Excerpts from 5 encouraging articles

Posted: 2008-04-22 12:06:54

Excerpts from 5 encouraging articles

I (David Nelson) have read some articles in the last few weeks that I did not feel led to put on our “Latest Page” yet they were of some encouragement to me. The following is a compilation of some encouraging thoughts I gleaned from these articles. The ideas are not necessarily related to each other but are more of a “buffet” of different encouraging words. I will give the authors and titles of the articles and may make a few of my own comments in each article. (If you want any of these articles in their entirety just let me know.)

“Having Done All, Stand and Be Filled” by JoAnn McFatter:

Have you dreamed the dream of God’s Presence filling the Temple (in our day)? Have we gotten to the point that we are convinced…that it will not be by might or by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts? We have pressed in and pressed on with “the little” we have heard from the Lord in sheer faithfulness to God and with a lovesick heart, but we still have not experienced the desired result of His habitation in our midst. We are trying not to despise “this day of small beginnings.” And having done all (we know to do) we stand. We stand before Him resting and abiding in Him. We are waiting to receive from Him the infilling that is necessary (what we will need) to carry what He is about to pour out from Heaven.

The process so far has all but killed us, so are we close to its revealing, has its purpose almost been accomplished? Are we empty vessels, void of ourselves, having come to the end of our strength and our ideas? His rebuilding of His Temple has been on a much more personal level (the changing of each one of us) than we ever imagined.

Heb. 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” What we have hoped for has been deferred so much that it has made our hearts grow sick. But we still are holding on and believing that something good is ahead. “Things not seen” means we have not seen the things we are looking for with our eyes yet we are hoping to see them (soon we hope). The things we are looking for are being withheld out of His mercy and love towards us to be revealed at the right time.

Is. 30:18-22 say, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. Blessed are all those who wait for Him. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction…your eyes shall (one day) see your teachers. You will hear, ‘This is the way walk in it, whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.’ You will also defile your…images of silver…and your images of gold. You will throw them down as an unclean thing; you will say to them, ‘Be gone!’”

Is. 30:15 says, “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest shall you be saved; in quiet and confidence shall be your strength. But you would not….” And so He wants to be gracious to us for the right time, when we are ready and when His plan is ready. He wants to equip us within for what is about to be poured out from Heaven.

“They Looked for a City” by Bob Brunz: 

What I am about to write was given to me by the Spirit of the Lord in the summer of 1974. It was an open vision. I believe this vision was given for the whole body of Christ for understanding and encouragement. I have shared it with small groups over the last 33 years. I was to write down the vision and wait until He would release me to share it with the Body of Christ. So, the Lord released me to share it 7-7-07.

This vision entitled “They Looked for a City” is what I have labored for and give my life to in the past 34 years of ministry. I continue to look for that city (that Body) whose Builder and Maker is God (Heb. 11:10). My prayer is that the Spirit of the Lord will reveal to you, the reader, the understanding of the vision and encourage you in the days ahead as we journey together as the many membered Body of Christ. 

The Vision:

I was at work talking with a friend concerning what would happen
in the last days concerning the Church, when I received this
revelation. The vision was given in an allegorical fashion, using the
children of Israel to symbolize the Church. I saw the vision in a
panoramic view (from my left to my right). I saw as it were the
children of Israel "trekking" on foot in a very dry and sand filled
desert. They were famished, exhausted and very thirsty. They
were called out by the Spirit of the Lord, out of a land of bondage
and to go toward a river to cross that led to their promised land.
As they came across the dry desert sands, they crested a sand
dune to see below them a very plush, green oasis. They were
encouraged and strengthened at the sight of refreshing. As they
ran; they were tripping and falling over each other to get there quickly.

Once they arrived, they all lavishly drank from the fountain of water
that was effervescently bubbling up from the midst of the oasis.
There was rejoicing, singing, dancing and great joy among these
people. As they enjoyed the refreshing life giving water from the
fountain, they relaxed in the plush greenery of the oasis. Rather
than to continue following the voice of the Lord that drew them to
the Promised Land, they decided to settle there to build a city and
raise families, flocks, and herds. Because of the fear of the beasts
of the field, they built a wall around themselves for protection. As
the years and generations passed, the wall of the city became
very high and the city's architectural beauty and structure looked
like the cathedrals of the pre-Reformation days. The city and wall
that they built was the pride and joy of the religious system of the day.

As I viewed this sight, I noticed that I could see underneath the
surface of the ground beneath the city. What I saw was a reservoir
of water, beneath the ground, from which the fountain was
receiving its water flow. I saw that the water level was lowering and
emptying out. I became concerned for the inhabitants of the city;
because they didn't know that their supply of water was soon to
be depleted.

As I looked towards the city again, I saw a white, billowing cloud
moving from my right, toward the city. This cloud represented the
voice of the Lord calling His people forward to their promised land.
As it reached the city, it stopped right above the city, and hovered
there for a time, and then gently descended upon the city. I then
noticed the inhabitants in the city were being stirred one-by-one, in
a type of renewal fashion. A segment of the time lapsed, and I
noticed the reservoir of water was getting less and less.

I then saw a second cloud coming over the city, from my right side.
This time, it was moving faster than the first one and it was grayer
and darker in color. It also descended on the city, but this time
more quickly that the first one. Again I noticed a change in the
people in the city. This time those that were touched by the cloud
were gathering together to form a sort of covenant community, or
fellowship so that they could move as one people.

As I looked again I saw the reservoir of water drying up very
quickly and it was almost depleted.  I then saw a third cloud
coming in, at an even faster speed than the second one. This
cloud was dark and turbulent, and meant business. This cloud
paused briefly over the city just long enough for me to read the
words that appeared on the cloud. The words: "Come out her my
people" were written on the cloud in an arched, rainbow-shape.
The cloud then dropped down very quickly on the city. I saw fear
and adventure in the eyes of the people that were inside the walls.

I then saw a remnant of people climbing over the high wall to get
out of the city as fast as they could. As I watched, my heart was
saddened and grieved when I saw the unprepared and especially
an older man that was not able to climb over the  high wall of the
city that was previously built around it.

I was suddenly taken to the outside of the wall on my right facing
the river and the Promised Land. I saw the young pioneers and the
prepared ones scaling the high wall with ease. I saw a remnant of
people, escaping the city with bare the essentials for the trip. The
men were young in their hearts, and they were moving towards my
right with renewed vision and determination, to follow the Lord
wherever His voice would lead them. I sensed in my spirit that the
voice of the Lord was calling them to go in the direction to my right,
to cross a river as the Lord had originally intended for the people.

I again saw this remnant of people moving across the desert,
toward my right. These people looked like people pf destiny. They
were encouraged and ready to go all the way with the Lord. As
time lapsed, I saw this people again becoming fatigued, hungry,
and thirsty. The same thing happened as before, when I saw them
coming across the desert, they rounded a sand dune and saw yet
another oasis in the desert off to their right. All of the above
happened again. The only difference was that the wall they built
around their city didn't get as high as before and the architectural
details weren't so elaborate. The same three clouds (voice of the
Lord) came as before, and a remnant people left the city again, in
search of what and where the Lord was leading them to.

This same scene happened about thirty-three (33) to thirty-four (34)
times. All were the same, with the exception that each new city
that was built had less and less and less architectural beauty than
the previous one. Also, each wall that they built around each city
become lower and lower with each successive scene.

Then I looked and saw the last city, in its initial stages of being
built. Again the people were engaged in building a wall around the
city. The first layer of block was laid around the perimeter of this
last city that was about to be built. It was about six to eight
inches high around the whole city. Before they could build this last
city, I heard to the right of me the sound of a shofar blowing. As I
turned and looked, I saw and heard two silver trumpets joining the
shofar in their ushering in a new day. As I heard the heralding
sound for the shofar my spine and back had shivers of electrical
current going through it. As I looked toward the wall of this last
city that was beginning to be built, I saw a young man about 29
years of age stepping over this wall and as he did I could see as
far to my left and as far to my right there we men who joined him.
They joined arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder and began
marching toward the river to cross it in order to enter their
promised land. As I looked at them, their faces were like flint, their
eyes were that of an eagle's, and they did not break rank. All I
could think of when I looked at them was that no one should even
think about stopping them because they would mow down
everyone who got in their way. I believe the look on their faces
represent the Body of Christ as an army. Their faces were like flint
represented their resolved determination and steadfastness. Their
eyes that of an eagle represent a prophetic look - they knew
where they were going and knew what was in their future. I believe
when the Lord said that they did not break rank meant that they
were in covenant loyalty to fulfill the purposes of God. As I viewed
this event I experienced the glory of the Lord all around me.

I personally believe this vision will be fulfilled in the Lord's way and
timing. I long for the day when the body of Christ is healed and
matures to the place where the Lord Jesus Christ is tremendously
glorified and honored

If this vision is confirmed in your heart and you believe it is for the
Body of Christ, please help me share this with others and forward
this email.  We look for a city whose builder and maker is God.

For the Lamb,

Bob Brunz.
(Pastor - South Dakota, USA).

*(Isn’t it interesting that each new level occurred 33 to 34 times, one for each year since brother Brunz received this vision? I think that this is symbolic of the Lord wanting us always to hear His voice and be ready to move on from what He showed us yesterday to do what He says today. Always fresh manna.)

The Other Side of “The Days of Elijah” by Chris Anderson

We sing about it, we preach about it, we prophesy about it, but when I look around I say, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” Where is the Elijah—confronting kings, calling down fire, raising the dead to life? We are expecting miraculous feats to fulfill the prophecies about these “Days of Elijah” that are supposed to be coming. But here is how the Biblical story of Elijah starts out (there is another side here). 

I Kings 17:2-5 say, “Go away from here, turn eastward andhide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. You may drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to supply you with food there.” 

This "hiding away" of Elijah is of great significance. It comes from
the very opening of the account of his ministry, long before a
single miracle or power-confrontation is ever recorded. The context
is this:

Elijah arrives on the scene to make a declaration of drought to
king Ahab, and no sooner does he appear than he "disappears."
He has come, and yet he just as quickly is "gone." He knows
where he is. But nobody else does.

This "other" part of the story of Elijah-the "hidden" part-can go a
long way to encourage those of us who have been hearing and
believing in the manifestation of the end time Elijah spirit, only to
see everything but! Let's try to put some perspective on this. In
the process, we'll see that the days of Elijah are indeed here after
all as predicted.

For decades, people with Elijah-class hearts have been sitting in
the backs of churches ruled by Ahabs and Jezebels. Despite their
best efforts to remain at peace and to hope for repentance and
change, they have been eventually precipitated by the Spirit into
confrontations where they have ended having to declare the
departure of God's glory ("Ichabod") to the leaders of these
ministries. This emergence and precipitation of believers to such
declarations is in fact the first fulfillment of the prophecies of the
return of the days of Elijah.

Note more carefully the declarations and their effect. These "Elijah"
believers and their declarations have not made the headlines of the
Christian tabloids. Usually they are known only within the church
they've been led into confronting. And their departures are often a
hush-hush affair. But their story has been multiplied thousand-fold
throughout the body of Christ. Warning after warning and
declaration after declaration of the departure of the Spirit has been
made by Elijahs to Ahab pastors and leaders of ministries of all sizes.

When translated into prophetic terms, the essence of these
declarations is that "there will be no more rain" in this church.
Again, this has been prophesied multiplied times over in thousands
of churches by innumerable Elijahs of all kinds-young ones, old
ones; men, women; pew sitters, church staff; new comers, old
comers - none of whom know the others across the body of Christ.
And what we are seeing now in the body-wide church is a veritable
death and famine in fulfillment of these multiplied declarations.

What is the consequence for the Elijahs? They have been of
course ushered straight out the doors of the churches. They are no
longer to be found or heard. They are in fact, hidden away. This
hiding is itself part of the pattern in early fulfillment of the days of
Elijah. On the surface, it appears that the Elijahs have been
"kicked out." But from the Spirit's perspective they have in fact
been led to hide themselves away.

Not that the Elijahs have understood this. They haven't. They
usually have not heard a voice saying, "go hide thyself by the
brook Cherith." But in reality, that is what the Spirit has mandated -
even against the attempts of the Elijahs to be profitably engaged
with the body of Christ. Even in spite of themselves, the Lord has
hidden them away.

Meanwhile the death continues. The real kingdom word of God and
the power of the Spirit are hardly to be found in any western
church today. The rain is indeed stopped, just as the Elijahs have
declared it would. The land is utterly parched. There's hardly a
morsel of real bread to feed on anywhere. Lots of show and theater.
Not much else. The prophecy has come true: a "famine for hearing
the word of God."

Not only this, but the famine in the church is affecting the
surrounding culture and governments. The knowledge of God is
disappearing from the face of the culture. It's getting so bad that
laws are being passed under various guises to effectively prohibit
the preaching of the gospel - in supposedly "Christian" nations.
The Elijahs hidden away and seeing this, like John the Baptist
confusedly ask, "Where is the Lord of God of Elijah?" They can't
understand why they aren't being released to confront the society
and the governments of this world with the bold claims of Christ -
why their "hands are tied" as if in prison, having to stand by and
watch society totally kick out our God from its midst, and
possibly even eventually kill them all like sitting ducks.

As one who lives in the "east" of his country as Elijah was sent to,
I have had larger cause to meditate on this story. But here is what
God wants me to understand, and I pass on to you. A time is
coming when we will indeed be released to confront the Ahab
churches and the godless society they have allowed to fester
under their watch. There will be a culture wide Mount Carmel
showdown. There will be some kind of repentance, false prophets
will be slain, and the true rain will indeed fall that has been
prophesied. (Don't ask me when or how). Meanwhile however,
other things will still happen before this:

1)   The Elijah movement will still be fed and watered by the Spirit
in hiding. We will still find spiritual nourishment and can pass it on
to one another, despite the surrounding famine.

2)   The "prophets of Baal" serving a false "culture-intoxicated
Jesus" will still keep "rain dancing" in the theater churches,
singing meaningless songs about "revival" that they don't really
understand and ultimately don't really want. Such rain dancing will
manifest itself in earnest at the Mt. Carmel confrontation to come.

3)   Before all this happens, the Elijahs will be paired with a
"widow people" in "Zarephath" where together they will be mutually
supplied by the Lord (the "meal" of the Word and "oil" of the Spirit
will not fail here) until the confrontation back in "Israel" is ready.
Zarephath was outside of Israel. This means that the present
hidden Elijah movement will make some kind of Spirit-directed
encounter and form some kind of alliance with a divinely "prepared"
yet equally unknowledgeable people outside the church as we
know it. Watch for this.

Two articles on brokenness by Delwyn McAlister and Joseph Herrin: Both these articles are fairly long so I will just give a few quotes.

Watchman Nee comments on this theme by writing, 'The breaking
of the alabaster box and the anointing of God filled the house with
the odor, with the sweetest odor. Everyone could smell it.
Wherever you meet someone who has really suffered, been limited,
gone through things for the Lord, willing to be imprisoned  for the
Lord, just being satisfied with Him and nothing else, immediately
you scent the fragrance. There is a savor of the Lord. Something
has been crushed, something has been broken, and there is a
resulting odor of sweetness'. 

Peterus Octavianus, a man greatly used by God in the 1973 revival
in Borneo, reminds us, 'Revivals do not begin happily with everyone
having a good time. They start with a broken and contrite heart'.
Smith Wigglesworth believes, 'You can not take people into the
depths of God unless you have been broken yourself. I have been
broken, and broken, and broken. Praise God He is near to those
who have a broken heart. You must have brokenness to get into
the depths of God'.

'The question is no longer if revival will come, but rather through
whom will revival come? Where are the humble and broken people
who will allow God to birth a mighty visitation through them?
Where are the ones who are willing to empty themselves of their
own agendas and plans in order to become pregnant with God's
vision for revival? Will YOU allow Jesus to break you and use you
in the coming revival? Invite the Holy Spirit even now to fill you with
that kind of all-consuming vision and calling. Yield to the Spirit and
give Him permission to ache, weep and pray through you! Humble
yourself and repent of ANYTHING that would hinder or quench the
Spirit of revival! Ask the Lord to let you feel what He feels about
the state of the Church and the world.

About four years ago I (Joseph Herrin) did one of the wisest things that a man can
do. I asked for the judgments of God in my life. It was not because
I was so wise that I did this thing, but because the Spirit brought
me to the point of understanding that all of those who would go
further with Him and be accounted as overcomers must undergo a
crucifixion of their soul life. The outer man must be broken open to
allow the precious life of Christ contained within these earthen
vessels to be poured forth.

For a number of weeks I thought on this matter, and I clearly saw
that standing between myself and a deeper experience in Christ
was this place of death. My flesh recoiled from what it saw, and
loudly made known its protest. Yet even more pressing was the
desire of my spirit to go forward with Christ. To turn away from
Christ was something I feared even more than physical and
emotional suffering. The thought of falling short of God's will for my
life was the most dreadful thought of all.

This was a watershed day in our lives, and I understood that some
threshold had just been crossed over. Our Father was not long in
answering this prayer. The Spirit quickly began to lead me down
roads that can only be described as the valley of death. For a
period of eighteen months I was subjected to one experience of
suffering after another as the independence of my soul life was
dealt with. Many were the instruments of death during this process.
I was cast out from my place of ministry in the body of Christ when
I refused to compromise in obedience to God. I was rejected by
family members and saints alike. My family went through a
stripping process from all of the things of the world. Things I had
accumulated in disobedience through debt were all removed. Our
path was very painful, even to the extent that my wife said she
regretted ever agreeing to go this way with me, yet she remained
nonetheless.

The end of this intense death experience found us living on a street
bearing the prophetic name of Kingsbury, where the King was
separating away and burying the soulish powers that had ruled in
our lives. The community we lived in at this time equally bore a
prophetic name, for it was called "Payne City", and great was our
pain in this place. Never had I felt more vulnerable or helpless than
during these many months of dying. Even as a man on a cross is
unable to deliver himself, so I too was at the mercy of God.

For months my heart felt like it was being torn apart and I wept
many tears in my distress, yet before we had gone far down this
path the Father spoke prophetically to me and said, "Though the
path will seem long and sorrowful, seemingly without end, when it
is over it will seem to have been but a moment in time that passed
swiftly by." As I now look back on this experience, it does appear
to have passed swiftly, and the sting of it is no longer in my
memory. It is like a mighty firestorm has passed over me, and I
am now filled with peace and joy to know that I am still standing,
and I have not been destroyed. The only things that have been
consumed are those things that bound me.

I have no illusions about having been completely delivered from the
evil in my soul and flesh. Even now the Father is doing a further
refining and purifying in my life, yet it is not with the former
intensity that was required to shatter the strongholds that had
gone uncontested for so long.

As I have traveled the path before me the Father has allowed me
to see that there have been many others who have been
experiencing similar fiery trials. I have had the honor to correspond
with numbers of these saints, and it is evident that a brokenness
has come in their lives that is now allowing the sweet savor of
Christ to come forth, when formerly it had been hindered.

*(Please realize that each person will go through different things. For some, instead of 18 months it may be 18 years. For others your “18 months” might be one phase, and even harder things may be ahead. Also, the sweet savor you want to see reaching others may not be seen or felt by you as clearly or fully as you desire at this time. Even now you may still be contesting weaknesses and sins in your life but your heart is still pursuing that deeper walk with Him.)