April, 2004 Newsletter

 

Greetings to all of you!

Spring has sprung, and everything is so beautiful! There is new life springing forth all around us. I’ve been traveling a lot in various parts of Florida , and I have so enjoyed the scenery, but as Jodi and I just traveled to and from Berea / Lexington , KY , we just drank in the beauty that was all around us. We worshipped our way through the beautiful Tennessee Mountains , thanking God for all of His creation. It was a great trip, and I thank all of you who have been praying for me as I travel. I am so grateful!

It was great to be on the eastern side of Kentucky once again. It was also a very real blessing to see, and worship with, so many precious intercessors that I hold so dear to my heart. We were in Berea to host a Gathering of the Intercessors at the Berea Community High School Gymnasium, and what a powerful time in the Lord we all had. He gave us freedom like you can’t even imagine.

When the Lord called us to host a Gathering in Berea , KY , April 16^th and 17^th, He was adamant about the dates. He told me that this ‘Gathering’ was being held in a strategic location and at a strategic time. He once again reminded me that He has set this area apart as a place of refuge in the coming days. He told me that He would be in our midst with Holy Fire, and He surely was. He said that He had called those to gather together in Berea , who are willing to move on with Him in a higher level of trust.

Prior to this ‘Gathering’ the Lord said that He is felling great forests in the entire region in this hour. He is clearing the land!!! Many seeds of Satan have been planted in the region, and they have grown in strength and stature over a long period of time. The trees have become recognized and accepted by people as being upright, and accepted as part of life. He said, “I AM much bigger than any trees and plantings!”

“Pride has been planted in the hearts of many men, and others are proud of their accomplishments. They boast that they are, “Blessed by God.” But, Behold! I have not blessed this prideful generation that would create idols and boast in their deeds. I will fell many high-minded people in this hour. I will continue to clear the land. I will bring down that which would rob the glory that belongs only to Me! For with vain glory have they risen in the eyes of man, but the eyes of many will be opened as they behold them slain to their roots.”

“Wisdom, money, and works are not pleasant offerings in My Temple! I seek those who are lowly of heart and humble in all their ways. I shall fell the tall trees, and stack them, and consume them with My consuming fire! The very ash of their destruction will feed the tender-hearted, and remind them of the awesome power of God as they behold My righteous indignation released in power and might.”   

“As I told My people when they conquered a land, they should cut down everything, stop up the wells, and kill every living creature. So it shall be as I continue to cleanse the land, and purge iniquity by the Blood of My Son, and the Word of your Testimonies. For out of pure minds and pure hearts will I speak unto those near and far. Your lips and your tongues will be cleansed by My coals of fire from the altar that consumes your sacrifices of praise, which are rising up before Me this weekend. Godly desires will produce Godly results. Wanting to serve Me will produce fruits of righteousness. Laboring to rest will bring peace that passes understanding.”

“The doctrines and teachings of man have sought to explain who God is. My Holy Spirit will teach all of My people, and all will know Me as I AM. For man’s knowledge and wisdom ‘puffeth up,’ but My wisdom and knowledge sets people free, and humbles the hearts.”

“As for the stumps, they cannot remain. The stumps represent a ‘stubbornness.’ My Holy Spirit will uproot the stumps. I AM after the ‘root’ of that which causes ‘resistance and rebellion’. My Spirit will extract and remove the ‘root’ of the problems in your lives. That which has grown and controlled, will not only be cut off, it will also be utterly removed. No root of the stump will be allowed to remain.”  PTL!!!

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Friday evening was so very special. Tim Lawson, our richly anointed worship leader for the ‘Gathering’ and Vicky Welch, ‘With A Heart for Israel’, lit the candles and said the blessing over the bread and cup, as we all welcomed the Shabbat. After the sounding of the shofar, the Olive Branch Messianic Jewish Dance Team broke in to highly anointed worship, and high praise unto our King, and the entire Body of Intercessors entered in. As the Presence of the Lord continually increased, the Lord said that He was doing a deep work of healing by the power of His Spirit. Praise His Name, there was so much freedom to worship Him! Everyone was blessed and refreshed. All glory to God!

Jan Larkin recently returned from her first trip to Israel , so after worship, she shared with us what the Lord had put upon her heart. Then Sarah Evans read the 29^th Psalm in English, and then she sang it in Hebrew. It was beautiful! Sarah has such a rich anointing. She also prayed for Israel , and Jewish people the world over.

Christine Sakakabara was with us from Israel to share just what it is like to live in Israel in such perilous times. Christine is a Christian who has resided in French Hill, Jerusalem with her husband and five children for about twenty-nine years. They have permanent residency there. Over the years she and her husband have been tour guides for the Japanese Christians coming in to tour Israel . Her husband is an ordained minister who makes frequent trips to Japan to teach on the Jewish roots of Christianity, and encourage the Japanese Christians to ‘come bless Israel ’.   

I’ve known this family since 1992, and when I lived in Jerusalem , we were neighbors. They are a precious family. Their two eldest children have served in the IDF. Christine has worked tirelessly caring for young soldiers, Holocaust survivors, SLA refugees, and she ministers to the young people at the Narkis Street Congregation in Jerusalem . God has placed upon Christine an anointing that is absolutely breathtaking. Everyone of us was completely captivated as she shared from her heart. I’ll not try to share with you all that she spoke of, for I could not do it justice. I will tell you that you can purchase the videos of Friday night from Peter Babcock at (606) 382-5449.

When Christine finished sharing, the Messianic Jews who were present all came forward and prayed for her. Then Thelma Oney spoke a prophetic word over her, and over each one of the Messianic Jews, as well as Tim and I. We all entered back in to worship to thank God for all that He did that evening.

Toward the end of the evening, I was told that the Tibetan Buddhists were all meeting at the Berea College at the very same time we were meeting at the High School in Berea . We all praised God that our God reigns! He is on the Throne! Hallelujah! It truly was a strategic time and location for us. Only God!!! We do pray, though, for all of the Tibetan Buddhists, that they will come to salvation.

Saturday morning, Tim and the musicians led us in to worship, and once again, we had incredible unity and freedom in the Spirit. The Berea Praise Dancers were with us, dancing to “We Can Only Imagine!” Each one of the girls was portraying what they thought might happen when suddenly they would be standing face to face with Jesus. Then, as He came forth to stand among them, we saw their reactions, which were precious. It was a very thought provoking prophetic demonstration through dance. 

After worship the Lord led me to share about my trip to Bulgaria in 1999. He told me that the Word that He had given me for the Bulgarian pastors was the very same Word that He is speaking to the pastors in Berea , in fact the entire region.

You see, I had been ministering in Austria , and when my work there was finished the Lord sent me in to Bulgaria to “minister to the front line Christians”. He gave me specific directions, and when I arrived I found that the front line Christians were all pastors and their wives. Nine couples in all. Eight of these couples had been refusing the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for five long years, and horribly persecuting the one couple who was flowing in the River of God .

After being persecuted by their colleagues for five years, the Lord one day told them it was time for them to invite the other eight couples to a Pastors Conference at a Retreat Center . He told them that if they would invite them, He would make sure that they would come. So they did, and He did!

The Retreat Center was the very same one the Communist Party had used to hold strategic meetings and also party on the weekends. It was a very beautiful place. Now, though, the Lord is using it to minister to His people.

Well, all of the couples came, but the eight were quite skeptical. However, the one couple who was flowing so beautifully in the River of God had a powerfully anointed worship leader, and worship team, who were also flowing in the River of God . The very moment that we all began to worship, the anointing of the Lord began to settle down in that room in a very mighty way. We began to hear weeping, and also some wailing. Let me tell you, by the end of that day, the dry bones had come to life, and each and every relationship was healed. All to the glory of God! It was a sight to behold!

There were two of us from America that had been sent in to minister to these pastors, and one from the UK . Together we laid hands on each one of the pastors and their wives and all of them were slain in the Spirit and baptized in the Holy Spirit. The other two ministers were both men. I was the only woman, so they ministered to the men and I ministered to all of the pastor’s wives.  Only God would make such preparations!

From the Retreat Center the three of us were invited to participate in a fifty hour non-stop Praise-A-Thon in a park in the middle of Sofia , Bulgaria . It was powerful!!! At the same time we were all worshipping in the park, the city officials were tearing down a mausoleum which held the body of a former Communist leader. At that time, the Lord said, “Just as death is being removed from the city, death is being removed from My Church. Just as idolatry of man is being removed from the city, idolatry of man is being removed from My Church.”

After the Praise-A-Thon in 103 degree temperature was over, the three of us were invited to minister in a local congregation. We ministered first to the pastors, elders, and worship leaders, then we ministered to the entire congregation. The Holy Fire of God fell, and the River of God began to flow.

At the end of the service, the Lord said, “With one blink of your eye, one glance, Bulgaria , you have captured My heart! He went on to share that intense dark days were ahead, and Bulgaria would be a strategic place. For years Bulgaria had been a buffer zone between the country on her east side and the country on her west side. During the days of the Holocaust, Bulgaria hid their Jews from the Nazis. So His eye surely has been focused upon them. He went on to tell them that they were being prepared for the days ahead, and they all must come together and work together. He said, “One alone will be as nothing, but if you will all come together, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will make of you a powerhouse for My glory!”

Then, He likened them to shepherds coming together and removing the stone from the well so their flocks could drink. He told them to “guard the gates and guard the wells.’ He told them to make sure that they keep fresh, living water in the wells.

From that congregation, we all went to the Serbian Border to worship, pray, and plant the Word of God. As only the dear Lord could do, He brought a whole band of Turkish Muslim Gypsies across the border and right in to our arms. We were able to lead every one of them to the Lord. Hallelujah!  

As I finished sharing what He spoke to the pastors of Bulgaria,  and is now speaking to the pastors of Berea and the surrounding area, Lisa Leliaert and Petya Dimitrova came up to begin to share. The name of their ministry is ‘Harvest in Bulgaria .’ These are two of the most precious, humble servants of the Lord that I have ever met anywhere. Once again, we were all taken captive. Talk about dynamite testimonies, we had them this weekend. If you’ve not met these two women, may I suggest that you invite them to your congregations. They have a powerful message for the entire Body of Messiah. It is a liberating message for such a time as this.

After they finished sharing, we entered in to a time of repentance. There were seven points that the Lord had given me because He needs to deal with them throughout the Body of Messiah. First on the list was the division between races and gender. The Lord said that it must stop! The second was addictions, sexual sins, internet porn, gambling and chain letters. Next He spoke of pride, arrogance, smugness, and strife. He said that He is attracted to humility, but repulsed by pride and arrogance. Then He spoke of ministry division. Again, He said that one is no more important than the other. We are all on equal footing.

The Lord said that He is weary of seeing the names of His ministers in neon, and watching them flaunt their titles before God and man. He said, “My true servants do not have to do that, for their anointing will speak for itself.” He went on to say that in other countries they don’t even use titles. They simply want to be servants of the Most High God. He told me that many of those who function as apostles and prophets in other countries are being beaten and imprisoned. Some have been put to death. He told me to tell His people that as persecution continues to increase here in America , everyone will be willing to lay down their titles.

The sixth point that He made was the elevation of man. He said that too many in the Body of Messiah are bound by self importance and selfish ambition.  He said that He despises the competition that He sees. He said, “I AM weary of watching My ministers center their ‘performance’ around the pulpit. Once again, He said that He wants man off the platforms, and worship teams down in the midst of the assemblies. He said that the god of entertainment has replaced the one true God in many congregations today. Also, too many pastors are acting as CEOs instead of the shepherds that He has called them to be.

Last but not least, He told me, once again, to tell His people that all of the walls of circumstances, like sickness, disease, and finances will come down suddenly, for He Himself will bring them down. Hallelujah!

Church, let us all remember that Yeshua (Jesus) made Himself of no reputation. He willingly wrapped a towel around Himself, and humbled Himself on bended knee to wash the feet of His disciples. He is our model for servanthood!

Let us all surrender to Him, and allow Him to set us free of all our religious mind sets and ways. Religion is bondage! It is an intimate relationship that we all must seek with the lover of our souls. Out of that intimate relationship with Him, all else will flow.

The calling of God is holy! Let us not cheapen it! I don’t know about you all, but I just want to be one of His nameless, faceless people with a compassionate servant’s heart. I just want to work on His agenda, not mine. I just want to work to further His Kingdom, not mine. I just want to exalt His Holy Name, not my own. It’s all about Him, Church, not about us!!!

Deborah Cain began to sing a song which she wrote called, “Consume Me” Deborah has such a very precious anointing upon her as she worships in song. Regina Rice came forward and shared some of that which the Lord has been speaking to her heart, as she has entered in to that secret place with Him. He has just given her fresh revelation on the prayer shawl which is so powerful. The Lord asked her to bring all of the elements so that we could have communion for the healing of the Church, which we did. Regina lit the seven branch menorah before we broke bread and drank the cup together. It was sweet!

After lunch, May Briscoe began to share a little bit about the curse of poverty in the area. It was also called to our attention that there are still roots of child and human sacrifice in that region, as well as roots of conflict between the north and south from the Civil War days, and roots still remaining over the clashes with the Native Americans in that region. All of these must be dealt with and uprooted.

The Lord had me lead everyone to renounce all occult involvement in their past, so they can receive the healing and deliverance that is needed and be able to retain it. Petya shared how she had been a cult leader under the Communist Party and how the Lord opened her eyes and set her free of it all. Her testimony was so powerful! Now He is using her to set others free! After that we began to pray hands on as He began to cut down, and uproot, strongholds that still control us. There was a very powerful anointing there for boldness, strength and courage to minister in His Name!

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Thank you all: Those of you who have contributed toward our fund for the widows and orphans in Israel , please know that we were able to send $4,555.00 in just six weeks time. This is beside the monies we were able to send to help bring Jews home to Israel to make aliyah, and the money we send to Talmon to purchase their emergency medical equipment, cameras, and ambulance. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Bless you all: I am so grateful for all of the cards, letters, phone calls, and emails telling us how blessed you are by our newsletters, and the prayer alerts on our website. I am so happy that you are sharing everything with your prayer groups. In Israel they have told me that the newsletters and prayer alerts are a life line for them. Praise God!

Before closing: I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those in Berea , who worked so hard to make the Gathering of the Intercessors such a blessing to so many. A very special thank you to Christine from Israel , as well as  Lisa, and Petya from Bulgaria . You all are a precious blessing to the Body of Messiah.  We love you! Hurry back!

Our next Gathering of the Intercessors is in Hopkinsville , KY at the Fairgrounds, May 14^th and 15^th.  Our contact person in Hopkinsville is Johna Veatch at (270) 890-9939. Once again, the Lord has said that it is a strategic time, and a strategic location.

We hope that you will join us!