Here is Your Battle Plan!

This is small portion of a Class I recently taught in Legacy School our online school.

Paul told Timothy a valuable insight. It was a charge he gave him. A charge was a command that was not to be taken lightly and was expected to be heeded. Paul gave 6 charges to Timothy over the 2 books written to him. This is the first or foundational charge. The word commit following the word charge was the passing of the charge into the hands of Timothy to steward.

1 Timothy 1:18–19 (KJV 1900) — 18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightiest war a good warfare; 19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

The word war  means to make a military expedition, to lead soldiers to war or to battle, (spoken of a commander). It is a verb or action word. Paul was expecting Timothy to go on military conquest or campaign, a mission. He was to be strategic in the advance of the kingdom. But not by natural means but by spiritual means. It was to be a “good” warfare. The word “good” means excellent in nature. It would hold the nature of Christ and the spirit of excellence. It was  battle that was to be done a certain way. As he did this the outcome would be a warfare. The word warfare means a military campaign. Military service, discharge of apostolic duties. It is the word Strateia which is the root of our word strategy. It is a noun and descriptive of something accomplished. The outcome of deciding to lead others would result in strategic warfare.

Paul refers to how to strategize in this warfare, it is found in the prophetic words Timothy had been given when he was commissioned. It was what God said over his life. Paul connects the warfare is related to what was said prophetically over Timothy. The ability to lead others is related to the prophetic words spoken over our lives. It also holds the strategy we are looking for in how to conduct our campaigns, mission and visions. It is connected to kingdom exploits and advancements. This tells us how prophesy will also reveal what kind of things will try to stop us from fulfilling our destiny. Paul was saying to Timothy the battle is not just about your life but it is about Timothy’s destiny upon the earth and the work he had been assigned for the Kingdom of God.

Paul tells us the destiny and fulfillment of Timothy’s words will not occur by himself, but he will need to enlist other soldiers to war with him. The destiny was not about Timothy’s life but what Timothy was to accomplish with His prophetic words. He had been given the weapon of war within his prophesy and instruction to convey the importance of what he carried to others. The prophecy would hold such hope, power and vision that it would convince others to aid Timothy and join alongside him. Paul would tell him later to find faithful men able to teach others also. This is not just doctrinal instruction but prophetic strategy that would be sustained to generations coming forth from the prophetic word.

The Power of Prophesy over a life is a seldom accessed or seen as tool of warfare. Your prophetic words are a battle plan for your life. These words must be worked out and strategized over. They must be safeguarded as well. Paul would also warn Timothy that a good solider he was not to be entangled with the affairs of this live. The entanglements come to dimmish the prophetic words over His life. This prophetic word carried great force and power and worldly affections would reduce its impact. A strong word requires the application of force and resistance to whatever would hinder them from fulfillment.

Perhaps if prophetic words were not so flowery but actually carried the sense of true kingdom destiny others would engage into them. Perhaps if prophesy were at a higher level, we would have the strategy we are looking for. Make war with your prophesy. Your prophesy is your battle plan given to you by God to fulfill.

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Navigating Moments

I debated about writing this blog for the last 24 hours. I have been in a place of anguish and grieving in my spirit over missing a moment in the Lord during a meeting. I decided to write this to possibly help others who have had this same experience.

We all have had meetings when we missed a transition or didn’t turn the corner. Most of the time these moments are not as critical, and we are able to continue or come back later as God progressively keeps moving us forward. There are really two types of moments Chronos and Kairos. For the most part, what I just described was a Chronos moment. Chronos moment has the anointing present and the gifts are flowing.

The other type of meeting is Kairos. Kairos moments are when the presence of the Lord has come and flood or invade the atmosphere. The moments are different because Kairos is a transitional moment of time that God has prearranged. This is the moment we just missed that has grieved my spirit so much. What makes it probably worse is I knew the intention God was transitioning us into. These transition moments do not come by very often. They are something that has a sovereign feel to it. It is the alignment of a multitude of things colliding at the same moment. Anticipation, expectation, faith, presence, focus, passion, prayer, preparation and a charged atmosphere of God presence flooding, all have come to a convergence point to bring a group of people through a portal opening into the next level. It seems to take all of these to transition, but once the transition is made it only takes a few of these to maintain.

Our worship team had the right songs, the people had become a single unit focused in worship and brought to a place many were having individual encounters. The theme of the night’s worship was the fire. Prior to the meeting, the Lord had told me to lay hands on everyone at the end of the service and release fire upon them and He was going to baptize us in a corporate fire as a group. He then told me to pray into the state with this fire resting upon us. He showed me it was a necessary moment to place us in the right place for future things we had planned. It would be a release of power coming upon us. The problem this night was twofold.

One we were short-handed this night and I had to run the P.A., which is not a problem generally, but this night we had many issues. It took me until almost the end of worship to be able to get things worked out and get engaged. As the worship was ending, I saw the theme of fire and the many people faced down, we had come to the convergence point. I was resting in the Lord and asking should I pray now? You told me at the end? Did we miss it? Did I not hear correctly? A Host of questions flooded me. The P.A. distraction has dulled my spiritual focus. We could have stayed a long time at that moment so I decided to just listen to be sure what should happen. I was beginning to sense God shifting the moment to be the moment I have seen at the end, now in the middle. We were still under tension. I was waiting on Him to give me the unseen nod.

The second problem was before I had a clear pathway to execute, someone began to pray out loud and it increased in volume and intensity and went for about 10-15 minutes. Nothing wrong with the prayer, but not the right timing and the wrong order. I could feel the moment slipping away and I could feel the expectation and faith in the room diminishing. My spirit reached such a place of grieving of not just missing a moment but missing the opportunity. I struggled to find a way back but knew we just couldn’t without fabricating something. I saw all the factors we had hit and knew these moments don’t just come along every week. We simply couldn’t just have a do-over next week.

I knew I had to say something as the grieving was so deep in me, I couldn’t even speak the message in this state. I explained how we had missed the moment of God wanting to take us deeper. For most, they had gotten to a good place and were happy we had a good meeting so far. But I knew the whole story and was really the only one in the room seeing a complete picture of what God wanted to do. He was trying to get us into the new season and out of the typical. I knew he was moving us into a level of power. I sensed what He wanted to bring us into was an authentic move of God. I believe many couldn’t figure out why I was so grieved after all the presence of the Lord had flooded the place. After I shared my heart I was able to give the message on Combatting the Religious Spirit. When I was to end speaking about the need for the fire of God, I could sense the emptiness of the words after I said a single sentence on the topic. The Holy Spirit was not there now, so I closed the message. The moment had come and went.

The last 30 hours have been a gut-wrenching time. I have rerun the scenario over and over. As a leader, I feel the weight of moments. As a leader, I’m responsible if we make those moments. As a leader, I must know how to steward the moments and keep it on track. I have had to ask some hard questions. Am I upset because I didn’t get to pray for people? No. Did I just not connect and everyone else did so am I grieving over myself? No. The grieving I concluded was not because we missed the moment, but because we missed this specific God-ordained moment that was to bring us into our future.
Will God bring this moment again? Possible, but there is no guarantee. But what I sensed is all the factors were the perfect storm causing the convergence. If we all could keep coming with the same expectations, faith, anticipation etc. then we would put ourselves in the right place. The one thing that also stood out was everyone there that night really wanted to be there and were engaged. Will we need that as well? I don’t know. I do know this I cannot hype people to get there. We could possibly come pressing for that exact moment again. But it also is about timing. I do know we will make the transition but the unknown is when.

I have decided the next time to step in no matter the embarrassment it might cause. I cherish not just the presence but the order and alignment the Lord is wanting to bring. There has been some good out of this in the many dialogues this has caused in our ministry and in other places who watched the stream. My encouragement to others is no matter what, steward the moments even if someone must be sat down. I hope sharing my heart will help you become more spiritual a tune in the moment to make sure you don’t miss the moment that might be your opportunity.

The New Era

What I want to share is not a prophetic word but Apostolic Observations and some things the Lord has been speaking to me. These things help me know the path I am to take in trying to help the Body of Christ. After all, as an Apostle how can you lead people unless you know where to take them.
Decisions
We just turned the calendar on another year. So much of a focus on the moment and hope of something being different because of a new year. Yet for the church in this hour the new season began a few months ago. The prophetic words of promise we have received over time are still in play. The Lord remains the same and His intentions are the same. Nothing changes because of a calendar year but does go into motion because God has brought us to a pivotal point, a decision point, a place in time that demands change. A slowing down of schedules and being sure were we invest our time that it really is producing. For some they are rejecting or not participating in some meetings, though they are good, nothing is truly being produced. New approaches and a willingness to lay everything down and not just go along with everything because others are. That is what the new Era really is about. Decision points and lots of them. A deep heart searching and deep dissatisfactions that will press us forward. Renewed repentance is coming, and it is a deep soul-searching repentance that will cause repentance to be a lifestyle. Less dependency upon our abilities and greater dependency upon the Son and his nature being formed within us and the Holy Spirit working through us. This will require us to come back to tarrying before the Lord. The longer we tarry the greater the impact with shorter messages.
Separation Grace
The new era has a sanctifying grace upon it to cause separations that are needed. There is coming and must come these separations. It is more than a doctrinal disagreement, or an action or activation issue. It comes down to a real core issue of abundant life. It seems we have the language down, the concepts in place and many of the actions are correct but what is being produced is still very much lacking. Most have a holy dissatisfaction. I think because we have all these, and several other things in place, and we feel we are alright, and the real issue is on Gods side. We are waiting on Him. He must decide to open the spiritual realm. His timing is not yet etc. Yet God is willing and patiently is waiting for our final purifying to handle the Holy Things. We are in the 4th glory of Ezekiel and it is a cleansing, separating glory. A filling Glory is coming.
Maturing Preparation
What I see is we have gotten used to doing what we do. The norm is the affirmation. To be able to maintain means I’m correct and in need of nothing. We have become comfortable with the status quo. Especially those who have been in the faith a longer time. For most they have experienced the move of God in their life and are content. Yet contentment is not what God has called us to. A generation has not yet seen or experienced the depths of God and, there are depths of God we all can experience. As we mature in Christ, we should be reaching more and more levels of dependence upon Him than the environments we have created. The longer I know God the more I realize I do not know him. His depths run so deep and there is so much to discover. This is coming from one who has lived a life of revelatory grace that comes out teaching, counsel and approach. I feel I have lived in an ongoing awakening but have not seen the reformation required to move the body to the next level. What we do in meetings is right it just is coming from a past season of time. The new season is already upon us and we must transition into it. We have seen restoration begin but not allowed it to mature in many areas. The preparation that is occurring is to bring a boldness to align and make things right again. It is a Holy righteousness that is forming. An uncompromising position of understanding the ways of God and to see those ways brought forth in the earth. The delay we feel has caused a pressing ever forward to reach that which we cannot yet define but know exist.
Heart Challenges
The upcoming season will hold many heart challenges for leaders and those pressing to the mark of the high calling. Purging, shaking, re-evaluation, letting go, finalizing value systems, removing what is not of God. Many have grown accustomed to being alright or have measures of success, yet these things have also caused a decrease in peoples spirits as well. Some have grown accustomed to areas of the heart not being not being touched or challenged. God is purging his church and it begins with those leading. The remnant we all talk of is made up of many different camps but there is a driving force deep in some that is causing a remnant within the remnant to begin to connect. We probably have not really had a remnant as we think of. An elitist group who are different than most. The word means a trace amount, remaining a surviving group. It also means an unused portion of goods. It comes down to what remains from the original. If we are honest it appears, we have lost the original, yet Gods original is intact in the spirits and hearts of the true real remnant. Also this remnant I’m talking about is really being unused.
These are either in the process I described above or have gone through it. They may have a small voice or no voice in this hour. But they are not concerned about following, or men’s affirmation, or clamoring for the platform. They are in meditation before the Lord to complete what is lacking in their faith, so their lives will leave a mark. Even if the time of deep ministry is short like Jesus it will impact and change the course of history as we see it being written. These ones are willing to slow down and allow God to do His work in them. They are not making assumptions of a false finish line of completion. They see things as they are in the lack, but also are seeing the unlimited possibility of God intention. They are formulating the words and doctrine to lead in the next season. Truth that is filled with Gods breath and life. Words that have come from heaven and been allowed to take hold in the heart and be nurtured to fullness, as they are not on a time deadline.
God Will Name Us
I believe God wants to give us a name. A name from heaven that identifies us as well as separates us. We have been called by many names trying to define us or our actions. The latest being pioneers. But pioneers were mainly settlers and we can not settle spiritually. I throw out another name frontiersman. There has been a remnant group that are really frontiersman. They both open and maintain the new ground for others to follow. They see a horizon of the future and live to find its destiny. These frontiersmen are forerunners, marksman who know time and season. They also are defined by the conquest they complete more so than attempt. They hold ground until the multitudes come who can take their place. But again a frontiersman really defines our actions.
What I believe is like the early church was first called “The Way” then called Christians, God wants to name us so we don’t belong to a camp or tribe but belong to him. Something that speaks of who we are, our purpose in the earth, and the power and authority that comes from Him, revealing him. God has done much in bring identity and defining that, but true identity is only found as a son or daughter of God. This really must become our name and manner of living and seeing each other.
Spiritual Community
God is building new dimensions of community and honor within the body. These communities are becoming safe places for the broken and places of belonging. For some they are able to find freedom to be who God made them. For others giftings are able to have expression. Accelerated growth is occurring as the spirit of understanding has come connecting hearts in what each has in common. A completeness is being seen. These communities are becoming “living cells” making up the body of Christ, connected to other “living cells.” The community being built is not about just overcoming life but advancing the kingdom of God upon the earth. It is about sacred rights of passage as all are experiencing sacrifices and dependency on each other, but also rejoice over each other’s victories.

Definitions
Terminology is also going to change and come to a real place of definition. There is so much confusion concerning this right now. We as the church continue to evolve in understanding we have also looked for wording to describe accurately the revelation we are experiencing. Some words right now are revival, awakening, restoration, reform. Covering, oversight, alignment. Apostle, Apostolic, Commissioning, Ordination, Apostleship. Church, kingdom, culture, community, tribe and spiritual family. Spiritual fathering, Sonship, Fatherhood. Unity, Oneness. These all have different meanings depending upon whom you are with. We spend a lot of time defining and educating in these areas. The problem is leaders reproducing of definitions that are lacking, and then being embraced by those under them. I have constantly run into this as a problem. We are slowly coming to a conclusion on some of these and working out definitions with others.
Defined by What We Produce
But probably the one thing that seems to be lacking simply put, is results. We are filled right now with distractions that are all good and necessary but also keeps us consumed in things and keeps us from have more consistent results. But when these results come, they will come strong and with intensity. They will once again define us, but not with the separation of definitions we currently have. The defining will be from a deep place and speak to holiness, faith, love, authority, and the sense of overall purpose upon the earth. These results will shift mindsets and alliances. The church will become the voice again in culture instead of one of many.
The Finish Line and Governing
We must conclude what we are looking for. Is it revival, awakening, restoration, repentance, reformation? We need to agree on what it is and rightly define it. Exactly what will satisfy the frustrations so many are feeling. Without a finish line we do not have pathway for the journey. What is causing the dissatisfaction? Why does it exist? What does it look like if all things were reconciled to God? This seems to be a major area that has not been touched yet. The division over this is silently alarming. It partly exists because we do not have a true form of Apostolic Kingdom government in place. This has allowed for a wide-open unaccountable mindset. Prophets and Apostles are not given place to voice and lead. They are looked at as a threat instead of a grace blessing. We have no way to say this is the way we are to go, this is how we define, this is what we should all rally around. Because of this we are lacking the synergy of the Body of Christ moving in oneness and the same grace that rested upon the early church. But all the things I have written will cause the Body of Christ to come to that place of oneness of heart, voice, purpose, sacrifice, and intention.

Confrontational Glory
The future will also bring forth confrontations. Some will be in verbal form, others the work will be done in the spirit. While still others will be without saying a word and allowing actions of the heart to speak a clear message. We speak of confronting the culture of the world, but we have yet to confront the culture within the climate of the church. We try not to offend, yet Paul called men by name like Alexander the coppersmith who did him much harm. As men deal with their own hearts and God purges hidden things, confidence and boldness will rise. Men will experience deep conviction again and repentance will come. They will see the foolishness of their ways. Men will lay down their plans and schemes and a single plan will emerge, birthed from heaven, descended into men’s hearts. God will weigh in and give His opinion and finalize His agenda. Along with this will also be much glory revealed. It will not be gold dust or clouds but an honoring glory. A defining moment upon the earth will come and the fourth breath of Ezekiel will be released, bring the final Glory to be seen, a transcended glory. Believers will transcend worldly understanding.
Crowning Glory
God wants to put a crowning glory upon his church. Many in this hour are beginning to qualify themselves to receive crowns. Little to no knowledge of this exist due to the lack of eternal mindsets and preaching in this area. About 2 years ago I had a vision of crowning glory coming upon a person. I then saw it later upon the church. It comes because of suffering and sacrifice that causes suffering. This crown of Gold with jewels inlaid is placed upon the overcomer’s heads. As I saw it in a vision it was the typical med evil looking crown. But one thing was different, the points of the crown were bent. Bent because of the weight of the thickness of the gold the crown was made from. It was almost an inch thick. The greater the suffering to see the true things of God come forth the thicker the crown. The crowns that I saw were all bent under the weight of suffering. This is a unique crown reserved for those who have endured and overcome. This is a great encouragement for those who have been contending in the secret places.
These things are not predictions but observations the Lord has given me. I know they are not all inclusive and there are other things in motion, but these are the main ones

Frustrated Apostles and Prophets

The building process for many apostles and prophets in this hour is very frustrating. Not only do we have many false concepts, wrong commissioning, self-appointed, network appointed and just plain out of Biblical order and alignment of being commissioned; we also have a frustration being carried by these two foundation gifts who are truly apostles and prophets. The frustration comes by not seeing the fruit of the efforts in what we are building after much hard labor has been invested. Building is not speaking at a microphone, nor doing a scheduled meeting. That does not make you an apostle. Apostles are by nature builders, and it’s not building churches, networks, or platforms. Apostles prefer to speak into hearts than to large audiences. That takes time to know what needs invested.

Both apostles and prophets have differing roles in building but desire the same outcome, the Kingdom established and its apostolic people functioning in destiny. What both gifts do is sustain and speak into the second heaven and create atmospheres for the people of God to enter. The prophet is mainly focused on intercession and then worship. The apostles are mainly focused on worship and then intercession. Both are positioned before the throne of God, one to hear a word and the other to implement that word.

Hebrews 3:1–6 (KJV 1900) — 1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. 3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. 4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Moses was called by God to build a house and people for the Lord. In Exodus 19:6, it states this people will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The primary thing required in building is faithfulness. Apostles and prophets must be faithful in staying before God’s throne and in stewarding worship and intercession and the revelations and visions they receive. This faithfulness is also required in the people they are building and building with. Faithfulness is the building mortar that is proven which holds everything together. To build with those who are unfaithful, you risk the chance of having weakness in the body being built and the possibility that it will not hold the weight of what is put upon them. It’s setting up for a possible structure failure.

The same word seen in Hebrews 3 for building is also seen in Ephesians 4:13 equipping the saints for the work of ministry. It means ‘to furnish, equip, prepare, make ready, to construct, erect, with the included idea of adorning and equipping with all things necessary’. It comes from a root word meaning ‘according to the vessel, the implement, the man of quality, a chosen instrument’. In other words, God chooses specifically the building blocks being used to cause the corporate man to rise in maturity and fullness of function.

Frustration #1 Not valuing the same things.

Moses built by delivering the instructions he received on the Mount. He expected the people to be faithful with what was given and make those instructions reality in their lives. The apostles and prophets build the same way today. What they give out has had a high price paid for it to be received and then to be delivered. They expect no less with the Body of Christ. They expect the same valuing as they have. People may not all have the same passion, but they certainly must have the same value systems or there will be chaos and individual belief systems formed. Building without faithfulness will end in building a religious structure and not a living single corporate man expression. Without heavenly instruction, the building will only be in an earthy dimension and understanding.

The way people shift is by teaching on values and then they will change how they function once they see it. They also need those values modeled and implemented as a part of the life of a fellowship. There will always be new people coming along needing instructed but those who are settled on the values should automatically instruct new disciples on those values, not losing anything in the conversations as they are transferred along. God did not need any interpretation to the Ten Commandments or the law He gave to Moses. He expected them to follow it and so did Moses. Values maintain our foundations and enable right decisions to be made concerning assignments, vision, and implementation. Frustrations are formed from not valuing the same things, instructions given by God.

Frustration #2 Frustrating the Grace of God

Paul talked of not frustrating the grace of God from working in His life (Gal. 2:21). Many of us see that verse as pertaining to Paul’s actions. But perhaps he was really speaking to what he allowed himself to build with and how much investment he really did with certain people. He did not want that grace to be ineffective and wasted, nor did he want people to take advantage of it. In other words, Paul tried to steward other people’s actions affecting his life! But Paul not only said he was an administrator of that grace (Eph. 3:2) but that it has been given to be wise in the way he built.

1 Corinthians 3:10–11 (KJV 1900) — 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Paul said he was a wise master builder; this is where we get the word ‘architect’. The root meaning of it is ‘the origin, beginning, first place, active cause’. In other words, what is built is traceable to an origin point in God. He said this grace (ability of God to create change, either by positive or negative actions) was given or commissioned. Grace commissions a person into building wisely and the execution of a strategic plan. I believe many prophets and apostles are frustrated by the frustration being applied by those who don’t fully engage, commit, don’t try to understand or are unwilling to take action.

Frustrations #3 Not Entering Creative Atmospheres

Along with maintaining their position before the throne, the Lord gives them both two things. Prophets receive visions primarily and revelation secondary. Apostles receive revelation primarily and visions secondary. God honors the prophet by using them to bring the visions into words for the Body of Christ. The same way God honors apostles by giving them revelation for the Body of Christ. Both are creating atmosphere to build the people of God, just in different ways and dynamics. Everyone has access to the spiritual realms including 2nd and 3rd heaven. But what sets prophets and apostles apart is that they can influence those realms. Prophets generally ask questions in those realms and apostles engage conversations in those realms. Both are affecting the atmosphere they step into and both are affecting the atmosphere they steward upon the earth. As it is in heaven, so isn’t it supposed to be in the earth? The frustration both have is creating atmospheres and opening them to the Body of Christ to participate in yet the Body doesn’t step into those atmospheres. These are heavenly patterns coming to the earth and the alignment of heaven with earth.

When the saints step into these realms, they begin to be qualified for God’s promotion in their lives and ministries. It causes deeper flow in meetings and brings great activation of the Body of Christ. When these atmospheres open, a supernatural breath of God begins to flow! When people step into these creative eternal atmospheres, they begin to move in the same fashion as the apostle or prophet is operating while they are in that atmosphere. Apostles and Prophets love these atmospheres. But what they love more is when others join them and move with them. This is the forerunner activation for awakening that we are yet to see. We haven’t trained people while they are in these atmospheres because so few are coming along and so few apostolic and prophetic people even understand how to bring people into these eternal realms. Frustrations occur because created realms are not taken advantage of.

Perhaps this blog did not encourage prophets and apostles with any real answers concerning frustrations except to maybe understand the valuable role they play and how God honors them. But my intention was to bring into the light and address the people of God more so and challenge them not to add to frustrations but participate in a willing, pleasing way to eliminate frustration. We can all have as little or as much of God as we desire. Apostolic and prophetic leaders are given to lead. They first go to places in the Spirit and then after blazing the trail, expect the people of God to also come down that path and hold that ground in the Spirit.

Pioneers and Forerunners #2 – Graces of Vision

In my last blog, I spoke of the difference between pioneers and forerunners. Again, I received several good responses. I want to expand that blog since it has helped many people to understand what they are going through. It has also shown me the need to gather the pioneers to get mutual encouragement. I believe most of our conferences are for the forerunners.
Now looking again at pioneers and forerunners, we see that the pioneer is a visionary. They must see afar off and have a sense of direction. The apostolic and prophet graces fall directly into the category of pioneer. They are both visionary and bring new concepts of the future and new paths of spiritual travel. This is not to say there aren’t some pioneers in the other graces of pastor, teacher, and evangelist moving as well. It is just their numbers are very few.
Both apostles and prophets pioneer through the second heavens and make a new path to experience God in the throne room. They confront powers, principalities and oppositions of both demonic and men as they open new ways of seeing and strategy. They have an expectation after all the investment and spiritual work, that the forerunners and settlers will maintain the path and engage into the new discoveries. Both gifts are experiencing frustrations in this hour as they are not fully received nor are the pathways they have opened being received. Mainly pioneers are receiving the revelation from other pioneers. A secondary frustration is what has been opened in the purest form is then shifted or changed by man’s opinions or for man’s own gain. The capitalization of building a person’s own ministry on another’s revelation is doing much damage to many in the Body of Christ. It’s taking advantage of those who have labored in secret and giving them no honor, recognition, or placement in the Body of Christ.
Today we have seen new concepts of the truth being taught by very gifted teachers. These revelatory teachers are not gathering large followings nor settling as teaching centers, but are more transient teachers who are seeding the Body of Christ with revelatory truth. These teachers hang out with apostles and prophets and engage in conversations that are both revelatory and doctrinally sound. They are mature teachers and have deepened their teaching gift with ever increasing revelation.
But primarily, the teaching gift is in the forerunner ministry. They are stationary to grow and establish the Body of Christ. This type of teacher is not so much pursuing revelation to add to their teaching arsenal but is teaching more of the foundations to firmly settle the Body of Christ. They work with Pastors who are in the forerunner category settling people in faith. For the pastor who is frustrated with the constant need to settle people but wants to bring new revelation, they should probably look at their other graces and see if they might be more prophetic and need to shift into the area of pioneering.
It is very easy to see the pastoral grace is a forerunner or a settler type of ministry. The evangelist is there as well building the base of people by expanding the ministry with new converts to the Kingdom. Most pastors are forever consumed with the personal problems and life journeys that people are going through. But the gifting of the prophet and apostle can benefit them greatly. They bring vision and strategy to the people of God pulling them out of their focus on their problems and onto a Kingdom destiny. People who engage in a vision higher than themselves generally see their problems as small and allow them to fade away in their importance. Pastors are in more need of true apostles to give them strategy and bring the Kingdom. True apostles come to partner with and not take over or have them join a network. The days of networks are coming to an end and the time of divine alignments by relationships is upon us. Since I dissolved the network I had years ago, (I had about 80 ministers in it) it became very freeing to not build a structure but to build leaders. I know a lot of people but not everyone I know has been integrated into my network because it does not exist!
So, the understanding of pioneers and forerunners is critical to understand how to function and how to place and value certain things. Take prophecy: there are varying degrees of prophecy. Some is very directive and others are encouraging. The most important words to shift direction on are the prophetic words of prophets and apostles. Other words may be more for the forerunners of places that are establishing the Body of Christ and encourages many. Teaching can be both foundational and revelatory. Revelatory teaching opens vast areas to expand as foundations. Assignments. Many new territories take both apostolic and prophet grace to open while at other times, it’s simply taking what is already established and adding to it.
If we look at the book of Acts, we see the both the pioneering spirit and the forerunner spirit. The first 11 chapters are about the Church in Jerusalem and how it functioned as a forerunner. There were new concepts of taking care of social injustice and new ways of living life in relationship with God. Healing, miracles, and the supernatural are all shown as different from the religious structures. Foundations were laid to build a future upon, based on the fresh revelation of Christ. Acts 12 unfolds as the transitional chapter. Its prophetic symbolism is vast. Peter is locked in prison. Look at it like this; Peter is not locked in prison but the revelation that Peter carried is imprisoned. The Church is praying and crying out for Peter to be released. They are praying for what Peter is carrying to be released. A cry for more revelation. Revelation is released and revelation comes out of prison. Revelation enters a city and it finds a praying Ecclesia! Remember, Peter played a key role of saying Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Peter spoke after Pentecost and explained what was happening. Acts 13 onward is about the pioneers and the expansion of the Kingdom. We see the revelation they received dictated the course they were to go. New territories and new revelation came. Yes, we need the forerunners establishing, but we also need them connected to the pioneers to sustain the new territories they are attaining.

Pioneering or Forerunning

Today as I got up, I started thinking on the life I have had of pioneering or forerunning. I used to think they were the same but after this morning’s reflections; I’ve concluded they are two completely different things.

When you are forerunning, you are announcing to a large group of people who are willing to follow you. Most forerunners have very large or sustainable congregations or larger groups of people already following them. The forerunner is only announcing to a group of people what has already been discovered. Generally, the forerunner is declaring revelation that has already been uncovered but is now finally ready to be received. The forerunner is not alone but has other forerunners to draw strength from. The forerunner looks extremely successful, supposedly has new revelation, numbers of followers, and enough funds to do the work. They seem to get great honor being a forerunner and are greatly appreciated for what they are doing.

Pioneering is different. You are blazing a new trail that has not yet been discovered. It’s a lot harder work because the resources of people are not there and finances are generally really stretched. Pioneers see destiny afar off and are dreamers of a better way. They are removing the obstacles off the path so the forerunners can function. The pioneer walks a pretty lonely road as there are not many around them to draw strength from. Unlike the forerunner who draws strength from followers, the pioneer must draw strength from the vision and destiny. The number of these trail blazers is low, there are not enough funds, and overall, they appear to be unsuccessful. No one wants to come down the blazed trail until it’s been completed. By then, the pioneer has moved on to the next assignment, never settling. They seem to get little honor and are unappreciated or unnoticed being a pioneer.

Over the years, I have been a pioneer desiring to be a forerunner. In all honesty, the forerunner’s followers are hungry to receive the new path, making it easier to do the work of ministry. It’s been a great journey discovering the unknown as I’ve lived a revelatory life but equally frustrating to see what is now a 5 or even 10 year old revelation for me, to be new for the forerunners. In the same moment, it is equally rewarding to know the path you cut was the right path. Yet you come back to the new path in front of you and you wonder again, will the forerunners find this new path or just settle on the path they are on. We experienced the exact same moves of God others have over the last 20 years, but God said “You can stay here and camp or you can let go of it and go deeper”. I chose the deeper while the majority camped.

Combating Leviathan to Bring Light to Iowa

In my last blog, I exposed the Leviathan principality that is working in Iowa. (See past blog) Since the posting, many people have contacted me from other states saying they are combating the same exact things. Many have decided to follow my blog to find answers for their regions. I want to begin to address a strategic plan of spiritual warfare against the demonic forces that we encounter.
How do we fight against an unseen enemy and how do we determine the results? In the past, I have seen many so called prophetic acts that engaged a lot of activity but had little to no results. I do believe in prophetic acts, but only if they are very divinely inspired and prayed into and not a fleeting thought in the moment. I don’t see New Testament apostles doing prophetic acts but actual acts. That’s why the book is called The “Acts” of the Apostles. They were real men sent by God to do real acts of God to display His Kingdom in society. They did not depend on numbers to engage demonic forces but relied strictly on the spiritual authority they had been given. Success was not dependent on everyone agreeing or even understanding. It was based on them hearing God’s voice clearly and obeying. We are to pull down strongholds. You don’t pull strongholds down as an individual but with a group of people. This is an action of a group of people who demolish a fortress brick by brick until there is nothing left that remains. This, to me is the first step in strategy, finding the group of warriors.
We also need to find apostles and prophets. I’m not talking about those who want to be or who might be called, but commissioned apostles appointed by Christ, not men and assumptions. These will only be the ones carrying true authority to deal with deep things in the second heaven. They will know the time and moment to step into the heavens and begin to make the shifts. We also must have Christ appointed prophets as well. Ones who declare the true word of God, speaking what must be said. All apostles require and need prophets and all prophets require and need apostles. I have come to a conclusion over time that unless these divine Christ appointed relationships are in place, the strategy of God will not be fully known. If these relationships do not exist, then there is improper alignment, rebellion, or they are not truly called to operate in the grace of these two callings. These giftings will reveal the true word of God over regions and allow that word to be documented so that the Church can war with it. It becomes the spiritual roadmap that reveals the future and causes hope to arise and faith to be activated. The Biblical pattern in the book of Acts shows that when a principality was operating in a region, then Apostolic/Prophetic teams were sent into an area. They understood the culture and the demonic influences behind the people’s belief systems. They began to confront the principality by confronting what people believed. This is probably the primary way of defeating demonic oppression and deception. This occurs until a divine moment of time, confronting each head of Leviathan and weakening the overall principality. We need apostolic / prophetic teams to not just do meetings but go into regions and occupy for a season until breakthrough begins to happen.
Prayer is a key strategic point. There must be prayer over God’s people and decrees over demons plaguing God’s people. Prayer that seeks the heart of God to cause a person’s own heart to be changed. Prayers that communicate the burden we are carrying so God can adjust that burden. Prayer is what maintains and protects God’s people. But prayer alone will not bring changes so much in culture as tarrying to hear God’s plans and strategies is needed. This is more key than anything. In the past when we confronted principalities, we prayed for God’s people, interceded for the lost, made decrees and did lots and lots of deliverance over the people under the demonic oppression. We taught truth and held a Kingdom standard. The prayer room or prayer time was a key time because it allowed us to move into the spiritual realm as a contending group. It was not so much the act of prayer but what it allowed to be produced in us as a corporate Body. It was not just a few of us on the journey of prayer but all of us together. After all, we ALL were on assignment so everything we did, we did together. This was key because it caused our hearts to be knit in His purpose as all of us experienced and heard the same things. We also could hear each other’s heart and understood each other’s hearts. There was as much said and spoken in the prayer gathering as there was in our main meetings. The prayer meeting would set the stage for what God would then form in our main meetings. Without the time in the prayer gathering, a person would be at a disadvantage in understanding the overall direction as things unfolded.
All things will contribute to the weakening of demonic oppression. Healing, winning souls, deliverance, etc., all weaken evil influences. These things are very important, but if the Church is needing awakened, then these things will be hard to set into motion. People will only change how they function after they change what they value. So we must teach and teach and teach as people are perishing for lack of Kingdom knowledge. This has been and currently is the season of revelatory teachers needed. What they are forming is the people of God activated and functioning in real authority.
Now let me give a warning. What seems to happen when we start talking of principalities is there are a lot of ideas and Godly intentions, but little of it fits into an overall plan and strategy to take demonic opposition out of the way. Also, it seems that people can get very fixated on the demonic and not on the Lord thus even empowering demonic forces with their faith. All the good ideas will contribute to the overall success possibly, but they can also distract the Church as it divides people into different groups and passions with no real overall Kingdom plan or agenda unfolding. It can be said these initiatives are Kingdom but are they strategic, playing into an overall Kingdom plan of God? I have seen this in our state with some things that can appear to be a good initiative but don’t have a long-term goal or plan that continues. People can walk away feeling good about what they accomplished but when all is said and done, there was little to no impact. We must be sure we are hearing God and to know the application of what we hear. We must know how our initiatives fit into a larger plan.
The main thing is that we have grown accustomed to life as it is. Human nature is already non-confrontational. The deception we live with is thinking we have already arrived or that things are not really that bad. This mindset needs addressed first. We can’t have change unless we are discontent with the status quo. But there will come a moment of in time, divinely led and inspired, when a corporate group pf people are gathered and in faith will confront Leviathan head on and cut the heads off it. These people will then stand in faith afterwards not giving any ground in the spiritual realm back. This will literally shift the heavens and the atmosphere over a region. It takes time to defeat Principalities. We see Paul weakening many demonic forces over time. This is like a giant chess match being played out with the ultimate prize being a true sovereign move of God unfolding. It is the removing of what is detrimental to allow the light of God to shine into men’s hearts.
We truly need a divine sovereign move of God. Every meeting becomes another key step. Another step in the unfolding plan of God dominion and alignment of hearts. Every person is seen as a possible key to contributing to Kingdom advancement. The mindset is to advance. Advance in gatherings, advance seeing God in lives, advance seeing Kingdom people touching society and seeing that touch influence culture.

Leviathan Restricting the Light of Iowa

Leviathan Restricting the Light of Iowa
I have been under severe attack in the last couple weeks. I had overwhelming thoughts to quit, depression and hopelessness and a host of others things. It is similar to when I took on another stronghold over a region and began battling it. Some of these are coming from things I have taken on to break off of people and others I believe are directly related to what I am preaching on and stirring in the spirit realm. My car was recently bombed by large birds on the windshield late at night. It reminded me of the witchcraft of Africa I have experienced.
There is a stronghold setting over our state. I had a prophetic word that I would not just break a stronghold off our state but it would affect the central USA. I have dealt with principalities before in Africa and here. I know what it takes to displace them and all that comes with it. There is much speculation concerning what demonic activity is going on in our state. All the way from no knowledge to some, to speculation, to fantasy. It takes revelation to know what to combat. It also takes research and study along with discernment without speculation. But one thing seems to remain consistent, everyone speaks of a demonic principality called Leviathan as the agent of the demonic.
First let me bring clarity to Leviathan. Leviathan, a twisting coiling serpent, is a seven headed principality working with strong demonic agents. In mythology, it would coil around the head, eyes and ears to restrict light, stop ears and hold the mind from understanding. This principality creates indebtedness. In mythology, it lived in rivers. Before I moved to the capital city, this demonic force was over our region. I finally combated it and overcame with a large group of leaders and spiritual warriors. The result was an announcement made by the large cult in our hometown that they had lost control of the spiritual realm over the region. People then began to feel the presence of God 20 miles outside of our city as they drove into town. The night we confronted this demonic force, a man had a vision that we had cut off five of the seven heads by our actions. That night five people died mysterious deaths in our small community!
Now to see the application the Lord has shown me. Leviathan’s seven heads are seven strongholds or smaller principalities. This is what makes it so hard to confront and change. We believe one of the heads is actually Leviathan when it is not. It is the combination of several demonic forces. Also understand that Leviathan will gather different heads to complete different task over regions. So the list I present is specific for Iowa. Other areas may have a similar list or even an exact list. I’ve identified the following heads: Pride, Jealousy, Spirit of Diana or Restraint, Religious spirit, Bondage, Murder, Spirit of Saul or False Leadership. Now these are root spirits producing certain fruit attached to them. The fruit is not the spirit but is only the outcome of its activity. But each one can seem to be dominant in itself. Leviathan is the “life source” or overall director of these seven heads working together in conjunction to perform a demonic activity. The tangled weave makes it hard to get a clear perspective. The main thing is to realize everything has an alignment and an attachment.
Iowa means sleepy one and here we are in our nation contending for awakening! This Leviathan spirit has so constricted and restrained, it has suffocated the Church in Iowa to put to sleep both the revelation of God and the people of God. It is the god of this age that has blinded the minds of the unbelievers lest they would believe the Gospel. It is not talking about the gospel of salvation but the gospel of the Kingdom of God. The restriction and unwillingness to really embrace revelation is directly related to pride in hearts and jealousy in actions. Pride enters the heart and keeps the person from seeing their lack or the self-deceived state they are in. This seems to bring forth a lack of true ownership for the Word of God and the revelation of the Lord that is given. This is the very thing the Iowa Band fought in the 1850’s in Iowa, the rejection of revelation as it was replaced with self reasoning. A new type of enlightenment came into Iowa in the 1930’s as the “age of enlightenment” appeared and man’s reasoning was found superior to God’s. This began a release of the religious spirit and an institutionalized Christianity began to appear.
This principality creates indebtedness and that indebtedness is seen in obligation to religious practices and institutions, specifically to the Goddess Diana found in Acts 19. Diana means ‘fully enlightened but flow restrained’. It works alongside Leviathan to bring a false enlightenment and it works to remove the ability to reproduce. It makes the temple an idol and we have done the same by pouring millions of dollars into structures instead of injustices. Today people pick ministries to associate with based many times on the beauty of a building instead of the presence of God. In Acts 19:27, there was concern when Paul confronted the teaching of this type of restraining structure at Ephesus. They were worried their “craft” would be in jeopardy as they made their living from this craft. The Lord told me the craft is the ability to restrain flow while convincing people they are enlightened. The result is people think being a good person is good enough. Getting involved in different causes, volunteerism, and doing the weekly duty and obligation (indebtedness) had created a knowledge of God without true deep relationship with God. We have knowledge of God, have acquaintance with God but don’t really know Him.
The ability to create large places of gathering without a life-giving flow has released the spirit of jealousy with leaders. Desiring to have large congregations, a compromise can settle in hearts to not present the full truth, thus empowering Leviathan even more. Competition arises and the outcome releases the spirit of murder as character assassination begins. Instead of letting God deal in hearts to convict and expose, fault finding in individuals, instead of judging with righteous judgements occurs. We can judge if something isn’t Biblical and we are suppose to, we can only discern what spirit something is from. With discernment shifted to speculation, coming from competition and jealousy, we must confess we have little to no Biblical discernment operating.
These things contribute to many stepping out of their primary calling and trying to step into a grace that has not been imparted to them. This has created a lot of confusion within the Body of Christ concerning function, identity, leadership and authority. It causes a drawing back as to who to believe, thus we don’t believe anyone except our own belief system and actually end with an open ended belief system. These progressive things have created a suspicion concerning other leaders and an unwillingness to embrace true apostolic government, authority, order and alignment. No true apostolic council exists in Iowa. There are few apostles and few strong prophets. Our state is lacking drastically in this area. They have not been received, (not receiving revelation) and when they have appeared, they have been rejected. But what is odd is the number of those “who say they are apostles but are not”. Without getting into a lengthy teaching, there simply is no apostolic fruit, no reproduction of sons, no apostolic lifestyle and no apostleship to verify the authentic calling. Leviathan has stopped the reproduction of Kingdom leadership and the heritage of fruit produced. This has created an endless variety of belief systems and has actually paralyzed the Body of Christ for some time.
But God always has a remnant reserved to bring forth the ancient paths and ancient ways. This is a remnant that has held fast to what they believe and refused mixture and compromise. A remnant willing to confront demonic forces and sees plainly both the mixed things and the intentions of God. There are remnant pockets in Iowa emerging. Places fueling hunger and answering the emptiness of people’s hearts. These places preach uncompromised messages and bring real encounters with God with power and signs and wonders. They are beginning to disciple in Kingdom principles and apostolic alignments. But for the most part, they are emerging outside of the current structures because the current structures have been infiltrated with the heads of Leviathan.
We are also not just finding these pockets but beginning to find the ones within the structures who want to break out of the bondages of lack. Amazingly, many traditional denominational leaders desire the Spirit filled lifestyle and all that it brings. I can see these two groups are the ones carrying hunger for awakening, and will be the voices of it as well. Those who are currently “Spirit filled” really need to examine their lives and motives as I can see them almost being left behind because of mindsets of believing they have already “arrived”.
The recent attack I experienced came after speaking on the Glory of God. I believe this is part of combating this spirit, along with outpouring meetings and healing meetings. The Lord told me that Iowa will not experience a move brought by someone from the outside but from those within. The fire we seek will only be sustained by those living in the land. He also told me the outpouring we desire will only come as people’s hearts are healed from the wounds they have experienced and disappointments from what they have experienced in the faith. In other words, we must break the Leviathan influences off of them. The army we seek is in both the prodigals and broken-hearted ones and the millennials who are wired to carry a true move of God.
Let me also clarify what I’m talking about when I say ‘glory’. I’m not talking about the typical glory manifested in a room that so many seem to be chasing, but the glory of God within an individual that is always present to display Christ. The glory that is the highest glory is this inward glory. Manifest glory comes and goes and does not sustain. It is an Old Testament glory. A glory like Moses experienced and is transitional to encourage into the future but it is fading. The glory that is within is transformational. It is ever expanding. Manifested glory is for the saints to believe, but the glory within is to go on mission. Demonic forces will never be stopped by us entertaining each other inside the walls hoping for God to manifest, but cultural change will occur as we go outward and do mission. This is the manifestation of the sons of God outside the walls not inside. This is what the whole earth is groaning for in Romans 8. Now if this is the real answer, the final response from man to confront everything and bring forth Eternity, then anything that brings forth light to shine will confront the deepest darkness. That’s what the glory within in is, a huge light we carry. Once that light begins to shine in our daily lives, then everything begins to change drastically.
I’ll post more as revelation increases.

Transitional Tarrying

This blog will be kind of different than many I write. It’s been a long time since I blogged and you probably noticed my Face Book posting is less often as well. Hopefully the following will explain some things. I am sharing how I have tarried through about a one year transition within my spirit. I hope you will see how God’s dealing occurred and how He formed things in me. Anything of any true value takes time to build. Anything that occurs quickly may have shallowness to it. Many have asked me to travel and speak. Many of you reading this have even asked me. I have either not responded or have been vague in my answer. You see, I just don’t want to go do another meeting. I enjoy the fellowship, the friendship and even the traveling. I love meeting new people and really enjoy teaching the Body of Christ the revelation given to me. I decided about a year ago to slow way down almost to a halt in traveling until I felt I really could leave an impact. I’ve been doing a long stretch of tarrying and waiting on the Lord. I could have pushed forward opening my own doors like many do, but I knew I would miss what God wanted to do deep in me of developing something of eternal weightiness.

I have been concerned about how much energy we put into so many meetings and yet still do not get lasting breakthrough. We are engaging with the Omnipresent God in a room but have not developed an atmosphere for the manifest presence of God dropping heaven to earth with holiness and power. This has been the journey I have been on for a year now. A pursuit in the ways of God that many in the past season found. When I see and hear of those who have gone before us and the legacy they brought, I have to ask God what is lacking in how we do things. This has caused me to come to a conclusion, we are having good meetings but they may not be what we claim them to be. I have watched from afar and seen many people touched for possibly the first time by God. I have seen a lot of money spent, time used, and even hope be applied to only come up to an invisible ceiling that seems to be the finish line.

It also has set me on a private journey with myself and my BASE family for almost a year. We are Kingdom minded, apostolic driven and have formed a holy community, yet things are still missing. This journey was to possibly find the “missing” things the early Church seemed to have to impact culture. As revelation has come to me, my ministry became the place of the “holy experiment”. As I occasionally spoke at different places, I would release these different revelations and saw the impact upon people and even the atmosphere of the rooms change drastically. I have seen the fear of God come as people trembled under His presence without getting prayer (from an altar ministry setting). I have seen holy silence and a holy hush. I have also seen people crying out to God. I can honestly say with all sincerity, I don’t have all the answers and in the same breath, I know I have some of the answers.

During this past season, I did what was at hand, building relationships, teaching in our Awakening School of Leadership, and overseeing the ministry. I did speak at some places as asked. But during this time as God was forming in me, He was confirming things I knew to be true. I have had several prophetic words about being in hiding and coming out. Words about traveling and impacting and an overwhelming amount of affirmation of carrying something the Body of Christ really needs in this hour. Many cannot believe I am not out already. Yet I have held fast and told God unless I really know I am carrying something, something to impact and not just perform at another meeting, I won’t be going. In this last season, I did travel but usually just to see sons and daughters and occasionally I would speak. This has caused me to go through many tests as a leader. A word test, a time test, a patience test, a motive test and a host of others. God has dealt with me in some very pointed ways. He has dialogued with me very strongly about the deposit He has given me and what I’m truly doing with it. He also has told me it is time to run the next race and everything to this point has only been training for what I’m about to do. Visitations are increasing for me and a few months back, I had an angelic visitation with a healing angel. At first it appeared I did not receive my healing, but over time it has proven I did indeed and in an over- the-top type of way. I also am having increased visitations from the Holy Spirit manifesting and preaching to me, and the Spirit of the Lord coming to speak to me.

One prophetic word I received in this past year had 3 distinct dates. The month of May is the first one as a type of on- ramp to the next season. Now May is about finished and after almost a year of wrestling, I have decided to step into the next season. I asked God to give me a specific thing to confirm the next season being here and He did. I know more will unfold as the next 2 dates unfold, but they are several months out and even over a year away. Obedience in tarrying is part of the key the early Church knew that we have abandoned. We are allowing schedules to drive us and not always letting the Spirit lead us. The early Church waited until the right timing. We believe the timing is always in the moment we receive revelation. But revelation takes time to grab hold of in the heart and spirit. I know from serving in a prophetic office for 8 years (years ago) that the longer you hold something, the greater it becomes in your spirit. The revelation I have has been released some but is still developing as well.

I will continue to tarry, but the overall season of tarrying for the transition is coming to an end. This means this next season for me will be to begin to travel, not to do meetings, but to shift atmospheres, release needed revelation and bring God’s sovereign ways into people’s lives. The Lord has indeed brought me into a “next level” of things and He is now really pushing me to make this transition. I feel unprepared in many ways while at the same time feeling totally prepared. My desire to see the Body of Christ truly grow up and become manifest sons far outreaches any fears or insecurities I may have. I really covet your prayers as I step forward as I sense much of the way of what I will do will look very different than what might be expected. I will maintain my lead role at the BASE in Iowa and also teach in the Awakening School of Leadership that we have established. I will expand relationships in the state of Iowa even more, as The BASE is called to do a statewide work. I am writing a new book right now and plan on producing more written materials in the next transition. Right now I have a business that takes a lot of my time as it is my main income stream. I am in the process of selling it and living a life of faith once again.

So I am now planning a summer/ fall schedule of traveling and imparting revelation. I already have several ministries I will be traveling to and have been asked to speak at a national conference in October. Along with this, an apostle has asked me to speak to several pockets of his spiritual sons to impart to them. If you think I can benefit your ministry and you’re interested (not in another meeting) but really pursuing to bring something fresh into existence, then give me a call and let’s partner together for the Kingdom. In the past, I have not contacted anyone to speak and only go where I have been invited. I will continue this policy in the future as well.

Fathering, the way to form 5- fold leaders

As I have studied spiritual fathering and being a spiritual father for about 20 years, I can quickly see the benefits of this for the sons and daughters being developed. I see the great need in the Body yet so many in need of this are sitting under leaders that have no idea of what spiritual fathering is.

The Lord has led me to start a new school in the fall of this year that is to be both a ministry school and a school of fathering. I oversaw a ministry school for 13 years and I knew this had to look different. As I looked around, I didn’t see a model so I have had to work through many things to put together a school that trains for ministry but has fathering within it. We won’t be charging for fathering but for the training part of the school. I am really excited for the school to begin and I see a more solid Biblical pattern for training leaders than ever before. This is leading me to write this blog.

I don’t want to just turn out students; I want strong and true sons and daughters. I know the approach is relationship based and is not forced. Our current models of training leaders is to send them to school, train and equip them with knowledge and some opportunities, and then send them out to do ministry and establish new works. My heart recently broke when a young girl who was in a school of minsitry I talked with was crying out for a father to speak to her. You guess it I was the one and it was fantastic. I realized for all our training we are still not touching the real heart issues needing to be shifted. Yet, as I look at the early Church, there is no real Biblical pattern showing forth the training of five-fold ministry. There is no pattern on how to form a prophet, apostle or any other grace gift. It appears all the emphasis we place on these graces is not as important in the early church. Perhaps we have missed something.

What we do see though is the training of sons and daughters. We see spiritual fathering and sons and daughters responding to that fathering. We also see those same sons and daughters being given responsibilities from the fathers and assignments to complete. We see them laboring along with fathers and knowing their hearts. I wonder if the reason Jesus only appointed apostles and spoke of them was because all true apostles are fathers. We know that the apostle’s role is also to father the future leaders. Of course we see the best dynamic unfolding with Paul and Timothy.  Timothy moved from his son ship to be a leader in the Ephesus church. Along the way, Paul’s heart was reproduced within him and Paul’s voice was heard through him to the Corinthian church as he delivered and read the letters to them. Paul was forming a future apostle by forming a son.

Could the recognition of false apostles and prophets that Paul talked of be more about them having no real father than trying to be something they are not? At least, some of them?  True fathering can easily be seen in a leader’s life. Look at David after defeating Goliath. King Saul asked a simple question of Abner, the captain of the host, “Whose son is this youth?” (I Samuel 17:55) He knew it took a certain type of father to form a certain type of leader.

Paul was adamant with Timothy about his lineage. He told Timothy he saw the heritage in Timothy through his mother and grandmother. Then he told him to look for faithful men who can teach others also. He never told Timothy to go train five-fold leaders. Paul actually never gave a single example of training fivefold ministers but all he taught can be applied to sons. He did tell him to find those qualified as faithful and from those, create sons who will teach others! This sounds like a Biblical pattern of raising five-fold ministry gifts.

I have come to a conclusion that we have created five-fold ministry by more of a worldly pattern with the giving of knowledge in schools of ministry. By knowledge, we define giftings and to a large degree, callings. We set people into the place of five-fold. Some make it while many struggle or even fail. Many were never ready but their schooling says ‘you have graduated or are ready’. Then from that foundation of knowledge, we try to form fathers from five-fold leaders who were never really sons. I believe the more Biblical pattern of forming five-fold leaders is to father them first, to pour life experience in with the Biblical knowledge.  Then from the depths of fathering, the gift will be seen and recognized. The father would release the sons and daughters into ministry.  In other words, five-fold giftings, which are really graces, should be coming forth from fathers. By having true sons and daughters doing ministry, I believe we would see a tremendous impact with ministries and the face of Christianity would appear very different.

I know this is a tremendous paradigm shift of the current approaches and way of training. We have defined so much by Greek and Hebrew language instead of the Kingdom language of heaven. Perhaps the real “equipping” needed in the Body is not just the knowledge of Truth but application of Truth coming from fathers who have made that Truth a part of their life. In other words the equipping is really spiritual fathering! If that is the role of the five-fold, then how can the five-fold father equip the Body without them first being true sons and daughters?

So my premise of this blog is to announce my own paradigm shift concerning training leaders and what is really expected from sons and daughters. I, like William Penn as the nation was being formed, am starting a “Holy Experiment” in a new way of raising sons and daughters and five-fold leaders in our school this fall starting in Sept. If you’re interested in this forerunning, pioneering school, you can find more information on our FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1468560813402697/.