Come and sit a while beneath my tree or upon its billowy branches and rest a while with me....

WANTED: UNITY

For the last 10 years I have been leading an intercessory prayer group. We have been praying for unity in the body of Christ for at least that long. Many times God will annoint a leader to be a Joshua for the city. This Joshua will have unusual favor with God to gather pastors and leaders together. Other leaders appointed by God will join in a covenant relationship of prayer for unity.

Cindy Jacobs writes:
Humility has a particularly devastating effect on the power of religious disunity. As pastors and leaders in an area bless each other, instead of putting up more walls, as they realize that they are often paranoid and protective of "their" sheep,
God's unity will come and ideological strongholds will be broken. Sometimes these strongholds are broken when a church takes up an offering for another church. Wouldn't it surprise you if a pastor from a neighboring church offered to help with a day of yardwork, church maintenance or provided a potluck for another congregation, after service, on a Sunday?

The pastors must first believe that God can tear down the ideological strongholds among Christians-between denominations and groups of believers. They must see that they are all one Body and that their city will never be won with just part of the Body working. Every joint must supply effort to win a city for Christ. Just as it took all the tribes of Israel to conquer the Promised Land of Canaan, it takes all of the parts of the Body of Christ to inherit our promised land in a city.
(Cindy Jacobs, Possessing the Gates of the Enemy)

The intercessory team has sensed that a Joshua is in the city. We have been praying for unity to come. We have been asking God to bring together the "true" intercessors of Galesburg and the surrounding areas, to come into agreement with the plans and purposes of God for this city.

We are not a team of intercessors from one congregation. We represent anywhere from 4-6 congregations depending on attendence. God has his watchmen on the wall, we know that there are more. We are asking God to bring our Pastors together to pray with us. We have had one pastor show up so far, but are believing for more. He has opened up his church for us to gather together...2 Thursday nights a month. Interesting enough, this church is outside the city gates!

I have encouraged the other team members to speak to their pastors about this.
We need to "know those who labor among us". My heart is crying out for the unity of the Body of Christ. For prayer to go up in this city like it never has before...in the unity of the leadership, hand in hand with the Aaron's, Hurs, Jonathans, Deborahs and the Levites (worshippers).

I am convinced that God is in this...what part do you play?

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO ANSWER GOD'S CALL!

I am amazed at the beauty of lacy-winged, brilliantly-colored butterflys! I enjoy watching them flutter from flower to flower. My garden has many plants that attract these colorful insects.

THIS IS NOT A SCIENCE LESSON...I'M GOING SOMEWHERE HERE!
Caterpillars go through stages of change, first as caterpillars (worms!), who eat with voracious appetites, then cocoon themselves away, and are in time transformed into the lovely creatures that emerge to fly thousands of miles, cross-pollinate plants, and fulfill their destinies.

For many years women have been relegated to the worm stage and have been oppressed and suppressed by cultures, wrong attitudes, mores, and religious systems. In this season, the Lord is feeding HIS handmaidens with the truth of the Word of God. He is cocooning them in HIS love and beginning to transform them, to heal them of old wounds, and to redeem them to the full purpose for which He designed them.

Butterflies look very fragile, yet they are extremely strong- able to traverse continents and overcome many obstacles. In this season, the Lord is bringing forth women of all colors and nationalities, infused with HIS Spirit-called to reflect HIS beauty, to demonstrate His love, to proclaim His message, and to release HIS power in all the nations of the world.

Satan's desire is to keep women bound in a cocoon of intimidation, trapped in oppression, hiding under the bruises of abuse, shrouded with apathy and misunderstanding, unaware of God's call upon them. In this season of restoration God has begun to strip away the cocoon and is bringing liberation! Like Lazarus, many have been wrapped in garments of death and kept from the destiny God intended.

This is a time when God is crying out, "Women, come forth!" Many around the world are shaking off the old and being renewed. In past times, some women, like Aimee Semple McPherson and Maria Woodworth Etter, broke out of their cocoon and were successful in fulfilling their destinies. In this season of restoration, I believe multitudes of women will answer God's call and pursue their destinies.

I lived in bondage to intimidation. I thought, I could never do anything as well as so-and-so. I don't have anything to say. I can't because....I can't ....I can't...!

That cocoon of fear, inferiority, and intimidation held me for a long time. YOU CAN'T...You'll never amount to anything, rang in my ears for many years. You see, God has a timetable for our lives, but many times we think we have missed it or we can't do it. Fear, intimidation, discouragement, and the words, "you can't, " hold us captive and immobile. God is saying: "You can, and you will!" He is removing the cocoons that have held us captive. His word is working in us to produce faith.

We are being set free to be who we are in HIM. We are humble, yet bold, having a heart of submission, yet are not afraid to let our gifts make room for us. We refuse to usurp authority, yet boldly move in the authority of God's word. We know our God and His calling and move out to do exploits.

You see, now is the time to emerge from the cocoon. When a butterfly emerges, it sits in the sunlight, not moving for several hours. This allows the heat to dry its wings and give the heart time to pump blood into the wings to expand them to their full size. What a beautiful analogy of what God is doing for women. As we sit in the Son's presence, He is forming our wings so we can fly. His heart is pumping HIS love, HIS Word, and HIS life into us to mature us, sot that we will reach our full stature in HIM and fulfill HIS destiny for our lives. It doesn't matter what age we are. It only matters who we are in the Kingdom and what God's specific call and destiny is for our life.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO ANSWER GOD'S CALL!

In, through and to HIM!...
Deborha