Live Life Excessively!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, NASB)

Yesterday as I was participating in a webcast for Destiny Gateway, the host, Jess Bielby, referenced the above verse. When he did, I immediately heard the following in my spirit:

Satan comes to steal your purpose, kill your vision, and destroy your destiny.

Though the point that was being made and the teaching for the session went a different direction, this revelation had my attention. Last night, I began delving into understanding what this statement really meant.

First, I looked up the key words in the verse in their original language, per information in a Strong’s Concordance. Then I turned to “Merriam-Webster Unabridged” online dictionary for meanings of the English words. All definitions here are from those sources.

The word “steal” comes from the Greek word “kelpto” which means “to filch.” “Filch” is not a word that most of us use on a regular basis. It means “to steal furtively” or “to pilfer.” These are more words we don’t use every day. “Furtive” means “done by stealth.” “Pilfer” means “to steal in small quantities.” So, the phrase “the thief comes only to steal” really means that the ultimate thief, Satan, comes to pilfer from us, to steal from us a little bit at a time.

Adding the nugget that was dropped into my spirit today, it is our purpose that he seeks to pilfer. “Purpose” means “something that one sets before himself as an object to be attained : an end or aim to be kept in view in any plan, measure, exertion, or operation.”

Putting the two together, the demonic forces come by stealth to steal, a little at a time, gradually, so that we do not notice, that thing that we set before ourselves as the object we are to attain. Solomon warned us that it was “the little foxes that spoil the vines.” (Song of Solomon 2:15) It’s usually not the one, big blow that gets us; it’s the constant wearing away, little by little. The enemy whittles away at our purpose, until we lose sight of it; it is no longer “kept in view.”

As enemy forces whittle away on our purpose, they begin to move in to kill our vision. The word translated as “kill” is the Greek word “thuo” which means “to immolate [slaughter for any purpose].” “Immolate” means “to offer in sacrifice (as to a deity); especially to kill as a sacrificial victim.” It also means “to sacrifice or abnegate (as oneself) usually in the interests of some cause or objective.” To “abnegate” means “to surrender or relinquish (as a right, belief, or idea).”

What I had heard in my spirit was that the enemy comes to kill our vision. “Vision” is “something seen otherwise than by the ordinary sight : an imaginary, supernatural, or prophetic sight … especially: one that conveys a revelation.” It also means, “unusual discernment or foresight.”

What we have then is that the enemy forces come to take our vision, the imagine we hold through “unusual discernment or foresight” of what is to be, and offer it as a sacrifice to Satan – and we surrender our beliefs and ideas and allow them to be killed.

Having stolen our purpose and killed our vision, the result is the destruction of our destiny. The word used for destroy is “apollumi” and means “to destroy fully, literally or figuratively.” Satan is not out to simply thwart the fullness of our destiny; he wants “to destroy [it] fully.” Since Satan, formerly known as Lucifer, failed to fulfill his destiny, he wants to destroy the destiny of as many others as possible. As the old saying goes, “misery loves company.”

The term “destiny” has become a very common one in Christian circles that walk in present truth. The webcast I mentioned as the beginning is called Destiny Gateway. I attended a church for a couple of years which is part of a ministry called Destiny Ministries. This has become a common term. But what are we really saying when we talk about our destiny?

Strictly speaking, it is “that to which any person or thing is destined.” It speaks of our final destination. One meaning offered for “destination” is the “predetermined end, object, or use.” When we allow our purpose to be stolen and our vision to be killed, we will not reach our “predetermined end.”

If you are a strict Calvinist and believe that the end of all our lives is predetermined and that we have no control over the outcome, then you will not believe what I am saying. If, however, you believe that God has given us the ability to make decisions along the way that effect the course our life takes and its eventual outcome, then ponder this new way of viewing a very familiar verse. Satan is out to steal our purpose, little by little, until he can cause us to relinquish our vision, ultimately destroying our destiny – causing us to never fulfill that which we were created to be and do.

Fortunately, the verse does not end there.

The first portion of the verse is a warning of what can happen; the second half of the verse is a promise of a better end. Let’s look at this verse again.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

After stating the enemy’s plan for our life, Jesus states part of His own purpose. Jesus came – was born as a human being, lived a sinless life, was brutally killed as a sacrifice for all of our sins, died, spent three nights in the heart of the earth, was resurrected, and now makes intercession for us at the right hand of the Father, God – that we may “have life, and have it abundantly.”

The word used here is “perissos” and it comes from a word meaning “superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality)” The Greek word carries the implication of being excessive. Jesus’ plan for us is that we live a quality life, one that is superabundant to the point of seeming excessive.

All too often within Christian circles we have heard people chided or spoken of in less than flattering terms if they were prosperous and seemed to be “living in excess.” Yet, Jesus said that He came to provide us with a life that was overflowing in both quantity and quality, to the point of being excessive.

All of that is available to us, if we will heed His warning and remain vigilant to guard that which is of value to us – so that the thief cannot come and steal it all away from us, little by little, killing our vision and destroying our desire to attain that which we set out to do.

Peter exhorts us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because [our] adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV)

But, Praise God, we know that “… in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) Let us guard against the thief, so that we can live in the second portion of the verse: that we may “have life, and have it abundantly.”

Live life excessively!

Selah.

Glory Advance Conference - Wichita, KS - Part 4

For the purpose behind the Glory Advance Conference held September 24-26 in Wichita, see my previous post about it at Glory Advance Conference - Wichita, KS. The square brackets ([ ]) indicate my thoughts or additions to what was said. This final portion contains additional snippets from Chuck Pierce from the Friday evening service.

Chuck started by talking about how we entered a transition season in September 2007. He quoted, "Spring up, O well," and noted that the war was for Life and Water. He later commented that there will be wars over water in these 10 years. We are in a place these next 10 years of bringing change.

A well is [represents]:
- a spring
- a fountain
- a living fountain fed by a spring
- a pit or prison (dry cistern)

Spiritually:
- something contended for
- a difficult process that eventually release a life source
- something longed for
- a meeting place
- a place of feeding
- a place of prosperity
- salvation
- your heard
- life everlasting

Chuck exhorted us to Look Again! Some are still warring against things that are no longer there. Look Again at the atmosphere around you. [As for Kansas, the atmosphere here has shifted. We aren't totally where we need to be yet, but we have definitely made significant progress. I know the same is true in other areas/states. Unfortunately, there are still may states for which that is not yet true.] Now [because of the change in the spiritual atmosphere], Freedom Outposts will be established.

************
The Vision

Chuck then shared about the vision that he had in 2007 while at a meeting on Ellis Island. It started with the Lord showing him his only family seed that had come through that very gate into this country and some of what had transpired in his family line. Then, the vision expanded beyond "him" to the nation.

The Holy Spirit showed him 153 nations that have the opportunity to become sheep nations. [Reference Matthew 25:32. Realize that a nation being a "sheep" nation does not mean that all the people in that nation will be believers; but the majority will be and the government structure will operate righteously. Likewise, there will be true believers in every nation, even the goat nations.]

The Holy Spirit showed him each state in the United States of America. Each and every state had a gold, fiery river running through it. For some states, the river was larger and for some it was smaller. But every state had one of these rivers.

He was told that the river was God's "Triumphant Reserve for the Future." The river of people would go through a furnace or fire pot of power. When the people come out of the furnace, they were seven times stronger and purified. These empowered and purified people created "Freedom Outposts."

Not all states had a Freedom Outpost. Some states and several. Those who made up the Freedom Outposts know when to play the trump card. [By this he meant that you have to know when to hold your hand and not reveal what you have "up your sleeve" and when to lay the cards on the table, call the enemy's bluff, or play your trump card, if necessary. But the trump card should not be played frivolously. It must be saved for the right time. This goes with all that was said about "hearing" our way through this season.]

Chuck indicated that this troop of purified, empowered believers who make up these Freedom Outposts will "totally understand" the war they are going into. [They will know their God and do great exploits!]

The Triumphant Reserve in states that did not have Freedom Outposts will have to connect to those in other states. (He did note that just because there was not a Freedom Outpost in the state as he was shown it did not mean they could not develop one. There just isn't one there now. More work needs to be done in those states to shift them.)

Chuck indicated that he had seen that Obama would be elected [I believe he said] three years before the election. He has also seen that the American government would only remain in its current state for three years after he took office. In 2012, it will morph into something else.

Summary of what he saw about the states:
- Every state had a Triumphant Reserve.
- Not every state had a freedom outpost.
- Covenant root in some states did not exist.
- Covenant root in some states is producing fruit.
- Covenant root in some states had been overlayed with layers of darkness - so much so that the root, itself, has become dark. In these cases, there is a form of religion totally deceiving those in that state. They do not see it.
- There was a movement of God in every state.

Chuck defined a "Covenant State" in the following way:
- One which welcomes the Jews and recognizes Israel's role in the earth.
- One which has determined to reconcile issues with the First Peoples of the land [Native Americans].
- One where an altar of worship has been established (night watches, 24x7 prayer & praise, first fruit gatherings, prayer watches, etc.).
- One where the Holy Spirit has been welcomed and been free to move.
- One where the apostolic leadership recognizes and wars with prophetic revelation. [I interpreted this to mean one in which the apostolic and prophetic are connected and working together governmentally within the state or region.]
- One which has been staked and dedicated to the Lord for His glory to come.

He said the Lord told him, "My people are misjudging the way I see this nation."

Chuck indicated that Florida [my home state] has a glory root. However, there is "a black highway" that runs through it up into Georgia. He believed this is probably Muslim traffic that is going back and forth between those states.

He saw that in Kansas God is raising a tent toward heaven over the state. It is higher on the east side of the state. (He indicated that is because that is where the entrance is.)

Kansas has LOTS of Freedom Outposts. [Hallelujah!] These indicate new wineskins for the future. When people come into the Freedom Outposts, their cellular structure will change. The atmosphere in the Freedom Outposts will melt apathy off those who enter.

But, there was a black root in Kansas. It is a Religious spirit and has captured all the other roots. The Church in Kansas is not making the root come back alive. We are not functioning as Kingdom people. This root is the most evil religious root of any state. Kansas has the potential of being the glory hub of the nation, but it must deal with this evil root. Chuck saw the glory being contained (held captive) in something that looked like a brass casing or tarnished cooper. It encased the glory and was held shut by a lock and key.

[This was particularly interesting to me. I can remember back more than a decade ago expressing to people both here in Kansas and elsewhere about the strength of two spirits here - Jezebel and the Religious spirit. When I would talk to others elsewhere, most had the attitude of "yeah, here too." But having lived or worked in various states, I KNEW this was much stronger than anything I had encountered in those. Since we are a prophet state, there is no wonder that the Jezebel spirit contended so hard against us; but the Religious spirit seemed even stronger here. So, Chuck's comments here encouraged me that I "had seen what I had seen" and knew what I knew. Obviously, we still have some work to do to dethrone this demonic structure.]

Every state had thrones contending for the land. [We must contend, if we want to possess it.]

************

The vision Chuck saw showed things through 2012. He warned that if we do not handle these issues correctly, the nation will shift incorrectly.

"Reformed Judaism" was brought to Kansas by settlers who founded Beersheba, KS. Their beliefs were a departure from traditional Jewish beliefs and customs.

[About Beersheba, KS: "In 1882 the first Jewish agricultural colony in Kansas was established when some 60 recently arrived Jewish immigrants from Russia, sponsored by the Hebrew Union Agricultural Society. They settled northeast Beersheba along Pawnee Creek. Named for the ancient city of Beersheba, the colony stretched over several sections of land, each family homesteading 150 acres. ... A decade after the colony was established, none of the colonists remained and the land reverted to prairie." (Link to Source)]

[About Reformed Judaism: "Reform Judaism affirms 'the fundamental principle of Liberalism: that the individual will approach this body of 'mitzvot' and 'minhagim' in the spirit of freedom and choice. Traditionally Israel started with 'harut', the commandment engraved upon the Tablets, which then became freedom. The Reform Jew starts with 'herut', the freedom to decide what will be 'harut' - engraved upon the personal Tablets of his life.'" (Link to Source)]

Final Comments

We cannot win the war we are entering by trying to change the Church. We will have to do it from the outside [from outside the "four walls" of the traditional "church" as we have known and called it].

The Spirit of God is hovering, brooding over Kansas. This spills over into Missouri, particularly around St. Joe. God is going to deal with Kansas.

The next two years, God will confront the religious structures of this state.

Chuck mention, specifically, the cities of Liberal, Salina, Topeka, Garden City and Dodge City. He indicated there would be a meeting in the center of Topeka [Kansas state capitol] that will shake the state. He said there was a hidden, evil structure between Garden City and Dodge City. He warned that evil would rise up in Dodge City to content with His purpose for that city (area) and that the issues would be in the national news. He indicated that Kansas City has now fallen behind.

Chuck concluded with a word of prophecy for Kansas. God said, "You have reconciled the land. Now I will deal with the root."

During the time following the message, Chuck saw an angel up over the platform area. He had a turban around his head. He said, "I will cause you to change your way of thinking."


[There was MUCH more. To get it "all" you will need to get the messages on DVD/CD/MP3 and listen to them repeatedly. I have just capture some of the highlights & key points.]

Glory Advance Conference - Wichita, KS - Part 3

For the purpose behind the Glory Advance Conference held September 24-26 in Wichita, see my previous post about it at Glory Advance Conference - Wichita, KS. These notes are from three different sessions in which Dutch Sheets continued on a single message - "New." Again, the square brackets ([ ]) indicate my thoughts or additions to what was said.

New

In the passage in Matthew 9:17, the Greek word "neos" means numerically new. [It also means "fresh" or "regenerated." The wineskin had to be either new or "fresh."] Dutch noted that the Wine [God] isn't going to change; the skin that holds it [we] must. He also noted that we will be stretched in amazing ways. If there is anything that locks us into the past, then we are an old wineskin.

When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 and she referred to the water in the well, the word she used was the word for cistern [phrear]. Yet Jesus was talking about water that bubbles up, like an artesian well [pege]. The water in the cistern is old water. It is good when we need it and sometimes we need to drink from the there [the old truths]. But we need to begin to drink from the artesian well.


New Glory

There is a new level of glory being poured out in Kansas that will go to the nations. That is more than a cloud or a mist in a room. The Hebrew word means "weighty" or "heavy." [God's glory is a weighty presence.] The Greek word means "the appearance of something that causes it to be recognized for what it is."

There is a very weighty government of God about to descend in this region. When it does, nothing can withstand it.

It is a fearful thing when God releases His glory. The glory of God is like a magnet - people are either attracted to it or repelled by it.

The passage in Acts 5:15 that talks about people bringing the sick so that Peter's shadow could fall on them actually refers to them being overshadowed [episkiazo - "to cast a shadow upon, to envelope in a haze of brilliancy"]. The word that is used in this passage is the same word used in Luke 1:35 when the power of God "overshadowed" Mary and she conceived the Son of God. [It was the tangible presence of God that enveloped him that touched people and caused them to made well or whole.]

Dutch prophesied that the presence of God would so hover in Wichita that people will drive in the city limits and get healed. They will also get born again and spirit filled just by coming into that weighty presence of the Lord. Some of them will not even know what has happened to them; someone will have to explain it to them [after it has occurred].


New Wells

The discussion of wells and re-digging wells is in Genesis 21 & 26. The name used for God is a name that means "forever in both directions" [past & future] or "everlasting." [God is the God of our past as well as of the present and future.]

In Genesis 26, God takes Isaac back to the same situation faced by his father, Abraham. Like Abraham, Isaac claims that Rebekah is his sister, rather than his wife, fearing they would kill him to have her. Both were more interested in saving themselves than in what might happen to their wives. God had to get that root of iniquity out of Isaac before taking him forward.

After dealing with that root, Isaac then returned to re-dig wells that had been dug by his father, plus some new wells. God had to take Isaac back to deal with the old issues before He could bring him into a new, broader place.


New Places in the Spirit

The meaning of the word "Hebrew" is "crossover." God called Abram a Hebrew because he was willing to go out and cross over to a new place. This is the same word [abar] that is used in Genesis 15 when God descended as a smoking oven and flaming torch and "passed between" the pieces of the sacrifice to make covenant with Abraham.

It's a Caleb season. God has a new place of inheritance, a new place of experience [in Him]. Caleb didn't want the mountain because he liked the city at the top. He wanted the mountain because he hated the giant who ruled it. He knew it did not belong under his rule and he wanted him out. He took the mountain and renamed it Hebron - "the place of frienship" [with God]. It became a city of refuge. Wichita will become the same.


New Generation

A new generation is arising; the most prophetic generaion ever. They will write new songs and new laws. They will not just do signs & wonders; they will be signs & wonders. They will be the first 5-fold generation. They will understand worship & warfare. They do not yet know who they are (prophets & apostles), but God will blow a wind and gather them. They know they are unhappy, unfulfilled and have not yet tapped into their purpose. They will release a new sound we have never heard. Very soon, the sound will become a roar. It will be the call of the wild - wild worshipping warriors. God says, "I will call them to the wilderness."

This is a season of fulfillment of many visions. Be careful. Do not try to think your way through this season. We must "hear" our way through it.


New Level of Revelation

A Spirit of Revelation is coming to those who will break out of the old and get ready for the new. We are coming into a new season of open heavens.


* * * * * *
"I am going to build new places for My glory."

David was allowed "to break the rules" when it came to building a tent for the ark of the covenant. It was no longer housed in the tent of the tabernacle built by Moses, but was made more accessible. However, David did not get away with breaking the protocol of how to carry it [how to carry the presence of God]. The ark [the presence of God] had to be carried by people (the priests). [His presence still has to be carried by His people - those who are priests unto Him.]
* * * * * *


New Season

The new season brings new vision and new messages. Usually, a new season [of release] is preceded by a wilderness experience.

God had given Dutch a word that said, "Marry the mantles of the past to today ... and don't be afraid to strike the waters." [When you move into the new, you do not throw away all the things of the past. Some are there to be built upon and expanded.]


New Structures

New structures are coming. Quit trying to "go to church," "build the church," "do church," etc. We are the Church and we need to just "be" the Church. This revelation will create a war in the Church. Quit going to an event called "church" that isn't doing anything.

Pastors and heads of ministries need to move from "mine" to "ours," from "I" to "we," and from both of those to "His"!

We need to build around the desire of the King, not the needs of the people.


New Level of Harvest

Dream the dream with Him for America [or your nation]. Dream the dream with him for your state [or your region].


New Dreaming Season

It's a new dreaming season. Dream again.

Jacob got the dream at Bethel. But Jacob was conquered at Penuel when he wrestled with God and saw Him face to face. However, three chapters later, God directs Jacob [now Israel] to go back and live at Bethel [the place where he had the dream, the place of the open heaven, and the place where Jacob made his vow to serve God (if God blessed him).]

Dutch ended by exhorting us to dream about an America that is transformed.


[NOTE: Dutch had indicated he had 11 points. Due to time restrictions, he only made it through nine of them, and some of those he only touched on breifly. That is why there are only a couple of sentences on some of these.]

Glory Advance Conference - Wichita, KS - Part 2

For the purpose behind the Glory Advance Conference held September 24-26 in Wichita, see my previous post about it at Glory Advance Conference - Wichita, KS. These notes are from the Friday morning session. Again, the square brackets ([ ]) indicate my thoughts or additions to what was said. Much of what is recorded are snippets (or "nuggets" as we often call them). If you've ever tried to take notes when Chuck Pierce is ministering, you understand why!

NOTE: This conference was, in part, for and about Kansas. However, it was also, in part, about what God is planning for our nation. Reference the quote from the prophetic word that was the catalyst for the conference: "My Glory will overwhelm this state and move this nation into a new role of awakening. … There will be a national gathering in Kansas … words will be spoken that will commission the remnant to make its move." So, please do not discount what was said here just because you do not live in Kansas.

Chuck Pierce started the Friday morning session. He declared that it is "a time for the radiance and brilliance of heaven to enter earth's realm!"

With the transition into a new year on the Jewish calendar last fall, we moved from the year of New Beginnings (5768 - 2008AD) to a time of Tasting, Seeing, Judging, and Bringing Forth (5769 - 2009AD). Now, we are moving into a season of Redigging or Digging New Wells (5770 - 2110). We are shifting from redigging old wells to digging new wells. Sometimes we have to uncover what "has been" (previously) to move to the new.

Now is the time to move:
- from destructive workings and old cycles,
- from emotional instability,
- from the flesh war, (demon forces will inhabit flesh; therefore, flesh is your enemy)
- into the war of the season ahead, and
- into the building plan for the future.

Chuck noted that (in general), the Church did not want to pastor the prophetic; so the world did. [That's why we see the rise in mediums and fortune tellers and so may TV shows and movies that focus on the supernatural from the dark side.]

It is time for our nation to begin again. He reminded us that a nation can come forth in a day. (Isaiah 66:8)

He warned that the next 10 years are not all bright; but they will be the most supernatural we have ever experienced. [Could it be that the supernatural will be more prevalent because we are in situations that require it?]

This year sets [the course for] the next 10 years. We are not going back around the same mountain. We will be extending something you completed in the last season into a testimony.

The Hebrew letter for 70 represents the following:
- Looks like two serpents - represents a double portion occult season in next 10 years.
- Looks like a water witch - will find resources in the ground.
- Single eye - the structure of the free masons will morph; many will be delivered; because the church will quit being "a secret society."
- Hand of man reaching up to God & Him taking hold. God will send new intersections. We will start taking new turns. The ground we couldn't break in the last season will be broken in the new season.

"AYIN" - Hebrew for 70
- Eye - seeing eye to eye, seeing face to face; to look, to look again. When we "look again," we will see things a different way.
- Appearance or Aperture (like a camera lens opening & shutting quickly). There will be flashes of revelation. Chuck exhorted us to keep a paper and pen handy [or you favorite recording device :)]. Trauma works the same way. [The picture of the incident is imprinted in our brains instantly.] God's flashes will dissolve trauma supernaturally. We will see demons - see what has been trailing us or blocking our way. Once we see it, we own it [meaning that we can then effectively deal with getting rid of it].
- To bud
- To sparkle or gleam
- A spring or fountain
- To go into a matter deeply
- To form a ladder and climb
- A time to such or nurture
- To vex - vexation working against us. We must move from understanding to a place of moving by the Spirit. We will become a new threshing instrument to break the ground.

The meeting was then turned over to Dutch Sheets. He started teaching on "New." It took three sessions for him to get through nine of eleven points. I will summarize those in another post.

Glory Advance Conference – Wichita, Kansas

At a conference in Lawrence, Kansas, in November of 2008, Chuck Pierce spoke this word to the state of Kansas, "My Glory will overwhelm this state and move this nation into a new role of awakening. … There will be a national gathering in Kansas … words will be spoken that will commission the remnant to make its move."

Another portion of the word indicated that there was to be a national conference held in Wichita, KS, the following year and that it would be the beginning of the release of God’s glory not just to Kansas, but to our nation. This is that year. And this conference is that conference. Following is a synopsis of what was spoken this evening at the first service of this conference. My personal comments about what was said are included with square brackets ([ ]).

Early in the service, Chuck Pierce saw twelve (12) pieces of a mantle that had been over this nation but had been ripped apart into the 12 pieces “fly” into the auditorium. He said that God was going to reconnect it and remantle us in this nation. He indicated that we needed to pray for the wind from the north, south, east & west to blow upon it and cause it to come back together.

[Of course, 12 is the number of government. My sense was that this spoke of God’s government being restored to the His Church.]

Barbara Wentroble then declared Isaiah 54:2. “’Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.’” She began to prophesy to Kansas from that passage.

[This was a scripture that God gave me when I moved to Kansas. I can remember reading Isaiah 54 over and over when I was first here – even in the hotel before I had moved into my first residence – and particularly this verse, asking what He was trying to tell me. I felt like tonight He said, “Now is the time.” Little did I know when I moved here it would be 24+ years before I got to the “now” part!]

Chuck Pierce then directed the worship team to begin to sing and direct the wind to blow the mantle back together, which they did.

Barbara Wentroble brought the message for the evening. She began by talking briefly about the spiritual history of Kansas. She talked about Charles Parham and how one of his young students asked to receive the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues on New Year’s Day, 1901, in Topeka, KS. She mentioned his most well-known student, William Seymour. She talked about the impact of both Parham and Seymour and the birthing of the modern-day Pentecostal movement. But ,she also told about how they had been run out of the state of Kansas. Kansas rejected (aborted) what God wanted to do here. She talked about how, over the years, Wichita had become known as “the pastor’s graveyard” due to the number of failed churches and ministries here. And she touched on the issue against which we had struggled so long here, abortion.

Barbara then called one of the local pastors, Bubby Hudson, up to share something he had shared with her earlier in the day. In a book by Tommy Welchel, he tells the stories told to him by men and women who were children or teenagers that were part of the Azusa Street Revival at Seymour’s church in southern California. Included in the back of the book is a prophecy in which Seymour spoke of a revival to come 100 years later. That prophecy was given in 1908 or 1909. He said that 2008 would be a year of preparation and that a revival would begin in late 2009 and into 2010 that would never end. He indicated that this revival would bring the former rain and that latter rain together.

[In spite of being a student of church history, and particularly of what happened in Topeka & Azusa street, I had never heard about this prophecy. I will be getting a copy of the book, to read it exactly as recorded.
I was reminded of Jon Huss who had prophesied that, though he was martyred, there would arise another in 100 years that could not be stopped. Of course, Martin Luther was the fulfillment of that word, and the Protestant Reformation was started. I had the same sense about this “100 year” prophecy. I felt that the revival God attempted to start in 1901 at Topeka and then in 1906-1910 or so on Azusa Street veered off course in some ways and never reached its full potential. Now, as prophesied, 100 years later a move would start that would not be stopped. As one who has been crying out for Reformation, I grabbed this as encouragement that a second Reformation is beginning. Bill Hamon decreed last fall (end of 2008) and we would look back and mark that time as when it began. That would line up with this word that 2008 was the preparation for the beginning of this revival, awakening, reformation … or whatever term you choose to use.]

Chuck began to prophesy that this meeting would be looked back on as the time when the Former Rain began. He said what would begin to happen would be called the Former Rain because it would be the beginning of a rain that would last for the next 100 years. So the Latter Rains would come much later.

Barbara continued, saying that this is a hour that God is hovering over this state (Kansas). God wants to come and visit this state in a new way. She indicated that by hovering over it, God was overshadowing Kansas, just as His Spirit overshadowed Mary and caused her to conceive. She indicated that conceptions are about to take place and that before we left this evening, God would impart the power and strength to bring it to birth and to deliver it safely. There season of spiritual abortions and miscarriages in Kansas is ended.

She talked about the fact that the Day of the Lord means destruction to God’s enemies, but it means deliverance to God’s friends. She said that God wants to bring His glory cloud into this state. He also wants to release His glory on the inside of us. (Reference Hebrews 3:3, Psalm 104:3 & Isaiah 19:1.) God has come to hover over you to bring His glory to you, individually, as well.

Barbara prophesied that God will raise up Healing Centers all over the state. People will come not only from other states, but other nations to be healed. Even in a time when the medical field will be in great confusion and not have the resources or answers, God will equip us to minister healing. But it will not be the kind of healing ministries we have known before. It will not be based on methods or formulas. It will be based on hearing what the Spirit of God is saying. There will be times when a whole room of people will all be healed without being prayed for individually. God will also use us to heal not only people, but cities. There will also be reports of people being raised from the dead. God released a life-giving spirit to us (to replace the spirit of death that had been entrenched here for so long).

[I received a word from the Lord in November 1997 that indicated basically the same thing about Healing Centers here in Wichita. This expanded them to other places in the state.
Because I have “seen” the raising of the dead happening with my spiritual eye since I was a teenager, I recently worked with a friend on a book that she wrote about raising the dead. (Church, Come Forth! by Diane Morrison) So, I say, “Yes” and “Amen” to hearing those reports … and even being involved in bringing them about.]

Chuck also prophesied that the spirit of fear that had come on many due to the errors or excessive of past moves was being broken off to free people to move into the new thing God is doing.

Then there was time of anointing and impartation by Barbara Wentroble for imparting a breaking anointing and the strength to see that which was conceived brought to birth.
Wow! And this was only the first service!!

Are signs following us ... or are we following after signs?

In a recent conversation with some friends in ministry, we were talking about our desire to see more of the power of God operating through us and others. I think we all want that.

I know I for one want to be like Paul when he states, "my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." (1 Cor 2:4-5)

Notice Paul's emphasis was on delivering the message of the gospel in a way that it would impact.

In Mark 16:15-19 we have another familiar passage to which we commonly refer as "the great commission." It was a final directive from Christ just before he ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father.

"And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.' So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."

What I want to draw attention to is the following verse:

"And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed." (Mark 16:20)

Did you catch that? They preached & the Lord worked with them to confirm the Word by the signs that followed the preaching of the Word.

Again, I want to see more of the fruit of this in my life - where the Word that is preached is being confirmed by the signs that follow.

While I think most of you are probably in agreement with this - wanting to see more of the same in your own lives and ministries - there is a movement out there that seems to be more focused on the signs than they are on the Word that they are sent to confirm.

I think Matt Sorger really nailed this issue in his article "Just Show Me the 'Stuff'!"

Here are a few excerpts:

• "I love the prophetic. I love the supernatural. But the moment we start wanting signs without the Word of God, we are in trouble. And this is what I have been seeing."
• "Signs follow the preaching of the Word. If you become a sign-seeker apart from the Word of God, you will not be grounded, and if you are in ministry, you will build an unhealthy and weak foundation in other people's lives as well as your own."
• "The sign I am most after these days is the sign of a life transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to see people hungry to truly apply the Word of God to their lives—not desiring simply to hear something new but to put into practice what they already know."
• "I want to see people walking in love. I want to see people living righteously. I want to see people knowing who they are in Christ so the devil can't continually beat them up."
• "A sign without the Word points nowhere."
• "Never neglect God's Word. It has the power to change your life."

If you haven't already read it, go check out the full article ... Just Show Me the 'Stuff'!

Doing Things God's Way

In 1 Chronicles 13 we read about David's desire to "bring back the ark of our God" to the people of Israel. From the account of the story recorded for us, it appears that David's heart and intent in doing this were right in every way. He starts by consulting his leaders and checking to be sure his plan is "from the LORD."

¹Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, even with every leader.
²David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they may meet with us;
³and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul."

The people are in agreement with his plan.

⁴Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

So far, so good.

And the plan begans to develop.

David assembled all the people of Israel and they all go to Kiriath-jearim in Judah to bring the ark of God back to Jerusalem. The distance from Kiriath-jearim to Jerusalem was about 10 miles (probably less). So, all the people went out to Kiriath-jearim and were to come back with the ark. What a procession this must have been! It must have looked much like when they would move, by tribes, from place to place in the wilderness during the 40 years they spent there.

⁵So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
⁶David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called.

But, here's where the trouble begins to set in for what was supposed to be a wonderful celebration. This one brief statement reveals "trouble ahead!"

⁷They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.

For now, let's continue with the story ... remember, this was a celebration for all of Israel as they were bringing the ark of the LORD back to Jerusalem for all the people.

⁸David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets.

The party is in full force. David and the people are exuberant. Finally, they can celebrate before the ark of the LORD again. Everything is going well. It's all going just as planned. UNTIL ...

⁹When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it.

No big deal. The oxen had probably stepped in a hole or something. But Uzza and Ahio were close by, watching over it. So Uzza steadied the ark to make sure it didn't fall. "No biggie."

EXCEPT, it apparently WAS a "biggie" to God!

¹⁰The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.

Whoa! Wasn't that a little extreme, God? That really wasn't very "seeker-sensitive," God! After all, we all came out to "seek" You and Your presence, "for we did not seek it in the days of Saul," and this is how You treat us? That's apparently how David felt. He actually became angry.

¹¹Then David became angry because of the LORD'S outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza to this day.

So David became "afraid of God" and ended the party. He "parked" the ark at the nearby house of Obed-edom and he and the people all went home. What was to be a great celebration ended with the death of Uzza.

¹²David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God home to me?"
¹³So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
¹⁴Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months; and the LORD blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had.

This passage of scripture often leads to a number of questions.

• Why did God kill Uzza?
• Why did David get angry about it?
• Why did David "park the ark" at Obed-edom's house?

Then, life continues in Israel. The next chapter talks about Hiram king of Tyre sending cedars and carpenters and masons to David to build a house for him. It talks about David "enlarging" his family with more wives and children. And it talks of a major battle with the Philistines. Life went on.

But David was not content. He still wanted to "bring back the ark of our God" to the people of Israel. So, by the next chapter (1 Chronicles 15), David's focus returns to that objective.

¹Now David built houses for himself in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

But this time, David was going to go about it rightly.

²Then David said, "No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever."

Here's a key...

David knew how the ark was supposed to be transported. This was not a new revelation to him. He knew this before he had gone out the first time. As did all the people with him - especially the priests. They all knew how the ark was supposed to be handled.

But, somewhere along the way, it seemed like a good idea to just put this on a cart and let the oxen pull it. That was so much easier than having to carry it all the way back. After all, it was 10 miles. Just walking 10 miles takes a while, much less carrying the ark that far.

Lesson #1:
When God has given direction on how to do something, trying to do it any other way is sin. It is a direct violation of His direction.

David knew that. He knew that was why God killed Uzza. He knew that Uzza took the wrath of God that was directed towards all of them.

¹³"Because you did not carry it at the first, the LORD our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance."

Lesson #2:
God's definition of "seeker-sensitive" is the seeker being sensitive to His ways!

On with the story...

Once again, David assembled the people. But this time David and the Levites went about the task properly. This time, he went to the priests and, specifically, the Levites. It instructed them to consecrate themselves and prepare to carry the ark - which represents the presence of the LORD.

³And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place which he had prepared for it.
⁴David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

...

¹¹Then David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab,
¹²and said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites; consecrate yourselves both you and your relatives, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place that I have prepared for it.

The priests and Levites understood this. They "knew the rules" for carrying the ark. This time, they prepared themselves and they carried it properly.

¹⁴So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
¹⁵The sons of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles thereon, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.

David was still intent on doing this with a celebration - with singing and rejoicing before the Lord.

¹⁶Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.

This time it is David, the elders of Israel, and the captains of thousands who went with the priests to make the trip from Obed-edom's house back to Jerusalem with the ark. Apparently, the others waited in Jerusalem for them to return.

²⁵So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with joy.

Now that they were doing things God's way, things went much better. (Selah! How many times have we all been through that lesson?)

²⁶Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

This time even David was dressed in priestly attire. His "fear of the Lord" from the first attempt had caused him to respect God's way and not take the matter lightly.

²⁷Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. David also wore an ephod of linen.

And this time the mission was accomplished.

²⁸Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres.

And we reach the end of the story.
But, let's return to the three questions posed earlier.

Why did God kill Uzza? - Because Uzza, David, all the priests and really all the people knew that the ark was not to be carried on an ox cart. They also knew it had been designed to be moved without having to be touched. They all, including Uzza, knew better than to do what they were doing that day. They thought they could worship God on their terms, in the way they chose. They were wrong. God is still a Holy God - and it would do us well to always remember that.

Why did David get angry about it? - Likely, David was more angry with himself than anyone else. David knew that he had set Uzza up to be killed by putting him in a position he should not have been in. If the ark was being carried in the manner clearly defined by God at the time it was built, this would not have happened. David knew he was ultimately responsible for Uzza's death.

Thankfully, we do not often see God strike someone dead as He did Uzza. However, I wonder how many tmies we have experienced the wrath of His displeasure in lesser ways. (I'll skate out a little further on this ice ...) I wonder how man times we have followed the instructions of a leader, spiritual or otherwise, and done something we knew to be improper. Learn a lesson from Uzza.

Lesson #3:
Doing something wrong will cost you much more than it will cost the person who told you to do it - regardless of their position or level of authority.

Why did David "park the ark" at Obed-edom's house? - In my opinion, that was the wisest course of action at that point. When you realize you are going down a wrong path, even if the end goal is a good (right) one, STOP. And stop IMMEDIATELY.

Lesson #4:
When you start on a mission and you realize you have the right mission but the wrong method, STOP - preferably before anyone gets killed!

That's what David did. He realized that objective was right, but the method was wrong. David "stopped the train" - even though "the train" consisted of the whole nation of Israel. He said, "we are not going any further with this plan" and sent them home. What integrity!

But David didn't stop at that point. He regrouped, prepared a place (a tent) to put the ark, and went back out to complete the mission in the right manner.

Lesson #5:
When you have to call something to a halt because of a false start, DON'T QUIT. Go back to God to get the right method (or strategy). Then, in proper timing and with right methods, FINISH THE MISSION.

We need to learn to be good military men and women. When they fail to accomplish a mission, they regroup and develop a plan to go back and get the job done. Too often in "the army of the Lord" we simply go home and sit down with the attitude of "well, that must not have been God."

If we are going to be reformers of our culture, we need to develop the spirit of a warrior like the one David had. "I went about this wrong. It cost me one of my best men. Now ... how do I go back and accomplish the mission?"

David had learned how to persevere and continue until he saw a victory. Have you?

weeding your garden

Yesterday as I was weeding my flower beds, I was reminded of lessons the Holy Spirit taught me many years ago while doing the same task. I thought they might be good to share with others.

A number of years ago a friend of mine in ministry had asked me some questions regarding the difficulty she was having with helping a particular individual get free from some things in her life. The woman had been through multiple deliverance sessions, including with the friend who was discussing her situation with me, but never seemed to reach any point of real victory. I promised to pray about the situation and see if God would give me insight.

A few days later, I was out weeding my flower beds. The "dirt" in the area (I hesitated to even term it "soil") can be rock hard. Hence, try as you might to dig the root out, you usually end up with only part of it which, of course, means you get the top (the visible evidence) of the weed, but it soon grows right back.

However, this day was different. It had rained most of the week. The ground was saturated. On this particular day, I could pull most of them out, root in tact, by hand. Those that I couldn't simply pull, a small spade would easily dislodge the root. In some places, the ground was so wet that the dirt would quickly even fill back in the hole left, so there was little to no evidence that something had been removed.

In the midst of that, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me about the ministry situation.

In the parable of the sower (recorded in Matthew 13 and Mark 4), Jesus refers to the soil of a person's heart determining their ability to receive the word of God and produce fruit based on it. In one of the scenarios within His story, the heart soil is full of thorns that "choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22) As I was weeding my flower beds that day, I was reminded of this analogy. The issue is to get the weeds (thorns) out of the garden of our heart.

The question posed to me had been why it was so difficult to remove the "thorns" in the situation with this particular individual. (In other words, why it was so difficult to see healing and deliverance that lasted.) I knew I had encountered other, similar situations over the years as well. Yet, with other individuals who had as many issues or even more or "worse" issues, the deliverance had been much easier, the healing immediate, and the both had been permanent (a done deal!). What made the difference?

As I was pulling the weeds so easily this particular day, when I had spent many other days in these same beds that had been much more laborious and the results had not had any long-lasting benefit, I suddenly "saw" the answer.

The difference was in the state of the soil!

The reason I was able to pull the weeds so easily today had nothing to do with my desire to get rid of them or my willingness to spend the time and energy needed to do the job. It had everything to do with the condition of the dirt in which they were rooted.

I immediately "knew" the issue was the preparation of the heart's soil before the ministry session. When the heart of the person coming for ministry has been saturated by the "washing of water with the Word" (Ephesians 5:26), then the ministry session is much easier and the results are real and sustained. Pulling down the strongholds within a person's mind, delivering them of the spirits that have oppressed them, closing off those doors (permanently!) that allowed that access, and seeing them healed from the issues of the past still takes effort, but the results are visible and sustained. They are free from those areas and it shows in their countenance and in their life!

However, when the person desiring ministry has not invested the time and effort to "water" their heart with the truth of the Word of God, it's like trying to dig the weeds out of my flower garden on a hot, dry day. It's very difficult to do. And, while you may actually get all of a particular root here and there, there are more "missed" than gotten. Hence, while there is usually some fruit from such ministry, much (dare I say "most") of it is short-lived. Without getting the real root of the problem, the "symptoms" (weeds) simply begin to resurface.

In the end, those ministering spent a lot of time and energy for very little result. Even more sadly, the person receiving ministry often feels that "this doesn't work" and are hesitant to go through another deliverance session later. Tragically, some who have gone through several different sessions begin to feel "there's no hope for me."

What I learned from this revelation is that as a minister in the area of deliverance and inner healing, I need to be sure the person asking for a deliverance session is ready for it. There needs to be counseling done ahead of that time to ensure the person has "softened" their heart soil by the "washing of water with the Word" so that the time spent will be productive and will bear good and lasting fruit in their life.

It is sometimes difficult to tell someone "no" when they ask for ministry. However, I have learned that if they truly want to get set free, they are willing to hear "you aren't ready to go through that yet" and do what it takes to get there. They are willing to go through the preparation phases to get to a day when the weeds can be quickly and easily pulled.

======
Here's a word of warning for someone!
(I sensed that strongly as I typed the following statements.)
There are those who are not willing to pay that price and simply want the "quick fix" from you, as a minister. They are not willing to invest their own time and effort to get to a point of being ready for effective ministry. (For some, this includes not being willing to give up areas of sin in their lives.) They may leave and tell everyone how "hard hearted" you are, because you "refused" to minister to them. Do not succumb to the their pressure and minister to them! It is not likely to have any long-lasting benefit (if any, at all) and they will simply then tell everyone about their "awful" experience with you. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Be driven by compassion coming from the heart of the Father - not the "need" of the person. Move (minster) when the Holy Spirit says it's time. If He says "no," we need to also say "no" as well.
======

For those who have issues that you want (and need!) to get past - be those besetting sins into which you continually fall, those "hot buttons" that set you off for no apparent reason and need to be "defused", or just attitudes and feelings that you are know are inconsistent with God's Word - I can personally testify to the reality and the benefit of effective deliverance ministry. I have experienced both deliverance and inner healing. I have also seen their awesome results in the lives of others. It is real. But, be willing to prepare yourself to deal with your issues.

... and get those weeds out of your garden!

God Chooses Whom He Chooses

I was reading in 1 Chronicles earlier this evening. While I doubt any of you are saying, “Oh, yes, one of my favorite books!” I did find some nuggets buried among all the genealogy. :)

In 1 Chronicles 5 we have the history of the sons of Reuben. The first thing that caught my attention in this passage was in the first two verses.

“1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. 2 Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph).” 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 (emphasis added)

To understand this, we need to refer back to Genesis 35:22 and Genesis 49:4.

“22 It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it.” Genesis 35:22

“4 'Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence,
Because you went up to your father's bed;
Then you defiled it--he went up to my couch.'” Genesis 49:4

We do not know what led up to Reuben, Israel’s (Jacob’s) first-born son having a relationship with Bilhah. Bilhah was Rachel’s maid and one of Israel’s two concubines. Since Rachel was having difficulty in conceiving while her sister was freely producing sons for their husband, Rachel had “given” her maid to her husband as a concubine, just as Sarah had given her maid, Hagar, to her husband, Abraham, when she believed she would never be able to provide him with a child. Bilhah bore two sons to Israel, Dan & Naphtali.

Whatever the events leading up to the act, the sin was committed. “Israel heard of it” and the Holy Spirit saw that it was recorded in Scripture. That one sinful act, dishonoring both his father and Bilhah, cost Reuben his “preeminence” – the rights bestowed on the first-born son.

We sometimes seem to believe that God doesn’t really care about what we do day to day – or that in His “grace” He will overlook our sin. Not so!

There have been too many times over the past few years of the secret deeds done by men of God in places of “preeminence” being brought to the light for all to see and know. As with Reuben, these things always exact a price – whatever “preeminence” the individual had, it is stripped from them.

There have been many sensing and expressing that there is more exposure to come. God is intent on having a pure Bride for His Son. The five-fold ministry is specifically tasked with assisting in bringing Her to maturity. Those within the five-fold ministry, and particularly those in key (or preeminent) leadership positions, who are themselves living impure lives need to hear and heed this warning. Get it straight – or know that the time is coming when it will be exposed.

But there is another point here that is also interesting to me.

When Reuben lost the privilege of the first-born birthright, it did not simply pass to the second-born son, Simeon. Instead, it passed to the sons of Joseph, which means the grandsons of Israel.

We know that both Israel and God favored, Joseph. We know that Israel favored him because he was the first born of Israel’s first love, Rachel. But we do not know why God favored him – any more than we know why God favored David over his brothers or why God “highly favored” Mary above all other women to be the mother of His Son.

Have you ever looked at someone that God has obviously “favored” (anointed in a special way, caused to be favored by both believers and non-believers, placed in a key position, etc.) and wondered, “why did God pick them?” (Be honest! I have – and I’m pretty sure at least most of you have as well. :)

I’ve learned over the years to simply take a step back and realize that God is Sovereign. He gets to choose whom He wants to choose.

He chose Abram while he was in a heathen land to send out of that land to a land he knew nothing about, including not even knowing where it was, promising to give it to him. He chose Isaac over Ishmael. He chose Joseph to be the deliverer of not only his family but the nations of the world at that time. He chose Moses over Aaron to be the deliverer of His people. He chose Saul, the son of Kish, from the smallest family of the smallest tribe in Israel to be the first king. Then, when Saul lost the favor of God due to direct sin (there’s that theme again – God will judge sin in His leaders), God’s favor was passed to David, the youngest of the sons of Jesse. And the list goes on …

Lest we think this was simply an “Old Covenant thing,” let’s take a look in the New Testament. Jesus chose the 12 to be His disciples. (He even chose Judas knowing what he would do in the end.) Out of them, He chose three – Peter, James & John – to be His inner circle and get special times with Him that the others did not. Yet, when it came time to establish the church in its early days, it was James (the brother of Jesus, not the disciple/apostle) that was selected by God to head the council of elders in Jerusalem. And we can’t forget Saul, turned Paul. God picked one of the worst human enemies of the early church to become one of His greatest ambassadors.

Yes, God chooses whom He chooses.

He sometimes even chooses the unrighteous and gives them favor and preeminence to do His tasks for Him. That's a teaching for another day ...

Responding to the Storm

I received an email this evening from the Lance Learning Group. In it, Lance Wallnau stated:

"Recently the Lord showed me how the Ark that delivered Noah rose higher toward heaven as the floods came upon the earth. In the end, when the floods receded the Ark was resting at the TOP of the mountain. I want you to ride this season of national shaking so that you get closer to heaven as the waters rise and end up at the top of your mountain!"

Take a moment and Selah!

Sometimes what seems like adversity when it comes towards us (or we are in the middle of it!), is really meant to be the vehicle to carry us to a destination.

On Eagles Wings

As I "thought on these things," I was reminded of how the eagle, instead of fighting against the storm, flies into it. The eagle allows the winds of the storm to cause it to be lifted up, higher and higher. Rather than fighting the winds of adversity, it causes those very winds to work on its behalf to lift it up.

Isaiah 40:31 tells us,

"Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."

The literal translation of the middle line is, "They will lift up their wings to catch the wind as the eagles do."

The key is, of course, waiting for LORD to gain the new strength that He has for us.

The literal translation of the first two lines is "But waiters for Yahweh will renew power." The word translated "waiters" is the Hebrew word "naar" and it comes from a root meaning "to bind together" and carries the connotation of expectation. It can be translated as "tarry" or "patiently wait" with an implication of gathering or doing so together. (Think of tarrying in the Jerusalem until they were endued with power.)

Unfortunately, we all too often keep trying to run in our own strength - and wonder why the wind keeps driving us backwards!

God Meant It For Good

Another story that comes to mind is that of Joseph. His brothers had captured him and sold him into slavery. But, look at "the rest of the story." Joseph became second in command in Egypt, his entire extended family had all been moved to Goshen, and his father had blessed his sons and died. Now his brothers were sweating. Joseph had treated them kindly while their father was alive, but surely he was "just biding his time" until he could deal with them as they had dealt with him.

Joseph's brothers send him a message saying that their father had left a message for him before he died, asking that he would forgive his brothers for what they had done. Come on, now. If that message had been from Jacob, he would have delivered it to Joseph himself! Good try, guys!

But the beauty of the passage is Joseph's response to the message. The second half of Genesis 50:17 tells us that, "Joseph wept when they spoke to him."

What a picture of true forgiveness. What an example of being able to see "the bigger picture."

Let's finish the story. (Genesis 50:18-21, emphasis added.)

"Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, 'Behold, we are your servants.' But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.' So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."

Joseph had come to realize that the wind of adversity, the very bitter experience that he was forced to endure going from the favored son to a slave at the hands of his own brothers, had been the vehicle to get him to where he needed to be for his dreams to be fulfilled. He realized that in the midst of things seeming to go "from bad to worse," God had manuevered him into position "in order to bring about this present result."

I like the phrase used here: "God meant it for good."

We often quote Romans 8:28 when we are going through a difficult time. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (emphasis added) It is truth ... and I quote it, too!

But the connotation in Genesis 50:20 is different. "God meant it for good."

In Romans 8, God "causes" something that was not a good experience to somehow bring benefit to us. In Genesis 50, God "meant" the result from the beginning.

The same word is used to reference the brothers' intentions and God's intentions. ("As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.") In both cases, it is the Hebrew word "chashab" which comes from a root word that means "to weave" or "to fabricate." The connotation is that you have a purposeful plan, you plot or contrive to do something.

God had a plan that He was weaving from the very start. He was planning to get Joseph where he needed to be - in Egypt! Why? "In order to bring about this present result."

But the story doesn't even end there.

Joseph's destiny - foretold in part in the dreams he had as a youth - wasn't just about him.

Joseph was in Egypt, the one nation that had plenty of food in a time of "world-wide" famine. (Read that: "world-wide crisis.") They had that food because of Joseph's leadership. His leadership ability (including foreknowledge of the famine and what to do about it) was developed in Joseph's faithfulness and obedience to his faithful God through all the years of slavery and prison. Joseph continued to maintain a right relationship with God and view of God's faithfulness when it "looked like" God had forgotten him! (That's a whole other lesson there!)

The result was that Joseph not only saved himself and his immediate family, but he was able to provide for his entire extended family. ("I will provide for you and your little ones.")

But wait ... it's even bigger than that.

God wove together a plan for Joseph's life that was "meant" to save not only Joseph, his immediate family, and all of his extended family, but it was also "meant"by God "to preserve many people alive."

When Joseph as a young man dreamed of the sheaves bowing and of the sun, moon and stars bowing, little did he realize what was truly in store for him. I am sure he did not consider ruling beside an Egyptian Pharoah. Nor did he have any idea of the price he would pay before getting there.

What Will We Do?

Will we let the flood waters carry us higher?

Will we use the winds of adversity to go up higher?

Will we spend timing "waiting for" the Lord, so that we can be renewed with power?

Will we maintain our relationship with God through the difficult times in such a way that we have His answer to the crisis when "the best and brightest" in the land do not?

Will we realize that "it's not all about us" - that there's a bigger picture and a lot more at stake?

Will we be ready with an answer when asked?

Will we give God the glory?

Report from USAA - Day 2, Evening Session - Dennis Peacocke

Dennis Peacocke said his message was taken from the story of Ezra and Nehemiah which gives us the story of the restoration of a nation. Whatever reformation is going to happen in this nation must begin in the Body of Christ first. It has to begin with a flourishing, powerful, spiritual church. Then, out from that, reformation is a possibility. His message was a wake-up call to understand that Reformation is not “a walk in the park.”

His premise and conclustion was that “Reformation requires the assent and the buy-in of the unchurched as well as the churched.”

We have been the masters of “whooping the devil” – inside our church building. But we must understand this premise. It means our language must change. We must learn to speak “fish” [if we are to be fishermen.] We must learn to speak the world’s language. [Or, as Lance Wallnau puts it, we must go to Pharaoh thinking Hebrew (with our Biblical worldview) but speaking Egyptian (his language).]

We must even begin now to take care of what we say in our churches. If we really become relevant, the media will begin to dig in the archives of what we have said. He noted that there were some powerful voices present. He asked them to “please consider that whatever you are going to be saying from now on, know that the world is going to be listening.” He warned that “if you are unwilling to go down that road because you believe it to be compromise, realize that your part in reformation will be on a very private level.” Because, Reformation requires – in a pluralistic society, in the context of democracy – it requires the buy-in of the unchurched.

We are NOT going to take over. That is what the world is most afraid of. He stated that he is afraid of a church taking over that is a king, but is not a priest. He noted that his statement may shock people, but that he is grateful that we have not had more church leaders in politics, because he knows what they would have said. He has worked in nations at senior levels, with presidents, where presidents have set back the clock of the kingdom for a decade or more.

We are entering another ballgame. We can have revival doing what we are doing. We cannot have reformation doing what we have been doing.

Newspapers are the bait sheet of the fish. He exhorted us that if we can’t preach from newspapers, we will not be a voice in the reformation. (We need to be relevant to our generation, our culture.)

I Tim 3:16 – “We are the pillar and ground of truth.” The pillar and ground of spiritual truth? Yes. The pillar and ground of economic truth? Yes. The pillar and ground of epistemology (the science of how you learn)? Yes. The pillar and ground of environmental truth? Yes. There is nothing to imply that his verse applies only to the religious and spiritual activity of people. But, we have not been raised to believe beyond that.

The crisis we are in within the Church is that we have limited our understanding of truth to truth relative to religious activities. If we don’t get delivered from that and get a holistic, Christian worldview – which is comprehensive and includes all that man is and all that man does – we are not ready or prepared for reformation. Reformation is built on the assumption that God’s Church really is the pillar and ground of truth for nations, for all that man is and all that man does.

Rev 22: 1-2 – After the great white throne judgment, after all of sin has been judged and dealt with, we have an anomaly here.

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Why would we engage in reformation if it is only a temporal thing, if heaven is going to be some ethereal thing where all we do is worship and float around on clouds, and none of the things that bring us life here will transfer there? The word of God says nations are an eternal, geo-political phenomenon. The nations exist eternally. Psalms 2:8 – “Ask of Me for nations as thy inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Nations are going to exist in heaven. Nations are going to exist on the new earth. We are going to remain an ethnic, geo-political people.

What was interesting to him in this passage is that after sin is dealt with, the nations still require healing. Why, when sin is gone, will the nations still require healing? In God, the process we engage changes us. Even if we don’t achieve everything we want to, the process will transform a church. [Here, he paused to let these statements penetrate those with ears to hear.]

The Great Commission: “Because the Father gave Me the nations, all authority in the heavenly realm and on the earth is given to me. Go, therefore...”

If the Master fought the enemy in the Word, we have no other choice. It was the Word and only the Word that was He used. We need to do the same. We have had too low of view of the enemy. Dennis gave him no praise, but noted that he is a master (he is very, very good) at what he does. The higher the level at which you play (engage the enemy) the deeper your visal roots must be in the Word of God.

We have “tip-toed through the daisies” in the Church. We have “cast out devils that are bothering us” in the Church. The seven mountains will not be taken by the seven dwarves! What part of that don’t we understand?! We will run into powers, principalities and forces that don’t even know our name. (As in, “Jesus I know. Paul is becoming known. But who the heck are you?”) [We need to gain the strength for our assignment – and not try to take on an assignment that is not ours.]

If we get into reformation, we are moving from sand lot, maybe high school, football into the NFL. Dennis was an all-star, high school football player. A funny thing happened when he got to college. Then he played against a couple of NFL players. They brought him to a new level of reality!

If we are going to engage in reformation, we are going against demonic principalities that play at a different level. We need to understand that. We are going to have to be r-o-o-t-e-d in the Scripture at a different level.

He has taught martial arts for almost 40 years, so he is a trained warrior. One of the things you have to know is where you can be hit and where you can’t be hit. If you get hit certain places, it’s game over – and you have to know that. We are going to have to become morally, sexually bullet-proof. If you think you can have a secret life and engage in reformation, do us all a favor and don’t go out to battle. [We do not need an Ai experience!] If you’ve got a problem with alcohol, you can’t play. If you’ve got a problem with pornography, you can’t play. If you’ve got something going on the side, you can’t play. If you’re cheating on your taxes, you can’t play. If you want to get into the reformation game where everybody’s “big” and everybody’s “tough,” then don’t even think about it. They will roll you up and take a bunch of us with you.

We have to get clear on who owns the earth. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” The Dominion Mandate – the world did it! We preached it (or at least we have lately); they did it. We are running into 400 years of secular momentum. It’s been that long since we had a kingdom-based church. The enemy forces are not going to simply give it back to us because we are coming in the name of Jesus. It is going to be disputed territory. We actually turned the world over to the devil and the antichrist (spirit) thinking we were doing God a favor. It would be different if we have fought inch by inch and were eventually pushed back. But, we gave it away because it was too much responsibility.

We need to assess reality before we start down this trail.

Who is lawfully given the stewardship of the earth? The Church.

We could go through Matthew 13 and talk about the wheat and the tares. Jesus says that the root structures of the wicked and the righteous are so intertwined that if He pulls out one it will kill the other. They have to be allowed to grow together until the time of harvest – until the kingdom of God has obtained full maturity and the kingdom of darkness has gained full maturity. They are co-existing for a witness.

Real players don’t ask the coach to take them out of the game. Real players would rather die than leave the field. The only reason you come out of the game is that your play is hurting your team.

Does the Word of God apply to all men or only the believers? Jesus said that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Paul addressed it in 1 Timothy. God has one standard for the world – His Word. Every human being and every nation is judged and blessed according to the degree that they align themselves and their policies with the Word of God.

We are not very good at translating the Word of God into “fish” language, let alone applying it to any of the seven mountains. We are going to have to learn a whole level of communication that we haven’t learned. We are going to have to learn things like epistemology (how you learn). We’re going to have to learn how to say things without quoting Bible verses. The bird is not taken if the snare is seen (Proverbs).

We are going to have to become masters of jujitsu. Jujitsu takes the force that someone gives you and bends it where you want it to go. Jesus took the woman at the well for a ride. She wanted to talk religion; He wanted to talk reality. We are going to have to come to the place in our conversation skills that when we hear key words that unsaved people say to us, our internal conversation is, “Thank you, very much, I was hoping for that word, let me lead you …” [and lead the conversation to kingdom principles but in “fish” language]. Then, when they ask “How do you know all this stuff?” we can tell them. We need to be “ready to give an answer” when the question is asked.

Ecclesia was a political organization. An ecclesia was the town-governing body in the Greek city-states, starting about 600 BC. It eventually spread to the entire Mediterranean basin. In Acts 19, the riot at Ephesus was declared an illegal ecclesia. An ecclesia makes decrees in the spirit out of its lawful authority. The reformation is going to be fueled by another level of prophetic prayer than the one we are on right now. Dennis is working at his church to gather every “citizen” (every committed believer, everyone there by 1 Cor 12:8, placed there by the Holy Spirit, who know that is where they have been called to worship and be a part of government of God) and make decrees for where they have authority, which begins in our cities. If you want to change a nation, you do it one community at a time.

The church has to learn to speak the language of the fish. (Matt 4:19) We are going to have to go to the root issues. (Matt 3:10) When Jesus comes, He will not deal with symptoms. What we get on the news is just another report on the leaves and the twigs. We need to deal with the root structures.

You want to take seven mountains? You better get a deep shovel and a hard pick ax to start digging down in each one of those jurisdictions. What are the root issues that are driving that thing where it is? And what are we going to do to combat it? You can’t beat something with nothing.

“Until you can preach with as much authority out of the LA Times as you can out of the Bible, you should shut up.” We have to understand the Biblical roots of the fishing report. Our forefathers preached out of the newspapers. In the 1600-1700s the sermons were extrapolating Biblical principles into daily situations and issues of the nation -- and they were printed in the Monday paper, especially in New England. If you will go back and read some of these, you will realize how “dumbed-down” we are in the Church today [with respect to issues affecting our society].

The Kingdom of God has to have a three-pronged unity.

(1) The realm of spiritual authority in the supernatural. We are not going to have a reformation without signs, wonders and miracles. (The problem is that we [“us” and the signs and wonders camp] aren’t working together.)

(2) Methodology of God-centered discipleship. The biggest problem in the Church is that we are not making disciples. We are making believers. A believer is not a disciple. A disciple is a disciplined learner. We thought we got baptized in the Holy Ghost to have fun and speak in tongues. The Charismatic Renewal does not even qualify as a revival, historically. It did not even affect the whole Church, much less the culture. There has never been so much spiritual activity on the one hand and the surrounding culture moving in the opposite direction at the same time. We will not have a reformation without a small army of disciples. It is going to take disciplined learners.

If you think praying into those seven mountains by itself is going to “take” anything but energy, you are sadly mistaken. You will be dealing of the crème de la crème – the smartest people in the world at the top of those mountains. God is going to have to give us supernatural power and wisdom to seize what they have. Is it available? Yes. But, first the natural, then the spiritual. Until you have done your homework in the natural, do not expect God to give you supernatural wisdom.

Now that’s a hard word for God’s people to hear; but you said you wanted reformation. It is going to require hard work. The Holy Spirit anoints us to do hard work.

(3) Discipling nations. You have the realm of the supernatural. You have the methodology of producing disciples. And you have discipling nations. Go and do what? Make disciples of nations. That’s what reformation is …

Reformation is turning a nation into a discipling project. Do it in a way that first deals with their fears and objections about what we want. We not only don’t want to take over, we clearly understand we can’t take over. And even if we wanted to take over, God would not allow it. His preeminent principle in the New Testament is choice. Anybody (Church or not Church) who employs coercion fights against God. God always allows choice. “Whosoever will.”
Capitalism works because it is aligned with choice. Anything aligned with choice will work. Anything not aligned with choice, God, Himself, will resist, even if it is in His people. Jesus doesn’t take prisoners. We become prisoners of our own revelation. He will not break a bruised reed or quench smoldering wick.

If we are going to have reformation, we have to bring these three spheres of the kingdom together. The “supernatural folks” are going off in one direction. They will never see the kingdom in its fullness until we go in together with a full orb unity. We messed up discipleship when we tried it. We have to learn to do it right. We must join with the nation-changers. There’s not many of them yet, but the number is growing. We have to work together. If we are going to have the blessing of God, we need the supernatural dimension, we need the methodology of training disciples for the reformation, and we need the nation-changers – men and women called to change nations. Men and women that are called to write letters to the editors that are so powerful they begin to sway everyone that is reading them. They begin to ask, “Who are these people? Where are they getting this?”

Economics:

Economics is the engine of dominion. With the exception of living things, everything that exists is the product of economics. The world understands that; the Church doesn’t. (We call economics carnal!)

As an economist, he projected that we may have 3 to 4 years and limp our way out to some degree from where we are. The real slam will happen in 4 to 6 years when the demographics of the baby boomers hits retirement age. Then God is going to say to this nation, “you didn’t want to deal with abortion as a spiritual issue, now I’m going to serve it up to you economically, and I’ll get your attention. You took somewhere between 45 and 60 million wage earners out of the demographics and leverage of the retirement that you now want. You took hundreds of billions of dollars of tax revenue and you said, ‘hey, it’s a woman’s right to treat the baby just like the white slave owners treated the Negroes.’” He pointed out that we still have slavery “alive and well” in this nation. With noted sarcasm, he went on to say “This fetus is my property.” He concluded, “I thought we resolved that in Civil War that one human being couldn’t own another human being, but apparently this nation did not resolve that.”

Now we begin to understand that you can’t separate spirit from matter and you can’t separate morality and ethics from the ability to prosper. They are inextricably tied together. When you put all the debt and currency that is being monetized right now together … The biggest issue we have right now is for God to prepare us an ark for that day. He projected that when that day comes, we will not line up in bread lines like we did in the 30s, because we don’t have the same moral infrastructure that we did then. We need to get some very specific strategies on a local community level as to how we can become an ark for this world. We will have an opportunity to demonstrate how we really feel about the poor.

How far will we get into reformation before that time? He indicated that he didn’t know. The problem with the truth is that once you see it, you have nowhere else to go.

He then began to speak to Dutch Sheets. He indicated that he had been “scoping him out” to see if he was serious about this. Dennis is 66 and indicated that he didn’t have time “to waste bullets.” He then addressed the congregation and said, “this guy [Dutch] has got it. It wouldn’t matter if it didn’t work; he’s stuck. I heard his spirit.”

Then he asked how many of us were “stuck?” How many understood that God loves unsaved people? How many understood that God loves nations? That God wants the sun and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike? That God wants to raise up a witness of the kingdom of God in power and life – and then the end shall come? And if we don’t push the ball where it needs to go, we are trying to build our children and grandchildren to push it. And we are not demanding from Jesus the outcome, but rather asking for the privilege of putting our hands to the task.
It’s a great day to do business with God. It’s a great day to get rid of besetting sins. It’s a great day to get into a training routine with God.

What is your part of the fight? You need to know that so that you can bring your contribution to the war.

In closing, Dennis introduced Strategic Christian Services at http://discerningthetimes.com/. This is a site to analyze public policy from Biblical principles using secular language.

Dutch Sheets added that we cannot just waltz out there and take over. We have work to do. There’s a reason that the slogan says “Reformation in our lifetime.” We have a lot of work to do.