The Mission of a Vision”

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“There comes a special moment in everyone’s life, a moment for which that person was born. That special opportunity, when he seizes it, will fulfill his mission – a mission for which he is uniquely qualified. In that moment, he finds greatness. It is his finest hour.” Sir Winston Churchill

One of the most essential and valuable qualities of a leader is vision. When a person is following a visionary the mission is always urgent and the tasks are always grand. This is why God gives us leaders. God gives us kingdom leaders to stretch our faith and to help us discover our highest potential in Christ.

The vision of your leader is your own personal and spiritual call. It is a call for you to rise higher, do more, and be better. The vision of a leader is not just an event or a program. The vision is an opportunity for you to connect to divine purpose. It is a chance for you to put the plans of God ahead of your own. You know – kingdom first!

The vision is what God has shown your leader. The vision communicated by the servant of the Lord is necessary for destiny. “Where there is no prophetic revelation the people cast off restraint…” (Proverbs 29:18 NIV). Prophetic revelation keeps God’s people from living without divine direction. Vision will give you fortitude and focus. Vision will keep you moving ahead even when all seems lost.

The vision of  your leader helps bring you to your moment. God gives anointed leaders visions in order to direct us into our destinies.  What the leader sees in the future is a picture of your potential realized. This is the one picture most people have the hardest time seeing of themselves. Not your leader! That is the first and foremost thing they see.

There is an even bigger picture. There are are billions of souls tonight who will lay down with no knowledge of Jesus and what He has done to redeem them from every curse. There are literal nations held hostage by demon powers that demand worship. Idolatry and war is rampant throughout the world. The absence of  a Christ – vision is destroying souls. The vision of  godly leaders calls us to go to the world to preach Christ and demonstrate His power.

Once the vision is spoken there must be a response to the revelation.  What will you do when the leader announces the vision? What will be your corresponding action to a heavenly vision. Paul says, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). This must be your testimony and mine.

 

 

“How May We Serve You?”

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My middle name is Fitzgerald. I was named after the late President John F. Kennedy. My middle name means “son of a warrior”. If names mean anything, if names help to mark and measure our personality, then my name helps explain how I’m wired. I am the son of a warrior.  I have some fight in me.

It is the Fitzgerald in me that the Holy Spirit has spoken to most recently. The call to humility and servanthood is not a call to fight or oppose an enemy. It is a place in the kingdom for peace-keeping forces. The Servant in me is rewiring the warrior.

The prophetic call is to sit in authority, walk in love and stand in prayer!  The kingdom call is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. The eternal call is to cast crowns at His feet.

Soldiers are being called to be servants. Every great military has corps that are committed to civil support and disaster relief. In Japan over 100,00 army soldiers were deployed the day of the Great Quake. Soldiers must know how to serve the needs of hurting people.

The nature of how one serves and how one fights however, is not the same. Soldiers want to compete and conquer. Servants want to honor and help. They are both under orders, they just have a different spirit and different standard. Example: if a soldier returns having killed his competition he will be honored and commended. If a servant returns with the same report he will be arrested and fired – different spirit and different standard.

We are servants! The Apostle Paul makes it clear that servants are not to spend any time competing and conquering. Serving people, not struggling with people, is the role and goal of a servant.

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; If God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (II Timothy 2:24-26).

The servant of the Lord must not strive! The servant of the Lord must not seek to war and wrestle. The servant of the Lord must not seek to compete and conquer. The servant of the Lord must not be argumentative and quarrelsome.  This is essential in the character of servant-leaders.

Attitude is where serving begins. How we view people determines how we serve them. If we view people correctly, as opposing themselves and not as opposing us, it will make our serving more kind, patient and gentle. Servants can teach people and help people come to their senses.

Don’t strive! The fight will steal your focus. We are serving. Service is our warfare and our wealth. Don’t let anyone lure you into an argument or a quarrel. Correct error, if you can. More importantly, love people, no matter how they treat you. Just maybe, God will be able to grant them repentance and bring them to the truth.

“The Word of the Lord”

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I received this word from a dear spiritual son, Pastor Blessan Cherian. He pastors a church in Northern India, not far from the Nepal border. He is currently in the United States conducting prayer cottages and preaching crusades. He is an anointed man of God and attuned to the voice of God. He called my phone twice in order to be sure to reach me to get me this word. This word is for all those connected to the Prayer Everywhere vision:

“The Lord says to cry over the condition of the world and your cities. There should be weeping for souls and cities. The Lord wants to hear His people cry out to Him. From between the porch and the altar the priests must weep.

The Lord says pray for the prayer leaders you will begin to set over regions, states and cities. You must move with focus and purpose for the growth is to come quickly.  You will have prayer leaders in cities across America. Every state is to have a prayer leader.

The Lord says to tell the people who are with you that the Prayer Everywhere vision is a high call. We must stay connected and committed to the vision that the Lord has given to His servant. You are a father of intercessors. The Lord will bless the vision and all those who support it. It will reach the nations.”

This is the word of the Lord spoken to me by His servant.  It bears in my spirit witness and confirmation.

“Amen. Let it be Lord, let it be!”

What I’ve Learned About Witchcraft

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The single most nefarious act that can be perpetrated against someone in spiritual authority is witchcraft. Witchcraft is originated by rebellion and manipulation. Witchcraft is the theft and illegal use of spiritual authority. It is an attempt to gain influence through dark and negative means. Witchcraft is a form of confusion designed to move God’s people away from God’s voice.

I started pastoring at 19 years old. Since the earliest days of my pastorates I have faced a plethora of oppositions. Some have been natural, born out of misunderstanding, others have been demonic, born out of witchcraft. When witchcraft is the enemy’s weapon of choice there will always be certain markers. You can know if you are facing and fighting warlocks and witches in a ministry.

What I have learned from the Word of God and my personal experience is that witchcraft will involve the following: (Please see Revelation 2:18-29)

1) Witchcraft tests and targets churches and pastors with rebellion. Some churches and pastors compromise with witchcraft and negotiate rebellion.  This what I call an “Ahab habitation”. This is a place where men fail to cover the house of God with spiritual headship. Spiritual leaders and Spirit-filled churches should have a “zero” tolerance for rebellion to the set authority. See Romans 16:17-20.

2) Witchcraft will usually come from a “Jezebel spirit”. A Jezebel spirit is an unclean spirit that seeks to work, primarily through feminine personality, to move the people of God away from the righteousness of God. This includes teaching false doctrines and leading those whom serve in ministry to dishonor God.

3) Witchcraft can be found among those whom claim a call to minister. The Jezebel called herself a “prophetess”. Her call is not confirmed or covered by any spiritual authority. This is usually the case with people in church who are into witchcraft. They will be  “renegades” and “rebels”. They will be self-proclaimed and self-promoted.

4) Witchcraft is a state of mind. The psychology of witchcraft is a stronghold. What the enemy does in the mind of  a person involved in witchcraft is frightening. Their minds are blinded. They begin to believe that they have the power to control people and the outcome of a church. The only answer to this is repentance. Witchcraft is broken by the power of repentance.

5) Witchcraft always seeks to bring others into the deception and defilement that it creates. The Jezebel of Revelation has “children”. These are the people who have the same nature as the one practicing and leading the witchcraft. They became “her children” because they participated in the rebellion and committed themselves to the acts of her witchcraft.

6) Witchcraft brings seasons of tribulation. During the time when witchcraft is being spread throughout a church or ministry there is a tribulation that begins. This tribulation is to reveal and expose. The tribulation is a time threshing and separating. The tribulation helps you discern the difference from the useful and the useless.  When churches are attacked by witchcraft it will be a time of discovery. You will find out who you really have among you.

7) Witchcraft is temporary. It is a tool of the enemy that will never be successful in undermining the kingdom of God. In the end the Jezebel was overcome. The church was given power and authority because of its victory over witchcraft.  This is what you can know about people involved in witchcraft, they are not praying or obeying the Word. This puts witchcraft at a total disadvantage. Our weapons are “mighty through God” (II Corinthians 10:3-5). We win!

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Revelation 2:29).

“The Form of a Servant”

11 herbs and spices. Flame-broiled burgers. 30 minutes or less. Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, and onion on a sesame seed bun. These are all formulas that drive the fast-food consumption of America. Kentucky-Fried Chicken, Burger King, Dominoes Pizza and Mc Donald’s all have a formula they depend on for sales and success.

Every function needs a form. What you are seeking to accomplish will need more than action it will need order. Success needs structure. Your methods are as important as your motives. This is why you need a formula for your future. All a ‘formula’ is is a form that has proven to be faithful.

Jesus had a form for ministry. He took on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). HIS MODEL FOR SUCCESS WAS SERVANTHOOD.  There is no other model worthy of kingdom living than servanthood. Jesus came into the world to serve, not be served. Jesus was the world’s greatest deacon!

He taught his followers to serve the Father, to serve one another and to serve their neighbors. Service was the form that fueled their function. Ministry is not about authority and celebrity, it’s about service. Ministry was not another way for Jesus to finance an ostentatious lifestyle, it was for service. Ministry was not for personal gain, it was sacrificing for others that may or may not care nor appreciate the effort.

What makes the “form of a servant” so powerful is that it was a conscious decision made at personal cost. Jesus emptied himself of divine privilege and did ministry. This is called the ‘kenosis’. It is the self-emptying of Christ.  He was God. He is as much God as God. Yet, he humbled Himself of title, prestige and rank. He gave up the reputation of omnipotence and took on the form of a human servant.  This is stunning, to say the least.

We live in the age of entitlement and enterprise. We live among a species of souls that wants the right to succeed without serving others. This is the spirit that the Church must be aware of and awake to. The world sponsors the likes of Bernie Madoff and a host of other corporate frauds whom live out a of a form of greed and selfishness. The Church now breeds its own brand of entitlement and enterprise.

We boast of our sonship and then deny our call to service. We refuse to be called “servants”. We will only be called “sons”.  We are quick to claim the rights of sonship and then shun the responsibilities of service. “We have the right to success just because we are saved” seems to be our attitude. We command God to honor us, bless us, release to us all He has promised us, having never once served.

Those whom suffer in service will reign in glory. This is God’s way. Honor comes after humility. Jesus took on the form of a servant and it resulted in honor, power and glory. Jesus served his way to success, His name above every name (Philippians 2:9-10). The exaltation of the name of Jesus above all names was God’s reward for His service. This is the form. Through humble-hearted service God releases honor.

“It All Depends On Prayer”

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The relationship you have with God depends on prayer.

The life you live depends on prayer.

The sincerity of your love depends on prayer.

The spirit and truth of your worship depends on prayer.

The faith of your future depends on prayer.

The presence of your hope depends on prayer.

The choice of your covering depends on prayer.

The operation of your gifts depends on prayer.

The level of your standard depends on prayer.

The excellence you show depends on prayer.

The compassion of your heart depends on prayer.

The souls you win depends on prayer.

The power of your ministry depends on prayer.

The authority of your words depends on prayer.

Th unity of your marriage depends on prayer.

The future of your family depends on prayer.

The fulfillment of your destiny depends on prayer.

The grace you encounter depends on prayer.

The wisdom you can receive depends on prayer.

The salvation you enjoy depends on prayer.

The blessing you receive depends on prayer.

The places you go depends on prayer.

The people you meet depends on prayer.

The understanding you have depends on prayer.

The anointing you carry depends on prayer.

The mantle you wear depends on prayer.

The victories you win depends on prayer.

The breakthroughs you go through depends on prayer.

The opposition you face depends on prayer.

The prosperity you achieve depends on prayer.

The favor you experience depends on prayer.

The glory you enter depends on prayer.

The power you manifest depends on prayer.

The joy you have depends on prayer.

The revelation you receive depends on prayer.

The good decision you make depends on prayer.

The education you get depends on prayer.

The job you want depends on prayer.

The pain you overcome depends on prayer.

The burdens you bear depends on prayer.

The assignment you accomplish depends on prayer.

The Word you apply depends on prayer.

“It all depends on prayer!”

The Three End-Time Enemy Spirits

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Listen to me closely. You may have never heard this truth before. This truth is enough to make you want to reject it before you can receive it. It’s that “in your face” ! The strategy of God’s enemy is to destroy God’s end-time plan and people through the deceit of dishonor.

The enemy is betting that dishonor will be enough to keep God’s plans for His people from being realized. The enemy knows the power of dishonor. Lucifer dishonored Yahweh and through his dishonor was able to set up his own kingdom.  He used dishonor to divide and deceive the angels of first estate.

The enemy has used dishonor throughout history to keep the potential of people from being perverted or destroyed. It is a well-worn tactic in spiritual warfare. The enemy will tempt us to dishonor the Lord and those the Lord places over our lives. There will always be a reason or rationale for dishonor, yet there is no excuse for dishonor. It has no place in the Body!

The Apostle Jude’s commentary concerning those whom showed no honor to God or the kingdom of God is “Woe unto them” for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core” (vs. 11).  Hear me closely and I will end quickly; these three Old Testament personalities have one thing in common – they are all deceived by dishonor.

Cain dishonors the worship of God. His dishonor is seen in his offering, (what he gives to God in his worship). Cain figures he will give God what he wants to give God versus bringing to God what God commanded and required. The Cain way is an end-time spirit that works in the church.  It is an attitude that brings no respect or reverence to God in the worship. This spirit attacks the principles of tithing, giving and sowing. It lacks the desire to honor God. See Genesis 4.

Balaam dishonors the anointing of God. Balaam is willing to prostitute his prophetic gift. He is a prophet for profit. He is an oracle for hire.  Balaam is guided by his greed. Balaam wants to be rich and famous. This is a toxic ambition for anyone with a spiritual gift. Balaam’s error is an attitude that uses the anointing for personal gain. This is an end-time spirit in the church. It dishonors those called of God and the anointing of God by seeking to turn ministry into money, instead of money into ministry. See Numbers 22.

Co’re or Korah dishonors the government of God. Korah refuses to submit to the authority and ministry of Moses. Korah becomes the leader of an attempted coup. He convinces 250 of the most well-respected men in the congregation to revolt against Moses. Their charge comes down to, “Moses has too much power”. This is an end-time spirit in the church. It dishonors God by dishonoring God-ordained leadership and spiritual government.  The episode ends with Korah and crew swallowed up into the earth and buried in the wilderness. God honored Moses. See Numbers 16.

Dishonor is a tool of the enemy. It is used to destroy trust, create contempt  and divide covenant relationships. We must not be ignorant of the enemy’s devices. We must embrace the importance of honoring God and godly people.