God is moving! In September we announced the formation of Hope Ministries International. It has been wonderful to share what God is doing and see others come alive with the call to raise up Houses of Prayerful Expectation locally and globally. We appreciate each one who has stepped up to come alongside this ministry in your prayers and giving.
Recently, someone came to me and said “The Time is NOW! We must see this come to pass NOW!” As only God could do, He provided a way for our board to take the next step on October 19th. I am now a full-time intercessory missionary. I am moving full-steam ahead with HOPE!
I had received my call to fulltime ministry on December 31, 1987. A dream from 33 years ago has now became a reality. Since 1987 I knew the Lord had called me to missions or fulltime Christian service. Through so many twists and turns, delays and detours, God has brought it to pass at this time for His purposes and glory! Dreams delayed are not dreams denied! God has brought it to pass – and He has used many of you along the way.
Recently, I have begun to dream again. I’ve been sensing for the last few months as I have prayed and waited on the Lord it is time to dream again. I even had an international minister call me out in a meeting and prophesy, “You dream a lot!” Love how God sends encouragement to us!
While there are those dreams that are birthed in our hearts like my call into ministry, I really want to talk today about the kind of dreams that come in our sleep. Throughout the Bible people had dreams. Check out Joseph in Genesis, or Daniel, or even the story of Joseph & Mary. Just like the Biblical figures, I don’t always understand my dreams. I need God’s help to interpret them. So, I write down the details I can remember in a notebook and I go to praying.
On Tuesday of this week I woke up with a dream. In it, I was filling an antique pistol with gun powder. I had packed it 3/4 full and there were white pellets placed at the end. I then was in a circle folks I recognized as being from the business world. They all began talking to me about where I was now headed. They encouraged me to step out and do the work of the ministry. I knew I could no longer stay in that circle. It was time to pull the trigger and move forward.
In the dream I thought about the potential negative impact of pulling the trigger on the gun. With that much gun powder, would the gun explode in my hand? What would the blow-back be? Would I even survive or would I be blown to bits?
As I woke up from my sleep, I began to ponder the dream and especially the questions I was asking myself.
The gun in my dream was an antique weapon. It looked like a pirate’s gun or a Flintlock Musket. It was definitely old technology. There was nothing fancy about it. It looked kind of dingy and well used. But when packed with gun powder, I knew it would be explosive and packed with power!
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty in God for pulling down of strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4
We have mighty weapons given to us by God. Prayer. Intercession. Worship. The Word. The Blood. Repentance.
I believer our prayer life is represented by that gun. While this is an old weapon, God is releasing fresh power and impact on our prayers. If we will pull the trigger and release the prayers, they will go forth in power and reach their target!
It is time to dust off the old arsenal of prayer. It’s time for Intercession to make it’s way back into our churches. It’s time for fasting. It’s time for prayers of repentance and contrition. It’s time to travail and birth through prayer! It’s time to P.U.S.H – pray until things happen.
Our prayers are power packed! I’ve read stories of dear saints who would agonize in prayer for the salvation of their loved ones. They would pray with fasting, weeping and mourning until cities and nations were changed.
Charles Finney’s ministry was backed by the prayers of Father Nash who would lock himself in a hotel room to pray for days or weeks before the revivalist would come on the scene. By the time Finney arrived in a town, the battle had been already won in prayer and Finney would reap a mighty harvest for the Kingdom.
Rees Howells lead a prayer movement during WW2 that would not let go of Europe. God would release specific prayer targets and this team would pray through till victory. They were a tenacious bunch!
Often we are consumed with the personal cost of ministry and never pull the trigger because we think the personal cost is too great. Like in my dream, my questions were all about the cost to me. There will be personal sacrifice and cost for living the life of intercession. I will miss some meals. I will be moved to tears at the plight of my nation. I will feel a burden that causes me to cry out and miss sleep. I will be misunderstood. I will spend much time on my knees….often alone.
However, I realized I have been asking all the wrong questions. What is the cost of not pulling the trigger? How do I measure the cost of not interceding and not raising up others to cry out? Will friends spend an eternity in hell? Will the church be silenced or forced to go underground? Will the sick stay sick? Will destinies be derailed? Will the Lamb not receive the reward of His suffering?
More than ever, I am committed to seeing prayer released in the church and in our nation. Our times are urgent! We must pull the trigger and release the weapon of intercession. People, churches, cities and nations are hanging in the balance. God has commissioned us and given us this weapon, but it is up to us to put the gun in our hand and pull the trigger. I hope you will join me and be part of the Army of God rising up.
I’ll meet you in prayer!
For I Know The Plans….
We have all heard Jeremiah 29:11. It is often quoted. It is on artwork. You might even have it as a magnet on your fridge. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a...
