ruins.
I believe Psalm 126 is an invitation for us to step into a season of contending for the lost fortunes in our lives, families, and nations.
Contending for Lost Fortunes
In the account of Joshua and Caleb, we find that Caleb had been promised a particular piece of land, but alas, the plans to enter the Promised Land failed. Though Caleb grew old in the desert, his heart remained fiery, and about forty years later, he was still fully convinced of the promise.
When the Israelites finally took the Promised Land, Caleb said those famous words to Joshua: "Give me my mountain" (see Joshua 14:12–15). He had not forgotten the promise and pursued his mountain with conviction, because he knew it belonged to him. At eighty-five years old, he engaged in battle to claim the fortunes promised to him and his children.
Sometimes we stop contending too early. We accept less simply because we do not discern the warfare involved.
The Elevator Dream
I received an interesting dream about contending for our promises. In the dream, there was an elevator where people were going up and down all the time. They were going up to receive something but would come down with less than what they had expected. Sometimes they would come back with nothing.
They were hoping for things, but they were not fully convinced of what they were hoping for. They were using the elevator as if it were some sort of jackpot system, wishing for something, hoping for a win. Most of them came back with empty hands. (Photo via Pexels)
Someone I knew went up, and when they came down, I said, "Did you get everything? Because you need to insist on it." I was referring to the mindset of being fully convinced in order to take spiritual territory.
The people in the dream kept going up and down repeatedly in the elevator, wanting to receive something, but they were not truly convinced in their hearts. They kept trying, but they did not draw a line in the sand and stand firmly on what belonged to them.
The Mindset That Misses It
Prayer is not something we try. "Trying prayer" stops short of God. Interestingly in the dream, the elevator was suspended in the air, but it didn't make contact with Heaven. Don't be mistaken, God is closer than our skin; even a little child can receive breakthrough. It's only hard for two reasons: 1) we fail to comprehend Who we are talking to, or 2) we are double minded about what we are praying for.
Fully Convinced
When we come before the throne of grace, we enter with boldness and confidence in the blood. We don't just hope the shed blood of Jesus is enough; we know it is. The throne room of grace has no mixture. It is fully God. Scripture says we enter boldly (Hebrews 4:16).
There is a type of prayer that breaks through confusion, passivity, and demonic resistance. It is prayer rooted in conviction, clarity, and confidence in God's promises. This is not about many words or striving. It is about being fully persuaded.
The people in the elevator kept going up and down, almost like beggars, hoping they might receive something, wishing, but never receiving fully what the Lord wanted them to receive. But the one who enters boldly into the throne room of grace does not come with uncertainty. They come convinced of the price Christ paid for them, God's goodness, and with conviction of what He has spoken. When we are not fully convinced, we are stopping short in this "elevator," wishing and hoping for something. We are not fully entering in.
That is why Scripture says the double-minded person receives nothing. They stop short because they never fully believe.
"When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. (James 1:6–8 NIV) (Photo via Pexels)
The Warfare of Perseverance
There's a reason why we must be fully convinced. There is an enemy fighting against you and what God is doing in your life. The way we overcome that warfare is by being fully convinced of who we are in Christ, what God has told us, and what we are to pray for.
Daniel prayed with conviction and spiritual focus. He saw nothing for a season, because there was resistance in the spiritual realm. But he did not stop, because even though he saw nothing in the natural, he was still fully convinced (Daniel 10).
The Bible says that the violent take the Kingdom by force (Matthew 11:12). That's not fleshly aggression, but spiritual contending through enduring boldness and faith. There are things that belong to us in Christ that we have not accessed simply because we have remained uncertain, passive, or double minded.
In the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18), we read that Jesus told this parable so that people would not give up. Jesus knew what the result would be if we didn't give up! Persevering prayer is not about repetition. It's about an attitude—an attitude of a convinced mind and heart that comes when we truly understand what God has given us. When we know what is ours, we can stand on it with confidence. This is a form of perseverance.
How to Activate Your Faith
"Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert" (Psalm 126:4 NLT) is a powerful prayer.
But how can we see breakthrough if we have lost faith?
• Start by asking God to remind you what the "lost fortunes" are in your life.
• Ask Holy Spirit for promises in the Scriptures that connect with your situation.
• Ask Him to restore clear vision and faith to you like He did for His exiles.
• Now, using those Scriptures, declare, decree, and pray those promises.
Remember, prayer is heart attitude, not special words said in a special way. The prayer of faith is often short and simple. Human might doesn't bring the breakthrough but the power of the Spirit responding to our simple faith.
Rejoice and thank God!
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Mandy Adendorff
Email:Â click here
Website:Â www.mandyadendorff.com
Mandy Adendorff has passionately released the Kingdom at home and abroad for over thirty years. She has planted an equipping supernatural school in Connecticut, teaches and ministers prophetically, and authors numerous books. Mandy is an artist at her core, creating art that impacts the human spirit. When she was fifteen years old she encountered Jesus, but because she is Jewish, she hid her faith until the fire inside couldn't be contained anymore and she has been ministering ever since. Mandy, her husband Stuart, and their two daughters immigrated to the US from South Africa and are based in New England, USA.
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