Ministries
PrayerNotes—A Newsletter for People of Prayer
July/August/September 2008
Lynne Hammond
Publisher
Dearest Friend and Pray-er,
What do you think about when you hear the word stewardship?
If you’re like most believers, you think first about your responsibility to properly manage God’s money and God’s things. You think of stewardship in terms of “stuff.”
That’s how I’ve always thought of it too. But in recent months, the Lord has been changing my perspective. He has emphasized to me that real, biblical stewardship, above all, is the management of “me.” It’s the stewarding of my own heart and spiritual development.
These days, I am more aware than ever that we will all stand before Jesus one day and give account of how we managed ourselves. When that time comes, I want Him to say to me, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” So, lately, I’ve been asking this question:
Am I being a good steward of myself in this season of life?
Right now, especially, that’s something we all need to think about because we have entered a new spiritual season. It’s a season of increase, favor, and supernatural blessing. As I shared with you last time I wrote, the Lord gave me a vision of this new season some months ago and told me that to take full advantage of it, we must “seize the moment, and seize the opportunity.” We must re-double our commitment to manage our spiritual lives with wisdom. We must do what we can to increase on the inside so that God can do what He wants to increase us on the outside.
Get a Bigger Glass!
To see how important expanding your inner capacity can be in times of spiritual outpouring, consider this natural illustration. Imagine you had a 32-ounce pitcher of water and you wanted to pour it all into an eight-ounce glass. You wouldn’t be able to do it, would you? If you tried, most of the water would spill out and go to waste.
To transfer the full amount into the glass, you’d have to increase the size of the “receiver.” You’d have to get a bigger glass.
The same is true in the realm of the spirit. For God to transfer to us all He has for us in this season, He needs us to be bigger receivers! He needs us to expand and strengthen our inner man so we can contain the full measure of blessing He wants to pour out upon us.
We can learn a lot about how to do that from an Old Testament leader, Joshua. He once stepped into a season of change, divine favor, and supernatural increase much like the one we’re stepping into now. He once stood with the wilderness behind him and the Promised Land ahead of him and heard the Lord say, “… Arise … go over … you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them” (Joshua 1:2 Amp.)
Just like Joshua, you and I are standing on the edge of a Promised Land season. God has given us His Word that supernatural increase is ours and that we must go out by faith and possess it. We are what you might call a “Joshua Generation.” So we would be wise to look at what God told him to do and apply it to our own lives. We should live as if God has said to us, as surely as He said to Joshua:
This Book of the Law [or, we might say, “This written Word of God, this Bible,”] shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success (Joshua 1:8 Amp.).
If you’ve studied the life of Joshua, you know that he took those instructions quite seriously. When he faced tough battles in the Promised Land, he didn’t say, “I don’t have time to meditate on God’s Book. I have an army to train now.”
On the contrary! When Joshua found himself under pressure, he spent more time — not less — in the Word.
Take the battle at Ai, for example. That was one of the toughest fights Joshua ever faced. The first time he tried to conquer the city, one of his soldiers disobeyed God’s command and his army suffered a terrible defeat. After dealing with the disobedience, Joshua prepared himself to lead a second attack against Ai by spending the night in “the midst of the ravine.”
What was Joshua doing in a ravine the night before his big battle?
The original Hebrew gives us the answer by translating this verse this way: “Joshua went that night into the depths of the Torah.”
The Torah is the Jewish name for the first five books of the Bible! Joshua spent the whole night meditating on God’s written Word. He knew he couldn’t conquer Ai with his own wisdom and willpower. To get this victory, he would have to clothe himself with the power of God. He’d have to think like God and talk like God and walk like God. So he spent the night in the depths of the Torah equipping himself with the divine might and anointing he needed to succeed in his mission.
Increase Comes When We Spend Time in the Word
If we want to be good stewards in this time of supernatural increase, we must follow Joshua’s example. We must get more serious than ever before about God’s Word and pay extra attention to verses like these:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper (Psalm 1:1-3 nkjv).
… Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does (James 1:21-25 nkjv).
If we want to seize this moment and opportunity, we must beware of slipping into a state of complacency where God’s Word is concerned, because meditating on that Word day and night is what prepares us to prosper and increase. Using our Bible daily as we would use a mirror to see what adjustments we need to make in our lives is what expands our capacity to be blessed.
Don’t Fill Up on Junk Food
“But Lynne,” somebody might say, “I know what the Bible says! I’ve been reading it since I was a child.”
That may be true, but you need to keep on reading it because the Bible is unlike any other book. It’s not like a history book or a science book. It’s not even like a good how-to book.
Even though it’s made up of words on a page and looks much like other books do, the Bible’s words are different. They contain the very life of God. He has actually breathed into them His own divine power, and that power transforms and changes us.
As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:
Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), so that the man of God may be complete, and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work (Amp.).
God’s Word is to our spirits what food is to our bodies. It strengthens and nourishes us. It causes us to grow.
If we feed our physical body junk food by eating cake, cookies, and potato chips instead of vegetables, fruits, and other nutritious foods, we’ll get weaker and weaker. Our bodies will start to fail us. That’s an indisputable fact and we all know it.
But here’s an indisputable fact we sometimes overlook. If we feed our spirit on magazines, network news, and other superficial stuff more than we feast on the Word, the same thing will happen. Our inner man will start to waste away. Even if we’ve been spiritually strong in the past, we’ll become spiritual weaklings, unable to lay hold of the good things God sends our way.
Galatians 6:8 warns us about that. It says, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (nkjv). Or as the Johnson translation puts it:
… If you cultivate the non-productive patterns in your life, you will experience emptiness, meaninglessness, and eventual decay. But if you live in union with the Spirit, feeding and increasing your spiritual life, not only will you experience real life here and now, but you will have life forever.
Have you ever wondered how Christians can attend church for 35 years and yet never be changed?
It’s because they’ve cultivated nonproductive patterns in their lives. They’ve chowed down on spiritual junk food while their Bible reading remained sporadic, fragmentary, and infrequent.
Such believers stay spiritually stagnant because they haven’t gotten into God’s Book. They miss out on the satisfaction, the success, and the prosperity God wants to give them because they don’t spend quality time reading, studying, and meditating His Word.
Step Up the Pace
I decided early in my Christian life that I didn’t want to miss out on anything God has for me. That’s why I made up my mind years ago to read my Bible daily. It’s the reason that, with few exceptions, I’ve put God’s Word first place in my schedule most every day of my life.
You may have done the same thing. You may have been faithful to read and study your Bible for many years. But even so, in this new spiritual season, you may want to step up the pace!
We can all do something to become better stewards of our hearts where God’s Word is concerned. We can all learn to better manage our spiritual nutrition so that our inner man can grow and increase in this vital spiritual season. What kinds of things can we do?
For one thing, we can add new dimensions to our normal Bible reading routine. I’ve done that many times over the years and found it’s very helpful. Some years ago, for example, I began making it a habit to read something in the Word about faith and healing during my devotional time every day. (My husband and I heard our spiritual father in the faith, brother Kenneth E. Hagin, say he did that so we decided to do it too!)
That proved to be a great blessing. Yet after a while, I realized I still needed something more. It dawned on me that although I was reading generous portions of Scripture each day, I hadn’t gotten to know the Bible in a comprehensive way. So I set myself to read it all the way through from Genesis to Revelation.
Every believer would benefit from doing that at least once, and preferably on a regular basis. Yet I’ve found that few have actually done it. Perhaps that’s because the Bible is such a big book. The idea of reading the whole thing intimidates some people. In reality, however, it’s not hard to do. Just go to the bookstore and get a Bible that’s especially designed to help you read it through in a year.
If you’ve never read your Bible cover to cover (or you haven’t done it recently), I encourage you to do so. You have no idea how much spiritual increase you’ll experience as a result. Reading the Bible all the way through will really change you.
Put on Your Thinking Cap and Study!
Another thing I’ve learned to do over the years to step up my pace in the Word is to choose a particular book of the Bible and study it in-depth. There are any number of ways to do that, but my personal method involves reading a particular book straight through while jotting notes about it in a journal. Sometimes, if the book is a short one such as 1st John or Colossians, I read it through every day for a month.
As I read, I notice the overall flow and structure of the book. (Some people like to make an outline to help them capture the main points and overall message of the text.) If some passages bring questions to my mind, I make note of those. I also write down the thoughts and impressions that come to me as I study.
Sometimes in addition to reading the book itself in several different translations, I like to read what Bible commentaries say about it. They give me insight into the historical events that were happening and what the culture was like at the time the book was written. They also explain words and phrases that might have had a different meaning than they do now.
Write Down What the Lord Is Saying to You
It can also be inspiring to meditate the Word by reading just one chapter of the Bible a day very slowly and thoughtfully. When I read like that, I like to take time to let each verse sink in. Instead of trying to study and figure out the passage with my head, I enter into the spirit of it with my heart. If I’m reading an account from the Gospels about the ministry of Jesus, for instance, I let myself feel the warmth of the Middle Eastern sun on my face. I imagine it glinting off the water of the Sea of Galilee. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I step into the chapter and actually experience it.
No matter what kind of reading and studying you choose to do, I suggest you always do it with a pen and paper nearby. Take the time to notice which particular verses speak to you most; then write down what they are saying to your heart that day. Writing things down will take some extra effort but it’s worth it. It will help you get a firm grasp on what God is saying to you.
I’ve found that writing makes the truth God has revealed to me become clearer and imprints it on my heart. It keeps the revelation from slipping away from me the moment I close my Bible.
Once you’ve written down what the Lord has shown you in His Word, carry it in your heart throughout the day. Let what you’ve read encourage and correct you as you go about the business of living. Meditate on it whenever it comes to mind so that it becomes woven into the fabric of your consciousness.
No doubt, the Holy Spirit will show you much more about how to increase in the Word during this season of change if you’ll just ask Him. He is, after all, our Divine Tutor. So stir yourself up to take greater advantage of His ministry in the months to come. Ask Him what you should do to grow spiritually.
This year, let’s all become better stewards of our hearts!
Until I write again, keep your Bible open, your spirit on the increase, and be sure to remember that…
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2008 Itinerary
August 11-15
Living Word Christian Center
Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond
Brooklyn Park, MN
Summer Vival with Pastor Lynne Hammond “Receiving and Ministering Healing”
For more information, call 763-315-7000.
August 24 & 25
Agape Faith Church
Pastors J.B. & Susan Whitfield
Clemmons, NC
Speaker: Pastor Lynne Hammond
For more information, visit www.agapefaith.com or call 336-766-9188.
September 8-10
Living Word Christian Center
Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond
Brooklyn Park, MN
School of Prayer (Paid registrations only – see ad on page 7 for details)
Speaker: Pastor Lynne Hammond
For more information, call 763-315-7000.
September 21-23
Church of Praise
Pastors Gregory and
Galina Sukhina
Komavalnaya 90, Krivoy Rog, Ukraine
Prayer Conference
Speaker: Pastor Lynne Hammond
For more information, Russian or Ukrainian speakers can call: 380-564-427-172.
For English, call 380-971-206-126.
October 6-10
Revival Ministries International
Pastors Rodney and
Adonica Howard-Browne
Tampa, FL
Ministers’ Conference
Speakers: Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond and others
For more information, call 813-971-9999.
October 23-27
2008 Autumn Assembly of Prayer
Hilton/Branson Convention Center - Branson, MO
Speakers: Dr. Billye Brim, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and Pastor Lynne Hammond.
For more information, call Billye Brim Ministries at 417-336-4877.
For hotel reservations, call 417-336-5400.
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Testimonies from around the world
North Central Oklahoma
I have been reading your emails for quite a long time. I just want to let you know how much they bless me and teach me and encourage me and even correct me. I have never seen your pastors in person, only on a video. But I was very impressed by them. These emails bring the presence of God with them and I end up in tears at least 65% of the time I read them. They have confirmed things God is speaking to me so many times. Thank you so much for sending them. Please don’t stop.
In Christ with you,
B.W.
Cambridge, MN
Dear Praying Partners,
Thank you for joining us in prayer. Our prayer group is now using these newsletters in our prayer group. During the past couple of months, I noticed that you have been praying very similar things and many times using the same scriptures! We just had some big breakthroughs too! I also noticed that my own personal devotions were even more similar! PTL — Unity!
Many years ago while attending your church (my husband and I attend a church locally now), I wanted to pray in Lynne’s group but was unable to at the time. But now we can unite through the Holy Spirit! One of the things the Lord has been wanting me to do lately is study, pray, and seek Him on “Water” and the relation it has to the Rapture , Resurrection , Feast of Tabernacles, etc.! I am praying that I have a clearer perspective on that. My heart has also been focused on praying for America and families to get a revelation on the end of the Church Age, the Rapture, and what our responsibility is today for what is coming next.
Praise God. Till we meet in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb — soon!
Love,
K. M.
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School of Prayer Ad
School of Prayer
With Lynne Hammond
September 8–10, 2008
Learn principles of prayer through precept and example in an intense three-day workshop with Lynne Hammond. From the beginning of her ministry, Lynne has desired to impart the intricacies of corporate and Spirit-led prayer to the Church. This September, Lynne will share her testimony of how God and prayer mentors in her life trained her to pray. She will provide direction and further insight regarding:
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763-315-7000
www.lwcc.org
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9:30 a.m.* Registration
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________________________
Today's Europe
A Guide for Believers
by John W. Rood
Identifying the
Revived Roman Empire
of the Last Days — Part 2
Antichrist Spirit and the Reunification of Europe
One Bible sign of the last days is the rise of antichrist spirit. “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18).
The term “last hour” is used in connection with antichrists. At the time of the writing of John’s epistle, they were dealing with “many antichrists.” One can ascertain that there have been many antichrist figures throughout history. And there is more antichrist spirit in manifestation today than there was in John’s time.
Rather than surmising as to the identity of the Antichrist (despite the numerous “compelling” arguments), it would be more beneficial for us to be aware of the antichrist spirit that is at work throughout history and in our day. One easily observable trend of antichrist spirit at work is the various attempts to unite Europe.
The “reunification of Europe” is more frequently referred to in today’s Europe than the “unification of Europe.” This is a direct identification with the Ancient Roman Empire, the only time Europe was previously “united.”
Most all Bible scholars liken the beast kingdom of Bible prophecy to a last days’ emergence of the Roman Empire. In Signs of His Coming, Dr. David Lewis writes, “European leaders have dreamed of reviving the Old Roman Empire and forging a United Europe for centuries. One reflects for but a moment to recall the exploits of Charlemagne, Charles the Fifth, Louis the Fourteenth, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm the Second, Mussolini, and Hitler. By force or intrigue, these and a score of others have sought to fulfill their dream of the ages, the revival of the Roman Empire.”
Indeed, this list of leaders also includes Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, and the entire line of Kaisers (Caesars) of the Holy Roman Empire of German States.
King Leopold II of Belgium developed his reputation as a philanthropist and humanitarian while being ultimately responsible for ten million lost lives in the Congo, his personal colonial property. King Leopold II’s dictatorship over the Congo Free State (which in reality was neither free nor consisting of autonomous states) is just as much of an antichrist model as the other European leaders’ dream of uniting Europe.
Napoleon put an end to the Holy Roman Empire of the German States in 1806, but completely embodied the cause of reuniting Europe. According to a Washington State University article, “Napoleon’s vision had now gone beyond France. What he saw in the future—a future he would build—was a united Europe, another Roman Empire with Paris, and Napoleon, at its center. For this reason, Napoleon turned back to Roman culture and instituted Roman architecture, art, and sculpture all over France to reflect the new coming order.”
In Jerusalem Countdown, John Hagee recounts Napoleon’s motivation to reunite Europe and praise for the battlefield of Armageddon: “In 1799, Napoleon stood at Megiddo before the battle that thwarted his attempt to conquer the East and rebuild the Roman Empire. Contemplating the enormous plain of Armageddon, the marshal declared, ‘All the armies of the world could maneuver their forces on this vast plain.’”
European history is at no loss when it comes to producing antichrist figures. Yet the modern European Union has formed, not with bullets, but with an ideal, namely “peace and safety” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
The European Union is the product of the modern European Movement. Thomas Reid writes in his book, The United States of Europe, that the European Movement offered “a completely new approach to an ancient concept. The Romans had forged a united Europe with a conquering army and a genius for government. The Holy Roman Emperors, the Hapsburgs (both Austrian and Spanish), Napoleon, and Hitler had all tried to unify Europe using force. The European Movement set out to do the same thing using the popular will. Their timing was perfect. The shock of a war that had killed 55 million people… made this old idea more palatable than ever before.”
The Treaty of Rome, signed in Rome in 1957, created the European Economic Community and is the founding document of today’s European Union. An aide to Belgian Foreign Minister Paul-Henri Spaak recalled the mood at the signing ceremony, Time magazine later reported, “Spaak turned to us and said: ‘Do you think we have today been putting the first stone of a new Roman Empire, and this time without firing a shot?’ We all felt like Romans that day.”
Christian films have increased production of end time themes. Not only has Left Behind been adapted to the silver screen, but several films, as The Omega Code, Megiddo, and their sequels, have been released in movie theaters.
Each movie depicts the Antichrist. In Left Behind, the Antichrist is portrayed as the leader of the United Nations. In The Omega Code, the Antichrist character is the “European Union Chairman” and resides in a castle in Rome. The Antichrist is widely referred to as a coming world leader, but that is not the only reason for these possibilities of the rising of the Antichrist. Let us examine from the Bible where these ideas come from.
These recurring themes concerning the end times and the Antichrist are based on the concept of a revived Roman Empire in the last days. Pastor John Hagee describes the Antichrist several times in his book, Jerusalem Countdown, as “the head of the European Union” and “the false messiah out of the European Union.”
My concern is for you to see this conclusion directly in the Bible. Therefore, we will examine the scriptural basis for the Revived Roman Empire. Let us go back to where the story begins, back to a young man named Daniel and the prophetic revelation that he received…
(to be continued...)
Reverend John Rood can be contacted at
John and Liliane have served the people of Europe for 22 years. Missionary support for the Roods can be designated “John Rood” and sent to:
Rhema Bible Church Missions
PO Box 50126
Tulsa, OK 74150
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