What is a fast?
Basically, a fast is the willful choice not to eat for a specific period of time for a spiritual purpose. The fast is a choice to give up a perfectly normal thing – eating. By not eating, you are putting yourself on notice that you want to focus your full attention on the Savior. Fasts may also be partial; you may give up only certain things, such as desserts or solid food or even an activity.
Is fasting a sacrifice?
Yes, it is! The questions are: What am I willing to sacrifice in order to realize spiritual gains in my life and in the lives of the people around me? Am I willing to forego pleasure now to acquire blessing when the harvest is ready? The Bible always speaks of fasting as “when you fast,” not “if you happen to fast.”
Is fasting a part of prayer?
Often prayer and fasting are associated; however, they are distinct from each other. Prayer is communication with God, while fasting is a statement of serious intent: “Lord, I mean business.” The Lord has a master plan for mankind and, in fasting, we are saying “Yes” to God and His plan. (It should be noted that almost every follower of the Lord in the Bible practiced fasting.)
Is fasting like a hunger strike?
No, but they have several common elements. Both are sacrifices, both are for important purposes and both are attention-getters! The strike gains man’s attention, while the fast gains God’s attention. The strike is done in demand or anger; the fast in a gentle response of love. Christ loved us and gave up His life for us. Fasting is an example of presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice – an act of worship (Romans 12:1-2).
What is the purpose?
In setting aside my pleasure and seeking to please the Lord with my full attention, focusing on His grace and love, I draw closer to Him. Daily concerns are replaced by the openness of my heart, specifically focused on Him.
Do I get extra credit?
If you ask – no! Your response is between you and the Lord, not a basis of pride or legalism. Jesus said that deeds done in private would be rewarded openly. Don’t wear it on your cuff – do it privately, out of love (Matthew 6:16-18).
Will people think I’m a fanatic?
Maybe. However, if you’re telling everybody, you’re likely missing the point. Don’t tell people – just show God, by your action and attitude, that you’re serious about our needs and His glory. A guy who sits in a stadium in cold weather, tolerates beer spilled down his back, pays good money for his ticket, and walks a mile from the parking lot where he paid $10 to park, is a fan. A man who prays for an hour is a fanatic! I hope you’ll be a fanatic.
Will this ruin my health?
If you are in normal health, a fast will have no ill effect. If you have special medical challenges, you should consult a doctor before fasting for any prolonged time.
Why fast now?
We believe that it honors the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the condition of the church in our country needs it. We are asking you to pray for the spiritual needs of your own life, your family, your church fellowship, the outreach in your area, your city, province/territory and the nation, as well as the work of God around the world. Pray on your lunch hour instead of eating. If possible, go on a prayer walk with another Christian. A prayer walk is two walking together through a neighbourhood, praying for the things listed above, as well as the people living where you’re walking. If you are alone at home or in the office, move away from food to avoid distraction. Read the Word, pray and take notes on what the Lord is impressing on your mind and heart.
How does it work?
First, you prepare your heart by prayer and thought. You could start by fasting through lunch. You will eat normally up until the selected day. Eat a normal breakfast. (It is wise to avoid hot and spicy foods in the last meal.) During the day, you would eat no solid foods, but drink more than your usual amount of water to avoid dehydration. In the evening, you would eat your regular meal. This is really not that hard! Some may want the one-day fast to begin with the evening meal the night before and continue until the next evening. Notice the word “breakfast.” We fast while we are sleeping and “break fast” with the morning meal. You choose how long you’ll fast.
Showing posts with label Report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Report. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Awake, Deborah, Awake! by Jill Austin
Master Potter Ministries
by Jill Austin
Awake, Deborah, Awake!
Part 1. Introduction
The body of Christ is in a radical transition time, due to the global shaking that is happening all over the world. The acceleration and advancement of radical Islam throughout the earth, the new surge of power with the Hamas, and the critical dangers that face Israel every single day will only be won on our knees.
Intimacy with God is the highest purpose for which we were created - but are we REALLY seeking His highest purpose for our lives? If we really understood God's love and heart for us, we'd be making radical choices to be with Him more than any other activity in life! If we had a revelation of His true jealousy to have uninterrupted time with us, we'd turn the world upside down like His disciples did!
But instead, we've been lulled to sleep or are enamored with the trinkets of life while missing the real treasures of God. Many believers are experiencing “hope deferred makes the heart sick” so they're leaving the church because they have no passion, no purpose, no power, and no sense of His presence; but they have no secret life in God either! Will it take a crisis to bring us into an intimate relationship with Jesus?
What was it about Deborah that caught His gaze? Her uncompromising dedication moved the very heart of God “and He changed the very heart of Deborah. She spent SO much time in the temple in prayer and worship that she was “dripping with oil”. Because of that, she could hear the Lord's voice clearly, operate with keen discernment for the times and seasons she faced as well as her daily decisions with the people, and when the call to battle came, she was absolutely ready!
Deborah was being prepared for battle in the secret place! This is where the true victory lies - in communing with Him one-on-one. That is our place of safety and truth!
It is time to stop talking about intimacy with God --- it's time to REALLY do it!
WHO WAS DEBORAH?
Imagine a black teenage girl being elected as Pope and single-handedly tearing down all the walls of division between Catholics and Protestants. Hard to even fathom that possibility isn't it? Now imagine a middle-aged, gray-haired, Jewish housewife and mother being raised up over 3,000 years ago to lead Israel in one of the most improbable military victories of history!
Allow me to introduce to you our unlikely candidate and heroine of the faith: Deborah. I have heard very little being taught about her. I always hear about Gideon, Samuel and some of the other judges, but when I studied Deborah, I fell in love with her. Deborah is very unique and a little controversial because she was a woman who held the highest executive office in the land of Canaan, or Israel, at the time.
An ancient Joan of Ark, Deborah appears in the sacred annals of Israel's history as the nation's 4th judge, the third woman prophetess (after Miriam and Rachel) and a deliver of God's people. Deborah was in a class of her own; her leadership role was unprecedented and unparalleled! She was a woman who led a nation to victory against all odds. And she did this in a patriarchal era where there was no precedent for women leaders.
Part 2: CYCLES OF ISRAEL'S REBELLION AND DELIVERANCE
The whole book of Judges covered approximately 325 years. After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Joshua and the elders died and the 12 tribes of Israel were separated in the land of Canaan. The tragic pattern of the book of Judges is this: the people went into rebellion; they worshipped other gods and intermarried into pagan tribes.
The Lord brought judgment against them. They cried out to God for deliverance. The Lord would raise up a judge, there would be a battle, Israel would be delivered and peace would be on the land for a season. After the judge died, the people went back to rebellion and the Lord once again brought heavy oppression. This cycle happened six different times!
Gwen Shaw accurately pens in her book, “Deborah and Jael”
Their homes were raided and ransacked, their crops plundered, their maidens raped, their fathers mocked and their sons murdered. People could not walk in the highways any more. They were locked up in their homes, and some even had to forsake their lands and dwellings because the enemy took possession of them. They lived in caves and dens. Their sheep and goats were stolen from them; their harvests were carried off as soon as they were reaped. They lost their olives, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, barley, and their pomegranates. This left them hungry, destitute, and desperate. They throw God out of their schools, laws, their hearts and lives, claiming they don't need him. But when they are in trouble, they wonder where He is, and why he didn't save them and prevent tragedy.
The Lord is so jealous for each one of us to love Him and know Him. When we start to move away from Him, He allows evil kings to oppress us. The Word tells us that God is the one who appoints evil kings and magistrates, but He also raises up the godly judges and kings! Deborah was the fourth judge and for the first 20 years of her 40-year reign, the nation was oppressed by one of history's most powerful and cruel Canaanite Kings, Jabin, and his cunning military commander, Sisera. (Judges 4:1-4)
DEBORAH CAPTURED THE GAZE OF GOD
What is astounding is that the Lord raised up a woman to deliver a nation! What is especially surprising is that it happened in the Middle East thousands of years ago! Deborah was not only a wife, mother, intercessor and prophetess but also a judge and a national deliverer. This is not a bad resume for a middle-aged woman living in that oppressive Middle Eastern culture.
Against great odds, God used her powerfully. Deborah broke outside of her culture but she wasn't in rebellion, she was in obedience -- to her God. She was used radically and set her people free, and the people loved her. It's a wonderful story of faith in God, and it champions men and women partnering together in a war to save their nation from great oppression.
When we read about this radical prophetess and judge, it expands our theology of women being allowed to lead governmentally. But I really feel that God is raising up a company of end-time Deborah's. There is great global shaking that has only begun, and the Lord is calling not only the men, but also the women of God! The Lord is saying, “Wake up, Deborah, be a part of the army of the Lord!”
God's eyes are searching to and fro over the earth looking for a heart that is fully His (2 Chronicles 16:9). What caught His gaze when He came to Deborah? Was it the uncompromising fire of holiness, an unwavering faith or an unrelenting love that set her apart? Was it something about the integrity of her character, the otherworldliness of her wisdom and the richness of her kindness which bred confidence in both men and women?
There are two root words for ‘consecrate’ in Hebrew: naver (separating from) and kadesh (separating unto). Deborah, like the other champions of the faith, was separated from the world and unto God. She did nothing on her own but spoke just what the Father taught her. This is where the true victory lies - in listening to Him.
Part 3: DEBORAH'S RESUME
We tend to think of multi-tasking as a 21st century phenomenon, but Deborah was functioning in five major roles. Let's review them:
Intercessor
Many scholars believe that one of Deborah's roles before becoming judge was being a lamp lighter in the temple. In the Bible, oil is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Deborah was married to Lapidoth, whose name means, “to shine, lamp, flame, burning lamp, lightening, torch.” Isn't it interesting? He, too, was a lamp that had oil!
Deborah was a keeper of the oil and light, gingerly tending the lamps. This shows us that she was a woman who was passionately spending long hours dwelling in the temple. She was a woman of prayer and of worship. She lived between two villages, Ramah and Bethel, in Ephramin, which means “the valley of fruitfulness”. Biblical names often have profound prophetic meanings. The ancient village of Ramah was known to be the seat of high adultery. Bethel was known as the house of the Lord with open heavens, where Jacob had his ladder experience in Genesis 28. She stood in the gap interceding between the seat of high idolatry and pagan worship and the house of Bethel with its open heavens.
Now the imagery becomes a little clearer - Deborah was raised up by God to intercede against idolatry (Ramah). She wanted to turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to the house of God (Bethel) to inherit a double portion of fruit (Ephraim).
Deborah's relationship with the Lord was very precious and intensely intimate. I believe that in those twenty years of captivity, Deborah stood in the gap and interceded to change the course of Israel. God promised Abraham, in Genesis 18, that He would save a nation for the sake of ten righteous men. I believe that the righteous prayers of Deborah availed much!
She worshipped and had a deep intercessory life with God. She would go into the temple and fill the lamps with oil and ask God for revelation for people around her in great darkness. She was prepared in this secret place as she stood in the gap in radical intercession for her people and her nation. She would hear from God and would bring down great wisdom and counsel. She spent long hours in the temple. This dedication moved the very heart of God and changed the very heart of Deborah. He led, she followed. She led, Israel followed.
Oftentimes we have the misunderstanding that worship is merely the thirty-minute time slot before the sermon when we sing songs of devotion to God. This is part of worship. But doing small things with great love unto Him is living a life of worship. Deborah was a worshipper who loved the oil of the lamps, Holy Spirit.
We need to be like Deborah, a people of prayer. Sincere and passionate prayer is the key to unlock our relationship with Almighty God. Many struggle with praying because they feel that their intercession is not much more than empty cries to an invisible God who seems so distant. We think that our prayers bounce off the ceiling and back to us unheard and unanswered. But beloved, God loves communing with you! He promises that He will hear you and answer! It takes only a few seconds of a face-to-face encounter with God to change the course of human history for you, your city, or your nation.
In fact, communing with God is the highest purpose for which you were created! “This is eternal life to know Me.” (John 17:3) Our hunger for God is what fuels our prayer life. When His presence is our passion and our hunger is for His heart, we can approach the throne of God boldly with the confidence that our Daddy loves our prayers, but having this first love is so important.
For Deborah, intercession was a dialogue in which He began to download strategic war plans, blue prints from heaven, and keys to “open doors that no man can shut and shut doors that no man can open.” (Isa. 22:22) How else could she wisely judge so many civil cases with the Israelites?
Judge
Ehud was the third judge of Israel. After his death, Israel was without a strong leader and once again fell into idolatry and sexual perversion. They were desperately in need of godly leadership. It was the role of the judge to hear and resolve the disputes of the people, but they also attempted to keep the nation from idolatry (Ex.18:20; Judges 2:17), they taught God's Word (Ex. 18:20; Judges 2:17; Isa.12:23), and they interceded for their people (Deut. 9:18-20, 25-29; Deut. 10:10; Isa. 12:23).
The scripture tells us that judges were raised up by God to that office (Judges 2:16). All the judges before and after Deborah were men. So Deborah must have walked in quite an unusual and unique grace to be chosen as both the natural and spiritual leader of Israel. The Word says that she was a judge for 40 years. She held her court sitting under the palm tree, which represents righteousness.
In ancient Israeli culture, there was not the separation of church and state that now exists in our governmental infrastructures. To be appointed as the judge over a nation was equivalent to also being established as the spiritual head over the country. Great responsibility came with great authority. She took care of the civil disputes of men, women and children. We aren't just talking about the little local judge down at your courthouse. We are talking about the executive leader over the whole nation of Israel. She was leading Israel (Judges 4:4-5).
Prophetess
Deborah operated in a heavenly dimension of a spirit of wisdom and revelation. It was almost as if God had supernaturally implanted a divine compass in her, always guiding her to Him. She walked in such dependence upon every move of the Omnipotent One. The judging that Deborah did so well might have been because of her gift as a prophetess. She would have been able to make wise decisions if she “saw” well in the Spirit. Although it isn't certain, many theologians feel that Deborah was from the tribe of Issachar, which means that she knew the times and the seasons. Samuel was the only other judge also listed as a prophet.
In Matthew Henry's Commentary, he writes:
She was a woman of illuminations, or of splendors, one extraordinarily known and wise, and so came to be eminent and illustrious. She was intimately acquainted with God, she was a prophetess, and one that instructed others in divine knowledge by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and had gifts of wisdom, to which she attained not in an ordinary way; she heard words of God, and she probably saw visions of the Almighty. She was totally devoted to Israel. After Jehovah, Israel was her first love.
Deborah means “bee” or “wasp” or “Queen bee” She was one who would set things in order and bring honey, but also bring the sting of a bee when necessary. A basic principle in spiritual warfare is that our level of attack against the devil must be intimately related to our level of authority and intimacy in our relationship with God.
Deborah was one who received fresh mandates from heaven, and though she knew how evil the oppression of King Jabin was, she also knew that with God anything is possible! Something in Deborah knew how to pull on the resources of heaven, stand in the counsels of the Lord (Jer. 23) and open her mouth and let Him fill it (Psa. 81:10).
Mother of Israel
What made this woman a mother of Israel? Deborah loved well. The Lord must have peered over the balcony of heaven, looked through the lattice of time and watched the way that she so tenderly stopped for the one. Imagine facing the seemingly unending line of people all needing a touch of heaven. I imagine her tired eyes stretched out on the faces of His creation as she felt the ache in their hearts for God. They had come so far, how could they leave empty handed? The eleven other dispersed tribes of Israel walked for miles and literally risked their lives on the dangerous highways as they pushed through to hear from God, through Deborah's voice.
The highways were deserted, and the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased, it eased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates. (Judges 5:6-8).
I believe that Deborah could hear the groans of the Israelites who were oppressed for 20 years and feel the pounding pain in God's heart over His people's sin and oppression. I believe that it was her ability to hear His heartbeat that allowed her to save a nation in a day. Deborah ruled with the sword of a prophet but the staff of a shepherd -- she truly loved God's people. She always led well. She led by loving.
Deliverer/Military Strategist
Deborah was more than a judge; she was used to deliver Israel from the second longest captivity. As a prophetess and military strategist, she called the nation to war. She was a military strategist who not only wielded the hand of God but also operated with the heart of God. You see, Deborah was a deliverer! She loved the people and they loved her. She delivered them from a great enemy.
The Lord literally dropped a clear prophetic word to summon Barak, the Israeli commander, to rally the rag-tag troops for battle against insurmountable odds. The Hebrews had no weapons -- none. They had all been confiscated by the Canaanites.
The famous historian, Josepheus, writes about the enemy force:
Under the command of his general, Sisera, he had 300,000 footmen, 10,000 horsemen and 900 hundred chariots of iron. These chariots not only controlled the highways and roads of the land, they could be driven through an army of men and with the swords in their wheels, they could cut off the legs of the strongest and bravest of soldiers. They were feared, as tanks are today. The people of Israel had no answer to such deadly weapons of mass destruction, forged in the bowels of hell.
God showed her revelations of how to win the battle. Seeing in the heavens and moving with prophetic proclamations, she released the warrior angels of the Lord to fight ancient demonic principalities. She knew the enemy's schemes and helped to empower the war in the heavens, destroying the enemy. She brought holy reversal to the evil plans. In her moment of crisis, she decreed the Word of the Lord and creation bowed to her command. Her prayers and military governmental leadership shifted the course of history and saved the nation of Israel. When the city gates were at war, Deborah, a mother of Israel who was willing to lay down her life for her God and county, arose.
Part 4: GOD'S WORD BRINGS A SHIFT IN ROLES
Deborah sent for Barak and told him the Lord commanded him to take 10,000 men of Naphtali and lead them to Mount Tabor. There the Lord would lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and troops, to the Kishon River and would put him into his hands. Barak was a military commander of Israel. He was a man of war, but he lacked courage. He said, “If you will go with me, I will go! But if you don't go, I won't go!” “Very well,” Deborah said, “I will go with you, but because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” (Judges 4:9)
He was dealing with heavy oppression and he did not have the faith to go. He needed Deborah to be his salvation or he would not have gotten into place for his calling. How many of you are willing to be Deborah's to help to put the Barak's in place governmentally?
So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed them. You see, she gave a prophetic word and it started to launch, shift and change not only Barak's and Israel's destiny, but also her own destiny. It shifted her out of sitting under the palm tree and lighting the lamps in the tabernacle. Suddenly she was getting on a horse and was thrust onto the front lines of the battle.
REVIVAL AND WAR ARE RUNNING MATES
When we are dealing with this great oppression in the land, when we are crying out for revival, we need to understand that revival and war lock hands. Revival and war are running mates. Our intercession and our prayers tip the bowls of justice from Heaven and fire falls down. When you are crying out for freedom and break-through, you are tipping the bowls in Heaven that contain justice. So on one hand we want to see a mighty outpouring of God to set people free, but when you are crying out desperate prayers of revival and visitation, you are also crying out for God's justice to come. When this happens, you are also bringing war to your families, to your churches and to governmental structures.
Out of their brokenness, they needed a miracle. With 10,000 soldiers, they were going on a suicide mission. But Deborah stood as a prophetic symbol; a signpost as a woman who was weak, but she had the word of God! She had a history of going in and lighting the lamps. She had a history of hearing the voice of God in the secret place. So suddenly when the hour came for her literally to go into war like a Joan of Arc, she was ready. She was in the place to say yes because she knew the voice of her God. She knew she had the living word of her Lord and 10,000 men believed her enough to risk their lives too.
War is on the horizon. God is going to put many of us on the battlefield. Many of us will lose our lives in the years ahead. There will be famines and diseases hitting America. We will be dealing with military police, one world government and tyranny. We are in a season of great warfare, but in the midst of it, will you be like a Deborah where you can hear God's voice and give radical mandates to men, women and children for such an hour as this?
Do you love the Lord so much that when you hear the cries of the suffering and oppressed around you, that you will volunteer to be a mother of Israel? Is there a cry in you that says, “I am willing to stand against sexual pornography, sin and abortion? I am willing to stand in the house of prayer with angels ascending and descending. I will be a woman who will stand in the gap and go before God and cry out in intercession. Lord, we need revival! Lord, we need the Kingdom of God to break in with the resurrection power of life!” This is a call of war! This is a call for you to say that you want to hear the voice of God from the secret place.
Lord, we want to make a fresh holy covenant with You. We want to move as holy revolutionists, but we want to move with purity and humility. We want to be ones that will come out of the secret place and wrestle with a holy desperation and go to the place of war.
The journey of Deborah is a testimony of the power of just ONE life fully set apart for God. May her song be an invitation to you that a revolution can begin -- with one person.
by Jill Austin
Awake, Deborah, Awake!
Part 1. Introduction
The body of Christ is in a radical transition time, due to the global shaking that is happening all over the world. The acceleration and advancement of radical Islam throughout the earth, the new surge of power with the Hamas, and the critical dangers that face Israel every single day will only be won on our knees.
Intimacy with God is the highest purpose for which we were created - but are we REALLY seeking His highest purpose for our lives? If we really understood God's love and heart for us, we'd be making radical choices to be with Him more than any other activity in life! If we had a revelation of His true jealousy to have uninterrupted time with us, we'd turn the world upside down like His disciples did!
But instead, we've been lulled to sleep or are enamored with the trinkets of life while missing the real treasures of God. Many believers are experiencing “hope deferred makes the heart sick” so they're leaving the church because they have no passion, no purpose, no power, and no sense of His presence; but they have no secret life in God either! Will it take a crisis to bring us into an intimate relationship with Jesus?
What was it about Deborah that caught His gaze? Her uncompromising dedication moved the very heart of God “and He changed the very heart of Deborah. She spent SO much time in the temple in prayer and worship that she was “dripping with oil”. Because of that, she could hear the Lord's voice clearly, operate with keen discernment for the times and seasons she faced as well as her daily decisions with the people, and when the call to battle came, she was absolutely ready!
Deborah was being prepared for battle in the secret place! This is where the true victory lies - in communing with Him one-on-one. That is our place of safety and truth!
It is time to stop talking about intimacy with God --- it's time to REALLY do it!
WHO WAS DEBORAH?
Imagine a black teenage girl being elected as Pope and single-handedly tearing down all the walls of division between Catholics and Protestants. Hard to even fathom that possibility isn't it? Now imagine a middle-aged, gray-haired, Jewish housewife and mother being raised up over 3,000 years ago to lead Israel in one of the most improbable military victories of history!
Allow me to introduce to you our unlikely candidate and heroine of the faith: Deborah. I have heard very little being taught about her. I always hear about Gideon, Samuel and some of the other judges, but when I studied Deborah, I fell in love with her. Deborah is very unique and a little controversial because she was a woman who held the highest executive office in the land of Canaan, or Israel, at the time.
An ancient Joan of Ark, Deborah appears in the sacred annals of Israel's history as the nation's 4th judge, the third woman prophetess (after Miriam and Rachel) and a deliver of God's people. Deborah was in a class of her own; her leadership role was unprecedented and unparalleled! She was a woman who led a nation to victory against all odds. And she did this in a patriarchal era where there was no precedent for women leaders.
Part 2: CYCLES OF ISRAEL'S REBELLION AND DELIVERANCE
The whole book of Judges covered approximately 325 years. After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Joshua and the elders died and the 12 tribes of Israel were separated in the land of Canaan. The tragic pattern of the book of Judges is this: the people went into rebellion; they worshipped other gods and intermarried into pagan tribes.
The Lord brought judgment against them. They cried out to God for deliverance. The Lord would raise up a judge, there would be a battle, Israel would be delivered and peace would be on the land for a season. After the judge died, the people went back to rebellion and the Lord once again brought heavy oppression. This cycle happened six different times!
Gwen Shaw accurately pens in her book, “Deborah and Jael”
Their homes were raided and ransacked, their crops plundered, their maidens raped, their fathers mocked and their sons murdered. People could not walk in the highways any more. They were locked up in their homes, and some even had to forsake their lands and dwellings because the enemy took possession of them. They lived in caves and dens. Their sheep and goats were stolen from them; their harvests were carried off as soon as they were reaped. They lost their olives, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, barley, and their pomegranates. This left them hungry, destitute, and desperate. They throw God out of their schools, laws, their hearts and lives, claiming they don't need him. But when they are in trouble, they wonder where He is, and why he didn't save them and prevent tragedy.
The Lord is so jealous for each one of us to love Him and know Him. When we start to move away from Him, He allows evil kings to oppress us. The Word tells us that God is the one who appoints evil kings and magistrates, but He also raises up the godly judges and kings! Deborah was the fourth judge and for the first 20 years of her 40-year reign, the nation was oppressed by one of history's most powerful and cruel Canaanite Kings, Jabin, and his cunning military commander, Sisera. (Judges 4:1-4)
DEBORAH CAPTURED THE GAZE OF GOD
What is astounding is that the Lord raised up a woman to deliver a nation! What is especially surprising is that it happened in the Middle East thousands of years ago! Deborah was not only a wife, mother, intercessor and prophetess but also a judge and a national deliverer. This is not a bad resume for a middle-aged woman living in that oppressive Middle Eastern culture.
Against great odds, God used her powerfully. Deborah broke outside of her culture but she wasn't in rebellion, she was in obedience -- to her God. She was used radically and set her people free, and the people loved her. It's a wonderful story of faith in God, and it champions men and women partnering together in a war to save their nation from great oppression.
When we read about this radical prophetess and judge, it expands our theology of women being allowed to lead governmentally. But I really feel that God is raising up a company of end-time Deborah's. There is great global shaking that has only begun, and the Lord is calling not only the men, but also the women of God! The Lord is saying, “Wake up, Deborah, be a part of the army of the Lord!”
God's eyes are searching to and fro over the earth looking for a heart that is fully His (2 Chronicles 16:9). What caught His gaze when He came to Deborah? Was it the uncompromising fire of holiness, an unwavering faith or an unrelenting love that set her apart? Was it something about the integrity of her character, the otherworldliness of her wisdom and the richness of her kindness which bred confidence in both men and women?
There are two root words for ‘consecrate’ in Hebrew: naver (separating from) and kadesh (separating unto). Deborah, like the other champions of the faith, was separated from the world and unto God. She did nothing on her own but spoke just what the Father taught her. This is where the true victory lies - in listening to Him.
Part 3: DEBORAH'S RESUME
We tend to think of multi-tasking as a 21st century phenomenon, but Deborah was functioning in five major roles. Let's review them:
Intercessor
Many scholars believe that one of Deborah's roles before becoming judge was being a lamp lighter in the temple. In the Bible, oil is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Deborah was married to Lapidoth, whose name means, “to shine, lamp, flame, burning lamp, lightening, torch.” Isn't it interesting? He, too, was a lamp that had oil!
Deborah was a keeper of the oil and light, gingerly tending the lamps. This shows us that she was a woman who was passionately spending long hours dwelling in the temple. She was a woman of prayer and of worship. She lived between two villages, Ramah and Bethel, in Ephramin, which means “the valley of fruitfulness”. Biblical names often have profound prophetic meanings. The ancient village of Ramah was known to be the seat of high adultery. Bethel was known as the house of the Lord with open heavens, where Jacob had his ladder experience in Genesis 28. She stood in the gap interceding between the seat of high idolatry and pagan worship and the house of Bethel with its open heavens.
Now the imagery becomes a little clearer - Deborah was raised up by God to intercede against idolatry (Ramah). She wanted to turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to the house of God (Bethel) to inherit a double portion of fruit (Ephraim).
Deborah's relationship with the Lord was very precious and intensely intimate. I believe that in those twenty years of captivity, Deborah stood in the gap and interceded to change the course of Israel. God promised Abraham, in Genesis 18, that He would save a nation for the sake of ten righteous men. I believe that the righteous prayers of Deborah availed much!
She worshipped and had a deep intercessory life with God. She would go into the temple and fill the lamps with oil and ask God for revelation for people around her in great darkness. She was prepared in this secret place as she stood in the gap in radical intercession for her people and her nation. She would hear from God and would bring down great wisdom and counsel. She spent long hours in the temple. This dedication moved the very heart of God and changed the very heart of Deborah. He led, she followed. She led, Israel followed.
Oftentimes we have the misunderstanding that worship is merely the thirty-minute time slot before the sermon when we sing songs of devotion to God. This is part of worship. But doing small things with great love unto Him is living a life of worship. Deborah was a worshipper who loved the oil of the lamps, Holy Spirit.
We need to be like Deborah, a people of prayer. Sincere and passionate prayer is the key to unlock our relationship with Almighty God. Many struggle with praying because they feel that their intercession is not much more than empty cries to an invisible God who seems so distant. We think that our prayers bounce off the ceiling and back to us unheard and unanswered. But beloved, God loves communing with you! He promises that He will hear you and answer! It takes only a few seconds of a face-to-face encounter with God to change the course of human history for you, your city, or your nation.
In fact, communing with God is the highest purpose for which you were created! “This is eternal life to know Me.” (John 17:3) Our hunger for God is what fuels our prayer life. When His presence is our passion and our hunger is for His heart, we can approach the throne of God boldly with the confidence that our Daddy loves our prayers, but having this first love is so important.
For Deborah, intercession was a dialogue in which He began to download strategic war plans, blue prints from heaven, and keys to “open doors that no man can shut and shut doors that no man can open.” (Isa. 22:22) How else could she wisely judge so many civil cases with the Israelites?
Judge
Ehud was the third judge of Israel. After his death, Israel was without a strong leader and once again fell into idolatry and sexual perversion. They were desperately in need of godly leadership. It was the role of the judge to hear and resolve the disputes of the people, but they also attempted to keep the nation from idolatry (Ex.18:20; Judges 2:17), they taught God's Word (Ex. 18:20; Judges 2:17; Isa.12:23), and they interceded for their people (Deut. 9:18-20, 25-29; Deut. 10:10; Isa. 12:23).
The scripture tells us that judges were raised up by God to that office (Judges 2:16). All the judges before and after Deborah were men. So Deborah must have walked in quite an unusual and unique grace to be chosen as both the natural and spiritual leader of Israel. The Word says that she was a judge for 40 years. She held her court sitting under the palm tree, which represents righteousness.
In ancient Israeli culture, there was not the separation of church and state that now exists in our governmental infrastructures. To be appointed as the judge over a nation was equivalent to also being established as the spiritual head over the country. Great responsibility came with great authority. She took care of the civil disputes of men, women and children. We aren't just talking about the little local judge down at your courthouse. We are talking about the executive leader over the whole nation of Israel. She was leading Israel (Judges 4:4-5).
Prophetess
Deborah operated in a heavenly dimension of a spirit of wisdom and revelation. It was almost as if God had supernaturally implanted a divine compass in her, always guiding her to Him. She walked in such dependence upon every move of the Omnipotent One. The judging that Deborah did so well might have been because of her gift as a prophetess. She would have been able to make wise decisions if she “saw” well in the Spirit. Although it isn't certain, many theologians feel that Deborah was from the tribe of Issachar, which means that she knew the times and the seasons. Samuel was the only other judge also listed as a prophet.
In Matthew Henry's Commentary, he writes:
She was a woman of illuminations, or of splendors, one extraordinarily known and wise, and so came to be eminent and illustrious. She was intimately acquainted with God, she was a prophetess, and one that instructed others in divine knowledge by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and had gifts of wisdom, to which she attained not in an ordinary way; she heard words of God, and she probably saw visions of the Almighty. She was totally devoted to Israel. After Jehovah, Israel was her first love.
Deborah means “bee” or “wasp” or “Queen bee” She was one who would set things in order and bring honey, but also bring the sting of a bee when necessary. A basic principle in spiritual warfare is that our level of attack against the devil must be intimately related to our level of authority and intimacy in our relationship with God.
Deborah was one who received fresh mandates from heaven, and though she knew how evil the oppression of King Jabin was, she also knew that with God anything is possible! Something in Deborah knew how to pull on the resources of heaven, stand in the counsels of the Lord (Jer. 23) and open her mouth and let Him fill it (Psa. 81:10).
Mother of Israel
What made this woman a mother of Israel? Deborah loved well. The Lord must have peered over the balcony of heaven, looked through the lattice of time and watched the way that she so tenderly stopped for the one. Imagine facing the seemingly unending line of people all needing a touch of heaven. I imagine her tired eyes stretched out on the faces of His creation as she felt the ache in their hearts for God. They had come so far, how could they leave empty handed? The eleven other dispersed tribes of Israel walked for miles and literally risked their lives on the dangerous highways as they pushed through to hear from God, through Deborah's voice.
The highways were deserted, and the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased, it eased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates. (Judges 5:6-8).
I believe that Deborah could hear the groans of the Israelites who were oppressed for 20 years and feel the pounding pain in God's heart over His people's sin and oppression. I believe that it was her ability to hear His heartbeat that allowed her to save a nation in a day. Deborah ruled with the sword of a prophet but the staff of a shepherd -- she truly loved God's people. She always led well. She led by loving.
Deliverer/Military Strategist
Deborah was more than a judge; she was used to deliver Israel from the second longest captivity. As a prophetess and military strategist, she called the nation to war. She was a military strategist who not only wielded the hand of God but also operated with the heart of God. You see, Deborah was a deliverer! She loved the people and they loved her. She delivered them from a great enemy.
The Lord literally dropped a clear prophetic word to summon Barak, the Israeli commander, to rally the rag-tag troops for battle against insurmountable odds. The Hebrews had no weapons -- none. They had all been confiscated by the Canaanites.
The famous historian, Josepheus, writes about the enemy force:
Under the command of his general, Sisera, he had 300,000 footmen, 10,000 horsemen and 900 hundred chariots of iron. These chariots not only controlled the highways and roads of the land, they could be driven through an army of men and with the swords in their wheels, they could cut off the legs of the strongest and bravest of soldiers. They were feared, as tanks are today. The people of Israel had no answer to such deadly weapons of mass destruction, forged in the bowels of hell.
God showed her revelations of how to win the battle. Seeing in the heavens and moving with prophetic proclamations, she released the warrior angels of the Lord to fight ancient demonic principalities. She knew the enemy's schemes and helped to empower the war in the heavens, destroying the enemy. She brought holy reversal to the evil plans. In her moment of crisis, she decreed the Word of the Lord and creation bowed to her command. Her prayers and military governmental leadership shifted the course of history and saved the nation of Israel. When the city gates were at war, Deborah, a mother of Israel who was willing to lay down her life for her God and county, arose.
Part 4: GOD'S WORD BRINGS A SHIFT IN ROLES
Deborah sent for Barak and told him the Lord commanded him to take 10,000 men of Naphtali and lead them to Mount Tabor. There the Lord would lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and troops, to the Kishon River and would put him into his hands. Barak was a military commander of Israel. He was a man of war, but he lacked courage. He said, “If you will go with me, I will go! But if you don't go, I won't go!” “Very well,” Deborah said, “I will go with you, but because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” (Judges 4:9)
He was dealing with heavy oppression and he did not have the faith to go. He needed Deborah to be his salvation or he would not have gotten into place for his calling. How many of you are willing to be Deborah's to help to put the Barak's in place governmentally?
So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed them. You see, she gave a prophetic word and it started to launch, shift and change not only Barak's and Israel's destiny, but also her own destiny. It shifted her out of sitting under the palm tree and lighting the lamps in the tabernacle. Suddenly she was getting on a horse and was thrust onto the front lines of the battle.
REVIVAL AND WAR ARE RUNNING MATES
When we are dealing with this great oppression in the land, when we are crying out for revival, we need to understand that revival and war lock hands. Revival and war are running mates. Our intercession and our prayers tip the bowls of justice from Heaven and fire falls down. When you are crying out for freedom and break-through, you are tipping the bowls in Heaven that contain justice. So on one hand we want to see a mighty outpouring of God to set people free, but when you are crying out desperate prayers of revival and visitation, you are also crying out for God's justice to come. When this happens, you are also bringing war to your families, to your churches and to governmental structures.
Out of their brokenness, they needed a miracle. With 10,000 soldiers, they were going on a suicide mission. But Deborah stood as a prophetic symbol; a signpost as a woman who was weak, but she had the word of God! She had a history of going in and lighting the lamps. She had a history of hearing the voice of God in the secret place. So suddenly when the hour came for her literally to go into war like a Joan of Arc, she was ready. She was in the place to say yes because she knew the voice of her God. She knew she had the living word of her Lord and 10,000 men believed her enough to risk their lives too.
War is on the horizon. God is going to put many of us on the battlefield. Many of us will lose our lives in the years ahead. There will be famines and diseases hitting America. We will be dealing with military police, one world government and tyranny. We are in a season of great warfare, but in the midst of it, will you be like a Deborah where you can hear God's voice and give radical mandates to men, women and children for such an hour as this?
Do you love the Lord so much that when you hear the cries of the suffering and oppressed around you, that you will volunteer to be a mother of Israel? Is there a cry in you that says, “I am willing to stand against sexual pornography, sin and abortion? I am willing to stand in the house of prayer with angels ascending and descending. I will be a woman who will stand in the gap and go before God and cry out in intercession. Lord, we need revival! Lord, we need the Kingdom of God to break in with the resurrection power of life!” This is a call of war! This is a call for you to say that you want to hear the voice of God from the secret place.
Lord, we want to make a fresh holy covenant with You. We want to move as holy revolutionists, but we want to move with purity and humility. We want to be ones that will come out of the secret place and wrestle with a holy desperation and go to the place of war.
The journey of Deborah is a testimony of the power of just ONE life fully set apart for God. May her song be an invitation to you that a revolution can begin -- with one person.
Kristin & Dan Walch, Duluth Prayer Walk Report
Duluth Prayer Walk Report
Kristin & Dan Walch
Arrowhead Region Coordinators,
Minnesota Apostolic Prayer Network
This is an update about our Journey to prayer walk every street in the City of Duluth.
Many of you have prayed and interceded for us during this journey and we want to express our deepest thanks and gratitude! We have now walked a total of about 520 miles of streets over about 2 ½ years time. We finished with the last section on Thursday April 21, 2011. And as we finished it was clear that God had been keeping us in HIS timing all along. We had planned on finishing earlier, but weather and other factors kept us from it. Then we realized that we would be finishing right during the middle of 2011 PASSOVER – a time when God historically showed His Glory and Power. We sensed that it was significant and God was saying that Duluth (we feel it extends to a broader region) is escaping out of the old “Captivity”. By the blood of the Lamb we are passing our from under death into a new season and a New Promised Destiny for this territory! We believe we are truly starting to see Breakthrough!
When God asks you to do something like prayer walk over 500 miles of City Streets, you may wonder - Why? But we knew it was not our place to question it – only to obey. All we have to do is look at the old Testament prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel to see the strange things God sometimes asks His people to do. Or just ask John HalvorsenJ In the doing, we saw God do some amazing things along the way. We experienced some supernatural signs that only could be God, and were encouraged as we literally stormed the gates of Hell to war for this City and territory. And we know that God is moving mightily here. And as in most things God asks us to do, we “grew” also in the process ourselves. We continue to believe that God is raising up the Twin Ports Territory for mighty things in days ahead. We have been declaring over it (as God gave us the prophetic words) that it “IS a Holy and Righteous Gateway to the World”.
There is so much more that we could talk about, but maybe some time in the future will have opportunity to share more. We have known from the beginning that when we were done walking the streets of Duluth, that God wanted us to walk around the entire perimeter (We figure about 70 miles total) to seal and declare that this is HIS territory. It is His plan – not just something that sounded good to us. We have sensed also that that was to be something that others would join with us in doing – as a sign of unity that the body of Christ in this area is committed to transforming this territory for the Kingdom of God. All moves of revival are preceded by prayer and warfare. If we don’t kick the enemy out of a territory first, then true revival may not be able to take root! Please be in prayer about the timing for this and about joining with us, even if you are not from Duluth. Let us know if this is something you and/or your church would be interested in being a part of. We believe God is looking for a unified Body of Christ to make a stand together to accomplish what HE wants for this territory.
Blessings to you all,
Dan and Kristin Walch
Kristin & Dan Walch
Arrowhead Region Coordinators,
Minnesota Apostolic Prayer Network
This is an update about our Journey to prayer walk every street in the City of Duluth.
Many of you have prayed and interceded for us during this journey and we want to express our deepest thanks and gratitude! We have now walked a total of about 520 miles of streets over about 2 ½ years time. We finished with the last section on Thursday April 21, 2011. And as we finished it was clear that God had been keeping us in HIS timing all along. We had planned on finishing earlier, but weather and other factors kept us from it. Then we realized that we would be finishing right during the middle of 2011 PASSOVER – a time when God historically showed His Glory and Power. We sensed that it was significant and God was saying that Duluth (we feel it extends to a broader region) is escaping out of the old “Captivity”. By the blood of the Lamb we are passing our from under death into a new season and a New Promised Destiny for this territory! We believe we are truly starting to see Breakthrough!
When God asks you to do something like prayer walk over 500 miles of City Streets, you may wonder - Why? But we knew it was not our place to question it – only to obey. All we have to do is look at the old Testament prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel to see the strange things God sometimes asks His people to do. Or just ask John HalvorsenJ In the doing, we saw God do some amazing things along the way. We experienced some supernatural signs that only could be God, and were encouraged as we literally stormed the gates of Hell to war for this City and territory. And we know that God is moving mightily here. And as in most things God asks us to do, we “grew” also in the process ourselves. We continue to believe that God is raising up the Twin Ports Territory for mighty things in days ahead. We have been declaring over it (as God gave us the prophetic words) that it “IS a Holy and Righteous Gateway to the World”.
There is so much more that we could talk about, but maybe some time in the future will have opportunity to share more. We have known from the beginning that when we were done walking the streets of Duluth, that God wanted us to walk around the entire perimeter (We figure about 70 miles total) to seal and declare that this is HIS territory. It is His plan – not just something that sounded good to us. We have sensed also that that was to be something that others would join with us in doing – as a sign of unity that the body of Christ in this area is committed to transforming this territory for the Kingdom of God. All moves of revival are preceded by prayer and warfare. If we don’t kick the enemy out of a territory first, then true revival may not be able to take root! Please be in prayer about the timing for this and about joining with us, even if you are not from Duluth. Let us know if this is something you and/or your church would be interested in being a part of. We believe God is looking for a unified Body of Christ to make a stand together to accomplish what HE wants for this territory.
Blessings to you all,
Dan and Kristin Walch
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Minnesota Agenda 21 Seminar - Feb. 27, 2012
MINNESOTA HOLDS AGENDA 21 SEMINAR
Feb 27, 2012
by Karen Krueger
February 18th Minnesota held a one-day seminar focused on Agenda 21 with 35 in attendance. Sandra Roesner and Deb Lehr prepared a teaching with an excellent power point. I observed that as we addressed a prevailing issue that is sending up red flags in our communities & states it is causing us to look at the whole nation. This is also generating a passion to pray. People respond to having a ‘cause’. Because of our emotional make up the ‘cause’ ignites passion and we “activate” prayer.
We had 3 young adults who shared from their generation’s perspective. It was powerful. As we listened I saw that part of the “gap” between generations has happened as children were convinced to not listen to the instruction and wisdom of their parents. Instead they were fed humanism and anti-christ fundamentals to base their thoughts and decisions on. A disconnect between generations has happened because of this agenda to usurp the role of parent.
The people attending were asking and want to know what the solution is to the situation of Agenda 21. We admitted that we do not have a solution. What we do have is the call to prayer. The National prayer networks are working together to mobilize this nation to prayer. Prayer is what we have and prayer is the best solution. We need to stand together in prayer, in alignment with the word of God to see this nation shift at every level.
The next thing that we discussed is the need to know what Christians can do to actually make a difference in the world around them. Once we have hit the issue with prayer we can expect to see the Lord open a door that we can step through and be a voice that will bring influence in our society.
I believe that Agenda 21 has so infiltrated our culture that it well may be the thing that compels people to prayer activation. We need to keep exposing this insidious venom that has so altered our everyday life. We need to combat this with what the Biblical Worldview says and directly expose Agenda 21 as a strategy to take our freedoms away and decrease our population.
We hope to appoint someone to the focus of Agenda 21 in Minnesota.
Feb 27, 2012
by Karen Krueger
February 18th Minnesota held a one-day seminar focused on Agenda 21 with 35 in attendance. Sandra Roesner and Deb Lehr prepared a teaching with an excellent power point. I observed that as we addressed a prevailing issue that is sending up red flags in our communities & states it is causing us to look at the whole nation. This is also generating a passion to pray. People respond to having a ‘cause’. Because of our emotional make up the ‘cause’ ignites passion and we “activate” prayer.
We had 3 young adults who shared from their generation’s perspective. It was powerful. As we listened I saw that part of the “gap” between generations has happened as children were convinced to not listen to the instruction and wisdom of their parents. Instead they were fed humanism and anti-christ fundamentals to base their thoughts and decisions on. A disconnect between generations has happened because of this agenda to usurp the role of parent.
The people attending were asking and want to know what the solution is to the situation of Agenda 21. We admitted that we do not have a solution. What we do have is the call to prayer. The National prayer networks are working together to mobilize this nation to prayer. Prayer is what we have and prayer is the best solution. We need to stand together in prayer, in alignment with the word of God to see this nation shift at every level.
The next thing that we discussed is the need to know what Christians can do to actually make a difference in the world around them. Once we have hit the issue with prayer we can expect to see the Lord open a door that we can step through and be a voice that will bring influence in our society.
I believe that Agenda 21 has so infiltrated our culture that it well may be the thing that compels people to prayer activation. We need to keep exposing this insidious venom that has so altered our everyday life. We need to combat this with what the Biblical Worldview says and directly expose Agenda 21 as a strategy to take our freedoms away and decrease our population.
We hope to appoint someone to the focus of Agenda 21 in Minnesota.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Civil War Sites - Prayer Assignment (August 20, 2011)
Civil War Sites - prayer assignment report
August 20, 2011
Note: 2011 was the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. During any war, and certainly that of the Civil War, there was much bloodshed and violence that was executed that was against the heart of God. In remembrance of the great loss of life on the many Civil War Battlefields throughout our Nation, and the effects this has left in the land and in the generations of families that were involved, the United States Reformation Prayer Network and the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network, together launched a prayer initiative to pray on site at every Battlefield in the United States. These prayer times were designed to declare the righteousness of God to be reestablished where bloodshed and violence had brought defilement and a curse to the land.
In the report below Sally Kassuelke from Mankato, MN tells about the day spent in Minnesota in alignment with this prayer assignment.
Minnesota Civil War Sites - Prayer Report -
We began in the morning at the Wood Lake, MN site at 10 am. Myself and Shari Comnick carried out this prayer assignment. The Lord had told us we were starting here to reverse the curse.
Wood Lake was the last battle of the war.
We began with 1/2 an hour of Native American worship music, with DRUMS!!!!
During worship Sally had a vision of Native Americans dancing and worshipping the Lord.
Information was shared from the Deborah Brunt article on confession.
We proceded with . . .
Time of Repentance
Divorce of Baal
Writ of Assistance
Declaration of Covenant from the 11-11 Campaign
Remarried Jesus, Hos. 2:14-23
Read and released the full version of the Resolution of Apology
Declared the unanimous resolution of the MN. state leg., signed by the gov. in 2010 for the repeal of the Indian Removal Act of 1830
Declaration of Light
Communion was shared with one another and the land, anointed the land with Harvest Oil from GOZ and released the harvest.
Sang The Battle Hymn of the Republic
As we left, there were 3 planes flying in formation. As if God was saying He is enforcing all that had been released.
1:00 pm - Fort Ridgely
A presentation of the Causes of the Dakota War of 1862.
We then did the divorce of Baal, the Writ, re-married Jesus and invoked the Dec. of Covenant and Dec. of Light. Read abbreviated version of the Resolution of Apology and again declared the Mn. resolution. Shared communion with each other and the land, anointed land with Harvest Oil and read The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Next we headed to New Ulm where we heard that Dr. Elden Lawrence was doing a book signing at the Brown Co. Historical Society. We got there just in time to catch him before he left and had a chance to meet with he and his wife and pray for them. We also talked about how the Lord is leading both of us to organize prayer at sites next year during the 150th anniversary of the Dakota War of 1862. We will work together to do that this year.
Sally Kassuelke
August 20, 2011
Note: 2011 was the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. During any war, and certainly that of the Civil War, there was much bloodshed and violence that was executed that was against the heart of God. In remembrance of the great loss of life on the many Civil War Battlefields throughout our Nation, and the effects this has left in the land and in the generations of families that were involved, the United States Reformation Prayer Network and the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network, together launched a prayer initiative to pray on site at every Battlefield in the United States. These prayer times were designed to declare the righteousness of God to be reestablished where bloodshed and violence had brought defilement and a curse to the land.
In the report below Sally Kassuelke from Mankato, MN tells about the day spent in Minnesota in alignment with this prayer assignment.
Minnesota Civil War Sites - Prayer Report -
We began in the morning at the Wood Lake, MN site at 10 am. Myself and Shari Comnick carried out this prayer assignment. The Lord had told us we were starting here to reverse the curse.
Wood Lake was the last battle of the war.
We began with 1/2 an hour of Native American worship music, with DRUMS!!!!
During worship Sally had a vision of Native Americans dancing and worshipping the Lord.
Information was shared from the Deborah Brunt article on confession.
We proceded with . . .
Time of Repentance
Divorce of Baal
Writ of Assistance
Declaration of Covenant from the 11-11 Campaign
Remarried Jesus, Hos. 2:14-23
Read and released the full version of the Resolution of Apology
Declared the unanimous resolution of the MN. state leg., signed by the gov. in 2010 for the repeal of the Indian Removal Act of 1830
Declaration of Light
Communion was shared with one another and the land, anointed the land with Harvest Oil from GOZ and released the harvest.
Sang The Battle Hymn of the Republic
As we left, there were 3 planes flying in formation. As if God was saying He is enforcing all that had been released.
1:00 pm - Fort Ridgely
A presentation of the Causes of the Dakota War of 1862.
We then did the divorce of Baal, the Writ, re-married Jesus and invoked the Dec. of Covenant and Dec. of Light. Read abbreviated version of the Resolution of Apology and again declared the Mn. resolution. Shared communion with each other and the land, anointed land with Harvest Oil and read The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Next we headed to New Ulm where we heard that Dr. Elden Lawrence was doing a book signing at the Brown Co. Historical Society. We got there just in time to catch him before he left and had a chance to meet with he and his wife and pray for them. We also talked about how the Lord is leading both of us to organize prayer at sites next year during the 150th anniversary of the Dakota War of 1862. We will work together to do that this year.
Sally Kassuelke
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Ashland, WI Breakthrough Gathering
This gathering was held June 24-26, 2011
Report on Breakthrough Ashland!
During the weekend of June 24-26, 2011, upwards of 50 people gathered in the Name of Jesus in Ashland, WI, to seek His face on behalf of the region. While some of the people live right in the Ashland area, most of the saints who gathered came from Minnesota, farther afield in Wisconsin, and even from Canada.
It was a brief conversation and invitation to visit from Cary Wiik, Ashland, to Karen Krueger, Director of Call to the Wall, in February at the Awake Minnesota Conference that ignited the spark. It became clear that God had a plan for His people to gather on behalf of Ashland, Northern Wisconsin, and the entire region surrounding Lake Superior. No agenda was set for the meetings. God would be totally in control. And He was!
The weekend began with seventeen people eating a meal together Friday evening; more fellowship and prayer followed in an Ashland home. Saturday began with another gathering for prayer, worship, and ministry. A spirit of prophecy began to flow. God wants us to tear down the barriers between states and between nations! Minnesota-Wisconsin, USA-Canada! The Lake Superior region is a key. Leviathan needs to be disarmed and brought down. The spiritual effect of worship and intercession around the Lake will not only bind us together, but will war against this water-spirit, a manifestation of the baal spirit.
As the fifty-plus individually-called people gathered for a potblessing feast in the early afternoon (and feast it was!), there was a sense of anticipation. God was moving!
The town’s mayor, Bill Whalen, gave a greeting and a word of testimony about his stand for righteousness in City Hall. As people gathered around him to anoint and pray for him, little did they know that the next day an Internet news article “researched” earlier in the week would be published accusing him of violating the separation of church and state by having area leaders lead in invocations at City Council meetings! God’s timing is impeccable.
Leading us into the presence of God through worship, Tom and Karen Gibson, Dick Gudarian, Jennie Christopherson, and Nancy Bartel brought us to a place of openness before the Lord to listen to His word through Jim Sky. Speaking from the Word, Jim shared his burden from the Lord for us, followed by a challenge to see reformation, not just revival, by Connie Paul Anderson.
Worship and ministry carried us to the time we had to vacate the building. Lori Grant cried out from her heart on behalf of her own and others’ experiences of pain and wounding as Native brothers and sisters. God moved among us for repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation for the White’s treatment of the Native peoples. This has been seen prophetically as one of the keys to healing and transformation of the land and structures of American society. God is afoot!
Gatherings again followed later that evening in a local home with prophecy, encouragement, and fellowship flowing. Again, Sunday, people gathered in the home for more, culminating with shared communion and a taking of authority over the land. There was a strong sense that people didn’t want to leave.
Later, Karen Krueger. discipled some of the local intercessors in renouncing Freemasonry and divorcing Baal.
What strong bonds were forged! What foundations were laid for God’s work in the Ashland area! Visions were enlarged! Covert prayer assignments were given and accepted! Only eternity will reveal completely all that was accomplished in the unity of prayer, worship, intercession, prophecy and ministry that took place this weekend! There is much to bring back to the Lord for His further revelation and instructions. Hallelujah!
This reports submitted by:
Cary & Li Wiik
Report on Breakthrough Ashland!
During the weekend of June 24-26, 2011, upwards of 50 people gathered in the Name of Jesus in Ashland, WI, to seek His face on behalf of the region. While some of the people live right in the Ashland area, most of the saints who gathered came from Minnesota, farther afield in Wisconsin, and even from Canada.
It was a brief conversation and invitation to visit from Cary Wiik, Ashland, to Karen Krueger, Director of Call to the Wall, in February at the Awake Minnesota Conference that ignited the spark. It became clear that God had a plan for His people to gather on behalf of Ashland, Northern Wisconsin, and the entire region surrounding Lake Superior. No agenda was set for the meetings. God would be totally in control. And He was!
The weekend began with seventeen people eating a meal together Friday evening; more fellowship and prayer followed in an Ashland home. Saturday began with another gathering for prayer, worship, and ministry. A spirit of prophecy began to flow. God wants us to tear down the barriers between states and between nations! Minnesota-Wisconsin, USA-Canada! The Lake Superior region is a key. Leviathan needs to be disarmed and brought down. The spiritual effect of worship and intercession around the Lake will not only bind us together, but will war against this water-spirit, a manifestation of the baal spirit.
As the fifty-plus individually-called people gathered for a potblessing feast in the early afternoon (and feast it was!), there was a sense of anticipation. God was moving!
The town’s mayor, Bill Whalen, gave a greeting and a word of testimony about his stand for righteousness in City Hall. As people gathered around him to anoint and pray for him, little did they know that the next day an Internet news article “researched” earlier in the week would be published accusing him of violating the separation of church and state by having area leaders lead in invocations at City Council meetings! God’s timing is impeccable.
Leading us into the presence of God through worship, Tom and Karen Gibson, Dick Gudarian, Jennie Christopherson, and Nancy Bartel brought us to a place of openness before the Lord to listen to His word through Jim Sky. Speaking from the Word, Jim shared his burden from the Lord for us, followed by a challenge to see reformation, not just revival, by Connie Paul Anderson.
Worship and ministry carried us to the time we had to vacate the building. Lori Grant cried out from her heart on behalf of her own and others’ experiences of pain and wounding as Native brothers and sisters. God moved among us for repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation for the White’s treatment of the Native peoples. This has been seen prophetically as one of the keys to healing and transformation of the land and structures of American society. God is afoot!
Gatherings again followed later that evening in a local home with prophecy, encouragement, and fellowship flowing. Again, Sunday, people gathered in the home for more, culminating with shared communion and a taking of authority over the land. There was a strong sense that people didn’t want to leave.
Later, Karen Krueger. discipled some of the local intercessors in renouncing Freemasonry and divorcing Baal.
What strong bonds were forged! What foundations were laid for God’s work in the Ashland area! Visions were enlarged! Covert prayer assignments were given and accepted! Only eternity will reveal completely all that was accomplished in the unity of prayer, worship, intercession, prophecy and ministry that took place this weekend! There is much to bring back to the Lord for His further revelation and instructions. Hallelujah!
This reports submitted by:
Cary & Li Wiik
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