"For the zeal of Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insulted You fell on me"(Ps. 69:9). What is it that stirs your soul to stand against the enemies of God? What reason do you have to raise your voice and cry for justice? Is it a mere idea that you hold dear? A just cause you uphold? What is it that burns in your belly that would cause you to cry out for those who are being sacrificed at the altar of Baal? What does it take for you to rise up and take action against those who defy the Lord by eating their own children and drinking their own blood?
"Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 Do you know what time it is? Is your watch synchronized with heaven? For those who are watching and discerning movements in the spiritual realm, know that this is not the time to acquiesce, comply or back down. Nor is it the time to fight one another or battle for vindication. As the enemies of God spew out their defiant destruction on anything holy and pure, it is time for the people of God to take their stand and resist the devil. "Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
This is a warning to those who feel victimized, oppressed or disenfranchised. Be careful what you give your allegiance to and where you put your focus. Your quest for justice is opening the door to seducing spirits. Our culture is screaming at you to voice your pain. If you have felt victimized, you are being told that justice will be only found by pouring out the wrongs you have suffered and the inequalities endured by the sins of others. Whether it's racial discrimination, gender bias, financial disproportion or some other personal disappointment, your constant declaration of injustice is supposed to somehow set you free. Instead, this misguided devotion to your pain is leading you into a trap.
Yes, we are experiencing a "gross darkness" that is covering the earth. We are all feeling the effects of ongoing storms of mayhem, dark clouds of corruption and the shifting shadows of subversion. But lest you think the darkness is only an indication of the devil's presence, remember there is one greater who alone is Lord of the night. "The earth was formless and void, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water" (Gen.1:2). Before there was light, there was darkness—and both originated from the same creator. Darkness is not always the absence of God for it is He who made it. But not only does God move over the darkness, He rides upon it to carry out His purpose.
For those who have been feeling overwhelmed, oppressed and sensing the heaviness in the atmosphere, there is a soul-sucking spirit that is trying to suffocate our message, stifle our voice and steal our promise and hope. The work of Leviathan is baiting us through false reports, exaggerated claims and outright lies. Just like the snake he is, his coils are tightening around the church in hopes that we'll choke on our own words and quickly surrender to avoid his death grip (see Job 41:15-16). Those who have aligned themselves with this principality in high places of government have gotten so brazen, they're not even hiding anymore. Their goals of socializing our nation and making us subservient to their demands is now their heralded message of hope.
Holy Spirit drew me into a time of prayer concerning the pandemic and the groanings across the earth. That which is being shaken is beyond a virus and even a governmental crisis. It is God's heart for all of creation and the eternal destinies of peoples and nations that He wants to awaken deep within our souls. The Lord says: Now is the time for a reckoning of souls and dividing of hearts. My people have been ridiculed, mocked and derided long enough! I am acting on the prayers of the saints, both past and present, for that which is happening upon the earth. Yes, even the cloud of witnesses is joining in this call for justice to roll like thunder!
"Yet many of the rulers also believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43). When Jesus revolutionized His nation with the gospel of the kingdom, He was continually questioned and criticized for His visionary initiatives and unorthodox methods. The Pharisees were the politically correct referees who sought to silence His voice and penalize any advancement of His message. Knowing that their power and influence were losing ground, their religious mindsets could not comprehend or celebrate the very truths that could set them free from their own man-made bondage.
"Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end ... the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:7). There is a boldness that is greatly needed among the people of God as our culture continues to self-destruct. We know that truth must be shared, and the kingdom of God proclaimed. And yet the critics and trolls are ever-present, ready to pounce when we begin to challenge the status quo. Though we want to see change and long for victory, we are hesitant to step in the ring and add our voice to the fight. Not only do we fear the enemy's counterpunches, but we wonder if our own friends will cry foul and condemn our speech.
Through a recent prophetic dream, it was revealed that the Lord is calling forth intercessors to release and declare the word of the Lord so the angelic host can act on His command to take out enemy forces. "Bless the Lord, you His angels, who are mighty, and do His commands, and obey the voice of His word" (Ps. 103:20). This exhortation comes through a fellow prophetic intercessor and writer, Madeline James, from Winchester, Kentucky. She contacted me last week with a dream she had where I appeared with a particular dog in the midst of a sniper attack. As she described this dream, it was evident there was powerful symbolism being illustrated with a charge to intercessors.
That which is giving way—that which is crumbling—that which seems to be falling apart—is not doing so simply because of man's sin or the enemy's attacks. These seismic shifts that are occurring in the landscape of our culture are happening because there is a river that is flowing stronger and stronger in the land. It is the river of the Spirit of God. It is a movement of supernatural life, vision and purpose that is flowing stronger and stronger from heaven's high places because of the hunger-filled prayers of His people. It is alive and active, coming in full force, eroding all that is of the flesh and refining all that is of the Spirit.
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