Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)

 

As prophetic words go, it was in a league of its own, wouldn’t you say?

 

“You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (vs. 31-33)

 

Notice that Mary does not jump up and down with glee and do the Hallelujah break dance! It was such a far cry from the reality of her life at the moment that all she can see is the impossibility of this word being fulfilled.

 

“How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (v. 34)

 

Then Gabriel gives her an explanation about the Holy Spirit overshadowing her. He points out how her own “barren” cousin Elizabeth is in her sixth month of pregnancy to illustrate the truth that “with God nothing will be impossible.” (v. 37)

 

Now comes the critical moment. What will Mary do with the prophetic word?

If this were a movie, this is when the pace changes to slow motion, the orchestra slowly starts to swell…will she accept the offer? Politely decline? Walk away from the table?

 

You can almost visualize the hosts of heaven waiting with bated breath along with Gabriel. Freeze frame.

 

Then Mary’s lips start to move. The movie returns to normal speed. And these words come through in a barely audible whisper amplified by the Dolby Surround Sound System: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”

 

It is only at that point that “the angel departed from her.”

 

For Gabriel’s mission to be accomplished, someone has to say “Yes.” Would it be Mary? Or would he have to make another stop?

 

God would not force His will upon Mary. She has to exercise her free will and say “Yes” or “No.” She says “Yes” and the rest is history.

 

What was true of Mary is true of us as well today, isn’t it? God can give us the most incredible promises and prophetic words. But nothing happens until we say “Yes” to Him.

 

The moment we say “Yes”, everything changes. Heaven begins to move on our behalf and the word is on its way to being fulfilled.

 

As we near the end of another calendar year, you may wish to look back at the words you received from the Lord over the past 12 months. Did you like Mary say: “Let it be to me according to your word?”

 

If yes, praise God! You should be on your way to seeing it fulfilled. If no, God could still be waiting for your answer to the offer. The movie just went into slo-mo. Freeze frame. Can you hear the orchestra playing?

 

C’mon…move your lips…say “Yes”…and your life will also start moving forward toward its prophetic fulfilment. Just as it did for Mary.

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. (Luke 1:39)

 

Mary has just been shaken to the core by an angelic visit. She has received the startling news that she will be the mother of the Messiah. And this pregnancy will proceed without the procreative participation of her husband-to-be.

 

Was it a Wow! Wow! Wow! moment? Perhaps it was more like Pow! Pow! Pow? Or was an alternating Pow! Wow! Pow! Wow! Pow! Wow!

 

Either way, Mary’s life has taken an unexpected turn.

 

What would you do next, if you were in Mary’s moccasins?

 

Mary packs her bags (moccasins and all) and heads in the general direction of her cousin Elizabeth’s place. Did she make the trek simply to verify her miraculous pregnancy? Or was there something more to this visit?

 

When we read what happens in Elizabeth’s house, we get the impression that these two had a very special relationship. Listen to Elizabeth’s words to Mary:

 

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” (vs. 42-45)

 

Elizabeth confirms the word of the angel by addressing her as “the mother of my Lord.” She then delivers an encouraging word (“Blessed is she who believed”) with a prophetic edge (“there will be a fulfillment”).

 

Wow! Wow! Wow! No more Pow! Pow! Pow! to contend with for Mary. These words were exactly what Mary needed to hear at this critical juncture of her journey.

 

Every Mary needs an Elizabeth. One who will speak words of life into your spirit, straight from the Holy Spirit.

 

Perhaps it is someone with whom you have developed the kind of rapport that existed between these two women. It may have taken you a long time to get to that point.

 

Or it may be someone with whom your spirit connected, just like that! Someone in your church, a member of your small group, a new addition to your family circle or someone you met at a conference?

 

No matter how it comes about, it would be wise to have someone similar to Elizabeth in your life, wouldn’t you agree? You would really appreciate them when you, like Mary, get hit with a Pow! Pow! Pow! or experience a Wow! Wow! Wow! Or a combination thereof.

 

A Pow-Wow with a prophetic confidante would provide you with the encouragement that you need to keep advancing into your destiny.

 

So, let me ask all of you “Mary’s” out there…do you have an “Elizabeth?”

 

Please share your responses with the rest of your DWOD family. We would all appreciate hearing from you very much.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).

 

This Scripture reminds us that God speaks to us not only in our inner being and in the written words of the Bible, but “in various ways” through the “prophets.”

 

One of the Hebrew words that is translated prophet literally means “a mouthpiece of God.” In other words, a prophet speaks on God’s behalf. To put it even more plainly, a prophet hears from the heart of God and uses his/her mouth to release that word into the heart of the person(s) for whom it was intended.

 

Although most of us tend to think of the Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel when we hear the word “prophecy”, the New Testament has a lot to say about prophecy as well.

 

You may wish to read all of I Corinthians 14 to see how the apostle Paul explains the purpose and protocol of prophecy.

 

In verse 3, he says that every prophetic word is given by God for these 3 purposes: “edification and exhortation and comfort.”

 

To edify is to build up or strengthen. (The root word in Greek is the same as “edifice” or building)

To exhort is to encourage.

To comfort is, well, to comfort J

 

In other words, when God uses someone to give you a word that builds you up, encourages you and/or comforts you, you have received a prophecy!

 

Most of you, our readers, have received at least one prophetic word this year, I hope. At the beginning of this year, Sulojana and I held two online sessions where we prophesied over every one who was able to join us.

 

If you have not received a word from the Lord through a prophetic person, you may have sensed in your spirit an indication from the Lord about what He had in His heart for you in 2013. For some of you, a particular passage of Scripture or a Scripture-based promise may have been the “central theme” for this year.

Either way, there are still 18 days left in 2013…and, to quote Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

 

God says this about His word in Isaiah 55:10-11: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

 

God’s word will be fulfilled. One way to press in for their fulfilment is to listen to the recordings and/read written words and decree them.

 

For example, one word spoken over Sulojana and me this year by prophets consistently is about provision coming to us to take care of all our needs. It has come in to a certain degree, but not in the measure that it needs to be for us to be completely debt-free. So my decree would go something like this: “I decree that the provision promised by the Lord for us in 2013 is being released in full measure by Dec. 31.”

 

This is obeying what the apostle Paul told Timothy to do in I Timothy 1:18: “I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well.”

 

So, rather than get down about the fact that the income has not exceeded the outflow, we decree the outcome that God promised.

 

Can you do likewise? Of course, you can!

 

Now it’s your turn: Begin with this general decree: EVERY WORD FROM THE LORD FOR 2013 IS BEING FULFILLED BY DEC. 31.

 

Then get specific with every promise from the Lord…and wait with hope. For, “You shall decree a thing, and it shall be established.” (Job 22:28)

The Lord’s Prayer is so familiar to us that we can easily repeat the words without realizing the full significance of what exactly we are praying.

 

This is especially true of that part of the prayer that goes: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

 

Greek scholars tell us that the tense in which this is written is what is known as the “aorist imperative. “

 

Say what?

 

Here is one explanation: “The use of the aorist imperative in a command is to denote either instantaneous action or action that is to begin at once.”

 

So, for example, when Jesus says in Matthew 16:24: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross…”, the tense of the commands “deny” and “take up” is the aorist imperative. In other words, do it right now.

 

Did you catch the tone of urgency in the aorist imperative?

 

This is why the proper translation of those familiar words in the Lord’s Prayer should be: “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done! On earth as it is in heaven!”

 

These words are meant to be prayed with a sense of urgency. Something like, “this needs to happen RIGHT NOW!” (Or we’re sunk J)

 

Sadly, the translations that we use do not capture the aorist imperative all that well 🙂 Fortunately, we can fix that as we decree these words.

 

So, friends, the first thing to keep in mind that is that you decree these words with a sense of urgency.

 

Secondly, what do you decree?

 

A good way to approach this is to ask this question: “What here on earth right now does not match the way it is in heaven?”

 

Ask Holy Spirit to give you the answers that are specific to your particular situation right now. Don’t be surprised if He makes you repeat some of the decrees from previous days. After all, you have been decreeing according to Heaven’s dictates so far!

 

Here are some decrees I am being led to make as a result of asking this question:

 

“I decree that the culture of heaven becomes the culture of our churches! Kingdom of God, come! On earth as it is in heaven!”

 

Since there is no sickness in heaven, I decree that the health and wellness of heaven be here on earth for me and those I know who are dealing with illness (I name them one by one). Kingdom of God, come! On earth as it is in heaven!

 

Clearly, there is no poverty, indebtedness or lack in heaven. I decree that the riches of heaven come down so I can have “all-sufficiency in all things and more than enough for every good work!” (2 Corinthians 9:8). On earth as it is in heaven in my finances!

 

Since there are no unsaved people in heaven, and since our Father in heaven “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”(2 Peter 3:9), I decree that …………………is saved. Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!

 

Get the idea?

 

Go ahead! Decree according to how Jesus taught us to pray: KINGDOM OF GOD, COME! WILL OF GOD BE DONE! ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!

So, how have you been doing with the Fast so far? Have you been keeping up your commitments to refrain from certain food/drinks, social media/TV or other “pleasant” item/activity?   

The toughest one for me has been coffee. On Dec. 1, the very first day of the Fast, Starbucks sent me an e-mail announcing that all hand-crafted beverages (can you say venti cappuccino?) were half-price for one day only. Arrggh!

 

Dec. 2, Sulojana and I were shopping in Buffalo and I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. They were accentuated 1000-fold when she started enjoying a cuppa herself. I was lethargic and listless, afflicted with a headache to boot. She finally said: “You are not driving home in this shape” and “forced” me to take 3 sips of her coffee. Sulojana’s version may differ slightly from mine, though J (Didn’t some other guy also say: “The woman Thou gavest me made me do this?” Lol!). Well, that jolt of java injected new life into me and resulted in an energetic drive back home.

 

Other than that one slip-up, I have stuck to my guns. The last three days though, I have really craved a shot of caffeine, which made me realize that satan is trying his level best to take away the breakthroughs that God has for us through this Fast. Even this morning, the sign at the Dunnville McDonald’s offering coffee “any size” for 79 cents this morning was very tough to pass by. But I gulped, took three sips from a bottle of water and carried on shouting “hallelujah!”

 

Anyone else struggle with any particular item/activity? Please share with us, so we can enjoy a laugh together. Just don’t give in, when you’re getting so close to your victory!

 

Today’s decree is based on these words of Jesus in Mark 11:23: “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”

 

Can you make a list of seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your life right now? Do you know anyone who is facing mountain-sized roadblocks in their path?

 

It could be a mountain of bills/debts.

Or an uncooperative family member.

It could be doubt.

Or an authority who refuses to budge.

It could be an unrepentant heart.

Or self-doubt.

It could be a stubborn illness that is unrelenting in its progress.

Or an addiction that seems impossible to overcome.

It could be withheld funds/an inheritance.

Or a deadline that you simply cannot keep.

 

Decree over every one of them, as Jesus taught us how.

e.g. Mountain of debt, go throw yourself in the sea!

Mountain of non-cooperation in ……. (name), go drown yourself in the ocean!

 

Get the idea?

 

Then follow it up with the second part of Mark 11:23. Declare: “I do not doubt in my heart one bit. I believe that the mountain of debt is throwing itself into the ocean.”

 

And experience the fulfilment of Job 22:28: “You will decree a thing and it will be established.”

 

Then, share your testimonies with the rest of us. Thanks in advance!

When Jesus released His mission statement to the folks gathered in the synagogue in Nazareth that Sabbath, there is one aspect He stressed twice:

“To proclaim liberty to the captives…and to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

 

LIBERTY. FREEDOM. DELIVERANCE.

 

These are very close to Jesus’ heart. Proof? He did exactly what He declared as he carried out His mission on the earth.

 

He proclaimed liberty to the captives, as he did to the paralytic in Mark 2:5 “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

 

The very first miracle of Jesus recorded in the gospel of Mark is that of a demon-possessed man who is set free by Jesus with a stern rebuke: “Be quiet, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:25).

 

The gospels provide us with ample evidence that Jesus set many free from demonic oppression.

 

In Mark 5 Jesus meets a naked deranged man who was possessed by so many demons (Legion) that he could not even be restrained physically by shackles and chains. When he declares liberty with these simple words: “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” (v. 8) the man was seen“sitting and clothed and in his right mind.” (V. 15)

 

Ditto in Mark 9 with a boy who convulsed and foamed at the mouth. All Jesus had to do was to say: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”and the boy was set free!

 

Clearly He demonstrated that Freedom, Liberty & Deliverance were more than words in a manifesto. They became reality when Jesus confronted any evil spirit.

 

When Peter summarizes the ministry of Jesus to the people gathered in Cornelius’ house, he says: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)

 

Even healing is an act of setting at liberty those who were oppressed. Jesus himself illustrates this in Luke 13 when he heals the “bent-over” woman with these words: “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”

 

When the Pharisees object to him healing her on the Sabbath, Jesus points out how they do not hesitate to take care of their animals on the day of rest and then asks rather pointedly: “Should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

 

The multitudes whom Jesus healed are ample proof that Jesus came to set at liberty those who are oppressed, amen?

 

Not only did Jesus set the captives free, he gave us his disciples “power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.”(Luke 9:1). When the seventy came back from their mission, they reported: “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (Luke 10:17)

 

Perhaps we do not always recognize demonic oppression in our midst today, but isn’t it true that there are many in our spheres of influence who need to be set free and experience liberty?

 

Whether they are bound by an addiction, a religious spirit, financial burdens, a demon, a generational curse, an ungodly belief, traumas from the past, guilt, shame, ______________ (fill in the blanks),

 

Or they are literally kept captive by others—a pimp, a sex trafficker, a drug lord, an authoritarian family member, an overbearing boss, a totalitarian regime, an economic system, _____________ (fill in the blanks)…

 

We are called to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.”(Matthew 10:8), “to proclaim liberty to the captives…and to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

 

Confident that “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:18), let us therefore decree this day that “CAPTIVES ARE BEING SET FREE IN JESUS’ NAME.”

 

May I suggest that you add decrees that make this more specific, as directed by Holy Spirit? e.g. I decree that ________ is being set free from drugs, Freedom is coming to the people of North Korea, etc.

 Many prophetic voices have been declaring that we are entering a season of harvest in the Kingdom such as we’ve never seen before. Our prophet friend Peter Kumar declared back in April of this year what he had heard from the Lord: Millions of people were receiving Jesus as Saviour and Lord in Canada.

 

More recently, Sarah Maynard of www.redleafprayer.org had this to say: “When we did the Awakened Prayer school in Cambridge, (in September), there was an intense anointing on calling prayer for the harvest. We were ministering into the vision of millions of souls coming to Christ in the nation…Prayer in the nation is powerfully shifting towards the harvest—I’m seeing it everywhere.”

 

Frankly, those words were hard to believe. MILLIONS OF SOULS COMING TO CHRIST. IN CANADA, YOU SAY?

 

We could believe for millions in China or India or other densely populated part of the world. But surely not here in sparsely populated Canada!

 

Holy Spirit has been convicting me for quite some time now that one of the reasons we have not seen such huge harvests in Canada is simply because we Christians have not believed it was possible here. Mea culpa 🙁

 

We have seen the rise of secularism, atheism and pluralism over the past few decades. Absolute truth is not exactly well-received in our society. Our public education system does not want any reference to God in the classroom. Scandals within the Church have dimmed our witness considerably. All of these have contributed to unbelief in many Christians that we can effectively bring large numbers of souls to Christ in such a milieu.

 

Needless to say we do not decree what we do not believe.

 

But, as we saw on Day 1 of our Fast, our Father “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”(2 Peter 3:9)

 

In the very early days of His earthly ministry, when there were no more than a handful following Him faithfully, Jesus makes this incredible statement: “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.”(John 4:35)

 

Jesus asks his disciples to focus on the unlimited potential that lay before them, not the uninspiring state of the present. Great words of encouragement for us as well, amen?

 

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells us what we need to do for this harvest to be brought into the Kingdom: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.”

 

He asks us to pray that He will send labourers into His harvest. Our task is not to recruit. Our task is to pray the He will move the recruits to get into the fields…wow!

 

That is what we are doing in Decree # 9 today: THE FIELDS ARE WHITE FOR HARVEST & THE LABOURERS ARE PLENTIFUL.

 

You may also add this related decree that jibes with Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19: AND WE ARE MAKING DISCIPLES OF THE NATIONS.

When someone asks the question: “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” the most common response is, you guessed it, “to forgive our sins.” Or you may hear something related such as: “So we can be with him in heaven” or “so we can have eternal life.”

But they are not the only ones given in Scripture. Consider these words penned by the apostle Paul in Galatians 3:13-14.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14)

 

What is this “blessing of Abraham” that has come upon the Gentiles, that is, you and me?

 

Here are some verses from Genesis that should give us an idea:

“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3)

 

Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. (13:3, 5-6)

 

“I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”(17:6-8)

 

As you can tell, the blessing of Abraham includes God’s eternal covenant, promises of descendants, land and other material possessions. We see an expanded version of what the blessing looks like in Deuteronomy 28:14. Here are the opening verses:

 

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

 

I would encourage you to read the rest of the verses to get the full extent of these blessings…here are a few of them:

“And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath.”(vs. 11-13)

 

The blessings do not simply come upon the descendants of Abraham, they overtake them, so that you have to run after them simply to catch up with them J

 

Sure sounds like the life of Abraham, doesn’t it? This is our portion as well, as spiritual heirs of Abraham through faith in Jesus. (Romans 4:16-18).

 

So, go ahead, descendant of Abraham, decree this: THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM IS UPON ME.

 

You may also wish to decree an additional consequence of this blessing, as stated by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8: HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, I HAVE AN ABUNDANCE FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust (Joel 2:25)

 

Scripture makes it very clear that the enemy of our souls is a thief.

 

Jesus stated his job description succinctly in these words from John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”

 

In the familiar parable of the sower, Jesus explains the significance of the seeds that fell on the wayside and were picked off by birds: “These are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:14)

 

What is God’s answer to this issue? Restoration.

 

But, restoration is seldom simply returning what was stolen. There is always an added dimension.

 

A 20% “bonus” is expected, according to Leviticus 6:5 (He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering) and Exodus 22:14.

 

Job received a double portion of everything the enemy had stolen. (Job 42:10)

 

In Exodus, double, fourfold and fivefold restoration are commanded when something has been stolen from a person: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.”

“If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.” (Exodus 22:1, 5)

 

In Proverbs 6:31, we are told that when a thief is found, “he must restore sevenfold.”

 

Has the enemy ever stolen anything from you that was rightfully yours?

 

Money? Property? Relationship? Family? Joy? Peace? Health? Ministry? Church? Opportunity? Business? Job? Reputation?

 

According to this law, you are entitled to restoration in a greater measure than what was stolen from you…minimum 20%, up to 700%.

 

But, you need to stake a claim for it.

 

Consider this scenario in the natural. The government owes you a refund on your taxes. Until you file your income tax form, the refund simply sits there. You need to make a demand on it.

 

It is the same way with what the enemy has stolen (Not in any way am I suggesting that the government steals…although some would beg to differ…lol).

 

Decreeing is the equivalent of claiming what is rightfully yours.

 

Does this work? Here is one testimony.

 

A number of years ago, an insurance company cheated a member of our church of a huge portion of a settlement that was rightfully hers. We taught her to decree this. Through a very unusual set of circumstances, in less than two years, she received a windfall. When she did the calculation, it was almost exactly 700% of what was stolen from her…praise God!

 

If you have already done this and have a testimony, would you please share it with the rest of us?

 

If you’ve never done it before, first make a list of all that the enemy has stolen from you. Then say out aloud: I DECREE (SEVENFOLD) RESTORATION OF ALL THAT THE ENEMY HAS STOLEN.

 

You too will have a testimony to share one day. “Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes.” (Deuteronomy 30:3)

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

 

Last month, I was privileged to meet Rev. Joel Dopico, President of the Cuban Council of Churches at a conference in Port Perry, Ontario.  Joel, who describes himself as a Charismatic Presbyterian, presides over a rather diverse group of churches and ministries ranging all the way from Pentecostal to Anglican with Evangelicals, Reformed and Baptists in the middle!

 

Needless to say I was quite curious about how such a broad representation of denominations in the theological spectrum could even agree to be lumped together in the Cuban Council of Churches.

 

His answer? The only criterion we demand for belonging is belief in the Trinity. If you can pray to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you’re in 🙂 Here is what you see on their official website:

“It is a fellowship of churches, ecumenical groups, and other ecumenical organizations which confess Jesus Christ as Son of God and Saviour, according to the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and seek to respond to their common calling, to the glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

 

They are driven by a passion to see Cubans come to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord. They all have a commitment to serve the community. They engage in dialogue with one another and co-operate with one another in every possible avenue that is open to them.

 

If I was curious before talking to Joel, I was stunned when I heard his answer.

Especially in view of what happened when one of my pastor friends tried to get some other pastors in town together for a prayer meeting. He was peppered with questions re. the format of the meeting, the way God would be addressed in prayer, whether some would pray in tongues or not, ad inquisitum, I meant, ad infinitum. Net result? Only a handful attend these gatherings with any kind of regularity.

 

We learned that Joel had just ordered a million Spanish Bibles in anticipation of the great harvest of souls that the Cuban Council of Churches sees coming into the Kingdom. After listening to this amazing man of God, I have no doubt that Cuba’s Christian population will increase by millions over the next few years.

 

Isn’t it incredible what unity among the various denominations can accomplish? I could just see Jesus smiling at what is happening in Cuba.

 

Perhaps it should not surprise us that in the verses leading up to the aforementioned oft-quoted passage from Ephesians 4, Paul writes: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (v. 2-3)

 

The New Living Translation renders v. 3 this way: “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”That’s what it will take for us to also experience this unity in our context, amen?

 

As we decree unity in the Body today, we pray that when denominations come together, we will “confess our sins to one another and pray for one another” and experience the healing promised in James 5:16.

 

Let us also decree that the fivefold ministers (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) will realize that “their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such UNITY in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13) This is also a key requirement for such unity to manifest itself in maturity within the Body.

 

Are you ready? I DECREE UNITY IN THE BODY WITH FIVEFOLD MINISTRY.