“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

For the past two years our churches have observed a period of fasting towards the end of the year, for 11 and 12 days respectively, pressing in for the fulfilment of prophetic promises before the year is up…and have experienced significant breakthroughs.

This year, the Lord is directing us to observe the “13 Decrees in December” Fast.

In just a few weeks, we will be reading the Christmas story which begins with the words: “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” (Luke 2:1) There is only one response to this decree. “So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.” (v. 3)

A decree must be obeyed. It shall be carried through.

God created the world by decree. “Let there be light. And there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) This pattern would be repeated over and over again as the rest of creation came into existence.

(You may wish to listen to this message that lists other decrees in Scripture and explains how we too have the power to do as God does.)

So, today and every day until Dec. 13, we will issue decrees that line up with the Word, Nature and Character of God and discover that “you shall decree a thing and it shall be established” (Job 22:28).

We invite you, our DWOD subscribers, to join us in making these decrees—and, if you are so led, in the Fast as well.

Here is the first of thirteen.

One of the greatest desires of all our hearts is for us to spend eternity in heaven together with all our family, amen? Clearly this is the will of our Father as well who “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

We also see some of our family members struggling on earth right now without Jesus in their lives. We would love to see them make the same commitment to follow Him that we did. This way they could live their lives with hope and experience the abundant life that Jesus brings (John 10:10), amen?

Suffice it to say that many of us have been praying for varying times for this to happen. Whenever this prayer is answered, there is not only great rejoicing in heaven (Luke 15:7) among the angels, but also here on earth, in our hearts!

One of the first signs of revival in the Church is that those who are lost begin finding Jesus. These words, said of the Philippian jailer—“he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household”—are repeated over and over again. (Acts 16:34)

While we persist in prayer for this to happen, why not add a decree to hasten the results?

Thousands of years ago, Joshua taught us how: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

As a decree that lines up with the word, nature and character of God, issued by one who is a member of the royal priesthood, it shall come to pass.

Go ahead, decree it now: “MY FAMILY IS SERVING THE LORD.”

Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. (Matthew 13:34)

Earlier this evening I was at a meeting of the Presbytery of which I am part in our denomination. To be very honest with you, I do not particularly look forward to these meetings. We spend most of our time taking care of church “business.”

Words such as the following fill the air in copious amounts:
Moved by so-and-so, seconded by so-and-so, that…
“so and so be appointed to such and such church.”
“so little money be given to this ministry here.”
“so much money be cut from that committee’s budget.”
Delegates have been known to suffer attacks of “motion sickness” from time to time 🙂

And then there are times when we have guest speakers. Most of them come to promote a particular cause or offer a workshop on a topic of interest to them. Again, not exactly something that produces an adrenalin rush in the hearers 🙂

So, imagine my surprise when today’s guest actually captured my attention and managed to hold it for most of his 15 minute talk!

After briefly sharing a few personal details, he quickly started telling a story about a young man who was part of the L’Arche community where he had been working at the time. He told us how Lloyd, who came to the community as a loner, was only concerned about himself in the early days of his stay there. With time though, he began to include in his prayers those other than members of his birth family. With this story, our speaker illustrated his point about how life in community opens us up to include others.

As you can tell, it wasn’t exactly a riveting story, but it made the point way better than a series of statements about the benefits of being part of a caring Christian community.

He reminded me of an outreach ministry that was facing severe cutbacks in its budget from the Presbytery of which I was part at the time.  Rather than offer a defense of his ministry or argue against the proposed reductions, the Chaplain simply shared real life stories of three people whose lives were blessed and transformed through the ministry. Needless to say the stories carried the day and his budget was spared the sharp edge of the scalpel.

Ever notice that parts of the Bible we remember the best are stories, not sermons? Jesus himself was a master storyteller. Rather than expound on the virtues of being a neighbour, he simply told the parable of the Good Samaritan. The memorable story of the Prodigal Son speaks volumes about the Father’s love that we remember way better than a speech on the subject, amen?

That is the power of storytelling.

As you advance toward your destiny, you too are bound to face situations when you will need to get your point across to another person or a group. You too would be wise to follow Jesus’ example and tell a story instead, as did Rev. Keith Reynolds this evening and Rev. Bob Gay a few years back.

It was the last thing I expected to happen on a quick stop at the ATM to get some cash. I barely paid any attention to the gentleman who was standing beside me in the next booth…until I got back to the car.

Just as I was about to get into my car, he waved to me and said: “Wait a minute, buddy! I’ve got something for your kids.”

He walked over and handed me a DVD. “Just put this in your DVD player. I’m sure your kids will love watching it.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the title of the DVD: Jesus.

It was the same DVD that I had taken with me on a trip to India a few years back as a gift for a children’s home. This one was meant for children ages 9-14.

On the one hand I was flattered that he considered this 55 year-old young enough to have children in that age range 🙂 For the record, our “baby”, Jaya, just turned 20 on Tuesday.

Needless to say he had no idea that I was a Christian, let alone a pastor. I am pretty sure that the colour of my skin sent out a signal: “Hindu in sight. Get DVD ready. Hand DVD over to the Hindu.”

But you have to give him full marks for traveling with that DVD in his truck so that when the opportunity presented itself, he would be prepared to hand one to anyone that came within receiving range.

Jesus always sent his disciples fully prepared for what they might encounter on their ministry trips, didn’t he? Case in point. “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.” (Luke 10:5-8 NKJV)

He wanted them to be on the alert to recognize the opportunities that would open up for them and to capitalize on them in an appropriate manner. He even teaches them what to say when they walked through an open door!

A year ago, Sulojana and I decided to keep some copies of a tract put out by Billy Graham called “Steps to peace with God”–she in her purse, me in my computer bag. This way whenever we had an opportunity to connect with someone at a spiritual level, we had something to give them, especially when we didn’t have enough time to go deeper.

You know the Scouts’ motto, right? “Be prepared.”

I would classify the man who gave me the Jesus DVD as a Christian Scout, because he was prepared for the opportunity to encounter a pre-Christian, even if it was a pastor who could easily pass for a Hindu 🙂

How about you, dear DWOD friend? Would you be known as a Christian Scout by how prepared you are?  What do you do in preparation for God-encounters along the road to your destiny? Please share your responses with the rest of us.

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night…do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)

Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water…(Psalm 1:1-3)

Both verses stress the high value of meditating on the word of God. The word in this instance is the Law as received by Moses. Joshua is called to meditate on this Law so he could be prosperous and successful as the successor to Moses.

Similarly, all who meditate on the Law are guaranteed to be like a tree planted by streams of water that bears its fruit in season, whose leaves do not wither. In other words, meditation on the word of God leads to a life of perpetual fruitfulness.

Quite a promise, wouldn’t you say? Who among us would not desire such a life? No one in leadership could turn down the opportunity to be successful as Joshua was, amen?

The key to such successful and flourishing lives is MEDITATION ON THE WORD.

Meditation in today’s world has come to signify something very different from what the Bible teaches.

Consider this definition from an online medical dictionary: Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.

Contrast this with the meaning of the Hebrew word “hagah” that is translated “meditate” in the above verses: to roar, growl, groan, utter, murmur, mutter, speak.

Very different, isn’t it?

Quite often, meditation classes teach a person to empty their mind by repeating a syllable, such as the Hindu mantra “Om” or its equivalent.

Biblical meditation, on the other hand, focuses on filling our mind with the word of God.

Notice how Joshua was instructed to “keep this Book of the Law always ON YOUR LIPS.”

Clearly, this is a reference to speaking, not simply sitting in silence and focusing intently on an object.

For quite some time now, we have been meditating on Scripture passages such as Psalms 27 & 91 and using compilations of verses such as the one we provided in an earlier post: “Christian Speech Therapy.”

Dear DWOD friend, have you been practising Biblical meditation in this sense of the word? If yes, please share your experience with the rest of us.

If not, perhaps now is the time to get started. This way you too can experience the promises made in the first chapter of Joshua and Psalms—prosperity, success and perpetual fruitfulness—as you accelerate toward your destiny.

“The kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of the Lord” (Revelation 11:15).

At the recent Eyes and Wings Conference in Port Perry, Ontario, Canada, Lou Engle made this statement: “The Marines do not move in until the Air Force has softened the defenses first.”

He was referring to the military strategy of air strikes on key targets that would weaken the enemy’s ability to defend themselves before sending other troops onto the land.

Lou Engle is known as a leader in the Prayer Movement in the Body of Christ. He has mobilized tens of thousands of prayer warriors into a Royal Air Force. The power of intercessory prayer weakens the enemy’s defenses. Now, it is time for the foot soldiers to move in and take the territory for Jesus.

What is, er, striking about this analogy is that, just as you only need a small number of Air Force personnel to carry out the softening blows, so also you only need a few prayer warriors to get the process going.

But don’t let the small numbers fool you, because the damage they do is anything but small. Without the first step of prayer all attempts at winning the war are bound to be met with stiff resistance.

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”Winston Churchill spoke these immortal words shortly after the Royal Air Force had fended off the Luftwaffe, even though they were vastly outnumbered. Churchill described how the British airmen “undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion.”

Lou Engle can tell you story after story of how such concentrated prayer has resulted in governments reversing decisions and revoking laws, great numbers of souls coming into the kingdom in hostile territory and flourishing ministries being launched in seemingly barren areas around the world.

One of our DWOD subscribers, Glenn Stansfield will tell you that the reason he is the CEO of a successful multimillion dollar company is because a small group of prayer warriors at Morgan’s Point United Church became a Royal Air Force that softened the defenses of a powerful business magnate.

The result was unprecedented favour that led to the acquisition of a company without any financial resources of his own. A business that was given up for dead was resurrected into the thriving enterprise that is known today as Fleet Canada.

I am sensing that some of you who are reading this post have been gripped by a vision to conquer enemy territory for Jesus in a particular sphere. Here is a word of strategy for you. Gather a few prayer warriors together and soften the defenses first before you set foot there.

Others will relate more to being part of that Royal Air Force. Start praying for someone in your sphere of influence who is called to take the land for Jesus—a ministry leader, a politician, a businessperson, a media mogul, an entertainer, a high level manager or someone who is virtually unknown today but is consumed by a vision and a mandate from the Lord.

Some of you cannot see yourself in either camp. You too have an important function. You will serve as connectors who link the prayer warriors to the visionary leaders. Without you making the connection, the mission cannot be accomplished.

Friends, shall we all do our part to ensure that the Air Force softens the defenses, the Marines move in and “the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of the Lord?”