Last week we discussed a basic characteristic of high-impact people—they discern the times, the present situation, their audience, and their message is relevant to all three. To do this, we must also be good listeners, but as Jesus once warned, we must be careful “how we listen.”

      This could be the best year of our lives. It will also likely be the most challenging. It’s not either/or, but both. Many ultimate issues will be determined this year. They can be determined in a way that gets us back on the path of greater peace, stability, and prosperity. They could also be determined in a way that leads to the worst economic and political meltdown in history.

      It is my makeup, and that of most prophetic people I know, to be so concept-oriented that I am prone to mix up details. This is a weakness that those who are detail-oriented have a hard time understanding and often attribute to evil motives. I hope that is never the case, but I realize I have a weakness so I have learned to appreciate the detail-oriented. Even if they are often irritating to people like me who are concept-oriented, we need them very much. 

         Returning to the scene John witnessed before the throne of God, the seven seals released the unfolding events. As John also witnessed, Jesus alone is worthy to open this book and release the seals because He purchased the earth by His sacrifice on the cross. The following verses explain:

I am most often asked in relation to this war, “What is the Lord saying about it?” It is always my primary goal to try to discern the mind of the Lord about a matter. I have inquired of Him repeatedly to speak to me about this war. To date all He has said is for me to observe and use my discernment. That means I cannot just look from the position of being an American, or from any other position that is based on human politics or interests.

          Some become disciples of other men; some become disciples of a certain movement, denomination, or doctrinal emphasis. In the verse we have been studying about the scribes who become disciples, Jesus specified that these would become disciples of “the kingdom of heaven” (see Matthew 13:52). He was obviously emphasizing that they were not to become disciples of those on earth, or earthly things, but of His heavenly kingdom.

Previously, we discussed how there is an anointing for mobilizing on different levels or for different size groups, and how some things are accomplished best in large groups and some things are accomplished better in small groups. Vision casting is usually done better in a large group, but some of it needs to be sown into virtually every teaching to a small group, too. People who are motivated with vision will accomplish more.

     It is considered that water is a fixed asset on the earth. It can change forms, but there will always be the same amount here. It is also believed that energy cannot be destroyed but simply changes forms. It is a theory that the same is true of wealth. If this is true, then no real wealth has been lost during this economic downturn. It has only changed hands.

This coming year is going to be one of the most important years of our lives and the world. As I began saying years ago, every election in the U.S. from now on will be more important than the last one, because we are entering times of such intensity. I think we can say this has been accurate so far, and believe it or not, even though the 2010 elections will not include a Presidential election, they will be even more important than the 2008 election.

As we have discussed, in Scripture “the flesh” is a metaphor for the carnal nature of fallen man which is in opposition to the Spirit of God. The attributes of this carnal nature are listed in Galatians 5:17-21: