Prophetic Word for 2012: Revival Begins With You
While I was praying over 2012, I received impressions about many things—some warnings and some promises. But what burned most on my heart to share with the masses wasn’t a list of predictions or a prophetic directive. What burned most on my heart to share are four simple words: Revival begins with you.
We yearn to see signs, wonders and miracles manifest today as they did in the book of Acts, don’t we? But are we willing to pay the price the early church paid? Are we willing to die to self? Are we willing to relinquish control to the Holy Spirit so He can move like He wants to move? Are we willing to repent for the character flaws that hold us back? Are we willing to walk in love and unity with true believers who don’t believe exactly the same as we do? Are we willing to war against the spirit of compromise that is raging against the church in this age? Revival begins with you.
The book of Acts never fails to fascinate me. It is the Holy Ghost in action, the gifts of the Spirit made manifest, a charismatic believer’s delight. Indeed, many of us want to see the Holy Ghost move in the church—and in the world—like that again. Well, I beseech you to consider these four words: Revival begins with you.
Discerning the Call to Prophetic Intercession
There’s plenty of talk about prayer, prophetic intercession, standing in the gap, making up the hedge, prayer burdens, and, of course, spiritual warfare. But how do we discern the call to prayer? How do we recognize a proverbial prayer burden?
These questions may seem simple, but far too many saints have come to me carrying burdens they thought were their own when in reality they were feeling the weight of oppression over a person or a city. I know how they feel. It took me some years to learn to accurately divide soul and spirit.
The turning point for me was during a mission trip to Nicaragua. I woke up feeling severely depressed for no apparent reason. I felt down and out, like giving up, throwing in the towel, calling it quits and running home to pull the covers over my head. It felt like my best friend had just died. I sat there for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong with me and crying out to God to help me escape these oppressive feelings.
‘Prophet of Doom' Says God No Longer Saving People
In yet another ridiculous end-of-the-world assertion, Harold Camping claims that people who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior after May 21 aren’t really saved at all.
If you didn’t believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord before Camping’s trumpeted “Judgment Day,” he argues, it’s too late for you.
The 90-year-old Family Radio Founder, also known in some circles as the prophet of doom, maintains that the world has been under God’s judgment since May 21. Camping had predicted the world would end on May 21. When it didn’t, he claimed May 21 was indeed Judgment Day in a spiritual sense and that the world would probably end on Oct. 21.
Looking Into the Supernatural Mirror for Prophetic Revelation of Christ
Did you know that about 17 percent of Americans believe the Bible is full of man-written fables and fairy tales? Only 30 percent believe the Word of God is the literal Word of God. So says a recent Gallup poll.
Although fairy tale writers draw inspiration from the Bible, I’m here to tell you that the Bible can in no way be compared to Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland or Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, where a wicked queen peered into a mirror, mirror on the wall to get assurance that she was the fairest of them all.
However, there is a supernatural mirror, if you will, that we can look into to get assurance that we are the most cherished of them all. This mirror transforms us from glory to glory. It’s called the Bible, the Word of God, the Holy Scripture. And its authors, inspired by the Holy Ghost, compared it to a mirror on three occasions. By exploring the Bible as a mirror, we gain a clearer understanding of how to become more like the holiest of all.
Responding To Spiritual Attacks Using Prophetic Wisdom
Every time I step out to do something God has called me to do I get smacked upside the head with naysayers and nasty name-callers. The same thing probably happens to you.
So what are we going to do about it? I'll admit it. I've wasted far too much time worry about being misunderstood. It can be painful to have your motives misjudged by mean-spirited people. I guess it was a couple of years ago that the Lord told me, “Stop worrying about what people think of you!” Can you say deliverance? Those words carried me a long way.
I still don't like when people say ugly words about me-and I always examine my own heart to see what grain of truth might be there-but I am learning to kick the dust off my feet and use the persecution as a propeller to the next thing God has in store for me.
The Stumbling Block of Iniquity!
By David Wilkerson
Certain elders of Israel came to the prophet Ezekiel seeking direction and guidance from the Lord. These men were not like many of the Israelites, who openly bowed their knees to idols. No, you wouldn’t find these elders in some idol temple, offering sacrifices to the false gods there. They were leaders of the people – and they wanted to appear before everyone as godly men.
But inside, these elders were white as sepulchres! Outwardly, they had the appearance of men who had a heart for God and wanted to know his word for their lives. And that is the manner in which they approached Ezekiel.
A Word of Knowledge: Don’t Look Back
Don’t look back: Three words that together make up what I believe is a timely prophetic utterance for the Body of Christ in this hour. Let me write them again: Don’t look back.
Many are carrying hurts and wounds from the past. We don’t shake them off and come up higher because we keep looking back to the people and circumstances that crushed our hearts. Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to use the injustice to propel us to places of greater authority in the kingdom like Joseph did, we rehearse our past in our own minds like a scratched CD. Out of the abundance of the bitterness and resentment in our hearts, our mouth speaks poison that defiles us. And we remain less-than-effective in proclaiming the kingdom of God because we won’t bury the dead and say farewell to the past. The good news is, Jesus is our past, present and future healer.
Others are paralyzed by the past. We’ve become spiritual paraplegics, so to speak—unable to move forward because fear of an unpleasant history repeating itself has gripped our souls. We’ve given up on the dreams that God has put in our hearts because of a traumatic life event arranged by the evil one who comes to steal, kill and destroy. We are afraid to pursue the prophetic promises the Lord has spoken over our lives, sometimes more than once. Like Lot’s wife, we continue looking back at the death and destruction and figuratively turn into a pillar of salt, frozen in time. The good news is, Jesus came to loosen us from our spiritual paralysis.
Prophetic Word: Don't Look Back
A woman and my church prophesied this earlier today. It impacted me so much. I thought it might help some of you.
“Do not look back…” is what I heard in my spirit. I asked the Lord to tell me more. This is what I continued to hear…
Lot and his family were instructed to “not look back”… So too are you…”not to look back.” You have been rescued, the old life destroyed…you are to continue stepping forward through new doors into fresh anointing.
The Prophetic Pitfall of Self-Pity
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. – 1 Kings 18:22
It took Elijah some weeks to get back on track after his run in with Jezebel. He journeyed down into the self-pity pit and wallowed around there. This is what I like to call prophetic soap opera. It seems some prophets have a tendency to get melancholy and even dramatic. Elijah and Jonah are two prophets that come to mind.
We know that Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree and asked God to take his life. Sounds sort of like Jonah sitting under the gourd, doesn’t it? Have you ever been in a place where you said, “God, just take me on to heaven now? I can’t deal with this anymore?” I’ll admit that I have. If God was listening (later, I always hope he wasn’t) he didn’t even dignify my whining with an answer.
Preparing for the Office of the Prophet
And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 3:20
When called into prophetic ministry, many want the whole world to know the Lord has chosen them to stand in the office of the prophet. But this very desire demonstrates the lack of maturity necessary to stand and withstand the persecution, rejection and spiritual warfare that comes against the prophet.
When you consider this Verse, also consider that Samuel had been prepared to be established. He had served in the house of God for since he was old enough to hold a broom to sweep the temple. He grew in the things of God and was faithful to Eli. He learned to hear the voice of the Lord. And he overcame the fear of man when Eli demanded to know what the Lord had spoken to him.
The Prophet as Intercessor
Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. – GENESIS 20:7
The very first time you ever see the word “prophet” in the Bible, it is connected to prayer. Old Testament or New, you can’t separate the prophet from prayer. It is the life blood of the prophetic because it is our connection with God and His will.
Who should we pray for? It’s our duty as prophets to pray for others and for ourselves (1 Timothy 2:1). We should also pray for our government leaders and all in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all goodness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:2). And we should certainly pray for our spiritual leaders. The Apostle Paul made many pleas for the prayers of the saints.
Prophetic Insight on Giving
Do you feel taken advantage of at times? Disregarded? Disrespected? Consider this a Word from the Lord that will help you overcome those feelings as it relates to your giving so the devil can't rob your harvest:
If you resent giving a gift after you've given it, you only rob yourself. For a seed mixed with resentment won't yield a righteous harvest. When you give, don't expect people to repay you with kindness and consideration. As generous as you may be, people will always disappoint. But when you give to people, give as unto God and He will repay. Don't allow devlish resentment to rob your righteous harvest. Give as unto the Lord and He will return it unto you some 30, some 60 and some 100 fold. And when the opportunity to become offended at the person you blessed comes, laugh in the devil's face and praise the God of justice.
Pressing into Change
I heard the Lord say this on Saturday, Dec. 5: “You have to press into change rather than resist it. That's the perspective you need. To everything there is a season. Embrace each season as it comes but be ready to embrace the changes as it ends. The trouble many face is in the transition from one season to the next. Instead of searching for My will they allow fear to cause a stumbling block in what should be a time of great progress and growth. Change, great change, takes place during transitions because during these times your faith is stretched. You have to let go of what's comfortable before you can see the greater thing ahead. But faith is a rest and the Comforter is there to lead you and guide you from the former glory to the next glory. Embrace the change. Look for ways to better yourself and be ready to receive the blessings I have for you in the next place.”
—-
Here are some observations as I was praying about this. Peter resisted change, and when he did he was out of God's will. There's no grace to resist a God-inspired change. You just end up worn out and frustrated. When you resist a God-inspired change, you are resisting God. So how do you embrace change? You look for God in it, and embrace Him through it. God is always there. He's a very present help in times of change. He never changes.
Moving Out of Spiritually Dry Places
If the Prophet Isaiah were with us today, he might repeat a declaration from the 43rd chapter of the prophetic book he penned. Since he’s among the great cloud of witnesses, I’ll make this Spirit-led declaration instead. Behold, the Lord is doing a new thing! We need to move forward with His Spirit so we don’t get left behind in the desert.
Interestingly, Isaiah was the same prophet who announced John the Baptist’s day, another time when the Lord was doing a ‘new thing.’ John was a voice crying in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3). The Bible says he was filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb, and when he launched his ministry – to prepare a way for the Lord – he was visibly anointed.
In fact, despite his less-than-luxurious meeting place, his uncouth exterior and his fire and brimstone message, the Baptist probably drew some of the largest crowds since Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal hundreds of years earlier. The Bible says people went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
The Stubborn Seer
Jonah’s experience in the belly of a whale may be a kid’s church favorite, but there are serious warnings here for New Testament prophets. While the Book of Jonah tells a familiar story, deeper examination demonstrates two spiritual death knells for prophets: rebellion and stubbornness. The Lord told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against the wickedness of its society. Jonah’s immediate response was to run away from the Lord and board a ship that was headed in the opposite direction toward Tarshish. Jonah rebelled against the word of the Lord because he wanted Nineveh to experience the wrath of God instead of the mercy of God. Jonah knew that Jehovah would forgive the people there if his message brought them to repentance.
This is where Jonah’s woes begin because rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). Prophets who operate in rebellion are in danger of tapping into a spirit of divination and perverting the voice of God. Divination is foretelling the future by occult means and Isaiah Chapter 44 declares that the Lord makes fools of diviners. Rebellion made a fool out of Jonah, who brought danger to himself and those around him. The Lord even sent a violent storm upon the sea in response to Jonah’s disobedience.
The Bible tells us that the ship was about to be broken into pieces and the sailors were terrified for their lives. Meanwhile, Jonah was down in the hold of the ship taking a nap. Who could take a nap in the middle of such a violent tempest? Is it possible that Jonah’s rebellion opened up a door for a spirit of witchcraft to attack him? Spiritual witchcraft is the power of satan and fatigue, weariness and slumber are some of its manifestations. When witchcraft attacks, its victims may feel tired, oppressed or depressed. What could have caused Jonah to remain fast asleep in the midst of such a life-threatening situation? That’s exactly what the ship’s captain wanted to know.
2012 Apocalypse: Profits for Purveyors of Doom
The widespread Internet belief that Dec. 21, 2012, will be doomsday for planet Earth because some astronomical event will destroy or decimate our planet is a complete hoax, according to NASA scientist David Morrison. His concise summary of the claims and the scientific response is being published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific as a public service at: http://www.astrosociety.org/2012
For several months, NASA and many astronomers have received increasingly worried letters and e-mails from members of the public about the possibility, widely touted on the Internet, that the world will end in 2012. Many mechanisms for doomsday are being proposed, including a collision with a fictional planet called Nibiru, deadly activity on the surface of the sun that lashes out at Earth, alignments with the center of our galaxy, etc. David Morrison has coined the term “cosmophobia”—fear of the cosmos—for these concerns, and has seen a huge increase in the phenomenon this year.
Dr. Morrison, a world-renowned expert on the solar system (and asteroid impacts), also serves as the public scientist for NASA’s “Ask an Astrobiologist” service, where he answers questions for the public. He has received so many questions about 2012 and the end of the world, that he felt he had to investigate and set the record straight.
