And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Matt 24:6-7 NKJV

Does the nightly news fill you with helplessness, or with resolve? Do we have to react to every negative situation, or can we be proactive to bring the will of God into the present circumstances? We are commanded to actively love our neighbors, so passive inaction is not even on the table, not an option. Love is proactive, guided, focused and effective. The question becomes – does the believer have the right and the authority to decree God’s will as they perceive it over other people, circumstances and even national and international situations?

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Gen 1:26-27 NKJV

It was national election day in Kenya, and the major party was having a big rally in Uhuru Park in Nairobi. The major opposition organized a march to go past Uhuru Park and there was sure to be rioting. At Mayfield’s guesthouse we heard the TV reports early in the morning warning about the anticipated riot. I got together with a few friends to pray and decree that there would not be one rock thrown, not one insult or slight, at Uhuru Park that day. Then we walked down the hill to Uhuru Park to see what would happen. The major rally started and the opposition party came marching by…but there was absolute silence, not a rock thrown, not a shout heard. The TV reporters that night were stunned to report that there was absolutely no violence in the city, bless God forever.

And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. Gen 35:5-6 NKJV

People treat the spiritual realm as if it were one factor in a situation. It is not one factor; it is THE factor. What we must learn is how to position ourselves to receive the favor of God, then how to carry that favor and bring it into every situation and circumstance. People that do THAT, do miracles; in fact, miracles seem to follow them like a beloved pet dog. There are two factors in receiving and walking in great favor – who you are and how you live.

WHO YOU ARE

There are again two factors in who you are: who God says you are, and how you perceive yourself. The Greek NT word for authority is EXOUSIA, coming from the prefix EK and the root word ESTI. Ek means ‘out of’ and ESTI means ‘I am.’ We must perceive ourselves as God sees us, as His anointed sons and daughters. Literally, authority is what comes out of you when you know who you are.

HOW YOU LIVE

John G. Lake through his recorded teachings and testimonies, has been a great influence on my life. He walked in countless miracles, planted hundreds of churches in South Africa and his work there remains to this day. Lake would dress in a fine suit of clothes every day and then stand in front of a mirror and declare, “God lives in that suit of clothes, and wherever that suit of clothes goes, God goes with it.” The secret to how you live is to have a constant, vivacious, joyful and confident awareness of the presence of God in you – Christ in you, the hope of glory.

If you understand who you are in God’s sight, and how to live in light of that reality, you will carry the favor of God wherever you go, and miracles will follow you like your shadow.

STOPPING THE UNTHINKABLE

The world is full of threats; personal threats like diseases, financial ruin or physical accidents, human threats like criminals and politicians, religious threats both within Christianity and without, and even threats within families. Jesus never ran from threats; He was the Master in every threatening situation because He knew who He was and He knew how to walk in every situation. War is a threat…

Have you ever heard of Sergey Karaganov? Neither had I until this week. He is, among many other positions, a close personal advisor to the Russian president. In an interview this week he stated that the Russians would use, within in a year or two, nuclear weapons against Europe, specifically London and Berlin, if the war in Ukraine was not stopped. As you know we are planting, schools of ministry across Europe this year, and Russia and the Middle East next year. These were plans given to us by the Lord…and the enemy has a counter plan!

When I conferred with our leadership about this interview, one of my spiritual sons reported he had been in Germany in 2024 and, while at a prophetic conference, the Lord showed him that Germany was going to war with Russia within two years. He shared this at the conference. Later that night, the conference organizer came to his hotel room and told him privately that he was personally aware that German generals were planning war against Russia within two years, just as my son had seen.

The key to all faith is a confident understanding of the precise will of God.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19 NKJV

What is the precise will of God? The Bible gives us the general will of God, like in Philippians 4:19. What you and I must do is take the general will of God, believing it and place it before the Father and say, “ABBA, I see Your general will. What is your precise will regarding my XYZ need, and how do I position myself to receive your precise will?” We ask precise questions of the Lord and we sit in His presence until He gives a precise answer. This approach will work in your personal life; but will it work regarding threats against your family, your community, your nation and even international situations? Yes, it will.

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezek 22:30 NKJV

Remember that spiritual realities are not a factor; they are THE factor. You can be that ‘man,’ that one who takes up the mantle of authority and decrees the precise will of God because you have sat in the presence of God and received the precise will of God. You must be willing to make the sacrifice in time and effort to get in the presence of God and hear His voice. So many believers are panicked by threats because we don’t believe the general will of God as declared in the Bible. If you don’t believe the general will of God, you will never believe for and receive the precise will of God.

5 For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.'” Zech 2:5 NKJV

The Lord wants to be the wall of fire around us, our families, communities and nations, and the glory in our midst but it must start with you and I believing the general will of God and then allowing Him to show us the precise will of God. When threats come, as they will, you and I must not panic, but be clear about the general will of God, then seek Him for the precise will of God, then act on that knowledge.

Let me analyze with you one threatening situation Jesus faced, one that would certainly tempt most of us to panic.

He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'”  24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;  26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 

28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Luke 4:23-30 NKJV

Jesus’ character, all the way through to the Cross, was never to struggle. Most likely I would be panicking and struggling. But if you panic and struggle, you can’t hear God’s voice. Jesus knew from the scriptures, the general will of God, that He would not die here. He must die in Jerusalem as the Passover of God, where He as the High Priest forever offered Himself as  the spotless Lamb in sacrifice. He would not die at the hands of these men even though they had murder in their hearts. The courage of Jesus was rooted in the scripture, just as it is for us. So, what happened? He walked quietly as they roughly moved him up to the brow of the hill, with shouts and insults that seemed to justify their actions. Murderers always justify themselves… but then he took up His authority. Remember authority is what comes out of you when you know who you are.

Then passing through (Grk. DIERCHOMAI DIA) the midst of them, He went His way. Luke 4:30 NKJV

There are perhaps several ways you could interpret this, but according to Occam’s razor, the simplest and most logical way is to say that He simply turned around and walked away, and no one touched Him. My wildly spiritual friends may not appreciate that interpretation, but it is the simplest and makes the most sense. There will be times when the fear of God falls on people, even violent, wicked people, and they are afraid to touch you, like how the cities feared Jacob. There will be times when the awe of God falls on people and they simply get out of the way. When favor is on you, the awe and majesty of God go before you, and the glory of the Lord will ‘cover your six.’

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Isa 58:8 NKJV

The Lord has graciously warned us of the threat of nuclear war between Europe and Russia. The Russians see this as the conclusion of a 500-year war against Europe, and they certainly have history both recent and ancient on their side. They see nuclear weapons as divinely given, and the attack on Europe as bringing peace to the world, as they see it as the root of all the world’s troubles. They want no war with the USA, but that does not mean we wouldn’t be drawn into it, as we were in World War One and Two.

So, how do you handle threats, against yourself, your family, community, nation or even between nations? God’s will, both general and specific, AND OUR RESPONSE TO IT IN FAITH, is the factor that determines all outcomes. We don’t run, we don’t panic, we don’t struggle but we keep our eyes on Him to know the way to go and what to do. To truly love your neighbors is to stand in authority for them against the will of the devil and for the will of ABBA. Do you have the courage and love to do this? Yes, we do. Life, even with all its threats, is an adventure and a joy. We live it with love and anticipate our great homecoming, to be with the Lord forever. Amen? Love you!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…