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Memorial Stones

Father gave me this word to bring to you:

‘Celebrate memories that will empower your future!’

Memories can either empower you or disempower you. They can either build your faith or destroy your faith. And the memories we carry into our future are the fruit of choice. That’s why it is vital to tomorrow’s success that we choose wisely which memories we starve and which memories we feed.

In Israel, God had his people erect memorial altars. These altars were to remind them, in days of challenge and overwhelming odds, that the God who had supernaturally intervened yesterday was still the God who could supernaturally intervene today and tomorrow. The same God who brought down the walls of Jericho.

Joshua 6:20

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

This is one of the greatest miracles in the Bible! It’s a miracle that led to the Israelites going on to possess the land of promise. But it was so illogical, so unreasonable that it required such enormous trust, not only in God, but in that Joshua had heard from God!

Joshua 4:1-3

And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying: “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.'”

Joshua 4:6-7

That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

The context of these memorial stones was a celebration of God’s divine intervention. A miraculous day which birthed a new era for God’s people finally possessing the land of promise. When the Israelites faith began to waver at Jericho, at the impossibility that God asked them to do, all they had to do was look at those memorial stones and know that ‘our God parted the river Jordan at flood time… these walls are coming down!’

Later, in their future conquests, when confronted by the united armies of five kings, all they had to do was look at those memorial stones – ‘Our God parted the river Jordan at flood time… these five Kings are going down!’

My friends, make today a memorial!

A memorial is for two purposes:

  1. A celebration of the past: gratitude and thanksgiving.
  2. A faith-building for the future: that infusion of courage when vitally needed!

The stones speak to us of memories.

Each one was taken from “the place where the priest’s feet stood firm”. In blind obedience to the word of the Lord, through Joshua, those priests stepped into a raging torrent of water at flood time… carrying the ark! Imagine the guys up front. It was an act of incredible courage. And it led to an amazing miracle. That’s what those stones of memory brought back into focus for decades and generations to come – they served a God of the miraculous!

Which brings us to today, a memorial.

When you look back on years of Father’s faithfulness and grace, for many there has been occasions when awesome, supernatural things have happened. But there have also been times when in the midst of impossibility, it required a standing firm. Times when everything around you screamed “IMPOSSIBLE!” This is a time to remember Ephesians 6:13: “having done all, to stand!”

Thank God for the mountains, but they are only made possible by the valleys.

Thank God for the victories, but they are only made possible by the battle.

Thank God for the miracles, but they are only made possible by the challenge.

In those times when nothing makes sense – stand firm. Those times when the loudness of the opposition seems to drown out that inner voice of peace. Those seasons when the breakthrough seems to linger, and linger, and linger. Those days when you must smile and minister to others despite desperately needing someone to minister to you… “having done all, to stand!”

In the middle of Jordan, stand firm and see the miracle of God!

We should all be celebrating the miracles of His grace that have triumphed to bring us to this day – those incredible memorial stones. As an individual, as a family, as a business, as a ministry, we should develop a culture of gratitude and worship, constantly acknowledging our Father’s amazing interventions. If we do not celebrate yesterday, we will not anticipate tomorrow!

Which brings me to tomorrow! The reason the Israelites crossed that Jordan was to possess the land that God had promised them. And I want to declare over you, that you stand poised to possess the land of promise. A place that, for generations to come, there will be the witness and demonstration that Jesus is alive and that He has a heart for your community and a heart for the world.

Joshua had to encourage himself for the battle by remembering those memorial stones. In the same way, you need to record and remind yourselves of the miracles of yesterday, so that your faith might soar to new heights as you embrace the challenges of faith, tomorrow!

It honours our Father when we experience the mountains and valleys, war and peace, and yet keep our integrity intact. Oh, how that causes the angels to sing and the demons to cringe. Above all, it represents Jesus to this world, and it positions you in the spirit world to carry the authority of Christ into the days and years to come.

With much love,

David.

Do Not Be Intimidated

My dear friends, what an incredible hour we live in! It is no exaggeration to say that the Church is now the last ray of hope for a planet that hell has decided to take over and control. And yet, when I listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit, I hear him thundering out the battle cry of God, “Do not be intimidated!”

I want to declare right at the beginning that at no time am I referring to people, politicians, or movements of any kind. I speak about a spiritual warfare!

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

But in order to control this planet, Satan and his hordes must first intimidate its people into a conformity and submission to his own agenda. Satan cannot rule the minds of those he does not first intimidate! But the blood-bought, Holy Spirit empowered Church of royal sons and daughters now raises its voice to loudly declare, “We will not be intimidated!”

We speak it into the cosmos, we speak it into the heavens, we speak it into the unseen spirit-realm! “We will not be intimidated!” Why? Because Jesus has made us a promise:

John 14:27 (NKJV) “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The dictionary tells us that ‘peace’ is “freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, intimidation or obsession; to be in a state of tranquillity; serenity, of mind.”

Take note of ‘freedom of the mind’. My friends, there is a spirit let loose in our planet right now that seeks to imprison the minds of God’s people. It seeks to rob us of our peace, our faith, our initiative, and our boldness of spirit.

You have to see what is behind it: Satan fears you! He fears the initiatives of faith and conquest that God is giving His people to possess in their vocations, their places of influence, their cities, and their nations. He fears the initiative of God in YOU!

And so, he has let loose the spirit of intimidation. Which he must first establish in order to impose a spirit of manipulation and control. Your spirit, your heart, cannot be manipulated and controlled unless you have first been intimidated. But Jesus has powerfully declared that we are not subject to that spirit.

John 8:36 (NKJV) Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Spiritual freedom is part of our inheritance as a believer.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

The spirit of darkness speaks intimidation to you. But Jesus declares freedom to your spirit, to your heart, and to your mind! Tragically, many Christians today are being subtly affected in both the decisions that they are currently making and the vision that they are embracing for their future… the faith initiatives of tomorrow! Satan’s goal is to shut down your faith initiatives, your spirit of conquest, and the taking of new territory. But he must not succeed!

Let me give you some words that help identify that the spirit of intimidation is at work.

“However!” “But!” “If?” “Maybe?” The introduction of a question, “Has God really said?”

These four words try to qualify that which God has clearly told us to do.

The message I have been given to declare to you today, as a Prophet, is twofold:

  1. Do not be intimidated – in either your present decisions or your future vision.
  2. Realise that any shaking that God does allow, if correctly responded to, will always result in a greater spiritual authority, for the believer, for that church, than previously ever experienced.

Hebrews 12:28 (NKJV) Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

It is important to understand what this is saying. The Greek word for ‘kingdom’ is the word ‘basiliea’. Literally this means ‘the authority to rule over’. We need to be reminded of the incredible spiritual authority Jesus gave all those who are fully submitted to His own authority.

My friends, the kingdom of God has always, and will always, operate on a very simple principle: “The authority you are under determines the authority you carry”. Every demon of hell knows that!

  • Circumstances do not determine your spiritual authority! (your ‘kingdom’)
  • The opinions of others do not determine your spiritual authority!
  • The prevailing opposition against biblical truth does not determine your spiritual authority!

The kingdom of God CANNOT be shaken. Regularity of meetings for Christian activities may be shaken, perceptions of how we do church in any given season maybe shaken… but the kingdom of God (the authority of Jesus to rule over) can never be shaken!

And if we so choose to walk in daily submission to the lordship of Christ, we also carry an indestructible, undeniable authority that the vast bulk of Christians totally under-estimate.

The degree to which we carry that authority and exercise it effective is now, and will always be, determined by the degree to which we are fully submitted to the lordship of Christ and the truth of His unqualified Word. It is only as our decisions are an obedient extension of Father’s own will and purpose, that His authority is granted to us to execute that task!

But that kingdom authority itself cannot be shaken. We need to be reminded of this today!

The kingdom authority of God that we carry, is eternal, omnipresent, global, and it has existed from before the beginning of time and will continue beyond time as we know it. It emanates from the throne of heaven and fills our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It cannot be shaken! It’s the authority of God, it’s the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that we carry!

My friends, under the authority of the King, arm yourselves with His written Word and stand tall in the authority He has given you.

 

Watch a four-minute video where David shares about An Indestructible Authority.

 

We Shall Reign

We Shall Reign

Although entering the Promised land was a wonderful, long-awaited day for Israel, there was one snag; the giants were still there! Why?

Was there a reason God did not destroy these giants after seeing His people wandering in the desert for forty years? Why risk yet another generation being turned back by their intimidation and size? Surely God knew of the battles that would have to be fought, the constant challenges to faith that His people would be presented with. The sword and the spear seemed to be such a contrast to a “land flowing with milk and honey” as promised.

This is where we must understand God’s objective, for it is the same today with all of us. From the very beginning of time, God has always had the power to destroy the devil and his hordes. There has never been a time when the Lord and His angels could not have hurled every demon into the lake of fire and left them there. Our God is sovereign, and His authority is absolute.

Why then has He tolerated this sin-infested world and the demons that so ravage it?

The answer is found in knowing God’s ultimate intention for those of humanity that have chosen to serve Him as undisputed Lord. If we are ever to be the overcomers that we all desire to be, that will not be because the Lord has removed the potential of conflict from our path. It is quite the opposite. It is the very process of being confronted and having to decide to exercise our God-given authority in prayer that develops that spiritual dominion within us.

Consider the clear declaration of these scriptures:

Revelations 5:10  And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.
Revelations 20:6  …and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
2 Timothy 2:12  If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.

The capacity to reign, the spiritual authority to rule, is not a gift; it is a developed spiritual muscle. It is only as we exercise it that it matures. If we see this clearly, we realise why it was so necessary for those giants to be left alive, awaiting God’s people. Let me declare it simply and plainly: Our adversaries exist to be conquered by you and I! They are our fuel for growth.

It also tells us why Jesus did not remove all evil from the Earth at the time of His triumph at Calvary. There is no dispute that Our King utterly annihilated Satan’s legal rights to rule and express evil on the Earth.

Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

It is in the next statement in Matthew 28:19 that says it all: “Go ye therefore”! In other words, Jesus is saying, “I paid the price to purchase all dominion and rule, but you must now enforce that and see it acknowledged on a daily basis by the enemies of the kingdom.” The legal document that guarantees us our potential victory over the flesh and the devil is the declared Word of God. It alone is the truth.

Our past failures and the accusations of the enemy can be highly persuasive, and they are often very convincing lies. But the tragedy is that everything that is human in us reaches out to accept their logic and the apparent reasonableness of their suggestions.

At times it can be a major challenge to believe in God’s integrity and that of His Word, turn your back on all that persuasive human reasoning, and declare: “we are more than conquerors through Christ!”  (Romans 8:37) and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens [empowers] me.”  (Philippians 4:12-14)

Does it take faith? Absolutely. But He has already placed that faith within you. It is by your decision that you must draw upon that faith and determine to live by it. It is as you cry out to Him in prayer and claim the power of His Word that faith is released. Such an overcoming life is not for a few elite superstars but for everyday followers of Jesus like you and me.

Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!