Preparing the Spiritual Atmosphere by Morris Ruddick
God’s original assignment for man was that of dominion. From the time of the Fall, through the ages, to the glimpse of the climax seen by John on Patmos, the trajectory for God’s people has been that of restoration. A trajectory historically accompanied by ample conflict.
It is the restoration of the beacon flowing ….with what it means to be a culture within a culture. It is the authority and anointing that accompanies maturity. It releases the power to embrace the responsibility.
And it requires the preparation to enable the Lord to do His part in taking the offensive ….in the strategic change of restoration in this age-old conflict. The process of this mandate was captured uniquely during a time of conflict with the words God imparted to Jeremiah:
“You are my battle-axe and weapon of war. Through you, I will break nations in pieces. Through you, I will destroy kingdoms and strongholds. And I will repay Babylon and Chaldea.” Jer 51:20, 24
This dramatic assignment conforms with those gleaned by Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel ….along with the prophetic highlights imparted to John by Jesus of the final conflict when God’s people make their final stand against the prince of darkness.
This execution of this dual-thrust of God and His people …..merging the authority and anointing of God’s people taking their stand …..with the unlimited power from on High, requires the preparation of the spiritual atmosphere.
When the Authority and Anointing Combine with Unity
This preparation was captured, as the leadership and generation-changed, with the Lord’s instructions to Joshua before taking the offensive in entering the promised land.
The time when Joshua replaced Moses was dramatic. With the extended judgment having passed, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, it comprised a new and very eager generation. The words, engendering expectation and faith, that came from the Lord were strong and direct. It was time. The Lord was about to demonstrate His awesome power in fulfilling His promises. But there were conditions to be met by God’s people.
The people faced a time of getting ready, meaningfully preparing for a season beyond their expectations. Overshadowing the readiness task was its link to preparing the spiritual atmosphere.
Through consecration, they were about to become a part of change so powerful, it would impact everything in the path before them. THe words of Joshua that the Lord was about to do wonders among them, fails to fully capture the realities they were about to encounter. They had heard about the parting of the Red Sea. But this would be beyond anything they had ever experienced.
The cost began with their preparation …..the consecration. This preparation, together with God’s power, would lead into taking the actions that would electrify and change the spiritual atmosphere ….and release wonders.
“So consecrate yourselves, for the Lord will do wonders among you.” Joshua 3:5
Consecrate means to set apart; to be devoted irrevocably to God, to His Holy purposes. It entails ridding oneself ….which ranges from mind-sets to behaviors ….of anything contrary to one’s identity-in-God and the divine assignment at hand.
This dynamic of preparation is twofold. First it took place not just on an individual and tribal basis, but on a national basis. AND this generation of Israel was “all-in.”
“So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.” Joshua 1:16-18
Secondly, the preparation was short-lived. It was the spiritual re-boot needed to move forward in taking the action needed to align with the thrust intended by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Cost for God’s Purpose of Restoration
Understanding God’s age-old pattern of restoration helps in grasping the focus of the assignment for God’s people with priorities that come from on High, from age to age. It reflects the dynamic that has taken place from Moses to Joshua to David ….to the climax of the confrontations of evil in John’s Revelations.
The significance in the preparation in each of these head-on confrontations with evil …..is that they would begin with changing the spiritual atmosphere.
It is preparation that is not designed to take on a life of its own, but rather to prepare for action. Action that will not presume, but be accompanied by the evidence of “wonders” from on-High. The preparation is accompanied by the commitment needed …..to avoid the love of the world, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.
Perhaps a glimmer of insight might be found in the circumstances faced by believers who reside in today’s Iran …whose lives have aligned with living according to the standard expressed in John of “the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, loving their lives not unto death.”
Pretty severe? When it is recognized that the destination intended by the subtleties of darkness is death, it is not. Joshua outlined the practicalities:
“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:7-8
The Stance that Releases God’s Wonders
“Being all-in” takes strength and courage to adhere to the standard, as well as the discipline needed to ensure it is maintained as the top-of-mind priority. It also entails the cost of one’s identity in
the Lord being sufficient to becoming a specific target ….and the process admonished in John that goes with embracing the blood of the Lamb with the word of their testimony …that of loving not their lives unto death.
Maintaining such a stance engenders being released into a place under the shadow of His wings. AND with that, an authority that accompanies the assignment. As the dynamic manifests and takes root, it captures the attention of that “great cloud of witnesses” described in the Book of Hebrews.
Despite a world that views priorities and issues through the lens of geopolitics, the focus from on-High represents something far greater, yet far more subtle. That priority is the cause of freedom. Genuine freedom underscores the Jewish Torah message and the principles in governing and operating a God-centric society. Freedom bears significance in God’s “order,” a matter deemed worth fighting for, despite our misplaced loss of the significance of God’s order in the Hebrew word “shalom” or peace.
Recent Generation Examples of Atmosphere Change
Changing the spiritual atmosphere, as indicated by the admonition to consecrate, begins with the household of faith. But it doesn’t stop there. It gleans the instructions for moving into action. The only question then is what does that action, that culture-penetrating action from on-high look like in a twenty-first century world.
Perhaps we can gain insight from a review of what we would call “moves of God” that have taken place in the last generation. There has been one factor tied to each that has accompanied this reach for consecration. Likewise, in each instance there has been a correlation between these moves of God and a significant advancement of what God has been doing in modern-day Israel. These developments have been noted in previous posts for SIGN, yet are worthy of even closer examination.
The first took place in 1948 when, with amazing circumstances, against all odds in a time of war, this age-old process of restoration resulted in, once again within the Land promised to Abraham, of Israel becoming a nation. Just as amazingly, in that same year, in the US alone, 250 healing ministries began gaining attention ….with the restoration of the supernatural that was being demonstrated, having not been seen for some time even close to this level.
Then in another time of conflict in Israel, in 1967, Israel regained control of Jerusalem. Similarly, two key dynamics were underway within the Church. There was a massive move of God among Jews coming to the Lord ….yet uniquely maintaining their Jewish identities in a movement being labeled as the Messianic Jewish revival.
Simultaneously and accompanied by some overlap was the Jesus movement and restoration of the gifts of the Spirit within the Church that began being referred to as the Charismatic Renewal. Since that time, the Messianic Jewish congregations in the US have grown from a mere handful to over a thousand, with its spread manifesting internationally. In Israel, the call of Aliyah that began in those days has resulted in a third generation of an Israeli Messianic Jewish community, now being over 30,000.
The Subtle Catalyst for Birthing and Change
The thread that has accompanied each of these developments has been the groundswell of independent and coordinated prayer movements.
Today, many are now pointing to the October 7th conflict and the resulting war with Iran as being the flashpoint for this next step of restoration from on-High. Never has there been a time in this last generation when the call to prepare, to consecrate for what the Lord is about to do, been more critical.
Globally, a mosaic of Kingdom-initiatives are in the birthing stages. Globally, the prayer movements that accompanied the birth of Israel and then Israel regaining control of Jerusalem are gaining in unity. It represents a groundswell from nations from across sub-Haharan Afrika to nations across Asia ….each monitoring news developments regarding what God has been doing in the restoration of Israel.
The thrust of this ministry has long been in understanding the times, to know what to do. In paying heed to this focus, it is a time when those prepared, consecrated …..and gathering to pray …..would begin to recognize the authority they wield to change the spiritual atmosphere ….for what the Lord is about to do.
Gaining Clarity, Focus and Momentum
Likewise, it is a time to recognize and bypass the mounting, seductive distractions to gain clarity and unity in mobilizing the strategic prayer-initiatives being birthed globally.
These prayer-initiatives target the parallel move of God of restoration that the Lord is doing simultaneously in Israel and within the Church. The “next-step” of restoration from on-High from the steps the Lord has already orchestrated in 1948 and 1967 following the dramatic outcomes of the military conflicts that Israel underwent in those days.
In discerning these next steps, many have begun pointing to a massive move of Aliyah, the return of the Jews to their homeland, and I wouldn’t disagree. It will be a part. But there is more. Much more and we need to be focused, consecrated and mobilized.
While the events of 1948 and 1967 have manifested with a keen role played by the Church in the US, what is before us will also, but will shift globally to incorporate key roles played by the emergence of the persecuted and oppressed in the Church’s move of restoration.
So, as these days unfold, it is a time to be living consecrated lifestyles, to be giving keen heed to the regular practice of communion, to giving pause in praying for those who have spitefully used and been the persecutors. Doing so will release the clarity needed for the big-picture as this grand-strategy of mobilization conforms to what the Lord will be doing from on-High. It’s a time to bypass personal tripping points in order to penetrate and take authority over the shadows concealed by darkness. It’s a time to run, not walk in being connected, whether in going two-by-two or in gathering to pray with interactive, small prayer groups.
The Apostle Paul wrote the Ephesians about the correlation between spiritual maturity, this momentum and each one doing his part. As God spoke to Jeremiah of those things He would do through Jeremiah ….to break nations in pieces, destroy kingdoms and strongholds, with those wonders being established, there would come a time when He would sovereignly deal with Babylon and Chaldea, the age-old princes behind the world’s and darkness’ powers. It all begins with “so consecrate yourselves,” as we prepare the spiritual atmosphere for what He is about to do.
______________________________
If you have been blessed, or in any way helped by this message then please consider posting it on your Facebook page. If you have received it on your Facebook page, then please SHARE it with those on your page. Previous articles and videos are available for you to peruse on this web-site.
Thank you for those who partner with us to donate. We are set up to process donations internationally with most major credit cards or by Paypal by clicking the following link:
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=EPUUZEZQP28SC
Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner of the Joseph-calling and God’s economy message, being an international voice for the higher dimensions of spiritual game-changers and intercessors since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation, the Strategic Intercession Global Network [SIGN] and designer of the God’s Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program and the Jewish Business Secrets YouTube series, Mr. Ruddick’s messages equip leaders and economic community builders with strategy where God’s light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.
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;” “Leadership by Anointing;” and “Mantle of Fire,” which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.
In keeping with this message on prayer-movements, I would like to recommend “Raise Up a Battle Cry” by Stephania Grani. It is a valuable resource of anointed prayers that will appeal to both the seasoned and those just getting acquainted with intercession. It is available at www.Amazon.com
Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to 3838 South Wabash Street, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at https://strategic-initiatives.org/donate/
safe-places. Not only to experience, but to embrace as the mode in our journeys as mature spiritual beings in navigating this world.
reality. It’s a reality that transcends the natural order of things; a reality where God consistently abides. A reality that is a direct affront to the gatekeepers of darkness. So, being different, being a forerunner in raising the banner represents far, far more than just living by higher moral standards, although it is certainly that.
influence are making a difference, again pointing to and triggering the encouragement of that great cloud of witnesses. Indeed, it was not for nothing that the writer of Hebrews so strongly advised it being time to push beyond the basics with the spiritual practices associated with the mature. The admonishment is to ACT in creating the ripples that reflect being carriers of His Presence.
One of the examples we encountered in a land of persecution took place in a remote Russian city, with a young, growing congregation that boldly sought to purchase a palace once occupied by Lenin and his inner circle. Their goal was to turn it into a community center. The Jewish community has long learned the value of community centers.
dark spirits they would encounter. He told them to give focus to proclaiming the Kingdom of God; and to heal the sick.
and doing so at the highest levels. It then is maintaining the standard, that is higher still. The lure is in underestimating and ignoring the change, its implications … and subtle connections to both encroaching darkness and opportunity.
Alarmingly, the alternative filters have not only become anti-Biblical, but have the seeds of being a higher morality contrary to the foundations of sound values and the infrastructures upholding civilized society. A steady diet of mainstream media leans toward subtle precepts in line with destruction and anarchy. During the rise of Nazi Germany, Hitler took complete control of the communication systems, resulting in only the most fervent and discerning getting a realistic grasp of reality and truth. His inner-circle strategy, labeled the Big Lie, was based on the presentation of issues so preposterous that people would tend to believe.
with those who have transcended the natural realm to be transformed by His Presence. God’s covenants have matured over time and extend from Abraham to Moses to David to Jesus.
As a young believer, one of my two very spiritually-seasoned mentors gave me wisdom on this factor of responding to reality. He explained that if we can get the door opened sufficiently …. through the veil separating the natural and spiritual worlds …. to get a glimpse, it will be enough. It underscores the importance of what may seem as small-things, in the glimmers we get from on-High. Throughout the history of God’s people, more often than not, it has been the simple things that have confounded the wise.
That includes understanding the realities of the spiritual atmosphere ….. which can make you a target … as the gloves have been taken off by the practitioners of wickedness.
that Saul digressed into, when given the opportunity to put a stop in his attempts to kill David, David responded with honor, refusing to touch God’s anointed. It bears a fine-line distinction in the conflict between darkness and Light, but an important one tied to being instruments of God’s purpose, reflectors of His radiance and nature.