Tag Archives: 2016

Devotionals, Letters

Father, Son & Holy Bible?

The Bible is indispensable for you and me. There’s life in its pages, life that cannot be found anywhere else. Let’s get that out of the way right up front. The Bible is a gift from God.

I wonder sometimes if we haven’t elevated the Bible above where it ought to be, if we haven’t made more of it than God intends for it to be to us.

As a species, we have this tendency, you know, towards extremism. Anything that’s good, we idolize. Anything that is uncomfortable, we demonize. Anything that is questionable, we outlaw. We seem inclined to over-simplify issues, and I wonder if we haven’t done that with the Scriptures.

I heard someone confess, recently that "... he no longer regards the Bible as inerrant, dictated by God, historically accurate in all of its claims or even internally consistent with itself." (Others have asked similar questions with different details. This is the list that came before me, so I’m reflecting on this list.)

Believers have bled and died over those four points points: Is the Bible:

Inerrant?
Dictated by God?
Historically accurate in every detail?
Internally consistent?

We’ve always been taught (or some of us have) that these are true, that the Bible is all of these things. But is it really?

Since I’ve grown up with a very healthy respect for the Bible, my first reaction was something akin to offense that anyone would even question these attributes. I’m not fond of offense in myself, so I try to examine my offenses when they occur.

And two thoughts occurred to me as I thought about this topic:

1.  We’ve always assumed (I have always assumed) that these attributes were true about the Bible. Assumptions are dangerous things. And

2.  These are not attributes that the Bible actually ever (as far as I can discern) claims for itself. The Bible does not, within its pages, ever claim to be inerrant (though it is “God-breathed” or God-inspired”) or dictated by the Almighty (in fact it claims the opposite), or historically accurate in every detail (much of it does not even aspire to be an historical record), nor does it claim that it is completely consistent within itself (though, in fact, it is remarkably consistent, it is not perfectly so).

And all of this leads me to consider these tentative conclusions:

If these are not attributes that the Bible ever claims for itself, then they must be attributes that people, human beings, have thrust upon it, and this must have happened after the Bible was written.

These sort of claims are not likely to be attributed to the Scriptures by secular people, or by contemplative mystics. These are the sort of claims that are more likely to come from a religious spirit.

I would rather not embrace conclusions that spring from a religious spirit, not even when those conclusions revere things (the Bible) that I hold in very high esteem, not even when they’re (presumably) made with good intentions.

None of this will challenge my love for the Scriptures. None of this will diminish the hours I spend in its pages, drawing life from it as Holy Spirit gently and consistently breathes it into my soul.

But I believe I’ll attempt to not attribute to the Bible things that the Bible does not claim for itself. If nothing else, that strikes me as a violation of the command to avoid adding to the Book.

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Devotionals, Letters

Finding God’s Will God’s Way

I was talking with a friend recently about “finding our life’s purpose in God.”
That’s a tricky one, isn’t it? We want to know what our calling is for, so we can spend our energy where it’s useful, and where it’s not. And fairly often, for example when we read the parables of the talents or the minas, we feel a real urgency about the topic. Sometimes, it feels like we’re just bumbling around in the fog, instead of actually changing the world. And all of us, whether we admit it or not, want to have an impact on the world.
I’ve been battering this topic around rather a lot. I grew up reading stories like God’s Smuggler, where the heroes heard God say, “Go do this!” and they went and did it, and there were miracles. I want to be that guy: the one that gets to walk confidently in God’s leading and in God’s miraculous provision.
I know other folks who have had a prophetic word that’s way bigger than them, or a vision of something big and effective, or just a longing for “more” in a particular area of working with God.
We want God to make that happen. Here’s the problem: I’m not sure that’s a realistic expectation.
I’ve watched folks around me for some decades as they matured in Christ, and I think I’ve discovered some trends. Obviously, there are some folks who are not really attentive to their purpose in God; they just bumble around in one degree of contentment or another, attending conferences, complaining about difficult things, consuming resources and not really impacting the world around them. I’m not talking about them today.
But among those of us who are concerned for what God is planning for us, I think I see three broad categories:
a) Servants: These are the ones to whom God gives a good roadmap, and leads them along the way to the end of the line, sometimes step-by-step. These people often have amazing stories to tell of God’s leading.
Frankly, I suspect that some of these folks are asking out of immaturity (servants ask permission, sons not so much). But some seem to be mature in it, though I myself don’t see many of mature saints in this category.
b) Sons: These people have a rough idea of their calling, and they know their Father, so they just run off and do the things that are consistent with that calling. Most of the time, they learn more about their calling along the way.
The apostle Paul was in this category. Occasionally, God would give him a dream (“Go there!”), but most of the time, he just went. And he planted churches everywhere he went, because that’s who he is. I know an apostle who’s planted churches and Bible schools on three contents, and he says that God hasn’t told him to start any of them. That’s just his calling, and so he’s started hundreds of churches and dozens of schools by now, just being who God made him to be.
c) Useful: There are a lot of folks who would have a terrible time describing their calling, but instead are big on “do what’s right in front of you.” Is there a need to meet? Then meet that need! There are ALWAYS needs right in front of us; which ones we see, which ones we’re drawn to, may be a clue to our calling, but knowing the calling is less important than just “taking care of business” with the things around us. These people make “bumbling around in the fog” a means to being effective in ministry!
I’ve spent decades as one of these people, and it has seemed to work out pretty well. Over the course of meeting those needs right in front of me, I’ve discovered that the needs that I see, the needs that I’m most comfortable meeting, fit into categories, so I’ve moved from a category c) guy to a category b) guy, just by virtue of continually bumbling along.
It’s easy to pooh-pooh the Bumbling Around Method of Finding Your Calling. A lot of us want the kind of direction from God that we’re used to with the matters of this world: a clear email, or an owner’s manual, or even a quick-start guide. We want clear, easy-to-follow directions. Bumbling around in the fog is uncomfortable, darn it!
But God doesn’t very often do that. Even his specific instructions to Paul (Acts 9) were pretty fuzzy: “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” That’s pretty vague.
Sometimes God gives us a vision or an understanding of something really cool, really mature, and very often it’s a lot of our heart’s desires.  For me, it involved Brother Andrew and God’s Smuggler, and it involved Corrie Ten Boom and The Hiding Place. For others, he speaks to them, like he did with Paul, about the end game:  This is who you’ll be when we’re all done. Sometimes it’s just a vision or a dream, or a longing that’s hard to get rid of.
And we want God to wave his magic wand and make that happen. Or at the very least, to make the Treasure Map appear, with the great big X that marks the spot.
Yeah, no. I’ve never once - not in my life, not in the life of anyone I’ve ever known or heard about, and not in the life of anyone in Scripture - ever seen God wave his wand and make people into the thing they see in the vision, the experience. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone for whom God gave them any Quick Start guide that was more than that initial prophecy or vision or longing.
Even the apostle Paul! God knocked him off his ass and blinded him for 3 days, but then he took him into the wilderness for perhaps as many as seventeen years, where he trained and mentored him.
He gives the glimpse (prophetic word, vision, longing, whatever) of the end of the process for three key reasons that I can tell about:
1) That glimpse is a target, it’s to help us make choices to aim at that end result, rather than aiming for something that’s not consistent with the way he’s built and accessorized our lives. For example, my glimpse, my longing, is always about equipping saints, and that helps me not try to focus my life on interpreting tongues or mercy ministries. Those are important and valuable, and they are not my area of calling.
2) It’s to give hope: this is where he’ll take you, provided that you’ll walk with him. I’m of the opinion that hope is under-valued in our world today. Some years ago, God spoke to me about a “worldwide ministry of teaching about the Kingdom of God.” The internet had not even been invented then, so it was hard to imagine a worldwide influence, but the hope of being able to influence saints in favor of participating in God’s Kingdom kept me moving through some times where it would have been easy to crawl home and hide under a rock. (“I can’t do that, there’s this vision out there for me!”) That illustrates a key principle: what the end result looks like will probably be remarkably different than what we thought it would look like, what we still think it should look like. I think God does that on purpose, because if we saw the end result too clearly, we'd likely rely on our own skills to get there, rather than relying on walking with him to get there.
3) I think he’s just so excited about our future that he just wants to share it with you! Like any good daddy, he’s terrifically excited about sharing his secrets with his kids, particularly the kids that are going to grow up and inherit the family business.
Paul says, in Romans, “... whatever is not from faith is sin.” So if God just handed us the Complete Guide to Your Eventual Ministry Once You’ve Grown Into Maturity, we wouldn’t need it. And we might not even grow into maturity. If we saw our path to that goal so clearly that we knew every step of the process, then our faith would be superfluous; we’d walking by sight, not by faith. And “Faith,” it has been said, “is spelled R-I-S-K.”
The process of getting from where we  are now to the place of mature ministry of our vision or prophecy will involve risk. It will involve asking ourselves, “Did God really say that?” and “Is God really leading me in this direction?” And every step of the way - whether we get it right or get it wrong - is moving us to that goal, as long as our heart is set on following Him!
Besides, once we’ve read the last book of the Bible, we get a good understanding of how important it is (to Father and to ourselves) to be an “Overcomer.” And how shall we ever become overcomers if we don’t have doubts, questions, obstacles, enemies to overcome?
Maybe bumbling around in the fog isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe that’s the best way, the fastest way, to reach our goal after all.
Onward! Through the fog!
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Devotionals, Letters

Finding God’s Will God’s Way

I was talking with a friend recently about “finding our life’s purpose in God.” 

That’s a tricky one, isn’t it? We want to know what our calling is for, so we can spend our energy where it’s useful, and where it’s not. And fairly often, for example when we read the parables of the talents or the minas, we feel a real urgency about the topic. Sometimes, it feels like we’re just bumbling around in the fog, instead of actually changing the world. And all of us, whether we admit it or not, want to have an impact on the world.
 
I’ve been battering this topic around rather a lot. I grew up reading stories like God’s Smuggler, where the heroes heard God say, “Go do this!” and they went and did it, and there were miracles. I want to be that guy: the one that gets to walk confidently in God’s leading and in God’s miraculous provision.

I know other folks who have had a prophetic word that’s way bigger than them, or a vision of something big and effective, or just a longing for “more” in a particular area of working with God.

We want God to make that happen. Here’s the problem: I’m not sure that’s a realistic expectation.

I’ve watched folks around me for some decades as they matured in Christ, and I think I’ve discovered some trends. Obviously, there are some folks who are not really attentive to their purpose in God; they just bumble around in one degree of contentment or another, attending conferences, complaining about difficult things, consuming resources and not really impacting the world around them. I’m not talking about them today.

But among those of us who are concerned for what God is planning for us, I think I see three broad categories:

a) Servants: These are the ones to whom God gives a good roadmap, and leads them along the way to the end of the line, sometimes step-by-step. These people often have amazing stories to tell of God’s leading.

Frankly, I suspect that some of these folks are asking out of immaturity (servants ask permission, sons not so much). But some seem to be mature in it, though I myself don’t see many of mature saints in this category.

b) Sons: These people have a rough idea of their calling, and they know their Father, so they just run off and do the things that are consistent with that calling. Most of the time, they learn more about their calling along the way.

The apostle Paul was in this category. Occasionally, God would give him a dream (“Go there!”), but most of the time, he just went. And he planted churches everywhere he went, because that’s who he is. I know an apostle who’s planted churches and Bible schools on three contents, and he says that God hasn’t told him to start any of them. That’s just his calling, and so he’s started hundreds of churches and dozens of schools by now, just being who God made him to be.

c) Useful: There are a lot of folks who would have a terrible time describing their calling, but instead are big on “do what’s right in front of you.” Is there a need to meet? Then meet that need! There are ALWAYS needs right in front of us; which ones we see, which ones we’re drawn to, may be a clue to our calling, but knowing the calling is less important than just “taking care of business” with the things around us. These people make “bumbling around in the fog” a means to being effective in ministry!

I’ve spent decades as one of these people, and it has seemed to work out pretty well. Over the course of meeting those needs right in front of me, I’ve discovered that the needs that I see, the needs that I’m most comfortable meeting, fit into categories, so I’ve moved from a category c) guy to a category b) guy, just by virtue of continually bumbling along.

It’s easy to pooh-pooh the Bumbling Around Method of Finding Your Calling. A lot of us want the kind of direction from God that we’re used to with the matters of this world: a clear email, or an owner’s manual, or even a quick-start guide. We want clear, easy-to-follow directions. Bumbling around in the fog is uncomfortable, darn it!

But God doesn’t very often do that. Even his specific instructions to Paul (Acts 9) were pretty fuzzy: “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” That’s pretty vague.

Sometimes God gives us a vision or an understanding of something really cool, really mature, and very often it’s a lot of our heart’s desires.  For me, it involved Brother Andrew and God’s Smuggler, and it involved Corrie Ten Boom and The Hiding Place. For others, he speaks to them, like he did with Paul, about the end game:  This is who you’ll be when we’re all done. Sometimes it’s just a vision or a dream, or a longing that’s hard to get rid of.

And we want God to wave his magic wand and make that happen. Or at the very least, to make the Treasure Map appear, with the great big X that marks the spot.

Yeah, no. I’ve never once - not in my life, not in the life of anyone I’ve ever known or heard about, and not in the life of anyone in Scripture - ever seen God wave his wand and make people into the thing they see in the vision, the experience. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone for whom God gave them any Quick Start guide that was more than that initial prophecy or vision or longing.

Even the apostle Paul! God knocked him off his ass and blinded him for 3 days, but then he took him into the wilderness for perhaps as many as seventeen years, where he trained and mentored him.

He gives the glimpse (prophetic word, vision, longing, whatever) of the end of the process for three key reasons that I can tell about:

1) That glimpse is a target, it’s to help us make choices to aim at that end result, rather than aiming for something that’s not consistent with the way he’s built and accessorized our lives. For example, my glimpse, my longing, is always about equipping saints, and that helps me not try to focus my life on interpreting tongues or mercy ministries. Those are important and valuable, and they are not my area of calling.  

2) It’s to give hope: this is where he’ll take you, provided that you’ll walk with him. I’m of the opinion that hope is under-valued in our world today. Some years ago, God spoke to me about a “worldwide ministry of teaching about the Kingdom of God.” The internet had not even been invented then, so it was hard to imagine a worldwide influence, but the hope of being able to influence saints in favor of participating in God’s Kingdom kept me moving through some times where it would have been easy to crawl home and hide under a rock. (“I can’t do that, there’s this vision out there for me!”)

That illustrates a key principle: what the end result looks like will probably be remarkably different than what we thought it would look like, what we still think it should look like. I think God does that on purpose, because if we saw the end result too clearly, we'd likely rely on our own skills to get there, rather than relying on walking with him to get there. 

3) I think he’s just so excited about our future that he just wants to share it with you! Like any good daddy, he’s terrifically excited about sharing his secrets with his kids, particularly the kids that are going to grow up and inherit the family business.

Paul says, in Romans, “... whatever is not from faith is sin.” So if God just handed us the Complete Guide to Your Eventual Ministry Once You’ve Grown Into Maturity, we wouldn’t need it. And we might not even grow into maturity. If we saw our path to that goal so clearly that we knew every step of the process, then our faith would be superfluous; we’d walking by sight, not by faith.

And “Faith,” it has been said, “is spelled R-I-S-K.”

The process of getting from where we  are now to the place of mature ministry of our vision or prophecy will involve risk. It will involve asking ourselves, “Did God really say that?” and “Is God really leading me in this direction?” And every step of the way - whether we get it right or get it wrong - is moving us to that goal, as long as our heart is set on following Him!

Besides, once we’ve read the last book of the Bible, we get a good understanding of how important it is (to Father and to ourselves) to be an “Overcomer.” And how shall we ever become overcomers if we don’t have doubts, questions, obstacles, enemies to overcome? 

Maybe bumbling around in the fog isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe that’s the best way, the fastest way, to reach our goal after all.

Onward! Through the fog!

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Prophecy

Word of the Lord For 2016: The Year the Tide Turns

Cindy Jacobs, Red Oak, TX

Since 1999, the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders has met annually before the New Year to pray and seek the Lord for a word. In 2011, we added a group of emerging prophetic leaders that we now consider fully seasoned members of our round-table; their input is included into this word of the Lord.

The ACPE has the conviction that we are to function as an Acts 13:1-3 group. This passage notes that it was the Holy Spirit releasing a prophetic word as a consensus of the prophets, as opposed to the exclusive utterance of any one prophet. In the same way, even though this is a compilation of the prophecies that we each brought to the roundtable meeting, it was the general consensus of the ACPE members that the Holy Spirit was speaking the following prophetic words to us.

While we are calling this a prophecy for 2016, it should be noted that the ACPE believes the Lord speaks more in seasons, rather than our calendar years. In the past few years, we have observed that the trend of some of the prophetic words is continuing for several years and intensifying.

It is also important to note that intercession can diminish the severity of some of the words that speak of potential judgment–and, in some cases, may avert the judgment all together (see Genesis 18:17-32; Amos 7:1-6). In any case, all prophecies should be bathed in intercession, both the ones that speak of harvest and blessing, as well as the ones with the admonitions attached to them.

As prophets, it is always wise to go back and look at the words we have given in the past. We did this for the years 2011-13 and noted that the Lord continues to speak some of the trends given in those years. Let us reiterate, the timing of prophetic words should generally be understood more as a season than a calendar year. The words given are not fate or karma but can be changed subject to how God's people respond.

One additional disclaimer–our meetings for 2016 took place November 16-18, 2015, and some of the events have already transpired.

Weather Patterns and Revival

There is going to be flooding in various parts of the United States, but in the midst of the tragedies, there will be a visitation of God to the affected regions. The Lord particularly spoke to us about flooding that would take place along the Mississippi River basin.

California is going to be significantly touched by the Spirit of the Lord as well. Even as the Jesus Movement was birthed there, this is also happening again. (At the time, we were not aware of the 1,000 year rainfall on Death Valley, CA! The desert is going to bloom like a rose!) The weather pattern, El Nino, is a sign that Christ, the anointed one, is birthing new moves of God in this state. This will even affect the political structures.

The Body of Christ will come into alignment with God's design for gifts to be released through His people. We will see the Church step into her fullness as the roles of prophet, priest, and king are manifested in our nations.

U.S. Politics

2016 is a tipping point year, and the Lord gave us a word that we were given another chance to recover the lost greatness of the nation.

The Lord strongly spoke to us that it was up to the Church taking our responsibility to pray and vote righteously that will determine the outcome. The Church must awaken, pray, and act (see 2 Chronicles 7:14).

We sought the Lord about the upcoming U.S. elections, and the Lord did not speak to us about who would be the next president. He did indicate that He was preparing a patriot, but we would have to pray earnestly.

The Lord also spoke that a conservative revolt would shake up the elections and cause even the months leading up to the elections to be tumultuous. Also, several words came forward about more surprising shake ups in the next three to six months (remember this was given in mid-November), including disfavor falling on one liberal leader.

There was a prophetic concern expressed that we have not done our job to steward the earth and have let others attach ungodly agendas to what should have been our job as creationists.

Justice issues are coming to the forefront, and the candidates that will fully please the Lord will speak to the marriage of righteousness and justice (see Psalm 89:14). A particular concern for the poor and human rights issues was emphasized (see Galatians 2:10). Judicial reform is on God's docket.

Racism and Riots

Hidden agendas will be revealed in those who are inflaming rioting, and it will shock the United States. Satan has a plan to stir up old pains to such a degree that it could cause a disruption at voting sites. An admonition to pray for peace before the elections is important to note.

Abortion is rooted in racism, and there will be even greater advances toward the overturning of Roe vs. Wade in the coming days. God has a case that, once presented in the courts, will make it extremely difficult to get an abortion in the nation.

OPEC

Several words were given about the future dissolution of OPEC, which the Lord would allow to shake up the Middle East. There is a division coming between oil-producing nations; past cooperation is going to deteriorate and, in some cases, unravel. For the first time, we had words about the oil reserves being opened up in North America, which would shift the global scene significantly.

New Alliances Against Terrorism in Europe

New alliances will form between such nations as France, Germany, and England. Italy will come into this alliance at one point as they stand together against terrorism. All of Britain must stand guard, as should Germany–there is danger on the horizon from radicalized individuals.

The churches must pray; they are soft targets and need to move to be vigilant in protection.

Protecting the World Against War

For several years, we have been warned that satan wants to inflame a regional war into a world war. ISIS has become the new threat to the world and has declared itself to be at war with all the apostate nations. We must stand against this taking place on the scale that they desire. The world wars have always been about global domination, and this is no different–only the tactics are not engaged on traditional battle fronts as they were in past times.

We were given Psalm 37–where God deals with evildoers–in regards to ISIS, that the Lord will allow them to move for a season but will suddenly stop them. They will even penetrate Saudi Arabia in a significant way.

The Chinese will come on the scene as a great force against Islam in the coming days.

A great harvest of souls will take place in the Middle East as the Lord reveals His love and nature to those who are Muslims (see Joel 3:13, Luke 10:2). God loves the nations of the Middle East.

Appeal to Heaven

The prayer movements around the globe will stand up and make an "appeal to Heaven" to see God release both a reformation and revival that will produce awakening transformation. Many fasts will be called leading up to national elections.

There was a prophecy given about great political shifts taking place across Latin America, and we are already seeing that happen. New economic policies will be implemented that will start to break the back of poverty off the Spanish-speaking nations on a broad scale.

Flood of Violence

A flood of violence has been released across the earth. The enemy wants to stir up any unhealed places in people's hearts.

The riots are not over in the United States. We must pray for the United States, so there will not be mass riots that disrupt the elections.

Racism must be dealt with on all levels. The Church has been given the authority and the responsibility from the Lord to heal the nation and release the supernatural ministry of reconciliation.

There is a major clash of kingdoms taking place and a battle over whose throne will rule–God's Kingdom or the spirit of the anti-Christ. This clashing of kingdoms will work for good in that it will create a new unity in the Body of Christ on levels not previously seen. A sweet koinonia will develop between Church leaders and those in many other parts of society, as a result of the enemy's onslaught, such as took place in the book of Esther.

In the midst of a very difficult season for many and new levels of spiritual battle and oppression, the good news is that, as we claim Isaiah 59:19b, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him," the tide will turn against the enemies' plans, and a divine reversal will take place.

This is, in fact, one of the major reasons that the theme for this year is 2016: The Year the Tide Turns!

Kingdom Alignments

This is a season when there will be global Kingdom connections made; leaders from across the world will begin to function together behind the scenes. (This is not to be taken as a subversive, radicalized movement.)

"Daniels and Josephs" who have been preparing for years will step into places of favor and visibility in all seven mountains (spheres of society, for those unfamiliar with this terminology).

The reformation of nations is well on its way, and new ideas on how to establish Biblical economics on a national scale will be implemented. Africa will be a leader in this.

We also received the word Kingdom Church, as old independent spirits are put aside and new alliances are formed as one to stand for Kingdom purposes against ungodly agendas.

There will be connections between apostles and prophets that will result in prophetic words not only being released, but also implemented to see their fulfillments.

Major media outlets and secular businesses will call on prophets for insight and direction, instead of calling on mediums and psychics. A new level of visibility is coming to God's leaders that will influence the secular fields.

Renaissance

A renaissance is coming that will bring great change and cause nations to come alive! There is a hope revival where those who have been greatly discouraged will find a new grace and purpose for their lives. Prophetic Kingdom changers will bring about a renaissance, not only to the arts, but also to innovation and the way Believers function in society. Great visibility will come, and great glory will be given to God as this happens.

Wisdom

The Body of Christ will begin to manifest new levels of supernatural wisdom. Business leaders will be recognized for their wisdom and will be sought after–even by the world–as the "Issachars;" they will come into visible prominence as leaders in nations (see 1 Chronicles 12:32).

The Transference of Wealth and the Prophets

Dramatic Kingdom connections between the prophets and business leaders were reported, leading us to say that this is a new season. Prosperity will come with these alliances.

These connections will impact the formation of alternative economic paradigms that will both influence world markets and systems, as well as form new ones. For many years, we have prophesied about a coming "Lion's Market"–an alternative economic structure formed within the Body of Christ.

As has been the trend for the past several years, volatility will continue to be the new norm.

Concerning the Church, a shift in understanding of the connection between tithes and offerings and blessing will cause poverty to be broken off many Believers (see Malachi 3:8-10). Pastors will become bold and unashamed to teach on the subject of finances, and both the people and the Church will be blessed.

Prophetic Evangelists

We have been prophesying about the raising up of "Philip-type" evangelists who will go to areas where no one else wants to venture. There was a specific admonition about not being afraid to minister to the Muslims (see 2 Timothy 1:7).

There was a call for evangelists to go as missionaries to the refugees. Acts of compassion will be linked with the unashamed preaching of the Gospel. The Lord called these evangelists ambassadors of Kingdom kindness.

The prophetic evangelists are the revivalists of today. Many will be touched through street preaching, and those who go out of the Church into the highways and byways will boldly manifest the goodness of God through supernatural signs and wonders. The Heartland of the United States will be affected by this revival moves all along the Mississippi River.

Legacy

There is a legacy awakening as current influential leaders are looking to leave a legacy behind and establish succession. Legacy conferences and teachings will abound as this is a current theme being released by the Holy Spirit.

Reformation unto Transformation

2016 is a hinge year where we are approaching the 500th anniversary of the Great Reformation, beginning in 1517, when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses in Wittenberg, Germany. What was once a reformation will now be the great transformation.

Angels, Angels, Angels

Whole armies of angels are being released into the earth to see these things prophesied come to pass. Many dreams were given about angelic hosts, and the good news is that angels will be sent to minister to individuals and nations (see Psalm 103:20-21; 1 Corinthians 13:1a; Hebrews 1:7, 14).

Native Americans

The whole group expressed a great excitement about the role of the Native Americans in the upcoming revival. An awakening sound is coming to the First Nations peoples; villages already are seeing revival, and this will continue on an even greater scale. The voice of Native Americans will sound as an awakening bell.

The Blood Moon is a Harvest Moon

The Blood Moons which occurred last year were a sign of a great harvest (see Acts 2:19). Many nations will start seeing tremendous awakenings and visitations from the Lord.

This year, there will be a significant increase in the clashing of kingdoms. California will be a prophetic picture of this clash. Persecution of Christians will continue, but we will see God start to release supernatural interventions. There is, in essence, a "conflict of thrones," as to who will rule in certain mountains or sectors of society. Deeply entrenched politicians who are corrupt have ruled in some of these areas for a long time and will not give up their influence without a fight.

Children

A great move of the Holy Spirit upon children (ages 2-12) began in 2014, but will spread to other nations this year and will grow rapidly in intensity. They will be the "Samuels" of this generation and be very accurate in hearing God's voice.

Spain

Spain will become a focus for Islam. The Islamic spirit that ruled there during the times of the Moors will try to regain control but will be rebuffed.

Japan

A youth movement will arise in Japan. Great awakenings will happen on campuses. This once-hard-ground nation for the Gospel will begin to produce signs and wonders, and young revivalists will appear. In the midst of the economic shakings ahead for Japan, God's power will be evident.

India

India is going to see a great harvest of souls that will continue to increase in coming years.

Europe

The clash of kingdoms will manifest in Europe. The nations of Germany, France, and Scotland will begin to burn with great passion for the Lord. Europe's re-evangelization has begun!

Russia

A move of God among the Orthodox community will become evident. Cities such as Vladivostok will see the apostolic emerge and will affect the rest of the nation. Moscow will see a move of God among the youth, and large gatherings will take place to pray for the nation.

Pacific Rim

These nations will start to develop missions-sending ministries that will impact the rest of the world. The power of God will become evident in the Pacific Rim, like a spiritual tsunami that will begin to break down the strongholds of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.

Israel

Visitations, visitations, visitations! God is uniting Believers in Messiah from the Jewish and Arabic-speaking communities. This has released a powerful force of unity that is a "firewall" against the tide of terrorism and evil. Even though there is still a violent spirit in the region, this group together has great authority to pray and stop it in its course.

A new wave of those making Aliyah (when Jews from the west immigrate to Israel) will be seen (see Isaiah 11:11-12).

Middle East

Egypt is in a season of mercy where God wants to use this nation to be a voice against terrorism and violence. It is called to be a refuge nation even for those experiencing religious persecution.

The conflict of the different Islamic factions over who is going to rule the Middle East, Sunni or Shia, will sharply increase, and ISIS will become a greater thorn in the side of nations, even such as Saudi Arabia.

The Global Church

The connections across the world of the Global Church will increase and break down the political spirit. The love and unity of the Body of Christ is going to bring a manifestation of God's power to change nations. They will support the "Daniels and Josephs" who are moving into elected offices. This will be seen in a surprising way in Geneva and in the EU.

This connection between the Church and society led us to this quote from Winston Churchill:

One of the signs of a great society is the diligence with which it passes culture from one generation to the next. This culture is the embodiment of everything the people of that society hold dear; its religious faith, its heroes...when one generation no longer esteems its own heritage and fails to pass the torch to its children, it is saying that the very foundation and experiences that make the society is no longer valid. (Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill, p. 190)

In the midst of all of this connection between the Church and society, there will be an "agitation of old wineskins" and persecution of leaders who are trying to bring reformation. They will be accused of going "into the world" and abandoning their position in the local church. An admonition that the Church should not participate in this persecution is important to heed.

However, this will not be the predominant view, and denominational churches that have been historically opposed to Christians becoming involved in politics will be given an opportunity from God to make a shift.

Partnerships between born-again Believers in many denominations will develop as the Church truly becomes one. God will "rightly position" His people into strategic places of responsibility, and the church will support them in their societal roles.

This will include some divine interventions in which God will save and cause "game shifts" where people who could not seem to do anything right will seemingly not be able to do anything wrong.

Local Church

Pastors will begin to prioritize based on current events. Rather than planning based upon one local congregation, there will be an understanding that there are issues that the Body of Christ, in general, needs to deal with, and they will teach and train their people accordingly.

One of the key issues that the Lord prophetically spoke to us was that pastors are to be a major voice to deal with racial divides.

In addition, an admonition to be crisis-prepared and find a way to be the redemptive answer to the needs of society was brought by the Lord as an important issue.

Families

The restoration of the family unit was also brought to the forefront. As the Body of Christ matures, so will family relationships. Fathers and mothers will teach their children to hear the voice of God.

Closing Exhortation

Jeremiah 27:18 states, "If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now entreat the Lord of hosts." Prophets do not only pronounce the word of the Lord; they in turn pray the revelatory promise back to the Father in Jesus' name! Let us bring the two hands of prayer and the prophetic together to see the birthing of God's promises in our generation.

Cindy Jacobs, Generals International
Email: generals@generals.org
Website: generals.org

Cindy Jacobs is an author, speaker, and teacher with a heart for discipling nations in the areas of prayer and prophetic gifts. She and Mike – her husband of 41 years – co-founded Generals International in 1985. She is a respected prophet who travels the world, ministering not only to crowds of people but to heads of nations. 
Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter Feel free to share with others, but please leave the contact info intact. Click here to subscribe, or visit www.northwestprophetic.com. To submit a word for the Northwest, visit our Submit A Word page, or email to NWP@northwestprophetic.com. Thanks!
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Prophecy

Word of the Lord For 2016: The Year the Tide Turns

Cindy Jacobs, Red Oak, TX

Since 1999, the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders has met annually before the New Year to pray and seek the Lord for a word. In 2011, we added a group of emerging prophetic leaders that we now consider fully seasoned members of our round-table; their input is included into this word of the Lord.

The ACPE has the conviction that we are to function as an Acts 13:1-3 group. This passage notes that it was the Holy Spirit releasing a prophetic word as a consensus of the prophets, as opposed to the exclusive utterance of any one prophet. In the same way, even though this is a compilation of the prophecies that we each brought to the roundtable meeting, it was the general consensus of the ACPE members that the Holy Spirit was speaking the following prophetic words to us.

While we are calling this a prophecy for 2016, it should be noted that the ACPE believes the Lord speaks more in seasons, rather than our calendar years. In the past few years, we have observed that the trend of some of the prophetic words is continuing for several years and intensifying.

It is also important to note that intercession can diminish the severity of some of the words that speak of potential judgment–and, in some cases, may avert the judgment all together (see Genesis 18:17-32; Amos 7:1-6). In any case, all prophecies should be bathed in intercession, both the ones that speak of harvest and blessing, as well as the ones with the admonitions attached to them.

As prophets, it is always wise to go back and look at the words we have given in the past. We did this for the years 2011-13 and noted that the Lord continues to speak some of the trends given in those years. Let us reiterate, the timing of prophetic words should generally be understood more as a season than a calendar year. The words given are not fate or karma but can be changed subject to how God's people respond.

One additional disclaimer–our meetings for 2016 took place November 16-18, 2015, and some of the events have already transpired.

Weather Patterns and Revival

There is going to be flooding in various parts of the United States, but in the midst of the tragedies, there will be a visitation of God to the affected regions. The Lord particularly spoke to us about flooding that would take place along the Mississippi River basin.

California is going to be significantly touched by the Spirit of the Lord as well. Even as the Jesus Movement was birthed there, this is also happening again. (At the time, we were not aware of the 1,000 year rainfall on Death Valley, CA! The desert is going to bloom like a rose!) The weather pattern, El Nino, is a sign that Christ, the anointed one, is birthing new moves of God in this state. This will even affect the political structures.

The Body of Christ will come into alignment with God's design for gifts to be released through His people. We will see the Church step into her fullness as the roles of prophet, priest, and king are manifested in our nations.

U.S. Politics

2016 is a tipping point year, and the Lord gave us a word that we were given another chance to recover the lost greatness of the nation.

The Lord strongly spoke to us that it was up to the Church taking our responsibility to pray and vote righteously that will determine the outcome. The Church must awaken, pray, and act (see 2 Chronicles 7:14).

We sought the Lord about the upcoming U.S. elections, and the Lord did not speak to us about who would be the next president. He did indicate that He was preparing a patriot, but we would have to pray earnestly.

The Lord also spoke that a conservative revolt would shake up the elections and cause even the months leading up to the elections to be tumultuous. Also, several words came forward about more surprising shake ups in the next three to six months (remember this was given in mid-November), including disfavor falling on one liberal leader.

There was a prophetic concern expressed that we have not done our job to steward the earth and have let others attach ungodly agendas to what should have been our job as creationists.

Justice issues are coming to the forefront, and the candidates that will fully please the Lord will speak to the marriage of righteousness and justice (see Psalm 89:14). A particular concern for the poor and human rights issues was emphasized (see Galatians 2:10). Judicial reform is on God's docket.

Racism and Riots

Hidden agendas will be revealed in those who are inflaming rioting, and it will shock the United States. Satan has a plan to stir up old pains to such a degree that it could cause a disruption at voting sites. An admonition to pray for peace before the elections is important to note.

Abortion is rooted in racism, and there will be even greater advances toward the overturning of Roe vs. Wade in the coming days. God has a case that, once presented in the courts, will make it extremely difficult to get an abortion in the nation.

OPEC

Several words were given about the future dissolution of OPEC, which the Lord would allow to shake up the Middle East. There is a division coming between oil-producing nations; past cooperation is going to deteriorate and, in some cases, unravel. For the first time, we had words about the oil reserves being opened up in North America, which would shift the global scene significantly.

New Alliances Against Terrorism in Europe

New alliances will form between such nations as France, Germany, and England. Italy will come into this alliance at one point as they stand together against terrorism. All of Britain must stand guard, as should Germany–there is danger on the horizon from radicalized individuals.

The churches must pray; they are soft targets and need to move to be vigilant in protection.

Protecting the World Against War

For several years, we have been warned that satan wants to inflame a regional war into a world war. ISIS has become the new threat to the world and has declared itself to be at war with all the apostate nations. We must stand against this taking place on the scale that they desire. The world wars have always been about global domination, and this is no different–only the tactics are not engaged on traditional battle fronts as they were in past times.

We were given Psalm 37–where God deals with evildoers–in regards to ISIS, that the Lord will allow them to move for a season but will suddenly stop them. They will even penetrate Saudi Arabia in a significant way.

The Chinese will come on the scene as a great force against Islam in the coming days.

A great harvest of souls will take place in the Middle East as the Lord reveals His love and nature to those who are Muslims (see Joel 3:13, Luke 10:2). God loves the nations of the Middle East.

Appeal to Heaven

The prayer movements around the globe will stand up and make an "appeal to Heaven" to see God release both a reformation and revival that will produce awakening transformation. Many fasts will be called leading up to national elections.

There was a prophecy given about great political shifts taking place across Latin America, and we are already seeing that happen. New economic policies will be implemented that will start to break the back of poverty off the Spanish-speaking nations on a broad scale.

Flood of Violence

A flood of violence has been released across the earth. The enemy wants to stir up any unhealed places in people's hearts.

The riots are not over in the United States. We must pray for the United States, so there will not be mass riots that disrupt the elections.

Racism must be dealt with on all levels. The Church has been given the authority and the responsibility from the Lord to heal the nation and release the supernatural ministry of reconciliation.

There is a major clash of kingdoms taking place and a battle over whose throne will rule–God's Kingdom or the spirit of the anti-Christ. This clashing of kingdoms will work for good in that it will create a new unity in the Body of Christ on levels not previously seen. A sweet koinonia will develop between Church leaders and those in many other parts of society, as a result of the enemy's onslaught, such as took place in the book of Esther.

In the midst of a very difficult season for many and new levels of spiritual battle and oppression, the good news is that, as we claim Isaiah 59:19b, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him," the tide will turn against the enemies' plans, and a divine reversal will take place.

This is, in fact, one of the major reasons that the theme for this year is 2016: The Year the Tide Turns!

Kingdom Alignments

This is a season when there will be global Kingdom connections made; leaders from across the world will begin to function together behind the scenes. (This is not to be taken as a subversive, radicalized movement.)

"Daniels and Josephs" who have been preparing for years will step into places of favor and visibility in all seven mountains (spheres of society, for those unfamiliar with this terminology).

The reformation of nations is well on its way, and new ideas on how to establish Biblical economics on a national scale will be implemented. Africa will be a leader in this.

We also received the word Kingdom Church, as old independent spirits are put aside and new alliances are formed as one to stand for Kingdom purposes against ungodly agendas.

There will be connections between apostles and prophets that will result in prophetic words not only being released, but also implemented to see their fulfillments.

Major media outlets and secular businesses will call on prophets for insight and direction, instead of calling on mediums and psychics. A new level of visibility is coming to God's leaders that will influence the secular fields.

Renaissance

A renaissance is coming that will bring great change and cause nations to come alive! There is a hope revival where those who have been greatly discouraged will find a new grace and purpose for their lives. Prophetic Kingdom changers will bring about a renaissance, not only to the arts, but also to innovation and the way Believers function in society. Great visibility will come, and great glory will be given to God as this happens.

Wisdom

The Body of Christ will begin to manifest new levels of supernatural wisdom. Business leaders will be recognized for their wisdom and will be sought after–even by the world–as the "Issachars;" they will come into visible prominence as leaders in nations (see 1 Chronicles 12:32).

The Transference of Wealth and the Prophets

Dramatic Kingdom connections between the prophets and business leaders were reported, leading us to say that this is a new season. Prosperity will come with these alliances.

These connections will impact the formation of alternative economic paradigms that will both influence world markets and systems, as well as form new ones. For many years, we have prophesied about a coming "Lion's Market"–an alternative economic structure formed within the Body of Christ.

As has been the trend for the past several years, volatility will continue to be the new norm.

Concerning the Church, a shift in understanding of the connection between tithes and offerings and blessing will cause poverty to be broken off many Believers (see Malachi 3:8-10). Pastors will become bold and unashamed to teach on the subject of finances, and both the people and the Church will be blessed.

Prophetic Evangelists

We have been prophesying about the raising up of "Philip-type" evangelists who will go to areas where no one else wants to venture. There was a specific admonition about not being afraid to minister to the Muslims (see 2 Timothy 1:7).

There was a call for evangelists to go as missionaries to the refugees. Acts of compassion will be linked with the unashamed preaching of the Gospel. The Lord called these evangelists ambassadors of Kingdom kindness.

The prophetic evangelists are the revivalists of today. Many will be touched through street preaching, and those who go out of the Church into the highways and byways will boldly manifest the goodness of God through supernatural signs and wonders. The Heartland of the United States will be affected by this revival moves all along the Mississippi River.

Legacy

There is a legacy awakening as current influential leaders are looking to leave a legacy behind and establish succession. Legacy conferences and teachings will abound as this is a current theme being released by the Holy Spirit.

Reformation unto Transformation

2016 is a hinge year where we are approaching the 500th anniversary of the Great Reformation, beginning in 1517, when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses in Wittenberg, Germany. What was once a reformation will now be the great transformation.

Angels, Angels, Angels

Whole armies of angels are being released into the earth to see these things prophesied come to pass. Many dreams were given about angelic hosts, and the good news is that angels will be sent to minister to individuals and nations (see Psalm 103:20-21; 1 Corinthians 13:1a; Hebrews 1:7, 14).

Native Americans

The whole group expressed a great excitement about the role of the Native Americans in the upcoming revival. An awakening sound is coming to the First Nations peoples; villages already are seeing revival, and this will continue on an even greater scale. The voice of Native Americans will sound as an awakening bell.

The Blood Moon is a Harvest Moon

The Blood Moons which occurred last year were a sign of a great harvest (see Acts 2:19). Many nations will start seeing tremendous awakenings and visitations from the Lord.

This year, there will be a significant increase in the clashing of kingdoms. California will be a prophetic picture of this clash. Persecution of Christians will continue, but we will see God start to release supernatural interventions. There is, in essence, a "conflict of thrones," as to who will rule in certain mountains or sectors of society. Deeply entrenched politicians who are corrupt have ruled in some of these areas for a long time and will not give up their influence without a fight.

Children

A great move of the Holy Spirit upon children (ages 2-12) began in 2014, but will spread to other nations this year and will grow rapidly in intensity. They will be the "Samuels" of this generation and be very accurate in hearing God's voice.

Spain

Spain will become a focus for Islam. The Islamic spirit that ruled there during the times of the Moors will try to regain control but will be rebuffed.

Japan

A youth movement will arise in Japan. Great awakenings will happen on campuses. This once-hard-ground nation for the Gospel will begin to produce signs and wonders, and young revivalists will appear. In the midst of the economic shakings ahead for Japan, God's power will be evident.

India

India is going to see a great harvest of souls that will continue to increase in coming years.

Europe

The clash of kingdoms will manifest in Europe. The nations of Germany, France, and Scotland will begin to burn with great passion for the Lord. Europe's re-evangelization has begun!

Russia

A move of God among the Orthodox community will become evident. Cities such as Vladivostok will see the apostolic emerge and will affect the rest of the nation. Moscow will see a move of God among the youth, and large gatherings will take place to pray for the nation.

Pacific Rim

These nations will start to develop missions-sending ministries that will impact the rest of the world. The power of God will become evident in the Pacific Rim, like a spiritual tsunami that will begin to break down the strongholds of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.

Israel

Visitations, visitations, visitations! God is uniting Believers in Messiah from the Jewish and Arabic-speaking communities. This has released a powerful force of unity that is a "firewall" against the tide of terrorism and evil. Even though there is still a violent spirit in the region, this group together has great authority to pray and stop it in its course.

A new wave of those making Aliyah (when Jews from the west immigrate to Israel) will be seen (see Isaiah 11:11-12).

Middle East

Egypt is in a season of mercy where God wants to use this nation to be a voice against terrorism and violence. It is called to be a refuge nation even for those experiencing religious persecution.

The conflict of the different Islamic factions over who is going to rule the Middle East, Sunni or Shia, will sharply increase, and ISIS will become a greater thorn in the side of nations, even such as Saudi Arabia.

The Global Church

The connections across the world of the Global Church will increase and break down the political spirit. The love and unity of the Body of Christ is going to bring a manifestation of God's power to change nations. They will support the "Daniels and Josephs" who are moving into elected offices. This will be seen in a surprising way in Geneva and in the EU.

This connection between the Church and society led us to this quote from Winston Churchill:

One of the signs of a great society is the diligence with which it passes culture from one generation to the next. This culture is the embodiment of everything the people of that society hold dear; its religious faith, its heroes...when one generation no longer esteems its own heritage and fails to pass the torch to its children, it is saying that the very foundation and experiences that make the society is no longer valid. (Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill, p. 190)

In the midst of all of this connection between the Church and society, there will be an "agitation of old wineskins" and persecution of leaders who are trying to bring reformation. They will be accused of going "into the world" and abandoning their position in the local church. An admonition that the Church should not participate in this persecution is important to heed.

However, this will not be the predominant view, and denominational churches that have been historically opposed to Christians becoming involved in politics will be given an opportunity from God to make a shift.

Partnerships between born-again Believers in many denominations will develop as the Church truly becomes one. God will "rightly position" His people into strategic places of responsibility, and the church will support them in their societal roles.

This will include some divine interventions in which God will save and cause "game shifts" where people who could not seem to do anything right will seemingly not be able to do anything wrong.

Local Church

Pastors will begin to prioritize based on current events. Rather than planning based upon one local congregation, there will be an understanding that there are issues that the Body of Christ, in general, needs to deal with, and they will teach and train their people accordingly.

One of the key issues that the Lord prophetically spoke to us was that pastors are to be a major voice to deal with racial divides.

In addition, an admonition to be crisis-prepared and find a way to be the redemptive answer to the needs of society was brought by the Lord as an important issue.

Families

The restoration of the family unit was also brought to the forefront. As the Body of Christ matures, so will family relationships. Fathers and mothers will teach their children to hear the voice of God.

Closing Exhortation

Jeremiah 27:18 states, "If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now entreat the Lord of hosts." Prophets do not only pronounce the word of the Lord; they in turn pray the revelatory promise back to the Father in Jesus' name! Let us bring the two hands of prayer and the prophetic together to see the birthing of God's promises in our generation.

Cindy Jacobs, Generals International
Email: generals@generals.org
Website: generals.org

Cindy Jacobs is an author, speaker, and teacher with a heart for discipling nations in the areas of prayer and prophetic gifts. She and Mike – her husband of 41 years – co-founded Generals International in 1985. She is a respected prophet who travels the world, ministering not only to crowds of people but to heads of nations. 
Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter Feel free to share with others, but please leave the contact info intact. Click here to subscribe, or visit www.northwestprophetic.com. To submit a word for the Northwest, visit our Submit A Word page, or email to NWP@northwestprophetic.com. Thanks!
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Prophecy

What Covenant are They Under?

Old or New?

You can tell a whole lot about whether someone is walking in the New Covenant, or if their thinking is still grounded on the old. It’s especially important that we understand which covenant prophets and other declarers of truth are working from.

The Old Covenant was all about blessings & curses (Deuteronomy 28). So Old Covenant prophets speak a lot about blessings and curses, or people who are blessed and people who are under judgement. That’s why Jeremiah & the others were declaring judgments and curses and such over the nations and the peoples who had defied what they knew about God.

That was the Old. That’s dead and gone (Hebrews 8:13 & others). If you have trouble with that, you might want to stop here and work this out before going further in this; the rest will just make you stumble.

The New Covenant is all about blessings and forgiveness (1Corinthians 14:3 and others). Therefore, that’s what New Covenant prophets speak about: it’s the work of the New Covenant prophet to declare God’s blessing, God’s forgiveness, God’s Kingdom, to declare that they way to God is open!

You can tell a whole lot about what covenant someone is operating in by the words they speak (or write).

·         If someone regularly talks about needing to avoid this activity or that place or those people, or if they talk about needing to honor this festival, that holiday, they’re working under the Covenant that’s about works and whose end-game is about blessings and curses. They’re under the Old Covenant. Don’t go with them, unless you want to walk away from what Jesus has already done for you.

·         If someone regularly talks about how this preacher is wrong, about how that doctrine is heretical, or about how this country or that people-group deserves judgment, then that person is working under the Covenant that’s about works and whose end-game is about blessings and curses. They’re under the Old Covenant. Don’t go with them, unless you want to walk away from what Jesus has already done for you.

·         If their message is more about “Change how you think about God so that you can participate in the Kingdom of Heaven, which is right here among us!” (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15) then they’re working under the New Covenant where the Kingdom of God is “at hand” (or “within reach”) of all of us, and where the King of this Kingdom literally “became a curse” (Galatians 3:13) in order to remove curses from us, and from our words.

Here’s the short version: generally, if someone is preaching about “you need to change!” they’re preaching the Old Covenant. If they’re preaching about “Come to Jesus and be changed!” then they’re preaching the New Covenant.

Come to Jesus and have your mind renewed.

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Devotionals, Letters

What Covenant are They Under?

Old or New?

You can tell a whole lot about whether someone is walking in the New Covenant, or if their thinking is still grounded on the old. It's especially important that we understand which covenant prophets and other declarers of truth are working from.

The Old Covenant was all about blessings & curses (Deuteronomy 28). So Old Covenant prophets speak a lot about blessings and curses, or people who are blessed and people who are under judgement. That’s why Jeremiah & the others were declaring judgments and curses and such over the nations and the peoples who had defied what they knew about God.

That was the Old. That’s dead and gone (Hebrews 8:13 & others). If you have trouble with that, you might want to stop here and work this out before going further in this; the rest will just make you stumble.

The New Covenant is all about blessings and forgiveness (1Corinthians 14:3 and others). Therefore, that's what New Covenant prophets speak about: it’s the work of the New Covenant prophet to declare God’s blessing, God’s forgiveness, God’s Kingdom, to declare that they way to God is open!

You can tell a whole lot about what covenant someone is operating in by the words they speak (or write).

·         If someone regularly talks about needing to avoid this activity or that place or those people, or if they talk about needing to honor this festival, that holiday, they’re working under the Covenant that’s about works and whose end-game is about blessings and curses. They’re under the Old Covenant. Don’t go with them, unless you want to walk away from what Jesus has already done for you.

·         If someone regularly talks about how this preacher is wrong, about how that doctrine is heretical, or about how this country or that people-group deserves judgment, then that person is working under the Covenant that’s about works and whose end-game is about blessings and curses. They’re under the Old Covenant. Don’t go with them, unless you want to walk away from what Jesus has already done for you.

·         If their message is more about “Change how you think about God so that you can participate in the Kingdom of Heaven, which is right here among us!” (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15) then they’re working under the New Covenant where the Kingdom of God is “at hand” (or “within reach”) of all of us, and where the King of this Kingdom literally “became a curse” (Galatians 3:13) in order to remove curses from us, and from our words.

Here’s the short version: generally, if someone is preaching about “you need to change!” they’re preaching the Old Covenant. If they’re preaching about “Come to Jesus and be changed!” then they’re preaching the New Covenant.

Come to Jesus and have your mind renewed.
Standard
Devotionals, Letters

What Covenant are They Under?

Old or New?

You can tell a whole lot about whether someone is walking in the New Covenant, or if their thinking is still grounded on the old. It's especially important that we understand which covenant prophets and other declarers of truth are working from.

The Old Covenant was all about blessings & curses (Deuteronomy 28). So Old Covenant prophets speak a lot about blessings and curses, or people who are blessed and people who are under judgement. That’s why Jeremiah & the others were declaring judgments and curses and such over the nations and the peoples who had defied what they knew about God.

That was the Old. That’s dead and gone (Hebrews 8:13 & others). If you have trouble with that, you might want to stop here and work this out before going further in this; the rest will just make you stumble.

The New Covenant is all about blessings and forgiveness (1Corinthians 14:3 and others). Therefore, that's what New Covenant prophets speak about: it’s the work of the New Covenant prophet to declare God’s blessing, God’s forgiveness, God’s Kingdom, to declare that they way to God is open!

You can tell a whole lot about what covenant someone is operating in by the words they speak (or write).

·         If someone regularly talks about needing to avoid this activity or that place or those people, or if they talk about needing to honor this festival, that holiday, they’re working under the Covenant that’s about works and whose end-game is about blessings and curses. They’re under the Old Covenant. Don’t go with them, unless you want to walk away from what Jesus has already done for you.

·         If someone regularly talks about how this preacher is wrong, about how that doctrine is heretical, or about how this country or that people-group deserves judgment, then that person is working under the Covenant that’s about works and whose end-game is about blessings and curses. They’re under the Old Covenant. Don’t go with them, unless you want to walk away from what Jesus has already done for you.

·         If their message is more about “Change how you think about God so that you can participate in the Kingdom of Heaven, which is right here among us!” (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15) then they’re working under the New Covenant where the Kingdom of God is “at hand” (or “within reach”) of all of us, and where the King of this Kingdom literally “became a curse” (Galatians 3:13) in order to remove curses from us, and from our words.

Here’s the short version: generally, if someone is preaching about “you need to change!” they’re preaching the Old Covenant. If they’re preaching about “Come to Jesus and be changed!” then they’re preaching the New Covenant.

Come to Jesus and have your mind renewed.
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