Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15, Complete Jewish Bible
In the last two days, when I sat down in my prayer
chair for my early morning time with the Lord, this sense of weeping came over
me. It began as a swelling up in my chest, and then it came forth through my eyes,
as the Holy Spirit moved upon me.
I wasn’t sure why He was sharing this experience with
me, so I prayed in tongues and let Him use my intercession for His purposes. Most
often we can choose to freely give of ourselves as His channel of love and act
out of obedience for His plans. The knowing may not be made fully aware, but
the doing certainly should.
Maybe this was for our friends in Israel, as He watches
over His returning people coming from all the nations where they had been
dispersed during the centuries. He clearly sees them, making provision from His
holy throne from which He broadcasts His love, through those who have accepted
His call to support and provide the means of doing so, both in the natural and
the spiritual.
Maybe this intercession weeping was for the one on the
dark, secluded street last night, left out of life, clinging to any hope
available. May they find the joy that is in You, Jesus, the Savior of the
world. You died so that all could live who seek and find You.
It could have been for the nation of Hong Kong, as the
people have been crying out publicly for weeks, desiring for the freedom in
their country that He alone can truly bring. He may have wanted me to join with
them in their longing for that truth.
We may not understand why He leads us in this form of intercession,
but we must be open vessels for those times He leads us in the manner.
In Isaiah 30:18-22, the prophet spoke forth this to
the people, “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He
waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how
blessed are all those who long for Him.
O people in
Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be
gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.
Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He,
your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your
Teacher.
Your ears will hear a word behind you, " This is
the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. And
you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images
plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them,
" Be gone!" (NASU)
There is an eternal longing in the Father’s heart,
expressed through His Only Begotten Son Jesus (Yeshua) and His Holy Spirit, the
Comforter sent to earth to bring forth His purposes in love.
We are called to be intercessors – to pray, to fast,
to weep for the answers and solutions needing to come, which will bring
healing, restoration, life fulfillment, and redemption offered only through His
shed blood on the cross. As His Spirit directs us, we must follow. He is our
only hope.
We read of the time Yeshua wept when his friend Lazarus
had died and was buried. His emotions as He walked among us those 33 years displayed
the Father’s loving heart.
“When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her
sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, "Where did you put him?" "Master,
come and see," they said. Now Jesus wept. The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved
him." John 11:33-36 (THE MESSAGE)
There will be plenty of opportunities we will have to
join with the Father in interceding for our families, our friends, the nations
around the planet. As we give ourselves to Him, He will lead us, direct our
steps, and allow us to experience what is on His heart.
He knows what the end results will bring, that of victory
and rejoicing. But the path we walk on to get there will take us through much tribulation
and warfare. We must present ourselves as ones to share in this.
Now think on this and see what good things the Lord has in store
for you and those around you.
Chuck Pierce is calling the month ahead "critical." (Facebook)
Chuck Pierce Prophesies 'Short, 10-Year Window' in the Nations
Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
Chuck Pierce is calling the month ahead "critical." I sense this urgency in my spirit also and encourage you to partner with him in declaring what heaven is declaring in alignment and unity with heaven.
Chuck perceives the heavens are declaring the glory of God, according to Psalm 19. Our response, he says, should be to meditate on this glory all month and watch for glory interactions wherever you are.
Chuck says the Lord told him on Nov. 27, "The next 10 days are critical."
"Everything seems critical and for the Lord to say it like that ... there's still something about this election we're not getting. This is a God-thing we are in, and things are going to turn upside down," Chuck shares. "I gave a word eight years ago that said, 'In 2016, the Electoral College will be the issue.' God is dealing with a structure in this nation that will cause the future to be reprogrammed."
In his prophetic discussion, Chuck also asserts Russia will again be prominent this year. One can see the stage being set for this reality. Chuck insists it's vital to understand what God is doing in the church in Russia.
"With Fidel Castro dying, things are about to change as never before," Chuck says. "It has to do with the way we worship in freedom. It has to do with us in this nation and the nations aligning ... What is happening right now is very key. With Fidel Castro dying and Donald Trump coming into office, there will be a realignment. The nations are realigning in the earth for a great latter-day shift, a great harvest shift, great movement from Russia into Israel for fulfillment. You're looking at a real key team in that shift."
Prophetically, Chuck sees a true apostolic move coming, one that has never been in Russia, and he declares the prophetic dynamic of that nation will come alive.
"There is only a short, 10-year window for this revival. Russia, Hong Kong and America represent a triangle God is forming; He is redoing the alignments of the nations. Because of Mr. Trump, we will remain aligned with Israel for this short, 10-year window," Chuck says. "What it represents in your life is an unlocking and a restoration of the captivities of the past. This is a fulfillment of the captivities of the past being broken off of us. You are in a place where the glory of God will realign nations. All the dragon nations will have to realign. What you are hearing today is key. Don't try to understand it with your mind. It will redo the way we do things in days ahead. Quit being legalistic in the way you think and operate; this is a time of change like never before."
Chuck plans to pull an apostolic-prophetic network from every one of those nations and review the teachings that need to get in. Then, he prophesies, Cuba will come alive.
"The door to Cuba that is now open will be an open door with many, many enemies involved. I say to Florida, get ready! You must secure a glory road throughout that state or else what would come through will form a government in Atlanta," Chuck says.
"This is a time that I am realigning the lands and the people of the lands. Lay down your prejudices and your political gleanings—what I am doing is way above this. I am creating a government in the earth that will shake things in a new way. I am working both the heavens and the earth. These next 10 days are critical to aligning the heavens, the earth and the nations of the earth. Get ready, for I have brought you here for a time such as this."
The Lord told me He is releasing the angels of abundant harvest. Charisma House has partnered with me to release strategic teaching on this revelation. Visit angelsprophecy.com for more information.
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WATCH: Pro-Life Prayer Movement Advances in Hong Kong, Gateway to Asia
Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
When Joseph Woodard answered God's call to be a light in Asia, it was more than simply stepping out of his comfort zone in suburban America. Woodard grasped the torch of pro-life prayer, a movement shining brightly since 2004 when 40 Days for Life and Bound4LIFE launched within the same month.
He moved to Shanghai, China in 2010 to teach English. Two years later, Woodard ended up in Hong Kong, where he led the first 40 Days for Life prayer campaign this past spring—part of a movement that involved more than 120,000 people praying in 273 locations across 25 nations, including daily at the U.S. Supreme Court.
To capture a snapshot of what God is doing in Hong Kong—including how the symbol of Life Tape played a role in their pro-life advocacy—we spoke with Joseph Woodard about his personal journey and why standing for life matters in every nation.
Bound4LIFE: What brought you to Hong Kong?
Joseph Woodard: Originally I had a very general calling to China and then I realized that Hong Kong would be an ideal place for long-term work in Asia.
God never told me, in so many words, to be a missionary in Asia; I simply thought of myself as a Christian whom God had called to China. I eventually decided to move to Hong Kong, specifically because I saw a special work of the Holy Spirit among churches here.
Bound4LIFE: How did you become a part of the 40 Days for Life movement, starting with the campaign this past spring?
Joseph Woodard: I heard about it a long time ago, but only participated in one 40 Days for Life prayer gathering—for about an hour when I was a student at Ave Maria University. Honestly, I thought 40 Days for Life was a great idea, but not for me. Last summer I realized God was opening a door in Asia for pro-life ministry, which tragically has been almost nonexistent.
When I spoke with an experienced pro-life leader for advice, he suggested 40 Days for Life would do more than anything else to serve churches to respond to the crisis of abortion. After that, I spoke to the 40 Days for Life international campaign director in London—actually while I was in the middle of watching the movie Mission: Impossible. Some would call our mission in Hong Kong "impossible," but we decided to go for it!
Bound4LIFE: What challenges did you face in assembling a team to pray continuously?
Joseph Woodard: So I had already lived in Hong Kong for over three years at this point. I had done a lot of work with a number of churches, but I hadn't initiated a prayer campaign for non-English speakers before. Honestly, I was worried about translation issues and would have preferred that someone from Hong Kong lead the campaign.
But I was able to overcome some of the language barrier by being able to type Chinese better than I can actually speak it. Nearly everybody I know uses a smartphone; even when I was talking with someone who didn't know English, we were able to communicate thanks to Google Translate.
As far as filling up the prayer schedule, we really wanted to have 12-hour shifts (8am–8pm) per day during the prayer campaign. We only actually filled up the entire 12 hours a few times during the 40 days. But at the same time, I consider the whole experience a great success.
Thankfully, no one was against the idea of praying outside an abortion center. The problem was that the concept was completely new, even for churches I worked with. Out of 125 volunteers who signed up to pray in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic, only three had done this before. We were very moved by the number of participants.
Bound4LIFE: Over the course of those 40 days, do any experiences in front of the abortion center in prayer stand out—either yours or from your team?
Joseph Woodard: We prayed in what was probably the most unusual setup of any 40 Days for Life campaign. It was within a public area, where people often sit to drink beer or smoke. One day, I recall so many people smoking—cigarette smoke rising all around us; it happened to be the day a local House of Prayer community joined for an hour.
One of the volunteers told me later that had he wanted to put on his Life Tape and pray prayers of spiritual warfare. But the Holy Spirit told him just to worship. I believe the incense of true worship is our best weapon against the culture of death. Many of the volunteers really liked the idea of the Life Tape, being able to proclaim life on behalf of the voiceless.
During Hong Kong's first March for Life, some leaders had everyone put on Life Tape, and then we marched for two hours through the busiest neighborhoods in Hong Kong. They were holding signs, many wearing Life Tape, praying and others singing. It was really amazing. That was definitely one of the main highlights for everybody.
Bound4LIFE: The freedom of public assembly is recognized by Hong Kong. How does this right influence your ability to gather with volunteers to pray?
Joseph Woodard: Overall, Hong Kong is one of the freest places in the world. According to the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index, Hong Kong tops the list—which is an anomaly, the only very free society in the world that is not officially a democracy.
There are all sorts of public gatherings in Hong Kong every day: celebrations, public awareness events, big fundraisers, protests, etc. Hong Kong police are very helpful in facilitating the gatherings and really don't care why you're gathering, as long as you're not blocking traffic.
Right when we were starting 40 Days for Life, there was actually a series of small riots. This dominated the news cycle because—despite what you might see on the news—Hong Kong is a very peaceful place. So the police were on high alert. Thankfully, we had communicated clearly with the police about what we were doing before the campaign started, even though legally we didn't have to tell them anything.
Better to communicate directly than for the police to hear about us from the abortion center. It's hard to believe the reach of Planned Parenthood, which is directly affiliated with the abortion facility we prayed at for 40 days. Overall, we felt supported by the police. I believe the prayers we prayed months in advance gave us favor during the spring campaign.
Bound4LIFE: Can you describe the differences between Hong Kong and mainland China as it pertains to standing for life?
Joseph Woodard: In Hong Kong there is freedom of religion, and the church is very active in public life. Even if people don't go to church and don't know anything about Christianity, there is still the opportunity to be influenced by Christian principles like the dignity of the human person and the rights that accompany that dignity.
However, in mainland China, people don't have a sense of the individual's rights including the right to life. Because of that, in some ways it is much easier for this issue to make sense in Hong Kong. Whereas in China, it is going to be even more countercultural to stand for life.
Bound4LIFE: What milestones have you seen happen with the pro-life prayer movement in Hong Kong since you relocated?
Joseph Woodard: Right after I moved to Hong Kong, a newspaper article covered a story about a major abortion center that had shut down in the central business district. The article quoted a local leader as supporting the clinic shutdown and described a gathering praying for a culture of life in Hong Kong.
For three years, I had been looking out for anyone doing pro-life ministry in Hong Kong. But I came up empty. Then right after I decided to do 40 Days for Life, I started meeting people; it was totally providential. Within several weeks, I had met most of the main pro-life leaders in Hong Kong and many from elsewhere in Asia.
Bound4LIFE: What core message do you want the American church to know about the pro-life prayer movement in Hong Kong?
Joseph Woodard: Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to influence all of Asia. Regardless of the nature of the cause, Hong Kong has become an attractive place for people to set up shop to advocate for various causes. Whether it's animal rights or the pro-life movement or starting a new business, Hong Kong is the place to be to get things done.
For that reason, it's worth praying for Hong Kong and also worth coming. If God calls you to Asia, then Hong Kong is a good place to start.
When we started this spring, I had some health problems that made it difficult for me to walk. God has really carried me through this whole process. While I still deal with chronic fatigue, the sense I have is that I'm being carried. I believe God wants me to be a part of what He is doing in this part of the world.
Marisa Lengor Kwaningis a writer, editor and health policy analyst who resides in Washington, D.C. She has worked in public health, disaster management, as well as foreign and domestic health policy. She earned a Masters degree in Public Policy from George Mason University. She currently consults at Final Draft: Writing Services and writes for Bound4LIFE International, a faith-based pro-life organization.
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We Have Never Seen Global Trade Collapse This Dramatically Outside of a Major Recession
If you have been watching for the next major global economic downturn, you can now stop waiting, because it has officially arrived. Never before in history has global trade collapsed this dramatically outside of a major worldwide recession. And this makes perfect sense—when global economic activity is increasing there is more demand for goods and services around the world, and when global economic activity is decreasing, there is less demand for goods and services around the world.
So far this year, global trade is down about 8.4 percent, and over the past 30 days, the Baltic Dry Index has been absolutely plummeting. A month ago, it was sitting at a reading of 809, but now it has fallen all the way to 628. However, it is when you look at the trade numbers for specific countries that the numbers become particularly startling.
Just within the last few days, new trade numbers have come out of China. China accounts for approximately one-fifth of all global factory exports, and for many years, Chinese export growth has helped fuel the overall global economy.
But now Chinese exports are falling. In October, Chinese exports were down 6.9 percent compared to a year ago. That follows a decline of 3.7 percent in September.
The numbers for Chinese imports are even worse. Chinese imports in October were down 18.8 percent compared to a year ago after falling 20.4 percent in September. China's growing middle class was supposed to help lead a global economic recovery, but that simply is not happening.
Other numbers confirm the magnitude of the economic slowdown in China. I have mentioned the ongoing plunge of the China Containerized Freight Index previously, but now it has just hit a brand-new record low:
The weakness in China's economy and its exports to the rest of the world are showing up in the weekly China Containerized Freight Index (CCFI): On Friday, it dropped to the worst level ever.
The index, operated by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, tracks how much it costs, based on contractual and spot-market rates, to ship containers from China to 14 major destinations around the world. Unlike a lot of official data from China, the index is an unvarnished reflection of a relentless reality.
It has been cascading lower since February and has since dropped 31 percent. At 742 currently, it's down 26 percent from its inception in 1998 when it was set at 1,000.
Demand for Chinese steel is down 8.9 percent compared to a year ago.
China's rail freight volume is down 10.1 percent compared to last year.
In October, South Korean exports were down 15.8 percent from a year ago.
According to the Dutch government index, global trade in primary commodities was sitting at a reading of 150 a year ago, but now it has fallen all the way down to 114. What this means is that less commodities are being traded around the world, and that is a very clear sign that global economic activity is really slowing down.
Additionally, German export orders were down about 18 percent in September, and U.S. exports are down about 10 percent for the year so far.
Clearly something very big is happening, and it is affecting the entire planet. The CEO of the largest shipping company in the world believes that the explanation for what is taking place is fairly simple:
In fact, according to CEO, Nils Smedegaard Andersen, the reason why companies that are reliant on global trade, such as his, are flailing is simple: global growth is substantially worse than the official numbers and forecasts. To wit: "The world's economy is growing at a slower pace than the International Monetary Fund and other large forecasters are predicting."
Quoted by Bloomberg, Andersen says that "we believe that global growth is slowing down," he said in a phone interview. "Trade is currently significantly weaker than it normally would be under the growth forecasts we see."
Global financial markets can run, but they can't hide from these horrifying trade numbers forever.
One of the big things that is contributing to this new global economic slowdown is the unwinding of the U.S. dollar carry trade. A recent piece from Phoenix Capital Research explained the U.S. dollar carry trade pretty well:
When the Fed cut interest rates to zero in 2008, it flooded the system with US Dollars. The US Dollar is the reserve currency of the world. NO matter what country you're in (with few exceptions) you can borrow in US Dollars.
And if you can borrow in US Dollars at 0.25 percent: and put that money into anything yielding more: you could make a killing.
A hedge fund in Hong Kong could borrow $100 million, pay just $250,000 in interest and plow that money into Brazilian Reals which yielded 11 percent: locking in a $9.75 million return.
This was the strictly financial side of things. On the economics side, Governments both sovereign and local borrowed in US Dollars around the globe to fund various infrastructure and municipal projects.
Simply put, the US Government was practically giving money away and the world took notice, borrowing Dollars at a record pace. Today, the global carry trade (meaning money borrowed in US Dollars and invested in other assets) stands at over $9 TRILLION (larger than the economy of France and Brazil combined).
But now the U.S. dollar carry trade is starting to unwind because the U.S. dollar has been doing very well lately. As the U.S. dollar has surged against other global currencies in 2015, this has put a tremendous amount of stress on emerging markets around the world.
All of a sudden, oil, other commodities and stock markets in nations such as Brazil began to crash. Meanwhile, those that had taken out loans denominated in U.S. dollars were finding that it was taking far more of their own local currencies to service and repay those loans. This financial crunch in emerging markets is going to take years to fully play out, and it is going to take a tremendous toll on global markets.
Of course, we have seen this happen before. A surging dollar helped cause the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s and the major global recession of 2008 and 2009.
If you thought that the financial shaking that happened in late August was bad, the truth is that it was nothing compared to what is now heading our way.
So buckle your seat belts, boys and girls, because we are definitely in for a bumpy ride.
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In the face of what seems unlikely and impossible, God's ways are always higher. Having spent over 21 months in Vietnam in the last 7 years, we have continually been amazed. God's ways simply defy natural efforts and the best of human capabilities. At the crux has been a remnant committed to prayer.
Behind the Scenes
We've long been acquainted with how over two decades ago the Vietnamese refugee camps in Hong Kong served as Bible training centers. Huge numbers of Vietnamese were coming to the Lord and then being prepared for what God knew, but those held there hardly expected: being returned to Vietnam when China took over Hong Kong. That difficult event for those in the camps changed the balance of power for the house church movement from one end of the country to the other. More than seventy percent of those interred had come from the North.
During that same general time frame, beginning in the early 1990s, many from Vietnam's elite in the North were being sent to Russia for graduate work, business training and assignments, along with positions of influence. In Moscow alone, there was a community of over 100,000 Vietnamese. Most of Moscow's Vietnamese lived in one central high-rise area. THEN, during the time that the Vietnamese refugee camps across Asia started being disbanded, there came a radical spiritual climate change in Moscow. Almost overnight, in the expatriate Vietnamese community, everyone was talking about Jesus and reaching out to know Him.
Parenthetically, the late 1980s to mid-90s in Vietnam were the most brutal for the persecuted house church movement. Raids were made, leaders were jailed. So it was that the prayers of the saints steadily and desperately became more intense. Anointed, high-level Western ministry leaders slipped in to pray in agreement with secret gatherings of Vietnamese leaders. Those fervent prayers of the righteous, oppressed and anointed were heard -- and from Hong Kong to Moscow, grand-strategy alignments from on High were set in motion.
We tend to describe such big-picture alignments as God doing a new thing. While they are, they entail more. A very key factor involves the amassing of prayers from those most impacted, especially those being crushed for their faith. They entail the anticipatory response of a God whose ways are beyond the realm of our short-term perspectives of things. These highlights from more than the last two decades set the stage for what unfolded in our most recent sojourn in Vietnam as we have been privileged to serve as a part of these NEW dimensions being released in God.
Current Parallels
Upon arrival almost six weeks ago, we came out of the chute hard and fast. After a number of meetings in the Saigon area, we headed north. Domestic Vietnamese flights were a zoo this time of year, as we were traveling just prior to the Tet (Chinese New Year) holidays on our own, when there is a massive shift of the population returning to hometowns for family holiday visits.
It was freezing when we arrived in the capital city. Not literally, but with it sunny and
the highs in the Saigon area in the mid 90s, we were facing some days with the highs in the 50s, with it drizzly, overcast and damp. There's no heat in the buildings. The Vietnamese wear winter jackets in this type of weather.
Our first workshop had a mix of leaders: business people, fledgling entrepreneurs, pastors, pastor's wives and even a graduate-school professor whose academic expertise (economic forecasting) closely paralleled my own professional experience. There were several minority group, village leader/ pastors who had traveled distances to attend. Forty to fifty were expected -- the number wound up being 75. The man who arranged it was amazed. The professor who came had such a positive response, that he has offered to have my books translated and published in Vietnam. This very significant offer is an important answer to prayer and our future potential in helping these brethren.
I already knew core infrastructures were being deeply penetrated by the Lord, but this time in Hanoi demonstrated even more. We had dinner one night with a Vietnamese pastor our age, a former field-grade military type, also retired from a high-level position in a Russian firm, who is a product of the sweep of the Holy Spirit in Moscow during the 1990s. He now leads a fellowship attracting field-grade and above vets from the capital city. ONLY GOD, with the prayers of a remnant, could have done this.
Our next workshops included all successful business people -- whose desire is to follow God's ways of business. When I learned of the makeup of those attending, I re-shuffled the presentation and raised the bar. The new format has been well received with invitations for more. Our final group teased us with their desire for "more" by telling us that they would allow us to go ONLY if we agreed to come back in May with additional teaching. We agreed!
New Potentials and Challenges
We visited two of the orphanages our chief host supports. One has 22 kids who were rescued from human trafficking. We usually come with a small supply of Hershey's chocolates. It brought tears to our eyes to see those kids take their first bite of chocolate and see their eyes get real big at the taste of it.
The eagerness we're experiencing among business practitioners dovetails with another dimension of the big-picture alignment that ONLY GOD could be orchestrating. One of our earliest trips to Hanoi (2008) unveiled a move of God among the sons and daughters of high-ranking government officials, young professionals in their late 20s and 30s being completely delivered from hard-drug addictions after government drug-rehab programs had repeatedly failed.
NOW! Now there is a shift underway by authorities in the acceptance of the role of local Christians working with addicts.
As we've become a part of what is unfolding with business leaders in both Hanoi and Saigon -- it has brought the Joseph-Daniel Calling dimension of my message into sharp focus. So, in addition to our workshops to birth new businesses, we've begun to collaborate on bringing these business leaders together from across the regions to strategize on their joint mobilization. Discussions on plans to establish funds to train the youth entrepreneurially, as well as to help mobilize poor communities economically are in motion -- as Vietnamese leaders embrace the responsibility of helping their own.
Advancing opportunity -- with God's proclamation of the Vietnamese brethren being the head and not the tail -- is being facilitated, cooperatively by both the North and the South. As we have witnessed these "beyond expectation" dynamics, I marvel at the rich, personal relationships we've come to enjoy with the brethren in the North.
In line with these thoughts were some recent and very key Kingdom connections. One brother in particular is a genuine modern-day Joseph, a business-owner and product of the Vietnamese-Russian revival, who has an amazing story of how God supernaturally birthed his company and how he has intertwined his business with Kingdom purposes. His vision and zeal make him a major force for change in this simultaneously challenging, yet opportunistic spiritual environment.
We found our burden to start a business-school of values for the secular marketplace shared by ones who we might collaborate with in the days ahead. Step by step, the Lord is bringing the pieces together.
We visited and received feedback from a businessman who six years ago slipped us into a major stronghold of this nation. During that time we helped start businesses that have not only grown, but have built up the local body, as our self-sustaining program has continued to spawn new businesses. The "value-added" to what he shared was in the faith-filled way he now saw these brethren THINKING.
Contrary to ones culturally tainted by Western doctrinal precepts and ambitions, these brethren culturally are very biblical in their thinking while retaining a faith that is Vietnamese in its identity. With a culture closer to the Jewish roots to the faith than most other Asian cultures, it explains their ready grasp of deep matters of faith.
The Bible is culturally Jewish and from an Eastern mind-set. So it is that these brethren have embraced community-based mind-sets that look to the Lord, that are inclined to reach out and help one another AND to expect miracles. It's one of the reasons revival is taking root so strongly. In the face of adversity, these brethren have not only been prospering, but growing as a community spiritually. In so doing, they have become truly a light on a hill to their neighbors.
Yet, alongside these positive developments is a reality and deep concern. It involves leaders whose hearts have strayed from the purity needed in the high stakes of this spiritual environment and have become ambitious. The impact ranges from those who inform on one another (to local authorities) for their own gain, to those whose out-dated and short-sighted grasp of the spiritual big-picture short-circuits the alignments emerging from the long-term amassing of prayer.
I'm sharing these matters with the hope that it will engender prayer that supports the move of God underway, rather than the move of man.
Overall however, what we've been witnessing is how uniquely and strategically the Spirit of the Lord orchestrates things when people are praying. Alliances are being mobilized and Kingdom strategies planned and set in motion. With such a unique intertwining of fervent prayer and developments over the last two to three decades, there is emerging today, against all odds, something vibrant that taps His glory with results beyond chance expectations.
With our next trip in May, as well as our September trip almost filled up -- we are
already setting up activities for after the first of the year in 2016. The exposure we've had has tapped not only all the major house-church networks, but most major denominations. God has helped us in discerning the true voices of wisdom in this volatile spiritual environment.
I've been systematically tracking and mapping out these historical developments of the revival in Vietnam. Understanding the cultural overtones to the parallels between Vietnamese and biblical, Jewish culture is an important key to what lies ahead. God's ways are always higher. The prayers of a remnant have been triggering His glory. As they have, this fervent, effectual prayer combined with strategy impacts the spiritual atmosphere and brings change. It brings the change that only can be explained by God.
Thank you. We deeply appreciate your prayers and support in our efforts to build up these most remarkable brethren.
Global Initiatives Foundation is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize the persecuted church to be the head and not the tail. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at http://strategicintercession.org/support/
Maybe this intercession weeping was for the one on the
dark, secluded street last night, left out of life, clinging to any hope
available. May they find the joy that is in You, Jesus, the Savior of the
world. You died so that all could live who seek and find You.
Ahava and shalom,
