Faithful Remnant, look again where you are!

Insight, prayer strategy, and activation.

This will be a long read, so settle in friends. It's taken me all week to get down what has been in my heart for many months, so bare with. I have been reluctant to share what I'm about to beyond just a few friends, and even then only a short account, mainly because I'm sensitive to the fact we need positive, faith filled messages of life in Jesus to be louder than any fear in this world right now. I don't want to be sharing anything, even with right motives, that the enemy could use to accentuate this fear agenda. And I also don't want to give the enemy of our souls any more attention than what he is already getting.

However, I have been feeling that greater insight to what is happening and an activated response will help bring understanding and empower us to engage with the Lord proactively rather than reactively. If you are really battling fear and anxiety around anything in a major way right now, I pray that peace would right now settle deep and remain unshaken. Maybe don't continue reading until you have that solid peace factor otherwise. Having faced off with fear previously myself, I do understand that even helpful information can still play into fear given the right conditions. Otherwise I pray you would read this and feel 100% empowered in Christ to activate your faith and others around you into a breaker moment, for a breaker era.

I'm sure it is no mystery that there has been a major battle waging over the past few years, but maybe not all have been fully aware at the driving factors behind the battle while we have been focused, and at times distracted as a tactic, by the many arms of the battles. The more we have focused on people as our opposition during these battles, the more it kept us preoccupied from fighting in the spiritual realm we needed be aware of.

I am not an advocate for going after principalities in the spirit, as this requires much wisdom, wisdom the general body are ill equipped for these days. But, after personally discovering so, I believe there are at least two principalities or major spirits (there have been more but only two need be mentioned for this purpose) that have engaged us in this hour to fight battles on many home, national and global fronts. It may seem like I'm pointing out the obvious with what is happening now, but it has been something I have been aware of since 2018. It was the middle of 2018 when I was suddenly confronted by assignments at principality level. I felt completely ambushed as I had done nothing knowingly or directly to invite such confrontation into my life, other than my obedience in following where the Lord led. The Lord eventually led me to realise that it was not an ambush as much as it felt like one, but rather proof of advancement in my life in this instance. As the body was stepping into inheriting territory, this was the opposition we were facing while advancing. But more on that in a moment.

Crippling fear, panic and anxiety was so foreign to me before 2018, I had no language or understanding around it really at all because I had never experienced it. That was until a demonic assignment was unleashed on my life, the most intense, traumatising and terrorising thing I have ever experienced. There really are no words to adequately convey what I experienced during that time. Something I would not wish upon anyone. I won't go into it in too much detail other than to say there were many components to this personal assignment, but the key pressure points came at identity and calling, and life breath itself. There was an assignment of death (physical, identity, calling, relational), pretty much if it was alive in me the assignment was to kill it. Because of the type of assignment and trauma, it affected the usual way in which I connected best with God. But He was so faithful to never forsake me in the midst of it all speaking often into insight and daily steps, and numerous dreams and visions for daily hope and strategy for healing.

So the two spirits, or principalities I've personally witnessed at work (though there have been others I will exclude as mentioned) are: one, what Kris Vallotton is referring to as the spirit of origin, which is consigned to the distortion of our original identity design in God (you can go to Kris' podcasts to listen to more on this). And two the spirit of death. Both drive fear and insecurity, confusion and so much more. It's the later of the two I want to talk about now however. Maybe it's not a principality for all I know in my limited understanding, but it is a spirit very actively at work globally.

How did I know there was a death assignment over my life? I actually had a few wise and trusted people give insight into the level of attack I was facing to confirm and clarify that there was a principality of an assignment over nations, and a death warrant issued. For 40 days I was overtaken by panic attacks and torment until finally on that last day freedom came, one being in the area of being delivered from the spirit of death. While others had just prayed for other areas with success for me, I sat down alone to take communion and thank Jesus for what He had done. It felt unfinished, then suddenly I felt something sitting heavy on my heart. I asked the Lord what it was, and He said it's the spirit of death. So while a friend prayed in tongues I used what little authority I felt I had to command it to go. Immediately I felt there was an angel before me who had like a hollow golden pipe/spear thing. I had my hand on my chest where I felt the spirits attachment, and then the angel plunged the pipe spear through my hand, chest and out the back! It was so powerful I dropped to my knees as I felt the spirit of death go immediately. I could feel the power made by the pipe spear exactly where it had pierced me. The way death had come in was the the trauma and fear that had affected me from a health scare on a plane a few months earlier which allowed death access this internal. While the most intense part of the battle was dealt to, there remained still over a year of battlefield crossing. There would be a foreboding that would come upon me, often only at a specific time of day for a while, and sleep deprived nights of dreams and praying through their insights. All the while God was restoring, and teaching me more about my authority in this new realm. But let me tell you I felt nothing like an overcomer at the time, it's only in looking back I can see strength in the places where I felt weak and broken. It also wasn't like any other battle engagement I've experienced, it really was the dark night of the soul, and it required so much more of me partnering with Holy Spirit, and it wasn't quick - it was long and drawn out in order to wear me down. But as long as it took, think of what that must now mean has been acquired in the spirit! Let me just pause for a moment here to clarify something very important: if you battle fear, anxiety and panic it does not automatically mean you are host to a spirit of death. This was just my experience, and after being delivered from it's grip I still had to walk through overcoming panic attacks and trauma but I had greater control over them and the spiritual battle become more external than internal. So please don't scare yourself into a false belief of your current state. If you have concerns seek help from wise counsel.

August 4th 2019, I was in worship in our church service when Holy Spirit beautifully washed my mind like a river releasing more of the trauma residue that was still there. It felt amazing. It was during that worship that the assignment of death shifted from me to my husband. He was playing guitar and suddenly got light headed. In the week that followed, what we thought was a flu turned into isolation in hospital with measles and a bacterial lung infection. The lung infection causing him to stop breathing on many accounts, one causing him to fall, waking up with serious nerve damage in his extremities. Amazingly because I had had more healing, I had no fear or triggers with any of this other than a moment of shock at my carpet being covered in blood. Long story short he survived it all, and the fall revealed at serious spinal condition that amazingly he is not already a quadriplegic from, and will get surgery for at a later date. Talk about God taking a dire situation and using for good to reveal something that would have gone unknown until it was maybe too late otherwise.

Why am I sharing these stories? To give you some background, and some hope!. It was in the midst of the husbands death assignment that his mother came over to stay. She is a small but a feisty intercessor. She shared with me that before she found out about her son being hospitalised, she was in a prayer meeting where she had a vision. She saw a group of the body of Christ on their knees surrounded by angels. But there were demons with spears also, the spears had the name of the person on which it was meant for and hurled the spears into the believers. She knew by the spirit that the spears were death assignments designed to take out the person or some part of their lives. The angels removed the spears from the people and after some time the group of believers healed. It reminded me of my pipe spear encounter as if the angel was removing that spear from me. However after the group of believers healed, the same thing repeated with another group of people. This happened a few times. She had had no idea what I had personally already been journeying with my own death assignment revelation as she was sharing this with me. With both our battles, I have felt the moment the assignment was cancelled, and adjusted my prayer strategy.

Over these past two years, I then saw others personally begin to encounter the same spirit of death in some form or another. Many leaders in particular, and very unusual occurrences, as was our own. I could see now how it wasn't just personal, it really was this cycling of hits coming upon the body, and now at a global level. But Jesus has been victorious in them all, and He is still in those who are still journeying hard places. Let's just say as well, that this amp up of fear across the globe actually just reveals the fear the enemy has towards our authority as sons and daughters in the earth, amen.

Last month I was walking my usual route I exercise along each day, listening to Kris Valloton's podcast, when just as he said "the dogs of doom stand at the doorway of destiny" I encountered a black dog (of breed known for more aggressive behaviour) right on my path. I LOVE dogs, they mostly all seem to know it, to the point that if a dog goes missing it somehow usually ends up at my house. This one however I could tell, whether discernment or dog whisperer in me, was a dog on the edge, easily agitated, with no owner in sight. So I completely ignored any kind of engagement with it and cautiously made my way past it. As I did it ran out on to the road to the other side. In care for it, I motioned gently for it to come off the road. It didn't like that at all and bee lined straight for me, jumped in my path snarling, about to attack. My odd reaction was to cross my arms across my chest and say "NO". The dog froze, staring at me while I held my breath and remained still as possible counting the seconds until it unfroze and ran off. I remember thinking to myself, wow if that wasn't a natural manifestation of that word I don't know what it is. Somehow it enforced the truth of the authority I'd learnt in battle. It wasn't until yesterday while on my walk, that I looked up from the spot I encountered that dog to see I was standing on the corner of Faith grove! Wow, when in a face off with fear we need to be found standing on the road of faith and tell whatever is in our way 'NO!' and send it running.

What's the connection with all these stories for us today? As we are all very well aware, Covid-19 has the world taking measures we have not experienced before. I am grateful for where wisdom and support have been used from those who lead us to see the best possible outcome in this unknown. It has already taken lives, largely of those already vulnerable. It is driving mass fear and thus a ranging reaction from people. I believe while we need to address the virus, our considered responses, fear and even practicalities - I also don't want to overlook what I believe to be the driver as such behind it all, the spirit of death. We can't just focus on symptoms otherwise it's just like cutting off a branch of a tree just to realise there are still multiple other branches. Instead we also look at the trunk and root system. We can't give into the fear, though it is understandable to be afraid in the face of uncertainties. Have compassion on those who don't know they have Jesus to turn to, they are fearful and need His hope and embrace of peace from us.

I believe the spirits of death and origin have been driving things such as the euthanasia and abortion legislation through world governments. Enabling the spirit of fear, exploding panic, anxiety and foreboding. The rise of children and teens experiencing panic and anxiety in the last few years is not normal. They are daily surrounded by world messages that confuse and conflict identity, value and true security at a time in their lives it is developing the most.

I am not trying to give a 'bad report'. What I am trying to do is explain "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places." Eph 6:12. We need to know who, where and how to fight. This is not our usual day to day small hurdles, it is a case of occupation! The challenges we face today are not normal battles we are use to, and we cannot afford to give away our authority in Christ, but rather learn to stand in it in a greater way. Please don't think this is just how life is going to be now, it's not. This is unusual warfare, but we are already equipped. It's not your forever, it is not like your previously known daily opposition, don't condemn yourself in the battle as if you had failed somehow, quite the opposite. You - we, will overcome. However keep in mind we contend in the spirit at all times, this is why we are to pray without ceasing.

Colossians 2:15

Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. He was not their prisoner; they were his!

Earlier in the week Holy Spirit said to me "They think they are still waiting to enter their promised land, but look again, they have already crossed over, they are already standing in it. They just didn't expect they would have to occupy and drive out the inhabitants in the land." They, He was referring to, is anyone who felt like they were still waiting on their promised land entry, and were weary at the constant opposition they were facing. They, are the faithful remnant, those who have emerged from their wilderness faithful to the Lord. "Where is my promise?" is the cry I hear on the hearts of many. I felt Holy Spirit say that they expected the promised land of milk and honey to only look like abundance of their desires. Yes, there are tangible things that the Lord has promised to us yet to come, but just as there is process in wilderness, there is process in the promised land. It needs to be taken.

The Lord walked me through His word showing just how much is required in promised land occupation. They, the Israelites - the remnants of the wilderness, had to do the process of driving out the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites out of the land. Israel had to be circumcised once they had crossed the Jordan, because as children of the wilderness they had not been circumcised. Isn't that interesting, it isn't in the wilderness where they were circumcised, but rather in the promised land. Today, circumcision being that of our hearts, consecrated and set apart in covenant (Joshua 5:2-7). Circumcision directly relates to the promises God made to Abraham in Genesis through covenant with Him, that his descendants would be numerous as the stars, that through his descendants nations would be blessed, and that Abrahams people would be given a great land to occupy. The circumcision of Israel under Joshua, was a consecration back to the covenant of promise in God and the removal of the reproach of slavery. (Egypt-verse 9).

Joshua 5:10, Israel observed passover. Interestingly Passover for us this year begins April 8th, just before Easter, and ends April 16th. I believe we will see the overcoming by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony during this time.

Revelation 12:10-11 (TPT)

"Then I heard a triumphant voice in heaven proclaiming: “Now salvation and power are set in place, and the kingdom reign of our God and the ruling authority of his Anointed One are established. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who relentlessly accused them day and night before our God, has now been defeated—cast out once and for all! They conquered him completely through the blood of the Lamb and the powerful word of his testimony. They triumphed because they did not love and cling to their own lives, even when faced with death."

Joshua 5:13-15 (Amp) "Now when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his drawn sword in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord.” Then Joshua fell with his face toward the earth and bowed down, and said to him, “What does my lord have to say to his servant?” The captain of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy (set apart to the Lord).” And Joshua did so. Can you see where are and before whom you stand? The captain of the Lord's army goes before you.

Following this the first conquest for Israel under Joshua, was of course that of Jericho. The Lord had instructed they were not to take anything from the spoils for themselves, which was not however obeyed. If you have read from Joshua 5 onwards to this point, you will see that the manna had stopped once the Israelites where able to eat of the land. So they were able to nourish themselves, but the riches and cities to inhabit were yet to come. Yet God did not let them take anything, nor live within the walls from their conquest of Jericho.

I think we can 'cross over' into promise more focused on the spoils of conquest than we are in our obedience to what an occupational living requires of us first.

If you keep reading further the conquests of Israel in their occupation of the promised land, you will see they are often referred to as 'the men of war'. They did not become these men of war until they had reached the promised land as their fathers who had been called men of war had already perished in the wilderness wandering. During the response to Covid -19, I have heard the expression a few times now from the public that 'this (western) generation are the first to have not known war in their lifetime. I'd suggest that THIS is our war, a spiritual war against powers, principalities and forces requiring our engagement of consecration and outworking partnership with the Lord in the natural.

War Chest

What is in our war chest? A war chest is usually funds for resources for the campaign. In this instance I am using it as a metaphor for the resources we can draw on that Christ has equipped us with. I have observed a shift in how we have generally gathered to pray in the past 5years to become more reactionary to circumstances and need focused, rather than a pure hunger for the Lord and His kingdom, and responding to His heart. Could it be that we have fallen asleep as watchmen at our walls and boarders? And now we feel caught off guard. We need to make sure we respond and not be reactive to the challenges before us. In these uncertain times, look for the opportunities to redesign how things have been done formerly, look for creative solutions for your communities. I have had the word 'disruptor reformers' floating around in my head since last year. It would be fair to say our lives have been well disrupted! It will be the reformers of these disruptions that will pave new pathways. We are seeing the platforms and 'elite' held positions in business and entertainment take a hit, and even churches having to find 'new platforms' of connecting. While the humble and looked over like garbage collectors and lawn mower guys, and the humble loo paper being the ones that can carry on in face of challenge. What an opportunity in the face of challenge we have to recreate, break old cycles, humble ourselves before the Lord, re-evaluate where our values really lie and circumcise our hearts.

What specific strategies do we have? I will break these into personal and corporate strategy points.

Personal Strategies:

• Strengthen yourself in the presence and word of the Lord, in the areas of identity, what you know He has called you to, your trust in who He says He is and His protection over you. Worship, it positions you in a place of strength in His Lordship while aligning your heart and spirit with Him, or soak in listening to the word.

• Close your eyes to the natural and ask the Lord to have you look again at your true position of promise.

• Recall His promises, testify His faithfulness to these promises, and recall His faithfulness of the past in your life.

• Don't give your authority over to fear. If you feel afraid, do what you need to do where fear would tell you not to (within the wisdom to do so) where you can, even while you are afraid. This keeps us moving forward and reminds us that we are not powerless in the face of fear.

• Love and serve others practically and prayerfully. Love is a powerful disarming weapon. God is defending and preserving the defenceless practically with measures, we can do the same in the way we love.

• Put on the full armour of the Lord, ask the Lord where needs strengthening.

• If you have experienced any trauma in battle, be kind to yourself in the healing process. Reach out for help. Don't be hard on yourself if it takes longer than you hoped. Allow the simple things that bring you joy, and the creative things in life to be part of what restores you.

• Pray, repent and break any agreements with the spirit of death and fear if you are aware of any, even in your thinking. You can also pray this on behalf of your nation.

• Don't run back to the wilderness to escape the battle.

• Let the Lord train your hands for battle. 2Corith 10:3-5 (Amp) "For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man.  The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ."

• On walks (or on the borders of your dwellings or apartments) be consciously releasing God's presence of peace and worship over your neighbourhoods. I have been doing this much more lately, and believing His presence to cover all. Also in your work places if still going out.

• Pray for leaders! The need wise counsel during times like these. My favourite verses right now are Prov 11:10,11,14 "When it goes well for the righteous, the city rejoices...By the blessing [of the influence] of the upright the city is exalted...Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm], but in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory."

• Speak and pray in the opposite spirit to death and fear, which is life, love and faith. Hold your tongue (and your keyboard fingers) from judgements against any person. Judgements, especially right now, can form curses that bind the life of another. Bind only the things not found in Christ, like sickness, not the person.

• Take communion. It is powerful.

• Ask for personal strategy for breakthrough and the new season of promise that will surely come upon us.

• Don't allocate to God what doesn't come from Him. In other words, don't blame Him for our troubles. God can handle our wrestling feelings with Him, but often I hear Christian's blame Him when things go sideways personally. Or they use events a signs of His judgement. Sigh. We cannot allocate to Him that which is not in His character towards us. It baffles me why He gets the blame instead of personal choices or the enemy. Well I'm not that baffled really, it's got to do more with our understanding of His sovereignty vs being controlling, so He get's 'blamed' for not controlling outcomes over our lives. Trust He is good, good to you and works all things together for your good. But thats a blog for another day.

Corporate Strategies:

• As I said before, disruption can be an opportunity to re-evaluate how we have done things in the past as we move into the future. We have heard over and over one key passage over this era is Isaiah 43:18-19 “Do not remember the former things, or ponder the things of the past. “Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." Consider what former structures and thinking need to let go of, and what new strategies, creativity and expressions could be formed and put in place. Don't re-invent the wheel and name it something else, that is not the point. What is in God's heart? There is still heavenly concepts, sounds and even colours we are not yet aware of.

• A few months ago Holy Spirit gave me two cluster strategies to move the body forward:

1. Five Fold Clusters... These consisted of either those in a five fold office or five fold high operating gift (Evangelist, Teacher, Pastor, Prophet, Apostle) to gather together regularly in community. I did not see mass gatherings, but rather many clusters of the five, though each cluster had a five fold rep across each generation bracket. As an example five that represented what may be called the Moses (50-60+) generation, then five that represented the Joshua (30-50) generation, and five that represented the generation of Judges (20-30). These fives would all gather as one cluster. This would help foster fathering and mothering through the generations, and healthy five fold expression and equipping through the body. Clusters also connected with other clusters building unity in the body.

2. Shield of David... You may be familiar with the Star of David, well another name for it is the Shield of David. It has six points, but twelve sides. Each side represents the twelve tribes of Israel. He used this to show me the second cluster strategy. To gather regularly in clusters of 12 to pray and intercede. The clusters were not to exceed twelve but rather as each cluster hit twelve they would multiple off into a cluster of six and grow their twelve again. I believe so that prayer life would become a community normal again, multiplying itself in growth across nations. Not a ministry, or controlled movement, but an organic growth of a hungry remnant after the heart of God. Prayer is our shield, and blesses our nation and communities. We need to resurrect the lost art of intercession across the body. Not as response to challenges we now face, but because it has always been God's desire that we know Him and operate from this powerful intimacy that releases His kingdom on earth.

I am fully aware gathering together right now is likely not going to happen as it normally could. We do however have access to communications where we can 'cluster' online and over the phone. Or we are able to consider these for when things settle again. I am sharing these here and now because inspiring connection when isolation is the word of the day, it may spark a fresh fire and hunger to press in.

• The last I will give for now, is to just consider what answers you have at hand for a vulnerable world? What are you capable of achieving together? It is time to shine not shrink back to a place of hiddenness.