Waking Up!

This is how I have come to understand the state of the Church in this nation.
In Acts 12, Peter is in prison. Herod had an intention to kill him but was politely waiting for the Passover to pass-over. In the meantime, the church was fervently praying for him at the home of some followers. Rhoda, the domestic help, was looking out for people who may arrive late at the prayer meeting, to let them in. Peter, in the jail, was pretty relaxed about his fate because he was asleep.

Let me interrupt here, to say that God has shown me this is a prophetic parable of the state of the Church in this nation. In regards to her collective potential, she is sleepy. Peter carried in him, all the potential and destiny of the glorious church, as do we. Peter was chosen to be a mouthpiece for this Good News and to unlock the supernatural power of God upon the earth, as are we. Circumstance sees him in prison, guarded by 4 squads of 4 soldiers, designed and determined to keep him locked up and they were happy he was asleep because it made their job to contain him, easy.

We pull down strongholds, (squads of soldiers), when we speak life and declare the intentions of God over the Church, which is His body. We see then, as the Church prays, that something amazing takes place in that cell, Peter wakes up. Then we read of miracles; visiting angels, opened prison doors, powerless guards and CITY GATES OPENING. Hallelujah!

You must see though, that when Peter arrives at the house they don’t even want to admit him because they thing that Rhoda is confused. No angels at the prayer meeting, no breaking chains or doors miraculously opening. When we pray, things change in another realm. I would love to see the manifest glory of God in all my prayer meetings but I will pray anyway, because God says that the weapons we engage with are mighty to pull down strongholds, so we pray!

I was asked recently, “What is the one thing you hang on to?” I thought about it for a minute, because there are so many promises I hold dear, but then I remembered something very special. In Ps 144 it begins, Blessed be God, who trains me to fight and to do battle… The Psalm finishes with a promise which holds the destiny of the Church and the Call of God for us as a nation in good stead. It is what I am believing for, a thriving, life-giving Church with all the potential for world changing inside her. The promise is;

“May your sons flourish in their youth, may your daughters be pillars in the house of God, may you be loaded down with goods and overflowing blessing” (my paraphrase)

This is what we need to carry this Good News forward and extend the Kingdom in His name. Hold on to this promise so that we can grow stronger from generation to generation and see the Goodness of God and the Power of His presence cover this land like water covers the sea.

Yours,
for an awakening of Biblical proportions.