Leading Up to Resurrection Day, Take a Trip to the Holy Land With Jamie Buckingham - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Leading Up to Resurrection Day, Take a Trip to the Holy Land With Jamie Buckingham

 2/12/2016 STEVE STRANG   charisma magazine

Above: Jamie Buckingham on location in Israel in 1988 (YouTube)

The season of Lent began earlier this week when Catholics and other liturgical churches observed Ash Wednesday. A smudge of ash applied to their heads signifies humility and repentance.  

That is not my tradition. But I felt it was a good way to communicate to others that I am a Christian.

Easter is the most sacred and blessed time of the Christian calendar when we celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. Every year we like to do something special. And this year, on our website, we are putting a video every day about lent from my friend and mentor, Jamie Buckingham.  

He shot the videos in Israel. And we are showing one a day for the 50 days leading up to Easter.  Here are links to the four videos we have already run on Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday. You can subscribe at our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Today (Friday) is 44 days before Easter, and Jamie Buckingham's video is called Two Kings—Herod and Jesus—contrasting the cruelty of Herod and his sons with the gentleness of Jesus.

Jamie had an enormous impact on me personally and on our organization. He was one of the first national leaders to take an interest in our fledgling church magazine. He taught me networking skills that I use today.

Jaime went to his heavenly reward in 1992. While he was a major author in his lifetime, few in the new generation know Jamie to be the enormous talent and spiritual giant that he actually was. The videos shot on location in Israel give insight into who he was as a man and as a spiritual leader.

Interestingly, I made my first trip to Israel with Jamie and we went onto climb Mount Sinai (in the Sinai peninsula). In the late 1970s, it was controlled by Israel after the Six-day War but was later returned to Egypt. It proved to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and it was very memorable. Jaime taught us about different points of the Sinai desert where the children of Israel wandered for 40 years and were commemorated in Scripture. He did that for our group of 12 men and later went back with the film crew and filmed the Lenten videos that we are highlighting this season.

Jamie's oldest son, Bruce Buckingham, has been a close friend over the years and is the curator of jamiebuckinghamministries.com. There is a wealth of information about Jamie on the website along with many of his writings that no longer remain in print.

Please share these Lenten videos with your social media followers not only as a means of encouragement but also to to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in a very winsome and special kind of way. After you have seen the videos, please share your comments with us.

Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. Follow him onTwitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and here to sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.

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Days Before Easter: The Dead Sea Scrolls with Jamie Buckingham - SHAWN A. AKERS CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Days Before Easter: 

The Dead Sea Scrolls

 2/8/2016 SHAWN A. AKERS  charisma magazine

In this video filmed on location near the Dead Sea in Israel, Jamie Buckingham describes how the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and recalls the baptism of Jesus. He also encourages all of us in our walk with Christ:

"As you approach this Lenten season, remember you are part of a great process bringing the kingdom to this world."

Here is the entire video: Dead Sea Scrolls

 Qumran on the Dead Sea, Israel

To learn more about Jamie Buckingham, visit JamieBuckinghamministries.com. 

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 from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

A Season of Spiritual Warfare: Jezebel’s Witchcrafts Rising - Jennifer LeClaire

A Season of Spiritual Warfare: Jezebel’s Witchcrafts Rising

 3/12/2015 JENNIFER LECLAIRE  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

If worship doesn't break witchcraft in your situation, give it a punch in the mouth by the name above all names. (Flickr)

When I wrote The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel in 2012, I got sick six separate times. I literally didn't completely heal from one infirmity before another one manifested—and I had several out-of-the-blue migraines in the middle of it all. 

Given that I rarely get sick, eat organic foods, exercise at least five days a week, sleep plenty, drink lots of water, pray for divine health and otherwise lead a healthy lifestyle, it was abundantly clear that this spurt of various ailments was a spiritual attack. The enemy didn't want me exposing the works of Jezebel and released spiritual witchcraft against me.

The Bible talks about Jezebel and her witchcrafts in 2 Kings 9:22. I believe infirmities are part of Jezebel's witchcrafts. Witchcraft is a spiritual force that the enemy uses to attack us. I don't know if this qualifies as a "fiery arrow of the evil one" that Paul describes in Ephesians 6, but I do know that we're in a spiritual war and it heightens this time of year. The question is, why? 

Why So Much Spiritual Warfare?

False Mary worship seems to empower the Queen of Heaven, also known as Jezebel. Some actually refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the Queen of Heaven. Let me be clear: I have nothing against Catholics. This is not about a religion or a denomination. It's about spiritual practices in which some are engaging, perhaps unknowingly. This false Mary worship magnifies another entity over Jesus—and opening the door for spiritual witchcraft. 

During this time of Lent, year after year, I discern the rise of a Jezebel spirit. I get emails and Facebook messages from people all over the world crying out for help as they watch their health deteriorate, their relationships come under attack and various other circumstances rise up against them. 

What's going on? When Mary is lifted up to a place where only Jesus belongs, it unleashes demonic activity in that territory. As demonic activity increases, people report feelings of oppression, fatigue, strong warfare against the mind that makes you feel like quitting and even physical manifestations for which doctors can't find a reason. In other words, all hell can break loose.

When witchcraft is particularly heavy in the spiritual climate, my eyes actually burn. Everything seems like a much bigger deal than it really is because witchcraft works to take your eyes off Jesus by magnifying the problem. The enemy can use people to release witchcraft against you through word curses, but this spiritual force seems to sometimes hang over your head like a dark cloud—unless you break it. 

Battling Jezebel's Witchcrafts

When it comes to witchcraft, we have to withstand it. The Amplified Bible says to "be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined]" (1 Pet. 5:9). It's easy enough to give in to witchcraft, especially if you don't know what is attacking you. So again, when you feel like giving up, when you feel tired for no reason, when you have strong confusion, when you are fighting an intense battle in your mind and when infirmities are manifesting, it could be witchcraft. Resist it at its onset. Cast it off. Submit yourself to God. "Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you" (James 4:7, AMP).

Again, submit yourself to the lordship of Christ. Exalt His name. Thank Him for His blood. Rejoice in the Lord. Praise and worship carry breakthrough. That's often all it takes to change the spiritual climate in your home. And worship is where we should start because He is worthy of our adoration.

If worship doesn't break the witchcraft, take authority over it in the name above all names. Witchcraft has to bow at the name of Jesus. But make sure you don't have any common ground with the enemy. Repent for any rebellion in your heart, and surrender your will anew to God. Remember, we are more than conquerors in Christ, and no weapon formed against us can prosper—not even witchcraft. Our job is to be spiritually discerning enough to catch the devil at his onset, resist him, rebuke him and praise God for the victory. Amen.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 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.

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Patrick, Ireland and His Love For God

St. Patrick of Ireland

"If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples, even though some of them still look down on me."
– St. Patrick

St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint, known for spreading Christianity throughout the country as a missionary during the 5th century.

Born in England arguably in the late 4th century A.D., Patrick was captured by pirates as a child and brought to Ireland. During his enslavement, he was called to Christianity and escaped his captors after six years. He returned to Ireland as a missionary, and in his teachings, combined Irish pagan beliefs with Christian sacrament, devising the Celtic Cross. He is annually honored on March 17.

Early Life

St. Patrick, apostle of Ireland, was born in England circa 385. His father, Calphurnius, was a deacon from a Roman family of high social standing. His mother, Conchessa, was a close relative of the great patron St. Martin of Tours. Patrick's grandfather, Pontius, was also a member of the clergy. Surprisingly, Patrick himself was not raised with a strong emphasis on religion. Education was not particularly stressed during his childhood either. Later in life, this would become a source of embarrassment for Patrick, who in the early 440s, would write in his Confessio, "I blush and fear exceedingly to reveal my lack of education."

When Patrick was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish pirates. They brought him to Ireland where he was sold into slavery in Dalriada. There, his job was to tend sheep. Patrick's master, Milchu, was a high priest of Druidism, a Pagan sect that ruled religious influence over Ireland at the time.

Patrick came to view his enslavement as God's test of his faith. During his six years of captivity, he became deeply devoted to Christianity through constant prayer. In a vision, he saw the children of Pagan Ireland reaching out their hands to him. With this, he grew increasingly determined to free the Irish from Druidism by converting them to Christianity.

Missionary Work

Circa 408, the idea of escaping enslavement came to Patrick in a dream. In the dream, a voice promised him he would find his way home to England. Eager to see the dream materialize, St. Patrick convinced some sailors to let him board their ship. After three days of sailing, he and the crew abandoned the ship in France and wandered, lost, for 28 days—covering 200 miles of territory in the process. At last, St. Patrick was reunited with his family in England.

Now a free man, Patrick went to Auxerre, France where he studied and entered the priesthood under the guidance of the missionary St. Germain. As time passed, Patrick never lost sight of his vision: he was determined to convert Ireland to Christianity. C. 431, Pope St. Celestine I consecrated Patrick Bishop of the Irish, and sent him to Ireland to spread "The Good News," or Christian Gospel, to the Pagans there.

Upon his arrival in Ireland, Patrick was initially met with hostile resistance. But Patrick quickly managed to spread Christian teachings far and wide. Through preaching, writing and performing countless baptisms, he convinced Pagan Druids that they were worshiping idols under a belief system that kept them enslaved. By accepting Christianity, he told them, they would be elevated to "the people of the Lord and the sons of God."

Throughout his missionary work, Patrick continued to promote the conversion of Ireland to Christianity by electing Church officials, creating councils, founding monasteries and organizing Ireland into dioceses.

Patrick died circa 461 in Saul, Ireland. He is said to have been buried in Ulster, County Down, Ireland.

Though he was never formally canonized as a pope, Patrick is on the List of Saints, and was declared a Saint in Heaven by many Catholic churches. Patrick was also venerated in the Orthodox Catholic Church.

The Episcopal Church annually honors St. Patrick with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day on March 17, which falls during the Christian season of Lent. For more than 1,000 years, the Irish have observed St. Patrick's Day as a religious holiday. Traditionally, on St. Patrick's Day, Irish families would attend church in the morning and celebrate later—including eating a traditional meal of cabbage and Irish bacon.

QUICK FACTS

NAME: St. Patrick

OCCUPATION: Saint

BIRTH DATE: c. 385

PLACE OF BIRTH: England, United Kingdom

AKA: Saint Patrick

AKA: St. Patrick

VIDEOS see all videos

Saint Patrick - Warrior of God (2:23)

Saint Patrick - The Druid(2:24)

Saint Patrick - Sold Into Slavery (2:20)

Saint Patrick - Facing his Sins (3:24)

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• St. Patrick

Saint Patrick - Warrior of God watch more videos (6)

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Love For His People Editor's Note: I was raised a Roman Catholic, and attended St. Patrick's School, grades 2-8, in Cedar Falls, IA. With most of my teachers as nuns, we learned about Patrick and his love for the Lord. I appreciate his example of laying down his life so that others would know of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

And...it was fun playing football in 7th and 8th grades there. We were the Shamrocks! 
Steve Martin