DAY 2: NO CROSS, NO CROWN
A reminder–no prayer call tonite. Please join in the nightwatch prayer call throughout the Midnight Cry! Midnight through 6:00 am, facilitated by Capitol Hill Prayer Partners in conjunction with the National Prayer Committee. 

The XXX Debate
Ok… yeah I did write yesterday how slander, accusation and word curses are equated with sorcery in the eyes of God. Except, of course, when it’s for a good cause!

Last night during the Presidential debates, President Obama tried to X out Governor Romney. Who tried to X out President Obama.

Beyond this, a third X was in play. The body of Christ tried to X out both candidates with slander, accusation and word curses.

Are You an Accuser or an Intercessor?
Beloved, the world is expected to operate this way. But not us! I do feel a warning from the Lord not to lower ourselves to the standard of the day. Slander and accusation are the exact antithesis of intercession. Think about this for a moment. If we pick up the weapons of the Accuser, we will invariably compromise our authority in Jesus Christ.

And if there’s any time we cannot afford to compromise our authority, it’s now. Again, pushing back the encroaching darkness in our land will take far more than any political figure can accomplish. It will take a move of Holy Spirit! That’s ultimately what we are seeking to bring forth in this Midnight Cry!

Not by might nor power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord (Zech. 4)… lets keep this close to heart!

No Cross, No Crown
William Penn was locked up in an English prison when the Holy Spirit visited him with a blueprint for godly governance.

Penn had been sent to the proverbial gallows for his assertion that he could experience God and hear His voice personally. Fortunately for him, the Crown owed his deceased father a massive debt. As payment, they released Penn from prison and gave him Pennsylvania as payment.

Not a bad deal… debt paid, and another religious rabblerouser was exiled before he could seriously threaten the power base.

Shifting the Power Base
Pennsylvania was founded with the intention of carrying out Penn’s “holy experiment” in godly governance. Ironically, the seeds of Penn and his encounter with God ultimately shook the power base to the core. The colony Penn founded became the keystone of the colonies, converging north and south together to forge a new future. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution drew significant inspiration from his writings.

No King but Jesus…

Leadership Qualifications
The core of Penn’s revelatory experience on godly governance was a simple yet profound phrase. No cross, no crown!

In other words, the primary qualification for leadership was to manifest the nature and character of Jesus Christ. He administrated His Throne by literally laying down His life for those under His authority. And He compels us to do the same.

Friends this gives new meaning to the phrase, “No King but Jesus!” As the elders before the Throne perceived, Jesus is worthy of our lives because He purchased us with His own blood! That is how He leads. And that is how He summons us to lead.

Here’s a plumbline for our candidates, and for ourselves. Are we aligning with God’s covenant and priorities? This includes both blessings and boundaries. Are we laying down the lives of the sheep for our own gain, or are we laying down our lives for the sheep?

Really, whose kingdom are we empowering–Babylon or Christ’s? As for me and my house–No King but Jesus!

Key of David
Recently I had an encounter with the Lord where He was literally wrestling with a high-level governmental figure. He threw this leader to the ground and shook him til the leader coughed up a key. I sensed Holy Spirit declaring, “Either align with My covenant or cough up the key!”

“And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and cause what he has swallowed come up out of his mouth; and the nations will no longer stream to him” (Jer. 51:44).

I believe the key I saw represents the Key of David. Isaiah 22 records how this key of governance is transferred from an unjust steward to a man who “will be a father to the house of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

No cross, no crown! God wants to entrust the keys of governance across our land to mothers and fathers who divest in themselves to invest in those they serve. This is the plumbline for both evaluating candidates and for focused intercession on their behalf.

Our Priorities
Let me close by stating our priorities for this Midnight Cry Prayer Watch. Please make each subject a heart-felt cry before God’s Throne.

First–NO KING BUT JESUS! May Jesus be enthroned 24/7 on the praises of His people. May His Bridal Canopy envelop our land–in DC and from state to state. Lord, tabernacle with us!

Second–HOLY SPIRIT AWAKENING & UNION. Because it takes this level of grace to dislodge the evil encroaching our land. This move cannot be manufactured, it must instead be BIRTHED. Which is why we need a FINAL PUSH for freedom!

Third–NO CROSS, NO CROWN. May our keys of governance be entrusted to Eliakims who will align with God’s covenant and lead as mothers and fathers empowering those they serve. May those who employ deception, intimidation, or corruption to either attain or retain a seat of authority be removed.

Fourth–COVENANT ALIGNMENT WITH ISRAEL and the advancement of God’s dream for Israel and the Mideast. Long-term project!

Fifth–HOMELAND SECURITY, through the elections and the coming year. This is crucial, as threats of violence increase. As part of this, we must continue to pray for the safety of both President Obama and Mitt Romney and their families. For real!

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE MIDNIGHT CRY! Jolene and I look forward to this journey with you. Covenant blessings to you and your family, in Jesus’ Name!