Occupy Until I Come

Fall 2000

By Martha Lucia

Many times we have seen tremendous moves of God occur that have resulted in dramatic changes for an area or a people.  Unfortunately, we have also seen that after God’s visitation, for some there is a return, or a going backwards, to their original impoverished place or worse.  As I have sought the Lord about this, I believe He has given me some keys on how to prevent this backward trend.  We must be a forward-moving people in order to see the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ.  So how do we do this? T he Lord showed me that it takes three things: we must possess the land, redeem the land, and occupy the land.

In this issue our primary focus will be related to occupying the land.  But first, we will briefly review what it means to possess the land and to redeem the land.

God spoke to Abraham, " Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Gen. 22:16-18). The Hebrew word for "possess" used in this passage, yarash, means to occupy by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place.  As we move into the land God has given us to possess we must discern the spiritual forces that are controlling and ruling over the land, and stand in the authority He has given us to pull down the strongholds and ruling forces of darkness over the area.

In several past issues we have written about redemption, the buying back or preserving of all things. Jesus came to undo and destroy the works of Satan, pay the price of redemption, and set in motion God’s redemptive plan (Eph. 1:7, Rev. 5:9, 13:8).  Even though the redemptive price under the law has already been paid, we are to co-labor with God in the execution of this plan.  Part of the process of establishing God’s kingdom in the land calls for building altars to God, destroying the false gods of the land, and pulling down the high places.

In Luke 19:11-27 Jesus taught a parable concerning the kingdom of heaven, which we must understand to know how to occupy the land.

"And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow. Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds. For I say unto you, that unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me."

John the Baptist had appeared preaching, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  Then Jesus came upon the scene to establish a new kingdom, different from the one the Israelites had established.  His job was to rule over this kingdom, establish it, and put it in the hands of His servants, THE CHURCH, of which He is the very cornerstone.  When Peter announced, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," he proclaimed that the cornerstone spoken of in Isaiah 28:16 was at hand.

The wicked citizens in Luke 19 did not want to submit to the ways of the kingdom, because they did not want someone ruling over them. Jesus taught "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," and "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:3,10) T hose who recognize their deep need for God, those who know that they can do nothing without HIM, and those who stand in right relationship with God, even to the point of persecution, are promised the kingdom of heaven.  In several other parables Jesus pointed out the value of the kingdom, comparing it to a man finding hidden treasure and a merchant finding fine pearls.  In both cases these men, recognizing the value of their finding, sold all they had to obtain the treasure.  Again in the parable of the ten virgins (Mt. 25:1-13) and the parable of the wedding feast (Mt. 22:1-14), Jesus spoke of the need to recognize the kingdom and to respond to it.  Many were invited, but only a few were prepared to enter the kingdom.

Jesus explained to His disciples why He spoke in parables, "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." (Mt. 13:11-13) Earlier Jesus had told the disciples, "No man can serve two masters: for he either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you take no thought for your life. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added to you." (Mt. 6:24-25a, 33)

Throughout the gospels Jesus contrasted His kingdom with the world. Standing before Pilate Jesus said, "My kingdom is not from [this world] - has not such origin or source." (John 18:36 Amp.)  He told His disciples, "If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19) and "in the world you will have tribulation, but I have overcome the world." 1 John 5:4 says, "For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith."  Jesus was sent by God to reconcile the world to Himself (2 Co. 5:19) by establishing the kingdom of heaven.  John 17:15, 18, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so I also sent them into the world."  As His ambassadors we have been given this same ministry of reconciliation, the establishing of God’s kingdom on this earth. I n the parable of Luke 19, this corresponds to how the nobleman’s servants were charged with being faithful to their master despite the wicked citizens.

When Jesus took up the same cry as John the Baptist, declaring the kingdom of heaven was at hand, He added, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence (overpowered), and the violent (the forcers from the Greek word meaning - to force, to crowd oneself, to be seized, through the idea of vital activity, life, the present state of existence, to SPEND existence: live) take it by force (strip, spoil, snatch, to seize upon with force, an open act of violence, not secret thieving)." (Mt. 11:12) T he kingdom of God is within us and we must be violent with the demonic powers that come to invade this kingdom and give them no place.  So how do we build the kingdom of God, take it by force, and occupy until He comes?  We must be willing to become merchants and traders of the wealth of this world.

The primary Hebrew word for "occupy" is 'arab (H6148 in Strong’s).  It has many meanings including: to braid, to intermix, to interweave, to intermingle, to traffic (as if by barter), to exchange; to mortgage, to pledge, to give security, to be a co-signer (liable for another’s debt), to be a guarantor for the life of another, to warrant, to rival, to under take, to dare (i.e., risk one’s life).  The Aramaic correlation to H6148, used in Daniel 2:41 and 43, means to co-mingle or to mix. T he Greek word for "occupy" (G4231) means to busy oneself with, i.e. to trade. It comes from a word meaning a deed, by implication an affair; by extension a material object--business, matter, thing, work—which comes from another word meaning to practice, i.e. perform repeatedly or habitually--by implication to execute, accomplish: to collect dues, fare (personally): commit deeds, do, exact, keep, require, or use arts.

According to Webster the meaning of "merchandise" is 1) the commodities or goods that are bought and sold in business: wares 2) the occupation of a merchant: trade.  Merchandising means a sales promotion as a comprehensive function including market research, development of new products, coordination of manufacture and marketing, and effective advertising and selling.  A merchant is a buyer and seller of commodities for profit: a trader, the operator of a retail business: a storekeeper.

We are in a battle to see the Kingdom of God established with Jesus ruling on the throne over all the powers, principalities, wicked spirits in high places, and rulers of the darkness of this world. "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness hereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Ps. 24:1)  We must be willing to become merchants and traders of the wealth of this world. Jesus came to earth to establish God’s Kingdom which includes the business community.  But kingdom principles are different from those business principles demonstrated in the world.

It will take a new level of understanding, a new way of functioning, and a new level of ruling and reigning for us to become these merchandisers and turn "business as usual" into God’s way of business.  Joseph and Daniel were both examples of men who conducted their business dealings in such a way that the ungodly rulers over them recognized their abilities and promoted them to positions with great authority.  They had honored God and drew on His power and wisdom regardless of the opposition.  Because their hearts had been purified so that they could not be bought by the world's systems, God was able to use them to advance His kingdom.  Their righteous "merchandising" in the business and political realms led to God's Name being glorified to the entire population of the most powerful nations in the world during their lifetimes.

Acts 2 provides us with another example of kingdom living in which kingdom building took place. There was an "all things in common" anointing among the believers, which resulted in there being no lack among them.  This is in direct contrast to the love of money, which controls worldly financial dealings.  Deuteronomy 23:19-20 says that we should be lenders and not borrowers and should not charge usury to the brethren.  These are just a few scriptural examples that show us that we need to allow God to shift our thinking.

The Apostle Paul actually told us how to create kingdom businesses and how to accomplish Jesus’ instruction to "occupy till I come."  We have not seen this because we have segregated the solution. Paul said in Ephesians 4:11, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." Some of us may have a mindset that those who have been anointed and appointed to these positions are operative only in the "Church" realm.  However, for a successful kingdom business this five-fold ministry must be present.  In the business realm the apostle is one who leads and establishes.  The prophet is a visionary able to discern the heart of God and communicate His direction.  The evangelist is the salesman, one who will go into all the world. T he pastor is in charge of human relations.  The teacher is responsible for ensuring a learning organization is established.  Actually, every business has these "departments," but recognizing them will help us to be properly established to move forward.  We must begin to allow God to position us in the right "department."  We have to also realize that all are not called to these roles.  It is very important that everyone is placed in the right position so the very gifting of God that resides within is magnified daily in and through their work.

We will build the Church stone upon lively stone and the kingdom one life upon another. T he whole body is being fitly joined together by that which every joint supplies, as each part does its work.  There are many things like time, money, gifts, spheres of influence, anointing, talents, faith, grace, etc. that God has placed in our hands to "spend."  The different spiritual gifts listed in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 should be at work in a kingdom business.  Can you imagine working on a business deal in a foreign land and you begin to speak in the native tongue of that country, yet you actually do not know the language?  Can you imagine distinguishing spirits as you are preparing to enter into a business adventure?  There are many attributes of a kingdom business that will make it different than a business that is structured solely by worldly principles.  When individuals are actively flowing in the faith God has given them, there is an increased understanding of the fulness of Christ. This brings about the unity that is needed to be a forward moving people.

Being prepared to handle this transfer of wealth that is beginning to occur will require a re-alignment and a re-positioning for many of us.  God has placed apostles and prophets in the business world as well as in the Church.  Some of those who have been in the Church as full-time ministers may need to move into the business arena as full-time ministers and vice versa.  Those in the business world need to realize they are in full-time ministry and begin to move in the spiritual gifts God has given them.  This equipping will continue as we align ourselves with God’s plans and purposes.  As world leaders meet to gain strategy over how to keep the wealth of the world under their control, so should Christian businessmen and women meet with those who are gifted in leadership of the Church.  As these merge and seek the strategies and methods of God to regain the trading routes, and then establish the organizations needed to walk out these strategies, we will see the shift take place. Bishop Hamon of Christian International has had this vision for several years through the Christian International Business Network.

As one business man told me, when the potential for making billions of dollars is present, it is like touching a nuclear reactor.  Either Satan’s devices of greed, mammon, etc. take over, or we are dead to our own plans and purposes and are looking for God’s way.  Solomon is a good example of how important it is to keep our hearts pure.  He was a man of wisdom and wealth who presided over the most prosperous time of the nation of Israel, when all the world looked to Israel because of God's favor upon her.  But in the midst of trading with the nations of the world, Solomon began to inter-mix with the gods of his foreign wives and became corrupt.  There must be no place in us that Satan can hook into and pull us off God’s path.  Jesus provided the redemption for the soul which allows the glory of God to fill and cover us.  As Christians we have often removed ourselves from occupying/merchandising, but now is the time for a generation to come forth in the purity of God and occupy without being tainted. T he kingdom of God is within us, and must be taken violently.  As we recognize the characterization of the demonic of the world trying to infiltrate the kingdom that is within our own lives, we must get violent with those spirits. T o take the land, we cannot intermix or intermingle with the gods of this world.

In many Old Testament teachings related to occupy, God shows us how NOT to participate in illegal trading, merchandising, or spending. The following passages begin to give us an understanding of wrong ways to occupy.

• In Psalm 106:34-42 the children of Israel did not destroy the nations as the Lord had commanded them.  Instead they mingled among the heathens, learned their works, and served their idols. Because of their adulterous actions, God gave the children of Israel into the hands of their enemies.

• Ezra 9:2 is another example of the same type of mingling with the people of the lands.

• In Nehemiah 5 'arab is used to mean mortgage.  In this passage many had to mortgage their land and houses, borrow money, or sell their sons and daughters into slavery in order to buy food and pay taxes.  The wealthy Jews were becoming richer by making a profit off their needy brothers.  Nehemiah became very angry and took these wealthy profiteers to public trial, proclaiming that what they were doing was very evil.

• Several passages in Proverbs use 'arab to warn against offering surety or becoming a co-signer (see Prov. 6:1, 11:15, 17:18, 22:26). If we co-sign for another’s debt, we are trapped, ensnared, or even enslaved by our pledge.

The Fall of Tyre, Nineveh, Babylon, and Egypt

From the words God spoke to Tyre, Nineveh, Babylon, and Egypt we can gain insight into what it will take to occupy and to put a stop to Satan and his control of the wealth.

Tyre (Ezekiel 26, 27 & 28)

Tyre, the island capital of Phoenicia, was strategically located on the seacoast and became the center of trade for the entire world at that time (Ez. 27:3).  Tyre had gained great prosperity as a result of the fall of Jerusalem and pridefully rejoiced in their new wealth.  When Jerusalem lost control of the north-south trade routes that God had given them to occupy, redeem, and possess, Tyre became the occupier of Jerusalem’s merchandise (Ez. 27:9, 27).  Tyre boasted of its beauty and dominion of the seas.  Her sailors traded in everything pertaining to life and all the wealth of the earth. The merchants of Tyre did business by humiliating or bringing others low, but God’s plan was to bring low those who brought others low.

In Ezekiel 28, God spoke to Satan himself who was manifesting through the king of Tyre, "By your great wisdom and by your traffic you have increased your riches and power, and your heart is proud and lifted up because of your wealth. Through the abundance of your commerce you were filled with lawlessness and violence, and you sinned. You have profaned your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities and the enormity of your guilt, by the unrighteousness of your trade." (28:5, 16, 18)  God told the king of Tyre that because of his unfair trade practices and merchandising with the nations, and because he used his own wisdom to increase his riches and his heart became lifted up, God would destroy him and make a spoil of his riches and a prey of his merchandise. In this chapter it says of Satan, "Every precious stone was your covering." Jesus stripped Satan bare, spoiled him, and made a show of him openly.  Satan is still trying to keep himself covered with the precious stones, gold, and silver of the earth.  It is time for the righteous to execute the judgments written, leaving Satan stripped bare and spoiled as Jesus did.

Isaiah also prophesied about Tyre. The merchants of Tyre were princes and her traders were highly honored. Unfortunately this is true today.  We make "princes" out of those who have ignored God’s laws and become wealthy at the expense of others.  But God has said, "The Lord of Hosts has purposed it [in accordance with a fixed principle of His government], to defile the pride of all glory and to bring into dishonor and contempt all the honored of the earth." (Is. 23:9 Amp.)

While enjoying great prosperity and wealth, which was the natural result of extensive trade, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre for 13 years, apparently without success.  Later Tyre fell under the power of Alexander the Great, but continued to maintain much of its commercial importance until the Christian era. In A.D. 1291 it was taken by the Muslim Saracens, and has remained a desolate ruin ever since.

Nineveh

Nahum describes the fall of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.  In the days of Jonah, Nineveh repented. However, after a time Nineveh reverted to its extreme wickedness, brutality, and pride.  Nineveh had an endless supply of silver and gold (Na. 2:9) and merchants too numerous to count.  They stripped the land of its treasures and destroyed the trade networks.  Nineveh had a vast number of trading and commercial enterprises, making it a very rich city.  But once again God destroyed the city because its merchants filled the city with their charms, sorceries, prostitution, and idolatry (Na. 3:1-7).  The Assyrians eventually fell to the Babylonians, who in turn fell to the Persians.  All this happened because Nineveh sold herself to God’s enemies.

Babylon

In Jeremiah 50-52, Jeremiah spoke the words of the Lord concerning Babylon.  Isaiah spoke similar words in Isaiah 13.  Because the Babylonians, much like the princes and honored ones of Tyre, were rejoicing over their inheritance of God’s land and people, the Babylonians would become the least of all the nations, completely desolate. God’s plumb line was cast in their midst as Jeremiah prophesied, "O [Babylon] you who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come, and the line measuring your life is cut. (51:13) And I will punish and execute judgment upon Bel [the god] in Babylon, and take out of his mouth what he swallowed up [the sacred vessels, the people of Judah and else where which were taken captive]. The nations shall not flow any more to him; yes, the wall of Babylon has fallen!" (51:13,44 Amp.) "You shall no longer be called the Lady of the Kingdoms." (Is. 47:5)

According to Revelation 18, the complete destruction of Babylon will come in the end times.  All nations have drunk her wine and the businessmen of the earth have become rich with the wealth of her excessive luxury and wantonness. "And the earth’s business men weep and grieve over her, because no one buys their freight (cargo) any more." (Rev. 18:11 Amp.) T he Babylonians traded much of the same merchandise as the traders of Tyre. "The dealers who handled these articles, who grew wealthy through their business with her, will stand a long way off, in terror of her doom and torment, weeping and grieving aloud. Because in one [single] hour all the vast wealth has been destroyed – wiped out." (Rev. 18:15, 17 Amp.)  These businessmen were the great and prominent men of the earth, and by their magic spells and poisonous charm they had deceived all nations (Rev. 18:23).

Egypt

In Ezekiel 31 the fall of Egypt was prophesied.  Similar to God’s words to the king of Tyre, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was spoken to as if he were Satan.  God said that Egypt would be destroyed because of her loftiness, pride, wickedness, and lawlessness.  The Egyptians were guilty of violating the social rights of others through oppression, greed, exploitation, murder, dishonesty in business, and twisting justice.  God warned His people through Jeremiah and John in the book of Revelation saying, "Come out from among her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues."  Tyre, Nineveh, Babylon, and Egypt were destroyed because of their illegal merchandising and trafficking.  We cannot join them in their illegal ways and at the same time join God in the building of His kingdom here on earth.

The Trade Routes

About two years ago the Lord began to show me in a vision the old trade routes coming alive again. An example of one of these routes is the Great Silk Road, which was once the economic lifeline of Central Asia and the South Caucasus (formerly in the Soviet Union). The trading and trafficking that occurred controlled everything in the area. There seems to be a renewed interest in the activities along the Silk Road.  As recently as 1999, the U.S. Congress passed a bill entitled "The Silk Road Strategy Act of 1999." I ts purpose was to target assistance to support the economic and political independence of the countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia.  This was done so that the United States could have favor with the countries that control that route and are gaining their economic strength from the trading there.  Kazakhstan, which is located in the area of the Silk Road, has historically been critically important in the centuries-old communications and cultural, social, and economic relations that affect European and Asian countries. I ts oil reserves are comparable to those in the Mideast.  Dealing with Kazakhstan would reduce the dependency of the United States on the energy from the volatile Persian Gulf region.  Once again this is an example of the princes and noble men ruling the wealth of the world through the buying and selling of the oil of the land.  These riches belong to God and need to be under the control of the righteous.

It has always been God’s plan that the righteous be merchandisers and control the highways and trade routes.  In the days of Deborah during the reign of Jabin, the highways and cities were unoccupied.  Jabin and his army lead by Sisera ruled the highways from their iron chariots.  Because the enemy controlled the iron works, the Israelites were unable to make swords or shields because they did not have access to the needed materials.  Through the prophetess Deborah, God directed the attack that destroyed Sisera, his chariots, and his armies. God restored the highways and cities back to Israel (Judges 5).  Another major trade route is the waterways. 1 Chronicles 9:21, "For the King’s ships went to Tarshish with Huram’s servants; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks."

God is saying we must become the occupiers, the traders, and the merchandisers or else the enemy will occupy our merchandise and stay in control of the wealth and we will not accomplish the taking of the kingdoms as prophesied by Daniel.  We are citizens of another kingdom, God’s kingdom, and He has a way of building, trading, and merchandising that is not like the world or the Babylonian system.

In Isaiah 35:8, God promised, "And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for the redeemed; the wayfaring men, yes, the simple ones and fools, shall not err in it and lose their way." (Amp.) God continued to describe this highway in Isaiah 40:3-5, "A voice of one who cries, Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord - clear away the obstacles - make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God! Every valley shall be lifted and filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked and uneven shall be made straight and level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory - majesty and splendor - of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."  Job 28 speaks of a path that no eye has seen.  It is a place where the vein for silver, and a place of gold, sapphires and dust of gold can be found.  God himself will bring it to light.

As merchants and traders we must find this highway.  Because it is along this route that business will occur that reflects God’s heart. John the Baptist was pointing toward this highway when he appeared in the wilderness preaching the baptism of repentance. Ecclesiastes 2:26 says, "For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and heaping up, that he may give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and striving for the wind and feeding on it." (Amp.)  We need God’s wisdom and knowledge in order to handle the wealth that comes with occupying.  But the wealthy have a difficult challenge.  Jesus told the rich young ruler who came to Him and asked how he could enter the Kingdom that, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom.  With man this is impossible, but with God nothing is impossible. Paul wrote to Timothy, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Ti. 6:10) Only with God’s wisdom and being dead to the rudiments of this world (Col. 2:8, 20) will we prosper.

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19) In this passage "glory" means to think, recognize for what a person or a thing is; appearance, reputation, honor. God’s character is reflected in His glory. In Romans 3:23 we read, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." God’s character and image must be reflected through us so that there is no lack. The Greek word for "supply" means to complete; to occupy, supply; figuratively to accomplish (by coincidence or obedience): to fill-up, fulfill, occupy.  Just as Jesus fulfilled and finished the work God gave him to do, we must occupy in order to fulfill and accomplish the work Jesus has given us to do.

There is a new wind blowing.  A trade wind that will set a new trade route, or maybe it is an old trade route that God will uncover (Isa. 58:12).  God, I pray You put us on the path that leads to Your wisdom so we might find the hidden treasures in secret places and the treasures of darkness.  You have given us the keys of the kingdom to unlock and lock the things on this earth that will establish Your kingdom.  You have made known to us the mysteries of the kingdom, which will help us know the prophetic purposes and the centers of power in each nation in order to destroy the demonic power that rules there, and unlock your purposes over the land.  Teach us to possess, redeem, and occupy this earth that is Yours.  We need Your wisdom to know how to handle the wealth that is being transferred from the world into Your kingdom.  Release in us the integrity of money.  Show us how to build kingdom businesses and become merchants with Kingdom principles.  Renew our minds, change our directions, character, image, and attitudes so Your ways become our ways.  Increase our discernment so we see the schemes of the wicked and turn away from them.  Establish Your Church and Kingdom.  God, it is only through You. Amen.

Suggested Reading: God@Work by Rich Marshall

Prayer for the U.S. Election

Dutch Sheets has issued an urgent prayer alert for this nation:

"There must be a turning in this nation toward righteousness, and this will only happen if God’s man is elected into office. I believe that if the election was held now, the results would be such that His purposes for this nation would be set back for many, many years, possibly decades. (I am not basing this on polls or debates, but solely on what the Lord revealed to me.) God showed me that the outcome of the current battle regarding this election will be determined by the prayer of the Church. If there is enough prayer and fasting, righteousness will prevail and God’s plan will be established. Daniel 2:21 states: ‘He changes the times and the seasons, He removes kings and sets up kings, He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.’ This can and must happen. It will be realized, however, only if we heed this imperative call to intensified, fervent prayer."

Daniel also says that Satan will think to change times and laws. If we don’t override Satan’s thoughts, we will continue to allow him to change the times and laws, rather than God. Please join us in intensifying your prayer efforts now through election day.