I am an Intercessory Missionary Called To The Marketplace

 

Around 97% of the Church is comprised of marketplace Christians.   These believers lead busy, full lives and most of them work over 40 hours each week.   Since their lifestyles are justifiably less given to Church activities, they are commonly viewed as less spiritual, often leading them to feel like second-class citizens of God’s Kingdom.

This unspoken disqualification of marketplace Christians has had a catastophic effect upon the Church’s fullness and maturity.  Sincere believers often find themselves bored with Christianity and ignorant of the relevance of their gifts and callings.  Most are missing the practical, Biblical tools to rightly blend vocation with passionate devotion to God.  Therefore, the Church remains ill-prepared for the approaching storm in the days to come.

In this hour, the Holy Spirit is bridging the gap between the board room and The Prayer Room by awakening eternal purpose in the daily routine of every employee – from the mailroom clerk to high-powered CEO.   This new revelation of the potential of the workplace is exploding into our city through prayer, fasting, and radical giving.  Many intercessors have been raised up to contend with Jesus’ heart for these vital members of the body of Christ to take their stand in the Kingdom of God as spiritual leaders.

We are committed to equipping marketplace believers through prayer, training, and resources.  As we lift up the working Christians of Salem and the Northwest, God is reclaiming His spiritual inheritance in the marketplace, redeeming this valid mission field, and creating a spiritual oasis for the lost to find Jesus! We will do this by being a bridge between the prayer movement and the marketplace as we build our own business and labor among both worlds.

Hearing God Bible Study This Thursday the 21st at 6:30pm

Where? 2240 Hoyt St SE. Salem, Oregon

When? Thursday the 21st at 6:30pm

What? An open discussion based Bible study at our home. To be clear this is not a study on whether God speaks but an exploration of the ways He does speak and how we can better listen!

Hearing God. We are desiring for every believer to have confidence in hearing God for themselves. We long to study and release others with the tools needed to hear the Lord’s voice more clearly in your life. This is an inter-denominational, multi-church training, so all are welcome to join.

Some of the topics will include:

- “Intimacy with God” communication
- “We can all hear God”
- “Foundations of the Prophetic Ministry”
- “Growing in the Prophetic – part 1″
- “Growing in the Prophetic – part 2″
- “Spiritual Discernment

Thick-Headed Or Thick-Skinned and Shaking, Stretching And The Renewed Wineskin by Tim Meredith and Jacob Ray

Thick-Headed Or Thick-Skinned

Tim Meredith

May 29, 2004

“Don’t let today’s refreshing become tomorrow’s tradition!”

It was nine some years ago when the Lord first spoke those words to my spirit. I was at the height of my own personal Renewal experience. Life was exciting in those days, though terribly difficult, and my zeal for the Lord was at an all time high. It much resembled this famous quote from Charles Dickens in his novel The Tale of Two Cities.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven . . .”

Charles Dickens also said, “Minds, like bodies, will often fall into a pimpled, ill-conditioned state from mere excess of comfort.” Thank God He’s not allowing that to happen to us!

I can still see myself back then, getting crazy at some charismaniac blow out, hopped up on caffeine and the Holy Ghost, grooving on every manifestation the good Lord was willing to throw my way. But what He said stopped me in my tracks. “Don’t let today’s refreshing become tomorrow’s tradition.” The realization that this season of refreshing wouldn’t last forever sobered me out of my Holy Spirit stupor (give me another drink . . . thank you Scott Underwood).

Then the Lord asked an unsettling question.

“When this new wineskin becomes old, will you be willing to let Me give you yet another wineskin? Will you allow me to stretch you and shape you and make you ready for what’s coming next?” Somehow I knew that what was coming next wouldn’t be the standard charismatic party.

You see something is coming next. Something big. I don’t know if it’s next week, next month, next year, or the year 2929. But I know something big is coming and the Lord is in the process of outfitting us with a new wineskin. Ouch!

My good friend Jacob Ray recently shared a vision (for this experience see below) he had of the new wineskin. The Lord spoke to me through the picture Jake shared and said, “I expect my people to be `thick-skinned’”. I would like to share some thoughts with you on why this is important and hopefully encourage you in whatever situation the Lord has you placed.

Yes, there is new outpouring on its way. And those of us who want to participate in it will experience a lot of criticism from several camps. This is one reason we must be “thick-skinned.” Many will think we are simply “thick-headed.”

One more thing . . . I don’t profess to know what the next outpouring will specifically look like. But I do feel the Lord has revealed some of its characteristics.

1. The next great outpouring will not be like anything this generation has experienced before. Though accompanied by signs & wonders, miracles & healing, there will be aspects of this move that many will find offensive. Even more offensive than what we called Renewal. We must be thick-skinned.
2. The next great outpouring will offend the Religious. That probably goes without saying, because every great outpouring in history offended the religious. Those with religious spirits will attack us without mercy. We must be thick-skinned.
3. The next great outpouring will offend the World system. Yes, many will come to the Lord because of it, but the system will rebel. Expect persecution from the government, in the workplace, and from the media. We must be thick-skinned.
4. The next great outpouring will offend the practitioners of “old-time renewal.” This too is consistent with Kingdom history. Those who are unwilling to leave the past move of God will resist the next move. They will not realize their manna has become moldy and full of worms. Some of our biggest attacks will come from this camp. We must be thick-skinned.

Most will think we are just “thick-headed.” When we put on the helmet of salvation we’ll be considered thick-headed. When we take on the mind of Christ we’ll be considered thick-headed. When we set our face like flint we’ll be considered thick-headed.

Have you recently been offended? Are you struggling to forgive? Is the Lord challenging the man-pleasing spirit that still resides within you? Does it seem that no matter how hard you try, no one seems to understand your intention? Have you recently been betrayed? Does life seem unfair? Has the Lord placed you in an uncomfortable position, a place you’ve never been before?

Hang on. You’re just being fitted with your new wineskin. And boy is that skin thick! The good news is that the training ground is usually more difficult then the actual event.

Remember this . . . one common characteristic that will be shared by all of us who participate in the next great move of God is the unwillingness to quit. Press on! Push through! Never quit!

Living In The Desert and Learning To Love It, Tim Meredith

Shaking, Stretching And The Renewed Wineskin.

Jacob Ray

windwords7@yahoo.com

This is the word as I submitted to the leadership of our local body. I left it unchanged so as to preserve the way it came to me. Though I won’t say that everything in this word applies to the larger body of Christ (specifically the date portion of this word), I humbly submit this to you all, being convinced that much of what is contained in here is for many more than our local body only.

“I received this word Saturday night and shared it with Don Pike after the service in Albany. Please check the date and time with him if you want to. Considering all the emphasis on “shaking” that came forth Sunday morning I feel that I should submit this to you for your consideration.

I heard the lord clearly say that there was going to be 3 months of shaking, stretching, and pounding mixed with oil and water in order to attempt to prepare the wineskin of our body for His new wine. He said it would be hard but that it was necessary. In order to take an old wineskin and prepare it to receive new wine there is a process that must be done that includes oil and water being saturated into the skin and then you pound (which produces shaking) and stretch the skin into a pliable condition that is once again ready to receive new wine and not see it lost by a bursting (let’s not even go there!! :-0 ).

I felt like I was to look at my phone for the date and do the math. 3 months from Saturday is July 17th.

I also felt that the Lord is going to do Supernaturally to our “wineskin” what is not possible in the natural and that is to add “new leather” to the existing skin in order to produce some changes that He has in mind. He did not elaborate much but I do believe that this speaks more directly to the Leadership team and I am expecting some “additions” as the Lord sees fit.

At first I was a little disheartened when I saw how much “shaking” was coming, but the Lord assured me that even though this will be hard (working leather is a very demanding, physical endeavor in the natural) that it’s goal was of great benefit to us if we will yield to the full measure of what He is doing, not stopping short. I believe in your leadership my friend and I do not believe that you will let us stop short.

The up side to the shaking/stretching is of course the water and the oil!!! We get to be saturated in it WHILE the pounding/shaking and stretching is taking place. Yahoo!!!

Come saturate and permeate our lives Lord and go to work!! Make us ready to receive that what you have laid in reserve for us. Let us walk the path of Love, Forgiveness and Rest resulting in beholding the Glory of the Lord with unveiled sight in ever increasing clarity, thereby transforming us into your very image revealing the son’s of God on the earth. All of creation is waiting for YOU in me!! So be it Lord Jesus!!”

Called To Die, Die To Live

Tim Meredith

timmeredith59@sbcglobal.net

June 12, 2004

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints,” Psalm 116:15.

“The Lord loves the smell of roasting lamb,” Jill Austin.

Not only is our death precious to the Lord, HE is the one who is trying to kill us!

It’s not like we haven’t been warned. Just think of all the ways Jesus tells us that He is going to kill us; trading old wineskins for new, pruning our vines, circumcising our hearts, losing our life to find it, forsaking all to follow Him.

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you,” 1 Peter 4:12.

We all agree that the blood of Jesus is so very precious to us. But did you know OUR blood is precious to Him?

“He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight,” Psalm 72:14.

Quit fighting it.

I know from personal experience. I fight it, I try to fix it, I run from it, I pray against it, I indulge my flesh to ease the pain. I even begin to miss that part of me that the Lord is killing. I get angry, I complain loudly, I get depressed, I pout. Hey, I hope I’m not alone here! Can you relate?

So what should we do?

Humbly submit. Relax and let the Master Surgeon finish His work. After all, He is the one who is allowing this in your life. You belong to Him! He is the potter and you are the clay.

“Trust and obey For there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus But to trust and obey.”

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:5-7.

Dear Friend, whatever you may be going through, just know that you are not alone. Seek peace before solution. Reach out an encouraging hand to someone who has it worse then you. And look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

Very soon you will be soaring with the eagles!

A SEASON OF DOUBLE RETURN- by Tim Meredith

A SEASON OF DOUBLE RETURN

Tim Meredith

Jun 12, 1999

While leaving a house-warming party last week, I observed a young lady carrying out a six-pack of soda pop to take home. As she was making her way to the car, several children approached her and asked for a pop. She ended up giving all six cans away, leaving her with only the empty tab. I approached her and asked for this plastic tab. I jokingly held it up in the air and began to sing “Fill my tab, Lord, I lift it up, Lord”. We all laughed and went our separate ways.

Later in the day I got the idea to buy some of that same pop and give it to the young lady as both a continuation of that joke and also a small act of kindness to bless her. As I was heading to the store to do this the Lord began showing me a picture of a 12-pack. I asked the Holy Spirit if this was somehow significant and He said it was. He than gave me the following word which I believe is for His church in this hour.

The Holy Spirit said the 12-pack of soda was a prophetic sign that represented His people entering a season of double return. He said we were to focus on the positive side of Matthew 7:2, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” You see the severity of God stipulates that when we use a negative measure on others, we will reap what we sew out of that judgmental attitude. But the kindness of God stipulates that when we measure out grace, mercy, and kindness, these things will be measured out to us. We will indeed “reap what we sew”.

The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said that the Master of the Vineyard pays wages to His workers as He chooses. He said we are entering a season (I don’t know for how long) when the Lord chooses to repay what we give out by two-fold. Although I feel this applies to material things I felt impressed that the Holy Spirit wanted us to focus on the more important things, specifically grace, mercy, and kindness. He will extend double to His people the amount of grace, mercy, and kindness that His people extend to others (saved and unsaved) in this season. I also felt that Lord impressing on me to not take this offer lightly, but to look for ways to take advantage of His loving kindness. I urge you to do the same.

Finally, I believe the following scripture applies in this season. As you read this scripture, please note that Paul is referring to more than just material blessings;

2 Corinthians 9:6-15, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

The Lord confirmed this word to me in a most interesting way. When I went inside the store to purchase the soda, I found the exact brand I was looking for on sale; buy one, get one free!

Praise God for His Grace, His Mercy, His Loving Kindness, and His awesome sense of humor.

Tim Meredith

YOUR COMING PROSPERITY-by Tim Meredith

YOUR COMING PROSPERITY

Tim Meredith

Jeremiah’s Prayer: “Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good. Do men make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!” Jeremiah 16:19b-20.

The Lord’s Reply: “Therefore I will teach them-this time I will teach them my power and my might. Then they will know that my name is the Lord.” Jeremiah 16:21.

There are many in the Body today who are on the verge of entering their season of personal prosperity. Now, when I speak of “Your Coming Prosperity” I’m referring to MANY VARIED forms of blessing. This prosperity can manifest itself as money, health, new employment, relationships, etc, etc. Prosperity is being defined here as a sudden influx of abundance into an area of your life in which you had been suffering lack. There are a few things I believe the Lord wants me to share with you concerning this.

DO NOTHING BUT TRUST

The first thing you need to hear is simply “keep on trusting God.” You’ve been doing quite well so far, but things are coming to a head and you’ve recently been tempted to take matters into your own hands. DON’T YOU DARE DO IT! YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!! Then, after your prosperity manifests in the natural, pay heed to the following caution.

BEWARE: PROSPERITY CAN BECOME IDOLATRY

The second thing you need to hear is this: “Don’t let your coming prosperity become more important than God! This is idolatry!” Any type of idolatry can have serious repercussions in your life. Let’s examine the effect it had on the Children of Israel as described in Jeremiah 17.

THIS IDOLATRY SEARS YOUR HEART AND AFFECTS YOUR WORSHIP

“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.” Jeremiah 17:1.

THIS IDOLATRY AFFECTS YOUR CHILDREN

“Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills.” Jeremiah 17:2.

THIS IDOLATRY WILL CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR PROSPERITY

“My mountain in the land and your wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country.” Jeremiah 17:3.

YOU’LL HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF

“Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you.”

Jeremiah 17:4a.

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL

You may be thinking that there is no danger of this happening to you, for you’ve learned your lessons well over the years. Unfortunately for all of us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

THE LORD KNOWS OUR HEART BETTER THAN WE DO

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Keep trusting the Lord. We HAVE learned to trust the Lord during rough times. But it is vitally important that we KEEP trusting Him AFTER the blessing comes! “Trusting” works just as well in the good times as well as the bad. Yet, somehow it can be easier to lose sight of the Lord in the good times. It is often during these good times that our trust begins to be centered upon ourselves, or those closest to us, instead of the Lord.

TRUSTING IN MAN LEADS TO RUIN

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.” Jeremiah 17:5-6.

Even now if we begin to trust man’s strength and wisdom (including our own) more than God’s, we will neither see nor recognize our prosperity when it does come. We would then miss the blessing much like the 5 foolish virgins who trusted in there own wisdom and relied on others to take care of them (Matthew 25:1-13).

TRUSTING IN THE LORD LEADS TO BLESSING

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8.

TRUST THE LORD TO HEAL YOUR HEART . . . HE WILL DO IT!

“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” Jeremiah 17:14.

HANG ON . . . BUT DON’T FORGET

Your prosperity is just around the corner. It’s okay to enjoy it! Just use it wisely and use it well by staying in step with the Spirit. The Lord is bringing blessing. But with this blessing comes more testing. How? The test is this-what will you do with it?

(If this word has spoken to you, please read Deuteronomy 8 for further insight.) Tim Meredith

Making the 24/7 IHOP Prayer Room webstream freely available to the whole world!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE PRAYER ROOM WEBSTREAM

Making the 24/7 Prayer Room webstream freely available to the whole world

Thank you for your subscription to the Prayer Room webstream. Since launching the 24/7 webstream tens of thousands have joined us in prayer and worship and many have been blessed and healed and delivered. Your subscription has greatly helped support this ministry as well as the singers and musicians at IHOP–KC, the media and tech team behind the scenes, and the technical costs. I want to thank you for helping us in this ministry over the last months and years.

I have some exciting news to announce to you. Starting on January 1, 2010, we are making the 24/7 Prayer Room webstream freely available to the whole world.

Since the recent move of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual awakening here at IHOP–KC, we have been joined online by viewers from over 180 nations. In a season when we are freely receiving the blessing of the Lord, we desire to freely give it away to bless the nations.

The IHOP–KC leadership team believes it is time to make the Prayer Room webstream available to anyone who wants it worldwide. This change is not without significant cost for bandwidth, equipment, and website maintenance. We are contacting you first to inform you of the implications of this change. You will begin to see changes and improvements to the Prayer Room webstream and we want you to understand them.

We ask you to consider continuing to support us financially in this new move. Starting January 1, 2010, your subscription will no longer be necessary. The webstream will be available without charge. However, we are asking that you continue to give the same amount as your subscription as a donation. In other words, would you agree to make a tax-deductible donation, beginning January 1, equal to the amount of your current subscription? There is no action required on your part if you are happy with this transition.

Your continued giving will allow us to keep the webstream going 24/7 and to reach more people in more nations than ever before. However, if you do not want to make a tax-deductible donation, please click here to cancel your subscription.

Whatever you decide, you will still have access to the 24/7 webstream just as you always have. But from January 1, the whole world will have access as well. Additionally, you may consider partnering with us at an even greater level, since our bandwidth costs will greatly increase as many more will join us live. Please click here to find out more information on ways you can partner with IHOP–KC.

If you have any questions, please email us at webstream@ihop.org or call 816.285.9370 or 816.763.0200 x.8010.

Until He comes,
Mike Bickle

A SUMMARY OF THE NEWS AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOU

• Beginning January 1, 2010, the 24/7 Prayer Room webstream will be available without charge to the world.

• By making it freely available we need to raise $150,000 a month to meet our costs.

• You can make a tax-deductible donation beginning January 1, 2010, in the amount of your subscription.

• No action on your part is required if you are happy with this transition.
• If you want to cancel your subscription, please click here.

• More than ever before, your donation will help keep the 24/7 webstream up and running for the rest of the world.

• No matter what, you will still have access to the 24/7 webstream just as you always have.

• Additionally, over the next 12 months, we have plans to increase the content and functionality of what will now be called “IHOP TV.”

• If you have any questions, please email us at webstream@ihop.org or call 816.285.9370 or 816.763.0200 x.8010.

Unspoken Expectations

“I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences…Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle…Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.” – Excerpts from Ephesians and Romans from The Message

For any that I have failed along the way of life, I ask your forgiveness. – Jake Ray

UNSPOKEN EXPECTATIONS

THE DREAM

Back in November of 2004 I had a dream in which the Lord impressed on me a strategy of the enemy that hinges around a simple yet profound truth. In recent days I have watched many fall prey to this deception. I know that I have wrestled with this, often failing, more than once since 2004. In the last few days the Lord has been reminding me of the dream and what happened as a result of releasing this experience back in 2004. I felt like Jesus would have me release it again.

In the dream I had just gotten back to a building where there were people waiting for my return. One person in the dream was a very close family member of mine. Upon entering the room where he and the others were, this person began to rail me with his words becoming very angry and frustrated at my lack of fulfillment of his expectations. This would seem reasonable, having apparently totally blown it, however there was one problem with this very emotion filled scene:

The person’s expectations had not been communicated.

I was being overwhelmed by a sense of failure in the dream and was actually experiencing deep emotions in the midst of the dream sequence. I was also beginning to retaliate in anger. Very quickly things were coming apart. I love this person very much and deeply desire to have a healthy and productive relationship with him. I was crushed at the state of affairs but our relationship was not being hurt by my lack of commitment. Rather the assault came by unmet expectations that were unspoken and yet governed the relationship in secret.

EXPECTATIONS ARE GOD’S IDEA

Expectation is an expression of Faith. Biblically, the terms expectation and faith are often used interchangeably. Faith is pleasing to God and expected of us in our relationship to Him. He said that without faith “we can not please” Him. He desires to be pleased by our lives and for us to find delight in Him and His ways. Jesus lays out clearly defined, well-communicated expectations that open us to satisfaction and success in our walk with Him while bringing Him pleasure at the same time. He also has clearly defined instructions for when someone fails; mercy and grace. This DNA for relationships is divine and is to be the foundations for our earthly partnerships and relationships as well as our partnership and relationship with Christ.

We are made in His image and are wired to have expectations as well. In human relationships expectations are pleasing to God as long as they are born of the Spirit in love, and are accurate in nature. Clearly defined, well-communicated expectations create the framework for us to find satisfaction and success in our relationships with our wives, our family, our co-workers and equally important with the people of the community of faith to whom we are joined. This produces momentum in our relationships by creating an environment of satisfaction that releases peace and an even greater desire to please the other.

Healthy expectations rooted in love are an appropriate part of our relationships BUT they must be communicated and understood for them to be effective and empowering to all parties.

UNSPOKEN EXPECTATIONS BREEDS WOUNDING AND FRUSTRATION

Unspoken personal expectations, whether of our spouse or family members, of our co-workers, or of our fellow Christians is one of the areas that cause the most strife and potential for great destruction to what God is doing. In the dream I was involved with and doing the things that I thought I was supposed to be doing. In fact, they seemed right and in order. However this loved ones unspoken expectations brought great strife and disruption to what was happening at the time.

It’s when you have unspoken expectations that are unknown to the other(s) or that don’t mesh with God’s heart and love and the others with whom you are committed to, that problems can arise. Unspoken, unrecognized expectations provide fertile ground for the enemy to sow discord and frustrate the plans of God by destroying our peace and unity.

THE WARNING

In this lies the warning that I believe God wants us to be very aware of right now. The enemy is not devising some new way to get us to stumble and fragment. There is nothing new under the sun and he knows what has worked for thousands of years. Going back to the Garden of Eden the enemy did then, and is now again, appealing to us in this common way. First, he is appealing to our ego’s to get us motivated by our flesh and pride instead of the Spirit. Second, he is trying to cloud our communication which breeds confusion and distrust resulting in division. One of the most potent ways the devil can initiate this kind of division and confusion is by unspoken expectations over each other.

If he can get us to a place where vital relationships are suffering due to expectations that remain unspoken and yet govern the relationship in secret, like in my dream, sudden and violent disruptions will come bringing great pain and division to relationships. We must be faithfully communicating with those we are in relationship with all the things that we expect from each other and where there may be shortcomings and failings. If we do this in love, preferring our brother over ourselves, laying down our lives for each other, this strategy of the enemy will be easily overcome.

May we be diligent to stand and not be caught unaware. The times are desperately important and the enemy understands the times that are upon us right now. We are in the season of destiny for our times and the hastening of men’s destinies is at hand. The enemy knows he can’t stop us head on, so he is resorting to the one thing that has proven successful over and over throughout history: division and disunity due to pride and poor communication.

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS

• What unspoken expectations are you bringing into your marriage?
• What unspoken expectations are you bringing into your workplace?
• What unspoken expectations are you bringing into your kingdom relationships?
• How has this impacted your relationships as of late?
• Whose responsibility is it to communicate expectations?
• What can I do right now to avoid this issue from coming up or going further in my vital relationships and with those to whom I am leading by influence if even from a distance?
• Is there anyone I need to go repent to right now due to this issue?

I pray that you do not let the simplicity of this truth take away from the urgency of the message.

Standing Firm Together as His beloved Bride,

Jacob Ray

Awakening Sweeps over Int’l House of Prayer

The International House of Prayer has become a place where worshippers lift non-stop praise and prayer up to God.

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2000 Thousand VIP Cards packed in 1000 envelopes. Ready for the BIG LAUNCH at Stephens Middle School in the morning. Stephens is gonna ROCK!

2000 Thousand VIP Cards packed in 1000 envelopes. Ready for the BIG LAUNCH at Stephens Middle School in the morning. Stephens is gonna ROCK!

Jake Ray
503.949.6262
The VIP Card of Oregon

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Posted via email from Jacob Ray-My LifeStream

Radical means to return to the root. Sometimes the most radical thing to do is return to what has been done before and then grow again from there.

———-
Sent from my Verizon Wireless mobile phone

Posted via email from Jacob Ray-My LifeStream

A letter from Mike Bickle and Lou Engle concerning the critical hour in which we live – it is time to encounter God and take action

A letter from Mike Bickle and Lou Engle concerning the critical hour in which we live – it is time to encounter God and take action

We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. It is time to encounter God and to take action. The Holy Spirit is visiting His people with power. At the same time, the powers of darkness are raging against the moral fabric of our nation. The light is getting brighter as the darkness gets darker.

Many of you will have heard of the spiritual awakening at our Bible school. On Wednesday, November 11, the Spirit fell on a class for more than 15 hours. The word spread quickly and over 2,000 people spontaneously gathered in the auditorium from all over Kansas City, as deliverance and physical healings continued to increase. We canceled our classes for the next week so that each one of our 1,000 students and interns could receive from the Spirit in an extended way.

We decided to meet nightly from 6:00pm to midnight because His manifest presence continues to increase. Visitors are pouring in from many places across America to partake of this spiritual awakening.

We will continue these evening meetings until our onething conference, December 28–31, 2009, when we are expecting 20,000 young adults to gather for worship, teaching, and to participate in the supernatural ministry of the Spirit.

Last year, over 16,000 young adults attended this conference. We are still hearing testimonies of lives that were changed. This year, we are expecting to receive even more from the Spirit. We believe that this will be a historic and important conference, and encourage you to attend.

The theme for onething’09 is “What is the Spirit saying to the Church?” Our team will proclaim what we believe the Spirit is prophetically speaking to the Church in this hour. We will also share practical ways in which we can “adopt” high schools and colleges across our nation as we envision young people to impact each sphere of society with works of justice and acts of compassion. At the conference, we will have extended ministry times to receive healing, renewal, and impartation from the Spirit. We believe that the Spirit will release His power at this conference, as evidenced by what He is currently doing in our evening meetings.

Mark Anderson, a senior international leader in YWAM who also works closely with Campus Crusade for Christ, will host forums for leaders to discuss how we can systematically evangelize entire cities and campuses in partnership with the houses of prayer in their area. Mark has remarkable insight that comes from his 30 years of successful ministry in evangelism. The Lord has given him some bold new strategies for this hour.

The crisis in our nation is real. The serpentine stranglehold of abortion continues to squeeze the life out of over 4,000 wombs daily. Sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, are reaching epic heights of perversity. The number of women and children being trafficked into the dark underbelly of the sex industry in our cities is growing at an alarming rate. Entire school systems are giving way to darkness. The sanctity of marriage is under siege, threatening to destroy the moral foundations of our nation.

We will also address the growing crisis that is emerging in many churches across America. A new wave of confusion is systematically seducing many young adults into deception. Sincere young people whose hearts were once ablaze for Jesus are being allured into compromise on foundational biblical truths and practices, while at the same time they are increasing in works of compassion and justice. No amount of increased ministry activity can “balance out” their profound spiritual compromises. In the name of tolerance, they are settling for a humanistic and “politically correct” theology that trivializes the glory of Jesus. Many young adult ministries are falling prey to this as they are seeking “relevance” that dulls the razor’s edge of truth for the sake of man’s approval. It is not enough to mention Jesus’ name if they deny foundational truths about Him. Our works of justice must flow from deep allegiance to Jesus and the Scripture.

Our nation has never stood on such a precarious footing as today. The onslaught of spiritual darkness is increasing in our classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and bedrooms. We must confront the confusion that is pouring forth from many pulpits as well as from the halls of Washington. It is time to draw a line in the sand. We must hear what the Spirit is saying and we must act on it. The Spirit will confirm the truth with demonstrations of power.

It is darkest before the dawn. Our hearts are full of faith. We know another historic “Great Awakening” is soon to sweep across our nation. We look with confidence to God’s promise: “In the last days . . . I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17-21). All nations will receive the witness of kingdom with power (Mt. 24:14; Rev. 7:9). What a privilege to live in this awesome hour of history.

At this very hour, Jesus is raising up young adults who are being mobilized to cry out in night and day prayer, win the lost, heal the sick, and do works of compassion and justice as they impact the very fabric of our society.

Please join us in Kansas City from December 28–31. The onething’09 conference is FREE. You can register at IHOP.org/onething09

With passion for Jesus,

Mike Bickle and Lou Engle

To pursue being the best at what you do, to pursue the highest excellence is both worthy and right. But to stop there is to stop woefully short. In the pursuit of excellence is should always bring us to not only being the best IN the world but also how we

To pursue being the best at what you do, to pursue the highest excellence is both worthy and right. But to stop there is to stop woefully short. In the pursuit of excellence is should always bring us to not only being the best IN the world but also how we can be best FOR the world.  “The biggest distinction between being the best in the world and the best for the world is impact. If you are the best in the world, we will learn a lot about how great you are and admire your talent or ability. But if you are the best for the world, you will help others believe in how great they may become.”-Craig Johnson

Jake Ray
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The VIP Card of Oregon

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Jake Ray
503.949.6262
The VIP Card of Oregon

Visit our facebook page here
Visit thevipcard.com here

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People of a Second Chance- Interview with Ted and Gayle Haggard

Ted Haggard seemed to have it all: everyone loved Pastor Ted. However, underneath the smile was a broken and hurting man. Eventually, his secrets were uncovered and the world was exposed to his brokenness. For almost three years, Ted and Gayle have been on the journey back to restoration. What can we, the church, learn… from the Haggard’s experience about the importance of relationships, demonstrating grace, giving people a second chance and making the church a welcome place for those who are hurting?

more about “ People of a Second Chance- Interview…“, posted with vodpod

 

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Jake Ray
503.949.6262
The VIP Card of Oregon

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