Dave Williams says astute eyes can spot seven signs of the end times in today’s headlines. With all these events converging, what does that mean for believers? Williams explains in this prophecy briefing video.
A suicide bomber killed at least 30 people inside a Shi’ite mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday night, a security official said, the latest in a string of violent attacks on the country’s Shi’ite minority.
The attack occurred at Imam Zaman mosque in the western Dasht-e-Barchi part of Kabul, as Shi’ite worshippers gathered for prayers.
A senior security official said the exact number of casualties was unknown but that security forces at the scene had removed at least 30 bodies.
Afghanistan’s Shi’ite population has been heavily hit this year, with at least 84 people killed and 194 wounded in attacks on their mosques and religious ceremonies, according to a United Nations report released last week.
Among those were at least two attacks on mosques in Kabul in August and September. {eoa}
© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.
The Ten Commandments mention parental relationships two times; once positive and once negative. No parents were perfectly good or perfectly bad. Whether the influence was 99 percent in one direction or 1 percent in the other, in every generational relationship, there are good things to receive and bad things to reject.
…פוקד עוון אבות על בנים
Deuteronomy 5:9b, “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children.”
God does not punish us for our parents’ wrongdoings. However, the result of our parents’ lacks and wrongs does have a great influence on us. We have to forgive them and remove the negative influence from our memories, souls and behavior. Sometimes a person unconsciously repeats the same bad actions of his parents; or sometimes overreacts in just the opposite way; which is still in effect, letting that influence dominate us. Some fathers were abusive; some were absent.
…כבד את אביך ואת אמך
Deuteronomy 5:16: “Honor your father and your mother.”
When we honor someone, we place ourselves in a position to receive good things from them. When we honor our parents, we receive the good spiritual inheritance and qualities that they had to pass on to us. Honor goes up, and blessing comes down.
We have to come to peace with our parents’ “inheritance” and influence in our lives. I recently came across an old photo of my parents when they were the age my children are now. When I saw it, I experienced an inner release and freedom. It was as if I was finally totally at peace and in line with everything my parents are.
There is a process many of us go through. At each age of our children’s lives, we understand our parents’ perspective of their relationship with us when we were that age. This gives us a second chance, as it were, to repent, be set free and receive blessing.
This week, we had a time of discussion and prayer with the men on our team in which we realized that many of the issues we seem to be struggling with in the ministry organization, the congregations and our decision-making processes had nothing to do with what seemed to be the obvious issue. It all had to do with our relationships with our dads.
The responses of each one of us were not appropriate or proportionate to the issue we were dealing with. In order to become the person God has made us to be, to fulfill our destiny and to bear much fruit in our lives, we must be healed of parental wounds, forgive them of their wrongs and receive their good qualities. {eoa}
Asher Intrater is the founder and apostolic leader of Revive Israel Ministries and oversees Ahavat Yeshua congregation in Jerusalem and Tiferet Yeshua congregation in Tel Aviv. Asher was one of the founders of Tikkun International with Dan Juster and Eitan Shishkoff and serves on the board of the Messianic Alliance of Israel and Aglow International. He and his wife and full-time partner in ministry, Betty, have a passion for personal prayer and devotion, local evangelism and discipleship in Hebrew and unity of the body of believers worldwide.
This article originally appeared at .
Megachurch pastor Rodney Howard Browne offered spiritual insight into the tangled web of Hollywood during a recent sermon where he claimed many of those in the film hierarchy are “full of the devil.”
“They sacrifice children at the highest levels in Hollywood. They drink blood of young kids. This is a fact. That’s why the next thing to be exposed will be all the pedophilia that is going to come out of Hollywood and come out of Washington, D.C. The human sacrifice and the cannibalism has been going on for years,” Browne says in his sermon.
He continued: “Many of the Hollywood actors that you go see on a screen, what you don’t know, they bring a witch, they do a big seance right there on the set, and they worship devils, and they allow devils to come into them before they take the part of what they’re going to act. It’s a fact, what I am telling you.”
The comments come after multiple sexual allegations have come out against film exec Harvey Weinstein. Howard Browne also called out Eminem’s tirade against President Donald Trump.
Watch the video (beginning at 2 hours, 35 minutes) to see his full comments.
Abuse survivors are not fragile individuals. They are strong; worthy individuals who have overcome tremendous suffering whether it was physical, sexual or verbal. Every form of abuse affects the person emotionally, lowering their self-esteem and sense of worth. The best way for a survivor to heal is to give a voice to what has been done or said to them; to be heard and to know they are supported and loved. —Shannon M. Deitz
What has inspired you to reach out to others?
I am a survivor of rape and incest. The years I kept the facts of these traumas within me led me down some dark paths that were filled with bad decisions based on my lack of worth and self-esteem. I want to educate and reach out to other survivors before they get entangled in that dark path and make decisions that can affect them for the rest of their life, adding to the trauma of what has been done or said to them in the past.
You recently spoke at a women’s prison. Tell us how that came about. How did the women respond to you and your story?
After speaking at a Women’s Conference in Texas City, Texas, I was approached by a deacon who was a part of a prison ministry and felt many of the women would relate to my testimony and offer a sense of hope, even if they were not going to end their term in their lifetime. I have spoken at other prisons where many of the women were in for drug possession, prostitution, aggravated assault, and so forth. who would be released in three to five years.
In this particular prison, the women in the room with me were in for murder or attempted murder. When I prayed about what I felt God wanted them to hear, it was Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
The only thing that kept me from being in their shoes, in that prison, was the simple grace of God. These women had suffered many of the same abuses as I: incest, rape, domestic violence, but most especially, emotional abuse.
What put them in that prison was the biggest lie we are left with: “I am not worthy”. They made choices that will remain with them forever and now that lie seems cemented into their soul.
But God’s grace prevails, even in prison. No matter how long the sentence they serve, they are God’s beloved. He knew them before He created them. He gave them a purpose, and that purpose can be carried out no matter the surroundings they live in. It’s never too late. They can turn their sights on the Lord every day and reconnect with the gifts and talents He has given them and He will open the doors for their purpose to be fulfilled.
This is what saved me, and I prayed in some way it would give them the same hope. Paul was in prison for much of the end of his life, chained to guards too. And yet he still fulfilled his purpose of ministering and spreading the good news. It was what God had planned for him before he was born, and no matter his circumstance, because Paul acknowledged every door God opened, he fulfilled it to the end.
After visiting with these women, I knew I immediately wanted to go back again. They were welcoming, receiving and genuinely amazing women. The only difference between us was the civilian clothes I wore. I was invited to speak at the Angela House not long after, a halfway house for women coming out of prison. Once again, I witnessed the lie of ‘I’m not worthy’ threaten their true purpose and freedom. I shared the same testimony and the same verse, because they no longer have to be bound by what was done to them—and what that shame, anger, guilt and rage caused them to do.
How has sharing your story with others helped you in your journey to healing?
The more you share the truth about your experience, the easier it is to accept it and move passed it in order to embrace your present and future. By sharing my story through both Redeemed and Exposed, speaking to groups and leading retreats, I find that it gives me strength and fortifies the healing process. What has been done to me is a part of who I am, but it doesn’t define who I am. In fact, I’ve come to the place where I can thank God for every aspect of my life, the dark and ugly moments along with the joyous times, because He has brought good from it all and allowed me to recognize that I am stronger because of it.
Low self-esteem, especially among teens, has become a national epidemic. What do you want someone struggling with feelings of low self-worth to understand?
You are worthy! You are unique and there is no one else in this world just like you, and this world needs you and the skills and talents you have, because each one of us has been given a specific purpose to use these talents and gifts, and no one can replace you.
But I also have been in a place where I have felt extreme unworthiness and insecurity. I know if I heard someone say that, I’d doubt what those talents or gifts were, because I wasn’t like everyone else. To that I say, “Would being like everyone else make you happy? Would going against who you are, what sparks interest and joy inside of you just to get others attention bring you joy? Most likely not.”
The Hopeful Hearts Ministry offices were affected by Hurricane Harvey with flooded offices. You and your son were also recused from your home by boat. Tell us how your ministry is moving forward despite catastrophic damage and loss.
We are dedicated to helping survivors of all forms of abuse. I have found in these past few weeks how that the trauma of water rushing in and overtaking your home, giving you no preparation only to steal any sense of comfort or security elicits the same fear, anxiety and betrayal as any other form of abuse. Physical borders do not define Hopeful Hearts Ministry. We have continued to move forward with God’s grace and held our programs in homes hosted by donors. We continue to meet with men and women, peer to peer, to discuss the traumatic experiences they’ve been through whether it is from the flood or from abuse done in their past. {eoa}
Shannon M. Deitz was 3 when a family member began abusing her. At 17, she was raped, and as a freshman in college, she was raped a second time. At the age of 27, with no place to turn, she found God, who surrounded her with His peace. It was the beginning of a love story that continues to unfold day by day.
Hopeful Hearts Ministry is a nonprofit organization founded by Shannon which supports long-term recovery of survivors of all forms of abuse through peer support, counseling and public awareness services. Learn more at .
I want to walk and live filled with the Spirit. The Bible tells us that a heart of continuous, overflowing gratitude and thankfulness is a key to staying filled with the Spirit.
“Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:18-20).
(Author’s note: The reflexive pronoun, bolded in the above verse, would indicate that the best translation of this verse is that we are singing to ourselves, rather than to one another.)
King David knew that spiritual music drove away evil spirits, and invited the presence of the Holy Spirit. He used his harp to drive away evil spirits from King Saul (1 Sam. 16:14-23).
“It happened that when the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him” (1 Sam. 16:23).
King David had worshippers praising God and giving thanks 24 hours a day in the temple, releasing the presence of the Spirit (1 Chron. 16).
“So he left Asaph and his brothers before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as each day required” (1 Chron. 16:37).
I encouraged Kirsten, who works as a registered nurse, to experience the Spirit by using music. Here is her response:
You told me to have worship music 24/7, and my iPod is almost always with me and on. Even when I sleep. I often use subliminal worship for sleep and work. I put my iPod in my pocket and turn it so low that others can’t hear it, but the tunes release the sound into the waters of my body, and I see the ripple effect in my soul. I have never heard a study about subliminal worship music, but for me, it helps. When I am able, I turn it up so I can hear it better. But it allows me almost continuous worship music by just adjusting the volume.
How about you put praise and worship music on 24/7 for a week, and see if it keeps you filled with the Spirit? Then share your experience in the comment section below so others can be inspired by your life’s testimony. I personally play soft soaking and worship music on my laptop much of the day as I am working on email, researching, writing and speaking on the phone. The volume is barely audible. I sense that it ministers life to my spirit. {eoa}
Mark Virkler, Ph.D., has authored more than 50 books in the areas of hearing God’s voice and spiritual growth. He is the founder of Communion With God Ministries () and Christian Leadership University (), where the voice of God is at the center of every learning experience. Mark has taught on developing intimacy with God and spiritual healing for 30-plus years on six continents. The message has been translated into over 40 languages, and he has helped to establish more than 250 church-centered Bible schools around the world.
This article originally appeared at .
Insecurity is born in fear and develops into doublemindedness. Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book in 1886 titled The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Today the fictional characters are often used to describe a leader who acts one way one day then behaves differently the next. Oddly, the leader is usually not aware of the behavior and will fight vigorously to suggest he is the same leader in every situation. His delusions remain with him throughout his various transformations.
It is fear that causes a leader to morph rapidly into someone who displays a temper or has erratic outbursts. Fear of failure surely tops the list, but fears such as health issues, relationship losses and financial problems can further catalyze insecurity.
The clear and present danger of Jekyll-and-Hyde leadership is turnover caused by the leader’s insecurity. When team members observe leaders responding to whims and emotions, insecurity develops throughout the organization.
An organization guided by insecurity is slow to move, innovate or respond to market conditions. Team members are stifled. They stop sharing ideas. They find a box and hide in it. Bench strength evaporates. Favor is meted out in the organization based upon daily whims. Merit-based recognition and career development disappear.
Often a double-minded leader will display highly defensive behavior. An effective leader will be a defender, sometimes to a fault. The double-minded leader is inward focused, while the effective leader is focused on others.
Secure leaders will display predictable behavior based on:
A Spirit-led leader is single-minded about his love for his team.
During his recent consecration as the new general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Dr. Doug Clay had two things in mind: First, he wanted to reaffirm the identity of his denomination, and second, to look to the future by keeping four AG core values at the forefront.
Drawing an analogy between Martin Luther and his 95 Theses and today’s Assemblies of God church, Clay, 54, said he recently had a dream about what it would look like to start a Pentecostal Reformation through the denomination. It would begin, he said, with the reaffirmation of these tenets:
A third-generation pastor’s kid, Clay spoke passionately about each of these values as applied to the AG church. The largest Pentecostal denomination in the world, the Assemblies of God has grown to more than 67 million members worldwide.
“I really want to see the Holy Spirit do what He does best: magnify Jesus,” Clay said. “We just need to let the Holy Spirit be the Holy Spirit. … With the Bible, we really do believe it is the foundation for all of life transformation and community transformation. Biblical literacy is one of the major initiatives I want to take on during my administration.
“We also need to place a high value on character. Paul says that if you don’t have the fruit of the spirit, then you are not a tuned instrument. … And finally, I’m committed to say that, in the DNA of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal organization, evangelism is going to have a high priority, as it has for the last 103 years.”
In his brief tenure, Clay, who replaced George Wood after Wood’s 11 strong years as general superintendent, has already shown the characteristics of a great leader.
A television reporter recently asked Clay a poignant question, and I was very impressed by his answer. The question concerned what he would say to those individuals who had been hurt by and were suspicious of the church.
“The first thing I would say is that I am sorry, deeply sorry, if the institution of the church or an individual has hurt you, especially within the context of the Assemblies of God,” Clay said. “But please don’t stiff-arm the love of God and throw your gifts away just because a man or an institution didn’t function Spirit-sensitive to you. … We are his workmanship, creative in Christ Jesus, to do good deeds that He has prepared in advance for us to do. Don’t let those good deeds that God has prepared in advance to get shelved or thrown away just because someone disappointed you.”
Dr. Clay had much more to say during this podcast I recorded while visiting the Assemblies of God headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, earlier this week. I think you will find his words and vision inspiring.
As the Lord brings it to mind, remember to pray for Dr. Doug Clay and the Assemblies of God at this very crucial time. And, as always, please share this blog with your followers on social media and leave your comments below. {eoa}
Author’s note: This is a guest post by my daughter, Melanie Tomczak, in response to the heart-wrenching #MeToo posts that show just how prevalent sexual aggression is in our world today.
On Oct. 15, actress Alysssa Milano asked her twitter followers to reply, “Me too” and share their personal experiences of being sexually harassed or assaulted. This came as a response to the surge of devastating sexual harassment claims against Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein.
I don’t think anyone could have anticipated what came next.
It went viral.
Two words turned into a worldwide movement of gut-wrenching honesty and transparency.
Monday morning, I awoke to find my social media feed inundated with posts with the same #Me too hashtag. It was unavoidable. I read the accounts of those I love and how their lives have been affected by the actions of others.
This isn’t something you can just ignore and keep “scrolling”. My heart has been heavy since I saw the very first “Me too” account on my Facebook wall.
As I took this heaviness to God, and asked Him, “Why?” He reminded me of these words:
“You have heard that it was said by the ancients, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:27-28).
These are some pretty bold words from Jesus. He’s addressing one aspect of sexual activity that has the potential to cause emotional and relational destruction.
In today’s modern language, I’d like to re-phrase what he said, like this:
“Don’t go taking that which doesn’t belong to you sexually. Beyond something physical, I’m gonna raise the bar even further. You’re responsible for what you see, and how you think about it. You get to choose what you think on. I’m raising the bar on your private thought-life, because thoughts precede actions. And actions (good or bad) have the possibility to change lives forever.”
On Sept. 27, my news feed was filled with pictures and personal tributes to Hugh Hefner.
Now, three and a half weeks later, my feed is filled with posts from women (and men) who have been used, abused, assaulted and sexually objectified by (mostly) men.
I can’t help but wonder if there’s a correlation.
One man, produced images and taught a generation of men and boys worldwide how to view women and sexuality.
As a means to an end—instant gratification—it took that which was sacred, special and intimate and put it before the eyes of millions of strangers. Forget about commitment, emotional investment and unconditional love. None of that matters with an image that can’t even look back at you.
What’s happening today with the brave women and men who are willing to say, “Me too …” is that they have been on the receiving end of someone else’s sexual selfishness.
What would it look like if we broke the cycle?
The cycle of sexual selfishness. The cycle of abuse. The cycle of internal pain. The cycle of shame that whispers the lie of, “It probably was my fault …” The reality is: there’s nothing more beautiful than the gift of sex.
It literally has the capacity to create human life. Nothing else on earth can do that. But when used without boundaries, for selfish means, it can cause mass emotional, mental and physical destruction. I think we are seeing that played out before our eyes today.
This generation is ready for a change.
For myself, in line with Jesus’ words, I need to raise the bar in my own life. (It’s not just about dudes.) I need to commit to never using another person as a selfish means to an end. I need to take a fresh look at the things I choose to look at and watch. I need to reevaluate the things that I think on. I’m crying out to God and asking Him to break the cycle of sexual brokenness that has wreaked havoc on my generation.
In the end, it all matters
What’s happening today with the brave women and men who are willing to say, “Me too” is that they have been on the receiving end of someone else’s sexual selfishness.
Even my private thought-life. I’ve got Jesus’ words on it. And the enemy’s attack on even one of us, made in the image of God, is an attack on all of us.
As tribes from across the United States and Canada assemble today in Washington, D.C. for the second, annual National Day of Prayer by First Nations, Native Christians will hear from leaders within government, education and the church.
On the eve of the day-long event at Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall, First Nations people with ties to Asia, Israel and America heard from prophetic voices within the church at a pre-gathering Thursday night.
Pastor Ed Watts from Gateway Church in Flint, Michigan prophesied revival is coming to Indian reservations. “We say the reservations are on reserve for an end-time visitation,” said Watts, who also directs the House of Prayer and Equipping (Hope Center) in Flint as an apostolic leader.
He delivered a powerful prophetic word about God’s desire to heal the nation—referred to as Turtle Island by natives—and to unite first people. “There is a divine alignment coming with first people: the First Nations with the First Nation, Israel,” said Watts, who cited Zechariah 8:11-12 and other Scriptures.
Watts also presented gifts to leaders of the National Day of Prayer by First Nations and its founder, Dr. Negiel Bigpond, a Yuchi Indian from Oklahoma. Each received a silver plumb line, a symbol Watts used to describe God’s purposes for First Nations people.
Watch Watt’s speak, prophetically, as ministry leaders and Natives joined a pre-gathering of prophets in the nation’s capital Thursday night.