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By James Levesque
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(I have included a Prayer for Personal Revival at the End of this Word)In this time of great unrest, uncertainty and chaos in the earth, the Lord is raising up a great company of sons and daughters who exude His Peace and reflect His great Light, see: "Let there be Light!" The mandate given to this company is to: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3). Their job description is to see that: Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth (v. 4). As they accomplish this tremendous task they will receive the Glorious reward: "The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (v. 5).
As the Lord prepares to usher in a massive Awakening and to launch a vast company of saints into their divinely ordained destinies — some into the marketplace, some into the harvest fields and some to minister to His House — the enemies of our the Lord are attempting to derail this move by launching a campaign of confusion, to cause division in the ranks, miscommunication and offense in relationships. This has always been Satan's greatest tactic from ancient times, and many can testify, through experience, of the suffering it causes. However, recently, in this year of great expectation of the fulfillment of God's promises, the enemy is attempting to sabotage divinely ordained destinies from coming forth. As I have been in prayer over this, the Lord revealed that the cause of much of the offense lies in a lack of adhering to the PROTOCOLS OF THE KINGDOM, coupled with unloving attitudes.
Protocols of the Kingdom govern rules of conduct and accepted behavior clearly laid out in the Word of God. According to Wikipedia's definition, protocol is: a rule, which describes how an activity should be performed. They are often unwritten guidelines. Protocols specify the proper and generally accepted behavior in matters of state and diplomacy, such as showing appropriate respect to a head of state, ranking diplomats in chronological order of their accreditation at court. In any great kingdom or government, and most certainly in the Kingdom of God there is order and protocol to be observed in all relationships but most especially in observance with the leadership or elders appointed by God.
"Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other." 1 Thessalonians 5:12
Some Guidelines in Relating to Leadership
Show honor to your leaders through love, kindness, listening to their advice and counsel with respect.
Love them in prayer, intercession and kindness, "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward." (Matt. 10:41)
Refrain from: criticism, judgment, gossip and slander of leaders God has appointed.
Be sensitive and give leaders their space as they are dealing with many people on many fronts and it can be overwhelming and tiring.
Try not to flood leaders with your revelations especially leaders that you do not have a relationship with. Trust God for your timing. Jesus went into the grave carrying the greatest revelation of all history — that He was the son of God and very God! If your revelation is from God, it cannot die; God will bring it forth in its time with far greater anointing and impact when you wait for His timing.
Do not be presumptuous in word or action; Luke 14:8 is a great scripture to meditate on:
"When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this person your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Resist the temptation or desire to correct leaders on their messages or their doctrine, especially if you are not in relationship with them. If you feel that a leader is in error, follow proper protocol and take it to the leader that you are accountable to — or better still, take it to God in prayer! Ultimately, leaders are set in their position by God and they must answer to Him. He is most capable of correcting His servants if it is needed. In seeking Him first, God may just reveal a greater revelation of truth that you did not see.
To presumptuously begin to minister to others when visiting someone else's ministry is outside of protocol — wait to be invited to minister by the leader or someone in charge.
God sets leaders in within boundary lines established by Him. Within these regions they sit at the gates and are mandated with the authority to govern. There are spheres of authority in the kingdom of God and protocol related to those spheres. It is dishonoring and dangerous to attempt to move in kingdom authority outside of your own jurisdiction without honoring the leadership authority God has set in place in any given region. This will certainly open the door to demonic oppression.
Leaders with Other Leaders
I personally find it very disheartening and discouraging when I see leaders in the Body of Christ that I honor, love and respect, criticize, judge and mock each other openly on the internet, in print or on YouTube. The Bible gives the protocol for dealing with all situations that may arise. When there are concerns, we should first go in private, then with others — the last resort is in public, and in that case it is done with dignity, and integrity — never to mock or put shame on anyone, but to always handle God's servants in an honoring way. If it is of a prophetic concern or related to accuracy, I believe it grieves the heart of God when we publicly shame the sons and daughters that He loves, who are sincerely trying to be obedient to Him. Ultimately we reap what we sow — as we publicly criticize and attack each other the world looks on and mocks our hypocrisy and lack of love.
Leaders with the Saints of God
If we were to encourage and build-up one another publicly, and correct in love and honor privately, so much confusion, pain, offense and shame in the Body of Christ would be eliminated. When we speak the truth in love we will have a far more receptive audience and build long lasting relationships — I have found! I have learned the hard way that it is better to wait and take time to think things through prayerfully, and ask for counsel before I go rushing in with correction or with my opinions. We so easily forget that Jesus hung on a cross for the very people we are so angry and offended with — that He loves them passionately with everlasting love, and yet we handle them so carelessly.
When God first released me in the area of counseling I had a very vivid dream. I was walking on a narrow path up a very high hill. At the top of the hill was a great mansion like a castle. I was dressed like a servant, on my way to work in the mansion of a great King. The King took me to a very special room that contained his most priceless treasures! He handed me a cloth and instructed me to clean these valuables and then left. As I turned to begin my work, I saw a large sign on the wall that read 'HANDLE WITH CARE.' I knew the dream was a warning from God to handle His children, the treasures of His heart with great care!
As stated in Isaiah 40, the High places of pride, arrogance, cold love, presumption, desire for power, bossiness and control over others must come down. God knows the motivations of our heart! The low places of unbelief, fear, anxiety, despair and discouragement must be renounced and our thoughts raised up to a higher place. The crooked places crafted by religious spirits who love contention, argument and debate, breeding hatred and anger, must be straightened out with honor, preferring others, compassion and love — its best to choose not to engage with those of this spirit as there is never a peaceable outcome. And finally the rough places of angry and aggressive personalities must be smoothed out — unchristian ways and traits not representative of the Prince of Peace and the Kingdom of God. I am often shocked and surprised by the way Christians sometimes speak to others with such angry responses — presenting an angry and cold presentation of God and the Gospel that is supposed to be GOOD NEWS!
It is important to remember that God doesn't takes sides, He is His own side — one that is always founded on a higher way. When Joshua asked the Captain of the Hosts whose side He was on, theirs or their enemies, He answered, "neither" — For God so loved THE WORLD! In disputes it is always important to ascend to the place of God's heart to get His perspective. To be an ambassador representing the Kingdom it is important to always maintain an objective position in all circumstances, and not be hooked in through emotion. When we are caught in the situation emotionally we become a part of the problem, and not equipped to bring God's solution.
There was a time early in my Christian walk where I was busy criticizing God's leaders and God's Church, even though I knew the scripture about not touching God's anointed. Well the Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, so the Lord took me to an account in Ezekiel 8 & 9 that really shook me up! In this passage God showed Ezekiel the things taking place in his City that grieved Him, "He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? In chapter nine God calls for six angels to release terrible judgment on the City, He then calls for a man clothed in linen to "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it" (9:4). God then spoke to my heart and said, I did not call you to criticize but to unite with My heart to intercede and pray accordingly. This incident caused me to be so grateful for the Cross and the Blood of Jesus that protects us! God does want his children to grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ, and the Holy Spirit patiently works with us that we may become the fragrance of Christ wherever we are.
God has put a deep travail in my heart, rising inside me over these issues — a cry that wants to shout and warn. We are all so hungry for more of God and on the edge of the move we have been longing for — it is so important to remove these things that have hindered this move from coming forth, that will cause us to stumble as we move out. I believe God not only want us to pursue unity, He wants us in union to drive out the enemy from the midst of us, that His shalom can rest heavily upon us and His Glory be evident to all!
If we choose to study and learn of the fragrant and beautiful ways of Christ, and the protocols of His Kingdom, as we move out into the harvest fields of the world, the plans of the enemy to divide us will be greatly hindered. When we move as a unified force the Commanded Blessing of the Father will be upon us and the world will know that we are sons of God by our love for each other and for them.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:38
Revival and Awakening begins within us. The Azusa Street Revival began when some had the courage to pray "Lord BEND me!" Repentance makes the way for the Spirit to move.
On my journey, God brought these issues before me and inspired me to write this prayer for personal revival:
Prayer for Personal Revival:
"I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15
O Father, Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, please forgive me for breaking Your first and second commandment, for not loving You with all my heart and entertaining idols in my life. Forgive me for putting people and other things as priorities in my life before You. Forgive me Lord for turning my eyes away from beholding Your beauty to gaze at worthless idols. Forgive me for wasting precious time on the things of this world.
O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive your work in the midst of the years! Habakkuk 3:2
Forgive me LORD for when I have not hearkened to the word of Your prophets and apostles and submitted to the leaders you have given to guide and direct me. Forgive me when I have made the choice to criticize and dishonor your chosen servants with my words and grieved the Holy Spirit. Forgive me when I thought I knew better than they did, or had greater revelation, and I did not submit in my heart, nor did I humble myself. Lord forgive me when I have through criticism, slander, judgment and murmuring, stepped out from under the protection of fathers and mothers whom you have set in place over me. Forgive me Father!
"Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name. Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved." Psalm 80:19
Father, forgive me when I have not preferred others as Your word commands and not honored the gift in others. Father I have been guilty of pride, striving, competition and a lack of Your great Love and compassion. Forgive me for holding on to offense and unforgiveness, forgive me LORD when I have not chosen Your higher way of Love and servanthood.
"Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, o lord, according to your loving-kindness." Psalm 119:159
Forgive me LORD when I have misrepresented you and not reflected Your goodness, Your compassion and great mercy for others, the lost and the poor. Forgive me for any prejudice I have harbored toward precious people of other cultures or social standing, created in Your image, and in pride have treated anyone as less than myself.
"Great are Your tender mercies, o lord; revive me according to your judgments." Psalm 119:156
O lord forgive me when my heart has been proud and lofty and I have chosen reason and logic over Your Word. Forgive me for compromising and attempting to live out Your Life on my terms; for I am owned by You, bought by Your Blood. Forgive me Lord when I have been selective in my obedience and disregarded Your commands and precepts as not relevant or agreeable. Forgive me for adjusting your commands to suit my circumstances, lifestyle and my comfort level, and deceived myself into believing I was walking the Christian walk.
"Hear my voice according to Your loving-kindness; o lord, revive me according to your justice." Psalm 119:149
Father Your Word declares that Righteousness and justice are the foundations of Your Throne, forgive me Lord when I have not walked righteously; forgive me for when I have lied or been dishonest, and I deceived, controlled or manipulated others for my benefit. Forgive me when I have chosen to compromise on Your Word and Your Way, and have not chosen to obey the clear directions in Your Word.
"Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in your way." Psalm 119:37
Precious LORD, please hear the cry of my heart and forgive me for the lusts of my eyes, the lusts of my flesh and the pride of my life. Forgive me for grieving your precious Holy Spirit when I have not chosen Your way and Your Words of Life. You long for me to share Your heart and Your desires, forgive me for having chosen my ways above Yours.
"I long for Your precepts; revive me in your righteousness." Psalm 119:40
Forgive me lord for displeasing you with grumbling, murmuring and complaining, and for having a despairing heart of unbelief and doubt. Forgive me for not trusting Your faithfulness and goodness, for You are Good and Your mercy endures forever. O Father, forgive my unbelief and help me to believe once again.
"My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word." Psalm 119:25
Father please forgive me for undermining any revelation You have prepared and birthed through chosen vessels to enhance the building of Your House, to enforce Your coming kingdom and to display Your great power on earth.
Forgive me for words I have spoken against other churches and ministries, and the work You have birthed through them. Forgive me for giving the enemy any place to harm others or to bring judgment on ourselves, as Your word declares that I will reap in the measure that I have measured out judgment. O God have Mercy!
"Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?" Psalm 85:6
Precious LORD, I declare my love for You today, I choose to pick up my cross and follow you. I choose obedience and I choose the way of love. I honor You as my LORD and confess that You are the Sovereign LORD of all creation! I Praise Your wonderful Name and lift it high above every name that is named on earth or in heaven. You alone are God and You alone are worthy of praise and honor. You are great and greatly to be praised. All honor, majesty, dominion, power and Glory belongs to You O God! I declare to the Heavens, to principalities and powers that You are my God, that you are Good and Your great mercy endures forever! Be lifted up you gates that the KING OF GLORY may come!"
"Forgiven!"
Faith Marie Baczko
