A Statewide Call to Pray! Day Twenty!

Moses set out to deliver his people via his own strength.  Enter - WILDERNESS!

Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?” Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”  So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian....

Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 2:11-15, 23-25; 3:4)

But at the end of the wilderness - ENTER GOD!  The wilderness experience gets rid of our strength, our efforts, our plans and our wisdom.  We are in a place and a time - in the throes of a severe drought of spirit and nature - when we need God and His burning bush!

A Statewide Call to Pray! Day Nineteen!

It's July 6th.  Yesterday afternoon I returned home from an assignment in the Washington DC area.  As I reported in previous blogs, Ken Bryan of Waskom and I journeyed to Gettysburg and Washington DC to be a part of the 11-11 Initiative.  It was a powerful time of resetting covenant as a nation with our God and Lord.  But as often happens, Ken and I found ourselves being sent by the Lord on other assignments.  Soon after we arrived Ken found a folded, almost crumbled copy, of a word that was given to our Texas Apostolic Prayer Network council a year ago.  It was delivered by the same Tracy Hamlin that gave the word regarding Texas last month, which I posted on my blog on July 4th!

I won't quote his entire word from a year ago, but let me state this - it was meant for this year not last.  One portion stated:

As you have lit a flame at the altar, I am lighting an everlasting fire inside this local body, as a beacon and a sign to this community.  Even the bridge being torn down was by My hand alone.  I am tearing down the bridges that man has built that lead to nowhere.  I am tearing down to rebuild, and even turn things full circle and I will bridge every gap between races and churches in this community.  When I tear down, I rebuild.  As you tear down, you must also rebuild.  Don’t simply rejoice at the rubble of the altars to Baal, but build an altar to Me in the middle of the enemy’s camp. 

As we entered Gettysburg we were frustrated that the two major bridges that carry you into the city from the south had been torn down and were being rebuilt.  The flame on the altar was a literal oil lamp that was placed and burning at the front of the worship room we were in.  The oil lamp had first been bought by persons in Houston during the revivals led by Pentecostal George Parhum before he sent William Seymour to Azuza Street in Los Angeles.  It had been carried by car 3300 miles from Washington State by the 85 year old relative of those owners to be at this meeting in Gettysburg.  And on the spiritual ruins of Baal at both Gettysburg and Washington DC - we build an altar of worship unto our God.  One of the main structures which promotes Baal and Freemasonry is the Washington Monument.  As we stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial - we saw that the Reflecting Pool has been torn up for repair.  IT WAS NOT REFLECTING the monument.

To say the least we not only walked on natural battlefields (Ken and I also walked and prayed the grounds of Antietam and Harper's Ferry) but fought fierce spiritual battles.  By the time we sat down near the Iwo Jima Memorial to watch the Capital Fireworks, we were battle worn.  But that is the season we are in!  Like Elijah and Jesus, let me remind you that we are walking through the wilderness towards a fresh kingdom revelation!  Stay the course.  Fight the good fight!  Set your eyes on Jesus!  And once again - THE LORD REIGNS.  Lord, bring forth Your rain!

A Statewide Call to Pray! Day Eighteen!

Yesterday (July 4th) we gathered with representatives of other states and re-established covenant, as a nation, with the Lord.  The following covenant was drawn up by Jon Hamill and others with Lamplighter Ministries.

DECLARATION OF COVENANT
 
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political and spiritual bands which have connected them with another, and to seek and receive from their Creator both a Pardon and a re-constitution of Covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to this dedication.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. And as an Act of Liberty, our Nation was covenanted to Jesus Christ, in the Presence of Holy Spirit, by women and men sent by Him to establish both community and governance for “the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith”—

And as successive generations, motivated by greed, compromised these Godly covenants--endorsing the subjugation of their brothers and sisters, both Host People and Immigrants; and embracing various forms of Baal worship, including Freemasonry and the occult—

Thereby yielding in part the corporate will of the people, in community and governance, to the influence of Baal and the consequential denial of justice, even to the unborn—
And whereas stewards of this Nation, rooted in the Land, appointed by God as repairers of the breach, have wholeheartedly repented of these sins, restored covenant, and have labored for a reprieve from the endless reproach these sins have brought upon this land and people—

Having sought and obtained from their Creator a Verdict of divorce from Baal, including the issuance of an everlasting Restraining Order and a Writ of Assistance for the restoration of all the Highest Court has granted as a covenant right of Possession—and having throughout the year approached this Court with the same intent in every State of the Union, and in towns and cities therein, receiving the same verdict in favor of the saints;

We now, in the Presence of God, present ourselves before the Highest Court of the Kingdom of God, with the intent to re-consecrate this Nation according to the covenants made with Jesus Christ by our forefathers.
And with all solemnity and deference to Your Majesty, request that this Nation, as spoken by Isaiah and Hosea, might again be Married to the Lord, apart from all idols from which You have granted said divorce. And that Your Glory, the Presence and Power of Holy Spirit, might fully return and reside again in this land, releasing awakening, union and reformation. And that by this covenant renewal, as Abraham Lincoln articulated, our Nation, under God, might have a new birth of freedom.

For consideration in this Petition, we present to You the Covenant legacy of the Pilgrims, who on 11-11, 1620 committed the land and government to “the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith,” according to the Mayflower Compact.

And we present to You the Covenant legacy of the Huguenots who came to this land with the same intention—whose blood was spilled and mission aborted—whose founder died chanting Psalm 132, begging Your Majesty that this land would be a “dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob.”

And we present to You the original intent of many Host people of the Land—who agreed from the beginning that both ownership and stewardship belongs to their Creator and Father. Who sought with reverence to honor the Laws of Nature, and Nature’s God. To whom You endowed great wisdom, even to convey and implement principles of democratic governance that framed the United States Constitution.

And finally, we present to You the legacy of the Seed of Abraham, by which Your Covenant with Israel and Mankind has been perpetuated. Our gratitude is immeasurable that You have chosen to graft us into this Covenant—even, as Asher Intrater observed, the Pilgrims “saw themselves as a New Israel, a nation wholly covenanted with God.” To this end, we fully commit our covenant stewardship to resource the dream of Your heart for Israel, the Jewish people, and for the nations.

In the Name of God, Amen. Having undertaken, for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian Faith, the sacred task of repairing our Nation’s founding covenants with our Creator; and having diligently and wholeheartedly sought forgiveness for breaches of said covenants, offensive to God and detrimental to mankind; we now solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, combine these founding covenants as one Sacred Consecration of this land, the United States of America and all of its territories, to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And to this combined Declaration of Covenant, and all of our founders’ intentions in establishing One Nation under God, with the witness of Heaven and Earth, we do add our agreement that this Land, its people and resources, be entirely consecrated to You. As You have engraved us in the palm of Your hand, we now ask for the Hand of God in marriage, unto whom we promise all submission and due obedience.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names in Washington DC this 4th of July, 2011:
We, The Beloved of God, and The Lord of All, do by these present make known that we have on this 4th day of July, 2011, by solemn vow:

Covenanted to be forever bound to one another; I the Lord declare, “You will call me husband” (Hosea 2:16) “I will betroth you to Me forever. I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will know the Lord” (Hosea 2:19, 20).
We, The Beloved of God, declare: “We acknowledge you alone.” (Hosea 2:20) “You are my God.” (Hosea 2:23) It is to you alone that we will be faithful. We will know no other. We, The Beloved of God, do acknowledge and declare: We betroth you in our righteousness and justice, in our love and compassion. It is You, our God, we betroth in faithfulness. We acknowledge You alone as our Bridegroom and our provider (Hosea 2:8). And we will at all times look to You—one with Your heart, in covenant with You for our land. And hereto do we make our sacred promise.


The Church, The Beloved of God


As we finished there was a group of singers from South Korea declaring Jesus as Lord over our nation.  Notice our beloved brother, Negiel Bigpond, in their midst.

A Statewide Call to Pray! Day Seventeen!

It’s the Fourth of July.  Ken Bryan and I are heading into Washington DC to accomplish several things:

1. We are participating in the closing parts of the 11-11 Initiative that took us to Gettysburg the last three days.  We meet this morning at the Lincoln Memorial.  Check out the link at this site: http://www.lamplighterministries.net
2. We are completing an assignment the Lord has been personally placing in us to align Texas properly with the Kingdom shift that the Lord is bringing about in our nation. There were specific prophetic acts that we were to carry out at Little Round Top in Gettysburg. Texas forces were involved in that aspect of the battle on July 2, 1863, which was marked by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s heroic bayonet charge.  We also carried out similar acts at Antietam and await His directions regarding any assignments in DC.
3. It’s July 4th!  Fireworks are in order!

I also feel compelled to release a word that was sent to me by Tracy Hamlin.  Tracy is a member of Dr. John Benefiel’s church (Church on the Rock) in Oklahoma City.  It concerns Houston and Texas.  He received it nearly a month ago from the Lord.  It is very appropriate for this season as we head to August 6th.

Saturday, 6/11/2011

Houston is the TRUMPET! 

You have to go to the deepest point to reach the biggest deposits.  The pressure currently keeping the treasure locked up is the same pressure that will cause it to burst forth when the deposit place is tapped.  Houston will be command central, and the signpost by which God’s authority is shown in the government, not only in Texas, but in the nation, and then the continent of North America.  An example is being set forth for the nation to follow, a righteous example of being truly called, obedient, then set apart.  Holiness, among other things, is the greatest example being set for the nations.  

NATIONS will look to the apostolic and prophetic leaders in Texas for not only advice and guidance, but genuine deliverance and mantling.  It’s all about mantles of authority and the sphere of influence at this stage, so allow ME to set the stage, allow Me to establish the pace, as some will be slower than others to respond, but KNOW that as I shake one place, I am establishing another, and in My time, all will align into My Kingdom Purpose.  Houston is the trumpet, the ears of the nation will be turned to Houston during August and September, even more-so than the eyes of the nation.  It will be the sound that comes from Houston that will change the atmosphere, more than the actions.  

YES the actions are important, but the SOUND of the trumpet is what is heard and noticed more than the look of the instrument.  People will say, the media will report “never before has this happened” and it is not in reference to the gathering, it will be more than that.  MORE THAN THAT!!!  Pull yourself up by your bootstraps; settle in tight, and HOLD ON!!!  The ride has been wild to this point, but truly it’s only been the staging area up to this point.  MY GLORY will shine in Texas, and when it does it will be as a bright sun to a man blind from birth, seeing for the first time.  Allow Me to shine, allow Me to root out, allow Me to turn upside down that which was never right side up.  The continental divide will shift, watch it, and be ready with your response.  

What does this have to do with Texas you ask?  Wait and see as I encircle areas with My hand, and you will see Texas come in to a new alignment, the ground of Texas will enlarge and be broadened by My hand.  I am about to enlarge the tent of Texas to cover those that have previously had no covering.  THIS IS A CONGRESSIONAL MOVE AS WELL!!  Your influence from the spiritual authoritative seat in Texas will be heard LOUD AND CLEAR in the congress of this nation- but wait!  This is only a means to obtain entry into other nations governments and re-mantle the authorities there.  Get ready to travel Texas leaders, stay packed and at the ready, for when the call comes, there will be narrow windows of opportunity to slip in and out of government places and palaces.  

SEND AND SEIZE the right leaders at the right moments to arrest the principalities and recover the wealth.  Do not turn down the gift of honor, for it will be an in-road as well to deeper secret places and much higher levels of influence.  Accept the gift of honor accept the gift of welcoming, and don’t get hung up on religious fodder that would cause you to offend the leaders of the nation and cause a door to be shut on your input.  You will eat the dinners of Kings and dignitaries, so polish up your etiquette; it will be better revered if you know where the right fork is.  Once the formalities are done and set aside, a relaxing of the guard will occur, and you will have the ear of the leaders to speak a release and a delivering word in a moment.  You WILL see the nations shift, you WILL see the leaders bow, you WILL reap the tangible spoils and benefits.  

OH TEXAS!!!!  PLANT YOUR SEED NOW!!!  “But it is out of seedtime, the weather is too hot, the ground is too dry”  HA!  Am I not the GOD OF THE HARVEST?  Then I am also the GOD OF THE SEED!!!  I will cause the right rain in the right time to foster expansion, so PLANT NOW the seeds you want to produce in the next and immediate season.  Watch the timing, listen for My GO!, listen for My GO!, listen for My GOOOO!!!!  This is why it is of the utmost importance to be ready; the plane will be idling on the runway when the phone rings, so timing is of the essence.  Don’t sweat the details, remember that I took care of the sparrows and arrayed the fields in grass and flowers.  Don’t say “but we have no means”, it will not take your resources for long, and the recovery will be immediate.  Don’t say “but I have this appointment and that to-do”, cancel what you must, things will keep, rearrangements will take place, and the task I give you will be the one to focus on.  In the middle of this, promotion will come- I do not tell you this to blow your ego, I tell you this to encourage the weary that serve along side you, that have sacrificed and given and toiled.  I am the King, I am the Lord, I am God alone, and this new season is no small task, but will be easy with Me at the helm.

(He showed me a diamond mine that has stopped producing diamonds, so rather than digging a new mine, the strategy was to simply go deeper, into the next treasure, but there was also more pressure)

A Statewide Call to Pray! Day Sixteen!

The wheat and the tares!

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”  (Matthew 13:24-30)

Last fall, as a part of a prophetic act, I planted a bed of winter wheat.  Throughout the winter and early spring it came to full harvest.  During the Pentecost season I harvested the grain.  As I did the Lord began to speak to me about removing the tares or weeds.  When I read this parable in the past, I had always assumed that the tares represented the evils of the world around me, but now realized that it was the cares, worries, evils and sin that wove through my own life and were a part of the roots of my life.

As I harvested the wheat, I cut the tares (some of which had woven around the stalks of the wheat) as well.  With the grain resting in my hand, I was able to readily distinguish between the wheat and tares and carefully, but quickly, remove the tares from the sheaf of grain.  I tossed the tares into the trash heap.  The Lord released an unforgettable truth into my heart.  I believe daily He draws into His hands those who are His own.  And daily, as we submit to Him in repentance, He removes the tares from us.  He then places us (as I mentioned yesterday) on the threshing floor for the process of threshing and sifting us into pure grain.

The Lord is gathering, threshing and sifting us as individuals, as a state and as a nation.  Submit to Him.  He is developing a kingdom people.  Sam Brassfield posted on Facebook yesterday: "Many things are changing both In the world at large, and in the church world. The separation of the wheat and fake wheat (weeds) in the kingdom of God in the earth! The shaking of all things will only increase in the next decade!"  Yes and amen.  Lord, begin with us!

A Statewide Call to Pray! Day Fifteen!

The wilderness is like the threshing floor! A few weeks ago I preached on the threshing floor. Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain (or other crop) from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. It is the step in grain preparation after harvesting and before winnowing, which separates the loosened chaff from the grain.

Sheaves of grain would be opened up and the stalks spread across the threshing floor. Pairs of donkeys or oxen would then be walked round and round, often dragging a heavy threshing board, sled or sledge behind them, to tear the ears of grain from the stalks, and loosen the grain itself from the husks.

After this threshing process, the broken stalks and grain were collected and then thrown up into the air with a wooden fork-like tool called a winnowing fan or fork. The chaff would be blown away by the wind; the short torn straw would fall some distance away; while the heavier grain would fall at the winnower's feet.

In God's Word, the threshing floor was referenced often.  It represented several things including: provision, transition, revelation, judgment, covenant, mediation, worship, separation, calling and the moving (blowing) of Holy Spirit.

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:11-13).

One of the members of the congregation commented after worship that day: "Pastor, it seems to me that we are the grain in this process and we don't have much to do, except to be threshed."  Precisely.  Whether we journey through a wilderness or enter the threshing floor - it is always God's work being accomplished in us.  Surrender to Him.  Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee.  The wilderness defines our dependence solely on Him.  The threshing breaks away everything that clings to us.  He is ready to awaken us with revival.  He is longing to release His kingdom.  We must let go and let God!

Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done!

A Statewide Call to Pray! Day Fourteen!

Today's blog is written by Merrie Cardin, TXAPN Executive Council member from Granbury, Texas.

Most seriously born again, praying down fire, serious intercessors love Elijah.  We pray for the “spirit” of Elijah to fall on the church so that curses will be removed and generations reconciled as one.  We sing and dance about that confrontation on Mount Carmel with the false prophets of Baal.  But wait…..

Could we back up just a bit and look at the preparation for the prophet to arise?  What came into place so that Elijah could walk in the right spirit for that mighty confrontation victory time?

Trusting God when the brook dries up!

1. He not only had to tolerate a drought.  He had to pray it in!  He had to stand before God first, the king second and say, “This drought is from God to get your attention!” That took a heart of worship that overtakes the fear of man in our own heart.
2. He then had to put his life firmly in the hands of the ONE who created his life.  Ahab was about to come after him hard. This also took a heart firmly planted in worship and surrender to the ONE FATHER of his life. This takes a heart of worship that knows God is our future, our retirement plan, and truthfully really is all of our security.
3. He had to go where God said to go and that was to this little brook called Cherith where his provision was so firmly planted in his Father that he trusted the promise of ravens feeding him.  Cherith by the way comes from a word which pictures the cutting of covenant.  Covenant trust and worship is something the LORD is so calling us to right now.  Covenant oneness brings us to a new sound of worship that shakes dry ground.  This brings us to a heart that sees little brooks as all we need a day at a time.
4. But wait!  His little covenant brook dried up in the drought!  He had to learn that standing can include such deep trust and worship that when our little brook dries up in the drought we simply bend and hear Father’s next word. Elijah could have experienced the fear of abandonment and even felt punished that his brook dried up. But Elijah just waited on the next direction. What worship!  His Word is our life. This means we worship until His Perfect Love drives away our fear rooted in torment and punishment.  God is not punishing His people.  He knows His Love is the only place of true freedom. He is planning the big confrontation!
5. He worshiped and obeyed when God then sent him to Zarephath.  Zarephath is a word meaning “refining”.  Yes, the refining fire has to come before we will call fire from heaven and know what Spirit we are of.  He now was fed by a widow with less than he had.  I have been thinking a lot about this type of worship.  This is such a season to know that the little we have will be multiplied to feed 4000 if God tells us to offer it.  True worship means we do not depend on our victory coming through the abundance that we have but perhaps in the smallness of what we have being made big through our God. 

The big confrontation was coming when all Israel would see that “The LORD He is God!” and the cloud the size of a hand would become an outpouring but first….even Elijah learned to worship in a wilderness season.  God is BIG!  He loves His people.  We are His – standing to trust His covenant love and His ability to refine and shine us.  The LORD - He really is GOD!