Persecuted Church

Beyond the Threshold

July 16, 2012

The time following Elijah’s extraordinary standoff with the prophets of Baal and Asherah provides great insight into the realities tied to the demands on those called as agents of transformation. Despite his role in one of the most incredible confrontations between good and evil written about in the Bible, Elijah was left emptied. At that juncture, he had nothing left. The mere thought of just one more encounter was enough to push him over the edge. As we enter a time characterized by evil abounding, the realities operating at this threshold bear closer scrutiny. Serving as a vessel for the Holy Spirit on this plane will leave you spent and vulnerable. It is a reality that results from authority confrontations with the forces of darkness, impartations that release life into Kingdom initiatives and the birthing of venues that change the course of communities and nations. For those uniquely called to take dominion on this level, those called to stretch their spiritual authority to the extreme, as they bestow Life in domains of death, this issue is critical. It involves recognizing and entering that place in God when our best is not enough and it seems there is nothing left.

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Vietnam: The Contrasts

May 20, 2012

Post-1975 Vietnam, the soul of its people, is a story worthy of telling. It is a story of courage, of unity and a people who love their nation; yet who give first honor to the God who created the nations. It is a demonstration of how, against the odds of adversity, the biblical precepts of community, entrepreneurship and the spiritual operate together. It is a story that extends from rice paddy laborers to small business owners to commanders of armies to members of the politburo. It stretches from the southern most city of Ca Mau to the northern most tip at Mong Cai. Each story is unique; yet significant in the mosaic comprising the spirit of this most remarkable people.

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Prepared to Prepare

May 5, 2012

The Kingdom view of success is very different from the way the world ranks success. The West is enticed by the illusions and vicarious followers of superheroes and the glitter of the limelight. However, genuine success is judged by a radically different standard, as the majority of the world faces realities that are the fruit of the bondage of corruption. All this has led to the need for greater clarity for what lies ahead. The spiritual tension underway in the world today has us poised before a time paralleling when Pharaoh recognized Joseph’s prophetic wisdom: a time of preparation preceding judgment. Recent spiritual shifts unveil the reemergence of a creeping evil that bears on the necessity to more strategically understand the times and to begin preparing: preparing not just spiritually, but in the natural. The response pivots on the Kingdom and the spiritual realities that bear on our priorities and view of success.

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Prepared to Prepare (Part 2)

May 5, 2012

Religious freedoms that have been taken for granted since the fall of the Iron and Bamboo Curtains are being challenged. There likewise is a struggle underway for the soul of Africa, where on one continent are found the resources sought by the rest of the world. The spiritual realities taking place in the world today; the creeping, reemerging evil ultimately will affect the entire Body and should be providing a sobering perspective that tempers our priorities. The times have experienced a shift and it is time to prepare. The story of Job’s path through the fire unveils truths pertinent to the righteous being prepared. Job was a righteous man in the sight of God. He was a spiritual forerunner and business leader of his day. As in the case with Job, the evil one’s encounters with today’s righteous face a barrier of protection represented by the anointing of God’s presence. Not surprisingly, Satan found access to counter this divine protection. It was through the blindness of ones Job regarded as friends. Contemporaneously, the evil one has employed gateways through the soulish nature of those closest to those being prepared to prepare. These are inside affiliations the devil can easily provoke with his undermining objectives. These are relationships reflecting a spiritual blindness marked by limited or misguided priorities and perspectives that the enemy can harness to serve his diversionary and destructive tactics.

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