Israel’s rebirth and survival in the 20th century has been called a miracle. Those who were there cite their own experiences as proof.

These are their stories. Completed in 2006 and as timely as today’s headlines, Against All Odds: Israel Survives is a powerful and uplifting spiritual journey through Israel’s turbulent history.

Remarkable stories of awe-inspiring supernatural phenomena that helped create and preserve modern Israel come to life in gripping dramatizations, eyewitness accounts, and interviews with the people who experienced these miracles of biblical proportions!

A reprint of the following article has been circulating online finding its way to Fort Worth and possibly all over the nation.  It was originally printed in the Iosco County News Herald.

Fort Worth Christianity & Culture Examiner
What Has America Become?

by Ken Huber of Tawas City

June 9, 2010

Editor,

Has American become the land of the double standard?

Let’s see: if we lie to the Congress, it’s a felony and if the Congress lies to us it’s just politics; if we dislike a black person, we’re racist and if a black person dislikes whites, it’s their 1st Amendment right; the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don’t burn books in America, we now rewrite them; we got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama’s policies you’re a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right.

You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don’t want to work; we all support eh Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct; parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who’s at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?

-Ken Huber
Tawas City

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
January 21, 2009

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13489
Executive Order — Presidential Records

Executive Order — Presidential Records

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to establish policies and procedures governing the assertion of executive privilege by incumbent and former Presidents in connection with the release of Presidential records by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) pursuant to the Presidential Records Act of 1978, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Definitions.  For purposes of this order:

(a)  “Archivist” refers to the Archivist of the United States or his designee.

(b)  “NARA” refers to the National Archives and Records Administration.

(c)  “Presidential Records Act” refers to the Presidential Records Act, 44 U.S.C. 2201-2207.

(d)  “NARA regulations” refers to the NARA regulations implementing the Presidential Records Act, 36 C.F.R. Part 1270.

(e)  “Presidential records” refers to those documentary materials maintained by NARA pursuant to the Presidential Records Act, including Vice Presidential records.

(f)  “Former President” refers to the former President during whose term or terms of office particular Presidential records were created.

(g)  A “substantial question of executive privilege” exists if NARA’s disclosure of Presidential records might impair national security (including the conduct of foreign relations), law enforcement, or the deliberative processes of the executive branch.

(h)  A “final court order” is a court order from which no appeal may be taken.

Sec. 2.  Notice of Intent to Disclose Presidential Records.

(a)  When the Archivist provides notice to the incumbent and former Presidents of his intent to disclose Presidential records pursuant to section 1270.46 of the NARA regulations, the Archivist, using any guidelines provided by the incumbent and former Presidents, shall identify any specific materials, the disclosure of which he believes may raise a substantial question of executive privilege.  However, nothing in this order is intended to affect the right of the incumbent or former Presidents to invoke executive privilege with respect to materials not identified by the Archivist.  Copies of the notice for the incumbent President shall be delivered to the President (through the Counsel to the President) and the Attorney General (through the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel).  The copy of the notice for the former President shall be delivered to the former President or his designated representative.

(b)  Upon the passage of 30 days after receipt by the incumbent and former Presidents of a notice of intent to disclose Presidential records, the Archivist may disclose the records covered by the notice, unless during that time period the Archivist has received a claim of executive privilege by the incumbent or former President or the Archivist has been instructed by the incumbent President or his designee to extend the time period for a time certain and with reason for the extension of time provided in the notice.  If a shorter period of time is required under the circumstances set forth in section 1270.44 of the NARA regulations, the Archivist shall so indicate in the notice.

Sec. 3.  Claim of Executive Privilege by Incumbent President.

(a)  Upon receipt of a notice of intent to disclose Presidential records, the Attorney General (directly or through the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel) and the Counsel to the President shall review as they deem appropriate the records covered by the notice and consult with each other, the Archivist, and such other executive agencies as they deem appropriate concerning whether invocation of executive privilege is justified.

(b)  The Attorney General and the Counsel to the President, in the exercise of their discretion and after appropriate review and consultation under subsection (a) of this section, may jointly determine that invocation of executive privilege is not justified.  The Archivist shall be notified promptly of any such determination.

(c)  If either the Attorney General or the Counsel to the President believes that the circumstances justify invocation of executive privilege, the issue shall be presented to the President by the Counsel to the President and the Attorney General.

(d)  If the President decides to invoke executive privilege, the Counsel to the President shall notify the former President, the Archivist, and the Attorney General in writing of the claim of privilege and the specific Presidential records to which it relates.  After receiving such notice, the Archivist shall not disclose the privileged records unless directed to do so by an incumbent President or by a final court order.

Sec. 4.  Claim of Executive Privilege by Former President.

(a)  Upon receipt of a claim of executive privilege by a living former President, the Archivist shall consult with the Attorney General (through the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel), the Counsel to the President, and such other executive agencies as the Archivist deems appropriate concerning the Archivist’s determination as to whether to honor the former President’s claim of privilege or instead to disclose the Presidential records notwithstanding the claim of privilege.  Any determination under section 3 of this order that executive privilege shall not be invoked by the incumbent President shall not prejudice the Archivist’s determination with respect to the former President’s claim of privilege.

(b)  In making the determination referred to in subsection (a) of this section, the Archivist shall abide by any instructions given him by the incumbent President or his designee unless otherwise directed by a final court order.  The Archivist shall notify the incumbent and former Presidents of his determination at least 30 days prior to disclosure of the Presidential records, unless a shorter time period is required in the circumstances set forth in section 1270.44 of the NARA regulations.  Copies of the notice for the incumbent President shall be delivered to the President (through the Counsel to the President) and the Attorney General (through the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel).  The copy of the notice for the former President shall be delivered to the former President or his designated representative.

Sec. 5.  General Provisions.

(a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budget, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Sec. 6.  Revocation.  Executive Order 13233 of November 1, 2001, is revoked.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 21, 2009

http://www.fas.org/sgp/obama/eo-13489.pdf

Since 2005 Michael Maloney has been the precious metals investment advisor to Robert Kiyosaki, author of the most successful financial book in history, Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

He has also had the privilege of interacting with influential government and economic leaders, such as Congressman and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul.

Michael is the author of Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver, part of Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad’s Advisors” series of books.

Since 2002, Michael has specialized in education on monetary history, economics, and financial literacy. Mike is widely regarded as an expert on economic cycles and has demonstrated to audiences throughout the United States that economic cycles are real, and that investing correctly for each phase of the economic cycle is a road to true wealth.

Regarding the above video, Mike Maloney was recently invited to speak at the 8th International Banking Forum in Sochi, Russia.

The purpose of the conference was for bankers from around the world to meet and discuss the current state of the global economy, the banking system, and strategies for protecting their personal wealth (hence the speaking spot for Mike).

The first morning passed without too much fuss as each speaker gave an introduction and a brief talk on his or her area of expertise.

However, by the end of the day…it became obvious that something was definitely wrong.

After speaking with many of the attendees, Mike was alarmed to find that practically none of the international bankers understood our present monetary system.

Most had no idea how currency is created; and here at wealthcycles.com, we’ve often wondered exactly how well modern day bankers understand the worldwide predicament that we find ourselves in.

Ladies and gentlemen, our worst fears have been confirmed – the lights are on, but there’s nobody home!

Mike’s presentation on personal protection of wealth changed overnight, into one of basic education on our monetary system. How can anybody take the role of wealth protection (or running an economy!) seriously unless they can see the massive storm that lies ahead?

Whether you are a banker or a baker, a lawyer or a bricklayer…the time to get educated is NOW.

We hope you enjoy Mike’s frantic effort to awaken the conference from its slumber. It would have been nice for Mike to finish his speech, but perhaps there was a little too much reality on the stage for these Masters Of The Matrix, the Demigods Of Delusion.

In front of the man, paper trash is blowing in the wind. Crumpled dollar bills, legislative documents, and, like a whisper—the U.S. Constitution beneath the foot of Barack Obama.

[Click here to listen to an interview with Jon McNaughton over WJR—Detroit]

http://www.mcnaughtonart.com

America’s Godly Heritage

David Barton

Revised & Condensed by Annette Nay

The Founding Fathers and Christianity

Our founding fathers were brought up in schools in which their primers taught bible scriptures, morals and its teachings.

They were taught the Ten Commandments and were thoroughly versed on each one and their meaning.

As adults, the founding fathers continued to read and learn from the bible. Many of them were evangelical preachers.

Many of them started the American Tract Society and wrote many of their tracts. They started the American Bible Society, The Philadelphia Bible Society, and the Christian Constitutional Society, all of which still exist today. It was no wonder then that they used the bible to frame the Constitution.

Patrick Henry – “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”

From 1690 to 1900 American’s youth learned their ABC’s with a bible scripture associated with each letter. First graders talked about the Ten Commandments, in class, and learned what they meant.

The founding fathers wanted government and Christianity to be in an insoluble bond.

John Quincy Adams stated, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this… it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

John Jay the Chief Justice and the most influential writer of the constitution stated, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. ” We need to elect Christians to office if we want to have righteous men making good laws to rule our country.

In summation from George Washington’s farewell speech, speaking to the citizens of The United States, he touched on these points: Do not let anyone claim to be a true American if they attempt to remove religion from American politics. If they do they are not true Americans.

Our American government has lasted over 200 years. Having a government, in any form, lasting this long is unheard of. For example, in the last 200 years France has had seven forms of government and Italy has had forty-eight.

Our Constitution and Its Basis

Where did the founding fathers get their ideas for our constitution that has caused it to last so long? Some would have you believe that it was because of the Age of Enlightenment in Britain which brought to light ideas such as:

• Government should be formed to protect people’s natural rights.
  
• Government should have limited power.
  
• The type of government should be accepted by all citizens.
  
• Government has an obligation to those it governs.
  
• Man is born free.
  
• Controls by a freely formed government are good.
  
• When government is by the consent of the governed the people, they retain their rights.
  
• People have the right to challenged old ways of thinking.
  
• They questioned divine-right of rule.
  

They taught that people should be able to gain material well-being, social justice, and happiness in this life – not just the next (Ellis, Esler, Beers, & Hart, 1999).

These ideas spread to American and found place in Thomas Paine’s pamphlet called Common Sense. Some would have you think that it was Paine’s pamphlet which swayed the founding father’s minds to their incorporation in the Constitution (Ellis, Esler, Beers, & Hart, 1999). The fact is that there were many heated debates on the constitutional legislature’s floor over these ideas. Such ideas were not espoused by the founding fathers until they could find a precedence in the bible for them. Then, it was only by unanimously consent spurred on by spiritual confirmation, that they accept these ideas into the constitution (Barton, 1999).

The Bible was important to our founding fathers. Out of fifteen thousand samples of their writings that University of Houston professors collected, they found 3154 of those had a significant impact on our constitution. Of those writings, they found that the bible was quoted sixteen times more than any other source. 94% of the quotes were based on the bible, 34% came directly out of the bible, and 60% used the bible to arrive at their conclusion.

The House and the Senate would discuss what the bible said and use its ideas to make law. The idea of three branches of government originated with John Locke in his article called Two Treaties of Government. The founding fathers substantiated the idea for separation of powers from Jeremiah 17:32. They found mention of the three branches of government in Isaiah 33:22. They found the idea of tax exemption for churches in Ezra 7:24. These men were students of the Bible and brought their expertise into the legislature to help them to know that to do.

Court Rulings that lead to Religion Leaving Government

The Way It Used to Be

1892 – Trinity vs. the US: The Supreme Court stated, “Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It’s impossible that it should be otherwise; and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.”  This case gave 87 historical precedences to prove this statement. It further stated that there were more, but 78 should suffice to prove the government must be based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

1844 – Vidal vs. Girard’s: “The purest principles of morality are to be taught. Where are they found? Whosoever searches for them must go to the source for which the Christian man derives his faith… the bible.”  A Philadelphia school’s premise was that they could teach morality with out teaching the bible. The court ruled that they couldn’t have a school that didn’t teach the bible’s morality, as it was the source of morality.

1811 – People vs. Ruggles: “Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government.” In this case a man became profane about Jesus Christ and the bible both written and spoken. The courts said it was blasphemy and the man was fined $500.00 and jailed for 3 months. The court said if you’ve attacked Jesus Christ you have attacked Christianity. If you attack Christianity, you have attacked the foundation of the US. Therefore, it is an attack on the US.

How Amoral Laws Came to Being

The founding fathers never wanted separation of church and state, yet 67% of US citizens today believe that that very idea is contained in the constitution, even though those words never appear in the constitution.

The Constitution of the United States’ first amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Pre-drafts of this statement clarifies the founding fathers constitutional statement. There were twelve variations, they all mirrored the sentiments found in this one, “Congress will pass no laws making one denomination of Christians higher than another denomination.”

Their intent was that they did not want in America what they had in Great Britain where one denomination was running the nation. They wanted God’s principles, but did not want one designated church running the nation.

1796 – Funckle vs Winemiller – The Danbury Baptists who wanted a state church designated. The courts stated: “In our form of government the Christian religion is the established religion and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing.”

1802 – Thomas Jefferson addressed those Danbury Baptist. He said that the first amendment has erected a wall between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall. It keeps the government from running the church and Christian principles will always stay in government. The First National Church never happened and Jefferson’s writing was put away until 1853. Today, we only hear half of this statement, that is: the separation of church and state.

A small number of people petitioned to separate Christian principles from government. Studies were done to see if it could be done. The findings of the House Judiciary committee were announced March 27, 1854. They said that if the people, during the Revolution, or had they any suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity that revolution would have been strangled in its cradle. At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, not any one sect.

The Founders of the Constitution were Christians and they expected it would be so for their descendents. They stated, “The great vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrine and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

1947 – Everson vs. the Board of Education – Only nineteen words of Jefferson’s speech were used, those being, “The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state.” That wall must be kept high and impregnable.” It was because these words were taken out of context that the Founding father’s intent was reversed. Jefferson meant, not state from church, but church from state.

Dr. William James –the Father of Modern Psychology influenced the court. He wanted church out of state. Dr. James stated, “There is nothing so absurd but if you repeat it often enough, people will believe it.” The courts began used this tactic through the years.

1958 – Bear vs. Colmore – One of the judges got tired of hearing the statement, “separation of church and state.” He said, “If this court doesn’t stop talking about separation of church and state, someone will think it is part of the constitution.” The court continued to talk about it.

June 25, 1962 – Engle vs. Vitale – This was the first time there was a separation of religious principles from public education. The courts rules that there should not be prayers in school. It was the first time we had a separation of church and state. It was the first time that NO precedence (where previous legal cases were cited) or historical incidents were quoted.

1962-65 – The courts removed church from state through rulings on these cases:

1- Engle vs. Vital – Removal of prayer from school. The prayer before the court only mentioned God once. The Constitution mentions God four times. Does this make it unconstitutional?

2- Murray vs. Curlett – Removal of bible reading in school. Bible study used to be required to graduate from High School.

3- June 17, 1965 –Abington vs. Schempp – Removal of religious instruction from school. The courts stated, “If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could be, and have been psychologically harmful to the child.”

In this case the courts said that only 3% of the nation professed no belief in religion or God. That prayer was consistent with 97% of the nation, but the courts ruled for the minority. Now, the philosophy of the 3% rules the 97%.

Our courts used to use biblical guidelines to rule on the areas of the citizens, families, schools, and the nation. Not anymore! Before 1962, the courts said, “We only allow divorce for six reasons. They are the six reasons God allows as written in the bible. God made the family (Adam’s and Noah’s) and so we have to use God’s precepts/rules to govern the family.” After 1965 the courts said we were not to do so any more, because it causes psychological damage to children. George Washington stated, “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religions principle.”

1965 – Reid vs. Vanhovan – It is unconstitutional for a student to pray aloud in school.

1967 – Decab vs. Dispain – The courts took a four-line nursery rhyme used in pre-kindergarten and ruled it unconstitutional. The courts said, “The rhyme is unconstitutional since it might cause someone to think of God.”

1980 – Stone vs. Graham – The Ten Commandments were posted in a school’s hall bulletin board. The court ruled: “If the posted copies of the Ten commandments are to have any effect at all it will be induce the school children to read, meditate upon them, and perhaps to venerate and obey the commandment; this is not a permissible objective.”

When the courts say something is unconstitutional, what they are saying is that this thing is something our founding fathers would have been opposed to and would not have allowed it! The court’s findings do not reflect this.

James Madison, the Chief Architect of the Constitution, said, “We have stated the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

Our Country’s Downfall

Since 1963, when prayer was taken out of school, unwed birth rates of 15-19 year-olds doubled. Pregnancies for girls 10-14 went up 553% since prayer was disallowed in school. (The separation of church and state.)

Divorce rates from 1963 to 1983 were up 117%. For fifteen years prior 1963, divorce had been declining.

Since 1963, single families were up 140%, single families with children with children were up 160%, and unmarried couples living together went up 353%.

From 1965, there was a sharp incline of gonorrhea in students in ages 15-19. It incline became since the removal of religious principles from school. Student STD’s went up 228%.

When a people throw away their values, they reap the consequences Some of those consequences are crime, divorce, STD’s, unwed mothers, and unmarried couples living together. There are more!

SAT scores approximate average was 970 points from 1952 to 1963. From 1963 to 1980 scores declined for eighteen consecutive years to drop to a low average of 890 points in 1980.

In 1974-75 the sharp decline in SAT scores slowed with the advent of private religious schools, which allowed religion in the curriculum. During this time, there were 32 thousand U.S. schools, which accounted for 8.5 million students.

Some say that the better scores of these students were because private schools had more money available for a better education for these students. This statement was investigated. It was found that private schools had, on average, $110.00 per student, whereas public schools had $370.52 per student.

SAT scores showed that students from the Christian private schools, on average, got 100 points higher, than the Non-Christian schooled students. That put the Christian schooled students back on the par where students were prior to 1963 and the separation of church and state. It was as if no change had occurred. Whereas public schooled student scores continued to declined!

In 1988 – the number of Academic High Achievers were as follows :

60.8 were from public schools

39.2 were from private schools – This group was 3 times larger than those from the public schools. Remember too, that private religious schools had 1/3 less money per person and used the same curriculum as the public schools, except the private schools added religion.

Violent crimes went up 544% since religious principles were removed from schools in 1963. Thomas Jefferson said that religion is the friend to government because it teaches morals of the heart. This means we are not dealing with murder, instead we deal with the religious morals which say do not hate. When we eliminate hate there is no murder. The commandment to not lust, stops adultery or rape.

Our Citizen’s need Internal Values

John Adams stated that there was no government big enough, to make you do what’s right. If you don’t do what’s right out of your heart, the gun has already been fired; the damage has already been done. He further stated, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is whole inadequate to the government of any other.”

Our people need internal constraints governed by God to keep our constitution working well. The greater number of our people are not and as a result, the constitution is not working!

Our country is now number one in:

• Violent crime
  
• Teen pregnancy
  
• Illegal drug use
  
• Divorce
  
• Abortion
  
• Illiteracy (in all the industrial world) – In 1997, seven hundred thousand students graduated from high school, who couldn’t read their diplomas.
  

Jeremiah 6:16 says to go back to the old paths if you want things to be back the way it should be. Many state constitutions require people, who hold office, to believe in God, the scriptures, and understand them.

Nations are accountable to God. The founding fathers said, “As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be punished in this. By an inevitable chain of cause and effect, providence punishes national sins by national calamities.” When a nation leaves God, God deals with them immediately. Hence, moral decay brings violent crimes, teen pregnancies, divorce, abortions, and etc. When wicked men rule, the nation suffers.

Ben Franklin and the Constitutional Convention stated, “We need God to be our friend not our enemy. We need Him to be our allay not our adversary. We need to make sure we keep God’s concurring aid. If a sparrow cannot fall without God’s notice, how can our nation rise without His aid?” He further called for regular daily prayer to keep Him close to us.

Thomas Jefferson, upon leaving the office of president, said, “Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot not sleep forever.”

We Need Good People in High Places

1774 – Ben Franklin stated, “Introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity and it will change the face of the world.”

Charles Finnay said, ” The church must take right ground in regard to politics. Politics are part of religion in a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as a part of their duty to God. He will bless or curse this nation according to the course Christians take in politics.”

If God’s people do not make it into office God’s principles do not make it into office. That is why Christians must be in office. Our government has been taken over by ungodly men. God-fearing Christians must take it back. We must get involved! Do something where you can affect people’s principles.

Proverbs 18:1 “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desires; he rages against all wise judgment.”

The separation of church and state allows Christians to be a light to the world, but only in the confines of the church. We know that the Lord wants us to be a light unto the government too.

We have lost our heritage. We must get Christianity back into government, our schools, and in our society!

Reference

Barton, David (1993). Video: America’s Godly Heritage. WallBuilder Press, Aledo, Texas.

Ellis, Elisabeth; Esler, Anthony; Beers, Burton; & Hart, Diane (1999), World History –

Connections to Today – The Modern Era, Prentice Hall: New Jersey.

⁷ When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian, ⁸ the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. ⁹ I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and gave you their land. ¹⁰ I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

¹¹ Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. ¹² The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

DEAL WITH YOUR FEARS AND UNBELIEF

Israel had fallen into idolatry. But their root sin was still unbelief, resulting in all kinds of fears! And God sent them a prophet to expose their root sin.

The prophet told them in so many words, “Look at you—a bunch of wimps, hiding out, afraid to stand up and fight.

You’ve already given up. But you have a history of God’s deliverance!

He gave your fathers great victories when they trusted him. And he has promised to deliver you too—yet you don’t believe him!” (See Judges 6:7–10)

Many Christians are terrified the devil is going to destroy them. They’re afraid they’ll make a mistake or go back to their sin, and the devil will have his way. But that’s a lie from the pit of hell!

The Bible says you don’t have to be terrified as you walk through this life!

When you hold on to fear, it becomes contagious. Everybody around you catches it!

When Gideon gathered his army, God told him to send home every fearful soldier: “Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart…. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand” (Judges 7:3).

God is speaking the same word to his church today. He is asking, “Why do you fear? Why do you sin by not trusting me to bring victory to your life?

I have promised to defeat every demonic power that comes against you!”

Gideon’s father, Joash, had erected statues of Baal and the goddess Asherah, made from huge stones. His reasoning was, “Baal has given Midian power over us, so maybe if we worship their god, he’ll give us power.”

People came from miles around to worship there, including Midianites and Moabites; it was a powerful, demonic stronghold in Israel!

God told Gideon, “I’m not going to deliver Israel until you get rid of this idol that stands between us.

Lay it aside—cut it down!” So in the middle of the night Gideon “took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him” (Judges 6:27). He took an ox and used ropes to pull down Baal and Asherah!

God is giving his church today the same message he gave Gideon: “I want to help you—but I can’t when you don’t trust me.

You’re full of fear. And before I bring deliverance, you’re going to have to pull down this stronghold, this besetting sin!” “Lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset [you]” (Hebrews 12:1).

We are to pull down all strongholds of fear and sin!

Gideon pulled down demonic strongholds using a strong ox. But we have been given weapons far more powerful than Gideon’s (see 2 Corinthians 10:4–5).

Victory comes by praying in faith. This doesn’t mean cold, empty prayer but prayer in the Spirit, prayer that believes God to answer: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18).
http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/10009

For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge:

“God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

A kaleidoscope of photos presenting more views of our life and work in Africa: our Iris global team meetings; colorful African worshipers clothed with humility, hunger and joy; secure and happy children; bush conferences in the dirt; healing prayer; the beauty of our natural environment; birthday parties at the beach; riot damage; our recently crashed Cessna aircraft (story below!)…

Previous news and galleries at <http://www.irismin.org>; temporary admin at <http://www.irismin.com>; new web site this coming week.

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Iris global leadership meetings in Pemba

It was an unlikely spot for a leadership conference aiming for global revival! Hidden away in our cozy little African prayer hut on the beach, with stiff ocean breezes whipping our crude canvas walls, we gathered together to represent our worldwide Iris family. Far out of town on a rough, sandy road under clear, brilliant African sky by day and under a starry southern array with a bright moon by night, we met with God and melted together in His Presence. The natural ambience felt wild, raw and peaceful; the spiritual ambience was a milestone in our Iris history.

For the first time we convened our key Iris leaders from bases around the world to pray, soak, worship, dream and find unity together. Well over one hundred missionaries and nationals from dozens of countries descended on little Pemba in our remote corner of Africa. For days we ate and drank, wept, laughed and celebrated together as we built each other up with faith-building encouragement and testimonies. We were so honored to have Bill Johnson as our guest speaker, and he brought such an atmosphere of depth and holy presence. We were awed as we began to grasp the extent of what God has been doing among us, and the strength of our family bonding. We as a missions-oriented body are in fact enjoying God and our life of service to Him to a degree Heidi and I never anticipated thirty years ago when we first headed for the mission field.

The meetings were also a chance for us as leaders to articulate like never before what it is that makes Iris “Iris.” The word is Greek and also Portuguese for “rainbow,” as Heidi and I began as a Christian dance-drama ministry called “Rainbow Productions.” We saw our different creative talents as colors of a rainbow that the “Son” shines through, giving a beautiful result.

We “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), and have never tried to emphasize anything that is new, unique, clever or different. We try not to be controversial, and share with all Christian streams what no born-again believer can argue with: the glory of the basic Gospel, repentance and faith in Jesus, the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ, avoiding anything that would empty the Cross of its power, knowing nothing but Christ and Him crucified when backed against a wall, seeking righteousness that comes from faith, transformation through adoption by our Heavenly Father, and understanding faith working through love as the only thing that counts (Gal. 5:6), with the hope of attaining to the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:11).

As we changed course from an itinerant evangelistic ministry to stopping for the poor, we became more and more holistic in our approach to missions. We had no choice. When people are thirsty and starving, the holiest thing we can do is offer a cold drink of water and fresh bread. But we’re not just social workers; we have fresh bread that comes down out of heaven, Jesus Himself! And so our ministry is not finished. We go on to “proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ” (Col. 1:28).

In the process we find that we cannot just be an orphanage, or a church, or a Bible school, or a humanitarian aid organization. We can’t just hold bush conferences, plant farms and engineer micro-investment. We can’t just specialize in education and technical assistance. We as a broadly-based international family must embrace all of the above, and more… All the while we share with Paul his attitude in Acts 20:24: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

But we have discovered that some key elements of our lives and ministry in Jesus are controversial, although absolutely necessary. We think they should all be normal in the Christian life and in Christian ministries everywhere, not special and unusual. Heidi and I began naively in these areas, but now realize we must prize, protect and nurture these values in our hearts, and impart them to others. If we lose any one of these values, Iris would not function and be what it is today. When they all come together, it’s as though we have a spiritual chain reaction, generating life and heat in the Spirit!

The following five values are not the only critical ones to us, but the Holy Spirit brought them to the forefront of our minds at our leadership meetings.

1) We understand that we can find God, and can experience intimacy, communication and companionship with Him in His Presence, if we share His love for righteousness.

Missions have often been taught as unromantic; it is disciplined obedience to the Great Commission. Prayer is hard work, feelings are irrelevant, and getting the job done is what counts. We don’t need spiritual experience to proclaim the Gospel. We can’t expect immediacy and intimacy to be normal. We can function without His manifest Presence.

We feel the opposite. We’ve gone through enough fire and hardship to know that without actually finding God, in fulfillment of Jer. 29:13, we cannot do what we do. We cannot love with supernatural, unstoppable love unless we actually experience the love of the Father for us first. As the radiance and exact image of the invisible God, Jesus is a spiritual lover, our perfect and ultimate companion. Our first value is to know Him in a passionate relationship with a love that is stronger than death (Song 8:6). We major first of all not on mission strategy, methods, projects and fundraising, but having the life that the world needs and craves.

But neither are we attracted to mindless, impersonal mysticism, experience without content and relationship. We pursue passion and truth, not just eastern balance and serenity with no actual basis for happiness. We relate to God with our minds and hearts both; we engage with Him, and find life and joy in our interaction. When we find Him, we find and gain everything… Without Him, we can do nothing of real value.

2) We are totally dependent on Him for everything, and we need and expect miracles of all kinds to sustain us and confirm the Gospel in our ministry.

When facing great human need with our human frailties, we rapidly reach the limits of our resources, wisdom and love. We face overwhelming poverty, sickness, demonic attacks and every kind of evil. But with excitement and joy we aim beyond what we can imagine doing in our own strength. We run into the darkness looking for bad news because it is the power of God that gives the world hope. We don’t apologize for seeking and valuing power, because without it love is incomplete and ineffectual.

Heidi and I began our life of missions with the dream of living out the Sermon on the Mount, taking Jesus at His word that we did not have to worry about tomorrow. We imagined addressing extreme human need by example, living without anxiety, free to bless always with pure motives, looking to God alone for what our hearts and bodies need. We turn neither to the left nor to the right to gain support. At every obstacle our only confidence is in the Cross of Christ, and the conviction that God is thrilled to be trusted for miracles all along our way.

We believe we experience miracles because we value them and ask for them, understanding that He will give them to us only if they will not take us further from Him. For His sake we will lose our lives daily, knowing that by His power we cannot lose, but will be sustained and become more than conquerors.

The engine behind the growth of Iris in Mozambique has been a marriage of love and power; we do not have to choose between them, but can look forward to doing even greater works than Jesus, while remaining in His love.

3) We look for revival among the broken, humble and lowly, and start at the bottom with ministry to the poor. God chooses the weak and despised things of the world to shame the proud, demonstrating His own strength and wisdom. Our direction is lower still…

We are not experts. We haven’t learned how to do church and revival; we only know to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet. 5:6). We gravitate to the low things of the world. Competition and comparison with others don’t suit our DNA. We feel no pressure to succeed and excel, but we exult in doing things well by the power of the Spirit.

God’s ways are the reverse of the worlds. We waste our time on the uninfluential and the few, stopping for the one. We show where God cares when no one else does. We go to the neglected, the forgotten, and the lonely. We will go anywhere, if possible, to minister to the meek and desperate, the poor in spirit, who truly understand their need of God.

4) We understand the value of suffering in the Christian life. Learning to love requires willingness to suffer for the sake of righteousness. Discipline and testing make saints out of us, and produce in us the holiness without which we will not see His face and share His glory. With Paul we rejoice in our weaknesses, for when we are weak we are strong. Under great pressure we learn to rely on God, who raises the dead (2 Cor. 1:9).

Jesus was rewarded for enduring evil opposition without sin. Our reward in heaven will be for the same — doing the will of God. We resist sin, to the point of shedding blood, if necessary, by considering His example (Heb. 12:3). Jesus is glorified now not because He exerted His power against His enemies, but because He overcame them with love. That kind of love entails suffering, the willingness to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him. He showed us the only way to be counted worthy, and the angels sing of him, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12). There is no shortcut to our heavenly inheritance. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom. 8:17).

5) The joy of the Lord is not optional, and it far outweighs our suffering! In Jesus it becomes our motivation, reward and spiritual weapon. In His Presence is fullness of joy and with Paul we testify that in all our troubles our joy knows no bounds (2 Cor. 7:4). It is our strength and energy, without which we die.

The supernatural joy of the Lord may be the most controversial of our core values! But our aim is to impart so much of the Holy Spirit that people cannot stop bubbling over with love and joy! We pass through conviction and brokenness, even daily, but we are not left there. The Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17), in that order. And in His joy we are all the more capable of compassion for others, unfettered by our own sorrows.

Heidi and I could never have endured this long without a river of life and joy flowing out of our innermost beings. We are not cynical and downcast about the world and the church, but are thrilled with our perfect Savior, who is able to finish what He began in us. We gain nothing by being negative, but we overcome the world with faith that we can cast our cares on Him. Joy, laughter and a light heart are not disrespectful of God and incongruous in this world, but are evidence of the life of heaven. We are not referring to cheap and foolish levity that ends in grief, but exultation in the truth and reality of our salvation, a powerful work of the Spirit.

We in these days identify with the captives of Israel who were brought back to Zion:

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:2-6).

Riots in the streets of Mozambique

Early this month riots broke out on the streets of Mozambique’s capital of Maputo, protesting greatly increasing hardship because of rising prices. Bus transportation doubled in price, bread rose by 30%, and a 50 kg bag of rice climbed to half a month’s salary for the average Mozambican with a job (14% employment!). On top of that, the country’s currency was greatly devalued, very difficult for a nation that has to import so much to survive.

People disrupted life in the city by blocking traffic with bricks, stones, pipes and trees; upturning and burning buses; burning cars, tires and gas stations; throwing rocks at cars; smashing windshields; and attacking any who tried to break the blockade by carrying passengers.

Police moved in against stubborn crowds with tear gas, and began to shoot with both rubber bullets and live ammunition. Ten people were killed and 300 injured. Schools — including our own, businesses and the airport were closed down. The violence threatened to spread to other cities around the country.

Things have calmed down now, but this keeps us aware that Mozambique, now the world’s 6th poorest country, is still a land of desperate poverty for most. We have seen a huge number of people come to the Lord, and great blessing come to many, but we must press on until the Gospel covers the land. Join us in faith, and pray for peace, safety, godliness and prosperity in the face of tremendous challenges and demonic opposition. For fifteen years we have seen increasing revival in Mozambique; we will not stop now! Jesus, finish what you have begun, and make Mozambique a model for Africa in fulfillment of your promises… In the Kingdom of God, the best is always in the future!…

Losing one airplane, gaining a better one

For ten years I have written stories about how revival spread all over Mozambique in part because we had a Cessna 206 six-place light aircraft donated to us that allowed us to hold frequent bush conferences and do relief work at great distances from our home base. Mozambique is huge; its coastline would stretch from Mexico to the panhandle of Alaska. Roads are few, and most are very rough and nearly impassable much of the year, even with four-wheel-drive vehicles. Time and wear-and-tear on vehicles were issues that would have kept us from most of our ministry without the plane. We used it heavily, and I enjoyed flying it as my personal prayer cathedral in the glorious skies of east Africa!

But the devil tries hard to resist all that we do, and on the night of September 3, N4744F, my gift and hug from God, met its end. I was out of Mozambique, and our plane was being ferried by an American commercial pilot, Andrew Herbert, from Pemba to South Africa for service. Near the end of one leg of the trip, while beginning a descent from 8,000 feet in the dark into the city of Beira, the propeller broke off from the engine and the plane went nearly out of control. Diving at 2,000 feet per minute and struggling to keep the plane level, Andrew faced a forced landing in the pitch black night. Even with the landing light on, Andrew could see nothing, and plowed into trees in the bush. The plane was completely destroyed (see photo gallery), but Andrew miraculously survived with nothing more than a bad cut on his chin.

The crash happened around 7 pm, and then a couple friends from Beira searched for the wreckage for hours and hours, driving over rivers and swamps and getting stuck over and over, asking villagers along the way if they had heard or seen anything. Finally they were directed to the site and found Andrew at 2 am, alive, thrilled and so grateful to God for sparing his life.

The prop failure, which occurred after recently being maintained and signed off, is being investigated by aviation authorities. This again is a reminder that we are in serious spiritual warfare, and we need and value your prayer and intercession in every way. Our hearts and attention are now turned to the promise of taking delivery of a brand-new airplane by early next year, a Quest Kodiak. This is a high-performance ten-place turboprop specially designed for missionary bush applications. Its speed, payload, ruggedness, utility and short-field performance are just what we need now. We thank all of you who are praying and contributing toward this dream which we have had for so long!

Current projects

Our completely redesigned web site will be online in a week or so, and we will keep developing it indefinitely. It promises to be much more inviting and informative for all who want to know us better and work with us. We have a huge vision for taking care of many more children, and so we are initiating a child sponsorship program that will allow people to easily help us who want to be part of our vision. After many technical and government delays, our well drilling program is moving ahead rapidly now, making a tremendous difference in the life of village after village. We just bought a 150-acre, fully-operational farm at a great price, which will provide enough vegetables to feed all our children at our main Pemba base. We continue to feed over a thousand children and staff in Pemba, and thousands of children through church-based orphan care around the country. Please email me if you are interested in working with us on these projects.

Spiritual state, challenges

Our greatest gratification comes from seeing the Holy Spirit fill so many spiritually hungry hearts with love and joy all over Mozambique, and at new and spreading Iris bases around the world. We understand that such great fruit also comes with the reality of disappointments, attacks, personnel struggles and tragic failures. These will not keep us from being overjoyed with all that God has done among us. We live to experience His Presence, and to see Him bring about what only He can accomplish.

Specifically, our churches in our local province of Cabo Delgado around Pemba now number over 1,800, after eight years of ministry among the Makua, a people group of four million that were formerly considered almost unreachable by missiologists.

But we are also thrilled by the way God is using Iris missionaries and national leaders at many other Iris bases, and we want to make their stories and testimonies freely available to you as well through our new web site, http://www.irismin.org.

Our thanks

Again we want to offer our extreme gratitude to so many of you who support us amazingly, even in the middle of world-wide recession. We understand the hardships some of you face, and we owe you such a debt of love. We are trusting Jesus for our support, knowing that He can touch anyone at any time to help us, and so we are secure, whether we have much or little. But our desire is to bless not only the poor of Africa, but also our supporters. With Paul we have always been able to say that we are not looking for a gift, but are looking for what may be credited to your account (Phil. 4:17)! God’s way of blessing both you and us is perfect! We love you for caring with supernatural generosity…

Apply to missions school, short- and long-term missions

We need so much more help. We welcome applications from any who know us for any kind of involvement in our work. It’s hard to imagine any skill or calling that would not be useful in our environment. May our Father have His perfect way with us all!

Our spiritual warfare — intense!

We are engaged in a great struggle for souls in Africa, knowing that our warfare here, as everywhere, is not against flesh-and-blood, but against spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). Our battle has been indescribably intense in recent months, but at the same time we rest in our perfect Savior, who sustains us through the prayers of so many. We thank you for your rich participation with us in the work of the Lord!

Much, much love in Jesus,

Rolland and Heidi

http://www.irismin.org/news/52.php

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You can email me at rolland@irismin.org with your inquiries, and I’ll either answer you myself or route you to appropriate people on our staff.

Contact Information:

September 17, 2010

Julie Meyer:

Iceland, America, New Zealand: “Be Strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might!!!”

After you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, Iceland.
Stand firm then, America.
Stand firm then, New Zealand.

I had a dream that I was sleeping in my bed, and the house I was in was spinning and spinning until suddenly I was carried by this house to a far away land.

When I woke up the sun was shining bright, almost as if it never went down. I sat up in my bed and looked out the window; it was bright and sunny and green, and there were streams and waters and fountains and rivers flowing everywhere.

I thought I was in Heaven again, for it was so beautiful.

The grass itself was the greenest of green and it was as if it melted right into the blue of the sky.

The grass fit the landscape so well and it was so green that it was like it was not even real grass.

I went outside to get a better view of this stunning picture. It was like a dream because it was so beautiful and the colors were extremely vivid that they did not even look real.

In the distance, I saw a man walking toward me. He was not in a hurry but seemed to be taking in the same beauty that I was taking in.

I felt as if I was in a movie, for he was walking toward me almost in slow motion and fully dressed as if he was a warrior. As he approached me he said, “Greetings from the land of Iceland.”

I was totally shocked and I repeated his statement with a question: “Greetings from the land of Iceland? This is Iceland?”

Not knowing anything about Iceland, I expected it to be cold, and full of ice. I was unprepared for my eyes to see such beauty.

The colors of the sky were those of many colors. The sea was a picture in itself, and when I would look in the distance to where the sea meets the sky, it was like I was looking into a prism for the light throughout the sky seemed to be separating into a spectrum of colors.

There were colors in the distant sky that I had never seen in the sky before. It was almost as if the colors in the sky were a rainbow in itself.

The Captain of the Hosts Himself Said, “Prophesy Over the Land, for the Hearts of the People are Becoming Weary”

Then I began to study this man who was standing before me, dressed as a warrior, as if he came fully prepared to go to war on the front lines.

I noticed a thick, wide belt that had the word “TRUTH” in bold, black capital letters written across the front.

Also across the front of His chest was a glimmering breastplate. I remember thinking nothing would be able to penetrate through that breastplate, for it was thick and it seemed to cover his whole chest; and written on the front of it, also in black, bold capital letters, was the word “RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Instantly my eyes were opened to the fact that I am literally looking at a Heavenly Warrior dressed in the whole armor of God. He looks like what Paul writes about to the people in Ephesus in Ephesians 6.

This is the armor that will lead to victory when fighting this battle on the earth.

This Heavenly Warrior was not just any angel within the Host of Heaven but was the Captain of the Hosts, Himself.

His very walk seemed to bring peace, for He seemed to bring security, safety, prosperity, joy, peace and harmony in His very steps.

This man was the very embodiment of walking in the Gospel of peace. In His left hand He carried a shield of faith that flaming arrows dare not penetrate.

His armor showed the wear of many battles, but His walk was one of strength and steadiness.

In His right hand was a sword that, just looking at the sight of it, seemed larger and bigger than my whole body.

He carried it with ease and readiness, as the Word of God seemed to come forth out of His mouth in authority and boldness.

He knew who He was and whom He was fighting for; for He was from the camp of the Lord God, Jehovah.

Covering and guarding His head was a helmet, which I knew was the helmet of Salvation, for He brought with Him the very hope of salvation.

The Captain of the Hosts Himself Said, “Prophesy Over the Land, for the Hearts of the People are Becoming Weary”

Then I began to study this man who was standing before me, dressed as a warrior, as if he came fully prepared to go to war on the front lines.

I noticed a thick, wide belt that had the word “TRUTH” in bold, black capital letters written across the front.

Also across the front of His chest was a glimmering breastplate. I remember thinking nothing would be able to penetrate through that breastplate, for it was thick and it seemed to cover his whole chest; and written on the front of it, also in black, bold capital letters, was the word “RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Instantly my eyes were opened to the fact that I am literally looking at a Heavenly Warrior dressed in the whole armor of God. He looks like what Paul writes about to the people in Ephesus in Ephesians 6.

This is the armor that will lead to victory when fighting this battle on the earth.

This Heavenly Warrior was not just any angel within the Host of Heaven but was the Captain of the Hosts, Himself.

His very walk seemed to bring peace, for He seemed to bring security, safety, prosperity, joy, peace and harmony in His very steps.

This man was the very embodiment of walking in the Gospel of peace. In His left hand He carried a shield of faith that flaming arrows dare not penetrate.

His armor showed the wear of many battles, but His walk was one of strength and steadiness.

In His right hand was a sword that, just looking at the sight of it, seemed larger and bigger than my whole body. He carried it with ease and readiness, as the Word of God seemed to come forth out of His mouth in authority and boldness.

He knew who He was and whom He was fighting for; for He was from the camp of the Lord God, Jehovah.

Covering and guarding His head was a helmet, which I knew was the helmet of Salvation, for He brought with Him the very hope of salvation.

This Man looked into my eyes and said, “Prophesy over the land, for the hearts of the people are becoming weary. For witchcraft and the spirit of the age are quickly capturing the hearts of the young and old, and those who have been calling on the name of the Lord have become weary.” Then this Man turned and began to shout,
“You shall live again, Iceland. You shall live again.” He said, “Call to the hearts of the people,” and He began to shout into the land Ephesians 6:10-20:

“Be Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power”

“Be strong in the LORD and in His mighty power.”

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

There’s Only One Way to Fight This Battle and Win

Suddenly, I found myself clothed in the very armor He was clothed in. My eyes were opened in a new way to see the principalities and demons of darkness fighting for control over this land, and I began to fight in this great war of two realms as if I was in the movie “The Lord of the Rings.”

It was crazy. Clothed “in” this armor I was almost untouchable, and I could see with my natural eyes the battle of darkness.

I could see we were not fighting against mere physical opponents, but these are powers of darkness, master demonic spirits, world rulers of the darkness of this age and spiritual forces of wickedness. These were real beings of evil that I could see affecting the human minds and hearts in Iceland – and there was only one way to fight this battle and win. I could hear the very real sound of swords striking upon swords.

Darkness does not give up easily. They will strike and strike at any area not covered until they beat you down. I could see the great importance of wearing and “using” the whole armor of God.

I found myself joining this great battle. These were real warriors. I had to step out in a new faith that God was my guard, for this was a battle I had not fought before. This was war. Light versus dark, Holiness versus sin, Heavenly versus demonic, Good versus evil.

This was the real deal. I saw that the warlords of darkness are real and their plan was to break down the heart of Believers in the land, one strike at a time. So, I began to fight with this great Heavenly Warrior.

I began to strike with my sword. At first I started swinging with my eyes closed as it was just too much to take in – but at least I was swinging. I began to gain strength as I also began singing in the Spirit. I began to literally use my shield of faith and I became untouchable by the flaming arrows of darkness.

Then suddenly, strike by strike, now my eyes were opened and I saw that I could not be touched by the strategies of evil and the doctrines of demons.

Then I heard this great Heavenly Warrior begin to prophesy over the land: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on God’s complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger and having done all to stand – stand therefore. Hold your ground.”

So I began to shout it out, too: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of HIS might. Put on the whole armor of God – it works. It really works!”

When I Sang in the Spirit, it Was as if Every Note and Every Prayer Was Loosening the Army of God

Then I began to pray in the Spirit. With every strike of the sword of the Spirit against these enemies of Light, these warriors of darkness, I began to pray.

I began to sing in the Spirit. As I began to sing in the Spirit, I saw this was like a strike against the enemy itself, as if loosing the army of God with every note and every prayer that proceeded from my mouth.

It was as if my song literally became a weapon against the powers of darkness as much as my armor was a weapon. With every note that I began to sing out in the Spirit, the forces of evil literally began to dissipate.

Suddenly, the sound of singing began to fill the land and people one by one came out of their hiding, came out of their caves, began to strengthen themselves and began the fight. Soon there was a multitude of those who were on the Lord’s side, literally pushing back darkness and pushing back schemes and strategies of evil.

“Prophesy Over America and New Zealand the Same Way”

This Heavenly Warrior looked at me and said, “Prophesy over America. Prophesy over New Zealand in the same way, for My House is growing weary and it is time to fight.”

In my mind I was taken back to the days of King David. I saw a picture of King David in 1 Samuel 30. He was weary, for it seemed that all was stolen from him.

1 Samuel 30:1-4
Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.

Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

And in this state David called upon the name of the Lord and the Lord answered him, saying: “Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all (see 1 Samuel 30:8).

Iceland, America and New Zealand: “Put on the Full Armor of God”

Then in the dream I began to call Iceland to, “Put on the full armor of God and pursue, for you shall surely overtake, and without fail recover all.”

I began to call to America, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on God’s complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger, and having done all to stand – stand therefore. Hold your ground. Pursue; for you will surely overtake, and without fail recover all.”

And I began to call forth to New Zealand, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on God’s complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger, and having done all to stand – stand therefore. Hold your ground. Pursue; for you will surely overtake, and without fail recover all.”

For this is a battle. This is a war with real warlords of darkness, and they are fighting to win. They do not take breaks and they do not give up, but we have a greater weapon and this is our weapon: the Blood of the Lamb. For because of His Blood we can:

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger, and having done all to stand – stand therefore. Hold your ground.”

Julie Meyer
International House of Prayer – KC
Email: juliemeyer@ihop.org