The Spiritual Lessons of Katrina:
The most common question I have been asked about this tragedy is, “Is this storm judgment from God?” Without question the answer to this is “yes,” but it is very important that we understand why it is.

Why did this storm have to come and hit the places that it did? We need to understand a couple of basic things about God’s judgment. First, God’s judgment does not necessarily mean condemnation, but it is also evidence of His love. That may seem very hard to see in this situation now, but it will be obvious later.

It is because God’s judgment is evidence of His love that we are told in I Peter 4:17, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God...” The Lord judges and disciplines His people because He loves them. Katrina is actually evidence of God’s love for America and the Gulf Coast, for which He has a special purpose. Before we address this in a bit more detail, consider the following from Hebrews 12:7-13, which is especially applicable regarding for Hurricane Katrina:

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

The Gulf Coast region has a major purpose—one of the greatest revivals in our nation’s history is going to break out in that area and will result in the salvation of many souls for every one that has been lost by this disaster. The recent Pensacola Revival was just a small beginning and forerunner for what is coming.

Some of God’s great churches and people are presently in that area, and they will arise stronger than ever from this storm. However, much of that region was sinking deeper and deeper into a depravity and darkness, which if it had been allowed to continue, the Lord would have had to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. It was getting that bad.

The “Day of Decadence” that had been planned for New Orleans last week was still celebrated by about two dozen people, but it had been planned for tens of thousands. They had intended to flaunt perversion by performing it openly in the streets of New Orleans as honored guests of the city. The toxic flood waters in that city reflected what it had become spiritually. This toxic water is now being dumped right into the Mississippi, from which it will flow right into the Gulf of Mexico, doing terrible damage to the environment far beyond that city, which is a good reflection of the damage that this city was doing to many.

God has something better planned for that region, but the price paid for this tragedy will end up being higher than anyone has yet been willing to say publicly. We must learn this lesson so that we do not have to pay it again. We also need to start praying now for other regions of the country which have fallen to great depravity, that they would repent so the coming judgment already assigned to them will not have to be as devastating. Presently what will be coming to other parts of the country will be worse than Katrina.

Katrina means “to clean” or “to purify,” which is exactly what the end result of that storm will be. It was sent to begin cleaning up an important region of the country that has an important destiny. It can be rebuilt and be much better than before, spiritually, and in the natural.

There is a saying that “If you do not change your direction you will end up where you are headed.” The end result of Katrina will be to radically change the spiritual direction of that region, and it will be something far better than it was before. It was a severe discipline, but it had to be. If there is not repentance, the region will be hit again and New Orleans will not be rebuilt.

What Should We do?

One of the important lessons of Katrina is that we cannot rely on the government for everything. I personally think that our government, on all levels, probably did about as well as could be expected with what they were faced with. However, no government is omnipotent. All governments have limits. I think the governments will learn a lot from Katrina and do much better the next time, but we are foolish if we look to the government as the source of our salvation. In the future, the government will be stretched so thin that even the heathen will start to look for the church first in such catastrophes, and the obedient church will have unlimited resources for them.

As the government goes through all of the inquiries and studies about what went wrong, and what went right, the church needs to do the same thing with our response. I am thankful for all that our government was able to do to save lives and what they will do to help rebuild the region. I am likewise thankful for all that the church has done, and will do. There has been a possibly unprecedented mobilization of the church for this disaster as well. However, just as the government probably could have been better prepared for this, the church could have been, too.

I am addressing this especially to the prophetic community as well, myself included. We had plenty of warnings about this coming, just as the government had plenty of studies indicating the same. I think the Lord gave me some personal information about this storm even before it became a hurricane in the Atlantic, but I was too busy to really hear what He was trying to say to me. I actually think He tried to tell us about this storm early in the spring. If there were those who failed in the government, I feel even more guilty for my failures. I will not waste time condemning myself, or others who should have heard more clearly and accurately about this, but I want to learn this lesson well so that it does not happen again. An important word for the church right now is Revelation 4:1-2:

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.

It is right that we presently focus on what we can do to aid the area devastated by Katrina, but as soon as we can, we need to evaluate why we, too, were not better informed and prepared. There is a door open for us to enter into the heavenly realm, where we will see more clearly the things to come, and Who is on the throne. We must go there. WE WILL NOT SURVIVE THE TIMES AHEAD IF WE DO NOT HEAR MORE CLEARLY THAN WE ARE NOW. I was told that several years ago by the Lord for myself and MorningStar. It is still true. We must go to a much higher level of prophetic vision and authority.

A Warning for Relief Workers

The disease released from this situation is going to try to take even more lives than the storm did. Before going into the area, be prepared. Get the shots that you need, and be wise to protect yourself in every way that you can in the natural. Also de prepared for the lawlessness that has also been released in that area. Don’t be foolish or you will become a part of the burden instead of helping.

Don’t be distracted from what you are called to do. Remember that Jesus did not respond to human needs, but only did what He saw the Father doing. The needs are so overwhelming that you will be tempted to try to do things you really do not know how to do, and will just waste your time and energy which could have been much more effectively used doing what you are skilled in.

If your skills would be more useful in rebuilding than in rescue efforts, save your energy and resources for that. If everyone sticks to their own gifts and callings it will all go much more efficiently and smoother. Don’t just go to help—you will probably get in the way. If you must go down now, go with a specific purpose; go to contacts already made, and stick to your purpose. Take your own tools that you know how to use and everything else that you need to be self-sufficient, including fuel, power, food, water, camping equipment, and an abundance of insect repellent, etc.

We have teams there now who are scouting out the situation and we will be posting on this website churches that are becoming secure bases for relief workers.

Think in the long term. Of course the immediate rescue work is critical, and if you have skills that can be used in this, or in providing other basic aid for those rescued, connect with the right group and stick to your calling. However, there are about one million people displaced by this storm already, and this can go higher. Many of us can help much more by not going to the affected area, but preparing places in our homes and churches where we are. If you have a business that is in need of hiring someone, please consider holding this position for a Katrina victim.

Think ahead!

You may want to join us in our relief and rebuilding efforts. If you feel called to go to the area, you may want to join up with one of our teams. You may also make donations to the Katrina Relief through MorningStar. One hundred percent of the donations designated for Hurricane Katrina relief will go to that effort. MorningStar does not keep a single cent for administration or our own costs. We can also use materials such as trucks, buses, tools such as chain saws, power saws, building materials, and other items that can be used to help in this effort.

To make a credit card donation, donate online -or- call 1-800-542-0278 and just say you want to make a donation for Katrina Relief. You may also mail your donation (please mark them for Disaster Relief Fund or DRF):

MorningStar Fellowship Church
P.O. Box 440
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Attn: Accounting/DRF

MorningStar already has teams there for immediate relief of those in the most desperate need, but we are also formulating a strategy for the long term. We are going to be looking for victims that we can see through to a totally restored life which is even better than they had before. For these we will be doing serious screening, but if you have information about those that we could help in a long-term way like this, please also contact us through this website.

Thanks for the already very generous donations that have been sent for this effort. It is already being used, and we count every penny of it a sacred trust to be wisely used. Pray for revival to break out instead of disease!