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Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Sights and Sounds of Jerusalem ✡ "Abraham My Friend"
MILESTONE WORDS © Morris E. Ruddick
MILESTONE WORDS
© Morris E. Ruddick
April 29, 2013 Note:
About a month ago, I was uniquely led to go back and review milestone words the
Lord has imparted to me over the years. I found it a riveting experience. Our natural
tendency is to be either overwhelmed or side-tracked with short-sighted
minutiae, rather than keeping our eyes on God’s big-picture goals.
Those
at the forefront need to overcompensate for the seductive traps, whether
personal, cultural or doctrinal. The bar has been raised. Imparting righteous
power in corrupt, defiled settings is not possible without God. We’ve entered a
season in which the Western hop-skip-halleluiah model will fall short. May
these words from my journey stir you in yours.
Morris
________________________________
“Is not My word like
a fire?” says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
Jer 23:29
The
heroes of faith operated in oneness with the priorities and issues of God’s
heart, without any vestige of variation between Truth and what they heardfrom the Spirit. Their impact on
history was defined by their view of things from a big-picture God perspective.
They heard from God and they embraced His word, regardless the cost. That’s
commitment that requires discipline. It’s also the foundation for maturity.
While
intimately concerned with the details impacting the lives of individuals, the
Lord’s priorities are strategic. He orchestrates things from the stance of
generations and the community of His people within a generation. As I look back
over four decades of walking with the Lord; that walk has been shaped by a
series of milestone words God has imparted that have raised the bar with a
long-term, big-picture perspective.
My
walk with the Lord began in the early 70s with a dramatic encounter as I was
seeking to know Him, to really know Him. I was serious and understood the
realities. At that juncture, I had spent over two years of my life in heavy
combat as a US Marine. I understood what it meant to believe in something
bigger than myself and I understood the importance of the dynamics of
discipline and commitment.
With
the years that have passed since my salvation experience, I recently was
prompted to outline key words the Lord has spoken to me over the years; personal
milestone words shaping my calling, my priorities and who I am. As one of my
mentors during those days once shared with me; if we can just get the door open
sufficiently to capture a glimmer spiritually from God’s perspective, it will
be enough.
The
Priority
That first encounter; the first time I ever heard the voice of the Lord came from a time of spiritual seeking. Having been brought up in the church, I understood basic precepts of faith, but while I knew about Him, I really didn’t know God. Having met people who did, I was hungry for that reality. An old combat friend, Ted Gatchel, wisely just stuffed a New Testament in my shirt pocket, telling me that I’d find what I was looking for in God’s word of truth.
That first encounter; the first time I ever heard the voice of the Lord came from a time of spiritual seeking. Having been brought up in the church, I understood basic precepts of faith, but while I knew about Him, I really didn’t know God. Having met people who did, I was hungry for that reality. An old combat friend, Ted Gatchel, wisely just stuffed a New Testament in my shirt pocket, telling me that I’d find what I was looking for in God’s word of truth.
My
spiritual hunger increased. Finally, I began plowing through Matthew, then
Mark, Luke and John. After starting the book of Acts, I found myself pausing as
I read the story of Stephen. Stephen was facing a life and death situation
without hesitation or waffling. It was a commitment I could relate to. He knew
what he believed in.
The
combat encounters I had had in which I didn’t know whether I would come out of
them alive probably numbered more than three dozen. As I reflected on Stephen’s
story, one of a man willing to die for what he believed in, I began reflecting
on what I believed in; what I had been willing to die for: my country, my
Marine Corps, to be remembered for being able to face the ultimate test with
honor.
At
that point, I heard the voice of the Lord for the first time. In light of what
had been going through my mind at the time, He simply asked me: “Would you be
willing to do that for Me?” With that question, I understood who Jesus was and
what was being asked of me; was I willing to make the Lord the priority I had
made as a US Marine. Knowing the cost and commitment, my response was
immediate: “Yes Sir!”
The
Mission
My encounter with the Lord had taken place on a training mission in the Caribbean. Upon arriving home, I found that remarkably my wife Carol had had a similar personal, life-changing encounter with the Lord. Spiritually, we were like sponges. Then, having found an active Bible-believing church, we read great swaths of the Word of God, attended Bible studies, participated in fellowship gatherings and counseled with our pastor.
My encounter with the Lord had taken place on a training mission in the Caribbean. Upon arriving home, I found that remarkably my wife Carol had had a similar personal, life-changing encounter with the Lord. Spiritually, we were like sponges. Then, having found an active Bible-believing church, we read great swaths of the Word of God, attended Bible studies, participated in fellowship gatherings and counseled with our pastor.
At
that juncture, I came in contact with a simple phrase that became like a fire
in my soul: “God has a perfect plan for your life.” I had chosen a good plan,
one that I’d been excelling in with my military career; but what God began
holding out before me was the prospect of a higher purpose, a plan for my life
that would redirect my mission to one that served Him directly.
I
really didn’t know what God had in store for me, other than the fact that I
would be serving Him. I suspected my future and my calling might involve a role
within what was at the time becoming known as the “para-church ministry,” but
the reality is that when I resigned my Marine Corps commission, what Carol and
I stepped into was something akin to an Abrahamic journey.
Knowing
the importance of preparing, although I already had a college degree, I
enrolled in Oral Roberts University where I could dig deeper into God’s word
and be immersed in a Christian culture. In the interim, we served as full-time
trainee-ministers for a small AG ministry, participated in intense Bible
training and helped start a coffee-house ministry.
The
time at Oral Roberts University was filled with studies, activities and
relationships that laid the foundation. At the core of this setting was the
mantle to “Train up young people who hear God’s voice to go to where God’s
light is dim.” Additionally, the value of my time at ORU was punctuated by two
mentors, Paul McClendon and Harold Fisher. These incredible men of the Spirit
had prayer lives, a strategic outlook and a spiritual maturity that set the
standard for what lay ahead. Toward the end of the year we spent at ORU, the
Lord led me to enroll in a graduate program at a local secular university. Not
long into this program, I began to realize I may have bitten off more than I
could chew.
The
Gift
The program I was in had required courses in statistics, which I had no background in. Somehow the school had overlooked this with my entrance into the program. I soon found myself scrambling and going to the professor for extra help.
The program I was in had required courses in statistics, which I had no background in. Somehow the school had overlooked this with my entrance into the program. I soon found myself scrambling and going to the professor for extra help.
Then
in the midst of what seemed as sinking sands I was encountering with this
required course work in research designs and statistics, the Lord spoke a clear
word to me from Psalm 119. That word was: “I’ll make you wiser than your teachers.”
Yet,
my efforts didn’t begin to approach what this word suggested. Despite rapt
attention during classes, fervent study, getting extra help and praying, I was
not grasping the subject matter. Then far too quickly, we were facing a
mid-term exam.
My
faith shaken, I began to think that somehow I had misfired with what I thought
I had heard from God to enroll in this program. The night before the exam,
having done all I knew to do, I repented for my presumption. The next day I
felt no better as I walked into the exam. I placed my name on the exam paper
and read the first question. The only way I can describe what happened was that
it was like curtains were pulled back and I had complete understanding of what
the question asked.
I
went through the entire exam that way. As I read each question, not the answer
but understanding was imparted. I was pretty excited as I turned in my paper
and left the room. Outside were some of the better students in the class,
complaining about how hard the exam was. The star pupil stated he thought it
was the hardest test in the subject he had ever had. Doubt encroached at my
door and my faith went through the floor.
A
week later the professor, with a scowl on his face, entered the classroom with
our graded papers in hand. He growled that the median grade was a 62 and he
then proceeded to call out the name of each student along with their grade, as
he handed the graded exams out.
One
doctoral candidate had a 29. The class star had a 73. Finally he called my name
and stopped. He looked down again at the paper and then at me and back at the
paper. I had a 98. Clearly something supernatural had taken place. Fulfilling
the word from Psalm 119 I had to take independent studies in multivariate
statistics and psychometric designs to complete the task I had embraced for my
thesis. God had given me a gift that would become foundational in the work I
was to do.
The
Gateway
During this time, we had developed a unique relationship with a man who was a partner in a media ministry in South Africa. Our friend Peter Church had been visiting the US to gather information to help with his plans for a Christian media production and entertainment center. I had been invited to become General Manager of this operation upon completion of my graduate program coursework. Then with a matter of weeks before our intended departure, Peter’s plans changed. He and his partner had a falling out and Peter and his family had decided to immigrate to the land of milk and money (the US).
During this time, we had developed a unique relationship with a man who was a partner in a media ministry in South Africa. Our friend Peter Church had been visiting the US to gather information to help with his plans for a Christian media production and entertainment center. I had been invited to become General Manager of this operation upon completion of my graduate program coursework. Then with a matter of weeks before our intended departure, Peter’s plans changed. He and his partner had a falling out and Peter and his family had decided to immigrate to the land of milk and money (the US).
So,
here I was having left a stable career in which I was excelling; approaching
the end of my time of retooling, without any prospects whatsoever before me.
While in prayer, I asked the Lord for an answer to what I should be expecting.
He gave me one. With clarity, I heard Him say that I was going to be a
consultant. Without even a realistic idea of what that meant and without any
formal background in business, this word strangely gave me great peace.
Then,
having put this “word” on a shelf, I found myself becoming very practical with
the need to obtain employment to support my family. Following up on an interest
in the advertising world, I learned from one executive I spoke with of an
opening that existed within a firm that he seemed convinced that I’d be perfect
for. His conclusion was based on the “gift” God had given me with research
designs.
So,
without really understanding what I was pursuing, I followed up on his
suggestion. What unfolded was something of a whirlwind that resulted in my
being hired by this firm. What I didn’t realize during this process was that I
had just been hired by a research-based consulting firm.
The
Calling
During those early days in my new “career,” again I was in prayer trying to grasp how this all fit together on this pathway, this adventure that was unfolding with the Lord at the helm. At that juncture, the Lord spoke a word to me that riveted me and subsequently defined the path of my calling. The words the Lord spoke to me were:
“Just as in the days of Joseph and Daniel, I am going to bring out mighty works at your hand. As you are led into the midst of the world, kings, rulers and leaders will be converted and humbled. You’ll work beside them and your counsel will be heeded for their good.”
During those early days in my new “career,” again I was in prayer trying to grasp how this all fit together on this pathway, this adventure that was unfolding with the Lord at the helm. At that juncture, the Lord spoke a word to me that riveted me and subsequently defined the path of my calling. The words the Lord spoke to me were:
“Just as in the days of Joseph and Daniel, I am going to bring out mighty works at your hand. As you are led into the midst of the world, kings, rulers and leaders will be converted and humbled. You’ll work beside them and your counsel will be heeded for their good.”
Once
again, I had received a word that I didn’t fully understand. However, I knew
that I had heard from the Lord and it brought great peace.
The
Spiritual Gift
Then came another unexpected word that has complemented the natural gift the Lord had given me. While on a business trip for my employer, I checked into my hotel. As I went into the room to drop my bags, I noticed an open Gideon Bible on a table across the room. The thought passed through my mind: “I wonder if the Lord has a word for me.” So I went over to this open Bible and my eyes fell upon Jeremiah 51:20:
“You are My battle-ax and weapon of war; for with you I will break nations in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms and strongholds.”
Then came another unexpected word that has complemented the natural gift the Lord had given me. While on a business trip for my employer, I checked into my hotel. As I went into the room to drop my bags, I noticed an open Gideon Bible on a table across the room. The thought passed through my mind: “I wonder if the Lord has a word for me.” So I went over to this open Bible and my eyes fell upon Jeremiah 51:20:
“You are My battle-ax and weapon of war; for with you I will break nations in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms and strongholds.”
I
was gripped by this word, but couldn’t seem to see its application in what the
Lord had been telling me that I was to do. I left for the meetings I had set
up. That evening, I opened my own Bible to read and it just happened to fall
open to Jeremiah 51:20. I pondered it and prayed. The next morning as I opened
my Bible; to spend some time in the word to start my day, it again opened to
Jeremiah 51:20. I knew God was telling me something, but I just wasn’t sure
what it was.
Upon
returning from this business trip, we met with some friends who we prayed with
who were older and much wiser in the things of God than we were. I shared my
Jeremiah 51:20 experience. Connie replied that “Maybe the Lord is leading you
into some type of intercession ministry.” My off-the-cuff response was “I know,
but there’s something more to it than that.” Actually I hadn’t “known” that,
but the process was serving as a catalyst to unveiling a prophetic and
authority dimension to my calling as a consultant that would become very key in
the days ahead.
During
the next three years, I began learning the tools of the trade; the trade of
being a consultant.
Faith
and Risk
I then had a most unique encounter that I describe in the last chapter of my “God’s Economy” book. The Lord told me I was to start my own business. That first year of business I felt like Peter who had stepped out of the boat to walk on the water and had started sinking. Again, I was taking on something that was far beyond my experience level. I began realizing that faith involves risk and risk carries a cost.
I then had a most unique encounter that I describe in the last chapter of my “God’s Economy” book. The Lord told me I was to start my own business. That first year of business I felt like Peter who had stepped out of the boat to walk on the water and had started sinking. Again, I was taking on something that was far beyond my experience level. I began realizing that faith involves risk and risk carries a cost.
I
traveled the country, gave presentations and attended conferences. Yet, during that
first year of being in business for myself, very little of what I did seemed to
take root. I managed to sell one (underpriced) assignment during that time,
along with compiling sufficient debt to seriously wonder if we were going to
lose our home.
Then
in a week in time came a most remarkable breakthrough. It began a time of favor
and growth. The next several years the greatest challenge was in keeping up
with the growth. We grew to have offices in three cities and 27 full-time
employees. I was also beginning to realize the fulfillment of the words God had
spoken to me before entering the consulting world about being called like
Joseph and the influence I would have on my clientele.
I
was doing assignments for Fortune 100 companies, as well as a number of
respected media ministries. My firm was like a David amidst a group of Goliaths
in terms of our competitors, consulting firms like Arthur D. Little and Booze
Allen Hamilton. My role as the head of my firm resulted in exploits far beyond
my natural abilities.
For
example, in work I did for Xerox during the early 80s, I recommended that they
enter the facsimile business. It proved to be their most profitable division.
Feedback from clients included statements such as: “It’s like your
recommendations were prophetic.” Such were the words that God had spoken to me
years prior: “Your counsel will be heeded for their good.” Such is the calling
of a modern-day Joseph.
The
Shaking
There was a wonderful season of an upward spiral of opportunity and fast growth. But then came a sudden turn and the bottom dropped out of the primary market we served. We didn’t seem able to back-pedal and downsize fast enough. Sadly we eventually shut down this amazing God-birthed phenomenon. We shut down honorably, but not without much pain in the process.
There was a wonderful season of an upward spiral of opportunity and fast growth. But then came a sudden turn and the bottom dropped out of the primary market we served. We didn’t seem able to back-pedal and downsize fast enough. Sadly we eventually shut down this amazing God-birthed phenomenon. We shut down honorably, but not without much pain in the process.
Simultaneously
one of my clients in the banking industry took over as President of a statewide
financial institution with 34 branch locations that had just undergone serious
losses the year before he joined them. He reached out to me to join him as his
SVP of Marketing and Planning in his role as chief architect of a corporate
turnaround. I’m still not sure which was the frying pan and which was the fire;
between what I had left behind and this new “opportunity.” Details on that stage
in my career are also found in my “God’s Economy” book.
We
completed a successful corporate turnaround, putting the organization back in
touch with the marketplace and restoring profitability. Then came the subtlety
of corporate politics; the games people at my peer level had played that had
brought this firm to the place where they needed the corporate turnaround in
the first place. So it was that the man, who had recruited me and corporately
had become my mentor, became the victim of the ambitions of a dog-eat-dog
culture. Being on the wrong side of this political infighting, I also found
myself without a job.
New
Horizons
As I entered this transition, I became a partner with my old boss in a venture to acquire a failed Savings and Loan. The near-hit of this venture further expanded my horizons, despite the reality of approaching a survival mode financially. I recall when the venture came unraveled that I called the CBN prayer-line. Without any explanation other than the need for restoration, the prayer counselor began her prayer with the words that punctuated my Jeremiah 51:20 gift: “Lord, this man has been a warrior in the natural, but You have made Him a warrior in the spirit.”
Without any knowledge of my background, this woman of God spoke words from the Spirit of the Lord that went deep within me and let me know that despite the circumstances, that I was not adrift, but still in the palm of His hand.
As I entered this transition, I became a partner with my old boss in a venture to acquire a failed Savings and Loan. The near-hit of this venture further expanded my horizons, despite the reality of approaching a survival mode financially. I recall when the venture came unraveled that I called the CBN prayer-line. Without any explanation other than the need for restoration, the prayer counselor began her prayer with the words that punctuated my Jeremiah 51:20 gift: “Lord, this man has been a warrior in the natural, but You have made Him a warrior in the spirit.”
Without any knowledge of my background, this woman of God spoke words from the Spirit of the Lord that went deep within me and let me know that despite the circumstances, that I was not adrift, but still in the palm of His hand.
Then
further into this transition time as the intensity of the turbulence seemed to
be peaking, I took time to seek the Lord in fasting and prayer. I began asking
the Lord some hard questions such as why my obedience seemed to be reaping such
turbulent consequences. His very simple, but profound answer was because He
called me into an “interlinking between secular enterprises with overriding
Kingdom objectives.” Again, without much of an understanding of what that
really meant, but because it was clearly a word from the Lord, it brought peace
to my heart. What God was doing in my situation was progressively raising the
bar.
Despite
the darkness and hurdles of that season, recovery did come and after an interim
as COO of a group of privately held firms, in a different type of corporate
turnaround, I wound up back in the consulting business. This time the focus was
different, without the goal of building an organization. Instead I found myself
spending almost equal time between money-generating assignments and special
projects I was doing pro-bono for mission organizations. My activities involved
the start of several unique ministries tied to the prophetic and renewal
movements.
Raising
the Bar
However after almost a quarter of a century of walking with the Lord, it was in late 1995 that a major shift took place in my calling. It began at a time I discovered the potential wonder of an Internet search engine. With part of my consulting track record being within the media, I wanted to know if Christians were seizing the opportunity represented by this new medium of the Internet. Specifically, as I sat before my 14 inch computer screen and began putting words into this “tool” called a search engine, there was a burning in my heart to know if Christians were using the Internet to address strategic-level issues impacting the Body globally through intercession.
However after almost a quarter of a century of walking with the Lord, it was in late 1995 that a major shift took place in my calling. It began at a time I discovered the potential wonder of an Internet search engine. With part of my consulting track record being within the media, I wanted to know if Christians were seizing the opportunity represented by this new medium of the Internet. Specifically, as I sat before my 14 inch computer screen and began putting words into this “tool” called a search engine, there was a burning in my heart to know if Christians were using the Internet to address strategic-level issues impacting the Body globally through intercession.
So,
I began putting words into the search engine and coming up with web-sites. For
each web-site I identified, I would write them and ask if they or anyone they
knew were using the Internet to address strategic-level issues impacting the
Body through intercession. I received over 50 negative replies before getting a
response from a pastor named Rich Carey who also said no, but that he had a
vision to do so. The next day, I received an email from a brother with a
computer server and subsequently with a brother with a key role in the
Messianic Jewish movement, we formed a group we called the Strategic
Intercession Global Network (SIGN).
My
new partners came back to me with the wisdom that I had the anointing for this
agenda, so it was to be my responsibility.
As
I began asking the Lord for clarity on these strategic-level issues, I began
realizing what I was seeking to identify were the issues closest to God’s
heart. The Lord answered me and very clearly began showing me that the pivot
point was Israel and the Jewish people. He let me know that the persecuted/
oppressed church was very close to His heart; and He began giving me a glimpse
into a coming move of God in the marketplace that would culminate in a time not
unlike the time of Joseph the Patriarch.
As
I began praying into these issues, the Lord set the stage for my writing
efforts by giving me a blackout in terms of reading books or listening to tapes
of what others were saying about these things. In other words, the source for
what I was praying into and then turning into articles for this growing SIGN
list was to be my prayer closet and the Word of God. Period. Punto.
What
the Lord began with this new initiative and the parameters I was to follow
required a new level of trust in what I was hearing in my prayer closet. Over
the handful of years that followed, I prayed and I wrote, creating articles
that defined and gave perspective to strategic-level issues impacting the Body;
ones I was discerning as being close to God’s heart. Because of the track
record with my own calling, I gave special focus to the marketplace issues and
those surrounding the Joseph-Daniel calling. Additionally, my confidence in
hearing His voice increased as God was progressively raising the bar.
Applications
for Change
All this involved more than just prayer. There were tangible steps bearing on applying what was being imparted in my prayer closet. In 1997 at the GCOWE mission gathering in Pretoria, South Africa that hosted almost 6000 mission delegates from 155 nations, I gave my first talk on the calling of Joseph.
All this involved more than just prayer. There were tangible steps bearing on applying what was being imparted in my prayer closet. In 1997 at the GCOWE mission gathering in Pretoria, South Africa that hosted almost 6000 mission delegates from 155 nations, I gave my first talk on the calling of Joseph.
During
this time-frame, one of our Messianic Jewish friends, Barbara Fox brought a
most unusual word to me. As a mature intercessor, she came to me with something
she had received while praying for me. That word was that: “Your calling will
map out, build up and bring wealth into Israel and the nations.”
In
1998, in Israel, I was a part of the planning and executive committee that
birthed a Jewish believer-directed initiative called “The Joseph Project,” a
consortium of Christians and Jews bringing humanitarian aid to assist new
Israeli immigrants.
In
1999, I was sent to Ethiopia by my friend Bob Winer to make an evaluation of
business opportunity for a persecuted group of believers whose heritage was
Jewish. At that point, I had spent time in an array of underdeveloped nations.
However, the level of poverty within this group of believers assaulted my
sensibilities. I found myself crying out to the Lord with a prayer: “Lord,
these are your people. I know You must have an answer and I know its not a
Western MBA approach.”
Within
a month, my regular Bible reading program had me back in the book of
Deuteronomy. At that point in my walk with the Lord I had probably read through
this book of the Bible close to 50 times. Yet, I have to confess that, aside
from individual premises, I had never seen the big-picture of what this book
outlined.
During
this reading, however, it was like scales fell off my eyes and I began seeing
the principles for operating a God-centered, entrepreneurial community. That
was the model. I began realizing that these principles incorporate the wisdom
that has made the Jewish people such overcomers in the face of adversity over
the centuries.
The
notes from that reading of Deuteronomy became the seedbed for the birth of the
economic community development program that I was to begin taking to segments
of the church living under persecution and oppression. Step by step, the Lord
gave definition to the elements comprising the wisdom of the ages of how God
has enabled His people, in business and government, to be the head and not the
tail and to influence the communities and cultures around them.
Together
with what I had already been uncovering through prayer concerning the mantles
of Joseph and Daniel, this program that I began referring to as the God’s
economy entrepreneurial program began making a difference in some of the most
difficult spiritual and economic environments. Using the same approach I was
employing for the SIGN ministry (giving primary focus to the Word of God and
revelation through prayer), what evolved was a practical program to make God’s
people, through business leadership to be the head and not the tail. Its Jewish
foundations dovetailed uniquely with Jesus’ Kingdom message whereby God’s
people become a true light to those around them, as they lead by serving.
Set
Times
Then, following the application of this program in regions ranging from Israel to Eastern Europe, Russia and Africa, I was in mainland China giving a talk on the call of God into business. It was early 2008. Early in this trip, I met a man, Gerry Denbok, who had just come back from a mission assignment in Vietnam.
Then, following the application of this program in regions ranging from Israel to Eastern Europe, Russia and Africa, I was in mainland China giving a talk on the call of God into business. It was early 2008. Early in this trip, I met a man, Gerry Denbok, who had just come back from a mission assignment in Vietnam.
Upon
learning about our God’s economy entrepreneurial program, he made a strong case
of the fertile ground and timely need that Vietnam had for this program’s
potential. Within ten days, we had visas, flight reservations and an invitation
to speak to an underground congregation on Easter Sunday.
Having
spent 25 months of my life in this nation as a US Marine in the 60s, I loved
the Vietnamese. Being acquainted with the plight of believers in China during
the cultural revolution, as well as having had glimpses of the persecution in
Vietnam since the 1975 communist takeover, I had given serious time to praying
for the church in Vietnam. The joy I had with this opportunity was such that if
this were the last opportunity I had to go there, I wanted it to be good and to
be God. So, as I prayed about the message I would bring to this Vietnamese
congregation, I simply asked the Lord what His word for the Vietnamese church
was.
The
Lord very clearly gave me a word for them. He said to tell His people in
Vietnam that: “He had made them to be the head and not the tail.” With that as
the theme of my Easter message, I shared with them about our unique economic
community development program that had been transforming communities around the
world.
That
word spread through a network of underground churches. The schedule for my
return trip filled up fast. Two additional month-long schedules with the God’s
economy program in Vietnam followed in the remaining months of that year. With
each trip, we were connected with more leaders intent on bringing our program
to their region of Vietnam.
At
the end of that year, I was taking an annual time alone with the Lord to seek
Him in prayer and for reconsecration. I was 65 at that point in my life. I
asked the Lord a simple question: why hadn’t these wonderful doors of
opportunity reflected by the last few months in Vietnam happened when I was
younger with more vitality to pursue these efforts. The Lord very clearly shot
back at me that it was because: “In your weakness My strength will be more
manifest.” There also were matters involving “set times” that were just then
emerging for the Vietnamese church.
Then
two months later, I was on a layover in Hong Kong, on my way back for still
more of the opportunity unfolding in Vietnam. Our good friend Curtis Jones took
us to a mid-week Bible study at the downtown offices of some committed
believers. They had a special speaker from Australia who had a prophetic gift.
After sharing a dramatic testimony about changing the spiritual climate of an
area previously held in the bondage of witchcraft, this man began ministering
prophetically to people in our group. Without any knowledge of my background,
he came to me with a pointed finger and these words: “You sir, have a calling
like Abraham. God is going to fulfill words He spoke to you decades ago in your
old age. So keep your bags packed and keep going.”
Convergence
and Preparedness
Since that time, our efforts in this unique nation have extended to 17 locales from the far north to deep within the Mekong Delta. In each region, we’ve witnessed change. Scores and scores of businesses have been started and leaders trained and mobilized to employ the enduring model God has used over the centuries to execute the mantle of Abraham, as His people are blessed to be a blessing; and serve a unique leadership role in impacting cultures and changing the spiritual climate around them.
Since that time, our efforts in this unique nation have extended to 17 locales from the far north to deep within the Mekong Delta. In each region, we’ve witnessed change. Scores and scores of businesses have been started and leaders trained and mobilized to employ the enduring model God has used over the centuries to execute the mantle of Abraham, as His people are blessed to be a blessing; and serve a unique leadership role in impacting cultures and changing the spiritual climate around them.
Simultaneously
during this time frame, through the books and writings that have come from my
prayer-closet vigils have come connections with a new generation of leaders.
These leaders grasp the dynamic between the Jewish roots and Jesus’ Kingdom
message. They are ones who understand God’s heart. They are a generation
prepared for the times I wrote about in 1996: “A time of great change in the
infrastructures of the world’s system that will create discontinuities such as
the world has never seen.” These are ones who reflect a key part of that word
as a company of modern-day Josephs and Daniels, who would hear God’s voice and
be prepared to prepare.
The
Discipline: Actively Hearing God and Obeying
Our foundational work among the nations is converging with an outlook toward what God is doing in Israel. As the pivot point of God’s priorities, I see initiatives emerging that will undergird Israel with key roles served by believers from both the persecuted and oppressed segments of the church. It will parallel the time of Joseph, when God used Joseph to prepare in first harnessing the resources for a time a great reversals; but then in setting up a safe-place to administer those resources. Today, the world is marching toward a clash, a climax that will fulfill God’s word in Isaiah 60 with the restoration of His order, first to His covenant people and then to His creation.
Our foundational work among the nations is converging with an outlook toward what God is doing in Israel. As the pivot point of God’s priorities, I see initiatives emerging that will undergird Israel with key roles served by believers from both the persecuted and oppressed segments of the church. It will parallel the time of Joseph, when God used Joseph to prepare in first harnessing the resources for a time a great reversals; but then in setting up a safe-place to administer those resources. Today, the world is marching toward a clash, a climax that will fulfill God’s word in Isaiah 60 with the restoration of His order, first to His covenant people and then to His creation.
The
Word of God is holy. It simultaneously is Truth, God’s heart and His will. It
has the power to define and shape. Yet, its fulfillment takes those willing to
actively hear, embrace and obey His voice (Heb 3:15). The most significant
words God has spoken to me, I didn’t fully grasp at the time. Yet, I embraced
them just like Joseph embraced the dreams God gave him when he was 17. These
are the words that will carry you through the preparation process. God has
always entrusted His purposes to those willing to embrace the cost and
discipline to know Him with listening hearts.
With
these few examples of defining words the Lord has spoken in shaping my destiny,
there is one that personally impacted me the most. At a time when I might have
been considered spiritually mature. I was doing something that seemed to mark
key stages of my walk with the Lord. I was reaching for something more than I
could hope to accomplish in the natural. In doing so, I was searching my heart
for any impurities that may have been lingering or lurking.
At
that point, the Lord spoke as clearly as I have ever heard His voice. He said
very simply: “I trust you, Morris.” Not unlike the experience described in
Isaiah 6:1-6, I was undone, but simultaneously released into a dimension I’m
not sure I can fully describe, except to say that my passions and priorities
simply began flowing with His.
The
heroes of faith of today will be no different from those outlined in the Bible.
It will evolve from being faithful in the little, in giving priority to hearing
and obeying. From this faithful stewardship will unfold the “something more” in
each one’s sphere from the big-picture perspective of God’s heart. The
dimension of trust will differentiate the maturity reflected between the many
who are called and the few who are chosen; those who love not their lives to
the death (Rev 12:11).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Prov 3: 5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Prov 3: 5-6
Milestone Words
by MORRIS RUDDICK on APRIL 29, 2013
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