Tuesday, July 28, 2015

What About Future America?





Will America Be Restored?

By Scott Webster

What a loaded question – especially in light of where the nation is presently. As a prophetic voice in the nation I am often asked that question, and it’s on the mind of everyone who lives here because the problems are on every front.

Some things are very obvious, like the rush towards redefining marriage, or the ineptness of the U.S. Congress to pass legislation. But other things are also in disrepair, one of them being the current state of disrepair of the physical infrastructure of the nation – see the sidebar.

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STATE OF THE UNION:

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

LOCKS ON RIVERS: Although they exist outside the sight of most of us, there is an extensive system of 192 locks on 12,000 miles of river across the country – most of it in need of extensive repair. The locks allow barges to transport goods, but they were built in the 1930s and are often broken, causing barges to have to wait all day to pass through. The Corp of Engineers estimate it will cost $13 billion to fix the decay in existing locks, but that money isn’t available. With current budget limitations it will take until 2099 to complete repairs. Delayed delivery of goods means sluggish industry and higher prices, especially in the agricultural and concrete industry which depend heavily on barge transport.

INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS: The Eisenhower Interstate system was built in the 1950s and much of it is “functionally obsolete”, including 10% of all bridges. The I-35 bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi river during rush hour in 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145. The roads are too small for the number of Americans using it – 42% of interstate highways are categorized as “congested”. One engineer said, “We’ve used every Band-aid, every piece of duct tape, every wad of chewing gum we can to patch our way through.”

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The physical infrastructure of America needs a massive overhaul, but the cost for that is estimated at $3.6 trillion, only a fraction of which is budgeted. The nation finds itself in a Catch 22; it doesn’t have the money to spend to improve the system due to a moribund economy and limited budgets, but if it doesn’t spend the money it risks squandering the lead it has enjoyed in the global economy over the last 50+ years. This reality is evidence that the American empire is declining relative to the rest of the world, as one analyst said of the transportation system, “What has been [the US’s] competitive advantage in infrastructure is at risk of being lost because it hasn’t kept infrastructure up to date.”

But the question of America’s restoration cannot be limited to rebuilding the physical infrastructure. There is decline in other areas also, including the economy, political polarization producing gridlock, and a level of spiritual and moral decline that is patently obvious. The question is a viable one – will the nation be restored to a place of strength, or will it continue to decline?

What Does the Lord Say?

What does the Lord say about the restoration of the nation? That is the key question, and if you have read The Arc of Empires you understand that we declare prophetically that there is clear Divine purpose in the nations decline, and the deterioration will continue as God deals with the earth through a series of crises. Not all agree; some claim other prophetic insights which contradict what we have put forth while others say that if we pray God could change His mind, as happened to Nineveh when impending judgment pronounced by Jonah was delayed for many years through the people’s repentance.

That leaves us with “competing” or contradictory prophetic views. I am not interested in mounting a defense to try and prove my view right, nor do I have any desire to be adversarial or to attack other views. But I’m very interested in helping people understand what God is speaking. Jeremiah’s key prophetic utterance was that Judah would be invaded by Babylon and broken by God, a word he declared in the first chapter of his book. The next 51 chapters describe the drama that ensues after a true word from God is released, including:

* Jeremiah’s consistent efforts to get people to understand what the Lord was saying, and his ongoing hopes that they would respond properly.

* Working through the nation’s blindness which was rooted in a sense of entitlement and exceptionalism based in their religious history.

* The narrative describes how the nation responded to the word of the Lord – kings were deposed, foreign armies mobilized and dispatched, harvests withered / economic collapse, false prophets were confronted in the temple and some died – all as a result of God talking.

Beyond releasing a true word from the Lord, the real task lies in helping the people of God to understand and respond correctly. Those that God wants to receive the word have to be led to a place of discernment so they know what is of the Lord and what is not, and there are clear Biblical instructions to do just that.


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WILL AMERICA BE RESTORED? – PART 2

By Scott Webster
May 11, 2015

The Word Must be Redemptive

How can a word that America is in decline and will not be restored be “good”? Because the nation has been utilized by God to impact the earth on so many levels, it is difficult to understand for many believers, who believe that God desires to restore the nation. That is how they pray and what they work towards. This system of belief cannot fathom what redemptive purpose God could have in breaking the economic, political and social structures of the nation – but that is exactly the view that we are putting forth.

~~~~~~~sidebar~~~~~~~~~~~

STATE OF THE UNION:
Polarization & Political Gridlock

Polarization is in the U.S. Congress is at an all time high, and it derives from both sincere ideological differences as well as deliberate exploiting of those differences in order to win elections. Healthy debate, building coalitions and bi-partisan lawmaking is essential to the function of a democracy. During the 20th century – as American Empire was expansive and robust – the Congress was a highly functional body as measured by bills proposed and passed into law. But the last few years it has dramatically worsened. The level of gridlock is now higher than its previous apex 150 years ago, in the immediate post Civil War era, when deep divisions polarized the nation.

Polarization reduces the capacity of Congress to govern, causing Standard and Poor’s to downgrade America’s credit rating in 2011 for the first time in history, noting that:”American governance and policy making become less stable, less effective and less predictable than what we previous believed.”

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Prophetic Perspective – where is this going? Gridlock and ideological extremism will lead to:
* Extremely adversarial election process which will further deepen the rifts in 2016
* Continued downward spiral in the economy over the long term
* Inability to create a cohesive foreign policy in America’s relations with the rest of the world
* The splintering of the federal system and the very probable secession of states

This series of articles is to provide you with the tools to assess this prophetic perspective which is the basis for our book The Arc of Empires, written to equip people to partner with God and stand strong in the midst of the crisis. Every word from God must be ultimately redemptive because that reflects the nature of God Himself. There are two key aspects of redemptive purpose that underlie the decline of America:

1. The crisis in the earth is a sign of the presence of God and His readiness to bring deliverance.

2. The crisis is a call to His people to engage in reformation and transformation.

1. The Crisis is a sign in the earth of the presence of God and His readiness to bring deliverance. A generally accepted view among believers is that God is absent from the affairs of the nation, which has led to its devolving right before our eyes. But the example of our brothers in Ancient Egypt shows us that God is walking in the earth, breaking the nations in order to deliver His people. People wonder “where is God?” We proclaim: He is here! The plagues of Egypt weren’t just natural disasters or random events; they were a strategic assault by God against the darkness which held God’s people captive.

We know it was true in Ancient Egypt because the Scriptures strip away the facade and reveal the inner workings of God’s purpose that were behind the plagues. But the people living then didn’t have the Scriptures – they had to know by faith and by prophetic decree that God was in the crisis and it was redemptive, even while it was destabilizing everything around them. They had to look beyond Pharaoh and perceive the will of God, just as we must look beyond Obama (and whoever will win in 2016) and recognize there is purpose in the decline of the nation.

He is breaking the nations in order to deliver His people

Crisis is the environment of the End Time Church, a truth which is repeated over and over in Scripture. Jesus said crisis would be a sign of the end of the age: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Mt 24:7-8). International upheaval, instability in the nations and multiplied natural disasters are the things that mark the end of the age, and they are called “the beginning of birth pains”. That means that like birth pains they will increase both in frequency and in intensity until God’s purposes are fulfilled.








O America Where Are You Going?



The Signs of Shaking Are Evident

By Hubert Synn

The history of America is a phenomenon. In less than 300 years since its inception, this young nation has accomplished what no other nation has been able to accomplish in a similar time frame: ascend to an industrial, economic and political world power; achieve reserve currency status; and be regarded as a universal symbol of prosperity.

America was founded as “one nation under God.” God was morally and spiritually intertwined with our society, with evidence of sincere faith woven into the Constitution, Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem.

Scriptural mottos were displayed in government buildings and inscribed onto our currency. Sadly, our culture has steadily removed God as the anchor of this nation and the Bible as our standard for living. Christians are increasingly persecuted. The depth of moral and spiritual division and decline in this country grieves my spirit. Today, America is a country, but no longer one, indivisible nation under God.

As I wake up in the morning these days, I sense an uneasiness, the kind of uneasiness where you expect something bad to happen. The signs of shaking are evident in both national and global current events. When I spend time with the Lord, I am led to pray for our country like I have never done before. America is almost at the breaking point where it cannot halt the slide of what is going to come. As I have been praying for America, the Holy Spirit has shown me how the blessing of His hand over this nation enabled its rapid ascent to greatness, but the removal of His hand will result in a rapid decline into weakness. The Holy Spirit has told me the following:

The Lord wants us to know that as we continue along the path we are going, things are going to start to change rapidly. The successes we have enjoyed in so many things will start to turn the opposite way. The crops we rely on will not be as fruitful as they have been in the past. The change in the seasons will not be the same as it always has been as a gradual change. The changes will be abrupt. As my people continue to be persecuted and mocked there will be repercussions. His hand which has been on the land will be removed like it has never been before. The prosperity will be pulled back and the whole nation’s outlook will change. For as He has been removed from our land He will remove His hand from holding America, and she will be on the same playing field as other nations. For the time she was a powerful leader, she will become a weaker nation and will have to rely on other nations for her needs.

I do, however, still have hope regarding the future of America. The way in which God supernaturally orchestrated my meeting with Rabbi Jonathan Cahn at an airport to bring forth the message of The Harbinger shows me He still cares for us. He wanted His warning to be heard loud and clear. Let’s all pray for a spiritual awakening, accompanied by repentance and humility.

Source: This is part of an article featured in the May 2015 issue of Charisma : http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/prophecy/23061-the-words-of-the-prophets





Thursday, July 23, 2015

A Present Word Of Encouragement For Leaders






Prophecy: Front-line Leaders and Forerunners Are Shifting

By Lana Vawser




There is a great assault and attack against many front-line leaders and forerunners right now. The enemy is working hard to 'shut down' these ones and hinder them from moving forward and stepping into what the Lord is about to do in and through them.

I had a vision where I first heard the Lord say, "Front-line leaders and forerunners, batten down the hatches."

I then saw many front-line leaders and forerunners all together and bent down on their knees with their shields held up in front of them, sitting behind their shield of faith, and there was a barrage of arrows being thrown at them. Every time they have thought the "assault" had ended they stood up and the arrows would begin again. Many front-line leaders and forerunners have felt like they are in a moment of complete 'assault' from many directions. I saw many front-line leaders and forerunners weary from the battle.

In this vision, I was in front of these front-line leaders and forerunners and I could see the enemy and his demons which were shooting arrow after arrow at them attempting to wound them. In the 'weariness' many of these front-line leaders and forerunners were facing at times they put their shield down out of discouragement and weariness from holding it up, and were "hit" and "wounded" by these arrows that had come against them. So they were then holding their shield of faith up again but finding it harder than before because of the "wounds" they had received.

I then saw Jesus walk up behind many of these front-line leaders and forerunners, and I saw Him place His hand on their backs one by one and He was praying for them, interceding for them. As I watched, I saw Him moving His hand all across their backs in different spots. I walked over to have a look and saw other wounds these front-line leaders and forerunners had received were on their back. But the enemy was in front of them, so I was perplexed by these wounds on their back.

Suddenly, this "knowing" came over many. Not only were many of these front-line leaders and forerunners being hit from the front and the enemy coming on strong with his assault, there has been an assault against many of these ones from the 'back.' Being "stabbed in the back" by people they trusted, even other believers, judgments, curses and jealous words that had been spoken against them.

I could see Jesus was healing these wounds and praying for their strength in the midst of their battle. As He prayed His Words of truth and love were bringing such deep healing. A deep strengthening was happening in these front-line ones.

"And the God of Israel will be your rear guard." (Isaiah 52:12, MEV).

The Lord then spoke, "A refreshing heavenly oasis (a fertile spot in a desert, where water is found.) is opening up before you. An invitation into deeper intimacy in the midst of this battle. Many of you have felt you are in the desert; the battle has been so intense that weariness has left you in a place of feeling dry and exhausted. Before you I am opening up a fertile spot, a place of life and heavenly waters of refreshing in Me."

Places of incredible encounters with Him are opening up for front-line leaders and forerunners right now.

Suddenly, I saw pools of water forming around these front-line leaders and forerunners in the midst of the battle. Nothing had changed from the "arrows" coming against them, but there was a new level of intimacy being opened up for them as they remain steadfast in faith. Encounters with His heart like they have never had before while in the chaos of the battle. A deep refreshing was coming to these ones. An increase of visions, prophetic dreams and encounters that was seeing them begin to stand up in the midst of this battle and walk forward in boldness.

As these ones began to walk forward in boldness I saw Jesus walking with them. I could see Him behind them, beside them and before them all at the same time. They were holding their shield of faith in their hands and a determination in their heart and eyes to see the enemy and his demons overcome by the authority that was theirs.

As they moved forward, the enemy began to retreat, farther and farther back. I then noticed that as they were moving forward in boldness and a deep refreshment that had taken place in these encounters, I saw the body of Christ as a whole and in the middle I saw a clock. It looked like a normal clock face with numbers and clock hands, but then also on the clock face were various quadrants which represented seasons the body of Christ was moving into.

I saw the hour hand was seconds away from midnight, but still in the "contending season" quadrant. As these ones moved forward they began to speak out declarations and heavenly revelations the Lord had given them in these encounters and suddenly the clock began to shake. It was like an earthquake was happening in the middle of the clock and suddenly I saw the clock hand move to midnight and then again suddenly forward into "harvest revival increase time."

The "knowing" then came over me that many of these forefront leaders and forerunners have been under such assault because the Lord is releasing through them the revelations and kingdom keys to shift the body of Christ into "harvest revival increase time," but at an accelerated pace. Moving the people of God into a time of great revival within the body of Christ and releasing revival to the world.

What they were "fighting for" behind their shields was not only for their personal breakthrough but also fighting on behalf of the body of Christ to see one of the greatest shifts the church has ever seen before. Paving the way, breaking ground for the body of Christ to move into the greatest time of harvest, revival and increase they have ever experienced.

Suddenly as this clock hand moved past midnight into the "harvest revival increase time" I saw physical ailments, unexplained sickness and diseases, heavy financial burdens and word curses suddenly disappear off these front-line leaders and forerunners. Much of what these ones had endured through this season was sent from the enemy to stop them from moving forward and shifting the body of Christ into her new season. There was sudden restoration.

I saw Jesus approach these leaders and forerunners who had stood firm and moved forward, and hand them a huge kingdom key. As He placed it in their hands they spoke, "Thank you Lord, I receive and believe." I saw this key labeled "double recompense." As their declaration and thankfulness met with His provision, suddenly "double doors" were unlocked around them and that released "double recompense" upon them for all that had been taken and broken in the 'assault.'

Forefront leaders, and forerunners, there has been great assault against many of you, and the enemy has been screaming, "give up." Do not give up, for you are not only fighting for your personal breakthrough but the shifting of the body of Christ into the greatest season we have seen thus far. You are but steps away from breakthrough. The Lord is with you. He is bringing healing to you.

Some of the greatest encounters with Him are upon you in the midst of the battle. He is opening up a heavenly oasis of refreshing before you in the midst of the battle. You will receive GREAT wisdom and revelation in these encounters and great strengthening that will not only set you on your feet again, but give you the keys to shift the body of Christ into this new season.

The Lord is walking with you, behind you and before you. It may seem that things have been lost and broken in this season, and it may feel like you have been under a constant barrage of arrows, but you are moving forward in greater strength, courage, fearlessness and revelation. Not only will you see tremendous breakthrough in your life, and receive double recompense but a huge corporate breakthrough and shifting across the body of Christ.

"I honor you for fighting. Jesus honors you for figh

ting and standing. I am proud of you front-line leaders and forerunners. Jesus is proud of you front-line leaders and forerunners. Thank you for standing! Jesus thanks you for standing. Your faith, obedience and sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. Great is your reward."

Jesus stands before you welcoming you into your "harvest revival increase time" with the body of Christ following after you.

Lana Vawser has a heart to encourage the body of Christ and individuals in their walks with Jesus, deeper intimacy with Him, and learning to hear His voice. She operates in the prophetic and loves to share the heart of God with others. Lana has written her first book, titled Desperately Deep—Developing Deep Devotion and Dialogue with Jesus, and loves to see others grow in all that God has for them.







Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Prophetic Exhortation





Witchcraft in the Name of Prophecy? A Sad Reality in the Church

By Ryan LeStrange


Before I dive into this topic, let me make one thing clear: I fully embrace, welcome and participate in the prophetic ministry. I believe that the Bible is true when it declares, "Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be supported. Believe His prophets, and you will succeed" (2 Chr. 20:20).

The prophetic ministry is one of the most powerful and often misunderstood in the body of Christ. Yet, I believe that it is a prophetic generation that will empower the effective weapons of war and release God's people to surge forth with divine direction. Prophetic ministry is crucial to the emerging move of God, bringing revival and awakening in the earth. There is a great need for powerful and authentic prophetic ministry.

Unfortunately, the enemy loves to twist and pervert something that God is using. He works very hard to find cracks in a person's armor or a breach in the hedge so that he can come in and create havoc.

I was stunned when a good friend of mine shared the story of a prophetic meeting in which the primary minister would only give a detailed word for a monetary gift. Let me pause and say that I believe a workman is worthy of his hire (1 Tim. 5:18). Historically, prophets have been blessed people because there is a divine attraction related to their gift. As people receive life-giving words, they often desire to sow and support. This is biblical and healthy.

However, prostituting a gift by putting monetary demands upon people in order to allow them to benefit from a gift is a breach of character at best, manipulation and witchcraft at worst! I don't care how many books you have written, hours you've been on television or who has endorsed you. This practice is abusive and creates a tremendous stain upon the prophetic ministry. The body of Christ and leaders in particular need to stop tolerating this and put a stop to it.

Prophetic people have a tendency to walk alone because they are often rejected by those who do not understand their gift. The enemy loves to use the tool of isolation. Spiritual isolation can can create a toxic situation in the life of a prophet. When Elijah was under a spiritual attack, the enemy isolated him so that he retreated into a cave.

"He came to a cave and camped there, and the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "Why are you here, Elijah?" And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, Lord of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek to take my life" (1 Kings 19:9-10, MEV).

Many times prophets find themselves isolated and feeling rejected. This creates a platform for deception! I believe that this is one of the many reasons why the Lord linked the apostolic and prophetic ministries together. A seasoned spiritual father or mother with integrity would teach a young prophet valuable lessons about stewarding their gift with integrity to avoid deceptive practices.

Yet, many prophets spend much of their time alone and in prayer. Often they travel without being faithful to a local assembly or committed to an apostolic father or mother, lacking any real accountability. When they begin to describe physical conditions, calling out people's names and sharing intimate details of people's lives, their meetings grow and their influence increases. It becomes very easy for them to lose their footing and slip down a path of error.

Again, this is where the body of Christ needs maturity! Why are we so enamored with accurate information? Could this be a revelation as to why the modern-day disciples of Jesus are so spiritually dry? They flock to anyone that they believe is hearing from God because His voice is so dim in their own lives? Has the American and Western church drifted so far from the supernatural that any sign of Holy Spirit life is like a breath of fresh air to God's people? I believe the answer to these questions is a resounding, "Yes."

It is time that passionate devotion, daily prayer, Holy Spirit leading and the believer's ministry be restored to the church. Many large gatherings will reject these thoughts but there is a remnant people who really want to walk with the Father! We must get back to foundational Christianity and New Testament ministry that includes the supernatural! We must also be mature enough to put a stop to abuses and nonsense in the name of the prophetic.

A prophetic gift that is not properly stewarded can easily give way to witchcraft (control and manipulation) in the name of prophecy. I am not accusing prophets who flow in power of any evil motive. Again, I love and embrace the prophetic ministry. I myself spend a lot of time ministering one-on-one and releasing prophetic words by the leading of the Spirit of God. I enjoy revival and wild manifestations of God's power. I am talking very specifically about wrong operations.

Here are four signs of danger in prophetic ministry:

1. Tying a monetary gift to receiving a prophetic word.
This should not be tolerated by the body of Christ. It is time to cleanse the oil and rid the body of abusive hirelings. I don't care how famous you are or how accurate your revelation is, if you demand money before you prophesy to someone then you are in sin and need to repent.

2. Prophesying from a soulish realm.
This is something that every prophetic minister, including myself, has wrestled with. We must do our very best not to operate out of our own desires or knowledge when ministering prophetically but really tapping into the realm of the spirit. We should avoid speaking in the name of prophecy over situations of which we have an intense amount of knowledge. One example is prophets getting wrapped so deeply in political issues. It is extremely difficult to give a pure word of the Lord when your emotions are actively involved in the outcome.

3. Controlling prophecies.
The gift of prophecy should exhort people not tie them down. I believe there can be prophetic warnings and even rebukes but it must not be from a false motive of control. Ministry leaders should not continually prophesy over people their own desires to build their ministries. This is a false operation that needs to be torn down by rooting our hearts deeply in prayer and daily checking our motives.

4. Operating under false fire. The Bible tells us that we are to know them that labor among us (1 Thess. 5:12). We are to know their fruit. We have gotten ourselves into great deception by seeking gifts and not fruit. Many people operating in the spirit of witchcraft and carrying strange fire have been allowed to masquerade as prophets. This has polluted the stream!

I am giving my time and life to stirring fresh fire in God's people and setting the nations ablaze. I see revival hubs being raised up in various territories to host the presence of God and release Holy Fire. I see a new generation of signs and wonders ministries arising in the earth today! I believe that there is a generation that longs for the authentic miracle working power of God.

I am encouraged by the growing hunger that I sense. I am passionately striving to establish a pure generation of apostolic leaders to build the hubs, stoke the fire and release the army. It is an impossible task without the prophetic ministry. We need those who see, hear and know by the Spirit. The church is in dire need of a prophetic release from heaven. We need regional words to empower revival! We need national prophetic voices to speak the heart and plans of the Father.

We need fresh fire not strange fire! We need revelation not manipulation. We must establish sound teaching and guidance concerning prophetic ministry. My question is: Where are the fathers? Where are those who provide guidance, warning and solid teaching to the body of Christ in order to avoid deception? We need your voices to arise!

Let's do this thing with integrity, purity and honor.

Ryan LeStrange has been preaching the gospel for more than half of his life. As a young man, God led him to leave his home and travel to Tennessee to study and train under Dr. Norvel Hayes, who later became his spiritual father. Pastor Ryan shares the apostolic call of Dr. Hayes to establish churches, ministries and Bible colleges, and to train leaders in the body of Christ. Ryan hosts a weekly television show on God TV called Power4Today. Ryan is the apostle and leader of Impact International Apostolic Fellowship, a network of churches and ministries around the world with a single vision to birth revival. He has founded two Bible colleges, served as an associate pastor and traveled as an evangelist. Visit him online at www.ryanlestrange.com.