It’s impossible to come to this time of year and not reflect on the past year as much as you look forward to the new wondering what it will bring. James, the half brother of Jesus gives us an interesting perspective in his letter to the global church in James 4:13-14 (ESV)
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
Maybe it’s part of my personality or redemptive gift but I find that I’m always processing the past and looking forward what God has for us in the future. I find that no matter how dark it may seem, God has a plan of redemption in every situation. The key is to stay low and trust Him in the process. James gives some further advice in James 5:13-18 (ESV)
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
From what I’ve been hearing and seeing from prophetic voices recently, 2023 is to be a year where the “spirit of Elijah” is going to rest upon the remnant. The Lord has been impressing upon my heart the need for all of us to enter our prayer closet and seek the Lord. Perhaps one of the best-known intercessors of the last century was Reese Howell. The following is a quote from an on-line article of Mr. Howells involvement during WW II and how prayer shaped the eventual collapse of the Nazi’s 3rd Reich.
“This quote, taken from the journals of Rees Howells during World War II, captures an uncommon faith, prayer life and vision that the church desperately needs to rediscover today. God used Mr. Howells and the young people with him at the Bible College of Wales in a mighty way to shape international events and the destiny of nations through their prayers. The world was in crisis, and this company of faith-filled believers became intercessors fully committed to be part of the solution.”
“I want to know that the Holy Spirit is stronger than the devil in the Nazi system. This is the battle of the ages, and victory here means victory for millions of people.” –Rees Howells
What most of the church doesn’t realize is the truth that we have been in a world war for the last few years. It is not a conventional war and has nothing to do with politics. It is a battle between good and evil, light and darkness. It was Neville Johnson’s conviction that we would see the wheat and tares mature in this season and we would witness the fullness of the harvest of both good and evil. As always, most of the church is sound asleep living in their own little world while the future hangs in the balance. My call to the church is the same as the Apostle Paul’s call to the church of Ephesus; Ephesians 5:11-17 (ESV)
11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
My personal conviction is that we will have an opportunity to see this war end in 2023. But only if we get off the bench and into the game by entering this battle on our knees. Where are the Reese Howells of this generation? Are you willing, I am. We’ve been standing in the gap for the last 31 years and will continue to stand for our nation until we see God’s kingdom manifest in our nation. Will you join us? The end has already been written. I believe that it will culminate in the greatest move of the Holy Spirit in the history of mankind as millions will be swept into the Kingdom of God. Let’s battle together in unity.
I end with this quote that my wife Cheryl received today;
“May we be a people who wait well, who cling to hope when the night is long, who remember and believe even in the silence that darkness doesn’t get the final word” – Kaitlyn _Bouch
God bless!!