Last week, we began our study of the beast, and the “mark of the beast” (Revelation 16:2). As stated, because this beast comes “up out of the earth” (Revelation 13:11) this speaks of it being borne out of humanism, or earthly mindedness.

This week we begin our study on the armor of God in Ephesians 6:14:

Our text for this week is Ephesians 2:20:

There is a perception among many who seek the gift of prophecy that it will come by a big download from heaven with little or no effort on their part. There are examples of this in Scripture; however, they are the exceptions, not the rule. Most who were called as prophets were devoted seekers of knowledge and understanding—they were lovers of the truth enough to seek it. In the case of the truly exceptional ones, such as Isaiah and Daniel, they excelled in their breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding beyond possibly anyone else in their times.

On Friday, September 28, we celebrated the Grand Opening of the Heritage Grand Hotel and Conference Center. It was three years to the day from when we closed on the former PTL property. On Monday, November 5, MorningStar passed its third and final public hearing on the rezoning of the property to allow for the completion of the historic 21-story high-rise on the property. This is a major breakthrough, but why is this building "historic?"

     When the Lord felt compassion for the sheep without a shepherd, He became their Shepherd. When He felt compassion for those who lived in darkness, He became their Teacher. All true spiritual authority is founded upon love. We will know the place of our calling and destiny when we know God’s love has been shed abroad in our hearts.

Since the last bulletin in which I addressed the jeopardy of the Bush presidency, and the Republican Party, there has been a noteworthy surge of effort on the part of the President to confront the very issues discussed in that bulletin. There is no way that this is in response to the bulletin, because the effort he is now making required a great deal of forethought and planning. This should be interpreted as evidence that he is in touch with the basic economic issues and is taking decisive leadership action in confronting the problems.

         This week we will continue to examine the Lord’s Word in Matthew 13:52:

          “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

One of the best and most unique characteristics about the army of God is that every private can have a close, personal relationship with the Commander-in-Chief. In fact, any private can become His very best friend. He will even share with the lowest private His ultimate strategies and plans, but even better than that, even the lowest private can come boldly into His very throne room at any time and be most welcome!

     Almost every prophetic person I know stated that 2012 will be “the best of times and the worst of times.” I think this has proven true, but I think it will be increasingly true with each passing year. We are entering the most challenging times in world history and the best time there has ever been to know and walk with the Lord. As I have said too many times to count, we are living in the times of Isaiah 60.