“My leadership at CIA will focus on setting and communicating priorities and demanding relentless execution. Above all will be a strict adherence to the CIA’s mission. We will collect intelligence – especially human intelligence – in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult. We will produce insightful, objective, all-source analysis, never allowing political or personal biases to cloud our judgment or infect our products. We will conduct covert action at the direction of the president, going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do. To the brave CIA officers listening around the world, if all of this sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference! If it doesn’t, then it’s time to find a new line of work.”

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On January 23, 2025, Vice President Vance officially swore in John Lee Ratcliffe as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He became President Trump’s second nominee to win Senate approval and was his second cabinet member. This was not Ratcliffe’s first time being nominated or serving alongside President Trump. In 2019, he was nominated for the Director of National Intelligence role, and after much scrutiny, he stepped down. However, President Trump renominated him, and on May 21, 2020, he was confirmed by the Senate as the Director of National Intelligence in the final months of Trump’s presidency, serving until January 2021. He was the principal intelligence advisor to President Trump and the leader of the intelligence community.

He is the first to serve in our nation’s highest intelligence positions. President Trump awarded Ratcliffe the National Security Medal, the highest honor for distinguished national security and intelligence achievement. He also received the Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Department of Defense for “Playing an integral role in multiple special operation successes and empowering the Secretary of Defense to make fully informed decisions to remove terrorists from the battlefield and keep the United States forces and the American people safe.”

An Early Love for Law and Government

John was raised in a family that valued public service; his parents were teachers. As the youngest of six children, he developed an interest in public service while he was young, which helped shape the path for his future. He demonstrated strong leadership skills at an early age. John received a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame in 1987. He obtained a doctoral degree in law from Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1989. After graduating, he worked as a private lawyer and federal prosecutor, known for his high prosecution rate, gaining valuable knowledge and experience in the legal system. 

Transition from Law to the Political Arena

John was elected for four consecutive two-year terms as Mayor of Heath, Texas, from 2004 to 2012. During that period, President George W. Bush appointed him the Chief of anti-terrorism and national security from 2004-2007, joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas in 2007. In 2008, he returned to law and partnered with former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to found Ashcroft Sutton Ratcliffe LLP, which provides legal advice for national and international security-related issues. 

In 2013, Ratcliffe announced his run in the Republican primary. He made history by defeating a seventeen-term incumbent, Congressman Ralph Hall. It was the first time in twenty years that a sitting republican congressman had been ousted in a primary election. Ratcliffe served as a U.S. Representative for the 4th Congressional District of Texas for five years, where he was a leading policymaker on national security issues from 2015 to 2020. From 2015 to 2019, he served on the Committee on Homeland Security and as chairman of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee. Ratcliffe made quite a name for himself as he committed himself to our nation’s security, cybersecurity, and protecting our infrastructure. 

Rising to the Occasion

Ratcliffe was present in the 2016 House Judiciary Committee hearings when he questioned former FBI Director James Comey about their lack of charges concerning Hillary’s email controversy.  In 2019, he was a Trump advisory team member questioning witnesses during his first impeachment attempt. He advanced investigations into Hunter Biden’s laptop scandal and harshly questioned former Special Counsel Robert Mueller at the House Judiciary Committee for his violation of the principles of the DOJ. In January 2020, he was assigned to President Trump’s impeachment team to prepare oral arguments and legal briefs. Ratcliffe was chosen due to his extensive legal background and effectiveness in the House and Judiciary Committees. 

Aside from an impressive tenure, Director John Ratcliffe is a father of two and a husband. He met his wife while attending the same law school.  While serving in Congress, he was regarded as one of the most conservative members. He is Catholic and believes it is a “fundamental right for Americans to follow their religious convictions (see Facebook).”  Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”  Director Ratcliffe has been chosen twice to lead in this capacity. May God use him to bring cleansing and structure to the C.I.A. 

How Can We Intercede?

Let’s be honest: Many Americans are unsure of our government’s three-letter agencies. People do not trust the CIA because of its past controversies. How can we intercede sincerely for an agency that operates in secrecy and espionage? Especially when we consider domestic wiretapping, surveillance of citizens, and questionable interrogations, just to name a few. If you don’t know where to begin, let’s start by interceding for the person who holds the highest office in said agency.

When Ratcliffe spoke during his confirmation hearing, he promised to prioritize the CIA’s mission and avoid political bias. 

• Pray that any agenda to politicize the CIA be unfruitful.
• Pray for wisdom for Director Ratcliffe, whether having to remove any corrupt members in our intelligence offices, and that God will raise people of integrity to fill the seats.

During his confirmation hearings, he also said the CIA needed to do a better job of staying ahead of global threats from Russia, Iran, drug cartels, terrorist organizations, and other adversaries.

• Pray that under Director Ratcliffe’s leadership and direction, the CIA will prioritize our nation’s safety, focusing on counterterrorism efforts.  
• Pray for insight and strategy on how to keep America safe from threats from abroad and on American soil. 

For several years, Ratcliffe has warned that China is the greatest threat to our national security.

“All of the threat streams that we have, from all aspects, militarily, economically, supply chain issues, foreign investment, technologically, cyber issues, cyber warfare, 5G, telecommunications — China is in all of those and they are the only country to be in that space and the only country that threatens America supremacy.”

Ratcliffe wrote an op-ed in the WSJ about how China influenced dozens of congress members and congressional aides. 

• Pray that if members of Congress willingly sold intel or partnered with the CCP in any way, it would be exposed. 

During his committee hearing, Ratcliffe advocated for stronger offensive measures against cyberattacks. He intends for the CIA to develop tools to address the threats. 

• Pray for advances in intelligence and tools to intercept cyberattacks before they happen. 
• Pray for exposure of evil, injustice, and accountability in the CIA and intelligence offices.
• Pray for Director Ratcliffe and his family and ask God to protect them from evil.

How are you praying for Director Ratcliffe? Share your prayers in the comments. 

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.