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.
LOS ANGELES -- Ben-Hur is often called of the greatest stories ever told. On August 19, Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey are delivering new twists and turns in their $100 million remake of the film based on the more than 130-year-old Lew Wallace novel.
"I think that one of the most interesting things about Ben-Hur is that you have this fictional story, set at this time in Jerusalem and it gives a real historical and political context to the world in which Jesus was born, a very complicated time," Downey told CBN News.
"(It was) a time of great civil unrest, and in injustice and heartache and hurt for an enormous amount of people and we are following the journey of these two brothers, Judah and Messala and we literally just kind of bump into Jesus in the market place."
Brother Against Brother
The story pits brother against brother. Jack Huston, who originally had intentions of playing the role of Messala, plays Judah Ben-Hur.
"I thought I had a better shot at getting Messala," Huston said. "I think Messala is one of the great characters. But it was a nice segue way into Judah, because it gave me a very deep understanding of my brother and a deep love for my brother."
The brothers, Judah and Messala, battle in a fierce chariot race, where losing could mean dying.
"We shot the chariots for three months of the six months (of film production)," said Toby Kebbell, who plays Mesalla.
Kebbell and Huston didn't use stunt doubles for the scenes even as their horses reached racing speeds of more than 40 miles per hour.
The chariot scenes got so intense Kebbell says he ended up with a chipped tooth.
"A stone hit me in the tooth," he recalled. "It was actually wonderful. I know that sounds repulsive but it was actually a great experience."
Director Timur Bekmambetov guided the horse racing experience, with cameras at every angle. He watched hours of YouTube videos of NASCAR, formula one, and motorcycle races to prepare.
"It was really important to make this world look real and relatable. In today's world we are watching YouTube videos. It is what we know about the world, we are watching YouTube videos," Bekmambetov said.
An Intimidating Project
The chariot race is what most remember from critically acclaimed 1959 version of the film starring Charlton Heston.
The original movie was one of Burnett's favorites. He said producing a new version was quite intimidating.
"When Gary Barber, the chairman of MGM came to us having seen 'The Bible,' 'Son of God,' and 'A.D.' and realized what we brought to those projects, he thought we would be a good addition to his team," Burnett recalled.
"We talked it through," he explained. "We prayed on it and decided that we should take the challenge, because the opportunity may never come along again."
Re-telling this story is an opportunity many cast members hoped would come their way.
"This story is so relevant to today. I mean there has been turmoil throughout history. But right now you are seeing so much negativity and so much hate spewed out in response to hate," Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Esther, said.
"Martin Luther King said it best: Darkness doesn't drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate doesn't drive out hate. Only love can do that," she said. "This film is about love conquering hate."
Before you cast your vote, consider this. (DorkyMum/Flickr/Creative Commons)
Of Two Evils, 'Neither' Is Not a Choice
You may have seen the meme come across your social media feeds. It's a quote by the fiery preacher and great 19th-century theologian Charles Spurgeon: "Of two evils, choose neither."
I get it. I love reading old Spurgeon sermons and very much appreciate his godly wisdom. I've actually posted this quote on my own social media and felt pretty stinkin' self-righteous about it.
Then it occurred to me. Is it really that simple? Is "choosing neither of two evils" always the right choice? Is it always the wise choice? Is it always the moral choice? What if, God forbid, something like this happened: Let's say that devout Muslims capture you and your family, hold a gun to your head and say, "You have one of two choices: We will either behead your children, or, alternatively, we will cut off your foot, patch you up and send you hobbling along your way. Choose one. If you refuse to choose, we will choose for you."
That's evil. Both choices are evil. Would you "choose the lesser of two evils," or, as Spurgeon suggests, would you "choose neither," thereby sealing your fate and that of your children?
"But that's an unfair analogy!" you say.
OK, I disagree, but let's try another one.
"Imagine our two families are miles from land in a sinking boat," writes pastor John Barber (no relation) at The Aquila Report. "Suddenly, out of the mist, come two boats to save us. One is captained by an adulterer; the other is captained by a thief. Which boat will you get into? You say, 'Neither one. I'm waiting for the evangelical boat which is captained by a devout Christian who will end abortion.' I say, 'You're kidding, right?' You reply, 'Both these guys are reprobates and I'm not going to choose between two evils.'"
To expand on pastor Barber's analogy, let's say that the boat with the thief is worse than first thought. As it approaches we immediately discover that it's crawling with pirates and that if we come onboard, our doom is assured. This certainly limits our options, doesn't it? What now? Does getting on board with the adulterer mean we support adultery, or does it simply mean that, despite his moral failings, we believe he's better equipped to get us to safety?
Indeed, we are on a fast-sinking boat in shark-infested waters, and we're miles from shore with but two boats from which to choose. One of those boats is captained by a thief and full of pirates. The other boat, while certainly imperfect and captained by a fallen, sinful man, at least offers some chance at rescue.
"But there's a third choice!" you say.
Sure, there may be a few pieces of driftwood floating about that represent options three, four or five, but we all know that a piece of driftwood has little chance of saving our families—especially with hungry sharks circling. You may choose a piece of driftwood out of principle, but are you willing to stake the lives of your family on what you perceive as the principled stand?
Doesn't seem that principled to me.
These are perilous times, and we've got difficult choices to make. When we're sinking, sometimes God sends us a boat with a reprobate at the helm. He has a history of doing quite a lot with reprobates.
Will He this time?
God only knows.
Pray hard.
And then pick your boat.
Matt Barberis founder and editor-in chief ofbarbwire.com. He is an author, columnist, cultural analyst and an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. Having retired as an undefeated heavyweight professional boxer, Matt has taken his fight from the ring to the culture war. (Follow Matt on Twitter: @jmattbarber).
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The Crucial Tenet That Inhibits Jews From Seeing Yeshua as the Messiah
Atoning sacrifice is one of the most basic tenets of biblical Judaism. Today, however, Jewish people by and large have disavowed it.
How did this happen? In a previous article, I discussed how misguided reverence for the Oral Law was developed and taught by the rabbinic leadership between 516 B.C.-A.D. 70. This view of Scripture interpreted through Oral Law ultimately contributed to Jewish rejection of Yeshua as Messiah.
Now we consider the next period of Jewish history, A.D. 70-135—from the fall of Jerusalem to the "Gentilization" of the church. What happened during this time inhibits my people even today from seeing Yeshua as their atoning sacrifice.
Temple Sacrifices
The faith of the Jewish people through their history was based on the sacrificial system centered in the tabernacle and later in the temple. One could only approach God by first offering a sacrifice. With that in mind, how could Jewish people today consider sacrificial atonement irrelevant to Judaism?
With the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, the Jewish religious leaders faced an enormous problem: How were they to maintain a people of faith without the prescribed sacrifices at the altar and the temple? Incredibly, the way the religious leaders reinterpreted the meaning of sacrifices 2,000 years ago affects Jewish thought and theology to this day.
Symbolic Sacrifices
Even before the temple was destroyed, sacrifices were seen as symbolic. Philo (20 B.C.-A.D. 40), a Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, Egypt, taught that Temple offerings were mainly symbolic in nature, and wrote that "the offering of domesticated animals [sheep, goats, bullocks] and gentle birds symbolized the submissive offerer." Since these non-aggressive creatures were viewed as the 'persecuted' in the animal world, the rabbis went on to interpret that the offering spoke of the idea that "the one pursued is accepted by God" (Leviticus Rabbah 27:5).
Secondary Sacrifices
Prayer
Since repentance or contrition has always been necessary along with a sacrifice (Lev. 23:27), the removal of the sacrifice merely enhanced repentance as the essential element for atonement. "Prayer," therefore, was considered even "more efficacious than sacrifices" (Talmud Ber. 32b). The rabbis and writers of the Talmud made much of certain Scriptures such as Psalm 51:17—"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit."
Religious Rites
Along with prayer, other religious practices such as fasting came to be seen as equivalent substitutes for sacrifices. Even studying the verses of Scripture on sacrifice was regarded by the rabbis as one having offered the sacrifice: "Whoever occupies himself with the study of Torah needs neither burnt offering, nor meal offering, nor sin offering nor guilt offering" (Talmud Men. 110a). The reciting of the Shema ("Hear O Israel," Deut. 6:4) and the wearing of phylacteries were seen "as if he had built an altar and offered a sacrifice upon it" (Tal. Ber. 15a).
Archaic Sacrifice
Maimonides (famous 12th-century rabbi, Moses ben Maimon) went so far as to declare that sacrifice was archaic religion from which God had weaned Israel. Thus modern Jewish writers such as Trude Weiss-Rosmarin, look upon faith in Yeshua and the doctrine of vicarious atonement as unreasonable: "The idea of 'vicarious atonement,' that is to say, the payment of the penalty not by the sinner but by a substitute, is irreconcilable with Jewish ethics"(Judaism & Christianity: The Differences, p. 52). What these scholars and rabbis have overlooked is that in the Scriptures, the Lord gave these truths regarding repentance and contrition in light of the need for blood sacrifice, and never apart from the offerings. God still considers sacrificial, substitutionary atonement to be of utmost importance, even when it isn't convenient.
Scriptural Sacrifice
Why is God such a stickler about sacrifices? Because the Word of God and God's priorities cannot be overlooked. God has told us how He wants to be approached. It is not up to man to determine these things. For instance, if someone broke your $400 window, but offered you only $25 to replace it, that would be sheer arrogance on their part.
Rather than offering you what they thought the window was worth, it would be up to you to determine its value. The doctrine of atonement (Is. 53) has been lost to my people. Thus in the eyes of many Jewish people, they see believers as making too much of sin, and Yeshua's death seems to be an unnecessary sacrifice. Yet even a perusal of Scripture informs us that no one approaches God without a sacrifice: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement" (Lev. 17:11).
As It Is Written
Surprisingly, even Yeshua's disciples had a hard time understanding the need for Messiah's atoning death and the promise of His resurrection, so He taught them:"'These are My Words ... that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets, and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.'Then He opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures. He said to them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day'" (Luke 24:44-46). As Yeshua taught His disciples then, the Jewish people need to be taught today: It is Scripture's teaching that matters, not the traditions of men. Please pray that my people will come to understand not only the condemnation for sin, but their need for atonement, and that God allowed the temple to be destroyed because the ultimate and final atoning sacrifice has been made in Messiah's death.
Dr. Sam Nadleris a Jewish believer in Jesus and has been in Messianic Jewish ministry for over 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Good News to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To encourage and equip the body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam is invited to speak in churches across the country, and has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship, and the Feasts of Israel. For more information and resources, or to invite Sam to speak at your church, visit:wordofmessiah.org.
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Posted: 18 Aug 2016 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
Have you noticed that people say some of the most hateful things imaginable on the Internet? Earlier today, I came across a Time Magazine article entitled “How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet“, and it made me reflect on my own experience as the publisher of a number of prominent websites.
Over the years, I have often gotten to see what is really going on in some of the darkest hearts in our society. There are people that come to my websites that somehow think that making crude sexual remarks about the wives and children of people that they have never met is perfectly acceptable behavior. There are others that say incredibly vile things about people that have a different skin color than they do, and some people have a hatred for Christians and the Christian faith that is absolutely frightening.
I can’t understand why anyone would want to be like that, but apparently this kind of behavior is very widespread. In fact, one Pew Research Center survey discovered that 70 percent of all 18-to-24-year-olds who use the Internet have experienced harassment at some point.
Sadly, the truth is that the relative anonymity of the Internet allows people to reveal what is really in their hearts. For some people, the Internet magnifies the kindness and goodness that is in their hearts, but for others it does the exact opposite. From the safety of their own homes, they endlessly spew speech that is so abusive that it is hard to imagine that the person spewing it is actually human.
These people are commonly known as “trolls”, and the following is how the Time Magazine article that I mentioned above describes these trolls…
Psychologists call this the online disinhibition effect, in which factors like anonymity, invisibility, a lack of authority and not communicating in real time strip away the mores society spent millennia building. And it’s seeping from our smartphones into every aspect of our lives.
The people who relish this online freedom are called trolls, a term that originally came from a fishing method online thieves use to find victims. It quickly morphed to refer to the monsters who hide in darkness and threaten people. Internet trolls have a manifesto of sorts, which states they are doing it for the “lulz,” or laughs. What trolls do for the lulz ranges from clever pranks to harassment to violent threats.
Whatever happened to treating other people the way that you would like to be treated?
When did the Golden Rule go out of style?
As our society becomes more evil, hearts all over the country are growing cold, and one of the results is that the Internet is being transformed into a festival of hatred. The same Time Magazine article detailed some particularly disturbing examples of troll hate…
They’ve been steadily upping their game. In 2011, trolls descended on Facebook memorial pages of recently deceased users to mock their deaths. In 2012, after feminist Anita Sarkeesian started a Kickstarter campaign to fund a series of YouTube videos chronicling misogyny in video games, she received bomb threats at speaking engagements, doxxing threats, rape threats and an unwanted starring role in a video game called Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian. In June of this year, Jonathan Weisman, the deputy Washington editor of the New York Times, quit Twitter, on which he had nearly 35,000 followers, after a barrage of anti-Semitic messages. At the end of July, feminist writer Jessica Valenti said she was leaving social media after receiving a rape threat against her daughter, who is 5 years old.
On a very basic level, the Internet allows people to reveal who they really are. Unfortunately, we are finding out that a lot of us are truly vile human beings. Some time ago, a team of Canadian researchers did some research on Internet trolls, and what they found out was quite alarming…
They conducted two online studies with over 1,200 people, giving personality tests to each subject along with a survey about their Internet commenting behavior. They were looking for evidence that linked trolling with the “Dark Tetrad” of personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism.
They found that Dark Tetrad scores were highest among people who said trolling was their favorite Internet activity.
It should be no surprise that our society is crawling with narcissists, psychopaths and sadists. For decades we have been pushing God out of every corner of public life, and as a result we have seen a moral decline that is absolutely unprecedented in our history.
So what can be done?
Is there a way that the trolls can be stopped?
Some big websites have stepped up their efforts to ban people that are advocating hatred and violence. For instance, the New York Times says that Twitter just suspended 235,000 accounts “that promoted terrorism”…
Twitter suspended 235,000 accounts that promoted terrorism over the last six months, as part of a continuing effort to keep people from using the social network for extremist causes, the company said Thursday.
“The world has witnessed a further wave of deadly, abhorrent terror attacks across the globe,” Twitter said in a statement. “We strongly condemn these acts and remain committed to eliminating the promotion of violence or terrorism on our platform.”
And I definitely applaud Twitter for that.
But where does the censorship stop? All too often, the definition of “extremists” goes far beyond violent terrorists.
Just consider what is happening during this campaign season. Virtually all of the big tech companies have engaged in some form of “pro-Trump censorship”, and this was brilliantly detailed in a recent piece by Liz Crokin. The following is a short excerpt…
I began looking into how strong the bias and censorship runs in these forums after I did an interview on the pro-Trump podcast, MAGAPod. The show’s host, Mark Hammond, was disappointed Apple wouldn’t run his show without an “explicit” warning. Hammond’s podcast didn’t contain content that would be deemed explicit under Apple’s policy, and most other shows in the News & Politics category aren’t labeled as such.
On June 18, Hammond talked to Sandra, a representative from Apple. She explained that, since the description of his show is pro-Trump, his show is explicit in nature—because the subject matter is Donald Trump. So, an Apple employee concluded the Republican presidential candidate is explicit.
iTunes has dozens of podcasts discussing Osama Bin Laden and Adolf Hitler—none of which is marked explicit.
And of course it probably won’t surprise you to learn that Apple CEO Tim Cook is a huge Hillary Clinton supporter and recently hosted a $50,000 per plate fundraiser for her campaign.
So where do we draw the line?
On my websites, I try to let everyone have their say as much as possible. I very much believe in the “marketplace of ideas”, and I very much believe that the interaction between light and darkness can produce some extraordinary results.
But that also means that I often allow people to say things that I find highly offensive.
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do know that the problem is growing. As our society continues to come apart at the seams, the hatred on the Internet will continue to increase.
The Internet is used for all sorts of horrible things, but it can also be used to do great things as well. As the darkness rises, I would encourage all of us to choose to be lights.
In a world filled with hate, love is desperately needed.
So instead of responding to hate with even more hate, let us seek to become people of great faith, great hope and great love.
Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
Less than a year ago I sounded the alarm about a destructive spirit that's rising fast. It's especially deceptive because the one who falls into its snare cannot see it.
That not-so-subtle spirit is offense. I've been witnessing believers getting offended over slight corrections, unreturned phone calls and even the way certain people say "Holy Spirit." I've heard about believers getting offended over new relationships forming, being asked to sit out travel trips, or not being invited into a back room meeting.
There's an actual spirit rising that's causing these unreasonable offenses. It's Satan's plot to divide believers in an hour of church history when it's more vital than perhaps ever before that we unite on our common beliefs.
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Offense is dangerous because "a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentions are like the bars of a castle" (Prov. 18:19). But love is not touchy or easily provoked (see 1 Cor. 13:5-6). We know that, "good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense" (Prov. 19:11). And the Preacher offers some really good advice: "Do not give heed to everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you have spoken a curse against others" (Eccl. 7:21-22).
Running Rampant in the Church
When I asked the Lord about this, He explained what is going on:
"A spirit of offense is rising and running rampant through the church. Those who are easily offended are candidates for the Great Falling Away. Those who cultivate and maintain an unoffendable heart will escape many of the assignments the enemy will launch in the days to come.
"For My people must band together in this hour and refuse to allow petty arguments and soulish imaginations to separate them. This is the time to press into community and relationship and reject the demonic notions and wisdom the enemy is pouring out.
"The love of many is waxing cold. Brother is turning against brother and sister against sister—in My body. You must come to the unity of the faith in order to accomplish what I've called you to do in this hour. The time is upon you. The opportunity is before you. Lay aside the resentment, bitterness and unforgiveness and, as far as it depends upon you, seek peace with all men.
"Humble yourselves even among those who you feel are your enemies and I will work to bring reconciliation that sets the scene for unity from which the anointing flows. You need My anointing to combat the antichrist spirits rising in this hour.
"Many of My people are wrestling in their flesh, engaging in works of the flesh, and otherwise letting the flesh lead in battle—and they are battling flesh instead of the spirits influencing the flesh. This is the result of offense. Forgive, let go, embrace your brothers and sisters despite their flaws and sins. I have."
16 Ways to Discern an Offended Heart
I've discovered there are tell-tale signs of an offended heart—and the ultimate root of offense is pride. However, we may not recognize those signs in our life or the lives of others because they are often subtle or we are already blinded to it.
1. Big complainers. We all complain from time to time but someone with an offended heart complains more than most. They complain about what people do or say to them—or don't do or say to them. They complain about the way others behave or what they receive. They complain about something most of the time.
2. Condemning critics. Beyond complaining about behaviors, people with an offended heart grow critical of the actual person. As this advances, the offended heart criticizes their targets for things they didn't even do or say based on their own twisted perceptions of reality.
3. Attention-seekers. People with an offended heart want your attention. They believe a lie that tells them they can demand your attention with evil reports about others. This, of course, elevates them to a position of importance in their own mind. Remember, offense is rooted in pride.
4. Insecurity abounds. People with an offended heart have a measure of insecurity, which is often connected to pride. Insecure people speak ill of others behind their backs, again to elevate themselves. They don't feel safe or secure in who they are, so they have to attack others to make them feel comfortable in their own skin.
5. Victim-hood rises. People with an offended heart usually have a string of sad stories about how people have wronged them. They may have been genuinely hurt and wounded, but now they see everything through the lens of victimhood whether they are being treated unfairly or not.
6. Pity parties frequent. People with an offended heart want your pity, which is connected with victimhood. They hope you will take up their offense and give them special treatment because of the injustice they've endured. Beware of taking up another person's offense. It's dangerous.
7. Playing the blame game. People with an offended heart blame other people for their emotions, situations and circumstances. They don't take responsibility for their own feelings but instead point fingers. Blame is the guard to change.
8. Trigger-happy. People with an offended heart are easily triggered into a new offense. They are hyper-sensitive to anything that looks or sound offensive and are vulnerable to tapping into imaginary offenses the devil orchestrates to keep them in bondage.
9. Operate in presumption. People with an offended heart operate in presumption instead of truth. They automatically believe the worst instead of believing the best.
10. Strife-spreaders. People with an offended heart won't go to the person who offended them but will tell everybody else what someone did to them. This is dangerous according to Matthew 18, but it's especially dangerous when it's based in false perceptions. Sowing discord among brethren is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 6:19).
11. Negative Nancys. People with an offended heart have an overall negative bent to them. They are quick to speak, quick to judge and slow to see the good in people or circumstances. They only believe the best of those who haven't offended them ... yet.
12. Fleeing spirit. People with an offended heart will not respond to your requests for reconciliation. They will avoid you, ignore you and otherwise refuse to engage in a conversation that could bring clarity and freedom.
13. Manipulating and controlling. People with an offended heart will begin manipulating situations to set people up for a fall. If you offend them, they will work to get others to rise up against you.
14. Quick to anger. People with an offended heart are quick to anger. It's unreasonable anger.
15. Narcissistic tendencies. People with an offended heart cannot be confronted with facts. You can't reason with them because the spirit of offense is unreasonable.
16. Unforgiving, resentful and bitter. People with an offended heart have a root of bitterness and resentment is evident in their conversation. They have ought in their soul and refuse to let go of the bait of Satan.
How do you deal with this? We'll look at some solutions in the next article in this series.
Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
"Arise, you princes, and oil the shields." These words from Isaiah 21:5 struck my heart in a strong way Thursday morning.
"Arise, you princes, and oil the shields."
Isaiah uttered these words in response to a "grievous vision" that sent him into travail, perplexed and dismayed him, and caused his heart to beat fast in overwhelming fear. The Bible says he trembled all night long (Is. 21:1-5). Imagine receiving such a prophetic vision from the Lord!
"Arise, you princes, and oil the shields."
When Scripture leaps off the page, we need to pay attention to what the Lord is trying to show us. In this encounter with the written Word of God, verse 6 also spoke to my heart. It reads: "Go, station a watchman; let him declare what he sees."
Prepare for Spiritual Warfare
We must prepare for the spiritual battle in this season. We must give heed to the watchman's ministry in this hour so they can warn us of the impending attacks that will surely come. We must oil the shields, or as another translation puts it, "anoint our shields."
Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We need fresh oil in this season with which to oil our shields. Speaking prophetically, some Christians have run out of oil in their lamps much like the five virgins in Matthew 25. The Bible calls these virgins "foolish" because they carried their lamps but didn't take oil with them. When the Bridegroom let out a cry at midnight, the foolish virgins awoke and sought to borrow oil from the wise virgins. The wise virgins refused and the Bridegroom ultimately rejected the foolish virgins.
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In this parable, Jesus concluded: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." I don't know when Christ is returning, but I do discern the signs of the times, and He is coming as a "thief in the night" (1 Thess. 5:2).
Beloved, now is not the time to run out of fresh oil. Now is not the time to depend on someone else's relationship with Jesus or someone else's anointing to carry you through the battles that will emerge in the days ahead. Now is the time to cultivate the oil of intimacy in your life—to invest in a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit—so that you can stand and withstand in the evil day. Just as Moses used oil to anoint the priests and consecrate them for service, we need to set ourselves apart to receive His anointing so we can faithfully execute His call on our lives.
In Ephesians 6, Paul lists the whole armor of God but concludes by writing, "And above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one." The warfare will grow more intense in this next season. The Holy Spirit is calling us to "oil the shields." The strategy here is not only to meditate on the Word of God to build our faith but also to pray in tongues to oil our shield. Jude 20 tells us, "But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit."
The benefits of praying in the Spirit are too vast to list here. However, let me give you a few and encourage you to study this out yourself and discover the benefits through practical experience.
Praying in tongues: is direct communication to God that the devil cannot comprehend (1 Cor. 14:2); activates the fruit of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18); releases a prayer perfectly in line with God's will; releases understanding into the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 14:2); opens up realms of revelation (1 Cor. 12:8); and positions you to engage in spiritual warfare from a position of victory (Eph. 6:18).
The Coming Prophetic Season
We are coming into a season where we will see "people fainting from fear and expectation of the [dreadful] things coming on the world" (Luke 21:26, AMP). We're seeing a foretaste of this even now. We must invest time to cultivate the oil of intimacy so we can oil our shields as we enter escalating end-times warfare amid a Great Falling Away that will see many deceived.
Yesterday's manna is not going to cut it. We must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). We must determine to press into fresh revelation, fresh understanding, fresh anointing—fresh manna. The key word is fresh. Stale manna is not going to sustain your faith in the coming season. Some in the body have been taught wrong doctrines and others are believing heresies. We must guard our hearts from these deceptions.
Watchman ministry will receive newfound respect in the coming hour as Christians find themselves blindsided by world events. Watchman and spiritual warriors will connect in new ways, working together in unity to push back the darkness trying to stop the manifestation of the glorious church. Prophets who have been hidden in the wilderness will emerge with fresh oil on their shields and fresh revelation in their hearts to declare the uncompromising word of the Lord by faith.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
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Speaker Ryan, a Roman Catholic, is a passionate disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. He is surrounding himself with godly spiritual pastors. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
What CNN and Fox Won't Tell You About the Move of God
You won't hear this reported on CNN or Fox News because news programs sell spin and controversy. Good news won't raise ratings.
You won't hear this from America's pulpits because America's churches are in a state of separation. Her pastors have abdicated their biblical civic responsibilities to secular politicians in exchange for 30 pieces of tax-exempt silver.
Most pastors and church-goers can't name their representative or senators, much less pray for them daily or name one piece of legislation they're working on. Nor do they know that most likely the lawmakers sleep on their office couches because they can't afford to rent an apartment in the nation's most expensive city.
It upsets me when I hear all the doom-and-gloom "prophetic words" about how Congress is nothing but a bunch of crooks. Most of these spiritual giant slayers have never stepped a foot into the Capitol or visited their congressman. They have no clue of what God is doing in their government or that God has big future plans for it. Their opinions are shaped more from media spin and propaganda than a biblical worldview of God's end-times agenda for governance.
Do I believe America is in a period of judgement? Yes! Most definitely. God has given us over to our selfish desires. Yet the biblical pattern for national revival is almost always preceded by a time of judgment. "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
Psalm 72:16 and Micah 4:1-3, clearly state that in "the last days" God will take a remnant of believers (wheat) and plant them in the tops of world governments (tops of the mountains) and build "the house of the Lord," beginning in the top levels of the world's governments. The resulting consequences of God's moving in world governments would then shake the earth with revival. "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the house of the Lord."
I can confirm that this is beginning to happen in Washington, D.C., London, Ukraine, Poland, Moscow and several nations in Africa.
Add to this, when the "last trumpet" in Revelation sounds, "the kingdoms of this world" (governments) become the governments of the Lord Jesus Christ and He will rule them forever with His glorious church (Rev. 11:15-19). So much for "separation of church and state."
Almost always, following these periods of captivity and judgment were times of transition to revival. These times of transitions were times of national repentance followed by "times of refreshing" or the latter rain.
So could America be in one of these transitional times of repentance where our national sins are being exposed? Are the wheat and tares being exposed before a time to shine like the sun in righteousness?
How can a nation, which for years has been praying for revival, actually "turn from your wicked ways" until those wicked ways are openly exposed for all to see? Could this be what we are witnessing now in America—unprecedented exposure of corruption at every level of society and government—so God can heal us? So we know what to repent of?
If so, now is the time for the prophets to come forth and prophesy to the nation. Now is the time for the preachers to preach repentance and godly holiness to the church—to make herself ready to enter the kingdom.
Is God through with America yet? I don't believe so. I think America's greatest days may be just around the corner. I believe we're in the first dawning hours of another Great Awakening.
In fact, I believe God has been silently, behind the scenes, answering our 2 Chronicles 7:14 prayers for some time now, not at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (the White House) but at First Street and East Capitol Street, in the heart of the U.S. Capitol with the 114th Congress.
Did you know, for the past two years, weekly Christian worship services for members of Congress and staff, called the Jefferson Gathering, are being held in the Capitol building after an absence of 144 years? More than 150 members have attended on a regular basis. Several people have given their lives to Christ.
Did you know there are more "passionate followers of Jesus Christ" (I prefer this to the overused sometime meaningless term, "Christian") in the 114th Congress than at any time since President Calvin Coolidge? There are. We are working with close to 200 sincere followers of the Lord in the House and Senate.
Did you know, on occasions, as many as 90 pastors will be praying together in the Capitol Rotunda while the House of Representatives is debating controversial freedom of religion amendments on the House floor? Did you know that, on most Wednesday evenings, prayer for America is happening in the Rotunda? It is!
Have you heard? Beginning on Sunday, Sept. 4, three Christian worship services will begin in the Ways and Means Room in the Capitol building for all federal employees and Capitol Police. It's been 150 years since regular Sunday church services were held in the U.S. Capitol. This is big news!
How did this all begin to happen? America has been praying, that's how! And God is right now in the process of answering those prayers by raising up godly men and women in Congress, the most important branch of government.
Let me share our personal first-hand experiences of being a small part of what God is doing in Congress. I know there are other great ministries on the Hill reaching out to Congress in very influential ways, and we thank God for their work. But I can only share with you about what JoAnn and I are doing.
Though we may never agree totally with everyone's politics, let me tell you why I'm thankful that Paul Ryan is speaker of the House and that he won his primary race. Speaker Ryan, a Roman Catholic, is a passionate disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. He is surrounding himself with godly spiritual pastors.
He said, "The only hope for America is a spiritual awakening. ... We must have spiritual solutions to our problems, or we're in for troubled times as a nation" (spoken to JoAnn and me alone in a private, 30-minute conversation). He asked that I help him invite pastors to the Capitol for spiritual advice. So far, we have had more than 200 pastors visit the Capitol, and we plan for many more for this fall.
Ryan makes meeting pastors a top priority in his busy schedule. JoAnn and I have an open working relationship with his staff. They told us that in six weeks' time, they had to turn down more than 500 invitations to various important events (I saw the print out sheets), "but he's doing the pastors briefings because he's passionate about it," a top staffer told us.
Speaker Ryan is an avid fan of historian David Barton. "I listen to him all the time, even in my car while driving," he said. Because of Barton's teachings, Speaker Ryan is very knowledgeable of the 1954 Johnson Amendment (putting political speech restrictions on pastors from their pulpits) and its devastating effects on our culture.
He understands "first causative principle"—that the 1954 Johnson Amendment eventually was responsible for prayer and Bible reading being taken out of schools in 1963, the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 and redefining of marriage in 2016—all because pastors were silenced from speaking out politically. That's why Speaker Ryan wants the Johnson Amendment repealed legislatively. He knows pastors being set free to preach again to the nation regarding these moral and political issues is a must to turn the nation around.
In early January at the Republican Retreat in Baltimore, Ryan and I began discussing how Congress could legislatively repeal it. Later, I spent one hour educating Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (chair of Republican Conference, whose husband is a pastor) and her entire senior staff on the Johnson Amendment toward the goal of repealing it.
Rep. Kevin Brady is chair of the Ways and Means Committee through which any legislation to repeal would have to come to the floor, and he is totally on board. Ryan directed me to Brady. Brady also gave me approval to hold three Sunday services (beginning Sept. 4) in the Ways and Means Committee room in the Capitol. Brady told me with a big smile on his face, "I'm thrilled you're having church in the Ways and Means Committee Room. Glad to let you use it."
So, long before Donald Trump said anything about repealing the Johnson Amendment, Speaker Ryan had been working on it. For the first time in 60 years, the opportunity to repeal the Johnson Amendment exists because of Ryan's leadership, spirituality and love of Jesus! Now we need a Republican president in the Oval Office to sign a repeal into law (which is more effective than just an executive order)!
Speaker Ryan has formed a committee of five members of Congress (to which I was invited to participate) to report to him on inviting pastors to the Capitol to have lunch with him and arrange congressional-clergy townhall meetings in the Cannon Caucus Room. We are planning our second one in November, and we'll form an email alert system so Speaker Ryan can contact pastors on how to inform their churches to pray for America.
This is unprecedented and historic! This is God answering our prayers.
In September, we'll be hosting four worship services weekly in the U.S. Capitol with Ryan's permission and blessing.
I know a lot of folks are critical of Speaker Ryan's policies, but how many know what I've just shared with you? I pray for Speaker Ryan daily. Do you? I know he wants what's best for America. Is he right on every issue? Who is?
But I am thankful God has him where he is. He is very open to the voice of the Lord. Pray that God will change his heart in those areas in which you don't agree with him.
Let me ask you this question: Which is more important for America: Repealing the TPP, building a wall at our border, balancing the budget, restoring jobs or experiencing a third Great Awakening? Without a spiritual awakening, America will still go to hell in a handbasket. We must have revival!
I'm thankful that the top four leaders of the Republican Party in Congress (Speaker Paul Ryan, Leader Kevin McCarthy, Whip Steve Scalise and Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers) know this and are doing what they can to see it happen. They know that, without it, America has no hope. These are the leaders America needs now.
America's political revivals have always followed spiritual awakenings. I am convinced the underpinnings for a third spiritual awakening are happening now, and the foundations for political renewal could be just ahead.
Keep praying, and keep voting. God is not finished with America yet.
Dan Cumminsis founding pastor of Bridlewood Church, Bullard, Texas, and originator of "Washington, A Man of Prayer."
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