Category Archives: Be prepared; hold on.

As we approach the last days, sound doctrine will be diluted in many churches to appease the spirits of liberalism as large in the world, and persecution of those believers who hold on to the fullness of the gospel message will intensify. We need to “build ourselves up in our most holy faith” so that we can be prepared for whatever the enemy might throw at us, and be ready at the last, a spotless bride, to receive our Lord into the Kingdom of our God and His Christ.

Be prepared; hold on., Prayer and Spiritual Warfare, Prophesy and the prophetic

The Battle Belongs to the Lord: Parts two and Three

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Part Two
“I saw the angels arming up. They were picking up morning stars and flail type weapons.  The angels were too many to count. They were arming so quickly that they were in and out in a blink of an eye. Then I saw them in formation lining up for battle. The Lord is wanting us know the time is very near for us to attack. The Lord is saying that the flails and morning stars are for tearing down strong holds and defences.  He says: My people be ready.  I even felt that the angels that are messengers of peace were now arming up for battle. I felt that this was signifying two things.
Firstly, this is the Lord meaning business regarding waging war with the principalities and powers. And secondly, this demonstrates to us that it a far bigger battle than we will ever realise, and that we now need to shore up our weaknesses and stand as one with the Lord’s angel army leading the way. The roar of the Lion is near and the blast of the shofar trumpet is about to be heard.”

Part Three
“I saw angels moving into front lines of the battle. These angels were not arming up in the armoury and yet they were marching into position with no weapons. We lining up close to front of the angel army. The Lord told me that these are worshipping angels, and that their worship had to be close to the front of the battle as their praise and worship of the King, along with the huge angel army carrying morning stars and maces, would weaken the enemy defences.
  I also felt that this is how He wants His church: to line up with worship  and praise foremost in battle. There is a call to those who are creative to step forward; that creativity along with praise, worship and prayer are also to be at the front of battle lines as the church steps into this. Then when we hear the lion of Judah roar and the shofar sound, the church will march forward and take ground that is under the enemy’s influence.  The battle is going to be heavily fought and there will be many injuries.”

Jake Dominy.

Be prepared; hold on., Living by Faith, Prophesy and the prophetic

The Crumbs Under the Table

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Even the dogs have the crumbs that fall from the masters table…

“Then Jesus left Galilee and went North to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.” But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” But she came and worshipped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!” Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.” “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.” (Matthew 15: 21-27)

Like all the stories in the gospels, there are many lessons we can learn from this account. I just want to look at a couple that apply specifically to prophesy.

Firstly, it’s always good to be asking God for what can one take from prophecies that are given to other people. I  apply this in my walk of wanting to hear from God, not turning off or thinking either: “that’s nice for them,” or “why doesn’t God ever have a word for me,” but asking the Lord if there are any crumbs for me under the table.

This can also  be  applied this to messages  brought at meetings: if we ask the lord what He wants to say to us, there may well be something which might not be the speaker’s main point, or even something he is speaking about, but which is prompted by part of the message.

The second is the woman’s persistence. I believe we have to be persistent in our desire to hear from God. He wants to know that we are serious. We look at persistence again in the next article in this series.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.  (Matthew 11v12)

Again, this scripture is open to a number of interpretations, but one is that the “forceful” the push into the kingdom of Heaven to take hold of it in their lives. I believe is not only about those newly brought to the kingdom of God, but also those fervently and earnestly seeking to take hold of spiritual gifts:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians   2 v10)

We are saved by grace not by works, so this is not in any way suggesting that salvation is something that we earn; but  I believe it is to do with pressing into our gifts ( both spiritual and natural).  We must remember that we have an enemy who is trying to halt our growth and maturity in the Lord, so we must soberly keep in mind our weaknesses and keep our armour on.

God has great works planned for us to do, with Him and not for Him, where we will need  to use our giftings to complete them and bring glory to God. If we work with Him, He will continually give us the strength and abilities that we need; but if we try and work for Him we will generally be doing it in our own strength and determination, often trying to earn favour with  the Lord, forgetting that we were saved by grace and that these works were already planned for us to accomplish with Him before the beginning of time.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,  but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” (Philippians 3: 12-13)

Again here we see the picture of something that not given to us when we become a Christian but for which we must contend spiritually as we take the Kingdom by force. He has already planned what gifts and assignments He has for us that will bring Him glory, but as the apostle Paul puts it we are to press in to them. So in all this there is a battle, and battles are not won by  being passive  or hesitant, or by just waiting around for the victory to happen. We need to press in or take by force everything that God has for us and that has been prophesied over us, no matter what  the cost. As we battle to grow further into our Kingdom calling God will start to give us a hunger for more.

To conclude this section on “picking up all the crumbs under the table,” on a practical point, I find that speaking in tongues is a key to hearing more from God :

“For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 14: 2)

I believe these mysteries that we speak in our heavenly language actually impart the mysteries of Heaven to our spirits. Any crumb from Heaven is a whole loaf of bread here on Earth.

Christian Life, Holiness: You shall be perfect

Pedal Power: Compelled by Love

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“Let everything you do be done in love” (1 Cor 16:14)

One of my grandchildren, who is not yet three, has a balance bike. It is a toddler’s bike without pedals, on which she takes her first steps in learning to keep her balance before graduating to a “proper” bicycle. She can’t go far on it, but she is learning the first principles of riding a bike.

For us, the pedals of discipleship are love. The heart of Christ is the love of the Father, who sent Jesus into the world to pay the price for our sin so that we could spend eternity with Him. Sometimes I forget that God didn’t give me eternal life just so that I can have a blissful time in Heaven when my life on this earth is over, but so that I can spend eternity with Him, as He will spend eternity with all of His children. I cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless I carry His love, the love of the Father, in my heart. Unless I do, I have no power to move forward on the path.

I write a lot about the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit, but we must always see that power as an expression of God’s love. He heals, makes whole, and delivers because He has compassion on our pain, our  brokenness and bondage. He speaks prophetically into our lives because He wants us to see that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives, to give us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11). He brings revelation through words of knowledge and words of wisdom because He knows we cannot see the way or the truth for ourselves. He gives us the gift of tongues because He loves to see the edification that comes to His children from that connection between His Spirit within us and our own. He gives us faith for miracles because He loves to see us reaching into His abundance and believing that He is who He says He is, and will do all that He has promised to do. But He makes it clear (1 Cor 13) that all of these gifts are worthless without Love. It’s a love that serves without pride, seeks only to bless and to give, and thinks only of the well-being of others, even those whom we consider our enemies. It’s the love that has died to the flesh. Prophesy, faith, miracles, tongues, all the supernatural manifestations of the life of the Holy Spirit within us, are absolutely worthless unless they are delivered and expressed from its heart.

God has already seated us in heavenly places in Christ, and it is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. In Him we have everything we need as we move along His paths to bring His Kingdom to others, but it is only love that matures us, and it is only love that can take us forward. The late Bob Jones, who was a senior prophet with a ministry attested by many miraculous signs, died (for the first time – he died finally in 2014) and went to heaven in 1975. He saw a line of people on what looked like a conveyor belt on their way to eternal darkness, and a very much smaller line, the one that he was part of, walking towards Jesus. The Lord asked each person just one question, and it was the same question every time. It was this: “Did you learn to love?”

Are we learning to love? Without love we have no pedals, and we are no more than toddlers on a balance bike.

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.”(2 Cor 5: 14-16)

Next: the brakes.

Be prepared; hold on., Christian Life, Prayer and Spiritual Warfare

We Have the Fire

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“And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings : 15-17)

In recent times there has been an emphasis in the prophetic on an increase in the intensity of the heavenly battle that we are engaged in. There have been words about God sending angels to earth, and His heavenly army being drawn up in battle array. But where is this battle taking place?

The battle is taking place all around us: not just in our churches, but in our private lives, in our family lives, and in our schools and workplaces. In some contexts it is also taking place visibly in the geopolitical sphere: in Israel, now as always; and where ever political and religious systems or legislative acts are standing in opposition to the Kingdom of our God and His Christ. The growing civil unrest in the USA is also largely an expression of the clash between liberal humanistic values and the values of the Conservative Christian foundation of the nation.

Individually, we can expect to face more and stronger temptations, and more frustration and opposition (especially in areas of ministry) as the devil unleashes his forces against the people of God. Where they are fissures and cracks in relationships the enemy will seek to drive in a wedge and force people apart. He will intensify his attack on Christian marriages and Christian families. Where we are neglecting to adhere to Romans 12: 1-2 and we are not “presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice” as our “reasonable service” to the Lord, the enemy will exploit all the weaknesses of our carnality to do as much damage as he can. The intensified battle over our own lives will often come down to the ongoing war between the flesh and the spirit – (Romans 6:19, Galatians 5:17, James 4: 1 1 Peter 2: 11), so we need to take seriously Peter’s warning to ”Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Now is the time to stay closer than ever to the commander of our army, and to tune our ears even more finely to His voice. Jesus reminds us in John 10:27 that we, His sheep, do hear His voice; but very often we are listening to too many other voices as well, so His quiet whisper is drowned out.  Now is the time to ask the Lord, Just as Elisha did, to open our spiritual eyes so we can discern the spiritual forces around us: not just the forces of darkness, but the angelic forces of the Kingdom of God whose work it is to minister to the Saints (Hebrews 1: 7). We need to remember that we are not alone in any situation: that there is a spiritual dimension all around us that is peopled with beings who are both against us and for us. We need to pray at all times, not just for ourselves but for one another, and especially for those in church leadership; and those of us with the gift of tongues need to spend more time than ever praying in our spiritual language, because it is given to us for our edification.

But, as Paul says, “we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor 2:11), and the truth is that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world, and that those who are for us are greater than those that are against us. The enemy may have his “horses and chariots” arrayed against us, but against them are “horses and chariots of fire.” Although the battle may rage, the war is already won, and we can stand firm in the hope of partaking in the fruits of that victory, whether it’s in this life or the eternity that Jesus has won for us. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

Jesus told us that the “violent” take the Kingdom of Heaven ”by force”.  There is a land to take, but we are going to have to fight for it. The battle is on. But we have the fire; and the Lord says to us today what He said to His old covenant people through Moses and Joshua: “Be strong and very courageous, for I am with you.”

And if God is for us, who can be against us?

Be prepared; hold on., Christian Life, Living by Faith

The Off-Road Vehicle

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I have held the material for this post for a couple of weeks, but I think now is the time for it, as it is saying something very similar to what I felt the Lord gave me yesterday about the mountain bike. I believe that the Holy Spirit is emphasising to the Church that we need to be equipped for an exhilarating, but rough ride. The first part refers to something I read in an online daily devotional; the second part is a word that Jake was given at the end of July. He hadn’t seen the material referred to above, but it follows on seamlessly:

Are we ready to be led off-road?

A daily devotional I subscribe to recently told how church leadership has become a high-risk career for insurers, as an increasing number of pastors are suffering from stress-related health problems at an early age. (This is in the USA: I don’t know how much it applies to other nations, but I have a feeling it probably does.) The writer, an internationally known leader himself, compared some ministries to motor racing, where the emphasis is on always building and driving a better and faster car – but it’s a car that keeps going round the same track without actually going anywhere. The word was a warning to church leaders to concentrate on building a ministry that would take God’s people where He wants them to go; not one that looks flashy and successful in the eyes of the world, burning out the driver as he fights to keep up in the race.

“I believe the lord is saying as individuals and as a church we have built the wrong car: we have built a car that has instant power for smooth track racing, but although it’s exhilarating as soon as we hit bump we tend to lose control and break apart. I believe God wants to build a jeep or land cruiser type of vehicle that is designed for a rough ride with obstacles in the way.  It has higher seating for better vision and power that is built up over time, and although it’s built for off road we know it will be comfortable inside. (The comfort is the peace and rest that we have in His presence – Bob) This doesn’t mean it’ll be smooth or easy, but it will help to enjoy the challenges of off road driving and the obstacles we will encounter. The tyres have immense grip even in the most slippery of conditions. God has given us the traction we need to stay on the right course.”

Be prepared; hold on., Christian Life, Living by Faith, Walking in the Spirit

The Bike Ride: Pictures of discipleship

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The Lord has shown me a picture of a bicycle on a number of occasions; the last one being three days ago. I’ve been thinking about the relevance of the idea of riding a bicycle to our walk as disciples, and the more I have considered it the more aspects I have seen. I am going to try and draw the threads together here over a few posts, because I believe that the Holy Spirit will quicken specific aspects of them  to different individuals. As you read it ask Him to speak to you.

Keep Moving

You can’t sit still on a bicycle: if you do you will fall off. We are encouraged to “press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14). Our faith is dynamic, not static. The Holy Spirit moves, and He wants us to move with Him. Now more than ever God is uprooting and tearing down old strongholds and old ways in the world and in the Church, because He is clearing the ground to build His Kingdom. Ephesians 5:16 encourages us to “redeem the time, because the days are evil.” We don’t achieve this by being static, but by engaging with God’s purpose for us, like the chain engages with the cogs to move the cycle forward as we put our weight on the pedal.  There are times when we doubt this purpose, and so we stop moving. The next thing we know, the faith that was so solid yesterday feels like quicksand today. But the doubt that floored us did not actually arise because the truth of what we believe is in any way questionable, but because the evil one chose that moment to send a fiery dart into our heart. We need to remember and believe the words that God has spoken to us in the past, because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29). If we just get on our bikes and start cycling again in these “quicksand moments,” despite the cloud that has descended, we will find that the path becomes solid again and the way clear once more. The shield of faith will extinguish the fiery dart.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor 15:58)

We are seated

Even though we are moving, we are seated – in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Because we are seated, we are at rest – even though we are moving. Jesus tells us that if we take His yoke upon us, we will find rest for our souls. If we have lost our rest and our peace has left us, the chances are that we have left our seats as well. All authority proceeds from His throne, and we are partakers of that authority. He has given us His name, and He has given us His peace. If we can just remember that we are seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph 2:6), anxiety, impatience, stress and many other negative states of mind have nowhere to settle.

(He) raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (Eph 2:6)

Stay focussed

On a bicycle one has to stay focussed and concentrate on the task of staying on the road. If we have a lot of interests and responsibilities it is easy to get distracted, and the next thing we know we are, spiritually, lying on the ground along with our bicycle, and no longer wanting to cycle. But this doesn’t mean that we shirk our responsibilities or (as long as they are healthy ones!) give up our interests: God has put us where we are, and in addition He is the creator and sustainer of all things, therefore there is not a moment when we cannot find Him, and nothing in which we cannot serve and worship Him. The secret to staying on our bikes is in Proverbs 3 vs 6: to actually seek and acknowledge Him in everything we do. If we share everything with Him, as the friend that we are cycling with,  He will direct our paths, according to the rest of Proverbs 3:6. And if God is directing our paths we are not going to fall off our bikes.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct  your paths. (Prov 3:6)

Next time: uphill, downhill.

Be prepared; hold on., Discipleship and witness, Prayer and Spiritual Warfare, Prophesy and the prophetic

The Snowball

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I felt that God gave me this yesterday:

God has made a snowball, and has set it rolling down a mountain. It is the true Church; the righteousness of God in Christ, the people of God loving one another, held together by the Word of God and moving in the power of the Spirit of God. As yet it is small, but as it rolls it gathers momentum and it increases in size as it keeps gathering more snow to itself. The enemies of God and of righteousness say “this is only a snowball!” and seek to stand in its path to break it up, and they set fires to melt the snow. But the snowball crushes those who stand it its way, and puts out the fires that would melt it. Our strength is in Him as we hold fast to one another and to the Word that binds us together, and as we keep to the trajectory that He has ordained.

As I was meditating on it this morning I thought the following, but this is my further reflection on what I had felt the Lord had showed me, rather than the original rhema word:

As we do this we will find the snow sticking to us as we go, because we will be His witnesses. We do not have to make this happen, and we cannot gather another person’s snow: our responsibility is to pray for those that we are connected to in the Body of Christ, that they will be “sticky” enough to gather the snow that is in their path and remain united to the rest of the snowball as it rolls. For each one of us, the snow that we gather is our part of Ephesians 2v 10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Or, in this case, roll in them.

Be prepared; hold on., Living by Faith

Do not be conformed to this world

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“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

The other day Anne and I went to Curry’s buy a new vacuum cleaner (If you’re not in the UK, Curry’s is one of the major electrical retailers over here.) Yes, we WENT to Curry’s – we didn’t www it! But when we had made the purchase, the bullying began. “We just need your name and an email address for the invoice, please….”

“No,” said Anne.

The assistant was shocked. This is a normal procedure. People don’t say no.

“Madam, I can’t give you an invoice unless I have your name. It’s for the guarantee…”

“No.” (This is an abbreviated version of quite a few sentences, explaining that Curry’s were not, under any circumstances, going to have out personal details; and that their invoice wasn’t necessary because we can register directly with the manufacturer.)

I won’t spin this out: Curry’s didn’t get our details; we did register for the guarantee as soon as we got home: there was a huge QR code on the inside of the box lid. As we left the shop, Anne said this: “Conform, conform, conform. We’re bullied into conforming with their procedures, just so they can get our personal details on their records. How many other people today have refused to give their details? This week even? This month?”

The episode made me think of Paul’s word to the Romans, and to us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The word “conformed” – syschematizo – is only used in one other place in the New Testament, and it’s  by Peter: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:13-14) It means to fashion oneself according to another person’s pattern. The word “schema” comes from it. Paul and Peter are both telling us the same thing: we need to free our minds from the schemas of the world and the flesh, so that we can say “No!” to their bullying and “Yes” to the Kingdom of God and to the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Peter tells us to “gird up the loins” of our minds. The image refers to tucking one’s long robe into a girdle in preparation for action, free of the restrictions of the garment. The key to not “conforming” – whether to the world, or to the flesh – is to act as “obedient children,” free to walk in “the wisdom that is from above.” (James 3:17) I was praying for someone recently and the Holy Spirit spoke to me about the memory card that I had just taken out of my camera. We need to let Him take out our memory cards that are full of all the mental habits that we have accumulated since childhood, and let Him put in a new one where the memory files consist of what He has promised, what He has done, and what He has told us to do. Most digital cameras today have SD cards, but some newer ones have more powerful XQD cards. SD stands for Sin and Death. We are new creations: we need new, powerful XQD cards.  XQD begins with a cross.

So which pattern are we conforming to? I have just been reading the story of Esther. I love the glimpse that account gives us into the sovereignty and providence of God as He acts for those whose lives are submitted to Him. Haman was the chief minister under Xerxes, King of Persia. He hated Mordecai because he would not bow down to him, so Haman vowed to destroy all the Jews in the Kingdom of Persia where they were exiled. It is interesting to note the meanings of the names here. Haman was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite. Agag was the king of the Amalekites, the nation that God had commanded Saul to completely destroy and a biblical type of the demonic. Fittingly, the name means “I will overtop.”  Haman means “magnificent,” and Hammedatha means “double.” Mordecai means “little man.”

Who is the magnificent one who was “the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” (Ezekeil; 28:12), whose desire was to “overtop” the very throne of God, and who, once cast out of Heaven, set himself up as the double of the true ruler of this world? The prime minister of Persia in the story of Esther stands for none other than the devil himself, whom Jesus called the prince of this world. The little man refused to bow down to him, and ultimately Haman was destroyed, having been made to lead Mordecai round the city in one of the King’s own robes.

We too are “little men.” Our enemy is a bully and a manipulator. He starts to build his thinking into us from the day we are born, teaching us independence rather than interdependence; self-preservation rather than trust in God; retaliation rather than gentleness; greed rather than generosity; pride rather than humility, and many other demonic “doubles” of godly values. We need to learn that we can, and must, say “No!” to his schemas; to “set the Lord before us at all times” (Psalm 16:8) just like obedient children looking to their parents for direction; and to let the Holy Spirit renew our minds by replacing our thinking with His.

In today’s world, especially in the West, this still may seem a little optional; extreme even. But even now the scene is changing, and we may already be heading into a very different world. Under the guise of health protection as virus infections threaten, “track and trace” can be used as a tool for persecution. As identity theft and financial crime proliferate, and as the debt burden of printed money increasingly threatens our fragile financial systems, a new, one-world blockchain digital currency (like bitcoins) would protect the interests of world trade and keep individuals safe from scammers. Excellent, for the world system. But for a persecuted Church it will call for endurance, as it would also mean that the authorities could follow the movements of every penny that is spent or given away, and it would have Christians finally staring down the barrel of the mark of the beast as the new financial system requires their unique bank details to be microchipped under the skin of their hand or their forehead.

However, as we know, it is the King of Kings who has the last word, not the prince of the world, who ‘has nothing on him.’ (See John 14:30) He has given us His royal robe, and our names are in the Book of Life: we do not have to put them anywhere else, whatever the pressure.

“For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.
Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
give justice to those with honest hearts.
Don’t let the proud trample me
or the wicked push me around.
Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
They are thrown down, never to rise again.” (Ps 36:9-12 New Living Translation)

This is “that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Be prepared; hold on.

The three torches

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(A prophetic dream given to Jake Dominy)

Jake writes: “Last  night the Lord gave me a dream of giant flaming torches, like  the ones at the Olympics, but far, far bigger. They were shining out light to all around them. But then three winds came, suction winds that were stretching the flames out backwards until the three flaming torches were completely sucked out. What I then saw was one torch flaming at the back, that had been lit from the other three flaming torches, although it was nowhere near as bright and did not give much light at all.

I felt the Lord say the three torches are the following:

1) The  gospel  of Christ
2) The power of the Holy Spirit. 
3) Christian morality.

The three suction winds that sucked them out were the media, education and politics. The process wasn’t sudden: the light was being sucked out slowly, gradually becoming less and less; and the one torch they lit was a new belief system in this country and maybe world wide. I believe the Lord took me into the spiritual realm to show me a demonic strategy that will take place if we continue to stand back .

If we feel that we can’t pray for our nation effectively, we can pray for  believers to have influence in these areas; and we can pray  that those who are not necessarily in influential positions will not bow to the pressure of the lies and myths that are being taught, and will be prepared to pay the price for being different.”


A Note from Bob

This vision of the three torches chimes strongly with what was shown recently to Dana Coverstone (as I have already recorded in a School of Prophesy post), who saw that vicious persecution will come upon church leaders who preach the undiluted and uncompromising word of God, particularly in relation to moral laxity and sinful lifestyles. (You can see the video here.)

God is telling us yet again to stand firm in the truth of the full gospel as it has been delivered to us in the Word of God. We must endure in the face of persecution and not give in to the temptation of believing – or preaching – a diluted, fluffy “gospel” that does not demand the commitments of true discipleship: holiness, faith, and a Spirit-led life of love.

It is significant that the dim light was lit by all three torches. It is what remains when the exclusivity of the message of Christ becomes the inclusive tolerance of a “multi-faith” message; when the power of the Holy Spirit is substituted with human spiritual endeavours such as yoga, mindfulness, and meditation; and when Christian teaching on sexual morality caves in to pressure from liberal alignments.

God, of course, is not surprised: it is prophesied in 2 Tim 3 :5, where the apostle Paul call is “A form of godliness, without the power.” He is warning us today to beware of its insiduous reach.

Holiness: You shall be perfect, Living by Faith

The Faith of Ezra

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“I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8: 22-23)

Ezra and a remnant of the Israelites had been released from captivity by Ataxerxes, the King of Persia, to go and worship the Lord in the temple that had been rebuilt during the reign of Darius. Before they set out on their perilous journey, Ezra had gathered them at the river to fast and pray. However they weren’t going empty-handed: in the care of the priests and Levites was “six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold.” One talent weighed roughly 50kg; about the weight of one adult. So along with the men, women and children were another 100 people in solid gold, and 750 more people in solid silver, plus the other precious objects, presumably transported by donkey or ox-cart, all on a journey of around 2000 kilometres.

Ezra was a priest and a scribe. He knew the word of God. And not only did he know the Word, but he believed it without compromise, trusting God and not the armies of men for protection for all those people in his care, and all the wealth that they were carrying on this long and perilous journey. He believed what he declared, and walked in it. But also he didn’t walk in presumption, but under his leadership they prayed earnestly, they humbled themselves, and they fasted; and “the gracious hand of God was upon them” to deliver them safely to Jerusalem.

For us, as we journey on the road towards Jerusalem – the New One – how much of the word of God do we believe and walk in? At the time of writing we live in a climate of virus-induced fear, exaggerated by the negative words of headline-hunting media, reinforced by the sinister image of the face mask that robs the wearer of his or her smile, and by the deprivation of warm human contact through social distancing measures. As believers we are certain that God is at work through all this, because Romans 8: 28 tells us that “all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” However the fact remains that the virus and its ravages are the work of “the enemy on the road.” Yes, we have to comply with the law and its anti-virus measures, because the Bible tells us that as well. But do we give into the enemy of fear when we put the mask over our smile or imprison ourselves in our “social bubbles,” or do we believe that “God is my protection” and “No plague shall come near my dwelling?”

Our response to the enemy of fear in the context of coronavirus is just one aspect of many ways in which we can be selective in our faith. For example, the Bible is clear in both the old and new testaments that God detests same-sex relationships (For example. Leviticus 18:22, and 20:13; Romans : 24-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10.) Do we ignore that part of the word because it’s uncomfortable and hard to swallow, like a chewy bit of gristle that we leave on the side of the plate? There are no details given, but it isn’t hard to guess what some of the “detestable practices” of the surrounding pagan nations were that the Israelites, and many of their kings, found so attractive and which led to their downfall. A liberal gospel is not the gospel of Salvation. The narrow gate is like the restrictors found now at the top of airport and underground escalators: we can’t take all our baggage through, no matter how much we might want it with us.

Healing, deliverance, the critical importance of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God’s promises of provision in times of hardship – how often is this food left on the side of the plate? Demons are another bit of gristle. They are a very real part of the unseen realm, but it is so easy leave them to carry on their activities instead of learning how to deal with them effectively.  And what does the Word tell us about division, backbiting and criticism, for example – what we might call the sins of the tongue rather than the sins of the flesh. Do we leave that as well? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He gave Himself totally for our salvation. He is also the Living Word, and He is alive in us. If we want all that He has to give us, we need all of Him, not just the tasty bits, and we need to give ourselves totally to Him. We need the faith of Ezra in every aspect of our lives.