Israel, only the beginning

My eyes opened at 5:45. Perfect I have to be up by 6 anyway. I felt wide awake and ready to start my day. I almost did until I realized that it was only 1am in the morning in Israel and the 5:45 on my phone was PM, echoing Eastern Standard Time. To say the least I couldn’t fall back asleep. That’s when a rooster began to crow. Crowing is an understatement. You would think this bird was howling at the moon. However it brought life to the story of when the cock crowed three times after Peter denied his Lord. “Wow, this is crazy” I thought to myself. Israel, Jerusalem, Jet Lack, and Crowing roosters early in the morning. I thought it didn’t get better than this until I heard Muslim prayers and chants bellowing outside my window several hours later. With the atmosphere filled with dark chants of hopelessness my heart began to conceive a cry for the city of Jerusalem.

After a helping of some incredible cheerios we began our journey to the Old City of Jerusalem. Passing through the Damascus gate we made our way to the Wailing Wall. We were going to have to revisit this monumental place seeing that we only had a short window of time to make it through security. Passing through security was more intimidating than customs at the airport. It’s not every day when you observe Israeli and Palestine soldiers caring around machine guns as if they were some type of accessory. This nation is truly in war, I thought to myself. And we were about to ascend to the most fought after piece of land on the face of planet Earth. Our minds can only fathom the spiritual war engaged over this land. Who will occupy the high place? Principalities and spiritual hosts of wickedness or myriads of angels.

Psalm 24 began to resonate in my Spirit. “The Earth is the Lords and the fullness there in. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord, and who may stand in His holy place. He who has clean hands and a pure heart, which has not lift up his soul to an idol.” As we made our ascent sobriety entered my mind. How could it be that the very place that once radiated the glory of God through His temple was now the location of a gold Muslim dome? Even though the dome of the rock was an impressive sight the cry in my heart toward the city of Jerusalem began to grow. The sights, the smells, the views were astonishing on the temple mount. There is much to be said pertaining to the Eastern Gate, the Mt. of Olives and the Kendron Valley but words do such an injustice when God gave us five senses to take in the beauty of what was created. Besides we were on our way now to the City of David.

The city of David was astonishing. Seeing the foundations of David’s palace and being near the ground of where his tabernacle was erected for 33 years was very intriguing. As much as I would have longed to be part of the community of David’s Tabernacle years ago, I looked around and presently saw myself part of an even more glorious company of people. A people living in a better covenant, built upon better promises, experiencing a better out pouring. Oh how the later rains are greater than the former and we were about to experience some of that glory rain as we entered into a House of Prayer that is the closest prayer room to where the original Tabernacle of David was erected. Come On!!! It doesn’t get better than this. I would love to continue to write more, but I feel sleep deprived and once again heaven is waiting for our partnership tomorrow morning.

- Brandon J

A Birthing Experience

My second daughter, Israel Rose, was born this past Tuesday at 4:53 pm.

Isaiah 45:3 "I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."

Her existence, her being formed into being, has literally been a physical and prophetic sign to me of the fire being birthed in my own heart. God has out-done Himself again! He has used what is happening in the physical to voice what is happening in the spiritual.

God has really been bringing me into the reality that if I really want a life unhindered in the presence of God - then I need to keep my mind and thoughts on the things that are not seen. So many times what we see in the physical can be a mislead image. a lot of times that's where human reasoning and understanding speak louder than God. But God's been teaching me how to hear Him and respond to Him in light of what's happening in the physical. Things are never what they seem - I always find God is working something far deeper than what I am seeing or experiencing. It's learning to live in the Spirit...to see things with the eyes of God. every moment, every circumstance, is an opportunity for God to show us who He is and to hear His voice. in fact, I believe the deepness of our relationship with God goes as far and wide as we allow it to. God has always made Himself available and never withdraws Himself from us. It's us who choose to withdraw ourselves from Him. It's us who choose to make ourselves unavailable to God. So as I learn to make myself available and exposed to the Lord every moment of my day, my eyes are being opened to more of God's intimate desires for myself, my family, and for others.

Now I am even more confident that Israel was born to us for a specific time and purpose under heaven. her birth has been fire to my faith. My husband over the past few months has been seeing the numbers 444. Every where he went - on the clock in the middle of the night, on a bill when he served tables at work, as a password given to him to use a copy machine, etc. With no understanding in his heart, it was the week Israel was born that God began to bring crazy clarity to the things he was seeing. Through finding out about The Wilderness Outcry, Dutch Sheets was calling believers to be a part of a vision coming from Isaiah 44:4.

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, 'I am the LORD's'; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand 'unto the LORD', and give himself by the name of Israel. (Isaiah 44:3-5)

The fear of the Lord fell us on us as we read from Isaiah 44:3-5 and realized Israel's name and birth has been chosen and aligned as a prophetic sign to the times and seasons we are living in! Her birth was physical, but a birthing has also happened in my heart and spirit. i've become alive and my walk with God feels fresh and renewed. Like when your body arouses to the smell of coffee brewing in the morning, so my soul is awaken to the Spirit of God moving and speaking. It's a fresh wind to my spirit and a fire to my relationship with Jesus. I've been in dry places and I know what it feels like when your soul is longing for water - maybe that is why I so appreciate times like this with the Lord. A place where my spirit just keeps drinking and rivers of living love, hope and revelation never stop flowing...