Word of the Lord for 2015

As I do every year, I lean in to hear what the Lord is Saying for the year to come.  Sometimes it is detailed.  Sometimes in riddles.  He gives us what we need to hear.  He prepares us thru the prophetic. Our hearts are more ready for a word at junctions and pivot points like the turn of a year.

A few years ago the Lord told me that 2015 would be a turn around year for the Body of Christ and the USA.  Yet there is a global backdrop that needs to be understood.

Here are global bullet points the Lord gave me.

• Russia: Hard times repression, but no return.  Stirred but not shaken.  Genie in the bottle is out, and won't go back.  No revolution = no return.  Nationalism more like Early Germany.  Blaming others for the depressed state.  Gives vent.  Danger is only if they lose all hope.
• China Stumbles..  Global economic reset hurts china.  Client states will not do well with it.  Yuan wanes.  Jesus is winning over atheism. 
• Islam is exposed naked and ashamed.  Isolated yet when cornered more dangerous - for a while.  In war winning battles losing war.  Islam will fall.  Jesus will reign in the hearts and minds of men and women in the middle east.
• Korea perceived strength is weak.  A paper tiger in the north but still a tiger none the less.  Reaching exhaustion. South must prepare for next.  It's not war.. It's impact.
• Cuba.. all the noise and fury yet nothing really changes for the better.  Just a drift.  The problems there are from government not from former embargoes.  Communism exposed.. again.
• Europe - the EU was a consolidation and is now fragmenting... in currency.  Return of the D-Mark.
• Africa cannot find its way as a continent.  Like a huge dark auditorium with 50 small and a few large various wild animals stumbling about looking for light.  The true struggle has yet to be engaged.  It must be their victory. It cannot come from outside.  The corruption will crush any reform.  They must be left to work this out or they will stay a slave state as a continent.
• South America.  Suddenly it's 1970.  Like nothing ever changed.  Reset is coming.  It will start at the corners, Venezuela and Argentina.  Pain will be great.  Some nations will avoid direct pain, but there will be no hiding place as it happens.  It will destabilize for a while. 
• India - Pakistan et al.. Darkness and Light in a Fight for the souls of the nation.  Light will win but darkness never retreats without a fight.  Not this year.. but don't give up.  Victory will come.
• The USA in the year to come... Political storm and fury.  Lies and Deceit.  Yet In cooperating with the new congress and senate he begins to form his legacy and he becomes as good as many hoped.  By the end of 2015 essentially his term is over.  Yet there is a great testing to come.  A crisis not yet seen.  His leadership will be tested one last time. 

Exposure and Light shines on a culture that knows not God nor Man in favor.  A porcupine culture.  Corrupt.  Broken.  Selfish.  Easily misled.  Made up of lost souls.. some of whom think they know Jesus.. but don't know Him ………really. 

Economic Reset in the USA and in the world will result in the rich becoming even richer and the poor even poorer.  There is a smaller middle ground.  Those who are poor cannot find their way in the world they hoped to inherit. Skills were never developed when they should have been.  The lies the poor are told increase their poverty.  Their victimization is increased and as they accept the role they lose control. No victim can rule.  Not even themselves.  The focus on victimization increases their despair even more.


In the economy, as things change, people are becoming dependent even more on others and on the supernatural provision of God.  Government will fail.  Institutions will fail. 

Oil, energy, agriculture, industry will be good in the USA but globally, there will be difficulty.  Expect a 3rd quarter stumble as interest rates increase and consumption backs off.

The war between the Church and the Body of Christ
There has been a long simmering feud between Christians who no longer find a place in the church but are a vital part of the greater body of Christ.  God is responding to this distrust.  He is moving outside the four walls of the church at a greater pace than ever before.  Huge moves of God are taking place, even globally, but little of it is taking place in the Church.  Holy Spirit is invading earth in spite of the fact that He is not welcome in most churches today.

God is doing new things in many places where no one thought we would ever see Him again. In the media, movies made by secular groups are preaching the truth of God's word.  In spite of their efforts to distort.. He cries aloud thru them.

Even with cultural influences for evil and distortion like the news channels and TV in general, God is shining his light on what is not working.  He is shaming them all the time.  While trying to walk a cultural middle ground, they trip and fall.  People no longer believe all that is said or done.  Yes the gullible do, but the discerning are becoming aware of the corruption of these flawed values.  The alternative media wins over the lies from the old ways.  Lies and liars will be exposed.  Light will come out of nowhere.  Lies and fabrications will cause many to doubt that which government and bureaucracies say.  Global warming has become a lie that didn't hold.  It was exposed by light.  More will come in 2015.  Doubt in authority will grow in 2015.  This is a mixed blessing.

These changes as God shines his Light on the darkness is creating an increasingly conservative new generation who cannot stomach the old wine.  This is good news for the ever expanding Kingdom of God and for the burgeoning body of Christ.  It will not be great news for churches who cannot see this and who will fail to be there as it come to pass.  Some will find a way to connect with what God is doing.  Most will not.  A rapid vital organic spiritual increase will show itself greater in 2015.

Hunger has been stirred.
 The pangs are real.  The middle ground of compromise is going away.

His hands, feet, mouth and heart are busy building up the new reality.   The old reality is passing away.  Those who can see and embrace what is happening will prosper spiritually in this day. It will be disconcerting to set aside what is comfortable.  Those who cling to the old wine will falter.  Light and exposure will ferret out the ordinary and usher in the supernatural. 

There will be health scares again and again.  There is a whole industry built on the foundation of keeping people frightened.  Fear NOT HE says.  Dependence on broken systems and policies will cause many to turn to the great physician.  Healing power will of necessity be released.  The rug has been pulled out of dependence on mammon and his medicine.  Faith works and in the year to come will be proven again and again.  The fear of death which is the basis of the health scares will be broken and people find eternal life and confidence.

There will be increasing pressure from the deceivers of the Saints.
They will use old tools in new ways.  Riches and their pursuit will trip up many.  Deception born of ignorance will increase as young people leave uneducated defrauded by a system that was supposed to give them a foundation.  Gullibility to myths and reasoning will trap many in the snare of a fowler.  Chains of victimization will be clamped around the ankles of those so deceived.  It is a time for those who know their God to look deeply at what they think they believe.  He (the devil) wants to keep them under his feet in submission.  He can only do this thru deception and lies.  Only truth can chisel off the chains that bind.  Truth sets people free.  The largest sea of impoverished victimized people come from a single deception accepted which grows into a web of thousands of blatant lies.  Give NO PLACE to the enemy.  Be on your guard.

Great floods of darkness will come in these deceptions, but the Lord is lifting a standard of truth against the enemy's flood.  Many eyes will open, scales falling off...yet, those trapped by them will suffer intentional blindness.  The very elect, those called by his name on the earth (maybe not in heaven) will choose intentional blindness over truth in the year to come and find themselves worse off at the end of 2015 because of it.

Bad leadership has caused the USA to groan.  Corrupt leaders in Government, Business, media, entertainment have a demonic assignment to deceives the saints of God.  The lost are already deceived.  An example would be the movie God's and Kings (Moses and the exodus) as truth.  People have become accustomed to believing what they see on screens.  Hand held and Big Screen.

The Great Civil War Before Us
We are still in battle, not yet war.  Skirmishes.  Between the Establishment and the Rebels.  Those who would control and those who want to take control away. 
This is in the Economy, Government,  Media, Education, Churches and the new wave coming in all those areas.  The old establishment will not yield easily.  The wave to come is more powerful than you can imagine. 

The Global Reset
It will most hurt third world countries and developing nations worst.  Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer, even globally.  Attempts to help will be weak and fruitless.  While the USA will chug along OK as will some of Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand (developed countries) deeps recession and despair will be widespread.  Some will result in wars, but mostly just pathos of need.. Much need.

2015 is the year of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
This division, wealth inequality will lead to demagoguery.  When you hear the words “income inequality”, you will know the voice of the deceiver has been raised.  The poor will be with us …..always.  Wealth inequality only serves as a stepping stone for more to enter into wealth.  When all are the same, everyone is poor few can emerge.  It is a sad delusion when man thinks he can heal this inequality by policy and not opportunity. It only serves to enrich a few bureaucrats at the top, the elitists, and impoverish the rest.






Here is what the Lord Says you can expect personally in 2015:

"My Kingdom is growing. Be part of it. I will never abandon you.  I will cleanse you. I will wash you.  I will make you new again and again.  Yet to do this I must chasten you.  I love you too much to allow you to drift very far.  The world I have prepared for you here, your temporal destiny, is better than you are now living.  I have much more for you.  More than you can ask or think.  My world for you is secure, safe, confident.   In it you are loved, destined for more, directed clear eyed by Me. 

I love you too much to allow you to wallow as the tail and not the head.   Yet many of you are not yet ready to be the head so I must allow you to remain as the tail until you are prepared to be positioned for headship.

I must wash away all that is not of ME.  I must Cleanse all that is YOU out of YOU.  There must not be any strongholds between you and me that keep you from the full knowledge of ME.  You must be clear eyed to be the head.  When you are ready I can trust you with what I called you long ago to do.  Great wealth, influence and authority are yours.. but you must first be fully MINE.

My love for you is patient and kind, YET my dealings with you must be painful for the moment to be effective.  You must break free from mindsets and strongholds that keep you from being ready to sit in the places of authority I prepared for you.

I cannot bring you up until you are brought to full submission to my purposes in you.   Those purposes may not be what you think they are.  As you do the good works I have called you to, I will cleanse and purify your hearts until I can trust you with great wealth, power, riches, authority and influence in the earth.  It has always been my purpose in you.  You hold the key to the timing. Don't resent the delay.  Many have entered in quickly.  You can too... but first set aside all that is between you and ME."

Thus saith the Lord for 2015 

Word for the Year 2015 by Larry Ecker, a Prophet

2 Chronicles 7:14

This is the word for this year. If My people do not repent, do not turn from what they are doing, their land will not, can not be healed.

Healing begins from within. The world was based upon My word, not the word based upon the world. Therefore is it not from within (the church), that healing must first begin? How therfore do you expect the outer (the world), to become healed? You want to see less hunger, less killing, less sexual sin, less idolatry,less pain? Then first heal from within, then the healing will move outward.

You have heard judgement begins in My house; as well healing of the land also begins from within with My church, My people. I Am going to pour out more abundance to those who repent, who heal, this coming season. Do not be mistaken, your adversary also will be pouring out an abundance. Do you think he will sit back with no repercussion? Do you not think he would have done so already knowing his defeat by My Son? Do not be deceived, your adversary is roaming as a lion ready to devour.

But do not be dismayed, if healing begins from within, it shall manifest outside. If healing does not begin inside, that which is already happening shall progress and escalate. Without healing, My protection is reduced, removed. Heed these words. Do them for the time is at hand, the fields are ripening. Though harvest has begun, it pales in comparison to that which is before you and coming.

DO NOT DELAY!

"Our God is a dancing God! He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy! Zephaniah 3:17" Let the Great Dance Party Begin!

He joys over you with singing and dancing - He's more excited about you than you are about Him even on your best day of whooping and hollering. You can't whoop enough.

Ten Rites of Passage We Must Complete Before Receiving God-Given Influence and Authority -- Joseph Mattera

By “rites of passage” I am referring to a person’s transition from one status or phase to another. In the church we have various ceremonies that mark different phases of spiritual and biological maturity like baptism, first communion, confirmation, etc. However, in the context of this article, a rite of passage is more of a test that is part of a process God uses to bring believers into another stage of maturity, before assigning them to another level of kingdom service.

Biblically, we see great leaders who have gone through different stages of their lives which prepared them for something greater than what they were called to do. For example: the patriarch Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob, had various tests and experiences before he was made second in charge to the Pharaoh in Egypt; Moses was in the wilderness for 40 years before God called him to be the deliverer of Israel; King Saul persecuted David, who hid in the wilderness for many years before God elevated him to be the king of Israel; even Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days being tested by Satan before He began His public ministry; Jesus also had to endure agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was ready to go to the cross and be raised from the dead.

The following are some rites of passage (ROP) I have observed as a believer for almost four decades.

1. The ROP regarding dependence upon God instead of man.

The higher the calling you have, the greater the tests and more intense ROP you will have to go through. As we look at the most effective leaders in the Bible, they all had one thing in common: their utter dependency upon God to fulfill their callings. The more you grow into your higher calling, the more fragility there is, along with so many moving parts that you have to trust God to bring everything together every day so you can survive. This is the only kind of person He can release to the highest levels of spiritual leadership.

2. The ROP regarding learning courage in the face of fear.

One thing I learned many years ago was that obedience to the will of God meant that I had to leave a predictable life and live a life of risk based on faith. You live on the edge so much in so many areas that it sometimes takes courage just to get out of bed in the morning. God cultivates courage during an intense ROP in our lives to prepare us for the next kingdom assignment.

3. The ROP regarding obscurity.

One of the greatest ROP is being willing to obey God without the accolades of men. God cannot thrust us into the public eye if we cannot first serve him faithfully in obscurity.

4. The ROP regarding adversarial circumstances.

One of the most common ROP is during times of testing where everything in our lives is under attack. I have had seasons in my life lasting more than several years at a time in which I experienced major pushback and conflict in every area of my personal life and ministry.

I knew this was my ROP because it always came right before God wanted to bring me into another level of my divine assignment.

5. The ROP regarding financial lack.

Sometimes there is no immediate provision for a divine vision. God uses these times to test our hearts to see if we want to do something for Him based on financial gain or for His glory. He also wants to know if we will continue to move forward in obedience even if we do not see a long-term financial solution. For example: the children of Israel were required to continue to obey God even when they did not know where there next meal was coming from when they were in the wilderness for 40 years.

6. The ROP regarding silence from heaven.

There are times of testing in which there are long periods when we do not continue to receive clear words of affirmation or confirmation regarding a calling from God that He gave us a long time ago. It is always much easier to keep on going when we receive ongoing prophetic encouragement and/or divine endorsements through others, but maturity and preparation is often cultivated more inside of us when the heavens are silent for a period of time and we have to live completely by faith.

7. The ROP regarding loving those who hurt and abuse us.

One of the hardest ROP is during periods of time when there are many relational conflicts and misunderstandings from those closest to you. This is a very important ROP that involves learning how to love unconditionally through the insults, abuse, neglect and persecution. If God can trust us to walk in forgiveness and love the unlovely unconditionally, then he can trust us to demonstrate His heart to others in higher levels of leadership, no matter what the circumstance or response.

8. The ROP regarding faithfulness during the mundane.

It is probably much easier to demonstrate faithfulness to God when there are big events, a crisis, and/or great movement replete with incessant action. I believe more people fall into unfaithfulness when things get boring and mundane. This is a key ROP that teaches the believer to cultivate the joy of the Lord during slow, boring days and seasons in their lives. (For example: consider Moses being 40 years in the wilderness of Midian which prepared Him for the last 40 years of his life that was replete with non-stop action as he became the deliverer of Israel.)

9. The ROP regarding finding contentment only in God.

Ultimately, the greatest ROP is to learn to get ultimate satisfaction in honoring and worshipping Him. Every person and everything we have or accomplish in this life will soon pass away, and God will often work to strip out of our hearts every secondary thing we depend upon for happiness and fulfillment. God releases his highest calling to those who delight themselves in Him.

10. The ROP regarding prioritizing our mission and focus.

One of the greatest ROP for accomplished leaders is the ability to say no to good opportunities and open doors. God will often test us to see what we will say no to, before he brings better opportunities He wants us to say yes to.

About the author / Joseph Mattera

Joseph Mattera has been in full-time church ministry since 1980 and is currently the Presiding Bishop of Christ Covenant Coalition and Overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church in New York. He is also serving as the United States Ambassador for the International Coalition of Apostles, and as one of the founding presiding bishops of the International Communion of Evangelical Churches.

On the Spirit of Poverty in this season.

It's a deeply rooted spirit. It has little to do with money. It has everything to do with who you are, your heart, your temperament, your personal baggage, the strongholds in your life, the lies you have bought into, the people you surround yourself with, the influences you allow in and your innate stinginess or generosity. You can be a billionaire and have a spirit of poverty. You can be homeless on the street and have a spirit of poverty. BUT the most telling sign of a spirit of poverty is the unwillingness to be generous to others with EVERYTHING you have. Money, Time, Credit, Sunshine, Love, Compassion, Patience and a host of other attributes those who live in abundance of heart have by accident.

Show me a poor person (like Ebeneezer Scrooge or like the person living hand to mouth in a tenement somewhere), it's the same spirit. And at this time of Christmas, it's time to break the back of the spirit of poverty. It's not about the offerings, tithes, seed or giving you give to your church. That's one of the strongholds. It's much much bigger than that. A by product might be that you give to a ministry, but if it comes because you believe there is a big payoff later.. you kid yourself.

To be released from the spirit of poverty takes an encounter with all the Ghosts of your life that haunt you. It is the result of a worldview and mindset that the devil delights in you having. IF you really want freedom from poverty and it's spirit, you start with YOU. IF you have no skin in the game, you can't be set free from poverty.

Read this Bible story and think about it.. Poverty starts with dependance on other peoples money, giving, generosity and free stuff. Rich people are as bad with this as poor, but to get out of the spirit of poverty mindset they must revise thinking:

David Builds an Altar unto the Lord

1 Samuel 24:18-25
On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”

22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23Your Majesty, Araunahd gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

24But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekelse of silver for them. 25David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

Here is the question, would the plague have been stopped if David had taken the gift and offered it to the Lord?? I think not.. But you need to think about the plague of the spirit of poverty you face and ask yourself the question. Do I have skin in the game?

What Race is a New Creation person?

As perhaps an unintentional Prophetic Act, I often find myself bodily right in the center of people who's skin color is not like mine.  Certainly I fit better in a prophetic and apostolic Church like Crusaders where most of the members are black.  But it's more than that. It's where I eat, it's where I shop sometimes, it's where I stay in  motels when I travel.  I default.  I have learned a lot from this.  I am well aware of how others react to those around me and to me.  I see white privilege.  I get it. Yet, I cannot do anything to change it.  Outrage will only confuse the situation.  There is a biblical understanding required.


Something happens when I encounter people, who don't know me, who immediately recognize me in the spirit.  I look at them, and in a tenth of a second they know, I know.  It's just not being friendly, it's spiritual radar.  Like minded.  Like precious faith. Spirit to Spirit.  The Bible talks of this:

Romans 8:12-17 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

 In that when we know as we are known of one another all identity based on externals fades away.  We are one.  Unified.  We carry the banner of our race, NEW CREATION.  It is more important than our fleshly identification.  It is our identity in Christ that becomes dominant. 

This can (and does) happen in a restaurant, in a mall, in an encounter anywhere.   Soon like in the matrix, I have become aware that there are only TWO RACES on the planet.  Old Flesh Uncreated and New Creations.  

Once we begin to see ourselves in our true identity, most of what else seemed to matter.. doesn't.  If it does.... you might want to check your spiritual passport for RACE.  That might be the problem.

It's Time to rebuild the Spoiled House

President Lincoln once said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand".  He was alluding to the scriptures in Matthew, Luke and Mark that Jesus spoke. They are at the end of this word.

Divide and Conquer is the devils motto.  Division weakens a marriage, a relationship, a city, state, country.  A church. A business.

Di Vision means there are two visions.  Only one can be right.  Yet we now live in a day and time when DI VISION is the rule, not the exception.  Tolerance, compromise and justice are the cry of the day.

Jesus prayed for unity.  John 17:22-23  He hated Divorce.  Paul the Apostle plead for unity.  Ephesians 4:1-6    Philippians 2:1-11

During the Exodus that Moses led, there was disunity and God punished it by the earth opening up and swallowing those who spread disunity.  He will again. 

I don't think many who read this will disagree so far.  Yet, among those who do, many will decry the lack of unity based on the idea that I must agree with THEM.  That we must find middle ground.  Compromise.  Sadly, there is no compromise.  God doesn't make a deal with the devil.  We as believers should not.

There is a disunity in our nation that is deeper and more evil than I have seen in my many years on the earth.  There is no singularity of purpose.  There is a great divide.  There is no middle ground.

It has been going on for a while, since the 60s.  I remember well the years after World War Two.  I grew up then.  There was not much disunity.  We were "one nation under God".  We aren't that any more.  There are wedges that the Devil has brought upon the nation, the church, friends and families that have divided us deeply.  I see the enemy's hand in this clearly and as a prophet must expose it.

Here are the major fault lines of disunity.

• Secularization of our culture, media, business, and pushing believers behind closed doors
• The War on Women or Men?  We are being divide along gender lines
• Islamic Intolerance and influence in our nation growing
• Homosexual Normalization in the military and marriage
• Racial Division intensified, see brown and martin and the race bait protests
• Inequality between takers and makers, have and have not, wealth and poverty
• Atheist Evangelism (take everything of God out of the public square
• Life as a Value (abortion and euthanasia)
• Family Destruction divorce and unmarried mothers is now the norm
• The Intentional Dis Education of our Children in public education

Certainly some of these things existed 50 years ago, but the divide is now deeper, much deeper.  It would be easy to blame bad leaders.  I certainly have been critical of President Obama in supporting many of  these divisive (dis-unifying) policies like abortion on demand, racial division, greater economic disparity, homosex marriage and military and public education at the expense of real education.   The truth is he is a symptom more than a cause.

We are a nation divided.  As I listed these things, you may say, it has always been this way.  No it hasn't.  It isn't in many places.  Our supposed tolerance in our nation has created this division in the name of justice, tolerance and compromise.  There is no justice in division.  One side must prevail or there will be division.  In the military a person who acts outside of the unity of a unit is considered dangerous and is expelled, or tried for treason and shot.  An army cannot do battle without unity.

I would ask you to carefully think about how far from the plumb line of Unity that Jesus Prayed for we are. As Believers FIRST.  We should be Kingdom, and a Kingdom divided cannot stand.  Jesus words:

Matthew 12:25
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Luke 11:17
But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

Mark 3:22And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

Our house is spoiled, Home, School, Media, Church, City, Nation, World.  YOU as a believer didn't do it, but you were supposed to be the strong man, the one that the devil feared. He no longer fears.  It's time to rebuild the House, in Unity, not compromise.

You can't foment violence and disunity in the name of tolerance and justice and build the Kingdom at the same time.  It doesn't work that way.. and you only have to see what Jesus said to know.

Time to take back the ground the devil has stolen.  Let's rebuild the House of Unity.

The Devil's Kryptonite

Last night Apostle John Eckhardt said something that has stuck with me.  He said, "Prophets are the Devil's Kryptonite".  

I have considered why that is more true than I think at first blush one might think.

Kryptonite as you may recall from Superman movies was the only substance that could weaken or disable the man of Steel.  Nothing anyone else could do had the same effect.  Not bullets, not bombs, not belligerence.  Just Kryptonite.

WHY, because he was vulnerable to it's effect.

Why then is the Gift of the Prophet and Prophecy Kryptonite?

Which of the Five Fold Gifts are the most damaging to the Devil.

Evangelists. They certainly do damage, pulling people from the fire.  But they are still exposed.  Deception can creep in.  There are secular evangelists as well.  They pull people.. sometime to perdition.  Too many Evangelist are lone wolves.  Huge altar calls leaving new born lambs vulnerable to wolves.  Just what the devil ordered.

Pastors.  It's a good thing to be a shepherd of the flock.  Protecting.  Watching over their souls.  Yet it is a defensive action.  It is saying be careful.  Walk this way.  Yet the Devil's empire isn't much threatened by sheep in the sheepfold hiding behind closed doors.  Little Flock.. not much damage there.

Teachers. We need to have people well informed... yet the Devil knows how to teach God's word as well.  And he does it all the time.  He tried to teach Jesus in the wilderness.  He's still at it.  When you hear politicians and public people using Bible Bullets to make a point you know that teaching is being polluted.  It is good to have good teaching, but it doesn't change much.  Teaching in the last 4 decades as the major emphasis of the Body of Christ has rendered the Church weak.  You can't teach people to victory.. they must see it for themselves. 

Apostles.  This is a powerful gift and makes inroads into enemy territory for the Kingdom of God.  Setting up new outposts. Equipping warriors.  Yet as instrumental as this gift is, the Apostolic in it's zeal to plow ahead can miss the little foxes that will come behind and tear apart these exploits.  It's a powerful weapon against the enemy, but not Kryptonite.

Prophets have the one thing that the other four need to do what they do.  Fearless Truth.  Discernment.  Boldness. Without the fear of man.  Willingness to sacrifice all for the victory.  The devil lives on deception, lies, fear and timidity.  He loves preachers who are trying to build a ministry but not build people.  Who will do anything to get the church to grow.  Who fear members leaving (and their tithe).  TRUTH is the kryptonite that disables the devil.  When the bony finger of the prophet says "You Lie" the Pastor might say, "now now, not so harsh", the teacher might try to find examples in the bible, the Evangelist can't make an altar call from it and the Apostle wonders how he can launch from this.

It's the exposure of the schemes of the enemy that are the kryptonite. He hates light.

The other four offices are in need of having prophetic kryptonite in their ministries.  Except they won't.  Many pastors (leaders of churches) do not want any prophets around.  They are happy to live in ignorance.  Feel safer without having some prophet say.. (Like Jesus) "Why are you tolerating that Jezebel in your church?"

IF your little Israel can't be troubled with truth, you live a lie. 

You need some Kryptonite.

From Apostle John Eckhardt.. On Prophets

 In prophets, we see many sides to God’s heart. Compassion, hatred of sin and unrighteousness, holiness, grief, encouragement, power, joy, zeal etc.

The prophet carries within them the heart of the Father. They feel what the Father feels at different times. This can be a difficult thing for prophets to learn to handle.

The prophet can feel as if they are on an emotional roller coaster. Don't fret and don't be confused. You are special. Your carry within your heart the heartbeat of God. David was a man after God's own heart

The prophet is concerned about God's agenda, God's purposes, God's plans. This is the priority of the prophet, and not the agenda of man. The prophet knows that only the plans and purposes of the LORD will stand, and anything else is a waste of time. Prophets don't like to waste time on things that are not ordained by God.

Prophets love the presence of God. God's presence is the oxygen they breath. They hate it when the presence of God is not in the church. They cant abide programs without presence. They cant stay in places that have become an Ichabod.

They don't have a problem being in long services when the presence of God is there. David, a prophet, loved God's presence. His prophecies came out of being in God's presence.

This is the priority of the prophet, and not the agenda of man. The prophet knows that only the plans and purposes of the LORD will stand, and anything else is a waste of time. Prophets don't like to waste time on things that are not ordained by God.

Prophets are the Early Warning System.

An early warning system is a condition, system, or series of procedures indicating a potential development or impending problem; A network of sensing devices, such as satellites or radar, for detecting an enemy attack in time to take defensive or counteroffensive measures. Prophets can see trouble coming before it arrives.

Prophets Have Sharp Discernment. (Radar)

This is a strong point in prophets. They discern. This is sometimes hard to handle because they are sensitive to the spirit realm. "Discernment in the Greek language means judicial estimation, discern, disputation. It comes from a word meaning to separate thoroughly, withdraw, oppose, discriminate, decide, hesitate, contend, make to differ, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, and waver. (Sandy Warner).

"When the discerner is confronted with something that appears good on the outside, but isn't, it becomes a stumbling block to his spirit. His flesh sees good signs, but his spirit is disputing, opposing, hesitating, contending, differing, doubting, staggering, and wavering against the outward appearance.

Discernment is an internal war as one grapples to line up what they perceive, with Who God is, and what is being offered."

(Excerpts of Sandy Warner's book "Discernment-Separating the Holy from the Profane".)

Prophesy Truth even when it hurts

Senior leaders must be willing to answer the call to be prophets for the day.

We need more prophetic voices in our churches.  But too many who are able to tell you that you are going to write a book, money is coming your way, God is going to give you a better job or you will come into great things soon have a real hard time telling people the truth, even if it's not popular, even if it's painful.  Like the Prophet Jonah, it's better to run away and be eaten by a fish than tell people something that might help them be delivered of deception.

The pastor who helped form me spiritually nearly 40 years ago, Dan Rothwell, was always prepared to give a balanced read to his congregation when national events took place.  They were solid, balanced and based on the truth.

Senior leadership is called to break the chains of lies that bind the people for which they are responsible. If they fail to do so, God will remove them.  This is not a new word, it is much like the word given a few years ago when lies became the sound of the day.

Like Jonah, finding truth will cost you, will make you uncomfortable, will cause you anger and you will struggle with it.  Yet if you buy into the lies and don't confront, you will be condemned to remain rabble.

There were spiritual leaders in Jesus day who joined the cries, "Crucify Him".  They joined the rabble.  They no longer were breaking chains, they were participating in binding the people to a dogma of deceit.

The last several weeks I can tell you with authority that many senior leaders have become part of the rabble rather than chain breakers.  They no longer hear or discern truth.  Like Jonah, they have run from truth.   Even when the lies are blatant, when the lies are from the pit of hell. They joined the rabble and cried "Crucify".   

Why?  They fear man more than God.  They want to avoid being stoned.  They want to be accepted by man more than honored by God.  They want to be popular rather than truthful.  They have lost the gift of discernment and their are consciousness seared from seeing reality.

God will not allow His shepherds to long stay on His platform without repentance and turning from the lies.  He will remove them or cause their influence to be reduced, masked or hidden.  Many call of God leaders now are in the shadows because a covering angel has come to protect the people of God.  The misleaders are now rendered useless.  Exposure of sin has become the threat of the hour.

I never watch the show, but I am familiar with the Maury Povich line "That was a Lie".  We need to have leaders stand before their congregations and tell the truth.. even if it hurts.  "That was a Lie".  If truth is discarded, the way is made for lies to invade even more.  It is like playing with a Ouija board, it opens the door to supernatural invasion of deception.  That is why I am fighting it so hard. I may be a lone prophet, but God has called the true Prophets of God to call out the lies,  It's past time.

Of course this is about confronting the myths surrounding the murder of Michael Brown.  After Trayvon Martin I prophesied that next time the deception would be even deeper.  Because the lack of courage on the platform, the current deception is greater. 

Yet the lies go unchallenged, when they should be called out.  Of course that will take risk. It might mean losing a few members (and their tithe).   You might be stoned.  IF you had courage you would attack the deception.  You are being weighed in the balance and if you are found wanting will be removed.  Repent from dead works.

There are things that must be confronted that are lies floating around right now.  If you do, it will break the chains from your people.  Do you love them enough to tell them the truth?

• Mike Brown held up his hands and said, "Don't Shoot".  That is a lie
• Mike Brown was shot in the back.  That is a lie
• Mike Brown was a harmless child.  That is a lie
• Mike Brown never touched Darren Wilson's gun.  That is a lie
• Darren Wilson shot Mike Brown 12 times.  He did shoot his gun, but he's a lousy shot.  
• Darren Wilson was paid a half million dollars by ABC for his interview.  That is a lie
• Darren Wilson is going to retire on full pension from the police force.  That is a lie.
• Mike Brown didn't rob the store we see on video... An amazing lie.
• The cops set fires that burned Ferguson.  That is a lie.
• Mike Brown never touched Darren Wilson.  That is a lie
• Mike Brown was shot from 150 feet away.  That is a lie (and would take a pretty good shot to do so)

There are truths that are not convenient to the lies:

• Once Mike Brown was shot he kept coming, there is a 21 foot trail of blood to show it.
• Mike Brown is the real victim here, his mother and her boyfriend (not stepfather) weren't even raising him.  Grandma was.  So all the outrage and "they killed my baby" does not line up with reality.
• People who told the truth to the grand jury were warned not to do so. The rabble tried very hard to intimidate them. 
• The Grand Jury was not hand picked.  It had been assembled long ago (January of 2014) to hear such things.  9 white 3 black.  About the mix of St Louis County.  From Voter Rolls.  IF you aren't a voter you weren't called.  They have nothing to gain nor lose by bringing a false verdict.  When I heard a leader make an irrational statement like "Indict the Grand Jury" it was out of line.  

So who wins when lies are propagated, when the rabble riots, when the division is deepened, when people become accusers.  The answer is easy, SATAN. This is all a scheme of satan.  Father of Lies.  Creating enmity between people.  Accusing the brethren. Sadly he succeeded and those assigned to protect the flock led them to slaughter.

To be clear, none of the lies have to do with the racial tensions, they are simply lies created by the enemy to discredit those who should know truth but choose a lie instead.  Yes there is racism,  and it must be dealt with, but not by lies.  That solves nothing.

The Bible calls this behavior out.

2 Thessalonians2:10and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

Those who are about to be judged most severely are those who decided to believe the lie.  What do you think Father will do with such?

I read the book of Revelations.  It's not good news for liars.

The Burden of the Prophetic Rebuke

Of all the things I find difficult in the prophetic realm is when from time to time God calls on me to confront or rebuke someone. I do it seldom.  Those who are simply prophetic but not in the office are not called to do so.  Yet when someone is place in a governing position, it becomes a duty, a call of the office. It's not easy nor pleasurable.

It has happened seldom, yet more often than I would like.  When I have had to do so, I always do it with as much love as I can muster.  I try to not destroy the relationship.  I might be the only voice left in their circle who has earned the right to say, "My dear sir (or mam) I regret to tell you that you are full of poop again".  Even Billy Graham had Grady Nutt.  He had the right to say exactly that.  He didn't destroy the relationship in his rebuke.

Too few senior leaders have such people in their circle. They think they are their own prophets.  They think they hear from God, "why do I need another person to hear for me".  The truth is, as a Prophet, I NEED to hear from other prophets.  I have several I trust to tell me the truth.  The most dangerous spiritual leader on the planet is the one whose life verse is 1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

They use that verse as a reason why they Don't NEED a prophet in their lives.  Lone wolf.  Naked. Vulnerable.  Ready to be picked off by satan.

Worse for many of these are leaders of other ministries who they might ask to speak into their lives.  Men or women who have an axe (ministry) to grind.  Who have no benefit in speaking a hard truth.  In fact many times they are most vulnerable because they are in the same place (encouraging themselves).  

What is needed is a prophet who has nothing to gain nor lose by telling you the truth.

I won't give you a list.  There have been some painful events.  Telling a spiritual leader that he was about to die when all kinds of other prophets told him he would live and not die.  Telling a known apostle that an error he made was about to cost him his ministry.. and he lost it in 6 months.  Warning an apostle of gross error that would cost him everything.. and it did.  I have warned a few national leaders by mail and thru those who I knew inside the ministry.  I don't know if it mattered.. but obedience is better than sacrifice.

Here's the truth, God loves his sheep more than he cares about protecting his shepherds.  If a man or woman of God is out of order, God will send his spokesman to warn them.  If they won't take the warning or worse if they have surrounded themselves with a cocoon of protection such that Nathan can't get face to face... then the error will kill them off.  Maybe not dead, but removed.

His people are precious to HIM.  He will not long stand for them to be abused.  It's the hardest think I ever have to do, but if I am disobedient he will pull the anointing from me.   That's must not be. 

Tales from the Prophetic

I think about what goes on in the Prophetic realm.  It helps me to know that I am hearing from God when I prophesy.  IF I ever believed I didn't I would stop cold.   Not to would be blasphemy.  I'm not going there.

If you are a prophet in the office of the prophet you will often have people come up to you and say, "Do you remember what you prophesied over me 3 years ago".   Of course truth be told, of the hundreds of prophetic words I have given I cannot remember.  But they do.  They have taken those words and sealed them in their hearts.  The message I get from these events, knowing that they are not only meaningful but life changing, directive, forming makes me cautious, careful, deliberate, listening to God before I speak.  The words I give people matter so much that to be flippant with them would be a travesty.  I remember several meaningful words spoken over me over the years.  I know that God is in them.   Prophesy is not to be treated lightly.. and I don't.  If you operate as a prophet.. your words really matter. 

A few nights ago a woman, Pamella, came for a word from God. I gave her what I saw. She was really broken.  Really hurt.  Father loved on her.  I don't know how she will take this long run.  She was actually looking for a crystal ball experience.  Looking for a husband, would she find one?  Was there money hidden for her?  That kind of thing.  What Father had me to say to her was much more in depth than what she was seeking.  Life changing.  I hope she knows it was God.   She may be one that comes back a few years from now and says. "Do you remember".  When I hugged her (as I often do when I know a word needs a seal of the Love of God) she sobbed, held on tight, just stayed.  I wonder often if a word lacking the love of God is worth LESS.  Just thinking about it.

There is a merger that takes place in the Prophetic.  That which is me and that which is God speaking thru me.  I really want to keep the two desperate.  I do.  I want to have an opinion.  I want to be Gene sometimes.  Yet, HE keeps invading my space till I am pushed aside.  I don't object, but sometimes when I find myself horning in, He allows me to fall on my face, picks me up, dusts me off and says, "Just say what I say".   That doesn't mean that every single word I say or write is inspired of the Holy Ghost.. just more than I thought there would be.  I will begin to write on an issue, or a situation and suddenly words come that I know full well are not my own.  Much better than I am able.  It's not spooky, it's just how that works.  IF you decide to submit your will to HIS as a prophet, He will take up residence and you will slowly be evicted.  It's not all bad... it's fruit

Prophetic Truth can be Painful

This last few days my role as a Prophet has become amplified.  More intense.  More direct.  Yet.. I am doing what I am called to be.  A prophet to the nation. 

It's not that I want to hurt or harm anyone, yet to a person bound in lies, truth hurts.  Those who are in the chains of deception have found comfort there.. and when set free.. find it is uncomfortable, strange, weird, disconcerting.

IF I must choose truth over comfort, I will choose truth.  No matter who's truth it seems to be.  I will choose Righteousness and Justice, no matter who's justice and righteousness it seems to be. 

We must never become so settled in our deceptions that truth cannot invade.  One of my friends in the faith is Ron McKenzie who writes brilliantly about so many things.  He has written on this gift and its impact on the church, the body of Christ.  Read the whole thing here:  Prophets and the Church

We must fight hard for the real prophetic and eschew the false.  There is too much of that.

"Key Prophetic Words and Strategies Over - Israel, Cuba, China, America and More!" Chuck D. Pierce, Corinth, TX

Dear Watchmen:
Ferguson, Missouri has been in the news since the Lord sent us there on June 18, and said that this area would become the dividing line of the nation. We have stayed focused on the borders and all the issues of immigration and drug cartel wars.
I believe nearly all of us have seen the reports coming from Jerusalem with a new wave of violence. Cars have been used as weapons to drive into innocent bystanders, and most recently, men armed with butcher knives and guns attacked a synagogue.

The Lurking Dragon!

When we were flying into Tel Aviv earlier this month, I saw an unusual sunset. The sun, though setting, looked like it was rising from the ground. Above the glory realm hovering on the ground was sky. In the sky was a perfectly formed black dragon! The message the Lord had me to deliver in Jerusalem was:
"The dragon is hovering over Israel. There is a birth that is near and the enemy wants to stop what God is birthing. There will be much conflict in the next several months but you can stop the dragon from having his way." (Photo of Chuck Pierce in Israel via Glory of Zion Ministries)
I went on to speak from Revelation 12. I called Rick Ridings, the leader of the 24 Hour House of Prayer in Jerusalem. Rick had already planned to share an earlier vision of a great fire-breathing dragon circling the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He shared that when flames came from its mouth, violence was released onto the Mount (which has been the scene of increasing turmoil over the past several months). Amazing!
We must stand and turn the enemy from Israel. In the vision, Rick was made to be aware that the dragon's real intentions were to ignite a much larger and more far-reaching conflagration of violence. Suddenly, he saw two words in the heavens, "NOT NOW." His message was: "I saw a dragon on the Temple Mount, but God said, 'NOT NOW!'"
A great foot descended from Heaven, pinning the dragon to the ground. Then the Lord reached down, placed shackles on the dragon's feet, and imprisoned it in the underground mosque at the southeast corner of the Temple Mount. As this was happening, in the worship room where Rick was having the vision (which has a view of the Mount), the leader was singing from Psalm 149 about the high praise of God's people "putting kings in chains and nobles in shackles." (Photo of Chuck Pierce in Israel via Glory of Zion Ministries)
In the days following this, conflict continued and many in the media were predicting an impending huge eruption of violence and the start of a new intifada ("uprising").
In a second vision on November 4, Rick had a vision of the imprisoned dragon shrieking and attempting to break out of its dungeon in which it was imprisoned - demon spirits were going forth from its mouth out of the confines of the prison to incite terror. Rick felt the Lord say we were to ask Him, as the Judge of the Universe, to give a "gag and restraining order" to silence the dragon for this time period.

Watch Cuba!

I gave this prophecy about Cuba and New Orleans on September 21, 2010 during a staff meeting. The Lord showed me Cuba becoming a nation that we would begin to see differently. Then in 2011, Cuba (and Castro) would be favored.
Venezuela would go through a government shift! Then they will align with Iran and Russia over oil, and form a thick shadow of deception. This shadow of deception will attempt to overshadow Cuba. The shadow will rest on Cuba and the leaders of Cuba will align with this confederated network. This shadow will attempt to come in through the Gulf of Mexico and enter America, to vie for its control through the port of New Orleans.
China will take a stand on behalf of America's future before America fully stands up (since China is gaining economic rule in America in the ports). New Orleans will have to establish the presence of God at its gate to withstand this, or else rioting will occur and the transfer of wealth will shift wrongly in the ports. (There have been reports for almost three years of spying subs in the Gulf.)

Key Prophecy for NOW: Anne Tate, Chuck Pierce, Michelle Hadley, Keith Pierce, Rebekah Faubion

Our service on Sunday morning was just amazing. Following our Convergencia Hispana gathering on Friday and Saturday, the sound of the nations was released during our worship and the portals of revelation of Heaven were opened. The Spirit of God began to declare as Brian Kooiman gave a tongue for interpretation.

"This is a season where you're going higher than you ever imagined. I am taking you higher and higher and higher and higher; you have only begun to glimpse where I'm taking you. Raise your sights! Raise your eyes! Look at Me! I Am taking you higher and higher.

"There are certain things you can't see where you presently are. Until you begin to become buoyant in faith with Me, you will not be able to see what I would have you see. So keep going higher, and you'll get to a place where you can breathe only by the Spirit. I Am taking My people to a place where they will require the oxygen of My Spirit to begin to move into the thoughts that I have. Vision is coming to you in a new place."

Song of Spirit:
I know you're tired, but come on higher anyway
I know the battle has been weary, but come up higher anyway
I Am giving you an aerial view
I Am giving you an aerial view
You are going to see things that you've never seen before
I am going to download strategies that you didn't have before! (Photo of Convergencia Hispana gathering via Glory of Zion Ministries)

"Lift Your Eyes! You've looked at the roots and the trunk of the tree, but you've not seen what's in the top of the tree. I have things hidden that have been captured there that only you can begin to gather, by coming higher. This is a day that you must ask Me to bring you into a new place. Some of you will fall from this high place, but do not fear. There will still be life in you, and you will rise again."

Shatece McLeod then gave another tongue for interpretation:

"Today is the day I come with an injection of My holiness. The injection of My holiness will go into your blood veins in a new way, and it will activate the DNA inside where I have been received by you. Get ready for this injection, because all that receive this infusion will receive an open Heaven.

"You will receive the authority to deal with the disturbance in the second airways. So get ready, get ready, get ready because when I, I Am, when I, I Am, comes upon the scene and you begin to fall upon Me and rest, you will see Me released to go before you.

"I Am raising up a standard of righteousness among you this hour. Many of you have been confused of the purpose of My grace. My grace is not here to let you wallow in your short-comings and your fear and your lack. My Grace is here to raise you up to the standard of My favor, of My excellence, of My purpose in this world. My grace is not for you to wallow in.

"Get out of your wallowing! Get out of your mud pit! Get up and stand! If you cannot stand today in this standard that I Am raising, then you come and you lay your face at My altar and you put down everything else; I will raise a new standard before you. (Photo of Convergencia Hispana gathering via Glory of Zion Ministries)

"Your shins are stuck in the mud and you've been striving to get through that hard place that you've been in. Part of that place is from your making; other parts are because the enemy has come in like a flood and muddied your path. But I am going to interject an anointing down through your feet that will cause you to now walk through that which has bogged you down. If you will change your mind from how you see My grace, then My grace will interject and fill you, energize and move you forward."

May each of you be thankful for all that He is doing in your life!
Blessings,
Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion International Ministries
Email: chuckp@glory-of-zion.org
Website: glory-of-zion.org

Terry Bennett Ministries - A report from the Prayer Front

In light of all that has been happening in Ferguson we wanted to share this email that we received. Even in the midst of darkness the Lord is still moving through His people who are willing to stand and to intercede.

What's Really Happening in Ferguson, Missouri? by Kingsley Walker, MO State Prayer General

 Current Situation The City of St. Louis and the nation await the release of the judgment of the Grand Jury regarding Officer Darren Wilson and the shooting of Michael Brown on August 9. There is much speculation and opinion as to when the verdict will be announced, but that information is well guarded, available only on a need-to-know basis. With promises of violent behavior, burning cities, and death threats, all branches of law enforcement have gone to 12-hour shifts, schools have stockpiled supplies and food, and people are being told to stay inside and prepare as if a large winter storm were coming.

On Monday, November 17, Governor Jay Nixon, signed an executive order activating the Missouri National Guard. He has stated that violence and destruction will not be tolerated. With only a few official agencies having specific and accurate information, the media machine makes “news” out of nothing, broadcasting opinion and printing speculation not based on truth. In this environment, fear and intimidation thrive, which drives citizens to believe they must protect themselves and their property from what may be coming. In the last month, gun sales in nearby communities have increased 300%. Positive Reports Even as aspects of the situation have remained volatile and unstable, intercession and worship have increased throughout the city.

A prayer meeting at a local church at one of the entrances to the city of Ferguson has been going non-stop for the last 10 years, gaining momentum since August. Churches are praying and have come together both inter-racially and interdenominationally to donate food, water, and more than 3,000 backpacks loaded with school supplies for children in Ferguson.

In September alone, law enforcement received so many donations that they had no more room to store the blessings. Throughout the month of October, a tent was erected in the middle of Ferguson where worship and prayer was released for 12 hours every day. In conjunction with the tent, evangelistic teams went into the streets and neighborhoods, a prayer room was established, and worship leaders and teams from throughout the city came to shift the atmosphere of the city with pure worship. Over 21 days, 50 people made commitments to follow Christ, including a warlock and others that came to protest, but left praising because they found Jesus.

Several potentially dangerous gatherings have broken up and dissipated as worship was released among the unruly participants. Coming in a spirit of intercession, worshippers began to sing and position themselves between the protesting crowd and the Highway Patrol forming a protective line. Within minutes, the riotous crowd deflated and dispersed as “this isn’t fun anymore” and “I’m going home” were heard. Others in the crowd joined the worship, with several coming to Christ.

The City of Ferguson has commended the “Jesus People” for their efforts and said, “We don’t know what you’re doing, but when you do it the atmosphere changes…thank you!” The Missouri Highway Patrol offered their thanks as well, saying “Many of our officers were singing with you as you moved between them and the protesters.” Prayer changes things. Let us continue to intercede on behalf of the people in Ferguson and the rest of the cities in this nation. Let us pray that the Lord would create an opening to move upon hearts and that His ways and His will would be established in this nation.

A Vision of Days to Come

I have shared this with a few people privately. It's now time to go public with a vision of the days to come. I see what will (or might) happen as Radical Islam expands in the USA. What we saw in Israel in the Synagogue will happen here.

No one in government seems to realize that Radical Islam in the USA is a clear and present danger that must be dealt with at once. They are out to cause fear and havoc. They want to divide the USA into groups.. that process is already underway. The racial divide is deepened because of Islamic influence. The right to HATE the OTHER has become normative. Ferguson is adding to this divide. I see Islam as part of this division.

There must be an aggressive answer to Islam on our shores. I know many see these people as a mission field and Jesus is reaching many, but this demon released in November 2012 is manifesting more aggressively than anyone thought they could. We cannot let them victimize this nation without an answer. God will not sanction a weak response.

I am praying against an attack being planned right now. I have heard their strategy in a vision (a dream). It will happen at a shopping mall on the east coast.. Maryland or DC. They will grab some shoppers at random around Christmas time and behead them publicly in a parking lot. Yes the attackers will be killed (72 virgins await) but the deed will be done. This is designed to create fear and anger. This will work for a while, but until we face the reality of the internal threat to our nation, we cannot deal with it. Islam is a demon that has invaded this country and will not rest till it brings the nation to it's knees. Our leadership has no answers.

Leaving it ALL behind to Follow Him

Some people think, and publicly advocate, that our culture, our racial, ethnic and economic identity should be retained for its cultural aspects even if the mythology surrounding it is recognized for what it is as a big fat fraud.

Is this a good thing?

I’m not so sure.

Consider….

Hobbits have bare feet.
I was born with bare feet.
I am a Hobbit.


Our identity is interesting….
Human brains are not fully developed at birth and take years to fully develop.

Culture forms a large part of human development.

Humans are born expecting culture. We have evolved with brains which have the capacity to learn vast amounts of information, more so than any other living species. We are born with brains which need culture to fully develop. It’s our childhood culture which enables our brains to develop fully.
Since a large part of who we are is formed during our early development, it seems natural that many people born will retain that culture as part of their identity.

It is tragic for a child born into a twisted and contorted worldview to have to retain their allegiance to it after discovering the fraud. Much like I think it would be tragic for a child born into the Mafia, Scientology or some weird UFO cult to continue to feel they are defined by their birth culture.

So it is with the cultures we carry on our back.  We see them as who we are.  They conflict with the reality of who we become as a new creation.

I am hearing Jesus say, "Come follow me".  He said it to the fishermen, to the tax collector.  They set aside their culture and became a new man.

Today we have people who cling to cultural norms that are in opposition to who they profess to be in Christ.  Germans (my culture) did during the Nazi days.  Rwandans did during those days (they professed to be Christian).

There are a lot of functions of today's popular cultures that are in opposition to the truth of Jesus.

• Hip Hop/Rap/Acid Rock
• Redneck
• Wall Street
• Government and Politics Culture (MSNBC and FOX)
• Big Business
• Gangsterism
• The Hispanic Culture
• The Asian Culture
• The White Culture
• The Black Culture
• Sports Culture (look at how pervasive it has become)
• Music Culture (People who live with a set of earphones on 24/7 having their brains reprogrammed.

The list could go on.. not to say there aren't Bible Believing Christians in some of those cultures.  There are. I have met them.  What is true however is this, Jesus is going to at some point call you to leave behind the culture that has become an obstacle and an idol to you.

It's a constant battle.  Satan will use your cultural bias to hide the true calling of God on your life.

Jesus is still saying, lay down your cultural nets and follow me.. now the question is, can we?

A really good word

BECAUSE YOU ASKED!
I am reading through 484 comments made in response to an earlier post about how I can help you. This post is a tad longer for a reason.
I SENSE A PROPHETIC WORD...
“Take heed WHAT ye hear.” (Mk 4:24)
AND... “Take heed HOW ye hear.”( Lk 8:18)
Jesus warned us to do both - "what" and "how."
These are days when information bombards our senses from a multitude of excited sources. Anger and fear, agitation and division surround us. Good people are stumbling, marriages and ministries shaking. It is hard enough to sort out truth from error on our own, it is even harder when others all around us are conveying their opinion based on how they hear.
NEVER FORGET
Your secret weapon is not information. The world has that. Your secret is REVELATION from the Word God is speaking TO YOU. The circumstances of Jesus teaching this "take heed" idea are important. He did so while explaining the parable of the sower and said…
"But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard THE WORD in an honest and GOOD HEART, and HOLD IT FAST, and bear fruit with PERSEVERANCE.” – A “good heart” is a rare heart. It is a heart that truly desires to "hold fast" to the revelation knowledge God gives in the seed form of His Word.
Those with a "good heart" have ANGELS assigned to GUARD them and ADVANCE them. This company is the core of the NEXT MOVE OF GOD!
What separates you from everyone else is FAITH. Your FAITH is YOUR PASSPORT through this hour of history. Faith is the currency that makes material SUBSTANCE out of the things we hope for. The Word of God heeded will cultivate, curate, develop the force of FAITH! Keep your heart free from the deteriorating and corrosive voices of unbelief coming from others who are not cultivating their capacity to nurture the “seed” of Gods Word into the “fruit” of a supernatural harvest.
This is the call to PERSEVERE in the face of conflicting evidence and voices. The call to a deep inward walk and talk with the Holy Spirit.
CAUTION -- BEWARE the tendency of many to back up from the front lines of battle into a kind of monastic spirituality that disengages from the warfare in culture. Half the problems of our society is due to the lack of courage and candor that comes from those who have genuine light and revelation of Gods ways for family, marriage, economic dignity, independence from others – including dependence on government. We need engaged believers not spiritual hermits who back up from the darkness.
After the parable of the sower Jesus said: “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.” Spiritual soaking must be followed by circumstances squeezing the virtue out of us and into the gladiators arena of faith.
IN YOUR SPHERE of influence YOU are the light of the world. Be winsome, informed, empathic and daring. Be a voice, an ORACLE for the kingdom- not an echo of despair.
AFTER the parable of the sower and the “good and honest heart,” AFTER challenging followers to NOT HIDE their light Jesus warned…
"So take care HOW you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." Listen to the voice of faith. Let your ideas be articulated. Do what the Father shows you to do, even if it rubs against the grain. The muscle you build be disciplining your FOCUS to filter WHAT you are exposed to, combined with the sharpening of your thinking to get to the ROOT of the issues will result in you being a LIGHT in your contest with darkness.
Your “perseverance” will build character and a foundation for greater revelation and larger spheres of influence.
This is the path of the 7m Warrior - the front lines of a new apostolic missionary movement in journalism, film, politics, college campuses and business. You are a new model of purity and power in marriage, singleness, family and community. You are the innovators of solutions to problems, the dissolver of doubts, the champions of a new culture.
When THIS gospel of the kingdom is preached in every nation…when Gods wisdom is displayed openly, rejected by goat nations or embraced by sheep nations, THEN the end shall come and YOU shall enter into the reward of rulership with Christ in the kingdom of His Father.
You will be unashamed while others are embarrassed. Don't hide your light. Be BOLD and OCCUPY till He comes.

There is no Vision when you Have Scales on your Eyes

I woke early this morning and the Lord had given me a word.  It's for someone who is seeking God for a breakthrough.  It is for me as well.  Sometimes when I get a word, I think it might be for someone else..and then discover it was for me.

Here's what I heard the Lord say:

"If you could see what I see you would never fear, never waver, never be discouraged, never be in lack, never have doubt, never be emotionally upset.  In fact, if you could see what I see you would live fearlessly in perfect Love and Harmony with all because you would see the end and the beginning as one.

There will come a day when you will have all the scales dropped from your eyes.  The day you step from time into eternity, you will no longer see thru a glass darkly.  You will see face to face and it will all make perfect sense.  I am who I am and there  is nothing else that even compares to ME.  All attempts to make me in your image diminishes my Glory.  You do this because you have scales on your eyes.  Your vision is impaired.  You capacity to see is so limited that what you think you understand is shaped by what think you see.  That is why I have told you to live by faith and not by sight.  True faith IS TRUE SIGHT.  Your vision is so limited because you consider the challenges you face as more real than I am.  You depend on human understanding, your own understanding, your own experiences, your own vision.  That vision is so profoundly limited.  It is a perishing vision.

The scales that cover your eyes are fear, anger, prejudice, bad advise, tradition, misdirection, past experiences, pride, arrogance, ambition, greed, doubt, unbelief and presumption.   They are a part of who you are, yet if you could have those scales dropped from your eyes you would see more clearly.  My desire for you is to see clearly, to not be deterred from your purpose in Me.  It's the only purpose that matters.  You already have some of the Scales stripped away... yet there are more.  Without those scales you would see the angel armies all around you. You would see ME high and lifted up without scales.  You would see ME sitting at the right hand.   You would see the stairway where angels ascend and descend.  You would see beyond your seeing... not in your flesh.  Spirit eyes are scale free eyes.  Saul lost them on a street called straight.  You can too.  You know what to do.. let the scales fall from your eyes.  Don't hang on to them.  You can see more clearly.. for that is what I created you for."

Blind Leading the Blind is a Curse to THEM

Jesus saw blindness in the people of his day.  They were blind because misleaders who were equally blind were leading them into a trap.. not because they designed it, but because they couldn't see.

 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.  Matthew 15:14

We have that today.  In ministry, In media, In government, In Education, In Entertainment.  All sorts of people purporting to know "The Truth" and leading people to a ditch from which many will never emerge.

Do we ignore them.. do we tolerate them, do we argue with them, do we denounce them?  Jesus said that we should ignore them.

But what of those deceived and mindlessly going to the ditch.

I have personally struggled with this.  This is what I hear the Lord saying about those so misled,

"Some  of these will emerge bruised and confused.  They will be looking for answers.  Answers I have placed in your mouth.  Do not be afraid to give them what I have shown you.  Some will reject the truth, even in their despair and defeat.  Even if you were to show them a sign from ME.. it would make no difference.  Their hearts are hard, their blindness is intentional, and they will die in their deception."

It's hard, I was deceived into thinking I could show them the truth.. but alas.. no. 

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of your words.       Proverbs 23:9

Reserve Glory for the Perfect One.. for HE is Jealous of HIS Rightful Honor

The death of Myles Monroe, and others that will follow had once again illustrated to me a flaw even Christians have.  We hold up those who have passed from time into eternity and remember them incorrectly.  It creates an unrealistic standard that has caused many to reject people who are not "Perfect" in every way.

Yet many of those who were great leaders in many ways were flawed and in the hard light of day could have been ridiculed by a cynical crowd.  I do not live under any such illusion.  I know my own flaws too well.  I know that every great man I have ever known (and I have known some great ones) have some enormous flaws. 

When we look back in History we can point to great men and women of our past who did great exploits and yet with close examination you find them deeply flawed.

BUT.. as is human, we hold them up as paragons of virtue, near Godlike.  We give untoward Glory to msn that belongs ONLY to God.

I think about the men held in High Reverence today.

Martin Luther King jr
Martin Luther (Himself)
Abe Lincoln
John F Kennedy
Malcolm X
Ronald Reagan
Bill Clinton
Amie Semple McPherson
Nelson Mandella
Oprah Winfrey
Barack Obama
Winston Churchill
King David

and Millions others we remember thru rose colored glasses.   Yet all of these men and women had flaws, flaws that without the grace of God would be fatal.

The issue for Father is, we expend secular worship on people which should be reserved for him. Sports figures are worshiped today.  Entertainment figures are worshiped (think Kim Kardasian), musical talent is worshiped.  The glory you waste on them is truly wasted.

It doesn't mean we cannot honor goodness... but that seems to no longer be the case. All Glory and Honor and Praise belongs to the King of Kings alone.

My prophetic warning is to consider to whom we pay extraordinary honor.  They are human, flawed and fallible.  Only ONE is worthy.  Reserve your honor for him ALONE... only He has the perfect reputation.

The Prophetic Significance of Myles Monre's Death

It all happened Sunday afternoon, while flying into the Grand Bahamas.  I have flown into the Grand Bahama International Airport many times.  I can understand how this happened.  There is a shipyard right in line with the main runway.  To takeoff or land depending on the wind you must pass directly over that shipyard.  It is a crane in that shipyard that was hit by the approaching jet and caused it to explode in air killing all on board.

The weather was horrible as they approached.  Commercial aircraft was not landing.  Windy, rainy, stormy.  Even the best pilot would find this approach nearly impossible. 

Yet he tried.  He took a chance.  He knew that if he failed, as the pilot, he would be most at risk.  I am certain that the passengers were well informed of the rough landing to follow.  Prayer would have been on everyone's lips.  In avaiation the adage is, taking off is easy, landing the plane is the real problem.  The plane will fly itself.. landing is not normal for a flying machine and it has to be coached into being back on the ground.  That may be a slight exaggeration, but it's not far from the truth. A jet wants to be flying at hundreds of knots 8 miles high.  That's what it was designed for.

In an instant, in a storm, on a risk, lives and most likely a ministry was extinguished.  A man of great influence stepped from time into eternity.  He's not unhappy about this, but those of us left behind mourn.

I had never met Myles Monroe.  We always attended Bahama Faith Ministries Church whenever we were in Freeport.  The people were kind and accepting of this "brother from a different mother".  As is normal we were unique.. and that was too bad.  Globally Myles Monroe had a multicultural reach, but locally it was not so. 

It's a satellite church in Freeport, in other words, the service and preaching from Nassau was shown on a screen.  Dr Monroe would preach and we at a distance would watch.  The ministry was live, the worship was live but the word was remote.  I know this is a common pattern today.. but there is a risk.  More on that later.

In the crash Monroe's successor, Dr Richard Pinder was killed too.  There is no longer a designated second in command.  Moses and Joshua are both gone at once.

His Books, video recordings and other transcribed material will live on. That is the Legacy of Myles Monroe.  Those who were greatly influenced by him, those who were discipled and sent out by him will continue to carry his baton.  The church in Freeport and Nassau will operate for a while but without the set man.. will likely founder.  God always uses a set man or woman.  He doesn't use boards, committees, organizations.  No one will take Myles Monroe's place.  Not exactly.

Yes, someone can use the existing facilities, keep many of the members, maybe keep the name and honor Myles Monroe's legacy, but it will have to be a new set man to carry it forward.  This is always the challenge when these things happen.  It is often said that there is no success without a successor.  Yet, in the end God picks the successor.

I have lost some great men of God as friends and pastors over the years.  Two come to mind.  Robert Schmidgall and Dan Rothwell.  Both were set men by God. When they died it took years for another to take their place.  The churches foundered.  In the last year another great man of God passed.  I didn't know him well, but had ministered to him before his death.  Set man is the issue.  God sets them, not man.

For the most part God doesn't much care that you are the Pastor's son or daughter, or son in law or brother in law or such.  He does the picking.  It takes a prophet to declare the succession.  I suspect that a prophet had warned Dr Monroe of this potential. He just didn't point out that who will pick up the mantle. It will many times not be the man or woman you would pick by reason.  Jesse will have to bring out ALL his sons for the prophet to anoint the right one.  That means that ruddy faced kid in back 40 sometimes is the set man of God.

Succession based on family seldom works.  I can think of only a few occasions where it did.  It usually only works when the successor goes off to a distant work and then after years establishing his own track record and credibility come back to the fellowship.  That almost never happens.

IF there is to be a person to take over and successfully perpetuate the ministry in Bahamas it will be one who is not there, who comes back and who's hands are clean before the people.  No one there now will succeed as successor.

There are prophetic implications in all this. Here are Seven:

1. The landing was of urgency. Dr Monroe was having dinner that night with Andrew Young Jr, Former UN Ambassador.  He really wanted to get there.  In aviation we call this homeitis and it's a killer.  The desire to reach your destination so much that you take deadly risks to get there.  Even in an automobile people suffer from this by driving in a snowstorm to get someplace when they have no right to be on the road.  Father would say, "Before you build a tower or go to war, consider the cost".  If he had missed Dinner that night, there would have been another.  There won't now.

2. No man knows the day nor hour.  Even though the risk was significant and understood, the pilot had done worse than this with success,  his desire to please Dr Monroe outran his judgement.  Father would say, "Prudence and man pleasing are not compatible".

3. Legacy Matters.  The amount of honor given Dr Monroe is appropriate and correct.  He was a great man of  God. I know he was controversial to many. I sat under his teaching and cringed sometimes at what I heard.  Yet he did great things.  He advanced the kingdom.  His legacy and God given wisdom is eternal.  In that way he fulfilled his purpose.  He ended well if too short.  Now it's time for people to mourn and remember and then take what this means to continue to advance the kingdom using the wind at their sails that Dr Monroe provided.  Then to move on and move out. 

4. There is no significance to the date or the fact that he died in an accident.  God didn't take him and the devil didn't kill him.  We must understand to quote a famous bumper sticker, "Things Happen".  I know I misquoted it, but you saw it on the back of a rusty old Ford F-100 in Forrest Gump.   The quickness, the permanence and the results of all that are yet to be determined.  Those things are still on this side of the veil.  Father would say, "Do not ask who sinned, but keep your hearts pure and repent lest a worse thing happen to you".  Tower of Siloam reference Luke 13:4

5. The tragedy of his death and those of the many who died with him is only exceptional in it's obvious publicity.  The multitudes who sit beneath the throne now martyred in the middle east who were pressured to recant.. and lost their heads from not recanting.. they are to be mourned as well.  The death of all saints is precious.. all of them.  None is greater or lesser at the foot of the cross.  If you read the book "Final Quest" there is an encounter on the other side of the veil with the Apostle Paul.  Father says, "In the light of MY Glory all of man's success and honor is put in perspective.  I will judge that which endures and that which is wood, hay and stubble and that which is silver and gold".   If Dr Monroe were able to speak of this today, he would be the first to say, "much of what I did was burned up.. only some endured".   ALL Glory be to God.

6. He wouldn't come back now even if he could.  He is experiencing that which is only anticipated today by you and me.  It's beyond our understanding, yet there have been glimpses.  Don't mourn for his present state, mourn for OUR present state.  Minus his greatness.  He cannot come to us, we can only go to him.  Yet when it seems like he is right here, he is.  The distance between you and him is  small and the veil is thin.  He is not aware of you, but you can be aware of him. His spirit in that way lives on.  I think of Dan Rothwell every day.. and know his spirit is still with me.. yet he is not.  That is legacy.

7. Be ready, you don't know if your next breath is certain.  You may never get a second's warning.  I was in a near fatal plane crash.  There was no warning.  We all survived, yet had we died.. it was without warning..  The twinkling of an eye and we would have been caught up to meet him in the cloud, as was Myles Monroe and his wife and all the others on Sunday afternoon.

So keep all this in proportion. Consider what legacy you will leave when you step from time into eternity.  What hope or instruction you will offer.

It all matters.  Father says, "we have many teachers, but not many fathers".  Myles Monroe was a father to many in the spirit. That persists after he died.  Fatherhood matters.  It forms who you are.

Paul the Apostle speaking to the Corinthians said:

^{1 Corinthians 4:14-17} I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. ¹⁵ For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you, imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

Let us believe that the Timothy's of Myles Monroe, the thousands of them sent into the world will advance the kingdom.  Of that Father says to Myles, "well done good and faithful servant, My son in whom I am well pleased".