Apostle Robert Rogers

Welcome to our site. I trust you will be blessed and find encouragement and strength as you view it’s pages. I hope you will become a regular visitor and will make comments as you gain personal insight and experience your own unique revelation. We would love to hear from you. I would also like to acknowledge the tireless work of Jane Belding, Brenda McKee, Penny Johnson and Francis Threadgill for their efforts to bring these words to you. Every significant work must have a faithful team and I think we have the best.
Blessings
Bob Rogers

How Do I Know What I Should Prophesy? – Part VII

We have found that when God desires to do something in the earth. He looks for a man or woman who will speak His will into the earth through the creative power of the Prophetic word. This has been God’s method since He created Adam and Eve in the Garden. Yet whom will God trust with such an awesome responsibility? To know what we should prophesy is to know what the Lord desires. Jesus said it like this.

19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:19 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

The point is that it is easy to know what to prophesy if we are seeking the Father’s will. Now the Lord has left us many patterns in the word of God that teach us the relationship between a spiritual father and his son. We will look at Elijah and Elisha to illustrate this point.

You will remember that Elijah was greatly discouraged even after he had won a tremendous spiritual victory.

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

1 Kings 19:4-5 (KJV)

As a result of this discouragement, the Lord took Elijah to a cave to teach him some very important lessons. There were two chief lessons that Elijah learned in the cave. One, which God’s normal way of speaking is in a “still small voice.”

1 Kings 19:12

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

KJV

How delightful it is to develop a relationship with someone in which we can carry on a normal and quiet conversation. It is in this way that we get to know each other. The second important lesson the Lord wanted Elijah to learn was that he could not do the work of the Lord alone, and that Elijah was to develop a spiritual son to teach all the Lord taught him.

1 Kings 19:16-17

and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.

NIV

We will speak more on how Elijah trained and developed Elisha, but let me give you an example of how the Lord desires to change nations.

Just days before President Obama took office I had this dream:

I was sitting with President and Laura Bush at a round table. President Bush was holding his head in his hands and saying, “I wonder if it is because of the curse of the Beer Barons, I wonder if it is because of the curse of the Beer Barons?” I spoke up and said to Laura Bush, “Doesn’t he know that because of the ‘Blood’ all curses are broken?”

When I said that Laura Bush said, Tell him, tell George, tell George!”

The scene changed: I am in a bathroom and Ronald Reagan is sitting in a chair. I know that he is dead. But he is sitting up rather stiffly and looking straight ahead. I hear a voice say, “The ’serum’ in your hands is for the ‘reawakening’ of Ronald Reagan. The ’serum’ in your hands is for the reawakening of Ronald Reagan.” I know that the serum will not bring him back to life but will “re-awaken” something.

Scene changes again: I am at a large conference table with President Bush and the heads of state from around the world. I am speaking to President Bush and he is leaning toward me trying to hear but the heads of state are distracting him.

Scene changes again: Now I am back in the bathroom with Ronald Reagan and the whole scene repeats itself. The “serum” is for the reawakening of Ronald Reagan. Dream ends and I awake, pray, and prophesy for our nation.

From this dream, we can see some very important things. First, let me repeat, “When God wants to do something in the earth He finds a man or woman He can trust and then gives them the words to speak and prophesy.” It is clear from this dream that He wants us to know that America has done many things that have brought a curse upon our land. Yet because of the “blood covenant”, these curses can and must be spoken. The Lord is looking for One Million Voices who will lift up the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and remind Him of the promises that Blood holds.

When the death Angel was to pass through Egypt to kill all of the first born it was indeed a curse brought on by their iniquity. Yet all who had the blood applied to the doorposts were delivered from the avenging Angel. The Lord is telling us to rise up and apply the “blood” of Jesus to that which is the foundation of the doorways of our nation. Will He find those One Million Voices?

After receiving this dream, I taught, wrote and preached on it with all of my heart. Delivering this message to every available ear I could. Yet like Elijah, I cannot do it alone. I must raise up One Million Sons and Daughters who will help me declare what the Lord is saying. That is why I am asking you to forward these words to as many as the Lord lays on your heart. I am repeating this dream and the words the Lord gave me because yesterday I was watching and interview with Sarah Palin. They were asking her why she was becoming so popular. As she answered the question with, “I am seeking to restore the principles that Ronald Reagan set down that government is meant to serve the common man not the other way around.” As she said these words, they flashed a picture of Ronald Reagan. In the picture, he was rather stiff backed and erect just like in the dream. The result of this interview and picture of Ronald Reagan reawakened the dream to me and put a strong desire in my heart to “prophesy” again and again.

I would like to encourage everyone who is reading these words to first acknowledge that America has sinned, that we indeed have released curses across our nation for our iniquity. But do not stop there, let us humble ourselves and acknowledge our sin, but with boldness let us lift up the precious blood of Jesus that breaks and delivers from all curses.

Please pray and prophesy these words with me.

“Father right now I lift up the blood covenant America has with you. We acknowledge our sin and confess our iniquity. Yet your words declare without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. You further say, “that if we confess our sin You are faithful and just to forgive our sin and to cleanse us from all iniquity.” Father, forgive the sins of America because we believe and lift up the blood covenant – but do not stop there – cleanse us from our iniquities. We ask and prophesy these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Reawaken America to the Godly standards that made her great and deliver us from the curses that have come upon our land. Thank you for hearing and for blessing our nation.

Are you one of those who God wants to use to bring changes to your nation? It is the purpose of One Million Voices to equip, mentor and train you for this purpose. If the Lord prompts you to help us further this work and ministry please send your financial support to:

One Million Voices
1170 Morgan
Muskegon, Michigan
49442

We have a great work to do for the Lord and we can do it together!
Blessings,
Apostle Robert Rogers

How Do I Know What I Should Prophesy? – Part VI

What is the Lord after in your life? When He provides a great blessing or a miracle, what is He really after? If we can keep in our hearts a knowledge of the ultimate purposes of the Lord and how He accomplishes those purposes, the Christian life will open up to us like an easily read road map. Is it not true that from the very beginning the Lord was seeking relationship with His creation?

Genesis 3:8 NKJ

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:

 
 

How marvelous to know that God desires to be with us. He has made every provision for us to know Him and His ways. All of this is because of His great love for His creation. Sadly, we have for the most part, missed the understanding that it is fellowship with our Father that we were created. When the Lord teaches us about the fruit of the Spirit and of the gifts of the spirit, it so that we can take on more of His nature and character, and in doing so we will be better able to have fellowship with Him.

Let us remember that all of this life’s experiences are meant to further develop the nature of our Father in us, in order that we might walk with Him together in unbroken fellowship. For that to be accomplished we must be both in His image and His likeness.

Genesis 1:26 NKJ

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

We often talk about a picture as an image of some one. Is it not true that our Father wants people to look at us and say, “he looks just like his Father”? Yet better still, it would be if they said, “not only does he look like his father but he also acts just like his Dad.”

What the Church needs more than anything else is believers who love their heavenly Father so much they want to abide in Him and be just like Him. They do not want anointing, or gifting, or dominion, or titles or recognition if these things will not bring them closer to their Father.

Would you like to know whom the Lord will trust with the creative power of His prophetic word? It is the one who is most like Him in His character and nature. Every earthly father knows that he can only turn over to His children a little of his resources at a time and only after they have proven themselves faithful to use those resources wisely. Most of us, however, are like children at Christmas time. We cannot wait to open our presents and then we cannot wait to run off and play with them by ourselves. Yet the day we say, “Yes, I love the presents, but I want to be with You more than anything else, is the day the Lord will know He can trust us with all that He has!

I have observed that most of us in the prophetic get a dream or a vision or a word from the Lord and our first impulse is to “show it off.” As long as that is our first goal, we will remain very immature in the prophetic call. Yet when the day comes that the Lord entrusts us with more of His gifting and revelations and we say, “Father, I cherish Your revelation but I wish only to share it when and with whom You say,” that is the day we begin to march towards maturity and Christ likeness. 

I have written all of this to underscore the important time the Shunammite woman had spent with Elisha. Little by little, she was beginning to take on the nature and character of the Prophet Elisha, even as he had done so with Elijah. Let us remember that the Lord desires for us to spend time in His presence until we are changed into His likeness. It is only then that He will entrust us with the powerful end-time weapons.

1 Cor. 13:11-13 KJV

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. [12] For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. [13] And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

　
 

2 Cor. 3:18 KJV

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

To the degree we seek to love the Lord with all of our heart and use our life to know Him and to honor Him, is the degree He will trust us with His glory and power. We were truly created to walk in His glory and authority, yet, if we still do not have His nature and character we cannot fully possess His glory.

In our next article, we will trace how Elisha walked with Elijah and by 
so doing took on Elijah’s character and nature, and eventually walked in a double-portion.
　
　
MORE TO FOLLOW

 
 

BLESSINGS,
APOSTLE ROBERT ROGERS

How Do I Know What I Should Prophesy – Part V

     What do I do when my dream is gone? What do I do when all that I have hoped for and believed in no longer has any life? We are studying the subject of “A COVENANT WITH THE PROPHETIC.” We are using the experience of the Shunammite woman as our “pattern” for understanding what it means to have a covenant with the prophetic. You will remember that she has made a major investment in the man of God . She began by inviting him in for something to eat, as he would pass by her house. After coming to know him as a true man of God, she invested in him in an even greater measure by asking her husband to build a separate bedroom for the man of God to rest in. She furnished the bedroom with a comfortable bed, a lamp and a chair, and every time the man of God lay down on that bed, the Lord would stir him about the dreams of this precious woman.

Gen 1:1 – 2 Kings 4:10

Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”

NKJV

     I have stated that far too many people give to ministries with very little knowledge of them. These ministers often do not have the kind of connection with the giver to know how and what to pray for. As a result many have given to the work of the Lord with almost no manifestation of this covenant I am teaching on.

We will discover a very important principle in a few minutes that will bring great understanding to what we are saying. We have found that Elisha was able to speak a word over this precious woman that opened up her womb and revived the deepest dream of her heart.

2 Kings 4:11-17

11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”

14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?”

And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.”

And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!”

17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

NKJV

     This truly was a miracle. Still, a great many people have received wonderful things from the Lord, but for whatever reason they have lost them. This is the important part of what I am trying to teach. Because the Shunammite woman had more than a casual knowledge of Elisha, she was able to learn a great deal from him. When tragedy struck, the man of God had taught her what to do and how to respond. Notice with me the principles in the following passage.

2 Kings 4:18-25

18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!”

So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”

23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.”

And she said, “It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

NKJV

       Those who have a “Covenant with the Prophetic” also have a relationship with the man of God. I believe that as a result of Elisha staying in her home, that he had the opportunity to teach her in great detail the principles by which miracles are obtained and maintained. Many people do not know that a miracle requires “maintenance” but indeed, it does. 

     I have prayed for many who received a significant blessing but because they did not know this principle, they were unable to hold onto what the Lord gave them. I often say it like this, “Miracles are for breakthrough, biblical principles are for maintenance of the miracle.” Do you see it? Many people get a miracle but because they do not develop and live by biblical principles, they cannot maintain it. Someone may give you a wonderful automobile, yet, if you do not do maintenance on that automobile it will soon fall apart. 
It seems in the Christian world we are often at two opposite extremes. We have those people who only want to live by miracles and never learn the principles behind maintaining them, or there are those who only want maintenance without a miracle. Yet, if we are only doing maintenance on something we do not have, we are in a sad state.

     The power of the prophetic ministry lies in the covenant we have with the “spoken word.” Those in the prophetic walk, understand, believe and practice the truth of the “creative power of our words.” This is a principle we find throughout scripture. From Genesis to Revelation our heavenly Father teaches us this truth. Notice the following scriptures -

Gen 1:3 
3 Then God said,”—– let there be light”; and there was light.
Gen 1:6
6 Then God said —- Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters
and it was so!!!!!! (emphasis mine)

Prov 18:21
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue : and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Num 14:28
28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

Mark 11:23
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain , Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (Emphasis mine)

     Perhaps over the years you have heard a great deal of teaching on the subject of our “confession.” Much of that teaching was good, yet there are some fundamental ingredients to the teaching on confession that have often been left out. Like any other thing, we try to do in chemistry, cooking, or in life, we may have one of the ingredients absolutely perfect but if the other ingredients are not added and blended in the correct proportions, we will have extremely poor results, if any at all!

     Mankind is very interesting. He loves formulas, methods, and principles, but does not love “relationship.” When God created the truths, laws and principles by which the Universe exists, He did so with the principle of “relationship” as His primary goal. I know many Christians who are working very hard to develop the “correct confession” but very little work is being done in developing the correct relationships. Like the Lord once spoke to me, “Truth that is spoken without love is only a half truth – no matter how accurate the facts.” He went on to say, “I am both truth and love – you cannot have ultimate truth without ultimate love.” Now, let’s get back to the Shunammite woman who lost her miracle. Where did she get the idea to lay her dead dream on the bed of the Prophet? I believe that over the period of time that Elisha spent in her home he taught her deep and lasting principles about the “covenant with the prophetic.” It was the relationship that they developed that empowered her to make the right decisions when tragedy struck.

     Our next writing will focus on the correct steps she was able to take to restore her miracle that flowed from the relationship she had developed with her “Covenant with the Prophetic.”
 
 
MORE TO FOLLOW…

BLESSINGS,
APOSTLE ROBERT ROGERS

How Do I Know What I Should Prophesy – Part IV

 

      One of the reasons I am writing on the subject “A Covenant With the Prophetic,” is to fulfill the mandate the Lord gave me to raise up “One Million Voices” who know how to prophesy the purposes of God into the earth. I have been passionately pursuing this assignment since it was first delivered to me. The principles I am sharing with you have been learned over a long period of time in which I have had to contend for the prophetic word, on many occasions, through great and lasting difficulty

     I do not write as someone who has been in a vacuum of spiritual mysticism, but one called to face all that the world and the devil has to throw against us and has yet prevailed. If I can pass these truths on to you, I feel I will have pleased the Lord and the calling He has put on my life. My experience is that there are seasons of great spiritual warfare that include a battle with confusion, discouragement, rejection and disappointment of the highest kind. Yet, if we prevail through these seasons, there comes a sanctified time of extended peace and fruitfulness.

    I remember a vision the Lord gave me just after coming to the Church I presently Pastor.

In this dream, I was piloting an old sailing ship through an extremely narrow passage of rocks. The rocky cliffs went straight up on either side hundreds of feet. The ship looked small and fragile as gale force winds raced down the narrow passage. I bravely stood at the wheel of this ship seeking to guide it through the deadly rocks that could at any time send it to the bottom of the cold, dark and raging sea. There was barely enough room for the ship to go through this narrow storm tossed passage. The wind and rain were beating on my face. My arms and body ached as every fiber of my being was required to be alert during this storm.

Just as I thought, I could not last one minute longer the ship burst through the passage into the most beautiful sun-lit bay I have ever seen. The momentum of the horrendous storm sent us coasting across the quiet waters until the ship slowly settled on a sand bar on a lovely island shore. As I looked, everyone on the ship was exhausted and laying helpless all over the ship. Some struggled to the shore and collapsed on the sandy beach. Slowly but surely the warm sun washed over our tired bodies. We looked up to see the battered and ravaged ship. It was in extremely bad condition. The sails were torn and much damage was evident everywhere. Yet, after a season of rest and being warmed by the sun, we each began to rise up and repair the ship. Some went into the tropical and lovely jungle to gather materials and supplies. Little by little the ship began to be repaired and after a couple of months the ship was beautifully restored and the crew boarded. We slowly left the banks for the quiet waters to fulfill our next assignment and journey. 

   I have told you this vision because I believe it accurately depicts the walk of those called to move into the prophetic realm. Indeed, there will be seasons of extreme warfare in which we will be told we will not make it, that the storm is too great and the opposition too powerful. But if we will stay the course, hold onto the promises, stay at our post and walk in determined diligence we will win the day and experience a wonderful season of sunshine, peace and fruitfulness.

    The Lord is speaking to my heart to share this truth with someone these writings are reaching even now. You have heard me tell of the seasons of extended peace after a time of extreme warfare, but you have said, “Where is the peace?” For you it seems like it has been one battle after another with no rest in between. Your life has not experienced the season of peace, rest and fruitfulness I have written about. Here is what the Lord has told me to share with you.

“On many occasions when I have been ready to bring you into the calm waters of My peace and fruitfulness, you have given up just before you reached the haven of peace and safety I had prepared for you. It has now become a cycle in your life. Learn how to persevere in faith just a little longer and you will experience the season of peace, rest and fruitfulness I have planned for your life.” 

     These writings are intended to help you learn just how to do that. Please share them with others who you know are struggling.

    Now let’s look at the first principle of developing a “Covenant with the Prophetic.” We are using the Shunammite women’s story as our starting point. The Shunammite woman is an extremely important example for those of us who want to know how to receive and walk in the prophetic anointing. I see a least 7 things in this passage that characterized her as one who could receive a miracle twice. I have listed these seven things below and we will take them one at a time.
　
1. She watched
2. She asked
3. She perceived
4. She cared
5. She acted
6. She invested
7. She received

First, she watched -

2 Kings 4:8

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

KJV

    Of all the points, we find in this Shunammite woman, perhaps this is the most important. “She watched.” She observed, looked at and studied the man of God who passed by her house. Too many people today do not take the time to examine those who claim to be God’s anointed. If ever we needed discernment, we need it today. Can you tell if a man or woman of God has God’s heart or is he or she just interested in getting something from you. Sadly, there are too many “shysters” out there.

    From this passage, it appears that the Shunammite woman watched this man of God for quite some time before she invited him in and provided something for him to eat.

2 Kings 4:9

9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

KJV

    Let us not be hasty to give our substance to all who make an appeal. The word of God says we shall know them by their “fruit”. Watch to see if you can see the fruit of the Spirit in the man or woman of God you feel led to give to. There are many of God’s sons and daughters that the Lord would have us support but they rarely ask. They just keep on doing good, ministering for and unto the Lord. On the other hand, there are those who ask, beg, plead, and manipulate people to give unto their cause without shame or concern.

    On the other hand, if you can find a man or woman of God who displays the nature and character of Jesus and there is an obvious anointing in their lives, there is no better place to sow your seed. We will see a little later how that this woman’s investment in the man of God caused him to carry her in his heart until the Lord spoke to him about granting to her the deepest longing of her heart. In her watching, as this man of God passed by her house continually, she must have observed how he treated others, how he cared and responded to their needs. In seeing this, she was able to take another step and that step was to invite him in for something to eat. You can tell a lot about a person when you are eating with them.

    I have eaten with some of those who have claimed to be men or women of God that I was embarrassed to be around. They were rude to the waitress, unthankful for what they received, and impatient when the food did not come on time. How many of God’s people give to those they do not know? Yet this woman took the time to know the man of God before she began to make a major investment into his ministry. 

    A few months back my wife and I were at a restaurant with a precious Pastor and his wife. My wife was observing and being friendly to the waitress and eventually started a conversation with her. Through that conversation she was able to invite this woman to the Pastors’ church, and because of her kindness and love, the waitress had a desire to find out what this Church was all about. 

    When we invest in a true prophetic ministry with pure motives, the Lord will see that the prophetic gift of that ministry focuses upon our need. Notice what Elisha says to the woman who has made such provision for him to function in his ministry.

2 Kings 4:14-16

14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?”

And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.”

NKJV

    This Prophet was given authority by the Lord to speak to the Shunammite woman’s hidden hope. Even though her and her husband had long ago given up hope they would ever experience the joy of having a child, Elisha was permitted by God to “revive the dream.” This is what I mean by a “Covenant With the Prophetic.” Those who have invested in the ministry the Lord has given me are constantly on my heart and in my thoughts. I pray regularly that the Lord will give them the desires of their heart. When I wait to see the fulfillment of these desires, I have found that their greatest desire is to obey and bless their heavenly Father. 

     Next time we will look at the steps the Shunammite woman took when her dream seemed forever lost.

MORE TO FOLLOW………

 
 

BLESSINGS,

APOSTLE  ROBERT ROGERS

How Do I Know What I Should Prophesy – Part III

    Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to say “it will be well” and then everything turn out just as if you said it would? That is what we are looking at. Why could the Shunammite woman say “it shall be well” and she received a miracle? Her dead son was brought back to life. Now, that is what I call a powerful truth! You may not be at the point where you can speak to the dead and see them brought back to life but you may be ready to speak in such a way that things begin to dramatically change for the better.

In our last article, we coined the phrase “A Covenant with the Prophetic” (sounds like a good title for a book). As I was writing, the Holy Spirit whispered that phrase into my heart. Yet what does it mean, “To Have a Covenant with the Prophetic”? Our God is a covenant God. Understanding the covenants He has made with us is key to understanding God, the Bible, and His ways in our life. Covenant, on God’s part cannot and will not be broken. Learning to be a covenant man or woman determines how much of God’s unbroken covenants will manifest in our life. To walk in covenant is to walk in agreement.

(Amo 3:3) Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

In today’s contractual terms, when we make a purchase on credit we are allowed to take that product home and enjoy it right away. As long as we make our payments on time, we can continue to use and enjoy what we have purchased. The store continues to keep its end of the contract if we keep ours. If we do not keep our end of the covenant the store, can and will take back what we purchased. This is very similar to the principle in the Bible called covenant – except for a number of major differences. First, God never takes back His part. Even though we fail to keep our part of the covenant, God does not take His part back. It always remains available to us when we are fulfilling our part of the covenant. Second, we do not purchase what we are asking God for. Jesus Christ has purchased all things on our behalf. Thirdly, it is by and through faith that what Christ has purchased on our behalf becomes active and stays active in our life.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Let me give us a biblical example. It is found in the book of Luke.
　

Luk 15:11 And He said, A certain man had two sons.

Luk 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that is coming to me. And he divided his living to them.

Luk 15:13 And not many days afterward, the younger son gathered all together and went away into a far country. And there he wasted his property, living dissolutely.

Luk 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land. And he began to be in want.

Luk 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

Luk 15:16 And he was longing to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, and no one gave to him.

Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father abound in loaves, and I perish with hunger!

Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you

Luk 15:19 and am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.

Luk 15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

Luk 15:21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son.

Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.

Luk 15:23 And bring the fattened calf here and kill it. And let us eat and be merry,

Luk 15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.

Is this not one of the most beautiful passages we have ever read? Here we have a son who went out and wasted his inheritance on wine, women and song. Yet when he makes his mind up to come back to his father’s house as a servant, the father says, “No, you will not come back as a servant, but as a son with full privileges, the Robe of honor, the Ring of authority, the shoes of moving forward and the unconditional love of the father.” Now that is what I mean by “Covenant.” God’s part of the covenant is never broken, it but waits for us to return in faith, humility and love.

Perhaps this writing has reached someone who once had a powerful walk with the Lord but has fallen far from where he or she once stood. Yet the Holy Spirit has reached you with these writings and is giving you a glimpse of the Father’s covenant love. The Holy Spirit has shown you the Father is waiting on the porch with His eyes searching for your return. Not to scold you but to receive you back into full fellowship and privileges of a son. Make that step right now and say, I am tired of this low living. I am ready to believe what the word of God says. I am ready to return to my Father’s house. Will those of you who are regular readers and passionate followers of the Lord join me in welcoming back the brother or sister who wants to return to the Fathers’ house? Will you do so by praying for the ones who just made that decision with me?

Father we thank you for the one who has just made a decision to return to your loving arms and to receive the full son-ship of your Covenant love. We too, receive them and welcome them home. 
In our next writings we will look more closely into how “to make a Covenant with the prophetic” by seeing what steps the Shunammite woman took to establish her covenant.
　
MORE TO FOLLOW
APOSTLE ROBERT ROGERS

 
 

 
 

How Do I Know What I Should Prophesy – Part II

  
 

We are looking at Biblical patterns concerning how we can know what we should be prophesying. We have discovered what it means to have “the hand of the Lord was upon me.” The best way I can describe this is that there is a sense of great peace and confidence that comes from the presence of the Lord.

Ps 16:11

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

KJV

I believe great damage has been done to our faith when we try to speak something before we have a sense of His peace. When we try to speak before we have confidence, the results are often a weakening of our faith that eventually leads to unbelief. We find ourselves in an unending cycle of mouthing scriptures or faith statements without any results. How many of God’s children are vainly trying to muster faith by quoting scripture after scripture yet without a sense of God’s divine pleasure upon them?

It is far better to meditate on the Lord and wait for His word to float up into our spirit and then to declare His anointed word in faith and confidence. If we will learn to do this, our faith will grow exponentially. It is my experience that the enemy will do everything he can to move us away from the peace of God. To understand what it means to say “the hand of the Lord was upon me” is to know that He is carrying us. In fact, is that not what Ezekiel says next?

Ezek 37:1

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD,

KJV

We can experience the hand of the Lord in many ways. It can be like a great weight resting upon the shoulders of our spirit man. Some call this the burden of the Lord. When we experience the burden of the Lord there is a supernatural strength of His hand that is holding us up. Many of God’s servants have experienced this type of the “hand of the Lord.”

Rev 1:17

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead . And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Dan 8:18

18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.

Dan 10:9-10

9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

KJV

There is another type of the hand of the Lord upon us and it is the type that Ezekiel experienced. It is when we are conscious that the Lord is carrying us.

Ezek 37:1

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD,

KJV

When we are experiencing the hand of the Lord that carries us, we have a conscious recognition of our own weakness and at the same time an overwhelming confidence that all will be well. I believe this is what the Shunammite woman experienced at the death of her son. This wonderful woman of God had received a true miracle but now that miracle lay dead in her lap; yet she was able to “prophesy” in a most remarkable way.

2 Kings 4:18-26

18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!”

So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”

23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.”

And she said, “It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’”

And she answered, “It is well.”

NKJV

Are there not times when we feel that the miracle promise that the Lord has given us is slipping through our fingers? Perhaps it has gone further than that and the promise lies dead in our lap. There are now raging in our heart the fears and doubts and a sense of confusion. We are tempted to question, “God gave me this miracle, why is now lying dead in my lap?”

I am sensing now by the Holy Spirit a supernatural anointing that I am speaking to someone who is experiencing what I am writing about. I want you to right now stop! Allow yourself to get into the presence of the Lord and go back and lay that promise on the bed of where it was first conceived. Say no to the torrent of thoughts and emotions that are seeking to overwhelm you and whisper the words, “It shall be well.” Let the peace of God wash over your storm tossed soul and enter the secret place of His quiet provision. Say it again, “it shall be well.” Learn how to quiet your mind and emotions and whisper it again, “it shall be well.” As I am writing this the Lord just spoke to my heart and said, “The Shunammite woman had a covenant with the ‘Prophetic’.” I have never heard that term before but it is now in my spirit, “a covenant with the Prophetic.” A covenant says if you will do this then I will do that. To have a covenant with the Prophetic is both to agree with our words and our actions that what the Lord has promised us Prophetically will not be lost despite what we are experiencing. Let’s trace the prophetic actions that the Shunammite woman took when her promise seemed lost.

In order to do this we must go back to her first steps in “making room for the Prophetic.” Notice the following:

2 Kings 4:8-9

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

KJV

We see a number of things in this passage that are the foundations of establishing a “covenant with the Prophetic.” First of which is her ability to recognize and value the “Prophetic Anointing.”

9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

How many of God’s children do not value or recognize that which is passing by them in this hour? The prophetic is one of our Fathers great end time blessings that He has made available to destroy strongholds that will not yield to any other anointing. If we ignore or do not recognize what the Lord is doing there is no hope that these strongholds will ever be overthrown in our lives. Yet if we do, we receive the promise of the New Testament.

Matt 10:41

41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward ;

KJV

I hate to end today’s writing in the middle of a thought but I have run out of time. Don’t miss that which is to follow. I sense a powerful spirit of revelation coming to us.

MORE TO FOLLOW

 
 

Blessings,
 
Apostle Rogers

 
 

How Do I Know What I Should Prophesy?

Now that we have studied a good deal on the principles involved in “prophesying”, the question arises, “how do I know what I should prophesy”? I believe there are many who have been reading these articles who have come to know and understand that one of the primary ways God accomplishes His will in the earth is indeed through the “prophetic gift and anointing.”  Even though we may have come to the place where we are convinced of how God works we may not know how to co-operate with Him in the area of prophesying.

The next few articles will endeavor to focus on the subject of coming to the place where we know what God wants us to prophesy. In order for us to stay on the right foundation, we must first look for a “prophetic pattern” in the word of God. God’s word is always our foundation and our starting place. So let’s do just that. When the Lord first began to teach me about the prophetic in 1985, He asked me to read Ezekiel 37. After having done this two nights in a row, The Lord said on the third night, “If you will read Ezekiel 37 once again I will show you how I work in the earth.”

Ever since that night in 1985, I have been on an ever-increasing journey of faith and experience regarding the prophetic. Yet it was with His word that the Lord first introduced me to this great subject. We cannot over stress the importance of being founded on the sure word of God. Even though the word of God says the Church is built upon the foundation of Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone and Jesus is the Word of God.

Eph 2:20

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

NIV

John 1:1

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

KJV

I love to see the “patterns” of God in scripture! They are like the blueprint of what we are to build and to do. When I was a young man, I was in the building trades and our foreman carried a set of blueprints with him everywhere he went. Eventually I began to learn to read “blueprints’ and was eventually made a foreman and later on a superintendent in the trades. I could never have advanced had I not learned to read the “patterns” as shown in the blueprints. Even so, you and I will not advance in the things of God until we learn to recognize biblical patterns. Notice this word:

Heb 8:5

5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” (Emphasis mine)

NIV

No matter how convinced we are that God has showed us something supernaturally, we should not move forward until we have discovered the pattern in God’s word. Once we have seen it in the word of God we can move forward with great faith and boldness. So then let’s look again at the passage in the book of Ezekiel. It begins by God placing His servant in an impossible situation. Indeed that is the first principle in learning, “what to prophesy.” God not only did this with Ezekiel but in almost every case in God’s word, the Lord has put one of His children in an impossible situation.

Ezek 37:1

37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

KJV

Was it not so with Gideon and Joshua, with David and Moses, with Esther and Ruth? And so it will be with you. Most believers when they get into an impossible situation begin to ask God to remove them from it. It is very possible that God placed us there in the first place. We should rather be saying, “Father, first, what do you want me to learn from this impossible and hopeless situation and secondly, how do you want me to prophesy.”

Notice these words “the hand of the Lord was upon me”. Before we ever are to be used in any effective way for the Lord, we shall have to know what it means to have “the hand of the Lord upon us.” The prophetic in its nature requires a unique sense of the “hand of the Lord”. The term “hand of the Lord” is first used in reference as a hand of protection. That is, we know the Lord will stand with us against His enemies. He told Moses to tell Pharaoh that His hand would be upon their livestock in judgment if they did not release the children of Israel from their bondage.

To have the hand of the Lord upon you is to have a divine sense of His good pleasure resting on all that you do and say. For me this manifests as a divine sense of His presence and pleasure in my life. It is knowing that He is leading and guiding you even though what you might be doing does not make sense to the natural mind.

I remember when my second son was born while we were at Bible College. We did not have any insurance and it came time for the baby to be delivered. I went to the Hospital and started to admit my wife Jane, when they said, “What kind of insurance do you have”? I responded and said, “We do not have any insurance.” At which they said, “Well, then you cannot admit your wife into the hospital.

Almost out of no-where came these words, “Oh, it will be all right.” As I said these words to the clerk who was checking us in she said, “Sir, you do not understand, you cannot admit your wife without insurance. Once again, I responded by saying, “It will be alright.” The admissions clerk was beginning to get very frustrated with me, yet I knew the hand of the Lord was upon me and kept repeating to her against all of her arguments “it will be alright.” I do not know whether she thought she was talking to someone who did not understand English but I just kept repeating to her, “Oh, it will be alright.” I did not know it at the time but I was “prophesying” to her.

While she was saying, “you cannot admit her” and I was prophesying “it will be all right” they began to take my wife into a room so that she could deliver the baby. When it came time for me to bring my wife and new son home from the hospital they said, “You cannot have them until you pay the bill.” It sounded a little funny at the time, “you cannot have them” that is, so I went down to the hospital billing department and told them “it will be all right.” They looked at me very strange and said, “Sir, something very unusual has happened. We decided that just by chance we would send the bill to your former employer and was told that they forgot to stop paying for your hospital benefits when you left the company and went to Bible school and so your bill is all paid up”! I was able to take my wife and child home with the knowledge that the “hand of the Lord was upon me.”

Prophesying is very practical. It has the power to change situations right before our very eyes. It is true as the clerk said “sir you do not understand,” but I do not need to understand. All I need to know is the “hand of the Lord is upon me” and speak what He says into my heart.
 
MORE TO FOLLOW

 
 

Blessings,

Apostle Robert Rogers

 
 

Understanding the Prophetic Word – Part V

PERSEVERE UNTIL THE WORD IS FULFILLED

 
 

That brings us to our fifth step: To continue to speak the promise of the prophetic word until we see its completion or fulfillment.

Some prophetic words are progressive. That was the situation with Ezekiel. He was given a prophetic word and after he saw its fulfillment, he was given the next prophetic word. He participated in the progressive restoration of the “dry bones” until they were a great army standing upon their feet. He spoke to bones, then to muscle and sinew then to the wind.

Let me give you a personal illustration about continuing to war with a prophetic word until its completion.

After I had been in prayer for an extended period of time, the Lord gave me a prophetic word for the church I was pastoring and the city I was living in. The word was, “All over this city there are Christians who cannot fulfill the purposes I have for them. Either their church has no vision or their Pastor has no vision. I cannot wait any longer for these churches to change. Speak to the north, south, east and west and call these people out of those churches.” At this time, I was very new to the prophetic. Yet the following Sunday I began to do what the Lord commanded. I got up early on a Sunday morning and drove north speaking, worshipping and prophesying the word the Lord gave me. I said, “North, the Lord says all over this city there are people who cannot fulfill the purposes the Lord has for them, either their church has no vision or their pastor has no vision . Come out! Come out”! I did this speaking to the east, west and south as well. Do you know what happened? Nothing! That’s right, as far as I could see nothing happened for about three months. Still, every Sunday I would arise early and drive north, south, east and west, prophesying the words the Lord gave me.

I will never forget the first Sunday that the “fruit of warring with the prophetic word until it comes to pass” began to manifest. I had been at the church for nearly five months without one single visitor. Then one Sunday morning I saw a white haired man walk through the door and I knew the Lord was honoring the prophetic word. After the service, I rushed to the back of the church anxious to hear this man’s story. When I asked him what brought him to our church on this particular morning, he said, “It was the strangest thing, I got up this morning to go to my church and after I got in the car the Lord said, ‘you are not going to your church this morning.’ So I asked the Lord, where was I to go. He said ‘I will show you’. So I have been driving around the city pulling into parking lot after parking lot. Each time the Lord said, ‘not here’. Finally, I pulled into this one. I did not even know this church was in this city.”

That is not the end of the story. From that day forward, I cannot remember a Sunday in which the Lord has not sent new people to our church with nearly the same story. The remarkable thing is that this has been going on now for over twenty years. Once we learn how to judge the prophetic word, receive it, war or contend for it until we see its completion it has the power to perpetuate and continually reproduce.

However, I would like to say that you and I cannot war with someone else’s prophetic word. Like David, we cannot fight in Saul’s armor; we must fight with our own. May the Lord grant you a personal prophetic word and may you have the joy of seeing Him honor His word in your life.

Acts 2:17-18

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy

:

KJV

 
 

This is the last installment of Understanding The Prophetic Word. Until the next, post subject……………..

Be blessed! 
Apostle Robert Rogers

 
 

Understanding the Prophetic Word – Part IV

CONTEND FOR THE WORD

So now, I have examined the prophetic word and have received it with the correct spirit. What is the next step? My dear ones, this is where the war starts. We must contend for the word that has been delivered unto us. We have many examples that show us what happens after a prophetic word has been given to us. Perhaps the clearest is the one that involves our Lord himself. Do you remember when John the Baptist was baptizing Jesus?

Mark 1:10-13

10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven,” You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus

(Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13)

12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

NKJV

The moment Jesus was given the “prophetic word”, the “warfare” started. That is what the warfare will always be about; whether or not we believe the word of God regardless of the circumstances. Remember, it was the Spirit of the Lord that drove Jesus into the wilderness where the prophetic word was tested. The word that was delivered unto Jesus was, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Notice the words Satan used to war against the word delivered unto Jesus. He repeatedly said, “If you are the son of God”? Is that not the same thing Satan tries to do to us? He says, “If the prophetic promise is true why are you in this present circumstance”? Hungry, abandoned, and in the wilderness, Jesus correctly wars for His prophetic word by using the word of God. Here is how the Bible records that battle:

Matt 4:3

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

NKJV

Matt 4:6

“If You are the Son of God

, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

NKJV (emphasis mine)

The battle we will face with the devil will go something like this: “If the Lord gave you this prophetic promise, then why are you still in this condition”? You see, he is trying to get you to question the word. He did the same thing in the Garden of Eden. His methods have not changed. They have not changed because they are still so effective. Most of us have learned to live by the circumstances that we see with our eyes or feel with our emotions. To be truly used of God, we must believe His promises regardless of the circumstances. Of course, this will require us to know Him and His word in a most complete and full measure.

Let us examine another scripture that admonishes us to war for the word given to us. It is the Apostle Paul’s word given to his spiritual son Timothy:

1 Tim 1:18

18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

NKJV

There it is again “by them.” By the prophetic word that had been given to Timothy through the laying on of hands, prophecy and impartation, Timothy is to war for and with his prophetic word. You may ask, “How do I do this, how do I war with the prophetic word? We do it by “prophesying”. That is, lifting up our voice and prophesying. We find the pattern for this in Ezekiel thirty-seven.

Ezek 37:1-10

1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

KJV

Ezekiel was commanded to speak to the situation of dry bones. This reminds me of the scripture the Lord gave us in the New Testament about mountains. Do you remember this passage?

Mark 11:23

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

KJV

Jesus says ,”he shall have whatever he says.” Mountains are those things that stand in the way of the purposes of God. We must speak to them. There is power in a prophetic word. Yet, that power can only be released if you and I speak it. We must do more than just think it, we must speak it, proclaim it, prophesy it until it comes to pass.

　
 

MORE TO FOLLOW

Blessings, 
Apostle Rogers

 
 

Understanding the Prophetic Word – Part III

RECEIVE IT

If the word given to us passes the test of correctly judging it and we believe it is indeed a true word, then in order for it to come to pass our next responsibility is to “receive it.” That is make it personally ours by agreement, confession, and proclamation.

However, the second criteria are also to be received with conditions. Many say that if the word delivered does not agree with what the Lord is already saying to them then they should not receive it. Generally, that is a good standard to hold to. Yet, again, we can look at the Apostle Peter and see that what God had spoken to him did not agree with his spirit or his understanding. Later in the book of Galatians, we find this prejudice and tradition is still very strong in the apostle. Notice the following:

Gal 2:11-13

11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

I am so grateful that the Lord decided to include the struggles of the Apostle Peter in the Bible. Here is a man that walked on water, saw many miracles performed by Jesus and had the privilege of seeing miracles flow from his own ministry. Yet, he was wrong regarding the gentiles. This tells me that no matter who I think I am or what privileges I have had in regards to study or revelation, I must still be willing to be humbled and corrected.

That brings us to the third area of our first criteria in judging the word. Although this one is the most practical it seems to be, the one that is the most neglected and abused. That is, does the prophetic word agree with the character and nature of God? God is not going to give us a word that does not agree with His nature and He is not going to give us a word that does not conform us to His character. In other words, the Lord is not going to give us a prophetic word or revelation that increases our pride, greed or selfishness.

I suppose we could correctly say that this third test has more to do with our interpretation of the word delivered unto us than the actual words themselves. For instance, when the Lord says something like, “Your latter years will be greater than your former”, our minds often jump into high gear and we begin to see ourselves in some leadership role, incredible anointing, or unlimited resources. Let us always remember:

James 4:6

6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

NKJV

Let us take another word that is easy to misinterpret if we forget that our God is more interested in developing his nature and character in us than in our being “successful.”

When the Lord says, “I have broken the spirit of poverty,” what do you think he actually meant? For most of us, we immediately think that the economy is going to make a dramatic turn around and money will begin to flow again. I tell you this, that money is the least thing the Lord is speaking of when He speaks concerning the “spirit of poverty.” The “spirit of poverty” is a stronghold. A stronghold is interpreted as, “A mind-set that accepts as unchangeable those things that we know are contrary to the word of God.” So then, we find that God is saying, “I am coming to break the ‘mind-set’ that is in error. ” That error is that our work of the Lord is dependent on the economy. When in reality, the word of God says, “my God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

God broke the “spirit of poverty” in Elijah during the famine by teaching him how to live supernaturally during the season of drought. The Lord sent him to a specific place (the brook Cherith), fed him in a specific manner (a raven) and led him to teach others how to live victoriously during a time of economic downturn. When we have learned these lessons, we will be able to do what Isaac did during the famine.

Gen 26:12-13

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

KJV

The year the scripture refers to was a year of famine. Do you see it? It is not about the economy.

It is about you and me receiving the nature and character of God.

Breaking the “spirit of poverty” is about Godly stewardship and a grateful heart.

It is about peace in the midst of a storm and faith in the time of crisis.

It is about learning how to live supernaturally and teaching others how to do so.

The present economic problems are a result of Americans trying to live above their means and trusting in borrowed money. It is about pride and greed. It is about poor economic policies. Why would the Lord want to change the economic crisis until those of us who represent Him have learned these lessons?

So then, receiving prophetic words is about being changed into the likeness of our Lord. Let us remember this and apply this question when we receive a prophetic promise: How will this prophetic word develop the nature of Christ in me? Is this prophetic word developing the servant character and nature in my heart? Let us remember these words:

Matt 23:11-12

11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

NKJV

Blessings,

MORE TO COME

 
 

Apostle Robert Rogers