Avoid the Escape Mentality by Os Hillman

"Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle" (Ps 144:1).

One of the best-selling American books of all time is a fiction series that focuses on the end times called Left Behind. It deals with the rapture of Christians from the earth before the final end-times crisis takes place and the anti-Christ rules.

If we are not careful we will fall into a mindset that we are simply buying time until Jesus calls us home. No matter what the end-times scripture teaches, it is clear that believers should model a behavior that is more like a soldier in battle desiring to take the land, than a person awaiting an airlift.

When God placed man on earth, He desired man to rule the earth. "God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Gen 1:28). The intent was not dictatorship, but to express the love and care of God throughout all of creation in order to know and experience the creator in all things.

Today, we often have a cruise ship mentality in the Church of Jesus Christ instead of a battleship mentality designed to engage the enemy of our souls. Our army is often ill-equipped to know how to take the land that God has provided through His Son. This is why believers in the workplace must see their work and calling as an assignment from God to demonstrate His power in all of society in order to restore His rule upon the earth. That is the key reason Jesus died on the cross - to restore that which was lost (Luke 19:10).

Are you engaged in the battle?

Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.

PROPHECY “The LORD says" by Maurice Sklar - DECEMBER 1, 2011

The American dollar is about to lose 30% more of its’ present value. This will be the second drop since the previous 2008 drop of 20%. The dollar will then be worth half of what it was before September 2008. This drop will cause great economic distress upon our nation. The church will be shaken and many will wake up spiritually and cry out to ME. There will be also looting, rioting, and terrorism in our land.

There is an even greater financial disaster that is falling upon Europe that will collapse the Euro, cause panic and chaos there. Germany will refuse to prop up the euro any more. Basic needs in the poorer European nations will be threatened. Many will lose their money overnight as the stage is set for the financial takeover of the Antichrist system. This is imminent, and the dollar will also follow, although it will survive for a season more.

The great revival will also begin. God has hidden His Holy Apostles and Prophets for this present hour. There will be great outpourings of supernatural provision, miracles, and healing in various places. These areas will become cities of refuge and places of refuge for God’s people.

There is coming an all out war in the Middle East as the neighboring Arab nations will come against Israel with a sudden missile attack starting from the north with Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Syria. Other Arab nations will join. Israel will be hit from all sides at once and there will be deaths and partial destruction of settlements, smaller cities to the north, and some damage to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as well. Israel will respond with great force, and limited nuclear weapons will release devastation upon the neighboring countries, particularly Lebanon, Damascus, which will be destroyed completely, and the rest of Syria as well as military strikes into Iran, Gaza, and even northern Egypt/Sinai region.

The resulting shaking of the West will then release a tremendous movement of Jews making aliyah back to Israel. There will no longer be security or stability as it has been up to now in America and Europe. Israel will emerge victorious from this war, but hurt. However, the devastation inflicted upon the attackers will be one hundred times worse. The spoils of this war will include much territory and will force the west to recognize the Holy God of Israel. It will emerge as the only stable country in the region. Many, even millions of Arabs will be killed. Islam will receive a mortal wounding by the Holy God of Israel.

I am taking Billy Graham home to heaven soon. When you see this, know that My time of grace for the Gentile nations is coming to a close.”

Prepare your hearts, the LORD is at the door to appear for His Bride, the overcoming church in this midnight hour...

Pray for those that are trapped in darkness that God will reach them in time.

In our Messiah,

Maurice Sklar

Prepare your hearts, the LORD is at the door to appear for His Bride, the overcoming church in this midnight hour!!

A Warning from a Brother in Soweto

I don't KNOW this brother, but his admonition is correct. Soweto is in South Africa, if you didn't know. He comes from the impoverished area near Johannesburg.

Vusi Ndaba
The greatest deception that is fatal to the Kingdom of God is when a servant of God believes that everything he says or does being in the spirit is correct.

The second one is to believe that the anointing or the move of God is God's approval.

One of the most prominent apostles of the Lord, who walked with the Lord missed the Lord when he was in the spirit (Revelation 1: 10) John the apostle while in the spirit, worshipped an angel, and the angel rebuked him (Revelation 22: 8-9).

It's not a matter of how mature you are or how long have you been saved, anyone can be deceived, if not careful. A servant of the Lord can be highly anointed to heal the sick, open the blind eyes , raise the dead and come with the word of knowledge concerning someone's condition etc. That can be deceiving to believe that every word of prophecy spoken in this spiritual mood is correct. In spite of the heaviness of anointing and the accuracy of the word of knowledge, it is still necessary to discern the prophetic word spoken, because like John, the prophesier can prophesy in the flesh and deceive many who are not discerning, it is during this heavy anointing when someone will start to prophecy in this time and age of the rapture immanency that someone will give birth to a child who is going to trouble the kingdom of darkness, this prophecy will keep many who are not watching for His imminent return, right now there are organized year end prophecies that will predict a great 2012, yet we know that the opposite is true.

The second deception is when the servant of God begin to believe that the move of God is an indication of God's approval. God may still use you even if you are on your way to perdition (Matthew 7: 21-23). You must constantly ask the Lord to search you that relying on the anointing to measure God's approval of your life or ministry. However there is no excuse for those who gives false hope and deceive the people of God, their judgment will be severe.

Please seek God about the relevant message of this time and season before you make a mess. The grace of the Lord be with all of you in this season of preparing the Bride in holiness, and complete surrender, amen!!

So Dire I won't Publish it

I often reprint or publish prophetic words from others who I respect or who I know. Rick Joyner is one of those for me.

This word is so dire, I will refrain from doing anything with it other than offer a link.

Sometimes, you need to go there yourself.

Sadly, I believe he is hearing from GOD.

Ben R. Peters: The R.G. Factor

The Queen of Sheba Encounters a King of Kings

What is the R.G. Factor? It is a key weapon in the Christian's arsenal to defeat the many subtle attacks of the enemy. It is a key ingredient in the Christian's recipe for true and lasting success in life. It is a vital part of the Christian's ability to receive and give financial blessings. Without it we live defeated, substandard and unfulfilled lives.

The Queen of Sheba and Solomon clearly understood and embraced the R.G. Factor. Because of that they were mutually blessed and enjoyed increased wisdom, knowledge, understanding and prosperity. Both of them walked in dimensions that few others have experienced.

The story of the Queen of Sheba is told in both 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9. Both records contain certain tidbits exclusive to them, but we will look mainly at 1 Kings 10.

"Now when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions." 1 Kings 10:1

This African queen, like other national leaders in her time, had heard of Solomon's fame. But the writer here makes it clear that it was "concerning the name of the Lord." His fame was intrinsically connected with the name – the character, and authority of the Lord. God was given the glory throughout the world because of Solomon's achievements.

Kings Seek the Presence of a King of Kings

Notice these powerful verses in 2 Chronicles 9:

"So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart." 2 Chronicles 9:22-23

Again, God was given glory for what He had given Solomon by making him both rich and famous on the earth. Yes, there are times when God wants to make His people both rich and famous, so He can receive glory and people can learn about Him.

There are two main ways to get out the Gospel to the people of the world. The first way is to go into all the world and preach the Good News. The second way is to experience something so incredible that the whole world comes to see what is happening. We have seen several examples of this in my lifetime as well as in the Scriptures.

Recent revivals in Toronto, Ontario, and Brownsville and Lakeview, Florida, attracted leaders and seekers from all over the world. Many came and received an impartation, which they were able to carry back home with them. A different type of move of God is still going on and accelerating in Redding, California, and continues to attract people from around the world.

In Scripture, we know that people from many nations came to Joseph in Egypt and heard about the God that prepared them for famine. At Pentecost, when the miracles started to happen, crowds invariably gathered to get in on the excitement. But nowhere else, besides 2 Chronicles 9:22-23, do we read in Scripture that "all the kings of the earth sought the presence" of any one man.

No one else understood and embraced the R.G. factor like Solomon. He enjoyed the blessings and favor of God and lived an amazing life full of peace and prosperity, that is, until he turned back from following God with all his heart.

So what is this R.G. Factor?

The R.G. Factor

We find the R.G. Factor in 1 Kings 10:13:

"Now King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the ROYAL GENEROSITY..."

Yes, the R.G. Factor is the ROYAL GENEROSITY FACTOR. It's the mindset of someone who was raised in the palace. It's the attitude of a person who always has enough. It's the culture of kings and queens, who give gifts as a way of saying, Hello, how are you? It's nice to meet you. It's the royal protocol where kings bless everyone to whom they want to show honor and respect.

We see another example of the Royal Generosity in the book of Esther. When the king, Ahasuerus, who also was a great king of kings made a grand party for all his regional "kings", we read:

"And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the GENEROSITY OF THE KING." Esther 1:7

Ahasuerus, the emperor, desired to show honor to his leaders. He did this through his own ROYAL GENEROSITY by serving wine in abundance, but also through serving it in hand-crafted, custom designed drinking vessels. This speaks of creativity and uniqueness, which made his giving more special and honorable.

We Relate!

In this amazing story, let us allow Solomon to represent Jesus, our King of kings. Solomon actually was a king of kings, like the emperors who were given that title by Daniel and others. Solomon reigned over the kings of many nations around him, thanks to the military exploits of David, his father.

The Queen of Sheba can represent us, the Bride of Christ. I don't know if she was a head of state or the wife of the King of Sheba, but she was certainly blessed with knowing the ways of royalty and she knew the value of learning from other royal leaders and establishing strong relationships with them. This wise queen sacrificed significant time and expense to make a long journey to come into the presence of Solomon, a king of kings.

We are now at a point in Church history where those whose hearts pump royal blood – those who know they were born to privilege and their destiny is not to live the life of a commoner – are hearing more and more about their King of kings and are longing to do whatever it takes to come into His presence to behold His majesty and listen to His words of wisdom.

Second hand information may be helpful and informational, but there is nothing like a personal one-on-one encounter with the One who exceeds all others in majesty, glory, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The Bride of Christ is taking a cue from the Queen of Sheba and she is paying the price to have that face-to-face encounter with her King.

When the queen had personally encountered and witnessed the glory of Solomon, she was completely overwhelmed and expressed great amazement and awe of his majesty and greatness. The NKJV Bible says, "...there was no more spirit in her" (1 Kings 10: 5). This wise queen came based on the testimony of others, but she left with her own testimony and declared that those who had reported to her previously didn't even tell her the half of Solomon's glory.

Surely, those of us who have had our own personal encounters with the King of kings could say the same thing as the Queen of Sheba. God's glory is beyond all of our capacity to describe it. Those who have had literal visits to Heaven always report that it is totally impossible to relate the intensely positive experiences they have had there, looking into the eyes of Jesus or beholding His majesty in the Throne Room of Heaven.

At any rate, even before her personal encounter, the Queen of Sheba knew enough about the Royal Generosity Factor to prepare for her visit by gathering together an appropriate gift for this king of kings. Notice the details in the following verses.

"She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart." 1 Kings 10:2

"Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon." 1 Kings 10:10

Precious metals were considered a staple gift for kings, but this queen also brought something that distinguished her from other royal visitors, who could perhaps bring more gold, silver and jewels than she could. She brought Solomon an unprecedented assortment of spices. Undoubtedly, these spices were grown in her country or imported from other distant lands. Spices speak of creativity and worship. Cooks and chefs use spices to create unique gourmet dishes to delight the pallet. Spices can also be used to produce a special atmosphere, like incense, because of their unique aromas. We know that our worship and praise is a fragrance in the nostrils of the Lord.

Here clearly, the Queen of Sheba demonstrated the Royal Generosity Factor. She gave gifts that first of all recognized Solomon's royal status and secondly imparted a personal flavor that distinguished her gift from others.

But Solomon was not to be outdone by this foreign queen. Notice this passage from 2 Chronicles:

"Now King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." 2 Chronicles 9:12

This verse is such a powerful statement about the Royal Generosity Factor. No matter how much we give of our life to the King of kings, He will always far out give us. There is no way in Heaven or earth that we can out give our God. The King of kings always has more to give than any other king and He will not be put to shame by giving a lesser gift. We can count on this and in fact, we can "take it to the bank."

The Wise Men

The wise men, or Magi, in Matthew 2, also clearly demonstrated this R.G. Factor. The Magi were kings bringing gifts to the King of kings, and they were aware of the protocol. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Jesus was just a baby, but they were bearing witness and prophetically proclaiming that a great King had been born. Like the Queen of Sheba, they sacrificed much to have that encounter with a King, whose majesty exceeded that of every other king who ever sat on a royal throne.

Of course, Baby Jesus had no ability to give something back to the Magi, like Solomon did for the Queen of Sheba, but He certainly made up for it when He became a man. Not only did He live and die for the whole world, but He instructed His disciples to go to the ends of the earth to bring the Good News to every nation, including the eastern countries, from where these Magi had come. It could certainly be stated that, like Solomon, Jesus gave back far more than they had given Him.

Saul

In 1 Samuel 9, when Saul was seeking the prophetic advice of Samuel, the Seer, about his lost donkeys, he was concerned that he had nothing to give to the man of God. Samuel was not only a prophet and priest, but he was also the judge – the political ruler in Israel.

Saul pointed out to his servant that it would be very inappropriate not to bring a gift of some kind when seeking the face of the ruler of the land. In 1 Samuel 9:8, Saul's servant found a silver coin, which became the gift to give to Samuel.

Of course, Samuel, being in the higher place, not only received the gift from Saul, but he gave Saul a greater gift. First, he fed him the finest cut of beef, which he had set aside for him and took the time to eat with him. Then he gave him the prophetic word he was looking for. Finally, he presented him with the crown to rule over Israel.

Thus, Samuel gave up part of his own governmental throne to Saul. In a similar way, when we offer ourselves to Jesus, He shares His throne with us, for we are seated with Him in Heavenly places and He has made us kings and priests unto Him.

Prophetic Application

There are undoubtedly countless other illustrations from Scripture and modern history, but let's quickly make the important prophetic applications. This revelation was not given just to make an interesting observation. It was given to us as a prophetic witness to what God is planning on doing in our day.

Many prophets witness to the fact that we are in a brand new season and the winds of the Spirit of God are blowing in a new direction. I would like to add this prophetic word to what has already been released:

The Lord declares that He has been building a glorious temple for His habitation on the earth. He has been fashioning every living stone and overlaying them with His Heavenly gold – the glory of His Presence.

God is divinely connecting and placing stone next to stone and strategically positioning each one for maximum usefulness and glory. This has caused significant discomfort in many and they have questioned whether they were still in His perfect will because of the trauma of transition and the stress of change.

But this glorious temple is being filled more and more with the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. And like Solomon, He is welcoming all the kings and queens of the earth to come and hear His wisdom and behold His majesty and glory.

He only asks that each king and queen remember the royal protocol and bring with them a gift fitting for a King of kings. In response, He will give them everything they ask for and anything they desire, in addition to what He has already prepared for them out of His heart of Royal Generosity.

This is not an offering message – although it would be a great one – it is simply a life principle and promise for those who are aware of their calling to greatness and royalty. So what kind of gift would be appropriate for our King of kings?

Gifts Appropriate for Our King of Kings

1. GOLD: Gold represents glory. We give all the glory He gave to us back to Him through praise and worship. We enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). This is the staple gift for all kings and queens to bring to any king of kings. Everyone would bow down when coming before a king, and all kings would bow before the king of kings.

God is pouring out His glory on the Church in ways unprecedented since Pentecost. And like the Apostles in those days, today's leaders will give all that glory back to God. They will come into His presence in humility and display the R.G. Factor by giving Him praise and honor to the very best of their ability.

2. SPICES: Spices represent our gifts, talents and creativity. Different combinations of spices create unique dishes and unique aromas. Each of us have unique combinations of gifts, talents and creative abilities.

I believe God is saying that the "spices" being brought to our King of kings in our day will far exceed the measure of spices brought by the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. For the creativity of the Church will rise up like resurrected bodies from the graveyards of religion and bring back to life the divine artistic abilities which have been given to the Church through the Royal Generosity of Jesus, the King of kings. This creativity will invade and conquer every mountain of society and replace an earthly and ungodly leadership which has become bankrupt of original creativity.

I do believe God is pouring out spiritual gifts and anointings like never before and that His kings and queens will respond by bringing to Him the gold and spices that He deserves.

I believe His people will begin to understand the Royal Generosity Factor and bring Jesus their best sacrifice and in turn receive much more than they gave to Him, including every desire of their heart.

When we understand how the Kingdom operates, we have so much to gain and nothing to lose. And because Jesus is the King of kings and has unlimited resources, it is all fine with Him. In fact there's nothing He wants more than for us to experience the blessings of His Royal Generosity.

Ben R. Peters
Kingdom Sending Center
Email: ohmint@gmail.com

Ben Peters is the Co-Founder of Open Heart Ministries and Kingdom Sending Center, along with his wife, Brenda. He has authored seventeen books to date, including Prophetic Ministry: Strategic Key to the Harvest and The Ultimate Convergence: An End Times Prophecy of the Greatest Shock and Awe Display Ever to Hit Planet Earth. He and Brenda have ministered in many nations, with a passion for equipping and sending abandoned lovers of Jesus into the harvest fields of the world, including the seven mountains of society. The Peters live in northern Illinois.

Julia C. Loren: A Vision of Europe

Look to Germany, Northern Italy and Eastern Europe

During a long and revelatory worship set on November 20, 2011, the Holy Spirit took me up and into a vision where I flew over Europe and saw the territory the Lord had marked out for the outpouring of His Spirit in the coming years.

On the first pass through Central Europe, the Lord took me back to places where I had been in recent years – particularly in Germany and Italy. He then rolled back the memories and said that ministry will look very different in the years to come in Europe. A sovereign move of God will flow like a spring snow melt that begins with a trickle as the initial snow pack melts, then gains strength and rushes and roars into various watersheds for a season that will change the face of European Christianity.

The Lord showed me that as Germany is the first nation to fully embrace the move of God, the rivers of Germany will carry the rushing waters into other countries. I saw Germany come alive in the Spirit. And as the fire of God's love consumed them, they spread the word through Austria and the spring thaw rushed over the Alps into Northern Italy. I also saw the Swiss-Italy border watershed capturing the flow of the Spirit. Then, I heard the Lord say, "Look to the university towns of Germany and Northern Italy for a revival among the youth who will carry it throughout Eastern Europe." I believe this includes Heidelberg University in Germany and Padua in Italy (the second oldest University in Europe where Galileo taught).

As I flew along the Danube into Budapest I saw the crystalline image of a silvery angel hovering above Budapest. Showers of silver rained down upon the Danube and flowed to the east. And wherever the river flowed, revival flowed. For the Lord is redeeming His people out of the ravishes of oppression and into the total freedom of the Holy Spirit. The silver and the gold are His to give where He pleases, and it is time for the Eastern European Bride to step forward out of the ashes and into the adorning grace of redemption. He has set His gaze upon you. This is the time of your favor – Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Romania – you who live where the Danube flows.

The Lord Will Be a Ring of Fire Around England and Wales

Then the Lord took me over the United Kingdom where the Cross was superimposed across the landscape. I saw four fires being lit – one in the north, one in the south, one in the east and one in the west of England. And the Lord said, "I am lighting a ring of fire around England and Wales. And I will be a ring of fire around them." Look to four churches to become well-known Apostolic Resource Centers in the coming years. They will release the torches that all of England will either be drawn to or repelled by. And the fire of God will protect them.

Then the Lord said, "Look to the locks that are opening canals long closed." The re-opening of locks in the U.K. is a sign that the ancient waterways are opening that have held back a move of the Spirit of God. New pathways of the Spirit are opening, new opportunities to spread the Word within the region are opening. As the locks become unlocked, the restored waterways of revival and evangelism will emerge and flow.

I looked this up online after receiving the vision, and read a note of significance concerning the ancient locks: "The Droitwich Canals opened Friday, 1 July 2011, 72 years after they were officially abandoned... 240 years after they first opened on 27 June 1771, the newly restored waterway is the final link in a brand new 'cruising circuit' – the Mid Worcestershire Ring. The Ring allows boats, cyclists and ramblers to make a 21-mile circular journey through some of the UK's most beautiful and historic countryside, from the Worcester & Birmingham Canal to the River Severn, through the city of Worcester and back to Droitwich."

In the 1770s, when many locks were being built or restored, England was in the middle of the John Wesley revival. It is also interesting to note that in 1939, when many canals and locks began closing, history records that WWII broke out that year. Also, religious historians believe that in 1939, one particular man brought Wicca out of the woods of England and spread its popularity throughout Britain and America, launching a Wiccan revival. It seems like 1939 was a good year to close off the waterways of the natural and spiritual enemy. But now is the time to reopen the waterways of the Spirit and let revival break out!

A ring of fire around the country and a ring of locks within it speak of the coming invasion of Heaven becoming more manifest than ever before to ordinary Believers and unbelievers. Both speak of complete circles – like a wheel within a wheel – and both are signs that the Lord is moving to restore the rich heritage of the Spirit in the U.K.

The vision ended and two questions rumbled through my mind. The first was this: Will Europe experience its Spring thaw in 2012? And the second question was this: As the Lord sovereignly and suddenly lights the fires of revival and evangelism, who will rise up and carry the torch to the neighboring nations?

I believe it will be those who say, "Here am I, send me!" who will go to the surrounding nations, and many who are displaced or students living outside of their home countries in Central and Eastern Europe will find themselves riding the rivers and carrying the torch wherever the river flows.

Julia Loren
Julia Loren Ministries
Email: juliascribes@yahoo.com

A Word for the Weary: God Will Finish What He Started! by J. Lee Grady

The devil is busy trying to abort God’s promises. Hang on and keep believing.

Here’s a trivia question: Which building project took the longest to complete?·

A. The construction of the Pentagon.
B. The carving of Mount Rushmore.
C. The digging of the Panama Canal.
D. The building of the Empire State Building.
E. The carving and assembling of the Statue of Liberty.

The answer is C. It took 31 years to dig the Panama Canal, mainly because that superhuman task was started and stopped several times due to floods, mudslides, unexpected costs (the total bill for the United States was $375 million in 1914) and a horrific death toll (20,000 French workers and 6,000 Americans died on the job site.) The moral of that story: Expect delays when you cut a 50-mile-long canal to connect two oceans.

I’m not attempting to move millions of tons of earth to make room for cargo ships. My ministry assignment is different. But I still feel overwhelmed at times by the task. God calls each of us to join Him in His work, but accomplishing anything spiritual (such as building a church, winning the lost, or influencing culture for Christ) is impossible in human terms. We can’t accomplish anything for God without supernatural faith.

“God does not tell you to begin something and then leave you halfway through it. He is a wise builder and an expert craftsman. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He finishes what He starts.”

God gives us a promise—that’s the easy part. Then He reveals His strategies, works miracles and sends provision. Working with God is exhilarating when these things happen. But faith is also warfare. The devil hurls doubts and obstacles in our direction. There are battles and, sometimes, casualties. These are the times we are tempted to quit.

Zerubbabel and Joshua, the two men commissioned to rebuild Solomon’s temple, struggled with intense discouragement as they looked at the ruins of Jerusalem. The task was overwhelming, the cost was prohibitive, the workers were dismayed and their enemies were fierce. They started the work in earnest, but they heard a familiar voice that whispered: “You’ll never finish this. God is going to abandon you in the middle of this project.”

Fortunately, just when Zerubbabel and Joshua were about to throw in the towel, the prophet Haggai showed up with a refreshing announcement. He told them: “'But now take courage … and work; for I am with you,' declares the Lord” (Hag. 2:4, NASB). The Lord also promised He would see the building project to completion. He said: “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former … and in this place I will give peace” (v. 9).

Those powerful prophetic promises propelled Zerubbabel and Joshua forward. The words invigorated their weary faith and steeled their determination. Their passion was refueled. They returned to the work, even though it seemed impossible. In the end, God’s glorious house arose from an ash heap.

This is God’s promise to all who are called to labor with Him. He does not tell you to begin something and then leave you halfway through it. God is a wise builder and an expert craftsman. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He finishes what He starts.

The apostle Paul knew this when he wrote: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). The Message Bible says it this way: “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.”

Many of God’s servants today are weary. Budgets have been tight, resistance is strong and trends are negative. The devil is busy trying to abort God’s promises. You may have been tempted even this week to resign from your assignment. But I want to encourage you with the words of Haggai: “Take courage! The Lord is with you!” Regardless of what you lack, the Lord’s mighty presence is all you need to finish the task. Hang on to Him and keep believing.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. His most recent book is 10 Lies Men Believe (Charisma House).

Note: In case you are curious about the other projects mentioned in the trivia question, here are the answers: A. The Pentagon, the world’s largest office building, was built in 16 months. B. Mount Rushmore was carved in 14 years. D. The Empire State Building was completed in 1 year and 45 days. E. The Statue of Liberty was carved and assembled over a 10-year period.