We have had some huge changes in our nation over the past few years. In 2020, many churches stopped meeting. Some continued, following guidelines. But now we are about three years later—and I heard recently that some churches in our nation have never even reopened. 
It has been said that half the churches we had in 2020 are no longer operating. And of those who still are open, many consist of about 100 people. Unfortunately, several pastors have quit the ministry over the past three years. And many folks have just stopped attending church.
Why the decline? 
I think there could be several reasons for folks not attending church. 
1. Some think church is irrelevant. It isn't meeting the needs of people. 
2. Some people are disillusioned. They want to meet God in their church, but this isn't happening. So they leave.
3. Some don't find their "tribe", that is, folks that they connect with. 
4. Some can't find a church where their children want to attend; where they grow and are nurtured.
5. Some think church is boring—same old, same old.
6. Some are offended by a church leader or church attendee, so they stop going.
7. They would rather watch their favorite church service online.

Now I would like to talk about why we should consider attending church. 
First, we are not meant to be alone. We can't live our Christian faith alone. We are meant to have fellowship with the body of Christ. So what about finding a local church? Is it necessary?
I am going to share my beliefs on this.
1. Maybe you haven't prayed and asked the Lord for the right fellowship. I had a dream a few years back. The Lord was telling me in a dream to leave my church! I was surprised. I asked my pastor to pray. Then later on God gave me another dream and I saw the face of another pastor. I again inquired of the Lord, and had others praying with me. The end result is that I did change churches. I left with my pastors blessing, since he saw that God was speaking to me. Now I have been going to this new church for about four years, and it is a grand fit! I love my church. If you haven't found the one you feel good in, you should pray and ask the Lord where you belong. There is a right place for everyone.
2. Having a pastor is a very good thing. Pastors care for the sheep. If you are not in a church, what will you do when you have a need for a marriage ceremony, or a funeral (God forbid)? Where will you go? This happened to someone about eight years ago. We needed to have a funeral but the person didn't have a church. So they came to my former church for the service. A pastor has watch over your soul. Without a pastoral covering, who is watching over your soul? If you are a woman, you have the covering of your husband (if you are married) and also the covering of your pastor. This is very  important. The pastor is not there to control you, but to be there for you. I am very grateful for our pastoral staff. 
3. There are many websites where you can watch services. So many are terrific! However, nothing can replace you being in a church meeting. Yes, we watched church services when we couldn't meet. But then after, we met together. God has said to meet together. We are stronger together. When we worship together, we bring His presence. We are encouraged and strengthened. 
4. Some want the new move of God, and they feel church is boring. That's where we need to trust God and pray! I'm sure we all want to see the power of God in our services. But it takes prayer and commitment. Staying away from church doesn't bring the power of God. But staying in a church and believing together for a move of God is powerful! 
5. About offense—we can be offended every day in life, not just at church. We can be offended by our spouse, our children, the traffic, the society, and yes, by our pastor or church. But offense is a trap! It will keep us in bondage if we engage with it. We are called to a walk of love. We are called to forgive and let God deal with the offense. 
6. It is important for children to go to a church that they enjoy. However, you as the parent need to be the head. Don't just go to a church for your children. You need to find a church where you can grow and serve, too. 
​7. I think the most important reason for being in a church (besides the fact that God commands it—He says to not forsake gathering together) is that we are in a time where soon there will be a great harvest of souls. Many people are going to be coming into the kingdom in this outpouring. Where will they go? Where will they be discipled? There will need to be more churches, because the churches we have now will not be able to contain all of the people that will be coming into the church! God needs the church!

Bottom line: The enemy would love for the church doors to shut (again). He knows that there is a powerful move of God coming! And he doesn't want that to happen. So he tricks and deceives people. He wants them offended. He wants them to grumble and complain, and stop going to church. But in this move, God will need everyone. From the youngest to the oldest. So the enemy is not going to have his way; God is going to have HIS way. We WILL see a mighty outpouring of God's Spirit in our churches and in our nation. We have prayed for this and He will answer. Besides, the world is very dark right now, and we need to be the light! So many need to be rescued. And the church will be so relevant for this. We are here for such a time as this! 

​The Christmas story parallels what is going on now on the earth in many ways. We are preparing for a mighty move of God on earth. The birth of Jesus changed everything. So let's look at the ways it parallels our time:
 
1. Many people/characters were involved in this story—from the youngest to the oldest. THEN: There were young people (Mary & Joseph), old people (Elizabeth, Zechariah) shepherds, even a host of angels and Wisemen (pagan kings who recognize the star).
NOW: In this outpouring, it will be all hands on deck! From the youngest to the oldest, everyone will be involved. Of course, there will be lots of angels. (More on the kings and star later on).
2. THEN: There was darkness on the earth before the birth of Jesus. I think that time was about 400 years. NOW: This has been a very dark time in our history. We have never imagined the sin that is happening now. It is a very dark time.
3. THEN: Children were being killed then. Matthew 2:16  Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.
NOW:  The enemy is still trying to stop the destinies of many unborn and young people. But in this coming outpouring, he will not succeed! 
4. THEN: There were many, many prophecies about the birth of Jesus that was to come. NOW:  And so there have been many prophecies about this coming outpouring.
5. THEN: The star shone; it was so bright that everyone saw it. That star drew people to Jesus! NOW: And we are the light of the world—and the light in us will draw many unbelievers to Jesus! Isaiah 60:1-2. Even kings came from afar—I believe we will see that happening again—(pagan) people in leadership coming to Jesus.
6. THEN: The promise was the birth of a child, Jesus. NOW: And today we have been "pregnant" with a coming birth too— we (the body of Christ) have been in travail with a baby— a great awakening! We have been crying out for an awakening for many years. And soon the birth of this baby is coming!
7. THEN: There was a prominent theme at the time of Jesus's birth: the promise of a Savior. He was going to be the savior of all mankind. That promise came to pass, and Jesus was born. NOW: We also have been given many promises­—promises for relationships to be restored, for healing in our bodies, for prodigals to come home, etc. And in this awakening, we will see those promises come to pass!
8. THEN: Christmas time is a time of "peace on earth, goodwill to men". The angel proclaimed peace on earth in that day. NOW: In this day, although there is chaos and turmoil going on on the earth, those in the kingdom are experiencing PEACE. We have peace in our hearts. We walk in that peace. We carry it to our friends and neighbors. We are peacemakers. And I believe we will draw many to the Lord through that peace. We are not shaken by what the enemy brings— we remain in God's peace. 
In this season we are reminded of all of the amazing things that happened at the time of the birth of Jesus. It was a glorious time! And many believe (myself included) that we are getting ready for a great outpouring of God's Spirit on earth. It is going to be amazing. May we make ourselves ready for what is to come. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Prosperous 2022!

 I BELIVE IT WILL BE JUST AS IT WAS TOLD ME  ACTS 27:25
 
CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?
I woke up with this thought the other day; "Lord, can it get any worse?" The answer to this question, I believe, is yes, and it might get worse before it gets better. Why? Because there is a principle in life: it is that people don't usually take action until they are actually forced to. We see the butterfly in a transition; it takes their personal force to make the transformation. We can look at Science—it takes a catalyst to make a change. When threatened with a serious illness, folks are ready to change their lifestyle or diet. Many examples could be cited. When our very freedoms are being threatened, we take action. And we are seeing this, of course.
Many folks are waking up to the reality that something must be done, because the enemy is trying his best to bring our nation down, and to ultimately remove all of our freedoms: the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to bear arms, freedom to gather, etc. But unfortunately, many people are still sleeping or just not taking any kind of action.
When this whole thing started last year, many of us got excited. You see, many have been praying for a great awakening in our nation for many years. Many have seen the condition of the church and have been praying for a breakthrough! So last year, many saw that a ‘catalyst’ came to wake up the Laodicean church. Do you remember the National Day of Prayer last year? Do you remember the Return? And the many other gatherings of the church?? This was the response to the catalyst. It was a great start! The church began to rise up. We saw the face of the church in America online and in person! It was amazing!! We saw that we are actually a mighty army all over our nation!
WHERE ARE WE TODAY?
 Is the great awakening here?  Well, no, not quite yet. We are still ‘in the birth canal’. We are like a woman in labor, and we are in the transition stage. That stage is so painful! And it is so urgent. The closer we are to the birth, the more intense the pain becomes. There is no turning back at that point! You have no choice—you have to stay focused and wait for the time to push! If you have had a baby, you know the intense pain. The transition phase is the most painful but the most important. At that point, you have no other choice but to stay in the game! (You can't 'check out' or give the assignment to someone else! You have to move forward in your destiny.) ​And you can’t start pushing until the right time, right? I remember the doctor saying ‘Don’t push yet! It’s not time!” That is where we are now, still in the birth canal; we want to push! But it isn’t time yet. But after the birth, you forget the travail. When you see the new birth, the new baby, you are so happy! Let me assure you, the baby IS coming….
Another analogy is at the Red Sea. We are crossing over the Red Sea and trusting that everyone will get across before the water comes over Pharaoh and his army. Many prophetic words have come forth about this picture.
Another picture is the one about Lazarus coming back to life; it is about death first and then resurrection after. I love the recent vision that Veronika West had, about a tree stump. The tree stump represents a tree that has been cut down—a nation and leader that were cut down. But what we don’t see is the root system below the stump! That root system is still there, and the tree is being restored, even though we can’t see it in the natural. You see, the tree had to be cut first. Everything of the old had to be removed before the new could come. But then the branches started to regrow, and soon the tree became even bigger and better than before. THIS IS WHERE WE ARE, AND WHY IT IS TAKING SO LONG. The old ‘republican and democrat’ system has to be uprooted and pulled down. The prophets are doing exactly what God told Jeremiah to do, they are declaring what is going to happen and speaking it out loud and clear: Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” The old must be removed before the new can come. Evil must be removed. Then the new growth can come.
ENDURE HARDSHIP AS A SOLDIER
What is happening to us, as believers? Well, like I mentioned above, we are dying. We as a nation, are dying to the old and getting ready for the new. We, too, are dying to our self, and sowing to the spirit. We are stepping up in our prayer and declarations, and most of all, our authority! We are becoming like Christ! Wow. We are being tested in every way! As believers in this process, we are exercising our faith and patience. No one is immune. We are all being challenged; in fact, this evil agenda is worldwide. Some, of course, are luke-warm, complacent or have their head in the sand. Others are on the sidelines ‘waiting till it all unfolds’. But many are being strengthened and alert!
HOW THEN SHOULD WE LIVE?
So, this is the best question at this juncture. What is our role? What can we do? Well, we are in a spiritual war. And usually in war time, it’s ‘all hands on deck’! So, there is something for ALL of us to do. Everyone is needed! It’s time to get off the sidelines and find our place.
I will end with some suggestions:
1. DO NOT JUMP SHIP! This is not a time to stop your fellowship with the Lord and with the body of Christ.  Stay connected! Get in a church, prayer group, small group, etc. We need each other. It’s no time to be a lone ranger; there is too much at stake. When you are isolated, you become a prime target for the enemy. And his goal is to take you out.
2. STAY IN FAITH! KEEP YOUR FAITH ENGAGED! KEEP YOUR ARMOR ON— DON’T DROP YOUR SHIELD OF FAITH! Take time to read Bible stories where God wins! (There are plenty of them!) Or listen to preaching, or testimonies. I like to listen to the prophets, since they show us what is happening in the spirit realm and what is coming. Try not to watch the doom and gloom stuff; it will short circuit your faith.
3. FIND YOUR MOST EFFECTIVE PLACE OF SERVICE. What mountain are you called to? Should you be running for office? I heard that there are a thousand openings across the nation in school boards, city council, judges, senate and house—local and state. Are you qualified? Why not run for office? Are you a prayer warrior? Then keep praying! You know the mountains—whatever one you are called to, step out in that mountain and let your light shine.
4. HOLD THE LINE! DO NOT QUIT!! Watching the Olympics always shows us a real-life example of people who seriously do not give up. They put their bodies through rigorous training, and even end up with sprains, breaks and bruises. But the ones who make it never give up. I think it is very fitting that the Olympic games are taking place now, as a prophetic picture of what we should be doing: 'keep fit, stay in the game and win'. . The truth is that they had a goal before them, to win. Theirs was a personal goal, but we have an even greater goal. Ours is for freedom for our children and grandchildren. Ours is to plunder hell and populate heaven! We are ALL in this battle for the life of our nation and for the lives of our descendants. We are reminded of the words of Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never, never, never surrender”.  This should be our mantra: “We will never comply. We will never surrender. We will never give in to the enemy’s plans. We cannot be defeated (with God on our side) and we will not quit! God will do exactly what He has said, and we believe it. We believe the prophets and it will be just as God has spoken through the Word and prophets of God!! America is being resurrected. Justice is coming! Exposure (of evil) is coming! America will not fall into the hands of the devil but she will be rescued by the hands of our living God! And we WILL see the great awakening come and the huge harvest of souls in America! We will find our place on the wall, with our work piece in one hand and our sword in the other. And as the pressing continues, we will STAND and not quit, for we were brought here for such a time as this, in Jesus’s name, Amen”.
Acts 27:25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
 

Last year around October, I was waiting on the Lord. In the stillness I heard, “There is a storm coming”.  At that time I did not hear what the storm would be, but I knew that we would be OK. I felt like it would be a mild storm. The Lord never gave me any more information on it, but I knew to pray about it. Of course, now I know what the storm was about—a plague, or pandemic; the corona virus.
 
A few days ago when I was waiting on the Lord, I heard again, “There is another storm coming”. But, this time I knew in my heart that it would be a bigger storm.
 
I am not a doomsday thinker. I do not believe this is the time of the “last days”. In fact, the Lord told me “this is not the end, but this is the beginning”.  (More on that later).
 
What will be the next storm? Will it be a terrorist attack? Will it be weather related—a tornado, hurricane, earthquake? Civil riots? Invasion from abroad? I do not know. It could be a combination of things. But there is still a shaking going on. This shaking is to shake evil out of the church and the world. 

WHY REVIVAL/AWAKENING TARRIES
 
When this pandemic began, we (intercessors) thought this would bring a wave of repentance to our nation. Do you see a nation wide repentance movement going on? Yes, we see the remnant praying. But nation wide?  No, not really. We have prayed this passage: “If my people who are called by My name would humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways”..  Where is the repentance? Where are people crying out in humility? Folks, this has not happened —yet. And until it does happen, we will not see revival. We will see revival when we, like the Italians and Brazilians we saw on Facebook, we are on our knees crying out to God in humility and repentance. What will cause this to happen? I believe that this will happen when “another storm comes”. 
 
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN
 
Whenever there is evil in the hearts of men, God is not pleased. Recently we have seen how this evil has escalated in our nation. I believe that just as in the days of Noah, God has a way of dealing with wicked hearts. In the coming storm, wicked hearts will be judged. By that I mean they will be given a chance to repent. (God always gives man a chance to repent). But He will not allow the sin to continue. He is not pleased. So he will bring judgment. Judgment can come in many ways. As one prophet said recently, “Nature will prophesy”.  God can bring literal storms, like an earthquake, or hurricane or tornado. Many have spoken of a shaking. To me, that sounds a lot like an earthquake. It could be in the form of a terrorist attack, or a literal storm, or even another wave of the pandemic. There could be a food shortage as the result of another storm. I do not know what kind of storm it is going to be. But I personally believe that God has heard the prayers of the righteous to "drain the swamp" or rid us from the evil in our nation. And He has ways of answering these prayers.

AN AWAKENING—WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?
 
I believe it will be like this—the worst of times if you are against God and His ways, but the best of times if you love God and His ways. I believe that only through this storm will we see TRUE revival of the hearts of men and woman. But, it will be the beginning of a new season—a season of reaping the great harvest. Yes, I believe the prophets didn’t miss that part. The revival will come. But, the storm must come first. Without the next storm, there will be no changing of hearts— there will be no revival. You can remember what it was like when you first came to the Lord, right? There was a personal shaking in your life. No shaking=no changing. 

PROTECTION FOR THE RIGHTEOUS

I do believe that we will be protected during this next storm. God made an ark for Noah, and our ark is clear: Psalm 91. God is our ark. He is an ever present help in time of trouble. But our hearts must be for Him and not against Him. We must be those “who are on the Lord’s side”.
 
WHAT SHOULD BE OUR RESPONSE?
 
Since the Lord told me about the next coming storm, I know He wants us to be prepared.  So, there are a few ways to prepare.
 
1. Be sure you are in the secret place of the most high.. spending time in His presence, listening for His personal instruction to you. Get closer…and closer to Him. PRAY. First, pray that no wickedness is in your heart. Judgment begins in the house of the Lord. Pray for pastors who love what God hates—those who endorse homosexual marriage. Pray for those who are still killing babies—we know God hates that. Pray for those who are being judged— that they will repent. Tracey Cook said that there will be those leaders both in the church and world who will die in this time—because they have not judged themselves. I believe God is judging the hearts of wicked men and women. He will remove those who continue to do evil. He can do this; He has done it before.
 2. Prepare in the natural. Do you have food in storage? Get some. It could be for a few weeks or a few months—I don’t know. But it would be wise to have extra food and supplies on hand.
 
So, we know what is coming, so let us take our place in prayer, and let us prepare for what is to come. And let us be ready to reap a huge harvest of souls. I am getting dressed for this and getting ready—how about you?

As a people of sight, we can sometimes look around and see clues of what God is saying in the words and pictures (especially pictures in nature) that we see and hear, right? So I wanted to share what I can see God speaking through this situation of a global pause, or global reset.
 
1. OK, so I was thinking about  the Tabernacle, in particular,  the laver. Before they could go to the holy place, they had to wash their hands and feet, right? They couldn’t advance beyond that place with dirty hands. The whole point is to advance to the holiest place, right?
 
So it made me think of something we are hearing a lot lately. What is it we have been hearing for quite a while now, on TV, etc? “WASH YOUR HANDS!"
 
Hmm, do you think this might be a message for the world from the Lord? Then I looked at several scriptures on that; here are a few:
 
Psalm 24:3-4 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.
 
Psalm 18:20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
 
Psalm 73:13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.
 
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
 
Exodus 30:21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.
 
The washing of our hands produces purity and innocence. It symbolically represents cleansing the heart and renewal.
 
We all want revival, we want to see increase, but could the Lord be telling us that we need to wash our hands first? Anyway, what I see is that washing our hands means getting rid of the junk, the debris from the world, cleansing our lives, repenting for sin, etc. This is what comes before revival- repentance! Then we can advance.
 
2. I was also reminded of the recent snow we had here in Oklahoma; do you remember? I love these scriptures:

Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

The snow seemed to come and then it left quickly. There was enough snow to make a snowman even! I don’t remember any snow like that in recent years, do you? Some has fallen in the past but not enough to make a snowman. Snow typically represents cleansing, cleanliness, purity and Innocence. A snowman represents a righteous man; a pure heart.
Folks made snowmen on that day.  But it melted the next day!
For me, it was a message; a prophetic picture, if you will. They were showing us what is coming, how this is what God is looking for, a righteous body of Christ; for us to be cleansed so we will be made into those righteous ones, whiter than snow. Of course, we are already made righteous, by the blood of Jesus. But, like when Jesus washed Peter’s feet- we still need to wash our hands. We are still in this world, so we need to repent- to change our thoughts, change our wrong motives or habits, etc.
 
3. Rain. We are all familiar with these scriptures:

Psalm 72:6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers
 that water the earth.

Hosea 6:3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.

Have you noticed that there has been a lot of rain lately, especially here in Oklahoma? Like record breaking amounts? The weatherman keeps reminding us of the rain; he is saying,"rain rain go away! We don't need anymore rain"! But, the rain keeps coming... Then, I was reminded of the floods last year in Oklahoma-wow. 
Rain is another symbol of cleansing. Of course, rain is symbolic of the outpouring of God’s Spirit. In the last rain we had, we even saw a rainbow! I took a picture on Saturday; it was so pretty. The rainbow represents the promises of God! The rain we have been experiencing is a picture of the cleansing and pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit. And then after we will see the promises. The fact that it keeps repeating, (it keeps raining) well, I think there is a message there, right? It’s like God is saying, “I am cleansing the land, get ready, I’m pouring out my spirit on all flesh. Do you not see it? Do you not perceive it? And get ready, I will fulfill all those promises!”
 
Wow, so God is telling us to wash our hands, repent, and He is saying He is bringing the snow and rain as a sign of what is coming. God is speaking!
 
So then how do we respond? What can we be doing during this major reset in our lives?
 
I think there are a few things that will help. We can use this time to advance ourselves spiritually. We can re-set our spiritual lives.
 
1. Seek the Lord. Pray. Spend some more time in the Word. It is always a good time to seek God, but how much more now in this crisis? Read and pray Psalm 91 over you. Soak in the Lord! I am reading Carol Arnott’s new book on soaking, and it is reminding me of the benefits of soaking; just taking that time to spend with the Lord. (She was also on Sid Roth too! She did such an amazing job!)
2. Take communion daily. Apply the blood over your household, church, state and nation.
3. It would be a great time to get out the promises that have been spoken over you, and rehearse what God has said. Declare and decree those promises! They are yet to come to pass!
4. Do what you can to improve your immune system, and overall health. Do a Daniel fast. Take Vitamin C, or other supplements. Get some fresh air. Many in my neighborhood are taking walks. Take a walk! Get some exercise.
5. Stay in peace, and give that away to others as much as possible. I think this is a time where there is a shaking especially in the world- so we should reach out to folks who don’t know the Lord! Their lives are being shaken so they can know Him. We can reach out to our neighbors, etc and for those who are working, they can reach out to their co-workers, etc.
 
I believe it is a time for us to fall more in love with the Lord and to deepen our walk; then we will see the promises manifest. So yes, wash your hands, and ask God to prepare you for all of the amazing things yet to come!
 

 

 ​WHAT’S IN STORE IN 2020?
 
It’s not only a new year, but also a new decade.  What is in store for us, the body of Christ?
 
Let’s look at the number 20.  Redemption, spiritual leadership, maturity, equipped for service.
 
I would like to focus on  the idea of redemption. I believe this is going to be a year where God restores to us all that the enemy has stolen. Jesus was purchased for 20 pieces of silver. I believe God is going to redeem things that have been taken from us; our inheritance in 2020. There is also a double in 2020; so twenty twice. It will be a year of double. The Scripture that came to my mind is this:
 
Isaiah 61:7 Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
 
Restoration is included in the idea of redemption: Joel 2:25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
 
So, the body of Christ is going to get back what belongs to us; the destinies that have been stolen, the relationships, the family prodigals, even health that has been stolen and finances that have been stolen.
 
How will this happen? I believe we are going to rise up in this hour, and be the light. We will take our position in Christ. When in the past there has been a great move of God, there has also been a great attack from the enemy. I don’t know what this will look like, but I think we need to position ourselves. We need to take our place, seated in heavenly places, and declare and decree from our position of leadership. I believe we will begin to see those prophetic words given years ago come to pass. It will be a season of heaven invading earth with many signs and wonders. It will be a time of the manifest presence of God. It will be a time of greater worship and greater prayer.

I also believe the word of the prophet, Kenneth Copeland:
​
"What about 2020? Many things will be said about vision in 2020 because of the natural nature of 20/20 eyesight. But you and I, and those who seek the face of God and know the voice of God, we will have vision, insight, ideas and concepts. And it will be a time of the fulfilling of the word that was spoken in My WORD that said, “The young men and the old men shall have visions and dreams.”
 
Acts 2:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
 
Since we are a ministry of dreams, visions and prophecy, I want to say that I believe there will be a great increase in all of this. We have received many dreams, visions and prophetic words, but now comes the increase. Why?
 
Because in 2020 there will also be a great harvest of souls that will begin. God is about to increase us, restore to us, so we can bring in souls and finance His Kingdom. I believe God has also waited for this time, to see the fields of harvest come in. It’s definitely a time for all hands on deck. This will be a multi-generational move of God- with the children, grand-children, moms and dads, grandfathers and grandmothers all working together to bring in this harvest.
 
John 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
 
The dreams and visions He gives us will be directional- to help us win souls. There will also be an increase in the prophetic and people finally coming into their calling and destinies. And, God will send His angels to help us; we will not be alone!
 
Are you ready for the increase coming? Have you taken your position in Christ? If not, jump in! Get ready for an amazing journey with God this year!
 
 

Merry Christmas!
 
We are all so familiar with the Christmas story; it’s one we love to read over and over this time of year. We know of the amazing journey that Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem to have the baby Jesus. And this was one special event like no other in history. So it’s one where we see the participation of heaven; specifically the presence of angels.
Angels are heavenly beings. They are seen all through the Scriptures; I found 280 references for angel in the Bible. And in this story, let’s see the angelic activity recorded in the Scriptures concerning the Christmas story. Most of these are found in Matthew and Luke. Here we see the function of an angel is to bring a message; they are heavenly messengers.
 
1. First, the angel Gabriel came to visit Zacharias.  
 
 Luke 1:11-20 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
 
We know this angel’s name was Gabriel, and he came to prophesy to Zacharias that he would have a son, and name him John.  Angels can bring prophetic messages from God.
 
2. The next time we see angelic presence in this story is with Mary. Again the angel Gabriel came to visit Mary.
 
 Luke 1:26-38 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
 
What can we see from these two encounters so far?
 
1. Well, first we see that when God wants to bring special messages, he can use an angel. Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist came to change the world. Things would be different now. God was saying get ready for a new thing. No longer would He dwell in temples made of stone but in the temples of our hearts.  Like John, we too are called to prepare the way for the Lord; that is, we are to lead people to Jesus.

2. Both times, the angel says, “ Do not be afraid”. Do you think that if we had an angel come to visit you, you might be afraid? Of course it would be frightening.

3. After the angel calms them down, he gives them the message from God. Now he also prophesies to both Zacharias and Mary; he not only tells them that there will be a child born, but he also tells them what they will do in their life, or why they will come into the world. (I put those prophecies in bold). I believe that each one of us is born with an assignment from God, a special purpose. Yours might be to feed the poor, or to teach the Bible. Maybe you are called to evangelize, or to be a light in your workplace. Many christians have received prophetic words over the years concerning the assignment for their lives. Many of these words are yet to come to pass, like the prophecy over Jesus: He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. It is interesting that God spoke the beginning and the end. He said that Jesus would be born, and then went on to describe His life, to the very end of the age. God knows how to speak a word that will last a long time. What are the words spoken over your life? Are you contending for your prophetic future?

4. When someone receives a word from God, how should they respond? Well, we have two different responses from Zacharias and Mary. Zacharias had a hard time believing what the angel said. He questioned the word. “How is this going to happen? I am an old man!” So, he didn’t believe; and he became mute; the Lord shut his mouth so he couldn’t speak negative words. However, Mary received the words gladly in her heart. She also asked how, but her heart was open to believe. She simply responded, “ Let is happen to me, as you have said.” How have you received the words prophesied over you? Are you in faith, or having a hard time believing? Perhaps it is time to brush the dust off of those words and believe again.

5. Lastly, the message from the angel was:  For with God nothing will be impossible. This is an important word for all of us. For a woman to have a baby without the intervention of a man—well, this is impossible. God explained to her how it would happen. Then, for a woman like Elizabeth who was well advanced in years, this too would be impossible, in the natural. But not with God! It reminds me of another birth—the birth of Issac. Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” Again, it came to pass just as the Lord said, for with God, nothing is impossible. What impossibilities are you facing? Do you believe that with God nothing is impossible? I believe. I also had a child in my older age—when the doctors said it was impossible.
 
3. Next, we go to the book of Matthew for the next encounter.

Here Joseph also has an encounter with an angel, but in a dream. This was different from the first two encounters where the angel came to Mary and Zacharias not in a dream but in a visitation. Again the angel prophesies to Joseph; he reassures Joseph that Mary did have an encounter, and that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. But he also tells Joseph what the purpose is for this baby, and how it lined up with the prophecies in the Scriptures.
 
Matthew 1:20-25 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying; 23  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
 
4. Joseph has another encounter—again in a dream. Only this time, it was to warn Joseph, and to protect the baby.
 
Matthew 2:13-15  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”14  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
 
5. The angel spoke to Joseph a third time in a dream. This time it was to give him direction and tell him to go back to Israel.
 
 Matthew 2:19-21 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
 
The encounters that Joseph had with the angel came in a dream. All three times, the angel came to speak to him; first, to reassure him, second, to give protection and thirdly to give direction. Why did God send an angel in a dream and not in a visitation? I think it is because God knew what way to reach Joseph’s heart. When He came in a dream, Joseph couldn’t argue with God. Many times we have angels in our dreams. They are usually those faceless people we see helping us in our dreams. Dreams are easier because we can’t argue with God. Plus, Mary was given a bigger assignment; it was to give birth to Jesus, so her encounter was a higher revelation.
 
6. The last encounter of an angel in this story is with the shepherds. Again, the angel brings a word from God. He tells them about Jesus being born and where to find Him.
 
Luke 2:8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14  “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
 
So we see from this encounter that the shepherds must have known about Jesus’s first coming. Now the angel comes to them and tells them what is happening.
 
1. First, again the angel says not to be afraid. It must have been a pretty big angel for all the shepherds to see him.
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2. He tells of Jesus’s birth, and tells them where to find Him. But we see something even more majestic here. After the one angel speaks, we see “a multitude of the heavenly host”. Wow, that’s a lot of angels! How many is a multitude? It’s a great number. Probably too many to count. Wow. This group of angels came to earth, praising God. It must have been a marvelous sight! The angels gave glory to God, and declared peace and goodwill on earth. Wow again; this is the good news— God’s not mad at us! He proclaims peace and goodwill over us. Jesus is the prince of peace; and He brings peace in our lives. God’s desire for us is good; He has only good things in store for us. Have you received that peace in your heart? Have you received the grace and goodness of God?
 
These were amazing days; this is an amazing story of the birth of our savior. But we need to realize that those same angels are still around today. They are still bringing messages to us— sometimes in visions, sometimes in dreams. Let us receive these messages and believe the words that God has brought us. For we each have an assignment and purpose on earth. Merry Christmas!
 
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6