And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11
“What the hippies were to the first Jesus movement, maybe the LGBT will be to this Jesus movement.”
The Stonewall Inn there in New York City is widely considered the flashpoint for the 1969 gay rights movement. The results of that revolution are extraordinary in what it has gained in culture and influence over the nations of the earth. The Church took a stand against this Stonewall movement. Rightfully holding fast to Biblical truth we often failed to express the love of Christ to the LGBT community. I myself took a public stand for marriage only between a man and a woman. Regretfully at times I didn’t express with wisdom and love the truth I was trying to communicate, though often in tears, I would call on Jesus to help me represent him rightly.
I’m afraid that the stone wall approach to the Stonewall movement built walls, instead of representing Jesus in whom is the fullness of Grace and Truth. Now, I think, the Lord has given us by revelation his heart’s pathway to this community. It is the pathway of the wailing wall, not the Stonewall.
In 1989 a great prophet named Bob Jones was caught up in a vision where he saw 100,000 LGBT men and women being set free. Many were raised up to preach the love of Christ with power. AIDS was being healed and lives were being transformed. He saw this as only the first wave of a massive Jesus Movement. Bob said to us, “It’s a true vision, but it’s waiting for an intercessory movement to carry it in prayer.”
Then some years ago my friend had a dream in Nashville. In the dream he saw a wailing wall over which was written, “100,000 LGBT saved and transformed.” Individual names of those struggling with same-sex attraction and desiring to be free were written on the wall. He then saw people coming to the wall, putting their hands on one of the names and with love and tears would begin praying for those dear ones. Suddenly the name would fly off the wailing wall and fly over to a testimony wall because they had been touched and changed by God.
1st Corinthians speaks of those wrongly living in various sexual lifestyles, but God says, “Such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of Jesus Christ.”
15 years ago the Lord Jesus gave our community a prayer assignment to pray for those 100,000. Would many of you reading this and joining on this fast take up this prayer with me daring to believe for a great outpouring of God’s love and power on the LGBTQ community? Pray that wailing walls would go up everywhere and that Jesus would give us his heart of love. Would you join me in praying continuously, “Lord of the Harvest, ekballo laborers into this community you love!”
Prayer
Lord today we believe that there is another mass Jesus Movement coming where thousands will be saved healed and touched by your love. We believe you are going to sing a new love song over this nation. Sing it over the LGBT community. Ring the bell of freedom once again over our land. Cause the Church to be prepared to open their hearts, not with a stone wall, but with a wailing wall of love, kindness, and patience to receive them into our family. We pray for 100,000 souls as the first wave of those who will proclaim, “Such was I, but I was washed.” Amen.
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/wailing-wall.jpg550900Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-31 06:46:182019-03-31 06:46:26From Stone Wall to Wailing Wall
..4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span… …10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid… …16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. 1 Samuel 17:4,10,11,16
“The intercessor struck the giant a hundred times. On the hundredth blow, the giant fell. And then a voice asked, ‘Which blow was the most important?’”
Extended fasting can produce a breakthrough where other methods fail. Elijah’s experience with the forty day fast is a clear example of this. Elijah had just witnessed one of the most dramatic demonstrations of God’s power, yet despite this incredible victory on Mt. Carmel, Jezebel was still alive and dominating the land. Furious about the death of her prophets and under the possession of the spirit of Ashtoreth, Jezebel vowed to kill Elijah, who ran for his life. The Angel found Elijah on the verge of collapse and, after feeding him, the Lord initiated a forty day fast as Elijah journeyed to Mt. Horeb. I believe that this forty day fast was an act of spiritual warfare against Jezebel’s sorceries and that still today, the forty-day fast will help cleanse us from her influences.
In the book, ‘The Prophetic Whisper’ Richard Gazowsky shares the significance of a forty-day strategy that the Lord gave him:
“I am going to show you a secret vulnerability in Satan’s kingdom. His weakness is in the flies.” Later that day, we went to the Carmel Public Library and looked up the word “fly”...I discovered that the meaning of Beelzebub, one of the names of Satan is, “Lord of the Flies”...Scientists have discovered that flies have a reproductive period that lasts from four hours to over forty days, depending on the species. When pest controllers go to eradicate flies in a certain area, they spray pesticides every day for a forty-day period. If they destroy the reproductive cycles of presently existing flies, they can kill off a whole generation of future flies. I then saw what God was trying to show me...if a Christian will pray consistently for a forty day period he will be able to conquer most satanic strongholds in his life.
Not only did the forty-day fast break the power of Jezebel’s intimidation and influence, more importantly, it prepared Elijah to receive the most important commission of his life: to anoint Elisha.
Is there a Goliath in your life? Maybe that situation, addiction, or a stronghold is defying you. Your fast is a tremendous act of spiritual warfare. Take the stone of God’s word and sling it for forty days. Declare the victory of Christ over that thing that has taunted you. Goliath taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days and then came David with his stone and sling. Satan can’t hold on long, he is a sprinter. He may taunt for 40 days but your marathon stand could break Satan’s hold over you, your children and your circumstances. Let’s all move in faith for personal breakthroughs all over the world during this forty day fast.
Prayer: Father, we declare that this is the day of a breakthrough. God, we strike this giant over and over and over again with the stone of Your Word shot from the sling of our confession. We overcome our giants through your name. We declare before the powers of darkness taunting our lives that, “We overcome you by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, and we love not our lives unto death.” Even now we shout in faith with the hosts of heaven, “Now salvation!” Revelation 12:10-11.
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“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Mat. 24:14 Only a few verses form the axis around which all eschatology orbits, and this is one. In the often contentious debates between various eschatological camps, surely we can all agree that this verse is a sort of bedrock statement, a compass given to guide our labors toward the fulfillment of redemptive history. In other words, the final chapters of redemptive history can’t be written until every tribe, tongue, and people are represented in a historic crescendo of worship before the Lamb of God. Then and only then can we expect Jesus to return. Then the end will come. By this North Star of Divine Purpose, we set and center the main priority of the church, mobilizing her resources and laborers unto the fulfillment of that program. Equally, in light of this central, glorious enterprise, many other competing labors must necessarily shrink away.
Watch Video “The Harvest Truly is Plentiful” On Day 24 of Lou Engle’s Jesus Fast
So tell me, what would happen if a million worldwide took up the prayer of Matthew 9:38 every single day? I tell you, in a short while we would hear the final trump and the Lord returning with a shout, for the task would be done. John R. Mott said it well, “If added power attends the united prayer of two or three, what mighty triumphs there will be when hundreds of thousands of consistent members of the church are with one accord day by day making intercession for the extension of Christ’s kingdom?” JoshuaProject.netWe are seeking to recruit one million people to become a part of JoshuaProject.net, a worldwide prayer community praying for the unreached people groups. Visit the site and download the app, then unite in daily prayer with tens of thousands. A different unreached people group is featured every day as the focus of prayer.
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He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. Esther 2:7
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.James 1:27
“The Church has no authority to end abortion because generally speaking It has not wanted children any more than the world has. They abort theirs, we just keep ours from coming.” -Lou Engle
It is stunning how God uses the weak things to confound the wise and the things that are nothing to nullify the things that are. When Pharoah releases his death decree on the male children of Israel God uses a slave and his wife to give birth to a little child, Moses. Moses would deliver the whole nation of Israel and shatter the power of Egypt. When God wanted to restrain the death decree of Haman, he chose a beautiful orphan and made her a Queen. When Mordecai adopts the orphan Hadassah, he prepares her to be an Esther and she breaks Haman’s decree. It is interesting that Pharoah’s decree was in Exodus 1:22 and Roe V. Wade took place on January 22nd, 1/22. In both cases of Pharoah’s and Haman’s death decrees, the deliverer of the people was an adopted child. I’m wondering if abortion will be ultimately turned around by an adoption movement and the adopted child. Let this become the cry of the church, “Give us your unwanted children!”
15 Years ago we launched a prayer movement called Bound4Life to challenge Roe V. Wade. One couple, our dear friends, were convicted by God that if abortion would end we would have to put feet to our prayers. Kelsey Bohlender preached a message calling for 1 million adoptions. Since 2006 we have not stopped praying for this movement. That family has an outrageous story of having adopted 6 children with 10 kids overall. They are God’s heroes.
Some years ago a couple named Derek and Renee Loux were moved on by God to adopt severely disabled children. Their story filled with glory and pain has touched so many of us. I had a dream in which I knocked on Derek Loux’s door. He opened the door and welcomed me in. I sat down and he brought before me a box out of which he lifted a beautiful pair of shoes; they were Derek’s shoes. It was not a new pair, but it had leather that seemed to radiate with golden light. He put those shoes on my feet, and I stood up realizing they fit me perfectly. What a dream! A week or so later Derek was killed in an automobile accident leaving the family in shock and pain. I believe the dream was a calling to put on his shoes and carry his calling for adoption. How beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news! My son Jesse became like a surrogate father to those little children, several of whom were severely disabled. Renee has been an extraordinary strength to her family and has mothered a movement of adoption. I’m not sure how well I’ve walked in Derek’s shoes, as if any of us could, but I have lifted up my voice and called for 1 million adoptions and a month ago at The Send, I feel God has answered my prayer. Andy Byrd called for 1 million adoptions that day and it’s happening. Could it be in this exploding adoption movement, a new Moses and Esther generation will arise as deliverers of a generation marked for death. Will you be one of those who will be marked for life by adopting a child?
Prayer
Lord, I pray for such a mighty wave of love to sweep the church; that every child in foster care; those sex trafficked; those who would otherwise have been aborted; those abused and rejected would be cared for; rescued and adopted. We pray, Lord of the harvest, hurl forth laborers and parents into this harvest field. We pray that the foster care system would be emptied by an explosion of God Love. We now lift our voice and pray unto him who is able to do abundantly beyond all that we could think or imagine and ask boldly, God end abortion and send revival to America; we ask for 1 million adoptions in America and all over the earth; we ask that even those who are at this moment reading, let their hearts be ignited with a vision for children and a decision for adoption. Amen
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Adopt.jpg183275Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-27 04:43:302019-03-27 04:43:34Adopt A Child - Overturn A Decree
So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman. Esther 8:2 “The church is not at the mercy of political decrees of destruction. Jesus is the Lord of history! Though this law stands today, it will not stand forever. God is the one who overrules the edicts of man and His church is the agent of righteous revolution, overthrowing kings and their decrees through the nonviolent weapons of prayer and fasting.” -Lou Engle ‘Fast Forward’
In the casting of lots, Haman was seeking occultic guidance for the day in which the genocide of the Jews would take place. Such a decree could not be reversed through a political appeal. Haman had escalated the whole matter into the demonic spiritual realm. Understanding this, Esther had to deploy spiritual weapons to contend in this spiritual battle. She called three days of fasting and the result of that fast was a complete reversal of public policy in the Persian kingdom. This is stunning. Haman was removed and the righteous Mordecai was placed over Haman’s house.
In 2017 I dreamed of a women’s movement that was coming and they would be taught the book of Esther. In the dream, a woman stood up and said these two words in the book of Esther actually mean Nazgul. I woke immediately from the dream understanding the message. In the third episode of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King, the Nazgul witch king was destroying the armies of men. He boasts, “No man can kill me.” But the daughter of the King Theoden dressed in warriors armor took off her helmet, let her hair down and exclaims, “I am no man!” She pierces the Nazgul with her sword and he shrivels up and dies. I knew at that moment there was coming an Esther movement in which godly women would be raised up in high places of authority and through fasting and prayer and courageous legislation, they would be used mightily to reverse demonic decrees.
We are in this three day fasting moment. Thousands of women are joining us in this prayer. May the Mordecai men join with the prayers of the Esthers to shift this Supreme Court. Our battle is not with people, it is with spiritual powers. I was confronted today by a quote from Shawn Bolz, “You will never have spiritual authority over anything you are not willing to love.” We must be careful that in our seeking to bring forth justice, our hearts are oiled with love, or we will become like the very beast we are trying to destroy.
Prayer God, you love these Justices. Lord we pray for these 9 Supreme Court Judges; Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Kagan. Move on their hearts, bless their families. Father, we know we are in a great spiritual battle and therefore we take our stand according to Ephesians 6 and declare the victory of the cross over the spiritual powers that seek to exercise their dark rule over this Court. Father, we pray that you would raise up a Mordecai or an Esther to sit in the seat of Haman. In Jesus name Amen.
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And the king said, “Who is in the court?…and the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there standing in the court”…so they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordechai. Esther 6:4,5,10
I asked her, ”Is there a basketball court in the Supreme Court building?” She answered, “As a matter of fact, there is. It is exactly on top of where the Supreme Court holds its hearings and they call it the highest court in the land.” I replied, “Take me to that court!”
Today is Purim. Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who was planning to kill all the Jews. He released a genocidal decree that would annihilate the Jewish population around the world. Today there is an infamous legal death decree on the books of the U.S. Supreme Court, Roe V. Wade, that has led to the aborting of over 60 million unborn children in America. The spirit of Haman has been in the courts of America since 1973. That spirit must be broken for the ending of this genocide.
Esther was raised up on that day to be the queen of Persia. After a three-day fast, she risked her life to go before the king, and her stand of prayer resulted in the hanging of Haman. It’s time for the Esther intercessory movement in America to step into the Highest Court in the land to overrule the lower court, our Supreme Court. There is a Supreme Court of Heaven that rules over the supreme courts of the earth.
The U.S. Supreme Court is poised in this pregnant moment to shift pro-life. The extremely pro-abortion Justice Ginsburg could be in her last days as a Judge. Even without her resignation there should be a majority pro-life Court but Chief Justice John Roberts in the last several months has become embittered or affected in some strange way and he has shifted to pro-abortion rulings. This is a spiritual battle. We believe he has come under the sway of the Haman spirit. Like Pharoah, he has hardened his heart when God is saying, “Let my people go!” In spite of his shortcomings, we believe that President Trump was raised up for such a time as this.
For the next 3 days we are entering into prayer and fasting like Esther to shift this court. We are praying for these 9 judges that if they are not going to rule pro-life they would resign or reform. We are praying that God would hedge in President Donald Trump so that he could only appoint judges that are God’s ordained choice. In this fast, we are praying with thousands, and maybe the next 3 days could shift history. We believe down the road we will celebrate a Purim type of deliverance.
Prayer Oh Judge of the earth, we come through the blood of Christ and stand before Your court in Heaven. We ask forgiveness where the Church hasn’t wanted babies any more than the world, they aborted theirs and we just kept ours from coming. We ask forgiveness for not being the family of God who is adopted by Your Son but has not adopted the unwanted children in the earth. We ask forgiveness for the bloodshed of 60 million babies whose blood cries out for judgment against America. We stand pleading the better blood of Jesus Christ that speaks better than the blood of this holocaust. We decree with you the nullification of the Roe V. Wade covenant with death. Now Lord, look and see who is standing in the Court who agrees with this spirit of Haman. We call forth their reformation or their resignation. Have mercy on these judges, open their eyes! May the Spirit of justice rest upon them; warn them with dreams; reverse the decree of ‘73. Oh God, judge the Judges, so that you may inherit the nation of America, Amen.
“Consciously or unconsciously, one lives not only one’s life but the life of one’s time…are our dreams, for example, to some degree facets, of a larger mass dream that is beginning to happen in the world? To put it another way, when God wants to initiate a new movement in history, God does not intervene directly, but sends us dreams and visions that can if attended to, initiate a process.” -Walter Wink
I think it’s very significant that in a previous video I shared how my daughter dreamed of Loren Cunningham and through it was sent to the Himalayas. In this video, (Check out Lou Engles Day 20 – The Jesus Fast) I share how my son dreamed of Loren Cunningham from which he was sent to the Himalayas. I wonder how many people are dreaming of this man, the founder of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) across the earth. I wonder if their dreams are tens of thousands of echoes of Loren’s original dream.
In 1956, 20-year-old Loren Cunningham while on a singing tour in the Bahamas, asked God to speak to him. “Suddenly I was looking up at a map of the world,” said Loren. “Only the map was alive, moving!” It was like a movie playing before him and he saw waves crashing over nations and continents. He said in his book ‘Is That Really You God?’, “The waves became young people, kids my age and even younger covering the continents.” He was seeing waves of young people preaching the gospel in the nations. According to Mark Batterson more than a half a century later, there are more than 18,000 YWAM staff members in 1,100 ministry locations in more than 180 countries.
Was my daughter and son’s dream ‘Here Am I Send Me’ the continuation of the original dream of Loren Cunningham? Isn’t that amazing that one dream could be a seed that if watered and nourished, could become a tree whose branches and fruit fill the whole earth? Behind my daughter and son’s dreams of Loren Cunningham, there was their father’s throbbing prayer at work. I wonder who was praying, “Lord of the harvest, thrust forth laborers,” in Loren’s spiritual downline. It’s time for the fulfillment of Loren’s mass dream.”
NOTE FROM ROBERT: Years ago I had left our denomination believing that it was not right to remain expecting the people I was pastoring to repent of rejecting the Holy Spirit and His Ministry. I felt I had no other choice but to leave and pursue God’s call on my life through other means. During my time away I was deeply burdened by the condition of the American church – in that we had nothing to offer a person which would motivate them to get out of bed to seek Jesus. I greatly desired that God would send me to the marketplace to minister to people there. One day as I was driving a semi across Aurora, Colorado the Presence of God came in the truck. I thought of a waitress who was a single mom, working two jobs, having three mouths to feed. She had no reason to get out of bed and seek God. She was doing the best she could. I thought of all the others who had abandoned Jesus and His church and I began to cry as God’s Presence intensified. I cried out to the Lord, “Here am I send me.” I naturally assumed He would send me to the marketplace. But His response surprised me. Months later I had a dream three times in a row. After the third dream I said to the Lord, “If you are trying to say something to me you will have to make it clearer than this.” And He did. He revealed to me that He wanted me to go back to the denomination that birthed me. I challenged Him on this by replying, “Lord, You don’t put new wine into old wineskins.” To which He replied, “Robert lets get something straight. I observed the feasts, the festivals and the Law. I went to the Temple and synagogue. I was available to change people’s hearts – not the religious system of man. That’s all I’m asking you to do. Be available to change people’s hearts and don’t worry with the system.” From responding in obedience to this call God has since challenged me to be willing to go to the ends of the earth with His Gospel. Is there any other option available to those who say they love God? To love Him is to obey and submit to Him. He makes it clear that if we really love Him we will obey Him – any other response is simply hatred. Are you available to be surrendered, submitted and sent? God is looking for laborers for His Harvest. Will you pray, “Here am I Lord, send me?”
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Here-Am-I-.jpg176287Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-24 07:42:312019-03-24 07:42:37Here Am I Send Me!
Today, once again I want to blast forth this Matthew 9:38 prayer that the Lord of the Harvest would Ekballo The Sons of Thunder into the earth’s seething legions of the lost. In 2009 I was going into a 40 day fast in Kansas City. Before I entered into the fast I dreamed that my belly was being operated on. I woke with a prayer, “God are you trying to operate on my appetite so that I can be a Daniel that shifts history through prayer and fasting?” In the middle of that fast, a prophetic intercessor, emailed me with a dream. In the dream I was lying down sleeping, and I was fasting. Five angels came into my bedroom and were operating on my belly. Then they took the book of Daniel, lit it on fire, and sealed it into my belly. The scene changed and all these young people were coming to me with t-shirts on and written on those shirts were the words, “Sons of Thunder.” For 10 years now I have been believing that like Daniel, who when he understood that it was the time for the Jewish jailbreak out of Babylon, fasted and prayed to initiate that mass exodus. I have believed that in a kairos time God would lead me to enter into a 40 day fast that would release the new breed of musicians, The Sons of Thunder. Could we be in that fast now?
A couple days ago I received this email from a man following The Jesus Fast and reading my devotionals: Early this week I had a dream and your name (Lou Engle) appeared in white. Underneath your name, the word “sons” appeared in yellow. Prior to the dream I had no idea that you existed. After researching your name, I found and watched your YouTube video, “Sons of Thunder” and visited your website. I am convinced I am a part of the prophetic sons and daughters you are raising up in prayer, fasting, and intercession.
Amazingly on that very morning prior to receiving this email, for some strange reason, I put on a Sons of Thunder t-shirt. My wife even said, “Why are you wearing that shirt?” I just felt lead. I believe it was a whisper, a supernatural synchronicity. The prophetic whisper exploded faith in my heart. It’s time to pray for the new breed to clothe themselves with the Sons of Thunder t-shirt mantle, bring the music of heaven down to earth, and reap the harvest of the ages.
Prayer
Lord of the harvest we beg you, ekballo these musician laborers into the mass harvest fields of young people waiting for Your music to transform their lives. God, like David’s music delivered Saul from his demons, loose the sound that will deliver a demonized generation. Bring forth the songs of freedom. God, release heaven’s Woodstock in our day and our age. Release the sound on CNN, and MSNBC and beyond. God, thunder from heaven! AMEN!
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/lightning.jpg275183Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-20 11:37:582019-03-20 11:38:08Sons of Thunder, Part 2
And the herald claimed aloud, “You are commanded, oh peoples, nations, and languages that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up.”Daniel 3:4
“I don’t care who writes your laws. If I can write your music I can shape your destiny.” -Unknown
I believe that music is the most powerful force to shape the destiny of generations. When you consider the mass hysteria and sudden worldwide hypnosis created by The Beatles, you realize how at the right time and the right place a sound could frame the future of the globe. In the early 60’s the world was under the spell of a great expectation for a new world order and a new song of freedom. It was the dawning of the age of Aquarius. The Beatles seized that moment and their sound helped frame the counterculture of the 60s. Like in the days of Daniel, the Beatles music captured a sound that called the masses to fall down and worship their Idols. Now In this pregnant moment of history, where are the prophet musicians who will fast and pray and pay the price to pull down from heaven the sound of the Great Singer Of Songs that will call masses to fall down and worship this time the only One worthy of worship.
Years ago a prophet named James Ryle had a series of three dreams. It was all concerning a new music and a new breed of evangelistic musicians to come. They were The Sons of Thunder. The first dream portrayed a traveling evangelistic truck whose side would roll down creating a stage for a band to play. Behind the curtain in that truck were a couple of young men playing their blue guitars. They were playing not for a stage but to an audience of One. Their music was a prophetic (blue) sound borne out of deep intimacy with God. They didn’t know that their guitars were plugged into the ancient Beatles vox amplifiers. When the curtain was pulled back their sound waves created a tsunami of supernatural power that swept masses of souls into the kingdom. Their influence would be greater than the Beatles!
For years this dream has been hanging in the intercessory consciousness of God’s praying people. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3. Many times God’s dreams and visions tarry long but when they come to pass they do not delay. They come with sudden outrageous drama. Media blows up, heads spin, it becomes the current conversation of the masses. Isn’t that what happened with The Beatles? One moment on the Ed Sullivan Show, and The Beatles sound bomb goes off! I hear the coming of a another sudden sound bomb, an atomic explosion fueled by fasting and prayer. Millions will be saved and healed. Stadiums will be filled! Here come the Sons of Thunder in response to this great EKBALLO surge!
Prayer
Lord of the harvest, I and thousands of others hear the sound of the rumbling thunderstorm of another great Jesus Movement rolling in. Riding on the storm are this new breed, The Sons of Thunder. Why should The Beatles lead the parade of history. We are begging you Lord of the harvest to hurl forth these sons of thunder now into this hinge of history moment to reap the greatest harvest ever seen. Lord find your men and women playing behind the curtain. Send fire on their devotion. Pull back the curtain and release their day of a public appearance in the earth. Yes God do it!
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/lightning.jpg275183Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-19 14:06:002019-03-19 14:06:08Sons of Thunder
“The number of missionaries on the field depends entirely on the extent to which someone obeys that command (Mt 9:38) and prays out the laborers.” – Andrew Murray
“therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – Matthew 9:38
I trust that you’ve watched the video for today (See Lou Engles Day 16) We are now launching into praying, what I believe, is the most revolutionary verse in the Bible for the activation of evangelists and missionaries needed to reap the harvest at the end of the age. “The harvest truly is plentiful but the workers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest”. Notice the problem is not the overwhelming harvest. NO! The problem is there are not enough workers to reap the harvest. The solution to the problem; a heaven and earth shaking prayer!
My convictions are simple:
1.) Christ Himself commanded not suggested this prayer;
2.) We have generally neglected this prayer, therefore its potency has never been fully tested;
3.) History depends on its fulfillment. Our neglect of this Prayer was never acceptable, yet it is even less so now.
We prophesied 7 years ago that TheSend at Camping World Stadium would signal a massive shift into a new day of evangelism and missions. If this is true, then this verse stands at the forefront of this new wave of global harvest. In this single scripture, we have been entrusted with fuel for global revival. Matthew 9:38 packs enough dynamite to spark a worldwide reformation of evangelism and missions, mobilize tens of thousands of missionaries and reformers, and literally bring back the King.
I dare say the absence of a final, great harvest is not primarily due to the lack of sincere missionary effort or commitment, but principally to the inconsistency, neglect, and passion with which we have attended to this verse, for it is the Lord of the Harvest’s most elemental harvest strategy. If Andrew Murray is right that the number of missionaries on the field is ENTIRELY DEPENDENT on this prayer then the church worldwide must be praying it day and night incessantly. Let the Church worldwide recognize that heaven’s program for evangelism is a prayer idea launched in red type, an idea whose time has fully come. Beginning today, let all of us who read, make a radical commitment to take up Jesus’ command to urgently pray this verse with faith and passion knowing his word will not return empty but will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent.
Prayer: Lord of the Harvest, we beg you with thousands around the world to ekballo laborers into the harvest fields of the earth! We cry out for a mass sending. Lord. We are asking for 80 million souls in America and 200 thousand full time missionaries to be hurled forth into the nations. Lord, tattoo this verse into the soul of the church worldwide. Let it be prayed, in every nation, day by day, until it becomes a thundering, pounding sound on the gates of heaven. Let its roar reach to the millions of bored, unemployed potential harvesters standing on the street corners in the eleventh hour of history. Loose dreams and visions on unsuspecting hearts. Invade future harvesters with dreams and burdens. Ekballo them into the harvest field and start with me in Jesus name, Amen.
This week we are shifting into a new prayer assignment, one that I have borne as a personal responsibility to fulfill for the past seven years. In 2012 YWAM leaders gave me the word “Ekballo” (more to come on this revolutionary word soon) as the name of the pre-send rallies that would lead to The Send in the Camping World Stadium. Because of this word, I moved to Mott Auditorium in Pasadena, California at the US Center for World Mission and launched the Ekballo House of Prayer.
Starting March 1st through April 9th, 2013, we started praying Matthew 9:38 that the Lord would send forth (ekballo) laborers into the unreached people groups. For the last 6 years we have been doing 40 day seasons of fasting, praying this ekballo word. Now with The Send having been launched, I believe this present 40 day fast will ekballo laborers all across the world into the harvest fields to finish the task. Now is the time to move beyond a passive response to Jesus’ command. Let us carry this heavenly assignment with daring diligence and prophetic passion. It is not a suggestion, it’s a command! Take this prayer up with me and let us shift history together!
PRAY! EKBALLO!
I wrote this book with a word and idea whose time, I believe, has fully come. It is the original God idea, not mine. It is a revolution birthed from one verse of the Bible that, if attended to, could spark a worldwide reformation of evangelism and missions, mobilize tens of thousands of missionaries and reformers, and bring back the King!
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/harvest4.jpg15712048Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-17 17:02:012019-03-17 17:02:06A New Prayer Assignment
He was a burning and shining lamp and you enjoyed his light for a little while. John 5:35
“Millions don’t defy God consciously; they default to cake and television. Except for the periodic rush of sex and sport and cinema, life yawns. There is no passion for significance. For many, no passion at all.” -John Piper
Jesus described John the Baptist as a bright and shining lamp. What a description by the Son of God Himself of this man so filled with passion. Where did John get his passion? It began with a prophecy given to Isaiah, “A Voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of Lord.” That word was passed on to John as a young boy. Can you imagine while reading Isaiah 40 one day, John would find his name written in the book? What a fire must have been lit inside of him. You may not have a roar like John had, or an archangel prophecy, but the little whisper spoken to you, if followed after, can light a fire beyond what you can dream or imagine. John knew he would be the voice of Isaiah 40, but he had to follow its pathway into the wilderness of fasting. It was in the years of fasting and separating himself from the Pharisees and their foods, their fame and their fraternizing with power that the passion would increasingly burn within him until revival fire broke out in Israel. Passion is forged in the deserts of fasting, not the desserts of feasting. Over the years people have come to me and asked me to pray for them that they would have my passion. In kindness I always pray for them but at times I have said, “Passion is not imparted, it is forged through tests, separations, hiddenness, and prayer and fasting.” We have only so much room for Passion. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength.” That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for the desire of other things. Jim Elliot the great Martyr to the Auca Indians made this his prayer. “He makes His ministers a flame of fire. Am I ignitable? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of ‘other things.’ Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be a flame.”
Prayer – Father, out of this fast I pray that men and women would hear their name being called. I pray they would receive a whisper of destiny that would set them on a course where everything else following in their lives would be an echo of this original whisper. In this fast burn away all competing voices and desires until their little candle becomes a fire that cannot be quenched and the conflagration of revival from their lives breaks out everywhere! Amen –
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“The almighty could intimidate us with his outside voice, but he woos us with His whisper.”-Mark Batterson, “Whisper
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 1 Kings 19:12
Mark Batterson in his wonderful book Whisper (you must read this book) says, “When someone speaks in a whisper, you have to get really close to hear. In fact you have to put your ear near the person’s mouth. We lean toward a whisper, and that is what God wants. The goal of hearing the heavenly Father’s voice isn’t just hearing his voice; it’s intimacy with him. That’s why he speaks with us in a whisper.”
Once again in this context, Elijah is in the midst of his darkest depression. Instead of shouldering a mantle of victory, the weight of failure and guilt has put an unbearable load upon his shoulders. The curse of Jezebel hunts him down and he wants to die. What is God’s remedy? He feeds him bread from heaven and calls him into a 40 day fasting journey to the mountain of the Lord. What was God doing? He was drawing the weary prophet into a whispering spot where once again the kiss of heaven and a fresh new assignment in life could be given to His friend. There at the end of that fast in a lonely cave, the whisper of God changed the lone prophet’s life forever. “Go anoint Elisha.” He would no longer be alone, a spiritual son would help him fulfill his life assignment.
Friend, make sure in your fast you find a whispering spot as Mark Batterson calls it. Make sure you are not filling intimate space with excessive noise and distractions. Don’t trade The Voice for the noise. Find your cave. “Be still and know that I am God.” The English Poet John Donne said, “ I neglect God and his angels for the noise of a fly.” How sad! Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your closet and close the door.” First of all, find your closet like Elijah found his cave. Secondly, close the door. Shut the cell phone off in measure during this fast. Get a fresh vision rather than television. You want this whisper, this voice, more than anything in the world. An “I love you” from heaven or a “Go anoint Elisha” can shatter your depression.
Maybe you are fasting a Daniel fast because you have children and their is so much distraction. Susanna Wesley had 17 children and there was no whispering spot. But she made her own… she sat in her rocking chair in the middle of the living room and put a blanket over her head and her whispering spot produced John and Charles Wesley, the great revivalists and reformers of England.
After I left seminary as a young man I mopped floors at the local hospital. The broom closet became my prayer closet. I would weep and worship God as I rinsed out my mop and it became my Holy of Holies. Elijah had a cave, Jesus called for a closet, and I had a car where for most of my life I have spent early mornings praying and worshipping. Years ago when in front of a coffee shop I was worshipping God early in the morning and heard a knock on my window. I rolled down the window and a woman was staring at me. She said, “I know who you are, you are Lou Engle, and you are praying.” She then handed me a $100 bill. It was a whisper from God. “I love you Lou, and I love what you are doing. I love your praying.”
Prayer
Father, I pray for those who are in dark days and feel the deep sense of failure or depression. In their fast let them find a secret place. In the country or in a cave or in a car, let them hear Your whisper. Seal their heart with, “You are my beloved son or daughter.” And show them like Elijah in a gentle breeze what they are to do next. Then give them the courage to obey the Voice.
Dear Fasting Friend, It has been a great joy for me to share my thoughts and encourage you in your fasting these past days. It’s one thing to write, and it’s another thing to be face to face. That’s why I recorded this video, so you can hear a father’s voice speaking straight to your heart. (To see Video: https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flouengle.us19.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D5f61e447e623c6a16cb8980a8%26id%3D06dddc5eb5%26e%3Dffc00ec959&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfeca3c524849486ba78608d6a6a14e80%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636879609067292852&sdata=OcQ9PQrBn8UQXC9lBZN%2FeOr2ev65LwAOZhZzHXMZPlI%3D&reserved=0)
Isn’t it interesting that before Jesus ever fasted, the Spirit came upon him as a dove, not as a fire and the voice He heard was more like a whisper saying, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Face to face and a whisper are the most intimate ways of communication. In fact, to hear a whisper you have to draw very near to the breath of the Whisperer. So today draw near face to face, hear the Father’s voice, you are dearly loved. And as you continue on your fast, listen for the gentle whisper of God that will call your name and your destiny.
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/burning-bush.jpg348348Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-15 11:12:342019-03-15 11:12:41Hear the Voice of the Father
Adam was tempted with a full stomach in paradise, yet failed. Jesus was tempted while ravenously hungry, yet succeeded” -The Jesus Fast
Many would think that when Jesus was driven by into the wilderness to fast 40 days, the weakness of the fast would make him more susceptible to Satan’s temptations. In actuality, the weakness of the fast subdued the power of his flesh so he could overcome. Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the fast, not as a weak being, but as the dread champion Son of God! God was picking a fight with the Devil through his own beloved Son. After having gained internal victory over temptation, Jesus went forth in the power of the Spirit with external victory over demons, sickness, disease and mental illness.
In fasting, I have found a greater power to subject the fleshly desires that seek to dominate my soul. My spirit man is strengthened, and the carnal centers of my soul and body – the food-lust, sex-lust, and the desire for entertainment – are subjugated to Christ within me. Brothers and sisters, this is great news! Jesus said, “This kind (demonic oppression) cometh not out but by prayer and fasting.” Addictions, sin cycles and curses can be broken in these seasons of self-denial.
Years ago, while going through inner healing ministry, I had a vision of Jesus wrestling with the devil in the wilderness temptation. In the vision, He was warring over me. I wept and wept in the power of that encounter. I understood that Jesus was fighting for me with great love in the midst of my own fasting experience!
Brothers and sisters, in this 40-day fast, I encourage you to believe for breakthroughs in your own personal lives like you have never known!
Prayer
Jesus, I pray that out of this worldwide fast a massive deliverance anointing would be unleashed. Lord, break addictions and cycles of sin in my own life. Deliver me from temptation and release internal victory for external authority over the future of my life and personal journey. Thank you, Lord, for my personal breakthrough in this fast.
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/temptation.jpg6001200Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-14 05:10:262019-03-14 05:10:31Victory Over Temptation
1st Kings 19:7,12,15-16 “Arise and eat for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went into the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb, the mount of God… (Verse 12) And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the Fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (Verse 15-16) And the Lord said to him…”Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.”
Elijah had run from the curses of Jezebel. Encompassed in a deep depression God called him into a forty day fast and there he heard the whisper of divine destiny, “Go anoint Elisha”. He received his marching orders in a fast and the next stage of his life story unfolded. It would be Elisha who would destroy the altar of Baal. Do you see it? In the fast meaninglessness, depression and failure are shattered by the whisper of God. Fasting makes your life a landing strip for fresh revelation.
In 1996 on an extended 40 day fast I heard the whisper of God which in reality was an audible voice. It was like a roar leading me into the next stage of my calling in God, “Stretch forth a wakening rod over the earth! Will you do that?” I awoke in the awe of God. Little did I know that that word would lead to The Call and for 20 years we stretched out that rod of awakening. In this fast believe that you will hear the whisper of God, or a roar from the Lord, or a destiny dream or a picture of your next assignment in life. Oh friends, this gets so exciting. Just one whisper from heaven is powerful enough to bring a revolution to your own personal life, your family, your city, your nation. A whisper can start a movement.
Prayer
God in this fast, make my life a landing strip for your revelation. Whisper to me my destiny. Please show me who I am and where I am to go next. I ask for dreams, the last days language of the Holy Spirit. I am waiting expectantly for your whisper…
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Elijah.jpg6001200Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-13 06:54:112019-03-13 06:54:15The Whisper of Destiny
Break Thou the Bread of Life, Dear Lord, to me, As Thou didst break the loaves Beside the sea; Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord; My spirit pants for Thee, O Living Word.
– Mary Artemesia Lathbury
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
In this passage, Jesus quotes from the book of Deuteronomy where Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. God sought to train his people that manna from heaven is far more satisfying than the sweet bread of earth. What a generation failed in for 40 years, Jesus fulfilled in a 40 day fast. A 40 day fast can feed you with bread from heaven to shorten the span of testing in your life and break the cycle of temptation and failure. Oh! You want bread from heaven!
My flesh has had a love affair with donuts for years. It seems that whenever I start to fast, donuts appear in their pretty little pink box that morning. I immediately find myself thinking, “I will start my fast at noon.” You may have already been tempted on this fast, or even failed, but according to the Psalmist, one word from God is sweeter than the honey and the honeycomb.
I will never forget when Jesus revealed in His word to my spirit concerning who I was in Christ. For weeks I feasted on the book of Ephesians. I found that Jesus is truly living bread. During this fast, I’d encourage you to pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God (Eph 1:17). Instead of cooking and eating, you now have all that time to read and ingest the word of God. Fasting is not only abstaining from food, it is feasting on God and His word!
Prayer
“Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven
Feed me till I want no more.
Feed me till I want no more.”
-William Williams
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“Fasting is not a tool for gaining discipline or piety. Instead, fasting is the…act of ridding ourselves of fullness to attune our senses to the mysteries that swirl in and around us. Sometimes God shows up. Sometimes he feeds us. And every now and then, He throws His wild glory before us like bursting constellations.” -Dan Allender
Moses said, “Please show me your glory!”, and He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name The Lord…” – Exodus 33:18 (ESV)
I have never had a face to face encounter with Jesus. I have never seen his Shekinah Glory. But in my fastings, He has taken the dimness of my soul away and heaven has become so real. I remember the first fast I ever did. I was mowing lawns in Maryland and on the third day while mowing, His presence swirled around me. I felt as if I could touch the angels. It was a rare ecstasy and from that point I have been ruined for fasting. A hunger came into my life for the Presence. Gravity lost its pull on me and I made my home in rarified air. In ridding my soul of fullness, I was being attuned to the mysteries that swirled around me. The realm of dreams was opened and the whisper of God became more like a roar. And in those dreams I had a glimpse of eternity. In fasting the veil of the soul becomes very thin and it is almost like you can reach out your hand through that thin veneer and taste of the goodness of God like Moses did on his 40 day fast. Prayer
Friend, pray with me now. Lord show me your glory! Unveil mysteries, things my natural eyes cannot not see. I ask for dreams and personal encounter with You. Oh! Let me reach up and touch the face of God.
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/glory.jpg261193Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-10 18:08:402019-03-10 18:08:42Seeking For the Face of God
We are in the 7th day of our fast. I hope your soul is drinking deeply from the streams of God and if you are not experiencing anything at this point, keep fasting in faith. God has promised to reward openly those who fast in the proper way. I have had fasts where it seemed quite dry but then, after the fast, the swirl of God’s presence overtakes me.
#1 The Grace of Fasting
Let me recap the first week and give you clear and concise visionary points of agreeing prayer. I encourage you to pray these points daily throughout the fast.
Mark 1:12-13 Pray for the continuous release of the grace of fasting for yourself and those fasting around the world. Lord release the grace and power of The Jesus Fast.
#2 A Mass Beholding of the Lamb of God
John 1:29 Pray for a massive beholding of the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Pray for a worldwide Jesus movement where hundreds of thousands will be saved and healed. We are praying for 80 million souls and 200,000 full time missionaries to be sent from America. What about your nation?
#3 A Massive Fresh Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Matthew 3:1 We are praying as in the days of the book of Acts, Azusa street, and in the days of the Charismatic movement for another mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit to fall on the church worldwide. This alone will make the Church His mighty witness to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world.
#4 The Scroll of Jesus Manifested in the Earth
Luke 4:18-21Pray Luke 4:18 into the earth that the Spirit that was on Jesus would rest mightily on the church worldwide. Let us believe for signs and wonders, healings for hearts and bodies, mass deliverance and global awakening.
This is where it gets exciting. I believe your life and future will be changed forever in this fast. Let’s follow the Master Faster into his own Jesus Fast. This coming week we will concentrate more on fasting for personal breakthrough and heart encounter with Jesus.
Blessings,
Lou Engle
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In Genesis 32:24-32 the Patriarch Jacob has an encounter with an Angel in which they find themselves in a wrestling match. Jacob says to his night time visitor, “I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me.” And there you have it. Many times in our prayers we won’t persevere in prayer to breakthrough to the answer. Isaiah 64:7 states: “And no one calls on Your name and awakens and bestirs himself to take and keep hold of You…” In wrestling with God for our answer we are changed, and that’s God’s goal. Seeing our walk through life changed to look like Jesus is God’s ultimate desire for our lives.
I got behind on Lou Engle’s blogs so today I will send you 2 to catch you up. God bless you in your pursuit of God, and may your walk be changed forever.
“Billy Graham, I will not let you go!” Read 2 Kings 2.
Seventy years ago, Billy Graham pitched his tent in Los Angeles, and Jesus the evangelist was manifested through him and many others. In the course of his lifetime, Billy preached the Gospel to more than 215 million individuals, but I am convinced that his life was a down payment for a nameless and faceless generation to come that would fill stadiums across the whole earth. It is time for Billy Graham’s mantle to come on entire nations!
Years ago I received a word that I was to watch closely for the passing of Billy Graham. Earlier in 2018, in an extended season of fasting and prayer, I was reading about the mantle of Elijah passing to Elisha. Next to the passage, I wrote in big letters in my Bible: “Billy Graham I will not let you go until I get a double-portion of your mantle on the next generation.” What I did not know was that Graham would pass away in just ten days! When he passed, I knew that it was the moment we had been waiting for all these years. Seventy years were up! When Daniel understood that it was time, he set his face to fasting and prayer. We just held the Send with 59,000 praying for Billy Graham’s mantle. It is time to fast.
Fasting is the great era-shifter. Moses’ 40-Day fast shifted Israel into the era where the glory of God was made manifest. His fast released a double-portion on Joshua, whose name means “The Lord Saves.” Elijah’s 40-Day fast released a double-portion on Elisha, whose name means “God Saves.” John the Baptist’s lifestyle of fasting and even Jesus’ 40-Day Fast released the prototype, a double-portion Son, our Jesus, whose name means “The Lord Saves.”
I believe that this 40-Day fast can release a season of the double-portion Jesus Movement, through which the Lord will save prodigals, drug addicts, those held in bondage, and release Stadium Christianity into the earth!
Prayer Lord, we believe that the millions who heard Billy Graham’s preaching was just a down payment of what You are about to do. Loose a double-portion on the next generation! Release Stadium Christianity in America and all of the nations of the earth!
A New Scroll for the Nation
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:16-19)
In 1999, I prayed the prayer, “How can I turn America back to God?” It became the defining prayer of my entire life and birthed the movement of TheCall. That very night I had a dream where I was overwhelmed with the impossibility of seeing America turn back to God. In the dream, a scroll rolled down before me with the Scripture of Luke 1:17. When I woke up, I knew at that moment TheCall would be like a John-the-Baptist type movement that would prepare the way of the Lord. For the last two decades, we have gathered hundreds of thousands in fields, arenas, and stadiums to fast and pray, believing that it would lead to a moment where, like John the Baptist, we would declare, “Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world!”
“This is a random picture taken by David Parks at The Send. Look at the time on the clock in the photo. We Prophesied The Send would release the Luke 4:18 scroll. The photo is a whisper that has become a roar in my heart.” It was last year on the Central Coast of California that a new scroll began to unfold. I heard the prophetic storyline of Paul Cain’s life and stadium vision that confirmed the transition I was feeling in my heart. At the end of Anna Cain’s life (Paul Cain’s mother), who was a prophetess in her own right, she told her son Paul that the Lord had one last prophetic word. She said that it would be the most important prophecy she would ever give to her son and the whole world. Then, she slipped into a coma. Weeks passed. Suddenly, one night Anna woke from the coma to say, “Paul, the Lord is going to release over your life and the Body of Christ across the world – Luke 4:18.” After prophesying, she slipped back into a coma and then passed away the next day. Mike Bickle, my friend, and leader of the International House of Prayer, who was there with Paul, noted that she passed on 4/18 at 4:18 PM.
When I heard this story, and as I now ponder the recent death of Paul Cain, I know that a new scroll is unfolding for my life and the nation. It is not just the Luke 1:17 scroll of TheCall. It is now also the Luke 4:18 scroll of Jesus. Coming out of the 40-Day Fast, Jesus entered Galilee “in the power of the spirit” (Luke 4:14). He then went to Nazareth and opened a new scroll for the whole nation -Luke 4:18. I believe that we are in the season of the great transition. We are in a moment where the scroll of Luke 4:18 could be opened up over the whole nation, and then it will be a Jesus Movement like we have never seen before.
Prayer Father, we thank you for 20 years of The Call and now thank you for The Send! Now let the scroll of Luke 4:18 roar throughout the earth. Raise up thousands of workers who have the spirit of the sovereign lord upon them to unleash the ministry of Jesus to the broken and the oppressed. Heal every manner of disease, sickness and mental oppression. Let joy erupt!
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“America and the rest of the world will before the end of the year 2000 experience a great spiritual awakening! And this revival will spark the greatest spiritual harvest in the history of the Church.” – Bill Bright, CO-FOUNDER OF CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST, INTERNATIONAL
…If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. -2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
In 1994, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, felt stirred to call a corporate 40-Day Fast for the whole nation. He was “impressed by the Spirit to pray that two million believers [would] humble themselves by seeking God in forty-day fasts.” The promise from God was the following: “America and the rest of the world will before the end of the year 2000 experience a great spiritual awakening! And this revival will spark the greatest spiritual harvest in the history of the Church.”
As a response, Bright gathered 600 major leaders from across ministries and denominations later that winter in Orlando to share the vision and launch the fast. Many leaders in the Body of Christ, including Billy Graham, endorsed this call to fast. Myself and others went on extended seasons of fasting and prayer, believing that this was a true word from God. Some estimate that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, went on forty-day fasts in that season.
Many would ask, “Where is the harvest?” because they equate great spiritual awakening with the harvest. But look again at what Bright predicted. His actual word was that awakening would lead to harvest. I believe a remarkable spiritual awakening did indeed begin before the year 2000 in the form of a global prayer movement. It was in 1999 that the International House of Prayer, Every Home for Christ, Burn 24/7 and even TheCall were all launched into their global purposes in prayer. I believe that the promised harvest is coming, and is now.
Twenty-five years later, we have come to The Send in Orlando, the very place where Bill Bright himself called the fast. I am convinced that another season of fasting has been launched out of Orlando. Can we believe in the culmination of 20 years of fasting and prayer for the greatest spiritual harvest in history?
Prayer Father, we thank You for the legacy and the calling of Bill Bright. We thank You for 20 years of the prayer movement and Your faithfulness. We dare believe for the answer to these prayers and fasting. Lord, release the great spiritual harvest for the end of the age!
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/harvest.jpg165305Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-07 13:42:242019-03-07 13:42:27Harvest is Coming!
For the last 18 years of TheCall, we have mobilized thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, to 40-Day fasts in key seasons of our nation, but it was in 2014, that God brought a man named Dean Briggs into my life. God knit our hearts together, and we began to dream together. We co-authored a book called The Jesus Fast, believing for the body of Christ worldwide to be thrust into 40-day seasons of fasting and prayer for a new harvest.
During the writing of The Jesus Fast, Dean and I had been traveling together in London. At the end of a long day, we were making our way back to our hotel. We arrived at the scene of cordoned-off police tape around the entrance. An undetonated WWII bomb had been discovered, and the area was declared unsafe while the bomb was being diffused and excavated. At that moment, my co-author Dean Briggs recalled a dream he had years earlier. The full dream is in the book The Jesus Fast, but in short:
In the dream, Dean was an engineer who was on a top-secret mission to detonate an atomic bomb. As he was making his way to the bomb, a fire breaks out, encircling the bomb and forcing everyone away. But in the dream, a friend who is like life-coach appears to him and declares, “Go to the fire, Dean! Go to the fire!” Finally, Dean dashes forward through the fire and detonates the atomic bomb. A massive mushroom cloud fills the whole sky, and suddenly, the entire sky fills with a message like the largest movie screen in history.
Around the planet, no one could escape the panoramic story of the Gospel told straight from God himself…the window of time to respond was now suddenly short. In the dream, Mike Bickle declares, “Everything is about to change, and we must be prepared! For this is the beginning of the billion soul harvest!” As the vision fades, Dean runs into a shell-shocked young man, who readily receives the gospel. He recalls that nearly all were willing to surrender to Christ. As the dream ends, signs and wonders are breaking out everywhere. Miracles of healing were everywhere! The anointing to save, heal and deliver was following even the simplest preaching of the Gospel.
Dean recalls waking up at 3:16 AM –John 3:16.
As Dean remembered the dream, we stumbled upon a pathway that gave way to a hidden entrance to our hotel. That street was called Engineer’s Way. We knew it was a sign and a confirmation –just like Dean was an engineer in the dream, God was confirming to us that this was His way for a worldwide Jesus Movement. Atomic power through prayer and fasting!
Prayer Lord, we ask that you would release a Jesus Fast for atomic power in the nations. We believe that You do not fasten our souls to dead-end visions. We believe You for a worldwide Jesus Movement!
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Abomb.jpg168300Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-06 17:09:372019-03-06 17:09:40Atomic Power for the Harvest - Day 3
“As the Creator is greater than which he has created, so is the power wielded by the Christian through fasting and prayer greater than that wielded by the atomic scientist.” – Franklin Hall
I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. – Daniel 9:2 (ESV)
Twenty years ago, I was approached by a YWAM leader who asked me to help him call the whole world to a 40-Day Fast. I thought to myself, Lord, nobody knows who I am, but I’ve seen enough of your power. If this is you, have a prophet call me with a dream that I am flying a plane and dropping an atomic bomb. At the time I was reading a book that would be pivotal in my life: Atomic Power through Prayer and Fasting by Franklin Hall. That night, a prophet called me with that exact dream! I was flying a plane and dropping an atomic bomb! Whoa!
It was in 1946 that Franklin Hall released this booklet, and it began to fly across the world. It seemed as if for an entire season, the spirit and grace of fasting rested on the church. Reports of fasting from around the world began to come forth, with many testifying of God’s supernatural power and salvation. But I believe much more was happening. I am now convinced that a global season of fasting and prayer precipitated a worldwide harvest.
Within the following year, healing evangelists like Oral Roberts and T.L. Osborn launched their ministries w extended fasting. In 1949, Billy Graham began his first extended Tent Crusade in Los Angeles that birthed decades of stadium evangelism. At the same time, Bill Bright received the word to start Campus Crusade for Christ, sweeping the campuses of America and the world with the Gospel Message. The Jesus fast was bringing Jesus the evangelist.
I believe that we have come to a 70-year cycle of Franklin Hall’s book. It was more than a book. It was a sovereign call. When Daniel knew that it was time and that the 70 years were up, he set his face to birth the next era of redemptive history. I believe in these days we can birth Stadium Christianity and a Jesus Movement for the whole world.
Prayer Father, we believe we have come to Your appointed time. Loose the fast into the earth and impel your Body into the place of fasting and faith! Put Your Son on display for the whole earth! We pray for a double-portion fast for a double-portion Jesus Movement!
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Daniel.jpg165250Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-05 08:20:472019-03-05 08:20:50The 70 Year Cycle - The Jesus Fast.
By God’s grace I am beginning the Jesus Fast with Lou Engle and others today. Our friends from Virginia came to visit and Jackie and I didn’t think it would be appropriate to be fasting while our friends were “feasting” celebrating my birthday. (duh?) All that said I will be sending you Lou Engle’s updates a few days behind when they were launched. May God stir our hearts to return to Him through prayer and seeking.
The Blueprint:In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan… Immediately the Spirit drove Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days. – Mark 1:9,12-13 (ESV)
“Before there was ever an original Jesus movement, there was an original Jesus fast.” – Lou Engle
“We have just come from The Send where tens of thousands in Camping World Stadium, released the sound of sending laborers into the harvest field. It was all initiated six years ago in Orlando when we declared that the Send gathering would be a Jordan river crossing moment where like when John released his ministry to Jesus we would enter into a new era of a Jesus Movement in America.”
On February 22, 2018, the day after Billy Graham died, a young man had the following dream: In the dream Billy Graham had died and left these words to be read after his passing: “I have hidden a treasure for those who seek to find. The treasure map is in The Book.” Knowing The Book to mean the Bible, I opened my Bible and immediately turned to a treasure map that read: “Go to the river. Find the strongest, most well-rooted tree. Take 40 steps east into the wilderness from the strongest tree. There dig.” So, I followed the instructions on the map: went to the river, found the strongest tree, took 40 steps eastward from the tree into the wilderness, and began digging. Six feet down I found a wooden treasure chest that was shaped like a coffin. In the chest was an endless number of sickles. I thought, “A man could spend his entire life giving away these sickles and would never give them all away!” Inscribed into the wood on the inside of the chest were the words, “The harvest is ripe. Equip the laborers.”
“We believe this is a present moment that must be seized. We have gone down to ‘the Jordan’ at The Send. As in the dream, we came to Jesus, the Strong Tree. But like when the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness we now gladly follow the Master 40 steps into 40 Days of Fasting in death to our flesh. This fast we believe will loose the sickles of evangelism to every believer for a global harvest.”
“He came out of the wilderness filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and those who sat in darkness saw a great light. Is Jesus now once again walking out this blueprint in the body of Christ for a new Jesus Movement? Be strong my friends. Life follows death! The fast becomes the festival of harvest .”
Prayer:Jesus, across the world, we release the grace of the Jesus Fast to unleash a world-wide Jesus Movement. Lord stir hearts for such a time as this! Let the whole Body set their face in this fast, believing for the manifestation of Jesus the Evangelist! Ekballo laborers!!
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Jesus-Fast.png169298Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-03-04 09:47:482019-03-04 09:47:50The Blue Print for the Jesus Fast
Luke 21:24“They will fall by the mouth and the edge of the sword and will be led away as captives to and among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (completed).”
This Scripture is referring to the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. in which the Temple was destroyed and the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the world. Jesus prophesied it along with an interesting twist near the end: “…Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (completed).”
The term “Gentile” refers to the races, nations or as the Greek reads, “the ethos,” where we get our word “ethnic.” Jerusalem will be trodden down by the nations, or races. This simply means that Jerusalem would be treated with insult, contempt, devastation, and outrage. The signal that the times of the Gentiles or nations was coming to an end flashed forth like a warning light on the dash of your automobile when Israel was miraculously restored as a nation in 1948. Since that time Jews from around the world have been slowly returning to Israel, and emerging as a world power. In my opinion, a prophecy is yet to be fulfilled which will signal the closing of this prophetic chapter.
Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost refers to a prophecy that he declared was just beginning: Acts 2:16-21“But [instead] this is [the beginning of] what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [[a]telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions ([b]divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [[c]divinely suggested] dreams. 18 Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy [[d]telling forth the divine counsels and [e]predicting future events pertaining especially to God’s kingdom]. 19 And I will show wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and smoking vapor; 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the obvious day of the Lord comes—that great and notable and conspicuous and renowned [day]. 21 And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [[f]invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord—Christ] shall be saved.
He states: “But instead this is the beginning of what was spoken through the prophet Joel.” We know this is only a partial fulfillment simply because the sun hasn’t been fully darkened, nor the moon turned fully to blood, because the obvious day of the Lord – that which is “great, and notable, and conspicuous, and renowned” – has yet to occur! In fact the salvation of 3000 souls in one day was just a warm up for the global harvest that is to occur in the Last Days. Consider the following diagram:
At the Wedding of Cana in John 2 Jesus prophesies the Final Outpouring of His Spirit: “This is wonderful stuff!” he said. “You’re different from most. Usually a host uses the best wine first, and afterwards, when everyone is full and doesn’t care, then he brings out the less expensive brands. But you have kept the best for the last!”Jn. 2:10 TLB
Jesus is saving the best “Wine of His Spirit” for the “Last Days” when His Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh that many may “call upon the Name of the Lord to be saved.” This will be the indicator that the Bridegroom is returning to gather His Bride – the Church – to Himself.
On the flight home from Nicaragua I began reading a book in which its authors referred to prolonged periods of fasting seeking God for more Power in ministry. As I thought about those in our church who have been attacked in various ways by the enemy it stirred up a burden I’ve been carrying for quite some time. As the Lord’s Shepherd I am expected to see His sheep healed and protected. Ezekiel 34:1-4And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, even to the [spiritual] shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the [spiritual] shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep.4 The diseased and weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the hurt and crippled you have not bandaged, those gone astray you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought to find, but with force and hardhearted harshness you have ruled them.
Thus I began to pray about going on another fast to seek the Lord for His power to deliver His people from the assaults of the enemy. As I prayed and sought the Lord I received Scripture directing me to fasting. One particular early morning hour I was awakened realizing that if I began my fast in February it would conflict with other events. I felt directed to fast near the first week in March. I can’t tell you how encouraged I was when I read the following: At The Send, we are calling every believer to take action. So far 16,656 have committed to fasting, 2,145 commitments to reaching High Schools, 1,878 committed to Universities, 4,134 committed to reaching their neighborhood. 482 have responded to the gospel. THE WAR ON INACTION HAS BEGUN,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post.” They are inviting believers to pray and fast for 40 Days from March 1 – April 9. The Fast is called the “Jesus Fast” which invites thousands of people around the world to pray seeking God for a worldwide manifestation of Jesus the Evangelist.
When I read the dates which had been assigned I knew it confirmed what I had been hearing. Whether you agree or not, we can both agree upon one thing: this is not the time for the Church to be slumbering. We can all agree that through President Trump’s election we have received a brief reprieve, but don’t roll over and sleep just yet. The battle is only beginning for the soul of this nation. God had mercy on us as a result of the saints who turned to Him in repentance and prayer. While we’ve been sighing sighs of relief the governments of the land have legislated to murder babies even up to full term, Even recently democrats blocked to deny medical attention to babies who survive abortions. A slippery slope of descent has occurred in our nation when owls, sea turtles, and eagles have more rights than children. Before pointing the accusing finger of blame upon our country’s legislators, the Church must withdraw its condemnation. You may ask, “Why?” when surely America deserves the wrath and judgment of God. All Christians must conceded to the truth of God’s Word which states: “Judgment begins with the House of God” (1 Pet. 4:17).Like Esther of the Bible we are being called upon to step up, standing in the gap on behalf of the people. Esther’s warning from her elder cousin, and adoptive father, still applies to us today: For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
For such a time as this God is calling upon His Church to once again pray and fast, demonstrating our humility and dependence upon God. For such a time as this will we pray about joining this fast with believers from around the world? For such a time as this would you pray that God would bring spiritual reformation to His Church, Christians would be awakened to pray, awakening would come to the lost – in and outside of the Church, and a resurgence of renewal, conviction, brokenness, godly sorrow, repentance and power would come to His people? For such a time as this would you pray that God would shut down the money-making industry of murdering babies as a form of birth control, and that men across America and the west would awaken to their responsibility to defend the weak, the mothers and children? Would you pray that men everywhere would begin to take their rightful places spiritually being positioned as husbands, fathers, and spiritual leaders in the church and world? Would you pray that once again that this nation would repent and turn to Jesus before the future of this great nation is forever destroyed?
God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah for 10 righteous. There are more than 10 righteous persons in this nation. But remember God still went looking for a Abraham to pray and intercede on behalf of the land. The Old Testament is filled with the warnings: Ezek. 22:30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.
Isa. 64:7And no one calls on Your name and awakens and bestirs himself to take and keep hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us and have delivered us into the [consuming] power of our iniquities. If you are believing that God is calling you to this fast consider the guidelines below. God bless you.
BASIC GUIDELINE TO FASTING AND PRAYER With this call to enter into extended fasting, we must prepare ourselves adequately so that the fast can honor God and fulfill its purpose. I want to share some thoughts from our own experiences to help and encourage you.
1. Seek medical advice if you are older or have health challenges
2. Fast and pray to humble yourself and purify your worship In Fasting we are not trying to get something from God; we are seeking to realign our hearts’ affections with His. We do holy violence to the “pleasures which wage war against the soul,” opening the way for a greater submission to the Holy Spirit. Lust is a perverse form of devotion. Fasting enables us to cleanse the sanctuary of our hearts from such idols.
3. Take time to pray and read the Word This may seem obvious, but busyness and distractions can keep you from devotions. Reading books with testimonies of victories gained through fasting will encourage you. Register at TheJesusFast.com to schedule your fast and receive encouragements by email.
4. Have a clear target for prayer focus Without a vision (a clear, prophetic prayer goal), the people perish. During a fast, I have four or five prayer goals I have clearly articulated. When I am not deeply motivated by a clear goal, I usually fast until break-fast! Write down your vision so you can run with it.
5. Do the fast with someone else Two are better than one! We encourage young people to talk this through with their parents before starting the fast. Parents and kids should consider fasting together.
6. Do not give in to condemnation if you fail The “to fast or not to fast” dilemma can be a major tool of the enemy. Even though you may fail several times, God always extends grace. Hit reset and resume right where you left off.
7. Husbands and wives, consider sexual abstinence for the sake of prayer (1 Corinthians 7:5)
8. Determine the length in advance of the fast, not after you start • A total fast is without water. This is extremely hard on the body. Do not go beyond three days. • A water-only fast is a very challenging but deeply spiritual experience. Many people can endure forty days on water alone, though this is dependent on one’s weight and metabolism. • A fruit and vegetable juice fast allows you to enter into fasting but still gives enough energy to function. Most people can do a forty-day juice fast. Out of consideration for their health and metabolism, I encourage teenagers to drink juice and protein drinks to sustain them.
9. Prepare physically Two days before your fast, limit your intake of food to fruit and vegetables. Fruit is a natural cleanser and easy to digest. Stop drinking coffee before the fast. Prepare yourself for mental discomforts such as impatience, crankiness, and anxiety. Expect physical discomforts. You may experience dizziness, headaches and different kinds of pains. The headaches are not necessarily a sign to stop fasting. Your body is working to cleanse itself of impurities.
10. Prepare for opposition On the first day of your fast, you can bet doughnuts will somehow show up at the office or in class. Your spouse (or mom) will suddenly be inspired to cook your favorite meals. Take this as encouragement from God to press ahead! Many times you may feel increased emotional tension at home. My fasts are just as difficult on my wife as they are on me. Satan tempted Jesus on His fast, and we must expect the same. Discouragement may come in like a flood, but recognize the source and take your stand upon the victory of Christ.
11. Fast in secret Do not boast about your fast, but do not go to extraordinary lengths to mask it when people inquire; if necessary, just let them know you will not be eating. The bigger deal you make of it, the more attention you draw. Be discreet, be transparent, then move humbly along.
12. Break the fast over several days with fruit juice and/or light soups On a light juice fast or a water fast, your digestive system shuts down. It can be dangerous if you eat too much too soon. Break such a fast gently with several days of diluted, nonacidic juice, then regular juice, followed by fruit and vegetables. When breaking one of my early water fasts, I ate too much too quickly and almost needed hospitalization. Be careful!
13. Feel free to rest a lot and to continue to exercise
14. If you are pregnant or nursing, do not fast, PERIOD
15. Expect to hear God’s voice in the Word, dreams, visions, and revelations Daniel prepared himself to receive revelation through fasting (Daniel 10:1-3). Scripture also speaks of a fasting reward (Matthew 6:18). Expect God to fellowship and communicate with you in special ways.
16. Breakthroughs often come after a fast, not during it Do not listen to the lie that nothing is happening. It is my conviction that every fast done in faith will be rewarded.
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/doomsday-clock.jpg184275Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-02-28 14:12:482019-02-28 14:12:53Times of the Nations
Luke 24:9-11And having returned from the tomb, they reported all these things [taken together] to the eleven apostles and to all the rest.Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who reported these things to the apostles.But these reports seemed to the men an idle tale (madness, feigned things, nonsense), and they did not believe the women.
From the Garden to the Crucifixion, from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection men seem to be lagging behind women. Eve met satan as tempter in the Garden. Where was Adam? Right there beside her not saying a word. At the cross of Christ’s crucifixion the women stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross, while the men – Jesus’ Disciples, except one, ran away and hid behind closed doors. At the resurrection the women got up early and went to the tomb, only to find Jesus resurrected from the dead. Where were the men? Back at home, behind closed doors. When the women came and reported Jesus had risen from the dead they thought the women were outside their minds. Why? They did not believe. From Adam, to the Disciples at Jesus’ Crucifixion, to His Resurrection, till now – men lag behind women in belief. Men lag behind women in action. Men lag behind women in follow through. What’s the solution?
Leonard Ravenhill:THERES NOTHING MORE transfiguring than prayer. People often ask, “Why do you insist on prayer so much?” The answer is very simple – because Jesus did. You could change the title of the Gospel according to St. Luke to the Gospel of Prayer. It’s the prayer life of Jesus. The other evangelists say that Jesus was in the Jordan and the Spirit descended on Him as a dove – Luke says it was while He was praying that the Spirit descended on Him. The other evangelists say that Jesus chose 12 disciples – Luke says it was after He spent a night in prayer that He chose 12 disciples. The other evangelists say that Jesus died on a cross – Luke says that even when He was dying Jesus was praying for those who persecuted Him. The other evangelists say Jesus went on a mount and He was transfigured – Luke says it was while He was praying that He was transfigured. There’s nothing more transfiguring than prayer. The Scriptures say that the disciples went to bed, but Jesus went to pray – as was His custom. It was His custom to pray. Now Jesus was the Son of God – He was definitely anointed for His ministry. If Jesus needed all that time in prayer, don’t you and I need time in prayer? If Jesus needed it in every crisis, don’t you and I need it in every crisis? The story goes that a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village saw an old man sitting by a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one of the visitors asked, “Were any great men born in this village?” Without looking up the old man replied, “No, only babies.” The greatest men were once babies. The greatest saints were once toddlers in the things of the Spirit.
Jesus, as a man never lagged behind anyone. He made the way for us to follow. But like Jesus’ disciples who chose to go to bed while He was transfigured with Light – are you sleeping in the “Light?” Are you sleeping in the Light – while the Lord is calling for us to fight? It’s time to seek the Lord to be transfigured by prayer, and His Presence. Will it cost you? Absolutely. Remember, it cost Jesus His life – what’s a little lost sleep?
Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
A. W. Tozer prophesied years ago when he said: “Until self-effacing men return again to spiritual leadership, we may expect a progressive deterioration in the quality of popular Christianity year after year till we reach the point where the grieved Holy Spirit withdraws like the Shekinah from the temple.”
Oswald Chambers “A great many people do not pray because they do not feel any sense of need. The sign that the Holy Spirit is in us is that we realize that we are empty, not that we are full. We have a sense of absolute need. We come across people who try us, circumstances that are difficult, conditions that are perplexing, and all these things awaken a dumb sense of need, which is a sign that the Holy Spirit is there. If we are ever free from the sense of need, it is not because the Holy Spirit has satisfied us, but because we have been satisfied with as much as we have. ‘A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.’ A sense of need is one of the greatest benedictions because it keeps our life rightly related to Jesus Christ.”
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Gap.jpg162311Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-02-04 21:02:232019-02-04 21:02:27The Gap
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.
1 Chronicles 15-16 records David’s desire to bring the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God’s Presence into Jerusalem, near his home. He wanted to have God as close to him as possible. I love David’s heart and passion for God and His Presence. I desire the same in my own life. In the reading of this narrative it is easy to overlook some powerful truths. 1 Chronicles 15:15 The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses commanded by the word of the Lord. What’s the significance of this tiny passage? The shoulders of a man, Biblically are symbolic of government. In other words, what you are being governed by. When I was a kid I would watch Tom and Jerry cartoons. When someone was being tempted they would portray it with an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other. What that cartoon character surrendered to was what they were going to be governed by. When the priests lifted God’s Ark upon their shoulders they were lifting, or shouldering more responsibility than they understood. For God’s Ark, or the Ark of His Presence or Covenant symbolized so many things. It was a symbol of: Intimacy with God; God’s Voice; God’s Mercy; His Testimony; the Sword of the Spirit; the Holy Things or furnishings of the tabernacle or temple; God’s Leading and Direction; God’s Sanctuary; His Worship; His Power; the Future Reign of Christ; God’s Presence; God’s Throne, or Reign. This week we’ve been seeing all of the implications behind raising up the Fallen Tent of David. For us to truly raise this tent requires that we begin shouldering God’s Kingdom, and His Reign. When we do, all of the above begins to fill “David’s Tent.” Which in all reality is the Son of David’s Tent – Jesus. If you belong to Jesus you are His Tent; and if we are His Church, His Body, then we are also the Son of David’s Tent. Jesus said in John 12:32 And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself. When we are allowing intimacy with God; God’s Voice; God’s Mercy; His Testimony; the Sword of the Spirit; the Holy Things or furnishings of the tabernacle or temple; God’s Leading and Direction; God’s Sanctuary; His Worship; His Power; the Future Reign of Christ; God’s Presence; God’s Throne, or Reign – govern, rule and rest upon our shoulders then the Tent of David, the Son of David’s Tent, which ultimately is our tent – will be “lifted up.” Jesus will be drawing all people to Himself. Isn’t that what you want? Rev. 7:9 After this I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count, [gathered out] of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. These stood before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ark-covenant.jpg138580Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-01-30 11:37:122019-01-30 11:37:18What Are You Shouldering?
1 Chronicles 16:1 “So they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.”
Two things you notice from this passage. First is that they brought the Ark, and second, who were the “they?” To understand the significance behind the first point you have to understand that the Ark was a symbol or shadow of something far greater than we can comprehend or understand. According to Hebrews 8:5 “[But these offer] service [merely] as a pattern and as a foreshadowing of [what has its true existence and reality in] the heavenly sanctuary. For when Moses was about to erect the tabernacle, he was warned by God, saying, See to it that you make it all [exactly] according to the copy (the model) which was shown to you on the mountain.”Then it says in Hebrews 9:2-5 “For a tabernacle (tent) was erected, in the outer division or compartment of which were the lampstand and the table with [its loaves of] the showbread set forth. [This portion] is called the Holy Place.3 But [inside] beyond the second curtain or veil, [there stood another] tabernacle [division] known as the Holy of Holies.4 It had the golden altar of incense and the ark (chest) of the covenant, covered over with wrought gold. This [ark] contained a golden jar which held the manna and the rod of Aaron that sprouted and the [two stone] slabs of the covenant [bearing the Ten Commandments].5 Above [the ark] and overshadowing the mercy seat were the representations of the cherubim [winged creatures which were the symbols] of glory. We cannot now go into detail about these things.” Hebrews 9:8 concludes by saying: “Seeing that that first [outer portion of the] tabernacle was a parable (a visible symbol or type or picture of the present age).” The Ark of the Covenant of God was a symbol of God’s throne, and His covenant with Israel. (There’s even more symbols imbedded in the manna and the Rod of Aaron but I will not get into that now). God’s throne is a symbol of His reign and rule over our hearts. When this is accomplished, God’s Kingdom has come through Jesus, the Spirit and the Word. When these have complete rule and reign over us God’s Kingdom and His Throne (His Ark) have manifested their reality in our shadowy lives. Thus David is bringing in God’s Kingdom, a symbol of Christ’s Kingdom, to rule and reign over Israel. The second thing that I want you to notice is the “they” of 1 Chronicle 16:1.“They” are the priests of Israel, who are made up of the men of Israel. There are several points I want to draw your attention to: (a) The priests were men. It was part of God’s divine order. (b) We are all now a priesthood before the Lord Jesus, as men and women of God. This isn’t an either or scenario but a both/and. God desires for the men to take their rightful place as spiritual leaders. Unfortunately many churches are filled with mostly women who believe that they need Jesus more than the other things that they have in their lives. In this day and hour God needs the men to arise and recapture what it means to be the man. Why is it that in many churches it seems that the only ones who appear to have a testimony of what God is doing in their lives is the women of the Church and not the men? Jezebel lives and has emasculated the men of our country, reducing their manhood to sports, hunting, fishing, entertainment, alcohol, and pornography. The men of Jesus’ Church can only arise to the fullness of who God has made them to be when Jesus has His rightful place on the throne of their hearts. When these two things take place, the Reign of God, and those who carry His reign in their hearts – then will the Tabernacle of David be raised across the land. Have mercy on us oh Lord.
https://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ark.jpg162311Robert Shawhttps://mybethany.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/bethany_logo_FULL-copy.pngRobert Shaw2019-01-29 05:36:362019-01-30 11:30:36God's Divine Order
