Dutch Sheets Shares Prophetic Vision of John Knox and God's Mercy - JENNIFER LECLAIRE CHARISMA NEWS

A trusted prophet friend of his had a vision of John Knox, a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, standing behind him. (michael kooiman/Flickr/CC)

Dutch Sheets Shares Prophetic Vision of John Knox and God's Mercy

12/14/2016 JENNIFER LECLAIRE  CHARISMA NEWS

Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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During Chuck Pierce's Head of the Year conference in October, something shifted. Chuck released a prophesy over Dutch about visiting strategic sites in America before the election, and he set out on a tour to pray in 12 cities. 

But Dutch just shared something else significant that I did not know. A trusted prophet friend of his had a vision of John Knox, a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, standing behind him. 

"In his day, evangelicals in Scotland were routinely burned at the stake and their Bibles incinerated. Knox himself was imprisoned and enslaved for his involvement in the Reformation. Undeterred, he continued his stand, praying every day, 'Lord, give me Scotland or I die!,' Dutch says. "Knox's prayers were answered. This great reformer was used by God to transform the church and revive the country. Queen Mary of Scotland, fiercely opposed to the Reformation, once said of him, 'I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies in Europe.'"

In this vision, while Knox standing behind Dutch, he was holding up the number 313. As it turns out, 313 in the Strong's concordance is the Greek word for "new birth" or "new beginning." On top of that, the 313th day of the year was Nov. 8—election day. 

"Our interpretation was: In answer to the prayers of the church, a great awakening and reformation (a "new birth") will begin for America on November 8. Amazing," Dutch says.

"I certainly don't see President-elect Trump as fathering this movement, but I do see him as an agent of change who, in some ways, will prepare the way ... a forerunner of sorts. I also believe the mercies of God spared us from Mrs. Clinton and her incredibly liberal ideologies—a leadership which would have moved us farther away from the turnaround we so desperately need. I shudder when I think about the 30- to 40-year tenure of the liberal Supreme Court she had planned to appoint. America may never have recovered from such devastation."

When describing the elections, Dutch uses the word "mercy" very intentionally. 

"For others and me, three profound occurrences caused this word to become our primary appeal to heaven during that season. Firstly, in February while praying at the White House, two friends and I had an angelic visitation. In response to our prayers and decrees, the angel simply said, 'Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy.' Yes, six times," Dutch says. "Secondly, a few weeks later, an intercessor shared a dream she had received from the Lord regarding me. "In the dream," she related, "You kept declaring, 'I have tapped into a root of mercy.'"

Then, two weeks before the 2016 presidential election, Dutch shares, a trusted pastor and friend had a vision while watching his Appeal to Heaven conference online. As Dutch and others prayed, crying out for mercy, he began to see coins raining down all around Dutch. 

"Eventually, I was ankle-deep in silver coins. When he looked at them closely, they all had the word 'Mercy' over their various pictures. One coin in particular had George Washington on the front, with the word 'Mercy' over him; the other side had the American flag pictured with the words 'New Glory' over it. As you know, a nickname for our flag is 'Old Glory.' There is 'new glory' coming to 'old glory.' Then my friend heard the words, 'Mercy is our new currency,'" Dutch says. "Mercy is undeserved kindness. In Scripture, it is linked to covenant—God's covenantal faithfulness and kindness. We are told that His mercies are new each morning (Lam. 3:22-23), and they also triumph over judgment (James 2:13)."

As Dutch sees it, the question now becomes, "Will we waste this precious gift, or 'spend' it wisely? He says the tendency of the church is to pray—sometimes fervently—during an election, then return to our prayerless ways afterward. A Christian senator once called Dutch out on this, saying, "The church prays us into office; then we're on our own!" He actually went on to say, "I can tell when the church is praying and when it isn't."

"If we, the body of Christ, don't continue to pray fervently for awakening, reformation and the empowering of those we voted into office, the mercy we received will be squandered. Heb. 4:16 tells us where we find mercy: 'Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.' The word 'time' in this verse is the Greek word kairos, which means 'strategic or opportune time,' not 'chronological time,'" Dutch says.

"We must, at this strategic and opportune time in history, continue to cry out for mercy. We must also pray for our leaders, especially Mr. Trump, who is at best a baby Christian. We must ask for wisdom, revelation, humility and boldness. Only an appropriate blend of these spiritual gifts and virtues will bring him success," Dutch continues. "Let us become a John Knox-type company of reforming intercessors: 'Give us America or we die!" Let's steward America's new birth as we would that of a newborn baby. And may we spend our new currency wisely, until new glory from heaven permeates our land. Continue praying for America, friends, and those God has set into office. May His mercy and new glory come to us." 

Charisma House has raced to publish a teaching book based on this prophetic word so you can apply biblical principles in cooperation with the angels of abundant harvest. Visit angelsprophecy.com to learn more and read what James Goll and others have to say about this teaching.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of awakeningtv.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Jennifer's Periscope handle is @propheticbooks.

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Time to Pray for God's Merciful Judgment on America - Larry Tomczak

Madonna sports a crown of thorns in a recent performance. (YouTube)

Time to Pray for God's Merciful Judgment on America

10/14/2015 LARRY TOMCZAK  charisma magazine

Join us on our new podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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"Larry, I'm shocked that you say you are actually praying for judgment on our nation! That's not loving. That's not scriptural!"

I respectfully disagree. I'm not on a crusade, trying to convince others of my position, yet I do invite your prayerful consideration at this critical time in our history. My actions spring from God's recent dealings with me and the conviction that we have crossed a line in our ever-escalating sinfulness before a holy God who has blessed this nation like none other in history.

Some will dismiss biblical passages I cite as applying only to Israel, God's covenant people, whom He designated as a "city on the hill," yet they turned from God. Let's remember America was also established as a covenant people, designated as a "city on a hill" by our Pilgrim and Puritan forefathers. We have likewise turned away from God.

Survey the cultural landscape over just the past number of weeks:

• Unfettered baby-killing (now over 57 million) and selling of body parts goes unchecked, as Planned Parenthood, a private organization specializing in abortion (they do no mammograms), continues receiving our tax support.
• Homosexual "marriages" are now the law of the land, overturning 4,000 years of Western civilization history. President Barack Obama aggressively celebrates this. Former President Jimmy Carter, who says he is born again, declared, "I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest. ... I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage."
• Religious freedoms erode at warp speed. Dr. Paul Church, Boston urologist, expelled for "discrimination" in voicing his perspective on homosexuality and its high risk disease factor.
• A Portland bar owner was fined $400,000 for respectfully requesting LGBTs refrain from patronizing his establishment to avoid the impression of being a "gay" bar.
• Hostility and persecution of Christians increases, including a recent college massacre of nine Christian students. Saturday Night Live mocks of Kim Davis as a crazed moron, along with Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee portrayed as delusional, dementia patients.
• 177 congressional representatives vote down the law requiring doctors to save babies who survive an abortion—infanticide. Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide is legalized in numerous states, letting doctors drug patients to death.  Get ready aging baby boomers!
• Cable and now network TV feature nudity, profanity and homosexuality as standard fare.
• Drug and sex-saturated concerts/festivals include "Burning Man" week of debauchery and Madonna's profane "Rebel Heart" tour with the theme "Desecration of the Bride and Arrival of Fallen Angels." 

Let's stop here and do a reality check. The trajectory is clear about where this nation is heading. We need a sense of urgency. Our children's and grandchildren's lives are at stake, in addition to the unborn babies facing the guillotine.

We need to shake ourselves and challenge our pastors that this is not a time for maintaining the status quo in religion by lifting up a few mini-prayers and enjoying some uplifting, happy "3 Ways to Beat the Blues" sermons!  Are you listening?

America is on a precipice and our only hope is in the gospel proclaimed to transform hearts and fervent prayer that I believe now includes a component of appealing for God's justice and His judgment. I know this message won't go over well with both unbelievers and many Christians, but the time has come. When respected leaders cited God's judgment after 9/11, remember the outcry and outrage that followed? Get ready.

America's last Great Awakening (1790-1850) was launched when a narcissistic, proud attorney was body slammed with the reality of God's judgment.

Charles Finney experienced divine intervention when God audibly questioned him about that for which he was living. When Charles faced the issue of death and responded tremblingly, "The judgment is next!", he ran like the "Roadrunner" a half-mile to the woods to get right with God. A dose of the fear of God and the prospect of God's judgment shook him to the core.

Charles entered the ministry and millions were saved when brought face to face with God's judgment and His mercy. For more than 50 years during the ebb and flow of America's Second Great Awakening, Mr. Finney and his "Revival Lectures" helped turn America back to God.

 Clarifying the Call for God's Judgment

For the record, I am not calling for God to send fire and destroy human beings. I'm not petitioning the Almighty to send asteroids, tsunamis or city-destroying earthquakes. My fists are not clenched or my veins bulging. I just don't see any other way for our nation to turn back to God without some drastic and dramatic divine intervention.

We need a jolt to awaken us from our stupor. We need a loving "slap in the face" to jolt us back to reality and out of our present insanity and sexual anarchy—kind of like a parent reaching the saturation point with a rebellious smart-mouthed teenager constantly talking back disrespectfully and mocking parental authority.

I'm aware of the episode in the Gospels were Jesus admonished His disciples about calling down fire to destroy resistant people. "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:55-56). This is not what I'm describing.

I believe what the Bible says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). Yet these two are not mutually exclusive as God extends His mercy and when it is consistently rejected, Scripture reveals He eventually sends judgment so that people will repent, cry out for mercy and return to Him!

Psalm 107 is such a beautiful depiction of this dynamic. Some rebellious people experienced "bitter labor" (v. 12); others "suffered afflictions because of their iniquities" (v. 17); still others "were at their wits' end" (v. 27).  Yet each grouping came out of God's judgment on their lives and experienced His unfathomable mercy when they "cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress" (v. 13, 19, 28). In this way, mercy triumphs over judgment.

As I pray for God's judgment on the nation that I so love, I am not dictating or demanding how or when it comes. God is Sovereign and the specifics are left with Him. But if we sense an increasing God-given burden that it will take judgment to turn this sinking ship around, I encourage people everywhere to enter agreement with God on this plank before it's too late.

 It's Biblical to Pray for God's Judgment

Genesis 6 reveals the grieving heart of God as He "saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was continually only evil. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. So the Lord said, 'I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the birds of the sky, for I am sorry that I have made them'" (Gen. 6:5-7). Judgment came to return people to Himself.

Following in the footsteps of David, Jeremiah and Paul, there come times when God stirs people to agree with Him that the time for judgment to be released has come. We should then pray accordingly and with a right spirit.

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• David was "a man after God's own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). Read in Psalms 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109 and 139 how this giant of the faith prayed for and proclaimed God's judgment in his day. He did not pray for carnal revenge but to highlight God's abhorrence of evil and ongoing sin.

• Jeremiah struggled with deep inner turmoil concerning the judgment he proclaimed. This came from anguish of spirit and deep identification with what God was feeling as His heart broke over people's persistent sin. He said, "I am pained in my very heart" (Jer. 4:19) as he called for justice and judgment. Like Jesus who wept over the sinful state of the Jews, Jeremiah was not gleeful or gloating when he prayed for and pronounced judgment. He was overwhelmed and in tears (Jer. 4:19-22). God even directed him to stop praying for the people because of the depth of their wickedness (Jer. 7:16; 11:14; 14:11)! Child killing. Homosexuality. Apostasy. Idolatry. Blasphemy. Lawlessness. Sound familiar?

• Paul, in his masterpiece to the Romans, quoted David's judgments in Psalm 69:22-23. In proclaiming judgment upon the Jews, his words are sobering, disturbing and straight from the heart of God.

Let's stop kidding ourselves; apart from divine intervention in holy judgment, America will simply slide deeper down the spiral of sin and destruction. We are deceived if we buy into the misguided approach of many who believe there will eventually come some kind of backlash to all our wickedness, corruption and brazen immorality.

Some believe that people, like a rubber-band, will return to God if we just remain patient and pray long enough. I don't think so, and I am a four-decade board member of a ministry promoting prayer and fasting for America for over 40 years!

It's time to examine our lives in light of God's holiness and turn from our wicked ways as 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us. I am persuaded that it is also time to add another dimension to our petitions. Rejecting any self-righteousness, praying with a humble heart and passionate to see a massive harvest of people who get right with God, having experienced His judgment in their lives, are you ready to pray like David did in Psalm 28:4-5? The passages reads: "Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; return to them what they deserve. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the work of His hands, He will destroy them and not build them up."

It's time for us to appeal to heaven for God to take a stand and show himself strong. The "bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8) will overflow in the judgments described in chapter 8. These are terrifying and intended to cleanse the earth of sin and bring those remaining back to the living God! It is the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" described in Joel 2:31 and Mal. 4:5. These times will be both gory and glory!  

God's judgments are intended to bring people to repentance so they can be blessed and live in union with Him as a bride with her bridegroom. God's zeal is designed to purge the earth of all rebellion. Will we rise to the occasion and embrace a call to pray some gutsy, muscular prayers for both justice and the necessary judgments to bring this to pass? We don't have a lot of time left.

Prayer for Justice

"Lord, You decreed, 'He has shown you O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you? To do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God' (Mic.6:8). We pray that You hear our plea for justice. May our hearts align with Yours and break with those things that break Your heart. As Your ambassadors may we look out for those that are in legitimate need—the weak, neglected and less fortunate. As Christians, help us to live authentically and make a difference as change agents for Your glory and the establishment of Your Kingdom. In Jesus Name, Amen."

Prayer for Judgment

"Lord, you decreed, 'Righteousness exults a nation but sin is a reproach to any people' (Prov. 14:34). Like Moses, Nehemiah, Daniel and Paul, we identify with sins committed brazenly and increasingly throughout this land. May our hearts grieve with Yours at our serious, sinful state. We have departed from Your liberating Word and removed You from Your rightful place as the One, true and living God in whom we are to trust. Repeatedly ignoring Your warnings sent through Your servants and shamefully yielding to the fear of man instead of speaking up for righteousness, we humbly ask that You release Your necessary judgments that they may awaken us from our ongoing rebellion and deception. 'Lord, we have heard of Your fame. We stand in awe of Your deeds. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in Your wrath remember mercy' (Hab. 3:2). If this is Your will and Your time as we believe, help us to emerge as a holy people of whom it is said, 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord' (Ps. 33:12)."

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

How to Rid Yourself of Guilt Once and for All - Joyce Meyer

Freedom from guilt can birth an explosion of spiritual growth. (Lightstock )

How to Rid Yourself of Guilt Once and for All

9/13/2015 JOYCE MEYER  charisma news

Do you spend a lot of time feeling guilty? I did, as a result of being abused as a child.

I grew up believing something was wrong with me and that everything was my fault. And when you develop that kind of thinking during your childhood, it can torment you for a long time.

Guilt traps us and keeps us in the same place; much like a treadmill that keeps us going, but accomplishes nothing. Guilt is a trap that presses us down into our problems rather than lifting us out of them. And as long as we feel guilty about what we do wrong, we remain in that guilt and will not grow spiritually. 

All of us make mistakes, and God knows that! No one can be perfect while in a fleshly body, but we can and must continue to grow spiritually regardless of where we are in our relationship with Christ. But in order to grow spiritually, we must first learn who we are in Christ. 

By God's grace and mercy, when we are born again, God not only forgives us, He gives us His righteousness because the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. We each have right standing with God legally because of the blood of Christ, and even though we sometimes still do things wrong, the ability to do what's right is also in us.

Galatians 5:22-23 (MEV) tells us: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law."

God doesn't expect you to become something that He hasn't already equipped you with. At the moment you are born again, God comes to live inside of your heart. The "seeds" of His character are downloaded into your spirit, and just like any seeds that are planted with the intent to reap a harvest later on, there must be a cultivation period that happens over a long period of time.

You have everything you need to be who God wants you to be, and since God lives inside of you, this means the fruit of His Spirit is also inside you. And after you are born again, you will grow in Christ as you pursue Him daily.

2 Timothy 2:22 (MEV) tells us: "So flee youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (emphasis added).

The operative word here is "pursue." Pursue means to crave and go after something with all your mind and strength. Your relationship with God should not only be a Sunday morning thing. He is everything! In Him we live and move and have our being and without him we are nothing. 

We rely on God's grace to help us do what's right every day. And if we try to do what God asks us to do without relying on Him to help us, we won't succeed because we need Him to do everything we need to do. 

Philippians 2:12-13 (MEV) says: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but so much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the One working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure."

We don't work FOR our salvation to earn it, but we do work OUT our salvation. There's a difference! For example, working out for fitness takes time, discipline and commitment. 

I have worked out three times a week for the last 10 years. When I started, I didn't have visible muscles. But now I do, because I'm committed to maintaining my fitness. In much the same way, spiritual growth is a workout, with the results developing over a time because of commitment and discipline. And we lean on God to help us every step of the way.

So keep moving forward, and don't be hard on yourself! You are holy, righteous, anointed, and completely forgiven. You're not where you need to be, but thank God you're not where you used to be. You're OK, and you're on your way.

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Get Your Hopes Up! (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visitwww.joycemeyer.org.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!