THE ECONOMIC CRISIS – A GIFT FROM GOD –

This is a word from Ben Peters:

While speaking in Colgate, Wisconsin, during the height of the economic crisis, I made an unpremeditated statement that went something like this.  “I’m not worried about the economy.  This crisis is a gift from God.  It is designed to turn the hearts of our nation and the world back to God.”

After having time to think about what I had said, that statement is making a lot more sense.  I truly believe that God is doing the shaking He promised us in Scripture.  See Haggai 2:7 and Hebrews 12:26.

In the Haggai passage God declares, “And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts.”

In other words, “When I shake them, they will come.”  Also, “When I shake them, I will reveal My glory in My house.”

IT’S GETTING VERY, VERY EXCITING!!!

God’s glory will be seen in His house.  That’s us!  We are His dwelling place today.  We’ve prayed for revival.  We’ve prayed for America and other western nations to come back to God, but we didn’t expect it to hit us in our wallets at the same time.  Revival is supposed to bring more people (with their tithes and offerings) into our churches so we can build bigger churches and become more famous.

But God is answering our prayers His own way, and if we had understood Haggai 2:7, we may have been more prepared for it.  The wonderful news is that people have actually been praying on Wall Street and in many places in the nation and the world, because of the financial crisis which followed close on the heels of the Hurricane Ike crisis, and then the California train crash.

The reason people are praying is that their other main source of security is being pulled out from under them.  Christians and non-Christians alike have been operating under the same economic strategies for their own personal and family financial security.  Various savings and retirement packages, insurances and investments composed of stocks and bonds, gold and silver, etc., have become our “rock”, our “fortress” and our “strong tower”.  In themselves, they can be good things, but our human nature is to trust in these tangible commodities, more than in an invisible Being, with Whom we are not very intimate.

A HOLY SEPARATION

God is saying, “I want to show the difference between those who trust in Me and those who trust in the best strategies of men.”  Those who trust in God will not be shaken, but those who have been trusting in man’s wisdom will be severely hurt.  I have watched a lot of news in these election and economic crisis days, and observed the anger of those who have lost so much.  They are feeling violated, betrayed and deprived of what they felt was rightly theirs, and they are seething with bitterness and rage.

God is simply pushing over the false Philistine gods in America and the world, because His glory is coming into the house of Dagon.  It’s interesting that the two things that westerners trust in the most – investments and insurances have both been hit hard in this crisis.

SOMETHING “FISHY” IS GOING ON

Dagon was a “Fish God”.  I think westerners have gotten “fished in”, thinking they have secured a comfortable retirement and future prosperity by investing the same way that the world does.  These false gods cannot stand while God’s presence invades His house.

I have traveled a lot to other nations such as Mozambique and India and have seen the difference in lifestyle of the Christians there.  Their only security and hope is in the presence and glory of God coming into their midst.  That is all they have once they have renounced their idolatrous life.  But in the west, we have divided our trust between natural gods and the One True God.

I believe God is saying that we should put away every idol and put our trust completely in Him.  If we put first His Kingdom and His righteousness, all the things the world seeks will be added on to us.  We could invest a lot smarter than we do if we invested more into the spreading of the gospel, not just in making those already saved more comfortable.  God will surely take care of us if we put His Kingdom first.

IT WORKS!

Brenda and I have had to put this to practice.  We have been stretched but we are still going strong after leaving every natural means of security over nine years ago when we went on the road with a van and trailer and two pre-teenage boys.  We had no life insurance or health insurance, no stocks, bonds or other investments, no savings account and no financial partners.  But when the glory of God invaded a church or home meeting, the financial provision came as well.

The most exciting thing is that people have been getting revived in their spirit.  They have come alive with a new hope, new vision, new awareness of value and worth and new zeal to serve the King with their gifts and talents.

WHAT’S NEXT?

I believe that this crisis is a wonderful opportunity for God to show that He is the Living God.  He loves this nation, but He wants to remove our false gods in whom we trust.  He wants us to practice what our money declares, “In God we trust.”

Very shortly God will reveal His secret strategy to fix our root economic problems and show us how much He loves us and the world.  He will facilitate a great transfer of wealth that will bless America, Israel and the world, but it will take wealth from those who have seriously abused their stewardship of it.  God’s plan is to reveal secret treasures, which have been hidden from the eyes of men from before the foundation of the world.  God will use them to fund the most immense and exciting time of harvest this world has ever seen.

A CRISIS WAS NEEDED

For maximum impact of God’s plan, the world needed first to be in a crisis to appreciate the solution to the problem that has been festering just under the surface.  All those who love God more than their money will rejoice with this news.  Those who love their money more than God will lose their joy.

What I have predicted above is a combination of personal revelation and inside information related to the revelation of other prophetic people, which I cannot share at this time.  But I am confident it will soon be made manifest to the world and I am very excited about it.

Is the crisis hurting you?  I am sorry for any suffering you are presently experiencing.  If you have lost your income or home or business, I understand the pain.  We have been very stretched ourselves in recent times.  But hang on to God’s promises.  You will not have to go begging if you trust Him with all your heart.

TIME TO PUT ON A FULL COURT PRESS

It’s time to take the ball away from the enemy.  Let’s put on a full court press in prayer and intercession, and take charge of the financial ball game.  We can do it.  Our prayers are mighty in God and we can take dominion of every mountain of society in the next few years.  It’s been our mandate since Genesis.  It’s our mandate today.  Don’t let any crisis shake you up.  There will be more, but we will ride above the crises.  It will be an adventure and it will be an awesome ride if we stay close to our Guide.

Ben R. Peters

Open Heart Ministries

Which Kingdom? — rage vs love

God says, “America, You are Mine” A Vision of Revival for the Nations

by Victoria Boyson
www.speakinglife.net

“In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord” (Is. 59:19).

This year’s elections in the U. S. were nothing short of astonishing; like a series of electric shocks. I speak of the corruption in voting, picketing political headquarters, the manipulation and out-right slander of political as well as non-political figures by the media as it fit their purpose and a brooding anger of the general public toward anyone who did not agree. I could feel the love of many growing colder due to the increase of wickedness (Mt. 24:12).

The attitude of many during these elections broke God’s heart and wearied Him. It seems to many that God and His decrees have become irrelevant. They say, “Where is the God of justice?” as if they are unsure if He exists. Or they choose to shape a God to their own liking saying, “all who do evil are good in the Lord’s sight, and He is please with them” (Malachi 2:17). It seems evil has become the new good and good the new evil. Little by little they make God in their image, structured by what they see as truth, expecting Him to abide by their definition of Him.

In the face of this growing evil, I began to sense in my spirit millions of Christians across the globe seeking God at this very serious moment. Removing themselves from the chaos of life and the voices around them, they are drawing closer to Him than ever before. Literally, they are hiding away with Him to find His heart again and seek Him – to find refuge in His arms. I felt them in the secret place, still and quiet, not speaking, but listening to their Father and finding strength and perfect peace. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Is. 26:3).

These dear saints weren’t crying out for an issue or a candidate now, but for God’s presence. They were crying for REVIVAL. In the spirit realm, I saw rivers and streams that had begun to run dry slowly start to fill up, and clarity of mind brought peace and resolute faith.

Vision: Revival for the Nations
In a vision, I saw a titanic wave come rushing toward the White House. This wave was not made of water, but of people. They were evil people who came with destructive agendas. With unbelievable force, the wave crashed against the White House. I saw President Obama picked up and carried away by this powerful force.

I heard the Lord speak, and speaking of Obama He said, “He will go where he does not wish to go and do what he does not want to do.” I was unnerved at seeing him thrown about by a force he could not control. However, the Lord showed me that if we would pray for him, He would captivate his heart and bring him to humble desperation for more of God. I felt instantly, that though he would enter his presidency a man who thought he knew himself and had very definite convictions, he would indeed find himself to be a very different man with a very different heart.

I then saw President Obama on his knees in the White House begging God to help him. This was done, not out of formality, but out of genuine desperation. I felt strongly that he knew his only hope was God. What I sensed in him at this time was real – a true and genuine, desperate longing to know God.

Then, I saw all over the globe men and women crying out to God with the same genuine desperation. Fear gripped the hearts of people who did not know God, forcing even proud men and women to their knees in humble resignation of their need of Him. Their cries brought God.

Our Father desires to bring revival to the nations; it is His will for us. Not just a revival for the Church, but of the nations. Not just a revival of healings and tingly feelings, but to draw men to deep, long-lasting repentance. He desires to bring a revival to His beloved creation and allow His supernatural power to humble them and bring them to repentance of their sins, causing them to turn to Him. He longs for them to come to Him and He will reach out to Him with a powerful torrential flood of His glory.

“In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord” (Is. 59:19).

Whether you supported Barak Obama’s bid for the presidency or not, we have no choice but to support him now.

We must pray for our young president now more than ever. We must support him with our prayers and use our faith in God to help him. He needs us. We need to be very careful with the words we speak about him – to use them as messages from heaven not the accusations of hell. Not that we live in an unrealistic lala land, not that we don’t stand firm in the issues, but to submit our thoughts and words about our new president to the obedience of Christ.

If we bless him, he will become a blessing to this nation and to the world. If we curse him, he will become a curse. He, indeed, will become what we declare him to be – words have power. Our words can bring life or death. We can affect the future of this presidency. This is a very grave season in the nations of the world, but instead of fearing the future, we must face it boldly in the authority we have in Jesus Christ.

No matter who the president is, God is in control. He alone will decide the direction of this nation. We must ask Him to give us time to win the lost. In God alone will we trust. And only in Him will we put our faith for our future. He is our ROCK. He is our STRENGTH. He is our FORTRESS. And because He leads us, we will not fear. AMERICA BELONGS TO GOD!!!!

Seek God; in Him alone will you find peace. Renew your faith in Him and resolutely let your light shine for men to see the way to their Savior, Jesus Christ. “For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance” (Is.60:1-3).

Will you agree with me in prayer for the following prayer points?

1. President-elect Obama

2. Vice President-elect Biden

3. The new chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel

4. Our nations media outlets

5. The U. S. House and Senate

6. The U. S. Supreme Court Justices

7. REVIVAL

Here’s a small outline that may help you as you pray:

Dear Father, I plead the blood of Jesus over ____ and I ask You to surround them with Your mighty warring angels. I ask You to fill them with your Holy Spirit and drive out every unclean spirit. Give them your heart and Your mind. Help them to love You, live for You and to know You. Have Your way in their lives and drive them in to Your presence. I come against the plans the enemy has for their lives and I declare those plans to be powerless against them. Reveal Yourself to them in an undeniable way. Help them to obey You and give their lives to You. May they truly know how much You love them.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures were taken from the NLT and the NIV.

Kingdom Provision

(This isn’t a theological treatise.  For the most part Papa doesn’t download crafted treatises to me but things come in a flurry of thoughts, visions, feelings, verses, etc.)

A definition that captures much of modern economics is that of Lionel Robbins in a 1932 essay: “the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.”[3] Scarcity means that available resources are insufficient to satisfy all wants and needs. Absent scarcity and alternative uses of available resources, there is no economic problem. The subject thus defined involves the study of choices as they are affected by incentives and resources.

Wikipedia

Economics is often described as a body of knowledge or study that discusses how a society tries to solve the human problems of unlimited wants and scarce resources.

On-line Business Encyclopedia

Kingdom Provision is “how our Papa solves the human problems of limited wants and needs by using the unlimited resources of the Kingdom.”

Economics is the antithesis of Kingdom Provision.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Matthew 7:21-27 (New International Version)

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.  I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.  ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.  ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

Haggai 2:6-9 (New International Version)

Yet we cry out to God to save our 401K and to re-establish the economic system of the world.  We have “Christian” economics courses that are nothing more than explanations of the world’s system with a little “tithe” thrown in to make it “Christian”.  We store up for ourselves into things that can be shaken because we do not believe that Papa was really meaning Matt 6:19-34.  Oh we speak of “stewardship” but we mean and practice a system which shouts that we are covered if God doesn’t work like it says in the bible.

If all the money that has been lost in Christian’s 401K’s and stocks over the last few weeks had been put to use in the Kingdom…???  And I dare say it could have…would have if we actually believed and practiced Kingdom provision per Matt 6:19-34.  There would be an abundance for every good work.

• When things are shaken where do we look first?
• For your “retirement”(another kingdom oxymoron) what is your rock?
• When sickness comes what is our first thought?
• When mold comes what is our first thought?
• When God says to do this or that and it requires provision where does our heart look first?
• If the youth are standing on our shoulders in the kingdom are we saying “Get in relationship with Papa, hear him, be with him… oh and get your 401K started, too (since this Kingdom stuff only goes so far…)”

Everything in the Kingdom flows out of relationship.  What is Papa saying to do?  Not what “works” in the world’s system.   The point is that in the Kingdom the answer is not necessarily the world’s way but the answer must flow out of relationship not economics…
Maybe the answer is to go fishing (Matt 17:27), maybe it is to give it all away (Luke 18:22), maybe it is to take what little you seem to have and begin using it (John 6:11-13), maybe it is to spit into someone’s eyes (Mark 8:23) maybe it is to touch someone who is unsafe (Mark 1:40-41) …

Or maybe we just need to be practical…. NOT!

7 days with Jesus in a bar

Dedicated to all those who won’t set foot in a bar. (except for alcoholics who shouldn’t set foot in a bar)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0w1eQyv2d0

http://www.carlmedearis.com/

Dutch Sheets Lakeland Statement

 

Statement from Dutch Sheets http://www.dutchsheets.org/images/images_A2521/A_Statement_and_Appeal_Regarding_Lakeland.pdf

Marcha de Gloria en Denver

(see more http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=C41ScUT5b2g)

Awesome!!!  What a marvelous move of Papa!  Over 8,000 people gathered in downtown Denver to proclaim the presence, the love and the glory of Papa and our wonderful Lord Jesus.

On foot and on floats they marched over 2 miles through downtown Denver speaking blessing to the heart of this metropolitan area.  They were greeted by people on the street cheering and clapping at some points.  On each float were people proclaiming Papa’s glory and His wondrous works.  At one point when the march was in front of the state capital, everyone stopped and knelt down.  Even people who weren’t part of the march were seen kneeling on the sidewalks.

After the march many people stayed and gathered in Civic Center park.  Bands played, saints proclaimed and everyone rejoiced.  One of the ministers spoke to the crowd proclaiming the good news and inviting anyone who wanted to come to Jesus to come down to the front of the amphitheater.  300 people responded and made Jesus the Lord of their lives!!!

Another time the Spirit of God was moving in healing.  A child who hadn’t walked in several years got out of their wheelchair and walked up the stairs.  A quadriplegic who could only move from his head up began to feel in his arms, then he began to move them.  He was given a prophetic word that he would be healed, have children and go to the churches and proclaim the glory of the Lord.  At that point his wife cried out and asked the Lord Jesus to come into her heart!  Over 2 hours later the quadriplegic was having feeling in his legs and some movement!

I tell you that Papa is on the move.  He is unifying the Body.  He is reaching out with healing in His wings.  My Lord’s bride is being prepared and we will not leave this earth until we have accomplished His work.  His work is to destroy the works of the evil one and to proclaim the Kingdom.  That is what was done on this day and I proclaim that is what we are to do daily till the whole world is full of His glory and His Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

All praise and glory to our Papa and to Jesu Christo!!!

The Buckets

Before the trip to Lakeland, the Lord told me to bring 2 buckets with me to be filled with His Glory to carry back with me.  So, I got two five gallon white plastic buckets and carried them on the plane with me. Caused quite a stir with the flight attendants who began calling me the “bucket man”. However, it gave a chance to testify to what the Lord was doing. They didn’t understand how I was going to get the buckets filled with what God was doing in Lakeland. One attendant was concerned with how I would be able to get the filled buckets back through airport security. 

Before we left, I was led to print out II Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us”.  Plastic pails are modern- day clay jars, nothing of any special marvelous thing but just everyday containers.  The printout was in English, Hebrew, Greek, French, Spanish and Chinese.  In Lakeland the Lord had me tape all these translations onto one bucket, with the English by itself on the other bucket.  He told me to go to the nations at the conference and have them write the translation of their country on the bucket with only the English translation. Awesome!!!

I had been shown by the Holy Spirit that there are 3 buckets to be filled with His anointing, His glory, His presence and that they will never go dry.  I am a living bucket and the other two buckets are for the overflow. I am to pour out where ever He sends me on whosoever and they will refill like the widow’s oil jars… Filled with Papa’s presence and His glory.  His presence comes first that we may rejoice, play, and enjoy Him.  His Glory comes that we many know His fullness, the depth of His love and His power.  For without knowing His presence and the joy of his countenance we would abuse His glory.  Also the Lord showed me that the buckets are for the nations in me, in my family, in Bridgeway, in Denver, in America, in the world.  So far I have seen that in this case “nations” represent distinct cultures, world views, parts of the body.  This is to bring unity in me, my family, Bridgeway, Denver, America and in the world.

Since returning from Lakeland the Lord has had us pour out His presence and His glory on 3 Men’s leadership meetings in Denver.  We are arranging to go on Prayer One (helicopter)  to pour out over the Denver metro area.  Also preparing to pour out during the Marcha de Gloria in Denver ( http://www.marchadegloriacolorado.com/index.html )

Desperate for Papa

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I I’m desperate for you
And I I’m I’m lost without you

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
your very word spoken to me

And I’m, I’m desperate for you
And I’m, I’m lost without you

And I’m desperate for you
And I’m, I’m lost without you.

I’m lost without you.

I’m lost without you.

I’m desperate for you.

I’m desperate for you..

I’m lost, I’m lost, I’m lost without you..
I’m lost without you

I’m desperate for you

(Breathe — Michael W Smith)

Power Evangelism!

http://www.powerinvasionministries.org/media.html

Maybe we’re afraid just to give out His love, without hooks, without expectations, just love and let His Spirit move.

Because Papa so loved the world, and every single person in it, He gave, without reservation, His one and only Son, so that anyone who actually believes that they can’t do it, that they have nothing to offer and that Jesus the Christ has done it all (yep it all), anyone who believes that can now begin the rest of their life, which will last forever, as a much loved child of Papa!   John 3:16