Bishop Harry Jackson: "What Is God's Dream For America?" and ... “Will America Serve the Lord or Baal?”

Courtesy of elijahlist.com

The Lord spoke to me in late 2007 that the nation would have to choose whether it would serve the Lord or Baal. Israel had to make a choice in 1 Kings 19 at Mount Carmel. This is the same kind of choice Israel faced in 1 Samuel 9 when it chose Saul as its first king. Struck by this word, I asked the Lord for confirmation. Much to my surprise, Bishop John Giminez, founder of Rock Church and visionary behind Washington for Jesus in 1980, had a very similar visitation from the Lord. He said that the Lord had shown him that America was going to have to make a clear choice in 2008 between right and wrong, good and evil, the Lord’s vision for America or our own will. Essentially, we will have to have either a divine revolution or we will have spiritual ruin.

AMERICA IS OBVIOUSLY
IN A SPIRITUAL SHAKING

It is obvious to everyone that America is going through a spiritual shaking. The economy is in disarray, the war in Iraq is a persistent thorn in our flesh, and domestic ministries struggle a credibility problem. Last week, I was on many major television and radio broadcasts discussing the incendiary remarks of Jeremiah Wright from Chicago. The inflammatory words of a man that claims to be a prophetic preacher were literally heard around the world. I renounce Dr. Wright’s words, his style of preaching will never solve America’s race problem. On the other, I recognize that Wright’s ministry shows us that we are in a “kairos” moment in which racism must be addressed in our land.

Now that the media has exposed the fact that the Church is not united, there is still a huge racial wound deep within the soul of the American Church. The healing that needs to happen in America around the issue of race will come from a truly anointed pulpit. Now is the time for the Church to decide to end segregated churches(except in mono-racial communities). The answer starts with prophet preaching that changes the heart of the Church. After that, we can change the heart of the nation.

TIME FOR ANOTHER SPLITTING
OF THE PULPIT?

Please remember that the revival that Tommy Tenney participated in at Houston began with the splitting of the pulpit. This next move of God is now beginning with the cleansing of the pulpit. We must ask ourselves, is it time for preachers of righteousness to stand up and declare the true Word of God? This Word will bring healing and deliverance to the Church. After the Church is healed, we will be able to heal and direct the nation. The Lord has shown me that as clearly as racism and class distinctions were revealed during the Katrina tragedy, the election is revealing that we have not dealt with the problems of race, gender, and class in our nation.

This election year has brought an entire new slant on what “a person of faith” truly means. Candidates vie for votes by being pro-faith in one debate and pro-humanism in the next. More than ever, Christians need to make the definition clear, reflecting God’s Word alone. This year is a great opportunity to shine our light against the liberal darkness that is making inroads into the Church. After all, the election is an easy topic for discussion.

AMERICA – ABOUT TO ENTER A THIRD
GREAT AWAKENING

I believe that America is about to enter into a Third Great Awakening in which the Church will rise up and combine spiritual values and social awareness in order to transform our society. We have been amiss to allow the government to take up our mandate to maintain a moral and just society. Government is morally flawed, limited in scope---insufficient to answer the nation’s moral dilemma. Do we really believe that government can make up for the Church’s responsibility to be God’s agent of transformation in the world? This is not indicative of the vision God has for us.

God had a dream for America. It is His prophetic blueprint for us to move into the next decade. Without it, the nation may move into a level of moral freefall that can destroy our nation emotionally, morally, and spiritually. The Old Testament gives us a Biblical precedent for talking about a dream for America. Jeremiah boldly spoke for God and said in the first person: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:11,12, NIV).

The prophet Jeremiah spoke to his nation in a time of moral decline. His words expressed the displeasure of God with Israel as a nation. They had lost their moral orientation and had begun to stagger like drunken men after a night of carousing. Jeremiah told them that they would be punished but that God had a plan for the nation. Specifically the prophet says the following:

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. - Jeremiah 29:8–9, NKJV, emphasis added

DREAMS FROM A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE –
AND NOT FROM GOD

Preachers, prophets, and “political pundits” of Jeremiah’s day were developing dreams for the nation, but these dreams were of human origin and lacked the perspective and favor of the Lord.

The Church must be involved in shaping both morality and public policy. To do this successfully, we must grow in self-governance. We must root out religious hypocrisy and immorality within the Church, from those in leadership to the person in the last pew. The do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do approach of the modern Evangelical Church will not be tolerated if our voice is to be heard. I believe that the rash of reports of immorality among church leaders as well as politicians is God’s means to expose sin and rid us of hypocrisy. In order to gain an audience, integrity is paramount.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream incorporated these tenets. Integration is but a working model of what the Church can do to transform society. While white Americans believe that racial barriers have been eliminated, blacks still feel that true integration has not happened in America.

God also desires for the Church to stand against one of the most pervasive social dilemmas --- materialism. Within the rank and file of local churches across America, we must preach mammon’s demise. Our toleration for the film industry, pornography, thug rap music, and other ills, which are fueled by the love of money; is unconscionable.

POVERTY IS STILL A KEY PROBLEM

In contrast to this issue is the pandemic of poverty. Although wealth has generally increased across the continent, black and Hispanic poverty levels have actually increased. We are told throughout Scripture that it is the Church’s mandate to support the poor and the outcast. The government’s blundering attempts to legislate welfare cannot come close to meet the demands of the lower class. The response to Katrina was unprecedented…the government failed to provide systematic quick relief, yet the Church was confirmed to be one of the most charitable agencies in monetary and personnel resources.

GOD—AND THE IRAQ WAR

Next, many of us ask ourselves, How does God feel about the War in Iraq? It is clear in Scripture that there are specific attributes of a just war. Does the Iraq War meet this criterion? Time will not allow me to develop this concept doctrinally, however, be assured that God’s dream is that America should be an instrument of humanitarianism wherever corruption and tyranny prevail. Contrast this goal with the goal of Islam. Jihad has violated our soil and terrorized our hearts in order to force the world to Islam. Christianity must bring the dream of equality and love to convert the world to the Gospel.

We believe we can tell a lot about a person by the kind of company he keeps. Yet, Jesus hung out with the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the poor, and the prisoners. He spoke in Matthew 25:36, “I was in prison and you came to visit me.” The Church has a moral responsibility to visit prisoners, help form groundbreaking prison reform policies and provide support for prisoners’ families. Many churches have aftercare programs that train ex-convicts to pursue exciting and valuable careers. Yet, many more are needed.

GOD’S DREAM FOR AMERICA

God’s dream for America, first and foremost, begins within the small unit within every house in America. From trailer to condo, apartment to suburban rancher, the family remains the first institution from which all other elements of society evolve. The Church has made a stand against abortion while our churched teens continue to have premarital sex and abort their babies.

The crisis for the family goes beyond abortion. We have been appalled at the open, lewd demonstrations of homosexuality, yet we divorce our partners at the same rate as secular society. God’s heart is for two parents of the opposite sex to raise families, which will in turn marry and lead the next generation. Premarital and marriage counseling efforts must increase, while we train healthy relationships how to stay healthy. God’s dream demands that this be front and center to the Christian community.

We are God’s conscience to the nation. Our Biblical worldview can transform society by affecting the people we touch on a daily basis. God’s purpose and therefore our purpose is not to catch people doing wrong, but to defend the truth, allowing it to reveal what is wrong so that we all are drawn to the forgiveness that is found in God’s love. The confrontation that truth requires is not pleasant, nor does it make you popular. You will be accused of being judgmental, but defending absolute truth is not judging; it is holding up a standard by which people must judge themselves or ultimately be judged by God.

THE CHURCH CANNOT WISH
AMERICA'S PROBLEMS AWAY

Christians can no longer afford to put their heads in the sand and wish that the problems of America would just go away. We cannot afford to point the finger at government until we turn that accusing finger back toward our failures to fulfill God’s mandate. Prayer and action are the weapons for each person to participate in the Third Great Awakening. Our call to arms is a call to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. The living person of Jesus is the ultimate reformer of all societies beginning with our hearts as individuals and then moving to our churches, our communities and our nation at large. God’s dream is as big as the room we make in our hearts to embrace it and take it forward.

To successfully navigate this Awakening and the challenges that will accompany our ascendance to a new level of influence, we must accomplish two very important tasks. First, we must keep the core values that have defined the movement—the sanctity of human life, the preservation of marriage, and the defense of our Christian faith— as our top priorities. Secondly, without neglecting these core issues, we must also reshape our message and agenda to include other important issues that face our generation—issues like immigration, poverty, the environment, and racial reconciliation. We must lay out a strong moral platform and a strategy that will enable Bible-believing Christians of every color to stand together at this defining moment in the history of our nation.

If you want to participate in God’s dream in a greater way, I would challenge you to read a new book that I have written with Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council. We address seven important issues that are on the minds of voters in this election year. Although we come from different backgrounds and experiences, we have joined together under the Biblical directives that should frame all Christians’ minds and choices in the elections this year. Racial reconciliation is just one of the seven issues:

All seven issues are as follows:

1. the value of life
2. immigration
3. poverty and justice
4. racial reconciliation
5. religious liberties
6. rebuilding the family
7. the environment and global warming

Personal Faith, Public Policy, (available at bookstores everywhere and at amazon.com) will give you points of prayer, strategic steps of action, and clear priorities for public policy.

We can either take the path toward a spiritual awakening that will touch not only our churches but also reform our nation’s policies, or we will veer left and take the path littered with once great nations.

It’s ours to decide.

Harry R. Jackson, Jr.
Hope Christian Church
PO Box 505
College Park, MD 20741
Email: mishmish@thehopeconnection.org

Chuck Pierce: 8-Day Prayer Focus: A Desperate Time to Awaken to the Reality of Change!

Courtesy of www.gloryofzion.org

For the next several weeks this prayer focus is key for us. Even though it is an 8-Day Prayer Focus, there is enough revelation here for you to use repeatedly. Since we just finished Purim, let's begin by understanding its significance. Overall, this 8-day focus is more devotional than most, including study suggestions to help you develop for such a time as this. This prayer focus is also more confrontational than usual because of this time frame. I would suggest you read through each day's focus in the morning and then go back and seek the Lord with the scriptures at noon and at night.

(Day 1) A Time to Embrace Change but not to be Tossed to and fro by the Wind!
The clear message of Purim is that anyone who plots to destroy the Jewish people will always fail. History is full of examples of this truth. Pharaoh plotted the destruction of the Jewish people in Egypt, but the Egyptian army was drown in the Red Sea. This is celebrated during the Feast of Passover. Haman's attempt to kill all Jews failed, which is celebrated at Purim. Antiochus Epiphanes tried to wipe out the Jewish people. His failure is celebrated every year during Hanukah. Hitler tried to blot out the Jewish race. Both he and his "Third Reich" were destroyed. Instead of annihilation, the state of Israel was born! We must understand that God's covenant land will never be destroyed. By watching closely the world events that are centered around Israel, we can better understand God's sovereign plan.
Read Psalm 121
Read Exodus 2-6
Read Esther 1-4
Memorize Ephesians 4:2-16 (Review your positions and connections in the Body)

(Day 2) 2008-- A Year to Passover, Overcome, and Go Through into FREEDOM!
Purim fell approximately one month before the beginning of Passover. The Biblical Feast of Purim (Esther 9:18-28) is celebrated in the final month of the Hebrew calendar. I believe this is a significant timing so we end a season in victory and are freed to cross over into our future. Nisan, the first of months, begins at sunset on April 5. This leads us into our Passover season (Leviticus 23:4-8). Passover was the time of crossing out and over into FREEDOM! The dates of this Feast are very significant. Passover commemorates the final plague on Egypt when the firstborn of the Egyptians died and the Israelites were spared. Passover is linked with the power of the blood smeared on their door posts (Ex. 12:11, 21, 27, 43, 48). Passover was also called the feast of unleavened bread (Ex. 23:15; Deut. 16:16) because only unleavened bread was eaten during the seven days immediately following Passover (Ex. 12:15-20; 13:6-8; Deut. 16:3-8). Unleavened bread reflected the fact that the people had no time to put leaven in their bread before their hasty departure from Egypt. The observances of Passover are found in Joshua 5:10-12 (the plains of Jericho near Gilgal), 2 Chronicles 30:1, 3, 13, 15 (during the reign of Hezekiah); and 2 Kings 23:21-23 (Josiah's unique Passover).

During New Testament times, large crowds gathered in Jerusalem to observe this annual celebration. Jesus was crucified during the Passover event. He and His disciples ate a Passover meal together on the eve of His death. During this meal Jesus said, This is my body, and this cup is the new testament in my blood (Luke 22:7, 19-20). The New Testament identifies Christ with the Passover sacrifice: For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. The word denotes the lamb that was slain at the feast (Mark 14:12-14; 1 Cor. 5:7). The use of wine (Luke 22:17, 20), of sauce with the bitter herbs (John 13:26), and the service of praise were introduced. Passover was a type of the great deliverance wrought by the Messiah for all His people from the doom of death on account of sin, and from the bondage of sin itself, a worse than Egyptian bondage (1 Cor. 5:7; John 1:29; 19:32-36; 1 Pet. 1:19; Gal. 4:4, 5).

Get Ready to Crossover! I would encourage you to read the chapter on The Blood War inGod's Unfolding Battle Plan.

(Day 3) 2008-- A Time for Leadership to Awaken and Overcome at the Gate!
The day related to Purim was the date set by Haman by casting lots (pur) to murder all the Jews in the kingdom. Because of the alertness of Mordecai at the gates of the city, and the fasting and intercession of Queen Esther of Persia and the Jewish people, this day became a day of battle with great victory for the Jews, as their enemies were destroyed. In the time of Esther, we find that the enemy had entered the gates and was planning to overthrow the covenant blessings God had for this people. In the book of Esther, Mordecai had exposed the enemy's plan and taken his authority at the gate. The Lord says in Matthew 16: 18, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. This is not a time for hell to prevail at your gate. Esther and Mordecai worked together for deliverance! Haman, who used astrology and the casting of lots, was overthrown by God's ordered timing.

I am praying for you to have favor at the gates and be raised up for a time such as this. Biblically, a GATE is a place for contending, watching, making sacrifices in worship, doing business transactions, administering justice, and giving public addresses. The GATE is the object of a foe's attack and therefore must be strengthened (Judges 5:8; Psalm 147:18).

Now review your call to leadership and contending in days ahead. Read Isaiah 1. Also read John 1, which will show you how the Lord called Peter. Read Matthew 16 to see Peter's revelation and then his emotional resistance to change.

God is raising up new Mordecais and Esthers to influence the world in days ahead. These individuals will do radical exploits in His name. Esther is a book where the destiny of God's covenant manifest by legislating authority at the gates can be seen. The gate of a city was where all business transactions and legal matters occurred. The city gate was also the place where entrance into the city was permitted or forbidden. A Biblical gatekeeper was one who guarded access to a place. Mordecai was a good gatekeeper. He knew the enemy had a plot and plan. The enemy will attempt to set a decree against you. Mordecai overheard the plan linked with Haman to annihilate God's covenant people in the land where Haman had prepared a noose for God's covenant people. Mordecai also knew he needed a connection to prevent the enemy's plan from prevailing. Esther was his connection, who had been positioned by God for such a time as this. Many of you are being positioned to see the plan of the enemy. Others of you are being positioned to be the connecting point to overthrow the enemy. I am praying that any plot of the enemy to try and stop the covenant blessings of your inheritance from coming forth in your life would be revealed. Find your divine connections and overthrow the enemy's plan!

Trusting in God is one of the ways that you overthrow a curse. With Passover beginning at sunset on April 19, we think of Moses! One of the keys to Moses' life was that he was ordained as a prophet from birth. Even though his insecurity would tell him he could not speak, God had ordained him as a prophet. His mother and father's faith would eventually result in delivering all of Israel. This would also give Moses authority to split the sea for the escape of God's people. He also would receive the Law that would set the commandments and boundaries for mankind. There are new boundaries for you to obtain this month. Let the prophetic gift arise in you. Let a new level of deliverance begin. He waited 40 years to be found and put in service. Do not be discouraged. The Lord knows where you are.

(Day 4) A Time of Spiritual Discipline and Preparation!
In our day, we are still in a time of battle and victory, a time of voluntary fasting. The Fast of Esther (Esther 4:14-17) is still relative for us today to enter into a new place of authority and gain favor. Men and women must work together this hour to defeat the enemy s plan. The key to Mordecai s life was his watchful eye at the gate on behalf of the King and God s covenant people. The key to Esther was her positioning and preparation. The word prepare means to make or get ready, to put together, to produce a frame for a future building, to gird oneself for action. This is a time to remember that in the midst of hostility we can be prepared for such a time as this. Through preparation and discipline the favor of God can rest upon us. Esther went in to the king, gained favor and grace in his sight, and was exalted into the royal position of queen. In Possessing Your Inheritance, Rebecca Wagner Sytsema and I devote a chapter to discussing the spiritual disciplines necessary for us to develop in our lives: meditation, prayer, fasting, giving, warfare, worship, work, and rest. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 in each discipline. (Details on how to purchase Possessing Your Inheritance are below.)

What does this say to us? If we allow the anointing of God to rest upon us and allow the beauty of holiness to surround and transform us, we can gain great favor. If we remove the leaven from our lives, we will be ready to depart into a new place as the Lord leads.
Read Psalm 92
Read 1 John 1 and 2

(Day 5) A Time to See Your Hidden Blessings Manifest!
Esther is a non-Jewish name. Her original Jewish name was Hadassah, but her Jewish identity was a secret, and remained hidden. Esther became the bride of the king. The prophetic reference to the Church as the Bride of the King, but with Jewish roots despite a Gentile appearance, is very interesting. Esther would not escape the fate of the Jews, just as the destiny of the Church is directly linked to the Jewish people (Israel). Hadassah (means Myrtle) is an evergreen tree with glossy leaves and white flowers. They were used for perfume and as seasoning for food. The myrtle tree had a religious significance for the Hebrews (Zechariah 1:8-11) and was a symbol of peace and joy. Ask the Lord to show you what is hidden that belongs to you. Ask Him to let you hear the blowing of the wind in the trees in a new way.

Read Isaiah 52
Read John 3
Read Matthew 13 & about uncovering the hidden treasure.

(Day 6) A Time of Confrontation and Overthrow of the Enemy's Stranglehold!
This is time to overthrow decrees that have been set against God's covenant people that would stop us from corporately advancing. Those anti-Semitic decrees hate God's sovereign plan for the Jews as well as Christians that have been grafted into that plan. Nations that profess Christianity must rise up now. Esther prayed and fasted three days prior to setting the wheels in motion to overthrow the enemy's plan. She had faith to go into the King's court because she was fully prepared at the end of these three days of fasting. Fasting helps prepare you for what you must face for your victory ahead. Esther was at the right place, at the right time, and did the right thing. Therefore, she had victory over the enemy. Your faith can overthrow any decree the enemy has established against you. The enemy prepares a noose to tighten around God's promised plan for your life. Faith breaks the power of that noose. Declare your Haman's noose will begin to break.

The Lord is releasing new revelation on strategies to overthrow the enemy's plan. There were two things I was quickened over. There are times when we cannot win by pressing to overturn/reverse an unrighteous decree.Whereas this is usually the norm (and what we press for in the laws of our nation), Esther gives one example where a bad and evil law was irrevocable (according to the laws of the Medes and Persians). So the strategy the Lord gave to her (through the pagan king) was to make another law which would stand against the first law, and enable deliverance and life to come to the Jews. In this Purim Month the Lord may be releasing similar strategies whereby we can counteract and overcome evil edicts and laws in our society and nation.

Securing victory and overthrowing our enemies can often involve several stages of war. Whereas Esther and Mordecai successfully warred to secure a decree that would allow the Jews to protect themselves, this was only another step in their deliverance. It s quite possible the Jews could have survived the day that their enemies hoped to overpower them, solely based on the new level of fear their enemies had for the Jewish people. However, if they had not gone on the offensive and destroyed their enemies as their decree allowed them to, they would not have secured lasting protection. In that case, in due time, under new leadership (like the Hebrews in Egypt with a new pharaoh), the Jews could have been oppressed and targeted for destruction once again. At the close of this Seven Year War Season, we must not be content to settle for preserving victories and the issuing of righteous decrees. Rather, we must fully war to the end of our battles to see complete deliverance and victory enforced, and the opposite of the enemy's plans occur.

This is a season to speak faith and ask for new revelation! Ask the Lord to anoint your speech and open your eyes to the revelation He is releasing at this time.

(Day 7) Face Your AMALEKITE and Break the Power of his Noose!
In Esther 3:1, the evil Haman is described as being a descendant of the Amalekite king, Agag (1 Sam 15:8). Therefore, besides the Book of Esther, another passage from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) is read at Purim, Exodus 17:8-16. This is the account of Joshua's defeat of the Amalekites at Rephidim as Hur and Aaron held up the exhausted arms of Moses. When Moses' hands, gripping the "Rod of God", became heavy, the warriors in the field began to lose the battle. Verse 12 says that with Aaron and Hur's support, Moses' hands remained steady until the coming down of the sun. In the Hebrew, the word "steady" is "emuna" - and his hands were faithful until the coming of the sun." After the battle, Moses built an altar and named it, YHVH-Nissi: the LORD is my Banner. The word "banner" can also be translated "miracle." STUDY THIS AND DECREE MIRACLES ARE BEGINNING TO COME INTO YOUR ATMOSPHERE. The spirit empowering Amalek is at the back of all anti-Semitism. Exodus 17:16 states that "The LORD has sworn, the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." Deuteronomy 25:19 commands that His people are to join in with Him in the battle until the memory of Amalek is blotted out - that Israel must not forget!

Deuteronomy 25:17-18 further describes the tactics of the Amalekites: "They met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary" (emphases ours). So Amalek does not only seek to take occasion from the tiredness and exhaustion of leaders, he also lurks behind to pick off those inexperienced foot soldiers who are "faint and weary" and lagging behind. To remedy this, Israel developed a "rear guard" (see Numbers 10:25 and other places). The Hebrew for "rear guard" is "me'aseph"- its root is the same as that for the verb "to gather". In ancient armies, old, experienced soldiers, would be placed at the rear, not only to guard from enemies attacking from behind, but also to "gather" the loose ends, the stragglers - and to keep them pressing forward. The word Amalekite means to toil or work under hard labor.This is a time for you to break out of legalistic, hard labor. The Amalekites were a nomadic tribe of formidable people that first attacked the Israelites after the Exodus at Rephidim. Amalek, the grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12), inhabited the desolate wasteland of the northeast Sinai Peninsula and the Negev. They were the first to attack Israel after the Exodus (Num. 24:20). This is where the Lord revealed Himself as Jehovah Nissi. He declared that we would war with Amalek from generation to generation. The antichrist spirit today is linked into this Amalekite spirit. Israel won the initial battle (Ex. 17:8-16) and because of their atrocities, God commanded Saul to exterminate the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:2-3). Saul disobeyed, and the Amalekites were not defeated completely until late in the eighth century B.C. (1 Chron. 4:43). Haman the Agagite (Es. 3:1-10; 8:3-5,) thought by the Jews to be Amalek's descendant, from whence sprung Haman's hatred toward their race.

Prepare yourself and watch your Haman hung on his own gallows. Break all compromise. Watch your enemy overplay his hand and you will end up victorious! Cross over and watch your new doors open!
Memorize Isaiah 26:4, Isaiah 28:6
Declare over your nation that the Amalekite structure will be revealed and overthrown.

(Day 8) Pray the Prayer of Confrontation!
To confront someone or something means to face them in hostility or defiance, or to come with opposition. Unlike the prayer of travail, which brings forth new birth, the prayer of confrontation directly addresses a structure that has been set in place in opposition to God's will. This type of prayer not only outwits the devil but also humiliates him and his forces in the process. God allows us to enter into this type of encounter to show His power over the territorial spirit(s) to which a particular group of people has been in bondage. As the LORD displays that His power is greater than that of a given demonic structure, that structure begins to crumble and those who were held captive are then free to follow Christ.

A wonderful biblical model for this type of prayer was Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh. As Moses declared God's will to Pharaoh in the earthly realm, he was also confronting in the spiritual realm the gods of Egypt - false deities (territorial spirits) - linked with the oppression and captivity of God's covenant people. Through the plagues and destruction unleashed upon the nation of Egypt as a result of Moses' confrontation, God's plan was fulfilled, the power of oppression was broken, and His people were released. In the revised Future War of the Church, Rebecca Wagner Sytsema and I examine how each demonstration of God's power through Moses was actually a power encounter with a specific Egyptian god.

• The Rod Becomes a Serpent (Exod. 7:8-12): Confrontation with serpent gods
• The Nile Turns to Blood (Exod. 7:14-25): Confrontation with the Nile gods
• The Plague of Frogs (Exod. 8:1-15): Confrontation with the frog god
• The Plague of Lice (Exod. 8:16-19): Confrontation with the earth god
• The Plague of Flies (Exod. 8:20-24): Confrontation with the god of toiletry
• The Cattle Die (Exod. 9:1-7): Confrontation with the Egyptian cow goddess
• The Plague of Boils (Exod. 9:8-12): Confrontation with the god of learning and medicine
• The Plague of Hail and Fire (Exod. 9:12-35): Confrontation with the original sky god
• The Plague of Locusts (Exod. 10:12-15): Confrontation with the god of the air, atmosphere & dry winds
• The Plague of Darkness (Exod. 10:21-23): Confrontation with the sun god
• The Slaying of the First Born (Exod. 12:29-33)

The tenth and most devastating plague was directed against a family of three deities. The first was Isis, the most important of all Egyptian goddesses, who assumed all the attributes and functions of virtually every other important goddess at some point in Egyptian history. Her primary functions were motherhood, marital devotion, healing the sick and the working of magic spells and charms. The second deity was Osiris, the god of the dead and the ruler, protector and judge of the deceased. The third deity was the son of Isis and Osiris, Horus the Child, a suckling child represented as a young boy sucking his finger. This final plague so overwhelmed the Pharaoh and so thoroughly defeated the gods of Egypt that the Israelites were finally set free. (excerpted from the revised Future War of the Church)

God's power has not diminished in the years since Moses! Power encounters through the prayer of confrontation that see people groups released from demonic structures are going to become more and more common as we enter the future war of the Church. We need to enter into an expectant mind-set that believes God will display His power greatly over the earth and over demonic structures in order to see great throngs loosed from Satan's grip. And from that mind-set, we must pray with unwavering faith prayers of confrontation according to His will.

This is a season to move into POWER CONFRONTATIONS! Allow Holy Spirit to direct your prayers in a new way.

Blessings,
Chuck D. Pierce

Catherine Brown: "God Desires to Empower You to Be An EXPRESSION OF HIS HEART to All Those Around You"

Courtesy of elijahlist.com

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations." Psalm 67:1-2

I want to encourage you today with a word about Kingdom transformation. God desires to empower you to be an expression of His heart to all those around you. Today, God wants you to know that as He holds the whole world in His hands, He also holds your heart, your family, your destiny, and every good gift in the palm of His pierced hands for you.

Jesus said, "Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world." John 17:24

We need to have faith for the encounter to access the atmosphere of Heaven, yet all we have to do is simply accept the Master's invitation to enter into the glory realm.

The Transfiguration Encounter

In Matthew 17:1-13, we read how Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain with Him, and there the Lord was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and His clothes became shining bright and the glory of God was all around. In addition to this incredible sight, Moses and Elijah appeared before them and spoke with Jesus about His imminent departure from the earth. The atmosphere of Heaven causes a shift and brings with it an opening from Heaven to earth. Mantles, miracles, salvations and healings are released when Messiah draws near.

At this time, Peter suggested that he should put up three tents. We might say he wanted to "build a monument to the moment," but God wasn't looking to build a monument; He was orchestrating a face-to-face encounter to facilitate Kingdom change beyond what they could ever imagine at this stage of their journey. It was an awesome occurrence, and we can understand why Peter wanted to keep hold of it forever!

God, however, had different ideas. He didn't want Peter to operate out of yesterday's anointing; God calls us to live in the "now" of His eternal presence, invading every fiber of our being with His glory. As Peter spoke a bright cloud enveloped them all and God's voice was clearly heard above Peter's, "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" Matthew 17:5

God sought to ensure that the disciples recognized the strategic and significant nature of their encounter. With the coming death and resurrection of Christ, life as they knew it was going to change beyond recognition. This personal episode in their lives was necessary to prepare them for what lay ahead. In time they would ultimately view this revelation of Christ's majesty in the wider context of reaching the multitudes.

Love Breaks Fear

By affirming Christ, God revealed Himself, yet again, as a loving Heavenly Father in touch with every aspect of His Son's life and the lives of all His children. By enveloping them in the glory cloud, God included the "trembling trio" simultaneously, making it clear that it was not a time for idle chatter but a time to listen carefully to Christ.

The disciples were terrified and fell face down when they heard God's voice, but Jesus came and touched them in a reassuring manner. Not desirous for His disciples to be ruled by fear He said, "Don't be afraid." Jesus understands that fear can cause us to feel disenfranchised or to disengage and become apathetic or aggressive (passive or otherwise) to the process of change.

The power of Christ's love breaks every fiber of fear in us. Jesus said to Peter, James and John, "Get up" because our Lord is passionate about active discipleship. He wants us on our feet, ready to respond to His voice and willing to move forward at any given time to His instruction.

Building--a Monument, Memorial or a Movement?

Peter had come perilously close to building a monument to the memory rather than realizing he was part of a Kingdom movement for change. We can all so easily fall prey to this religious mindset. Building a memorial to "how things were" may prevent us from moving forward into the exciting new things God has for us. We need to acknowledge that each touch of Christ is to maintain His divine momentum of transformation in us and through us. We cannot build for the future if we operate in the confused assumption that "what was" is somehow better than "what is" or "what will be." Christ yearns to encounter us just as He did Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration.

The disciples may have left the mountain without fully understanding what the future held. Nonetheless, God had imparted another revelation of His glory into their beings. Every testimonial meeting with God is life-changing even when we don't entirely "get it." Perhaps our responses might initially look like Peter's--a little bit out of sync with God's direction. But the Holy Spirit and the Word of God are our plumb line in times of transition and enable us to respond to Him with humility and grace

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands--A Vision of Jesus

Having been suitably challenged by this Biblical exhortation not to become distracted by past glory moves of God (yet mindful of the need to give thanks for them), I sought the Lord in prayer and He graciously and immediately opened up the revelatory realms. I saw Christ holding a globe representative of all nations in His hands and "2008" was wrapped around it. The Lord embraced the world, holding it against His chest and the lifeblood of Jesus filtered into the world as He embraced it. I could discern the audible heartbeat of the Lord and as He touched the nations, they too, began to echo Heaven's heartbeat.

Intrigued, I inquired of the Lord, "What are You doing?" He smiled at me and said, "I am gathering the nations to Myself."

It is all too easy to forget that Jesus truly does hold the whole world in His hands! God wants to encourage us to be a people with whom He can infuse His power and passion to partner Heaven in a Holy Spirit movement for change. The vision clearly portrays the ingathering of the multitudes. Such a harvest vision is always impregnated with seed which will bear Kingdom fruit. Today we have an opportunity to receive from our Master and become His agents for change.

I bless each one of you in the glorious love of Christ.

Catherine Brown
Gatekeepers Global Ministries
Email: admin@gatekeepers.org.uk

Study Shows Music Helps Stroke Victims Recover More Quickly

Courtesy of BCN (BreakingChristianNews.com)

Teresa Neumann

"These findings demonstrate for the first time that music listening during the early post-stroke stage can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood."

(London, UK)—Reuters reports that, as published in the journal Brain, a Finnish study has shown that music helps people recover more quickly from strokes; patients who listened to a few hours of music each day soon after a stroke also improved their verbal memory and were in a better mood compared to patients who did not listen to music or used audio books.

"These findings demonstrate for the first time that music listening during the early post-stroke stage can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood," the researchers wrote.

For the study, one group reportedly listened to their favorite music every day or used audio books while another did not listen to any music, and all volunteers received standard rehabilitation treatment. After three months, the report notes that music listeners showed a 60 percent better improvement in verbal memory compared to an 18 percent benefit for those using audio books and 29 percent for people who did not listen to either.

Source: Michael Kahn - Reuters

"CHUCK PIERCE: Important! 40-day Prophecy and 2-Month DECREE to the Body of Christ"

Courtesy of elijahlist.com

"WE ARE HEADING INTO TWO OF THE MOST REARRANGING, REALIGNING, MONTHS WE HAVE EVER KNOWN IN THE HISTORY OF THIS GENERATION!"

Some Headlines from Chuck Pierce's word:

· Abrasive Circumstances to Increase--next 40 days.

· I will show you how evil is working.

· You will speak to the atmosphere in the next 40 days and it will change.

· Spheres of authority will be arranged in the next 40 days.

· Don't be afraid of your storm THIS WEEK.

· The LORD says, "I am rattling the gates of hell."

· You will be accosted by the enemy 3 times.

· I AM THE ONE who can shake loose new finances.

· You'll be directed in a new way these next 40 days.

· Nations are Hanging in the Balance.

· MY KINGDOM GOVERNMENT WILL NOW BEGIN TO RISE UP AND FORM TO INFLUENCE THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EARTH.

· In the midst of these THREE CONFRONTATIONS, "I am forming the Words for you to use..."

· I will Raise the ABRASION...I will Provoke MY PEOPLE to action.

· Prepare for a QUICK CHANGE.

· NEW RELEASE OF POWER OVER NEXT 40 DAYS.

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Chuck Pierce received the following prophecy on March 4th, 2008, and it is time to MARCH FORTH!

The Voice of Change is Stirring Us to Come UP from the Wilderness!

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Dear Friends and Intercessors:

We are heading into two of the most rearranging, realigning months that we have ever known in the history of this generation. What occurs during these days will set a course for our lives and this nation. The Lord woke me at 1 o'clock on Tuesday morning, March 4th, 2008. As I walked into the bathroom I noticed a calligraphy verse: "Lean not on your own understanding." This verse lit up even though the light was not on in the bathroom. The verse became red and yellow like fire. When I went back in at 5 AM, I noticed that the verse was actually in navy blue!

I heard the Lord begin to say: "Lean not on your own understanding today. I am calling you to watch the way that begins to form! For I am forming and reforming the way for My people! Abrasive circumstances will increase over these next 40 days. Lean not on your own understanding. I will show you things that you do not know during this time. I will cause you to see the pattern that I am forming. Do not fall into an understanding of the past, even the past 40 years, for in the next 40 days I am producing a new time of understanding in My people. For My wisdom is not your wisdom. I am creating a fear and an awe of Me!

I will show you how evil is working. I will let you hear the voice of evil-- that voice that has been distracting, confronting, and taunting you. My cause will rise up in you. My words will form in your mouth. You will speak it to the atmosphere and the atmosphere around you will change.

I am forming a highway in your wilderness. It will not be made of shifting sand. The foundation for your future is being laid. I will cause you to see the land that will be made sure for you. Lean not on your own understanding. Allow these next 40 days to be that which will change the atmosphere from one of a mesmerizing force to the power of God in your midst.

Honor ME with a shout! Bless My Name. For My name is replacing the name of the enemy on the gates of entry into your future. Where the enemy had your gate blocked, I am now rising up to give you authority and entry into your new place!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Me and I will direct your path. Do not just look at your circumstances--do not lean on your own understanding! Keep your mind stayed upon Me. Do NOT allow your abilities to be your trust.

I will create a strong people that will rule in every sphere of authority. Spheres of authority will be rearranged in these next 40 days. The power of My words in your mouth will cause a breakthrough. Don't miss your window of opportunity or fail to recognize the catalyst I am creating for rearranged momentum. Receive an anointing to leap over the mountain that has been deceiving and intimidating you.

Don't be afraid of your storm this week, for I will reorder your way and will cause your times to be changed. I'll set you ahead of that which would overtake you and cause you to be overwhelmed. So don't fear the storm. Watch the rain and wind work to your benefit! Hear the keys shaking, for I am rattling the gates of hell. Decree the blockade that wouldn't open up and let you move forward, even in your emotions--is being unlocked and that you are now able to move forward.

Your path will become straight so that I might enter a new way. What is too high will come down and that which is too low will come up. I can bring the prideful into right order and bring the humble into a new place of seeking. I am creating a straight path for us to walk into the future. May you see the path on which I will lead you into the future. Allow Me to come into your midst and prepare a way through this wilderness and into your next place.

I control the end from the beginning. There is nothing that happens in the earth realm that is outside of MY dominion. Agree that My will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven this day. Look up and see Me as the King who reigns. See Heaven's highway forming in the earth realm around you. I am not asking you to go under, but to come up! Find the high way into the place that I have for you.

Hear My voice in the wilderness. Though you have been unsure of the way you are to go, today I am beginning to call you new and fresh. This is a time when you must not miss that window of momentum. Do not be content to only sit and be taught every day because teaching alone will not get you to your next place. You must have the anointing to leap over that mountain. My call is being extended from the heavenly realm.

War for the next 21 days to see My call come forth. Those that will hear the call that I have for them this hour know how to follow after the call that I am extending. This is not about a person you are following--but a call that I am placing to set a course for you out of one place and into another. Hear the call! My voice is entering into your valley and your wilderness and saying, 'Come up with Me!'

Now is the time of restructured vision. Now is the time of finding your place to stand on the land, a place that will not sink when you stand, a land that will not confuse or entrap you. Hear My voice in your wilderness. For in 40 days, I will begin to qualify those that have received and embraced My call!

Do not allow the enemy's voice to confuse you in the next few days. You will be accosted by the enemy three times to keep you from finding and standing firm on the highway that I am forming to bring you through and into your new! Watch carefully and know the different voices this hour. Voices will bring confusion into your atmosphere. In the midst of this time, you must know what you are to follow. This is a time when confusing voices over your financial state and the state of the world would create a disheartening emotion that would lead to fear.

I am the God of the gold and silver. I am the one who can shake loose new finances. I am the one who can cause things to be let go so you can move in and go through the gates I have for you. Do not let a narrow, high path in front of you seem to be too steep for you to climb. I am making a straight path and causing you to be directed in a new way these next 40 days.

You have never been this way before. Nations are hanging in the balance! My Kingdom government will now begin to rise up and form to influence the government of the earth. I am a God who creates a Highway that can only be seen by eyes who know My glory. You will know me as King and ruler. I confounded the gods of Egypt. I confounded the Roman Empire.

Let Me form the words in your mouth to confront those things that would keep you from finding the highway I have prepared in the wilderness. Only My voice can guide you through and to this narrow road! In the midst of these three confrontations, NOW I am forming the words for you to use to stop your enemy from overtaking you. This is a corporate call for My people to rise up. In this corporate call you must be a people who know how to confront the atmospheric war around you.

I am raising up an abrasive time that will provoke you and produce My jealousy in you so you rise up with a new war mantle against the forces of hell in your midst. I will raise the abrasion! I will provoke MY people to action. Wake from your slumber and stupor and hear Me now to come forth! Do not lean on your own understanding. Go with My flow and watch Me make a direct path. Watch Me cause a path to come into order.

Renew the foundation. I am ready to build again. I will begin to build your future. Activate that way that I am calling you. Do not fear going into the brush and the brambles to find the hidden treasure that you will use to build My altar this hour. Today I am activating you. The intensity of the time is now upon you. I am activating you and calling you to hear what is coming into your atmosphere. Be delivered from a deaf and dumb spirit that would keep you from speaking and hearing at the right time.

Rise up and create a path. Change an atmosphere and you will be able to take a stand in that land. Let Zion call forth. I am calling forth to Zion within you to rise up. Prepare for a quick change. Prepare for a quick change. Write the vision. Make it plain. Prepare for a quick change. I am calling for a new release of power over these 40 days. Do not lean on your own understanding. Go in My direction to create a power shift!"

Blessings,

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion Ministries

JoAnn McFatter: "The Lost ART of CREATIVITY--We are Dawning on an Age of Creativity Never Seen Before"

Courtesy of elijahlist.com

"The Lost Art of Creativity." A bit of a play on words, granted, but tragically real is this state of affairs. Unfortunately, we as Christians have let that part of us die or, at the very least, lie dormant and/or suppressed in the recesses of who we are. We've forgotten Whose Image we are created in--the Creator, Himself!

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27

Men and women alike are born with genuine creativity in our DNA from the very beginning. Children are very creative as we have all observed. It takes a few years for us to beat it down into submission, never to be seen again for some of us. Studies with children have been done--following them through their school years and testing them every couple of years. At the beginning ages of two and three years old, they ALL test out at "creative genius," but by the age of eighteen, only one percent remain in that category. Again, our Greek-minded school system has squeezed our natural, God-given creative tendencies right out of us, which caused us to fit a mold that somebody, somewhere decided was "the norm."

The day we are born from our mother's womb, we are just nine months from being separated with God in the Spirit, so that experience is still fresh in us. The memory of it is slowly drawn from us by the ideas and thoughts of an earthly realm that are presented to us by well-intentioned people. Nonetheless, the understanding we had is suffocated and the voice of God is smothered. These days--creativity truly is a lost art.

Our Imagination Can Become Reality

I want to bring our attention to the influence this has had on our "ability" to grasp the supernatural and to even have faith for believing. We live in a "need to see it to believe it" society. Sometimes we don't even believe when we see, because we've been tricked too many times and we find it difficult to trust. Of course I believe in testing the spirits, as we are told to do in Scripture, but that is not what I'm referring to here. In the Christian world, we have been told to stay away from fantasy, which I agree with, but we've stayed SO far away that we've lost our ability to even receive a thought from God in our mind's eye--our imagination. Imagination does not have to be a bad thing. It can be used for good or evil just as any other ability we have. David says:

"I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto Thee. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of Thy people, and prepare their heart unto Thee." 1 Chronicles 29:17-18

Our imagination is engaged in faith for the supernatural. Are we going to believe for that thing we cannot yet see? Are we going to imagine that thing we are pressing into with faith, believing it? Our faith causes an image to form in our imagination. We come into agreement with God and He causes our imagination to see what He says is real. It is something yet to be, at least in the physical realm, though in God's mind it already is. To be or not to be, truly is the question being posed to us by faith, itself! We can agree with what God is telling/showing us, and thereby co-labor with Him to bring it to pass.

When we speak of imagination, we speak of the future as in something we are getting an image of, that has not yet taken shape or form in this physical realm. If it already has, then it is considered knowledge. It's already a done deal. If it has not occurred, not yet taken shape, it still lies within the imagination. These are images that we hope will move from the realm of possibility to the physical reality, having substance, but is still waiting in the future.

Just as knowledge speaks of the past, revelation speaks of the present--the now--something being realized at this moment. Once it is realized it becomes knowledge; the three stages being knowledge (past), revelation (present), and imagination, (future). But it takes agreeing with the thing as God sees it in our own imagination to believe for a thing. In fact, I think you could say it takes imagination to please God! As bold as this may sound, Scripture is telling us just that:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:1, 6

If you hope for something it is not yet seen, so you can only imagine it in your mind as you agree with what the Spirit of God is inspiring you toward. In exercising your faith for it, you will see the substance of it within your mind and spirit before it takes form in the physical realm. You agree with it in the Spirit before it takes place in the natural. We participate in bringing something forth as a co-laborer with God. We help to give it substance in this "touch it, feel it" realm we live in just by coming into agreement with what we are seeing. It happens as we give ourselves to the revelation He is releasing to us.

The Creator is Releasing Creativity

Yes, God is the only One who can create on His own, without any assistance, but He has invited us--and it pleases Him, evidently--to have us join with Him in this endeavor. He says:

"That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

Anything that has been or will be is already in Him. It's just that some of it has been given substance, as is the above Scripture references, and some of it has not--as of yet. But He tells us it will be:

"Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth. Shall you not know it?" Isaiah 43:19

He even goes so far as to tell us we cannot even imagine what is locked up in His heart for us to enter into with Him. It remains only in His understanding, as of yet.

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him." I Corinthians 2:9

He has invited us to participate with Him in all of this and is just waiting to release the new to us and through us. Our problem is that we are so prone to taking a God-inspired idea or thought, sifting it through our own limited mindsets, and turning it right back into an old familiar thing. It's the typical, "starting out in the Spirit and ending up in the flesh" syndrome that we so easily fall into. We aren't opening ourselves or our imaginations to His revelation as it comes to us. Instead, we reshape it within OUR understanding, instead of just believing and agreeing exactly with what He has said. If we just let the Word of God permeate our imagination and would come into agreement with THAT, we would see so much more.

Let us say, "God, help us all to open up what is left of our shriveled up imaginations to be filled with the Rhema of Your creative Word!" We've shied away from it for so long. But we are at the dawning of an age of creativity such as we've never seen before, for it will be Holy Spirit driven.

God wants to overshadow us with that God-seed idea. His treasury room in Heaven is FULL, waiting to be accessed by you! There are so many different things such as books, paintings, inventions, architecture, business strategies, patents, music--the list goes on and on--just waiting for ones who will open their mind and spirits to receive it from Him.

The creativity is above all that we have seen or heard up to this point in history. He's saved the best till last--or maybe it just took us this long to be able to tap into what He has wanted to release all along. Either way, it's there for us now. It's a "stretch out your tent pegs" moment in time. Allow your imagination to be filled with the creativity of God that was in us in the very beginning, before we got reprogrammed by man.

That is the invitation to us all--to stand with God and allow Him to hover over us with His Divine Imagination, imparting to and igniting our imagination in order that we might give substance to what is in the mind of God. Even that we might give substance here on earth to something that is in that treasury room in Heaven.

I spoke 10 years ago about the Spirit Renaissance that I saw coming. There are tokens out there of it, such as Akiane the young painter/poet/musician, but I believe there is to be a manifestation of this creativity in the masses, just as it has been spoken of relating to the supernatural. Become one with Him to allow that flow to be released. Your access to it all is through your relationship with Him. He wants to release through you as this last surge of creativity is released upon the earth! Can you just imagine it? Now--imagine yourself right in the middle of it!

JoAnn McFatter
WhiteDove Ministries
Email: inquiries@whitedoveministries.org

Scott Hicks: A New Sound is Coming to the Church! Christian Music will Receive a Praise and Worship "Face Lift"

Courtesy of elijahlist.com

In 2007, I spoke many times about "a new sound." The Lord constantly echoed those words in my spirit, and I repeated them everywhere. As I began to seek God for a prophetic glimpse into 2008, I heard a new sound. I saw people praising and worshipping as I have never seen before. I saw churches full of worshippers.

As praise and worship entered new levels of the Father's realm, I saw more and more people coming into buildings because of this new sound they were hearing. I saw onlookers that stood in awe of this new sound and were being transformed from "idle spectators" into "worshipping participators" by His manifest presence.

Scripture says: "Out of the mouths of babes and suckling have I perfected praise" Matthew 21:16. I heard someone say about this Scripture, "Praise is not perfected when it leaves our mouth; it's perfected when it enters His ears--because He has perfected it."

As part of the prophetic insight into 2008, I hear a new sound coming forth from the Body of Christ. I see key people that God has set into place to usher in this new sound, unrehearsed, and straight from the Spirit's worship. Musical "talent" is going to change (and already has in many) and alter from the normal to a supernatural and never heard of before--expression of praise and worship. This is a divine exchange of passion and love "to" God and "from" God.

Many that are already in musical positions will rise higher in the Spirit, and many that have a deep call and passion, but haven't had an open door, will begin to see doors open as they worship in Spirit and in truth. Those that God has placed into musical positions will begin to have expressive ideas and a renewing of the mind. Pre-written lyrics will begin to fade as their souls and inner spirits have longed for so much more. A divine exchange of passion will come forth from musicians' lips and instruments and will lead worshippers to the Father's throne as they have never seen yet, but only imagined and waited so long for.

Those that have longed to lead worshippers to the Father and have felt the burn of the call and destiny flickering in their hearts--will see doors open. They will hear sounds they can't get out of their spirits and minds. They will begin to see worshippers of God pulled to them--so that they may lead. These are the people that have a passion to lead others to God through praise and worship, but never knew how or where to start. You have thoughts like, "All the slots seem full already. Where do I begin? How do I get into this?" Those who constantly feel this unsettled passion will begin to rise up and connect with those whom God has already established and placed into key positions to lead His people to Him through perfected praise and worship.

Face Lift to Christian Music

The "Christian music industry" and what we call praise and worship is getting a literal face lift. God lifts His face towards us when we worship in spirit and in truth. He has been turning over rocks and looking and listening in kitchens and showers; looking, seeking, watching and listening for those who will worship Him in truth. His desire to find true worship is not only for Him to relax and listen to; He longs for this atmosphere, so He can have what I call "communion"--a communication that is fresh and special for that very moment.

There's a new sound coming in 2008 that is going to lift God's face toward us. It's a sound that no man can make without Him. A perfect sound that He has perfected when it enters His ears. A sound that will cause the masses to take note. A sound that will draw and pull those that hear it--to come and commune with God.

The lost will say, "What happened to church music? All of a sudden it is beyond awesome!" They won't be able to help it. This true worship will draw them because their spirits have been singing it since they were born. They just haven't found anyone to lead them to the source with a divine exchange...until now!

We often say, "Keep your eyes open." This year I say, "Keep your ears open." He that hath ears let him hear....

Still Worshipping,

Scott Hicks
True Worship Ministries
Email: info@trueworshipministries.net