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.
The story of Moses could not have been written by Hollywood’s best screenwriter. We have an evil king in Pharaoh. We have an oppressed people in the Israelites. We have a baby redeemer.
The story begins with a nervous Pharaoh, trying to stymie the growth of the Israelite people. But the plan backfires.
“But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.” (Ex. 1:12)
An Ancient Hitler
Finally, Pharaoh commands the midwives to kill the Hebrew baby boys at birth. But they feared God. How can women, with such a noble calling as bringing life into this world, murder these precious babies? It only amplifies how utterly evil the modern practice of abortion is. They refuse to do it, and because they fear the God of the Israelites, He protects them and gives them families of their own.
As the population of the Israelites grew, Pharaoh came up with a more Hitler-esque idea. “Every Hebrew boy that is born, you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (Ex. 1:22)
A family from the tribe of Levi, who already had a boy and a girl, became pregnant again. It was another boy. Jochebed, the mother, could not bear to have him killed, so she placed him in a waterproof basket and positioned him in the reeds of the Nile—I assume, to keep him from being taken by the current. It was a huge risk. But she must have felt that this was a child of destiny, even as Joseph took Yeshua as a baby to Egypt to escape Herod’s similar plan.
A Perilous Journey
And He heard her prayers. Jochebed sent her daughter, Miriam, to see what would happen with the child. Imagine it is Germany (and not Egypt) and a Jewish mother hides her baby from Hitler’s death machine. To her shock, Hitler’s daughter finds the baby! Game over, right? Well, that is exactly what happened to her.The Nile crocodile is 12-feet-long and they were known to hang out on the shores. It is the longest river in the world, passing through 11 countries. The Nile perch can grow to 175 pounds and there are over 30 species of snakes, most of which are venomous. I have to wonder if her husband knew of the plan? If not, how did he react when he found out? Did he trust God or was he angry? She put the whole family at risk. There are many similarities between this couple, and Joseph and Miriam. You can only imagine that Jochebed cried out to the God of Israel for Him to preserve her baby.
The daughter of the bloodthirsty Pharaoh finds the baby in the reeds. Surely, she knew these babies were to be killed. All she had to do was have one of her slaves flip over the basket to join the other babies in the Nile. But God moved on her heart.
“She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said.” (Ex. 2:7)
Pharaoh’s daughter: If she had only known…
Miriam, and this had to take some courage, spoke up and ask, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” (Ex. 2:7) Had Pharaoh’s daughter known, at that moment, that this baby would grow up and be the cause of her brother’s downfall, as he would be the next pharaoh, she surely would not have answered as she did. But again, God moved on her heart.
“’Yes, go,’ she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.’ So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.’” (Ex. 2:8-10)
Unbelievable! In the morning, Jochebed gave her baby to the Nile River. Within a few hours, Moses is back in her arms, drinking milk from her breast. He stays there for several years before he goes to live as the grandson of Pharaoh. Only God could have orchestrated this. The man he will grow up to defy is now his uncle. The rest is history.
Peter tells us that God doesn’t show favoritism. If God protected young Moses and led him into his destiny, we can trust that he will do the same for us! The Father loves you!
Kirk Cousins Turns Down $54 Million Contract Because 'God Told Him To'
Sep 07, 2017 by Will Maule HelloChristian
NFL star quarterback Kirk Cousins has turned down a massive new contract agreement with the Redskins because 'God told him to.' The team reportedly offered Cousins a long-term deal including $53 million in guarantees, which he denied. Cousins instead elected to play out 2017 on a one-year deal.
“I prayed about it and said, ‘Lord, what do you want to do?’ I just didn’t feel at peace about signing a long-term contract. I think the Lord communicates with us in many ways, and one of those ways is through his peace. And I just didn’t feel at peace," Cousins said in a speech at Liberty University, reports For The Win.
“And I do believe that the Lord — at least in my life — likes to use one-year contracts and not long-term contracts. He likes to take me to the edge of the Red Sea and have me see there is water in front of me, there are mountains on either side, and there are Egyptians chasing me from behind."
"And He wants me to sit there for a moment and go, ‘God, You better show up.’ And then He parts the Red Sea and He’s done that time and again in my life, on the football field, and off the football field.”
Joel C. Rosenberg: Four Days In Jordan: We took our kids & some friends to the Hashemite Kingdom last month.
Sept. 6, 2017
If you ever have the opportunity to travel to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, I highly encourage you and your family to do so.
Though far too few Evangelical Christians know or think much about this remarkable country, Jordan is beautiful, friendly, and safe -- and immensely rich in Biblical history.
That said, our sons had never been there (beyond passing through on the way somewhere else). So last month, Lynn and I decided to take three of them and meet up with dear American friends who wanted to visit both Jordan and Israel for the first time. What an amazing time!
The eleven of us traveled through the territories of all three ancient nations that comprise the modern kingdom -- Ammon, Moab and Edom. We had a wonderful Jordanian tour guide with us who helped us learn the country's history, culture and geography.
Over the course of four very packed days, we took the kids to: Bethany Beyond the Jordan (we saw the ancient ruins of the town where the Bible says John the Baptist conducted his ministry alongside the Jordan River and where many believe Jesus Himself was baptized) Amman (the modern and ancient capital known in the Bible as Rabbat-Ammon and later as Philadelphia, part of the Roman Decapolis) Jerash (known in the Bible as Gerasa, part of the Roman Decapolis) Madaba (the site of an extraordinary ancient mosaic map of key Christian holy sites in the Holy Land) Mount Nebo (where God showed his servant Moses the Promised Land of Israel, and where Moses also died and was buried) Petra (the ancient Nabatean city made famous in the third sequel of Raiders of the Lost Ark -- click here for the last scene) Wadi Rum (the breath-taking Edomite desert made famous in the Oscar-winning -- and must-see motion picture, Lawrence of Arabia); and Aqaba (the southern Jordanian port city located on the shores of the Red Sea)
Along the way, I taught the group about the many Biblical leaders who lived in and served God in Jordan during ancient times and the many important Biblical events that occurred there. Moses lived on the East side of the Jordan River, and eventually died and was buried on Mount Nebo. (See Deuteronomy chapter one and chapter 34.) The entire Israelite nation lived on the East side of the River for a time after escaping from Egypt. (See the book of Deuteronomy.) Joshua lived on the East side, and from there led the Israelites across the Jordan River to the West side. (See the book of Deuteronomy and Joshua chapter one.) The prophet Elijah was born and raised in the land of Gilead, which is on the East side of the River, and eventually went back to heaven there in a chariot of fire. (See I Kings 17:1, 2 Kings 10:33, and 2 Kings 2:1-14) The prophet Elisha received the mantle of prophetic leadership on the East side of the River. (See 2 Kings chapter two.) John the Baptist based his ministry “in Bethany beyond the Jordan,” that is, on the East side of the River. (See John 1:28.) The Lord Jesus Christ may have been baptized on the East Bank, since his cousin John baptized Him and John was ministering on the East side of the River. (See John chapter one.) The Lord Jesus Christ certainly traveled to the East side of the River and ministered to people on and from the East side.
We especially focused in the New Testament on the account of the Lord Jesus healing two demon possessed men in “the country of the Gadarenes,” an ancient Roman city on the East side of the Sea of Galilee, in the northwest section of modern Jordan. (Matthew 8:28-34).
“The modern town of Umm Qais is the site of the ancient Greco-Roman town of Gadara, one of the cities of the Decapolis and, according to the Bible, the place where Jesus cast out the devil from two men into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8: 28-34),” notes the official website of Jordan’s late King Hussein.
We also looked at the accounts in Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39. Both focus on Jesus casting a “legion” of demons out of one specific man in “the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee” and then telling that man to “go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”
These two accounts are more detailed versions of the Matthew 8:28-34 account. The region where the events happened is the same – northwest Jordan – as described by Matthew. But Mark and Luke use slightly different language. They refer to the “country of the Gerasenes.” This certainly included the ancient city of Gadara, but was also a broad swath of territory linked to the ancient Roman city of Gerasa, which today is known as the Jordanian city of Jerash, located about 40 miles south of Umm Qais. [See King Hussein’s website.]
The kids absolutely loved our time in Jordan, as did we adults. We loved the people, the sights, the food and the opportunity to pray for the people and the leaders of this extraordinary kingdom. I so hope you and your family will look for an opportunity to visit Jordan soon, as well.
Back in the day, 1994 to be exact, Robin Mark wrote a song that has now been sung literally all over the world, in English, Spanish, Koren, Russian, Polish, Japanese, etc. What an impact it had on the hearts of Christians during their church worship services! (Robin tells how it all came about later in this blog.)
Then when Paul Wilbur recorded the song for the live recording during the ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem) Feast of Tabernacles celebration on Integrity Music's Jerusalem Arise CD in Jerusalem, Israel in 1999 (Paul Wilbur at Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem) it really seemed to take off around the world. After all, over 100 nations were well represented at the first Jubilee celebrated in Israel in more than 2,000 years.
Proclaiming the soon glorious return of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, the song brought revival to our hearts, as we gave praise and worship to the Living God of Israel.
At the last trump (shofar) Jesus will return. We all can count on that!
I have had quite a few people asking me for an explanation of the roots and meaning of the words and themes contained in “Days of Elijah” since I wrote the song way back in 1994.
The song is generally and principally a song of ‘hope’. The themes it explores are to do with the fact that, although raised a Methodist, I attended a lot of Brethren or Gospel Hall meetings as a small boy and somehow the theology of Old Testament stories and characters being, either as themselves or by their actions, ‘types’ or ‘examples’ of Christ and the Church got stuck in my head. That is, even though they were historical factual people, living in the old covenant days, their actions and characters can be used to teach and represent the character of God under the new covenant and they continually and repeatedly point to Christ. People call this “Typology” or “Typical” analysis of the scriptures.
Firstly the song came from watching a television “Review of the Year” at the end of 1994. This was the year of the Rwandan civil war tragedy which claimed 1 million people’s lives, and also when the first ceasefires in N.I. were declared. On this TV review were a lot of daft stories, happy stories, serious stories, and then absolutely devastating stories like the Rwandan situation. As I watched the review unfold I found myself despairing about the state of the world and, in prayer, began asking God if He was really in control and what sort of days were we living in.
I felt in my spirit that He replied to my prayer by saying that indeed He was very much in control and that the days we were living in were special times when He would require Christians to be filled with integrity and to stand up for Him just like Elijah did, particularly with the prophets of Baal. “These are ‘Elijah’ days”. Elijah’s story is in the book of Kings and you can read how he felt isolated and alone in the culture in which he lived. But God told him to stand up and speak for Him.
We also needed to be a holy and just people and hence the reference to the “days of your servant Moses”, meaning that righteousness and right living was important in all our attitudes and works. Now, we are under grace and not under law, but the righteousness that comes by faith can be no less than the moral law that Moses brought direct from God. It has not been superseded. In fact Jesus told us that our “righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees”, who were the most ardent followers of Gods laws as presented by Moses. Jesus was after righteous, servant hearts, of course, that desired to live holy lives for Him.
“Days of great trial, of famine, darkness and sword” is a reflection of the apparent times in which we live when still thousands of people die every day from starvation, malnutrition and war. In the midst of it all we are called to make a declaration of what and who we believe in.
The second verse refers to the restoration of unity of the body, what Jesus prayed for – “that they may be one even as I and the Father are one…” by reference to Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the valley of the dry bones becoming flesh and being knit together. There are lots of interpretations of this picture, but one of a united church rising up in unity and purpose, is a powerful call on us in these days.
The restoration of praise and worship to the Church is represented by “the days of your servant David”. Some folks use the term “Restoration Theology” to describe this restoring of attributes to the church. But in the song it’s mainly a picture of worship.
Of course David didn’t get to build the structural temple (that’s why the word in the song line is “rebuild”), that was left to Solomon his son, but David was used by God to introduce a revised form of worship, praise and thanksgiving into, firstly, his little tent which he pitched around the Ark of the covenant (the presence of God) and then the temple that Solomon his son built.
This worship, unlike the Mosaic Tabernacle, involved many people being able to come into Gods presence and worship him openly. (In Moses time only one man, the high priest, could enter the Holy of Holies, once a year. David’s tent was a picture of how Christ would enable us to come right into Gods presence, through his sacrifice, and worship openly there).
If you search carefully through the Book of Amos (chapter 9) you will find reference to this “Restoration of David’s Tabernacle”. In Acts this prophecy was used to explain, at the council of Jerusalem, why the “Gentiles” should be allowed to become Christians and worship their saviour without all the legal requirements of the Jewish law.
It is also accepted among restoration theologians that this refers to restored Praise and Worship. The physical temple was “Solomon’s”, David’s “temple” was a little tent but you and I are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It sounds complex, doesn’t it, but if you just understand that the line in the song refers to Praise and Worship before the presence of God just like David enjoyed, then that’s all there needs to be to it!
Finally the “days of the Harvest” point towards what is the purpose of the Christian to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. By the way “The fields are as white in the world” is from the old King James version and means, their ripe for harvest.
These are the themes of the verses – Declaration, Righteousness, Unity and Worship. I chose to express these thoughts by reference to the characters that represented these virtues in the Old Testament. It is in essence a song of hope for the Church and the world in times of great trial.
The chorus is the ultimate declaration of hope – Christ’s return. It is paraphrased from the books of Revelation and Daniel and the vision that was seen of the coming King and refers to the return of Christ and the year of Jubilee. Theologians and Bible commentators believe that Israel never properly celebrated this particular 50th year jubilee, and that it will only be properly celebrated when Christ returns. That might be true but I reckon that a Jubilee is an apt description of what happens when Christ comes into anyone’s life at any time; debts are cancelled and a captive is set free.
These thoughts were in my head when I came to church early one Sunday in 1995. We have two services and the Pastor spoke during the first service on the “valley of dry bones” from Ezekiel. I took a prompt from this and, in the 30 minutes between the services, wrote down the words and chords in the kitchen of our church building and we sang it, as a body, at the end of the second service.
How do you express the sense that these might be days, not of failure and submission, but of the sort of resilient, declaring, even arrogant trust and hope that Elijah had in his God? That these are not days of God stepping back and allowing the world and the church to roll uncontrolled towards eternity, but rather days when he is calling on his body to make a stand, to offer right praises and to declare that He is totally in control. Well, I reckon you may write the words “These are the days of Elijah” and “These are the days of David”. I’ve used word pictures and Biblical characters to make that expression, but this is no different from many of the great hymn writers and even David himself.
I presented the song to the church that day with a short word of explanation, and we sang it as our worship.
Now the rest, I suppose, is history. There is no mechanism (conspiracy theorists take note!) within the church for making people sing a particular song, or for increasing it’s use in the national or international church body. As far as I was concerned the song was for our congregation, on that day and at that time. God obviously had other ideas and it is now sung almost world-wide.
Grammatically, there may even be the odd aberration, but thankfully the church has forgiven me that particular shortcoming.
I must make it clear that I did not set out to write an overly complex or “secret” song, and I hope the testimony above bears that out.
There is a post script to this story for those who (by letters to me!) believe the song means something entirely different. A few years ago I was privileged to be in Israel at Yom Kippur for a celebration with hundreds of Messianic Jews. A very kind, gentle and humorous messianic brother had a bit of fun arguing with me that I, as an Irish Christian, could never have written a song which explores some of the themes that many (non-replacement theology here!) Jewish believers believe are the themes and indications of Christ’s return. The Spirit and Power of Elijah in the Church, The restoration of Israel to righteousness in Christ (David’s fallen tent), The restoration of praise and worship (David’s tent also!) and the unity of the body particularly with a renewed and redeemed Israel under Christ.
For me, I only know what I wrote. I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it was His desire to say something more than I personally intended and to do more with this song than I first considered.
It is an unusual song, for sure. All of these restored things like Justice, Righteousness, Integrity, Unity, Praise and Worship and Revival are considered by many to be a herald of the last days and Christ’s return. Personally I don’t know – I believe I wrote what God was telling me to write and He seems to have used the song in many ways for many people.
I hope the explanation is clear. The song is, perhaps, a little complex – but I can assure you that this was not deliberate. I have written lots of simple, straightforward hymns and songs covering lots of themes. This song seems to have been used particularly by God in the ministry of Praise and Worship and the themes and pictures it uses seem to have been grasped by God’s people all over the world.
These are the days of Elijah, Declaring the word of the Lord And these are the days of Your servant Moses, Righteousness being restored. And though these are days of great trial, Of famine and darkness and sword, Still, we are the voice in the desert crying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord!"
Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call, Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
These are the days of Ezekiel, The dry bones becoming as flesh, And these are the days of Your servant David, Rebuilding a temple of praise. These are the days of the harvest, The fields are as white in Your world, And we are the labourers in Your vineyard, Declaring the word of the Lord!
Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call, Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah! There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah! There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah! There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah! There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah! There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah! There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah! There's no God like Jehovah, hey!
Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call, Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call, Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call, Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call, Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
Music video by Robin Mark performing Days of Elijah. (C) 2014 Integrity Music
Category Music License Standard YouTube License Music "Days Of Elijah" by Robin Mark Listen ad-free with YouTube Red
I received the following prophetic word at my hotel in Toronto, Canada, after receiving prayer from Carol Arnott:
"I believe a fire alarm is going off in the spirit realm; for some it's good, for some it's bad.
For some, they are running toward the fire—they are following the loud, interrupting sound of the alarm. It awakens them from sleep, apathy, slumber. It awakens them from routine and ritual. It awakens entire churches—it's confrontational and awakening in nature. It's loud and, to some, obnoxious. In the same way a natural fire alarm interrupts what we've been doing, demanding attention and action, the fire alarm in the spirit interrupts what we've been doing spiritually. It interrupts the show, the spectacle, the programs. I prophesy the fire of the Holy Spirit interrupts "cookie cutter Christianity," calling us out of routine and ritual and into the depths of the unknown. The fire alarm is calling us out of predictability, and summoning us into the smoke on the mountain.
This fire alarm, however, is doing the opposite of what a natural fire alarm does. In the spirit, the fire alarm is meant to call you, like Moses, into the unknown realms of His glory (instead of away from them).
So on the third day, in the morning, there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet. All the people who were in the camp trembled (Ex. 19:16).
At Mount Sinai, a "fire alarm" went off. The people trembled and drew back, but Moses drew near. Moses had tasted the fire before at the burning bush (Ex. 3). Even though Mount Sinai looked ominous and Moses had no guarantees, he would rather venture into the fire and thunder and lightning of the unknown, where God was present than stay on the sidelines of comfort where God wasn't.
Moses is your invitation. Jesus opened the door of access so you could, at any time, go up to God and boldly enter the realm of His glory! We are not waiting for a move of God; God is waiting for a move of people. The church needs to shift from waiting for an expression or manifestation of God's fire that is comfortable and on her terms, and instead, turn aside, like Moses did, as the Spirit of God begins to move—perhaps in unfamiliar and unpredictable ways.
When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness. Israel camped there before the mountain.
Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel" (Ex. 19:2-3).
Don't Be Content Living at the 'Foot of the Mountain!'
"Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain" Ex. 19:17)
With this fire alarm going off, I see people "taking a stand" in the church—either for the Holy Spirit or against His movement. He is so loving and embracing, though. I believe that people who took stands against the Spirit in one season are now desperate to encounter Him. They are desperate to venture into the realm of His glory, instead of sitting on the safety of sidelines. It means interruption. It means risk. It means the unknown. It means shakings and rumblings. It means unusual manifestations of His Presence breaking out. It means dealing with demonic spirits and fleshly attention-seekers. Pastors and leaders, this is for you as well. The Lord is calling people individually and collectively into the untapped and accessed realms of His glory, where His presence is given priority. Moses had priority for the presence of God, even when it terrified him. We see this as Moses turns aside and listens to the voice that comes out of the burning bush. His response? "And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God" (Ex. 3:6). Even though he was afraid, and the experience was unusual, and the encounter was unfamiliar, he didn't run. He didn't flee. He didn't take a stand at a distance; he moved toward the fire. The voice of the Lord is summoning His people—all of His people—into the fire of divine encounter.
Please... don't take a stand at the foot of the mountain, when in fact, every barrier has been removed for you to boldly approach the throne of God (see Heb. 4.16).
The Spirit Is Hovering, Brooding and Testing the Waters!
Sadly, for some, they want to run away when they hear the fire alarm going off. I see churches with fire alarms going off as the Holy Spirit starts to move. In fact, it's like the Spirit is currently brooding and hovering throughout the body of Christ. He's testing the waters to see where He is welcome in His fullness. It's like what happened in Genesis 1. The Spirit hovered over the waters; He was brooding. He was waiting for something to partner with to effect creation. God spoke, and the Spirit moved and created. Likewise, the Spirit is hovering, awaiting partnership in the earth from those who are, literally filled with the Word of God. God is, in essence, looking for a people filled with Himself to partner with His movement and activity.
Here's the deal: I sense that as the movement of the Spirit begins to manifest, even in the most timid measures, fire alarms will go off. You see, the fire alarm is very sensitive to anything that would confront the norm. Just a little smoke sets it off. Just a spark will cause the alarm to start blaring. The fire alarm upsets the status quo, the way we've always done life, ministry and church. The fire alarm immediately recognizes the invasive movement of the Spirit, threatening our programs and protocols and agendas. The question: is the alarm a call to run, or a summons to turn aside?
But I believe the Lord is saying that He's not trying to throw out agendas and protocols, as many charismatics and Pentecostals sometimes propose. Oh no. He's just looking to infuse them. He's looking to fill them with the life, breath and effectiveness of heaven. Continue with your sermon series, worship sets, tithe and offering, announcements and so on. Have three services, five services, 10 services. You don't even need four-hour services to host the Holy Spirit. None of these things matters. What matters is giving the Spirit's movement absolute priority—and hosting Him on His terms—so that when the fire alarm goes off, you move with His movement rather than shut it down.
Run Toward the Fire!
As the fire alarm goes off in the church, people are going to run—somewhere. They will either run toward the Lord or away from him. And if our church communities speak against the movement of the Spirit and encourage people to move away from the Spirit, that puts them in danger of missing, yes missing what God is doing in this season. This is a hard word, but there is great grace in it as well.
Repentance and humility are instant keys to getting on board with the move of God, regardless of how much you have been against it in the past. Sure, you may have responded negatively to the fire alarm in previous years. You may have taught against the movement and manifestations of the Spirit. Perhaps you witnessed much of the goofy stuff that has happened in the name of "revival," outpouring, the Charismatic movement, Holy Spirit manifestations and so forth. But this is no excuse to run away from the Spirit when the fire alarm goes off; if anything, the Lord is calling you to press in and run toward Him all the more to seek for the pure, the genuine and authentic.
I see the Lord literally changing and tenderizing the hearts of His people, so that as they hear the fire alarm, they respond by running toward the fire—toward the fire, in Jesus' name!
Fire Alarm: The Call to Filled Altars
I see altars filled, and it's glorious. Yes, in many non-denominational mega-churches. I see large, influential churches where the pastors, leaders and yes, the people are so hungry for the presence of God that they put aside their cares and concerns of what the fire might look like—and they go after it.
I see distinct moments in meetings and gatherings—especially during praise and worship—where the Spirit begins to brood. He starts to hover. He starts to touch. And with His touch comes a choice. I see pastors and leaders literally watching their communities get subtly touched by the Spirit, and know in their hearts that all it will take is one word to partner with God to see a rumbling of the Spirit released in their midst. One word shifts the service. One decision to partner with the movement of the Spirit will shift and change everything. One choice to turn aside, not turn away. I see this happening. I see during praise and worship, and even the preaching, moments where God moves, the pastors and leaders see this, and they say, "Yes ... at any cost. yes!"
I see their yes opening floodgates of divine presence that produces filled altars. I see this yes actually removing ceilings over the church. Right now, I see in the spirit ceilings breaking off entire church communities: ceilings that were not placed there by God; they were established by man and the ways of man. These ceilings represent our attempts to control and regulate church culture according to what we think is most effective—and more so, these ceilings have been built to actually "protect" the church from the unexpected, the "weird," the strange, and the unusual. But I see the collective hunger of the church, both from the people who attend our services and the pastors and leaders, rising to heaven.
In the spirit, I can clearly see pastors and leaders (especially those of non-denominational mega-churches) in their offices, almost like with the window shades closed and the lights out, crying out in travail, "God, there has got to be more!" I specifically see the cry of John Kilpatrick on pastors and leaders in this season (John Kilpatrick was pastor of Brownsville Assembly of God during the historic Brownsville Revival and before the revival broke out, he would go over to the church in the middle of the night, lay sprawled out over the front row, and cry out to God, "There has got to be more! Oh God! I need you, Lord!"
I see pastors and leaders filling the altars, and this act of church leaders expressing their personal hunger breaks something open in the spirit realm.
Step Into the Glory
The Lord says, "Responding to this hunger—regardless of what it costs—will break the ceilings that prevent you and your community from accessing the open Heaven is already available!"
I see open heavens over these churches. There's nothing that really needs to happen from God's end. Heaven is opened, the Spirit is brooding and the fire alarm is going off. The next step is up to us. It's up to you, pastor! It's up for you, believer! What will you do when the fire alarm goes off and the Spirit moves upon you? Your church community? Your gathering? Will you run toward it, as Moses did, or run away and keep your distance, as the people of Israel did?
So step into the glory. God is moving. His Spirit is brooding. He wants to break out with force and fire. He wants to respond to every song lyric we've sung in past and present seasons: "Holy Spirit ... come flood this place and fill the atmosphere" ("Holy Spirit," Bryan and Katie Torwalt), "Fresh outpouring, tear the fabric open ..." ("Fresh Outpouring," Kim Walker-Smith); "Spirit break out ..." (Tim Hughes); "God let Your fire fall down" ("Here for You," Matt Redman), "Open up the heavens, we want to see You, open up the floodgates ..." ("Open Up the Heavens," Vertical Worship); "Let the Heavens open, let Your kingdom move..." ("Let the Heavens Open," Kari Jobe); "Let it rain, let it rain, open the floodgates of heaven" ("Let it Rain," Michael W. Smith).
Need I continue the list?
"Your songs are steps into the glory," says the Lord. We've been praying for this outpouring, family of God. We've been asking for it with our songs. These anthems of worship are not exclusive to the charismatic church. Far from it! These lyrics are arising from Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic communities. These songs represent a corporate cry that has been arising from the earth. Even from those who are unfamiliar with a "charismatic" expression of Christianity, the desperation and desire for God to rend the heavens, come down and move with power is still so strong.
The Moses Company: Go Into the Fire!
Now Mount Sinai was completely covered in smoke because the Lordhad descended upon it in fire, and the smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice.
The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up (Ex. 19:18-20).
So, what is God looking for? A Moses company—a Moses people. A people who would follow the example we see in Exodus 19. They would see the smoke and fire. They would hear the rumblings and thunderings. They would even be startled by the lightnings and dramatic nature of the manifestations. Smoke. Fire. Thunder. Lightning. And then the sound of the trumpet—the fire alarm!
Two choices: run away, or run toward and step in!
Run toward, not away. Run toward the rumblings, the lightnings, the smoke and the fire. Yes, this fire will kill you. It will purify you. It will purge you. This fire will consume you. It will immerse you. It will baptize you. The fire will change everything.
Larry Sparksis co-author of the book, The Fire That Never Sleeps, with Dr. Michael Brown and John Kilpatrick. Larry's mission is to help teach all believers how to experience and sustain personal revival—enjoying a deep relationship with God through encountering the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. To this end, he maintains a blog through Charisma magazine, is a published author, teaches revival seminars, and is the co-founder of Renewing South Florida, an organization committed to uniting the local church for regional outpouring. Larry holds a Master of Divinity from Regent University and presently serves as vice president of publishing for Destiny Image Publishers.
You can receive daily empowerment for personal revival from Larry on Facebook (facebook.com/larryvsparks).
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“Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. The period which he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and in Jerusalem thirty-three years.” (1 Chronicles 29:26-27, NASU)
Have you ever wondered what 40 will get you? No, I am not thinking about what prison sentence comes with what crime. I think about all the times the Lord God of the Living Bible uses numbers to get across His point, or to bring about His purpose in a person, people group or nation.
When I use my PC Bible Study software to give me all the references to the number 40, it stops after just one Bible version. There are just too many to list them all! And that is just with the number 40!
Here are a few samples of the ones most known about, which are historical facts, not just figments of imaginations, or used just to give some idea of the length of time. No, they are real periods that occurred in history. And they meant something then and can serve as a measure of time for us today.
The following are all from the ERV version, which uses “40” instead of “forty”.
1.Gen 7:11 “The rain fell on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.”
2.Gen 25:20 “When Isaac was 40 years old, he married Rebekah.”
3.Ex 16:35-36 “The people ate the manna for 40 years, until they came to the land of rest, that is, until they came to the edge of the land of Canaan.”
4.Ex 24:18 “Then Moses went higher up the mountain into the cloud. He was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.”
5.Numbers 13:25-26 “The men (10 spies) explored that country for 40 days, and then they went back to the camp.”
6.Joshua 14:7 “(Joshua speaking) Moses, the Lord's servant, sent me to look at the land where we were going. I was 40 years old at that time.”
7. 2 Sam 5:4-5 “David was 30 years old when he began to rule. He was king for 40 years. In Hebron he ruled over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, and in Jerusalem he ruled over all Israel and Judah for 33 years.”
8.2 Chronicles 9:30 “Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years.”
9. Matt 4:2-3 “Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and nights. After this, he was very hungry.”
10. Acts 13:21 “Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was king for 40 years.”
As I meditate on these verses, and what transpired in each one, I see testing (40 days or 40 years) and rulership (40 years for these kings). For several there were 40 days or 40 years of testing, walking it out in faith (or until they were released from unbelief.) For others, it was 40 years of ruling as a king.
Maybe in your life, as in mine, you can see time periods of 40 days, or on a longer length, 40 years, as a time period in which the Lord was working something out, or putting something in - preparing you for the call He has on your life.
(Photo - Negev Judean desert, Israel. Steve Martin, 2017)
When I was 23, I never thought it would take 40 years to follow, in preparation for the final call on my life; when I would “retire” from one segment to begin what I consider will be the best and final one. I am “retiring” on October 31, 2017 from my accounting job that has consumed 55 hours per week of my time. When I turn 63 on November 23, 40 years will have gone by since that 23rd year, when I got married.
Celebrating our 40th anniversary of marriage on October 7, 2017, will be a major accomplishment for Laurie and I. Was it all a “time of testing” in order to build the foundational pad needed to launch from, out into the “promised land” (atmosphere)? I think maybe so. Then the ruling will begin, as a king, for we have been prepared to take the Gospel even further into territories from our home base.
What has been your 40 days, or 40 years? I would bet (surely there is a verse for that!) that if you look hard enough backward in your natural and spiritual walk, you too will see what the Lord has done, where He has taken you, and who around you is now involved with the plans and purposes the Lord, God of Israel, has in store for you too.
I find it very interesting, and encouraging. I think you will too.
Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc.
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Steve Martin
Now Think On This - in the Year of our Lord 08.23.17 - #309 – “40 Something?” – Wednesday, 5:40 am
