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Well… We asked the Lord to light the gates—and it has been astonishing to see what’s there.
Tomorrow is President Obama’s final State of the Union address. We posted Friday about a Jerusalem Post article article conveying that President Obama seeks to to succeed Ban Ki Moon as Secretary General of the United Nations. The South Korean leader steps down December 31, 2016 after two five-year terms in office.
The Jerusalem Post broke the story Friday about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s initial opposition to Obama’s candidacy for Secretary General. To read the story click here.
I spent much of the weekend scouring news articles that would either contradict or confirm this. Many news outlets, including Fox News and the Washington Times, have released stories based on the Jerusalem Post article. So far I have seen nothing that contradicts the report.
This morning in prayer I felt the Lord was speaking three things. I want to share them briefly with you today, so we can all be on the same page as we move forward in this time of consecration, fasting, devotion and governmental prayer.
First—The Days of Bewilderment Must Now be Over
First, the Lord spoke to me very firmly that the “days of bewilderment must now be over.” I have honestly felt stunned and a bit overwhelmed by what we are perceiving. I believe Ezekiel felt something similar when the Lord began to reveal the true condition of his people.
“Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days” (Ezekiel 3:15).
Note the seven days. After the first seven days of this prayer project I honestly could identify with Ezekiel… how about you?
It is comforting that God allowed the prophet time to absorb, to care, to process, to respond in his humanity. You can see the same experience with many deliverers in the Bible—such as Daniel, Elijah, Gideon and others.
But God is saying to us and to many of you, the days of bewilderment must now be over!
Bewilderment is tied to the wilderness. And if we remain too long in bewilderment, it can drain us of faith and vitality. Gideon arise! It’s time to encounter the Lord afresh, and see how He equips you as an agent of deliverance from the very challenges that are troubling you.
From Bewilderment to Empowerment
Watch how the Lord transitioned Ezekiel from bewilderment to empowerment. After seven days, the word of the Lord came again. He commissioned Ezekiel governmentally as a watchman.
“At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying ‘Son of man I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me…” (Ezekiel 3:16-17).
Our prayer project has gone seven days. Receive new strength! Some of you are now perceiving Heaven’s commission as a watchman for the first time. For some of you this call is being renewed. Take some time before the Throne and consecrate yourself for this calling!
Second—Believe What You See
The second thing God spoke to me this morning is to “Believe what you see.”
We need to “test all things, and hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). And we must always be redemptive in our focus. But there are some things our own eyes have seen, which we simply do not want to actually believe.
Remember the Holocaust. When the Nazis first began implementation, intelligence reports poured in to the highest offices of England and European nations. They were simply refuted, because they did not align with the vision Neville Chamberlain had laid out of peace through appeasement.
Denying this clear intelligence kept England and all Europe from perceiving the war machine at their very gates. And ultimately, it helped empower the “extermination” of some seven million Jews.
This weekend Jolene and I saw the movie “Spotlight,” chronicling the exposure of widespread sexual abuse by predatory priests, covered up by both the Catholic church and government officials. The Boston Globe journalists who broke the story struggled each step of the way to believe the reports they were hearing.
Good thing they persevered.
Beloved, God wants to bring redemptive exposure that frees us from abuse, captivity, tyranny and injustice. He wants to free us from the blindness that comes when we choose naiveté or demonic ideologies over truth.
We can say, “not on our watch.” But this resolve can only become reality when you embrace reality as God defines it. Lets look at the true state of our union, as God defines it.
And believe what you see.
Third—Fast Extended to February 2
As shared before, I believe today is a day of commissioning for many of you. The stakes are very high. A renewed commissioning launches us into a deeper response of consecration and obedience, including fasting as the Lord shows you.
I sense personally to extend my time of fasting by another week—which makes three weeks from today. Many of you may want to do the same.
Lets summarize. God is saying that the days of bewilderment must now be over. It’s time to believe what you see. Many of you who have carried His burdens are now being commissioned as watchmen, with greater measures of authority and responsibility.
As a personal and corporate response to Christ’s invitation, lets go deeper in devotion. Like Daniel, lets devote the next 21 days to encountering Christ authentically and seeing the breakthroughs in the spirit that frame our future. TO LIGHT THE GATES!
As Turnaround Tuesday draws close, lets remember we have been presented with a limited window for national turnaround. It’s time to give our all.
Father God, we humble ourselves before you in Jesus’ Name. We say yes to your fresh commissioning in our lives as a watchman. Please grant us continually a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Help us not to be conformed to the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Empower us to overcome for your glory, in Jesus’ Name!
