Like streams full of divine rain, the prophecies of the Bible concerning the Jews, the Gentiles and Jesus’ return flow into one mighty river of prophecy in the 20th century and into our 21th century. These truths are revealed in Acts 28:11-31.

While studying the book of Acts, I came upon a precious prophecy I had never seen before nor heard applied in any teachings of which I was aware. I was excited as the Spirit began to reveal to me this golden treasure connected to our day and Jesus’ return.

Acts begins in Jerusalem with a promise of power from Jesus and a spiritual explosion on Pentecost that will carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. The book of Acts ends abruptly in chapter 28 as Paul comes to Rome. This speaks volumes of God’s plan to reach the world with the gospel.

Jerusalem is the sacred city of God where Jesus will return to rule and reign over the earth. It is the seat of His authority. Rome was the capital of the ancient world, ruled by Caesar, who was considered a son of god. What a contrast with Jesus as the true Son of God.

With the gospel’s arrival in Rome, God is declaring, “My Son is the true King, not Caesar.” God’s word is planted in the center of Gentile dominion to plant the seeds of life against the reign of Satan’s death. Christ’s kingdom will conquer the Empire of Rome and the empires of the world.

The prophetic word in Acts 28 is clear. The time of the Jews has temporarily ended. The age of the Gentiles has begun. The Jews reject Jesus in Rome, although some believe. But the gospel is now to go to the Gentile world, Paul declares in his last recorded words in Acts. Unlike the Jews, the Gentiles will have ears to hear that Jesus is the Messiah. Study Acts 28:11-31.

Think of how Acts ends in around A.D. 64 with such a prophetic statement. Acts finished before A.D. 70 when Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Historically, Rome conquers Jerusalem, but in the Spirit realm, Rome is conquered by Jesus. It will take another 250 years, but Rome will fall to Christ. The Gentiles will accept Christ’s reign.

The age of the Gentiles begins at the end of Acts 28 and continues for another 1,900 years, which leads us to 20th century when all these streams of prophecy converge for the Gentiles and Jews.

In 1967, the prophetic words of Jesus in Luke 21:24 were fulfilled. The age of the Gentiles ends or begins to end when the Jews take Jerusalem and make the city their capital. Now the focus of God turns to Israel, which was reborn as a nation in 1948, which followed the stream of aliyahs, which started around 1880. By the time all of this is complete, 2,000 years will have passed in 2070.

Paul writes in Romans 11 of his love for Israel and the Jews. Their rejection of Jesus is temporary. Their blindness will be lifted when the age of the Gentiles ends.

Think of the converging prophecies taking place as God brings the Jews home from the four corners of the earth. Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948. In 1967, the age of the Gentiles started to end as Jerusalem was no longer trampled by the Gentiles. The blindness of the Jews begins to be lifted to prepare the Jews to see their deliverer come out of Zion, and all Israel will be saved.

Combine this with Revelation, as the four horsemen are released upon the earth and the prophecies of world events also converge beginning with World War I, then the Spanish Flu, then the great economic crash of 1929. These are all forerunners of world events set in motion to warn us that the return of Jesus draws close to hand. They all began to come forth in the 20th century.

The global concepts that Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 start in the 20th century: worldwide deception, lawlessness, false christs and false prophets, wars, world conflicts, famines, pestilence and earthquakes. The gospel has been preached to all the nations of the earth.

Luke’s prophetic writings in Acts come to life for us as the prophecies of world evangelism come full circle. It began in Jerusalem in A.D. 33 with the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Then Pentecost takes place with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.

The gospel message begins to go from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, then to the ends of the earth, symbolized in Paul going from Jerusalem to Rome. Now in the 21st century, the circle will be complete as the nations have been reached, which sets in motion the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost to happen in Jerusalem and Israel as they see Jesus as their deliverer and all Israel will be saved.

God, open our spiritual eyes to see Your hand upon world events and the coming of Jesus Christ as declared in Your perfect prophecies.

We cannot know the day or the hour, but Jesus and Paul both stated that God expected us to know the season of His return. May we be about our Father’s business. {eoa}

Once a professional baseball player with the Chicago Cubs Organization, Blake Lorenz was called to Asbury Seminary after a radical encounter with Jesus, where he received his master’s degree. He has pastored in the Orlando area for 33 years and has been blessed with the opportunity to evangelize globally, visiting five continents and preaching the gospel to tens of thousands. Blake has also helped plant 500 churches. He has been working in Israel for the past 20 years, includes serving on the board of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in connection with the Knesset. In 2020, and the Awaken podcast launched to teach and challenge others to join him on a journey of anticipating the return of Jesus. He has used the three books he’s written in his seminars and conferences. He and his wife, Beverly, share three children and six grandchildren.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

I’ve been having visions and dreams about big babies. I know enough to pay attention when the Lord keeps showing something, so with my understanding and curiosity, I began to lean in, bringing my heart and ears closer to Him. These babies were supposedly new and young babies, but they were physically big babies. I pondered this with the Lord, and I sensed the Lord saying, “There are many who have big dreams from Me on the inside of them. Many have huge prophetic words that will not only shift their lives but the lives of those connected to them. It shall be noises abroad.”

Let me encourage you; many feel delayed with their specific God-dreams waiting to be birthed in the natural. The enemy has sent so much to cause you to forget, retreat on and abandon God’s plans for you. You have relentlessly held on to it like a bulldog’s jaw enclosed onto its bone. You’ve done this despite the schemes, wiles and tricks of the enemy. You have felt delayed when you look at your peers and all they appear to have birthed, but friend, the Lord wants you to know and believe: “You are not overdue, and your baby will arrive on time.”

Second Corinthians 13:1b says, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” I had at least six occurrences where the Lord was highlighting the big things coming.

Zechariah 4:6 says, “And he said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.'”

What the Lord is doing through you will be brought to manifestation by the Spirit of the Lord—your healing, restoration and the fullness of your promise.

As I prayed about these big babies, the Lord began to highlight elephants to me. I began to process this moment with a friend.

Elephants are protective and huge, and they can crush seven lions at a time with their large bodies.

Elephants can be heard as they approach, and they can’t be hidden because of their gigantic physique.

Elephant babies are bigger than average and have more weight when they arrive.

Elephants are the largest land animal.

Elephants possess a great memory and are sensitive creatures.

The elephant personality can be described according to three distinct traits: attentiveness, sociability and aggressiveness.

Set your affections on things above! Expect it to be big my fiends! Expect our Lord to come fully through according to His Word and plans. Expectancy and anticipation are the breeding grounds of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. It is crowing and manifesting, friends, and it is an on-time manifestation!

Listen to this week’s episode of Kingdom Touch Downs on Charisma Podcast Network to hear the conclusion of this prophetic insight.

Sherri Downs is a wife and mother of two. Sherri is the published author of Don’t Be Bullied By The Devil, and Keys to Unprecedented Praying Power. Pre-order Righteous Relationship Reset: Doing Marriage God’s Way here. She is a life coach, conference speaker and host. Sherri is committed to her mandate to teach and instruct in the body of Christ. It is a passion to see God’s power manifest in the pews. Sherri believes in the power of God to walk in newness. Connect with Sherri Downs on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

I appreciate Mackenzie Morgan’s boldness to stand against wishy-washy churches in this article titled, “Worship leader no longer supports Hillsong, Elevation, Bethel Music over ‘false gospel message.'” More and more churches may be following suit in regard to her stance.

But I also think it’s important to ask some additional questions.

For example, “Is it possible to not endorse or agree with [such-and-such church] but still listen to their worship in a corporate setting?”

First, I want to be clear that my position has never been, “I don’t care what the roots are; I’m playing their music.” I myself am in the process of evaluating.

I recently preached a sermon series on revival. Bryan and Katie Torwalt led worship during one of the messages, and Kim Walker-Smith during another one. To view the controversial services that sparked this article, click here and here. Then let us know your thoughts. Were the services God-honoring? Were the lyrics theologically sound? Were the messages biblically accurate? Could there be abundant fruit?

Just for reference’s sake, I use the MacArthur Study Bible, read the Puritans and love any preaching from Lloyd-Jones, Spurgeon and the like. I’m not endorsing and promoting Bethel or the others. I have concerns too. I understand that playing a church’s music (in a sense) is viewed as promoting them. I get that, but there is a huge difference between direct promotion and indirect promotion because we have to legally acknowledge the source of the songs for licensing reasons.

With that said, I’ve put forth a few questions and answers that may offer clarity:

1. How inconsistent should a group be before we completely discontinue their worship? Should we eliminate all songs because we disagree with some of what their pastors teach? Yes and no. What if the worship leaders are solid in their walk with the Lord? It all depends on the severity of their error. Some people draw the line in the sand much quicker in regard to removing their music, while others are not there yet.

2. Have I done my due diligence in investigating these bands? The problem is that there are many conflicting reports. I know people who attend Bethel, and they say the complete opposite of those who condemn it. For example, Bethel’s leadership condemns grave-sucking here, but people still say that they teach it. Yes, I have seen the picture of lead pastor Bill Johnson’s wife near a grave, but pictures don’t always tell the whole story. You wouldn’t believe the number of heresy hunters I heard from when I released this picture.

But, with that said, I have also heard Johnson say things he needs to clarify. I talked to Bethel Communications for over an hour in 2019. They said they were releasing short clips explaining the controversies, and they have finally begun that process at this link.

I haven’t had a chance to listen yet, but knowing people like Kim Walker-Smith and Sean Feucht (who are solid), I would hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater because they were once leading worship at Bethel.

Because I myself have often been misrepresented, I appreciate those who try to hear both sides. It’s good to be concerned and lovingly rebuke churches such as the ones mentioned above, but at the same time, we should consider the heart of the worship leader who is writing and leading the songs. For example, do you have any idea who wrote this: “So much heresy is running rampant in the church because we’re not clearly preaching the reality of eternal judgment, the reality of heaven and hell, or the frequent commands concerning holiness, godliness, purity and true Jesus apprenticeship”?

Jeremy Riddle, worship leader at Bethel, wrote that on April 10, 2020, on his Facebook page. In case you missed it, that’s a powerful declaration of sound doctrine.

Emotional Worship Is the Stumbling Block for Many

While not true of everyone, as in the case of Mackenzie Morgan, the vast majority of those who have issues with this music seem to disdain emotional worship and are often not open to what is referred to as revival. They don’t like to sing “Let It Rain” because they don’t want to get wet. You can read more about genuine revival in my past articles.

I stand in awe of how many famous conservative pastors quote George Whitefield yet fail to acknowledge the oddities that happened under his preaching. The same is true of Jonathan Edwards and others who ushered in great moves of the Spirit.

Now, with that said, I am not validating questionable ministries. I have similar concerns as many of the critics, but it is interesting that those mocking are often the same people who would (and do) mock a genuine move of God’s Spirit. I’m hoping that this article sparks dialogue within the controversial bands and a movement to revisit theology is sparked.

Most of these worship groups are young and need theological grounding. Perhaps the young musicians in some of these bands just need believers who are spiritually mature reaching out to them rather than calling them heretical.

In closing, my big concern for many of us is found in Revelation 2:2-5 (NIV), “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. … Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

Could it be that the very thing we need (and that Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation need) is the very thing we are running from: revival and a powerful move of God’s Spirit via brokenness, humility and repentance?

Additional Resources

In this sermon, I talk about when my heart was very hard and I was becoming a modern-day Pharisee.

The New Apostolic Reformation always seems to slip into this type of discussion. Since I don’t know much about the NAR, I found a video for those interested: “The Truth About NAR and 7 Mountain Theology.”

Michael Brown also interviewed Bill Johnson in this video. Granted, I would have asked harder questions, but he was still able to clarify many things. Here is what baffles me: it’s almost as though people don’t want to know the facts. {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

I have a friend who likes to respond to a friendly question about how he is doing with the witty truism, “I’m too blessed to be stressed!” Sometimes he follows this spiritual affirmation with, “I’m too anointed to be disappointed!”

In Numbers 6:24, Moses’ brother Aaron was given a priestly blessing to speak over his sons and the assembled priests of the Lord. In turn, they were to repeat this prayer or benediction (“good word”) over God’s people.

The mere mention of the beginning of this prayer, “The Lord bless you and keep you,” immediately evokes warm memories for many. It is a prayer that asks not for material riches nor physical things—but for spiritual blessings.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the practical blessings of the Lord. We should receive them with joy and gratitude! But God wanted the Israelites (and us) to understand His priorities—what matters most to the heart of God.

The prescribed blessing begins as a petition, moves to a plea for protection, then underscores God’s presence and ends by seeking a pardon.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is how you will bless the children of Israel, saying to them, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” They will put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:22-27)

Petition: God’s Blessing and Favor

As we would petition for God’s blessing and favor to be upon us, we must focus on Whom we are asking. We are not asking a human parent nor a politician; not our employer nor a human agency. God may use any or none of these to process the blessing, but it is the Lord God Almighty, our Creator and sustainer to Whom we pray. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:7).

Jesus taught that our heavenly Father “knows what you need before you ask” (Matt. 6:8). Besides the basics—food, shelter, clothing, family, love, healthy bodies and meaningful work—He knows what we truly need and what may be unnecessary things that we may want because we think they’ll make us happy.

Protection: God’s Keeping-Power

Linked to God’s provided blessings are His protection and keeping-power. The full petition is, “The Lord bless you and keep you …” He is being asked to keep or guard His people from the enemy, who wants to steal, kill and destroy these blessings from God.

Psalm 121 proclaims the Lord as Israel’s keeper, even as He is ours: “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper … the Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

In our Lord’s model prayer, He taught His disciples to seek deliverance from evil or the evil one (Matt. 6:13). Our firm foundation is found in our heavenly Father, Who knows how to protect all those who are His! But He also calls for those who petition His keeping power to “depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19) and “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2).

Presence: Seek His Face to Shine Upon Us

Next, we see a request for not just God’s protection but His presence: “The Lord make his face to shine upon you,” and then the parallel phrase in verse 26, “The Lord lift up his countenance upon you.”

We spend much of our lives trying to see the approval of others by gazing at their faces. We want to see if we have their approval. Do they look directly at us or do they avoid locking eyes with us? Their face or countenance tells so much.

Proverbs 16:15 (ESV) says, “In the light of a king’s face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.” The “face of God” means the presence of God. When the Lord makes His face to “shine upon” His people, He takes pleasure in them.

Pardon: His Grace to Forgive Us

Having petitioned for the protection and the presence of God, and then for the pleasure of God to be shown by His face shining upon us, the priestly prayer turns to the needed pardon of God. Numbers 6:26 calls for Him to show us the gracious favor of His forgiveness of our sins, which have been exposed in the bright light of His countenance: “… the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Paul affirmed to the Romans that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). That “peace with God” brings the peace of God into all of life’s experiences and relationships. We sense that Father God is smiling on us, as a father smiles upon his child!

If you have the gracious smile of God and His favor and forgiveness, you can survive the frowns or the rejection of any human figure. {eoa}

Gary Curtis served in full-time ministry for 50 years, the last 27 years of which he was part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the Van Nuys’ California Foursquare church. Now retired, Gary continues to write a weekly blog at and frequent articles for digital and print platforms.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

When the Lord took us from our home in South Africa and led us to Mexico, we weren’t prepared for the new level of spiritual warfare. We were an infant ministry just trying to get off the ground.

We had a small mailing list and a few ministry contacts. Before the Lord allowed us to found the fivefold ministry schools you see now, He had us pray prophetically for hours to break ground. We had no clue about territorial demons or what kind of influence they had on our blockages. One day, as we were decreeing God’s plan, we hit a wall in the Spirit.

The air went cold, and we felt a presence in the room. In vision, I saw what looked like a chieftain warrior, and he didn’t look impressed! He was kicking up a dust storm. By the Spirit we knew that we were coming against the prince of Mexico. We bound his influence, and for the months that followed we continued to do warfare. We pressed in with the message that it was time to “let God’s people go!”

These were our baby steps in understanding spiritual warfare at this kind of level. The results spoke for themselves. Before long, ministry doors busted wide open in our region. Not only did the Lord send us locals to minister to, but we also saw a massive shift in the economy in our little city.

‘That’s the Demon We’ve Been Fighting!’

Sometime later, we were driving around Tijuana, and my jaw just about dropped. We passed a statue of a chieftain in the middle of town. I gasped, “Guys! That’s the demon I saw in the Spirit when we were praying!” The history of the region brought much clarity as to why God had us praying!

I’m not sharing for the sake of entertainment here. I’m here to say that spiritual warfare isn’t only a good idea, but it’s also a requirement to break ground for the work of God in a region. Now, before you head off to bind all the powers that be, allow me to give you a caution: Spiritual warfare requires jurisdiction! Did God give you the assignment? You cannot just run headlong into any old city, waving your banner high.

Your Warfare Needs to Be Strategic

When apostles Craig Toach and Nathan Berry hashed this out in the Next Gen Prophets podcast … they set the airwaves on fire! They sent the word out to all prophets, Why You Need Jurisdiction for Witchcraft and Spiritual Warfare.

If there are two points I want you to take from that podcast, they are:

1. Spiritual warfare requires jurisdiction. You cannot just battle in any region simply because you see a need.

2. Regional spiritual warfare requires follow through. If you’re going to engage, realize that you’re in for the long haul.

One prayer to bind a devil won’t bring about the change we need to see in our cities. We need prophets on the wall who are willing to remain watchmen until the enemy is brought down! So, where are you #NextGenProphet? Find your jurisdiction and follow through. The success of the church in your region depends on it.

Ephesians 6:12-13 (NKJV) says, “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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Listen to this episode of Next Gen Prophets on Charisma Podcast Network now. {eoa}

Colette Toach of Toach Ministries International, is the author of 40 books, including the widely popular I’m Not Crazy—I’m a Prophet. She works alongside her husband, Craig Toach, training their passionate Next Gen Prophet Team with divisions in South Africa, Switzerland, Mexico and the United States.

One of the things I cherish most in my office is an old wooden folding chair. It’s not just any old-fashioned wooden folding chair; rather, it is one of the actual chairs that sat under the great “Miracle Tent” of A.A. Allen. If only this chair could speak.

Perhaps it would tell of the glory of God that filled each meeting. Perhaps it would testify of the mighty signs and wonders wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost when, on a nightly basis, tens of thousands would pack themselves under the canvas of that old tent. It could tell of blind eyes that came open with regularity. How each night wheelchairs and hospital beds would be emptied as the sick were healed en masse. It could tell of the multiplied thousands that it witnessed come to Jesus Christ.

That chair sits in my office as an ancient “marker.”

It reminds me that the very glory of God that filled those great gospel tents during that great “Voice of Healing” era pales in comparison to that which we are on the threshold of today.

Recently, as I was seeking the Lord, I heard Him remind me “that no true anointing ever leaves the earth, rather it must be picked up by a generation willing to walk in it.”

Everything we have faced in the recent months of our nation has pointed to this.

Never before have we as a nation been more in need of revival.

Never before has wickedness seemingly pervaded society in the manner apparent today.

Never before has the body of Christ been more in need of true Pentecostal power.

We have traded prophets for life coaches, and the result has been disastrous.

Nevertheless, I am full of hope. Like the prophet Isaiah declared in Isaiah 60, that when deep darkness was upon the people it would be then that the glory of the Lord would be poured out. I believe prophetically we have stepped into that season. What the enemy meant for evil, God is going to use to set the stage for the greatest outpouring of His mighty Spirit since Acts 2.

There is a divine re-digging of the ancient well of the miracle-working power of God. There is a fresh anointing being released upon a remnant who are ready to embrace it, to those who are willing to answer the Nazirite call and be a conduit of the power of God in the earth.

What the Spirit of the Lord did during that great “Voice of Healing” outpouring is being released again in the earth.

Except this time, God has saved the best for last!

Listen to this episode of The Voice of Revival on Charisma Podcast Network now. {eoa}

Chad MacDonald is the founder of Revival Fire World Ministries, an international prophetic voice, revivalist, published author and host of The Voice of Revival on the Charisma Podcast Network. Carrying an apostolic anointing, Chad travels extensively through the United States and internationally. His meetings are marked with the tangible presence of God and accompanied by powerful signs and wonders. His heart burns to see a return to true Pentecostal power and the body of Christ equipped to carry the glory of God. Chad currently resides in Chattanooga with his wife and three children. You can check out more at .

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

“I will restore to you the years that the … locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25, ESV).

Do you feel too young, too old, too damaged or it’s too late to be used by God? Does it seem like relationships, finances or health can never be recovered?

God once used an angel to show me that it wasn’t too late for me. At that time I had come fairly recently into Spirit-filled life and ministry. Others my age had been in ministry for 30 years, and I was just getting started.

At one point when I particularly doubted God’s plans for me, the Lord spoke. First, He rebuked me for my unbelief, and then told me He was going to give me a sign that He was with me. I doubted even this! But what happened next still amazes me.

Several days later I took my daughter to an appointment; it also happened to be my 48th birthday. Afterward, we went to lunch at a favorite restaurant—one where you order your food and are given a number for your table.

Shortly after getting our food, my daughter got up to get some condiments we’d forgotten. Since our table had a view of the whole restaurant, I was surprised when a man I hadn’t seen before approached our table. He pointed to the order number on our table (which I hadn’t noticed was 48), smiled slightly and said, “You’re not 48, you’re 28.” Then he turned and left.

I was stunned. My mind raced—how had this stranger known it was my 48th birthday? My daughter hurried over and asked what he’d said. As I related his words, we both agreed that something prophetic had just happened.

Later that day the Lord explained the message. He revealed that He’d sent a prophetic blessing—that the 20 or so missed and seemingly wasted years (when I had been ignorant of many spiritual truths and not pressing into His plans for me) would be restored to me. He promised to condense and compress the blessing of my destiny into the years I had left—that nothing would be missed!

I’m convinced the ordinary, almost scruffy-looking man in the restaurant was an angel. Not only had he not been present earlier, but also our eyewitness accounts did not match. My daughter saw him approach the table from the opposite direction I did, and she said he disappeared, while I saw him exit out the door! God, indeed, had given me a sign.

Click here to read the rest of this article.

God is no respecter of persons. What He’s done for me, He will do for you. Discover how to position yourself to receive the blessing of restoration! Listen to this episode of Preparing the Way on Charisma Podcast Network, God Wants to Restore to You the Years the Locust Has Eaten. {eoa}

Diane Lake is a writer, speaker and minister ordained with both Christian International and Generals International. Her articles are regularly featured on The Elijah List, as well as platforms like Charisma Magazine, Intercessors For America and others. She and her husband, Allen, co-founded Starfire Ministries with a vision to see the kingdom established beyond the four walls of the traditional church. They host a podcast with Charisma Podcast Network, and serve as church mountain, regional, and montana coordinators for the Reformation Prayer Network, and as media mountain leader/facilitators for C.I.’s Culture Influencers.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

The Spirit says, “You ask Me what I’m doing. You ask Me why the painful process. You wonder what has changed.”

“I’ll tell you. Though the prince of darkness has sought to change the rules, I have not changed! My standard has not changed. The plumb line of My Father’s house has not changed. That which was created and formed from the foundation of the throne has not changed.

“I am holy, and I am Spirit!” the Lord says. “This cannot be altered. It cannot be compromised. It is only in My holiness that you can access My grace. It is only through My Spirit that you can have true power. Without My holiness and without My Spirit, you have nothing!”

“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty has given me life” (Job 33:4).

“And yet, there are peddlers of My Word who have sold you out!” the Spirit says. “They have heralded righteous works that are void of My Spirit. They have marketed a message without holiness. They have compromised My standard and tried to alter the plumb line. They have told you that knowledge and kindness is enough. They have told you that reaching souls is enough. But without a full immersion of My Spirit, these souls will never live. The power of the cross can only be accessed with a holy life fueled by My Spirit. There is no kingdom power to transform the earth when you have denied My holiness and rejected My Spirit.

“I am holy, and I am Spirit! I will not be made in the image of man nor allow those bound to the flesh to strip Me of who I am and who you are meant to be! And yet, some have traded this treasure for inferior imitations. I am calling out these peddlers of cheap grace! They have taught that my grace overlooks man’s weakness and dismisses man’s sin. They have preached a salvation of fleshly works and lured the masses to their productions. They have polluted My gospel by putting appearances before consecration and packaging before purity. I will not have a bride that has been dressed for a platform instead of prepared for the bridal chamber!

“You have been told that Jesus is enough without need for things of the Spirit. But it was My Spirit that raised Him from the dead. And it was My holiness that qualified Him to defy death. It is only through a laid-down life that one can walk in the power of the cross. It is only by My Spirit that you can live and move and have your being. The Father of lies has been selling you snake oil! He has lured the masses to a gospel without power and a message without meaning,” says the Lord.

“I have written these things to you concerning those who deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. For as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in Him” (1 John 2:26-27).

“I am bringing into the light those who have preached without My Spirit and proclaimed a hollow truth,” says the Spirit. “No longer will I allow the plumb line to be altered. No longer will I allow My holiness to be sidelined and My Spirit to be ignored. It is time for My Spirit called ‘holy’ to break upon the scene! All must know the essence of My being which is holy, and which is Spirit.

“Even as I reset these core foundations, I have placed in your midst purified champions who are anointed and true. They have been hidden from the cameras and shielded from the lights, and their time of advancing the gospel of My kingdom is here. Heaven has been backing these servant leaders and My presence goes before them.

“How will you know them? You will know them by virtue of their holiness and their Spirit. That which the enemy has sought to eliminate is resident within many who have been prepared for this very hour. It is because of their sanctified lives and time spent before the throne that these men and women are rising up to displace the spurious messengers of lesser gods. Look past the platforms of man and associations with big names. Look past the productions and publications, and look for My heart.

“Now is the time for My holiness and My Spirit. The enemy of your soul knows this and has been working for decades to render my holiness irrelevant and my Spirit incompetent. Do not listen! I have been preparing the true army of God for this very time! The longings of your heart and the cries of your prayers have caused all of heaven to draw closer for this time of great revelation and transformation of a higher order,” the Spirit says.

“When you send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the surface of the ground” (Ps. 104:30).

“Do not be dismayed at those who are found to be wanting. Do not be distraught at the changes of the guard to come. It is a necessary doing for kingdom business to commence. That which My Spirit has been preparing is now close at hand. A highway of holiness will usher it in.” {eoa}

Wanda Alger has been a field correspondent with Intercessors for America, is a recognized fivefold prophetic minister, speaker and is the author of several books including Prayer That Sparks National Revival and Moving from Sword to Scepter: Ruling Through Prayer as the Ekklesia of God. She and her husband founded Crossroads Community Church in 1998 where her husband serves as lead pastor. Follow her blog at

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

We all have a tendency to run after new things. Whether it’s a new house, a new car or a new area of ministry, we love to go after the greener grass.

Kisia Coleman , “Dr. Kish,” pastor, leadership expert and podcast host, says new things can be good—but only if they’re of God.

“Sometimes, we’re so busy looking for the new thing, we’re looking for what’s current, and we’re trying to get in a flow, but it’s not the flow that God wants us in, it’s not the current that God wants us in,” she tells Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “And we want to get in that current that’s the river from the sanctuary of God, the one Ezekiel talks about in Ezekiel 47 … that flow comes from the sanctuary.”

Coleman says that in a recent prayer, God showed her a current flowing that went straight into a pond, which meant the current stopped altogether.

“And then I heard the words, ‘Dead Sea,’ and I went and looked up the Dead Sea, and I saw that it said it’s a place where you can’t produce life,” Coleman says.

“There’s a river that you can get in or it’ll keep you current, not current with this culture but what’s current with the kingdom,” Coleman says. “And so it’s good to look for a new thing, but make sure that new thing is the new thing from God.”

For much more from “Dr. Kish” Coleman on how to find and remain in the current God has for you, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines at this link and be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform for more inspiring stories like this one. Check out Coleman’s own podcast, Mastering Your Message, also on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

Moses is one of the heroes of the Bible and is definitely one of the greatest leaders we find in the Scriptures. However, while Moses was a great leader, he was a bad father. It was his failure at being a father that ultimately kept him from being a leader.

Before we get into the text we will be focusing on, let me establish the context and reason for my claim that Moses was a bad father. Let’s look at Exodus 4:22-26 (TLV):

You are to say to Pharaoh, “This is what Adonai says: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I have said to you, Let My son go, that he may serve Me, but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay your son, your firstborn.'” It happened along the way, at a lodging place, that Adonai met him and sought to kill him! But Zipporah took a flint, cut off the foreskin of her son, and threw it at his feet, saying, “You are surely a bridegroom of blood to me.” She said, “A bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision. Then He let him alone.

These verses come right after G-D has established Moses as the one who would lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery. As G-D sends Moses forth to confront Pharaoh and deliver Israel from bondage, we find these few verses dropped inside the larger narrative. G-D says, “Israel is My firstborn,” pointing out a focus on fatherhood. Then G-D reminds Moses that he had not circumcised his son. Ever since Abraham, circumcision was the ritual that allowed one to enter into the covenant that G-D had made with Abraham and his descendants. Yet Moses had not seen to it that his son had entered this covenant with G-D. This was the first and primary responsibility of a father. Circumcision was to take place when a son was eight days old. So even though Moses was clearly a leader chosen by G-D to redeem Israel from slavery, we find that he was a great leader but not a good father.

Of course, we know that the Bible teaches us not to let anything be established without at least two witnesses, so let’s see if we find further evidence in Scripture for Moses not being a good father. We find this evidence in Joshua 5:2-5:

At that time Adonai said to Joshua, “Make yourself flint knives and circumcise again Bnei-Yisrael a second time.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised Bnei-Yisrael at Gibeath-ha-araloth. Now this is the reason why Joshua circumcised: all the people that came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. Though all the people that came out were circumcised, none of the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had been circumcised.

Notice here that the entire time that Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness, and during the time in the wilderness, not one of the sons of Israel were circumcised, even though Moses already had been confronted by G-D over the importance of this covenant. Remember the statement G-D makes above: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.” Moses was a great leader who had confronted Pharaoh, parted the Red Sea, written the Torah and won battles against Israel’s enemies. Yet when it came to fatherhood responsibilities, both his own and corporately, Moses was a bad father.

So now that we see the evidence of Moses’ fatherhood failures, let’s see if my second claim holds true. Was his leadership of Israel removed because he failed as a father? To find out, let’s read Numbers 20:7-13, a very familiar event in Moses’ life.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: ‘Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.’ And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them: ‘Hear now, ye rebels; are we to bring you forth water out of this rock?’ And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘Because ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’ These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them.

Have you ever wondered why this one action would be viewed by G-D as so significant that he would punish Moses by not allowing him to lead the children of Israel into the promised land? After all, hadn’t Moses been a great leader?

In order to answer this question about Moses and to understand why G-D punished Moses with such severity, we must look a little closer into the text, as well as look a little deeper into the history of Moses’ leadership of Israel. When G-D told Moses what his sin was, G-D said, “Because ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel.” So what Moses did was not believe G-D and not sanctify G-D in the eyes of the children of Israel. The Hebrew word translated as sanctify in the verse is לְהַ֨קְדִּישֵׁ֔נִי. The root word of this word is קָדַשׁ, which means holy, separate or sanctify.

So what exactly did Moses do that did not sanctify G-D in the eyes of the children of Israel? In order to know this, let’s look at Deuteronomy 4:21, which refers to this event just before Joshua replaced Moses as Israel’s leader.

Deuteronomy 4:21 reads: “Now the LORD was angered with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”

When we read these verses, and almost every time I have heard a teaching or sermon on the verses, the words “for your sakes” have been interpreted as “because of you,” or “because of what you did or said.” In other words, the reader reads these words to say that Moses was saying that G-D punished him because of the actions of the children of Israel. This interpretation leaves the hearer/reader with two possible conclusions. The first is that Moses, in his last words to Israel, acted like a spoiled brat blaming them for his punishment, or the second that G-D unfairly punished Moses for the actions of the children of Israel.

I don’t believe that either of those options are the right interpretation of the text. I believe the correct view is to read the text to say “for your sakes,” to mean “for your betterment.”

Think about what is happening at the time when Moses hits the rock. The people were complaining about where they were and that G-D did not fulfill His promise to bring them to a land filled with blessings. They said, “you led us to a place without seeds, figs, vines, or pomegranates and neither is there any water to drink.” G-D then spoke to Moses and said, “Speak to the rock … and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock.”

Instead of speaking to the rock as commanded, Moses hit the rock in anger. Moses was supposed to be a leader and a father to Israel. Moses was supposed to teach his children his faith in G-D’s promises.

Instead of behaving as a good father would to magnify G-D as a good Father, Moses behaved badly and failed to show G-D as holy or sanctified in the eyes of the children of Israel. The bad representation of G-D’s fatherliness just before Israel was preparing to enter into the promised land resulted in Moses being replaced as the one who would lead Israel into the promised land. Moses wasn’t punished because the people acted badly. He was punished because he as a leader was supposed to also be the physical father to the children Israel as an example of G-D as their invisible Father. Moses’ actions made G-D look unholy to Israel, and the result was his removal.

Please remember what we read above. One of Joshua’s first actions when he replaced Moses was to act fatherly and circumcise all of those who had not been circumcised under the leadership of Moses. Joshua was a great leader and a great father.

In the Romans 2:24, we find Paul speaking to the Jewish believers on his day about this same sin. “For as it is written, ‘the name of God is slandered among the nations because of you.'”

You and I, like Moses, were called by G-D to live as fathers leading those around us into a covenant relationship with him. It isn’t enough that we lead people to G-D; we must introduce them to our heavenly Father. After all, when Yeshua was asked, “how should we pray,” His response was, “Our Father.” Moses led Israel for 40 years, but it took Joshua replacing Moses before Israel knew what it was like to be led by a father.

It isn’t enough for us to be good leaders; we must also be good fathers. How are we doing?

Rabbi Eric Tokajer has served the community of Brit Ahm Messianic Synagogue in Pensacola, Florida since 2006. In addition to serving at Brit Ahm, he also helped to establish six other Messianic synagogues along the United States, Gulf Coast. He is also a sought-after speaker for both national and international conferences and events, and has authored 12 books. In addition to his duties as a rabbi, he also serves on the board of several Messianic ministries and as the theology team facilitator for the Tree of Life Version Bible.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.