UNLOCKED - SIGN (c) Morris E. Ruddick

Morris Ruddick

UNLOCKED (c) Morris E. Ruddick "I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." Isa 22:22 NIV Just prior in this sequence of scripture, the prophet had spoken words of judgment against a leader who had fallen short, who was misusing the authority of his office. In establishing his replacement, a unique mantle was bestowed, with an authority that dovetailed with that of David's line, an authority to lock and unlock spiritual gates. David's greatest exploit was in overcoming the divisions within the community of God's people and aligning them to pursue God's Kingdom purposes, as one. That factor is the substance of a genuine Kingdom leadership mantle. The significance of rightly shepherding God's people is illustrated by this Isaiah 22 story of the mantle being stripped from Shebna and then bestowed to Eliakim. The change involved one whose stewardship, on behalf of God's people, fell short as it passed a subtle threshold, losing its focus -- from its design to mobilize and align God's people -- to Shebna becoming obsessed with power and the personal benefit from his position. A full grasp of the scope of this Kingdom leadership dynamic is vital to the preparation of the Body needed for this hour. It is vital to wielding the key to unlocking the bondage of corruption and releasing the transformation that affects societal change. The Hurdle to Unlock One of the biggest, if not the biggest gap in the Church today -- is the need for something practical and engaging, to enable each believer to WALK OUT A CALL OF GOD. We've emerged at a change of generations with a "me-too" orientation. We've confused the tactical with the strategic. We've made models out of what may have been simply successful stepping stones for a time, stepping stones never intended as the standard or the model to be followed. Short-sighted misuse of tactical means for strategic ends can impede the unlocking and passage into new gateways. Volunteerism, for example, is not an end in itself, but rather the steps in the path toward its adherents correctly identifying and then being prepared for release to walk out their own callings. Mimicking success, instead of following the move of the Spirit, of the cloud by day and the fire by night, can be a trap. It impedes maturity within the Body needed to rightly discern and engage in God's strategies for the times. The blind-spot at the core of such subtle snares is akin to the downfall of Shebna, of becoming in-bred and self-serving. This deception short-circuits the big-picture purposes of the Spirit. The momentum for this misaligned zeal is driven by the overuse or misapplication of early-stage successes and priorities. This in-bred myopia can breed lone-ranger congregations. Progressively misaligned priorities result in a failure to interact with, pray with and work together with other believers within the surrounding community. It waters down the important factor of how we seek the Lord together. It results in falling short in mobilizing God's people to discern and walk out the calling of God for the day at hand. In-bred myopia masks the keys needed to unlock the strategies needed to avoid the mix between the collisions taking place due to the "me-too" and "Shebna empire," lone-ranger, short-sighted expenditures of energy and anointing. There have been almost overwhelming inroads of darkness operating within our cultures, seats of power and economies. However, as God's people, we have a disproportionate advantage. David identified and unleashed that advantage. The goal is the alignment and mobilization of a people who become the true demonstration of the reality of God for which the world longs. The strategy was soundly implemented by David. Its dimensions are so significant that reference is given to them from the Prophets. to the Book of Acts, to Revelations. These dimensions are referred to as the key of David and the tabernacle of David. The Mantle of David David's role in overcoming all the strife and division -- in bringing the community of God's people together carries significance very close to the Father's heart. It is the standard for the Kingdom. It is the standard to release Body maturity. It represents the crux of turning, the key that unlocks the power in which Light disperses darkness. This unlocking is also uniquely tied to another dimension tied to the mantle of David, referred to as the tabernacle of David. The tabernacle is the place where God's presence resides. Yet, this dynamic embraces much more than the warm glow from worship. Worship is certainly a significant part, but again is a means to an end. The goal is the progressive consciousness of God's presence that guides the community as a whole, and becomes the pathway through which the community is built and serves as a Light on a hill. It is when the infectious reality of God's presence results in the unified community itself becoming spiritually contagious, that the attention of the surrounding community is attracted, being drawn into its sphere. When in operation, it overwhelmingly challenges the gatekeepers of darkness. The Impact of Unity and God's Presence Acts 15:12-17 tells of a time of major turning in the early Church following Jesus' resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit, when a move of God began the unlocking of gates, which previously had been locked. A very key part of this unlocking was opening the gates for the Gentiles to partake in the promises long held by the Jewish people. "So open the gates, so that those who are righteous may enter." Isaiah 26:2 It was a time marked by the reality of the wonders of God's presence. This was another gate unlocked in which the anointing became available to all believers. It was a time of true revival, a time in which believers and non-believers alike, recognized and were being drawn by God's manifested presence. A great fear of the Lord fell upon not only all the church, but also upon all who witnessed and heard about these things (Acts 5:11; Acts 6:8; Acts 8:6). It was a time when the impact was described by members of the world, as "the world being turned upside down" (Acts 17:6). Scripture (Matt 24:36; Acts 1:7) refers to set-times determined by the Father alone. Paralleling the above examples from the early Church, we have entered times strategically mapped out in the heart of God. Since the time of the resurrection and outpouring of the Spirit, God's people -- both Israel and the Church -- have encountered new things, sovereignly unlocked by moves of the Spirit. Israel's 1948 Independence and then regaining control of Jerusalem in 1967 are modern-day examples. Each was tied to new gates of revival and unity in God's move toward the reestablishment of His order in the cultural, power and economic systems. Today, Israel and the Church are poised before another such unlocking. The Model for Preparation So, what are the steps to preparing for God's next steps of progressively unlocking the cultural, power and economic systems? Avoiding the Shebna blind-spots and embracing the keys given Eliakim begins with the preparation needed for ALL to be fully engaged in walking out their callings. It begins in being prepared as a culture within a culture in being led by the Spirit to impart Life in the infrastructures of the world's systems. The preparation has got to dispel the unscriptural premise of the sacred and the secular that categorizes and separates ministers from the laity. The sin of Shebna, was also the sin of the Pharisees. Jesus' choice of those He drew together as His closest followers broke the mold for religious leadership with his cross-section from every walk of life. These everyday people included people of business, professionals, military leaders, government employees, people of disrepute and people of society. It challenged the premise of a distanced, leadership-elite and raised the bar for service and responsibility, along with extending the mantle of leadership to the community as a whole. With the big-picture model of God-centered, economic community development employed from the days of Abraham, leadership is the influence from everyday people operating in everyday domains for the common good. The key to unlocking these next gates will begin with the preparation needed to break the mold to release entire communities. The Preparation In the early 1970s, I left what was in its own right a calling, in order to prepare myself in the pursuit of a higher calling. Having spent almost eight years as a US Marine, I hungered for the opportunity, for the rest of my days, to be used by God. There were steps in that process. As new Christians we were blessed to attend a church led by a man of God who opened to us the riches of God's Word. Then as we became immersed in the application of God's truth, together with wise counsel, we were released and sent forth to prepare for entrance into God's plan, as I became a student at Oral Roberts University. While the academics provided a discipline and depth in learning how to rightly divide the word of Truth, there was another, very essential and practical dimension. At the core of ORU's mandate is training up young people to hear God's voice to go where God's light is dim. Academics were only one part. Together with mentorships and a process of coming to know God and His heart, we were given the foundations for walking out a call of God. Functioning in a vibrant, interactive community, we were given the basics needed to live and maintain a lifestyle of faith, of being led by the Spirit. The Nurturing and Application Within this setting was a strong foundation in the living Word. The greatest influence on my future calling was the interactive nurturing that came through God's Word, the testimonies, the times of praying with and the wisdom imparted by ones with their own track record in successfully walking out a call of God. This foundation and nurturing became the launch-pad for the real-life applications in discerning God's guidance and then stepping out in faith -- to walk out the calling and pathway that lay before us. The simplicity for this preparation was demonstrated by Jesus' nurturing and application of the teaching He imparted to His inner circle during His earthly ministry. The process was very practical. There was teaching, observation and then real-life applications. Jesus spent nights in prayer seeking the Father as His followers observed His life and how he ministered to the people. Jesus taught His disciples the basics of applying faith, prayer and how to apply righteous power in corrupt settings. The key in this process is the word "application." Jesus taught His followers to be doers of the word and not just hearers. Then there came a time when He released them. It was a significant transition. Jesus told them that no longer did He consider them disciples, but friends. Friends are those you trust. Friends are ones with whom you entrust your responsibility and share the keys. Not long afterward was the cross, then the resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit. From that point, everything changed. Unlocking the Pathway In today's turbulent spiritual atmospheres, the standard of Body maturity Paul outlined in his letter to the Ephesians is no longer an option. The greatest hurdle is from within. It is the in-bred, short-sightedness in which the means becomes the end whereby leadership fails in its Kingdom function of serving, taking on a life of its own. During the course of the last generation, the rise of the parachurch movement, the influence and expansion of Christian media, distance learning and webinars, the mobilization of banners that bear on standards for legislation have all coincided with the acceleration of Body maturity, which in turn has met head-on, the inroads being made by darkness. While the stakes are higher and the bar has been raised, God's keys of unlocking can be expected to retain their unstoppable potency. The standard of maturity and need for alignment -- not unlike what David actuated in bringing all Israel together -- is bedrock to all that lies ahead for the Lord's plans for the Church and for Israel. It begins with a faithful, strategically-poised remnant. At the crux in this process is equipping the saints for the work of their callings. With the traction this yields, the mantle of David will be triggered in actuating unity for the revival-level manifested presence of God that mobilizes us as the community of believers needed for this hour. During times of preparation, the focus will involve the infrastructures for timely life-training, from local congregations to Internet-based Kingdom-life programs to Bible schools and more, each preparing both individuals and the community for emerging as the Kingdom force that Jesus intended, to penetrate the darkness and draw all men to Himself. "If you have run with footmen and they have wearied you, then how will you contend with horses. If in the land of peace in which you trusted they wearied you, then how will you do on the floodplain of the Jordan." Jeremiah 12:5 ___________________________________________________ Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the call of God in the marketplace since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders where God's light is dim in both the Western and non-Western world.  He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;" and "Leadership by Anointing," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders called to impact their communities with God's blessings. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com and other popular outlets.  Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) 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 email us atsign@strategicintercession.org for access information on our secure web-site. Likewise, email us to schedule a seminar for your congregation on the wisdom the persecuted church has for the times emerging in the West.   2014 Copyright Morris Ruddick - sign@strategicintercession.org Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check: http://www.strategicintercession.org

Morris Ruddick Global Initiativex Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org

Barbie Breathitt: Christlikeness From the Life of Elisha: Tests and Double Mantle (The Elijah List)

Barbie Breathitt:

Christlikeness From the 

Life of Elisha: 

Tests and Double Mantle

Tests and a Double Mantle

After Elijah trained his servant Elisha to look and see, listen and hear, and prophesy the word of the Lord, it was time for him to return to Heaven. The heavenly chariot of God carried Elijah away from Elisha into the spiritual expanse of Heaven's eternity outside of time. Elisha was told by Elijah, "If you see me when I am taken from you, [you will receive a double portion of my spirit]..."

Elisha had to pass many tests and persevere in order to walk in Elijah's double mantle (see 2 Kings 2:1-18). 

Elijah asked Elisha to stay in Gilgal, the place of cutting, circumcision, and the rolling away of reproach, but he refused. This is a picture for us that when God removes our past failures and reproach, we must walk through the gates of authority into the new place with God; and so Elijah then moved on to Bethel, the place or house of God, the gates of Heaven. Bethel was a place where people went to seek counsel from God. Elisha followed Elijah to Bethel to learn how to obtain God's counsel.

We must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to the next place of testing to progress spiritually. We cannot remain complacent or stagnant; the river of God always flows.

Next, the sons of the prophets came to Elisha in Bethel and said, "Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?'And Elisha said, "Yes I know; be still!" Elijah told Elisha to remain in Bethel while he went on to Jericho. But Elisha said, "I will not leave you" (2 Kings 2:3 NASB).

The sons of the prophets in Jericho, a place of fragrance and warfare, had also been shown that Elijah was going to be taken away from Elisha that day.

From Jericho, Elijah and Elisha traveled on to Jordan, a place of flowing down or descending, where fifty men of the sons of the prophets stood opposite them at the Jordan River. Elijah took his mantle, folded it together, and struck the waters of the Jordan, which divided, allowing both prophets to cross over on dry ground.

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." He said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." 

As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to Heaven. Elisha saw it [the chariot] and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 2 Kings 2:9-12 NASB

However, Elijah did not hand his mantle onto Elisha; Elisha had to pick it up after Elijah was taken into Heaven.

What Was the Significance of Elijah's Mantle For Elisha?

The word mantle in Hebrew is addereth; its root word being adar, which is also the word for the last month on the Hebrew calendar. The month of Adar is the best time to remove any personal barriers to holiness, thus it is a time to create the potential for the greatest joy. Adar is the final month of the year, i.e. it completes the year, and hence it is a time of completion. 

The root meaning of adar is glorious, splendid, marvelous, and mighty. In a noun form it is rendered as a cloak or mantle.

He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over. 2 Kings 2:13-14 NASB

Jewish traditions indicate that the mantle that fell from Elijah was a tallith or prayer shawl. The tallith of a prophet or master teacher would have dark purple-blue threads in the corner tassel. People believed that the purple thread contained miracle power. 

This is why the woman with the issue of blood wanted to touch the hem of Jesus' tallith or garment. When she was healed, Jesus said, "Who touched Me?...I felt virtue leave Me." Then He told her, "Your faith has made you whole," not a purple thread (see Matthew 9:20-22 and Luke 8:43-48).

Elijah's tallith, mantle, or "adar" symbolized that Elisha had removed any barriers to his relationship with God. He was no longer the servant but now stepped into the place of the prophet he had served. Elijah's mantle was a doorway to God's power. 

Elijah told Elisha that if he saw him taken, he would have his desire to carry on the prophetic ministry with a double portion of his spirit.

The mantle is a symbol of joy and completion. Elijah left his mantle as a sign that he had completed his assignment. Elisha picked up Elijah's mantle indicating the start of a new year; he was picking up where Elijah left off and beginning his own ministry as a prophet. 

Elijah's mantle was a symbol of an agreement of power and authority between Elijah and God. Elisha's picking up Elijah's mantle symbolized that he was entering into the same agreement with God. When Elisha used Elijah's mantle to part the Jordan River, God established His agreement or covenant with Elisha.

What The Double Portion Looks Like

Everyone is at a different level of hearing and seeing in their spiritual understanding. Elisha had walked and been personally trained by Elijah for years. He had been tested and tried in spiritual disciplines. The sons of the prophets had been through training as well, yet they did not possess the level of seeing that Elisha had developed. Elisha saw the chariot of fire and the horses come to separate him from Elijah. He cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" (2 Kings 2:12 NASB).

The sons of the prophets only saw the whirlwind the chariot created. The sons of the prophets were left wondering if Elijah had been translated to Heaven or if he had possibly been transported to another geographic location. They had to search for three days in the natural to come into peace. Elisha knew Elijah had been taken to Heaven because he saw beyond the natural into the invisible realm of the Spirit.

Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 

They said to him, "Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send." But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him. 

They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?" 2 Kings 2:15-18 NASB

The New Testament shares an example of the audible voice of God speaking from Heaven when Jesus foretold of His death. Some that stood by didn't hear anything. Others who were present in the crowd heard God's voice manifested in thunder, while still others thought it was an angel.

So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes." John 12:29-30 NASB

The names of both Elijah (meaning "the Lord is my God" or spiritual champion) and Elisha (meaning "God will save me" or protected) carries the record of what they represent, but not necessarily how they saw, if they are thought to be seers. Elijah's name means God is Jehovah or YHVH is my God. He functioned as the Father's recorder on earth.

In the case of God's servant Elijah, the chariot was a trans-dimensional carrier of God's servant. The chariot of God transported Elijah out of time into the eternal realm where Elijah had always existed in heavenly places. When the fullness of time came, God reached down to retrieve the recording of Himself He had placed within Elijah.

Elijah came to restore all things back to God. He was called to turn the hearts of the Fathers back to the sons, and to turn the sons' hearts back to the fathers', to make ready a people for God lest God curse the earth (see Malachi 4). Elijah's anointing was to restore righteousness and protect the earthly realm from being struck with a curse caused by sin.

Elisha's name means "GOD is salvation" or "My God is salvation." He functioned under a double portion of Elijah's spirit.

Walk Like the Prophet Elisha

Elisha's eyes saw beyond the veil of the natural into the supernatural realm where God's army of fiery angels and chariots reside. His eyes were not limited by situations or hard facts. He knew to look beyond the natural to see God's provision. He trusted more in the realm of faith than what seemed to appear in the natural.

When fear blinded Elisha's servant, the prophet's prayer was able to open the attendant's spiritually blind eyes to see the coexisting spiritual realms of angels. 

Knowing that there are more for us than against us brings a peace beyond our present understanding.

Prayer delivers us from fear. Prayer opens our eyes to see God's ever-present answer, while at the same time prophetic decree will blind our enemies and place them at our mercy. For God to trust us at this level, it requires us to develop greater levels of obedience of compassion. God wants to trust us with the lives of our enemies. 

God tests and tries us until He knows that we will not execute our own judgment or harm people in any way.

When God delivers our enemies into our hands, we must return good for evil, blessing for cursing, and lovingkindness for abuse. The Lord is the only one who should ever move in judgment. He said, "Vengeance is Mine." We have no right to be vengeful. 

It is God's place to vindicate us.

We are called to love our enemies, to be kind to those who persecute, use, and abuse our kindness. 

We should lead our enemies to salvation, and their eyes will be opened to God's saving word, loving spirit, and grace. It is time to love like God loves; see like God sees; obey what God's Word says, and then do what God does.

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:15-17 NASB

When Elisha's enemies came down off the mountain to pursue him, Elisha prayed. We should follow his example. Elisha's prayers struck his enemies with blindness. This removed the enemy's power and control. They were forced into a vulnerable place, wandering in darkness and confusion. 

The army had come to do the prophet great harm, but God protected him. The prophet placed his trust in God. In this new state of total dependence and humiliation, the enemy had to trust and blindly follow Elisha to Samaria. Elisha said, "Follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek" (2 Kings 6:19 NASB). (Photo courtesy: Global Recordings Network)

When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, "Strike this people with blindness, I pray." So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. Then Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he brought them to Samaria. 2 Kings 6:18-19 NASB

Elisha's enemies had to walk through the process of trusting the one they were sent to destroy. Once they arrived at the promised location, Elisha prayed that God would reopen their blind eyes. Their vision was restored. New vision was given in the midst of their enemies.

When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 2 Kings 6:20 NASB

Many of us have been wounded by an enemy or betrayed by a close friend, but we are to respond to them with God's lovingkindness and compassion.

Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" He answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow?... 2 Kings 6:21-22 NASB

Elisha told the King of Israel to respond according to the greatness of God's loving-kindness, to make his enemies the objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors. Elisha encouraged the king to feed the Arameans, to provide for and care for his enemies instead of killing them. The king prepared a feast for the enemy soldiers and they ate to their fill.

"...Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel. 2 Kings 6:22-23 NASB

Elisha's mercy triumphed over judgment. 

Great grace leads us to victory. The King of Israel's enemies were delivered into his hands. The King was eager to execute judgment and destroy his enemies, but the prophet carefully redirected his focus to blessing and not destruction.

Good will always triumph over evil. Love will also bring forth a better result than hate.

Never greet your enemy in the same malignant spirit. Never return evil for evil but learn to bless instead of curse. We are not of this world, so we cannot respond in the spirit of this world. God is love so we must respond in the power of His might.

Barbie L. Breathitt Ph.D.
Breath of the Spirit Ministries

Email: Barbie@BreathOfTheSpiritMinistries.com

Website: BreathOfTheSpiritMinistries.com

Barbie Breathitt is the author of Dream Encounters, Seeing Your Destiny From God's Perspective, and her new book Gateway to the Seer Realm: Look Again to See Beyond the Natural. She is an ordained minister, dedicated educator, and respected teacher of the supernatural manifestations of God. 

Barbie's dynamic teaching skills, intelligence, and quick wit keep her a favorite with audiences everywhere. Barbie has become a recognized leader in dream interpretation, traveling to more than forty nations. Her prophetic gifting and deep spiritual insight have helped thousands of people understand the supernatural ways God speaks to us today.

PROPHETIC STEWARDSHIP - (c) Morris E. Ruddick

Morris Ruddick

PROPHETIC STEWARDSHIP (c) Morris E. Ruddick "Then the king said, 'Bring me a sword. Divide the living child  in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.' Then the  woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned  with compassion for her son; and she said, 'O my lord, give her  the living child, and by no means kill him!' But the other said,  'Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.'"  1 Kings 3:24-26 Solomon's wisdom in discerning the true mother is also a key to  discerning true leaders. True leaders have the compassion that  is willing to face personal sacrifice. It's the mark of stewardship.  The perspective of the wannabees and unseasoned will tend  toward being inwardly focused and driven by personal,  wrong reasons. True biblical stewardship is just the opposite. Prophetic  stewardship bears an even higher standard. Kingdom  leadership pivots on stewardship that seeks the community  good. That may require a decisiveness that is neither  popular nor comfortable. It demands a basis that  understands the true heart of God and the long-term  prophetic implications. Joseph's service to Pharaoh began with a time of preparation.  Scripture indicates that these years of preparation were  a fruitful time, a time of abundance. Yet, what was  required to gather and store the grain demanded discipline.  It no doubt involved some belt-tightening for everyone.  The tough standards and decisions required were not for  the feint of heart or those with the need to be accepted. Yet, when the years of abundance were over and famine  came, then both the decisions and the discipline became  even harder. Joseph's stewardship involved a balance  between maintaining order, adjusting to the widespread  famine, while establishing Egypt as solution-provider.  It required a level of administration that not only  was gifted, but drew from God's wisdom for the decisions  being made. Egypt, under Joseph, became the safe-place, the place of God's  order when everything else was falling into disorder. That took  tough-minded decision-making to set up and no doubt even tougher  decisions to maintain and administrate. Genesis 45 reveals that as  the famine proceeded, that the money failed. Prophetically God had  shown Joseph the need to gather and store the grain. Because the  staple with value was grain, Joseph was in the driver's seat. Clearly  Joseph heard from God. With the abundance of grain, Joseph cornered the livestock market.  The people of Egypt remained fed, as Egypt's influence with those  around them increased as a prepared-provider and a refuge during  the turbulence. As things deteriorated, the people sold their land to  Joseph for the food needed to feed their families. The famine was  severe. No doubt the value of land had also dropped. Yet, Joseph  the good steward, the prophetic steward, brought the people into  the cities to live. "When the money failed, Joseph bought the livestock;  then the land; then brought the people into the cities."  Gen 47:15-25 The suggestion is that there was safety and community order,  again a refuge, within the boundaries of the cities. Joseph maintained  the order needed during a severely difficult time, kept the people fed  and kept them safe. Following the famine, Joseph restored the people  to their lands requiring only a fifth on their produce in return. The Prophetic Dimension Operating in the prophetic means there are often times when we  "see" or perceive things that we want to act on. However, the  prophetic calling requires a lot more by way of self-control than  the ordinary. It's too important. The mature prophetic response  is from those who rule their own spirits. The prophetic is first hearing from God. However, when we hear  from God another key required layer is the issue of alignment and  seeing things from the stance of what God is doing. It's becoming  a participator in His destiny-shaping purposes and agendas. It's  entering a dimension of God's big-picture beyond ourselves. Yet, we can sometimes get the big-picture without seeing how God  is getting us there. So, operating in the prophetic requires a continual  checking-in with Him for the "interims." That's because none of us are  at the place to where we nail it at each step, despite our best and  most valiant efforts to do so. One of the hardest things to learn is to NOT force issues.  The flip side of that is holding steady when you don't yet  see the change in the natural. Yet, faith and faithfulness  are determined by those who grasp what is underway  in the unseen world. When we are in a place where there is something that  God is doing that we haven't fully or even partially  discerned, it represents a place of vulnerability.  Well intentioned people unwittingly walk into cross-fires  of judgment by yielding to the soulish in these interims. Judgment can also be triggered because of ones who,  being convinced of their "rightness" regarding something,  don't have the big-picture quite right. They lack a full  discernment of what God is doing or their place in it.  What results is creating a short-circuiting or backlash by  which they and others are hurt. Prophetic stewardship  requires keeping one's spiritual antennas high and at  the times one is provoked over something, to back  off until they hear specifically what the Lord has to  say about it. Cost of the Mantle The dreams Joseph received from God as a young man  came at a high cost. They cost Joseph everything that  had been dear to him, including his freedom. Yet, Joseph r ose to the standard that God had set for him. THAT took  decisions that refused to give in to the soulish. It took serious  discipline, humility and maturity. Not only did Joseph demonstrate a right spirit; but as a  good steward, he took it a step further in assuming  the mantle of his great-grandfather Abraham: to be  blessed to be a blessing. Long before his promotion to sit  alongside of Pharaoh, with nothing to go on in terms of  position, Joseph distinguished himself with Potiphar and  then the jailer with both his influence and the stewardship  of the mantle he bore. The result came from a right spirit that stewarded the  blessings of God in such a way that everyone around  Joseph saw that God was real, through the demonstration  of that reality through Joseph. Yet, it came at a cost;  a very high cost. In the face of losing everything; in the face  of slavery; in the face of unrighteous spiritual backlash; Joseph  maintained his faithfulness as God's servant-steward. Gravity of the Mantle Leaders, who truly understand the times and know  what to do, demonstrate a maturity that is above the  soulish. They don't quibble or second guess when tough  decisions are required. They guard their own hearts  diligently and do not give in to soulish machinations.  Yielding to the soulish is what opens the door  for the demonic. The contrast is demonstrated in Isaiah 22 with the  story of two leaders, one whose decisions were  short-sighted and driven by personal, soulish  matters and another whose stewardship embraced  the long-term opportunity resident in the heart of God. "Go to Shebna, who is over the house, and say:  Indeed, the LORD will throw you away violently;  there you shall die. Then it shall be in that day,  that I will call My servant Eliakim; I will clothe  him with your robe and strengthen him with  your belt; I will commit your responsibility  into his hand. He shall be a father to the  inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of  Judah. The key of the house of David I will lay  on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one  shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open.  I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and  he will become a glorious throne to  his father's house." Isaiah 22:15-23 Authority of the Prophetic The authority of God for change is released through  the prophetic. The story of Joseph reflects a progression  of episodes in his life tied to how he heard and obeyed  the voice of the Lord. This simple foundation in many  untenable situations became the catalyst for a owner  and an authority that was recognized as being from God  by a whole range of non-believers, including those in  authority. That prophetic authority was the means by which God  used Joseph to shift the spiritual climate within Egypt's  power infrastructure. It set the stage for the prophetic  alignment needed for Joseph's apostolic gifts to harness,  redirect and then steward the resources of Egypt to  accomplish God's purposes for the future of His people. Discernment and Prophetic Alignment Joseph's tenure in Egypt is laced with examples of  Joseph's significant prophetic gifts. Prophetic stewardship  will unmask the intentions of the hearts of those who  serve a role, whether for good or for evil, in the initiatives  being stewarded. The story of the baker and the wine-taster exemplifies how,  during Joseph's weakest hour in the natural, that God  used him prophetically to judge and establish the removal  of one key man from Pharaoh's court; and to restore and  set up another, who became instrumental at the right  time in aligning things for Joseph's promotion. Similarly, Joseph's scrutiny of his brothers was not retribution,  but the need to see the repentance that was needed for  Joseph to establish parameters with those who once  betrayed him. By the time his brothers came back on the  scene, Joseph was in the full flow of his very considerable  calling. He did not need the old issues and patterns of behavior  demonstrated by his betrayers to manifest and disrupt in any  way his role as God's servant-steward. Still, the discernment of Joseph was not an end in itself,  but the means of aligning things first spiritually and then  in the natural, for God's purposes. Stewarding the will of  God begins with resetting the spiritual climate. When the  spiritual climate is properly aligned, it allows God's order  to be established. Only then, will the stable flow come  needed to counteract the forces of judgment and the  tentacles of evil. The Prophetic Steward The prophetic steward is the one who maps out, builds  up and brings increase in the face of the enemy's schemes  to divide, confuse and destroy. I have previously noted an organization I was a part of  many years ago. The standard for entry was high.  The standard to be maintained was even higher.  Members of this organization became known by the axiom  of "when the going gets tough, the tough get going."  It is unfortunate within the Body that many confuse  soft standards of the world with the level in which,  we as a Body are expected to operate. Our standard, like  that of Joseph's is higher. It's much, much higher. I have had the joy of working with two men of God who  operate with this higher standard. They each are very  different in their leadership styles, yet very similar in anointing.  Each reaches hard for God's heart and God's will on the  issues before them. Both are unusual in their roles as  prophetic stewards. One is incredibly gifted in discerning the gifts and will of  God operating in people, with the ability to draw forth  and put those gifts into operation. The other is a very  high-level administrator, whose ability to discern the  big-picture and then mobilize leaders to address it, is  timely and strategic. One is a model for the Body locally;  the other globally. Both are incredible peacemakers, a very high standard in  the progressive maturity unveiled by Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  They each have a gift for tapping and aligning things spiritually  to establish God's order and to release the supernatural for change.  We need more of that standard. We've entered a time that Jesus spoke of as when even the  very elect would be deceived. It is a time when the  convergence of good and evil will trigger both judgment  and change. Prophetic stewardship sees the alignments  and change in the spirit from God's perspective. It then  navigates and anticipates the responses needed to shape  and release God's purposes. The Lord Jesus also told us that many are called, but  few are chosen. The criterion for leadership, established by  Solomon's wisdom, begins with sacrifice and compassion. It is evidenced by those who not only face, but traverse and  emerge whole from the fires. It pivots on an unpolluted  prophetic stewardship that pays the cost to unswervingly  maintain the steps needed to change the spiritual climate  and to establish God's order. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may  see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."  Matthew 5:16 ___________________________________________________ Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for  the call of God in the marketplace since the mid-90s.  As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer  of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program,  Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community  builders where God's light is dim in both the Western and  non-Western world. He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "God's Economy,  Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;"  and "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World," which address the  mobilization of business and governmental leaders called to  impact their communities with God's blessings. They are available  in print and e-versions from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com  and other popular outlets.   Mr. Ruddick is also a contributor in the just released five-volume  "Aligning with the Apostolic," edited by Bruce Cook with Forwards  by Peter Wagner and Bill Hamon. It is available through  www.KingdomHouse.net. Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) 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 least of  these our brethren. Checks on US banks should be made out  to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237  or email us at sign@strategicintercession.org for access  information on our secure web-site. 2013 Copyright Morris Ruddick - sign@strategicintercession.org Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a  SIGN advisor. Since 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network  (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors committed to targeting  strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For  previous posts or more information on SIGN, check: http://www.strategicintercession.org

Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org