Category Archives: Prophecy

December 31, 2009 · 3:12 pm

2009 Sucked! How’s 2010 Look?

The day after 911 occurred, several ministry leaders announced, “This is a judgment from the Lord…because of America’s sins of abortion and homosexuality.”

Only hours later, every ministry leader recanted of his statements.

Why did they withdraw their words? Was 911 not a judgment of the Lord? Or was it not a judgment on abortion and homosexuality? Which was it?

Last year, a ministry head prophesied that 2009 would be a disastrous year for the American economy and employment. Then he added, “The economy and employment picture will turn around at the end of the year.”

Why did he add that the economy and employment picture would straighten out at the end of 2009?

The answer for all of the above questions can be expressed in one word: money.

The leaders’ views concerning 911 stopped the phones from ringing. No more kaChing at the cash registers. So, in order to keep fighting the good fight (with money in hand), they stuck their tails between their legs and recanted.

And how much money would you donate if you believed the economy was sliding into a depression without any hope in sight? Not much, right? Thus, the leader added some light at the end of the tunnel. “Keep those checks coming folks! Because everything will turn out well toward the latter part of 2009!”

Hey, all of the secularists and pagans have labeled us church-going Christians as money-hungry whores for years, haven’t they? And guess what? For the most part, they’re right!

2009 sucked, right? And the biggest reason was that finances were sucked out of the economy for not only the present time period, but also for our futures. Trillions of dollars gone!

So what about 2010? How’s the year look?

2010 will make 2009 look like the good old days. You remember the good old days, don’t you? That’s back when everything was much, much better than now!

America’s economic slide will continue in 2010. Many trillions more will be sucked out of the economy. Churches and ministries by the thousands will close their doors – not enough kaChing to keep their engines running.

You see, 911 was a judgment of the Lord, but not on the sins of homosexuality and abortions. It was a judgment on the American Church.

And sadly, the Church has not repented of our money-hungry ways as yet.

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

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December 24, 2009 · 8:18 am

Want To Make A Difference Today?

Everyone loves heroes; and I’m no different. But my heroes don’t dribble basketballs, swing baseball bats or act in movies. Mine are those who actually make a difference in other people’s lives.

Mark and Christine Pedder are two such heroes for me. These Aussies live and work in BASECO, a 60-acre slum located in Manilla, Philippines. One look at the above picture will tell you it’s not prime real estate.

If you want more information on the couple’s ministry, check out Mark’s blog; and be sure to look at the pictures. They will grab your heart.

Now, the purpose of this article is to ask you to pray for Christine. She is facing major surgery in January.

So, if you can, take a moment and pray for a miracle healing for Christine.

Remember the Poor This Christmas

On September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa of Calcutta died. Her legacy of how one believer – backed by God – can make a difference in the world is still something to ponder on today.

Something Beautiful for God, by Malcolm Muggeridge, describes Mother Teresa’s first act as a missionary to the poor in Calcutta.

She was walking down a Calcutta street, wondering where she should go and what she should do. She glanced toward a gutter and saw a dying beggar being chewed on by rats. Other people walked past the man and ignored his agony.

Mother Teresa chased off the rats, picked up the man and carried him to a hospital. There she was told that the hospital did not care for dying indigents. She was ordered to leave. Refusing to obey their commands, she caused such a ruckus, the hospital decided to make an exception that one time. The man ended up dying on a clean bed with Mother Teresa sitting next to him.

It was this experience which framed her ministry for her next forty-nine years.

Mother Teresa’s quotes still inspire believers today:

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

“Each one of them [the poor] is Jesus in disguise.”

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

“It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.”

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

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December 19, 2009 · 11:56 am

Charles Finney’s Words Still Ring True Today

Charles Finney (1792 – 1895) was the most well-known preacher of the Second Great Awakening. His use of extemporaneous preaching and the “anxious seat” were innovative evangelistic tools for his day.

When the revival fires died down, he became a professor, and later the president of Oberlin College. It was his abolitionist influence which caused the college to be among the first in America to co-educate blacks and women with white men.

In 1857, Charles Finney was asked what he thought of the Businessman’s Prayer Revival. His words still ring true today:

We have had preaching enough, now it is time to pray. (Charles Finney)

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December 17, 2009 · 8:31 am

A Great Quote From An Awesome Lady of God

Kathryn Kuhlman (1907 – 1976) is an example of a believer who fearlessly paid the price to walk in the service of the Lord.

Her unique ministry shifted the focus of the Church from the outward show of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit back to the Giver of the Gifts, the Holy Spirit.

She was known as the “woman who believed in miracles.”

My favorite Kuhlman quote is:

“Lord, if you can use nothing, then use me. (Kathryn Kuhlman)

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December 15, 2009 · 9:04 am

Can One Person Make A Difference?

Claire at One Passion One Devotion listed the following video on her list of a Thousand Things. It is about one man who made a commitment to do something for the Lord. It’s awesome!

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Filed under Christianity, Christians, Church, church planting, Emergent Church, Gifts of the Spirit, God, grace, jesus, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, reformation, Religion, spiritual warfare

December 11, 2009 · 8:12 am

Lord, Why Not Call Bill Instead of Me? (Conclusion)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9 and Part 10.

Have you ever been someplace that seemed to fit you to a tee? Maybe it didn’t have a five-star rating, but you didn’t care because it felt good just being there.

Well, that’s the way I felt about the little home church I attended after leaving the prison with a steeple on the roof.

The husband and wife leaders, Marion and Morris, were loving people who cared about others. They had no ambitious agenda outside of evangelizing their working class neighborhood and advancing the kingdom of God.

The main emphasis for the home church was reaching neighborhood children and teens; many of whom had learning disabilities with IQ’s at the five and six year-old level.

Looking back, I can still remember the first night I attended the home church. It was a Thursday evening Halloween party of sorts with treats and drinks. But two memorable things occurred on that evening.

First, a thirteen year-old girl asked for prayer. Why she did, I don’t remember anymore, but she was new to the group. Four of the learning disability kids (fifteen to nineteen years of age) gathered around her and prayed.

And to be honest, they were the absolute worst prayers I have ever heard. One said, “Do this.” Another said, “Do that.” A third said, “Try this.” And a fourth said, “Try that.”

Listening to them, my head almost spun around in circles. But guess what? The girl was set free of her problems, and then she gave her life to the Lord.

Secondly, a seven year old boy walked up to Marion. “I feel terrible,” he said.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, touching his head.

“I feel icky,” he replied.

In the next instant, she explained the good news about Jesus. He wept and nodded his head. They bowed on their knees together and he gave his life to the Lord. He was so excited about his Savior!

Unusual events? Not really. This happened every week I was there and had been going on for fifteen or twenty years before I arrived. Many of the same children’s parents had given their lives to Jesus in that same home church.

Now, not all of the neighbors totally approved of Marion and Morris’ brand of evangelistic Christianity. But each knew if they had problems, the couple would stop by with food, money and prayers, asking nothing in return.

But most of all, what I received from this home church was a revelation of God’s grace. A revelation so deep that it has carried me through every trial and problem since that time.

I would like to ask you to pause and think of the most horrible day you ever lived. The day when you did something you deeply regret. You can take comfort in this one fact: Your heavenly Father saw that day when He chose You in His Son before time…If that’s not good news, I don’t know what is. (From Eternity To Here, 2009, Frank Viola, pp. 71)

If somehow, I could impart a deep revelation of grace into every believer, I would. It’s that great. If you don’t have it, get it.

And guess what? A deep revelation of God’s grace is the only way to stay free of prophetic bondage. The two cannot coexist together because where grace is totally understood, legalism can not squeeze in.

I will have more on prophetic bondage (caused by words, prayers and prophecies by people in authority) sometime in the future. This is a major problem for the Church, especially after the so-called Prophetic Move of God.

(Conclusion. Friday starts a new series.)

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December 9, 2009 · 6:53 am

Lord, Why Not Call Bill Instead of Me? (Part 10)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8 and Part 9.

Though I left the small church, I was still not set free from prophetic bondage . Every knock on the door and every ring of the phone sent waves of panic through me. What if the two pastors were there? What if they prayed for me again?

I preached and prophesied a message of boldness at the home church but lived a secret life encumbered by fear. My prayer times were filled with cries to the Lord for deliverance.

And yet, day after day, I continued to struggle. Where was Jesus, my Deliverer?

If somehow I could have talked with the top leaders in the Body of Christ, maybe a consensus answer could have been reached for me. But what would it have been?

Probably something like this: “Larry, you just need to pray more, fast more and study the Bible more.”

But to be honest, I’ve met very few individuals who prayed, fasted and studied the Bible more than I did during this time period. I slept, worked, prayed, fasted and studied. This was the sum total of my life. Period.

So, more was not my answer.

The Church needs a total change in perspective to operate in the supernatural. We cannot indulge in the laws of reason and logic and expect to fight off the demonic…I believe that God is reasonable, except when He chooses not to be. Then, we need revelation… (Graham Cooke in Permission Granted, pp. 158)

This time, my deliverance was a two stage process.

First, a prophetess came to the home church and taught on fear. As I listened, nothing really stirred within me. Her message was one I’d heard dozens of times before. At the end of her teaching, she asked if anyone needed prayer to be delivered from fear.

Two or three people went forward, but I didn’t give it much thought for myself. Then, when the prophetess finished praying for the people, she said, “I really feel someone else needs to come up her for prayer right now!”

Bingo! Her words lit up something within me. I went forward, she prayed for me and I was set free from the prophetic bondage which had caused me such agonizing fear.

Now, this in itself was like having a boulder rolled away from my cave’s door. No longer did fear strike me when the phone rang or someone knocked on my door. I was set free.

The second stage of my deliverance involves a revelation. One which will help keep me free from prophetic bondage until I finally meet my Lord.

(C0ntinued in Part 11.)

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December 7, 2009 · 7:37 am

Lord, Why Not Call Bill Instead of Me? (Part 9)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 and Part 8.

The man walked up to me at the end of the service. “Larry, could you pray for me. My life is a mess and I don’t know what to do,” he said with tears in his eyes.

I laid my hand on him and began praying. As I did, a quick vision crossed my mind. In it, I saw him sitting on a bunk in a small prison cell. He was facing the back wall; his face revealed extreme hopelessness.

As I looked on, the view of the prison cell changed. I could see the front of the cell and the door was open. There were beauty and life waiting for him on the other side of the doorway. He just needed to stand up, turn around and walk out the open door to freedom.

Though this vision was for the man on that day, it is also apropos for my situation at the little church I attended.

So, how was I finally set free from the prison with a steeple on the roof?

The first thing that happened is the husband and wife pastor team bought an RV and began traveling. They felt this would lead to a national apostolic ministry. In their place, they appointed a young husband and wife to replace them.

The new pastor team also had prophetic and apostolic callings, but their vision was a totally different one; and it did not include me.

My only responsibilities when the two pastors left for Texas were cleaning the church, helping with the food pantry and prayer. I still prayed for an hour at the church every morning and usually arrived an hour early to pray for each church service. Seldom – as in hardly never ever never – did anyone else show up to pray with me.

Well, a prophetess and her friends from a nearby city showed up one evening and prayed for me. The prophetess gave me a tough word. “The Lord is unhappy with you. He doesn’t want you to be this church’s prayer meeting. Every member needs to pray, not just you.”

I quit praying at the church in the mornings and before church services.

Next, a woman phoned and asked me to help her and her husband with their children’s outreach ministry on Thursday evenings. It was a time of teaching, prayer and evangelism. Dozens of kids gave their lives to the Lord through their ministry.

I prayed and felt the Lord wanted me to help her. Ever mindful of Hebrews 13:17, I asked the young pastor if it was okay. He said, “Yes, go ahead.”

As I helped the couple out, they allowed me to give teachings and to pray for anyone and everyone. Soon, the Thursday night meetings mushroomed into a Sunday meeting where I was also able to teach, preach and prophesy.

Now, it wasn’t long before I felt the Lord nudging me to leave the first church and go full-time to the house church. Once again, I asked the young pastor for permission and he said, “Go with my blessing.”

When the two senior pastors returned from their trip to Texas and discovered I had left the church, they called me on the phone. “You’re out of the will of God,” they told me.

“I don’t believe so,” I replied.

“Well, we do,” they said. “Not only are you out of the will of God, but your calling, and maybe even your salvation, will be hindered by leaving our church.”

I said goodbye and hung up.

So, was I totally set free just because I quit attending the prison with a steeple on the roof?

(Continued in Part 10.)

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December 4, 2009 · 7:45 am

Lord, Why Not Call Bill Instead of Me? (Part 8)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12 NKJ)

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside [cast off] every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…(Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJ)

Have you ever undergone a deliverance from demons? I have. Many times. Most were not sensational, but then again, one was.

“Wait a second!” you say. “How can a believer be possessed by demons?”

I don’t believe a Christian can ever be fully possessed by demons. In order for that to happen, the works of the cross would have to be set aside so darkness and light can dwell together in a person’s inner man (or spirit). That’s not happening! Ever!

But what I do believe is that demons can have influences, or what I call hooks, into our soul and flesh.

Bear with me a little, okay? Visualize a man walking around with a beautiful treasure deep within him. It is glorious and pure. But at the same time, you notice ugly fishhooks attached to different points on the man’s flesh and to his mind. These fishhooks have long strings attached to them with heavy weights attached at the opposite end. These weights represent demonic influences which can manipulate our actions and thoughts so that we make mistakes.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [or soul], so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Now, most of our deliverances will come about as we mature in our walks with Jesus. This happens through studying the word, praying and just allowing the Holy Spirit to live in us. Therefore our mind is renewed so that it agrees with the Lord, and not with Satan or our selfish flesh.

But sometimes, we need the demonic weights cast off by other believers who have some power and authority.

After I had been saved for four years, and had given hundreds of prophetic words, a woman noticed something in my prophetic words. There were a few glitches here and there, causing confusion for people.

The woman happened to be a prophetess who prayed six hours a day. So, she sought the Lord and saw the problem. She then relayed her discovery to a few friends of mine.

The friends called me over on a Sunday afternoon. When I arrived, they presented what the prophetess had seen – a demon. “Get rid of it,” I replied.

As they began praying in tongues, I was thrown to the floor. And then tossed back and forth across the floor from one side of the room to the other. It was a wild ride. I was flying all over the place.

Wow! I hope someone knows what they are doing, I thought to myself as I bounced around.

Finally, it was over and I was set free from the demon’s influence. I was tired and went home.

What type of demon was it? I believe it was a religious spirit, one which had been a part of my life for years, long before my salvation. It had become so ingrained and entwined in my personality that I thought it was the real me.Thank God, it wasn’t.

My personal belief is that we believers absolutely need to get free of every weight and sin. Who really cares if we are humbled and embarrassed? Let’s just get free so that we can love Jesus more and more and more.

So, how was I finally released from the prison with a steeple on the roof?

(Continued in Part 9.)

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