The Aftermath and Emerging Season

In an insightful, post-election news interview, somewhat strangely but perhaps not so, a news anchor responded to the wisdom of her interviewee with the flattering comment of: “I’d like to crawl into your brain to better understand how you think.”

More than ever before, in this world of extremes and pitfalls, for believers and non-believers alike, the extent to which we accurately grasp reality, finds its basis in this process of thinking, which on multiple levels bears significantly on the future of us individually and as a people.

The Word of God calls for not only this foundation, but “something more.” It has a lot to say and a lot to glean from the heroes of faith regarding how we process and respond to reality; how we think …. in terms of the groundwork for our futures. Not the least of them punctuating this point of: “Bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” and the admonition to discerning the will of God by “renewing our minds” from worldly stances.

All of which is no small thing in a world where reality is increasingly being challenged, as elitist, counter-culturalists are not just influencing, but attempting to mandate the parameters in this process of thinking.

However, we begin to glean the significance of the depth of this need for “more,” as the impact of this extended, pervasive effort has carried over into the spiritual atmosphere, further enshrouding the thinking process …. especially on the community-level ….. of both the committed and the seekers.

While the recent national US vote reflected a pushback to these challenges, the behind-the-scenes focus is the vital role of the aggregate of prayer and prayer initiatives that target the preservation of the values and Spirit that have been at the foundation of the freedoms of our society. With this pushback, has come a shift in the spiritual atmosphere. Having said that, the impact of prayer movements coincide with the groundwork of voices who share this hope.

To the point, despite the spiritual sense of breathing more easily since the elections, recognizing the roots of this conflict and the need for the continuation of strategic responses has only reached the starting point.

Spiritual Dynamics in Moves-of-God
More, by way of a move-of-God of this consistent aggregate prayer and voices of hope is essential. It should be to the extent that the prayer gatherings become bedrock in maintaining the movement that is underway.

Yet, beyond the intercession, petitioning-prayer and spiritual warfare, such efforts entail a careful, interactive listening thing …. listening from on-High and from those around us. This involves an awareness of the unfolding spiritual dynamics, with a focus tied to this process of thinking. An awareness that discerns and mobilizes the response to the spiritual realities and subtleties of darkness that has been the driving force behind the growth in the toxicity of the spiritual atmosphere.

The toxicity of the spiritual atmosphere in Jesus’ day also reflected a fevered pitch. Jesus consistently admonished his inner-circle with the importance of this factor of proactive listening with “he who has ears, let him hear.” This not only entails reaching beyond the obvious but in maintaining an awareness of the schemes of the spirit that plants the seeds of darkness.

This proactive listening thing potentially impacts the world around us as both a trickle down and a trickle up matter …. when the amassing of prayer hits certain levels. This point highlights some of my observations from my last post (“The Banner in Darkness”) concerning the impact of concerted, desperate gatherings of prayer that fueled the change for both the response to the Cultural Revolution by China’s underground church, along with the crying out to the Lord due to the brutal post-1975 reeducation efforts in Vietnam. It bears on becoming not only the basis of, but the ability to sustain change.

The Uptick Needed for Aggregate Prayer
Wisdom shouts that the focus to maintain the foundation of freedoms should be before they are lost. To the point, maintaining the momentum of the shift in the spiritual atmosphere reflected in the election results …. is going to require a concerted, fervent uptick from the recent ground-swell of prayer that manifested.

This aggregate prayer will involve a groundwork of voices of influence targeting the spiritually naive and susceptible …. in overcoming the overt efforts of darkness that have begun “coming out of the closet” and “overplaying its hand.”

Overcoming these realities involves more than the investment of trust and faith in personalities, leadership and policies, despite their importance. The subtle crosshairs for any serious prayer movement begins with the heart-cry and authority that establishes the spiritual atmosphere. When the spiritual atmosphere is maintained, then it will be a downhill momentum from there.

The Groundwork tied to Prayer Movements
Having been deeply influenced by the prayer movements of the late sixties and into the seventies, I know there to be a contagion that results from aggregate prayer. With such prayer is the atmosphere replete with God …. and everyone …. believers and non-believers alike ….. talking about the Lord.

The groundwork of the recent elections was extensive and meaningful. And it reflects a significant parallel to the groundwork tied to prayer movements. In a recent interview, Ashley Hayek of America First Works

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LvlEqZ8qGs explained the strategy of listening before responding, conducted by a groundswell of proactive neighborhood workers. It points to the voices needed in employing vital tactics …. for the next steps accompanying this uptick in prayer. In other words, this means capturing the contagion of the spiritual atmosphere in taking the conversation out of cloisters and into the neighborhoods and marketplaces.

This effort entails still more, which is the networking and sense of being connected and making a difference ….. as a voice.

The Battle-Cry: a Global Response to the Spiritual Atmosphere
The subtle reality vying for the spiritual atmosphere is the parallel, radicalized societies being established in what should be societal bastions of freedom. In a development simultaneously overshadowed by the elections, was the graphic portrayal of the concerted, coordinated, anti-Semitic “Jew-hunts” in the Netherlands. While the images of Jews being beaten in the streets replicated a time-past in the thirties, what was significant was the rescue of these Israeli citizens by their government pushing back.

The recent anti-Semitic campus takeovers here in the US are no more than a step or two away from the actions of the radicalized parallel societies in the Netherlands.

The litmus test for the spiritual atmosphere manifesting at global levels is the response to Israel and the Jewish people ….. the related developments being the backlash and persecution being experienced by the committed believers of the Church. We no longer are in isolation or able to ignore such developments on the global scene. As a people of God, we’re vitally connected. As one savvy expert voice on this issue has observed: “As it goes for the Jews, so it will be coming around to the Church.”

So while the outcome of the elections may offer a semblance of breathing space, it should simultaneously be a wake-up call to the battle-cry ….. for the listening and the attention needed to respond more preemptively and effectively … to counter the darkness of the spiritual atmosphere being rooted and manifesting around the globe, not to speak of the eruption of these efforts in our backyard.

Change and the Increases in the Clashes of Power
Over the course of His earthly ministry, the manifestation of the power of Jesus was progressive …. in raising the dead: from the little girl who had just died, to Lazarus who had been dead three days …. to His own resurrection, as just one example. Likewise, whenever Jesus’ power manifested, the voices around Him, against Him grew progressively louder. YET, this was overshadowed by the clash of power that periodically manifested in storms, a dynamic that John discerned more deeply in his book of Revelations.

The composite of Revelations reveals a season of a progressive releasing of wickedness ….. in some cases with God providing safe harbor, in others by overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony …. in other words, with their authority. In still other cases, it reflected the community impacted by martyrdom. Three distinct scenarios.

While some commentators observe that many of these things already happened in the times surrounding John’s Revelations …. and they would be right …. Scripture also observes that the examples of the past have been given to prepare us for the seasons to be faced.

So, the words of the resurrected Jesus to the Churches in Revelations prior to the unveiling of these clash of power developments was to get their focus strategically aligned …. in dealing with the power clashes in the seasons yet to manifest …. as they made the spiritual inroads reflected by their foundational community lifestyles and the strategic exercise of their combined authority. So it was and so it should be.

The Standard for Change
Returning to the example of the dire conditions of persecution experienced by the churches in China and Vietnam, the underlying change-factor was the building of faith into a movement and the desperation reflected in the amassing of prayer. Amazing things happened in both China and Vietnam as a result of the priority given to serious, desperate aggregate prayer …. prayer that became an unquestionable spotlight of Light in the midst of deep darkness. It is the standard for the change needed for our future.

While the persecution against believers for each was severe, the response of listening … from having “ears to hear” …. made for a shaping of conditions in the trickle-down impact of growth of the house-church movement in China’s case ….. along with the amazing trickle-up impact at the national leadership levels in Vietnam.

At issue then and now is the spiritual atmosphere that enshrouds the people on a community and global level. Again, it bears on the correlation between the listening and the processing of reality …. in the thinking …. and the vital purpose served by the serious aggregate of prayer from the communities of God’s people.

Combined Authority and a Mobilization of Networks
There is a wisdom gleaned from the “overcomer” segment in Revelations …. those who unequivocally maintained their identity. These are those who on the one hand push-back, yet on the other, extend the reach: in overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. The overcoming during times of great challenge will be by their authority …. their combined authority.

In the same way that the power employed from on High becomes exponential when anointings are combined, so it is with combined authority. This will entail an awareness of and a concerted “speaking to the storms,” when the atmosphere of darkness attempts its incursions and inroads.

Combined authority that brings change will reflect the mind-set of commitment and sacrifice commensurate with a war-time setting, which is the reality of the spiritual atmosphere of our day. It reflects God’s people laying aside personal issues to make a difference with matters that truly count. In other words, the level of shared maturity will be that which majors in the major things rather than the distractions and wheel-spinning of minor issues.

Years ago, during WWII in North Platte, Nebraska ….. a train-stop for troops being shipped from the East to the war in the Pacific and from the West to the war in Europe …. volunteers came together from miles around to meet every troop-train to offer them sandwiches, fried chicken, cakes, snacks, coffee …. and their kindness and support. It was a mobilization of sacrifice …. not just of time, but of the small personal pleasures reflected in what they gave the troops by using their own ration cards.

Today, America is poised for a similarly needed mobilization …. not unlike the recent efforts of America First Works …. of an on-the-ground sacrificial commitment of alliances of cross-denominational prayer movements ….. to enhance the combined authority on a national scale. With this mobilization already in-place in both traditional and non-traditional circles …. what remains is a deeper groundwork that goes into the neighborhoods and byways …. to bring the needed and added ripples into the atmosphere.

One of the most anointed and effective pastors I’ve ever had, once shared a burden he had to establish a simple neighborhood prayer effort ….. by going door-to-door with no other purpose than being a blessing …. that would begin with knocking on doors …. and while respectfully listening in discerning needs, simply asking: “May I pray for you?”

Of the distinct blessings I recall from the spiritually vibrant days of the Charismatic Renewal was the local cross-denominational prayer gatherings …. where the common ground was Jesus, our combined authority as believers and a mix of the faith released in the sharing of prayer-burdens.

So it was and so it will be: with the focus and simplicity of the next steps in reaching for “more” …. the “more” which will bear significantly on the course of our future.

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Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner of the Joseph-calling and God’s economy message, being an international voice for the higher dimensions of spiritual game-changers and intercessors since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation, the Strategic Intercession Global Network [SIGN] and designer of the God’s Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program and the Jewish Business Secrets YouTube series, Mr. Ruddick’s messages equip leaders and economic community builders with strategy where God’s light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.

He is author of “The Joseph-Daniel Calling;” “Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;” “The Heart of a King;” “Something More;” “Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;” “Leadership by Anointing;” and “Mantle of Fire,” which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.

Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to 3838 South Wabash Street, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at https://strategic-initiatives.org/donate/

Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For more information go to https://strategic-initiatives.org

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