Pastor Ray…
Yesterday, all the pastors on staff and other pastors from other churches had opportunity to get together concerning an event that will happen downtown. The Israeli Ambassador spoke to all of us. It was really cool to hear him speak because he is so knowledgeable about Israel, all the different dates and things that happened. He went down a whole list of things. A key thing he shared was how grateful he is for the churches in the US that back Israel. Not every church does. He has churches that contact him and they want to boycott Israel because Israel is “possessing land that is not theirs.” So, he definitely fills them in on the truth.
He talked about our president signing the proclamation concerning the Golan Heights. And way back when the enemy had their feet in the Sea of Galilee, so to speak, and how critical that piece of land is. It’s a high piece of land. Of course, right on the other side of that is Syria. And Iran is trying to set up places there in order to come against Israel. But Israel will not allow it. And he said they will do whatever is necessary.
He asked for a show of hands of those that had been to Israel. Maybe half the people had been. So he really put in a plug for going to Israel, especially if they had never been there, to actually walk in the steps where Jesus walked. And he kept referring to Living Word, as “Living” Word. He said, “You might think it’s different but I want the churches in the US to be on the increase, to rise up and be a back bone of support for Israel like CUFI (Christians United for Israel) and that’s part of the churches.”
It was like a mini little trip to Israel because of his knowledge. It was just so informative.
He emphasized the moving of the embassy where no president had done that before. Others said they would and didn’t but President Trump actually did it. And those are two main things that were done for Israel by the United States. It’s blessed for sure.
And everybody had to dress up. It’s just a fun sort of thing because it was business dress. So, people that… I’ll just put it like this. Younger people who you’ve never seen wear a suit, wore a suit. And it was nice to see them spiffed up (ha, ha, ha) in reverence or honoring the ambassador. It was very blessed.
This morning I want to start with worship. We have a clip cued up on the screen. Waymaker:
Do you want to come down from this place? I don’t either. We are not coming down. That just gets me going on Nehemiah chapter 6. This goes right along with He is our Waymaker. Even when we don’t feel it or when we don’t know it or haven’t heard it, He is still working.
Scripture focus…
(1) Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, (2) Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they intended to do me harm.
Oh no! (ha, ha, ha) He was being led by the Spirit.
(3) And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave to come down to you?
That was a strong declaration. I love it.
(4) They sent to me four times this way, and I answered them as before.
What was that? I am not being moved by what you want!
(5) Then Sanballat sent his servant to me again the fifth time with an open letter. (6) In it was written: It is reported among the neighboring nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore you are building the wall, that you may be their king, according to the report. (7) Also you have set up prophets to announce concerning you in Jerusalem, There is a king in Judah. And now this will be reported to the [Persian] king. So, come now and let us take counsel together. (8) I replied to him, No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own heart and mind. (9) For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, Their hands will be so weak that the work will not be done. But now strengthen my hands!
Hallelujah. That’s prayer. That’s a prayer. Strengthen my hands, Lord, that we hold fast, hold onto what He’s called us to do. So it goes on to some different things they tried to say and do.
(12) And behold, I saw that God had not sent him, but he made this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. (13) He was hired that I should be made afraid and do as he said and sin, that they might have matter for an evil report with which to taunt and reproach me. (14) My God, think on Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear. (15) So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. (16) When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us feared and fell far in their own esteem, for they saw that this work was done by our God. Nehemiah 6:1-16 (AMPC)
Pastor Ray…
Hallelujah. So He’s the Waymaker. He’s making a way right now. And there is an anointing on that song that lifts up your spirit and makes you know that through Him, you can go wherever you need to go and do whatever you need to do because He’s the Waymaker. We know that. We’ve said that. We’ve declared that. Of course, He is the Waymaker. He makes a way where there was no way. But He’s working on our behalf when we do not even know it. I think we will see some things that were done on our behalf and we’ll see it in the sweet by and by. I mean we will see it in heaven.
I love this whole deal. I am not coming down. I will not let go. Thank You, Father. I am just hearing this in my spirit. “What God has called each one of us individually to do, we must line up with the call. We must yield into the call. We must rise up and take the call and move forward and march into the things God’s called us to march into. Not quit. Not sit down. Not pull over and rest somewhere. Rest in God and do what He’s calling each one of us, you, me, us together, what He’s called us to do.
So what does that say? We are marching ahead into God. That’s what Phil Halverson would always say “Marching into God.” More of Him and less of us, hallelujah! Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Father.
I want to pray this prayer over America and then the connection we have with Israel, that it will never, ever be broken. And the land will never, ever be given up. No way! No way! No way! Just like Nehemiah said, “No, I am not stopping the work and I am not coming down to your low level” We can put it like that. What would that be a level of? Defeat! The doors would not have been put in. The wall would not have been finished without the doors.
The following is a prayer for our nation by Pastor Lynne Hammond:
Father, in the name of Jesus, and according to your Word, we pray for those in authority in our nation. We lift up President Donald Trump, his family, his staff and cabinet members. Let Your Word cling to them and let them not depart from your plan. Strengthen them with mighty power by your Spirit to stand against wickedness, lies and deception. Guide President Trump’s decisions; let Your light shine upon his path and show him the path of reversal for every evil way. Continually surround him with godly men and women who impart wise counsel to him. Cause the way of the wicked to be set to confusion and come to nothing. Deliver us from the traps and snares the enemy has laid for us, and let the wicked be caught in their own devises and be brought to shame.
We take authority over the plots and plans of the enemy against this nation. Let prideful and lying lips be silenced in Jesus’ name. Slanderers will not be established in America. We pray for our Congress, our Supreme Court, our Military leaders and our intelligence agencies. Let the wisdom that is from above reign in this nation and be constantly speaking to our leaders. We exercise the authority you have given us to tread down all the power of the enemy. We cast down and demolish imaginations and arguments that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and we bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. We bind spirits of strife and division, civil wars and tumults, spirits of hostility, lawlessness and blasphemy, and fires from hell that have burned in our cities.
We speak grace and peace over America. We pray and believe for the voice of truth, salvation, revival and restoration to be proclaimed and heard across our land. Grant unto your servants everywhere that with all boldness we may speak your Word. We pray for a mighty outpouring of your Spirit with signs, wonders and miracles. We expect the wisdom of this world that is earthly, sensual and devilish to depart and vanish until Your, mighty work in America becomes a beacon of hope for all people everywhere. We expect the voice of rejoicing to be heard in our nation for your goodness, mercy and prosperity, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Continued praying…
No man can stop it. As long as the Church is still contending, declaring, believing, receiving… We lift up events that will be unfolding in our country, critical decisions that must be made. We’re believing for wisdom for our leaders. We are praying for all of our leaders in the board rooms, meeting rooms and plead the blood of Jesus in there for supernatural ideas, wisdom from heaven to keep this land moving in the right way! We lift up Israel, every leader, Prime Minister Netanyahu, every military person, pray around the borders of Israel. On the northern border of Syria, we watch over it on the high place, the Golan in Jesus’ name. No, enemy, you will not be established in any other way in Jesus’ name. We plead the blood all around Israel, the borders, the border with the Gaza in Jesus’ name. We hold fast against those attacks. We plead the blood of Jesus that every missile will be annihilated and stopped before it could do what it was planning to do. In Jesus’ name, every resource that is imported into the Gaza to build rockets, we hold the blood against it. We declare it will be stopped in its tracks. It will not arrive. Whether its resources of metal, cement, whatever they would use against Israel – we say “no” to it again today in Jesus’ name. We hold you back. We go out along the water! We pray for their intelligence agencies that they will know exactly what to do, when to do it in Jesus’ name. Thank You, Father.
Ms. Jeani…
Just like Nehemiah, the leaders of Israel, the leaders of our country know the internal voices, the voices that would speak and say “come down.” They say “No! I am not coming down.” Father, I thank You that their ears are open, open right now to hear and their hands are working right now doing Your work right now and they shall not and they will not and they do not come down! In the intelligence agencies, in the courtrooms, they do not come down. In the courtrooms, every judge, even when the voices would come that seem like wisdom, it would seem like wisdom except for the warning in their hearts, they heard the warning of You, Holy Spirit, and they do not come down! Any voice that has been paid, to profit from the destruction of America or Israel, you shall not be adhered to! You are exposed even now! You are exposed already! Already and moving forward! You shall not come down! We call those things done, we call them finished! Father, we thank You that our President does what he says he will do. And he continues to do what You say he will do. We thank You right now that president Trump continues to do what You say he will do. He hears You in the secret place and he responds to the voices that would seem wisdom “No!” there is a warning in my heart and I will not come down.
Pastor Ray…
That’s right “No!” You know before Nehemiah stood strong against the enemy and said “I am not coming down. Why should I stop the work?” before that he said “So none of us—I, my kinsmen, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me—took off our clothes; each kept his weapon [in his hand for days].
For us we keep our weapons working, using them and declaring them, that we’ve been given weapons of warfare to bring to pass the enemies defeat and never stop, never stop. Amen.
Ms. Jeani…
We are not a people deceived. We know that “faith without works is dead” and so we do what needs to be done. We heed Your voice. We use the weapons. We co-labor with You just like Nehemiah co-labored with You in his hearing and doing. Thank You for it right now! A massive co-laboring in America, in the Supreme Court, in the district court, the election process, with You, Holy Spirit! That the elect are elected! That those that You have chosen are elected in the election process! There is a co-laboring taking place with You right now. They do not come down. They do what You have told them to do, fully equipped, fully engaged!
Scripture focus…
Then [Ezra] told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold. Nehemiah 8:10 (AMPC)
It’s an internal joy that moves us from lack, moves us out of depression, grieving or whatever it is and moves us out into strength which is a stronghold for us.
We finished out the hour by playing Waymaker again.
