Showing posts with label marketplace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketplace. Show all posts

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Sandie Freed: "Shift Your Thinking and Advance the Kingdom!" - The Elijah List



Sandie Freed: "Shift Your Thinking and Advance the Kingdom!"

The Elijah List Jul 8, 2017

Steve ShultzFrom the desk of Steve Shultz:
I loved reading this word by Dr. Sandie Freed. In it, she shares the IMPORTANCE of shifting our mindsets into Kingdom thinking.
Church...we are about to see Heaven come to Earth and it will require a SHIFT in our thinking as Sandie shares:
Today, please shift into Kingdom reality. Develop an advancing attitude. Determine that you are not retreating but rather advancing! As we pursue this type of Kingdom mentality, know this for a fact: in Kingdom reality, disease cannot stay; poverty cannot stay; devastation cannot stay and shame cannot stay!
Let's do it! Let's shift our thinking so we can advance the Kingdom! 
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Several days ago I heard the Lord say:
"My people are amid many different shifts. Some are shifting out from business into ministry. Some in ministry are shifting into marketplace ministry. Shifts are necessary during this season because I am imparting Kingdom mentality, which involves co-laboring with Me.
"I am not limited to the mindsets of My children. I am a God who is unlimited and I have thoughts beyond their thoughts. I have visions for them that they have not yet thought or dreamed of. To experience all that I have for them will require a shift out of their mindsets.
"The Kingdom dimension is not limited to the natural mind. Yet, the natural mind will abort the seeds being planted by the Holy Spirit concerning Kingdom reality. So, know that I am challenging mindsets even more in the coming days. What you thought was impossible must become potential.
"Look at the impossible as Kingdom potential and then expect it to become Kingdom reality. I am challenging My children to let faith arise! Don't focus on what you see in the natural; lean not to your own understanding. I am removing the veil from the eyes of My people and empowering them to see realms of the supernatural.
"Will we, today, remain stuck in an old pattern of thinking, or an old pattern of religious performance?"
"They will overthrow the demonic structures of unbelief and rely on My grace to empower them to experience breakthroughs and demonstrate many miracles, signs and wonders. A new anointing for courage and boldness is being imparted to those who will cast off all restraints; as they trust Me and allow Me to lead them as they commit to co-laboring with Me in this new season."
Defining "Mindsets"
I began pondering this word for several days. I kept thinking about mindsets. In fact, I just plain got stuck on that word...mindsets. I knew that God was giving strategy for breakthrough so I thought even more. What exactly is a mindset?
It's more than setting our mind on something – it's about something being set into our minds. I know...sounds confusing, right? Let me see if I can break this down a bit. Why do I feel a need to do that? Because we need to understand how hazardous it can be to have a wrong or ungodly mindset. That is, when it comes to understanding God and His ways.
A mindset can be both good and bad. If we set our minds on success, we are therefore choosing to focus on whatever is needed to become successful. If I set my mind on eating healthier, I can be tenacious and refuse sweets and unhealthy snacks. But, if I were taught incorrectly as a child and had a mindset that "all food is okay; just eat everything in moderation" then we can conclude that the mindset was unhealthy, right? So, then that wrong belief would have been set into my mind at a young age. If that unhealthy mindset remained, I would eventually become unhealthy because of eating junk food all my life.
Now let's boil this down to where I really intend to take you: to talk about religious mindsets. Dear one, let me be blunt: religious mindsets can hinder your walk with the Lord and cause unbelief and block the flow of the supernatural in your life. (Photo via Flickr)
I have realized that Jesus came with an announcement that was completely unexpected. The Jews had a mindset that He would appear with an incredible military force and end the abuse they suffered from Rome. Their mindset involved an established "natural" form of government. If you think about it, Israel had completely lost sight of the power of the supernatural.
The supernatural realm was not what they desired to experience; they desired to focus on a "quick fix" for their pain in the natural realm. They could not embrace the fact that if they solved the problem in the supernatural realm that it would take care of their problems in the natural. As a result of their mindset, they missed their hour of visitation. Just think of all that would have been accomplished if they had received Jesus when He came as their Messiah!
The Powerful Message of Repentance
The mindset of the Jews hindered them from understanding the message of repentance. Matthew 4:17 presented the people with an announcement, "...Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Jesus was introducing a whole new revelation concerning repentance.
Jesus came and made a proclamation concerning repentance. He pointed out that the manifestation of the Kingdom of God hinges on the message of repentance. He was and is talking about repentance as in turning from sin, but Jesus was also dealing with their mindsets. He was, in essence, saying:
"Hey guys, it's important that you begin to change the way you think. Why? Because I brought My world with Me! Yes, I have brought My Kingdom with Me. And, I want you to change your perspective on reality. If you choose to see things from My perspective, you can experience and live from the reality of My world."
In other words, Jesus was challenging them to bring Heaven to Earth. And that is the way that Jesus taught the disciples to pray. Praying Heaven to Earth, right?
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Repentance is Connected to Experiencing Kingdom Reality!
Unfortunately, many of us today have had a mindset concerning the word repentance. Most Christians have repented enough to get forgiven, but not enough to see the Kingdom. Ouch! I was there about fifteen years ago.
I was so busy repenting from my "ugliness" (ugly heart attitudes, ugly actions, ugly sins, etc.) that I could never see that I was God's daughter, a child of the King, and that I had been given power and authority to rule and reign!When Jesus taught on the Kingdom, He presented the message with a powerful mandate. In Matthew 10:7-9, we read how Jesus empowered His disciples with the Kingdom Mandate:
"'The Kingdom of Heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."(Matt. 10:7-9 NIV)
"Religious mindsets can hinder your walk with the Lord and cause unbelief and block the flow of the supernatural in your life."
Yes! They received power and now they had to give it away! We need to remember this important lesson: you only get to keep what you give away! However, how many of us have the mindset that we must hold on to everything?
It's clear that the Kingdom message is opposite of that mindset. When I understood the fact that we are not to build our own kingdoms, but rather His Kingdom, it changed my perspective – it changed my life! I have learned that godly multiplication only occurs when we are consistently giving out. The mindset that we must hold onto what we have will rob potential Kingdom seed from being sown. Only true multiplication can come from sacrifice of giving in all areas of life.
A Wake-Up Call!
My heart is to not be harsh but to deliver a wake up call. We are not called to be a sleeping Church. We can no longer remain lukewarm concerning co-laboring with Him and promoting the Kingdom of God. Many Believers have a mindset that we are simply holding on until Jesus comes. No! We are not on the defense, we are on the offense. Get a mindset today that we are advancing! We are moving forward as a mighty army taking ground for Kingdom advancement!
Today, please shift into Kingdom reality. Develop an advancing attitude. Determine that you are not retreating but rather advancing! As we pursue this type of Kingdom mentality, know this for a fact: in Kingdom reality, disease cannot stay; poverty cannot stay; devastation cannot stay and shame cannot stay!
Remain determined that you are contending for this now! Some of you reading this may be struggling and need a divine healing. Some may have the mindset that it's impossible to be sick and to pray for others to be healed. To believe this way is truly a mindset that will hinder the supernatural flow in your life. (Photo via Unsplash)
Let me just say that I have realized that is possible for me to walk in the gift of healing others, but still have disease in my own body. God will use my faith and my determination to see a realm of the supernatural if I will just step out and be His conduit. Remember, we are contending now for Heaven to come to earth! His will and not ours.
Co-Laboring Effectively
To co-labor effectively with God, there must be a complete dependence on His grace. This is what the Jews couldn't get. They only understood serving God under the Law. It was a mindset that involved rules, laws and religious performance. What they couldn't grasp was the understanding that true repentance required complete dependence.
They just couldn't change the way they thought. Will we, today, remain stuck in an old pattern of thinking, or an old pattern of religious performance?There are unlimited possibilities available for us to grasp and experience. Let's cast off all unbelief, all fear and fear of failure and begin to believe!
If you struggle with limitations and mindsets that limit you in your faith walk, I want to recommend two of my latest books, Letting Go of Your Limitations: Experiencing God's Transforming Power and Faith After Failure: Reconnecting with Destiny.
Dear one, don't allow your past to dictate your future any longer! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Serving Him,
Sandie Freed
Sandie Freed Ministries

Email: zionministries1@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.lifegatechurch.org/www.freedrevolution.com
Dr. Sandie Freed co-labors with her husband, Mickey Freed, doing the work of the Lord as a ministry team. In addition, they are the founders of Zion Ministries Training Center in Bedford, Texas, and Lifegate Church International. Sandie has traveled nationally and internationally teaching dreams and visions seminars and on spiritual discernment. Her ability to adequately prophesy and discern spiritual strongholds over regions has released numerous breakthroughs for individuals and ministries. Sandie has authored Dream On, and eleven other books, most of which are in several different languages. Dr. Sandie and Apostle/Pastor Mickey are ordained with Christian International Ministries, serving on their Board of Governors. They have been married since 1973, and have one daughter, Kimberly.
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Sunday, October 11, 2015

Morris E. Ruddick - [SIGN] BUSINESS AND MINISTRY

Morris Ruddick

SIGN

BUSINESS AND MINISTRY
(c) Morris E. Ruddick
"I have called you to an interlinking between secular business enterprises with overriding Kingdom objectives."
Prophecy given to Morris Ruddick in 1986

The setting was pretty grim. Having been at the helm of successfully orchestrating a major corporate turnaround, I became a casualty due to some unscrupulous corporate politics. In my attempt to understand what was happening to me spiritually, I simply asked the Lord why it seemed the harder I tried to be obedient in following Him, the more trouble I seemed to get into. This wasn't the first instance of the bottom dropping out of something I knew had been ordered by the Lord.

Without hesitation, the answer the Lord gave me was that it was because of the calling on my life, that He had called me to an arena in which secular enterprises would be linked together with objectives that would serve His Kingdom.

While at the time I barely had a glimmer of the depth of what the Lord was telling me, this word brought much peace to my heart and a yearning to better understand what it was the Lord intended for me in the days that were to follow.

A Company of Josephs
My calling and the calling of a global company of others was patterned after the Patriarch Joseph. Little did I realize the significance of the change that would come from this twenty-first mantle and how it would serve to restore principles and ancient secrets the Lord began imparting to his people from the days of Abraham.

Joseph's calling was distinctive. With clarity, he heard from the Lord with a keen understanding of God's heart and attentively acted on it. He broke ranks with religious traditions in his response to the voice of God.  In giving testimony to his prophetic dreams, he found life as he had known it taking an abrupt turn, as he lost his freedom, his family and any semblance of status and power.

He became immersed in the world's system in a distant culture. His response was in adapting to being a matchless prophetic steward with both the mundane and as God's emissary. His identity in God combined with the Lord being the source of his exploits, as God's hand upon him was made obvious to all.
"The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man and everyone saw that the Lord was with Joseph and made all that he did to prosper." Genesis 39:2-3

Joseph anticipated the future with prophetic clarity and insight. He mastered his new culture from the bottom-up before being entrusted with the resources and future of the nation. His amassing of grain became not just the means to feed the people, but served as the commodity of value when the money failed. All this was a backdrop to restoring and protecting God's people from the judgment encroached at their door.

Exhibiting prudent discipline, his stewardship anticipated opportunity for the common good. He cornered the livestock market and later took over the land, until when the famine passed he eventually turned the land back to its owners in a modified land-grant program.

Joseph oversaw the greatest wealth transfer the world had ever known.

Unorthodox Change
Apart from a prudent, self-sustaining means for his family to care for themselves in Goshen, not one religious program is mentioned in his activities other than his unswerving commitment to and identity in God -- and him acting on the prophetic insights he got from the Lord.

Yet no hero of faith achieved greater exploits for God in the context of harnessing the world's system than did Joseph.

He clearly linked secular enterprises and resources to establish a Kingdom model designed for the care and redemption of God's people as he gained the trust and allied with the source of these resources during times of great challenge and change. In so doing he demonstrated the sovereignty of God over both the secular and those called by His name. Operating under great prophetic authority, he provided a safe place for ALL those under his authority.

With this snapshot of Joseph's anticipatory response to famine and crisis, the question arises to the role and function of the company of those called as modern-day Josephs. How will today's Josephs serve God's purposes with the potentially unlimited resources they prophetically are destined to manage? More appropriately, do we really understand those purposes from God's long-range perspective outside the parameters of our short-term religious mind-sets?

Understanding the Times
The answers have got to begin with an understanding of the times from a big-picture, God-perspective. Isaiah 60 tells of a time when darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the people. The implications have an amazing parallel to the time of famine anticipated by Joseph.

We also are on the threshold of such a time. Isaiah 60 prophetically paints a portrait of a time in which God is restoring His order to His creation and preparing to fulfill the promises to His people that began with His covenant with Abraham.
"Darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the LORD will arise over you and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising." Isaiah 60:2-3

The focal point is Israel.

A Shift of Power and Resources
Isaiah went on to prophesy (Isa 60:8) that the abundance of the sea would be directed to Israel and the wealth of the nations would come to them. The ramp-up of turbulence and lawlessness underway today represents the periphery of the birth pangs spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. It will be a time of great restoration, a vast shift of wealth and power.

Unfortunately, the topic of the callings patterned after Joseph and Daniel, as well as that of "the wealth transfer," of strategically tapping the resources of the world's systems, have become a part of distorted, pop-Christian culture. It is appropriate therefore, to begin by stating what the wealth transfer IS NOT.

The wealth transfer is not a means by which super-achievers fulfill their glimmer of the great commission. Nor will the wealth transfer be driven by Western financial institutions and markets. Neither is it a prosperity doctrine. The wealth transfer will not be the result of the efforts of elite networks of ultra-spiritual zealots. Nor will it be linked to mega fund-raising agendas. It will not be an eschatological orchestration of the weird built on the precepts of men. While each may contain elements of truth, individually they simply miss the mark.

For the sake of the zealots and prematurely eager -- and not in anyway to dampen the intentions of those genuinely called, it should be remembered that the calling of Joseph involved serious betrayal of those closest to him, along with a complete loss of his status and freedom. It involved an extremely long waiting period for God's set time, a wait involving some very humble conditions.

Yet, during his wait even as a slave, Joseph exemplified the mantle of his great-grandfather Abraham, whose calling was to be blessed to be a blessing. The wealth transfer will be stewarded by those who not only have paid the cost of the calling, but have been uniquely prepared, a global company of individuals with callings patterned after that of Joseph and Daniel.

These will be men and women of God whose prophetic gift and authority, sensitivity to God's heart and stellar obedience to God marks their identity and wisdom to those in non-religious circles. They are people of trust who worldly power brokers will seek to align themselves with. The calling will functionally be diverse. From a human standpoint it will involve an element of compartmentalized enterprises, reflecting numerous divinely-connected, yet self- and mutually-supporting enterprises.

The Joseph-Daniel calling is at the crux of this great time of restoration, of this shift of power and wealth. As has already been noted, Israel is central to it all.

The Issues from God's Perspective
Returning to the questions, when the wealth transfer assignments are given out, what is it that will distinguish the genuine Josephs from his brothers who may consider their family position in the household of faith as being ahead of Joseph? Then to what purposes are the resources to target? To better discern this focus requires a look at three key spheres of influence: culture, economic and power.

The Culture. Culturally, this great shift will divide the sheep from the goats. It will exhibit a sweeping spiritual awakening accompanied by great signs and wonders. This spiritual awakening will be paralleled with merciless persecution. Despite that, this time will reflect innovative alliances between secular institutions that fulfill overriding self-sustaining Kingdom purposes.

The way of the Kingdom will define both the identity and culture of true believers. The Kingdom model is comprehensive in combining the spiritual, entrepreneurial and community, a model familiar to those in touch with the Hebraic roots of the faith.

The result will reorder foundations of culture, power and the economic. The Josephs now coming into position encompass what is termed the marketplace movement. It is the restoration of societal-spiritual leadership that interlinks the Kingdom with the secular -- business with ministry, if you will.

God's Economy. A study in Global Inc. (Gabel, Bruner, 2003, New York), notes that 53 of the world's 100 largest economies are corporations. That's a major twist in outlook. Despite the change that can be expected in the days ahead, in the same way that God sent Joseph to prepare Egypt as a safe place, preparations are already globally underway for the shift that lies before us.

God has forerunners who have been preparing both select corporations and nation-states as safe-places and Kingdom harbingers. They will involve extraordinary alliances with secular enterprises serving Kingdom objectives. They will be self-supporting models of what results when God is dwelling with a people.

With unique ties to Israel, there will be a keen focus on new discoveries, inventions and advanced technologies that serve the purpose of averting the chaos, disasters and persecution in establishing the foundations in which God dwells with His people.

Kingdom Power. Revival attracts. The global spiritual awakening, demonstrating God's power and restoring ancient truths of the faith beginning with God's covenant with Abraham will sweep every sector of society.

Leadership will accompany the anointing of those who unwaveringly have paid the cost, like Joseph in having lost everything personally meaningful to him. They will be ones who within their spheres are graced with unusual trust and favor, but also are targets, initially even with their brethren.

The Book of Revelation describes a time of varying discord and hostility against believers. Those leading the way through the persecution will be those who already bear the brand-marks of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor.)

In this generation, starting with the Cultural Revolution, key segments of the church in Asia have gone through a cleansing of its Western trappings and accoutrements. Those who withstood and survived the purges became a pure church, one with a very humble dependency based solely on God and a genuine prayer-base. From this foundation, God's power was released.

A Time of Great Restoration
The release of Kingdom power will bring restoration of the ancient paths. The restoration will trigger a process. At the core will be Israel. At the climax will be the fulfillment of the Kingdom and every promise uttered by God to His covenant people.

With Israel being the focal point, emphasis will be given to inventions, technologies and potential discoveries that build the foundations for Israel and God's Kingdom intentions. Investments and alliances will have focus on Israel's means of being self-sustaining. The strategic agendas will range from the return of the House of Israel to the land, to mechanisms that enhance the role of genuine friends of Israel (John 15:13-14), to initiatives toward Israel's energy independence, to advanced technologies, to discoveries that bring healing and fertility to the nations.

The Sound of the Kingdom
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is filled with His glory."
Isaiah 6:3

The sound of the Kingdom will conform to the patterns and responses exhibited by Jesus in His earthly ministry. His unveiling of the Kingdom released the harmony by which the natural and the spiritual realms are bridged. John's gospel progressively disclosed the simple secret to Jesus' power: God-in-us and the secret of abiding. It is all about God dwelling with and manifesting Himself through His covenant people.

It involves the simple things that confound the wise. It releases God's most unlikely candidates executing the most unlikely strategies to bring about the most unlikely results. Put simply, the players and strategies ahead will not conform to the way people normally view things. Jesus pointed to the Father being in Him and Jesus being in the Father (John 14:10-11). John quoted Jesus as saying: "On that day you will know that I am in My Father and you in Me, and I in you." (John 14:19-21)

THAT is the simple answer to how you distinguish Joseph from his brothers. Pharaoh saw it clearly and stated: "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" (Gen 41:38) It is the foundation for answering the question of the purpose the modern-day Josephs will serve in this groundswell of restoration.

Just as Joseph served God's purposes in Egypt, today's Josephs are God's advance party. Their apostolic-prophetic role in some very chaotic conditions will be served in very practical terms, in strategies that link secular enterprises with overriding ministry objectives in restoring God's order.

Today's Josephs are the forerunners, the servant-leaders, heeding the sound of the Kingdom, serving as the foundation of the apostles and prophets for the restoration of the ancient purposes being triggered by the anointed description captured by the Apostle Paul.

"God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, is now being built into a holy temple of the Lord in whom you also are being fitted together as a dwelling for God in the Spirit." 
Ephesians 2:19-22

___________________________________________________
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.comwww.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.

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 by credit card at http://strategicintercession.org/support/

Likewise, email us to schedule a talk or seminar for your congregation on the Joseph-Daniel Calling or on anointing the creative in business.

2015 Copyright Morris Ruddick -- sign@strategicintercession.org

Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since early 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 Initiatives Foundation
www.strategic-initiatives.org
www.strategicintercession.org


Global Initiatives is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 organization

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

"God Saw That it Was Good" ✡ The Other Side of Israel - ISRAEL365

And the earth gave forth vegetation, seed yielding herbs according to its kind, and trees producing fruit, in which its seed is found, according to its kind, and God saw that it was good.

GENESIS (1:12)

וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע לְמִינֵהוּ וְעֵץ עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ בוֹ לְמִינֵהוּ וַיַּרְא אֱ-לֹהִים כִּי טוֹב

בראשית א:יב


va-to-tzay ha-a-retz de-she ay-sev maz-ree-a ze-ra l'-mee-nay-hu v'-aytz o-se
p'-ree a-sher zar-o bo l'-mee-nay-hu va-yar e-lo-heem kee tov

Today's Israel Inspiration

On each day of Creation, the Almighty looks back at His work and declares "it was good!" But something is special about the third day of Creation, the only day where the Almighty repeats "it was good" twice. On this day, vegetation was created, as described in today's verse. So vital is food and nourishment that God declares a second time "it was good!" For the last decade, tens of thousands of disadvantaged men, women, and children in Israel – including Holocaust survivors – have turned to Meir Panim as their source of hope and lasting relief from hunger. Follow in God's ways and provide food for those in need in the Holy Land.

A Shining Light Helps Hungry Schoolchildren in Israel

Ready to see the other side of Israel, far from the world of high tech and advanced society? Even in Israel poverty is all too common, with 1 in 3 children suffering from hunger. A shining light is the delivery of free lunches to school children, their one hot meal of the day.

Generosity Satisfies Body & Soul in Tiberias 'Free Restaurant'

The Meir Panim Free Restaurant located near the Sea of Galilee shores in Tiberias, Israel is a touching tribute to a special couple.

14k Gold Personalized Hebrew Name Necklace

Stay connected to your biblical roots by wearing your Hebrew name proudly! Don’t know your Hebrew name? No problem! Many English names derive from Hebrew names in the Bible, and the rest have etymological or spiritual cousins in Biblical sources. Just include your English name and we’ll find the Hebrew name in the Bible that’s most closely connected to yours.

Today's Israel Photo

Pomegranates in the Jerusalem's famous Machane Yehuda marketplace.

Yesterday's Photo Trivia

You got it! Yesterday's photo featured the rare Blood Moon as seen in Tel Aviv, on September 28, 2015, the first night of Sukkot.


Thank You

Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Elizabeth Hitchcott of Jacksonville, Illinois. Todah rabah!

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Thursday, October 1, 2015

[RUDDICK REPORT] THE BRAND MARKS - Morris Ruddick

[RUDDICK REPORT] THE BRAND MARKS

- Morris Ruddick


Oct. 1, 2015



"From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus."Gal 6:17

The opportunity to assist our brethren in Vietnam has been a joy beyond words.
As I was praying the first morning after arriving, the thought occurred to me: "We need one another, since no single group within the Body has all the answers. So the question arises: "Who then do we identify with?"

Do we identify with those with pristine doctrinal answers? Or maybe our "identification" is with those whose efforts are demonstrating the most impressive numbers? No real fault could be found with either. Yet the answer I landed on underscores the deepest reason of why we continue to come to help these brethren in Vietnam.

I want to identify with those whose bear the brand-marks of the Lord Jesus. It is aKingdom principle that within our weakness, His strength will be manifested.

"Seeing that many boast according to the flesh....I say that we were too weak for that! I am more: in labors more abundant, beaten times without measure, in prisons more frequently, often in danger of death. .....Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my weaknesses." 2 Cor 11:23, 28, 30

Since early 2008, this is the 24th trip we have made to Vietnam. Just when it seems like the dust has settled, in terms of persecution, a week before our arrival our chief contact was raided. It was a gathering of leaders at which we have previously ministered. The authorities held and questioned our friend, along one of his pastors for a full day. They were bullied and threatened, but in failing to intimidate them, the authorities eventually released them.

I'm reminded of the story of Peter who similarly was arrested for his faith and put in chains. During that time, the people prayed fervently and God sent his angel to deliver him.

"Then the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shown in the prison and the chains fell off his hands." Acts 12:7

The Cost and Impact

The stories of some of the Vietnamese Christian leaders we have worked with are nothing short of incredible. Their zeal and determination is extraordinary. So I have spent some quality time during this visit working with one of these leaders, capturing some of the amazing testimonies that have taken place in the post-1975 church in Vietnam. Through the courage and dedication of these brethren, their tenacity and their brand-marks, the spiritual climate of this nation has been changing.

Illustrating this, one of the pastors we work with asked us to go with him and one of his members, a business leader, to the city of Cu Chi. This business leader had recently bought property to start a new business in that locale. Cu Chi is the site of several battles and extensive tunnel networks used by the Viet Cong. Since 1975 it has become a settlement for hard-core government officials.

The pastor we went with told us about a time several years ago in that very area, when the authorities unsuccessfully chased him in an attempt to incarcerate him. He bears the brand marks of the Lord Jesus.

However, he went on to share that over just the last ten years that the spiritual climate of Cu Chi has changed dramatically. When he reluctantly first accompanied this church member there, he was surprised to find former government officials eagerly asking him questions about the Lord. His plans already include starting a new congregation there.

Expanding Our Reach

We have spent many of our visits working with independent, underground networks of congregations. Yet we also have begun capturing the attention and working with many respected denominational groups. This trip has included special workshops for two denominational groups we haven't worked with before: the Presbyterians and the Assemblies of God. Our time with each was very special.

The Presbyterians are especially meaningful to us as it was a business and spiritual leader from their group who almost seven years ago took us deep into the countryside over dirt roads to minister in an area where I served when I first came to Vietnam in 1966.

We are also very close to a Vietnamese pastor in Denver who was sent out to oversee the Vietnamese Presbyterians in Denver. Before departing on this trip, we brought the Sunday message to this wonderful group of American-Vietnamese.

Those attending our community development program from the AOG were members of the business community, many owning their own businesses. They were extremely attentive to the strategies I outlined for making the Lord their Senior Partner and developing community-building strategies for their businesses. I learned during the course of the seminar that some had even invited friends to attend.

At the conclusion of this workshop, a man came up to me who was brimming with joy.  He told me how much he had enjoyed the workshop and....would it be possible for him to become a Christian? I was honored to lead him in a prayer committing his life to the Lord.

The Unexpected

One of the people we met a couple of years ago is a Vietnamese-American. His dad, a Vietnamese pastor, served as a chaplain prior to 1975. Our friend was raised to serve the Lord. He spent time as a US Marine infantryman in the Iraq war. He has since moved to Vietnam where he met his wife and now teaches at a local university.

What has developed unexpectedly was that he gave his boss a synopsis of my "business school of values." His boss's response was very positive and we agreed to discuss the possibilities on our next trip.

Orphans

In addition to their own daughter, our Vietnamese-American friend is among those we know in Vietnam who have adopted and are raising a (previously) homeless orphan.

Our friend who first took us to minister in my former operating area is a business owner called as a true modern-day Joseph. In addition to his own two children, he has adopted seven orphans. To watch the unselfish love with which he and his wife have given to the family they are raising has been inspiring. He also is a blessing to his rural home-town where he has given several scholarships to send young people from poorer families to attend high school and college.

Carol has been working with a group of 36 orphan three hours north of our base. The children look forward, expectantly, to her arrival. On our last trip, items she had brought the children were lost when the latch on one of our bags malfunctioned. So on this trip she hand-carried the little toy trucks and cars for the boys and dolls for the girls. She indicated it was a time of great joy for them all.

The Timothy Project

The expectation of forward movement with the Timothy Project, an effort that mobilizes successful business people to work with the younger generation on establishing businesses God's way, experienced a temporary setback. 

Nevertheless, we have contacted others who share this same vision of Vietnamese helping Vietnamese who are eager, ready and prepared to move forward. We believe the initial traction will be restored and hope to see movement forward when we return in late January.

Emerging Focus

Those who bear the brand marks of the Lord Jesus are ones who have passed a threshold in the natural. Their dedication has unveiled important dimensions of God's heart. That always involves Israel and the fulfillment of the promises made long ago to Abraham. God's heart for Israel will provide the keys to unlock key emerging agendas. In this regard, the importance of the marketplace cannot be overstated.

Our collaborations with the Vietnamese have involved those who have traversed the fire and emerged without the smell of smoke, who fully grasp what God is doing in the marketplace and who deeply yearn to be connected to Israel. In a forum a matter of days ago, we began discussing a summit that would address a pressing question involving the emerging Josephs: "Where do we put our funds in terms of what the future holds and in terms of maximizing the return for both Israel and the Kingdom."

There is a move underway being orchestrated by the Holy Spirit that is converging these priorities of God's heart and we would ask for your prayers in terms of discerning and acting on our part in it.

Luke 15:22 tells about Silas and Judas who, being prophets, went about encouraging and strengthening the brethren. That describes a very key aspect of our mantle. We've been "sent" to Vietnam not to establish ourselves, but rather to play a role in strengthening and developing timely strategies for those who have been prepared and are at the forefront of God's heart and agendas.

Our focus targets the faithful persecuted who have embraced God's heart for the marketplace and Israel. In so doing, we serve as deployment mobilizers and trainers who equip these brethren with strategies to release God's presence to change the spiritual climate and prepare in establishing the alliances to fulfill their mandates.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and making these efforts possible.

Morris-copy 
Morris Ruddick
Global Initiative Foundation
www.strategic-initiatives.org
www.strategicintercession.org

Global Initiatives is a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt ministry

Love For His People Editor's Note: We support the ministry of Morris and Carol monthly for their work in Vietnam, and Israel. We encourage you to do the same!

Please visit his website (info just above) for further info.

Shalom,

Steve & Laurie Martin
Founders
Love For His People, Inc.