I have been studying leadership for almost forty years, and it is a subject so vast and deep that I am constantly learning more about it. One of the most curious things about leadership is that those who may not understand much about it can have a great deal of it. Likewise, those who can know a great deal about it can have very little of it. Having followers is proof that one is a leader.
It’s almost always taught that the quality of those who follow a leader reveal the quality of the leadership. However, we need to consider those whom f i r s t followed David and Jesus. They seemed to be mostly the dregs of society. The real quality of their leadership was not in who were drawn to them, but how those who were drawn to them were transformed. The riffraff who first followed David became the “mighty men of Israel,” some of the greatest champions of all time. Those who followed Jesus were not only transformed, but they transformed the world in their time.
For this reason, what a leader does with their followers is more of a revelation of their leadership than what the people are like who are drawn to them. Likewise, what the leaders do with their times is a revelation. Consequently, there has been an age-old question about leadership: Do the times make the leader or does the leader make the times? The obvious answer to this is that both are true.
William Wilberforce was a leader of such remarkable power that he eradicated slavery in the United Kingdom by the power of his message, avoiding the bloodshed that America suffered in its Civil War. However, what may have been even more remarkable about Wilberforce was that he lived in a time when Britain had fallen to possibly its lowest level of debaucher y. With his resolve to “make morality fashionable,” he so radically transformed his nation that the period after him is known for its high morality—the Victorian Age.
Could that happen again? Could it happen in America, which has fallen to likely its lowest level of debauchery, corruption, and immorality of all time? It could. These historic examples serve as encouragement to us that it can be done. However, it does take leadership, not just the leadership of one person, but a leadership that turns their followers into leaders.
Christians are called to be “the light of the world,” and “the salt of the earth” (see Matthew 5:13-14). Every Christian is therefore called to be a leader. One of our basic purposes as Christians is to become like Christ, and He is the ultimate Leader—the King of kings. Therefore, everyone who is truly growing up into Him will be growing in leadership. As a result, the shepherds and teachers who are doing the best job are not just making compliant people, they are raising up great and courageous champions of the truth.
The church is going to arise and the whole world is going to see and follow her light. This is biblical prophecy which must come to pass. If the church in America arises, we will witness an awakening greater than any previous awakening in our nation. All of the previous ones were seeds—what happens at the end of the age is the harvest of all the seeds that have been sown. In the greatest times of darkness, an even greater light is going to arise, and you are here for that reason.
A New Breed of Leader
More than twenty years ago when I was shown what is now unfolding, I was also shown the coming of “a new breed of leader” to the body of Christ. These did not come with new methods, but with an unrelenting resolve, courage, and boldness, so that the powers of heaven and earth will shake where they tread. In Scripture, these are called things like “dread champions” and “messengers of power.” These are alive and maturing among us right now. One way that you can distinguish them is they are of a very different spirit, and their devotion to walking in truth is infectious.
You can have great leadership qualities, but not be able to transfer it to others. Moses is a good example of this. Only two people of the nearly two million who came out of Egypt under Moses’ ministry were able to enter the Promised Land and attain the purpose for which they left Egypt. A basic characteristic illuminated by them can determine whether we live victoriously or in defeat, even if they are professing Christians. I know many professing Christians who profess very well. Whenever you ask them how they’re doing, they will always say, “great” or “blessed,” when in fact their lives are a wreck. Many who profess do not live what they profess. A parrot can say and do the right things, but it is not in its heart. People, especially religious people, can be the best parrots. We must get beyond this now to walk in truth.
Even so, effective leaders do not abide “problem-oriented people” well. This is not because they do not want to see problems, but they want people who can see the problems and also see solutions to them. For this reason, I ask our leaders who want to bring a problem to me to also bring proposed solutions. I do not want them to be problem-oriented, but rather solution-oriented. I know this one factor can determine if they live victorious lives or are perpetually defeated. The King we follow has answers to all human problems. To get answers to these problems, all we have to do is seek Him.
As most effective leaders know, when people become problem-oriented they can be devastating to the morale of an organization. Effective leaders usually remove such people from their organizations. The Lord did the same thing when He rejected the ten spies and those who listened to them from entering the Promised Land. At the same time, He commended Joshua and Caleb for having a different spirit; they would not only be allowed to enter the Promised Land, but they would lead the generation who would posses it.
All twelve spies saw the same things in the Promised Land, but the ten evil spies saw the problems as too big for them, while Joshua and Caleb saw the same problems as opportunities. As the church is preparing to cross its “Jordan River,” it is likely that many are experiencing a purifying of leadership. Moses, who represents the Law, or legalism, could not lead the people into their promises. It will require a new leader ship, represented by Joshua, who represents faith.
It will require those who are of the same spirit as Joshua and Caleb were to lead into the battles ahead. There are battles to be fought to possess our promises. Joshua was a man of faith, but he was also a warrior. This is also a reality we must have—to possess our promises will require us to fight for them. Anything that comes too easily or too fast is usually insignificant. The promises we have been given in these times are some of the most significant ever given to the people of God. Those who are not willing to fight for them are not worthy of them.
All twelve spies saw the same giants in the land, but the ten who gave an evil report saw them as too big to overcome and said that Israel would be eaten by them. Joshua and Caleb saw the same giants, but thought of the giants as bread for them! The ten evil spies were focused on how small they were, while Joshua and Caleb were focused on how big God was. True faith is a focus on God—not on us, and not on the circumstances. The Law, or legalism, makes our flaws the focus. Faith is in Jesus, not our righteousness or our faith, but in Him, who He is, and the authority that He has.
Joshua and Caleb had such faith in God that they were excited about how big the giants were so that they could see the power of God. Most Christians long to see miracles, but they don’t want to be put in a position where they will need one. Check and see that almost every miracle in Scripture came to situations that were beyond the people’s own abilities.
It would have been a false report for Joshua and Caleb to have returned and said there were no giants. Truth required an accurate analysis of the situation, and we must do the same. However, do we view the looming problems with dread, or do we see opportunity? The greatest faith will face the greatest problems and see the greatest opportunity.
As it is our mandate to walk in faith and not in fear, we want to accurately evaluate what we are facing, but keep our attention on God who is much bigger than any situation or problem we could ever face on this earth, knowing that with His Holy Spirit we have more power in us than any antichrist. We are resolved to not even fear that one, but to trust the Lord who is able to keep us because:
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil (Hebrews 6:19).
It is by this hope that we not only have an anchor for our souls, but are also able to enter through the veil into the manifest presence of the Lord. Our victory is the Lord. He will never lose a single battle, so all we need to do is follow Him and we will not lose.
Jesus was the apostolic message. The apostles preached Jesus, and their whole purpose was to turn people to Him. Paul even articulated this as the devotion to “present every man complete in Christ” (see Colossians 1:28). By this I think Paul evaluated every person as to where they were in their relationship to Christ, and if they did not know Him, Paul preached His redemption. If they did know Him, Paul sought to in some way compel them to know Him better. This is what Paul lived and breathed day and night—to lead people to Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate solution to every human problem and the ultimate hope for all mankind.
Another Hope
As we discussed in a previous Bulletin, hope is one of the most powerful forces in the world. In 2008 a shallow, undefined message of hope won the election to the most powerful office in the world, by a most unlikely candidate. Not only is President Obama from a minority that composes about 12 percent of the population, but he also has a Muslim name, and ran for the highest office in a nation that had been deeply wounded by Muslim extremists. This was a remarkable achievement which demonstrates the power of hope to trump great obstacles.
Granted, this shallow message of hope would probably not have worked if things were going well in the world, but they were not. The McCain ticket was either even or ahead in the race while being outspent nearly 8 to 1, with the media almost entirely in the opposite camp, until the economic tsunami began last September. Even then, Obama won by an amazingly slim margin. However, he did win, and it was hope that won it for him.
Evaluation of the elections afterward indicated that if the Republicans had mobilized
their base like the Democrats had, then McCain would have won even given the conditions. In such a time of confusion and fear, McCain had not projected what he was for with a clear vision, especially in regard to the pressing issue of the times—the economic crisis. Obama was not clear about how he would handle this either, but he projected a confidence that it could be done.
He Created Them “Male an d Female”
In politics, we have what is called the “Mommy and Daddy factor.” This is the tendency of voters to run to a strong father figure when the threat of problems is external, such as a threat of war or great danger. This has most of the time represented the Republican Party because it has consistently been strong on defense. When the greatest problems are domestic, the voters tend to look to the Democratic Party, which like a mother, seems more compassionate toward people’s personal struggles and advocates that the government should fix everyone’s problems. This is a very hard trend to buck in national politics.
These are generalizations, and are not always true for everyone, but fathers do usually show less compassion, and tend to want their children to grow up strong and self-reliant. Mothers, in general, would rather their children grow up more compassionate. The truth is that we should grow up in both, so we need both mothers and fathers. If the Republican Party showed more compassion, it would probably be hard to ever beat. Likewise, if the Democratic Party started projecting a strong foreign policy and a devotion to strong defense, such as it did under Franklin Roosevelt, it would be hard to beat.
Winston Churchill has often been called the greatest leader of the twentieth century. Many are still wondering why Britain booted him out of the Prime Minister’s office immediately after World War II. He was a father figure and was strong, but after the war their great problems were more domestic and economic, and they went running to the mother figure, the party that at least projected more care in these areas. This also happened to President George H. Bush. After the Persian Gulf War, he had the highest approval rating of any President in history, and then just months later he was voted out of office by the relatively unknown Bill Clinton, whose message and focus were domestic—the economy.
There were other factors, but this is basically a trend in American politics. As the memory of 9/11 faded, so did the fortunes of the Republican Party. This is why the Democratic leadership is so threatened by Sarah Palin that they can’t quit attacking her, long after the last election has been over—she is a hero mother figure, and a strong, resolute leader. Women like Margaret Thatcher, Golda Meir, and Indira Ghandi have been some of the most effective leaders of the last half-century.
I am not addressing these issues to just talk about politics, but about the emerging of a radically new type of church, church life, and church leadership. Understanding these principles in the natural can help us to be more effective in reaching our world. One thing I have been shown over the last few months is the remarkable authority God is giving to women at this time in every realm—business, politics, and the church.
A Warrior Bride
At this writing, about 70 percent of the members of the church are women, but only a tiny percentage of the leadership in the church are women. Even so, the basic makeup of the church is so feminine that most men cannot relate to it. The church is called to be “the bride of Christ,” a concept which many men cannot really grasp. The church is also called to be an army. Though we hardly find any military aspects of the church at this time, it is coming, and when it does, so will many more men, who will finally find something to which they can relate.
How does this relate to the Lord empowering more women with authority? First, being compassionate is not a feminine characteristic, but a Godly characteristic. Jesus was constantly moved by compassion. A strong leader with compassion is one of the most compelling of all combinations in leadership. Even so, the compassion must be directed by obedience or it can be reduced to mere human compassion, and then fall to “unsanctified mercy,” which is having compassion on the things that God has under judgment.
Jesus had compassion, but He was not led by His compassion, and He did not respond to human need—He only did what He saw the Father doing. God is also a martial God, which is why He uses the title “Lord of hosts,” or “Lord of armies,” more than ten times as much as all of His other titles combined. For this reason, we are going to see the church becoming the army we are called to be before we can accomplish our purpose.
We must feel more and have more compassion, but be led by the Lord in how it applies. At the same time we see great leadership and authority being given to women, we are going to see more compassion, feeling, and sensitivity coming upon men. This does not make them weaker, but it will make them more Christlike. The way I become one with my wife is not by making her into a man, but by honoring who she is and letting it affect me the way that we are supposed to affect one another.
As the church starts to take on a military demeanor, it will draw many more men, but we must do this without sacrificing the feminine aspects that the Lord wants His bride to have. She will be a strong warrior, but she will also be a great lady.
At this writing, events continue to illuminate the fact that the Republican Party is still seeking a clear vision, a clear direction, and a clear trumpet call, which people can rally to. Just four years ago this same thing was being said of the Democratic Party, and it is very likely that clarity and leadership will come to the Republican Party. However, this has been true of the church to a large degree through both administrations and even long before that.
The church has been given a clear mandate, clear vision, clear direction, and the greatest hope the world will ever hear—the gospel of the kingdom. Gospel means “good news,” but for too long the message of the church has been one of doom, rather than this greatest hope of all. When this changes, we can expect the fulfillment of Isaiah 60:1-5:
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
“For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.
“And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
“Lift up your eyes round about, and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms.
“Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.”
We are now in the time when darkness is covering the earth and deep darkness the people, so we are also in the time when the glory of the Lord will be revealed to and through His people. In the times of darkness, the glory will stand out even more. The result of this will ultimately be the nations coming to the light. This is what we must prepare for—to be bearers of His glory and to boldly direct people to the way of the Lord.
Sounding the Alarm
Having a message of hope does not mean that we do not acknowledge the darkness, or the great dangers of the times, which would be a delusion. To sound an alarm, we must draw attention to the danger, which I have been seeking to do for some time. We are not good watchmen if the enemy is at the gate and we are singing “Oh Happy Day!” Just as we see in all of the prophetic Books of Scripture and the prophecies of both the Lord and the apostles about these times, they were all clear about the darkness, dangers, and the troubles. However, as the Lord exhorted to “fear not” (see Isaiah 35:4, 54:4), we do not have to fear them and should not fear them, but see them as the opportunities that they are. We are not walking in truth if we do not discern the real conditions, but we are also not walking in truth if we do not see and believe in the ultimate victory of the Truth.
I was shown in the late 1980s much of what is coming upon America now, most of which I wrote about in my book, The Harvest. Many felt that because I wrote about them at that time they were going to immediately come to pass, but as I constantly stated, I did not have a timing for the events. Most prophecies in Scripture were given many hundreds, and even thousands of years before they came to pass. For the ones I received to start coming to pass as quickly as they did revealed much about the times we are in—things are speeding up.
Even so, it is a basic prophetic principle that if we are shown negative things that are destined to come to pass, we can change that destiny. The Scripture is also clear about how to do this. There is a saying that if we do not change our direction, we will end up where we are headed. We need to have the wisdom and clarity to see that where we are now headed is not where we want to go. We need to sound the alarm, not to cause fear and panic, but to be clear that we are on a devastating collision course with a terrible conclusion, so that the true leaders, who have faith, courage, and clear vision, will arise to help change the direction so the catastrophe can be avoided.
When I reread The Harvest for the twentieth year anniversary edition, I estimated that at least 70 percent of what I was shown in that two and a half day vision has already come to pass. The rest, much of which seemed impossible in 1987 when I received the vision, not only seems possible now, but probable. Even so, with the exception of biblical prophecy which must be fulfilled, the fulfillment of the negative aspects of such prophecies as I was given in that vision can be avoided with intercession and/or repentance. Repentance means to change our direction.
Most of that prophecy I was shown was positive, but I believe for it to be fulfilled, will require intercession and/or repentance. For example, when the Prophet Daniel was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah and discerned that it was time for the exiled Israelites to be restored to their land, he did not just sit back and rejoice, but started praying for the fulfillment of this prophecy. Because “the heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men” (Psalm 115:16), the Lord will not intervene on the earth until men ask Him to. He requires intercessors before He intervenes.
Our Hope
We are given a great promise for these times in I Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
We can be sure that nothing will be allowed in our lives that we cannot handle, and in each case there will also be provided a way out. Here the “way of escape” is an “also,” indicating escape is not the only choice, but it is one. However, there is another point here we must understand—there will be no temptation allowed in our lives that is not “common to man.” No trial in our lives is arbitrary, or random, but instead has a purpose—so that we can find the light in the dark times, and then be a light to others who are in the same darkness.
We are told in I Peter 4:17 that “judgment begins with the household of God.” Many Christians think of judgment as condemnation or destruction, but most of the words translated “judgment” are positive, being a discipline from the Lord because He disciplines those who He loves. This is the reason why many Christians started going through financial trials long before the economic meltdown in the world. The Lord wanted His people to go through them first because we must be standing on solid ground ourselves if we are going to be able to pull others out of the quicksand.
The solid ground we have is more solid than the earth itself—we have the sure promise of One who is over all rule, authority, and dominion, which includes all circumstances, that He will never leave nor forsake us and “…thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place” (see II Corinthians 2:14).
Not only does He promise to be with us during whatever we are going through, but He promises us the victory if we will just follow Him. A key reason for every trial is that we learn through them to follow Him better, but it is also to attain victory. We should never leave a situation in defeat. The next main purpose is so that He can manifest the knowledge of Himself through us. To be entrusted with such trials is a high calling. This is why the apostles went out from the humiliation of having been beaten by the authorities to rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name’s sake.
Many Christians, churches, and ministries are going through the same trials that are “common to man” right now. The economic crisis is hitting almost every church, ministry, and most believers to at least some extent. The Lord is going to lead His people into triumph in this, and will do it in such a way that it will reveal the knowledge of Him, helping many others turn to Him and likewise, escape this trouble.
The Scriptures are sure, and the biblical prophecies will come to pass. The wealth of the nations will be coming to the people of God, but first we must be mature and stable enough to handle it. It is not coming to us just so we can be blessed, but so we can be a blessing, which is greater and far more fulfilling.
If the Lord would miraculously do away with the debt most of His people are in, they would be right back in debt quickly if they have not repented and turned away from the ways that led them into bondage. Likewise, if He gave us much wealth before we were ready for it, we would squander it quickly, just as almost everyone who wins the lottery seems to do. Right now the job is to find the Rock and build our lives on the kingdom that cannot be shaken. The kingdom must be preached to the church, and she must be built on it before she can preach it to the world. That is why the great shaking that is now coming upon the world is to set God’s people free first, and then they will be able to set many others free.
The kingdom of God is at hand. All that is happening in the world right now is a sign that it is close. As we see in Daniel 2, when the statue that represented the kingdoms of men started collapsing, the little stone that represented the kingdom of God grew into a mountain, and then it kept growing until it filled the whole earth. That is happening right now.
The great question is: Are we going to keep building on what is collapsing or build on what is going to last forever? Even though the kingdom is still a little stone compared to the great statue, it is a hope that cannot disappoint. It may be like gathering with other vagabonds with David in a cave, but those vagabonds are really great champions who just need a little help to become who they are called to be.
The bigger and more successful the emerging kingdom becomes, the less faith it will take to join it, which is why the true champions are coming now. True faith, like Abraham, is seeking what God is building, not men. What God builds may start small, and even be born in a stable, but He is the Foundation that will last forever. For a time only those who had a revelation could find Him and worship Him, but soon the whole world will be stirred again as He walks the earth through His faithful ones. He is the Hope, the Anchor for our souls. He will never disappoint us.