Kim Clement has gone home to be with the Lord.

The prophetic worshipper has experienced health issues, including a brain bleed, for more than a year. Last December, he suffered a brain aneurysm doctors said was likely caused by an infection in his heart. The family issued a statement on the sad loss.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our beloved Kim has died and passed into glory, and is now in the presence of his Lord, his best friend, Jesus. Kim was recently hospitalized with pneumonia and complications due to his diseased lungs, and his body was just too weak to combat the illness. The support and love that you have shown to Jane and the family throughout this 16-month journey have been crucial to them having the strength to withstand the fight. We are so very grateful, and we appreciate your continued prayers for the family as they face the upcoming days. Our hearts are broken, but we cannot mention his passing without honoring and celebrating the amazing life that Kim lived. His life and ministry were a testament to the love of Christ, imparting hope to everyone who heard his voice, and continuously stretching out his hand of generosity to those hurting and in need. Kim fought a good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, and is now embracing his exceedingly great reward in heaven.”

According to his website, Clement’s prophetic ministry reached countless people as he reveals the heartbeat of God in tragedy and triumph, good times and bad, war and peace, in democratic or theocratic circles, crossing all cultural barriers by communicating God’s feelings for them.

Plans and details for a Celebration of Life service will be posted soon.                                           

“Thank you for standing with Kim, Jane, their family and all of us here at the House of Destiny,” the family’s statement concludes. “We love and cherish each and every one of you, and together we will carry the vision.” {eoa}

The Lord is releasing the angels of abundant harvest. Charisma House is releasing Jennifer’s book with a profound prophetic word and teaching principles to cooperate with heaven in this season. Check it out at .

In the 1990s, a Jezebel curse was released over our nation. Today, it is broken.

Early Tuesday morning, I released a dream and a prophetic word—”Prophecy: on Election Day, a Kingdom Will Be Toppled.” The word was as clear as anything I’ve ever heard the Lord say. I felt in my spirit I knew exactly what He meant but that’s all He said, so I avoided prophetic presumption, watched and waited with the rest of the nation.

Looking at the electoral map this morning—mostly bright red—I’m overwhelmed with the reality that the blood of Jesus is sufficient for the sins of America. 

I’m reminded of 2 Chronicles 7:14—”If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

I’m reminded of James 2:13, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” 

An evil, unseen kingdom was toppled in the wee hours of Nov. 9. As the ekklesia—the governing church—continues rising in the years ahead, we’ll see the manifestation of this divine toppling in both the spirit and the natural. A demonic throne was overturned today and more demonic thrones will be toppled as the violent governing intercessors, emboldened by the Spirit of God, take them down by force in prayer in the name of Jesus (Matt. 11:12).

This morning, I heard the Lord say, “The Jezebel curse is broken.” 

Please understand I’m talking about spirits, not people. It’s helpful if you don’t assume I’m calling a person Jezebel in this context. We’re not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). This is not about a man or a woman in an election. This is about spiritual dynamics.

What is the Jezebel curse? Consider the words of Christ in Revelation 2:20-29:

“But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Certainly, since 1993 we’ve seen ever-increasing manifestations of immorality and idolatry—even in the church. Let’s not forget, Queen Jezebel in the Old Testament sanctioned temple worship, during which prostitution, orgy islands and homosexuality were prevalent.  

On Nov. 8, the body of Christ at large stopped tolerating Jezebel. Although this principality will not be eradicated from the earth until Jesus returns, we have authority over Jezebel. On Nov. 8, the church rose up with the fervor of Jehu and threw Jezebel down. Indeed, ABC reported the largest Christian turnout to a presidential election in our history. The sleeping giant is officially awake.

Church, let’s not go back to sleep.

This is not where the spiritual warfare ends. This is not a time to stop lifting intercession, standing in the gap and making up the hedge. Now is the time to rise up with confidence, run to the battle line and start taking back ground the enemy stole for His glory. Now is the time to press into the prophesied Third Great Awakening.

Jezebel has been working to shut off the prophetic voice that is the church. Now, I believe we will begin to see more true prophetic voices rising in America. I see prophets coming out the wilderness, desert places and caves. I see the motives of false and opportunistic prophets who eat at Jezebel’s table exposed and shunned, in the name of Jesus.

Some people are convinced they know who the next president of the United States will be. Some respected prophetic voices have publicly prophesied Bible parallels that certainly make sense to many spiritual minds. Other extremely accurate prophets are just as convinced they know who will be the next commander-in-chief but have not publicly declared their prophetic insight. 

People have contacted me with detailed dreams about Hillary Clinton becoming president and the chaos that would ensue. Others claim to have had clear visions of Donald Trump taking up residence in the White House. Still others insist Clinton will be arrested and Obama will not hand over the keys to the Oval Office, holding tight to the presidency and imposing martial law to deal with the violence in the streets.

I’ve never seen such a prophetic swirl over an election in my life. You probably haven’t either. 

The night before the election (last night at the time of this writing) I dreamed I was hosting a large prayer meeting for the nation. There was disorder among the intercessors and prophetic voices. Although many sincere believers were at the meeting crying out to God for the nation, others were there for greedy gain and recognition. 

One “intercessor” rushed the mic to let people know how they could buy the photographs she was taking during the prayer rally. Another “intercessor” started pedaling unhealthy snacks in case people got hungry during the intercessory prayer meeting. Still other “intercessors” were just looking for an opportunity to prophesy before the large crowd that had gathered—they wanted to be seen by men.

Don’t take me wrong. I am not saying folks who are prophesying publicly have wrong motives. Some of them may, but not all of them do. Nevertheless, the dream disturbed my spirit. 

In the dream, once we rooted out all the opportunists and merchandisers, the true intercessors remained. They were fewer in number, but there was order. It reminds me of Gideon’s Army. The Lord did not need a large number of warriors to defeat the enemy. He just needed those without fear in their hearts—the ones who would throw themselves into the midst of the battle headlong.

As I was considering this dream in the early morning hours, I heard six words clearly in my spirit: “Today, a kingdom will be toppled.”

We all know what a kingdom is, but I looked it up anyway. One of Merriam-Webster‘s definitions for kingdom struck me: “a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchial form of government headed by a king or queen.” Take note of the words, “politically organized community.”

Merriam-Webster defines topple as “to remove (a government or leader) from power.”

I’m still praying on this but felt an urgency to share this message today to encourage you to keep praying and to vote. Like Gideon’s army, we must not fear even if the outcome is not what we hoped. No matter what we see with our natural eyes, I believe a kingdom will be toppled today. What that looks like and how it manifests remains to be seen. But I’ve sensed a major shift in my spirit for the past 10 days that goes far beyond this election. It’s time for the ekklesia to arise.

Let this Scripture inspire you:

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah. There is a river—its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns. Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when He lifts His voice. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah” (Ps. 46:1-8, HSB).

Christian leaders, through the Revival One Network (R1N), are calling for believers to fast and pray from Thursday morning until 10 p.m. Tuesday for the upcoming election and the deliverance of the nation from the “strongholds of humanism and liberalism.”

The alarm has been sounded to God’s army, and Frank Amedia, co-senior pastor of Touch Heaven Church in Canfield, Ohio, says R1N is pleading with the body of Christ to join this effort to help pull down the strongholds in our government that are choking out our Judeo-Christian morality and faith.

R1N is calling for an Esther Fast—with no food or water for three days—from sunrise Thursday, Nov. 3, through sunset Saturday, Nov. 5. The body is called to continue to fast through election night on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 10 p.m. Amedia says, however, that believers should fast as the Lord leads them, and that it is not legalistic if you need to drink.

Amedia announced the call to fast Tuesday and Wednesday on the Jim Bakker Show.

Last month prior to the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, R1N called for a prayer covering over Trump. The prayer request went viral, with more than 284,000 shares.

Amedia and R1N implore believers to recognize the magnitude of the election and what it will mean for the U.S.

“We are calling to do warfare against the spirit of Jezebel that has become exposed in our nation and in our leadership,” Amedia says. “We know the power and force behind the principalities that have oppressed our nation, that are diluting our Judeo-Christian principles, attacking the Christian faith and breaking our covenant with God. As one nation under God, it is time for the church to take its position as Esther. We are the bridge, as Esther was the bridge for her nation.”

Through circumstances beyond her control, Esther, a Jew, was placed in a position where she eventually became queen and was instrumental in saving her people from a massacre. Haman, a servant of King Ahasuerus, plotted to destroy the Jews, but God intervened through Esther.

While media polls have shown Clinton leading throughout most of the presidential campaign and some are already handing Clinton the presidency, Amedia says the celebration is premature, much like Haman’s, and that Christ followers can make the difference.  

“We are the church, and we are called now to step in,” Amedia says. “There are two guiding Scriptures for us—Zechariah 4:6 and Ephesians 6:12—for believers to lean on. We’re taking the battle to the principalities and powers and to pull them down and hang them in their own gallows.”

“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'” (Zech. 4:6, MEV).

“For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world and against spiritual forces in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, MEV).

“It has been said that one can set 1,000 to flee and two 10,000,” Amedia says. “If so, then tens of thousands of spiritual warriors in agreement is a force of power that cannot be resisted. If we can get 100,000 people fasting and praying, there would be so many zeros behind the number that you couldn’t put a name to it. It would be incomprehensible.”

Listen to Charisma Media CEO Steve Strang’s podcasts with Amedia—first for the nationwide call for fasting and prayer and the second on Amedia’s election insight.

All this weekend, the R1N website will post specific fasting instructions, prayer points and prophetic words and declarations from anointed men and women of God who have been requested to be guides during this time of fasting and prayer, including Rick Joyner, Cindy Jacobs, Chuck Pierce, Tim Sheets, Dutch Sheets, Lance Wallnau, Darrell Scott, Sid Roth and others. You can register your name and email address to receive updates in real time.

The complete narrative of the prophetic word and revelation inspired by the book of Esther will be posted by Thursday morning, Nov. 3.

“We can do this by the might and power of God’s Spirit coming together,” Amedia says. {eoa}

When I was a new Christian, I naively thought everyone read the Bible the same way with virtually one interpretation that all born-again Christians would have. One of the biggest shocks I experienced occurred about six months into my walk with God, when I met a fundamentalist Baptist preacher who was trying to convince me that all Pentecostals were being misled by the devil.

In the years since my conversion, I have been greatly impacted by the power our paradigms or perspectives have in regards to how we read the Scriptures, why we read the Scriptures and how we interpret the Scriptures.

For example, if someone reads the Bible from the perspective of just wanting to have a blessed personal life, they will overemphasize everything in the word regarding God’s blessing and apply it to themselves. But they may skirt over some of the conditions of those blessings and vice versa.

If a person reads a book like Radical by David Platt they can easily be moved from a prosperity paradigm or individual paradigm to a mission/discipleship-focused paradigm that emphasizes surrendering all for the urgency of making disciples, just like the original apostles did in the Gospels when they left all to follow Jesus. But those with a kingdom paradigm (like myself) will filter the great teachings of this book (Radical) so that it fits with the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:28 which can result in a contemporary application of getting a good education, developing our creativity and making disciples of marketplace leaders by infiltrating the systems and institutions of this world (which I am sure Platt would also make allowances for).

This can fit nicely with the Pauline epistles, which seem to advocate a quiet and slow, personal and cultural revolution in and through the mundane in our lives as we do everything unto the Lord (Col. 3:17; Eph. 5), not just radical experiences like selling all we have and moving to an unreached people group to preach the gospel.

The following are some of my opinions regarding 10 views and their resulting interpretations:

1. The Word of Faith Perspective. Those who have been taught in the tradition of Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and others in the Word of Faith movement,which started in the 1950s and gained great popularity in the 1970s, read everything in Scripture with the lens of using their faith to access God’s promises and Christ’s finished work on Calvary to receive divine healing and prosperity. Because of this, they usually do not study much of the Old Testament except when they refer to passages regarding healing in the Pentateuch (e.g., Exodus 23:25, Psalms 103:1-5 and Proverbs 4:22).

They read the New Testament to see who they are or what they have “in Christ.” Thus, it is an individualistic, rights-centered approach to Scripture that is very weak on the corporate nature of vision, purpose and prosperity. Also, this perspective lacks a biblical worldview when it comes to the application of the Old Testament law of God to civil society. In spite of its weaknesses, this perspective can still be effective when it comes to learning how to believe God for the miraculous!

2. The Liberation Perspective. Liberation theologians and their adherents emphasize the suffering of Christ because they read the Scriptures generally through the lens of class warfare, prejudice and victimology! Thus, the sufferings and cross of Christ (who was crucified by the majority culture) become a model for all suffering, oppressed people who believe Jesus has come primarily to give them economic and political liberty from their oppressors.

The challenge regarding this view is its potential to reduce Christology to anthropology and Christianity to a mere geo/political/economic liberation movement.

3. The Perspective of Self-Empowerment. In the past two decades, we have seen the incredible rise of motivational speakers (e.g.,  Tony Robbins). Many preachers have used this perspective in their preaching. The result is that many sermons are based on the practical issues of the Bible related to hard work, faith, focus, understanding our unique gifts and calling, and how we are made in the image of God to do great works like God.

The challenge with this perspective is the lack of balance: Proponents often do not balance their message with other passages related to Jesus’ teachings on self-denial, suffering, taking up the cross and forsaking everything to follow Him! Scripture teaches us that before we can save our lives, we have to lose them (Mark 8:35)! Also, the emphasis in Scripture on long-lasting blessing is tied to personal transformation through holiness, humility and dependence on God—not self-empowerment through confidence in our own natural abilities, even if they are given by God.

4. The Pietistic Perspective. The perspective of the pietist lends itself to searching the Scriptures primarily to bring inner transformation and a personal closeness to Christ. Holiness, walking in the Spirit, hearing the voice of the Lord, and denying ourselves are all emphasized (which is great and all true and absolutely necessary)!

The weakness of this perspective is that believers can become so contemplative and self-focused on their own emotional and spiritual transformation that they can neglect the proper emphasis Christ gave us when He called us to go to all the world to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15-18) and transform culture as salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16).

5. The Evangelistic Missional Perspective. This perspective is all about winning souls and making disciples. Anything done by a church or believer that does not directly lead to converting and maturing people in Christ is jettisoned or viewed as unnecessary and lukewarm.

The weakness of this view is its tendency to be one-generational and not practical enough for the everyday lives of growing families. Also, it is not always conducive for those who have a long-term goal of producing wealth for the kingdom, and who want to put their children through the best universities for cultural credibility and access. There is also a possible lack of emphasis in regards to empowering influential marketplace leaders called to infiltrate the systems of the world like the prophet Daniel did.

6. The Reformed Perspective. Those trained in the Reformed system of interpretation will read the Bible deductively through the lens of the sovereignty of God. Although I resonate much with this system, I have also seen some go to extremes and become passive in regards to fasting and prayer related to winning souls and extending God’s mission and kingdom on the earth, since some proponents of this perspective de-emphasize human responsibility more than Scripture does.

7. The Free Will Perspective. On the opposite extreme from the Reformed (Calvinist) perspective is a free will (Arminian) perspective that overemphasizes human responsibility to the extent that God’s sovereignty is sometimes compromised.

This leads to superficially interpreting difficult passages regarding divine calling and election (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4) by replacing predestination with foreknowledge (Calvinists don’t really separate the two) so that God chooses someone based on Him already knowing that person would (of their own free choice) choose Him in the first place! Also, an overemphasis on free will leads to process theology and open theism, which teaches that God doesn’t really know everything in the future because much of it is unknowable!

This extreme emphasis on free will makes it very hard to trust in the relevance of scripture since, if God is still learning and growing as the future unfolds, it makes it extremely difficult to have a biblical worldview in economics, science, politics, law, ethics, morality, family and sexual orientation because of the inability to have trans-historical universal principles that we can trust! Also, if God is not sovereign then humankind is semi-autonomous which historically has flung open the doors to liberalism.

8. The Kingdom Perspective. The kingdom perspective interprets much of Scripture and biblical themes as emanating out of the original cultural commission as found in Genesis 1:27-28. The primary theme of the New Testament is not the church, soul winning or even discipleship; it is the kingdom of God, which is the rule of God over all creation.

This perspective motivates people to understand the sacred calling they have in regards to stewarding their God-given gifts and abilities to serve with excellence in the marketplace. Discipleship in this perspective does not just involve the teaching of individual sinners but the discipleship of whole nations in accordance with their interpretation of Matthew 28:19.

They believe that the gospel is holistic and should not only redeem sinners but also transform the systems of culture (politics, economics, art, law, ethics, music, family, education, science and so forth). The challenge for this perspective is the tendency to think we are doing God’s kingdom work just by improving the quality of life in our communities, even if we are not winning souls and making disciples.

9. The Individualistic Perspective. This is a common perspective that can arise out of our national culture (rugged American individualism as personified in our iconic action heroes like John Wayne and Rambo).

The weakness of this perspective is that much of the Bible was written either to the nation of Israel (Old Testament) or the body of Christ (New Testament). Thus, we cannot fulfill our destiny and accomplish our mission in life merely by ourselves; we need to submit to a local church and function in the corporate context of scripture if we want to reap the fullness of the blessings of the promises of scripture.

10. The Ecclesial Perspective. Those with this perspective think that the church is the kingdom of God, that we are not called to infiltrate and disciple the nations of the world with the gospel but that we are to focus on building our own subcultures within our congregations. Those with this view have a great understanding of the corporate nature of Scripture. But many in this camp fail to understand how the church should be sent into the world as salt and light. In this view the church is to function as heaven on Earth (which I agree with).

But I believe they fail to understand the breadth of the mission of the church to bring God’s kingdom and will on earth as it is in heaven (Luke 11:2-4). In conclusion, there are many more perspectives I could have mentioned.

For the sake of time, I have only mentioned 10 of the main perspectives I have seen influencing the people of God today in the global church. As stated earlier, these are only based on my observations and, because of this, it is limited by my own perspective and experience. I also realize that articles of this sort merely paint pictures with a broad brush and miss the nuances and overlap of many of these perspectives.

My prayer is that we will try to be more open as to the interpretive system we bring to the table based on our perspectives, and that we ask God to help us see what ways we may be limiting our capacity to interpret the Word based on the biblical authors’ original intent as inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I have been a pastor almost 34 years and have been involved in initiating or participating in many local, citywide and national prayer gatherings. God has made it very clear that our first priority as leaders is to spend time with Him before we are sent out to minister (Mark 3:14). The apostle Paul also implores all believers to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). In spite of all this, there are many denominational and nondenominational churches that do not have a regular prayer meeting. Consequently, in spite of the many good programs they may have, there is a huge gap in the church.

The following are 10 huge problems prayerless churches have:

1. A prayerless church demonstrates that the leaders are prayerless.

Churches reflect the priorities and lifestyle of the founder/visionary and its support leadership. If seeking God’s face is the top priority of the lead pastor, then corporate and private congregational prayer will be the top priority in the church. When you have a prayerless lead pastor (I consider praying a few minutes a day prayerless), then the church will be structured to operate with strategies that lack the aid and unction of the Holy Spirit. When faced with a choice between having a personal focus on meeting human needs or prayer, the apostle Peter chose prayer (Acts 6:4-6). Like Moses, he knew that his first call was “upward” and not horizontal (Ex. 18:19; 33:13, 18). Essentially, the question is, how can we be His witnesses (Acts 1:8) and make Him known if we don’t have a deep personal knowledge of Him?

2. They don’t hear what the Spirit is saying.

When a church is prayerless, they miss the day of their visitation regarding kairos moments as Jesus said in Luke 19:44.

Churches and leaders who do not regularly wait upon the Lord miss what God has to say to them. If it wasn’t for a corporate prayer meeting involving the leaders of the church of Antioch, they would have never heard the Spirit of God commission Paul and Barnabus to their apostolic mission (Acts 13:1-2).

3. There is a lack of true oneness.

The power of the early church was the fact that they experienced oneness among their core disciples (Acts 2:44, 4:32-33). How did this oneness occur? Acts 1 shows how the 120 disciples prayed and waited on God together for 10 days in the upper room. Consequently, the power of Pentecost could not take place without this protracted period of prayer that resulted in oneness (Luke 24:49). Jesus stated emphatically that the world would not believe He was sent without the church walking in oneness (John 17:20-23).

4. There is a lack of divine intervention from intercession.

The Word of God is replete with stories of God’s intervention as a result of intercession. The prophet Ezekiel said that God had to destroy the land because there was no one standing in the gap (Ezek. 22:30-31). Aaron stood between the living and the dead with incense, a symbol and/or type of prayer (Ps. 141:2), and the plague destroying the Jews was stopped. There are many other instances of divine intervention in the Old Testament too numerous to mention here.

In the book of Acts, we read many instances of divine intervention in response to prayer. In Acts 4:31, the assembly was filled with boldness to preach; God sent the gospel to the Italian centurion (Acts 10:4-5); Peter was released from prison (12:5-12); and God sent Paul and Barnabus out as apostles (Acts 13:1-2), to name several instances. Consequently, a church without fervent prayer will be a church that is lacking God’s intervention in their affairs.

5. There is a lack of the presence and power of God that sustains ministry.

The Word of God teaches us to be strong in the Lord and in His might (Eph. 6:10-13). Isaiah 40:31 says that they who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. Without fervent private and corporate prayer, members of the congregation will burn out quickly and not be able to sustain the work of the kingdom.

6. The knowledge of God is superficial.

Hosea teaches us to press on to know the Lord (Hos. 6:3) and that His people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). Without regularly meditating upon the Scriptures and communing with God, knowledge of His ways will be superficial and will result in many unnecessary problems in the church. Moses knew God’s ways but the backsliding children of Israel only knew His acts (Ps. 103:7).

7. The members are not made into disciples.

I have never seen a person capable of sustaining true spiritual zeal for the Lord without a robust prayer life. Consequently, it is impossible to produce real disciples in the church without effective, consistent corporate prayer. Also, I have never seen a person fall away from the Lord while maintaining a life devoted to prayer. When new believers come into the church, they cannot learn how to pray merely with Bible studies on prayer; they have to participate in prayer gatherings since the spirit of prayer is “caught rather than taught.”

8. They don’t uncover the enemy’s schemes.

Jesus said, “watch and pray lest you fall into temptation because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). Unfortunately, Peter was sleeping while Jesus was praying in the garden, which left him unprepared for the temptation regarding his denial of Christ. I have found that many times while in corporate prayer, God gives us a burden of what to pray against regarding the schemes of the devil, and we have stopped many an attack. A prayerless church is a sitting duck for satanic deception and temptation.

9. The leaders are building in vain.

Jesus said that He would build His church (Matt. 16:18). When a church is prayerless, they do not give Jesus the opportunity to lead them, which leaves them depending upon their own ingenuity to build the church. However, unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain (Ps. 127:1).

10. There is a huge gap in the armor of God.

Finally, Paul the apostle said a key component of the armor of God is that the saints continually persevere in prayer for one another (Eph. 6:18). A prayerless church has a huge gap in their armor, making them unprotected during seasons of attack.

“Arise, you princes, and oil the shields.” These words from Isaiah 21:5 struck my heart in a strong way Thursday morning.

“Arise, you princes, and oil the shields.”

Isaiah uttered these words in response to a “grievous vision” that sent him into travail, perplexed and dismayed him, and caused his heart to beat fast in overwhelming fear. The Bible says he trembled all night long (Is. 21:1-5). Imagine receiving such a prophetic vision from the Lord!

“Arise, you princes, and oil the shields.”

When Scripture leaps off the page, we need to pay attention to what the Lord is trying to show us. In this encounter with the written Word of God, verse 6 also spoke to my heart. It reads: “Go, station a watchman; let him declare what he sees.”

Prepare for Spiritual Warfare

We must prepare for the spiritual battle in this season. We must give heed to the watchman’s ministry in this hour so they can warn us of the impending attacks that will surely come. We must oil the shields, or as another translation puts it, “anoint our shields.”

Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We need fresh oil in this season with which to oil our shields. Speaking prophetically, some Christians have run out of oil in their lamps much like the five virgins in Matthew 25. The Bible calls these virgins “foolish” because they carried their lamps but didn’t take oil with them. When the Bridegroom let out a cry at midnight, the foolish virgins awoke and sought to borrow oil from the wise virgins. The wise virgins refused and the Bridegroom ultimately rejected the foolish virgins.

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In this parable, Jesus concluded: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” I don’t know when Christ is returning, but I do discern the signs of the times, and He is coming as a “thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2).

Beloved, now is not the time to run out of fresh oil. Now is not the time to depend on someone else’s relationship with Jesus or someone else’s anointing to carry you through the battles that will emerge in the days ahead. Now is the time to cultivate the oil of intimacy in your life—to invest in a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit—so that you can stand and withstand in the evil day. Just as Moses used oil to anoint the priests and consecrate them for service, we need to set ourselves apart to receive His anointing so we can faithfully execute His call on our lives.

In Ephesians 6, Paul lists the whole armor of God but concludes by writing, “And above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one.” The warfare will grow more intense in this next season. The Holy Spirit is calling us to “oil the shields.” The strategy here is not only to meditate on the Word of God to build our faith but also to pray in tongues to oil our shield. Jude 20 tells us, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit.”

The benefits of praying in the Spirit are too vast to list here. However, let me give you a few and encourage you to study this out yourself and discover the benefits through practical experience.

Praying in tongues: is direct communication to God that the devil cannot comprehend (1 Cor. 14:2); activates the fruit of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18); releases a prayer perfectly in line with God’s will; releases understanding into the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 14:2); opens up realms of revelation (1 Cor. 12:8); and positions you to engage in spiritual warfare from a position of victory (Eph. 6:18).

The Coming Prophetic Season

We are coming into a season where we will see “people fainting from fear and expectation of the [dreadful] things coming on the world” (Luke 21:26, AMP). We’re seeing a foretaste of this even now. We must invest time to cultivate the oil of intimacy so we can oil our shields as we enter escalating end-times warfare amid a Great Falling Away that will see many deceived.

Yesterday’s manna is not going to cut it. We must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). We must determine to press into fresh revelation, fresh understanding, fresh anointing—fresh manna. The key word is fresh. Stale manna is not going to sustain your faith in the coming season. Some in the body have been taught wrong doctrines and others are believing heresies. We must guard our hearts from these deceptions.

Watchman ministry will receive newfound respect in the coming hour as Christians find themselves blindsided by world events. Watchman and spiritual warriors will connect in new ways, working together in unity to push back the darkness trying to stop the manifestation of the glorious church. Prophets who have been hidden in the wilderness will emerge with fresh oil on their shields and fresh revelation in their hearts to declare the uncompromising word of the Lord by faith.

In the wake of a trio of national headline-making events in Orlando—the gay nightclub massacre, Christian singer Christina Grimmie’s murder and the alligator attack that killed a toddler at a Disney resort—prophetic voices in the nations are praying hard. Many are pressing in to discern what confederate of spirits has marked Orlando—the city in which I was born, went to college and met my daughter’s father and where my parents still reside—for destruction.

I agree it’s important to discern the enemy’s attack. Surely, we need to understand what spirits are operating in a city that Cindy Jacobs prophesied last year would be in the eyes of the nation in 2016. It’s vital not to be ignorant of the enemy’s devices (2 Cor. 2:11). Yet many of the strongholds along the I-4 Corridor—which connects Orlando to Tampa, Florida—have been in place for a decade or more. It doesn’t take a prophet to see the princes over Orlando.

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Think back for a moment. I’m not going to name names, but the instances are well-documented. More than a handful of high-profile pastors have fallen into sexual immorality in the area. At least one of them committed suicide. Another was found dead in a W hotel room in New York City with a substance in his pocket that looked like cocaine. Orlando has one of the highest LGBT populations in the nation, ranking 20th. And the “Psychic Capitol of the World,” Cassadaga, is in the region.

Please hear me. I am not singling out Orlando. To be sure, these sorts of problems are not isolated to Orlando. Immorality and idolatry are running rampant in many cities across the nation. It just so happens that Orlando is in the spotlight right now, so it’s an opportune time to learn what we can to move forward with greater wisdom in battle. 

Listen to Jennifer’s podcast on the Orlando shootings.

Tolerating This Spirit Has Opened a Portal of Hell

Clearly, Jezebel is one of the princes in Orlando and, despite all the teaching, the body of Christ has largely has tolerated this spirit. Tolerating Jezebel opens a portal of hell, allowing all manner of destruction. Despite the many praises Jesus offered the church at Thyatira, He also had a few things against this body of believers. The spiritual governors of the city tolerated a false prophetess and teacher named Jezebel who taught and seduced God’s people to commit sexual immorality and engage in idolatry (Rev. 2:20).

Jesus refers to Jezebel’s teaching at “the depths of Satan” (Rev. 2:24). Jesus gave Jezebel a space to repent, but she refused. The Lord said He would throw Jezebel on a sickbed and all those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation if they don’t repent (Rev. 2:22).

Make no mistake, I am not suggesting that the events in Orlando are God’s judgment. That’s an ignorant and unfortunate assumption some people who call themselves Christians are making. I am only suggesting this: When we tolerate Jezebel—when we tolerate immorality and idolatry and the occult—we open a door for the enemy that God is not obliged to shut. Orlando is not the only city in America tolerating Jezebel. The church in America needs to repent and close the door on any agreement with this spirit right now.

Was an antichrist spirit attacking Orlando? I believe so. Was witchcraft involved? Likely, given the Bible’s revelation on Jezebel and her witchcrafts (2 Kings 9:22). Discerning spirits is ultimately not a difficult task. Raising up governmental intercessors who understand how to legislate in the Spirit and use the keys of the kingdom to bind and loose (Matt. 18:18) is the greater challenge. But we can commit to doing it.

It’s Time to Raise Up Governmental Intercessors

We can train up more intercessors who govern in the Spirit in cities across America and push back darkness. We can equip more spiritual governors who understand how to rule and reign with Christ and take authority over the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this age and spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). That’s what we’ve committed to doing at Awakening House of Prayer in the wake of this tragedy, which took place only a few hours up the road.

We can argue about what spirits were behind the attack all day long, but that won’t stop another attack in Orlando. It won’t stop another attack in San Bernardino. It won’t stop another attack in Waco; Oklahoma City; Charleston, South Carolina; or New York City or anywhere else. While I agree we need to discern the spirits behind these and other tragedies, discerning spirits is not going to stop spirits from carrying out their agenda to steal, kill and destroy if we don’t govern in the spirit through strong intercession.

We can train more fearless, discerning believers who will occupy the spiritual seats of governing authority in their territories—and we can do it. Jesus gave us His authority (Matt. 28:18-19). He’s given us His name. He’s given us His gifts. He’s given us His Spirit. And He told us clearly, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). The giants battling our nation are real, but we will not faint in the day of adversity (Prov. 24:10). Like Joshua and Caleb, we have a different spirit that cries, “We are able to overcome” (Num. 13:30).

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn unveiled the cover for his latest book, The Book of Mysteries, in a Facebook Live event earlier today.  

“I’ve actually never done anything like this before,” Cahn says of his book revealing. “It’s really the first major, original book since The Mystery of the Shemitah, which is linked to The Harbinger, so it’s the first since The Harbinger of a totally new work.” 

The cover is based off of the design of an antique Bible. The title shows light emanating from inside the book, representing the treasures that are held within. 

“The previous book covers were very ominous and foreboding,” said Justin Evans, executive design director for Charisma House Book Group. “The prior covers served as wake-up calls to the nation and the world. The Book of Mysteries is very personal and serves as a treasure trove of spiritual insight and revelations that can transform your life to joy, success, and blessing.”   

According to the book’s website, The Book of Mysteries opens up with a traveler and his encounter with a man known only as “the teacher.” In the nonfiction book, the teacher takes him an on odyssey through desert mountains, valleys, gardens and plains, encounters with nomadic tent dwellers, caverns and ancient ruins, chambers of scrolls and vessels, and more.  

“The prophetic writings of Jonathan Cahn have reverberated through the halls of our public square to the pulpit and impacted millions,” Charisma House Publisher Tessie DeVore said. “The Book of Mysteries is very unique and will be the catalyst for those same readers to glean from Jonathan Cahn’s insightful teachings.”

The reader is taken along to partake in the journey and in all the teachings and revelations. The traveler keeps a journal in which he writes down each of the mysteries given to him by the teacher in his one-year odyssey—365 different mysteries—one for each day of the year, according to the book website. 

Thus, on top of everything else, The Book of Mysteries is also a daily devotional unlike any other. And each mystery contains a special mission for each day of the year, a mission that takes the revelation and applies it to reality for a life-changing journey. 

The book is currently available through pre-order and will release Sept. 6, 2016. 

The Book of Mysteries, Cahn’s third book, complements the success of his previous teachings, which have garnered national attention. Collectively, Cahn’s books and ancillary products have reached over 3 million units in sales.

New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Cahn will host a live event online to reveal the cover and details about his newest book, The Book of Mysteries, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, at 2 p.m. EST. Cahn will reveal the cover as well as the genesis of the book exclusively using social media forums including Facebook Live and the website, .

The Book of Mysteries, Cahn’s third book, complements the success of his previous teachings, which have garnered national attention. Collectively, Cahn’s books and ancillary products have reached over 3 million units in sales.

“The Book of Mysteries takes the readers on a journey of divine revelation through ancient Scriptures, the laws of creation, the deep truths of God’s Word and the most important keys of spiritual truth and end-time mysteries,” said Cahn.

Cahn’s 2012 inaugural release, The Harbinger, debuted on the New York Times best-seller list on its first week and charted for over 110 weeks. The book traces a series of detailed parallels between what has happened in the United States since the 2001 terrorist attacks—including the economic collapse—and Israel’s history after it turned away from God.

Cahn has appeared on several national media outlets, including GBTV’s Glenn Beck program, Daystar’s Celebration, and CBN’s The 700 Club. Pat Robertson called The Harbinger a “fascinating” book, saying it was a prophetic word to the nation and “a read you need to make.” 

The Mystery of the Shemitah (shmee-TA), Cahn’s sophomore release, also spent multiple weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. It expounded on one of the signs introduced in The Harbinger and how the seven-year cycle drawn from the Torah is essential for understanding the prophecies and mysteries of the Bible that are still applicable today.

Charisma House has published 12 New York Times best-sellers, including Fasting by Jentezen Franklin; 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese; and The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert, M.D.

Click here to watch the event.