5 posts tagged “prophesy”

Today, one of the big news stories is about N. Korea and the advancement of their nuclear missile technology.  So let's see now...

• Bush jumped into Iraq because he claimed they had nuclear missiles (showed our breaking point the rest of the world).  Since then:
  
• Iran has been working on and threatening nuclear advancements
• China has been basically spreading their form of terrorism with lead-tainted child and dog toys, poison in food, etc.
• For some time, N. Korea has been shooting missiles over Japan, and now have successfully launched and detonated a nuclear missile.

"You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans. Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. So man will be brought low and mankind humbled--do not raise them up."

As I was reading through Isaiah today, I came across this passage, and was reminded of the United States, believe it or not.  For example, the reason people (not the Native Americans) came to this land in the first place was for religious freedom.  But as more people came, and trades among other nations grew, so did other religions, beliefs, wives' tales, "stupid-stitions", etc, and this new land that was based on the worship of the Lord God had soon become as the land of Canaan before it vomited out its inhabitants...or as David's kingdom during the reign of Solomon...most admirable and great to look at, but no grounding in the Lord

America has been looked up to by nations upon nations.  Our Dollar was once the standard for the rest of the world's currencies.  Though a small country in comparison, our land was once filled with silver and gold, and no end to our treasures.  We were filled with strong pride in our military, "nobody can beat us," we said.  People escaped to the USA during wars in order to help us win. This was once the country that stood above the rest.  Many even saw it as being the land where dreams come true, sidewalks of gold, land of opportunity, and some even dared call it "The New Jerusalem".  But then it was also full of idols...like the Israelites of old, we lost our focus.  People began to bow to the work of their hands, claiming their deeds as their means of salvation.  The rich are held high in the clouds, as heroes to hopefully become like one day.  New ideas and twisted theologies emerged: "God helps those whom help themselves" (which was actually taken from a fable of Aesop, from Greek Mythology, not the Holy Bible).  Idols took on new forms, not just statues, but superstitious beliefs; lies; money and wealth; prosperity; fame; glory; jobs; relationships; material items that break, rust, and burn; busyness; sexualities; identities; "happiness"; whatever one could focus themselves after, and put above their worship of the Lord Almighty, became their idols.

Jesus said that those who are exalted will be humbled.  History has continued to show us this among nations and kingdoms: Egypt, Babylon, Alexander the Great, Persia, Greece, Satan, Rome, China, Germany, England.  Is it now time for the U.S.A. to join its predecessors?
Our dollar is no longer the world's standard and economy is plummeting. Our country is losing its desired image. People have turned away from the Lord and to demons in hopes for happiness and salvation: New Age, Witchcraft, religious cults, atheism, "feel-good messages", they've traded Absolute Truth for "whatever they think is right and makes them happy"; Holiness for Heresy; Grace that cost the life of Jesus for "cheap grace"; Kingdom and Body for personal and individual.  "...they practice divination like the Philistines, and clasp hands with pagans."    No longer is it about holiness and being set apart as God's people, for now the focus of the world has been on "coexisting"..."what I think is truth, is"..."what makes me feel good"..."whatever makes you happy, makes me happy", yet in this "co-existence", REAL Christians are not among the invites (not that we want to be). 

Before entering the Promised Land, the Lord told the Israelites: "You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, neither any of your own nation nor any stranger whom dwells among you, (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, whom were before you, and thus the land is defiled),  lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you." (Leviticus 18:26-28)

The USA has been held high for a long time. Is it now time for America to suffer the same fate as its fellow countries, as has been predicted by so many for so long?  When looking at the roots of this country, one looks to its fore-fathers...those whom had escaped here in order to worship the Lord (as the Israelites did from Egypt in the great Exodus).  They sought out freedom to worship the Lord Almighty, the God of Jacob, as members of the House of Jacob through faith in Jesus Christ.  Looking at the USA today, has it abandoned these people? Has the time arrived where "man will be brought low and mankind humbled"?

I had a dream last night about the end of the world.

 Suddenly, all over the world, Christians were fugitives, even in the United States.  Much like the movie “Red Dawn”, a communist country had invaded and began imprisoning Christians all over the world...there was no escape from them (I know this because we could not figure a place to escape to).  I remember my wife & I sneaking around, looking over concrete barricades, and seeing enemy soldiers standing everywhere in groups of 2 or 3.

The confusing part about this was who the country was that had invaded…in my dream / vision, It was revealed to me as North Korea, yet I remember being confused of their red markings, (awake, I know their flag matches that of the markings in my dream, but in my dream, they reminded me more like that of China or Russia...maybe a future team-up?)

 Other images I recall:

• The weather was cold, for everybody was wearing jackets & coats, and the skies were gray.  One guy standing in the streets with a group was wearing a black, leather jacket.
• Concrete all around.
• Enemy soldiers all around.

I want to thank everybody who's praying for me to discern all this.

While driving today, I'd mentioned to the Lord that I really don't know what to pray to Him lately...I'd prayed for a ministry, and He gave me one, sort of, so that's good.  But I've also been praying for a long time for a means of income...enough to live on.  But still, nothing.  And people continue to pray for me, and tell me not to worry because the Lord has a plan (and I know all this), but yet I still don't see anything happening.  Then mentioned that I'm not "mad" at Him, just...I don't know...I just don't know what to pray for anymore concerning our situation.

Then tonight, as I was waiting for my wife to get off work, the next fellow for the shift walked in.  The first words out of his mouth after "hello" were what my thoughts are on prophesy.  I probed the question some, then answered "well, almost all my dreams come true," then explained the Apostle Paul's take on prophesy, which is basically that if you have something to say, then you should say it, for such is in order to build up and for the benefit of the Body of Christ (the Church).  When I asked him why he asks, he said that I'd said something yesterday that sounded prophetic to him, but doesn't remember today what it was I said.
 
  I later brought it up again, and he said that basically, I said it in passing, possibly as one who just hasn't learned to develop the gift yet.  Now, I'm 36...and I'd mentioned that my dreams have been coming true since Kindergarten.  He nodded his head as if not surprised.  When I asked how to develop it, he said that when I'm ready to, the Lord will send a teacher to help me develop it.
 
  So now I'm thinking..."Thank you Lord, for something to pray about."  For the longest time, I've been trying to figure out how to develop several gifts, but never thought to ask for somebody to teach me.  I mean, I've got gifts of:

• Prophesy: a huge percentage of my dreams come true.  Plus, the Lord often speaks to me, and "tells" or shows me something to say to others when needed.
• Healing: The Lord's healed people through me several times (not always, though), but it's freaked me out, and I've often pushed it away because:
• Sometimes the illness will jump to me.  People have often said that's not supposed to happen, and that I may need to rebuke something to keep that from happening.  But sometimes, I've seen it as a sign to let me know that the Lord has taken it from them.
  
• Other times, the Lord had healed people without my knowledge of doing so, only for me to learn of it later.  For example, once while serving as a hospital chaplain, I prayed with 2 women for their mother who was expected to die that coming night.  The next morning, I'd learned that same woman had gotten up and walked out on her own...she'd been healed!
  
• Sometimes my palms will become hot, a symptom that I'd heard "healers" get.  
• Controlling the weather: Rain
  
• The Lord has often used rain to show His presence...some examples:
• When in Chicago, it rained. I flew to Japan, that same week, and it rained for 3 days straight. I prayed about it for understanding and guidance. Then flew to Las Vegas, and within an hour of my arrival, Las Vegas received the most rain it has ever received in over 100 years.
• The Lord has kept it from raining when we needed Him to:
  
• While hosting youth rallies, whenever we saw rain, we'd pray that it wouldn't rain, and it wouldn't.  One time, I promised a Christian band that it wouldn't rain.  I didn't...around the area where we were.  Everywhere else, in every surrounding state and throughout the state we were in, people said it was raining like a hurricane. Some people turned around and never arrived because the weather was so bad...but not where we were.  The band, "The ApologetiX", still to this day call me "the Rain-stopper".
• The Lord has stopped the rain in the middle of violent weather when I asked Him to:
  
• Twice, when raining hard, I'd raised my hands and said "Peace, be still!", and it stopped raining...one time was even in partial-joking.
• Friendship:  This one, I believe, I've developed, and learning to better communicate came from watching (and learning from) one of my friends.

So my prayer request now? "Lord, please send somebody to teach me how to develop these gifts you've given me."

At the same time though, I've heard in the past that the whole point is sharing the Gospel.  If the gifts are needed for the ministry, then the Lord will provide them for the sake of the ministry.  Nowhere have I ever heard anything about having to develop them.  So I'm back to confusion on this.  Maybe I should continue instead with the question, "Lord, how do you want me to use these gifts you've given me?"  I'm also up for suggestions.