8 Keys for Holding Onto Your Prophetic Word During Times of Adversity

You must press through difficult places to reach your destiny.

During this season, many of God's people are standing in a place of great adversity. But the Lord says that you should not fear or run from it. Rather, you should run into the adversity. If you run into it, you will see a greater power of God released through you­—for this is a day of testing that will open the door to your destiny.

That destiny awaits. However, you must press through difficult places to get to it. Fear attempts to block your passageway. A desire to return to an old place tempts you to retreat. You must keep your focus on the promise of the Lord that can be found only on the other side of the door.

God is looking for covenant partners who are faithful to Him in the midst of difficulty. He wants us to be like the three Hebrew children who were not consumed in the fire and who came through it without the smell of smoke upon them (see Dan. 3:13-30). These are the ones the Lord is empowering in a new way for the next season. To reach the destiny God has for you, you must take several steps. First, war against wrong thoughts. Guard your mind from thoughts of doubt, unbelief, defeat, failure, guilt and condemnation. Let your mind be like a walled city that refuses to allow negative thoughts to penetrate.

Second, resist any temptation toward introspection. Only the Holy Spirit has the right to search the hearts and minds of men. When the Lord is ready to reveal an area of life that needs correction, He will. Do not play the part of the Holy Spirit and search for hidden things in the heart.

Third, war with the Word of the Lord. Let the rhema word, the God-breathed word, found in Scripture be your strength in times of weariness. Remind yourself of the prophetic words that have been spoken to carry you through this tight place.

Fourth, listen for the still, small voice of the Lord on the inside. God gives divine revelation of His will. He is not silent but is ever speaking to encourage His people on toward the victory that He promises.

Fifth, shift to a higher level of faith. Young David fought and defeated both the lion and the bear. When he stood against Goliath, faith to defeat lions and bears was not sufficient. He had to shift to a greater level of faith.

God's people today are not contending with lions and bears. Goliath is standing in front of us and challenging us. We must receive a new level of faith if we want to see the Goliath blocking our destiny defeated.

Sixth, get in proper alignment. God is aligning His people—putting those together who will stand as one on the day of battle. He is giving discernment about who can go to war together. Not every person will stand faithful to God and faithful to others in battle.

It is imperative to know who you can go to war with. You will discover who your real friends are in the day of difficulty. God not only is calling a people to walk in covenant with Him but also is aligning those who will walk in covenant with one another.

Seventh, during this time of testing, ask the Lord to bring understanding about the place you are in. Ask Him to cause you to be aware that you are in preparation for your destiny.

Finally, refrain from shrinking back in fear. Do not flee from the Lord or from your covenant connections. The promise of the Lord is on the other side of the door. Let God's strength cause you to press through and arrive at your God-given destiny.

Barbara Wentroble is the founder of International Breakthrough Ministries (international breakthroughministries.org) and the author of several books, including Prophetic Intercession.

Are We Pentecostals Losing Our Religion by Holding Our Tongue-Talking?

Praying in tongues is getting a lot of attention in secular media these days. The New York Times recently published an article called “Why We Talk in Tongues,” and the Associated Press is reporting “Messages in Tongues Down Among Pentecostals.”

Wait, what?

Can you even be Pentecostal—or charismatic—without praying in tongues? Isn’t it somewhat of an oxymoron to stumble upon a born-again, blood-bought, Spirit-filled believer who doesn’t speak in tongues? After all, the evidence of being filled with the Spirit is speaking in other tongues and prophesying (Acts 19:6).

I was shocked by the AP report about a small Assemblies of God congregation that looks just like every other Pentecostal church service—except nobody is speaking in tongues. The wire service positions Three Crosses Church as an example of a downward trend in tongue-talking—for the sake of moving into the mainstream.

Wait, what?

Squashing a gift of the Spirit to cater to the mainstream? Suppressing spiritual gifts to find acceptance in the mainstream?

God forbid Pentecostals and charismatics stop speaking in tongues at church for the sake of the mainstream! I mean, since when has true Christianity ever been mainstream anyway? We’re supposed to have a reputation for turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6), not putting God in a seeker-friendly box so churchgoers—wearing foam earplugs in case the music is too loud and duly caffeinated with lattes from the cafe—have a more comfortable experience.

"It's different now," Pastor Ken Walters of Three Crosses Church told the AP. "People don't like to stand out if they don't have to."

Wait, what?

Many churches have already conformed to the world, tapping into a spirit of entertainment to make the church more seeker friendly. Do we now have to conform to the world in our prayer life also (Rom. 12:2)? I mean, what’s next? Do we stop praying in church altogether and turn a worship service into a weekly Sunday morning motivational seminar with no mention of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, lest we make visitors uncomfortable and they don’t give an offering? God forbid! The Bible says, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19).

I’ve shared in the past how the first time I saw people praying in tongues it completely freaked me out. Of course, that wasn’t in a church setting. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that church folks should bust out in tongues in the middle of a service or get so carried away during worship that they distract the congregation, claiming, “The Holy Ghost made me do it!” Nor am I suggesting that the preacher should replace his Bible teaching with a message in tongues that no one understands (1 Cor. 14:1-12). Everything in church should be done decently and in order (v. 40).

But during prayer meetings, during worship or during an altar call, quietly speaking in tongues is a natural part of the Pentecostal/charismatic service. Putting a lid on tongues at church not only risks quenching the Spirit, but it may also grieve Him.

If the Spirit gives us utterance and we don’t release what He’s saying—even if that’s intercession in an unknown tongue—we could be hindering God’s purposes: “For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). If we expect to see more miracles, we need to give the Holy Spirit free reign—and that means allowing people to speak in tongues when the Spirit gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). Again, decently and in order.

Speaking in tongues is one of the defining marks of Pentecostals and charismatics. So, are we losing our religion? And if we lose this aspect of our faith, what else are we ultimately giving up with it? Are we moving into an age of “don’t ask, don’t tell” if you are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in a supernatural prayer language? God forbid!

"This is our power," Nick Farone, a pastor who runs a Christian center in Louisiana and a member of the Pentecostal Church of God, told the AP. "We shouldn't be ashamed."

Can somebody say, “Amen”?

By Jenifer Le Claire

Integration of the Apostolic & Prophetic Ministry in the Time of Reformation

Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. (Eph 2:19-20)

One of the core values of the Kingdom is evidenced in the expression of men working together in team ministry. One of the greatest examples of this value can be found in God’s desire and design for apostles and prophets to synergistically work together in team concert.

One of the current challenges to a local community or a network community is understanding the benefits and functions of apostolic/prophetic ministry. With the resurgence of prophetic emphasis in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, it led many on a search for prophetic significance. Many began to desire knowledge about the ministry of prophet - how they functioned and what their purpose was. In our quest for more “prophetic understanding”, we sometimes became so prophetically oriented that it caused many to embrace the idea that the prophet is a “stand alone” office which needs no other influence.

During this season we began to discover that prophetic ministry was a function designed by God which was positive in attitude and beneficial in purpose. We began to understand that prophetic ministry was engineered by God to help bring purposeful mobilization (helping the Kingdom to advance), further integration (the necessity of correct alignment), divinely inspired information (the need for divine revelation for God’s patterns), greater maturation (the need to embrace not only His acts but His ways) solid stabilization (“no longer tossed to and fro like children”), and progressive restoration (the expectation for more).

Yet with all the fanfare and excitement about the “restoration of the prophet”, deep within this movement was a character flaw – the prophet was never designed as a loner or a “know–it-all”. Neither was their ministry intended to become a “blessing model.” Unfortunately, many called into prophetic ministry in the 70’s and 80’s experienced the demand “to come prophesy to us.” Due to this inaccurate thinking, the prophetic ministry was laboriously harnessed with false expectations. The prophetic was many times limited to one or two functions such as operating only in personal prophecy.

Today, the apostolic reformation is migrating and activating the prophetic to help build the Kingdom through deep and close alignment with apostolic anointing and grace. The prophetic understanding of the last 20 years “must decrease” in the time of apostolic emergence. Like John the Baptist, those called to prophetic ministry must align their ministries and their hearts to find apostolic linkage. This is causing and will continue to cause many to die to the “old prophetic frequency” and emerge into a more accurate pattern for apostolic/prophetic ministry. The good news is that many prophetic ministers sense the need for advancement. Many have been left frustrated at the door of the “prophetic movement of the ’80’s and ‘90’s” and are now seeking relationships which demand greater levels of prophetic understanding and participation in God’s global reformation.

In this time of apostolic reform, the fastening together of these ministries is paramount. Each ministry is realizing that their working together provides what is necessary for building a secure foundation and for under girding the other ministry gifts. However, like a steam train, the order in which they are fastened is important. The Bible clearly states, “And God has appointed these in the church, first apostles, second prophets . . . “ (1 Cor. 12:28) The ranking of the apostolic in this scripture clearly reveals to us that apostles have been given the wisdom and power to strategically realign the church into a Kingdom pattern. Following and closely linked to the apostle is the prophet!

Now, here is an issue – Because the prophet follows the apostolic, does that mean it is less vital, less important, and less potent? No, of course not! Returning to the illustration of a steam train, please allow me to expound further using this analogy. While a steam train utilizes a steam engine as the forerunner of the rest of the train cars, right behind the steam engine is a vital co-laboring car – the tender box car. This car holds the fuel which the engine needs to produce the power.

Throughout all the biblical examples of reformation (David, Nehemiah, Josiah, Hezekiah, John the Baptist, Haggai, Zechariah), we see the validity of the prophetic ministry “adding fuel to the fire.” Through their strategic actions, decrees, and prophetic revelations, they gave impetus to the apostolic strategy. They helped prepare the way!

In this hour, prophetic ministers who desire to embrace reformation must recognize the restoration of apostolic ministry. As a part of this recognition, they must realize their dependence upon apostolic grace and that that grace can bring them to more accurate levels of thinking and functionality. Conversely, the apostles who are emerging must recognize and intentionally walk towards interdependence with prophets. They must perceive that without prophetic input (both verbally and in anointing), their communities will lack a fundamental ingredient of the Kingdom. But as they do embrace one another, many benefits will be evidenced. I believe apostolic positions will experience more energy and greater enthusiasm will be released. At the same time, prophets will feel greater fulfillment and a greater sense of safety and confidence, new strategies will come forth, and a greater depth of prophetic ministry will be evidenced in people’s lives.

Because apostles and prophets are foundational in design, it is imperative that these two gifts co-labor together at a level never manifested before in this world. Reformation is given for the process of emergence to a more accurate level of function in the Kingdom. Prophets must enter this season with humility as their hall mark and fully embrace their team ministry destiny underneath the grace of the Apostolic.

A Prophetic Word for 2013: Make A Decision and Commitment for Christ

 

This is the year to make a decision and commitment! The decision brings us to commitment so we can commit our entire life this year. Then we will serve God and obey the written Word and the Holy Spirit in the way He directs our lives. When we make this commitment to God we will see the faithfulness of Isaiah 11:5. 

"And righteousness shall be the girdle of His waist and faithfulness the girdle of His loins." (Is. 11:5)

Through obedience to the written Word we learn righteousness; right standing with God. By developing relationship with God, we take on the divine nature of Christ and sanctify the imagination (thoughts). When we surrender our soul to our spirit we allow the spirit within us to rule over the soul. 

"And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action)." (Rom. 6:18 AMP)

In this way our thoughts, purpose and action will be committed to God's will. And being led by the Holy Spirit of Truth, who leads us into all truth; we walk the highway of holiness. Then our entire bodily members will be in complete obedience to the Holy Spirit because we are obedient to the law of Love. (see Rom. 13:10)It's from the place of mature love the greater works flow. Then what is seen in our sanctified imagination we speak according to the will of the Father, bringing "on earth as it is in Heaven" into the natural realm. 

Christ was obedient unto His death on the Cross. Christ yielded all His bodily members to the Father so we could become the righteousness of God through His Son. Jesus lived His earthly life totally committed to the Father's will. Therefore the Father's will was being done on earth as it was in Heaven. "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son..." (John 3:16). This was the Father's greatest act of love, giving His Son to mankind.

It is in the DNA of every Christian to hear the voice of God and be led by His Holy Spirit. John 10:4 says His sheep hear His voice and follow after Him. His sheep commit to follow Him because they know the voice of the Good Shepherd. We must follow His voice and be totally obedient to what He tells us to do. Obedience leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to sanctification. Sanctification is the beginning of holiness and holiness is the beginning of the greater works. The greater works begin with unconditional love toward one another.

And He replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27)

God is calling for us to conform to His way with all of our natural being; heart, soul, strength and mind. We are being called to walk the straight and narrow way, the road less traveled, or perhaps better known as the highway of holiness. We must surrender to Him the dictates of our own heart in order to walk according to His will.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says the Lord. (Is. 55:8)

Make A Decision for Christ

When we make the decision to walk the way of righteousness and arm ourselves in commitment, we begin to walk in sanctification. Sanctification is the belt of truth we put around our waist and commit our mind, will and emotions to God in thought, purpose and action.

Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God," (Eph. 6:14 AMP)

You shall know the truth and it will set you free. The truth we gird our mind with is His Word. His Word will always tell us what to do. The real thing that we commit ourselves to is love. 

"Love does no wrong to one's neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law." (Rom. 13:10)

This is the word for 2013: make a decision for Christ that you're going to walk in righteousness. And make for yourself a commitment to obey the works of righteousness, which is our thought, purpose and action.

We live with the consequences of decisions we make, whether good or bad. Let's choose to make God the master of our life and let Christ ride in the saddle of our mind. Let us commit ourselves completely to Him this year! That which we have committed to God He is faithful to commit to us. Once we have made the decision to commit our whole being unto God and come into His righteousness, we must not stray from it.

"For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Tim. 1:12 NKJV)

Bob and Bonnie Jones: Bob Jones is known as a contemporary prophet with a great love for the Lord Jesus and His truth. His prophecies have spanned over four decades as the Lord has enabled him to foretell earthquakes, tidal waves, comets, and weather patterns. Like Daniel who functioned at an incredible level, Bob has often told leaders their dreams and experiences, as well as the interpretation. After his death experience in 1975, God sent him back to minister to Church leadership and reach the multitudes with His love, truth and equipping the saints with understanding of the spiritual gifts. God promised Bob that he would see the beginning of one billion souls coming into the Kingdom in one great wave of the end time harvest. Bonnie has a great love for the Lord, the Word and the Cross of Jesus. She loves children and enjoys blessing them with a gift of joy, truth, love and encouragement. Bonnie moves in a seer prophetic gifting as well as healing and miracles. Her passion is to see women set free from the fear of man and step into their gifts and calling. She is a great advocate of women stepping forth into their rightful place beside their husband.

Spiritual Abuse, Christian Cults and Controlling Ministries

It’s irresponsible to loosely toss around emotionally charged accusations like “spiritual abuse,” “Christian cults” and “controlling ministries.” I wouldn’t want to stand before Jesus and give account for misspoken words that carry the potential to tear down what He is building.

On the other hand, it’s also irresponsible to turn a blind eye to spiritual abuse, Christian cults and controlling ministries. I wouldn’t want to stand before Jesus and give account for supporting ministries that are tearing down what He is building.

When spiritual leaders are caught in sex abuse scandals, the secular and Christian media alike pen stories that offer the detestable details and dogged denials. But spiritual abuse, cultish churches and controlling ministries are less often exposed than pastors who coerce teenaged boys and unsuspecting church secretaries to have sexual relations.

Victims of abusive church authority structures may not even realize what they are enduring until they escape its grip. Spiritual abuse is often subtle. Christian cult leaders don’t always operate like Jim Jones. Controlling ministries tend to hide behind the guise of spiritual coverings. And far too many outsiders are not willing to even question the messages and practices of such churches. It takes lovers of truth with spiritual discernment to recognize the sometimes-subtle signs of abusive churches. And it takes courage to confront it.

What exactly is spiritual abuse? Jeff VanVonderen, co-author of the classic book The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, explains it this way: “Spiritual abuse occurs when someone in a position of spiritual authority … misuses that authority placing themselves over God’s people to control, coerce or manipulate them for seemingly godly purposes which are really their own.”

Spiritual abuse is hardly a new phenomenon. You can find instances in the Bible of spiritual leaders exploiting people to build their kingdoms. In Jeremiah 8, the Lord called out the abuse of prophets and priests, saying, “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious” (v. 11 NIV).

The root problems of people in the “church” were treated superficially. In other words, the pastor put a Band-Aid on the problem so things looked good from the outside but the wound was festering on the inside. The pastor’s prominence was more important than the legitimate needs of the congregation.

Today, this manifests as spiritual leaders recruiting volunteers to build their ministries while neglecting to minister to the real needs of hurting people. In such cases, churches become like businesses. The pastor is more like a CEO than a spiritual leader. Staff meetings center on marketing initiatives that will bring more people—who will bring more tithes and offerings—into the sanctuary. Church services becomes about external appearances, but the white washed tombs are full of dead men’s bones.

Jesus addressed spiritual abuse in His day. Beyond His warnings about the Pharisees, Jesus also pointed out ravenous wolves. These ravenous wolves look much like anointed prophets, but their motives are dastardly. Today, the spiritually abusive Pharisaical pastor has a long list of rules and demands and little grace for those who don’t rise to the occasion.

Entire books have been written on spiritual abuse. Those books will help you see spiritual abuse for what it is, how you got sucked into the cycle, how to break free from spiritual abuse, and how to recover from spiritual abuse once you’ve escaped its clutches. But for now, I want to leave you with some nuggets from Dave Johnson and VanVonderen’s book, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.

Power-posturing is a telltale sign of spiritual abuse. Power-posturing leaders spend a lot of time focused on their own authority and reminding others of it. Johnson and VanVonderen say this is necessary because their spiritual authority isn’t real—based on genuine godly character—it is postured.

In practical terms, this might manifest as a leader who likes to remind the congregation that he can excommunicate people or that any anointing you are flowing in comes from the head (him). This leader can never be questioned, and is usually not accountable to anyone. Those around him are usually mere "yes men" who do his bidding in exchange for delegated authority to lord over others.

Performance preoccupation is a sign of spiritual abuse. Johnson and VanVonderen note that obedience and submission are two important words often used in abusive church structures.

Don’t get me wrong. Obedience and submission are important. But spiritual abuse often shames or scares people into obedience and submission. True obedience is a matter of the heart. Spiritual abusers apply undue pressure that is not from God. That pressure is usually applied to get you to do the leader’s will, not God’s will.

Unspoken rules are common in instances of spiritual abuse. In abusive spiritual systems, Johnson and VanVonderen offer, people’s lives are controlled from the outside in by rules, spoken and unspoken.

“Unspoken rules are those that govern unhealthy churches of families but are not said out loud. Because they are not said out loud, you don’t find out that they’re there until you break them,” Johnson and VanVonderen write. It often seems these “rules” hold more power than scripture.

The “Can’t Talk” rule is seen where spiritual abuse is present. Johnson and VanVonderen explain that the “can’t talk” rule blames the person who talks, and the ensuing punishments pressure questioners into silence.

If you voice a problem you become the problem. If you question why the church no longer picks up the poor kids in the ministry van but has shifted its focus to more affluent neighborhoods, you are removed from your role as a volunteer driver. Others see your fate and decide they'd better not rock the boat. It's a form of intimidation.

Lack of balance and extremism is often present where spiritual abuse lives. This manifests as an unbalanced approach to living out the truth of the Christian life. Johnson and VanVonderen explain that in these systems it is more important to act according to the word of a leader who has “a word” for you than to act according to what you know to be true from Scripture, or simply from your spiritual-growth history.

The truth is prophetic words don’t carry the same weight as Scripture, and you can hear from God for yourself. When you rely on other people to tell you what God is saying, you open the door to control and manipulation.

It’s not possible to fully expose the inner workings of spiritual abuse, Christian cults and controlling churches in a single article. My goal is to raise awareness of a troubling issue and get you thinking—not to send you on a witch hunt for spiritual abusers.

If you think you are part of a spiritually abusive cult-like or controlling church, ask the Lord to break any deception off your mind and show you the truth. The truth could be that you are in a healthy church and you just need to die to self. But it could be that you are in an abusive system and you need to break free. If your heart is purely seeking the truth, the Holy Spirit will surely guide you there (John 16:13).

Jennifer LeClaire

http://www.jenniferleclaire.org